When a character is reduced to 0 health, they will scream and fall to their knees, a state referred to in Borderlands as "Crippled" and in subsequent games as "Fight For Your Life".

Borderlands

While crippled, accuracy with all weapons is greatly reduced and players are unable to access their ECHO screens, throw grenades or move - any Action Skill (except for Bloodwing) will disengage at the time of death (although characters are still able to melee adjacent enemies). During this time the targeting reticle will sway, increasing the difficulty of scoring critical hits. Characters will also begin to "bleed out", indicated by a red meter that replaces the health/shield bar. As the timer runs down, vision will gradually fade and accuracy decreases even further.

A distinct advantage for the crippled character lies in their temporary invulnerability. All attacks striking a crippled character cannot inflict further damage while that character is already effectively dying. In co-operative games other players can exploit this fact tactically by treating a crippled character as a decoy, or as a physical barrier to hide behind while they fight or position their characters to revive their fallen teammate. It is worth noting, however, that while damage is not applied to the character, it can increase the bleeding rate, thus shortening the timespan a player has to receive a Second Wind.

Second Wind

There are three possible actions players can take when their characters are crippled:

• Successfully killing an enemy while crippled will earn a Second Wind, allowing the crippled character to re-enter gameplay with critical health and a full shield. This can be achieved both by direct damage, or from damage over time inflicted by the crippled character.
• If playing cooperatively, a teammate can revive the crippled character. This also earns a Second Wind and rewards 100 experience points to the assisting character, which do not contribute to weapon proficiency.
• Holding down the Action key, or if crippled characters bleed out, will cause the crippled character to revive at the last activated New-U Station with full health and shields. When a character is revived at a New-U Station they must pay a fee of 7% of their total wealth - though the fee is waived if the character has less than $100.

When crippled characters are successful in achieving a Second Wind, then they will get back up with 25% of their health and a fully recharged shield. Damage dealt by all guns is also increased for a few seconds. The Diehard skill increases the percentage of health that Brick can gain from a Second Wind, as well as the time he has before dying.

Small enemies can be difficult to eliminate to receive a second wind as they are generally fast and often avoid attacks. This is particularly troublesome when using slower single-shot weapons. Large enemies often take too long to kill to receive a second wind, making Badass or Badmutha enemies impractical targets for gaining a Second Wind unless they are nearly dead already.

Becoming crippled soon after earning a Second Wind will result in a shorter bleed out timer and this effect stacks until after the character dies.

Reviving

The act of reviving a teammate involves moving into close range of a crippled character and using the activation button, as if the target character was the same as any other interactive object in the game. The button must be held down while the revival attempt is in progress and will show a green status bar to both the player in control of the crippled character and the player in control of the reviving character. The reviving player is free to move around the entire close proximity of the crippled character, even so far as to look directly away from the victim or crouch behind them to use their body as a shield. However, attempting to shoot while reviving, or moving too far will stop the process altogether. Reviving a teammate takes five seconds. While the revival is in progress, the bleed out timer of the crippled character is paused. Interrupting the revival before it is complete will cause the bleed out timer to resume counting down to the point of death. If successful, the revived character receives a second wind and the reviving character receives 100 experience points.

Notes

• Roland's Revive skill can also trigger a Second Wind when a crippled character is close to a Scorpio Turret. However, this does not grant him an experience point bonus.
• A second wind can also be obtained by leveling-up. This would most likely happen when playing co-op and gaining experience from a teammate killing enemies or turning in a mission. The revived character will be at full shield and health due of the leveling up effect.
• A character cannot bleed out during the breaks between the waves of Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, as they will receive a Second Wind at the moment the wave ends. (For example, if a grenade explodes after the last enemy was killed, they will be revived)

Borderlands 2

While Fight For Your Life remains largely the same as in Borderlands, in Borderlands 2 more options are available in down-state and for obtaining Second Wind.

Second Wind

The three main actions that may be taken while crippled are the same across all classes.

• Kill an enemy to gain a Second Wind. The character regains shields and 25% of maximum health (critical health amount), this can be boosted by Tenacity Relic. On normal mode the character regains full shields and only 90% on True Vault Hunter Mode and Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode. Thrown grenades, fired rockets, or damage over time done prior to being crippled also counts if earned a kill. If reviving is impossible, teammates can help by weakening, slagging, luring, or Phaselocking the target for an easier kill.
• Be revived by an ally and receive a Second Wind. Same as above for shield and health. Assisting ally receives 100 experience points.
• Bleed out (fail to gain a Second Wind), or hold the action button, to be revived at the last activated New-U Station. Regain full shields and full health. 7% of character's money is docked as a fee for revival. Up to a third of the character's max ammo (except for rockets and grenades) is restored. The time takes to bleed out next time is also reset.

A crippled Vault Hunter is able to move in Borderlands 2. Though at greatly reduced movement speed, this mobility can help a character reposition themselves for a better shot at Second Wind targets. It can also make a difference in a potential revive from an ally: for example the crippled character can close a bit of distance, move next to cover so teammates can revive more safely, drop down from a ledge to the same level as the ally, or come out of cover to be in sight of Maya specced with Res (see below). This ability to move is suspended while being revived.

Some classes have skills designed specifically for use during Fight For Your Life.

• Axton - Do or Die grants the use of grenades. Last Ditch Effort increases Gun Damage and Movement Speed.
• Krieg - Bloody Revival increases Assault Rifle damage based on his number of Bloodlust stacks. Light the Fuse changes the dynamic of Krieg's down-state entirely (see skill page for details). Pull the Pin causes a free grenade to drop if Second Wind is not obtained, and nets double experience if the grenade kills an enemy. Fight For Your Life time is increased by 50% with Redeem the Soul, which also allows Krieg to revive another player instantly at the cost of downing himself. Strip the Flesh's bonus to explosive damage is furthermore increased.
• Maya - Immolate supplements all shots fired with a percentage of Incendiary Damage.
• Salvador - Down Not Out allows Gunzerking to continue while in Fight For Your Life.

Bonuses triggered by having low or depleted shields and/or health are also in effect during Fight For Your Life. However, Moxxi's transfusion weapons will still heal the Vault Hunter in these cases and they can inadvertedly disable relevant bonuses.

Reviving

The mechanics of reviving remain the same as in the first game.

• With Res, Maya's action skill Phaselock can be used to revive a downed ally instantly.
• Redeem the Soul allows Krieg to instantly revive a downed ally, but enters Fight For Your Life himself, and can only used once per Buzz Axe Rampage recharge.

Fight For Your Life Duration

The bleed-out timer of Fight For Your Life lasts roughly 11 to 12 seconds. Several items can also affect the duration.

• Every Aequitas or Veritas equipped in the party gives 10% duration.
• Krieg's Redeem the Soul increases it by 50%.
• Captain Blade's Otto Idol reduces time by approximately 3 seconds, but also reduces the time it takes to be revived by an ally.
• Every Deputy's Badge equipped in the party gives 10% duration.
• For every Deputy's Badge equipped in the party, the Sheriff's Badge increases time by 15%. On its own, the Sheriff's Badge does not grant this bonus.
• A Tenacity Relic or a Heart of the Ancients can increase time, and/or can increase health received upon obtaining a Second Wind.

Entering Fight For Your Life again soon after receiving a Second Wind shortens the bleed-out timer. If this happens a few times in rapid succession, bleed out becomes nearly instantaneous.

Action Skill Interaction

Becoming crippled interrupts Buzz Axe Rampage, Decepti0n, Gunzerking (without Down Not Out), and Phaselock. Deathtrap and Sabre Turret remain on the field if deployed before Gaige or Axton are crippled; each receives a Second Wind from a kill made by their respective action skill. Release the Beast will be interrupted by being crippled, but Krieg will be able to use it again immediately upon being revived or gaining a second wind.

While reviving an ally, Salvador can activate his action skill and fire with the left trigger without interrupting the revival process. Gunzerking restores half of Salvador's total health and gives constant health regeneration while reducing damage, which may help him survive enemy fire while reviving.

Krieg can similarly use Buzz Axe Rampage during a normal revival process without interrupting it. While the action skill on its own gives no immediate benefit, points in Taste of Blood provide damage reduction during Buzz Axe Rampage based on Krieg's number of Bloodlust stacks. While using Release the Beast will interrupt the revive process, it provides a further 50% damage reduction and full healing without having to kill anything, making it worth activating beforehand.

Other classes may use their action skill before beginning a revive as a means of distracting enemies. At their base, Deathtrap, Decepti0n's holographic decoy, and Sabre Turret may draw enemy fire, while Phaselock can hold an enemy. Further skill point investment may offer benefits including cover provision and health regeneration. Investing in Thoughtlock allows Maya to brainwash an enemy into fighting for her, which can then be used to distract enemies in a similar fashion.

Notes

• A number of challenges revolve around Second Winds. These include weapon type used, elemental Damage over Time effects, Badass enemies as targets, the number of times a character has revived an ally, and the number of times a character has revived themselves.
• If an enemy dies after the bleed-out timer ends (for example from damage over time, a slower projectile, or a thrown grenade), a character may use a shoutout related to achieving Second Wind even though they have "expired" and fallen over. The kill is still valid and may complete a weapon-, enemy-, or Second-Wind-challenge, the notice for which appearing after respawning.
• Successful melee strikes on targets during Fight For Your Life are still enhanced by Roid damage from the various types of Maylay Shields, including variants from other manufacturers such as the Love Thumper, as the Vault Hunter's shield is considered depleted.
• While nearly all actions or button presses interrupt reviving a teammate, a Vault Hunter may switch or cycle through weapons without breaking the process. One possible use of this otherwise unremarkable ability may be to switch to a Moxxi-brand weapon for some health restoration.
• If a shield with a large health reduction effect (such an overpowered Hoplite or a similar shield in conjunction with a Banshee class mod) is worn, it is possible that a character will see their health drop to zero and be put into a semi-crippled state. They will not actually fall into Fight For Your Life, but any damage taken in this state (even with full shields) will put them into the fully crippled state. The only benefit of this strange occurrence is that with a health count of zero, characters will receive all boosts they would normally receive while in Fight for your Life, such as Strip the Flesh.
• Swapping shields to a Rough Rider after performing the previous glitch will result in the humorous, albeit impractical, state of zero health and zero shield capacity.
• Nukes fired by a Constructor and the scales on The Warrior's body can be shot to get a Second Wind.
• If Gaige receives a Second Wind due to an enemy being killed by Deathtrap, the message "Thanks, Deathtrap!" will appear.
• If a crippled character obtains their own Second Wind while being revived by an ally, the message "Kill Revive!" will appear to both parties.
• A message will appear to both party members involved if Res is successful -- for Maya, "Used Res on [player name]", and for the revived ally, "[player name] used Res on you".
• A message will appear to both party members involved if Krieg uses Redeem the Soul -- for Krieg, "Redeemed your Soul for [player name]". For the revived ally, although obscured by the Second Wind notification, the message reads, "[player name] Redeemed their Soul for you".

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Fight For Your Life in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is mostly similar to Borderlands 2, though with a number of minor changes.

Second Wind

The three main actions that may be taken while crippled are the same across all classes.

• Kill an enemy to gain a Second Wind. The character regains shields and 25% of maximum health (critical health amount), can be boosted by Tenacity Relic. On normal mode the character regains full shields, 90% on True Vault Hunter Mode and Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode. Thrown grenades, fired rockets, or damage over time done prior to being crippled also counts if earned a kill.
• Be revived by an ally and receive a Second Wind. Same as above for shield and health. Assisting ally receives 100 experience points.
  • It is possible to perform an Oxygen Revive with an Oz Kit. Doing so requires 40 units of Oxygen, but takes half as much time. This applies even to Claptrap, who does not consume Oxygen passively.
• Bleed out (fail to gain a Second Wind), or hold the action button, to be revived at the last activated New-U Station. Regain full shields and full health. 7% of character's money is docked as a fee for revival. Up to a third of the character's max ammo (except for rockets and grenades) is restored. The time takes to bleed out next time is also reset.

A crippled Vault Hunter is also able to slowly move in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Some classes have skills designed specifically for use during Fight For Your Life.

• Athena - Clear! grants a 40% damage bonus in Fight For Your Life.
• Wilhelm - Termination Protocols changes down state entirely.
• Claptrap - Blue Shell and Best Buds 4 Life will boost gun damage and Fight For Your Life time, in addition to other bonuses they provide. Blue Shell increases Fire Rate and Reload Speed, while Best Buds 4 Life provides temporary damage resistance and health regen to both Claptrap and any ally if either revive each other. Element of Surprise causes Claptrap to release a nova matching the one provided by the current subroutine, if any. Kick Him While He's Down increases the likelihood of enemies targeting Claptrap in this state.

Reviving

The mechanics of reviving remain the same as in the second game.

• Athena's Clear! skill allows her Kinetic Aspis to target any downed allies and revive them with its explosion.
• Claptrap's action skill VaultHunter.EXE can select certain action packages that interfere with revives.
  • In multiplayer, if Senseless Sacrifice occurs, Claptrap enters Fight For Your Life and all other downed allies gain a Second Wind.
  • The Clap-In-The-Box action package forces Claptrap to enter Fight For Your Life if it does not damage anyone else.
  • Rubber Ducky and Funzerking will prevent Claptrap or any allies from reviving each other.
  • If Claptrap gains a second wind, Best Buds 4 Life and Kick Him While He's Up will both activate and grant their bonuses. Best Buds 4 Life can additionally trigger on another ally if they or Claptrap manage to revive each other.
• Jack's action skill Expendable Assets works with Leadership, causing all Digi-Jack deaths to register as kills, but only grants Second Wind once per skill activation.

Borderlands 3

Fight For Your Life remains largely the same as in Borderlands 2. Crippled characters can still crawl, attack and/or give up. The mechanics of reviving a crippled character remain largely the same as with Borderlands 2. A notable change from Borderlands 2 is that Vault Hunters will think to themselves when they become crippled, characterized by an echoing voice line.

Bleeding out in Borderlands 3 causes the character to respawn and deducts 10% of the money that they had before death.

Second Wind

Certain characters in Borderlands 3 have special skills that give them extra abilities in Fight For Your Life.

• Moze - To the Last allows Moze to throw grenades while in Fight For Your Life, and will refund a grenade should she get a Second Wind after throwing at least one grenade during Fight For Your Life.
• Zane - Old-U can be used to sacrifice his Digi-Clone, giving himself a Second Wind with full health.
• Amara - Guardian Angel, when not on cooldown, instantly grants Amara a Second Wind upon being crippled. She will recover up to 50% of her health and generate an elemental nova based on the element of their Action Skill.
• FL4K - Lick the Wounds allows FL4K's pet to revive them when they go into FIght For Your Life. If the revive is successful, the pet gains a 30% damage buff for 60 seconds. The pet will seek out FL4K, the revive taking priority over fighting any targeted enemy.
  • If Not My Circus is equipped then it will take priority over the revive, and as such the pet will seek out an enemy and taunt before going to revive FL4K.

Action Skill Interaction

Becoming crippled blocks the ability to use Action Skills, but any active Action Skills remain uninterrupted and may result in a Second Wind.

• Moze's Iron Bear can get a kill revive for her, but this necessitates Moze having Auto Bear and bailing out of her mech.
• FL4K's Rakk Attack! can get a kill revive for them as long as Rakk Attack! was cast before they were downed.
• Zane's SNTNL can get a kill revive for him as long as it was deployed before he was downed. Zane can also still command the drone while in Fight For Your Life.

Notes

• Any nearby NPC has the ability to revive any character. This means they can revive Vault Hunters, as well as being able to revive other downed NPCs.
  • This can result in interesting situations, such as during Swamp Bro when Chadd is initially downed. Clay may run up and revive Chadd, forcing the player to need to reload the area to continue the quest.
• If the Vault Hunter's vehicle is destroyed while they are operating it, the resulting explosion will not cripple them.
• Being destroyed by the sentries at the edge of the map as well as Blockade Sentries results in an instant respawn.
• FL4K's pet can be crippled, and will also go into Fight For Your LIfe. The pet being crippled will trigger a voice line from FL4K. FL4K can revive their pet, though the same restrictions on shooting and other actions apply. If the pet bleeds out, they will respawn in 60 seconds.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

The feature is called Save Your Soul, but functions almost the same as in other games. A successful revive is called Death Save.

Death Save

After a Death Save, the player character gains full ward and 25% health. It is possible to move when being revived, as long as the player doesn't leave the rescuer too far away.

Class Interaction

• Entering Save Your Soul interrupts the Enraged state of Brr-Zerker. With the "Relentless Rage" skill, dealing damage can extend the Save Your Soul duration, and gaining a Death Save will apply Enraged state with full duration.
• The Clawbringer with "Indomitable" skill can trigger when taking otherwise lethal damage, such that the player gains some ward and deal Bonus Lightning Damage for a short duration instead.
• If a Graveborn uses "Reaper of Bones" action skill, when the player would take lethal damage, the skill will instead restore some health and make the player invincible for a while, before the skill ends. With the "Dread Covenant" skill, it is possible to sacrifice the Demi-Lich companion to avoid lethal damage and restore health, but with a long cooldown.
• The Spore Warden has a Mushroom Companion which can also enter Save Your Soul state, such that the player can rescue it like an ally, otherwise it enters the cooldown before appearing again. With the "Medicinal Mushroom" skill, the Mushroom Companion can also rescue its owner, and enhance damage for both afterwards.
• The Blightcaller, the Spellshot and the Stabbomancer don't have skills related to Save Your Soul.