When one thinks of the Borderlands series, it’s usually the beefier, more explosive weapons that come to mind. Still, some of the best, most efficient guns actually come in the form of the smaller, deceptively strong pistols.
This is particularly the case in the fan-favorite Borderlands 2. The game offers a slew of amusing, powerful pistols that can pack a punch - while often being compact, accurate, and swift to boot. Naturally, some of BL2’s greatest pistols reside in the coveted Legendary category.
This list will cover each of the nine pistols with the gold “Legendary” tag, ranking each according to their raw power and other features.
9 Logan’s Gun
This peculiar pistol makes an appearance in BL2 and its more under-the-radar prequel. In both games, it’s a rare random drop, though players who - for whatever reason - desire it, can try to farm it from Wilhelm in End of the Line.
Those who favor Incendiary weapons may get a kick out of this, but it doesn’t have much going for it beyond this. Logan’s has explosive rounds which detonate instantly on contact and quickly explode three times when a surface is struck. Logan’s can be impactful - though it tends to resemble a mini rocket launcher more than a standard pistol.
Just don’t expect to land many hits when firing from a distance. Despite being pretty accurate, its sluggish fire rate and reload speed tend to bog it down a bit.
8 Gub
Bandit-branded weapons have a tendency to be a bit shoddy in terms of design as well as mechanics, and this Legendary pistol is no different.
It makes for a solid enough pistol for those who favor corrosive - since it doesn’t have any other elemental variants. It has a high output of raw damage, and its lack of recoil mitigates its mediocre accuracy. Unfortunately, corrosive exclusivity means that its usefulness doesn’t extend much beyond armored foes.
Still, the Gub could be a beast - assuming you stick mainly to armored baddies at close to midrange. It can be nabbed most frequently from the optional boss Laney White in The Fridge.
7 Hornet
This little guy is also corrosive-only, so its effectiveness has a fairly limited reach. Regardless, the Hornet can really inflict some sting with its high damage output and 6-round burst first when zoomed in. The elemental effect is further enhanced by its splash effect, making it akin to small, quick-firing corrosive ’nades.
While it tends to be overlooked, this is an effective pistol - minus the corrosive-only restrictions and somewhat spotty accuracy.
It can be had through random loot, but has an increased chance to drop from Knuckle Dragger - basically a Bullymong on ‘roids - located in Windshear Waste.
6 Hector’s Paradise
Described by players as a “Hornet with shock,” Hector’s Paradise serves as one of the new standout pistols in the Commander Lilith DLC pack. The weapon is obtained when playing the mission Echoes of the Past.
Indeed, it bears many similarities to that pistol - with its swift fire rate, average accuracy, elemental splash, and 6-round burst when zoomed. It’s not surprising, since it basically resembles a Hornet in most ways.
Ultimately, its melee damage boost and higher DPS output give this a slight edge over its counterpart.
5 Maggie
This Old West-style revolver from Jakobs can be found randomly from loot - or more likely from the Zaford clan’s Mick Zaford, who resides in The Dust.
Being a Jakobs weapon, it’s pretty minimalistic and lacks elemental features. But in terms of raw power and speed, this gun - whose name is derived from Montgomery Jakobs’ wife - is second to none.
Overwatch fans may recognize similarities to the DPS hero McCree’s revolver, as it similarly has some kickback and fires multiple shots in rapid succession. As long as it’s mainly used at medium range, the Maggie can be a deceptively-powerful pistol.
4 Thunderball Fists
This thunderous pistol definitely lives up to its name - especially when clashing with shielded targets. It has an increased chance to drop from Captain Flynt located in Southern Shelf - and his son Sparky on Wam Bam Island.
This Legendary is a powerful shock-only pistol which fires off electric orbs of death. These orbs deal splash damage and are compounded with electric damage after detonating a second time. Basically, it can utterly melt foes with high shield capacity. Its sluggish fire rate marks one of its very few weak spots.
The pistol can be further enhanced with Gaige’s impactful skill, Little Big Trouble, which favors shock damage.
3 Infinity
While considered a bit overrated by some, it’s hard to deny the sheer firepower of this little beast of a pistol. The Infinity can be found from the nomad mini-boss Doc Mercy in Three Horns - Valley, or from enemy drops in True Vault Hunter Mode.
Staying true to its name, the Infinity proves appealing to those economical players, as it has the unique perk of consuming zero ammo. To further drive home this theme, its shots are even fired in a fixed pattern resembling an infinity sign. Its swift fire rate, sharp accuracy, and solid scope make it optimal for sharpshooting from range.
Still, getting past these bells and whistles, its actual damage output is fairly middle-of-the-road for a Legendary.
2 Gunerang
Being of the unique Tediore brand, this already-potent pistol has the added benefit of doing damage while reloading - and lots of it. During this action, a small version of the gun will be hurled forward, adding extra firepower to the mix. Its funky boomerang flight path can be a bit tricky to work with, but it can make a real impact when hits are landed.
You can even nudge the return path of the boomerang towards enemies to milk this feature. Just be careful as it does self-inflicting damage when exploding too close.
Beyond this fun little quirk, the Gunerang is just a solid weapon all-around, particularly when it comes to its super-speedy reload time.
1 Unkempt Harold
This explosive Torgue gun is almost unquestionably viewed as the most powerful Legendary pistol in BL2, and one of the game’s best weapons in general. This is particularly the case when enhanced by its “double penetrating” prefix.
While it consumes a hefty 6 ammo per shot, it’s well worth the cost. The Harold is a truly devastating pistol which fires 3 explosive shots that accelerate in a horizontal spread. These then split twice, yielding four more projectiles - and piling on the damage as long as each projectile finds its mark. Basically, the Harold can overwhelm foes and even potent bosses with a barrage of bullets.
The weapon has solid stats across the board, and its versatility makes it a great choice for any build.
It most often drops from Savage Lee at Three Horns - Divide. The Torgue vending machines in Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage also sometimes yield them as the “Item of the Day.”
NEXT: 7 Things Borderlands 3 Does Better Than Borderlands 2 (& 7 Things Borderlands 2 does Better)
