Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a 2K-published loot shooter from 2K Australia and Gearbox Software, with Aspyr credited on Linux. It sits between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, but its oxygen, Oz Kit, low-gravity, Cryo, laser, and slam systems make it play differently from simply replaying Borderlands 2 on the moon.
Content warning: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is rated M for Mature 17+ by ESRB with Blood, Language, Sexual Themes, and Violence. This guide keeps descriptions non-graphic and focused on gameplay.
This is a spoiler-light beginner guide for base-game fundamentals. It is not a Borderlands 2 guide, Borderlands 3 guide, exact build guide, boss route, Grinder recipe list, legendary farm, achievement guide, or DLC character guide.
Essential Tips
1. Treat Oxygen as a Movement Resource
Oxygen is not just a timer that punishes you outside.
Your Oz Kit keeps you alive in airless areas, but it also powers boosted jumps and faster co-op revives. Refill from vents, air domes, and O2 drops when the fight gives you space so you can spend oxygen deliberately when movement or a revive matters.
2. Learn the Boost Before You Rush
Low gravity gives you height; boosting gives you control.
The second jump from your Oz Kit can add height, distance, or direction changes. Use it to cross gaps, reach cover, climb to firing angles, and correct bad jumps instead of burning oxygen every time your feet leave the ground.
3. Slam When the Landing Is Worth It
A slam is strongest when it starts or finishes a fight.
Jumping high and crouching in the air triggers a ground slam, with the Oz Kit setting the damage type and maximum slam damage. Use slams on clustered enemies, frozen enemies, or enemies below you, but do not land in the middle of a dangerous group without a shield, exit, or follow-up weapon ready.
4. Use Vehicles to Cross Open Vacuum Areas
Vehicles help you move without draining oxygen.
When a route gives you a Moon Buggy, Stingray, or another vehicle option, use it for long outside stretches, quick objective travel, and safer repositioning. Oxygen does not deplete while you are in a vehicle, so driving can preserve your Oz Kit for the fight after the trip.
5. Carry More Than One Element
One favorite gun cannot solve every health bar.
Shock is useful against shields, incendiary is best saved for flesh targets and can lose status value in vacuum, corrosive helps with armored targets, and Cryo is The Pre-Sequel’s replacement for Borderlands 2 slag habits. Keep a small spread so an immune or resistant enemy does not stall the whole fight.
6. Use Cryo as Setup
Frozen enemies are easier to control and punish.
Cryo can slow or freeze enemies, which gives you safer shots and stronger melee, explosive, or critical follow-ups. Bosses and cryo enemies can resist or avoid full freeze, so treat Cryo as a powerful tool, not a universal answer.
7. Test Guns Before Selling Them
The item card does not tell the whole story.
Fire rate, element, accuracy, reload behavior, magazine size, splash, and your current skill tree can make a lower-card-damage weapon more useful than it looks. Rotate weapons often in the early game instead of getting attached to the first strong drop.
8. Pick a Class by Action Skill Feel
The intro is useful for learning what your Vault Hunter actually does.
Athena blocks and returns damage with Kinetic Aspis. Wilhelm uses Wolf and Saint drones for offense and support. Nisha uses Showdown for gun-focused lock-on pressure. Claptrap uses VaultHunter.EXE for situation-based effects that can help allies but are less predictable.
9. Spend Early Skills Toward a Role
A clear first tree is easier than scattered points.
Athena can lean into Aspis support, melee, or elemental play. Wilhelm can invest in drones, cybernetics, or support. Nisha can push survivability, pistols/Showdown, or broader gun bonuses. Claptrap can focus explosives, team support, or rotating subroutines. Pick the path that matches how you are already fighting.
10. Do Sidequests When Your Gear Falls Behind
Mission rewards and extra fights keep your kit moving.
The main story will push you through the moon and Helios, but sidequests add more combat, loot, and reward chances. If your guns feel stale or enemies are taking too long to drop, detour before forcing the next main objective.
11. Keep Borderlands 2 Habits in Check
The Pre-Sequel is familiar, but not identical.
Oz Kits replace the old relic slot, Cryo replaces Borderlands 2’s slag slot, low gravity changes aiming angles, and oxygen changes revives and movement. If advice depends on slag, Borderlands 2 relics, or Borderlands 3 cryo behavior, re-check it before using it here.
12. Share Jobs in Co-op
Four players are strongest when everyone is not chasing the same drop.
In co-op, split practical roles: one player handles revives, one watches shielded or armored enemies, one uses vertical angles, and another grabs loot or ammo between waves of pressure. Trade gear that fits a teammate’s class better than yours.
Movement and Oxygen Priorities
| Situation | Beginner Response | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Low oxygen in a fight | Move toward a vent, air dome, or recent enemy drops | Keeps you from spending health on avoidable suffocation damage |
| Long outside route | Use a vehicle when available | Preserves O2 for combat, boosts, and revives |
| Enemy below you | Jump, aim, then slam only if you have a way out | Turns height into damage without trapping you |
| Gap or platforming route | Boost once with a plan | Saves oxygen and reduces missed jumps |
| Downed co-op partner | Check oxygen before committing to a fast revive | Oxygen revives are useful but spend a real resource |
| Indoor or atmosphere zone | Let oxygen refill before leaving | Starts the next vacuum section with options |
Weapons, Elements, and Gear
| Gear Habit | What to Do | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Guns | Keep a short-range answer, a longer-range answer, and at least a few elements | Filling every slot with the same damage type |
| Elements | Use shock into shields, incendiary into flesh, corrosive into armor, and Cryo for control/setup | Treating one element as always correct |
| Oz Kits | Compare O2 capacity, slam behavior, and bonuses | Keeping an old kit only because the oxygen number is familiar |
| Shields | Upgrade when survivability falls behind enemy pressure | Ignoring shield behavior while chasing gun damage |
| Class mods | Match them to skills you actually use | Equipping a mod that boosts an abandoned tree |
| Grenade mods | Use them to solve clusters, shields, or control problems | Hoarding grenades through fights where they would matter |
| Grinder and Moonstones | Save detailed recipes and spending routes for a dedicated guide | Feeding valuable gear into systems you do not understand yet |
Class and Co-op Habits
| Vault Hunter | Beginner Read | First Habit |
|---|---|---|
| Athena | Defensive shield, counterattack, melee, and elemental options | Use Kinetic Aspis before your shield is already gone |
| Wilhelm | Drone offense and support with cybernetic upgrades | Let Wolf and Saint shape the fight instead of playing like a basic gunner |
| Nisha | Gun pressure and Showdown critical-spot focus | Carry accurate weapons that reward her action skill |
| Claptrap | Explosive, team, and random subroutine play | Expect volatility and stay close enough for ally effects |
| DLC Jack | Separate DLC character | Do not plan around him unless you own the DLC |
| DLC Aurelia | Separate DLC character | Do not plan around her unless you own the DLC |
In co-op, stay close enough to revive and trade loot, but not so stacked that one explosive enemy or bad slam punishes everyone. If one player is testing a class, let them take gear that matches their action skill instead of comparing only item color.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Do not burn oxygen on every jump - Save boosts for gaps, angles, escapes, and revives.
-
Do not ignore vents and air domes during fights - Refill before low oxygen turns into health pressure.
-
Do not slam into a group with no exit - Landing damage is useful only if you survive the landing.
-
Do not carry four guns for the same enemy type - Keep elemental and range coverage.
-
Do not copy Borderlands 2 slag habits - The Pre-Sequel uses Cryo instead.
-
Do not treat Cryo as a boss-freeze button - Some enemies resist or avoid full freeze.
-
Do not sell every lower-damage weapon immediately - Test fire rate, element, handling, and skill synergy first.
-
Do not scatter early skill points across every tree - Build toward the action skill behavior you enjoy.
-
Do not wander far from the co-op team with low oxygen - Revives and trading are easier when players can reach each other.
-
Do not assume DLC characters are part of the base roster - Jack and Aurelia need DLC ownership.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Oxygen | Refill before spending O2 on boosts or fast revives |
| Low Gravity | Use height for angles, not just long floating jumps |
| Slam | Land only when the damage and position are worth it |
| Elements | Carry coverage and remember Cryo replaces slag here |
| Gear | Test weapon behavior before selling by item card alone |
| Classes | Pick by action skill feel, then focus early skills |
| Co-op | Split jobs, trade useful gear, and stay revive-close |
| Scope | Keep base game, Borderlands 2, Borderlands 3, and DLC advice separate |
Did this answer your question?
Your feedback helps keep the useful answers visible.Sources
8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Next answers
Community notes0
No community notes yet.
Sign in to contribute