I agree, getting to op8 is much harder than playing at op8 IMO
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There are a bunch of good points upthread, so many so that I won’t even bother trying to reference them. Borderlands was my first ARPG (I didn’t even know that was a genre I’m such a noob), and when I started TVHM with my first toon (Zer0) I felt like I had just been dick punched, a la Sal (damn you, Ironclad Maniac in the first camp down slope from Liar’s Berg!). Once the great GPS of the internet (Google) brought me here I became informed. Like, compulsively reading about stuff I didn’t need to know about to be successful at the current task informed. As a result, UVHM didn’t catch me off guard, and the challenges just goaded me onward. If this community didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have made it as far as I’ve gotten.
TL; DR- if you go into it blind the successive playthroughs are/can be brutal, but if you know what you’re getting into its not especially difficult/evil until the peak/OP levels. And the support system for players here, what I affectionately refer to as RNG Anonymous in my mind, makes even that dealable.
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Pretty much total agreement here. I didn’t really think to do much research when I first blundered through UVHM - I didn’t really consider different builds, and had no idea what a legendary was until I stumbled on an Infinity and was so perplexed by its lack of ammo consumption I googled it and found my way to the wiki. Using that as a reference helped a lot! And I eventually got to grips with the game’s nuances. Takes a lot though and it’s quite reasonable not to want that kind of intensity.
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I think that the main problem with UVHM is not it’s difficulty per se but rather the fact the lower levels are so painfully easy…Like let’s face it most of us don’t even think about what we were doing in NVHM, TVHM, and even pre OP levels UVHM because the game didn’t require us to think about it’s mechanics like slag, cover or thoughtful build strategies. And then came Digi Peak and most players who were of the more casual kind hit a brick wall with full speed and started claiming that the spike in difficulty was too much, which i totally disagree with and think that Gearbox failed to balance the earilier stages of the game and actually did a decend job when designing OP levels.
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I quit the game a few times before I ever made it to 72 because it was so mind numbing after the first playthrough
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Ikr?
Like literally where is the fun in NVHM or Even pre OP levels???
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There isn’t any, the first time through NVHM was fun but then it’s just an XP grind
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I’ve been in this game for so long it’s hard to be objective. When I think of other ( neglected ) games in my inventory, they generally have the three or four difficulty levels which generally improve the AI and foe’s damage. This is all fine, but think of all the variables involved in BL2.
As @Itsu said, I find NVHM painfully boring and TVHM slightly boring. I actually really like the slag mechanic pre-OP levels because it’s not always necessary. This is part of what keeps me engaged in the moment - another factor to consider. This has been reinforced by my current playthrough for the Loot Hunt : dear god get me to 72! I’ve done so many UVHM resets recently I’d forgotten what it was like.
At OP8, you have little choice but to slag, and that does indeed become tiresome. That’s another reason I like to play at OP2-4 : I still have the option of ignoring slag in a trash mob.
Does any other game have a debuff mechanism? It seems unique to BL2 and I think that’s a good thing.
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Difficulty is very subjective as I already said but I just ran through OP8 Digi with gaige for the first time ever and had no issues(granted I had 400 anarchy and a fibber 
)
That is true
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Similar here. I still remember my first peak run to OP8 back in the day when i was maining Maya and it wasn’t that hard (minus 2 or 3 gear upgrades)
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Wasnt my first ever run lol just with gaige, a character I still dislike… I will admit she can do crazy things with a twister though
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In NVHM, it’s our first exposure to the storyline, the world, all the NPCs, the zillion different combat mechanics, enemy types, and all that. NVHM is a good entry-level difficulty, I think. Remember: everyone who tries BL2 is going through NVHM first, so if it’s too hard right off the bat, it’ll affect sales and scare people off. Case in point: UVHM/UVHM2 provided a pretty serious difficulty, and for an optional DLC, how many complaints did that get for being too difficult when this was by design?
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I think the whole concept of UVHM is great. The idea that the enemies scale with you the whole time and progress with you is awesome. Whenever I bring a new character into UVHM I’m always excited that no longer will I be stomping on enemies if I decide to do too many sidequests. I like having my enemies be able to put up a fight. But in general I think TPS handled UVHM the best. Maybe a bit too easy at times but for the most part it felt just right. To see what brings these arguments forth with UVHM in BL2 we have to first see what people complain about.
So first things first. Slag, Yup, as annoying as it may seem it is essential in UVHM. Yes, you can kill things without it but especially on OP8 it’s such a huge debuff that there isn’t really a reason not to use it or to make an attempt. Once you find an efficient way of slagging things like a Slagga or slag Pimp on Axton or Krieg because of their swap speed, or a slag transfusion or Magic Missile on Zer0 and Gaige players will often get over the initial hurdle that it proposes having to take the time out and slag enemies. Since slag was in BL2 from the start and not added in UVHM their are PLENTY of viable ways to slag enemies. Whether it be from characters skills or gear that does the work for you, slagging things isn’t as big a hassle as many newcomers make it out to be. Hell, we even have a shield that slags things. What more could you ask for? I think the players who incessantly complain about having to slag things just don’t want to put in the time and mental training it takes to slag everything. It’s honestly not that hard and on UVHM it’s so encouraged due to factors like 400% added health and the health regen that if you choose not to slag you are missing out on a lot of potential DPS since it makes the enemies take 3x more damage. The bottom line is that if you don’t take the few seconds to swap weapons or toss a grenade for slag, you are only making the game unnecessarily harder on yourself for next to no reason.
Next up is the argument that your gear is extremely limited and that only the top tier stuff is viable. This just isn’t true at all. Derch said it, Demonite said it, we all say it. I just made a new thread about 2 days ago asking the community what some of our favorite non red text gear is. You can use non red text weapons. You can use all weapons pretty much. Yes, enemies may have more health but the weapons work just as good as before. I’ve had no problem leveling through UVHM as long as I stopped at the mercenary train and snagged some purple gear every 5 or so levels. You can use whatever you want. You’re not limited to your Norfleets and your Sandhawks are Pimpernel’s and Harolds. Yes they are great weapons but you are taking a massive chunk of the games variety when you decide, “Oh I can’t use this because it’s not a Legendary/Seraph/Pearlescent.” It’s a foolish way of thinking when you decide to place a handicap on yourself because you refuse to test new guns and weapons and see what works and what doesn’t. The weapons are there to be used, not stared at and decided against without trying it. Yes, it is ideal to use the strongest weapons but if you don’t have access to them there are plenty of guns worth using. Just give other guns a shot because there are standard non red text weapons that can out perform unique’s and such. You just have to look and give them a chance.
Non Red Text gear thread can be found here. What are some fun non Red Text guns?
And probably the biggest thing is how some players claim that certain characters simply aren’t viable through UVHM. Take the Axton argument for example. Age old battle of people shitting on him when most of them haven’t even played him. All the proof you need to know that he is just as good as any other Vault Hunter is to take a look at Demonite’s channel or Triad Thunder’s. The only people who blindly hate on and dismiss one particular character as “weak” or “lacking” are just ignorant. All characters are equally good and viable in game. If there was a character who just simply couldn’t keep up with the rest it would’ve been fixed long ago and to my knowledge that was never the case. Some characters are more fun than others when personal preference is involved but that’s all opinion. Each character is perfectly good and function well.
Another big point is that the actual process of getting to OP8 is a bit “rough.” I actually agree with this statement for the most part. I do think that getting to OP8 can be a real challenge at times. But a welcome challenge nonetheless. The only real hassle I found while getting to OP8 was the peak itself. So much so that my first two characters were boosted to OP8 by other players doing the peak for me because I couldn’t fight my way through it. I think a lot of this challenge stems from having to go farm new gear every one or two OP levels to progress. But this can be solved with a few go to weapons that work wonders in the peak. Go get yourself a Hornet from Knuckledragger, a Harold from Savage Lee or a Torgue vendor, a Stormfront from the rats for the Scorch fight, a Hail from the Slaughter. These are just a few pieces of gear that can get you through the peak without much trouble to farm. A Bee is always great for when you need that damage. And this one may be cheesy but if you are struggling with the peak you can always use the damage transfer from a Flakker/Nukem combo to take out Saturn, Dukino’s mom, and OMGWTH with relative ease. Really the hardest part of the peak is the gear required to make it through. If there isn’t one yet, I might start a thread dedicated to easy to acquire gear that can carry players through the gauntlet. It just takes time more than anything. But generally everything throughout UVHM should run smoothly at least until the OP levels.
So in conclusion, I might have forgotten a few key ideas or points I wanted to make but after sitting here and typing for so long I feel like wrapping it up. I debunked a couple of common misconceptions about UVHM and tried to give a general message and help/advice as to why some may see UVHM as too difficult. I think the bottom line to it all is that the players who don’t take the time to try new things and slag enemies are just making the game harder on themselves. The people who complain are just stubborn and refuse to try and learn. But I think all of us were there at one point in time. Most likely when we first stepped into UVHM. But if you don’t take the time to learn and to put in the effort of finding a viable way to play through UVHM then you probably won’t make it very far anywhere when trying to go against the grain. A lot can be learned by playing UVHM and to be honest it’s my favorite mode the game has to offer. I constantly find myself doing peak runs just for fun. Sure, getting slag on enemies can at first be a bit of a hassle but it’s definitely a great help. I think if you do slag you will find a heavy burden lifted as things die like they’re supposed to. The health regen can be a bit much and I think they realized this as it is not in UVHM for TPS but it’s not the end of world either. Almost all gear is perfectly usable and the mercenary train is all you will ever need for some quick gear. Borderlands 2 has been out for over 5 years now and the fact that this argument still pops up now is surprising to me. As it stands I think UVHM is fine where it’s at. It’s supposed to be a difficult mode so the incessant complaining about it being too hard just sounds like whining at this point. It’s made to pose a challenge and it does so very well. The whole point of the mode was to give players more challenge or playtime from the game. I feel like I’m repeating myself at this point so I’ll try to wrap it up. UVHM is a challenge that will not conform or bend to your will. UVHM doesn’t play by your rules, you play by its rules. And I think once you can get past the initial hurdle of challenge that it poses, you can find that you are enjoying yourself far more than you may have in any of the other modes. Derch has a few fantastic videos on UVHM tips and what to do to make the game less difficult. So if you are struggling with it I recommend checking those out.
Anyways, those are just my views on things. I may have left a few things out and just forgot to put them in as it was very hard to focus and juggle so many ideas at once while typing without losing them, but generally I feel pretty confident that this post will clear up some issues people may have had. I hope you guys forgive me for my essay I just typed on this subject but I had a few important things I wanted to say about it. I hope this post was able to at least help a few people out and give a general guideline on what to do and what not to do while in UVHM to make sure that you can thoroughly enjoy the time spent with the mode. 
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My first character I got through UVHM and the peak, not a bad character just no crazy op skills like some others
Exactly, pretty sure you saw the injector build I did for Axton
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Yeah I did see that build. I love the Injector as well as the Umbrage. A Slapper is also a nice weapon.
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Gonna disagree with alot of what is written here.
Firstly, I think UVHM is perfectly balanced - it is the OP Levels which tend to be the difficult part. Sure, i got utterly destroyed for my first couple of missions at Southern Shelf and Frostburn. But UVHM that forced me to learn the game, to understand element matching, properly allocate my skillpoints, and learn what made each character click. TVHM was easy, but that meant that almost anything worked - guns, skillpoint allocation, how you played etc. This meant very little learning curve and class differentiation, which meant Borderlands 2 would be much more like BL1, more about the looting then the gameplay. And honestly, if the game just remained as difficult as it was in TVHM, there would be so little draw in building your character up, finding perfect gear, min-maxing etc. I mean, when Axton can one-shot every mob, and shred badasses with a Coach Gun, this makes something like Deputy Sal alot less special. Or on the flip-side, if Maya and Gaige can one-shot badasses with a Fastball, then Axton doing it becomes less special.
And honestly, UVHM (not OP levels) are not difficult once you realise what you are doing - getting good shields, element matching etc. and even if you die quite a few times, or have to slog through the harder maps like Sawtooth, there is really no Eclipse/EOS in this game that can present a permanant brick wall to the uninformed. And once you get to end game, you can farm for good gear which will significantly improve your performance. Not expecting any sort of difficulty from a game is just poor design.
And gear is only slightly more limited in UVHM - most gear deficiencies can be compensated by slag. But this is only natural as you continue to specialise and learn what works and doesn’t work with your class. OP levels are the real grinder which separates the wheat from the chaff. Yet there are folks like Adibaviak which still manage to use everything then.
One misconception about UVHM is that you need to slag everything. Sure, you may need to slag the badasses or tougher enemies, but that is just part of the game difficulty. Until OP levels, you don’t really need to religiously slag everything. I do agree that Slag is a slightly unwieldy mechanic - but alot of classes are provided means of applying it without guns and it makes a means to apply slag an advantage for further class differentiation. Some classes like Maya, Sal and Krieg are really good, Zer0 and Gaige not so, which are weaknesses the classes need to work around.
By contrast, I think Cryo is a very poorly thought out mechanic. Firstly, the fact that it freezes people still is really ill-conceived, making it an instant win button for mobbing. It literally allows every character to have phaselock. Then you have the debuffs being assymetric. Cryo-Explosive was so overpowered such that even if you had no synergy with explosive weapons, but had decent cryo capability, it would be one of your strongest builds (see Aurelia). Additionally, the crit being Type A meant that obviously classes with alot of crit buffs/crit guns like Aurelia and Jack stand to benefit less from the debuff - and devalues those powerful crit skills. Its sort of like the assymetric crit system in BL1 which made your Bessie poor against Lance, just a little less extreme.
Lastly, the difficulty scaling in TPS was just… a little anticlimatic? Going from one difficulty to another, you would expect a difficulty spike, but there was little of it. TPS classes are far stronger than BL2 ones, and all UVHM did was give them more skillpoints to spend on DPS and survivability, while their enemies barely kept up. Even when I play Athena or Jack poorly, or had really bad gear while levelling, the game rarely posed any sort of challenge. Of course, at end game I do min-max and everything, but it just seems sort of superfluous without the difficulty of UVHM/OP levels.
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You made me kinda insecure when you said that you’re gonna disagree so to clarify I hope I’m not the one you’re disagreeing with lol. I agree with just about everything you said and felt you accurately described and expanded on what I had said. UVHM is there to teach the players and help them to reach their full potential while also providing an adequate challenge. For the most part, save a few minute details I also agree that UVHM is well balanced too. But it’s the learning experience that truly qualifies a player and their skill if they can fight to OP8. Also I’m glad you pointed it out though because when you mentioned the scaling in TPS I think it’s great in UVHM. Maybe needs to be a bit harder and Cryo is too powerful at times that it makes some fight trivial but generally speaking I liked scaling in TPS much more. However, I never thought of it until you pointed it out but there really should’ve been a difficulty spike between TVHM and UVHM in TPS. Stepping into UVHM feels exactly the same as the previous mode to an extent.
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Ye the southern shelf is a b*tch in UVHM lol but after you grab some half decent gear it’s fine obviously. Agree with all you said for the most part. Also I wish OP8 was a little harder tbh
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I think OP8 seems difficult at first but the adjustment comes quickly. I just find the peak really fun especially while actively getting to OP8 because it’s a great challenge and provides opportunities to use some new and unique weapons and see what works and what doesn’t.
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Ye getting new characters there is a little harsh most of the time but is fun, with good gear though op8 is kinda meh. For example op8 time trials are done with op0 gear… That says enough lol
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