Zane has been a character that, for most people, has had to jump through hoops to get a damage output similar to the other vault hunters. However, thanks to many streamers and dedicated Borderlands 3 fans, people have found the hidden power that Zane truly possesses.
Now Zane can run with the other vault hunters in a truly magnificent fashion, with never-ending action skills and damage output that can put other amazing builds to shame. This is partly thanks to the different legendary items that Gearbox has graced players with. But which items are best for players looking to give the Operative a try?
Updated March 6, 2023, by Aldous Foster: While Zane may not have been the most impressive Vault Hunter at Borderlands 3's launch, he has received several buffs over the years and is now one of the best classes. With the release of DLCs such as Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck and the Directors Cut, the Operative gained access to some of the most powerful gear ever seen in the game. With the right setup, this made the Operative downright overpowered and so players should hunt down these Legendary items as soon as possible.
15 Monarch
- Obtained from Killavolt on Mayhem level 6 or above
- Fires 3-10 bullets per shot
- Can drop in any elemental damage type
The Monarch is a legendary assault rifle that was available during the Revenge of the Cartels event. Many players hung onto this weapon because of its amazing fire rate and ammo efficiency. It fires three to ten bullets at the cost of one ammo and can shred through even the toughest of enemies.
This weapon also has two firing modes that revolve around the bipod. With the bipod out, it has increased damage but reduces the character's movement speed. This isn't a problem with a good Zane build because he will still be flying around the map at high speeds.
14 O.P.Q. System
- Available during the Revenge of the Cartels event
- Alternate fire mode spawns a drone that follows the player
- Occasionally deals a shock explosion on hit
The O.P.Q. System is a rather interesting weapon that Zane can use to his great advantage. It has amazing damage with randomized shock splash damage that can help players melt enemy shields. It also has a great alternate fire mode that fires additional copies of itself to help hose down enemies.
If players use this with Zane's doppelganger then they will have even more firepower at their disposal. Another viable version of this weapon that isn't a legendary is the Q. System.
13 NoPewPew
- Obtained from Joey Ultraviolet, Roaster, and The Tenderizer in the Revenge of the Cartles event
- Fires multiple projectiles and increases in fire rate the longer the player holds the trigger
- Spawns lava pools upon killing an enemy
If an enemy needs to die right now then the NoPewPew is one of the most reliable ways to ensure it. It fires more quickly the longer the trigger is held down and has a short repair time meaning that the player can fire a ridiculous amount of bullets in a short time. What makes this weapon even more impressive is that in the hands of the Operative's clone, it is almost broken.
Due to the high fire rate, high damage, and pools of lava created on kill, the clone can use this incredible COV weapon to clear entire maps all by itself. Adding the regenerate magazine while Digi-Clone is active Anointment ensures that the Operative will also never run out of ammunition while using it and proves that he has earned his place in the Flynt family tree.
12 Light Show
- Obtained from the Lasodactyl in DLC 3 Bounty of Blood
- Fires 4 shots at the cost of 1
The Light Show is one of the most beloved weapons in Borderlands 3 right now because of its insane damage output. This weapon fires out four shots at the cost of one. The damage it can deal is unmatched by many of the weapons in the game. This weapon is also easy to obtain from the Lasodactyl in the Bounty of Blood DLC.
The Lasodactyl has a 33% drop rate for the Light Show, making it one of the easiest-to-obtain weapons. The best anointment for this weapon is the consecutive hits anointment.
11 Kickcharger
- Obtained from the Arms Race game mode in the Designer's Cut DLC
- Can drop in any of the elemental damage types
- Deals 4 times the damage after being charged for 4 seconds
Zane can get some incredibly good damage numbers thanks to the Kickcharger rocket launcher and the Antifreeze class mod. The Kickcharger gets a damage bonus whenever it is fully charged. After charging it up for 4 seconds, it deals 4 times the damage.
Players can also achieve this charge by sliding. When combined with the Antifreeze class mod's slide damage bonus, the Kickcharger can one-shot powerful enemies like they are nothing.
10 Redistributor
- Obtained from the Takedown at Maliwan's Blacksite
- Every 7th shot deals AMP damage that chains to nearby enemies
- Can drop in any elemental damage type
The Redistributor is a great weapon all around thanks to it amping every 7th shot that it fires. The amped shots from this weapon also produce a chain lightning effect that spreads to nearby enemies. Zane is more than capable of making this weapon work better than any other character could ever dream of.
Thanks to his shield skill, he can make every shot an amped shot. This spreads lightning across the map in seconds while his freezing ability spreads ice to every enemy the lightning hits. It is a perfect combination that only Zane can take advantage of.
9 Grease Trap
- Obtained from Joey Ultraviolet, Roaster, and the Tenderizer in the Revenge of the Cartels event
- Two firing modes: Hot Grease and Fire Starter.
- Hot Grease massively increases the damage taken from Fire Starter
This weapon is one of the most powerful weapons in the game on its own as can deal enough damage to take any character through the hardest content in the game. In the Operative's hands, however, it becomes downright game-breaking. By giving the Digi-Clone a Grease Trap, the Operative can run around the map using the Hot Grease fire mode while the Clone uses the Fire Starter mode.
Due to the incredible amount of damage that the weapon can deal to enemies affected by the Hot Grease mode, this combination is practically easy mode for any Takedown or Trial. Against bosses, it is even more powerful, capable of even dealing damage during immune phases. As it drops from three of the bosses in the Cartel event and is not too dependent on any Anointment, it is also fairly easy to farm.
8 Super Soldier
- Obtained from leveling up the Fallen Heroes Vault Card
- On shield full, gain a protective barrier for 5 seconds
The Super Soldier shield is great for builds that require the MNTS Cannon ability. What makes this shield great is that it can give a bubble shield that prevents damage. This shield can be activated by activating the MNTS Cannon on Zane.
The immunity helps to increase Zane's survivability in most instances. This comes from the "on shield full/break" anointment. This will allow Zane to gain a bubble shield often and keep him immune to damage for a long time.
7 Re-Volter
- Obtained from Sumo in Eschaton Row
- Exclusive to DLC 6 the Director's Cut
- On depleted, become shock-enraged for 15 seconds
The Re-Volter has recently become one of the go-to shields for Zane because of the bonus 200% shock damage that it grants. This is another shield that requires the "on shield break/full" anointment. Whenever Zane activates an action skill, it will grant him a bonus 200% shock damage.
This bonus is incredibly helpful when running the game on Mayhem 10 and can help Zane one-shot a ton of different enemies. This shield has become a staple in many builds and also works well with the Pearl of Ineffable Knowledge.
6 It's Piss
- Obtained from Captain Thunk and Sloth in Konrad's Hold
- Enemies take 20% more damage for 6 seconds
- Clears status effects on the player and allies
Although players will generally prefer to trade the Operative's ability to throw grenades for a second Action Skill, this does not mean grenades are useless. With skills such as Duct Tape Mod, Zane will still be dropping more than enough grenades all over the place and the best grenade for this is the It's Piss.
Although its name may not be the most threatening, this grenade is one of the most useful items in the game as it causes enemies to take 20% more damage. This stacks with the Operative's weapon damage bonuses and allows them to deal downright ridiculous amounts of damage without even thinking about it.
5 Toboggan
- Obtained from the Stormblind Complex
- +100% slide speed
- Grants a shield while sliding with 50% damage reduction
- Firing while sliding consumes the shield to grant 100% amp damage
The Operative has many skills based around movement speed and the Toboggan makes the best of this. The bonus slide speed works well with skills such as 'Violent Momentum' and 'Violent Speed' to give the Operative massive bonuses to gun damage. Sliding then firing high-damage weapons can one-shot many bosses in the game, especially with single projectile weapons such as the Kickcharger as they gain the most from the amp damage.
Aside from the gun and amp damage, the speed bonus is extremely satisfying. It can make working through a takedown far quicker and more enjoyable. With all Zane's speed bonuses, it can almost become difficult to play any of the other vault hunters as they feel so slow and sluggish by comparison.
4 Seein' Dead
- Obtained from Jackbot in Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC
- Chance to activate kill skills when hitting an enemy
- Kill skills gain a 25% effect bonus
Seein' Dead is a class mod that many Zane players take advantage of. This class mod takes Zane's kill skills to a whole new level with a four percent chance to activate all of his kill skills each time he damages an enemy.
This class mod works extremely well with weapons that send out tons of bullets or that activate chain lightning effects like the Redistributor. It is by far one of the best class mods for Zane, if not the best. It is worth farming for and is a world drop in the Handsome Jackpot DLC.
3 Antifreeze
- Obtained from Arbalest of Discipline on Mayhem level 4 or higher
- Bonus 40% weapon damage when airborne or sliding
- Gain 25% movement speed when slowed
Using Zane's Antifreeze class mod is the route players will want to take if they want to maximize Zane's speed. This class mod can give a bonus of five points to Zane's Violent Momentum skill, making him capable of flying around the map faster than an Amara with a Spiritual Driver.
It works amazingly well with the Snowdrift Artifacts and boosts Zane's speed while sliding. The combination of the two items can make Zane capable of taking down bosses with a single shot if he has the right gun.
2 Spy
- Obtained from Arms Race game mode in DLC 5 Designer's Cut
- Kill Skills gain a bonus 10% effectiveness
- Activates all kill skills on the last charge of MNTS Cannon
The Spy class mod is similar to the Seein' Dead class mod because of the stacks of kill skills that it gives. Most players would agree that the Spy class mod actually grants more damage buffs than the Seein' Dead. This is because it works with the MNTS Cannon.
Every time a player spams the MNTS Cannon, they can receive multiple stacks of each kill skill. This allows Zan to deal some impressive damage against his opponents. The Spy class mod also grants a bonus 10% effectiveness for the kill skills.
1 Hustler
- Obtained from Locomöbius in Saphire's Run
- Hitting a non-critical hit grants a stacking bonus to critical hit damage and to a chance that a non-critical hit will become a critical hit
- Stacks up to 5 times and are consumed on scoring a critical hit
Although the skills boosted by the Hustler class mod are not the strongest in the Operative's skill tree, the interaction between the Hustler's special effect and a certain skill makes it one of the most powerful items in the game. Eraser is a skill in Zane's Professional skill tree that grants shots that score critical hits the ability to pierce through enemies and increases the damage they deal. With the critical damage bonus and increased chance of scoring a critical hit, this becomes a deadly combination.
Eraser effectively creates bonus projectiles upon scoring a critical hit and this can happen multiple times. With the Hustler class mod allowing body shots to count as critical hits, the damage potential of each pull of the trigger becomes astronomical. This makes the Operative one of the best boss-killing classes in the game and gives them the ability to kill even the toughest bosses in the game with a single shot.
Borderlands 3 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.