Borderlands: Fun & Useful Mordecai Specs
Borderlands doesn’t offer deep customization to its characters – one of my knocks on an incredibly fun game – but the talent trees can differ one person’s Brick from another. During my trek through Pandora I spent an awful lot of time analyzing and playtesting a wide range of specializations. I thought it would be worth while to share the fruits of my labor with those starving for options and information.
Leveling Build (15/20/10)
This is the perfect build for anyone just starting out a Mordecai character. For starters, you’ll stay alive thanks to exceptional healing buffs from killing enemies or having Bloodwing attack. Bloodwing’s strikes will also force mobs to drop additional ammo, healing items and money, things all new players need massive amounts of. If you’re a great shot you can probably swap Focus for Caliber for extra damage, but I assume most new Mordecai players will need all the help they can get. I know I did. Spec into the Rogue column first. It just so happens that this is a great grouping build as well.
Bloodwing Build (20/25/0)
Love having a minion do your bidding? Then this is the spec for you. Blooding will force additional loot drops, life leech for you, attack numerous baddies, and be ready for a second attack dependent on your sniper rifle spam. Your winged friend will do everything but pick up your winnings (which would be awesome). I’d rush to Out For Blood in the Rogue column, and then to Carrion Call in Sniper. At that point, you can mix the rest based on personal preference and payload (ie if your sniper rifle has a huge magazine, don’t worry about Loaded).
DPS Build (25/0/20)
This is the most finicky build I’ve come across. You can build your DPS to come from a sniper rifle, pistols or Bloodwing, but I’ve chosen to deck out the capabilities of sniping because I love seeing big numbers before the mob knows I am around. The build stacks fire rate, critical strike, accuracy and magazine size to make your sniper rifle unleash incredibly deadly stream of hot lead. Have a group of guys coming at you? Be sure to take advantage of your Relentless buff (which you wasted points on Gun Crazy to access). Grab Deadly as you work your way down the Sniper tree.
Survival Build (15/20/10 or 10/25/10)
The Survival build is a mix of the Leveling and Bloodwing builds. Instead of targeting loot and experience, the goal is to stay alive while putting the enemy down. It just so happens that the many capabilities of Bloodwing (daze and life leech) compliment the non-loot and XP whoring skills from the Leveling build. Grab Out For Blood and Riotous Remedy first. If you’re a good shot, then go with Bird of Prey and Caliber, otherwise go with Focus and Carrion Call. Be sure to always pick off the dazed mobs first, since they are the easiest to headshot.
PvP Build (5/20/20)
This build shouldn’t be chosen for anything except PvP, or masochism. Since you have to melee to initiate PvP there’s little point in specing out your sniper abilities, or any abilities that trigger upon an enemy death. Instead, we focus on leeching health from the opponent (use Bloodwing in the middle of the battle, follow it with a leeching grenade), spamming pistol fire and getting lucky Lethal Strikes (go in on the Bloodwing daze). I haven’t had much success PvPing as Mordecai, but this build has given me the most victories.
