Items

Borderlands 2 is a game about the four boxes under your gun: a shield, a grenade mod, a class mod and a relic. Each one is manufactured by a company with a personality, and knowing which company makes which behaviour is most of what separates a loot pile from a loadout. This guide runs our Borderlands 2 gear pages slot by slot, then covers the collectibles that pay achievements rather than damage.

Shields

Shield behaviour is decided by manufacturer, and every manufacturer except Jakobs makes them. Our shields guide covers the common, rare, legendary and Seraph tiers; these are the base types worth recognising on the ground.

Two of the rarer ones are worth going out of your way for. The Pot O' Gold from Clan Wars: End of the Rainbow drops money every time you are hit, and Order from the BFFs mission heals you on melee damage and adds roid damage once depleted, which is the combination the melee builds in our builds guide are written around.

Grenade mods

A grenade mod is two decisions: what the grenade does when it goes off, and how it gets there. Our grenades guide lists the regular types, the delivery systems and the legendary and rare mods.

Delivery systems unlock as you level, and they are what make a good mod usable: Lob at level 1, Lob Sticky at 6, Rubberized at 11, Longbow and Longbow Sticky at 15, then Homing and Homing Sticky at 18. A Longbow delivery lands the grenade where you are aiming rather than where you can throw, which is why so many endgame mods carry it.

The legendary end of the list is where builds get their engines. Bonus Package from Boom and Bewm in the Southern Shelf, Fastball from Boll in Three Horns, Quasar from an Ultimate Badass Varkid, Rolling Thunder from Old Slappy, and Storm Front as a random drop. Chain Lightning and Fire Storm both regenerate grenade ammo on a timer, which is what makes them viable as a primary damage source rather than an occasional throw.

Class mods

A Class Modification, or COM, adds points to skills you already own, which is why our build pages talk about gear and trees in the same breath: a mod can push a skill past the cap you could reach with points alone. Our class mods guide covers the alignment mods and then one section per character, from Commando and Siren through to Psycho and Mechromancer mods, along with the reload speed and damage bonuses each family carries.

Legendary weapons

Our legendary weapons guide ranks the ten that actually change a run and explains where each one drops.

The Bee is a shield rather than a gun and sits on that list because of what it does to everything else you carry, and the Conference Call turns up in our Krieg build as the answer to flying enemies. Both are the kind of item that makes a mediocre build look good.

Purple and orange gear

Rarity in Borderlands 2 runs up to purple and orange, and the Decked Out achievement asks you to equip a full set of it. Our purple and orange gear guide lists where the high-rarity pieces come from so you can fill every slot rather than hoping the loot pile obliges.

DLC currencies and treasure

The Captain Scarlett DLC adds its own economy. Seraph Crystals drop from its two raid bosses, Hyperius and Master Gee, and buy Seraph guns and relics from the vendor in Oasis; our Seraph Crystals guide covers the farm. The same DLC hides the Message in a Bottle chests, and our treasure locations guide maps every one of them from Oasis through Hayter's Folly.

Collectibles that pay in progress

Two more sets are worth sweeping as you go. Vault symbols are hidden in every region and feed the Cult of the Vault challenges, which are worth Badass Rank rather than loot; our vault symbols guide lists them area by area from Windshear Waste onward. Skins and heads come from missions, challenges and enemy drops, and our cosmetics guide covers which is which.

What those challenges turn into is covered in our mechanics guide, since Badass Rank is the one progression system that carries across every character on your account.

Frequently asked questions

Which shield should I use?

It depends on the build. Turtle for a character that never gets hit, Amplify for one that opens from range, Roid or Maylay for anything melee, and Adaptive when a specific element keeps killing you.

What is the best legendary weapon?

Our list puts the Gub first, with Volcano and Infinity behind it. The Bee is the item that changes the most about how the rest of your gear performs.

Are Seraph Crystals worth farming?

Only if you own Captain Scarlett and can beat Hyperius or Master Gee repeatedly. They buy gear you cannot get anywhere else, but the fights gate the whole economy.