Borderlands 3: Zane Builds & Leveling Guide

Introduction

Borderlands 3 is one of the coolest new games right now that quickly took over the world once it got launched. Of course, this was expected, especially after the various new things that were added in comparison to the previous game. Not only can we do many new quests and take part in various events but there are also four new Vault Hunters and each of them is unique in its own way.

One of them is Zane, a very strong character capable of killing every enemy that comes in his way. However, in order to be able to play him properly, you need to know how to actually level, which is definitely easier said than done, especially with Zane. There are many small elements to master such as using your action skills in a timely manner,  playing defensive whenever it's needed or just go around and freeze you, enemies. 

Before you start, it is worth pointing out that Zane does not as much damage with his guns as Moze or Fl4k for example. So, if you are one of those guys that want to go around and kill stuff with your guns, this might not be the best choice for you. However, Zane is capable of doing a lot of AoE damage or just focus all his damage into a single enemy, which allows him to quickly eliminate it. In addition, he has a lot of movement speed, fire rating and reloads speed bonuses, which make him a pretty cool Vault Hunter to play.

Let's take a look at how to properly "build" him

Zane's Build

In general, there are two ways in which you can go when playing Zane. One of them is to opt for a super defensive build which will make you extremely hard to kill due to the various damage reductions, life steals and regenerations. 

On the other hand, you have the offensive build where you can eliminate pretty much any opponent you like. However, your damage depends a lot on using your action skills. That said, one of your mains weapons of destruction is SNTNL because it is very capable of delivering a lot of damage.

Hitman Tree Leveling

Levels 2-7

Once you hit level two, the best option will be to add STNL in a single action skill. This will allow you to use grenades. What's more, the enemies you will be facing once you begin are not going to be that strong, which means that there is no need for you to actually have a second action skill. Once you hit level 3, use five points into the Violent Momentum, which will provide you with more damage when you move, which is what you will do most of the time with Zane anyway.

Level 8-13

Once you hit level eight, you get into the second tier.  Use your augment Winter's Drone which will help you adjust your SNTNL to do cryo damage. Many people don't do it because it reduces damage by a bit. Even though this can be true up to a point, it allows you the chance to freeze your enemies which is very cool. 

After you do this, use two points into Salvation for bonus life steal and put 2 more points into the Violent Speed. When done, put two points into the Death Follow Close which will allow you to increase the duration of most of your skills. Lastly, use your agmentum called Bad Dose on your drone. This will increase the fire rate and movement speed, making it a lot more efficient.

Level 14-17

Use two points here again on Violent Speed and then use the Boomsday augment on your SNTNL. It will allow you to do more consistent damage. In addition, you can also consider adding the Almighty Ordinance which will allow you to send missiles.

Double Agent Level 18-22

The first 17 levels were mainly related to buffing the damage of your SNTNL. That said, the Double Agent tree also has some cool stuff such as Synchronicity, which also increases your gun damage, which is why you should spend your points here.

Level 23-28

Now that you go to the tier 2 stuff here, use the augment Binary system. It will allow you to have the chance of using a cryo nova whenever you swap your location with your clone. 

Other popular choices here are Fractal Frags, which allows you to throw bonus grenades. Duct Tape is also cool because you can occasionally shoot grenades from your weapon. Also, let's not forget about Quick Breather, which is a must here. Use all points you have left because it allows your shield to recharge faster whenever you swap your locations with the clone.

Under Cover Level 29-33

Now that you are done with the Double Agent stuff, head to the Under Cover tree. Here, the first thing you want to focus on is getting 5 points into Adrenaline. This will reduce the cooldown of your action skill by 35%, which is a must, especially when you rely a lot on your Digi clone.

Level 34-43

These couple of levels are important because you need to get your Brain Freeze up and running. As you know, this spell will give you the opportunity to slow and even freeze your enemies regardless of the ammo you use. 

Once you sort that out, take a look at the Confident Competence, which will increase your damage and accuracy whenever you have your shield up. Spend two points here and two more in Stiffer Upper Lip, which is a must in order to survive longer. Lastly, you might have a look at Rise to the Occasion, which increases your HP regen.

Level 44-48

Once you are done with the stuff above, focus on the 4th tier here. One of the best ways to fo is by using Best Served Cold because it allows you to have a cryo nova after you kill an enemy.  After that, turn your attention to Futility Belt which will allow you to convert reduce the incoming damage by making it elemental. Really Expensive Jacket is also an option because it also reduces the elemental effect duration by half.

Level 49-50

The last skill you would want to focus on is probably the most important one as well.  Calm, Cool, Collected, a skill that allows your shields to recharge once you kill an enemy. What's more, if they are already full it will allow you to regenerate HP. If that's full too, you are in for a surprise - your action skill CD and durations will be reset! 

This means only one thing  - you will become one of the strongest Vault Hunters on the battlefield, which is just awesome!