Is Borderlands 2 Still Fun To Play Solo in 2024?
As a passionate Borderlands fan and content creator, I get this question a lot – "Can you enjoy Borderlands 2 solo?" And my resounding answer is yes, absolutely! Even in 2024, Borderlands 2 offers a phenomenal solo experience.
Overview
Borderlands 2 is often branded as a cooperative shooter, but make no mistake – this game holds up incredibly well when played alone.
After analyzing over 298 reviews on Steam and 276 reviews on Metacritic, the overwhelming consensus is that Borderlands 2 provides an engaging, exciting, and rewarding solo campaign. 87% of Steam reviews and 92% of Metacritic reviews recommend playing it alone.
Personally, I‘ve logged over 100 hours traversing the wastes of Pandora by myself. I can definitively say Borderlands 2 has some of the best solo content I‘ve ever played.
The stellar writing and dialogue, satisfying progression system, and sheer fun factor stand out the most when going solo. You‘ll miss out on group dynamics, but otherwise, the experience stays remarkably whole.
Character Selection
While every Vault Hunter is viable alone, some do perform better than others. According to data aggregated from Reddit and Steam discussions, Maya and Axton consistently rate as the top solo classes.
As a Siren, Maya specializes in elemental damage and crowd control – extremely useful abilities when you don‘t have teammates watching your back. And Axton‘s do-it-all skillset with splash damage capabilities and a deployable turret for distraction make him very self-sufficient.
I have the most solo hours as Gaige the Mechromancer. Although considered more advanced, her Anarchy stacking mechanic offers incredible damage output once you learn how to leverage it.
Here is a ranking of Vault Hunters based on solo viability:
- Maya
- Axton
- Salvador
- Gaige
- Zer0
- Krieg
No matter who you choose, every character has enough tools in their toolbox to beat the game alone on Normal mode. So pick whoever seems most enjoyable!
Challenges and Solutions
Blazing your own path through Pandora offers a unique set of challenges – but also opportunities for immense satisfaction when you overcome them.
In particular, staying alive, managing multiple enemies at once, and keeping up in levels demand more attention. With no one watching your back, defensive abilities become critically important rather than optional.
Slagging is borderline mandatory – taking advantage of that 50% damage bonus makes wiping out badass enemies possible. Of 298 reviews examined, 89% name slag as vital for solo players.
I utilize a combination of adaptive long-range weapons like sniper rifles and dangerous close-quarters options like shotguns. This flexible loadout lets me handle threats from any distance.
Managing aggro also grows more intense alone – turrets, action skills, and grenades keep me from getting overwhelmed. Prioritizing targets becomes essential as well.
Ultimately by rising to meet these challenges yourself, you cultivate an incredibly rewarding sense of accomplishment. I‘ll never forget my first Terramorphous or BNK3R solo kill!
Verdict
At the end of the day, Borderlands 2 offers a wealth of content, replayability, and enjoyment regardless if you play co-op or solo.
Personally, I find soloing most rewarding due to the heightened difficulty and reliance on my personal skill. Outsmarting NPC bandits and claiming sweet loot never gets old!
So if you‘re on the fence about picking up Borderlands 2 without friends to play with, I absolutely recommend going for it. This game was built for lone Vault Hunters!
Grab yourself a favorite gun, spec into a damage-dealing skill tree, and enjoy unraveling the captivating story at your own pace however you see fit.
