Hello everyone. Well I've been playing around with the Geth Trooper for Operation Blast Furnace, and I have to say, this platform is awesome. I can see why it was such a highly requested character. What strikes me the most is the flexibility of this build. I have heard of two popular builds: the Weapons Platform and the Flamer build. I will be covering the latter, and even then there are many possible sub-builds. For example, you can prioritize Flamer damage, melee damage, durability, speed, or a combination of all of those. As a result, I would recommend tailoring the build to suit your play style.
Geth Pyro (what I used for the challenge)
Flamer: 4-damage, 5-damage, 6-armor damage
Fortification: 4-durability, 5-power synergy, 6-durability
Hunter Mode: 4-power recharge, 5-power damage, 6-damage
Network AI: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage
Advanced Hardware: 3
I want to note that this is not the Flamer build, this is a Flamer build. I focused primarily on damage for my evolutions and used equipment to compensate for durability. Typically I would go over why I chose each evolution, but the Flamer build is very versatile. I believe that the only way that you can go wrong with this build is by neglecting durability. I tried a Gold PuG where I had nothing but Fortification in terms of durability (I was a level 16 or something and I didn't have all my evolutions filled out) and I was constantly getting dropped like a fly. Eventually I had to turn off Hunter Mode for the rest of the game. So don't do what I did. It's not fun.
Let's take a look at Flamer. You have a choice between damage and reach for evolution 4. Both are good, but I'm leaning towards reach for the simple fact that it increases your range to 15m, which is incredible. It lets you stay back a little more while you toast your enemies, indirectly improving your survivability. For evolution 5, I always take damage because I rarely exhaust Flamer's default duration. There's really no need to increase the duration unless you want to make an Ironman-esque tank that shoots flames everywhere for no reason other than for the spectacle. Finally, evolution 6 is a choice between shield and armor damage. This is also subject to preference. I like to carry a Reegar or Acolyte with this build, so I always go for armor damage, which results in extremely good reduction of all enemy defenses. However, Flamer already has an inherent 50% damage bonus against armor, so taking shield damage evens it out, making Flamer effective against all types of defenses. I would take shield damage if you want to carry a weapon without a shield damage multiplier or Disruptor rounds.
Fortification is fairly straightforward in terms of evolutions. For the Flamer build, you want to go with all durability and power synergy. One thing that you may want to consider, depending on your build, is evolution 6 of Fortification vs. 3 ranks of Advanced Hardware. Fortification 6b gives you an additional 10% damage reduction (effectively about 10% bonus health and shields), while 3 ranks in Advanced Hardware gives you 25% bonus to health and shields. The difference is that Advanced Hardware is derived from your base health and shields (250/1000), while Fortification is derived from your max shields and health -- including any gear and equipment you might have. Thus, a Geth with maxed Fortification and a Cyclonic Modulator is a walking tank. Without a Cyclonic Modulator... not so much.
I think Hunter Mode is entirely optional for this build. For example, depending on your play style, you might opt for maxed Advanced Hardware and a Power Amp rather than Hunter Mode and a Cyclonic Modulator. This also depends on your weapon of choice. If your weapon gets reasonable benefits from Hunter Mode then take it. If you want to use just a Reegar, though, then don't bother with the accuracy and rate of fire bonuses. There's also the movement speed bonus to consider. I find it pretty useful since you have to be able to get in close as well as make a quick getaway.
Networked AI is a simple choice between weapon damage and power damage, which will be completely up to you and your play style. Also, you might want to consider choosing between rank 6 weapon damage or 3 ranks of Advanced Hardware. Again, this depends on what equipment you will be using. A Cyclonic Modulator can more than compensate for lack of durability, so weapon-dependent classes can take weapon damage instead of fitness. I like to use my stockpile of Power Amps, so I take the three ranks of Advanced Hardware and shield-boosting gear to compensate for lack of durability.
In general, I recommend having at least 1500 shields so you'll have 1000 to spare when using Hunter Mode. Along with maxed Fortification, you'll have 1667 effective shields.
An approximate damage reduction formula (not the real formula):
Max Shields x 1/(1-damage reduction)
ex. 1000 x 1/(1-0.40) = 1000/0.60 = 1666.6
On Platinum though, I recommend using a Cyclonic Modulator IV, which gives you incredible durability. For example, if you have a build like this you'll have just over 2000 shields with HM on, along with 40% damage reduction, effectively boosting your shield strength to 3417 (2050/0.60 = 3416.6). With most characters, damage output trumps durability. However, since the Flamer forces you to move slowly and be at relatively close range, durability is a requirement for effective use of this build.
So I hope that this guide was helpful to your understanding of the Geth Trooper. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have fun with the build. Take care.
-Grun7mas7er
Here is a video guide to the Geth Trooper by Lord Stardusk. Enjoy.
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