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handsome-jacks-bottom-bitch · 4 months ago

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So I ranked vault monsters and my personal take on how difficult they were to fight on a first run through. So now, I'm gonna rank weapons. Not just weapons, but the weapon manufacturers specifically, based on how useful they are, and just how fun they are to use. I'll be including all brands, including brands that only show up in one game, like S&S Muntions. As per usual, these are purely my own opinions, and based more so on my personal playstyle. I will also be taking into account the manufacturers playstyles across all games, as some change, like Tediore or Maliwan weapons.

I'll also include some fun little tidbits about each manufacturer for anyone obsessed with Borderlands lore like I am. Buckle in, cause this is gonna be a long one.

12. S&S Muntions

So S&S Muntions isn't a super interesting manufacturer. These weapons provide larger magazines and long reload times. Featuring about 5 or so legendaries in the game, one of which to this day is still bugged, these weapons don't offer much, aside from a small damage boost compared to other weapons. They didn't add anything that made their use fun.

I also rank this one so low due to the fact that it's only in one game, and was never really expanded on, like say Tediore or Torgue was. According to the games lore, S&S munitions was run out of business by BANDIT weapons on Pandora, and SCAV weapons on Elpis, hence why it was never seen again.

As a fun little extra lore drop, S&S Munitions still technically exists in the games, as the radios in Borderlands 3 can play an add for the newly rebranded "S&S Accessories", which are responsible for the little lines of light that come out of the weapons on the ground, that are deactivated when the weapon is picked up, and reactivated when the weapons dropped.

At the end of the day, S&S weapons just don't impress me all that much, but that doesn't mean they still aren't useful. The Orion sniper rifle will always hold a special place in my loadout, regardless of the character I'm playing.

11. Eridian

So I was originally going to put Eridian last, but the weapons themselves are just so fascinating that I couldn't quite place it there. Now I know I'm putting both Borderlands 1 exclusive manufacturers at the bottom two, but unfortunately neither of them were really ever expanded upon to warrant higher placements.

Now the reason I put them above S&S is because of the way that these weapons work. While I personally rarely use them unless as a last resort, Eridian weapons have saved me once or twice, and that's because they have unlimited ammo. You never have to worry about running low should you find yourself depleted. Now the downside to them is the reload, or more accurately, the recharge. Eridian weapons have a recharge on them, that can still go even if you aren't actively holding one. Therefore, if you equip four, you can just keep swapping and essentially never have to wait for a recharge.

Now what's even more interesting about them is their rarity. While nearly all Eridian weapons come in a green rarity, they're technically rarer that normal green weapons. Even rarer, is the legendary Eridian weapons, which are rarer than some pearlescents. In all my time playing Borderlands 1, I've only ever managed to get my hands on one Eridian legendary, which was thr Eridian Mega Cannon. While it's not exactly an impressive weapon by any means, it can still have it's uses in a pinch.

Now I'm not entirely sure why Eridian weapons were discontinued after Borderlands 1, though one could easily assume that it was because they, well.. sucked. Most people did not like them, and I don't blame them. Their shots are slow, and they don't really do all that much. Come Borderlands 2, these weapons were essentially replaced by E-Tech weapons, much like S&S being replaced by BANDIT and SCAV, though no lore or dev comments state that E-Tech was made as a replacement for the missing manufacturer, it's just an assumption.

The only time we ever get to see Eridian weapons come back to the Borderlands games is in Borderlands 3, with the Eridian Fabricator or, as the fan base has taken to calling it, the "Gun Gun". It's cool in concept, but it's only real use is a quick cash grab. In late 2020, it was given an alternate firing mode that allowed you to pay it 250 eridium and have it shoot a legendary or unique weapon, and it's drop pool only excluded 4 legendaries and 2 unique, so while it could be used to try and spawn that legendary you've been looking for, it gets expensive real fast.

10. Dahl

So this one is where my own playstyle really affects this placement. Dahl weapons have a high recoil reduction, but terrible accuracy. In earlier games, they has special firing modes. When you aimed down the sights, these weapons would have burst fire, as compared to the full auto when you free fired. A pretty simple concept.. unless your a sniper like I am.

I love sniping in Borderlands. I love keeping my distance and one shotting most enemies with the most overpowered rifle I can find.. but Dahl is where that falls flat, as when you aim down the sights, it burst fires. Sniper ammo is already a small pool as it is, being the weapon with the lowest possible ammo count that you can carry, so when it burst fires, couple with the weapons low accuracy.. well, sniping doesn't become fun anymore, and leads to way more missed shots and wasted ammo.

However the one weapon I will give this manufacturer that I include in EVERY build I've ever used, is the Toothpick. An Effervescent assault rifle added into Borderlands 2 with the Commander Lilith DLC. This weapon especially holds a place in my Axton build, coupled with the Mouthwash artifact. This weapon is glorious, and I will forever defend it until my dying day. Unfortunately, that one blessing of a weapon alone isn't enough to change my opinion on this manufacturer.

While their weapons are pretty decent, when you delve into the lore.. Dahl is a messed up company. From it being responsible to a lot of the bandit population on Pandora, to the fact that it nearly destroyed Elpis with its mining operations leading to the crackening.. they've got quite a bit to answer for.

9. Vladof

So Vladof is on a similar level as Dahl. High fire rate, reduced recoil, and low accuracy. The only thing that puts it a step above Dahl for me is the sniper rifles, and the Infinity pistol.

Vladof sniper rifles have potential to do loads of damage, and pretty decent stability, meaning less sway. Now in Borderlands 1, this doesn't have much effect cause most of the sniper rifles honestly suck, especially in the early game. Most sniper rifles in the early game, at least in my experience, always have very low rates of fire, which isn't ideal when you have 20 enemies on you, and they deplete all your shields and half you health while you load another round. That being said, sniper rifles were greatly improved come Borderlands 2, including Vladof.

Now the reason Vladof isn't higher on my list is because I don't use them very often. The rifles and weapons are good, but I just don't find myself choosing a Vladof over others. The stability is good, and rate of fire and increased ammo capacity is a nice touch, but it just doesn't quite meet my needs.

That being said, the Inifinity is always a good gun should you find yourself low on ammo. As long as you have at least one pistol bullet, this gun will fire endlessly, with no reload. On top of this, it can come in elemental variants, which makes it good for endless elemental damage. I always keep one on me just in case I find myself somehow out of ammo.

A fun little fact about Vladof, is that thr company is run and owned by a man named Ivan Vladof. If you play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequels DLC, and go through the challenge "A Bubble for Your Thoughts", you can actually find out that Nurse Nina is Ivan Vladofs long lost sister, which makes her conversation with her mother in the quest "Systems Jammed" all the more interesting, but we'll get into all that in another post.

8. Hyperion

Oh Hyperion, how you've screwed everything. Now as a concept, I adore Hyperion. I love it's backstory, I LOVE Handsome Jack.. but let's be honest, they aren't the best for weapons. Notably, the TERRIBLE stability. Sure, it becomes more steady the more the shoot, but GOD those first few seconds are hell.

Now don't get me wrong, Hyperion has some decent weapons. From the Bitch, to the Butcher, and the beauty that is the Morningstar berating you with every shot. However this company is also responsible for the Bane. That alone should put thos company at the bottom of the list, but alas, I'm merciful.. and biased.

Come Borderlands 3, these weapons got and added specialty, being the shields that they pop up when aiming down the sights, which are honestly.. useless. Especially if you've got enemies in all directions. While the terrible accuracy is a tad better in 3, it's still no great. Often times, Hyperion weapons rarely find themselves in my arsenal, and more than often find themselves right back in Marcus' hands for some quick cash.

Now while I've got plenty of fun facts about Hyperion, I'm going to save this particular manufacturer for its own post, as there's quote a bit of lore to delve into with this one. What I can leave you with though, is this. Did you know Handsome Jack makes an appearance in the Witcher 3?

In Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, if you take the story route that lands Geralt in prison, there's an inmate you can speak with by the name of Handsome Jacques, who will subsequently leave you to fight yourself when you're later attacked by other inmates.

7. Bandit/Scav

So I'm lumping Bandit and Scav together in the same spot, because they are exactly the same, just different names and weapon textures. So there's nothing exactly special about these weapons. While these are the direct counterpart to what was S&S Munitions, they do have some differences. These weapons have large ammo capacity, but suffer from long reload times, and exceptionally low stats all around.

Now based on that alone, these weapons sound like they suck, huh? Well.. yeah. They do. However, they're fun. They're chaotic, the legendaries special abilities can either turn the tide of battle if used correctly, or just make everything even more hectic, and I love it. From the crazy, grammatically incorrect names, to just the simple face that they're all made of spare parts, they're just fun, and because they suck, they offer challenge. That really make you fight for that win, and I adore them. Now will you find me using them very often? No, you won't. But I always keep a couple on me just in case I want to go buck wild and see what happens.

According to the games lore, Bandit and Scav weapons are what put S&S Munitions out of business, forcing thr company to change to S&S Accessories. Now one could assume, that since most bandits and scavs don't seem to have 2 braincells between the lot of them, that these weapons are being made by the ex DAHL workers left behind who turned to banditry to survive after being abandoned. This isn't confirmed or Canon in anyway, it's just a nice little assumption I like to have.

6. Atlas

So, Atlas didn't really become a good weapon brand until Borderlands 3. Why? Tracking bullets. That's also because aside from Borderlands 1 and 3.. Atlas weapons didn't exist. After Borderlands 1, Atlas fell into complete ruin, was bought out and dismantled by Handsome Jack, and revived by Rhys after the fall of Helios. Hence, why this brand didn't exist in BL2 and BL:PS.

Atlas weapons were decent in Borderlands 1, but I didn't often find myself using them. Come Borderlands 3, however, I adore them. Slapping down a tracker bullet and being able to fire with reckless abandon, knowing each of my shots will hit is always a wonderful feeling.

When it comes to their legendaries, the Rebel Yell is exceptionally handy is tracking a target, and depleting their shields like it's nothing. Now, I still don't ever really find myself using these weapons late game in Mayhem mode, but early game? These weapons were a god send, especially when I first made the transfer to PC, and had to relearn how to aim.

Not only all that, but these weapons have increased damage AND mag capacity, which just adds to their usefulness early game.

Now apparently, Professor Nakayama claims that he poisoned the original CEO of Atlas. Whether or not this was true is left to speculation, though if it was true, one could only assume it was done in an attempt to gain Handsome Jack's favor.. a lot of good that seemed to do.

5. Maliwan

Oh Maliwan.. how the mighty fall. I love Maliwan. I love elemental damage. I also love weapons with good accuracy. However what I don't love, is having to CHARGE MY WEAPONS in a FAST PACED GAME. Prior to Borderlands 3, Maliwan was a staple in my loadoutd, especially with my Maya builds, which all revolved around elemental damage and making the most of it. These weapons are a god send, even in Borderlands 1.

Then came Borderlands 3.. and they ruined it. Yes, these weapons can deal massive elemental damage, and I personally love using legendaries like the Quasar.. but the charge time. I despise the charge time. Especially when it comes to their sniper rifles. Sniper rifles should not have a charge time.

Now what I love about Maliwan, is they only produce elemental weapons, minus explosive. You will never find a plain weapon by them. Now unfortunately, there's only a few choice Maliwan weapons I'll ever use in Borderlands 3, but when it comes to Borderlands 2? I can't get enough of them.

Now weapons aren't the only thing that Maliwan produces apparently. If look closely at the beer bottles scattered across Pandora and Elpis, you'll find that some will have labels marked "Maliwan Black Label", a line of alcohol that the company seems to produce.

4. CoV

So CoV are the bandit weapons of Borderlands 3, with a major difference.. no reloads. All these weapons work essentially the same way Vladofs Infinity works, with own downside. Overhearing.

These weapons can overheat and break, causing you to have to cool it off and smack it back to working order. Now these weapons are great because if you play ot carefully, you can demolish groups of enemies in seconds with these weapons. You can also run out of ammo entirely without noticing. These weapons have plenty of pros and cons.

I love CoV weapons purely because I can just fire with near reckless abandon, and the damage on them is decent enough. They have essentially the same stats as Bandit made weapons, since.. they are. Just tweaked with engines and infinite firing power.

The vast upgrade in these Bandit weapons could be due to a few things. The CoV having access to a lot more, the merger with Maliwan, or maybe the bandits just got smarter. We'll never really know.

3. Tediore

Tediore how I love you. Sure, Tediore weapons have the potential to eat through your ammo if you aren't careful, but oh if it isn't fun. Throwing your weapon as a grenade that does increased damage the more ammo in the? Who wouldn't love that!

Tediore weapons gave fast reload speeds, being that they just digistruct back into your hands after you chuck them. Now, throwing guns as grenades is fun.. but what about turning it sentient?

Come Borderlands 3, these weapons dont just get thrown to explode, they get thrown and become temporary allies. They will float or run around, firing a few rounds.. THEN explode, and it's glorious. I adore Tediore weapons, purely because of how chaotic they can be, and how high damage they can be if you're willing to spare some ammo.

Now they didn't do any of this is Borderlands 1, and what made them special is that their legendary weapons would regenerate ammo, which was about the only special thing about them.

Because of they way their weapons are made, which is typically out of plastic and fiberglass, Tediores weapons are cheap and disposable. Due to this, Tediore is often looked at as the laughing stock of all the corporations, and often overlooked and ignored. At least until New Tales, when they showed just how much of a threat they could actually be. Not such a stupid company now, huh Katagawa?

2. Torgue

(I ran out of photo spots for one post.)

I just have one question for you. EXSPLOSIONS?! Not only is Torgue just an amazing brand, it's also the company with a CEO that has the most involvement with the player. From Torgues battle arenas in Borderlands 3, to his head hunter DLC and actual full length DLC in Borderlands 2, Torgue is just sort of always there.

Now Torgue, much like all weapons in Borderlands 1 compared to the other games, didn't have much going to for them other than high explosive damage. Yet come the later games, these weapons did a full 180 and became quickly my top three favorite brands to use.

High damage output, good fire rate, at the cost of accuracy and recoil. At the end of thr day though, it doesn't matter, because since the bullets are explosive, even if they miss and hit the ground by the target, they can still do damage. It's great for firing with reckless abandon. Like playing Junkrat in Overwatch. Shoot and pray.

Plus, who doesn't love Torgue? He's loud, he's eccentric, he's respectful.. what isn't there to love? Now, is Torgue still CEO of his own company? No, he's not. He sold it for $12 and a high five.. but he still owns it in my heart. We love him, and he loves all of us. That's what truly matters.

1. Jakobs

Ok. Hear me out. I know this probably isn't what you were expecting to placed at number one, but I have my reasons.

So Jakobs weapons have always had low magazines, reloads and fire rate, but their damage makes up for that. Jakobs weapons deal high damage and have great accuracy. On top of this, their "fire as fast as you can pull the trigger" trait is perfect for saving ammo. You can easily control just how many bullets you fire at once.

Then come Borderlands 3, these weapons got an even better trait. Ricochet bullets. For every critical hit you land will cause 1 or 2 bullets to ricochet to nearby enemies, making sniping even more dangerous.

One downside, is that Jakobs doesn't make any elemental weapons, save for about 5 unique/legendary exceptions.

But when it comes to my ideal, keep my distance and snipe playstyle with most of my characters, this brand is perfect for me. Stability to aim, ricocheting bullets, impressive damage.. it's the perfect brand.

Plus, the corporation is run by an absolute gift of a man, Wainwright Jakobs. Sure, the company was overrun for a bit, but what corporation hasn't been overrun and nearly destroyed at this point. Very few can say they haven't. In the world of Borderlands, Jakobs is considered the least aggressive and problematic company of them all, and it's held that appearance for 300 years, and continues to.

I know this post was a lengthy one, and if you read it all the way to the end, thank you! I know my rankings probably aren't even close to what popular professionals would rank them at, but while I try to take into account mechanics, I also take fun into account, and just my playstyle preferences.

So, as always, let me know your opinions. Tell me if you agree with my rankings, or what you'd change. I'd love to know what your favorite manufacturer is.

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handsome-jacks-bottom-bitch · 4 months ago

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So the biggest thing about Borderlands is of course, the Vaults. Not only the vaults, but the monsters inside of them. So this post, I'm gonna rank the vault monsters from easiest to fight, to hardest to fight. I'm going to be gaging the difficulties based on the first playthrough, as depending on the game and the mode your playing, all of them can prove challenging. Now as always, this is purely my opinion. Some monsters I may say are hard, may be easy to others, or vice versa. So let's not waste any time and get right into it. This will include all vault monsters in Borderlands 3, not just the final battle. However I will be excluding vault monsters from Tales games, as those are fought both with QTEs.

1. Graveward

So let's start with the easiest one, which is the Graveward from Borderlands 3. The flora themed vault monster living inside the vault on Eden-6. I rank this one the easiest because it's attacks are all extremely avoidable, and if you move around correctly, you can go the entire fight without getting hit even once. The only things you really have to worry about are the grogs that spawn in. The fun thing about the Graveward, is that he's slow, and all his attacks come with beacons, or lit up danger zones. Stay out the zones, and you're set. The trickiest part of the fight is when he lifts the platform, and sends you sliding down. Simply slide into the hole on the right of the platform, wait for the green acid orbs to pass you by, and that's that. Throughout the fight, just aim for the Gravwards weak spot with a rapid firing weapon to quickly whittle down health until he's defeated. Even in higher mayhem difficulties, the Graveward poses very little threat, and is a pushover of a vault monster.

2. The Destroyer (BL1)

Now when I first started playing Borderlands back when the first game came out, I was a mere child and couldn't even make it far enough in the game to fight the Destroyer. When I finally did as a teenager, I would've said it was the hardest fight I've ever seen. Now as an adult, with a better understand of game mechanics (and better aim), the Destroyer is fairly easy on both playthroughs. Simply because you can essentially cheese the entire fight. On the map, there's two pillars. Simply hide behind the pillar and shoot the Destroyer until it's dead. You will have to worry about the flying rakks constantly spawning in, but luckily, they have extremely low health, and should thr Destroyer get a good hit on you, those rakks are a quick second wind.

Now the Destroyer is a bullet sponge, so the fight will take time if you dont have high power weapons, and you will have to get in close if you're a shotgun fanatic. Otherwise, simply hide throughout all his attacks, and the fight is as good as won.

3. The Warrior

Look out, the lava is rising! Liliths constant worry of the lava is arguably the most annoying thing about this fight. By the time you reach the Warrior, you're about level 36, have got a decent arsenal under your belt, and a raging hot need to avenge Bloodwing. The Warriors fight can be tricky, as in order to actually deal decent damage, you need to break the rock on its chest blocking it's soft inner molten core. Thing is, right after you break it, the Warrior retreats back into the lava, causing it to rise, as of Lilith didn't make that obvious enough.

The other thing you have to worry about it the Warriors tail slam, which if you don't jump to dodge it, deals decent damage, and sends you flying into the air. Another thing to look out for is the never ending crystalisks that spawn, and the occasionaly rakk that'll spot you.

Overall, the Warriors fight isn't so much difficult, as it is tedious. Eventually, you'll beat it down enough and crush it's head with the moonshot canon, much to Jack's dismay.

4. The Rampager

Oh the Rampager. My first encounter with you was a devastating one. Not because of your never ending fire waves, or the Eridians constantly up my ass, but because you're just too damn agile for a creature of your size.

The Rampager fight was tough the first time I fought it. He comes in three waves, all with different attacks and abilities that can quickly eat away at your shields and health, and while Maya is there.. she isn't much help. With the ever spawning Eridians constantly knocking you around, and the constant projectiles, the Rampager is a tough one. Especially come the third phase, where even standing still for a second could lead to an instant down.

The Rampager is tough, and agile, and good if you're looking for a quick death on your first playthrough. Kind of makes the Graveward that much more disappointing when the first vault monster you get to kill puts up such a good fight.

5. Tyreen/The Destroyer

Now, is Tyreen a vault monster? No. However, given as how she fuses with the monster of the Great Vault, she technically counts as one.

Now Tyreens fight is tricky. Not only can she leave the arena, most of her attacks prevent her from taking any damage at all. Her attacks are wide, and extremely powerful, not to mention the various creatures that spawn in and hassle you the entire fight. Tyreens attacks can be pretty easy to avoid, but the fact that she makes damaging her such a struggle is the reason she's so high on the list.

Her fight is annoying, and all around a pain to complete your first time fighting her. Once you get it down, much like with any of these monsters, it can quickly become a cake wake, but for have never fought her before? Royal pain, much like the god queen herself.

6. The Sentinel

I say this with the most emotion and sentiment I can portray over text: Screw. This. Fight.

Even today, as I'm writing this, the Sentinel has proven to be such a difficult fight, that any time I manage to defeat it on the first try, I consider myself a master of the trade. From the fact that this thing has 7 whole phases, to the fact that there's Eridians swarming the arena on top of him, it's just an all around nightmare.

The first version of the Sentinel has 4 phases. The first three require you to break down his shield, while avoiding his fast and devastating attacks. When his shield goes down, he becomes immune to all damage, and releases a nova, which if you don't avoid it, is capable of insta-downing you. Each phases comes with a different element that he becomes immune to, until the fourth phase, where you can finally hit his health. Defeat the fourth phase, and you think all is well, right? Wrong.

Once the Sentinel is defeated, he turns into a giant version of himself, called the Empyrean Sentinel. This version can make the entire floor untouchable with electricity, has full AOE attacks, and can only be damaged by hitting its face, so should you end up behind it trying to avoid attacks and swarms of Eridians, you gotta find your way back around. This version goes through 3 phases, all with different elements as well. This fight is just.. agonizing, no matter how well equipped you are. It's long, it's tedious, and if you die? Back to square one.. and to make it worse, the game made him a raid boss post story completion. Meaning you have to pay your hard earned moonstones just to torture yourself for a chance at better loot. Let me tell you, it's not worth it. There's better ways to get the legendary you're looking for, I promise. It's called the Grinder. I'd rather waste away at the Grinder than fight this bastard over and over in a Borderlands game that arguably has the WORST legendary drop chances. My sanity is better drained elsewhere. Like collecting 150 claptrap components for Tannis.

So, there you have it. My list of easiest to hardest to fight vault monsters on the first playthrough. Playthrough 2, TVHM/UVHM, Mayhem Mode, that all changes the game. Makes things difficult all around, but still doable if you build yourself right and bring the right gear. Let me know if you agree with my list, or if you disagree, I'd love to hear some feedback. Let me know your experiences with these badass monsters.. and if you know a way to cheese the Sentinel, maybe throw that my way too. I'm tired of him.

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