Borderlands 3 Zane Skill Trees - Doubled Agent, Hitman and Under Cover Action Skills explained
Everything you need to know about Zane, the Operative, in Borderlands 3.
Zane is one of the new Vault Hunters from Borderlands 3, with three different Skill Trees at his disposal - Doubled Agent, Hitman and Under Cover.
Zane Flynt is an almost retired corporate hitman who sells his skills of espionage and assassination to the highest bidder. Using a range of gadgets and mercenary experience, Zane truly deserves the class title of Operative.
If you've played Borderlands or Borderlands 2, then you might remember the surname Flynt. Zane is the brother of the bandit lord, Baron Flynt from Borderlands, who you kill, and Captain Flynt from Borderlands 2, who you also kill.
Apparently violence is the family business.
On this page:
Best Borderlands 3 Character Builds For Every Vault Hunter - BORDERLANDS 3 FLAK, MOZE, AMARA, & ZANE
If you're looking for the other character skills trees, then check out our Skill Trees guides for Amara, Fl4k and Moze.
How Zane's Action Skills work in Borderlands 3
Zane can have 2 Action Skills equipped one time. Since Zane only has 3 Action Skills, this should be an easy choice.
As you spend Skill Points in the various Skill Trees, you'll unlock Action Skill Augments, which will add new features to your chosen Action Skills.
Zane can have 2 Action Skill Augments equipped to each Action Skill. This means that you will be using a total of 4 Action Skill Augments in total.
Take your time to investigate what each individual Action Skill Augment does to ensure that you've made your Action Skill as powerful as possible.
Doubled Agent Skill Tree for Zane in Borderlands 3
Doubled Agent is all about misdirection and using Zane's Digi-Clone to bring chaos to the battlefield.
Nearly all of the Abilities in the Double Agent Skill Tree allow you to upgrade or take advantage of the Digi-Clone in some way.
Quick Breather will instantly recharge Zane's shield after he swaps places with his Clone, while Old-U allows you to escape Fight for Your Life, with full health, by destroying the Digi-Clone.
The Action Skill Augments follow this strategy by helping you make the Clone more deadly. Doppelbanger lets you treat the Clone like a grenade, attacking nearby enemies with Splash Damage when it vanishes.
If you reach the very end of the Skill Tree, you'll be able to unlock Double Barrel. This will give the Clone a copy of your currently equipped gun, making both of you near unstoppable on the battlefield.
Action Skill for the Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Digi-Clone - creates a Digi-Clone of Zane that stays in one place
- Can swap places with the Clone
- Duration: 15 seconds
- Cooldown: 28 seconds
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 1
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sychronicity | Passive | When an Action Skill is active, Zane's Gun Damage is increased. Rank 1: Gun Damage - +4% per active action skill Rank 2: Gun Damage - +8% per active action skill Rank 3: Gun Damage - +12% per active action skill Rank 4: Gun Damage - +16% per active action skill Rank 5: Gun Damage - +20% per active action skill |
| Praemunitus | Passive | Zane and his Digi-Clone have increased Magazine Size. Rank 1: Magazine Size - +8.3% Rank 2: Magazine Size - +16.7% Rank 3: Magazine Size - +25.0% |
| Borrowed Time | Passive | Gains increased Action Skill Duration for every active Action Skill. Rank 1: Action Skill Duration - +3% per active action skill Rank 2: Action Skill Duration - +6% per active action skill Rank 3: Action Skill Duration - +9% per active action skill Rank 4: Action Skill Duration - +12% per active action skill Rank 5: Action Skill Duration - +15% per active action skill |
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 2
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Binary System | Action Skill Augment | When Zane swaps places with his Clone, a Cryo Nova is triggered around Zane and his Clone. Nova Damage - 46 |
| Donnybrook | Passive | Kill Skill. After killing an enemy, Zane and his Clone gain increased Gun Damage and Health Regeneration for a few seconds. Rank 1: Gun Damage - +3% / Health Regeneration - 0.5% of Missing Health/sec / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Gun Damage - +6% / Health Regeneration - 1.0% of Missing Health/sec / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Gun Damage - +9% / Health Regeneration - 1.5% of Missing Health/sec / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 4: Gun Damage - +12% / Health Regeneration - 2.0% of Missing Health/sec / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 5: Gun Damage - +15% / Health Regeneration - 2.5% of Missing Health/sec / Duration - 8 seconds |
| Fractal Frags | Passive | Digi-Clone throws a copy of Zane's grenade mod after being activiated. If the Clone is killed, it drops a free grenade. If an enemy is killed while the Clone is active, it can throw another grenade. Grenade Chance - +30% |
| Duct Tape Mod | Passive | The first shot fired from Zane's gun could also fire a grenade. This skill has a short cooldown. Rank 1: Grenade Chance - up to 4% / Cooldown Time - 8 seconds Rank 2: Grenade Chance - up to 8% / Cooldown Time - 8 seconds Rank 3: Grenade Chance - up to 12% / Cooldown Time - 8 seconds Rank 4: Grenade Chance - up to 16% / Cooldown Time - 8 seconds Rank 5: Grenade Chance - up to 20% / Cooldown Time - 8 seconds |
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 3
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Schadenfreude | Action Skill Augment | When the Digi-Clone takes damage, Zane's shield is restored by a portion of that damage. Shields Restored - +100.0 of Digi-Clone damage |
| Quick Breather | Passive | Swapping places with Zane's clone, will immediately start recharging his shield. |
| Which One's Real? | Action Skill Augment | Enemies are more likely to target the Clone after its been summoned or swapped places. Duration - 4 seconds |
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 4
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Doppelbanger | Action Skill Augment | When the Digi-Clone vanishes, it will deal Splash Famage to nearby enemies. The longer the Clone is on the battlefield, the more damage it will deal. Damage - up to 280 |
| Pocket Full of Grenades | Passive | Kill Skill. After killing an enemy, Zane gains Grenade Regeneration for a few seconds. Rank 1: Grenade Regeneration - 7% per second Rank 2: Grenade Regeneration - 13% per second Rank 3: Grenade Regeneration - 20% per second |
| Old-U | Passive | If the Digi-Clone is active during Fight for Your Life and you choose to destory it, Zane will gain a Second Wind with full health. Max Health Restored - 100% of Max Health |
| Supersonic Man | Passive | When or one of Zane's Action Skill are active, his Movement Speed is increased. Rank 1: Movement Speed - +4 per active action skill Rank 2: Movement Speed - +8 per active action skill Rank 3: Movement Speed - +12 per active action skill |
| Digital Distribution | Action Skill Augment | If Zane takes damage while the Digi-Clone is active, a portion of that damage is shared with the Clone. Shared Health Damage - +75.0% |
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 5
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Like a Ghost | Passive | Zane and his Clone have the opportunity to ignore bullets. This effect stacks and is increased for a few seconds after activating an Action Skill. Rank 1: Ignore Bullet Chance - 2% / Additional Ignore Bullet Chance - +3% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Ignore Bullet Chance - 4% / Additional Ignore Bullet Chance - +6% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Ignore Bullet Chance - 6% / Additional Ignore Bullet Chance - +9% / Duration - 8 seconds |
| Boom. Enhance. | Passive | Summoning the Clone, consumes up to 3 grenades. For each grenade, the Clone gains increased Gun Damage, Max Health, Fire Rate, Reload Speed and Digi-Clone Duration. Gun Damage - +20% per grenade / Max Health - +81% per grenade / Fire Rate - +5% per grenade / Reload Speed - +31% per grenade / Digi-Clone Duration - +25.0% seconds per grenade |
| Trick of The Light | Passive | Zane deals Bonus Shock Damage to enemies which arn't targetting him. Rank 1: Bonus Damage - 6.0% of damage dealt Rank 2: Bonus Damage - 12.0% of damage dealt Rank 3: Bonus Damage - 18.0% of damage dealt |
Doubled Agent Skill Tree - Tier 6
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Double Barrel | Passive | The Digi-Clone has a copy of Zane's Current Weapon equipped. Swapping places increased Gun Damage. Item Duping - +100% Gun Damage - +20% |
Hitman Skill Tree for Zane in Borderlands 3
The Hitman Skill Tree is about killing your enemies as quickly as possible.
This is important because the majority of the abilities you unlock in Hitman are Kill Skills, which mean they only activate once you've killed an enemy.
If you're playing using this Skill Tree, then you should try to keep kill every foe you encounter fast, as it will allow you to keep the Ability Boosts for as long as possible. Luckily, Abilities like Cool Hand and Violent Violence will increase Zane's Reload Speed and Fire Rate, helping you achieve this goal.
The Hitman Action Skill will also help you kill as many enemies as possible.
The SNTNL drone will fly across the battlefield, taking out your enemies and adding to your kill bonuses. Action Skill Augments will allow you to customise the SNTNL with Elemental Damage, like Cyro Damage, and even give it the ability to shoot rockets.
If you invest all the way to the end of the Hitman Skill Tree, you'll unlock Seein' Red. This will activate all Zane's Kill Skills just from activating one of his Action Skills, making you a true force to be reckoned with.
Action Skill for the Hitman - SNTNL - send an automated SNTNL drone into the battlefield
- It will fly through the battle and attack enemies with its Machine Guns
- Duration: 24 seconds
- Cooldown: 60 seconds
- Machine Gun Damage: 4
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 1
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Speed | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy, increasing Movement Speed for a few seconds. Rank 1: Movement Speed - +4.0% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Movement Speed - +8.0% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Movement Speed - +12.0% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 4: Movement Speed - +16.0% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 5: Movement Speed - +20.0% / Duration - 8 seconds |
| Cold Bore | Passive | Increases Weapon Swap Speed and the next shot fired after swapping a weapon deals Bonus Cryo Damage. Rank 1: Weapon Swap Speed - +13% / Bonus Cryo Damage - +6% Rank 2: Weapon Swap Speed - +23% / Bonus Cryo Damage - +12% Rank 3: Weapon Swap Speed - +31% / Bonus Cryo Damage - +18% Rank 4: Weapon Swap Speed - +38% / Bonus Cryo Damage - +24% Rank 5: Weapon Swap Speed - +43% / Bonus Cryo Damage - +30% |
| Violent Momentum | Passive | Gun Damage is increased while moving. The quicker Zane moves, the larger the Gun Damage bonus. Rank 1: Gun Damage - +4.0% at default walk speed Rank 2: Gun Damage - +8.0% at default walk speed Rank 3: Gun Damage - +12.0% at default walk speed Rank 4: Gun Damage - +16.0% at default walk speed Rank 5: Gun Damage - +20.0% at default walk speed |
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 2
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Winter's Drone | Action Skill Augment | SNTNL's primary weapon now deals Cryo Damage. Converts SNTNL Weapon Damage to Cryo Drone Damage - -20% |
| Cool Hand | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy will increase Zane's Reload Speed for a few seconds. Rank 1: Reload Speed - +2.9% / Reload Speed - +4.0% after kill / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Reload Speed - +5.7% / Reload Speed - +7.0% after kill / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Reload Speed - +8.3% / Reload Speed - +11.0% after kill / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 4: Reload Speed - +10.7% / Reload Speed - +14.0% after kill / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 5: Reload Speed - +13.0% / Reload Speed - +17.0% after kill / Duration - 8 seconds |
| Drone Delivery | Passive | SNTNL will sometimes drop a free grenade based on Zane's current grenade mod. Cooldown - 15 seconds |
| Salvation | Passive | Kill Skill. Zane's Weapons gain Life Steal after a few seconds. Rank 1: Life Steal - 2% of damage dealt / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Life Steal - 4% of damage dealt / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Life Steal - 6% of damage dealt / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 4: Life Steal - 8% of damage dealt / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 5: Life Steal - 10% of damage dealt / Duration - 8 seconds |
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 3
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Dose | Action Skill Augment | SNTNL occasionally shoots out a beam of Radiation that weakens enemies and buffs Zane. Each enemy will increase Zane's Movement Speed and Fire Rate. Weakened enemies will have decreased Movement Speed and Attack Speed. Fire Rate - +2.00 per enemy / Movement Speed - +6.00 per enemy / Damage - 4 per second / Duration - 12 seconds / Cooldown - 8 seconds |
| Death Follows Close | Passive | All Kill Skills gain increased effect and duration. Kill Skill Duration - +7 seconds / Kill Skill Bonus - +25.0% |
| Static Field | Action Skill Augment | SNTNL has a static field that attacks enemies with a Shock Beam, draining their shields and replemishing Zane's. Shield Damage - 2 per second Cooldown - 2 seconds |
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 4
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Boomsday | Action Skill Augment | Adds a rocket pod to the SNTNL, allowing it to shoot rockets. Rocket Damage - 21 |
| Violent Violence | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy, increases Zane's Fire Rate for a few seconds. Rank 1: Fire Rare - +4% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 2: Fire Rare - +8% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 3: Fire Rare - +12% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 4: Fire Rare - +16% / Duration - 8 seconds Rank 5: Fire Rare - +20% / Duration - 8 seconds |
| Playing Dirty | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy will give Zane's next 5 shots the chance to fire an additional bullet. Rank 1: Extra Shot Chance - 10.0% Rank 2: Extra Shot Chance - 20.0% Rank 3: Extra Shot Chance - 30.0% Rank 4: Extra Shot Chance - 40.0% Rank 5: Extra Shot Chance - 50.0% |
| Almighty Ordinance | Action Skill Augment | SNTNL fires at a specific target area. If an enemy is killed, the SNTNL's duration is reset. This can only be used once per Action Skill. Missile Damage - 32 Missiles per Barrage - 4 |
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 5
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Good Misfortune | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy increases Zane's Action Skill Duration, with diminishing returns. Rank 1: Duration Return - up to 4.0% max duration Rank 2: Duration Return - up to 8.0% max duration Rank 3: Duration Return - up to 12.0% max duration |
Hitman Skill Tree - Tier 6
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Seein' Red | Passive | Activating an Action Skill also activates all of Zane's Kill Skills. |
Under Cover Skill Tree for Zane in Borderlands 3
Under Cover is about being on the defensive and ensuring that your shields are always up.
Hearty Stock and Ready for Action get Under Cover off to a good start, allowing you to increase Zane's Maximum Shield Capacity, Shield Recharge Rate and decrease the Shield Recharge Delay.
These are important stats to invest in, especially if this is your first Borderlands game and you're still getting the hang of things.
As the Skill Tree progresses, the Skill Tree does become more aggressive by helping you deal Cryo Damage to your enemies. You can take advantage of by investing in the Refreshment Ability, which will allow you to regain health from damaging frozen enemies.
The Action Skill for Under Cover also keeps to this shield theme by giving you the Barrier. This is a movable shield that can protect you, your allies, while also providing some important Gun Damage bonuses.
If you're planning to use the Barrier, then it's worth unlocking the Action Skill Augment, All-Rounder. This transforms the Barrier into a dome, providing protection on all sides. This Augment could be the turning point in a battle, giving you the protection you need from a horde of foes.
Action Skill for the Under Cover Skill Tree - Barrier - creates a Barrier that blocks incoming projectiles
- Zane and his allies can shoot through the barrier for increased Gun Damage
- Can be picked up, but the size and bonuses will be reduced
- Duration: 14 seconds
- Cooldown: 24 seconds
- Damage Amp: +25%
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 1
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline | Passive | Increases Action Skill Cooldown Rate depending on how full Zane's shields are. Rank 1: Action Skill Cooldown Rate - up to +7% Rank 2: Action Skill Cooldown Rate - up to +14% Rank 3: Action Skill Cooldown Rate - up to +21% Rank 4: Action Skill Cooldown Rate - up to +28% Rank 5: Action Skill Cooldown Rate - up to +35% |
| Hearty Stock | Passive | Increases Maximum Shield Capacity. Rank 1: Max Shields - +10% Rank 2: Max Shields - +20% Rank 3: Max Shields - +30% |
| Ready for Action | Passive | Increases Shield Recharge Rate and descreases Shield Recharge Delay. Rank 1: Shield Recharge Rate - +6% / Shield Recharge Delay - -7% Rank 2: Shield Recharge Rate - +12% / Shield Recharge Delay - -14% Rank 3: Shield Recharge Rate - +18% / Shield Recharge Delay - -19% Rank 4: Shield Recharge Rate - +24% / Shield Recharge Delay - -24% Rank 5: Shield Recharge Rate - +30% / Shield Recharge Delay - -29% |
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 2
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Charged Relay | Action Skill Augment | When Zane or an ally touches the Barrier, their Movement Speed and Reload Speed are increased for a few seconds. Reload Speed - +20% / Movement Speed - +11% / Duration - 8 seconds after moving away from the Barrier |
| Brain Freeze | Passive | Making a Critical Hit on an enemy can Slow them. This effect stacks until a target is Frozen. Rank 1: Slow Chance - +4.0% Rank 2: Slow Chance - +8.0% Rank 3: Slow Chance - +12.0% Rank 4: Slow Chance - +16.0% Rank 5: Slow Chance - +20.0% |
| Stiff Upper Lip | Passive | Damage Resistance is increased when damaged for that specific damage type. Rank 1: Damage Resistance - +6.0% Rank 2: Damage Resistance - +12.0% Rank 3: Damage Resistance - +16.0% |
| Rise to the Occasion | Passive | Zane gains Health Regeneration depending on how low his shield is. Rank 1: Health Regeneration - up to +1.0% of Max Health per second Rank 2: Health Regeneration - up to +2.0% of Max Health per second Rank 3: Health Regeneration - up to +3.0% of Max Health per second Rank 4: Health Regeneration - up to +4.0% of Max Health per second Rank 5: Health Regeneration - up to +5.0% of Max Health per second |
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 3
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Nanites or Some Shite | Action Skill Augment | Zane and his allies have Health Regeneration, increased Reload Speed and improved Shield Recharge Delay while near the Barrier. The lower Zane's health, the more he regenerates. Health Regeneration - up to 4% of Max Health per sec while near the Barrier Shield Recharge Delay - -33% Reload Speed - +11% |
| Confident Competence | Passive | When shields are active, Zane gains increased Gun Damage and Accuracy. The higher shield percentage, the greater the bonus. Gun Damage - up to +20% Accuracy - up to 33% |
| All-Rounder | Action Skill Augment | The Barrier becomes a Dome. Cooldown - +20% |
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 4
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Retaliation | Action Skill Augment | Anyone near the Barrier will have increased Gun Damage for a few seconds after the Barrier takes damage. Gun Damage - +10% Duration - 3 seconds |
| Really Expensive Jacket | Passive | Elemental Status Effects applied to Zane have reduced duration. Status Effect Duration - -50% |
| Best Served Cold | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy creates a Cryo Nova, dealing damage to all nearby enemies. This skill has a short cooldown. Rank 1: Damage - 2 / Cooldown - 3 seconds Rank 2: Damage - 4 / Cooldown - 3 seconds Rank 3: Damage - 6 / Cooldown - 3 seconds Rank 4: Damage - 8 / Cooldown - 3 seconds Rank 5: Damage - 11 / Cooldown - 3 seconds |
| Futility Belt | Passive | Kill Skill. Killing an enemy converts all elemental damage into non-elemental damage. Damage Reduction - +15.0% Duration - 8 seconds |
| Deterrence Field | Action Skill Augment | Enemies who touch the Barrier recieve Shock Damage and are staggered, Shock Damage - 27 |
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 5
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Refreshment | Passive | Damaging a frozen enemy regains some health. Rank 1: Life Steal - 8% of damage dealt Rank 2: Life Steal - 16% of damage dealt Rank 3: Life Steal - 24% of damage dealt |
| Calm, Cool, Collected | Passive | Freezing an enemy allows Zane's shield instantly begin recharging. If his shield is full, he'll regain health for a few seconds. If his health is full, the Action Skill Cooldowns and Durations immediately reset. Health Regeneration - up to 3% max health per second / Regeneration Duration - 3 seconds |
| Nerves of Steel | Passive | Increases Accuracy and Handling. The longer Zane's shield is full, the greater the bonus. Rank 1: Accuracy - +2.0% per second / Handling - +2.4% per second / Max Stacks - 15 Rank 2: Accuracy - +4.0% per second / Handling - +4.8% per second / Max Stacks - 15 Rank 3: Accuracy - +6.0% per second / Handling - +7.0 per second / Max Stacks - 15 |
Under Cover Skill Tree - Tier 6
| Skill | Ability Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Distributed Denial | Passive | The Barrier gains the effects of Zane's currently equipped Shield Mod and applies it to all nearby allies. The bonuses to Zane are reduced. |
Borderlands 3 has arrived! Check out our skill tree guides for Amara, Fl4k, Moze and Zane.
If you're looking for more challenges to complete, check out our guides on the Dead Claptraps, Broadcast Towers, Eridian Writing,Hijack Targets, Legendary Hunts and Typhon Logs and Typhon Dead Drops. If you want some easy rewards, consult our Borderlands 3 Shift Codes and VIP Codes page. When you've finished Borderlands 3, visit our guides on Guardian Rank and Rewards, Mayhem Mode and True Vault Hunter mode to learn more about what you unlock in the post-game.
What previous Vault Hunter is Zane like?
Zane's skill set reminds us of "Jack" from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. No, not Handsome Jack. The "Jack" who was formerly Timothy Lawrence, before he underwent extreme plastic surgery to become an exact look-alike body double to Handsome Jack, so that he could pay off his student loan.
"Jack's" Action Skill allows him to summon two Digi-Jack's that attack enemies and can also serve as a distraction. As you level up "Jack's" skill trees, these Digi-Jacks can be modified to have stronger weapons or even spawn at the Badass rank.
It's possible that levelling up Zane's Digi-Clones will work in a similar way, allowing you to modify them with weapons or maybe even add a shield. Combined with the SNTNL drone, Zane could be an incredibly dangerous Vault Hunter.
If you're looking for the other character skills trees, then check out our Skill Trees guides for Amara, Fl4k and Moze.