Shock seems to be the most unnecessary element, to me at least. Fire is good because there are a lot of unarmored, unshielded enemies, acid is good because there are a lot of mechanical stuff, but shields... well, apart from the few that bosses got, shields are already very easy to bypass.
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Shock chains through enemies, so it affects a lot more than just one target.
Plus it's a damage-over-time that almost nothing is resistant to. It doesn't deal extra damage outright, but punches through shields like they aren't there and is, usually, reliably effective. Acid is too, and I'd say acid is more useful overall, given the massive number of robots you tend to fight in the later stages of the game.
In other news, is the Buffalo rifle supposed to be a non-Sniper rifle? Because I personally found it hilarious. It does twice the damage of my (already very powerful) piece, but only has iron sights... using it is going to be a fun exercise. :P
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In the first game there was a Jakobs rifle that was called the elephant hunter or something like that which was a sniper rifle with 2 rounds and massive base damage and only iron sites. At least it was something like that, I could be remembering parts of it wrong. So I would bet the buffalo rifle is much the same.
I have noticed there seems to be a more focused design to the elemental creatures. There used to be the whole gamut of spiderant variations but I think I've only seen fire in BL2. I think the only corrosive monsters I've seen are the barfing skags. And there are a few slagged types of a couple different things.
I think there might be some lightning nomads, but I can't think of any lightning monsters. And of course the repair drones drop electric missiles.
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Shock seems to be the most unnecessary element, to me at least. Fire is good because there are a lot of unarmored, unshielded enemies, acid is good because there are a lot of mechanical stuff, but shields... well, apart from the few that bosses got, shields are already very easy to bypass.
I have to agree. As of yesterday, I now have a generic sniper rifle of every type ("normal" + all elements) and I've been trying to decide whether it's worth carrying so many around. I've basically decided that normal, fire and corrosive rifles are all I really need. I came to the exact same conclusion about shields and slag is either not worth it on weak enemies or not applicable to so many stronger enemies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erloas
In the first game there was a Jakobs rifle that was called the elephant hunter or something like that which was a sniper rifle with 2 rounds and massive base damage and only iron sites. At least it was something like that, I could be remembering parts of it wrong. So I would bet the buffalo rifle is much the same.
I have noticed there seems to be a more focused design to the elemental creatures. There used to be the whole gamut of spiderant variations but I think I've only seen fire in BL2. I think the only corrosive monsters I've seen are the barfing skags. And there are a few slagged types of a couple different things.
I think there might be some lightning nomads, but I can't think of any lightning monsters. And of course the repair drones drop electric missiles.
The elephant gun was great. I loved that thing for mid-range stuff.
I saw a lightning/shock skag in the preservation, I think.
I have noticed there seems to be a more focused design to the elemental creatures. There used to be the whole gamut of spiderant variations but I think I've only seen fire in BL2. I think the only corrosive monsters I've seen are the barfing skags. And there are a few slagged types of a couple different things.
I think there might be some lightning nomads, but I can't think of any lightning monsters. And of course the repair drones drop electric missiles.
I've seen poison, slagged, fire and corrosive spiderants.
Regarding SMGs, almost all of the multiple-pellet SMGs were removed. The Double mod appears on a couple of rare SMGs, but as far as I can tell nothing as absurd as double Anarchies still exist. Also, much to my dismay, double SMGs don't trigger the Assassin's Two Fang skill. It's such a bummer. I'm totally over it, though, since I picked up a level 50 Rapid Infinity and a Pistol Sheriff's Badge. It's legittt.
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Originally Posted by ObadiahtheSlim
The problem with slag is some bosses and mini-bosses can't be slaged so you just deal base damage to them.
I've invested over a hundred hours into my assassin and I'm fairly certain that I've slagged almost all of the toughest enemies in the game.
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Originally Posted by Cespenar
Shock seems to be the most unnecessary element, to me at least. Fire is good because there are a lot of unarmored, unshielded enemies, acid is good because there are a lot of mechanical stuff, but shields... well, apart from the few that bosses got, shields are already very easy to bypass.
Really?
Explosive does 20% less damage to shields, Corrosive does 40% less damage to flesh and 60% less damage to shields in exchange for 75% additional damage to armor, Fire does 60% less damage to both shields and armor in exchange for 75% additional damage to flesh, while Shock deals reduced damage to nothing in exchange for 150% additional damage to shields.
It's by far the best element for general play, and the only real disadvantage it has is that there aren't a lot of abilities or items that support a shock-focused build, in my opinion, but that's obviously changed. I'm super excited about the Mechromancer's second and third trees.
A slight bummer about the third tree, though. The first teir skill that isn't ANARCHY!!!! will screw with that Legendary Infinite Ammo Pistol you can get from the slot machines.
Even one rank in the skill will reduce it's clip to a big fat 0, meaning it can't be fired. It's a shame, because it works so well with her other skills, and would be amazing with the higher-up Ordered Chaos skills.
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Shock can be useful as one of your 4 weapons to weaken a strong shielded enemy and then switch to fire. I keep a shock SMG around to get off a few quick shield depleting shots. And unlike some of the other elements there isn't a clear downside to it, so it's generally better than nothing. Fire and corrode are too weak in many cases to use as your default weapon when you aren't up against the right enemy type.
They're not really challenging or common enough to be much of a factor in weapon choice, but I find shock extremely helpful against those annoying beasts who go invisible. They all have shields, and once their shields are down they stop going invisible and become way easier to kill.
I'm only level 20, so I can't speak to the end game, but so far the only truly essential element has been corrosive, which can make all the difference against robots. The others can be a nice bonus in some circumstances but are clearly optional.
I've actually been pleasantly surprised by Anarchy so far -- even with 75-100 stacks (read: -175% accuracy), I was still able to land (scoped) headshots at whim with my Jakobs sniper, from far enough away that the bandits' return fire wasn't a significant issue. At most, I had to deal with a bit more view-sway than I was used to from Borderlands -- but still far less than, say, what snipers have to deal with in the WWII-themed Calls of Duty. And, of course, my hip accuracy was slim-to-none. But the damage? Merry Kritzmas.
Upwards of 140 stacks, though, was a different story -- suddenly even scoped dead-center bodyshots were missing. (I wound up having Deathtrap solo that group so I could dismiss my built-up Anarchy in peace.) It wouldn't surprise me if rolling a higher-accuracy rifle (mine's 97.5) or a few more Badass Tokens towards accuracy would let me sit high and mighty on a stack of 150+, though.
To get a level 50 flame of the firehawk, do I need to wait until level 50 to accept the first quest from Lilith, or can I get that and then wait to do the other? Also, for future reference, where do I stop in Lynchwood and in the quests leading to having the love thumper in order for order and the love thumper to be properly leveled?
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To get a level 50 flame of the firehawk, do I need to wait until level 50 to accept the first quest from Lilith, or can I get that and then wait to do the other? Also, for future reference, where do I stop in Lynchwood and in the quests leading to having the love thumper in order for order and the love thumper to be properly leveled?
You must ignore the quest (DO NOT ACCEPT IT) until you reach level 50. The quest "Best Mother's Day Ever" is the quest that rewards the Thumper.
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Explosive does 20% less damage to shields, Corrosive does 40% less damage to flesh and 60% less damage to shields in exchange for 75% additional damage to armor, Fire does 60% less damage to both shields and armor in exchange for 75% additional damage to flesh, while Shock deals reduced damage to nothing in exchange for 150% additional damage to shields.
It's by far the best element for general play, and the only real disadvantage it has is that there aren't a lot of abilities or items that support a shock-focused build, in my opinion, but that's obviously changed. I'm super excited about the Mechromancer's second and third trees.
The thing is, shields are rare and easily bypassable already. Except for a few bosses, I mean. And most of the information you put there is redundant, because you can swap weapons, and won't use acid weapons on flesh, or fire weapons on armor anyway. What's important is rarity. Flesh is the most common, so fire becomes more useful, etc. Simple, really.
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Regarding SMGs, almost all of the multiple-pellet SMGs were removed. The Double mod appears on a couple of rare SMGs, but as far as I can tell nothing as absurd as double Anarchies still exist.
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Originally Posted by Cirrylius
That's how wizards beta test their new animals. If it survives Australia, it's a go. Which in hindsight explains a LOT about Australia.
I came to the exact same conclusion about shields and slag is either not worth it on weak enemies or not applicable to so many stronger enemies.
Unless you're a Gunzerker slag is more of a support element--you slag the enemy and then your companions are dealing more damage to it and thus kill it faster. Gunzerker, of course, can have a slag weapon in one hand and something that deals real damage in the other, and that combo is pretty darned awesome!
I know, but what quest? Flame of the firehawk comes after 4 or 5 other quests
You can't accept the quest that actually gives the Orange/Purple/Blue item if you want the item to be properly leveled. Any of the preceding quests in a chain can be accepted and completed.
I've invested over a hundred hours into my assassin and I'm fairly certain that I've slagged almost all of the toughest enemies in the game.
If you have, you've had better luck than I have. I have a SR with 70% slag chance and I _still_ can't slag a decent number of (mini-)bosses. I'll go ahead and blame the RNG.
Quote:
Really?
Explosive does 20% less damage to shields, Corrosive does 40% less damage to flesh and 60% less damage to shields in exchange for 75% additional damage to armor, Fire does 60% less damage to both shields and armor in exchange for 75% additional damage to flesh, while Shock deals reduced damage to nothing in exchange for 150% additional damage to shields.
It's by far the best element for general play, and the only real disadvantage it has is that there aren't a lot of abilities or items that support a shock-focused build, in my opinion, but that's obviously changed. I'm super excited about the Mechromancer's second and third trees.
Yes, really. BL2 Wiki says those numbers are only right for your second playthrough. On the first, it's only 25% less for fire/acid on shields, which isn't a big hit. You're still correct in general, but it's only that pronounced in the hardest case. Also, what Cespenar said. You can swap weapons, leave a shock gun in your 'pack, and basically ignore shields most of the time. They're not prevalent (in my experience).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Errata
They're not really challenging or common enough to be much of a factor in weapon choice, but I find shock extremely helpful against those annoying beasts who go invisible. They all have shields, and once their shields are down they stop going invisible and become way easier to kill.
Having a Zer0 in your party really helps with those. Deception lets you see invisible enemies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by factotum
Unless you're a Gunzerker slag is more of a support element--you slag the enemy and then your companions are dealing more damage to it and thus kill it faster. Gunzerker, of course, can have a slag weapon in one hand and something that deals real damage in the other, and that combo is pretty darned awesome!
Yeah. I've been figuring that out. Eager to try it on my Gunzerker!
Do shields become more common on playthrough 2? I know in BL1 the number of shielded raiders and elemental monsters increased a lot from having 1-2 players and having 4 players and also increased again once you got to the second playthrough.
As for elementals choices... yeah, I switch between guns all the time. In fact now that I respeced my gunzerker I'm doing it even more. With bonuses to ROF with weapon swaps and killing enemies reloading all your non-equipped guns and the sweet bonus damage to the last shot in the clip I will usually swap a gun rather then reloading. Also at that point reload time on any given gun is almost irrelevant except against the strongest bosses with no cohorts (very few of them).
The problem I've seemed to notice with slag is that it doesn't last long enough to do anything else. Usually by the time slag procs, you notice and switch weapons the effect is gone before you get more then a couple shots off. Still works well in group settings, but its hard to make good use of by yourself.
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Not really noticed about the shields--there are definitely more armoured dudes around, though (common or garden Psychos usually become Armoured Psychos, so that faithful fire weapon is not as useful as it used to be).
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