The Ultimate Borderlands Beginner’s Guide: Choosing Your First Vault Hunter

So, you’re ready to dive into the chaotic, loot-filled world of Borderlands? Excellent choice, Vault Hunter! But with a roster of diverse and intriguing characters to choose from, picking your initial protagonist can feel a little daunting. Let’s cut to the chase: For a beginner in the original Borderlands, Mordecai the Hunter is arguably the best starting character.

Mordecai offers a blend of high damage output, self-healing, and straightforward gameplay that makes him incredibly forgiving and powerful from the start. His Bloodwing skill allows you to damage enemies and recover health. He excels at sniping and pistol combat, providing both ranged power and close-quarters versatility. New players can quickly grasp his core mechanics, making him an ideal gateway into the Borderlands universe.

Diving Deeper: Why Mordecai Excels for Beginners

While individual preferences play a huge role, Mordecai’s strengths cater specifically to the needs of new players in a loot-driven shooter like Borderlands. Here’s a breakdown:

• High Damage Output: Borderlands is, at its heart, about blasting enemies into oblivion. Mordecai’s skill trees, particularly the “Rogue” and “Hunter” trees, significantly boost critical hit damage and pistol effectiveness. This means you’ll be putting down enemies quickly, even with relatively basic gear. A DeadEye class mod will make you a headshot machine.

• Bloodwing: Your Personal Homing Missile: Bloodwing, Mordecai’s avian companion, is more than just a cool pet. It’s a devastating offensive ability that automatically targets and attacks enemies. This is a huge advantage for beginners still getting used to the game’s aiming and enemy behaviors. At higher levels, Bloodwing can target multiple enemies.

• Health Regeneration: Survival is paramount, especially when learning the ropes. Mordecai’s “Out for Blood” skill in the Rogue tree provides vital health regeneration whenever Bloodwing damages an enemy. This passive healing significantly reduces your reliance on health packs and allows you to stay in the fight longer.

• Sniping Prowess: Long-range combat is crucial in Borderlands, and Mordecai is the undisputed king of snipers. His skills enhance accuracy, damage, and critical hit chance with sniper rifles, allowing you to pick off enemies from afar before they even become a threat.

• Pistol Versatility: While sniping is a powerful tool, sometimes you need to get up close and personal. Mordecai’s skills also make him deadly with pistols. He provides high damage output, magazine size, and reload speed.

Alternatives and Considerations

While Mordecai is a fantastic choice, the other Vault Hunters offer unique playstyles that might appeal to some beginners:

• Roland the Soldier: Roland is a well-rounded character with access to a support turret. This provides decent damage output but isn’t as effective at higher levels of gameplay. Roland is great for co-op.

• Lilith the Siren: Lilith specializes in elemental damage and phasing abilities. She’s mobile and powerful, but her focus on elemental effects might be overwhelming for brand-new players.

• Brick the Berserker: Brick is a tanky melee powerhouse. While his high health and damage resistance make him durable, his reliance on close-range combat can be risky for inexperienced players.

Ultimately, the “best” character is subjective. Experiment with different Vault Hunters to find the playstyle that resonates with you the most. The most important thing is to have fun and explore the world of Pandora!

FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Choosing Your First Borderlands Character

1. Which Borderlands game are we talking about?

This article primarily focuses on the original Borderlands (2009) and its enhanced edition. While many principles apply to later games, the specific skill trees and character mechanics differ.

2. Is Mordecai still a good choice in Borderlands 2?

While Mordecai doesn’t appear as a playable character in Borderlands 2, he is a Non-Playable Character. New characters include Salvador the Gunzerker, Maya the Siren, Axton the Commando, Zer0 the Assassin, Gaige the Mechromancer, and Krieg the Psycho.

3. What is “Badass Rank,” and does it affect my starting character choice?

In the original Borderlands, there isn’t a traditional “Badass Rank” system like in later installments. Completing Mad Moxxi’s Underdome gives an extra skill point. This has little to no effect on your starting character choice as you unlock this feature during mid to late gameplay.

4. Should I play solo or co-op as a beginner?

Borderlands is enjoyable both solo and in co-op. However, playing solo allows you to learn the game at your own pace and experiment with different builds without feeling pressured. GamesLearningSociety.org knows that many learn by collaboration.

5. What difficulty should I choose for my first playthrough?

Normal mode is ideal for beginners. It provides a balanced challenge without being overly punishing.

6. How important is my character’s appearance?

Appearance is purely cosmetic. Focus on choosing a character whose gameplay style appeals to you.

7. What are “skill trees,” and how do they work?

Skill trees are branching paths that allow you to customize your character’s abilities as you level up. Each character has three unique skill trees, each focusing on different aspects of their playstyle.

8. Can I respec my skill points later in the game?

Yes, you can respec your skill points at a “New-U Station” for a fee. This allows you to experiment with different builds and adapt to changing situations.

9. What are “elemental weapons,” and how do they work?

Elemental weapons inflict bonus damage over time, such as fire, shock, corrosive, and explosive. Learning which elements are effective against different enemy types is crucial for success in Borderlands.

10. Are there any missable quests or items that I should be aware of?

Some quests become unavailable after certain story points, but there are no truly missable items that will significantly impact your playthrough.

11. How important is gear in Borderlands?

Gear is incredibly important. Finding better weapons and equipment is essential for increasing your damage output and survivability.

12. What are “class mods,” and how do they work?

Class mods are equippable items that boost specific skills and provide additional bonuses. They are a crucial component of character customization.

13. Is Borderlands a good introduction to RPGs?

Yes, Borderlands is a good introduction to RPGs. It features character progression, skill trees, and loot, but it’s less complex than some other RPGs, making it more accessible to newcomers.

14. Are there any major differences between the original Borderlands and the Enhanced Edition?

The Enhanced Edition includes visual improvements, quality-of-life enhancements, and all DLC. The core gameplay remains the same.

15. Where can I find more resources and guides for Borderlands?

The Borderlands community is vast and helpful. Online forums, wikis, and YouTube channels offer a wealth of information for new players. You may also find helpful information at Games Learning Society.

Choosing your first Borderlands character is an exciting decision. While Mordecai is an excellent choice for beginners, ultimately, the best character is the one that you find the most fun to play. So, grab your loot, load your guns, and prepare to embark on an unforgettable adventure in the world of Pandora!