Stealth and Slaughter: Mastering Zer0's Bloodshed Build

Welcome back to the arena, Vault Hunters! In this article, we’ll explore potential Skill Tree builds for the stealthy assassin Zer0. This Vault Hunter can be found in the Box of Badasses, along with a huge selection of other awesome characters and enemies.

Compared to other Vault Hunters, Zer0’s Action tokens lean towards the weak side with only 3 yellow actions. His skills help make up for this with 3 ranged, 3 melee, and 3 reflexes. These impressive stats mean he has a good chance at successful actions and gets even better when he advances along his Skill Tree to gain a green action. This Bloodshed Skill Tree build is going to focus on turning Zer0 into a melee killing machine with damage over defense.

His Decepti0n ability allows him to go into Stealth Mode every other turn. While in Stealth Mode, all of his attacks deal an additional wound. This ability even stacks with Deadly, so making a successful melee attack with his Combat Knife can inflict three wounds! This is enough damage to take out most weak to moderately tough enemies and even give big boss enemies a bloody nose. The extra wound during Stealth Mode works with both ranged and melee attacks, giving you deadly flexibility for maneuvering around the arena. Another benefit of Stealth Mode is that you cannot gain the Spotlight, which makes you the target of all future enemy attacks. Be sure to use this to your advantage since this article’s Skill Tree build doesn’t give Zer0 any defense bonuses.

Zer0’s first level is simply a +1 bonus to his Melee skill. Four points in a skill is around the maximum most characters can gain without specialized gear. Having such a high Melee skill makes him a great assassin, but it also helps defend against enemy melee attacks when facing overwhelming numbers.

The second level gives his melee attacks Rapid 2, so he can make two attacks with one Action token. Dealing an additional wound during Stealth Mode plus a Deadly weapon like his Combat Knife gives Zer0 the potential to inflict six wounds during a Rapid attack action and possibly 18 wounds during a turn if he uses all of his Action tokens for attacks. Zer0’s other second-level ability to gain Charge is another solid choice if you’re playing scenarios with a lot of weak enemies.

Zer0’s third level replaces one of his yellow Action tokens with a green. Having at least one green Action token can give you the edge to move out of the attack range of enemies or ensure a successful attack to land a killing blow before an enemy can retaliate. Green Action tokens are a great defense against weaker enemies, but be careful using them against stronger enemies, or you might lose your best move and attack resource.

The fourth level gives Zer0 another yellow Action token. Extra actions are always good, especially when they can deal up to six wounds during a Deadly + Stealth Mode attack. An extra point of health to absorb enemy attacks is also really useful for Zer0 since the Bloodshed Skill Tree lacks any natural defense. Obtaining a Shield should be one of his priorities when it comes to gear.

One strategy is to position Zer0 at long range from enemies during the turns when he loses Stealth Mode and is likely to gain the Spotlight. This allows you to take out ranged enemies at a safe distance with your Sniper Rifle and let the melee enemies come to you instead of using move actions. 

Zer0 offers great action economy and deadly flexibility with both long and short-range attacks. With his high-action economy, devastating melee potential, and strategic use of Stealth Mode, Zer0 is a versatile powerhouse in the arena. Whether you're slicing through enemies up close or sniping from a distance, this Bloodshed Skill Tree build makes Zer0 a deadly assassin who can adapt to any situation. Gear up, Vault Hunters, and show your foes why Zer0 is a number they’ll never forget.