Borderlands 2 - Discussion Thread

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**Aldarionn**

Hmmmmm. Interesting.

**Ahtman**

Maybe it is different for the PS3, but on the 360 the gambling prices are determined by the host of the game, not the individual player. If you have the 43 hosting the cost of the gambling would be that of the level 43.

**pretre**

Interesting. I wonder if the Lv1 gets left in Sanctuary on reload. I think they do. So you could give them the money and gear and then quit. Reload just the Lv1.

**Avatar 720**

Just a bit of a warning: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20136922

'Badass' bug kills off Borderlands 2 characters

A bug that works like a disease in humans is permanently killing off characters in the Borderlands 2 video game.

The bug only strikes those playing the game via Microsoft's Xbox 360 console.

It revolves around a hidden feature that can only be activated by those that have modified their console.

Gamers who play alongside people who have modded their console "contract" the bug which deletes their character if they die during play.

The hidden option within the game, known as "badass" or "hardcore", is turned off by default but can be enabled by those that have modified or hacked their console. "Modding" involves altering the hardware or software in a console so it can run pirated games, development code or other non-official programs.

Power play

Modded consoles can enable the "badass mode" on Borderlands 2 which lets their characters gather special weapons and armour and become much more powerful than those created in "normal" mode.

When a player with an unmodded console joins a Borderlands 2 multiplayer game in which there is a character running in badass mode it too gets kicked into that mode.

"Hence the 'virus' explanation - as with a cold or the flu in real life you can spread it to other people before noticing the symptoms, and without any evil intent, and they in turn can spread it on to others," explained one gamer on the forums of Borderlands 2 maker Gearbox.

One consequence of the badass mode is that when characters die during gameplay they suffer permanent deletion rather than respawning.

Gearbox warned about the problem on 22 October saying some gamers were using it to "maliciously disrupt the experience and sabotage characters of legitimate Borderlands 2 players".

Since then the problem has become much more widespread with many posting complaints to the forum thread about long-running characters being deleted.

Gearbox said it had prepared a fix that closed the loophole being exploited but it would take time for this to be fed out to consoles.

In the meantime, Gearbox said, users players should only play with people they trust and avoid public games. To avoid characters being deleted, it said, players should use the "save and quit" option during play so they can reload that avatar later on.

No advice has been given about how to resurrect characters that have been lost as a result of the "badass" bug.

**CthuluIsSpy**

The errors in that article infuriate the nit picker within me.
Also, all hail the PC master race

!

**pretre**

Not just PC, it doesn't hurt PS3 users either, right?

**CthuluIsSpy**

pretre wrote:
Not just PC, it doesn't hurt PS3 users either, right?

Shhh don't use logic. Elitism doesn't like logic.

**pretre**

I used to be a bigger PC gamer but my PC is so outdated now it won't run practically anything. Yay for PS3!

Automatically Appended Next Post:
As a side note, Gearbox is releasing shift codes for spooky character customizations today. If you follow them on Facebook or Twitter, you can pick them up.

**kirsanth**

pretre wrote:
I used to be a bigger PC gamer but my PC is so outdated now it won't run practically anything. Yay for PS3!

Automatically Appended Next Post:
As a side note, Gearbox is releasing shift codes for spooky character customizations today. If you follow them on Facebook or Twitter, you can pick them up.

Thanks for the second part, pretre. I will let my lady know; she is home today and should be able to grab them for us both.

As for the first, I was a PC gamer too, but I spend all day on a PC at work and it's nice to relax on the couch with my lady while we play games together in front of a huge TV.
We have spent some time sitting near each other in front of PCs, but it really is not the same.
Also, our PCs died and most of the games we are interested in are on PS3 lately.

**pretre**

The great news for the shift codes is that they are all redeemable until Sunday the 4th, I believe. So people have a chance to get them and not rush.

**kirsanth**

Oh, sweet!
Thanks again.

(She just messaged me that the first two are already opened, so I guess we won't be waiting though.

)

**fire4effekt**

LAst code for the Mechro-mancer just came out. Make sure you get and redeem those codes!

**Tazz Azrael**

So i jsut killed the warrior for the first time on my Mechromancer, he dropped the Conference call shotgun AND Spike a shield that when you get shot at by bullets, corrosive spikes shoot out and home in on targets, melee attackers take corrosive spike damage corrosive damage is about 8k, has 7k worth of shield, recharge rate is 680 and the recharge delay is 2.6.

Now to see how broken the conference call is on the Warrior.

**pretre**

fire4effekt wrote:
LAst code for the Mechro-mancer just came out. Make sure you get and redeem those codes!

I had some difficulties redeeming them (it said they couldn't be redeemed but showed up in my shift list). The good news is that you still have a couple days to redeem them if you haven't had a chance.

Here they are:
Gaige the Mechromancer
Stinger Missile
PC SHiFT Code: W3WBJ-C6ZB5-C6JJT-33JJB-JSFX6
Xbox 360 SHiFT Code: WTKTJ-696S5-R9RB6-5RTT3-BTS3H
PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code: CJWTB-FZK5T-TKKWT-ZJ5B3-X56B9

Zer0 the Assassin
Hornet’s Nest
PC SHiFT Code: 5J5JB-B9S35-W6J33-3BJBT-33JSF
Xbox 360 SHiFT Code: 5J53B-J96HW-F9FBX-CFTT3-FTFXS
PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code: KBKB3-J3R5J-BKCKT-H3W33-9F56C

Axton the Commando
Yellowjacket
PC SHiFt Code: KT53J-36HBK-W6JJ3-BJJB3-WH95H
Xbox 360 SHiFT Code: KBKBT-WH6Z5-X96B6-WX3TJ-5J6J3
PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code: CJ5T3-5H5KT-3KCKT-9JKBB-3SKHT

Salvador the Gunzerker
Killer Bee
PC SHiFT Code: CTK3J-9XH3W-CRB3J-33TBJ-9JJHW
Xbox 360 SHiFT Code: WTK33-HFR95-RZRJX-KRBB3-CZ3KF
PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code: C3W3B-5JX5J-3C55J-ZJWTJ-RH3HR

Maya the Siren
Fright of the Bumblebee
PC SHiFT Code: WTKBJ-XRHTW-C63BT-JTB33-J6C9T
Xbox 360 SHiFT Code: WJC3T-SS6S5-X9FTF-WRTB3-BT39H
PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code: KTCTJ-ZHCKB-BKKW3-STCJT-3FZTW

The codes are set to expire on Sunday, November 4, so be sure to claim them before then.

**htj**

@pretre

Have they turned up in your inventory in game at all?

**pretre**

Yeah, the first time I logged in, I got one. Then I logged out and logged in and got another. Then 1 and 1 I already had. Then one and one again. Then out and in again for the last one.

**Ahtman**

I used the Siren item in the game to unlock the outfit but it isn't showing up as an option on my siren. Everyone else's customization shows up, but somehow the Siren's seems to have disappeared.

**pretre**

You try readding the shift code? I haven't tested all mine yet. Just the Mechro.

**Ahtman**

If I check the shift code log it shows that I unlocked the Siren's costume, and I was in the game and used the item, but at the station it just doesn't show up.

**htj**

That's bizarre. Have you checked out the Gearbox forums, seen if it's happened to anyone else?

**pretre**

Similar issue, no official response:
http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?p=3136024

Here's the main forum:
http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/forumdisplay.php?f=160

**htj**

Looks like logging in and out a couple of times might solve it. Man, you wouldn't think this is complex enough to go wrong, would you?

**Aldarionn**

After playing through the campaign with Gaige, and a portion of the campaign as Maya, I have to say that going back to Zer0 is difficult. His action skill can be difficult to use, has less utility than the others, and if you are playing any tree but Bloodshed he doesn't get defensive abilities. Gaige and Axton both have action skills that draw fire away from them and augment their damage, but still allow them to do damage as well while it is active. Maya's action skill incapacitates an opponent and allows her to do other things while she has an enemy phase-locked, and it has the shortest cooldown of any action skill. Salvador has a pure damage action skill that augments his abilities. Zer0's action skill on the other hand will draw fire away from him, but goes away the second he deals damage unless he is deep in the Bloodshed tree, and even then it will only stick around if he kills someone with melee.

All of this serves to make the game a little more challenging, but it also drastically increases the time it takes to complete missions. His damage is single-target oriented, but not any better than the other characters, which means he has to pick enemies apart one by one and it takes forever to complete. I find it interesting that before the game released, Zer0 looked like one of the more interesting characters to play, but now that I've played with him for a reasonable amount of time, he is probably my least favorite. Of course, in a group of 4 people I would expect that to change quite a bit.

**Tazz Azrael**

I tried using zero with a group a friends and i hated him profusely, but i persisted to lvl 10, after that switch to the siren and went as the group healer and everyones life got wayyyy easier! Although I'm always amused at his echo logs you find.

**Aldarionn**

I don't think 10 levels of play is enough to really judge a character. I'm level 22 and I'm not sure my judgement of Zer0 is really justified. I will play him to 50, and once I get there I will feel better about calling it one way or another.

I think part of my problem with Zer0 is his uselessness during FFYL, which he gets knocked into far more than the other characters I have played. Axton and Gaige can both get second winds from their action skills. Maya, Salvador and Zer0 cannot. Maya makes up for it by constantly dealing elemental damage to multiple targets, and adding fire damage to her bullets while in FFYL. This drastically improves her chances of getting a second wind just from elemental damage alone (much like how Lilith played in BL1). Salvador makes up for it by having an excessive number of tanking and damage reduction skills, or by constantly gunzerking which puts his damage through the roof, or even gunzerking while in FFYL if he goes down that tree. If Zer0 gets knocked down he cannot use his action skill, and has no talents that directly benefit his ability to get a second wind.

In a group I could see a Sniper Zer0 doing very well since he could hang back and pick off targets while the rest of the party draws fire. Especially once he gets the Critical Ascensi0n talent for massive increased damage depending on how high he is able to get his stack. As a solo character though, he seems to have difficulty staying alive and killing efficiently.

**Ahtman**

Zero, from talking to Zero players, takes a much longer amount of time to start really come into his own.

**Tazz Azrael**

Sure 10 levels with zero might not be enough to fully judge him, but I just found him to be so useless even with his action skill that I could not stand the character, sure he would do better in a group but I'm not willing to play him, I'll let someone else suffer (or enjoy) using him. But so far I have found Maya and Gaige to be my two favourite characters so far, with Salvador trailing in third, i have not tried Axton yet but it looks like fun having the turret to lob around and eventually go nuclear upon deployment.

**Aldarionn**

Tazz Azrael wrote:Sure 10 levels with zero might not be enough to fully judge him, but I just found him to be so useless even with his action skill that I could not stand the character, sure he would do better in a group but I'm not willing to play him, I'll let someone else suffer (or enjoy) using him. But so far I have found Maya and Gaige to be my two favourite characters so far, with Salvador trailing in third, i have not tried Axton yet but it looks like fun having the turret to lob around and eventually go nuclear upon deployment.

Ahtman wrote:Zero, from talking to Zero players, takes a much longer amount of time to start really come into his own.

Ahtman's quote is why I'm really not ready to dismiss him off hand the way you did. It seems like he has some very useful abilities deep in the trees, and he has some excellent synergy between the trees, but it takes level 50 to really get those synergies to work. There are also a number of excellent weapons available at level 50 that I think might work very well with him. I would like to get every character to 50 eventually, so I'm knocking Zer0 out early since he will likely be my least favorite to actually play through the game with.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Aldarionn wrote:
Tazz Azrael wrote:Sure 10 levels with zero might not be enough to fully judge him, but I just found him to be so useless even with his action skill that I could not stand the character, sure he would do better in a group but I'm not willing to play him, I'll let someone else suffer (or enjoy) using him. But so far I have found Maya and Gaige to be my two favourite characters so far, with Salvador trailing in third, i have not tried Axton yet but it looks like fun having the turret to lob around and eventually go nuclear upon deployment.

Ahtman wrote:Zero, from talking to Zero players, takes a much longer amount of time to start really come into his own.

Ahtman's quote is why I'm really not ready to dismiss him off hand the way you did. It seems like he has some very useful abilities deep in the trees, and he has some excellent synergy between the trees, but it takes level 50 to really get those synergies to work. There are also a number of excellent weapons available at level 50 that I think might work very well with him. I would like to get every character to 50 eventually, so I'm knocking Zer0 out early since he will likely be my least favorite to actually play through the game with.

I haven't played Zero in multiplayer, but I suspect that the deal with him coming into his own in the higher levels is why he may not be the best choice for MP, even with friends who won't steal loot, or don't mind someone being little more than an extra gun.

**Aldarionn**

Well he can be a lot more than an extra gun if he isn't getting beaten on routinely. As a sniper build he has enough extra damage from talents to be a solid boss killer and with a melee build he can clean house if there are more people than just him around taking shots. The problem is that he has no means of drawing fire away from himself that ALSO lets him thin down the herd of targets unless you go Bloodshed, and even then he doesn't get it until level 31, and he MUST kill a target with every swing, and his kills must be spaced no more than 5 seconds apart. In a group he should be exceptionally useful, but on his own he is the focus of every attack and so he has to run away constantly to avoid death. The other 4 Hunters have ways of dealing with this, but Zero does not.