Moze the Gunner always has backup in Borderlands 3 thanks to Iron Bear, her 15-ton bipedal mech that packs some heavy-duty firepower. This former Vladof soldier turned Vault Hunter offers a unique take on character builds: the multiple Action Skills that are part of Moze’s Shield of Retribution, Demolition Woman, and Bottomless Mags skill trees are actually weapons mounted onto each of Iron Bear’s arms, so you can mix and match Iron Bear’s loadout across multiple skill trees or even equip two of the same weapon if you’re all about symmetry. Here’s a breakdown of what Moze and Iron Bear are capable of when these inseparable BFFs spend their precious skill points.

Shield of Retribution

Action Skill: Railgun
Action Skill (Tier 2): Bear Fist

Make Moze and Iron Bear all but unbreakable with the Shield of Retribution skill tree. The Railgun is a great Action Skill weapon for sharpshooters, as Iron Bear fires off electrified, high-velocity projectiles that can easily vaporize your target if your aim is true. By investing a few skill points in Shield of Retribution, you can also access the Bear Fist Action Skill that lets Iron Bear pummel enemies into a pulp at close range.

Moze and Iron Bear already make a great pair, but you can be even more of a team player with some Shield of Retribution skills, like sacrificing some health to give you and your allies incendiary damage whenever you reload. You can also buff your shield’s capabilities by improving maximum capacity, recharge rate, and more. Here are some other helpful skills:

• Full Can of Whoop-Ass causes Moze and her allies to immediately begin recharging their shields at an increased rate whenever Moze jumps into Iron Bear.
• Force Feedback adds serious staying power to your shield: Moze’s shields will immediately begin recharging any time she scores a critical kill. If you’re an ace at nailing headshots, you’ll be that much tougher to take down.
• Phalanx Doctrine is a passive ability that grants multiple stacks of a buff by the same name every time you kill an enemy. For every stack, Moze’s maximum shield and gun damage are increased—and the kicker is that there’s no stack limit, though each stack only lasts a limited time. Killing large groups of weak enemies simultaneously will make you ridiculously powerful if you can set it up properly.

Action Skill Augments along the Shield of Retribution skill tree include improvements like making your Railgun shots chain out extra shock damage to nearby enemies and causing the Bear Fist to launch forward and yank enemies over to you. As if Moze and Iron Bear weren’t tough enough already, the Shield of Retribution skill tree will turn you into a true walking tank.

Demolition Woman

Action Skill: V-35 Grenade Launcher
Action Skill (Tier 2): Vanquisher Rocket Pod

“With the knowledge of Moze's arsenal, I would recommend exploring the Demolition Woman skill tree. Iron bear is a crucial part of the Gunner's gameplay and, at an early level, players can successfully rely on the splash damage of its Grenade Launcher. The skill tree offers multiple ways to customize your play-style. Equip the passive ability Stainless Steel Bear, offering additional armor and fuel to stay in Iron Bear longer, or utilize Torgue Cross-Promotion to increase splash damage. Don't forget to equip Moze's action skill in both slots to access the Iron Bear ability, it's too good!” – Daquan Sease, QA Tester

You’ll have a blast again and again with the Demolition Woman skill tree. Your starting Action Skill attachment for Iron Bear is the V-35 Grenade Launcher, which fires off a steady stream of grenades that aren’t affected by Moze’s equipped grenade mod. Your enemies will have a hell of a time trying to stay clear of all the splash damage; more likely, they’ll be blown up into a chunky mixture of blood and guts.

Whether you’re firing off grenades with Iron Bear or throwing them by hand, the Demolition Woman skill tree helps you get the most destructive force possible packed into every explosion. You’ll find helpful passive skills that do things like give Moze’s grenades a chance to score a critical hit, or increase her grenade carrying capacity. Other Demolition Woman skills include:

• Torgue Cross-Promotion gives all splash damage that Moze deals a chance to double in size. It’s a known fact that explosions are better when they’re bigger.
• Auto Bear lets Iron Bear fight on your behalf; once Moze jump outs, it will remain deployed in place for a short time. While it’s active, Iron Bear will attack nearby enemies, then charge at an enemy and self-destruct when its duration ends. That’s a true friend right there.
• Short Fuse lets your guns join the explosion party: whenever Moze deals gun damage, there’s a chance to trigger a secondary explosion centered on your target. Pair this ability with a high-rate-of-fire weapon to create some serious fireworks.

Alternate Demolition Woman Action Skill weapons for the Iron Bear include the Vanquisher Rocket Pod that can rapid-fire rocket volleys, along with Action Skill Augments that make those rockets lock-on and more. If your idea of a good time involves copious explosions and scads of shrapnel, the Demolition Woman skill tree should satisfy your appetite for fiery destruction.

Bottomless Mags

Action Skill: Minigun
Action Skill (Tier 2): Salamander

Guns don’t do much without ammo, but yours will rarely run dry with the Bottomless Mags skill tree. Give Iron Bear that classic mech aesthetic with the Minigun Action Skill weapon that spews out a steady stream of hot lead. The Bottomless Mags skill tree is also where you’ll find the Salamander Action Skill weapon, a humongous flamethrower that can fry nearby enemies to a crisp.  

You’ll find a good number of straightforward passive skills in the Bottomless Mags skill tree, like increases to Moze’s magazine size and more incendiary damage for both Moze and Iron Bear. But there are also some nifty skills that you can plan your entire build around, focusing on the boosts provided by skills like:

• Matched Set is an awesome reward for brand loyalty, giving Moze’s currently equipped weapon a stacking bonus to magazine size and decreased heat per shot for every piece of equipped gear that has a matching manufacturer.
• Specialist Bear encourages you to equip two of the same Action Skill weapon on Iron Bear, increasing their damage by a flat amount. Nothing wrong with a little uniformity, right?
• Forge is every gunner’s dream, and it’s beautiful in its simplicity: Moze constantly regenerates ammo for her currently equipped weapon. When paired with the unlimited magazine of a COV gun and a bit of prudent shooting, Moze can theoretically fire off rounds until the end of time.

You can improve your Minigun with Action Skill Augments that let you do things like deal increased damage as your gun heats up or fire explosive rounds. The Salamander has some equally fun Action Skill Augments, like dealing corrosive damage by dousing enemies in acid instead of flames. Anyone who loves hoarding ammo and firing off rounds in equal measure will appreciate the bullet bounty inherent to the Bottomless Mags skill tree.  

Check out the Moze character page if you’d like to experiment with her skill tree for yourself; you can also share your build for the dynamic duo of Moze and Iron Bear.

Remember, just because you choose a particular Action Skill it doesn’t mean that you’re locked into that skill tree; you’re free to mix and match to see what powerful combinations you can come up with. Be sure to check out the other Vault Hunters you can play as in Borderlands 3: Zane the Operative, Amara the Siren, and FL4K the Beastmaster.