EXPLOSIONS?!

Yes? Excellent.

The nice thing about this build is the open ended nature of it. The weapons, while rare, can be replaced by any similar, more common weapons that you come across. Feel like a specific ability in Bloodlust benefits you more than an even spread? Go ahead and pull points from a less used one to bulk up your favorite. It can even be modified between solo and team games.

I have everything set up like this because it works best for me, and I'll explain why, but I'm not gonna send the Gestapo after you if you personalize it. Have some fun with it and feel free to respond with any questions, concerns, or tips you may have.

At first glance the spread looks sporadic. Points over here, points over there, and I wasn't even smart enough to put 5 points in Boiling Blood? What a dolt. At least that was the theory. In practice, this is an extremely aggressive build, and the difference between 2 and 2.5 seconds is negligible, meaning that point is better spent elsewhere.

Starting at the bottom of the tree, the same theory applies. We don't need 5 points in Blood Filled Guns, 3 will keep you in the fight, while the other 2 go to blood twitch because we will be switching between slag, rocket- propelled weapons, and an actual bleedin' rocket launcher frequently.

Next, we move up to Taste of Blood and Blood Overdrive. I put one point into Taste of Blood to trigger the Crunch Class Mod increase, while putting my other points into Blood Overdrive, increasing our damage output.

The next level is where our nitroglycerin dreams begin coming true. Explosive Buzz Axe is a given, since this is build integrates explosives and melee. Fuel the Blood increases melee damage when we use grenades, Blood Bath increases damage output when things explode, and if you combine this with the damage and melee effects of Blood Overdrive, our damage output reaches a fever pitch.

The second to last level gets a cursory point to activate the Crunch Mod's bonus points for Blood Trance, and the other four go into boiling blood to let us jump from enemy to enemy while still keeping stack levels high.

Our last point in the Bloodlust tree goes into Bloodsplosion. This wonderful little ability makes an explosion for every kill, whether its a ranged kill or a melee kill. Timing this properly can make a chain reaction from bandit to bandit, giving you a free light show to put the plutonium icing on your yellowcake.

Note- This will generally average between 60 and 80 stacks in any given combat, sometimes spiking to 100 or dropping to 40 or 50 as we run between firefights. If you're calculating damage outputs and such, based on stacks, I recommend taking this into consideration.

Ugh, man. More bad Point spreads. Only one in Fuel the Rampage? He should stub his toe on a land mine for this. Oh wait. we'll be taking so much damage that all we need is one point? Meaning we just opened up four more points to blow stuff up with? Maybe we should read on.

At the bottom of the tree, we see Empty the Rage, Pull the Pin, and Feed the Meat. Lots of explosives means lots of AoE damage. The extra life from Feed the Meat is gonna keep us going, especially since this build generally won't be using a shield. Empty the Rage is nice, since we will be doing a lot of explosive buzz- sawing without a shield, and this gives you a free bonus. The last point for Pull the Pin is certainly debatable, but in team games, using even your very death to hand out millions of points in explosive damage is practical. It's a bloody brilliant idea as you're leveling because any free experience is good experience, and you may have that annoying boss (Yes you, Captain Flynt) so close to dying that it one free grenade lets you complete your mission without having to take another stab at it.

The next level only gets one point, and that's to activate Fuel the Rampage. The recharge for Buzz Saw Rampage is insanely long, and shortening that time by 40% just by doing something cool, like getting shot, is always appreciated.

Our next level is where this entire build gets its fuse lit. Strip the Flesh gives us a free boost to our already insanely high powered explosives guns (and by proxy melee) which means overkill damage. Any class can kill someone, but what do they do with all that extra damage? Nothing. Leave it to the babbling psychopath to figure out that leftovers heal you like you're some sort of gun- toting mutant pokemon. Combine this with the absurd overkill damage you'll get by killing bandits with explosives, and you'll watch your life refill insanely fast. I use Light the Fuse (LTF) for 2 reasons. The foremost is that you'll get to use all those explosive modifiers to your advantage. The next is to help your friends keep from dying while they try to recover you. If you go down, you'll be in the mix, not somewhere someone wants to twiddle their thumbs while you tie your shoe laces. Use that sprint feature to get somewhere safe, where they can heal you. You may be a homicidal maniac, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be polite. PS- free speed bonus to throw you back into the fray faster.

The next level supports this. You can revive them with Redeem the Soul, then you both run to safety, where they (hopefully) revive you as well. Salt the Wound does nothing but good, since you have no shields, and you like free damage bonuses.

We skip silence the voices entirely because, while a 250% melee bonus is nice, slapping yourself across the face with it is not. Some people like it because it helps speed up Fuel the Rampage, but you'll curse as much as I did when that slap sends you into LTF while you're trying to tear Flynt apart. We have enough bonuses to let this one go, so that we can spend our last point on something useful like...

RELEASE THE WILDLY OVERPOWERED BEASTY! Just when all hope is lost, your gas tank is running on fumes, BAM! you decide to dislocate every bone in your body, fully heal, increase damage output, reduce incoming damage by a minimum of 40% (increasing in small doses for every bloodlust stack), throw on some Rob Zombie, change your name to El Superbeasto, and continue you're reckless, frenzied, murder spree. The way Borderlands compiles percents, this will never be 100%, but it will still be a hefty damage reduction, allowing you to maul whomever it may concern.

This tree goes unused. Which is disappointing since it's one of my favorite trees among all of the classes, up there next to Ordered Chaos and Cataclysm. That damage reduction from Numbed Nerves would have been nice, but the 10+ points it needs are better spent on more gunpowder and det cord.

Move on, folks. Nothing to see here.

In order:

Unkempt Harold- I had the patience and the tokens to buy a double penetrating version. This is a shotgun masquerading as a pistol. Lots of explosions make this a close range killer, a mid- range sweeper and a great way to Overkill a bandit and get your health back. I keep it in my first slot because the second is reserved for...

Slagga- This bullet hose slags more effectivly than just about anything in the game. I use the Agresive prefix to keep it int the game and soak down Flynt's lackies, but the other prefixes are also just as useable, and should not be underestimated. This gun has a way of fitting its self into just about every viable build I've made, which says a lot for it's adaptability. So, now everything is slagged, but either my pistol ammo is low, or the fellow who is currently up in your grill is resistant to explosives, switch to the...

Heart Breaker- Viable accuracy and damage, along with token Fire DoT means good overkill healing, and active abuse of the Moxxi bonus. It took me a long time to figure out a practical option for my third slot. Sniper rifles break my pacing, smgs don't have many burst damage options, and shotguns let me stay in close range combat for longer, get great Overkill healing, a Salt the Wound boost, and let me be a glorious distraction while my team gets the mission done. I use the Critical prefix to help make up for the lowered damage. Next, when blowing up a group with one blast would be more efficent than using up pistol or shotgun ammo on single targets, whip out your big, hard...

Creamer- Miss Moxxi really did us a favor with this one. It's effective range is difficult to predict at times, since the rocket splits into two after a short while, but with practice it can be used effectively. But why did I recommend the Creamer over a higher damage launcher? Well, I'm glad you asked, young padawan. Since their effective ranges are similar, and they all have stupidly high damage output, I opted for the one that heals me while it's doing it. A paltry 2.5% doesn't sound like much, but when you're hammering in damage measured in millions, plus melee damage, plus grenade damage, plus Bloodsplosion damage, plus the slag bonus, plus explosive modifiers, plus overkill healing, that laughable little 2.5% lets you stand in a blast zone, strike a manly pose, and laugh at your overly sane teammates, who need to hide behind those thick shields to protect their soft, ectomorphic bodies.

Why did I take that extra second to type, "In order" and then type this entire paragraph to explain it? Why, to help stress its importance, of course. I personally treat this, generally, as a three weapon kit. I have Slagga out and ready to slag and saw, then shift up to Harold or down to Heart Breaker, depending. Creamer is generally reserved for last ditch rushes and boss battles not because I don't like it, but because of it's prohibitively low ammo supply and chance to send me into LTF if fired too close.

(Edit- It may seem tempting to use a melee prefix on these weapons to increase melee damage, but Gearbox confirmed that Krieg has more base melee damage than other characters, scaling with his level. Prefixes that boost melee override Kriegs natural boost, reducing his damage output at higher levels, Meaning that when his natural melee enhancement is maxed at 65%, giving him a 50% melee boost will actually override this and reduce it by 15%. If you want to increase his damage with a melee prefix, you're stuck using Law or Rapier, which increase melee damage by 35% and 135%, respectivly.)

What was that junk he was spouting off earlier about not having a shield? Isn't it impossible to function without that?
Well yes, technically you will be wearing a shield, but not in the traditional sense. Meet your new bff, the...

Love Thumper- It's a roid shield that's hopped up on a cocaine, steroid and vodka cocktail (Shaken, not stirred). When it gets depleted, it stays depleted and deals bonus damage in the form of... can you guess? I'll give you a hint. It's not a toaster and it explodes. Yes, it deals explosive damage to whoever you hit. And then it deals explosive damage to all his friends in the form of a nova blast that gets access to all your grenade damage and explosive modifying stacks and stats. It is a nice alterative to the rough rider because coming out of LTF give you a little bit of shield to help you recover and get the bomb rolling again. Everything about this is awesome, but what's the catch? The catch is a glitch. In multiplayer, all that awesome damage your Thumper novas dish out can hit your friends, meaning that your X-million damage output will drop them faster than Hulk Hogan body slammed André the Giant. So for multiplayer games, I recommend the...

Rough Rider- Empty shield, increased life, and damage resistance. It is great, but Its weakness is apparent when coming out of LTF or FFYL. Coming back up with no shield and low health means either triggering El Superbeasto or going right back down again. Use what little health you have left to run to safety and let your friends distract Flynt while you get back on your feet. In case you're sane, ectomorphic and/ or prefer a shield, but you still want some roid damage, check out the...

Hide of Terramorphous. It has intense roid damage, spike damage to punish anyone who melees you back, and a fire nova to add a little extra steam to your pain train. The only problem is that it adds a pretty decent shield that occasionally holds back Krieg's bonuses. Next, since transfusion grenades are for the birds, we're gonna use the...

Meteor Shower- Low on life and need a quick way to heal without diving into combat and risking entering LTF? Toss one of these into the crowd and pull out your Moxxi wep. It'll explode into a million little exploding bits, which then explode. Moxxi's 2.5% healing, plus overkill healing will have you good as new instantly, mental condition notwithstanding. I use a Longbow delivery system, for a contingent ranged option, when I don't have time to switch weapons. But despite all this, there still just isn't enough ka- boom going on in a general everywhere direction, so lets use the...

Crunch Class Mod- 40% explosive damage increase naturally, plus raising Strip the Flesh's bonus to 30% (60% when in LTF). It's also how we make those lonely little points in Taste of Blood and Blood Trance finally start to earn their keep. For the record, mine is Flesh Crunch. But I know I'm forgetting something. Oh, now I remember! EXPLOSIIIIIIVE!

Elemental Relic- There is no Bone of the Ancients relic for explosive, so we'll use the good, ol' fashioned +33% explosive damage relic. Other relics, like Torgue Allegiance or Blood of the Ancients, are justifiable, but when you can have your yellowcake and eat it too, why bother with modesty?

The best gear baddies can drop is Recommended, but what if the A list options can't be found?
Well, use what you've got. Other Legendaries or Uniques you may have can be substituted, with devestating effects, if used properly.

The gun at the front of the line for me was the Kerblaster. It shoots a fast rocket, then drops a grenade at the feet of whatever it hits. it's great for explosives, but not as good as the Unkempt Harold.

Second was Ogre. This bad boy isn't shy about tearing a new behind or ten in whatever it looks at. Since it fires lots of little rockets, the overkill healing is negligable. It's better than the Kerblaster, but not good enough to take over my shotgun slot. Viable options in this slot include the Butcher, when higher damage output is more important than redundant Moxxi healing.

Next, I considered a ranged option. Cobra, the lovechild of Jacobs and Torgue. It's a rocket firing sniper rifle with high damage, and a melee option for the occasional bandit that sneaks up on your blind spots. I love it, but it got me killed by alerting the enemy to my presence before I was close enough for my other weapons to become viable. I keep it in my backpack to play with occasionally, but ranged combat is best left to your shield bearing, scaredy cat team mates.

Fourth, I considered two other slag options for the slot of my Slagga. These were the Slow Hand and the Grog Nozzle. The Nozzle was wonderful for healing, but broke the pacing of the build, like the Cobra, but the Slow Hand Performed admirably. It throws a 70% slag glob into whatever fray you're diving into, and its 2.5% healing, It's not hard to love this gun. I ended up choosing the Slagga because it lets us hand out slag evenly to help team mates. That and adding another Moxxi wep was ineffective, as it took away Heart Breakers ammo supply and stunted my damage output.

The fifth honorable mention was the Rapier. I had such high hopes for its 200% melee buff, thinking that I'd be able to switch weapons before "Curse of the Porcelain Fist" could matter, but it didn't work, and Flynt slapped me around several times before I learned my lesson.

Sixth is the Bunny, a Tediore rocket launcher. With the Bonus prefix, it's rocket fire is pretty standard, but its reload throws a bouncing agent of death. While its damage output is nothing short of amazing, especially since it uses rocket ammo efficently, it failed to replace the Creamer in my kit. This is mainly due to its unpredictability. It is difficult to aim on uneven ground, and its bounce explosions are erratic. Another drawback is that, occasionally, its first bounce (right at your feet) will explode. You'll have a moment to anticipate and dodge, but not doing so will send you into LTF, while you pray that its bounces get lucky and kill something. (Idea from Pyromancer)

Seventh is the SWORDSPLOSION!!!, because it's casual prefix launches five swords that get access to all of your explosive bonuses. The main drawback is its unpredictability at range. Not using it at point blank range means losing damage, which is a problem, given it's high ammo cost. That said, it can't be used effectively at close range, because it's MIRV child grenades damage you, throwing you into LTF almost immediatly. (Idea from Boreas)

Lastly, the Nukem. The damage output and blast radius is staggering, but its parabolic flight prohibited range, and its extra ammo cost wasn't worth the extra damage it did over the Creamer. It's haled for its ability to get players out of FFYL, but this is moot here because we use LTF in its stead.

There were other weapons tested, such as the Pocket Rocket and the Devastator, but even the, "Is that Rocket in you Pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" or "Is that a Devastator in your pocket or did your pants just explode by themselves?" jokes didn't make them worth using over the Unkempt Harold.

It is important to mention, however, that most of the items on this list and the A- list are a pain to get, so you'll need alternatives. Just grab any old Torgue or Moxxi wep you find. Other team mates seem to avoid them like the plague, and they come in all different shapes and sizes for you to choose from until you find that legendary or quest item that fits into your busy, sadistic schedule.

Once I worked out the weapons that work with this build, I tested a metric- bazoodle ton of items, some of which deserve an honorable mention. First, we have the...

Crossfire- In explosive, it's damage isn't enough to merit use. Same goes for Corrode, Fire, and Electricity. So why did it make the list? Slag. If you want a whole battlefield to be wet and purple, while still gaining token regen from Moxxi weps and overkill, give this a lob. Same goes for its Legendary cousin, Bouncing Bonny. Now for the relics...

Actually, no. Use the explosive relic. The case can be made for Torgue Allegiance or stockpile relics, but you lose a lot of damage output. I can't endorse that decision, but you're in charge.

While the shields mentioned earlier were the most effective for me, you may have some luck with the Big Boom Blaster. While its boosters give you that annoying shield, they also restore rocket and grenade ammo, meaning you can be less prudent when maintaining your ammo reserves. You'll love it even more against enemies that spam DoT, increasing your booster spawning.

How about Class mods? Can we justify using another one of those? Yes, it seems we can. If Crunch isn't for you, maybe you could work with Slayer of Terramorphous. You lose some efficiency, since we don't use Flame Flare or Burn Baby Burn, but the extra flame output for Hide of Terramorphous, and healing from buffed Thrill of the Kill, while still giving a considerable buff to Strip the Flesh may work for you. Aside from this you can try other mods, but you will lose a considerable amount of explosive damage.

- Ignored legendary mods as they have little positive effect on this build. (Considering changing to Slayer of Terramorphous because of it's crazy life boost at overlevel 8, but i'm not there yet, so more on this later. But yeah, the new mods really dissapointed me.)
- Switched Slagga for Nozzle, because it's "Drunk" effect multiplies thrown buzz axes. (Confirmed by Wiki as possible due to axes being coded as pistols.)
- Added Carnage to boost medium- range offense. (kit now DP Harold, Grog Nozzle, Carnage, Creamer)
- Put a point in Salt the Wound to further boost Carnage and El Superbeasto.
- Four points into Taste of Blood, because it's damage reduction becomes absolutly essential in overlevels.
- One point into Boiling Blood, because the longer we have higher stacks, the more effective our abilities are, especially Taste of Blood.
- Four points into Blood Trance, to boost El Superbeasto and keep him calming down during extended combat.
- One point into Nervous Blood for the 30% reload boost that we couldn't afford before.

You like healing, and you like bonus melee. Why don't you use the Law + Order combo?
Its damage output is too low. Just shooting them with explosives would heal me more, making the combo unnecessary.

Why do you keep talking about Flynt and his lackeys?
Because I hate him. Battling him is tough because this build has a natural weakness to fire. So, just to teach him a lession, I use him as a proxy for other bosses and enemies.

Captain Blade's Manly Man Shield gives you your explosive melee right out of the gate, even with a shield up. Why don't you Recommend that?
Two reasons. One, the explosive damage is way too low to merit taking up something as important as a shield slot. Two, It comes bearing elemental weakness, which is two steps back for someone already taking so much damage.

Ranged targets (such as buzzards) have this build over a barrel. How do I counter this? (From Sir-Gent Sweat Dumpling)
My first suggestion is to practice leading targets with Torgue weapons. It'll be a pain, but it'll pay off with Krieg and any other classes you use. Or you could take take the easy way out and carry a Fire or Corrode SMG to counter Rakk or Buzzards, repectively. If you usually play in multiplayer, don't worry about this so much, since your partners will probably be able to handle them.

This build relies on guns. Why do you put five points into Empty the Rage instead of Embrace the Pain?
Most of my points help my explosive damage in some way. It's true that Embrace the Pain would help my bullet damage output, but it seems to have helped this kit more to show melee some love, especially since I spend so much time in El Superbeasto mode.

Why do you have that point in Pull the Pin? Won't it be worthless since you're dead?
In a word, no. It's there for the same reason Redeem the Soul is, and the same reason we keep Hide of Terramorphous and/ or Rough Rider handy. These very helpful in multiplayer. If the fight is so tough that you are overwhelmed, they need all the help they can get, and a free grenade right in the center of the fight does nothing but good. An extra Meteor Shower is kinda like an explosive sympathy card. Everyone may die, but at least they know you care. If you're at your level cap and/ or playing solo, feel free to put the extra points wherever you'd like.

Why the love for Moxxi weapon? Wouldn't that slot be better filled with higher damage weapon?
Even in UVHM, where shields tend to be more important than health, Moxxi weapons provide a safety net that can get you out of a tight squeeze, where other weapons, even with extra damage output couldn't save you. Filling one or two of my four weapon slots with Moxxi weps works pretty well. That said, if you disagree, feel free to change it up.

Why Not use the Norfleet? If we have the time to get these weps, why not use the best?
Norfleet is Maliwan, and as such, it uses elemental damage instead of Explosive. Also, it's ammo consumption is too high. While it would be potent, I don't think it fits with the spirit of this build. But if you have one, feel free to fleet all of the Nors.

Where do we find all those crazy cool items that you say we need?
By playing the game. Looking under rocks and stealing guns from pulverized corpses works pretty well. Or you could just do a quick Google search for the item you're looking for. What the BL2 Wiki can't tell you, youtubers will probably have a comprehensive guide for how to get it, its uses, and its effectivness.

What are the main weaknesses you've found with this kit?
First and foremost: Fire, since you usually won't have a shield. Also, long range has this kit over a barrel, even when it resorts to the Cobra or the Ogre. Enemies like Bloodwing can out-speed rockets, throw you into LTF, and laugh as you flail to get a kill. Third, when not using the Love Thumper, Krieg's effectiveness against hoards is lowered. And lastly, likely a glitch, whenever Krieg drives a vehicle, he loses his Feed the Meat life bonus, meaning that when he exits the vehicle, he is missing a third or so of his life. One overkill heal fixes this, but just be aware of it.

Nice head there how'd ya get it? (From GLaD0S)
It's called HAHAHAHAHAH and it's the rare drop from Vermivorous the Invincible.

Why did you test so many weapons and items?
So you wouldn't have to. I didn't post critiques for the vast majority of them, but I can add more by request. Be sure to mention any weapons or items you'd like to learn about in the comments. Check the updates to see which ones have been recently added.

Why did you choose explosives over Krieg's fire specalty?
Because this damage.











Are you as long- winded when you talk as when you type?
...No

Some of these items are a pain to farm. would you mind duping yours for us?
Not anymore, due to annoyingly high demand. Sorry.

How does it fare against the bosses at the end of each campaign?( From Boreas)
With a good team and Hide of Terra on, its passable due to Slag+ explosive damage output, and its ability to get players out of FFYL quickly. But on solo, it's really difficult, since our melee and shieldless bonuses are too risky to utilize.

Do you love us?
Yes.

We think you wrote too much. Will there be a TL;DR for those of us with the attention span of a Jack Russell Terrier?
Yes. Because I love you.

Copy the spec trees you see in that picture up there, then get a bunch of melee and explosive gear. Then kill everything. Kill all of the everything.


Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoy this build as much as I do.
If you'd like, check out my other guides here: http://steamproxy-script.pipiskins.com/id/opheliologist/myworkshopfiles/?section=guides

Edits-
8/15/2013
- Added Heart Breaker to main guns.
- Q&A expanded.
- Various grammar and continuity corrections.

8/22/2013
- Various spelling and continuity corrections
- Updated to reflect a change in melee understanding

8/28/2013
- Added Big Boom Blaster critique
- Added Bunny critique
- Added SWORDSPLOSION!!! critique

9/19/2013
- Updated level 72 changes