Borderlands 2 characters guide: from Zer0 to hero

With his whip-thin abdomen, glowing blade and menacing LED eyewear, Borderlands 2's Zer0 owes a clear artistic debt to Metal Gear Solid's Gray Fox. In keeping with the Borderlands vibe, he's an odd blend of the sinister and the humorous. On the one hand, silent death. On the other, a visor which projects holographic smiley faces. Aww.

There's a lot more to this particular ninja than backstabbing and emoticons, however. In the first of this week's Borderlands 2 character guides, we slip into that svelte grey suit and do our best to channel Shinobi. Watch out for a write-up of the considerably less subtle Salvador tomorrow, with Maya's breakdown following on Wednesday and Axton's on Thursday.

Probably our favourite of the new Borderlands 2 characters, Zer0 is a cheeky-sneak who specialises in stealth and sniping. Melee in the first game was a bit half-baked, but Zer0's laser sword is a force to be reckoned with - get close enough without being killed, and you'll see huge damage numbers popping out of their heads.

The best way to get close enough for a bit of melee-murder is by using your Deception skill to temporarily disappear, leaving a decoy hologram in your place. On the surface this skill looks a lot like Lilith's Phasewalk, but unlike the power from the first game you still remain susceptible to damage throughout. Using it to escape isn't a terrible idea, but don't expect it to save you from that incoming rocket.

You can only stay cloaked for a limited time, but this introduces a really cool aspect: the less time on the cloak-clock you have when attacking, the more damage you'll do. Whether you're dashing to quickly get behind a foe for a stab or lining up a careful headshot from afar, this additional reward for skill is brilliant fun.

In addition to the enticing countdown clock, activating Deception brings up other on-screen goodies, highlighting the weak spots of all visible foes. Most enemies this time have more than one weak point, and some of the target areas are tiny - a maxi-zoomed sniper shot could be the way forward.

Zer0's skill trees give you plenty of room to specialise in melee or long-ranged combat, with a few skills that should prove really handy when playing in a co-op game. Deathmark tells the team to all target one foe, while boosting the team's damage to that foe for a short time. Whether you're flanking a fight to stab chaps in the back or scouting targets with your scope from afar, Zer0 is a hell of a lot of fun to play.

Don't forget - you stand to win a TV when you buy our latest issue, a massive Borderlands 2 special. Any requests as to future Borderlands 2 coverage?