Brick by Brick: Building the Ultimate Tank in Borderlands

Welcome back to the arena, Vault Hunters!

In this article we’ll explore potential Skill Tree builds for Brick. This Vault Hunter can be found in the Box of Badasses, along with a huge selection of other unique characters and enemies.

Since Brick is one of the tankiest tanks in the game, it seems appropriate to focus this article on his Tank Skill Tree for defensive power. He also has incredible melee potential so we’ll cover how to turn him into a killing machine in another article.

Brick is one of the rare Vault Hunters who starts with four Action tokens. While this might seem like a lot actions, you’ll need them to move within melee range and soak up enemy attacks when you have the Spotlight. His first level allows you to keep the Spotlight if another Vault Hunter would gain it. This ability is far more useful after his second level is unlocked and you can Heal a wound whenever you cause a wound. Note that the ability to keep the Spotlight and heal after successful attacks only works while you have a Badass token from going Berserk that turn. This cooldown limits the healing ability to work only every other turn so you’ll need to prepare a series of attacks for the turn when you can go Berserk. While Brick’s primary attacks are melee, using Grenades and Rocket Launchers to make explosive attacks is a great way to deal several wounds with one action. Comboing this skill with a well-timed explosive attack could heal multiple wounds with one action.

Brick’s third level gives your Shields one additional green Shield token, plus you can recharge a Shield token whenever you roll a crit on an attack roll. This combos naturally when Brick tanks and has mostly red Action tokens after enemy attacks.

The fourth level unlocks one additional yellow Action token, giving him the potential to soak five wounds and even more healing potential to combo with his second level skill. A risky but effective strategy is to use Fight for Your Life to heal all five Action tokens. This requires Brick to be adjacent to an enemy with only one hit point left during the Fight for Your Life if you’re going to melee as his best attack option. This shouldn’t be too difficult if Brick has the Spotlight and is the primary target for enemy attacks, and is even easier to pull off using his first level skill to keep the Spotlight when another Vault Hunter would gain it. If the attack fails during his Fight for Your Life, at least Brick will be ready for action with five yellow Action tokens and recharged shields!

Brick is all about absorbing damage and dishing it out when the moment is right. His Skill Tree offers immense defensive power, with plenty of opportunities to heal and regain shields while keeping enemies focused on him. Whether you're using his Berserk abilities to combo melee attacks with healing or relying on his explosive potential for multi-target damage, Brick’s strategies offer a balanced mix of durability and offense. So, gear up, Vault Hunters, and get ready to take on the biggest baddies with Brick as your indestructible wall of mayhem!