While Borderlands 2 is an impressive first-person shooter, it also offers the RPG touch with players able to choose different classes and build their character over time. Like typical RPGs, players have the option to invest in different Borderlands 2 Character Skill Trees to adapt their playstyle.
All 6 playable classes or characters have a set of three skill trees that players can invest in.
Borderlands 2 Character Skill Trees
Like most RPGs, you will be able to unlock these skills with the points you gather during your adventure. You can use each skill tree to specialize in your character skills, so before you start spending points, you should have an idea of what you are doing. Read this Borderlands 2 Character Skill Trees guide to customize your character and synchronize it with your game-style.
Commando (Axton)
Commando’s first unlock is the Sabre Turret which fires automatically at the enemies and also refunds some of the cool down time when standing nearby it. The cool down time by default is 42 seconds. Following skills can be unlocked and upgraded while playing as a commando:
Guerrilla Skill Tree
Sentry – Number of shots fired by Sabre Turrets are increased by 1 per level. The turret’s time duration is also increased by 2s.
Ready – After each level, the reload speed is increased by 8%.
Laser Sight – The accuracy of Sabre Turret is increased by 10% per level.
Willing – The shield recharge is increased by 15%, and shield recharge delay is decreased by 12%.
Onslaught – On killing an enemy, you get a 6% boost and the movement speed is also increased by 12% for a short interval. An effective skill for the players who love to be a killing spree.
Scorched Earth – Each volley of your Sabre Turret gets 22 rockets pods.
Able – On damaging enemies, you get 0.4% increment of your maximum health per second for some time. The duration of the skill is 3 seconds which keeps on increasing after each level.
Crisis Management – When your shields are depleted, you get 7% gun bonus damage and 6% melee damage per level.
Double Up – You will get an extra gun in your Sabre Turret which will be able to fire slagged bullets.
Gunpowder Skill Tree
Impact – The gun damage (by 3% ) and melee damage (by 4%) is increased.
Expertise – The Weapon Swap speed, the aim speed and the movement speed is increased by 14%, 14% and 7% respectively.
Overload – The magazine size of the assault rifles is increased by 10%.
Metal Storm – For a short duration the fire rate (by 12%) is increased while the recoil is reduced (by 15%) for limited duration.
Steady – The recoil is reduced for all the weapons and the damage for Grenade Launcher and Rocket Launcher is increased.
Longbow Turret – The turret deploy range is increased (+1000%) along with its health (110%)
Battlefront – The Gun damage, the melee damage and the grenade damage is increased by 6% when you deploy the sabre turret.
Duty Calls – The damage and fire rate of non-elemental guns is increased by 5% and 3% respectively.
Do or Die – While in fight of your life, you will be able to throw grenades and the grenade and rocket launcher damage is also increased (by 10%).
Ranger – Stats of all the attributes are increased by 1%.
Nuke – On deploying the sabre turret, there is a small Nuclear blast.
Survival Skill Tree
Healthy – Maximum health is increased by 6%.
Preparation – Your shield capacity is increased by 3% and you also get 0.4% of the total health regeneration per second when your shields are full.
Last Ditch Effort – While you are in Fight for Life state, your movement speed (8%) and gun damage (14%) is increased.
Pressure – The reload speed and the shield delay time is improved depending on health you have got left. Lower the health, more will be the bonus.
Forbearance – Reduces the Status Effects duration and also the maximum health is increased.
Phalanx Shield – The Sabre Turret gets a protected shield that can block the ranged attacks (friendly ranged attacks will be allowed to pass through) of the enemy.
Quick Charge – On killing enemies, you shield gets recharged quickly (1% per second).
Resourceful – Cooldown rate of Sabre Turret Action skill is reduced by 5%.
Mag-Lock – You will be able to deploy your sabre turret on walls and ceilings.
Grit – You get 4% chance of ignoring death by the move which otherwise would have killed you.
Gemini – Allows you to deploy two turrets.
Siren (Maya) Skill Trees
Phaselock is the Action Skill Unlock of Maya. An enemy can be locked in another direction, which won’t interfere for some time. Some enemies can’t be locked rather they receive some damage. The cool down for the skill is 13 seconds.
Motion Skill Tree
Ward – The shield capacity and shield recharge delay (negative) is increased by 5% and -8%.
Accelerate – The damage (3%) and bullet speed (4%) for all the guns is increased.
Suspension – The Phaselock duration is increased by 0.5s.
Kinetic Reflection – After you kill an enemy, you get the ability to deflect enemy bullets towards other enemies. The deflected bullets deal lesser damage.
Fleet – Your movement speed is increased (10%) when your shield is being decreased.
Converge – Through this skill, you will be able to use the Phaselock to pull enemy towards the original target. This can help you gather them at one spot and then have a collective treatment.
Inertia – On killing enemies, your shields get regenerated faster and the reload speed is improved for few seconds.
Quicken – The cooldown time of your phaselock is increased by 6%.
Sub-Sequence – If an enemy dies of your Phaselock, you have 20% chance that you will be able to lock the next target after that.
Thoughtlock – The locked enemies are turned against the other enemies. The duration of the skill is also increased (4s) along with the cool down reduction (3s).
Harmony Skill Tree
Mind’s Eye – Critical hit damage (5%) and the melee damage (4%) is increased.
Sweet Release – When an enemy is killed by Phaselock, you and your friends get healed by the Life Orbs (15% of health). The healing is stronger when the health is low.
Restoration – If you shoot other players, it will heal them. Your maximum health will also be increased (3%).
Wreck – When an enemy is phaselocked, you get increased weapon fire rate (10%) and damage (6%).
Elated – If an enemy is Phaselocked, you and your friends regenerate health by 1% per second.
Res – You can instantly revive your friend Fight for Life situation by Phase locking him/her.
Recompense – When you receive health damage, there is a chance (10%) the enemy who attacked will also receive equal amount of damage.
Sustenance – You regenerate health constantly (at 0.4% rate). The rate of regeneration is increased when your health is low.
Life Tap – The enemy you damage (after the kill) will make you regenerate your health (1.2%).
Scorn – You will throw an Orb that will damage the enemies in the surrounding. The ability has the cooldown of 18 seconds.
Cataclysm Skill Tree
Flicker – Your chance to cause Status effects with fire, slag, shock and corrosive guns.
Foresight – The magazine size (4%) and the reload speed (5%) of all the weapons is increased.
Immolate – The fire damage of your weapons is increased (10%) while you are in Fight for your life state.
Helios – Phaselocked enemies are exploded dealing damage to the surrounding enemy.
Chain Reaction – When an enemy is phaselocked, your bullets that hit the enemies can damage the other enemies too creating a sort of chain reach for multiple hits.
Cloud Kill – On shooting enemies, an acid cloud is generated which deals corrosive damage. The cloud lasts for 5 seconds.
Backdraft – Melee attacks deal additional fire damage. When your shields are depleted, you make an explosion inflicting damage to the nearby enemies.
Reaper – Increased damage (8%) is dealt if the enemy has 50% or more health intact.
Blight Phoenix – Killing an enemy will cause fire and corrosive damage to the other enemies. The amount of damage is based on level and the skill’s level.
Ruin – Phaslock now will be able to slag, Electrocute and corrode all the nearby enemies.
Gunzerker Skill Trees
Gunzerking is action skill for Gunzerker. The fat boy will take out his second gun and will go crazy. You will gain 50% of your health, and the damage received is also reduced. The cool down time for the skill is 42 seconds.
Gun Lust Skill Tree
Locked and Loaded – You get a fire rate bonus (25%) on reloading the gun for a limited time.
Quick Draw – The weapon swap speed (35%) and the critical hit damage (10%) of all the weapons is increased.
I’m your Huckleberry – The damage (15%) and reload speed (15%) of pistols is increased.
All I Need is One – On swapping weapons, the next shot fired gets you bonus damage (40%).
Divergent Likeness – While you are Gunzerking with two guns of the same type, you receive bonus damage and when the gun types are different, you will get the bonus accuracy.
Auto Load – When you kill an enemy, you get all the weapons reloaded (the ones even that are not in your hand). On swapping a weapon after Auto Load, Locked and Loaded is automatically activated.
Money Shot – The last shot fired from your magazine gets up to 400% bonus damage.
Lay Waste – Gives you increased fire rate (40%) and critical hit damage (25%) for a short period.
Down not Out – You can do Gunzerk while you are in Fight For Your Life state.
Keep It Piping Hot – While the Gunzerking is being cooled down, you get fire (25%), melee (30%) and grenade (25%) bonus damage.
No Kill Like Overkill – On killing an enemy, you get Gun bonus damage equal to the amount of extra damage you caused to the dead enemy.
Rampage Skill Tree
Inconceivable – You will have a chance (+10%) that you get free ammo that shots you fire don’t consume ammo.
Filled to the Brim – The magazine size (5%) and the ammo carrying capacity (3%) for all the weapons is increased by this skill.
All in the Reflexes – The reload speed (5%) and the melee damage (4%) is increased.
Last Longer – Increases the Gunzerking Duration (+3s).
I’m Ready Already – The cooldown rate of your Gunzerking ability is increased (5%).
Steady as She Goes – The recoil of both the guns in Gunzerking mode is reduced (80%) and you also get the chance of improved accuracy (30%) with successful hits.
5 Shots or 6 – You get a chance (+5%) of ammo addition into your magazine after every kill.
Yippee Ki Yay – Killing enemies while in Gunzerking mode will increase the time duration (0.6s per kill) for which you can Gunzerk.
Double Your Fun – You will get two grenades while you throw them in Gunzerk mode. The second grenade won’t cost you any ammo.
Get Some – Shooting enemies will decrease the cooldown (-0.6s per kill)of Gunzerking. The effect is applicable once after every 3 seconds.
Keep Firing – While Gunzerking, the longer you hold down the trigger button, the faster (88%) will your guns fire along with faster reload (25%).
Brawn Skill Tree
Hard to Kill – Your maximum health (4%) is increased and you also get small amount of health regeneration (0.1%).
Incite – On receiving damage from the enemies increases your movement speed (6%) and the reload speed (5%).
Asbestos – The duration of Status effects on you is reduced (-8%).
I’m the Juggernaut – On killing an enemy, all the damage taken is reduced (4%) for a few seconds.
Ain’t Got Time to Bleed – While you are Gunzerking, you will regenerate health (0.8% of the total health per second).
Fistful of Hurt – You will be able to land a heavy blow doing massive damage. The skill has a cooldown time and in the meantime, you can use your regular melee.
Out of Bubblegum – While your shields are depleted, the fire rate of all your guns is increased.
Bus That Can’t Slow Down – Movement Speed While Gunzerking is Increased (10%).
Just Got Real – The damage dealt by all the guns is increased (8%). With low health, the damage is increased further.
Sexual Tyrannosaurus – On taking damage, you will get health restore (0.4% of max health per second) for 5 seconds.
Come at Me Bro – You get a full health restore on taunting enemies. The taunting enemies will target you more but you will also get a damage reduction for some time.
Assassin (Zero)
Zero is an assassin class character in Borderlands 2. No one knows the exact origin of this character, but he has been given this name simply because he displays Zer0 on his forehead every time he kills an enemy.
Sniping Skill Tree
Headshot – The critical hit damage is increased by 4%.
Optics – The zoom for all the weapons is increased (3%) and you take lesser damage (12%) while receiving damage.
Killer – On killing an enemy, you will get bonus critical hit and damage (10%) and reload speed (15%).
Precision – Accuracy of all the guns is improved by 5%.
One Shot One Kill – First shot fired from the new magazine gets bonus damage (12%).
Bore – Your shots can penetrate through enemies except for some launchers and projectiles. If the penetrated bullet hit other enemies, you will do bonus damage (100%).
Velocity – Bullet speed (20%), bullet damage (3%) and critical damage (2%) of all guns is increased.
Kill Confirmed – Aiming Down Sight will grant you extra critical hit damage (8%). The longer you aim, the greater will be the possibility.
At One With the Gun – Increases the sniper rifle hip fire accuracy (25%). The reload speed (10%) and the magazine size (+1) of the sniper rifles is also increased.
Critical Ascension – If you score a critical hit from a sniper rifle, your damage (6%) and critical hit damage (5%) is increased. The effect can stack up to 999 times.
Cunning Skill Tree
Fast Hands – The reload speed (5%) and the weapon swap speed (10%) is increased.
Counter Strike – After being hit, your next melee move can cause massive melee damage (+50%).
Fearless – When your shield is depleted, you get extra gun damage (5%) and fire rate (3%)
Ambush – Damage is increased (4%) if you attack from behind or hit a target who is aiming for someone else.
Rising Shot – Successful melee or ranged attacks get you bonus damage (2% and 1.8% respectively). The skill can stack up to 5 times.
Death Mark – On dealing melee damage, the target is marked which can receive extra damage (20%) from other sources for short duration (8s).
Unforseen – When your holographic decoy is exploded, you inflict Shock damage to the nearby enemies.
Innervate – While deception is activated, you will get extra damage (2%), health regeneration (0.8%) and movement speed (7%).
Two Fang – When you fire a gun, you have a chance (6%) to fire it twice.
Death Blossom – While Deception is active, you will be able to throw 5 kunai which will explode and do damage to the enemies. Deception effect won’t end and the it can apply the death mark.
Bloodshed Skill Tree
Killing Blow – Melee damage against the enemies with low health is increased (100%).
Iron Hand – Your maximum health (3%) and the melee damage (3%) is increased.
Grim – When you kill an enemy, it increases your shield regeneration rate (0.7%) and the action skill cooldown time is decreased by few seconds.
Be Like Water – Shooting an enemy will increase the damage by the next melee attack and vice versa (Gun damage = 4% and Melee damage = 6%).
Followthrough – Killing enemies will increase your movement speed (8%), melee damage (6%) and gun damage (8%).
Execute – When deception is active and you have the target in your crosshair, you can dash forward (3m) for an effective melee attack.
Backstab – The melee attacks will get you extra melee damage (8%) on backstabbing.
Resurgence – Killing enemies will melee attack will restore your health (4% of the total).
Like the Wild – While you are moving, you get extra gun damage (3%) and melee damage (3%).
Many Must Fall – Killing enemies while in deception can increase the time duration of the effect. You can make it last longer with successive kills.
Gaige
Best Friends Forever
20% Cooler – The cooldown rate of Gaige’s action skill is increased by +6% per level.
Buck Up – It grants Deathtrap the ability to repair the shield of an ally.
The Better Half – Once your equipped weapon loses 50% of its magazine, it increases fire rate by +12% per level.
Close Enough – This skill gives your bullets a chance (+10% per level) to bounce off of solid objects and strike close by enemies, with decreased damage.
Cooking Up Trouble – If the magazine of your equipped weapon is at full capacity, it grants health regeneration.
Explosive Clap – It allows Deathtrap to cause an explosion which inflicts damage to all enemies present nearby.
Fancy Mathematics – The lower your health is, the more this skill improves shield recharge rate and recharge delay.
Made of Sterner Stuff – Both Deathtrap and Gaige are granted some passive resistance. And melee damage of Deathtrap is improved.
Potent as a Pony – Max health of both Gaige and Deathtrap is boosted.
Sharing is Caring – This skill will spawn Deathtrap with the same shield the mechromancer has; it will also grant the same effects.
Unstoppable Force – For every kill, Gaige’s movement speed and shield regeneration are increased for 4 seconds.
Upshot Robot – As long as Deathtrap is active, kills acquired by either Gaige or Deathtrap will boost Deathtrap’s duration, and also boost melee damage for both of them.
Little Big Trouble
Electrical Burn – This skill allows Gaige’s electrocution damage to set the target on fire, also stacking on burn damage.
Evil Enchantress – If you kill an opponent, your burn, corrosive, and electrocute damage is boosted for some time.
Interspersed Outburst – If Gaige doesn’t land a shot on an enemy for a short period of time, this skill grants a stack of Interspersed Outburst, which can stack up to 5 times. These stacks are used up as soon as a shot is landed.
Make it Sparkle – If Deathtrap is shot with an elemental weapon, he is imbued with that element; which makes his melee attack inflict additional elemental damage of that element.
More Pep – Your chance to inflict electrocute, corrode, burn, or slage effects is improved.
Myelin – It increases Shield Capacity, and also gives you some resistance to shock damage.
One Two Boom – This skill grants Deathtrap the ability to shoot out an explosive orb of energy.
Shock and “AAAGGGGHHH!” – This skill creates an electrical explosion when you reload your gun.
Shock Storm – Every time Gaige kills an enemy using a critical hit, or Deathtrap kills an enemy, this skill creates a large electric storm, which deals electrocute damage to all nearby enemies.
The Stare – This skill allows Deathtrap to fire a laser beam which covers a very large area, and causes burn damage to enemies.
Strength of Five Gorillas – This skill improves melee damage for both Gaige and Deathtrap.
Wires Don’t Talk – This skill improves Gaige’s shock and electrocute damage by 3% per skill rank.
Ordered Chaos
Anarchy – If Gaige uses up an entire magazine and reloads it, or kills an enemy, her damage is increased; and her accuracy is decreased.
Annoyed Android – Deathtrap’s movement speed is improved.
Blood Soaked Shield – For each kill you acquire, your shields are partly restored, but your current health is partly depleted.
Death From Above – This skill creates a Digi-splosion (using a stack of Anarchy), for every shot you land while mid-air.
Discord – This skill activates when you reload before your magazine actually runs out. It grants +65% Weapon Accuracy, +25% Fire Rate, +3 Max Health restored per second, but it uses up an Anarchy stacks per 1.33 seconds.
Preshrunk Cyberpunk – This skill allows you to hold more Anarchy stacks at a time.
Rational Anarchist – If you do not have any Anarchy stacks, then this skill will give you 25 of them as a bonus, the next time you gain a single stack.
Robot Rampage – This skill allows Deathtrap to perform a flurry of attacks, as an improved melee attack for 2 seconds. While performing this attack, Deathtrap strikes 9 times, with each strike dealing 62% the damage of a normal melee strike.
Smaller, Lighter, Faster – This skill improves reload speed : +6% for each level, and it lowers magazine size: -1% per level.
The Nth Degree – For every Nth bullet that strikes an enemy, it bounces off and hits another enemy as well, with the definition of ‘N’ being 9,8,7,6,5 for levels 1-5 respectively.
Typecast Iconoclast – This skill creates a chance for you to gain an extra stack of Anarchy each time you acquire one. This chance increases by +6% for each level.
With Claws – This skill gives you the ability to perform a crazy melee attack, the damage of which depends upon the number of Anarchy stacks you have. Also, the skill also grants health regeneration (using an Anarchy stack), where the lower your health is, the more health you will restore.
Krieg Skill Trees
Bloodlust
Blood Bath – For each stack of Bloodlust you have, your weapon damage is boosted for every kill you acquire (through a grenade or some sort of explosion). It is increased by +0.5% per level.
Bloodsplosion – Enemies you kill will die in an elemental explosion, where the element will be of the damage that the enemy was killed by. For each Bloodlust stack, the damage is boosted by +5%.
Blood-Filled Guns – For each stack of Bloodlust you have, the magazine capacity for all weapons is increased by +0.5% per level. Also, you’ll gain a stack of Bloodlust each time you inflict damage to an enemy; but the stacks go away quickly if you don’t inflict damage again.
Blood Overdrive – This skill improves melee damage by 0.5%, for each level, and decreases Fuse Time by 0.005 per stack of Bloodlust.
Blood Trance – Buzz Axe Rampage duration is increased by +0.05 for each stack of Bloodlust, per level.
Blood Twitch – If you kill an enemy, this skill improves Weapon Swap Speed by +0.3% (per level) for each Bloodlust stack on you.
Bloody Revival – During Fight for your Life, your assault rifle damage will be improved by +0.3% (per level) for each Bloodlust stack.
Boiling Blood – This skill allows your Bloodlust stacks to stay active longer. It increases their duration by +0.5 seconds per level.
Buzz Axe Bombardier – When you throw your Buzz Axe, it explodes as soon as it touches a solid surface, the damage of the explosion is equivalent to the base damage of the thrown Buzz Axe.
Fuel the Blood – If you use a melee attack to kill an enemy, for a short period of time, grenade damage will be boosted by +0.2% (per level) for each Bloodlust stack; and 2 Bloodlust stacks are also added per level.
Nervous Blood – Your Reload Speed is improved by +0.3% (per level) for each Bloodlust stack, if you kill an enemy.
Taste of Blood – The damage you will suffer during Buzz Axe Rampage will be decreased (for each stack of Bloodlust) by +10% per level up to level 5, then +5% from then on.
Mania
Embrace the Pain – While your shield is inactive, fire rate is improved by +7% (per level) and shield recharge delay is increased by 1 second (per level).
Empty the Rage – If your shield is inactive, or your magazine runs out of ammo, this skill improves melee damage by +4% per level
Feed the Meat – Your maximum health is boosted by +10% per level, and shield recharge delay is increased by +0.5 second per level.
Fuel the Rampage – Buzz Axe Rampage’s recharge duration is decreased (by +20% per level) by you taking damage. It is decreased even more if you take raw health damage. You can also attack your teammates to gain this bonus. Friendly fire will decrease it by +50%.
Light the Fuse – This skill takes the place of the ‘Fight For Your Life’ ability. When the skill activates, you take out a bundle of dynamite and you’re allowed to move around with it for a limited amount of time. The dynamite explodes when the timer runs out. If the explosion kills an enemy, you will be revived, with bonus movement speed.
Pull the Pin – This skill only works if ‘Fight For Your Life’ is fully used up. This skill grants you the ability to drop a grenade when you die, which gives double XP if you get a kill with it.
Redeem the Soul – For every recharge of Buzz Axe Rampage, this skill makes Krieg revive an enemy by forfeiting his own life.
Release the Beast – This skill mutates Krieg into a powerful crazy mutant when you use his action skill when the ‘!’ sign appears. It restores all of his health, doubles his melee damage, and increases damage reduction by +50%.
Salt the Wound – This is a stackable skill, which is added whenever Krieg takes damage while his shield is inactive. It can stack up to 20, and it increases his melee damage by +1.5%, and shotgun damage by +1% per stack.
Silence the Voices – This skill improves Krieg’s melee damage by quite a lot, at the cost of giving him a chance to land a melee attack on himself. The melee attack damage is boosted by +50% per level, and the chance to strike yourself is a fixed 12%.
Strip the Flesh – This skill improves explosive damage by +3% per level, and if Krieg is in Fight For Your Life, it adds an additional +3% explosive damage.
Thrill of the Kill – If you kill an enemy, and you deal more damage than was needed to kill them, that overkill damage is returned to you as health. For the first level, +50% of the damage is returned, and it is increased by +10% for each level.
Hellborn
Burn, Baby, Burn – This skill improves Krieg’s burn damage (over time) by +7% per level. The potency of this skill is further increased if Krieg is on fire, by +15% per level. When setting an enemy on fire, this skill grants a +7%, per level, chance to set yourself on fire as well.
Delusional Damage – With this skill, every elemental effect given by Krieg possesses a chance to set him ablaze. This skill depends upon the total ignite chances collected from Burn, Baby, Burn and Fuel the Fire.
Elemental Elation – When Krieg inflicts over-time elemental damage onto an enemy, as long as it is active, Krieg will gain a stack of Elemental Elation per second (up to 20). This skill increases his fire rate by +0.5% and magazine size by +1% per level. Every second, a stack of Elemental Elation will decay, but they don’t decay if you’re on fire.
Elemental Empathy – This skill gives Krieg the ability to heal himself with health equivalent to 5% of the damage he inflicts using elemental effects on enemies.
Fire Fiend – This skill grants Krieg’s thrown Buzz Axe, and all his melee attacks a +10% chance, per level, to ignite the target. Also, as long as Krieg is on fire, his weapon accuracy and reload speed will be increased.
Flame Flare – Burn duration on Krieg is increased by +20% per level, and the skill also grants a +15% chance (per level) for another Burn effect to be applied onto an enemy that is already burning.
Fuel the Fire – Krieg’s chance to inflict an elemental effect is increased by +40% per level, and he also gains a +7% chance (per level) to set himself ablaze when inflicting a burn effect on an opponent.
Hellfire Halitosis – This skill grants Krieg the ability to breathe a liquid-based flame, which lands on the ground after its thrown. The liquid on the ground will be able to inflict damage.
Numbed Nerves – This skill allows Krieg to take +10% less damage (per level), while he is ignited.
Pain is Power – Krieg’s melee and weapon damage (excluding sniper damage) improves by +5% per level – this is further improved by +10% per level if he is on fire, at the cost of –5% critical damage, per level.
Raving Retribution – While Krieg is on fire, if an opponent strikes him, he creates a homing fire ball which searches for the enemy and strikes them. These fireballs can spawn only one time per second.
