Firstly, original credit for this thread goes to @pestopartyy, who put this together before launch.
Also, thanks to @Ratore, @darreltan2004, @Space0ctopus, and @narfkeks for help with testing and suggestions throughout the months.

With the FL4K skill guide being completed recently and Mayhem 2.0 just released, it’s about time to finish this for anyone looking to really min-max FL4K’s pets. I’m not going to focus too much on pet damage in this post since they aren’t scaling for Mayhem 2.0 yet, but trust me once they do I’ll be all over with a dedicated pet compendium! In the meantime you can find their damage formula and other FL4K goodies in Ratore’s Damage Formula thread.

Now that we have a much better understanding of how the different pets work, we can see that there is a fair amount of nuance and min-max potential depending on what you want to do. This thread will serve as a resource that gives info on each of the pets and how to make the most out of them.

This is a community effort, so feel free to contribute any knowledge you may have on the pets as well so we can make this the most comprehensive guide possible!

Skill ratings

 : Bad skills. Don’t use these at all once you unlock other pets.

 : Workable. These pets are more niche and require specialized builds to really be worth taking.

 : Excellent. These pets will be the best choice for just about every build and are universally useful no matter what you’re doing.

Jabber

The Jabbers are handy sidekicks with unique mechanics. They are primarily ranged attackers, meaning they have a lot of strange interactions with FL4K’s pet skills. They also love impersonating Donkey-Kong, which can be a benefit or a detriment depending on your level of patience.
They are also the only pet that won’t commit suicide at Wotan, so that’s cool.

Jabber Sidekick

Requires no skill points to unlock

FL4K is joined by a loyal Jabber companion, armed with a Pistol. While accompanied by the Jabber, FL4K’s Movement Speed is increased.

• Attack Command : The Jabber throws a Radiation Barrel at enemies.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Movement Speed

• Base Damage shot : 4,987 x2 per second

• Attack Command : 39,736

Great in: N/A

This pet is useful when you first get it, but like all of the tier 1 pets, it isn’t worth keeping once you unlock tier 2. It only has one passive, its damage is the worst out of all the Jabbers, and it doesn’t have any unique qualities that make it worth keeping.

Upside is, if for some reason you’re using attack command anointments, this guy has the quickest response to attack commands among all the pets. That’s not enough to save him from being a starter pet only though.

Beefcake Jabber

Requires 10 skill points invested in Stalker to unlock

FL4K’s Jabber evolves into a Beefcake, discarding its pistol and equipping a Shotgun. While accompanied by the Beefcake, FL4K gains increased Movement Speed and Maximum Health.

• Attack Command : The Beefcake summons a melee weapon to deliver a powerful attack that knocks enemies back.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Movement Speed, +10.0% Max Health

• Base Damage shot : 15K

• Attack Command : 39,736

Great in: N/A

Beefcake’s max health passive could be useful for FL4K since they have so much percentage based healing. With Barbaric Yawp it actually gives as much health as Self Repairing System. However, in Borderlands it’s generally better to regen health than to have more, and the opportunity cost of taking a pet for a defensive bonus rather than an offensive one is rather high. He is also terrible at stacking Frenzy on his own for what it matters.

After the November 10th patch removed mayhem scaling guns for Jabber pets, Beefcake’s damage took a massive nosedive, to the point where it isn’t worthy of consideration anymore. His shotgun will deal more than base pet melee, but will be out damaged by Gamma Burst melee, during which every pet hits the same. His attack command can still be effective on low tier mobs with Go for the Eyes, but it is not a good enough source of damage to be worth it.

Gunslinger Jabber

Requires 15 skill points invested in Stalker to unlock

FL4K’s Jabber upgrades his gear and equips an SMG. While accompanied by the Gunslinger, FL4K gains increased Movement Speed and Critical Hit Damage.

• Attack Command : The Gunslinger equips a Rocket Launcher to attack the target.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Movement Speed, +5.0% Critical Hit Damage

• Base Damage shot : 1,176 x40 in full burst

• Attack Command : 77,489 x3 rockets
  (Effected by splash damage, AOE)

Great in: Attack command builds, utility with Throatripper, Roll Reversal builds

Gunslinger has the highest damage numbers in the base 3 skill trees, but his role is more for utility in the level 72 cap. He is amazing at stacking Frenzy on its own. His fast attack rate makes him a great pet to utilize with Throatripper + LNT for ammo restore, Fuzzy Math for fast and consistent procs for amp shields, or Roll Reversal builds to bypass the need for Red Fang to get pet crits quickly.

If you’re looking for a pet with a useful passive, his crit damage bonus can be helpful, but this isn’t the pet to go for as a stat stick. He also keeps the most distance from enemies and will rarely die even in Mayhem levels, so he will always be there to get you out of FFYL.

Be aware that as of 7/23 patch that increased mayhem scaling, Gunslinger will frequently kill himself with his attack command on high mayhems. Be sure to have a Res equipped to pick him up.

Skag

Skags are a great generalist pet. Their passive Bonus Damage is universally useful, and since all they do is melee they tend to be the “smartest”pet. As pets, they aren’t incredibly interesting, but if you want a stat stick then you can’t go wrong with any of them in a pinch.

Skags generally have the most aggressive and consistent AI of FL4K’s pets, a trait that is far more noticeable and desirable in the 72 patch.

Guard Skag

Requires no skill points to unlock

FL4K is joined by a loyal Skag companion, which will increase FL4K’s Damage.

• Attack Command : The Skag vomits acid onto enemies.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Damage

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 9943 x4 ticks

**Great in:**N/A

Besides the fact that Guard Skag is a good skaggo, there isn’t anything that makes this guy worth keeping equipped past level 12. He only has one passive, his attack command is weak, and he doesn’t do anything mechanically different than the other skags.

Great Horned Skag

Requires 10 skill points invested in Master to unlock

FL4K’s Skag evolves into a larger, Great Horned Skag which will increase FL4K’s Damage and Gun Damage.

• Attack Command : The Great Horned Skag charges at enemies and knocks them into the air.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Damage, +10.0% Gun Damage

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 39,736

Great in: Stat stick
Horned Skag’s passive increases to Bonus Damage and Gun Damage are extremely potent and make him one of the best pets to take on any build. With 5/5 Barbaric Yawp he will give you 45% damage total on his own. More damage is never a bad thing.

Be aware that as of 7/23 patch, his attack command is dealing 50% of the damage it should be doing. Fixed as of Level 72 patch.

Eridian Skag

Requires 15 skill points invested in Master to unlock

FL4K’s Skag evolves into an Eridian Skag, which will increase FL4K’s Damage and Fire Rate.

• Attack Command : The Eridian Skag pulls nearby enemies in by generating a Singularity.

• Passive Bonus : +5.0% Damage, +5.0% Fire Rate

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 9943 (melee) + 27,817
  (Effected by splash damage, AOE)

Great in: OK as a stat stick

Eridian skag is still a skag, so is useful simply for the Bonus Damage.

Since Eridian is a tier 3 pet, he gets splash damage on his attack command as well. Unfortunately, unlike Gunslinger and Countess, he has the worst base damage out of any pet’s attack command. Splash is splash and with a dedicated build you can still get it to do more than most of the other pets, but not by much, and not enough to justify building around it.

Spiderant

Spiderants are very interesting. With All My BFFs, their base regen applies to their own health, making them able to withstand tremendous amounts of punishment even with low health regen. This also makes them a great choice for support builds utilizing All My BFFs to grant team health regen. This also makes them great for healing teammates since All My BFFs applies your healing percentage to the entire team.

Two of the spiderants are come in elemental variants, meaning they can stack Frenzy with their DoTs, and have synergy with the Pearl, Flesh Melter, and Consecutive Hit anointments. They are very quirky, but extremely useful.

Spiderant Centurion

Requires no skill points to unlock

FL4K is joined by a loyal Spiderant companion, which will cause FL4K to constantly regenerate health.

• Attack Command : The Spiderant charges into enemies.

• Passive Bonus : Regenerates +1.0% of Max Health/sec

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 23,843

Great in: N/A

Centurion has the same problem as the other tier 1 pets: no second passive means it will be instantly invalidated the second you unlock Scorcher. It also doesn’t have any interesting mechanics, which sucks because the other spiderants have them in spades.

Be aware that as of 7/23 patch, her attack command is dealing 60% of the damage it should be doing.

Spiderant Scorcher

Requires 10 skill points invested in Hunter to unlock

FL4K’s Spiderant evolves into a Scorcher, occasionally dealing Incendiary Damage to all enemies nearby. While accompanied by the Scorcher, FL4K constantly regenerates health and deals increased Elemental Damage.

• Attack Command : The Scorcher charges enemies.

• Passive Bonus : Regenerates +1.0% of Max Health/sec, +10.0% Elemental Damage

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 23,843

Great in: Stat stick

Scorcher is overloaded on good things. Her elemental damage buff is absolutely bonkers, and is one of the most powerful damage bonuses you can get for FL4K. Considering how low most of FL4K’s health regen skills are, the 3% you get from this skill with 5/5 Barbaric Yawp is actually substantial. She is also surprisingly effective at stacking Frenzy, consec, and the pearl with her lava pool attack.

Her AI is extremely dodgy though, which can work against some set ups.

Be aware that as of 7/23 patch, her attack command is dealing 60% of the damage it should be doing.

Spiderant Countess

Requires 15 skill points invested in Hunter to unlock

FL4K’s Spiderant evolves into a Countess, which will cause FL4K to constantly regenerate health and gain Damage Reduction.

• Attack Command : The Countess burrows underground and then emerges dealing Corrosive Damage in an area.

• Passive Bonus : Regenerates +1.0% of Max Health/sec, +5.0% Damage Reduction

• Base Damage melee : 9,943

• Attack Command : 59,607
  (Effected by splash damage, AOE)

Great in: Attack Command builds

Countess is amazing choice for damage, equal to Gunslinger under the right circumstances. Her teleportation attack command is extremely useful for moving her around the battlefield and behind cover, and it also does a boatload of damage when built around. Countess can also stack the Flesh Melter artifact for you, although she doesn’t benefit herself.

Definitely don’t take her for the passive though. You have several other sources of damage reduction that cost less points and give the same amount as Countess.

Loader Bot

Loaders are the newest pet to come with the purple tree. Equipped with the ability to naturally crit (without Throatripper) and single, larger value passives, these pets occupy an …interesting role in FL4K’s pack.

Before continuing, it must be noted that the Loaders, like much of the purple tree, come with their share of bugs. I’ll elaborate on the general ones here, and mention specific ones in the individual pet entries.

1. No Loader passives are increased by Barbaric Yawp.
2. Loaders do not proc the taunt from the Not My Circus Fade Away augment.
3. Loader bot’s basic attacks will not stack Frenzy. Fixed as of level 72 patch, they now stack frenzy on basic attacks!
4. All Loader will instantly die if they are hit by Diadem explosions, Anathema’s nova, or Scourge’s novas in the Guardian Takedown, even if they are in Gamma Burst.

Ion Loader

Requires no skill points to unlock

FL4K is joined by a loyal Mini ION Loader Bot companion, armed with a Shock Sniper Rifle and Homing Shock Orbs that can be shot to trigger a Shock Nova. While accompanied by the ION Loader , FL4K gains increased Elemental Damage Resistance .

• Attack Command : ION Loader fires a powerful Eye Laser at the enemy.

• Passive Bonus : 30% Elemental Resistance (bugged, increases damage taken)

• Base Sniper Damage : 8814

• Shock Orb Explosion damage : 23k

• Shock Nova : 71k

• Attack Command : 9,943 x 4

Great in: N/A

Aside from the usual issues tier 1 pets have regarding low passive strength and attack command damage, Ion Loader compounds on the issues with numerous bugs. Ion Loader’s passive actually increases the amount of elemental damage over time you receive instead of decreasing it. All around I suggest avoiding this skill to the highest degree in its current state.

Bull Loader

Requires 10 skill points invested in Trapper to unlock*

FL4K’s ION Loader upgrades into an BUL Loader , discarding its sniper rifle and equipping a Shotgun . FL4K’s BUL Loader also gains increased Damage Resistance and a powerful Roundhouse Melee Attack. While accompanied by the BUL Loader , FL4K’s Shield Capacity is increased.

• Attack Command : When FL4K issues an Attack Command , the BUL Loader briefly turns into a Bulldozer to charge at enemies and knock them up.

• Passive Bonus : Shield Capacity +20%

• **Base Shotgun Damage ** : 36k when all pellets hit

• Attack Command : 49k

Great in: N/A

Bull Loader’s passive applies to FL4K’s base shield capacity, before any modifiers. This means that if you were to wear a Deathless and have Bull Loader equipped, it would increase your shield capacity by 20% of what your shield was before equipping the Deathless. It’s passive adds much less capacity than it seems.

Between the low value passive, pathing issues on the attack command, and inconsistent damage, I’d recommend avoiding the Bull Loader.

War Loader

Requires 15 skill points invested in Trapper to unlock*

FL4k’s ION Loader upgrades into a WAR Loader , discarding its sniper rifle and equipping an Incendiary Shotgun and Grenades . While accompanied by the WAR Loader , FL4K gains increased Fire Rate .

• Attack Command : When FL4K issues an Attack Command , the WAR Loader unleashes a barrage of missiles at the target.

• Passive Bonus : Fire Rate +12%

• **Base Shotgun Damage ** : 36k when all pellets hit

• Attack Command : 43k x4 rockets
  (Effected by splash damage, AOE)

Great in: Pet damage builds
War Loader’s passive fire rate buff is one of the only 2 FL4K DPS skills available in the Trapper tree, though it is bugged and does not increase with Barbaric Yawp making it a non-consideration for damage purposes.

His AI and movement speed are extremely slow. However, because War Loader’s fire DOTs can crit via Throatripper, it can be useful for getting more procs of Fuzzy Math and Monkey Do. The grenade that War Loader throws receives pet mayhem scaling and applies the OGT anoint, so it can have a decent utility role although the cool down for this ability is in excess of 20 seconds. War Loader has the most utility out of all the Loaders due to this.

War Loader can be instantly killed by diadems and wipe attacks from Scourge and Anathema in the Guardian Takedown, eve through Gamma Burst, so beware if using this pet in that content.