Heyo! I plan to make a class guide for every Borderlands 2 character (unless I get bored of it). I made a Krieg guide yesterday, which you can find here --

Oh wait...

Yeah, I spent 3-ish hours on it and accidentally deleted it. But this time I'll make sure I back it up every once in awhile.

Today we're going to be going over Zer0 the Assassin. I will give tips for each of his skills, as well as provide builds for certain levels. Zer0's skill trees are Sniping, Cunning, and Bloodshed. The Sniping skill tree is mostly self-explanatory, but it also focuses a lot on critical hit damage. The Cunning tree is based on making Decepti0n stronger and giving small bonuses to both melee and gun damage. Finally, the Bloodshed tree is focused entirely on boosting Zer0's melee damage. Without further ado, his skills:

Sniping
Headsh0t - +4% Critical Hit Damage per level. - Very simple skill. You can get +40% crit damage with a Legendary Hunter or Sniper class mod. I'd definitely take this if you're good at aiming.

0ptics - +3% Zoom and +12% Aim Steadiness (reduces aim disruption when taking damage) per level. - The more zoom you have, the further away from enemies you have to stand to snipe. The aim steadiness also isn't that big of a bonus. There's no real problem with taking this skill, but you might as well take Headsh0t instead because it's better.


Killer - Kill Skill. Killing an enemy gives you +10% Critical Hit Damage and +15% Reload Speed per level for a few seconds. - The bonuses you get from this skill is quite significant. I would definitely put at least 4 points into this skill if you're going for a sniper build. At 5 points you get +50% crit damage and +75% reload speed. You'll be reloading your sniper rifle almost instantly!

Precisi0n - +5% Accuracy per level. - Very small accuracy boost. You probably wouldn't even notice the bonus unless you're using assault rifles or something. That being said, I think this skill is worth putting a few points into, but don't max it out.


0ne Sh0t 0ne Kill - The first shot from a fully loaded magazine deals +12% Damage per level. - This skill is basically the opposite of Gunzerker's Money Shot skill. If you have maxed out reload bonus skills, you could really milk that +60% damage from the first shot.

Vel0city - +20% Bullet Speed, +3% Critical Hit Damage, and +2% Gun Damage per level. - I would recommend this if you're using unique snipers that have slow bullet speeds, but otherwise the gun damage and crit damage isn't worth it. You'll only start to notice the difference after you use multiple points.

B0re - Shots pierce through enemies, gaining +100% damage per enemy pierced. Enemy crit locations highlighted in Decepti0n. - TAKE THIS SKILL! B0re is one of the best skills in the entire game and it's only one point! When you're fighting groups of enemies, position yourself so you can pierce multiple enemies. Double damage every time you pierce is a massive damage boost. Some bosses have overlapping hitboxes so you can infinitely B0re them. That's a 1 hit kill.


Kill C0nfirmed - Up to +8% Critical Hit Damage per level depending on how long you aim down the sights. - Typically you don't want to be aiming down your sights very long. In order to effectively use this skill, you'd need to shoot only once every 3 seconds. I never put points into this skill because it's never optimal to wait for the skill to stack.


At 0ne with the Gun - +25% Hip-Shot accuracy, +10% Reload Speed, and +1 Magazine Size with Sniper Rifles per level. - This skill is amazing for any sniping build. Whether or not you hip-fire, the reload speed and mag size boost alone is enough. That hip-shot accuracy boost is massive and allows you to consistently get critical hits without needing to scope in. Always put some points into this skill.


Critical Ascensi0n - Scoring a Critical Hit with a sniper rifle gives you +6% Critical Hit Damage and +5% Damage with sniper rifles. Can stack up to 999 times. Stacks begin to decay if you haven't scored a critical hit after a couple seconds. - This skill is very hard to use. You have to be very good with aiming and usually use Vladof snipers to stack it. That being said, if you do stack it enough, the damage bonuses are absurd. Scoring a critical hit at max stacks will do +11000% damage! That's basically equal to 110 B0re shots. Of course, you'll never ever get to 999 stacks, but this skill is definitely worth the point.



Cunning
Fast Hands - +5% Reload Speed and +10% Weapon Swap Speed per level. - If you use a lot of guns, this skill is great. I've tried playing with 5 points in this skill, and I can promise you, you can have absurd reload speed. The weapon swap bonus is also excellent for slagging enemies then switching weapons.

C0unter Strike - After getting hit, your next melee attack has a chance to deal +50% damage per level. - This skill is a necessity for any melee build. The damage bonus isn't massive, but it's still very noticeable.


Fearless - +5% Fire Rate and +3% Gun Damage per level when your shield is depleted. - Obviously you don't want to take this skill with a melee build. But should you take it for a gun-based build? Typically, you shouldn't have your shield down, but this skill is a great backup for when it is down. I like maxing this skill out with a pistol build. If you have any points in Fearless, never put points in Grim.

Ambush - +4% damage per level when attacking enemies from behind or when attacking an enemy who is targeting someone other than you. - You always get the bonus from this skill when you use Decepti0n. So that's already a straight up 20% damage boost at max level. This damage bonus is also multiplicative, meaning it's 1.2x all other calculated damage. This skill is great for any build.


Rising Sh0t - Each successful ranged or melee attack gives you +2% Gun Damage and +1.8% Melee Damage per level for a short time. This bonus can stack up to 5 times. Faster weapons can gain stacks more quickly, but slower weapons retain stacks for a longer period of time. - This skill can be a key role in achieving max DPS in any build. At max level you're going to be getting +50% gun damage and +45% melee damage. Always put points into Rising Sh0t no matter what playstyle you're doing.

Unf0rseen - Your holographic decoy explodes when you become visible again, causing shock damage to nearby enemies. Damage increases per level. - This skill was completely useless until the last patch. Now it deals massively increased damage. This skill is amazing for AoE in any shock build, but it also has incredible synergy with Many Must Fall. If you have a class mod, definitely max this skill out.

Deathmark - Dealing melee damage marks a target for 8 seconds. Marked targets take 20% additional damage from all sources. - Since it's 1 point for +20% damage, you might as well take it. This skill is great for fighting raid bosses with friends. Your Kunai from Death Bl0ss0m can also mark for death so you don't have to go up front and melee the enemy. 


Innervate - While Decepti0n is active you gain +2% Gun Damage, +7% Movement Speed, and regenerate 0.8% of your Maximum Health per second per level - This skill is great for getting out in a pinch. If you're ever about to die, just throw out Decepti0n and regenerate all your health back. The movement speed is also useful for continuing your Many Must Fall spree.


Tw0 Fang - Every time you fire you have a 6% chance per level to fire twice. - It's hard to place much of an opinion on this skill. I personally think it's useless, but some people think it's good for pistols. Use it or don't use it -- It's a decent skill.


Death Bl0ss0m - Action Skill Augment. Throws a handful of Kunai knives. Has a random elemental effect. Does not take character out of Decepti0n. Can be used five times per cooldown. Can apply Death Mark. - This skill is fantastic! The Kunai can all be any element with a very high effect chance, including slag. The damage over time from the Kunai is also massive. This skill is incredible for all circumstances. Take it!



Bloodshed
Killing Bl0w - +100% Melee Damage per level against enemies with low health. - First off, low health means less than 30%. This skill basically makes the last 1/3 of an enemy's health nonexistent. This is extremely useful for bosses or any other enemies with lots of health.

Ir0n Hand - +3% Melee Damage and Maximum Health per level. - 3% is minuscule and you'll hardly notice a difference. However, I usually put five points into this skill anyways to get past Grim and Be Like Water.


Grim - Kill Skill. Killing an enemy regenerates 0.7% of your shield per second and gives +1.5% Action Skill cooldown rate per level for a few seconds. - If you're playing a melee Zer0, you should always have a Roid shield. Roid shields only work when they're depleted... See where I'm going? Grim can actually completely ruin your DPS. It also negates Fearless.

Be Like Water - Shooting an enemy gives +6% damage per level to your next melee attack. Melee Attacks give +4% damage per level to your next gun attack. - If you are going for a melee build, you shouldn't be using guns at all in the higher levels. I feel like this skill was put into the wrong tree. Don't use it if you want a melee build!


F0ll0wthr0ugh - Kill Skill. Killing an enemy gives +8% Movement Speed, +6% Gun Damage, and +8% Melee Damage per level for a few seconds. - This skill is an all-around great skill. With the movement speed bonus you'll be zooming here and there, which is excellent for Many Must Fall. The gun damage and melee damage is also quite significant at max level. I always put 4 or 5 points into this skill.

Backstab - Your melee attacks deal +8% damage per level when hitting an enemy in the back. - This skill is basically just Ambush except twice as much damage per rank. If you have this skill you should always aim for the back when using Decepti0n. +40% with 5 ranks is a good bonus.

Execute - Melee Override Skill. While Decepti0n is active and a target is under your crosshairs, melee to dash forward a short distance and perform a special melee attack, dealing massive damage. Has a range of 3 meters. - This skill does so much damage it's absurd. You can kill most enemies in 1 hit with this attack, especially with a Roid shield. It more than doubles the damage you'd normally get from Decepti0n! Also, if you are not within melee distance of an enemy, you can actually dash towards them repeatedly. This is super great for getting to the other side of the battle. This skill is a necessity for any melee build.


Resurgence - Killing an enemy with a melee attack restores up to 4% of your health per level depending on how low your health is. - You can basically never die once you have this Resurgence and Many Must Fall. This isn't quite as useful once you have Innervate, but it's a solid skill nonetheless.


Like The Wind - +3% Gun and Melee Damage per level when moving. - Like with Ir0n Hand, 3% is a pretty small bonus. Don't waste your points in this skill.


Many Must Fall - Killing an enemy with a Melee Attack during Decepti0n deploys an additional holographic decoy and extends the duration of Decepti0n instead of ending it. - This could possibly be the best mobbing ability in the game. You can stay in Decepti0n for extremely long amounts of time. If you have Execute, you'll pretty much never stop being in Decepti0n. Here's a clip of someone using it for 4 minutes and 12 seconds.



BUILDS
Now that we know the usefulness and synergy of Zer0's skills, we can make some builds.

Level 31 Sniper Build - This build focuses on hip firing and critical hit damage with sniper rifles. Remember, always try to use B0re.
GEAR: Probably the best sniper rifle in the game is the Pimpernel. You can get the Pimpernel from the mission Don't Copy That Floppy in Captain Scarlett's DLC. The pellet shots by this gun splits into 5 more pellets for maximum damage. This gun works amazingly with B0re. The Twister shotgun also works very well with B0re. You'll also want a Legendary Hunter or Sniper class mod, the Longbow Quasar for its singularity radius, and The Bee for its amazing synergy with the Pimpernel.

Level 31 Pistol Build - This build is mainly about fire rate and gun damage. I have one point in Innervate for emergency health regeneration and only 3 points in Ambush because that damage will mostly come from sneaking up on enemies.
GEAR: You can use any good Vladof pistol in the game, but I prefer to use a shock Infinity. Your shield doesn't really matter, but remember that Amp shields don't work with the Infinity. I also like to use the Storm Front grenade for maximum shock damage. You should also have a Professional class mod for reload speed and more Tw0 Fang, or a Killer class mod for crazy fire rate.

Level 31 Melee Build - Want stupidly good melee damage? Do this build! I put 5 points into Ir0n Hand because Be Like Water and Grim are useless in a melee build. Because there's 5 points in Backstab, you should always make sure you execute enemies form behind. Like The Wind has a mediocre boost that's better spent on F0ll0wthr0ugh or Resurgence.
GEAR: Always, always have a Roid shield. I like to use the Love Thumper, which you can get from the quest Best Mother's Day Ever. Order also works because it has the highest Roid damage in the game. Obviously use a Strength relic. Use a Ninja class mod to maximize your overall melee damage. If you have +6 to Killing Bl0w you might as well just pretend every enemy has 1/3 less health. For guns you should use a Law or Rapier for bonus melee damage, but any bladed weapon should work.


Level 50 Melee Build - Same as the level 31 build, but just adds some melee abilities from the Cunning tree. If you level up past 50, always put points into Innervate and Unf0rseen until you can get to Death Bl0ss0m. Death Bl0ss0m goes extremely well with Many Must Fall.

Level 61 Ultimate Melee/Decepti0n Build - If you want to kill everything on the screen without anyone knowing you're there, this build is perfect for that. I maxed out all of the melee and Decepti0n skills. I put the remaining 4 points into HeadSh0t for the critical hit damage. With this build you'll basically always be in Decepti0n. Make sure you use your Kunai to weaken stronger enemies!
GEAR: Use a Legendary Ninja class mod, any good Strength relic, the Love Thumper, and a Rapier to completely max out your melee damage. I also like to have a rocket launcher just in case I die and a Storm Front for bonus AoE.


Master List of Endgame Builds - This is a compiled list of the most popular Zer0 builds. None of them were made by me.


That's my guide, hopefully it helped someone... or something... yeah.

Another wonderful guide here faded. I don't really have much to say but I do love how you used a lot of colours on your guide to make things more efficient for people who get stuck in the game. I look forward to another guide you make.

I think I might have missed a few of your guides so I'll look into them. ^-^

*Looks through his guide* *See's build for Sniper* *Goes and buys the DLC and reset her points on her level 30-something another Zer0 character*

*Likes post* *Also wants to point out just how awesome B0re is since she has all of her points in Sniping tree*

I am a complete noob to Borderlands 2. I am super late to jump on this bandwagon, but I am playing as ZeRo--I mean Zer0 now. So this is all great to know!