PcgamerDeciding which of the many possible Borderlands 3 builds is for you can take as much time as actually unleashing them on sinister streamers, Troy and Tyreen Calypso. Each of your four Vault Hunters—Moze, FL4K, Zane, and Amara—have three separate skill trees with different Action Skills and Augmentations, so you’ve got lots of options to play with.
That can be a little daunting, especially if you’re itching to get stuck into the cel-shaded blood, guts, and often excrement, of Borderlands 3’s combat. That’s why we’ve agonized over the upgrade paths of each character and put together a list of the best Borderlands 3 builds for each playable character.
Remember, if you want to change your character’s skills, you can do so at any time, provided you’re not completely broke. For a small fee you can perform a total Borderlands 3 respec at a Quick-Change machine, just like the one Claptrap introduces you do in the tutorial you start right as you hop off the bus.
The following builds have been put together with different situations in mind; they might not all apply to your playstyle. Some help you protect your team in a tough scrap, and others will help you play on your own. We recommend using our builds as a jumping off point, but then experimenting yourself with what seems exciting to you. Now, let’s create some mayhem.
Pet Power | Good for: Solo play, balanced DPS and self-healing
Action Skill, Pet, and Augments: Gamma Burst, Great Horned Skag, Atomic Aroma,
Key Passives: Who Rescued Who, Frenzy, Lick the Wounds, Turn Tail and Run
As a rule, FL4K’s Rakk Attack action skill sucks and Fade Away isn’t as reliable for getting out of a pickle as a walking nuclear disaster. We’ve yet to find a Borderlands 3 FL4K build that isn’t bettered by Gamma Burst, which doesn’t just summon your pet via a massive explosion, but can revive a downed pet remotely and instantly.
The Great Horned Skag is a good pet for the gun damage bonus, and Atomic Aroma keeps a cloud of radioactive pain around your little buddy at all times. It dissolves crowds. Endurance extends the length of your action skill, aka the cloud of death, the more enemies you kill while it’s active. Easy pick.
Who Rescued Who gifts a little health regen kick to the pet when FL4K damages an enemy and vice versa. Lick the Wounds is a must, gifting your pet the ability to resurrect you. Between Second Winds and faithful pets, dying is difficult. If things get too out of hand, Turn Tail and Run regenerate’s FL4K’s health and gifts damage reduction as long as he’s running around. Let the pet take the lead and get some laps in.
Teacher’s Pet | Good for: Mobility, shooting, teamplay, DPS
Action Skill, Pet, and Augments: Gamma Burst, Spiderant Countess, Atomic Aroma, Emphatic Rage
Key Passives: Who Rescued Who, Frenzy, Grim Harvest, Megavore
This build shifts the focus from a FL4K / Pet symbiosis to giving FL4K the edge for players that like the shooting bits of Borderlands best. Gamma Burst and Atomic Aroma are still the go-to Action Skill and Augment combo, but this build fares much better with teammates, especially without Lick the Wounds to double your res chances. Emphatic Rage juices FL4K’s damage by 20% while the Action Skill is active, so it’s a must for gunners.
The Spiderant Countess is a good pet pick for the health regeneration and damage reduction bonuses, as well as its ability to make a huge corrosive puddle. Who Rescued Who doles out healing between pet and FL4K generously, so we can’t turn it down again. Frenzy incrementally increases FL4K’s damage each time the pet attacks. Grim Harvest juices FL4K’s gun and action skill damage with no strings attached, while Megavore has a chance to award critical damage for shooting enemies anywhere on their darn person. Poor aim be damned.