[BL2] Psycho/Krieg Skills + Strategies via /r/Borderlands

Things to keep in mind before selecting him:

• You play Psycho with the mid to long term in mind
• Until Level ~20, he's somewhat underpowered and vanilla. But then, he gets really good.
• His stats/abilities build like a snowball effect. The more able you are to take risks, the more damage you deal.
• It's hard to approach enemies with your special ability sometimes, and that can make you die a lot in co-op.
• He's a good balance of guns and melee. Not too much of one or the other. It won't be repetitive hack and slash.
• A rewarding character to play as. Bound to pump up your adrenaline.

I've avoided the Bloodlust tree. It just seems too similar to other characters' abilities.

I've started out with the Mania tree because it provides immediately useful buffs and maximizes his special ability. The early abilities on his other tree aren't great so I wouldn't double-dip. Just focus on getting Mania full.

The Hellborn tree looks really interesting but I'll save that until after I get Release the Beast (I'm only 2 levels away). Or, I might just pay a fee to transfer my points over. It looks like a tree that's not very strong unless its fully built into, or you have another tree to supplement it.

As far as the mania tree goes:

1

• Pull the Pin (grenade) – Worth it. You'll be dying a lot early on in the game, and it only costs 1 point.
• Feed the Meat (health) – Essential. More health = more aggro. I'd max it out.
• Empty the Rage (melee) – Solid all around buff. Can't go wrong.

2

• Embrace the Pain (fire rate) – Seems situational and it doesn't give you more firepower ; just unloads it faster.
• Fuel the Rampage (cooldown) – A good investment. Gets better as you build up your character and can take more risks.

3

• Light the Fuse (revival) – OMG!! This is mandatory. This is the turning point to when he becomes an amazing character. He's no longer as reliant on team mates. I try to keep weak enemies alive when I know I'm going to die and I focus my detonation on a non-badass character at an equal or lower level to mine.
• Strip the Flesh (explosion/revival) – I got a little trigger happy and invested in this. It makes some difference for sure in letting you revive easier and make more risks.
• Thrill of the Kill (health) – I regret not spending a point in this. I'll be sure to. It sounds like an ability that can give you a steady stream of health over time.

4

• Redeem the Soul (revival) – More time is great. Quick revival is essential on multiplayer. Usually you can revive yourself anyway, but generally team mates return the favor.
• Salt the Wound (damage) – I didn't invest in this. Not sure how it works or how many stacks it builds. This would be good alongside Thrill of the Kill I imagine. In a skill transfer, I might forgo Empty the Rage for this.