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 dedicatedBorderlands 3fans, people have found the hidden power that Zane truly possesses.
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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 Jun 21, 2025, by Aldous Foster:While Zane may not have been the most impressive Vault Hunter atBorderlands 3’slaunch, 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.
15Monarch
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 goodZane buildbecause he will still be flying around the map at high speeds.
14O.P.Q. System
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 evenmore firepowerat their disposal. Another viable version of this weapon that isn’t a legendary is the Q. System.
13NoPewPew
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 inthe Flynt family tree.
12Light Show
The Light Show is one of the most beloved weapons inBorderlands 3right 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 theBounty of BloodDLC.
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.
11Kickcharger
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.
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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.
10Redistributor
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.
9Grease Trap
This weapon is one of themost powerful weapons in the gameon 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.
8Super Soldier
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 thatprevents 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.
7Re-Volter
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.
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This bonusis 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.
6It’s Piss
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.
