Borderlands 3 is one of the most customization-heavy games available. Aside from the standard gear, the Class Mods (aka Class Optimization Modules or COMs) play a vital role in building your Vault Hunter character. These apply anything from boosting character stats to adding bonuses to effects in the case of Legendary Class Mods.
The mechanics and the sheer range of customization and options that Class Mods in the game can be bewildering to a newbie. So let us take a look at the system and how to best apply Class Mods for your Borderlands 3 character!
What are Class Mods in Borderlands 3?
Class Mods in Borderlands 3 are like equipment but are specific to each character class in the game. The class a Class Mod belongs to is identified by the icons on it (which are unique to each of the 4 character classes in Borderlands 3).
Unlike equipment such as weapons, Class Mod effects are mostly passive and are always "on" as long as the character has a Class Mod slotted in. They are similar to how other games augment characters (as with Cyberpunk 2077's cyberware).
The Class Mods in the game vary in rarity. Generally, the rarer the Class Mod is, the better the bonuses. Rarity of Class Mods is determined by their color: Common – White Uncommon – Green Rare – Blue Epic - Purple Legendary – Gold Class Mods will often have a bonus modifier to them, which are applied to Stats and Skills of each character. The bonuses for Stats based on rarity are: Common - Zero or 1 stat bonus Uncommon – 1 stat bonus Rare – 1 to 2 stat bonuses Epic – 2 stat bonuses Legendary – 3 stat bonuses Meanwhile, Skill bonuses from Class Mod rarity are as follows: Common – 1 Skill bonus Uncommon – 2 Skill bonuses Rare – 3 Skill bonuses Epic – 4 Skill bonuses Legendary – 5 Skill bonuses These bonuses are applied to the skills and stats as if the character spent the points in them, and can even gain benefits for ones they have not put even one point in yet. Moreover, these bonuses can increase the modifiers beyond the cap. This is good for maximizing specialties or branching out to improve sub-par stats and skills.