"Borderlands 2": Mechromancer/Gaige Skill Builds

Author:
Ttocs L
Updated date:
Sep 26, 2020

I am a video game fanatic with over six years experience as an online writer.

Gaige the Mechromancer

Gaige is more than just a high-schooler from the planet Eden-5 with a talent for building epic and loyal robots. Because of the variances in her player challenges, she can be both the easiest and most difficult character to play.

As with all Borderlands 2 characters, having the right skill tree makes a huge difference in gameplay and makes playing even the most difficult character a dream.

Here are my two favorite builds for Gaige.

The Lazy Build: This build focuses on giving Deathtrap the highest DPS (damage per second), making him (and you) a complete tank.
DPS ANARCHY: The build for those who want to cause chaos and who don't want the robot to do all the work.

BuiId 1: The Lazy Build

This build concentrates on Deathtrap’s DPS, and while many defensive skills are available in the main skill tree for the build, they aren’t the priority because of your tank of a robot. Deathtrap has many unique attacks littered around the three skill trees, and with this build, you get three of the total four.

It's a "lazy" build because you get an absolute tank in the Deathtrap that also deals huge damage, and you can stand back and take potshots until it needs to cool down.

I left out two skill points because there are so many options. You can add into Anarchy [TIER 1] if that aligns to your style of play; Shock and “AUUGH” [TIER 3] if you think you’ll be at close quarters a lot; Buck Up [TIER 2] if you’re playing co-op; or just fill in your [4/5] skills. Also, this build is definitely best used with elemental guns because of the second skill tree.

Tree 1


Skill	Description
Cooking Up Trouble	Regains health when your magazine is full. More useful than Close Enough by a long shot.
The Better Half	When your magazine is half full or lower, Fire Rate bonus. One of your few offensive skills.
Potent as a Pony	Max health for you and Deathtrap.
Upshot Robot	Killing an enemy adds five seconds to Deathtrap’s Duration. Makes this build pretty EZmode.
Explosive Clap	Explosive attack for Deathtrap.
Made of Sterner Stuff	Damage reduction for you and Deathtrap. This is replaceable with other defensive skills.
20% Cooler	Increases cool down rate of Deathtrap.
Sharing is Caring	Deathtrap gets a copy of your shield (EZmode skill x2).

Tree 2


Skill	Description
More Pep	Raises elemental chance. Sub with Myelin [TIER 1] if you don’t use elemental guns.
The Stare	Laser attack with Deathtrap.
Shock Storm	Electrical storms every time Deathtrap kills something.
Evil Enchantress	Raises elemental effect damage after killing an enemy.

Build 2: DPS ANARCHY!

This build is for those who don’t really want to see the robot do all the work. The Anarchy skill [TIER 1] is pretty interesting. It gives you a weapon damage boost and an accuracy deficit for either every enemy you kill or every time you empty your gun’s magazine.

You don’t want to prematurely reload because your stacks will all go away. You can get a max of 400 stacks, meaning that’s a 700% bonus in gun damage and the same amount of accuracy reduction. With the nature of the class centering around this skill, the optimal gun would be something along the lines of a repeater/machine pistol.

To maximize on stacks, you need something that won’t be hurt too much by long-range (accuracy reduction; assault rifles/snipers), something that doesn’t do burst damage (revolvers/shotguns), and something with a decently small magazine size.

There are two variations I've posted: The first not focusing on elemental damage/chance, and the second one doing just that.

Tree 3


Skill	Description
Anarchy	Explained above.
Smaller, Lighter, Faster	A basic skill you have to choose to get to the other skills in this build.
Preshrunk Cyberpunk	Anarchy stack cap +250 (base of 150).
Robot Rampage	A flurry of Deathtrap attacks.
Annoyed Android	Speed of Deathtrap up.
Discord	If you prematurely reload while stacking, this skill is a safety net for the stacks. You still lose them, but not as quickly.
Typecast Iconoclast	30% chance of gaining additional stack per stack. Definitely useful.
Rational Anarchist	First stack is 25 rather than 1.
The Nth Degree	Every Nth (5th at max) bullet ricochets towards another enemy.
With Claws	Doesn’t seem THAT great, but you don’t have anywhere else to put your points really. Add into Blood Soaked Shields (TIER 2) if you’re feeling dangerous.

Tree 1


Skill	Description
Cooking Up Trouble	You need this to get to the next skill.
The Better Half	You’re going to be using up full magazines anyway, so this is useful. Half your bullets shoot faster, and you get to that reload stack quicker.
Upshot Robot	Helps you keep your tank up.

Comments

Kenn on January 02, 2020:

Bro, im lvl 15 and just getting into the game. Your builds arent just builds, but valuable information for people like me that have no idea WTF they doing lol.

Sybils Child on May 21, 2019:

im only lvl 37 currently, but when i first played on 360 i had a WAY better build.. i hope this helps people coming in and seeing the comments, even tho the post itself is old.

*any abil with a (+x) is from a mod.

BFF:

Tier 1: 4/5 Close Enough = 3/5 Cooking up Trouble

Tier 2: 1/5 Fancy Mathematics

LBT:

Tier 1: 3/5 More Pep = 2/5 Myelin

Tier 2: 4/5 Shock Storm = 1/5(+2) Strength of Gorillas

Tier 3: 3/5 Electric Burn = Shock and Agh = 1/5 Evil Enchantress (*the next 4 levels will all go into this)

Tier 4: 1/5(+2) Wires Dont Talk

Tier 1: Ordered Chaos: 4/4 Smaller, Lighter, Faster = Anarchy

Tier 2: 2/5 Blood Soaked Shields

Weapons:

*The Fibber

With a prefix that gives it "bullets ricochet and split into x10 Target shaped shotgun-like burst after the ricochet)

*Shock Emperor Legendary

This is a wonderful smg with an accuracy debuff but extremely high damage output, it also has a very fast reload speed which is then boosted by her abilities and Mod(see mod). (*fast reload allows you to spam reload for heavy aoe output in crouds via shock and argh. and once higher level will be more beneficial to the build with Discord ability)

*i would rly want the seraph smg from tiny tinas dlc but havent finished yet to buy from notEarl*

*Shock Conference Call

works extremely well with ricochet from close enough on top of it being able to keep its normal damage AND do shock damage.

Trick Shot Maggie

The Trick Shot Prefix allows the gun to ricochet bullets by default, the maggie works like borderlands 1 Masher guns, and with gaiges close enough, the ricochet bullets dont lose their damage reduction this works just like the fibber but is more suited for boss fights but the fibber is better suited for crowd control.

(*can also opt in a sniper rifle for last weapon cupped with anarchy because snipers dont suffer as big of an accuracy debuff and can still work very well between 50-100 stacks of anarchy)

Shield:

any strong amp shield, + Blood soaked shield = good damage. obv the Bee is good but a solid rare works pretty well.

*can also opt in for the "Black Hole" shield + the SMG i mentioned above for close ranged crowd control

Mod: Chaotic Good Necromancer

increases fire rate and Reload speed.

+3 Made of Sterner Stuff

+2 Strength of Five Gorillas

+2 Wires Dont Talk

(there are better mods for this build i just havent been very lucky with getting one yet haha..plus im still 37 xD)

Grenade: Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning

these grenades take a wonderful boost from Gaiges shock abilities.

*(you can also use shock singularities like quasar, or transfusions as well, but these 2 grenades regenerate grenade ammo over time, and tbh chain lightning is just addicting to use lol)

Relic: I currently have a cooldown relic but you can use shock damage bonuses or shield delay/rate ones but i am planning on obtaining the shadow of the seraphs relic for the chance of an extra bullet, or the Captain Blade's Otto Idol, combined with blood soaked shield it negates the health loss, and if im using the Black Hole it can be beneficial in avoiding the lower fight for your life debuff on top of the fact that if you kill an enemy with the nova, you can fully recharge the shield for another nova if you get more points in blood soaked shield.

you can use other health benefit relics as well, if you have trouble farming for a black hole.

Baron on April 03, 2018:

Dude...Anarchy and no Close enough, in either of your "Anarchy builds", did you even really tried this build? Seems unnefective af.

IMO Gaige does not need any tier 6 skill beyond sharing is caring, 9th degree is good, but you can make it without it, besides, with claws just sucks in comparission with other mele skills for other characters, for mele better play Zer0 or Krieg.

As for "elemental chance", you just need Evil enchantres, Shock Storm for each time you recharge and more peep. Electric burn does fun things if you have a Florentine and with the correct Fibber and close enough, by the time you collect more than 200 stacks of anarchy, every damn thing arround you will die, and you don't even need to aim...is not like you can by the way but that doesnt even matter, bullets will just seek and destroy.

joboo7442 on February 28, 2018:

Gaige = OP

norfleet build with gaige = op

Ndjrnen on July 27, 2017:

Can't do it cuz I use infinity pistol

Fgbgr on June 10, 2016:

Dude add close enough to your anarchy build!

lady killer on March 06, 2013:

bro get urself a legendary mechromancer class mod then follow the skills like cooking up trouble then the better half, buck up, upshot robot, 4 potent as a pony, made of sterner stuff, explosive clap, 20% cooler, sharing is caring, then go to little big trouble and get more pep, strength of five gorillas and the stare, after that go to ordered chaos and go smaller lighter faster then go anarchy and robot rampage. I doing this with a legendary mechromancer class mod u can get around 90% cool down rate for ur deathtrap, adding a relic could put it up to 120%.

Hukekz on January 28, 2013:

the riochet skill is a must. completely discredit this build with out it.

Garrett on January 09, 2013:

You CANNOT have an effective anarchy build without investing the BFF close enough skill. Makes a world of difference.

Elproblemo on October 22, 2012:

There is a relic available as a quest reward in the pirate DLC that makes you restore 5-6% of your health with every kill at the cost of shorter fight for your lifetime. This completely cancels out the health loss of bloody shields. Haven't tried it but it sounds worth a go.

Facepalmer on October 16, 2012:

How could you leave out close enough, anarchy makes you miss, but close enough makes the bullets bounce back, I'm sure its because you haven't tried it, but I really recommend it

Puck on October 15, 2012:

Close enough works great with an anarchy build as well, surprised you don't have it. Half of your hits that miss (and a lot will miss) will ricochet for 50% damage. Helps a ton, especially during second wind.

Colby on October 12, 2012:

In your build 2 blood soaked shields is completely worth it, and in fact makes this build. in game it is a 5 point skill not a 1 point, and ends up doing 100% shield recovery and 5% health lost, but since every kill = full shield and 700% damage increase, you just run and destroy non stop.