ME3 Character Guide: N7 Demolisher

I wanted to go over the older characters first, but in light of my experience with Platinum PuGs (I probably shouldn't complain since they are PuGs...), I think the community could use some guidance. I will go over what I consider an essential part of an optimal Platinum team: the N7 Demolisher.

N7 Demolisher Grenadier (15 November 2012)
Supply Pylon: 4-resupply frequency, 5-power damage, 6-extra grenade
Arc Grenade: 4-damage, 5-max grenades, 6-shield overload
Homing Grenade: 4-damage, 5-fire damage, 6-armor damage
N7 Demolisher: 4-damage & max grenades, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage & max grenades
Fitness: N/A

First, let's go over the evolutions. Your supply pylon is just that: an endless supply of ammo and grenades. This is vital on Platinum, since it allows you to stay in a fortified position without having to venture out for ammo. The pylon also gives a decent shield and damage buff to teammates within the radius. I generally choose weapon damage as opposed to power damage in order to buff teammate DPS. On a side note, the Demolisher works well in conjunction with a weapon specialist (i.e. N7 Destroyer, Turian soldier, Geth), which I will refer to as the Destroyer for simplicity's sake. Supply Pylon now gives a 10% weapon damage bonus, not 15%.

The grenades are self-explanatory. The Arc Grenade is spec'd for shield damage, and the Homing Grenade is spec'd for armor damage. Damage over time is nice if you have Grenade Capacity V, but if you're using the Grenadier build, you just want to deal massive initial damage, so take max grenades. In case you need to refill your grenades instantly, you can use a thermal clip pack consumable. One final note on grenades: evolution 6 of Homing Grenade is the key to synergy with the Destroyer. It debuffs enemy armor by 50%, making Brutes, Ravagers, Geth Primes, Banshees, and Atlases noticeably more vulnerable to weapon damage. Unfortunately, Banshees sometimes use their power negating ability when hit by a grenade, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. At the very least, this forces them to sit still for a short time, allowing you to line up headshots.

Now on to strategy. Set up your pylon in your "base" where you and the Destroyer can easily access it. Consider that the Destroyer will want to camp in it to take advantage of the weapon damage buff. Your teammates should be putting out heavy weapon damage, so try not to eat up all the thermal clips from your pylon -- your teammates need it more than you do. However, as designated grenadier, let your teammates know that you get priority for grenade drops. If you need a quick resupply, just reset your pylon. It will instantly drop ammo and grenades. Just try to keep it in your base -- otherwise if you die your team will need to run around for ammo, which sucks.

Support your teammates by spamming grenades to debuff enemies, especially shielded mobs and bosses. A great tactic for bosses (i.e. Primes, Atlases, Banshees) is to use an Arc Grenade followed by a Homing Grenade, which creates a powerful tech burst that can kill or at least damage nearby mobs. Phantoms are tricky since they can block your grenades. Try stunning them first then following up with an Arc Grenade.

For this reason, I [used to] like to use the Falcon (capacity and damage mods) with the Demolisher. It lets me stagger on demand, which is especially useful against Phantoms and Geth Hunters and Pyros. The Falcon works because while it doesn't kill quickly, it reliably stuns enemies for your grenades or teammates to finish off. It's particularly nice when your team has to move into the open for an objective wave. While I'm always open to new strategies and personal preferences, I believe that the Falcon is one of the best weapons for this class. Giving the Falcon/stunlocking role to a Destroyer would waste their capabilities, and similarly the Typhoon and Piranha would be wasted on a Demolisher. Try putting Cryo, Incendiary, or Disruptor rounds on the Falcon and following it up with an Arc Grenade. This class is a master of tech bursts, especially post-balance changes. Apply an ammo effect with your weapon and lob a grenade to trigger the tech burst/fire explosion/cryo explosion.

Edit: The Falcon still works well since Bioware reduced the weight, but now I prefer to use the Scorpion or Acolyte. Both are effective against Phantoms, and both are lightweight, which means that you can reset your Supply Pylon more often. Cooldown does matter if you want to spam grenades, which is probably the most effective way to use this character. Again, the Acolyte and Scorpion pistols work well.

There you have it. I hope this guide helps all you aspiring Demolishers out there. I plan on making more Gold and Platinum character guides soon, so stay tuned. As always, I am open to suggestions, requests, etc. Leave it in the comments below. Aight, chill...

-MACave11i

Video by zHHk