Borderlands – How to play correctly as a Sniper

borderlands-pre-sequel

I really like to play with sniper rifles in shooters and since these are also present in Borderlands, I'm really looking for a character whose skill tree synergizes with this kind of weapon.

I have a lot of experience in RPGs with similar skill-trees and stats but unfortunately I'm not really familiar with all the stats and bonuses in borderlands so I don't really know what to pick or look for. My main questions:

  • Which character is played best as a Sniper based on Skill-Tree synergy?
  • Is there some sort of stat priority?

Best Answer

Wilhelm the Enforcer is a good choice for us cowards—er, I mean "snipers".

When sniping, it's useful to have a buddy who can occupy distant enemies while you take them out. The longer you keep them far away, the longer you can stay scoped in. Also, since scoping in interferes with situational awareness, it's nice to have a buddy to protect you from attackers who run up without your noticing.

Wilhelm's Wolf drone helps with both of those needs, while Saint keeps you alive if someone does sneak up on you while you're scoped in. That's most valuable in solo play since humans will watch your back in co-op, but even in co-op Wolf and Saint can help in the same ways. (In Borderlands 2, Gaige the Mechromancer's Deathtrap robot was great for the same reasons.)

The other classes can work perfectly well as snipers:

  • No class has a skill that specifically buffs sniping or sniper rifles.
  • All classes have have buffs that are useful for snipers in general (increase damage, reload, shield, etc.).
  • Nisha's auto-aim in Showdown is powerful, with auto-lock on critical spots when you aim down the sites. This makes her a good sniping class, though sniper rifles are unfortunately excluded from the damage bonus part of her perk. Nisha starts the game with a sniper rifle and pistol, suggesting that Gearbox thinks of her as a sniper class. Even so, I prefer Wilhelm's bots overall since for me sniping is about staying as far from the bad guys as possible (cowardice).
  • Athena's aspis (shield) is great, but you can't aim with the scope while it's active. That said, I'm currently playing her in a sniper-heavy role and it's working fine. I switch to shield when things get too close.
  • Claptrap: lots of exploding, friend buffing, and randomness, but again nothing specifically targeted at sniping.
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