Borderlands (Xbox 360) Tips

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Upgrade your gear:  This seems obvious but the game progresses at a linear pace, so make sure to upgrade your gear.  That being said, the weapon with the bigger damage number doesn’t always equal a better weapon.  Take into account things like reload speed accuracy and fire rate.

Allocate your talents properly: Make sure to allocate your talents to compliment the weapons you choose to use, the type of game you want to play, and the role you want to play.  There is a subtle difference difference in how you might spec based on whether you play with others or simply by yourself.  Furthermore, talents that increase your favored weapon {i.e. Shotgun, Rifle, combat rifle, pistol, sniper rifle, or launcher)

Use the proper elemental damage: Elemental damage can make a big impression on how fast you kill an enemy.  A tip: use a corrosive (acid) elemental weapon (depicted with a green biohazard sign in the lower right-hand corner of the weapon pane) on spider ants and the Lance enemies you fight nearing the end of the game.  The damage modifier eats through their shields and stack upon successive damage.

Use your Action Skill: I played Mordecai (the Hunter) to level 50 and through my talents spec I was able to take my action skill (Blood wing) from 28 seconds to 13 seconds.  This made a huge difference in the amount of damage I could dish out.

Use healing items: Healing, either through healings kits (they sit in your inventory), healing vials (they’re expended upon your picking them up), and talents you can avoid dying.

Save the Cl4pTrp’s: There are claptraps scattered throughout the lands of borderlands.  If you bring them a repair kit, they’ll grant you 3 more inventory slots.  If you have 42 slots, you get an achievement.

Do the side quests: Do every quest, no matter how trivial it may seem.  This is because some parts of Borderlands are a bit grind-y.  The side quests cut down on this some.  For example, you may see a story quest to fight Bonehead.  If you try to do a quest that is out of your level, you’ll die…allot.

Play Online: Not only does online play net you more experience, but if makes the enemies tougher and more numerous as well as increasing the amount of rare to artifact (blue – orange colored) gear that drops.  Remember, the levels of gear are: white, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange, dark orange.

I hope these tips help you.  Now get out there and play!  Level 50 won’t ding itself.