He’s beefy, he’s big, he’s ruthless, and he’s ever lovable. If there is one person that can represent all that the Borderlands 2 stands for, it’s none other than Salvador, our very own Gunzerker boy. In this guide, we will focus on our very own Borderlands 2 Gunzerker Salvador Builds.
Borderlands 2 Gunzerker Salvador Builds
Though the Commando can be used as a tank as well, Salvador’s toughness and ability to withstand damage is ideal for those hardcore gamers looking for a competitive co-op challenge.
So, it’s time to put on that bad ass attitude, pick up some heavy guns, light up a cigar, and start shooting your way through crowds of foes.
Below are a few ways of building Salvador for your gunning needs.
Note. If the Skill Builder doesn’t load the build for you correctly, open it separately and try to open a Skill Tree of any character. It will ask you to input your age, do that, and once you have gone past that age restriction window, try to open the build again; it will work this time.
Note that these builds are primarily focused on selfless co-op play – but that in no way means they don’t work when you are soloing.
For more builds on Borderlands 2, read our Siren, Assassin and Commando Builds Guide.
Build #1
“Locked and Loaded Baby!”
Let’s make on thing clear: Salvador was born to be in the battlefield – he was born to lead an assault and take up all the damage in co-op games, and he was meant to not care about his enemy’s strength and instead care about only beating the shit out of them.
Because of that, you have to be all-out aggressive with this guy – not stupidly aggressive, mind you, but cleverly aggressive so that you can be the star of the show, with enemies spitting and cursing at you while the rest of your team quietly takes them out.
A good way to mix up some gun-buffing aspects and survivability is with this build. You want to focus on your Gunlust tree first. There is NO need to take Locked and Loaded here, and thus we start off with Quick Draw, easing down to skip Down Not Out, taking Lay Waste instead, and then crawling all the way to No Kill Like Overkill.
There’s a sad truth to the signature Gunzerking skill: it’s not as great as it seems, at least when it comes to the offensive part. While the rest of the classes have some fool-proof signature skills, Salvador suffers if the player isn’t wise in building him.
Despite the many benefits, in-terms of offense Gunzerking makes your accuracy go down the drain, and while having two guns is exciting initially; you don’t want to be wasting away bullets in more difficult situations. This fact is further exacerbated if you take stuff like Locked and Loaded, which will increase the fire rate and make the weapons’ ever-more uncontrollable.
For survivability, we take up some essential basic defensive skills in the Brawn tree. You also do NOT want to have Out of Bubble Gum up and running while Gunzerking, so if it seems to be getting in the way, choose to invest the points somewhere else.
You might want to consider a movement buff, such as Bus That Can’t Slow Down or the simpler Incite, provided you can handle it. It’s your call though.
Build #2
“I Double Dare You”
Yes, Salvador is a tank, and his ability to withstand damage and be so persistent is what makes him ideal in the frontlines. For the toughest situations, where you need a rock-hard badass who just doesn’t want to die, you slap this build on Gunzer boy.
Do note that Ain’t Got Time to Bleed is almost entirely useless, because it really doesn’t do anything. You wouldn’t really want to Gunzerk away while you are actually low on health, so its effectiveness isn’t enough to actually invest full five points. I would even suggest taking the two given points out and putting them in Asbestos maybe.
What will really make you stand out is the massive increase in movement speed you will attain from Incite and Bus That Can’t Slow Down. This should give you a good chance to move around and easily reach priority targets while Gunzerking. You can consider maxing BTCSD, but I don’t quite see any skill you might want to take out points from to do so.
For some flavor, we also invest a small amount of points in Gunlust. Again, if you feel that Lock and Loaded is bad while Gunzerking, feel free to swap it out with a skill of your choice.
Build #3
“People Say They Last Long in Bed, But I Say I Last Long In the Battlefield”
The cheesy little line above pretty much sums up this build, except that the ‘long-lasting’ part is more for the Gunzerking instead of survivability.
Yep, this build focuses on making your Gunzerking mode last as long as possible. In addition to that, the ‘bad’ part of Gunzerking is greatly suppressed with Stead as She Goes.
With the Last Longer and Yippee Kay Yay abilities, you can Gunzerk for a long period of time, getting more and more accurate as you go, and ultimately finishing off with a band with Money Shot.
Money Shot may not seem like a wise investment at first, but it can actually make each and every bullet count. Yes, most of us have a habit of reloading after firing three rounds, but Borderlands 2 is different in this manner, and buffing the first or last bullet in a mag really counts, so Money Shot is actually quite worthwhile.
For this particular build, it’s safe to say that you can get away with Locked and Loaded, since you won’t be compromising your accuracy thanks to the mentioned Rampage skills. So, enjoy Gunzerking while it lasts!
Build #4
”Never Gonna Give You Up…”
It’s time to Rick Roll your enemies with your Gunzerking ability, as this build further works on the idea of ‘lasting longer’, but doing it in more than just one way.
Rather than just making the Gunzerker mode last longer, you will also make yourself last longer, thanks to some investment in Brawn. The Rampage tree is again getting a lot of love, and it’s not for no reason – our objective is to once again make Salvador as accurate as possible and as long-lasting as possible during Gunzerker mode.
The build does lack any real buff from Gunlust, which might just cut down a bit of damage, but your main role as a hardcore tank and ever-assaulting badass should remain unaffected. The Brawn tree should give you plenty of extra health and defenses.
If you aren’t feeling confident about Out of Bubble Gum, you can choose to use those points to boost your speed instead with Bus That Can’t Slow Down. It is actually a good considering since no point has been put into Incite.
Don’t forget to share your own builds with us in the comments below!
