What is the Best Level to Start TVHM in Borderlands 2?
True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM) in Borderlands 2 offers an increased challenge and better rewards compared to the regular playthrough. Deciding when to make the jump to this more difficult mode requires some strategic consideration. Starting too early could make progression overly difficult, while starting too late provides diminished rewards. Generally, the best time to begin TVHM is around level 30-35. This provides a good balance of challenge and reward.
What is True Vault Hunter Mode?
TVHM is essentially New Game Plus – a replay of the main story at an increased difficulty level with the benefit of retaining your existing character progression, skills, weapons and gear. Enemies are tougher, do more damage and have more health. Quest rewards, boss drops, chest contents and vending machines offer improved guns and gear. The level cap is increased from 50 to 61 (72 with the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack).
TVHM becomes available after completing the main story missions in Normal mode. It can be replayed as many times as desired, and you can switch between TVHM and Normal modes at will. TVHM provides new challenges for experienced vault hunters and is the gateway to Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode.
Recommended Level to Start TVHM
* Level 28-30 – Provides a reasonable challenge without too much frustration. You‘ll be on par with early missions and a bit under-leveled for later ones.
* Level 31-35 – A good sweet spot, keeping you matched or slightly above mission levels throughout. Still provides a decent challenge.
* Level 36-50 – Makes early TVHM missions very easy and you may out-level later ones, reducing the challenge. Better to advance to UVHM.
Main story mission levels in TVHM range from around level 30 up to level 50. So starting in your early 30s will keep you within 2-3 levels most of the time. The enemies and loot will scale to your level, preventing any large gaps.
Going beyond level 35-36 before starting TVHM means you‘ll be over-leveled for most of it, trivalizing early content. Better to advance to Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode at that point. The challenge and need to upgrade gear is reduced if you‘re already level 50.
When to Start TVHM Guide
Here are some guidelines for deciding when to start your TVHM playthrough based on various factors:
If you want a moderate but fair challenge:
* Start TVHM between level 28-32. This keeps you on pace with mission levels for a fun challenge without too much frustration. Early missions may be slightly easy but it will balance out.
If you want to maximize mission rewards:
* Delay starting until at least level 31. This ensures mission rewards will be capped at level 50 gear. Starting earlier means some will be lower.
If you don‘t care about challenge and just want to quickly reach max level:
* Grind to level 50 in Normal first by completing all side missions. Then blast through story missions in TVHM while ignoring side content.
If you want the best balance of challenge and rewards:
* Start between level 30-35. This keeps the playthrough fun without trivializing it. Mission rewards will also be worthwhile.
If you want the hardest challenge possible:
* Start as soon as you unlock it, around level 28-30. You‘ll be under-leveled for everything making it brutally tough. Better gear is the reward.
If you want to steamroll enemies and feel overpowered:
* Wait until at least level 40 or higher before starting. You‘ll massively out-level all content making it very easy.
As you can see, the 30-35 range provides a good balance. Early TVHM missions will still pose a decent threat, while later ones require some strategy. You‘re also sure to get max level mission rewards.
Considerations Before Starting TVHM
Here are some things to keep in mind when preparing for your TVHM playthrough:
Complete Important Side Missions
Since side missions do not reset in TVHM, it‘s useful to complete rewarding ones first. These provide permanent rewards like unique gear or useful items. Leave optional side missions unfinished to serve as contingency XP sources if needed.
Upgrade Your Build
Respec your skill points to create a more focused build suited for TVHM‘s increased difficulty. Look for synergies between skills that improve damage, survivability and gear effectiveness.
Max Out Your Favorite Guns
Apply any upgrades to your best weapons and try to max them out if possible. Look for improved versions with elemental damage, which is very useful in TVHM. Elemental effects bypass shields which are more prevalent.
Stock Up on Ammo and Supplies
Fill your backpack with all the health vials, ammo and upgrade materials you can carry. Money is shared between modes so spend any excess cash before starting.
Get Some Level 50 Gear
Having at least a couple pieces of max level gear will help a lot in early TVHM when enemies start hitting harder. Try farming the Golden Key chest for purple rarity level 50 gear.
Start Fresh Playthroughs Together
If playing co-op, have everyone start TVHM together so you remain at similar levels. Splitting up causes issues with enemies scaling to the highest level player.
How to Get to Level 30+ Before TVHM
If you want to enter TVHM at the ideal level 30-35 range, you‘ll need to do some leveling first if you finish the main story below that. Here are some tips:
Finish All Remaining Side Missions
Completing any outstanding side missions provides good XP rewards to level up. Focus on any blue ! missions first for bigger rewards.
Farm XP From Bosses
Repeating bosses like BNK3R, Warrior and Mutated Varkids yields lots of XP from the kills themselves plus mission completion XP. Fast travel to reset.
Find Gear With +XP Bonuses
Some gear like the Moxxi‘s Endowment relic provides bonus XP gains from all sources, speeding up leveling.
Do DLC Content
The DLC areas like Scarlett‘s Booty and Torgue‘s Campaign add substantial XP sources to leverage. You can save DLC mission rewards for TVHM.
Join Someone Else‘s Higher Level Game
Through multiplayer you can join a higher level player‘s game and gain boosted XP rewards while benefiting from their progress.
Use an XP Farming Guide
There are detailed guides online showing specific routes for rapidly power-leveling new characters in the most optimal ways.
With a combination of these farming methods you can reasonably gain 5+ levels per hour to reach the ideal 30-35 TVHM starting range.
Best Characters for TVHM
While solo or co-op is viable for any character in TVHM, some Vault Hunters are better suited for the increased difficulty:
Maya
Maya‘s crowd control from Phaselock is extremely useful against the tougher enemies in TVHM. Her ability to slag multiple foes makes the elemental damage your team deals much more potent.
Salvador
Sal‘s dual-wielding rampage skill is ideal for chewing through TVHM‘s beefier enemies. The Gunzerker builds excel at high damage output which is essential.
Axton
Axton‘s turret provides consistent damage support and draws aggro away from the player. His Survival skill bonuses also boost shields to deal with harder hits.
Zero
Zero can use cunning and stealth to single out priority targets, while dealing burst damage criticals. His sniping skills help counter ranged TVHM threats.
Gaige
Gaige‘s Anarchy stacking damage buffs reach crazy heights, allowing her to demolish TVHM baddies. Deathtrap also helps mitigate damage and draw fire.
Krieg
Krieg is built for a full frontal assault rampage, which offsets TVHM‘s more defensive combat necessity. His self-healing helps survivability.
So while any character is viable, these 6 are especially well-suited to thrive in the harsher TVHM environments based on their skillsets and strengths. But as always, player skill is the most important factor.
TVHM Playthrough Tips
Here are some tips to make the most of your TVHM playthrough when you take the plunge:
Do Side Missions Strategically
Space out completing optional missions to serve as contingency sources of XP in case you fall behind the level curve at any point.
Slag, Slag, Slag
Make slag damage a priority – shocking enemies first makes them take double damage from all other elements. Purple rarity Maliwan guns are ideal slag sources.
Use Elemental Damage
Fire, shock, corrosive and slag elements bypass enemy shields more effectively than standard damage. Match elements to enemy types for bonus damage.
Keep Multiple Gun Types
Assault rifles, SMGs, pistols, rockets and snipers all shine in specific TVHM situations, so keep one of each style leveled up.
Farm Eridium For Storage Upgrades
You‘ll want to increase ammo, backpack and bank storage space as much as possible to accommodate better TVHM gear.
Do DLCs When They Become Available
The DLCs scale to your level throughout TVHM providing a nice XP influx when you need it. They offer some great rewards too.
Activate Mayhem After Level 50
Once you hit the max TVHM level, enable Mayhem levels 1-3 to continue gaining XP and better loot. Mayhem is the bridge to Ultimate Vault Hunter.
Following these tips will help you get the most out of True Vault Hunter Mode!
Is TVHM Worth It?
TVHM requires repeating all the story missions but offers the following incentives:
Much Better Gear
The greatest reason to play TVHM is accessing high level purple and E-tech gear that just isn‘t available in normal mode.
Additional Level Increases
You can reach the new level 61 cap (or 72 with UVHM DLC) for additional skills and power.
True Challenge
The significantly amped up difficulty provides a greater combat challenge requiring strategy and skill.
Mayhem Levels & OP Levels
Finishing TVHM unlocks Mayhem levels 1-3 and Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode where you can reach OP level 10.
Complete Your Build
Those extra 11 skill points up to level 61 allow you to fully flesh out your chosen build.
So while rerunning the story may seem tedious, the rewards are quite worth it! The vault hunter grind never ends…
Conclusion
Starting True Vault Hunter Mode between level 30-35 provides a good balance of challenge and progress. Begin too soon and it becomes frustratingly hard – too late and you‘ll be overpowered. Completing key side missions, maxing out gear and using the right character all help smooth the transition into TVHM.
Following this guide to optimize your level timing, prepare properly with the right gear and use TVHM strategies will help you get the most out of the playthrough. The extra 11 levels, top tier gear and mayhem mode access are worth the effort of taking on Pandora‘s toughest enemies in the next stage of the vault hunter journey! So grab your best guns and get to work, slayer – the treasures of the ultimate vault are calling!
