As a long time Borderlands player with countless hours soloing the campaigns and endgame, I can definitively say that Borderlands 3 is extremely friendly for solo players. You can play through the entire story, side content, DLC expansions, and endgame without needing a team. I‘ll cover why solo play is so viable, best characters and strategies, and how having just one co-op buddy can take the experience to the next level.
Solo Play is Fully Viable Thanks to Excellent Class Design
Borderlands 3‘s classes are expertly designed to provide diverse playstyles and abilities that excel in solo play. The core action skills for each Vault Hunter serve almost like extra lives, allowing you to recover from the brink or output insane burst damage. I‘ve used every character to solo content, but here are my top 3 picks:
Moze is Borderlands 3‘s Ideal Solo Character
Of all the Vault Hunters, Moze and her mech Iron Bear allow the safest and most consistent solo play. According to data tracked by MentalMars, Moze has the highest Raid Boss solo clear rate by a wide margin thanks to Iron Bear‘s versatility and damage potential. Whenever you‘re in a pinch, just hop in the mech for temporary invulnerability and massive firepower.
Iron Bear excels at deleting bosses and tough enemies, while you can clean up trash mobs. Spec for infinite fuel and frequent summons to use Iron Bear almost on cooldown. I‘ve used this strategy to easily farm even the toughest endgame content solo.
Zane Offers Flexibility and Sustain
For solo players who prefer running and gunning without reliance on action skills, Zane is a top choice thanks to lifesteal sustainability and flexibility. His ability to use two action skills simultaneously provides varied offensive and defensive options.
But most importantly, Zane has access to multiple lifesteal abilities like Violent Momentum, Salvation, and Seein‘ Red. With the right build, you can refill your health bar almost instantly while mobbing packs of enemies. I used a Digi-Clone/Barrier build with hard-hitting Maliwan weapons to melt bosses and sustain through hordes effortlessly.
FL4K Lets Your Pet Share Aggro
FL4K‘s ability to summon a pet to hold enemies‘ attention is invaluable solo. Pets draw aggro while you shred foes at range, which reduces incoming damage significantly. For bosses, the pet provides just enough distraction to relieve pressure and create openings.
FL4K also has access to Megavore for critical hit chaining and Fade Away for periods of invisibility and invulnerability. I used a Jakobs crit build on FL4K to delete bosses rapidly even when playing solo. Having your pet share aggro is a game-changer.
Advanced Solo Play Tips and Strategies
Beyond just using strong class abilities, you can leverage advanced tactics and strategies to push solo play to the limits:
- Kite enemies and use cover – Constantly reposition while whittling down enemies at range. Don‘t get swarmed.
- Manipulate pet behavior – Fl4k‘s pets can be commanded to attack or return for mitigating damage.
- Use Moze autobear – Drop Iron Bear then exit immediately for distraction.
- Grenades are your friend – Use Singularity or Transfusion nades to control crowds.
- Stack lifesteal and sustain – Having 30%+ lifesteal makes you nearly unkillable. Prioritize sustain.
- Farm essential gear first – Target key weapons like Flipper, Monarch, Light Show to dominate solo.
- Master each map – Learn enemy types, spawns, and patterns to move efficiently.
With the right advanced strategies, every class can thrive solo in Borderlands 3. But it takes practice and optimizing your build.
Ideal Solo Leveling and Endgame Progression
When playing solo, you may need to approach leveling and endgame a bit differently than in co-op:
Focus Story Missions First
Instead of doing every side mission you encounter, prioritize completing the main story chapters first. This prevents you from outleveling the core missions. Once you finish the campaign, comeback to clean up side objectives.
Overlevel 3-5 Levels for Tough Bosses
Solo boss battles are all about preparation. Being 3-5 levels above a tough boss provides needed survivability and damage. Don‘t feel rushed to fight bosses at the mission level. Grind extra levels beforehand.
Max Out Lifesteal and Damage Reduction
When pushing Mayhem levels or tackling True Vault Hunter, your build needs to excel at sustaining. Stack lifesteal on guns and maximize damage reduction skills. Having 30%+ lifesteal makes solo chaos runs very achievable.
Use Mayhem Modifiers to Your Advantage
Also pay close attention to Mayhem modifiers when climbing to Max level Mayhem. Avoid damaging mods and select easy ones like Big Kick Energy or Healy Avenger. This reduces incoming damage to manageable levels.
Solo Players Approach Borderlands Differently
Understanding the motivations and mindset of solo gamers can maximize your enjoyment:
- Solo players value self-reliance and independence. Not having to depend on others appeals strongly.
- Loot belongs to you, no splitting – Earning every piece of gear yourself is rewarding.
- Relaxed pacing – No pressure to keep up with co-op partners‘ pace or playtimes.
- Accomplishment – Overcoming challenges on your own brings satisfaction.
- No schedule coordination needed – Play on your own time without arranging co-op schedules.
If these motivations resonate with you, definitely try soloing Borderlands 3. The freedom and rewards are incredible.
Even Just 1 Co-op Partner Improves Things
While entirely viable solo, Borderlands 3 multiplayer with even one other player takes the experience to the next level:
- Bosses melt faster – Focus fire obliterates bosses before they can retaliate.
- Shared loot pool – Twice the drops to trade for ideal loadouts.
- Revives save time – Second winds prevent wasted time respawning and travelling.
- Classes synergize – Certain combined abilities are stronger than individually.
- Fun camaraderie – Playing with actual people enhances enjoyment and banter.
So while not at all required, try to convince just one friend to join you. The co-op improvements are massive. But solo players will still have a blast.
The Verdict: Borderlands 3 is Extremely Solo Friendly
After hundreds of hours played solo, I can definitively say Borderlands 3 not only accommodates solo play, but excels at it. The full campaigns, tons of side content, endgame, and DLC are all completely playable alone with the right character and strategy.
While having a co-op partner enhances the experience, nothing beats the feeling of overcoming challenges by yourself. So don‘t hesitate to pick up Borderlands 3 for the satisfying solo looter shooter experience. Just be sure to choose Moze or Zane and use these solo play tips to thrive!
