Borderlands 2 Best Class: Ranking from Worst to Best

Even after the release of the highly acclaimed Borderlands 3, its predecessor still holds a special place in the hearts of fans. Borderlands 2 is considered one of the best games by Gearbox Software’s. To this day, Borderlands 2 is going strong thanks to mod support, story, quirky quests, memorable characters, and classes. Today’s guide will focus on the Borderlands 2 Best Class. 

Borderlands 2 Best Class

There are a total of 6 classes – including the 2 offered in the DLC – in Borderlands 2, giving the player plenty of options to choose from. Each class has unique abilities and appearances, differentiating them from each other. The game offers players a diverse cast of characters that they can pick and take on Handsome Jack. Also, keep in mind that every class has three upgrade trees where players can allot skill points. Since you cannot max out all three of them, every player will end up with different abilities.

Assassin

Right off the bat, most newer players are attracted towards Zer0, the assassin. While he is ranked at the bottom, Zer0 is an extremely fun-to-play character that – if used properly – can do some serious damage. With that being said, I wouldn’t suggest beginners try him out. During your first couple of playthroughs of Borderlands 2, you’ll find that Zer0 is extremely difficult to use since he dies quickly.

The point where the assassin class shines is when you unlock some of its best abilities in the late game. As the name suggests, this class is ideal for fans of stealth and long-range combat. Since his HP is lower than others, you’ll want to use the sniper rifle and keep your distance from the waves of enemies coming your way.

When you reach the endgame, that’s another story. I found that Zer0 has amazing late-game abilities, which are best suited when paired with a frontline character. Out of the three skill trees, you will want to upgrade Bloodshed for melee combat, Cunning if you want to focus on utility abilities, and Sniping.

However, if you are a solo player, Zer0 might not be ideal since all enemies will focus on you instead of the front line. This leaves you vulnerable to attacks and will make your sniper rifle lose its value. For that, I recommend constantly switching up the skill tree to maintain relevance.

Psycho

For a character who’s featured on the iconic cover of Borderlands 2, Psycho isn’t the best class you can choose. Psycho – also known as Krieg – is a melee-focused character best for pummelling a bunch of enemies. Fitting for his name, Buzz Ax Rampage’s ability sends Krieg into a fury of rage. At this point, he switches the guns for a large two-handed axe. This axe deals 500% damage and on top of that, you get back a chunk of health for every kill you get.

Players who are looking to create chaos will love this class. You can either focus on a heavy melee build, a build focusing on grenades, or light yourself on fire and run through the battlefield. Let’s face it, the last build sounds extremely fun, and playing Borderlands is all about creating chaos.

Since Psycho is a melee-focused character, this can raise tons of challenges for the player. While he is super fun to play, it can be difficult to use him at full potential when playing solo. His close-range gameplay will ensure that all enemies focus on you, which can leave you heavily damaged.

Siren

Possibly the best class if you are looking to play with your friends or in a team. The Siren is the Borderlands version of a healer or a supporting character. She has tons of area-of-effect abilities that make it easy to take out enemies that surround you. One such ability is called Phaselock. Siren creates a bubble that traps enemies inside it and makes them float. When fully upgraded, Phaselock deals an insane amount of damage that kills enemies in an instant.

Your playstyle when playing Siren should focus on using Phaselock as much as you can. It has the lowest cooldown out of any other ability. Depending on your playstyle, you can either play Siren as a healer/crowd controller or make her into damage dealing beast. Even if you are a solo player, she will shine due to her abilities, but her full potential comes out when you play with a team.

Maya is extremely strong against smaller enemies and even some of the larger bosses. If you want to get through the campaign quickly, I would suggest choosing her. However, for post-game activities, Siren isn’t the best choice if you plan to play solo.

Commando

You can’t go wrong with choosing the Commando class. I found that Axton is an all-around character that I highly recommend to every new player. His expertise with weapons allows you to swiftly reload, swap, and fire your guns. Even when I played solo, I loved this character because he excels in that field. I didn’t need to rely on a team, as Axton can carry the whole game solo. If you’re looking to learn Borderlands 2 thoroughly, picking the Commando is the way to go, and you’ll grasp all the basic mechanics.

What sets him apart is his unique class ability, the Sabre Turret. When I used it, I placed a turret on the ground, and it immediately started shooting at the closest foe. I found it incredibly useful for drawing enemy aggro, keeping them away from me. This allowed me to move freely without taking any damage, recharge my shields, and attack from a safe vantage point.

Mechromancer

Similar to the Commando class, I also had the option to summon a giant floating robot that drew aggro and fired at the nearest enemy when playing as Gaige. Gaige was introduced in a DLC and was perfect for me as a player who preferred going in guns blazing. Her arsenal was packed with explosives, making it easy to take down giant bosses, especially since she mainly dealt with shock damage, which was ideal for breaking enemy shields.

One of the main reasons Gaige was considered superb was her ability, Anarchy. I experienced a 1.75% damage boost for every kill and empty magazine, and this could stack up to 400 times. However, I had to contend with a 1.75% accuracy reduction while gaining that attack damage. While my damage output became incredibly high, it did become challenging to land shots accurately on targets. Nevertheless, when facing bosses, this wasn’t much of an issue as I mostly found myself in point-blank range, ensuring my bullets didn’t miss.

In solo play, Gaige’s abilities and high damage made her an excellent choice. I only encountered problems against a few bosses due to the accuracy reduction, but overall, she was an absolute blast to play with.

Gunzerker

Let’s dive into what I consider the best class in Borderlands 2: Salvador the Gunzerker. Playing as Salvador truly felt like being a powerhouse character that effortlessly tore through enemies. The best part? You can dual wield any two guns, which opens up the opportunity to equip various weapons and create insane combos. There’s even a rather cheeky exploit that can make Salvador feel nearly invincible.

The Grog Nozzle was a standout choice, dealing additional damage to enemies while also healing you for about 65% of the damage dealt. Equipping this gun allowed me to pair it with another high-damage weapon, essentially making me an unstoppable force against any enemy in my path. It was remarkable how Salvador could overpower virtually any foe, making the entire game feel like a breeze.

I’d go so far as to say that the Gunzerker felt like a superior version of the Commando. With creative dual-wield combos, I could obliterate wave after wave of enemies effortlessly. Salvador truly excelled in close-range combat and thrived in smaller areas. However, in larger, open spaces, I did notice that my effectiveness against enemies wasn’t as pronounced. Still, this added an extra layer of challenge without diminishing the overall gameplay experience.

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of our guide about the Borderlands 2 Best Class. While I prefer the Mechromancer, the Gunzerker is the overall better choice for all types of players. At the end of the day, you should choose the class that suits best with your playstyle. These are extremely fun characters with some great unique abilities and can change the entire gameplay experience.

Let me know in the comments below which class do you like and why. For more Borderlands content, check out the Borderlands 3 Best Grenade.