Hello appreciated readers. I took the liberty of updating some of the old builds to adjust to the balance changes of the past month or so. I hope they are not too confusing with all these conflicting information and all that, so I apologize in advance. I attempted to separate the old information from the new by crossing out the old stuff, as you may have noticed. The reason I don't just outright delete it is because some of it might be useful and I don't really have time to go through the whole thing and edit it just right. But at the same time I don't want to create a whole new page for the same build because that would just create unnecessary clutter on the blog and that is undesirable.
So if you're feeling nostalgic, consider taking a look at some of the old builds. Hopefully they're not too unreadable.
-MACave11i
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Asari Valkyrie Sentinel: 200 Waves Edition
Hello appreciated readers. So apparently the balance changes were delayed yesterday and for some reason that also delayed the new character. So turns out that the new "highly requested" character is the Asari Valkyrie Sentinel. Coincidentally, that was the one that I made a reference to in my Krogan Shaman guide. Hmm.
This is an updated guide to the Asari Valkyrie Sentinel. I've noticed that my Valkyrie guide has grown to be my most-searched and most-viewed post, and I suspect that this is because the Valkyrie is still an enigma for many players, even some of the experts. So I looked around, and after browsing for Valkyrie guides by some prominent ME3 players, I haven't found any of them to be particularly agreeable except for Ashen Earth's Valkyrie post on BSN. From what I see, Ashen showcases a high-risk high-reward play style that emphasizes the Valkyrie as a close-range fighter, using Warp and Annihilation Field debuffs (30% total) to melt bosses, in this case a Banshee. This is what I consider to be a masterful way to use the Valkyrie's strengths, and I would not recommend forgoing this capability.
Asari Valkyrie
Tech Armor: 4-durability
Annihilation Field: 4-impact radius, 5-damage taken, 6-drain
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Asari Adept: 4-damage & capacity*, 5-headshots, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: 4-durability
I recommend using Warp ammo. You can also use Incendiary ammo if you wish to take advantage of the Warp-Incendiary exploit.
It is necessary to have a weapon capable of sustained high damage-per-second. This includes the Harrier, Reegar, Piranha, and Hurricane. Unfortunately, if you lack these weapons this build will not be nearly as effective. Since these weapons tend to have restrictions (range and/or spare ammo), you may choose to take a sidearm for ranged combat if your cooldown permits. A good pistol or SMG should do the trick.
It's acceptable to mix-and-match this build a little to suit your play style, but I would refrain from speccing Annihilation Field and Warp differently, since they suit virtually any build. What I have attempted to achieve with this build is a) maximize damage output, and b) improve durability. By replacing evolution 5 and 6 of Tech armor with 4 ranks in Fitness, the Valkyrie gains some durability at the cost of some power damage. Since this is a close-range, weapon-based build, I think that this is a fair trade. With durability in rank 4, you still get 40% damage reduction.
I find that I have had the most success with Annihilation Field specced as above. The impact radius evolution allows you to prime biotic explosions from further away. It also allows you to incapacitate unprotected enemies from farther away, rendering them harmless at close range. Finally, it has synergy with the damage taken and drain evolutions, allowing you to debuff enemies and leech their shields from slightly greater distances. In some cases, this can be a lifesaver. And if you get backed into a corner by Phantoms, you can detonate AF to stagger them, giving you a chance to get out of there.
This build uses the 'standard Warp'. Detonate is useful for your own AF-Warp combos, as well as for priming/triggering a teammate's BE. Expose is key to success with this build, since it offers an additional 15% debuff against warped targets. Combined with Annihilation Field, affected targets take 30% additional damage. Finally, pierce is useful against armored targets, making their armor damage reduction less of an issue.
Depending on your load out, you have a choice between weapon damage or damage & capacity. If you want to have a sidearm for ranged combat, or simply just have one heavy weapon, I recommend taking capacity to keep a reasonable cooldown (preferably around 100%). Otherwise, take the additional weapon damage. I take headshots for even more damage output. Finally, I take weapon damage for rank 6 because this is a weapon build, after all.
Then for Fitness, I take 4 ranks of durability, which gives you roughly 1167 health/1167 shields with Tech Armor active, or 1167/2417 with a Cyclonic Mod IV. Along with the drain evolution to keep your shields up, this Asari is durable enough for close quarters combat.
Basically, your strategy is to first throw a Warp to debuff the enemy, get up close and further debuff the enemy with Annihilation Field, then let loose with your high-dps weapon. Note that using Warp to trigger a biotic explosion will not give you the Warp debuff, which is why it is important to use Warp before you get in range. If you're using Warp ammo, you'll do even more damage against targets affected by biotics. If you're using Incendiary ammo, warped targets take exponentially more damage over time from burning damage. Either way, you'll be dropping even the toughest of enemies like flies.
You aren't as durable as other characters, though, so use drain to keep yourself alive. If it's too dangerous to get up close, use your sidearm if you have one. There's no need to bum-rush every enemy you see. Pro-tip: if you're on an incline, don't be afraid of sync-kills. As long as you're not on an even level as the enemy (Banshee, Phantom, etc), they cannot sync-kill you. For example, if you are on a staircase and a Banshee is above or below you, you cannot be grabbed unless you are side-by-side on the same stair. Use this trick to your advantage against bosses whenever possible.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that this guide helps with your game. If you did find it helpful, consider leaving a 'like' below. If you've gotten help from several guides on this blog, consider subscribing and all that jazz. Have fun with the build and take care.
-Grun7mas7er
Watch Feneckus demonstrate the power of the Valkyrie.
This is an updated guide to the Asari Valkyrie Sentinel. I've noticed that my Valkyrie guide has grown to be my most-searched and most-viewed post, and I suspect that this is because the Valkyrie is still an enigma for many players, even some of the experts. So I looked around, and after browsing for Valkyrie guides by some prominent ME3 players, I haven't found any of them to be particularly agreeable except for Ashen Earth's Valkyrie post on BSN. From what I see, Ashen showcases a high-risk high-reward play style that emphasizes the Valkyrie as a close-range fighter, using Warp and Annihilation Field debuffs (30% total) to melt bosses, in this case a Banshee. This is what I consider to be a masterful way to use the Valkyrie's strengths, and I would not recommend forgoing this capability.
Asari ValkyrieTech Armor: 4-durability
Annihilation Field: 4-impact radius, 5-damage taken, 6-drain
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Asari Adept: 4-damage & capacity*, 5-headshots, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: 4-durability
I recommend using Warp ammo. You can also use Incendiary ammo if you wish to take advantage of the Warp-Incendiary exploit.
It is necessary to have a weapon capable of sustained high damage-per-second. This includes the Harrier, Reegar, Piranha, and Hurricane. Unfortunately, if you lack these weapons this build will not be nearly as effective. Since these weapons tend to have restrictions (range and/or spare ammo), you may choose to take a sidearm for ranged combat if your cooldown permits. A good pistol or SMG should do the trick.
It's acceptable to mix-and-match this build a little to suit your play style, but I would refrain from speccing Annihilation Field and Warp differently, since they suit virtually any build. What I have attempted to achieve with this build is a) maximize damage output, and b) improve durability. By replacing evolution 5 and 6 of Tech armor with 4 ranks in Fitness, the Valkyrie gains some durability at the cost of some power damage. Since this is a close-range, weapon-based build, I think that this is a fair trade. With durability in rank 4, you still get 40% damage reduction.
I find that I have had the most success with Annihilation Field specced as above. The impact radius evolution allows you to prime biotic explosions from further away. It also allows you to incapacitate unprotected enemies from farther away, rendering them harmless at close range. Finally, it has synergy with the damage taken and drain evolutions, allowing you to debuff enemies and leech their shields from slightly greater distances. In some cases, this can be a lifesaver. And if you get backed into a corner by Phantoms, you can detonate AF to stagger them, giving you a chance to get out of there.
This build uses the 'standard Warp'. Detonate is useful for your own AF-Warp combos, as well as for priming/triggering a teammate's BE. Expose is key to success with this build, since it offers an additional 15% debuff against warped targets. Combined with Annihilation Field, affected targets take 30% additional damage. Finally, pierce is useful against armored targets, making their armor damage reduction less of an issue.
Depending on your load out, you have a choice between weapon damage or damage & capacity. If you want to have a sidearm for ranged combat, or simply just have one heavy weapon, I recommend taking capacity to keep a reasonable cooldown (preferably around 100%). Otherwise, take the additional weapon damage. I take headshots for even more damage output. Finally, I take weapon damage for rank 6 because this is a weapon build, after all.
Then for Fitness, I take 4 ranks of durability, which gives you roughly 1167 health/1167 shields with Tech Armor active, or 1167/2417 with a Cyclonic Mod IV. Along with the drain evolution to keep your shields up, this Asari is durable enough for close quarters combat.
Basically, your strategy is to first throw a Warp to debuff the enemy, get up close and further debuff the enemy with Annihilation Field, then let loose with your high-dps weapon. Note that using Warp to trigger a biotic explosion will not give you the Warp debuff, which is why it is important to use Warp before you get in range. If you're using Warp ammo, you'll do even more damage against targets affected by biotics. If you're using Incendiary ammo, warped targets take exponentially more damage over time from burning damage. Either way, you'll be dropping even the toughest of enemies like flies.
You aren't as durable as other characters, though, so use drain to keep yourself alive. If it's too dangerous to get up close, use your sidearm if you have one. There's no need to bum-rush every enemy you see. Pro-tip: if you're on an incline, don't be afraid of sync-kills. As long as you're not on an even level as the enemy (Banshee, Phantom, etc), they cannot sync-kill you. For example, if you are on a staircase and a Banshee is above or below you, you cannot be grabbed unless you are side-by-side on the same stair. Use this trick to your advantage against bosses whenever possible.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that this guide helps with your game. If you did find it helpful, consider leaving a 'like' below. If you've gotten help from several guides on this blog, consider subscribing and all that jazz. Have fun with the build and take care.
-Grun7mas7er
Watch Feneckus demonstrate the power of the Valkyrie.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Krogan Shaman Adept: 200 Waves Edition
What's up everyone. So I've spent a decent amount of time with the Krogan Shaman. In fact, I actually sat down with him for a brief interview. Here's how it went.
MACave11i: Hello Mr. Krogan Shaman. Welcome to ME3 multiplayer.
Krogan Shaman: Thanks. It's good to be here.
M: So tell us a little about yourself.
KS: I like to make things explode.
M: I see. Is that why you prefer Warp and Shockwave?
KS: Yeah. They make really good explosions.
M: There's some discussion on BSN about why you like Warp instead of Reave. Can you comment on this?
KS: Reave is for Drell.
M: Yes, but it can prime multiple targets for shockwave detonations and gives you additional damage reduction on top of Barrier.
KS: I'm Krogan. I don't need more damage reduction.
M: Fair enough. But Reave would make for really good synergy with the Krogan Vanguard. Reave and Biotic Charge would be awesome for crowd control.
KS: We're Krogan. We just kill things. Doesn't matter how.
M: Well that answers that. You heard it right here, folks. Thanks for being here with us on ME3 multiplayer, Mr. Krogan Shaman.
KS: Yeah, yeah. You humans talk too much. Now where's the free food you told me about?
And that's why the Krogan Shaman has Warp instead of Reave. Now... the glorious build.
Krogan Shaman
Barrier: 4-blast effect, 5-power synergy*
Shockwave: 4-radius, 5-detonate, 6-recharge speed
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Krogan Battlemaster: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Rage: 3*
*You can replace power synergy with durability if preferred. You can even take 5 ranks in Rage and 3 ranks in Barrier for faster shield regeneration. I've used that build on Platinum and I approve.
I recommend Warp Ammo or Incendiary Ammo
For your weapon, anything that is relatively lightweight. Preferably it is effective against shielded targets from Marauders to Preatorians, as your Warp-Shockwave combo is either inefficient or negated by their shield.
As you can see, this build is all about Biotics. The Krogan Shaman actually has really good potential in terms of available powers. He's arguably the most well-rounded Adept in the game right now and I'll explain. If I were to make a custom Biotic character, I would pick Barrier (or Tech armor) for durability and power damage bonus, Warp for debuffing, and some kind of Biotic trigger, either Throw or Shockwave. Since Shockwave is generally better, this really is about as powerful as you can make an Adept. The other option is to take another debuffer instead of a detonator. This brings Annihilation Field to mind. And as you may have noticed, that would be the same power set as the upcoming Asari Valkyrie Sentinel, which I think will be more powerful than a lot of people realize.
Now that I've spent a good deal of time playing the Krogan Shaman, I've settled on the build above. As you can see, it's a power-oriented build rather than a pure weapons build. I have no qualms with a pure weapon build, but I like to play different characters...well...differently. I feel like the weapon build would be rather boring, but if that's your thing go ahead.
The question I sometimes have to ask myself is: why do I take Barrier if it slows down your biotic explosion combos? There are a few reasons and I think they justify the slightly slower recharge speed. One is the Barrier detonation, which is useful for CQC and compensates for your lack of mobility. When a Phantom gets up close and you can't get away, don't hesitate to detonate your Barrier and create some space between you and that Phantom while she is staggered. Shockwave can achieve this as well, but is not nearly as reliable. The second reason is the useful power synergy evolution, which boosts the damage & force of all your powers, including the Barrier detonation (I am told). Finally, the most obvious reason is the damage reduction. For this build, the math says you'll have 1800/1800 health/shields, which is essentially the same as if you had maxed Rage, but with the added power damage bonus. With a Cyclonic IV, you'll have 1800/3800. I'm reasonably sure that 3 ranks of Rage trumps 10% DR for the final evolution of Barrier. It is a whopping 35% health/shield bonus, after all.
Shockwave is just your standard detonator and mook killer. With all the power bonuses, Shockwave has rather good damage and force. It's also fairly spam-able. Apart from that, use it to detonate Warped targets. Remember that the power of your biotic explosions are determined by the rank of the powers used and any evolutions that specifically increase the damage & force of biotic explosions. For example, rank 6 Warp with detonate + rank 6 Shockwave with detonate does more damage & force per explosion than if Warp and Shockwave were only at rank 5. Currently, this is the most powerful biotic combo available.
I use the 'standard Warp' for this character. Rank 4 is detonate for obvious reasons. Next, I choose expose to debuff enemies and deal more weapon damage. Finally, I take pierce to weaken armored targets for even greater weapon damage. Nothing new here. I should note that using Warp ammo on targets affected by biotics gives you a significant weapon damage bonus, depending on the level of your ammo mod. Or you can use Incendiary ammo to set targets on fire, then trigger fire explosions with your biotics. Using these ammo mods can increase your damage output significantly.
For the passive bonuses, I take all power damage & force evolutions. Even though they don't affect biotic explosions, they give your biotics a decent boost in addition to Barrier's power synergy. Then I take weapon damage for the final evolution. When you step back and examine all of the offensive capabilities of this Krogan, you can see that this is a very diverse, very powerful character.
Last but not least, you have three ranks in Rage to give you a little bit of added durability. Believe me, the added health bonuses are quite useful. If you need some more health & shields, consider replacing rank 5 of Barrier for rank 4 of Rage. This is the closest to an Adept tank that you can get.
I hope you all found this guide somewhat helpful. Remember, if you like this you can check the like box. If you really like these guides you can subscribe. Either way, thanks for reading and have fun with the new builds. Peace.
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
Below is Stardusk's guide to the Krogan Shaman. Watch and learn.
MACave11i: Hello Mr. Krogan Shaman. Welcome to ME3 multiplayer.
Krogan Shaman: Thanks. It's good to be here.
M: So tell us a little about yourself.
KS: I like to make things explode.
M: I see. Is that why you prefer Warp and Shockwave?
KS: Yeah. They make really good explosions.
M: There's some discussion on BSN about why you like Warp instead of Reave. Can you comment on this?
KS: Reave is for Drell.
M: Yes, but it can prime multiple targets for shockwave detonations and gives you additional damage reduction on top of Barrier.
KS: I'm Krogan. I don't need more damage reduction.
M: Fair enough. But Reave would make for really good synergy with the Krogan Vanguard. Reave and Biotic Charge would be awesome for crowd control.
KS: We're Krogan. We just kill things. Doesn't matter how.
M: Well that answers that. You heard it right here, folks. Thanks for being here with us on ME3 multiplayer, Mr. Krogan Shaman.
KS: Yeah, yeah. You humans talk too much. Now where's the free food you told me about?
And that's why the Krogan Shaman has Warp instead of Reave. Now... the glorious build.
Krogan ShamanBarrier: 4-blast effect, 5-power synergy*
Shockwave: 4-radius, 5-detonate, 6-recharge speed
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Krogan Battlemaster: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Rage: 3*
*You can replace power synergy with durability if preferred. You can even take 5 ranks in Rage and 3 ranks in Barrier for faster shield regeneration. I've used that build on Platinum and I approve.
I recommend Warp Ammo or Incendiary Ammo
For your weapon, anything that is relatively lightweight. Preferably it is effective against shielded targets from Marauders to Preatorians, as your Warp-Shockwave combo is either inefficient or negated by their shield.
As you can see, this build is all about Biotics. The Krogan Shaman actually has really good potential in terms of available powers. He's arguably the most well-rounded Adept in the game right now and I'll explain. If I were to make a custom Biotic character, I would pick Barrier (or Tech armor) for durability and power damage bonus, Warp for debuffing, and some kind of Biotic trigger, either Throw or Shockwave. Since Shockwave is generally better, this really is about as powerful as you can make an Adept. The other option is to take another debuffer instead of a detonator. This brings Annihilation Field to mind. And as you may have noticed, that would be the same power set as the upcoming Asari Valkyrie Sentinel, which I think will be more powerful than a lot of people realize.
Now that I've spent a good deal of time playing the Krogan Shaman, I've settled on the build above. As you can see, it's a power-oriented build rather than a pure weapons build. I have no qualms with a pure weapon build, but I like to play different characters...well...differently. I feel like the weapon build would be rather boring, but if that's your thing go ahead.
The question I sometimes have to ask myself is: why do I take Barrier if it slows down your biotic explosion combos? There are a few reasons and I think they justify the slightly slower recharge speed. One is the Barrier detonation, which is useful for CQC and compensates for your lack of mobility. When a Phantom gets up close and you can't get away, don't hesitate to detonate your Barrier and create some space between you and that Phantom while she is staggered. Shockwave can achieve this as well, but is not nearly as reliable. The second reason is the useful power synergy evolution, which boosts the damage & force of all your powers, including the Barrier detonation (I am told). Finally, the most obvious reason is the damage reduction. For this build, the math says you'll have 1800/1800 health/shields, which is essentially the same as if you had maxed Rage, but with the added power damage bonus. With a Cyclonic IV, you'll have 1800/3800. I'm reasonably sure that 3 ranks of Rage trumps 10% DR for the final evolution of Barrier. It is a whopping 35% health/shield bonus, after all.
Shockwave is just your standard detonator and mook killer. With all the power bonuses, Shockwave has rather good damage and force. It's also fairly spam-able. Apart from that, use it to detonate Warped targets. Remember that the power of your biotic explosions are determined by the rank of the powers used and any evolutions that specifically increase the damage & force of biotic explosions. For example, rank 6 Warp with detonate + rank 6 Shockwave with detonate does more damage & force per explosion than if Warp and Shockwave were only at rank 5. Currently, this is the most powerful biotic combo available.
I use the 'standard Warp' for this character. Rank 4 is detonate for obvious reasons. Next, I choose expose to debuff enemies and deal more weapon damage. Finally, I take pierce to weaken armored targets for even greater weapon damage. Nothing new here. I should note that using Warp ammo on targets affected by biotics gives you a significant weapon damage bonus, depending on the level of your ammo mod. Or you can use Incendiary ammo to set targets on fire, then trigger fire explosions with your biotics. Using these ammo mods can increase your damage output significantly.
For the passive bonuses, I take all power damage & force evolutions. Even though they don't affect biotic explosions, they give your biotics a decent boost in addition to Barrier's power synergy. Then I take weapon damage for the final evolution. When you step back and examine all of the offensive capabilities of this Krogan, you can see that this is a very diverse, very powerful character.
Last but not least, you have three ranks in Rage to give you a little bit of added durability. Believe me, the added health bonuses are quite useful. If you need some more health & shields, consider replacing rank 5 of Barrier for rank 4 of Rage. This is the closest to an Adept tank that you can get.
I hope you all found this guide somewhat helpful. Remember, if you like this you can check the like box. If you really like these guides you can subscribe. Either way, thanks for reading and have fun with the new builds. Peace.
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
Below is Stardusk's guide to the Krogan Shaman. Watch and learn.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Volus Engineer: 200 Waves Edition
Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of my 200 Waves guides. This is a guide for our favorite short and spherical suit-wearing character, the Volus Engineer. Here's the build:
Volus Engineer
Recon Mine: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-invasive scan
Proximity Mine: 4-radius, 5-damage taken, 6-recharge speed
Shield Boost: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: N/A
I recommend a lightweight weapon that does decent to good damage. I think that the Collector SMG is the ideal weapon since it is light, accurate, and does not need to be reloaded. Since I know not everyone has it, you can substitute it with the Hurricane, Hornet, Tempest, or Locust. Most pistols also work if you prefer to use one of those. The goal is a 170%+ recharge speed, but 200% is optimal of course, especially if you're not using a Power Efficiency Module.
For your ammo mod, I recommend using Incendiary Ammo to prime Fire Explosions. This will greatly increase your damage output.
Let's go over the Volus Engineer's signature power: Recon Mine. This is your passive, primary weapon. You want to set it in a high-traffic area to debuff as many enemies as possible. If you take invasive scan, as I do in this build, the radius evolution is a non-negotiable. I find that the debuffing function is much more useful on higher difficulties than using Recon Mine as a remote detonator. Since I don't detonate it very often, only to move it to another location, I skip damage for recharge speed. When I recast Recon Mine, I want to be able to get back to casting my other powers as soon as possible. So recharge speed is actually very important in this case.
Along with your gun, Proximity Mine is your active secondary weapon. Get in a rhythm of shooting your target with Incendiary rounds and then triggering Fire Explosions with your Proxy Mine. You want the radius and damage taken evolutions to debuff as many enemies as possible. Then you want recharge speed so you can get back to casting your other powers. When your target is in range of Recon Mine, you're getting a 25% damage bonus and then another 20% damage bonus from Proxy Mine. Your Fire Explosions will do a surprising amount of damage with all the debuffing. This isn't a shield-spamming support Volus that we're building. Don't be surprised if you top the scoreboards with this guy.
Shield Boost is your lifeline and you always want to have a fast cooldown so you can use this when you need it. I take radius to help out nearby teammates. Then I take recharge speed so I can spam Shield Boost if needed. Finally, I take protection because the 50% damage reduction is very useful on higher difficulties, and also helps out my teammates. Shield Boost gives your Volus 1.5 seconds of damage immunity, so use it before you get hit by a Banshee Warp ball. Use it before you get hit by an Atlas missile. Use it before you get hit by any major damage and you'll greatly increase your survivability. You never want to be caught with your shields down as a Volus.
Use Shield Boost in conjunction with your tactical cloak, which is activated by your light melee button, in case you didn't know. Your tactical cloak has a separate cooldown from your other powers, so manage this wisely. You can shoot and cast powers while in tactical cloak without breaking it, so use this to your advantage. When confronted with a group of enemies, use cloak and shoot them with your gun and Proxy Mine. When cloak breaks, use Shield Boost for brief invulnerability and take cover until your cloak recharges. If you are against a single target, you can simply use Shield Boost and attack them while you are invulnerable.
For Volus Training, I take all power damage to maximize damage from Proxy Mine, as well as for the extra carrying capacity. For evolution 6, weapon damage is always preferable. But say you have a Hurricane I and you really don't want to replace one of your attachments for Ultralight Materials, you might consider taking weapon weight (along with a weightless Acolyte). Finally, I skip Fitness because it makes so little difference that it's just not worth the points.
So there is your master level guide to the Volus Engineer. Now you can actually contribute to your team instead of spamming Shield Boost and locking up your teammates' controls! (No seriously, Shield Boost is glitchy and it does lock up your teammates' weapons and powers sometimes. Heavy melee to unlock yourself if this happens). Have fun with the mighty Volus Engineer and thanks for reading!
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
Below is a guide to the Volus Engineer by Stardusk. You may skip the intro if you wish.
Volus EngineerRecon Mine: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-invasive scan
Proximity Mine: 4-radius, 5-damage taken, 6-recharge speed
Shield Boost: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: N/A
I recommend a lightweight weapon that does decent to good damage. I think that the Collector SMG is the ideal weapon since it is light, accurate, and does not need to be reloaded. Since I know not everyone has it, you can substitute it with the Hurricane, Hornet, Tempest, or Locust. Most pistols also work if you prefer to use one of those. The goal is a 170%+ recharge speed, but 200% is optimal of course, especially if you're not using a Power Efficiency Module.
For your ammo mod, I recommend using Incendiary Ammo to prime Fire Explosions. This will greatly increase your damage output.
Let's go over the Volus Engineer's signature power: Recon Mine. This is your passive, primary weapon. You want to set it in a high-traffic area to debuff as many enemies as possible. If you take invasive scan, as I do in this build, the radius evolution is a non-negotiable. I find that the debuffing function is much more useful on higher difficulties than using Recon Mine as a remote detonator. Since I don't detonate it very often, only to move it to another location, I skip damage for recharge speed. When I recast Recon Mine, I want to be able to get back to casting my other powers as soon as possible. So recharge speed is actually very important in this case.
Along with your gun, Proximity Mine is your active secondary weapon. Get in a rhythm of shooting your target with Incendiary rounds and then triggering Fire Explosions with your Proxy Mine. You want the radius and damage taken evolutions to debuff as many enemies as possible. Then you want recharge speed so you can get back to casting your other powers. When your target is in range of Recon Mine, you're getting a 25% damage bonus and then another 20% damage bonus from Proxy Mine. Your Fire Explosions will do a surprising amount of damage with all the debuffing. This isn't a shield-spamming support Volus that we're building. Don't be surprised if you top the scoreboards with this guy.
Shield Boost is your lifeline and you always want to have a fast cooldown so you can use this when you need it. I take radius to help out nearby teammates. Then I take recharge speed so I can spam Shield Boost if needed. Finally, I take protection because the 50% damage reduction is very useful on higher difficulties, and also helps out my teammates. Shield Boost gives your Volus 1.5 seconds of damage immunity, so use it before you get hit by a Banshee Warp ball. Use it before you get hit by an Atlas missile. Use it before you get hit by any major damage and you'll greatly increase your survivability. You never want to be caught with your shields down as a Volus.
Use Shield Boost in conjunction with your tactical cloak, which is activated by your light melee button, in case you didn't know. Your tactical cloak has a separate cooldown from your other powers, so manage this wisely. You can shoot and cast powers while in tactical cloak without breaking it, so use this to your advantage. When confronted with a group of enemies, use cloak and shoot them with your gun and Proxy Mine. When cloak breaks, use Shield Boost for brief invulnerability and take cover until your cloak recharges. If you are against a single target, you can simply use Shield Boost and attack them while you are invulnerable.
For Volus Training, I take all power damage to maximize damage from Proxy Mine, as well as for the extra carrying capacity. For evolution 6, weapon damage is always preferable. But say you have a Hurricane I and you really don't want to replace one of your attachments for Ultralight Materials, you might consider taking weapon weight (along with a weightless Acolyte). Finally, I skip Fitness because it makes so little difference that it's just not worth the points.
So there is your master level guide to the Volus Engineer. Now you can actually contribute to your team instead of spamming Shield Boost and locking up your teammates' controls! (No seriously, Shield Boost is glitchy and it does lock up your teammates' weapons and powers sometimes. Heavy melee to unlock yourself if this happens). Have fun with the mighty Volus Engineer and thanks for reading!
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
Below is a guide to the Volus Engineer by Stardusk. You may skip the intro if you wish.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Turian Ghost Infiltrator: 200 Waves Edition
What's up everyone? I've had my 200 waves done for the Turian Ghost Infiltrator for a while now, as he is the perfect character for the assault rifle challenge. I'm not an anti-Infiltrator as I know many BSN-ers are, but I do prefer to give the other classes their fair share of play, so I have to consciously avoid playing Infiltrators often because otherwise I probably would. That said, we all know what happens to over-played and easily-used characters (often Infiltrator characters): they get nerfed, and the TGI was no exception. Stim Pack was nerfed pretty significantly, and a weakened Havoc was collateral damage.
For the first day or two, I was running the TGI with a Harrier, and I would agree with anyone saying that this is an 'easy button' build. If you have trouble playing Gold or Platinum with other builds, I won't demonize you for using that build, but if you're confident on higher difficulties, there's no reason to use that build when you could be using other more 'dynamic' characters. In my humble opinion.
Turian Ghost Infiltrator
Tactical Cloak: 4-damage, 5-recharge speed, 6-assault rifle damage
Stimulant Pack: 4-max shields, 5-pack capacity, 6-survival*
Overload: 4-chain overload, 5-neural shock, 6-shield damage
Armiger Legion: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: N/A*
*Alternatively, you can take 4 ranks in Stim Pack and 4 ranks in Fitness for better all-around durability.
Recommended ammo: Incendiary or Warp. AP and Disruptor work well too, depending on the enemy type. Generally you want armor-killing ammo since you have Overload.
I recommend using Grenade Capacity mod since it gives you the most additional Stim Packs, which are the key to your survival. You always want to have these in stock.
Your key weapons will be the Saber, Particle Rifle, and Harrier. The Mattock, Revenant, and Typhoon are also good. Other assault rifles could work too, but I haven't used them extensively enough to give a recommendation.
When you fire from Tactical Cloak, you're getting a brief 80% damage bonus plus a 20% multiplicative damage bonus for assault rifles. Always fire from TC when possible. Other than that, there's not much to explain.
Your Stim Packs are basically free Survival Ops Packs. Use them to regenerate your shields. Use them before going into a dangerous situation. Use them if you get hit with Warp. Use them all the time. This is why I recommend taking a Grenade Capacity mod because it lets you hold up to 8 Stim Packs at a time. This is crucial to your survival since you have no Fitness. Make sure that you coordinate with your teammates if they are using grenades or stim packs. You want to be able to reliably resupply your Stims. Consider dividing the supply boxes up between players. Since Stims were nerfed, I have chosen to take all shield-boosting evolutions. You get enough of a damage boost from TC, so there's no real need for a little more damage from Stims.
I've changed my mind on Overload from my initial build. Since the shield damage evolution is multiplicative, it gives you a massive damage boost to shields/barriers, especially while using TC. This can greatly improve your boss-killing capabilities (even more). I chose a hybrid Overload with one chain and neural shock for some crowd control. Then I took shield damage since it is much more powerful than a third chain. You can choose damage for evolution 4 if you want even more shield-draining capability. Only take recharge speed if you don't want enemies falling to the floor when you shock them. I know some people avoid neural shock simply because it messes up headshots. Either way, recharge speed is practically useless if you cast while under TC. And as always, you should always use TC prior to casting Overload. It makes a huge difference against shields/barriers.
Armiger Legion is specced for all weapon damage & stability. No surprise there. Turians will be Turians. And if you're confident in your abilities, this build works well even without Fitness, mostly thanks to Stim Packs. Cyclonic Modulators do work well for this build, however. So you can compensate somewhat.
That's it for the build. If you like these guides, I encourage you to check the 'like' box below. If you really like these guides, I invite you to subscribe. Either way, I thank you for reading and look forward to your continued readership.
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
The video below is not Turian Ghost gameplay, but the strategy is the same. Use TC, melt things. I just want everyone to see and understand what the TGI is capable of in the hands of a skilled player. Video is by Lord Sirian featuring Jay Hoxtatron, who was using a TGI (and I wish he posted this video from his POV).
For the first day or two, I was running the TGI with a Harrier, and I would agree with anyone saying that this is an 'easy button' build. If you have trouble playing Gold or Platinum with other builds, I won't demonize you for using that build, but if you're confident on higher difficulties, there's no reason to use that build when you could be using other more 'dynamic' characters. In my humble opinion.
Turian Ghost InfiltratorTactical Cloak: 4-damage, 5-recharge speed, 6-assault rifle damage
Stimulant Pack: 4-max shields, 5-pack capacity, 6-survival*
Overload: 4-chain overload, 5-neural shock, 6-shield damage
Armiger Legion: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: N/A*
*Alternatively, you can take 4 ranks in Stim Pack and 4 ranks in Fitness for better all-around durability.
Recommended ammo: Incendiary or Warp. AP and Disruptor work well too, depending on the enemy type. Generally you want armor-killing ammo since you have Overload.
I recommend using Grenade Capacity mod since it gives you the most additional Stim Packs, which are the key to your survival. You always want to have these in stock.
Your key weapons will be the Saber, Particle Rifle, and Harrier. The Mattock, Revenant, and Typhoon are also good. Other assault rifles could work too, but I haven't used them extensively enough to give a recommendation.
When you fire from Tactical Cloak, you're getting a brief 80% damage bonus plus a 20% multiplicative damage bonus for assault rifles. Always fire from TC when possible. Other than that, there's not much to explain.
Your Stim Packs are basically free Survival Ops Packs. Use them to regenerate your shields. Use them before going into a dangerous situation. Use them if you get hit with Warp. Use them all the time. This is why I recommend taking a Grenade Capacity mod because it lets you hold up to 8 Stim Packs at a time. This is crucial to your survival since you have no Fitness. Make sure that you coordinate with your teammates if they are using grenades or stim packs. You want to be able to reliably resupply your Stims. Consider dividing the supply boxes up between players. Since Stims were nerfed, I have chosen to take all shield-boosting evolutions. You get enough of a damage boost from TC, so there's no real need for a little more damage from Stims.
I've changed my mind on Overload from my initial build. Since the shield damage evolution is multiplicative, it gives you a massive damage boost to shields/barriers, especially while using TC. This can greatly improve your boss-killing capabilities (even more). I chose a hybrid Overload with one chain and neural shock for some crowd control. Then I took shield damage since it is much more powerful than a third chain. You can choose damage for evolution 4 if you want even more shield-draining capability. Only take recharge speed if you don't want enemies falling to the floor when you shock them. I know some people avoid neural shock simply because it messes up headshots. Either way, recharge speed is practically useless if you cast while under TC. And as always, you should always use TC prior to casting Overload. It makes a huge difference against shields/barriers.
Armiger Legion is specced for all weapon damage & stability. No surprise there. Turians will be Turians. And if you're confident in your abilities, this build works well even without Fitness, mostly thanks to Stim Packs. Cyclonic Modulators do work well for this build, however. So you can compensate somewhat.
That's it for the build. If you like these guides, I encourage you to check the 'like' box below. If you really like these guides, I invite you to subscribe. Either way, I thank you for reading and look forward to your continued readership.
-MACave11i
Grun7mas7er
The video below is not Turian Ghost gameplay, but the strategy is the same. Use TC, melt things. I just want everyone to see and understand what the TGI is capable of in the hands of a skilled player. Video is by Lord Sirian featuring Jay Hoxtatron, who was using a TGI (and I wish he posted this video from his POV).
Turian Havoc Soldier: 200 Waves Edition + Stim Pack Discussion
Greetings everyone. This is an updated Turian Havoc Soldier guide as well as something of a response to the Stimulant Pack nerf that happened a while ago. What happened was Bioware heard the cries of some members of the community that the Turian Ghost Infiltrator was overpowered. One source of this power was Stimulant Pack, which made him essentially invincible while dealing extra-insane amounts of damage. Why Bioware gave the Turian Ghost Stim Packs but not the Turian Saboteur is beyond me. Just that simple switch would make the TGI less powerful while giving the Saboteur a fair shot, but I'll try not to cry over spilled milk.
The balance changes were:
Simulant Pack Power
- base damage bonus decreased from 10% to 5%
- base max shield bonus decreased from 2000 to 1200
- evolution 5 weapon damage bonus decreased from 10% to 8%
Havoc Strike Power
- base cooldown reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds
- base damage increased from 500 to 600
So Stim Pack got nerfed which did weaken the Ghost, if only slightly, while neutering the Havoc to a much greater extent. Why? Because the Ghost has Tactical Cloak, giving him a brief 100% damage bonus for assault rifles. Do you think a 7% damage reduction to his assault rifle makes much of a difference? To compensate for the collateral damage to the Havoc, Bioware buffed Havoc Strike to a level that it probably should have been at on launch. At the end of the day the Havoc loses a potential 1600 shields from Stim Pack, which gives him the considerable durability necessary to use Havoc Strike in the first place. The Ghost, however, can still use Tactical Cloak and Stim Pack to get away from any situation unscathed more or less the same as before.
To wrap up this rant, I propose that Bioware improve the viability of Havoc Strike by doing one or both of the following: a) rebuff Stim Pack, b) buff Havoc Strike base damage & force. My vision is a Havoc that can use both Cryo Blast and Havoc Strike for massive damage bonuses and Stim Pack for survivability, plus a slight damage bonus for the cherry on top. Havoc Strike should have enough damage and force to take the Incendiary Strike evolution and still rival Biotic Charge. The player would be able to use a 6/6/6/4/4 build, having both decent passive damage and shields. However, the greatness of the build would be in the active powers.
For now, I'm using a pretty generic and non-dynamic build. Nevertheless, it's a good one and definitely Platinum worthy, if a little boring.
Turian Havoc
Stimulant Pack: 4-max shields, 5-pack capacity, 6-survival
Cryo Blast: 4-radius, 5-cryo explosion, 6-frozen vulnerability
Havoc Strike: N/A
Armiger Legion: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: 4-durabilty, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I recommend using AP ammo with this setup. It's just the best for dealing with armored targets. Accept no substitutes!
For weapons, this guy is great with just about anything (Turian passives yo!). The reason I take the Harrier is that it has great all-around specs. It's accurate and has great DPS. It's recoil is mitigated by your stability bonuses. Then I take the Talon for shield-stripping duty and as a sidearm in case I run out of Harrier ammo. Sure you could take the Acolyte, but it's slower and not as good in general combat. It's a tradeoff. The Talon with the magazine upgrade is sort of like the new Piranha (though nothing could ever really replace our beloved Piranha). I've generally used the Talon as a lightweight weapon with decent damage, so it's cool to have a chance to use it more like an actual shotgun.
Stimulant Pack: the hallmark of the Armiger Legion Turians. Great tool for survivability and as a bonus you some get additional damage. Sort of like a mix between a Survival Ops Pack and Adrenaline Rush. For this build, I take all shield bonuses because this is just like a refillable Ops Pack. The base duration is already pretty good, and the more the better. It's a real lifesaver, especially on Platinum when you're often forced out of cover and your shields take forever to recharge. In case you didn't know, Stim Packs count as grenades in the sense that using a Grenade Capacity Mod will give you extra Stim Packs. you're the only character using grenades in the game, then use these liberally. If there's another person running around taking grenades, then you can't tank as often. Either way, it's really awesome how much fire this guy can soak up with Stim Packs.
I use the standard Cryo Blast on this character. All debuff evolutions and radius to debuff more enemies. As Garrus himself once told me, "debuff all the things". Throwing a snowball at an enemy is just about as effective as charging into them headfirst, even if it's not as spectacular.
Skip Havoc Strike until they buff it more. It does give you a brief 50% damage reduction bonus, though, so it's not totally suicidal if you decide to spec into this power. What's cool about Havoc Strike is the synergy with Cryo Blast. It does 3x force to frozen enemies, so you can see how it could be really good for decimating lesser enemies. Also, using weapon synergy on top of the debuff is a very powerful combination. This is why I have high hopes for the future of the Havoc.
For the passive power, I take all weapon damage bonuses since this is a weapons build. Cooldown isn't really an issue with this build as long as you don't drop into a negative penalty. And lastly I take all durability evolutions for Fitness. Tankiness is the Havoc's strong suit.
Thanks for reading everyone, and don't forget to calibrate your weapons.
-Grun7mas7er
The balance changes were:
Simulant Pack Power
- base damage bonus decreased from 10% to 5%
- base max shield bonus decreased from 2000 to 1200
- evolution 5 weapon damage bonus decreased from 10% to 8%
Havoc Strike Power
- base cooldown reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds
- base damage increased from 500 to 600
So Stim Pack got nerfed which did weaken the Ghost, if only slightly, while neutering the Havoc to a much greater extent. Why? Because the Ghost has Tactical Cloak, giving him a brief 100% damage bonus for assault rifles. Do you think a 7% damage reduction to his assault rifle makes much of a difference? To compensate for the collateral damage to the Havoc, Bioware buffed Havoc Strike to a level that it probably should have been at on launch. At the end of the day the Havoc loses a potential 1600 shields from Stim Pack, which gives him the considerable durability necessary to use Havoc Strike in the first place. The Ghost, however, can still use Tactical Cloak and Stim Pack to get away from any situation unscathed more or less the same as before.
To wrap up this rant, I propose that Bioware improve the viability of Havoc Strike by doing one or both of the following: a) rebuff Stim Pack, b) buff Havoc Strike base damage & force. My vision is a Havoc that can use both Cryo Blast and Havoc Strike for massive damage bonuses and Stim Pack for survivability, plus a slight damage bonus for the cherry on top. Havoc Strike should have enough damage and force to take the Incendiary Strike evolution and still rival Biotic Charge. The player would be able to use a 6/6/6/4/4 build, having both decent passive damage and shields. However, the greatness of the build would be in the active powers.
For now, I'm using a pretty generic and non-dynamic build. Nevertheless, it's a good one and definitely Platinum worthy, if a little boring.
Turian HavocStimulant Pack: 4-max shields, 5-pack capacity, 6-survival
Cryo Blast: 4-radius, 5-cryo explosion, 6-frozen vulnerability
Havoc Strike: N/A
Armiger Legion: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: 4-durabilty, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I recommend using AP ammo with this setup. It's just the best for dealing with armored targets. Accept no substitutes!
For weapons, this guy is great with just about anything (Turian passives yo!). The reason I take the Harrier is that it has great all-around specs. It's accurate and has great DPS. It's recoil is mitigated by your stability bonuses. Then I take the Talon for shield-stripping duty and as a sidearm in case I run out of Harrier ammo. Sure you could take the Acolyte, but it's slower and not as good in general combat. It's a tradeoff. The Talon with the magazine upgrade is sort of like the new Piranha (though nothing could ever really replace our beloved Piranha). I've generally used the Talon as a lightweight weapon with decent damage, so it's cool to have a chance to use it more like an actual shotgun.
Stimulant Pack: the hallmark of the Armiger Legion Turians. Great tool for survivability and as a bonus you some get additional damage. Sort of like a mix between a Survival Ops Pack and Adrenaline Rush. For this build, I take all shield bonuses because this is just like a refillable Ops Pack. The base duration is already pretty good, and the more the better. It's a real lifesaver, especially on Platinum when you're often forced out of cover and your shields take forever to recharge. In case you didn't know, Stim Packs count as grenades in the sense that using a Grenade Capacity Mod will give you extra Stim Packs. you're the only character using grenades in the game, then use these liberally. If there's another person running around taking grenades, then you can't tank as often. Either way, it's really awesome how much fire this guy can soak up with Stim Packs.
I use the standard Cryo Blast on this character. All debuff evolutions and radius to debuff more enemies. As Garrus himself once told me, "debuff all the things". Throwing a snowball at an enemy is just about as effective as charging into them headfirst, even if it's not as spectacular.
Skip Havoc Strike until they buff it more. It does give you a brief 50% damage reduction bonus, though, so it's not totally suicidal if you decide to spec into this power. What's cool about Havoc Strike is the synergy with Cryo Blast. It does 3x force to frozen enemies, so you can see how it could be really good for decimating lesser enemies. Also, using weapon synergy on top of the debuff is a very powerful combination. This is why I have high hopes for the future of the Havoc.
For the passive power, I take all weapon damage bonuses since this is a weapons build. Cooldown isn't really an issue with this build as long as you don't drop into a negative penalty. And lastly I take all durability evolutions for Fitness. Tankiness is the Havoc's strong suit.
Thanks for reading everyone, and don't forget to calibrate your weapons.
-Grun7mas7er
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
First Impressions: Volus Adept
Ignore this build. I've recently tested the Volus Adept to see how he stacks up in the current state of the game. Simply put, he doesn't. If you want to use a Volus, go with the Engineer.
Ok, I have to admit that when I heard that Volus would be included in the new DLC, I thought that Bioware was trolling us with a joke character. But after unlocking the Ultra-Rare Volus Adept, I can tell you that while Volus are still kind of a joke, they are not joke characters. They definitely have their place on any team, any difficulty. Sure, they may be so short that you don't need to take cover. They may be so round that if they fall over, you can't tell the difference from when they're standing up. They may be more fragile than a Drell with the weapons capabilities of an Asari. But that's not the point. As Bioware said, the Volus are not frontline soldiers, but full-on support characters. If you're an altruistic soul who doesn't mind not topping the scoreboards, than you will love the Volus. Even if you're not the support type, playing as a Volus is a nice change of pace from all the shoot-all-the-things characters.
The Volus Adept has two major powers that can be evolved into two distinct play styles. As such, I have created two separate builds.
Edited 10/15/12
Shield Volus
Stasis: 4-stasis strength, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Biotic Orbs: 4-damage, recharge speed, 6-orb count
Shield Boost: 4-shields, 5-regeneration*, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-shield boost
Fitness: 3
*If you choose to take a heavy weapon, it may be better to take recharge speed for evolution 5.
The Shield Volus focuses on Shield Boost, acting as a mobile shield pylon for the team. A good Shield Volus will be greatly appreciated by your team. They are particularly good for Escort and Upload objectives.
I would take Stasis because it is useful both offensively and defensively. You can use it for pesky Phantoms, mobs, etc. As a fragile Volus, you need to make sure your enemies can't shoot back, so this helps a lot with most enemies. Also, it synergizes well with Biotic Orbs, which I will explain in the next paragraph.
For this build, I spec Biotic Orbs for recharge speed, rather than debuffing. This lets you spam Stasis and Shield Boost more often. This recharge speed is especially important with Shield Boost, since you can generally recharge your shields whenever they go down. If you don't throw your orbs, you'll have a total of 60% recharge speed bonus for Stasis and Shield Boost. With a 200% cooldown and without choosing recharge speed for evolution 5, you'll have a 3 second recharge speed for both Stasis and Shield Boost. Maximum spam-ability.
With Shield Boost, I take the quick-boost approach, choosing shields and protection evolutions for maximum initial shield boost, and regeneration for faster shield recharge in case a teammate strays from your protective range. You can choose recharge speed instead, though. It's really a choice of shields now-or-later.
For Volus Training, I chose damage & capacity for more weapon weight. Normally, I would skip evolution 5 if it were a choice between headshots and power damage, but the Volus has Shield Boost instead of headshots. Definitely choose that.
Finally, I put 3 ranks into fitness. The Volus is pretty fragile, so it doesn't seem to matter much, but it's better than nothing. If you want, you can replace it with evolution 6 of Volus Training. Alternatively, you could skip Stasis and fill out Fitness. Your choice.
Whereas the Shield Volus focuses on Shield Boost and protecting teammates, the Debuffer Volus focuses on, well... debuffing enemies. You'll still be using Shield Boost, just not as often. As a result, I have chosen different evolutions to reflect this play style.
Stasis is the same. This is generally a good way to evolve Stasis.
For Biotic Orbs, we're going with all-out damage. With the expose evolution, each orb increases damage done to the enemy by 15% for 6 seconds, and this effect can stack up to three times, meaning that you can throw all three orbs at a target for a total of 45% damage bonus. That's like throwing three Warps in a row! The only downside is that the cooldown is pretty long for Biotic Orbs.
For this build, I spec Shield Boost for a more long-term effect, since you will be using it less often. I choose impact radius so that I can cover my allies better. With the Shield Volus, you don't need radius because you can run around spamming Shield Boost every three seconds. But with the Debuffer Volus, every Shield Boost has to count because you don't have the same cooldown. I choose recharge speed for evolution 5 just to improve the cooldown time a little. Finally, I choose duration for evolution 6. I know that the shield boost evolution looks a lot better than duration, but this way Shield Boost slowly regenerates your shields over time for 6 seconds instead of 3. It would be nice if Bioware buffed this to maybe 10 seconds, but regardless, this is a good evolution because you won't be using Shield Boost as much with this build so every one has to count. However, both are good choices. Ultimately, it's up to you. I promise I won't be mad if you choose protection instead.
*I've decided to max out Volus Training instead of Shield Boost. This allows you to have decent weapon damage and still maintain a strong shield boost. It's a little more selfish now, since you won't be covering your teammates as much, but this build was never meant to be a medic anyways.
For Volus Training, I take damage & capacity for weapon weight and to boost Biotic Orbs a little. Finally for Fitness, I go up to durability for evolution 4 to make up for less frequent shield boosts.
And some final tips for the Volus race in general. Voluses (Volusi?) don't have melee. It would be a pretty funny sight to see, but the melee button serves a different function. Tapping the melee button will give you a very short tactical cloak, great for reviving a teammate or avoiding enemy fire. Holding the melee button will give you a bubble shield. As someone on BSN said, it will make you assume pooping position. So you will squat down with this bubble shield, which I am told negates every other hit and damages enemies who get close. I'm not sure about the function, but it is not a Paladin Shield. In other words, don't squat in front of a Cerberus turret. You will die. I know from personal experience.
Here is some gameplay of a Debuffer-style Volus Adept, by INVADERONE.
I hope you all found this guide to be helpful. Now go out and have fun with the new Volus Adept! Peace.
-MACave11i
Ok, I have to admit that when I heard that Volus would be included in the new DLC, I thought that Bioware was trolling us with a joke character. But after unlocking the Ultra-Rare Volus Adept, I can tell you that while Volus are still kind of a joke, they are not joke characters. They definitely have their place on any team, any difficulty. Sure, they may be so short that you don't need to take cover. They may be so round that if they fall over, you can't tell the difference from when they're standing up. They may be more fragile than a Drell with the weapons capabilities of an Asari. But that's not the point. As Bioware said, the Volus are not frontline soldiers, but full-on support characters. If you're an altruistic soul who doesn't mind not topping the scoreboards, than you will love the Volus. Even if you're not the support type, playing as a Volus is a nice change of pace from all the shoot-all-the-things characters.
The Volus Adept has two major powers that can be evolved into two distinct play styles. As such, I have created two separate builds.
Edited 10/15/12
Shield Volus
Stasis: 4-stasis strength, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Biotic Orbs: 4-damage, recharge speed, 6-orb count
Shield Boost: 4-shields, 5-regeneration*, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-shield boost
Fitness: 3
*If you choose to take a heavy weapon, it may be better to take recharge speed for evolution 5.
The Shield Volus focuses on Shield Boost, acting as a mobile shield pylon for the team. A good Shield Volus will be greatly appreciated by your team. They are particularly good for Escort and Upload objectives.
I would take Stasis because it is useful both offensively and defensively. You can use it for pesky Phantoms, mobs, etc. As a fragile Volus, you need to make sure your enemies can't shoot back, so this helps a lot with most enemies. Also, it synergizes well with Biotic Orbs, which I will explain in the next paragraph.
For this build, I spec Biotic Orbs for recharge speed, rather than debuffing. This lets you spam Stasis and Shield Boost more often. This recharge speed is especially important with Shield Boost, since you can generally recharge your shields whenever they go down. If you don't throw your orbs, you'll have a total of 60% recharge speed bonus for Stasis and Shield Boost. With a 200% cooldown and without choosing recharge speed for evolution 5, you'll have a 3 second recharge speed for both Stasis and Shield Boost. Maximum spam-ability.
With Shield Boost, I take the quick-boost approach, choosing shields and protection evolutions for maximum initial shield boost, and regeneration for faster shield recharge in case a teammate strays from your protective range. You can choose recharge speed instead, though. It's really a choice of shields now-or-later.
For Volus Training, I chose damage & capacity for more weapon weight. Normally, I would skip evolution 5 if it were a choice between headshots and power damage, but the Volus has Shield Boost instead of headshots. Definitely choose that.
Finally, I put 3 ranks into fitness. The Volus is pretty fragile, so it doesn't seem to matter much, but it's better than nothing. If you want, you can replace it with evolution 6 of Volus Training. Alternatively, you could skip Stasis and fill out Fitness. Your choice.
Stasis: 4-stasis strength, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Biotic Orbs: 4-damage, 5-damage, 6-expose
Shield Boost: 4-shields
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-shield boost, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: 4-durability
Stasis is the same. This is generally a good way to evolve Stasis.
For Biotic Orbs, we're going with all-out damage. With the expose evolution, each orb increases damage done to the enemy by 15% for 6 seconds, and this effect can stack up to three times, meaning that you can throw all three orbs at a target for a total of 45% damage bonus. That's like throwing three Warps in a row! The only downside is that the cooldown is pretty long for Biotic Orbs.
*I've decided to max out Volus Training instead of Shield Boost. This allows you to have decent weapon damage and still maintain a strong shield boost. It's a little more selfish now, since you won't be covering your teammates as much, but this build was never meant to be a medic anyways.
For Volus Training, I take damage & capacity for weapon weight and to boost Biotic Orbs a little. Finally for Fitness, I go up to durability for evolution 4 to make up for less frequent shield boosts.
And some final tips for the Volus race in general. Voluses (Volusi?) don't have melee. It would be a pretty funny sight to see, but the melee button serves a different function. Tapping the melee button will give you a very short tactical cloak, great for reviving a teammate or avoiding enemy fire. Holding the melee button will give you a bubble shield. As someone on BSN said, it will make you assume pooping position. So you will squat down with this bubble shield, which I am told negates every other hit and damages enemies who get close. I'm not sure about the function, but it is not a Paladin Shield. In other words, don't squat in front of a Cerberus turret. You will die. I know from personal experience.
Here is some gameplay of a Debuffer-style Volus Adept, by INVADERONE.
I hope you all found this guide to be helpful. Now go out and have fun with the new Volus Adept! Peace.
-MACave11i
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Retaliation DLC First Impressions
Hi everyone. I just downloaded the Retaliation DLC. I will continue to update this as I go.
Confirmed Characters:
Adept
- *Volus (Adept): Stasis, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- *Krogan Shaman: Barrier, Shockwave, Warp
- Batarian Slasher: Warp, Cluster Grenade, Lash
Soldier
- *Turian Havoc: Cryo Blast, Havoc Strike, Stimulant Pack
- Geth Trooper: Hunter Mode, Flamer, Fortification
- Quarian Marksman: Marksman, Tactical Scan, Sabotage
Engineer
- *Volus (Engineer): Proximity Mine, Shield Boost, Recon Mine
- Turian Saboteur: Sabotage, Sentry Turret, Homing Grenade
- Vorcha Hunter: Bloodlust, Incinerate, Submission Net
Sentinel
- Volus Mercenary: Decoy, Combat Drone, Shield Boost
- Asari Valkyrie: Tech Armor, Annihilation Field, Warp
Infiltrator
- *Turian Ghost: Overload, Tactical Cloak, Stimulant Pack
- Drell Assassin: Tactical Cloak, Homing Grenade, Recon Mine
- Asari Huntress: Tactical Cloak, Dark Channel, Warp
Vanguard
- Volus Protector: Biotic Charge, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- Batarian Brawler: Biotic Charge, Blade Armor, Lash
*So far, these are available.
Weapons:
Collector Rifle
Collector Sniper Rifle
Collector SMG
October 9 Balance Changes
I will be making a build for the Volus Adept, Volus Engineer, Turian Havoc, and Turian Ghost when I get a chance. Hopefully that will be soon. ETA October 11.
Unfortunately, the weapons are pretty lackluster. The only real advantage in the case of the sniper rifle and SMG is that they have unlimited ammo. From my limited experience, I think that they will all need buffs to various degrees, but particularly the SMG. It's an ultra-rare, so I'm hoping for an alternate SMG to the Hurricane.
Overall, the game seems a little harder because of the upgrades. I'm still finishing Gold consistently, but I find that I'm using more medigel, probably because of more frequent executions by enemies. I really like the Collectors, but they are probably the most difficult or second most difficult enemies, depending on how you feel about the buffed Geth. I think the different enemies are cool and fun to shoot at and whatnot. Possessed Abominations are a PITA though. They explode like a Cain when you kill them, so watch out for those.
Also, the reskinned maps look cool with various weather and hazards. And Bioware "nerfed" Firebase White and Glacier, which I have mixed feelings about. But in general, I approve.
Overall, it's the most comprehensive DLC to date. It almost feels like an Expansion pack because there's so much. However, I can't help but feel that some of the new features such as challenges kind of complicate the game. It's doesn't make a huge difference, but I couldn't help but feel that I liked the game when it was simpler. Oh well. If it gets more people playing the game, I guess that's fine.
-MACave11i
Confirmed Characters:
Adept
- *Volus (Adept): Stasis, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- *Krogan Shaman: Barrier, Shockwave, Warp
- Batarian Slasher: Warp, Cluster Grenade, Lash
Soldier
- *Turian Havoc: Cryo Blast, Havoc Strike, Stimulant Pack
- Geth Trooper: Hunter Mode, Flamer, Fortification
- Quarian Marksman: Marksman, Tactical Scan, Sabotage
Engineer
- *Volus (Engineer): Proximity Mine, Shield Boost, Recon Mine
- Turian Saboteur: Sabotage, Sentry Turret, Homing Grenade
- Vorcha Hunter: Bloodlust, Incinerate, Submission Net
Sentinel
- Volus Mercenary: Decoy, Combat Drone, Shield Boost
- Asari Valkyrie: Tech Armor, Annihilation Field, Warp
Infiltrator
- *Turian Ghost: Overload, Tactical Cloak, Stimulant Pack
- Drell Assassin: Tactical Cloak, Homing Grenade, Recon Mine
- Asari Huntress: Tactical Cloak, Dark Channel, Warp
Vanguard
- Volus Protector: Biotic Charge, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- Batarian Brawler: Biotic Charge, Blade Armor, Lash
*So far, these are available.
Weapons:
Collector Rifle
Collector Sniper Rifle
Collector SMG
October 9 Balance Changes
Unfortunately, the weapons are pretty lackluster. The only real advantage in the case of the sniper rifle and SMG is that they have unlimited ammo. From my limited experience, I think that they will all need buffs to various degrees, but particularly the SMG. It's an ultra-rare, so I'm hoping for an alternate SMG to the Hurricane.
Overall, the game seems a little harder because of the upgrades. I'm still finishing Gold consistently, but I find that I'm using more medigel, probably because of more frequent executions by enemies. I really like the Collectors, but they are probably the most difficult or second most difficult enemies, depending on how you feel about the buffed Geth. I think the different enemies are cool and fun to shoot at and whatnot. Possessed Abominations are a PITA though. They explode like a Cain when you kill them, so watch out for those.
Also, the reskinned maps look cool with various weather and hazards. And Bioware "nerfed" Firebase White and Glacier, which I have mixed feelings about. But in general, I approve.
Overall, it's the most comprehensive DLC to date. It almost feels like an Expansion pack because there's so much. However, I can't help but feel that some of the new features such as challenges kind of complicate the game. It's doesn't make a huge difference, but I couldn't help but feel that I liked the game when it was simpler. Oh well. If it gets more people playing the game, I guess that's fine.
-MACave11i
Saturday, October 6, 2012
PSA: Edited N7 Builds
Hello everyone. As the title suggests, I went through my old N7 builds and edited them just to make sure they were somewhat up-to-date for the new DLC. There are a lot of formatting techniques and such that I applied as well.
The only significant build edit was the N7 Demolisher. I had been meaning to update it for a while, so if you'd like to check out the changes, feel free. Besides that, it was mostly crossing out inaccurate or out-of-date information. New stuff(s) are in [brackets].
Also, I noticed that the embedded Youtube videos weren't showing up. I suspect that it's just my bandwidth bugging out right now, so I'll need to check that out later.
If you have any suggestions, concerns, etc. feel free to leave them in the comments box.
Peace,
- MACave11i
The only significant build edit was the N7 Demolisher. I had been meaning to update it for a while, so if you'd like to check out the changes, feel free. Besides that, it was mostly crossing out inaccurate or out-of-date information. New stuff(s) are in [brackets].
Also, I noticed that the embedded Youtube videos weren't showing up. I suspect that it's just my bandwidth bugging out right now, so I'll need to check that out later.
If you have any suggestions, concerns, etc. feel free to leave them in the comments box.
Peace,
- MACave11i
Thursday, October 4, 2012
ME3: Retaliation DLC Announced
Bioware has finally answered our prayers: Retaliation details.
New enemies:
- The Collectors (faction)
- Cerberus "Dragoon"
- New Geth Drones
16 New characters including:
- Turian Havoc Soldier
- Turian Ghost Infiltrator
- Krogan Shaman Adept
- Asari Huntress Infiltrator
- Batarian Brawler Vanguard
- "and more"
[According to Chris Priestly, only 4 of them will be available at launch, the rest will be rolled out over time]
Three New Weapons:
- Collector Assault Rifle
- Collector SMG
- Collector Sniper Rifle
Six maps featuring environmental hazards and traps, including:
- Ghost
- Dagger
- Giant
Three new ammo types:
- explosive rounds
- phasic rounds
- drill rounds
Five new gear items:
- medigel transmitter
- armored compartments
- responder loadout
- survivor loadout
- assault loadout
Coming October 9th
It seems like this will give many people a reason to play ME3 multiplayer again. I know I will.
10/10! 5 stars!!! Save your credits people!
-MACave11i
New enemies:
- The Collectors (faction)
- Cerberus "Dragoon"
- New Geth Drones
16 New characters including:
- Turian Havoc Soldier
- Turian Ghost Infiltrator
- Krogan Shaman Adept
- Asari Huntress Infiltrator
- Batarian Brawler Vanguard
- "and more"
[According to Chris Priestly, only 4 of them will be available at launch, the rest will be rolled out over time]
Three New Weapons:
- Collector Assault Rifle
- Collector SMG
- Collector Sniper Rifle
Six maps featuring environmental hazards and traps, including:
- Ghost
- Dagger
- Giant
Three new ammo types:
- explosive rounds
- phasic rounds
- drill rounds
Five new gear items:
- medigel transmitter
- armored compartments
- responder loadout
- survivor loadout
- assault loadout
Coming October 9th
It seems like this will give many people a reason to play ME3 multiplayer again. I know I will.
10/10! 5 stars!!! Save your credits people!
-MACave11i
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Upcoming Mass Effect 3 Patch 4 Notes
Bioware has announced patch number 4, which is expected to be available on Thursday (October 4, 2012). Here are the patch details.
Here are some highlights:
- Incinerate power evolution 5 now gives a power damage bonus to frozen and chilled enemies.
- Krogan Vanguard Rage power now works properly.
- Players can no longer grab Geth Pyros over cover.
- Disruptor round consumable (all ranks) damage multiplier against shields and barriers increased from 100% to 400%.
- All Batarian and Krogan kits will now stagger less than other kits.
- Ops survival packs now grant a one second damage immunity when consumed.
- Singularity power re-designed.
- Fixed an issue with the Banshee being able to sync-kill players farther than she should be able to.
- Fixed SMG Ultra-light materials mod not having an impact on power recharge speed.
- Concussive shot evolution 5 changed from ammo power amplification to 50% damage increase and 1 meter radius increase.
- Marksman will instantly reload weapon ammunition when activated.
- Can now headshot Banshees, Geth Primes, and Brutes for an extra 40% weapon damage bonus.
- Can now shoot the Atlas's exhaust port on his back for an extra 40% weapon damage bonus.
- Successfully extracting from a match gives 10% bonus credits. You must extract personally to get this reward.
- Fixed an exploit where players were able to use rockets from other weapons.
My thoughts on this are that these fixes will give the game a much-needed overhaul. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything regarding the Vanguard glitch. Hm...
-MACave11i
Here are some highlights:
- Incinerate power evolution 5 now gives a power damage bonus to frozen and chilled enemies.
- Krogan Vanguard Rage power now works properly.
- Players can no longer grab Geth Pyros over cover.
- Disruptor round consumable (all ranks) damage multiplier against shields and barriers increased from 100% to 400%.
- All Batarian and Krogan kits will now stagger less than other kits.
- Ops survival packs now grant a one second damage immunity when consumed.
- Singularity power re-designed.
- Fixed an issue with the Banshee being able to sync-kill players farther than she should be able to.
- Fixed SMG Ultra-light materials mod not having an impact on power recharge speed.
- Concussive shot evolution 5 changed from ammo power amplification to 50% damage increase and 1 meter radius increase.
- Marksman will instantly reload weapon ammunition when activated.
- Can now headshot Banshees, Geth Primes, and Brutes for an extra 40% weapon damage bonus.
- Can now shoot the Atlas's exhaust port on his back for an extra 40% weapon damage bonus.
- Successfully extracting from a match gives 10% bonus credits. You must extract personally to get this reward.
- Fixed an exploit where players were able to use rockets from other weapons.
My thoughts on this are that these fixes will give the game a much-needed overhaul. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything regarding the Vanguard glitch. Hm...
-MACave11i
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