Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode

Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode unlocked

Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM) is a challenging new difficulty level in Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel following True Vault Hunter Mode.

Game Mode Details

"Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode is unlocked for a character once they have completed the main story missions in True Vault Hunter Mode and reached level 50. Unlike other playthroughs, Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode can be replayed multiple times with players able to reset their overall mission progress at any time from the Main Menu. No more tutorial missions -- characters in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode begin in Southern Shelf with the Cleaning Up the Berg mission. While playing in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, enemies and bosses will scale according to the player's current level or, if playing with others, the highest-level player in that party." -Gearbox

Gameplay

• Enemies are now more likely to drop ammo, as compensation to increased health.
• Enemies now have a higher drop rate of high-quality items.
• Enemy levels are automatically scaled above the character of the highest level, along with their health, attack, and loot level. Normal enemies will be at the same level while greater enemies will be two levels higher. The change of level happens when characters gain a level or join/leave a game.
  • An enemy who is already engaged may not scale their level when level changing occurs.
• Gameplay progress, including all missions, can be reset in-game mode selecting screen.
• Hosts with only one Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack will have their enemies capped at level 61/60, regardless of guests' levels. Without the Fight for Sanctuary DLC but with both upgrade packs, hosts will have their enemies capped at level 72.

Borderlands 2

• Weapon swap speed increased to better facilitate slag use.
• Enemy health generally increased 4x from Normal Mode, 2x from True Vault Hunter Mode
• Non-boss enemies now have a small, flat amount of health regeneration, although still much smaller than most damage over time.
• Increased duration of slag damage multiplier effect to 8 seconds.
• Slagged enemies take 3x instead of 2x damage from non-slag sources and 1.5x damage from Slag sources.
• Loot Midgets are now "Legendary Loot Midgets" and can drop E-tech relics.
• Pearlescent weapons are available for players with either of the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Packs.
• Hyperius, Master Gee, Pete, Voracidous, and Ancient Dragons of Destruction drop Seraph Crystals in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode.
• Increased the likelihood of certain Seraph weapons to drop from raid bosses as some of them are no longer sold in vendors.
• Damage of Krieg's skill Light the Fuse increased by 600%.
• Enemy levels increased from 61 and capped at 72; 80 with the Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary DLC.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

• Normal enemy health and shields increased to 1.5x from True Vault Hunter Mode.
• Badass enemy health and shields increased to 2.5x and 3.5x from True Vault Hunter Mode, respectively.
• Damage bonus from Wilhelm's skill Laser Guided increased from 25% to 87.5%.
  • Wilhelm's Termination Protocols skill does not scale up in UVHM.
• Damage multipliers for matching elements increased by 0.25 (bugged).

Overpower Mode (Borderlands 2)

Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack 2 Required
Players can now select the desired Overpower Mode when entering the game if they have unlocked any. Overpower Mode increases enemy and loot levels, along with their health and damage. Overpower level is unlocked by finishing the gauntlet in Digistruct Peak in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode at level 72 or Overpower Mode. Skill points are not given when an overpower level is unlocked.

• • Finishing at level 72 to overpower level 9 unlocks the overpower level 1 level above the level gauntlet is run, providing the participants have reached the overpower level of the gauntlet.
  • Finishing at overpower level 8 unlocks the overpower level 1 level above the participants' current overpower level, provided that they have reached level 72 but not overpower level 8.
• Overpower Mode is fixed on the host's choice. Characters can still use items with higher Overpower level than the current game, making the game considerably easier.
• Mission rewards are based on the current Overpower level when turned in, but capped at the Overpower level of the mission taken, while floored at level 72. High-level mission rewards can still be acquired by accepting mission at a higher Overpower level, finish objectives at a lower Overpower level, then turn in at the desired Overpower level. This does not work on missions that can fail.
• As Vault Hunters are still considered at level 72, they will deal less damage and take more damage when fighting high-level enemies, due to the leveling damage reduction (55% roughly at OP8). Elemental effects inflicted by Vault Hunters will also last for shorter amounts of time.
  • Sabre Turret and Deathtrap will still scale up by the corresponding levels.
  • The Vault Hunter's melee damage will scale up with the Overpower level, but will still receive a penalty when attacking enemies.
  • Character health does not scale up but shields do. This includes the health penalty for turtle shields.

Notes

• While Gearbox says that a character needs to be level 50 to start, it is only necessary to complete the main story missions of True Vault Hunter Mode.
• Once the Vault Hunter unlocks Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode but continues in True Vault Hunter Mode, players have found that enemies can be around 2 levels higher than the Vault Hunter even though the mission level is lower or "trivial".
• When the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack is installed while at level 50, the amount of XP rewarded in True Vault Hunter Mode is greatly reduced.
• As the Slag effect is strengthened, players are encouraged to use slag on enemies to boost damage, while damage over time from incendiary, shock, and corrosion are weakened due to the regeneration of enemy health.
  • Explosive damage is unaffected as it does not inflict an elemental status effect.
• This mode greatly encourages players to play co-operatively, due to the increased attack and health on enemies, as well as the slag effect. A single player can slag an enemy to let the entire team deal bonus damage.
• UVHM in the Pre-Sequel is significantly easier than in Borderlands 2 as enemies do not regenerate health.