Which DLC(s) should I do?

Borderlands 2 Gameplay Discussion (Spoilers!)
#1

So I’m at level 28 now at toil and trouble story mission (third last I think) and me and my party of 4 are thinking of what dlcs we should do now because they’re on sale. Since Scarlett and Torgue only scale up to level 30 in normal mode I think we’ll skip those during normal, but for 30-35 I think we’ll do either Tina or Hammerlocks story, most likely Tina because apparently it’s the best and hammerlock sucks. Although we’ll stop at level 35 and go to TVHM because I read that if you are past level 35, you’ll be fighting scaled up 36+ enemies with level 35 gear.

Is this the best way to go about in this situation? Is there a better solution you guys recommend? Also is my last point about low level gear that significant, it isn’t too much in normal but in TVHM is a few levels difference that significant? Thanks in advance for any replies.

#2

It honestly doesn’t matter. A lot of people prefer Tina to Hammerlock just because the insanity quotient is dialled up to 11, but Hammerlock is actually pretty good as a DLC. If it hadn’t been followed by Tina, it would probably be ranked a lot higher IMO.

The biggest concern with being too high level at the start of TVHM is not the gear - you’ll find level 35 blue, purple, and legendary items will last you much more than 1 or 2 levels - it’s being over-levelled and having to easy a time of it. Things should start to balance out by the mid-point of the game, though.

What you definitely don’t want to do is over-level in TVHM before starting UVHM (if you’re going to do that.) Your gear will stay stuck at level 50, but you could easily be level 54 if you do all the DLC before starting UVHM. That is a real problem!

#3

Continuing the discussion from Which DLC(s) should I do?:

If I’m reading this right, I won’t get a chance to complete the dlcs and go all completionist without the fear of over levelling until UVHM? Well that sucks. I think I’ll play torgue/Scarlett during the TVHM run and hammerlock then all of it again during UVHM. Thanks again.

#4

I pretty much skip the DLC completely in TVHM. In UVHM, you can do all or part of the different DLCs, depending on whether you want specific mission rewards at max level or not. Torgue I usually complete early, Scarlett I complete until “Crazy for You” which I don’t turn in until max level, Hammerlock all the way through, and Tina up to the final part.

The reason for not turning in “Crazy” is that it auto-accepts “Woops!”, which locks the level of the Sandhawk to your current level, even if you delay completing that quest until later. Remember that in UVHM, the mission reward will be whatever your level is when you accept the mission, not when you turn it in!

#5

Speaking just for myself I did the 4 main dlc like this:
Normal- Capt Scarlett, Mr Torgue with all characters
TVHM- Capt Scarlett, Mr Torgue, and only Axton for Tiny Tina (got the Community Day drop of a level 48 Grog Nozzle :smile:)
UVHM- all dlc with all characters

#6

So the Hammerlock dlc sucks, huh… I sure would like to hear from the players exactly WHY it sucks. Because I think it’s great. It has beautiful backgrounds, Sir Hammerlock, tough enemies, a really funny dialogue, great loot and… CL4P-TP. Did I forget anything?

What is it that make people say that it sucks? What more do they need? A raid boss that pisses his pants when you enter the arena, and subsequently dies all by himself? Perhaps a guaranteed drop of the Norfleet on each random npc kill would be nice? Or how about zombies… OMG! That would be really original.

So, let’s hear it! Why is it the general opinion that the Hammerlock dlc sucks? Is it because some influential YouTuber said so, or do you have an opinion based on your own observations?

#7

To me, the atmosphere is dreary, depressing and dull. It takes away from the enjoyment of any game when the graphics make it seems creepy and gloomy (unless it’s supposed to be some type of horror game)…

#8

This is only my opinion, but out of the DLC for BL2 I would say that Hammerlock ranks 3rd out of the 4 major add ons for the content itself but ranks last in the number of times I’ve actually played through it (once with each character). This could be for a number of reasons, but i’ll give a few of my own impressions. The biggest reason for this is because its being graded on steep curve given the ridiculousness that are the Tiny/Torgue add-ons. In content alone I think that Hammerlock surpasses Torgue, but it doesn’t bring that same level of hilarity to the dialogue (although it does have its moments). The locations are more aesthetically pleasing in Hammerlocks, the enemies are more unpredictable and thus more engaging, I’m not a huge fan of the driving in the Torgue DLC, but overall I think Torgue edges it out because of… well, Torgue ha. If we assume that the “best” DLC is Tina’s (not a bold statement) then I think the other three could be arranged as 1.b,c,d. The only reason I think it comes down to torgue and hammerlock in the middle is that I’ve likely played Scarlett’s dlc more than any other given my enjoyment of the Pimpernel and Sandhawk and my need to procure them with almost every character multiple times. Which has made me almost dread playing through it at this point. Overall, Hammerlock’s DLC is a lot a fun and has some of the more enjoyable mobbing areas in the whole game, has a good mix of creature and humanoid enemies, has a raid boss that drops some prized loot (I’m looking at you Interfacer) and has a crazy dude in a monocle, what more could you ask for? :slight_smile: Anyone would be selling themselves short if they didn’t experience it at least once.

#9

I liked Hammy’s DLC, especially the Rough Rider. :wink: The only parts I didn’t like were the walking, the fan boats (even worse than the sand skifts), and the raid boss. That and the witch doctors, but they’re child’s play with three Mayas.

#10

i thought the fan boats more durable than the sand skifts :confused:

#11

for me it’s a tie at 3rd place between the Pirate DLC and Hammerlocks DLC, with the Headhunter packs taking the 4th and fifth, and 6th slots (ties again)

mostly as VaultHunter101 says, but if you do come in a bit over leveled, there are ways and means to farm for better gear, one way, get to claptraps place and if you have the HH packs, there are Vending machines almost right where you spawn in at, just travel around farming for some at/near level gear.

I would try to catch a Season Pass on sale (if they still have the option), That gets all 4 DLC for the price of 3

#12

TTAoDK gives me the same feeling. I can’t say that I enjoy it, but I realize that it’s exactly what the devs were aiming for. In many ways, Aegrus can be compared to Jurassic Park. Wilderness with a few small spots of civilization. But… weird! I guess it speaks to people in different ways.

#13

I’m in a similar position, new player with Axton at 38, Maya at 14, Zero at 9. With Axton I hit 33 at the end of NVHM and went into Tina’s DLC (I’ve been playing some form of D&D for 23 years now, how could I not? :smiley:). It’s just as hilariously entertaining as you’d expect, with one major caveat. By the time you hit the Mines of Avarice near the middle of the DLC things will get pretty annoying. I suspect the post-Forest portions of the DLC are balanced around The Bee, so if you don’t use it (I find it to be a remarkably overpowered piece of gear) enemies will be bullet sponges for you. It doesn’t help that most enemies, knights especially, are hard or impossible to crit, so if you rely on long range sniper headshots that won’t work very well. You definitely should use The Bee against named orc Warlords though. They’ll probably still level themselves up to Duke of Ork, but burning their health down as fast as possible is key. Even with The Bee a Duke is a ridiculous bullet sponge. Against other enemies, your choice seems to be using The Bee and melting everything almost instantly, or not using it and having fairly long fights. Not really the balance I’m used to in this game. For perspective, enemies in TVHM have about half the health of enemies in Tina’s DLC in NVHM.

Carlton_Slayer, at what point in NVHM do you recommend diverting to Scarlett and Torgue? Like the OP I’ve skipped them so far because they stop scaling at 30, so taking the route of finishing NVHM and then doing a DLC leaves just Hammerlock and Tina to choose from. I’d planned on doing Hammerlock on Maya when the time comes, but if there’s a sensible way of doing Scarlett earlier that sounds fun. Do you alternate between doing a Scarlett quest and a quest in the main game to try not to horribly over-level either one?

When should one do the Headhunter packs? I’ll grab those before the Steam sale ends, but am I correct in thinking that their primary role is endgame gear-farming, or are they something worth doing in NVHM/TVHM as well?

#14

Strange- I actually like the aesthetics of Tiny Tina. It’s just something about the way the filtered sunlight happens in Aegrus that weirds me out. Oh well :sunglasses: @Worblehat- I think I did them just after they became available so the late teen/early twenties levels. I switched between the main game and the dlc since I didn’t want the main story rewards to become trivial. Since I only did the two dlc in normal (and didn’t farm for anything, so I never racked up excess XP) I finished normal with everyone right around level 31-32. BTW, max levels for the Tiny Tina dlc (and I suspect Sir Hammerlock- but I never played that dlc in normal) is level 35- the Ancient Dragons can be leveled by Boost up to at least level 39 though…