Lets make a build with the Specialist com!

Borderlands 2 Axton the Commando
#1

I’ts been bothering me lately… Every class mod with Axton seems to have discovered its niche in at least one build except this one. Yes, its not exactly the most popular for a reason, but I think it is worth a try to make some use of it.

Here’s what I have been rolling around with in my head:

Purple Specialist com (+5 Duty Calls, +4 Forebearence, +4 Ready)
Bone Shreadder / Lascaux / Orc
Bekah
Antagonist or your favorite shield
Pick your favourite grenade
I am fairly unsure which relic to choose

…I suppose this makes the most sense with the relatively confusing skills this class mod provides bonuses to.

Any suggestions here?

#2

I tried the Specialist COM with many SMGs a while back. It worked really well with the Tattler, the Actualizer and the Slagga (became much more reliable at slagging). And that was pretty much it… Any other COM beats the Specialist in most cases unfortunately.

I wanted to try it with a NE Omen, but the damn Dragons flat-out refuse to drop one for me. Maybe it would work well with Duty Calls and Axton’s grenade damage boosts.

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#3

Even with…

Tattler or NE Bone Shredder
Antagonist
Aggression Relic: SMG
Magic Missile

It still gets out performed by choosing a Legendary Soldier over the Specialist.

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#4

Why not make this a slow jakobs build, elephant gun, unforgiven, etc…

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#5

Of course it does, but that is neither here nor there…

Its been beaten to death how brilliantly dominant the leg. soldier com is on axton. Lets just have some good ol’ fashion fun here and try to make something neat with the Specialist. :blush:

#6

I like that idea, yet I feel the yearn of actually attempting to make something of the 35% smg accuracy bonus (as silly as it sounds). Moreover, My thoughts of the Bone-Shreadder or the Lascaux came to mind immediately. You normally don’t use those two at anything other than near to face-tanking range, but maybe we can extend those to med-close range with an accuracy boost… probably.

#7

Here is an update to some of whats been rolling around in my head so far:

-Bone Shredder as the main weap, with Bekah as a mid-long range backup
-Bandit allegiance Relic to make more of the Bone Shredder
-Maybe a Heart of the Ancients relic with +SMG dmg, +ffyl time, and +Second Wind health to cope with how often you will might be going down w/ this setup (here’s a prediction: A LOT).

OR

-Tattler / Bekah as the mains
-Jakob’s allegiance or Bandit allegience relic
-Twister for close range / shielded enemies

OR EVEN

-Slagga as a tool for prep
-Use Derch’s idea for slow jakobs allegiance with Bekah and Elephant gun
-NE Omen for close range

I like @Eel37 's idea of the NE omen as a shotgun slot…
We could also go with @Derch 's idea for a “slow” Jakobs build and try to use the Elephant gun here.

I might as well throw in the fact that nobody in their right mind is going to suggest this as a main build for OP levels. I just wanted to reiterate that this is strictly for funsies.

#8

Why use the Bone Shredder over the Tattler? The Shredder consumes two ammo per shot while the Tattler only consumes one. I think the Tattler also has higher stats across the board.

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#9

True about the tattler, but if we were to attempt to take advantage of the NE damage and smg accuracy at the same time, the bone Shreadder or Lascaux seem like our best two options. Heck, the Orc gets no love from me, so I may try that one.

As you can see, I like a challenge :grin:

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#10

Bone Shredder is easier to get in UVHM for players who don’t gib gear. Not saying the Tattler is unobtainable, but it’s not going to be as readily available for everyone.

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#11

Lascaux being the most obtainable of the bunch. The most dependable on-level, decent, reliable piece of gear in the game. I think that gun makes my list of “top gear for people who are trying to grind from lvl 1 to 72.” Its always in the water in that same spot in frostburn canyon caves.

#12

With Jakobs Hammerlock weaponry I can see this build having potential with weaponry such as the Godfinger and the Striker as well.

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#13

I like it… Didn’t think of the striker for some reason. Good option for the shottie slot.

As for the Godfinger, I’m not 100% sold on it, But I will give it a try.

So far the potential list is looking like a NE-dominated loadout:

-Striker or Omen
-Tattler or Bone Shredder or Lascaux
-Bekah
-Elepahnt gun or Godfinger

Any other suggestions? I’m still not entirely sure which relic to take.

#14

If you go with the majority of weapons being Jakobs you may want a recoil reduction/recover relic to relieve the recoil and make it easier to do follow up shots. So long as enemies are slagged most will drop in a few shots with critical hits.

The Maggie is also an option as your universal rapid fire weapon with how easy it is to use. If you want to get in someone’s face the Hydra does a lot of damage but you have to be right on top of your target to make the most of it. If you use the Antagonist that may be risky especially if you go into the Overpower levels.

If you don’t want use Jakobs sniper rifles look into non-elemental Vladof sniper rifles, especially the Lyuda/White Death.

If you stick with Jakobs you can go with the Buffalo Rifle if the Elephant Rifle is too difficult to use or if you still do not like the Godfinger upon trying it again. Unlike the Elephant Rifle the Buffalo Rifle has iron sights and its damage is only a smidge lower than the Elephant Rifle.

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#15

This was my preferred skill tree when messing with the Specialist COM (I used elemental Tattlers here).

http://bl2skills.com/commando.html#55055152015505015010005000000000

Yes, it’s level 61, BUT it worked surprisingly well on 4-player difficulty (poor man’s OP8 :smile: ). The Tattler turned into a really deadly and accurate firehose with Metal Storm and the accuracy boost. I’m sure the Shredder would do the same.

This is what I’d use at level 72, if we were to use a purple COM.

http://bl2skills.com/commando.html#55054150015505015500005051040000

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#16

a NE butcher or actualizer could also help: actualizer for the SMG accuracy and butcher for the damage output. The Skullmasher (backup to the striker) and Hawk Eye (easier to obtain than the Bekah and more forgiving up close) could also work in a pinch.

As for a build, I’m in the process of trying this out:
http://bl2skills.com/commando.html#55054150015500014510015041044100
Sacrificing metal storm for mag lock and resourceful for better turret uptime and to keep it out of reach of melee-based enemies. Also might pick up Phalanx since RPG loaders are jerkbags and that would at least help sponge a rocket or two <.<

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#17

The NE Omen is where it is. All splash damage and gun damage from Gunpowder plus the bonus from Dutty Calls at 10/5 or 11/5 seems amazing.
Also, for the SMG slot, I would pick the Actualizer or Tattler to be honest. Seems the best ones non elemental options.
Or the Lascaux before farming seraph crystals.

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#18

You know I did this for the axton DP TTs right?

I switched out to leg soldier because I got higher dps with the bekah.

Also NE Bitch over tattler or actualizer.
Seriously, I did ■■■■ tons of testing with this build, I even posted a jakobs alligence build that used thw jakobs relic which is an amazing relic fyi.

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#19

NE Bitch eh? I’m going to have to give it a shot. So far the Lascaux, NE Ladyfist, Bekah, and Buffalo Rifle, have been pretty interesting. As for the Jakobs relic, I am fully aware of it’s effectiveness on the Bekah.

It’s not bad here either, of course. It goes without saying that the Leg Soldier is a better alternative. But in this experiment, it is useful to note that the Specialist com does have its “place” amongst the other Axton styles.

Also, @Blutfatal - At about the same time, I created another Build centered around the Bekah, but with the Neutral Evil Ranger com.

#20

I have just realised that I may have turned this into a Hyperion Allegiance build…