Vault Hunting 101: Borderlands 2 Basics for New Players
Part 7 of your spoiler-free guide to characters, gear, loot, quests, and skills for your first play-through, completing the main game with the Vault of the Warrior.
Continuing the Normal Vault Hunter Mode (NVHM) play-through from parts 1-6 of this guide. As before, cyan headings denote missions, while other colours denote main sections, gear and weapons, or skills entries. If you find any errors, parts that are unclear, or just have a question, highlight the relevant bit and hit the “quote reply” button to post a message; I’ll try and respond to everything in a timely manner.
Special thanks to the following for comments and corrections: @khimerakiller
Vault of the Warrior
Follow the clear path and head down in the elevator. You’ll see a small building with a one-way Fast Travel beside it and some vending machines inside. Restock as needed, and check your equipment slots before continuing on to the final showdown. You’ll trigger a cut-scene, then it’s time to cut Handome Jack down to size.
This fight can be a bit hectic, for reasons that will soon become obvious. It took me quite a while the first few times; once you figure things out, though, it isn’t so bad. A couple of things to watch out for:
-
Shock weapons strip regular shields (blue health bar) so don’t waste time and ammo using a different element.
- Whenever you see an orange shield, remember that it will reflect your bullet back at you In this case, you’ll see a tether back to the shield’s source: take that out as fast as possible.
-
Fire weapons are most efficient against flesh. Plus, if you get burn damage-over-time on your target, you’ll still be able to see it even when it is invisible (just like stalkers, and TPS explains why!)
- There will be secondary enemies (rakk, crystalisks, turrets and loaders.) You should be able to ignore these for the most part, and use them for second winds, although the crystalisks can be a pain.
After another awesome cut-scene, you have to do the impossible. Don’t worry though - it’s totally possible for a badass such as you! If you check the Vault of the Warrior map, you’ll see that the main area for this battle is at the centre of a cross that runs north-south and east-west, surrounded by red hot lava. There are stone blocks, partial walls, and control panels around the central area you can use for cover. Make sure you listen for the NPC callouts during this battle, as they will give you valuable clues as to which phase of attack you are about to encounter. As usual, shoot for any point where you can see a glow (you’ll figure it out!) and the fight will go much faster.
It is possible to stick the entire fight out in the main area, hiding between the large stone blocks during the inevitable fiery area-of-effect attacks. In terms of your foe, explosive is a good choice, but shock, corrosive, slag, and non-elemental weapons can help get the job done. There are two Hyperion ammo stations on the east and west sides of this area should you start to get low. You have 99 seconds after triggering them to grab the ammo before they reset, so don’t feel you have to stand out in the open waiting - you can easily duck in and out of cover.
If you get really stuck and die too often (like I did the first time I ever did this mission), there are a couple of places you can take deeper refuge:
- After respawning and running back to the fight, stay right where you drop down at the southern end of the “cross”, close to the exit back to Eridium Blight. Your target can be hit with any decent weapon from here (scoped weapons are best) but you will be safe from all its attacks. BE VERY CAREFUL not to hit your “pick up” control (X on XBox) or you will travel out and have to fight all the way back through Heroes Pass
- Alternatively (and if you can make it), there is some scaffolding and/or blocks at the far east end of the “cross” you can climb up to which provide a similar advantage.
If you take either of these options, just keep an eye out for crystalisks spawning near you and try to avoid hitting the rakk that fly constantly over the area. If you take the first option, also watch out that you don’t accidentally creep too far forward, or you may find yourself paddling in the lava… Although it can take a while, you will eventually succeed in doing the impossible, and will be given a chance to deliver the coup de grace install with a shot from the Helios station’s mortar (the Moonshot cannon). Grab anything you want to grab before doing this, and make sure you’ve read the following before you hit that button!
Some players like to farm the moonshot, especially in subsequent play-throughs, since it’s a guaranteed legendary drop that can be one of a number of items (a favourite is the Conference Call shotgun, although you can also get the Volcano sniper, Impaler shield, etc.) If you want to farm, finish picking up any cash, eridium, etc. that you want to keep and then save and quit ***before calling the moonshot***. You will then spawn at the one-way Fast Travel and can simply run back the moonshot console. It’s possible to use the moonshot cannon without actually checking the mission objective in the process: see the video linked in @khimerakiller’s post below. You have a short period between the moonshot and the next story mission trigger in which to locate the legendary item and save-quit again. You’ll know you’re getting close to the critical point because you’ll see a purple nova form and trigger. If you miss the timing, you can either just go with what you’ve got or force-quit (dashboard on console) and try again; force-quitting will mean losing whatever you picked up between saves, however.
Once you’ve fired the moonshot and decided that you’re ready, you have a couple of ways to continue that will be indicated clearly via NPC dialogue. Make your choice, act on it, and enjoy the amazing finale. Once the credits have finished rolling (I let them roll because I love the soundtrack, but they are skippable) you can finish cleaning up; you should also see a message stating that you’ve unlocked the next play-though mode. There are two ways to get back to Sanctuary (or anywhere else you might want to go.)
- The official way is back to the southern end of the “cross” and out via the map transition to Eridium Blight. You’ll have to fight your way through a bunch of bullymongs and other enemies to get to the Fast Travel at the Catch-A-Ride.
- You can also save-quit and restart, which will out you at the one-way Fast Travel so you can easily travel anywhere you want.
- The quickest way is to jump into the lava and die! After all the cash you just picked up you can afford it, so go ahead and spoil yourself!
When you return to Sanctury in NVHM, you’ll notice that Patricia Tannis has a new level 50 mission for you. Pay attention to the name of that mission; she isn’t joking!
Back to table of contents
So What Now?
At this point, certain maps will level up a final time to the maximum in NVHM, level 30. For these maps only, you can now take any side quests that you did not accept yet and obtain the reward at maximum level. All other maps and side quests in the main game remain stuck where they are, so it’s entirely up to you whether or not you complete them.
Quests that can scale to level 30 provided you don’t accept them until completing the main story are:
-
The Dust:
-
Too Close for Missiles (The Dust)
-
Positive Self Image (The Dust)
-
Sanctuary:
-
Cult Following - three parts
- The Bane
-
Lynchwood:
- 3:10 to Kaboom
- Breaking the Bank
- Showdown
-
Animal Rescue - three parts
-
Highlands/Overlook:
It’s best to avoid gaining too many additional levels at this point, however, since it can make the beginning of the next story mode (TVHM) unsatisfyingly easy. If you don’t want to do side quests, but don’t want to replay the story just yet, here are some alternatives:
Main DLCs
There are four main DLCs set in different areas of Pandora, each with different enemies and unique weapons. Two of these scale up to a maximum level of 30, while two can go to 35. To start a DLC, simply find the initial location in the list at your nearest Fast Travel and go there. Note that the level of the starting map for each DLC falls within a set range as follows:
-
Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty: Oasis, initial level 15-24
-
Mr. Toruge’s Campaign of Carnage: Badass Crate of Baddassitude, initial level 15-24
-
Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt: Hunter’s Grotto, initial level 30-35
-
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: Unassuming Docks, initial level 30-35
-
Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary: Fight for Sanctuary, initial level 30-38
For your first character on your first play-though, my personal recommendation would be to do either the first or second DLC only, in order to avoid over-levelling. If you’re not as concerned about over-levelling, and want something the same yet very different, do DLC 4.
Slaughter Domes
There are a number of slaughter domes in the main game, each of which consist of five separate “events” comprising multiple waves of increasingly difficult enemies, with a blue unique item as the final reward. These are Fink’s Slaughter House (lvl.24+) in The Fridge, the Creature Slaughter Dome in the Natural Selection Annex (accessed from the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve), and the Hyperion Circle of Slaughter (lvl.30) in the Ore Chasm (accessed from Erdium Blight. Note that none of these domes are repeatable within the same play-through. DLCs 2 and 4 have similar arena fights, but they (or their final round) are repeatable.
Headhunter Packs
These five additions to the game were added by Gearbox in response to the massive popularity of the game, long after all the promised expansions had been shipped. They each consist of a single map with a final, repeatable boss fight, and one side quest. The first was released in time for Halloween, with others celebrating US Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and summer. They are accessed the same way as the DLCs. My personal favourites are numbers 3 and 5. If for some bizarre and totally inexplicable reaosn you have still not played the original Borderlands, make sure you do so before attempting the final pack; the jokes and story mission will make so much more sense that way.
-
TK Baha’s Bloody Harvest: Hallowed Hollow - initial level 15-24
-
The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler: Gluttony Gulch - initial level 15-24
-
How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day: Marcus’ Mercenary Shop - initial level 15-24
-
Mad Moxxi and the Wedding Day massacre: Rotgut Distillery - initial level 15-24
-
Sir Hammerlock vs. The Son of Crawmerax: Wam Bam Island - initial level 15-24
Back to table of contents
True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM)
When you restart your game after defeating the final boss in the main story, you’ll have a new option at the character selection screen where you can play in either NVHM or TVHM. Note that you keep all your gear, skills, heads, skins, BAR stats, bank, and stash contents , as these are common to both modes. Your progress in each mode will, however, be kept separate. This means you can start the story in TVHM, go back and do a DLC in NVHM, then jump back to the story in TVHM, etc.
One thing to note is that your location is partially shared between the two modes: if you are in Sanctuary in TVHM, you will still be in Sanctuary if you switch back to NVHM. The exception is that you will only be in the same location if you have already discovered it in both play-throughs; if you have not yet discovered that location, you will be moved to the nearest discovered location (or the starting location for DLCs and HH packs) instead.
The story is the same for both modes, but it is worth saving more of the side quests having unique rewards until after completing the main story. This is because, unlike NVHM, ALL the main game maps and unaccepted quests will scale to 50 on completing the main story. (Quests that you have already accepted will have their rewards locked at the lower level, however.) @DeputyChuck has a list of quest rewards worth farming should you want to know what to skip until completing the story.
The other main differences are that enemy health and damage are increased compared to NVHM, and you will encounter badass variants more frequently. This means that you’ll need to upgrade gear more frequently, but you’ll be able to build out a good chunk of two skill trees for your character, giving you lots of opportunity to deal extra damage, gain additional healing, or maintain your shields more easily.
Go for it, you totally badass Vault Hunter you!
Comparative Quest Levels
The following tables provide a summary of the range of levels that each main story and side quest can be taken at. Note that, in TVHM, the map The Dust does not level up as you progress (unlike NVHM).
Main Story Missions:
| Main Quest |
NVHM |
TVHM |
| My First Gun |
1 |
31-33 |
| Blindsided |
1 |
31-33 |
| Cleaning up the Berg |
3 |
31-35 |
| Best Minion Ever |
5 |
31-35 |
| The Road to Sanctuary |
6-7 |
32-35 |
| Plan B |
7-9 |
32-35 |
| Hunting the Firehawk |
8-10 |
34-37 |
| A Dam Fine Rescue |
12-13 |
36-39 |
| A Train to Catch |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| Rising Action |
15-19 |
39-43 |
| Bright Lights Flying City |
16-18 |
40-42 |
| Wildlife Preservation |
19-20 |
42-44 |
| Once and Future Slab |
20 |
43-44 |
| The Man Who Would Be Jack |
21-23 |
44-46 |
| Where Angels Fear to Tread |
24-25 |
46-47 |
| Where Angels Fear to Tread (Part 2) |
24-25 |
46-47 |
| Toil And Trouble |
25 |
47 |
| Data Mining |
28-30 |
48-50 |
| The Talon of God |
30 |
50 |
Side Quest Levels:
| Side Quest |
NVHM |
TVHM |
| This Town Ain’t Big Enough |
3 |
31-35 |
| Bad Hair Day |
5-8 |
31-35 |
| Shielded Favours |
3 |
31-35 |
| Symbiosis |
5 |
31-35 |
| Handsome Jack Here! |
3 |
31-35 |
| Claptrap’s Secret Stash |
8-10 |
34-36 |
| Do No Harm |
8-10 |
34-39 |
| Rock, Paper, Genocide (1-4) |
8-9 |
34-37 |
| Assassinate the Assassins |
8-9 |
33-36 |
| The Name Game |
8-9 |
33-36 |
| Medical Mystery (Parts 1 & 2) |
8-9 |
33-36 |
| No Vacancy |
8-9 |
33-36 |
| Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Skags |
8-9 |
36 |
| Cult Following: Eternal Flame (Part 1) |
8-10 |
34-37 |
| Cult Following: False Idols |
8-10 |
34-37 |
| Cult Following: Lighting the Match |
8-10 |
34-37 |
| Cult Following: The Enkindling |
8-10 |
34-37 |
| In Memoriam |
11-13 |
35-38 |
| Positive Self Image |
9-31 |
35-37 |
| Too Close for Missiles |
10-31 |
35-37 |
| You Are Cordially Invited (1-3) |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| The Pretty Good Train Robbery |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| Mighty Morphin’ |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| No Hard Feelings |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| Mine All Mine |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| Out of Body Experience |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| Splinter Group |
13-15 |
37-40 |
| The Good, the Bad, and the Mordecai |
16-27 |
35-37 |
| The Ice Man Cometh |
15 |
38-41 |
| Won’t Get Fooled Again |
16 |
40-42 |
| Claptrap’s Birthday Bash |
16 |
40 |
| Perfectly Peaceful |
15-28 |
38-48 |
| Safe and Sound |
15-28 |
38-48 |
| Clan War: Starting the War |
8-18 |
40 |
| Clan War: First Place |
16-18 |
40 |
| Clan War: Reach the Dead Drop |
16-18 |
|
| Clan War: End of the Rainbow |
16-18 |
|
| Clan War: Trailer Trashing |
16-18 |
|
| Clan War: Wakey Wakey |
18 |
|
| Clan War: Zafords vs. Hodunks |
18 |
|
| Doctor’s Orders |
19-21 |
42-44 |
| Hidden Journals |
16 |
40 |
| Torture Chairs |
25 |
47 |
| Arms Dealing |
16-18 |
40 |
| Swallowed Whole |
17-24 |
41-44 |
| The Cold Shoulder |
17-24 |
41-44 |
| The Overlooked (1-3) |
16-18 |
40-42 |
| Stalker of Stalkers |
16-18 |
40-42 |
| Best Mother’s Day Ever |
18 |
|
| Minecart Mischief |
15-30 |
38-48 |
| Rakkaholics Anonymous |
19-20 |
42 |
| Animal Rights |
19-21 |
42 |
| Note for Self Person |
19-24 |
41 |
| Rocko’s Modern Strife |
20 |
43-44 |
| Defend Slab Tower |
20 |
43-44 |
| Poetic Licence |
20 |
43 |
| Slap Happy |
20 |
43 |
| Shoot This Guy in the Face |
20 |
43-44 |
| Hell Hath No Fury |
22-24 |
45 |
| The Bane |
24-30 |
38-44 |
| Home Movies |
21-23 |
44 |
| Statuesque |
21-23 |
44-46 |
| Written by the Victor |
21-23 |
44-46 |
| Bearer of Bad News |
25 |
47 |
| BFFs |
25 |
47-49 |
| Capture the Flags |
26-28 |
48-49 |
| Customer Service |
26-28 |
48-49 |
| To Grandmother’s House We Go |
26-28 |
48-50 |
| Kill Yourself |
27-29 |
49-50 |
| A Real Boy (1-3) |
27-29 |
49 |
| The Great Escape |
26-28 |
48-49 |
| This Just In |
28-30 |
48 |
| 3:10 to Kaboom |
25-30 |
44 |
| Breaking the Bank |
24-30 |
44-48 |
| Showdown |
25-30 |
50 |
| Hyperion Contract #873 |
25-30 |
40-44 |
| The Lost Treasure |
26-28 |
48-49 |
| Monster Mash (Part 1) |
26-28 |
48 |
| Monster Mash (Part 2) |
28-29 |
48 |
| Monster Mash (Part 3) |
28-30 |
50 |
| Hungry Like the Skag |
26-30 |
48 |
| Uncle Teddy |
28-30 |
|
| Get to Know Jack |
28-30 |
48 |
| The Chosen One |
25 |
47 |
| Animal Rescue: Medicine |
25-30 |
44 |
| Animal Rescue: Food |
25-30 |
|
| Animal Rescue: Shelter |
25-30 |
|
| Demon Hunter |
26-30 |
|
| Bandit Slaughter Round 1 |
22 |
39-40 |
| Bandit Slaughter Round 2 |
22 |
40 |
| Bandit Slaughter Round 3 |
24 |
|
| Bandit Slaughter Round 4 |
24 |
|
| Bandit Slaughter Round 5 |
26 |
|
| Creature Slaughter Round 1 |
22-25 |
41-42 |
| Creature Slaughter Round 2 |
25-27 |
42 |
| Creature Slaughter Round 3 |
28 |
43 |
| Creature Slaughter Round 4 |
28 |
43 |
| Creature Slaughter Round 5 |
30 |
|
| Hyperion Slaughter Round 1 |
25-30 |
48 |
| Hyperion Slaughter Round 2 |
25-30 |
48 |
| Hyperion Slaughter Round 3 |
27-31 |
|
| Hyperion Slaughter Round 4 |
27-31 |
|
| Hyperion Slaughter Round 5 |
29-34 |
|
| You. Will. Die. [Seriously.] |
50 |
50 |
| Dr. T and the Vault Hunters |
35 |
50 |
| A History of Simulated Violence |
35 |
50 |