Battleborn Tips: How to Play Montana

Montana in Battleborn

Battleborn has a vibrant cast of characters for you to pick and choose as a main. If you’ve been thinking about choosing Montana, well, good choice! This big guy with a heart of gold can take a beating and dish it out. Also, he loves kitties.

When you’re playing Montana, it’s important to keep in mind that the further you are, the worse your shots will be. Not only is your aim not the best (the minigun will just spray all over the place), you also don’t do optimal damage. When out on the field, get close to your enemy. Not so close they can do you in with their melee attacks, of course, but just enough. Protect your allies by being the hulking brute in the front lines, absorbing the damage.

Your shield won’t last very long, but it’s okay because you have a ton of health (and can even upgrade it more through the Helix tiers).

Always, always, always remember your R1/RB ability, Hailstorm. It will make your bullets extra powerful and grant you extra armor, reducing the damage you take. Activate it whenever you’re about to unleash on your enemy and start shooting. Oh, but do keep in mind that your minigun very much so acts as one, and will overheat if you’re shooting for too long. While this makes you do bonus damage, keeping it so close to overheating is a very bad idea. Let it cool down intermittently so that you’re not left vulnerable to attacks.

While Montana can take a ton of damage, you might find yourself in a pickle during some fights. For these moments, remember that your dash attack (L1 or LB) can also double as a “quick, get out of there” attack. Use it when you’re trying to run away and you might just get that boost you need.

Build Montana depending on your playstyle. Do you find yourself with more of an overheated minigun than a cooled one? Do you use dash or hailstorm more? Does health or shield matter more? These are questions you’ll need to answer for yourself so you can decide what to level up each tier.

All in all, Montana may be slow, but he’s got plenty of defense and attack to dish out. Just keep in mind these tips and you’ll be wrecking your foes in Battleborn in no time. Now, let’s run through his abilities.

Abilities For Battleborn’s Montana

Montana’s Minigun

“A truly fearsome weapon, the Minigun accumulates heat as it fires, increasing bonus damage dealt. Augments can increase or modify this effect.”

This is Montana’s primary weapon. It works like a typical minigun, complete with overheating, so make sure to keep your eye on the heat meter. Once it reaches all the way, you’ll be left totally vulnerable to attack. Holding the left trigger will get your minigun at the ready without you having to wait for the usual attack trigger windup.

Hearty Constitution

“Montana’s remarkable size allows him to soak up a substantial amount of damage.”

As mentioned before, Montana can take a beating. Sure, he’s not invulnerable, but the big guy can really dish it out with a long health span, even if the shield isn’t as powerful.

Lumberjack Dash

“Montana dashes and collides with an enemy, dealing 208-280 damage and knocking them back. If the hit enemy hits an object or ally, they are stunned for 1 second.”

This dash is a great attack at a single enemy, knocking back and disorienting them while doing damage, too. However, it’s important to keep it in mind when you want to get away, too. The same way you can dash at an enemy, you can dash away from them. Keep in mind, it will also give Montana a split second halt at the end of the dash, but hey, it could be the small boost you need to get out of a firefight.

Hailstorm

“Loads a specialized ammunition that slows enemies hit and uses less heat per shot. Also adds armor that reduces damage taken.”

Hailstorm is great to use whenever you’re attacking, whenever it’s available. Basically, always keep this in mind before you start wailing on an enemy. First, you start off with freezy bullets that slow enemies down, but after upgrading the appropriate tier once leveled, you’ll be blasting fools with some fire.

Mansformation

“Stomp the ground, dealing 525-750 damage and knocking up nearby enemies. Montana takes reduced damage for 8 seconds after.”

This attack should only be reserved for when you’re absolutely surrounded by melee enemies or people you know won’t get out of the way immediately. He doesn’t automatically stomp once it’s pressed, so there will definitely be a delay in his attack. If your enemies move out of the way, it’s a total waste, although you do take reduced damage for eight seconds afterwards.

Heatwave

“The hotter Montana’s minigun is, the more bonus damage it deals.”

This ability does entice you to just keep shooting, but bear in mind the consequences of waiting for an overheated gun to cool down.

Helix Build for Battleborn’s Montana

Go the Distance (Tier 1)

Increases Lumberjack Dash’s dash distance. + 50% Dash Distance

Weather Man (Tier 1)

Increases Minigun accuracy while Hailstorm is active. +30% Accuracy

The Ol’ One-Two (Tier 2)

Montana knocks nearby enemies upward at the end of Lumberjack Dash.

Push It Push It Push It (Tier 2)

Increases the knockback effect of Lumberjack Dash.

Pumped Up (Tier 3)

Increases Montana’s maximum health. +250 Health

Gatling Grease (Tier 3)

Decreases Minigun spin-up time. -30% Spin-up Time

The Cooler (Tier 4)

Minigun heat decreases with each shot fired while Hailstorm is active.

Firestorm (Tier 4)

Your bullets burn enemies, adding bonus damage over time. Increases Minigun heat accumulation per shot fired when Hailstorm is active. +24 Damage Per Second

Cold-Blooded (Tier 5)

Montana’s health regeneration rate increases the lower his Minigun heat is.

Hot-Blooded (Tier 5)

Montana’s health regeneration rate increases the higher his Minigun heat is.

Swole Shield (Tier 6)

Increases Montana’s maximum shield strength. +195 Shield

Feeling the Burn (Tier 6)

Montana’s Minigun no longer overheats. Every shot fired beyond maximum heat capacity damages Montana.

Icebreaker (Tier 7)

Lumberjack Dash deals extra damage to enemies while Hailstorm is active. +25% Damage

Ice Age (Tier 7)

Increases Hailstorm’s skill duration. +2 Seconds Duration

Too Big to Fail (Tier 8)

Reduces the cooldown of Lumberjack Dash, allowing more frequent usage. -25% Cooldown

Krackadowww! (Tier 8)

Increases Lumberjack Dash’s impact damage. +15% Damage

Bullet Buff (Tier 9)

Intensifies Hailstorm’s slowing effect, further reducing enemy movement speed. If Firestorm augment is active, its damage over time effects are lengthened.

Perfect Storm (Tier 9)

Increases weapon damage while Hailstorm is active. +14% Damage

Big Payback (Tier 10)

Absorbs damage taken while Mansformation damage reduction is active. When Mansformation ends, an area of effect attack is unleashed after 3 seconds, returning absorbed damage to nearby enemies.

Instant Payback (Tier 10)

When Mansformation damage reduction is active, incoming enemy fire is reflected back at the attacker.

If you need any other help with Battleborn, check out our wiki!