Hello readers. I've come to the point where I don't play ME3 much anymore. So I won't be writing any new posts except by request or other odd reason. Hope to see you all in Mass Effect 4 multiplayer. In the mean time, there's a good year's worth of posts here for you to peruse. Enjoy.
-Grun7mas7er
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Play with S.P.E.C.T.R.E. members this week!!!
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. Been busy. Anyway, thought you all might like to know that S.P.E.C.T.R.E. is hosting a community challenge Operation Lodestar: Pt. II.
Check it out and if you're interested in playing, post a reply on the thread or PM me (Xbox GT: Grun7mas7er) or another Spectre and we'll see if we can get you into a lobby.
We're doing this until September 1st, so there's plenty of time to get into a game.
Thanks to Max Dmian, newly promoted leader of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., for organizing the event!
-Grun7mas7er
Check it out and if you're interested in playing, post a reply on the thread or PM me (Xbox GT: Grun7mas7er) or another Spectre and we'll see if we can get you into a lobby.
We're doing this until September 1st, so there's plenty of time to get into a game.
Thanks to Max Dmian, newly promoted leader of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., for organizing the event!
-Grun7mas7er
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Spectre Challenge 7
I'm just showing off here. Don't mind me. We got 3rd place. Meh.
Link to challenge thread: http://social.bioware.com/group/8065/discussion/29331/
Rules
*Spectres can only use melee for length of the match -- Powers that boost melee damage without directly damaging the enemies (ie Tac Cloak, Tech Armor, Fortification) ARE allowed.
**Enemies cannot be damaged with powers, weapons, missiles, etc, only melee damage!
***2 different Krogans can be used, but no other races are to be repeated
(i.e. you couldn't have 2 Krogans, a BatSol and a BatGuard but you could have 2 Krogans, a Paladin and a BatSol)
Map/Enemy
*Geth on Reactor
Link to challenge thread: http://social.bioware.com/group/8065/discussion/29331/
Rules
*Spectres can only use melee for length of the match -- Powers that boost melee damage without directly damaging the enemies (ie Tac Cloak, Tech Armor, Fortification) ARE allowed.
**Enemies cannot be damaged with powers, weapons, missiles, etc, only melee damage!
***2 different Krogans can be used, but no other races are to be repeated
(i.e. you couldn't have 2 Krogans, a BatSol and a BatGuard but you could have 2 Krogans, a Paladin and a BatSol)
Map/Enemy
*Geth on Reactor
Friday, August 2, 2013
Volus Adept: Spectre Edition
Hello everyone, Scrubmas7er back with another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide for your face. It's been a while since I last posted a guide. I know you two have been waiting patiently, so here it is. Finally. Link to my post on BSN: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/343/index/17081446#17081446
I've always strived for proficiency with all characters, but this was the one that really stumped me. After trying a couple different builds, I've found one that I'm pretty happy with. Thought I'd share it.
Note: this build is very host-dependent. Host or have a good host when using.
Volus Adept
Stasis: 4-duration, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Biotic Orbs: 4-radius, 5-damage, 6-expose
Shield Boost: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: N/A
Weapons: Arc Pistol w/ Heavy Barrel + Power Magnifier: The lightest of my suggested weapons, you can get good damage and a great cooldown. The power magnifier is a bonus.
Graal w/ high-caliber barrel: This shotgun ignores armor and has a 300% headshot multiplier, as well as a 200% damage bonus when fully charged. Quite deadly, especially when combined with Stasis.
Kishock w/ extended barrel: This sniper rifle ignores both armor and shield gate. Also, it has an inherent 300% headshot multiplier. Couple that with the 175% charged shot bonus and it can one-shot any human-sized enemies. Unlike other sniper rifles, it has no hipfire penalty, so run and gun to your heart's content, little Volus. Source: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/343/index/16386945/1#16386971
Ammo Bonus: Warp Ammo (Reapers/Collectors), Disruptor Ammo (Geth, Cerberus)
Weapon Bonus: Pistol Rail Amp (or appropriate weapon amp/targeting VI)
Armor Bonus: Power Efficiency Module
Gear Bonus: Commando Package (or appropriate weapon amp), Responder Loadout, Armored Compartments
Stasis: Bubble is the important one here - it lets you freeze up to 2 targets at once and freezes subsequent targets that enter the bubble. I take duration so that the bubble stays for longer to trap more enemies. Rank 5 is based on preference.
Biotic Orbs: I go for the debuff branch here because the Volus Adept has very little offensive capability without it. It does decent damage to armor and barriers, triggers biotic explosions, and is capable of debuffing enemies up to 45% (albeit for a brief duration). I recommend radius for more crowd control, greater chance of triggering a teammate's biotic explosion, and for debuffing more enemies.
Shield Boost: You get 1.5 seconds of invulnerability after using this power. Use this to your advantage. Whenever possible, use this before you take a hit. If you get staggered, you'll be shot down before you have a chance to boost. You want to avoid being on cooldown so you can use this to stay alive. But if you're on cooldown, especially for Biotic Orbs, use your tactical cloak (light melee) to drop enemy aggro.
Volus Training: In my estimation, weight capacity > weapon damage > power damage. Shields restored is irrelevant since the Volus has so little shields anyway. So I take 4b, 5a, and 6b.
Fitness: Unless you are soloing and you need every sliver of durability you can get, Fitness is virtually worthless for Volus. Those points are better spent maxing out your powers.
Strategy: Using your many Volus powers to your advantage.
Invulnerability: Use Shield Boost to negate all damage (except sync kills). Similarly, your heavy melee gives you invulnerability frames and regenerates a small portion of your shields. However, heavy melee is not as reliable since (a) you have to hold down the melee button, meaning you could be dead before it takes effect, and (b) the invulnerability has a cooldown function so you gradually lose damage reduction the longer you hold down the button. With enough cooldown bonuses, you can alternate Shield Boost and heavy melee and remain invulnerable (until you are inevitably staggered to death).
Use your tactical cloak periodically, before entering a combat situation. There is no reason not to, and it eliminates enemy aggro directed at you. You want to be either invulnerable or invisible as a Volus. Don't be like those Voluses you find in PUGs.
Unarmored enemies: Simply Stasis and headshot. Stasis-->Biotic Orb for a biotic explosion.
Swarmers- Stasis the little buggers.
Shielded & unshielded troopers- Stasis and headshot, though crowd control is often an issue. Use your Biotic Orbs to stagger and trigger biotic explosions. It's important to be defensive around these enemies since one burst is enough to kill you.
Guardians- Bubble Stasis will freeze them and cause them to drop their shields. Easy pickings.
Phantoms- Stasis, throw an Orb for a biotic explosion, then headshot. On Gold, with enough equipment, Stasis-->headshot is enough.
Armored enemies: Debuff with Biotic Orbs and chip away at their armor. As always, aim for the head. Best to let your teammates handle them when possible.
Dragoons: Debuff thoroughly with Orbs, headshot, use those I-frames. Much easier when teammates are using Biotics or incendiary powers.
Cerberus Turrets: Avoid at all costs.
Brutes, Ravagers, Scions: Relatively easy to handle because they're slow and dumb, but time-consuming. Simply debuff and shoot at weak points.
Bosses: See above, but Primes and Praetorians are some of your worst enemies. Bosses in general will be time-consuming to kill with this non-DPS build, which is ultimately why using the Volus Adept on Platinum is a waste of time.
Also check out ToLazy4Name's Volus Guide for additional Volus goodness.
I've always strived for proficiency with all characters, but this was the one that really stumped me. After trying a couple different builds, I've found one that I'm pretty happy with. Thought I'd share it.
How Not To Suck As A Volus Adept
Note: this build is very host-dependent. Host or have a good host when using.
Volus Adept
Stasis: 4-duration, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Biotic Orbs: 4-radius, 5-damage, 6-expose
Shield Boost: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-protection
Volus Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: N/A
Weapons: Arc Pistol w/ Heavy Barrel + Power Magnifier: The lightest of my suggested weapons, you can get good damage and a great cooldown. The power magnifier is a bonus.
Graal w/ high-caliber barrel: This shotgun ignores armor and has a 300% headshot multiplier, as well as a 200% damage bonus when fully charged. Quite deadly, especially when combined with Stasis.
Kishock w/ extended barrel: This sniper rifle ignores both armor and shield gate. Also, it has an inherent 300% headshot multiplier. Couple that with the 175% charged shot bonus and it can one-shot any human-sized enemies. Unlike other sniper rifles, it has no hipfire penalty, so run and gun to your heart's content, little Volus. Source: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/343/index/16386945/1#16386971
Ammo Bonus: Warp Ammo (Reapers/Collectors), Disruptor Ammo (Geth, Cerberus)
Weapon Bonus: Pistol Rail Amp (or appropriate weapon amp/targeting VI)
Armor Bonus: Power Efficiency Module
Gear Bonus: Commando Package (or appropriate weapon amp), Responder Loadout, Armored Compartments
Stasis: Bubble is the important one here - it lets you freeze up to 2 targets at once and freezes subsequent targets that enter the bubble. I take duration so that the bubble stays for longer to trap more enemies. Rank 5 is based on preference.
Biotic Orbs: I go for the debuff branch here because the Volus Adept has very little offensive capability without it. It does decent damage to armor and barriers, triggers biotic explosions, and is capable of debuffing enemies up to 45% (albeit for a brief duration). I recommend radius for more crowd control, greater chance of triggering a teammate's biotic explosion, and for debuffing more enemies.
Shield Boost: You get 1.5 seconds of invulnerability after using this power. Use this to your advantage. Whenever possible, use this before you take a hit. If you get staggered, you'll be shot down before you have a chance to boost. You want to avoid being on cooldown so you can use this to stay alive. But if you're on cooldown, especially for Biotic Orbs, use your tactical cloak (light melee) to drop enemy aggro.
Volus Training: In my estimation, weight capacity > weapon damage > power damage. Shields restored is irrelevant since the Volus has so little shields anyway. So I take 4b, 5a, and 6b.
Fitness: Unless you are soloing and you need every sliver of durability you can get, Fitness is virtually worthless for Volus. Those points are better spent maxing out your powers.
Strategy: Using your many Volus powers to your advantage.
Invulnerability: Use Shield Boost to negate all damage (except sync kills). Similarly, your heavy melee gives you invulnerability frames and regenerates a small portion of your shields. However, heavy melee is not as reliable since (a) you have to hold down the melee button, meaning you could be dead before it takes effect, and (b) the invulnerability has a cooldown function so you gradually lose damage reduction the longer you hold down the button. With enough cooldown bonuses, you can alternate Shield Boost and heavy melee and remain invulnerable (until you are inevitably staggered to death).
Use your tactical cloak periodically, before entering a combat situation. There is no reason not to, and it eliminates enemy aggro directed at you. You want to be either invulnerable or invisible as a Volus. Don't be like those Voluses you find in PUGs.
Unarmored enemies: Simply Stasis and headshot. Stasis-->Biotic Orb for a biotic explosion.
Swarmers- Stasis the little buggers.
Shielded & unshielded troopers- Stasis and headshot, though crowd control is often an issue. Use your Biotic Orbs to stagger and trigger biotic explosions. It's important to be defensive around these enemies since one burst is enough to kill you.
Guardians- Bubble Stasis will freeze them and cause them to drop their shields. Easy pickings.
Phantoms- Stasis, throw an Orb for a biotic explosion, then headshot. On Gold, with enough equipment, Stasis-->headshot is enough.
Armored enemies: Debuff with Biotic Orbs and chip away at their armor. As always, aim for the head. Best to let your teammates handle them when possible.
Dragoons: Debuff thoroughly with Orbs, headshot, use those I-frames. Much easier when teammates are using Biotics or incendiary powers.
Cerberus Turrets: Avoid at all costs.
Brutes, Ravagers, Scions: Relatively easy to handle because they're slow and dumb, but time-consuming. Simply debuff and shoot at weak points.
Bosses: See above, but Primes and Praetorians are some of your worst enemies. Bosses in general will be time-consuming to kill with this non-DPS build, which is ultimately why using the Volus Adept on Platinum is a waste of time.
Also check out ToLazy4Name's Volus Guide for additional Volus goodness.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Ex-Cerberus Phoenix Adept: Spectre Edition
Hello everybody and welcome to another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide. Initially, I was of the opinion that the Phoenix Adept was one of the weaker characters. Balance changes shifted that opinion, Smash got buffed and nerfed, Singularity got buffed, and I think it ended up being a pretty strong character. A bit slow and squishy compared to Dragoons, but dat Smash...
Ex-Cerberus Adept
Singularity: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-detonate
Smash: 4-biotic combo, 5-force & damage, 6-armor damage
Lash: 4-detonate, 5-damage over time, 6-shield penetration
Phoenix Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage
Fitness: 3
In terms of weapons, I've tried a few different guns and don't feel as if I've hit the nail on the head, but in my most recent ventures I managed to score 200k+ with this character using the Talon. It's not as consistent against shields as the Acolyte, but it does comparable damage and it's more useful all-around. It has a great attack pattern with Smash: two shots and Smash, two shots and Smash. Using a power after emptying the clip will also "hide" your reload animation with good timing; in this case, Smash right after you fire the last shot in the clip - your gun will reload during the Smash animation. This trick works with all guns and powers, but the timing varies.
I recommend using the heavy barrel for a whopping 40% extra damage (and it's glitched so that it won't actually affect your cooldown). Also, take the power magnifier to buff your powers even more. Then I would recommend either Warp ammo (synergy with biotics) or Disruptor ammo (strip shields faster, but interferes with biotics).
I recommend the Geth Scanner since this character is squishy. I believe that situational awareness trumps a measly 20%-30% shield boost any day. It also lets you Smash enemies through walls more effectively. Wallhax ftw!
Singularity: With this character, I decided to use Singularity as a time-bomb rather than spec-ing it as a biotic primer. With all the power damage bonuses, the detonation does over 1200 damage across 7 meters. That's like a bonus biotic explosion. Everything else was built around that. You don't want duration because then it takes 20 seconds for Singularity to detonate instead of 8 seconds, so take radius. I took recharge speed because lift damage would kill lifted targets too fast - I want to be able to use Lash on them to create biotic explosions to damage other enemies. But in most situations lift damage would be better, especially for Phantoms. Remember that Singularity staggers most human-sized enemies within the field, and the detonation staggers even more enemies (I have seen it stagger Atlases and Banshees - I can't imagine that Primes or Crabs would be any different).
Smash: The steak and potatoes (or rice, if you're MasterReefa [BSN reference]) of the Smashdept. It has an inherent 150% damage bonus against armor, shields, and barriers. With the armor damage evolution, that increases to 262.5% (if my math is straight) damage bonus to armor and barriers. Factoring in all the power damage bonuses, Smash does upwards of 4500 damage to armor and barriers. It detonates biotic explosions and primes them too if you take the biotic combo evo. It deals 2.5x force against Lashed targets and can hit up to two targets.
Lash: The Phoenix is a ladies man. Back in the Cerberus training program, the Phantoms and Nemeses just couldn't escape the lure of his Lash. Yeah, okay maybe the story is a bit silly. But seriously, Lash is great for incapacitating those pesky Phantoms and Nemeses. Also great for stealing Guardian shields. And of course, it's great for any other unarmored enemies.
Phoenix Training: Power damage. 'Nuff said.
Fitness: Just 3 ranks for a little bit of durability. This character is still pretty squishy, and he doesn't get any damage reduction during his ridiculously long Smash or Lash animations. But what can you do? Well I want a new Phoenix with Barrier, Annihilation Field and Smash. The ultimate close quarters Adept!
Strategy: Since this character is so squishy, you can't run around in the open. Play carefully and stick to close quarters if possible. Always try to have a solid piece of cover to get behind in case of Banshee Warps, Atlas missiles, Praetorian lasers, etc.
TBC...
-Grun7mas7er
Ex-Cerberus Adept
Singularity: 4-radius, 5-recharge speed, 6-detonate
Smash: 4-biotic combo, 5-force & damage, 6-armor damage
Lash: 4-detonate, 5-damage over time, 6-shield penetration
Phoenix Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage
Fitness: 3
In terms of weapons, I've tried a few different guns and don't feel as if I've hit the nail on the head, but in my most recent ventures I managed to score 200k+ with this character using the Talon. It's not as consistent against shields as the Acolyte, but it does comparable damage and it's more useful all-around. It has a great attack pattern with Smash: two shots and Smash, two shots and Smash. Using a power after emptying the clip will also "hide" your reload animation with good timing; in this case, Smash right after you fire the last shot in the clip - your gun will reload during the Smash animation. This trick works with all guns and powers, but the timing varies.
I recommend using the heavy barrel for a whopping 40% extra damage (and it's glitched so that it won't actually affect your cooldown). Also, take the power magnifier to buff your powers even more. Then I would recommend either Warp ammo (synergy with biotics) or Disruptor ammo (strip shields faster, but interferes with biotics).
I recommend the Geth Scanner since this character is squishy. I believe that situational awareness trumps a measly 20%-30% shield boost any day. It also lets you Smash enemies through walls more effectively. Wallhax ftw!
Singularity: With this character, I decided to use Singularity as a time-bomb rather than spec-ing it as a biotic primer. With all the power damage bonuses, the detonation does over 1200 damage across 7 meters. That's like a bonus biotic explosion. Everything else was built around that. You don't want duration because then it takes 20 seconds for Singularity to detonate instead of 8 seconds, so take radius. I took recharge speed because lift damage would kill lifted targets too fast - I want to be able to use Lash on them to create biotic explosions to damage other enemies. But in most situations lift damage would be better, especially for Phantoms. Remember that Singularity staggers most human-sized enemies within the field, and the detonation staggers even more enemies (I have seen it stagger Atlases and Banshees - I can't imagine that Primes or Crabs would be any different).
Smash: The steak and potatoes (or rice, if you're MasterReefa [BSN reference]) of the Smashdept. It has an inherent 150% damage bonus against armor, shields, and barriers. With the armor damage evolution, that increases to 262.5% (if my math is straight) damage bonus to armor and barriers. Factoring in all the power damage bonuses, Smash does upwards of 4500 damage to armor and barriers. It detonates biotic explosions and primes them too if you take the biotic combo evo. It deals 2.5x force against Lashed targets and can hit up to two targets.
Lash: The Phoenix is a ladies man. Back in the Cerberus training program, the Phantoms and Nemeses just couldn't escape the lure of his Lash. Yeah, okay maybe the story is a bit silly. But seriously, Lash is great for incapacitating those pesky Phantoms and Nemeses. Also great for stealing Guardian shields. And of course, it's great for any other unarmored enemies.
Phoenix Training: Power damage. 'Nuff said.
Fitness: Just 3 ranks for a little bit of durability. This character is still pretty squishy, and he doesn't get any damage reduction during his ridiculously long Smash or Lash animations. But what can you do? Well I want a new Phoenix with Barrier, Annihilation Field and Smash. The ultimate close quarters Adept!
Strategy: Since this character is so squishy, you can't run around in the open. Play carefully and stick to close quarters if possible. Always try to have a solid piece of cover to get behind in case of Banshee Warps, Atlas missiles, Praetorian lasers, etc.
TBC...
-Grun7mas7er
On "Spectre Edition" Guides
Hello everybody. It's been a while so I'm going to ramble on about stuff you don't care about.
A while ago I was nominated/inducted/chosen by some friends to join S.P.E.C.T.R.E., which is a group of the "best" players on Bioware
As a "Spectre", I suppose I'm now subject to higher expectations and greater scrutiny. So my build standards are generally:
a) Built with Platinum in mind (Platinum worthy),
b) I can score well with them, generally 200k points indicates to me that the build works (not that score is that important), and
c) I try to make the build unique and avoid "clone kits", for example, building the Vorcha Soldier and Sentinel the exact same way.
So that's the story behind the Spectre Edition guides. Coming to a blog near you. Peace out.
-Grun7mas7er
Friday, June 21, 2013
ME3 Character Guide: Human Adept
Hello readers, it's been a while but I'm back with another Mass Effect 3 character guide for your face. This one is for the Human Adept, which gets outshined by the Fury and Shaman, but is a powerful and versatile adept in its own right. It is an essential character to any biotic team.
Human Adept
Singularity: 4-duration, 5-lift damage, 6-damage
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Shockwave: 4-force & damage, 5-detonate, 6-recharge speed
Alliance Training: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
The most essential weapon for this character is the Acolyte. Sure, the Acolyte is essential on half of the characters in the game, but as a biotic-centric kit, this one really needs it. Biotics don't work well against shields. I recommend the heavy barrel and ultra-light materials to compensate for the added weight.
You don't need a secondary, but it doesn't hurt. The CSMG is lightweight and does great damage to armor. The Hurricane is also a great choice, just less accurate. I'd go with the magazine upgrade and high-velocity barrel (this is essential, otherwise your SMG will only tickle armored enemies). If you don't have either one leveled up to your liking, consider the Locust or Tempest as alternatives to the CSMG and Hurricane respectively.
I prefer the Geth Scanner on this character, since it helps you stay out of dangerous situations and pick your targets more effectively. But it's really not essential. The Commando and Expert packages are good choices too. I normally don't prescribe weapon amps, but you really need the pistol damage to drain shields quickly, especially for Phantoms. It's annoying to have to use two Acolyte shots to destroy a single Phantom's shields. SMG damage is secondary.
You have two biotic primers and two detonators, so I recommend Warp ammo for this character. You get the bonus damage to any targets affected by Singularity or Warp, and it won't interfere with your biotic explosions.
Singularity: I mostly use this as a biotic primer and mook killer. Great for incapacitating multiple unprotected enemies. Place one in a high traffic area and prime all the things as they walk through it, then use Shockwave to detonate each one. You can avoid the repetitive priming-detonating pattern this way. This is why I choose duration rather than radius, because I don't have to replace it as often.
Warp: Standard Warp. You get the splosions. You get the debuff. You get the armor weakening. What more can I say?
Shockwave: Most important part is the detonate evo. I take force & damage to stagger more things, and recharge speed for spam-ability. You know, to troll your sniper teammates. No headshot for you!
Alliance Training: This is good if you're playing with reliable teammates because you can afford to sacrifice some durability for more damage. But it does not affect your biotic explosion damage. So this branch is situational, and I generally skip it.
Fitness: I do a lot of pick-up games with randoms, so when the time comes to solo a wave or two I have some extra durability. It is a noticeable difference, believe it or not. But not as essential as it is for the Juggernaut.
Strategy: In general, Acolyte for shields, SMG and biotic explosions for armor.
For unprotected enemies, use Singularity to incapacitate them first. At long range, use Warp to detonate. At close range, use Shockwave. For single targets, use Singularity followed by a heavy melee.
For groups of enemies, try funneling them into your Singularity and detonate them with Shockwave as they pass through.
For shielded enemies like Marauders, Acolyte first then Singularity. Even if you miss your Acolyte shot, follow with Singularity, which will staggerlock them and prevent them from shooting at you. Then you'll have time to charge your shot, shoot, and detonate.
With the Acolyte and appropriate pistol amps, Phantoms are trivialized. Just drain their barrier, Singularity, and detonate. Again, even if you miss your Acolyte shot, follow with Singularity to put the Phantom on the defensive, then drain her shields. As soon as her bubble goes down she'll be trapped. Finish with a Shockwave.
For armored enemies, the Warp/Shockwave combo will give you the most damage. All in all, you get 115% bonus damage for the biotic explosion, and the Warped target takes 15% more damage on top of that.
Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes you need to funnel groups of Dragoons (aka the football team) through as Singularity, detonating each one as they pass through. You may also want to use Singularity on Ravagers to mop up any Swarmers nearby.
You'll want to deal with Cerberus Turrets as indirectly as possible. At a distance, use Singularity, Acolyte to take down the shields, then Warp for the biotic explosion.
Against bosses, Warp for debuff, then use the Acolyte for shields. Wear down their armor with your SMG and biotic explosions. Warp, shoot your CSMG until nearly empty, then Shockwave for the boom. Rinse and repeat.
That's about it, I think. Stay classy folks.
-Grun7mas7er
Check out Capt. Stach3's epic Youtube story, Felicia the First Fabulous Fury. It's got some great tips and it's entertaining. :D
Human Adept
Singularity: 4-duration, 5-lift damage, 6-damageWarp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Shockwave: 4-force & damage, 5-detonate, 6-recharge speed
Alliance Training: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
The most essential weapon for this character is the Acolyte. Sure, the Acolyte is essential on half of the characters in the game, but as a biotic-centric kit, this one really needs it. Biotics don't work well against shields. I recommend the heavy barrel and ultra-light materials to compensate for the added weight.
You don't need a secondary, but it doesn't hurt. The CSMG is lightweight and does great damage to armor. The Hurricane is also a great choice, just less accurate. I'd go with the magazine upgrade and high-velocity barrel (this is essential, otherwise your SMG will only tickle armored enemies). If you don't have either one leveled up to your liking, consider the Locust or Tempest as alternatives to the CSMG and Hurricane respectively.
I prefer the Geth Scanner on this character, since it helps you stay out of dangerous situations and pick your targets more effectively. But it's really not essential. The Commando and Expert packages are good choices too. I normally don't prescribe weapon amps, but you really need the pistol damage to drain shields quickly, especially for Phantoms. It's annoying to have to use two Acolyte shots to destroy a single Phantom's shields. SMG damage is secondary.
You have two biotic primers and two detonators, so I recommend Warp ammo for this character. You get the bonus damage to any targets affected by Singularity or Warp, and it won't interfere with your biotic explosions.
Singularity: I mostly use this as a biotic primer and mook killer. Great for incapacitating multiple unprotected enemies. Place one in a high traffic area and prime all the things as they walk through it, then use Shockwave to detonate each one. You can avoid the repetitive priming-detonating pattern this way. This is why I choose duration rather than radius, because I don't have to replace it as often.
Warp: Standard Warp. You get the splosions. You get the debuff. You get the armor weakening. What more can I say?
Shockwave: Most important part is the detonate evo. I take force & damage to stagger more things, and recharge speed for spam-ability. You know, to troll your sniper teammates. No headshot for you!
Alliance Training: This is good if you're playing with reliable teammates because you can afford to sacrifice some durability for more damage. But it does not affect your biotic explosion damage. So this branch is situational, and I generally skip it.
Fitness: I do a lot of pick-up games with randoms, so when the time comes to solo a wave or two I have some extra durability. It is a noticeable difference, believe it or not. But not as essential as it is for the Juggernaut.
Strategy: In general, Acolyte for shields, SMG and biotic explosions for armor.For unprotected enemies, use Singularity to incapacitate them first. At long range, use Warp to detonate. At close range, use Shockwave. For single targets, use Singularity followed by a heavy melee.
For groups of enemies, try funneling them into your Singularity and detonate them with Shockwave as they pass through.
For shielded enemies like Marauders, Acolyte first then Singularity. Even if you miss your Acolyte shot, follow with Singularity, which will staggerlock them and prevent them from shooting at you. Then you'll have time to charge your shot, shoot, and detonate.
With the Acolyte and appropriate pistol amps, Phantoms are trivialized. Just drain their barrier, Singularity, and detonate. Again, even if you miss your Acolyte shot, follow with Singularity to put the Phantom on the defensive, then drain her shields. As soon as her bubble goes down she'll be trapped. Finish with a Shockwave.
For armored enemies, the Warp/Shockwave combo will give you the most damage. All in all, you get 115% bonus damage for the biotic explosion, and the Warped target takes 15% more damage on top of that.
Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes you need to funnel groups of Dragoons (aka the football team) through as Singularity, detonating each one as they pass through. You may also want to use Singularity on Ravagers to mop up any Swarmers nearby.
You'll want to deal with Cerberus Turrets as indirectly as possible. At a distance, use Singularity, Acolyte to take down the shields, then Warp for the biotic explosion.
Against bosses, Warp for debuff, then use the Acolyte for shields. Wear down their armor with your SMG and biotic explosions. Warp, shoot your CSMG until nearly empty, then Shockwave for the boom. Rinse and repeat.
That's about it, I think. Stay classy folks.
-Grun7mas7er
Check out Capt. Stach3's epic Youtube story, Felicia the First Fabulous Fury. It's got some great tips and it's entertaining. :D
Monday, May 27, 2013
ME3 Character Guide: Human Vanguard
What's up everyone? Yet another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide for your face. As always, I've always strived for proficiency in all characters (except for maybe the lolVoluses and lolJuggernaut), so I've been going back to the good ol' characters, including the Human Vanguard. I never really gave the Novaguard much play back in the day because of the Vanguard glitch, etc., even though it was really powerful even back then. So yes, it's still a viable class. Check the technique.
Human Vanguard
Biotic Charge: 4-radius, 5-power synergy, 6-barrier
Shockwave: 4-radius, 5-detonate, 6-lifting shockwave
Nova: 4-force & damage, 5-half blast, 6-pierce
Alliance Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage
Fitness: 3
*or go traditional
Biotic Charge: 4-radius, 5-power synergy, 6-barrier
Shockwave: N/A
Nova: 4-force & damage, 5-half blast, 6-pierce
Alliance Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I really like the Talon on this character. I think the Acolyte would be good too (frankly, it's good on almost any character), but the Talon has synergy. You don't have to charge it up before firing, and it has a shotgun-like spread, so it's great for close quarters.
If you're not with a tech/biotic team, then use Incendiary ammo so you can prime your own fire explosions. Otherwise, use Warp or AP ammo so you don't override your teammates' more powerful tech/biotic explosions. The Novaguard is a great detonator. Best Biotic Detonator*.
You can use the Commando Package or Geth Scanner or whatever you like. It's not prescriptive for this character.
Biotic Charge: If you're surprised by the evolutions here, well, maybe you should L2P scrub.
Shockwave: So...there's this hipster kinda thing going on where people actually spec into Lifting Shockwave. It does have nice synergy with Nova, make no mistake, but it's a balancing act that I have not yet mastered. So I can't personally endorse it because I haven't gotten it to work. It's funny because people used to say L2P scrub if you took Shockwave on the Novaguard. Now it's SUPERPROL33TSKILLZ. So I'll leave it up to you. You can either go with a 6/6/6/5/3 build or go with 6/0/6/6/6.
Nova: is the signature power or the...er...Novaguard. So I usually take force & damage to compensate for half blast. Then I take pierce for better damage against defenses. It's not a lot of damage because of half blast, but that's to balance out the massive advantage. With half blast, you can use Nova twice per shield cycle, and you are invulnerable while using Biotic Charge and Nova. You see the potential here, right? You can Biotic Charge, Nova, and Nova again - and you're invincible the whole time.
Of course, you can't be stuck in the open with no shields while Biotic Charge cools down, so we need to extend those invulnerability frames by Nova-canceling. You can do this by using Nova and interrupting it with light melee or dodging. How you cancel is situational, e.g. when carrying a package you should use the light melee to cancel to avoid dropping the package; use side-roll when you want to avoid getting into a fist-fight with a Geth Prime.
The bottom line: you are invulnerable to all damage (except sync-kills, of course, unless the sync kill animation finishes within your 1.5 seconds of invulnerability frames) as long as you continuously nova-cancel. While high-dps enemies like Cerberus Turrets can give you some grief by punching through your shields in between frames, they can still be dealt with as I will explain later.
Alliance Training: All you need is the power damage bonuses and weight capacity. The extra force & damage puts Biotic Charge over 1000N, enough to stagger Phantoms, which is the important part. You get enough weight capacity to carry a Talon X and maintain a 200% cooldown, which is generally important for Vanguards. If you skip Shockwave, take weapon damage (or weight capacity if you have a low-level Talon).
Fitness: With this build, you're relying on Nova for survivability. Still, it helps to have the extra shields and health if you slip up. If you skip Shockwave, go for the durability branch.
Strategy: Basically just Biotic Charge, Nova, Nova. But mix it up a little. Pop a quick shot in between Novas, for example. Or Nova-cancel in between Novas to extend your invulnerability while Biotic Charge cools down.
Cerberus Turrets- these are what will give you the most trouble, especially when there are more than one of them. You can safely Nova-cancel with light melee at them, doing pretty pitiful damage, but at least you won't die. This isn't what I would consider to be safe, though.
Bosses- know when they can sync-kill you and when they can't. Then you'll know when it's safe to charge them or not. Atlases can sync-kill after their ground-pound melee attack. Banshees can sync-kill when they have the glowing aura around them. Praetorians can sync-kill when they are walking, but not when floating. Geth Primes can't sync-kill you, but their elbow of doom can stagger you and leave you open to enemy fire.
Phantoms and Scions are primed for a sync kill after their melee animation. Note that all it takes is one frame of this melee animation for them to become primed; They do not necessarily need to finish the animation to sync kill you. If I'm not mistaken, Brutes can sync kill after their swipe and smash attacks, but not charge.
As with all Vanguards, I recommend hosting whenever you use this character. You need your Biotic Charge, Nova, and Survival Ops Packs to be as responsive as possible for this aggressive play style.
And that's about it for the Novaguard. Thanks for reading and stay classy. Most of all, enjoy the build.
-Grun7mas7er
Check out Lord Sirian's Novaguard gameplay!
Human Vanguard
Biotic Charge: 4-radius, 5-power synergy, 6-barrier
Shockwave: 4-radius, 5-detonate, 6-lifting shockwave
Nova: 4-force & damage, 5-half blast, 6-pierce
Alliance Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage
Fitness: 3
*or go traditional
Biotic Charge: 4-radius, 5-power synergy, 6-barrier
Shockwave: N/A
Nova: 4-force & damage, 5-half blast, 6-pierce
Alliance Training: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I really like the Talon on this character. I think the Acolyte would be good too (frankly, it's good on almost any character), but the Talon has synergy. You don't have to charge it up before firing, and it has a shotgun-like spread, so it's great for close quarters.
If you're not with a tech/biotic team, then use Incendiary ammo so you can prime your own fire explosions. Otherwise, use Warp or AP ammo so you don't override your teammates' more powerful tech/biotic explosions. The Novaguard is a great detonator. Best Biotic Detonator*.
You can use the Commando Package or Geth Scanner or whatever you like. It's not prescriptive for this character.
Biotic Charge: If you're surprised by the evolutions here, well, maybe you should L2P scrub.
Shockwave: So...there's this hipster kinda thing going on where people actually spec into Lifting Shockwave. It does have nice synergy with Nova, make no mistake, but it's a balancing act that I have not yet mastered. So I can't personally endorse it because I haven't gotten it to work. It's funny because people used to say L2P scrub if you took Shockwave on the Novaguard. Now it's SUPERPROL33TSKILLZ. So I'll leave it up to you. You can either go with a 6/6/6/5/3 build or go with 6/0/6/6/6.
Nova: is the signature power or the...er...Novaguard. So I usually take force & damage to compensate for half blast. Then I take pierce for better damage against defenses. It's not a lot of damage because of half blast, but that's to balance out the massive advantage. With half blast, you can use Nova twice per shield cycle, and you are invulnerable while using Biotic Charge and Nova. You see the potential here, right? You can Biotic Charge, Nova, and Nova again - and you're invincible the whole time.
Of course, you can't be stuck in the open with no shields while Biotic Charge cools down, so we need to extend those invulnerability frames by Nova-canceling. You can do this by using Nova and interrupting it with light melee or dodging. How you cancel is situational, e.g. when carrying a package you should use the light melee to cancel to avoid dropping the package; use side-roll when you want to avoid getting into a fist-fight with a Geth Prime.
The bottom line: you are invulnerable to all damage (except sync-kills, of course, unless the sync kill animation finishes within your 1.5 seconds of invulnerability frames) as long as you continuously nova-cancel. While high-dps enemies like Cerberus Turrets can give you some grief by punching through your shields in between frames, they can still be dealt with as I will explain later.
Alliance Training: All you need is the power damage bonuses and weight capacity. The extra force & damage puts Biotic Charge over 1000N, enough to stagger Phantoms, which is the important part. You get enough weight capacity to carry a Talon X and maintain a 200% cooldown, which is generally important for Vanguards. If you skip Shockwave, take weapon damage (or weight capacity if you have a low-level Talon).
Fitness: With this build, you're relying on Nova for survivability. Still, it helps to have the extra shields and health if you slip up. If you skip Shockwave, go for the durability branch.
Strategy: Basically just Biotic Charge, Nova, Nova. But mix it up a little. Pop a quick shot in between Novas, for example. Or Nova-cancel in between Novas to extend your invulnerability while Biotic Charge cools down.
Cerberus Turrets- these are what will give you the most trouble, especially when there are more than one of them. You can safely Nova-cancel with light melee at them, doing pretty pitiful damage, but at least you won't die. This isn't what I would consider to be safe, though.
Bosses- know when they can sync-kill you and when they can't. Then you'll know when it's safe to charge them or not. Atlases can sync-kill after their ground-pound melee attack. Banshees can sync-kill when they have the glowing aura around them. Praetorians can sync-kill when they are walking, but not when floating. Geth Primes can't sync-kill you, but their elbow of doom can stagger you and leave you open to enemy fire.
Phantoms and Scions are primed for a sync kill after their melee animation. Note that all it takes is one frame of this melee animation for them to become primed; They do not necessarily need to finish the animation to sync kill you. If I'm not mistaken, Brutes can sync kill after their swipe and smash attacks, but not charge.
As with all Vanguards, I recommend hosting whenever you use this character. You need your Biotic Charge, Nova, and Survival Ops Packs to be as responsive as possible for this aggressive play style.
And that's about it for the Novaguard. Thanks for reading and stay classy. Most of all, enjoy the build.
-Grun7mas7er
Check out Lord Sirian's Novaguard gameplay!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
ME3 Character Guide: Cabal Vanguard
Hello everyone, welcome to another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide. When the Reckoning DLC came out, there were some characters that were, for the most part, pretty easy to build. Then there were some that no matter how you built them, they just didn't seem to click. For me, that was the Turian Cabal, and frankly I didn't even have the patience or willingness to test out every nuance of this amazing character.
Then I came across a Cabal build on BSN that wasn't just another weapons platform build. It was unique; it had character. I tried it out, liked it, and tweaked it to suit my own preferences. I can't say it's the "best" build, because I suppose you could slap on a Hurricane/Acolyte combo and max out Nightshade Blades and use a grenade capacity mod, but that would be boring. So without further ado, the build:
Cabal Vanguard
Poison Strike: 4-range
Nightshade Blades: 4-capacity
Biotic Focus: 4-damage taken, 5-melee damage, 6-heightened focus
Turian Veteran: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: 4-melee damage, 5-martial artist, 6-melee synergy
First of all, you really need the shotgun omni-blade attachment since this is a melee build. I've tried it on the Raider, Piranha, and Wraith on this character. My favorite is the Wraith, but any one of them would be a good selection. The main thing is that it does solid damage to bosses. On higher difficulties, you may just want to equip a Hurricane as a sidearm.
I usually go with AP ammo to help deal with bosses (and Guardian shields). I think Disruptor ammo would be great for shields and stunning mooks, but you would be sacrificing armor-piercing since you need both the smart choke and omni-blade.
Then finally, I highly recommend the Geth Scanner. Although it would be great to have the berserker package or grenade capacity, wall-hacking completely changes the experience. I said that this build is unique and has character, and that has a lot to do with Geth Scanner. So don't skip out on it.
Poison Strike: It gets you from A to B. And the invulnerability frames are nice. Other than that, there's not much to write home about. I take range for rank 4 because it makes a pretty big difference, whereas rank 5 of Nightshade Blades doesn't make that much difference to me. But the main reason you want this is to get away from sync-killers. The other important use is to tank through enemy attacks like Banshee Warp/scream, Atlas missiles, etc.
Nightshade Blades: offer limited crowd control. They do good damage, but unfortunately this build sacrifices a lot of potential damage from NBs. I mostly use them to stagger groups of mooks, especially Marauders and their elbows. It is also capable of paralyzing one unprotected enemy (I believe this includes unshielded Phantoms). It should be noted that your heavy melee has trouble tracking a paralyzed target, so go for the other enemies while one is incapacitated.
Biotic Focus: This is the power that I had the most difficulty with when choosing what to take and what to sacrifice, because all the evolutions are great. Too much Biotic Focus goodness to handle! In the end, this is a melee build, and you need to be able to deal damage up close while shrugging off enemy attacks. With that in mind, you'll want to take all the melee damage bonuses available, as well as the damage reduction bonuses. So you get enough of a speed bonus to quickly close in on enemies, nearly as much damage reduction as Tech Armor, and a significant melee damage bonus.
Sure you can't regenerate shields, but that's only useful for DOT attacks, since it doesn't necessarily recharge your shield gate. You have to use regeneration after you've taken damage, and you can still be shot down once the invulnerability wears off. With 45% damage reduction and Poison Strike invulnerability frames, you can easily tank through most attacks and get away before you've taken any real damage. With practice, you will rarely ever get into a position where you would need shield regeneration. And if you slip up, you have Ops Packs.
Turian Veteran: The Cabal gets the vanilla Turian passives, which are far superior to the Armiger Legion passives. I recommend against skipping this, especially since you need that weapon damage for bosses. Honestly, even if you maxed Nightshade Blades and used a grenade capacity mod, I don't think that it would help as much as weapon damage.
Fitness: All melee damage here. One thing that is disappointing is that the Armiger Legion melee synergy evolution is actually better because it gets a 30% weapon damage bonus instead of 25%. The Turian Veteran Fitness was buffed in the health/shields branch, but not the melee branch. I think this was probably a design oversight on Bioware's part. While it would be great if the Cabal could get a 30% or even 35% weapon damage bonus from melee synergy, no use crying over spilled milk.
With melee synergy, you get that extra weapon damage needed for boss enemies. It's not as much as Tactical Cloak, but it's a noticeable improvement on your weapon damage without melee synergy.
Strategy: (on Gold)
Husks and other unprotected troopers- heavy melee to get those succulent martial artist and melee synergy bonuses. When martial artist is active, one light melee will do.
Abominations- heavy melee to decapitate them, preventing any explosions. For possessed a-bombs, make sure that the initial melee kills them and not the poison DOT.
Marauders and other shielded troopers- shoot them to weaken their shields (the Wraith is great for this because it has good accuracy), then heavy melee if you want the bonuses. Otherwise, heavy melee followed by a light melee, or vice-versa. For crowds of troopers, use one or two Nightshade Blades and shoot. Finish off the stragglers with melee.
Phantoms- do not heavy melee unless you know it will kill her immediately. Instead, spam light melee to keep her stagger locked. Otherwise she could stagger you first and any mistake could get you sync-killed.
Dragoons- melee is less effective vs. armor but you can stagger lock them similar to Phantoms. They don't care about stagger lock during their animations though for some reason. Maybe because expert character design on Bioware's part, buggy post-release tacked-on new enemies. Looking at you, Geth Bomber.
Brutes, Ravagers, Scions- I don't recommend using melee on them, except as a finishing move if you desperately need those bonuses. Otherwise, acquire melee synergy bonus and blast with shotgun.
Bosses- These are a PITA for the Cabal because you can't melee them and you don't have enough weapon bonuses. I usually run past them and let my team handle them. But when you have to face them, make use of Poison Strike invulnerability frames. Keep your Biotic Focus active for DR. If you're impatient, you could take a Hurricane as your secondary and use it exclusively for bosses.
Or Cobra Missile.
So that's about it, I think. Be nimble and you shall be victorious. BE LIKE WATER GRASSHOPPER.
-Grun7mas7er
Gameplay by Peddroelmz.
Video guide by Caineghis and Megabeast.
Then I came across a Cabal build on BSN that wasn't just another weapons platform build. It was unique; it had character. I tried it out, liked it, and tweaked it to suit my own preferences. I can't say it's the "best" build, because I suppose you could slap on a Hurricane/Acolyte combo and max out Nightshade Blades and use a grenade capacity mod, but that would be boring. So without further ado, the build:
Cabal VanguardPoison Strike: 4-range
Nightshade Blades: 4-capacity
Biotic Focus: 4-damage taken, 5-melee damage, 6-heightened focus
Turian Veteran: 4-damage & stability, 5-headshots, 6-damage & stability
Fitness: 4-melee damage, 5-martial artist, 6-melee synergy
First of all, you really need the shotgun omni-blade attachment since this is a melee build. I've tried it on the Raider, Piranha, and Wraith on this character. My favorite is the Wraith, but any one of them would be a good selection. The main thing is that it does solid damage to bosses. On higher difficulties, you may just want to equip a Hurricane as a sidearm.
I usually go with AP ammo to help deal with bosses (and Guardian shields). I think Disruptor ammo would be great for shields and stunning mooks, but you would be sacrificing armor-piercing since you need both the smart choke and omni-blade.
Then finally, I highly recommend the Geth Scanner. Although it would be great to have the berserker package or grenade capacity, wall-hacking completely changes the experience. I said that this build is unique and has character, and that has a lot to do with Geth Scanner. So don't skip out on it.
Poison Strike: It gets you from A to B. And the invulnerability frames are nice. Other than that, there's not much to write home about. I take range for rank 4 because it makes a pretty big difference, whereas rank 5 of Nightshade Blades doesn't make that much difference to me. But the main reason you want this is to get away from sync-killers. The other important use is to tank through enemy attacks like Banshee Warp/scream, Atlas missiles, etc.
Nightshade Blades: offer limited crowd control. They do good damage, but unfortunately this build sacrifices a lot of potential damage from NBs. I mostly use them to stagger groups of mooks, especially Marauders and their elbows. It is also capable of paralyzing one unprotected enemy (I believe this includes unshielded Phantoms). It should be noted that your heavy melee has trouble tracking a paralyzed target, so go for the other enemies while one is incapacitated.
Biotic Focus: This is the power that I had the most difficulty with when choosing what to take and what to sacrifice, because all the evolutions are great. Too much Biotic Focus goodness to handle! In the end, this is a melee build, and you need to be able to deal damage up close while shrugging off enemy attacks. With that in mind, you'll want to take all the melee damage bonuses available, as well as the damage reduction bonuses. So you get enough of a speed bonus to quickly close in on enemies, nearly as much damage reduction as Tech Armor, and a significant melee damage bonus.
Sure you can't regenerate shields, but that's only useful for DOT attacks, since it doesn't necessarily recharge your shield gate. You have to use regeneration after you've taken damage, and you can still be shot down once the invulnerability wears off. With 45% damage reduction and Poison Strike invulnerability frames, you can easily tank through most attacks and get away before you've taken any real damage. With practice, you will rarely ever get into a position where you would need shield regeneration. And if you slip up, you have Ops Packs.
Turian Veteran: The Cabal gets the vanilla Turian passives, which are far superior to the Armiger Legion passives. I recommend against skipping this, especially since you need that weapon damage for bosses. Honestly, even if you maxed Nightshade Blades and used a grenade capacity mod, I don't think that it would help as much as weapon damage.
Fitness: All melee damage here. One thing that is disappointing is that the Armiger Legion melee synergy evolution is actually better because it gets a 30% weapon damage bonus instead of 25%. The Turian Veteran Fitness was buffed in the health/shields branch, but not the melee branch. I think this was probably a design oversight on Bioware's part. While it would be great if the Cabal could get a 30% or even 35% weapon damage bonus from melee synergy, no use crying over spilled milk.
With melee synergy, you get that extra weapon damage needed for boss enemies. It's not as much as Tactical Cloak, but it's a noticeable improvement on your weapon damage without melee synergy.
Strategy: (on Gold)
Husks and other unprotected troopers- heavy melee to get those succulent martial artist and melee synergy bonuses. When martial artist is active, one light melee will do.
Abominations- heavy melee to decapitate them, preventing any explosions. For possessed a-bombs, make sure that the initial melee kills them and not the poison DOT.
Marauders and other shielded troopers- shoot them to weaken their shields (the Wraith is great for this because it has good accuracy), then heavy melee if you want the bonuses. Otherwise, heavy melee followed by a light melee, or vice-versa. For crowds of troopers, use one or two Nightshade Blades and shoot. Finish off the stragglers with melee.
Phantoms- do not heavy melee unless you know it will kill her immediately. Instead, spam light melee to keep her stagger locked. Otherwise she could stagger you first and any mistake could get you sync-killed.
Dragoons- melee is less effective vs. armor but you can stagger lock them similar to Phantoms. They don't care about stagger lock during their animations though for some reason. Maybe because expert character design on Bioware's part, buggy post-release tacked-on new enemies. Looking at you, Geth Bomber.
Brutes, Ravagers, Scions- I don't recommend using melee on them, except as a finishing move if you desperately need those bonuses. Otherwise, acquire melee synergy bonus and blast with shotgun.
Bosses- These are a PITA for the Cabal because you can't melee them and you don't have enough weapon bonuses. I usually run past them and let my team handle them. But when you have to face them, make use of Poison Strike invulnerability frames. Keep your Biotic Focus active for DR. If you're impatient, you could take a Hurricane as your secondary and use it exclusively for bosses.
Or Cobra Missile.
So that's about it, I think. Be nimble and you shall be victorious. BE LIKE WATER GRASSHOPPER.
-Grun7mas7er
Gameplay by Peddroelmz.
Video guide by Caineghis and Megabeast.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
ME3 Character Guide: Asari Adept
Greetings esteemed readers, welcome to another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide. A lot of you are looking to step up your game, correct? Well here is a character that can make you feel like you're better than you really are because she's a TOTAL SCORE WHORE. That's right, the Asari Adept is actually a great character for racking up the points. Why is this? Because part of the point calculation comes from rag-dolling targets (e.g. using Throw to knock a Cannibal to the ground). And the Asari Adept can ragdoll not only unprotected targets, but shielded targets as well thanks to Stasis. Throw in (pun intended) one of the best biotic combos in the game and some jiggly Asari bum bum and you know she's a keeper.
Asari Adept
Stasis: 4-duration, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Throw: 4-force, 5-detonate, 6-force & damage
Asari Adept: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
A lot of people will recommend the "Stasis sniper" build, but let me tell you why I reject this build:
1. I suck at headshots (yes, even with Stasis on),
2. (this is a serious one) any build based around headshots is highly subject not only to personal skill, but to network conditions, meaning unless you host on PC all the time, you probably won't get the most out of it, and
3. I like my adepts to be... adept-y. Ya know?
So the Stasis sniper build... not saying it isn't good, but it's not exactly a one-size-fits-all.
Let's talk about weapons. I recommend using the Collector SMG. It's accurate, has negligible recoil, infinite ammo, and a damage bonus against armored targets. The Best Caster Weapon*. Also take the Acolyte with your best damage barrel and ultra-light materials. You'll only be using it for bosses, so keep it as a sidearm.
I take Warp ammo because you have two primers (sorta) and two triggers. So you'll probably get your money's worth from it. And it doesn't get in the way of your Biotic Explosions, which is important.
Take whatever gear you want. I prefer survival-oriented gear like Geth Scanner or Survivor Loadout.
Stasis: This makes some of the most dangerous enemies (Phantoms, Collector Captains, Swarmers etc.) look like jokes. Instant incapacitation. Can't get any better than that. Most important is the bubble evolution, which lets you freeze multiple targets at once. With bubble, the Stasis is now a physical entity on the battlefield like a Singularity, so I take duration so that it stays active for longer and more enemies might walk through it. Take that, Swarmers! Then I take bonus power, which occasionally let's you quickly follow up with Throw for a biotic explosion.
Warp: Everyone and their mother has Warp these days! What's up with that? Yeah, just take the standard Warp on this build and you'll be fine.
Note: using Stasis-->Warp can cause a glitch where enemies caught in the biotic explosion appear to be in Stasis but their "ghosts" are still running around and shooting you. I haven't had this happen to me recently, so it might be fixed, but I don't use Stasis-->Warp that often, so I wouldn't know.
Throw: Ragdoll all the things! Everything that is unprotected - Throw them. Even if you don't get the kill, you get ragdoll assist points, which add up. Of course, this is also your trigger for enemies in Stasis and those that are Warped. The more boom the better. BEs do "normalized" damage, meaning that the damage scales according to difficulty. In layman's terms, making things go bewm bewm on platinum is GOOD; shooting things with your babby peashooter on platinum is BAD.
Asari Adept: Skip it because it doesn't affect your biotic explosions. You hardly need the weight capacity, and the weapon bonuses are pitiful considering the investment required. Only Warp does anything beyond token damage, and even then it's not much. You could get the force bonuses to get Throw up to the 1500N threshold, but it's not too important for this build.
Fitness: But ME3 superl33t pros always skip Fitness! I think the Asari Adept needs some extra durability but like BK, have it your way! If you trade for passive bonuses, I'd go for power damage & force.
-Grun7mas7er
Asari AdeptStasis: 4-duration, 5-bonus power, 6-bubble
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Throw: 4-force, 5-detonate, 6-force & damage
Asari Adept: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
A lot of people will recommend the "Stasis sniper" build, but let me tell you why I reject this build:
1. I suck at headshots (yes, even with Stasis on),
2. (this is a serious one) any build based around headshots is highly subject not only to personal skill, but to network conditions, meaning unless you host on PC all the time, you probably won't get the most out of it, and
3. I like my adepts to be... adept-y. Ya know?
So the Stasis sniper build... not saying it isn't good, but it's not exactly a one-size-fits-all.
Let's talk about weapons. I recommend using the Collector SMG. It's accurate, has negligible recoil, infinite ammo, and a damage bonus against armored targets. The Best Caster Weapon*. Also take the Acolyte with your best damage barrel and ultra-light materials. You'll only be using it for bosses, so keep it as a sidearm.
I take Warp ammo because you have two primers (sorta) and two triggers. So you'll probably get your money's worth from it. And it doesn't get in the way of your Biotic Explosions, which is important.
Take whatever gear you want. I prefer survival-oriented gear like Geth Scanner or Survivor Loadout.
Stasis: This makes some of the most dangerous enemies (Phantoms, Collector Captains, Swarmers etc.) look like jokes. Instant incapacitation. Can't get any better than that. Most important is the bubble evolution, which lets you freeze multiple targets at once. With bubble, the Stasis is now a physical entity on the battlefield like a Singularity, so I take duration so that it stays active for longer and more enemies might walk through it. Take that, Swarmers! Then I take bonus power, which occasionally let's you quickly follow up with Throw for a biotic explosion.
Warp: Everyone and their mother has Warp these days! What's up with that? Yeah, just take the standard Warp on this build and you'll be fine.
Note: using Stasis-->Warp can cause a glitch where enemies caught in the biotic explosion appear to be in Stasis but their "ghosts" are still running around and shooting you. I haven't had this happen to me recently, so it might be fixed, but I don't use Stasis-->Warp that often, so I wouldn't know.
Throw: Ragdoll all the things! Everything that is unprotected - Throw them. Even if you don't get the kill, you get ragdoll assist points, which add up. Of course, this is also your trigger for enemies in Stasis and those that are Warped. The more boom the better. BEs do "normalized" damage, meaning that the damage scales according to difficulty. In layman's terms, making things go bewm bewm on platinum is GOOD; shooting things with your babby peashooter on platinum is BAD.
Asari Adept: Skip it because it doesn't affect your biotic explosions. You hardly need the weight capacity, and the weapon bonuses are pitiful considering the investment required. Only Warp does anything beyond token damage, and even then it's not much. You could get the force bonuses to get Throw up to the 1500N threshold, but it's not too important for this build.
Fitness: But ME3 superl33t pros always skip Fitness! I think the Asari Adept needs some extra durability but like BK, have it your way! If you trade for passive bonuses, I'd go for power damage & force.
-Grun7mas7er
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Geth Engineer: 200 Waves Edition
Hello everyone and welcome to yet another Mass Effect 3 character guide. No offense, but I've been noticing a lot of poorly played Geth Engineers out there lately (along with the Vader Juggies) so I thought it pertinent to post this guide for the benefit of the public. The Geth Engie is on of my favorite Engineers, next to the QME, so I've spent a decent amount of time playing this character. I don't consider myself an expert, though, as I don't have a degree in engineering.
As you know, Hunter Mode got nerfed a while back because of the GI, making the GE a less rewarding character. Some people say it's dead with the GI, Trooper, and Juggie besting it in virtually every aspect. They have a point, but I don't think that necessarily makes the GE a throwaway. I do consider it to be one of those "collateral damage characters", along with the Havoc. Sad to say, but that's balance for you.
Geth Engineer
Geth Turret: 3
Hunter Mode: 4-weapon accuracy, 5-power damage, 6-speed & vision
Overload: 4-damage, 5-neural shock, 6-shield damage
Networked AI: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Advanced Hardware: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge
So this is the build I've been using lately, since I got my Lancer X, which I really like on this character. The Saber works well, too. Both benefit largely from the HM weapon accuracy bonus. The Lancer, a caster's assault rifle, does have a fair amount of kick but it's really quite manageable save for long range. I use the magazine upgrade because you do not want this thing to overheat, because the cooldown takes forever and this is partially a weapon build. On Platinum, you'll want to bring an Acolyte just to help with boss shields, since Overload isn't enough (which is sad).
If you lack a decently leveled Lancer, another (popular?) choice is the Geth Plasma Rifle. I know it's kind of weak, especially against armor, but it's accurate and has low recoil. Add in a 300% damage bonus for headshots and you've got a serviceable anti-infantry weapon. It has good synergy with Overload too, but don't expect to get into a serious platinum lobby with it. The Geth Plasma Shotgun, on the other hand, is a solid alternative. Take the rate of fire bonus for it.
You can use pretty much any ammo type on the Lancer since it's an assault rifle - it does pretty good damage against all defense types, except armor, which is why I bring a piercing mod. The high caliber barrel is a good choice too, if you're not facing an armor-heavy faction, or if you compensate with AP ammo. Elemental ammo is good for adding tech combos to your offensive strategy.
For gear, I'd take an assault rifle amp because the bulk of your damage comes from your weapon. If you bring the Acolyte then take the Combatatives Upgrade.
Geth Turret: I only put 3 ranks into this because on higher difficulties, the damage becomes pitiful and the shield regeneration can't keep up. But at least it can restore your shield gate and negate DoT (Banshee Warp, etc.), which is crucial for the squishy GE.
Hunter Mode: This is what makes the GE the best candidate for a weapon-based engineer. The accuracy bonus is vital for many weapons. You can take the rate of fire bonus if necessary, but I take a little more power damage. Then I highly recommend speed & vision since they increase both your offensive and defensive potential. And 10% damage is a bit lackluster.
Overload: This, of course, is for dealing with shielded foes (but mostly Phantoms). If I recall correctly, this build can one-shot Gold Phantom barriers without any gear/equipment. So that's a boon. Then I take neural shock to knock down individual mooks, especially abominations. Even the non-posessed ones can be fatal if they catch you with your shields down.
Networked AI: You really need that extra power damage, 40% in all, to buff up your Overload. The ability to instantly strip the shields from most enemies is invaluable. Then go for the extra weapon damage.
Advanced Hardware: I take all the shield recharge bonuses because it really makes quite a difference, especially on higher difficulties. The GE is kinda squishy, so you're often relying on shield gate to survive. The faster you get your shield gate back, the better off you are.
-Grun7mas7er
As you know, Hunter Mode got nerfed a while back because of the GI, making the GE a less rewarding character. Some people say it's dead with the GI, Trooper, and Juggie besting it in virtually every aspect. They have a point, but I don't think that necessarily makes the GE a throwaway. I do consider it to be one of those "collateral damage characters", along with the Havoc. Sad to say, but that's balance for you.
Geth Engineer Geth Turret: 3
Hunter Mode: 4-weapon accuracy, 5-power damage, 6-speed & vision
Overload: 4-damage, 5-neural shock, 6-shield damage
Networked AI: 4-damage & capacity, 5-power damage, 6-weapon damage
Advanced Hardware: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge
So this is the build I've been using lately, since I got my Lancer X, which I really like on this character. The Saber works well, too. Both benefit largely from the HM weapon accuracy bonus. The Lancer, a caster's assault rifle, does have a fair amount of kick but it's really quite manageable save for long range. I use the magazine upgrade because you do not want this thing to overheat, because the cooldown takes forever and this is partially a weapon build. On Platinum, you'll want to bring an Acolyte just to help with boss shields, since Overload isn't enough (which is sad).
If you lack a decently leveled Lancer, another (popular?) choice is the Geth Plasma Rifle. I know it's kind of weak, especially against armor, but it's accurate and has low recoil. Add in a 300% damage bonus for headshots and you've got a serviceable anti-infantry weapon. It has good synergy with Overload too, but don't expect to get into a serious platinum lobby with it. The Geth Plasma Shotgun, on the other hand, is a solid alternative. Take the rate of fire bonus for it.
You can use pretty much any ammo type on the Lancer since it's an assault rifle - it does pretty good damage against all defense types, except armor, which is why I bring a piercing mod. The high caliber barrel is a good choice too, if you're not facing an armor-heavy faction, or if you compensate with AP ammo. Elemental ammo is good for adding tech combos to your offensive strategy.
For gear, I'd take an assault rifle amp because the bulk of your damage comes from your weapon. If you bring the Acolyte then take the Combatatives Upgrade.
Geth Turret: I only put 3 ranks into this because on higher difficulties, the damage becomes pitiful and the shield regeneration can't keep up. But at least it can restore your shield gate and negate DoT (Banshee Warp, etc.), which is crucial for the squishy GE.
Hunter Mode: This is what makes the GE the best candidate for a weapon-based engineer. The accuracy bonus is vital for many weapons. You can take the rate of fire bonus if necessary, but I take a little more power damage. Then I highly recommend speed & vision since they increase both your offensive and defensive potential. And 10% damage is a bit lackluster.
Overload: This, of course, is for dealing with shielded foes (but mostly Phantoms). If I recall correctly, this build can one-shot Gold Phantom barriers without any gear/equipment. So that's a boon. Then I take neural shock to knock down individual mooks, especially abominations. Even the non-posessed ones can be fatal if they catch you with your shields down.
Networked AI: You really need that extra power damage, 40% in all, to buff up your Overload. The ability to instantly strip the shields from most enemies is invaluable. Then go for the extra weapon damage.
Advanced Hardware: I take all the shield recharge bonuses because it really makes quite a difference, especially on higher difficulties. The GE is kinda squishy, so you're often relying on shield gate to survive. The faster you get your shield gate back, the better off you are.
-Grun7mas7er
ME3 MP Map Survey Results
Hey everyone, the ME3 MP Map Survey results are available, so check it out: http://blog.bioware.com/2013/05/17/mp-survey-results-and-conclusions/
Saturday, May 11, 2013
ME3: What Packs Should I Buy? + (Un)Luckiest Arsenal Pack of All Time
What's up everyone? Just a brief overview of some of the packs available in the random number store. This is generally what you will get, though you have a small chance of getting lucky.
Recruit Pack: 2x single consumable card (Missile, Ops Pack, Medigel, or Thermal Clips), replaced by common equipment if consumables are maxed (you have 255 of each)
2x common equipment
1x common character card (62500 xp)
Spectre Pack: 1x 5-pack consumable card, replaced by an uncommon equipment if consumables are maxed
3x uncommon card
1x rare card, with a chance for an ultra-rare
Premium Spectre Pack: 1x 5-pack consumable card, replaced by uncommon equipment if consumables are maxed
2x uncommon card with a chance of a common character (125000 xp)
2x rare card, each with a chance for an ultra-rare
Jumbo Equipment Pack: 1x 5-pack Missile
1x 5-pack Ops Pack
1x 5-pack Medigel
1x 5-pack Thermal Clips (all consumable packs are replaced by a random equipment card if that consumable is maxed out)
6x random common or uncommon equipment card, or 2-pack consumable card if not maxed
Arsenal Pack: same as Premium Spectre Pack except you are much less likely to get a rare character card, and will never get a common character card (as far as I know). This means more weapons and more equipment cards.
-Grun7mas7er
Recruit Pack: 2x single consumable card (Missile, Ops Pack, Medigel, or Thermal Clips), replaced by common equipment if consumables are maxed (you have 255 of each)
2x common equipment
1x common character card (62500 xp)
Spectre Pack: 1x 5-pack consumable card, replaced by an uncommon equipment if consumables are maxed
3x uncommon card
1x rare card, with a chance for an ultra-rare
Premium Spectre Pack: 1x 5-pack consumable card, replaced by uncommon equipment if consumables are maxed
2x uncommon card with a chance of a common character (125000 xp)
2x rare card, each with a chance for an ultra-rare
Jumbo Equipment Pack: 1x 5-pack Missile
1x 5-pack Ops Pack
1x 5-pack Medigel
1x 5-pack Thermal Clips (all consumable packs are replaced by a random equipment card if that consumable is maxed out)
6x random common or uncommon equipment card, or 2-pack consumable card if not maxed
Arsenal Pack: same as Premium Spectre Pack except you are much less likely to get a rare character card, and will never get a common character card (as far as I know). This means more weapons and more equipment cards.
-Grun7mas7er
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| The Luckiest Arsenal Pack of All Time |
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| The Unluckiest Arsenal Pack of All Time |
Friday, May 10, 2013
ME3 Character Guide: Human Sentinel
Iiiiiit's... hipster time!
Hello everyone, welcome to another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide. You know, according to Eric Fagnan's recent gameplay stats, one of the least played characters on Gold/Platinum is the Human Sentinel, with a pitiful 0.60% play rate. So let's show our BroSent/FemSent some love!
Human Sentinel
Tech Armor: 4-durability, 5-power damage, 6-durability
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Throw: 4-force, 5-detonate, 6-force & damage
Alliance Training: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I've tried a few weapons on this character, but in general, you can't go wrong with Collector SMG/Acolyte. You have something for shields, something for armor. Both are good at priming ammo effects. You have some crowd control and some raw DPS. You simply cannot go wrong with this combo.
I have to insist upon Incendiary ammo for this build, and not just because of Warp/Incendiary cheese. It's about comprehensive synergy with the character. For example, I know many people would be inclined to take Warp ammo. The thing is, you have only one priming power (Warp), and it's a projectile power - not reliable for biotic priming like Dark Channel or Reave. On the other hand, you have two triggering powers (Warp and Throw), making the HSentinel great at setting off ammo effects, and you can't set off Warp ammo.
Really, Disruptor ammo isn't a bad choice either because it helps out against shields, but I figure that it is more "disruptive" (pardon the pun) to a biotic team than Incendiary ammo. Nobody likes when their biotic explosion is overridden by a puny tech burst. They don't seem to mind fire explosions though, for whatever reason. Maybe they're more satisfying. So Disruptor is something you could use if you run out of Incendiary ammo.
Gear isn't a big deal with this character. Sentinels are very much the jack-of-all-trades class, so you can choose to be more tanky, take more SMG damage, more pistol damage, or use a Geth Scanner for tactical awareness. Whatever floats your boat.
Tech Armor: I go for all durability and power synergy. Power synergy isn't so important since it doesn't affect biotic explosions, but it's not like you're going to take melee damage. It gives you a convenient 30% force bonus, just enough to buff Throw to 1500N, which let's you stagger bosses on Gold. With a Cyclonic Modulator and 50% damage reduction, you'll be surprisingly tanky... for a human.
Warp: I've been trying out non-standard Warp evolutions, namely all top-row evolutions, but I have to go with the standard Warp for this build. You get the biotic explosion bonus. You get the debuffing. You get the armor weakening bonus. All of those are essential, in my assessment. Although your biotic explosions are slow, they are very powerful if you take all the detonate evolutions, only rivaled by the Warp/Shockwave combo (And technically the Pull/Shockwave combo, but really, nobody does that). And that's what makes them worth the time at all - the massive damage.
Expose is useful for debuffing bosses because as a Sentinel, you are relying on your weapons for much of the work. Then I had a debate with myself (involving a lot of yelling and fist-shaking) whether Pierce was really all that useful on this build since I run the CSMG with the high-velocity barrel, which negates most of enemy armor anyway. I concluded that even though Pierce may not have much effect on your weapon's effectiveness against armor, it does a bit more damage against both barriers and armor. This is important for the Warp/Incendiary cheese because the glitch "absorbs" the damage properties of Warp. From my understanding, the more damage Warp does to barriers and armor, the more damage the glitch does to barriers and armor (this is all put simply, as I'm not sure I fully understand the glitch).
In that light, you could argue for taking the entire top row of Warp. However, I didn't build this character around the Warp/Incendiary glitch. If I had, I would have used the Reegar. Even then, this character would still be inferior to the ultra-cheesy Krogan Soldier build. As it is, I consider it a slight bonus and nothing more.
Throw: This is your trigger power, used for detonating fire and biotic explosions. Thanks to Tech Armor, it has 1500N of force, enough to stagger bosses on Gold. This is quite useful if you turn a corner and a Geth Prime is staring you in the face. And you can always use it to send mooks flying off their feet.
Passive: I skipped this because you have enough power force with Tech Armor, power damage is largely irrelevant on this build, and because your weapons are light enough that you don't need more weight capacity. The weapon damage bonuses can be made up for with consumables/gear.
Fitness: I maxed out durability because I wanted this character to have a bit more health/shields to take advantage of that 50% damage reduction. Think of it this way: a car that gets 50mpg but only holds one gallon of gas still only goes 50 miles. The more gas in the tank, the more you can take advantage of that mileage. Same goes for your health and shields.
Strategy: The Human Sentinel has a lot of tools at his/her disposal, and that's what makes it such a fun character (though admittedly, half of it comes from your weapon choice). Keep Tech Armor on at all times, unless of course detonating it could save your life. Swarmers are dangerous, too! Use Throw at your discretion to stagger/ragdoll a target, or to force a dodge. It goes without saying, make liberal use of fire and biotic explosions.
So when you're up against unshielded mooks, you can knock them to the ground with Throw. Or you can stun them with the Acolyte and then use Throw for a fire explosion. Easy.
Use Throw to get Husks and especially Abominations out of your way.
Shielded mooks are best dealt with using the Acolyte/Throw combo. You don't want to leave these enemies on their feet - A Marauder with a Phaeston CXXVII is always a threat.
When facing armored enemies - bricks, as I sometimes call them - debuff them with Warp and chip away their armor with the CSMG. The Warp/Incendiary glitch should accelerate the damage. Use your fire and biotic explosions all the time. For Dragoon mobs, use your CSMG and Throw from a distance to keep them dodging. When you get a chance, Warp one of them and set off the biotic explosion. Watch them melt like butter.
For shield/armor enemies, Acolyte first, then Warp, then Throw. Pretty easy.
When you're up against Phantoms, use your Acolyte to strip their shields. She'll dodge and give you the opportunity to use Throw, triggering a fire explosion and knocking her off her feet. Finish her off with the Acolyte. Cake.
For bosses, use Warp for the debuff. Use your Acolyte to strip away shields, use your Collector SMG and Warp against armor. Make use of the Warp/Incendiary glitch, fire and biotic explosions. Try not to let bosses command your attention, as the Human Sentinel is not much of a boss killer - not that it's bad at killing bosses. Focus on the smaller enemies and you'll be more efficient.
That's about it. As always, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guides and stuff. Stay classy.
-Grun7mas7er
Caineghis and Disciple brave ***$$$THE THUNDERDOME$$$*** with Human Sentinels.
Hello everyone, welcome to another Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guide. You know, according to Eric Fagnan's recent gameplay stats, one of the least played characters on Gold/Platinum is the Human Sentinel, with a pitiful 0.60% play rate. So let's show our BroSent/FemSent some love!
Human Sentinel
Tech Armor: 4-durability, 5-power damage, 6-durability
Warp: 4-detonate, 5-expose, 6-pierce
Throw: 4-force, 5-detonate, 6-force & damage
Alliance Training: N/A
Fitness: 4-durability, 5-shield recharge, 6-fitness expert
I've tried a few weapons on this character, but in general, you can't go wrong with Collector SMG/Acolyte. You have something for shields, something for armor. Both are good at priming ammo effects. You have some crowd control and some raw DPS. You simply cannot go wrong with this combo.
I have to insist upon Incendiary ammo for this build, and not just because of Warp/Incendiary cheese. It's about comprehensive synergy with the character. For example, I know many people would be inclined to take Warp ammo. The thing is, you have only one priming power (Warp), and it's a projectile power - not reliable for biotic priming like Dark Channel or Reave. On the other hand, you have two triggering powers (Warp and Throw), making the HSentinel great at setting off ammo effects, and you can't set off Warp ammo.
Really, Disruptor ammo isn't a bad choice either because it helps out against shields, but I figure that it is more "disruptive" (pardon the pun) to a biotic team than Incendiary ammo. Nobody likes when their biotic explosion is overridden by a puny tech burst. They don't seem to mind fire explosions though, for whatever reason. Maybe they're more satisfying. So Disruptor is something you could use if you run out of Incendiary ammo.
Gear isn't a big deal with this character. Sentinels are very much the jack-of-all-trades class, so you can choose to be more tanky, take more SMG damage, more pistol damage, or use a Geth Scanner for tactical awareness. Whatever floats your boat.
Tech Armor: I go for all durability and power synergy. Power synergy isn't so important since it doesn't affect biotic explosions, but it's not like you're going to take melee damage. It gives you a convenient 30% force bonus, just enough to buff Throw to 1500N, which let's you stagger bosses on Gold. With a Cyclonic Modulator and 50% damage reduction, you'll be surprisingly tanky... for a human.
Warp: I've been trying out non-standard Warp evolutions, namely all top-row evolutions, but I have to go with the standard Warp for this build. You get the biotic explosion bonus. You get the debuffing. You get the armor weakening bonus. All of those are essential, in my assessment. Although your biotic explosions are slow, they are very powerful if you take all the detonate evolutions, only rivaled by the Warp/Shockwave combo (And technically the Pull/Shockwave combo, but really, nobody does that). And that's what makes them worth the time at all - the massive damage.
Expose is useful for debuffing bosses because as a Sentinel, you are relying on your weapons for much of the work. Then I had a debate with myself (involving a lot of yelling and fist-shaking) whether Pierce was really all that useful on this build since I run the CSMG with the high-velocity barrel, which negates most of enemy armor anyway. I concluded that even though Pierce may not have much effect on your weapon's effectiveness against armor, it does a bit more damage against both barriers and armor. This is important for the Warp/Incendiary cheese because the glitch "absorbs" the damage properties of Warp. From my understanding, the more damage Warp does to barriers and armor, the more damage the glitch does to barriers and armor (this is all put simply, as I'm not sure I fully understand the glitch).
In that light, you could argue for taking the entire top row of Warp. However, I didn't build this character around the Warp/Incendiary glitch. If I had, I would have used the Reegar. Even then, this character would still be inferior to the ultra-cheesy Krogan Soldier build. As it is, I consider it a slight bonus and nothing more.
Throw: This is your trigger power, used for detonating fire and biotic explosions. Thanks to Tech Armor, it has 1500N of force, enough to stagger bosses on Gold. This is quite useful if you turn a corner and a Geth Prime is staring you in the face. And you can always use it to send mooks flying off their feet.
Passive: I skipped this because you have enough power force with Tech Armor, power damage is largely irrelevant on this build, and because your weapons are light enough that you don't need more weight capacity. The weapon damage bonuses can be made up for with consumables/gear.
Fitness: I maxed out durability because I wanted this character to have a bit more health/shields to take advantage of that 50% damage reduction. Think of it this way: a car that gets 50mpg but only holds one gallon of gas still only goes 50 miles. The more gas in the tank, the more you can take advantage of that mileage. Same goes for your health and shields.
Strategy: The Human Sentinel has a lot of tools at his/her disposal, and that's what makes it such a fun character (though admittedly, half of it comes from your weapon choice). Keep Tech Armor on at all times, unless of course detonating it could save your life. Swarmers are dangerous, too! Use Throw at your discretion to stagger/ragdoll a target, or to force a dodge. It goes without saying, make liberal use of fire and biotic explosions.
So when you're up against unshielded mooks, you can knock them to the ground with Throw. Or you can stun them with the Acolyte and then use Throw for a fire explosion. Easy.
Use Throw to get Husks and especially Abominations out of your way.
Shielded mooks are best dealt with using the Acolyte/Throw combo. You don't want to leave these enemies on their feet - A Marauder with a Phaeston CXXVII is always a threat.
When facing armored enemies - bricks, as I sometimes call them - debuff them with Warp and chip away their armor with the CSMG. The Warp/Incendiary glitch should accelerate the damage. Use your fire and biotic explosions all the time. For Dragoon mobs, use your CSMG and Throw from a distance to keep them dodging. When you get a chance, Warp one of them and set off the biotic explosion. Watch them melt like butter.
For shield/armor enemies, Acolyte first, then Warp, then Throw. Pretty easy.
When you're up against Phantoms, use your Acolyte to strip their shields. She'll dodge and give you the opportunity to use Throw, triggering a fire explosion and knocking her off her feet. Finish her off with the Acolyte. Cake.
For bosses, use Warp for the debuff. Use your Acolyte to strip away shields, use your Collector SMG and Warp against armor. Make use of the Warp/Incendiary glitch, fire and biotic explosions. Try not to let bosses command your attention, as the Human Sentinel is not much of a boss killer - not that it's bad at killing bosses. Focus on the smaller enemies and you'll be more efficient.
That's about it. As always, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Mass Effect 3 multiplayer guides and stuff. Stay classy.
-Grun7mas7er
Caineghis and Disciple brave ***$$$THE THUNDERDOME$$$*** with Human Sentinels.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
PUG Chronicles, Vol. 1
Just posting some screenshots from past games. The following post may be elitist, chest-thumping dramatization.
***$$$Pickup games: four players enter. Three babies cry$$$***
Geth Infiltrator with Arc Pistol, Giant/Geth/Gold
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| Nerf the GI and Arc Pistol! |
Female Human Sentinel with CSMG/Acolyte, Vancouver/Collector/Platinum
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| TGI u aint got nothin on mah FemSent |
Grunt: Asari Adept with CSMG/Acolyte, Pat: Batarian Slasher, Reactor Hazard/Cerberus/Platinum
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| PUGing with my friend Pat. Stasis all the things! |
Grunt: Collector Adept with CSMG, Pat: Krogan Shaman, Giant/Reaper/Platinum
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| PUGing with Pat. Biosplosions errywhere!!! |
N7 Slayer with Acolyte, Ghost Hazard/Geth/Gold
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| They all quit!!! |
Grunt: Human Vanguard with Talon, Pat: Krogan Vanguard, Giant/Reaper/Platinum
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| PUGing with Pat. Outscored by a random?!!! That's OUTRAGEOUS!!! |
Human Vanguard with Talon, London/Cerberus/Gold
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| I've had games where everyone quit because of the constant Novascream. AAAARG!!! |
Come at me bread if you think you man enough.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Fagnan Speaketh: Recent Gameplay Stats
The Fagnan speaketh! Check out these recent stats from the past 3 months of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer.
[quote]Eric Fagnan wrote...
I just thought I would share some interesting stats. These stats are from the last 3 months of play time. Stay tuned because I will add more stats when I have time.
15 Most Played Kits (All Difficulties)
1. Geth Juggernaut (7.53%)
2. N7 Destroyer (3.97%)
3. Human Soldier (male and female combined) (3.20%)
4. Human Engineer (male and female combined) (2.97%)
5. Krogan Warlord (2.94%)
6. Alliance Infiltration Unit (2.86%)
7. N7 Shadow (2.78%)
8. Human Vanguard (male and female combined) (2.75%)
9. Talon Mercenary (2.73%)
10. Collector Adept (2.56%)
11. N7 Fury (2.43%)
12. Turian Ghost (2.41%)
13. Geth Trooper (2.34%)
14. N7 Slayer (2.33%)
15. Human Adept (male and female combined) (2.34%)
15 Most Played Kits (Gold & Platinum Only)
1. Geth Juggernaut (11.81%)
2. N7 Destroyer (5.47%)
3. Turian Ghost (4.38%)
4. Alliance Infiltration Unit (4.28%)
5. Geth Trooper (4.11%)
6. Krogan Warlord (3.01%)
7. N7 Paladin (2.83%)
8. Collector Adept (2.74%)
9. N7 Fury (2.67%)
10. N7 Shadow (2.63%)
11. Geth Infiltrator (2.62%)
12. Talon Mercenary (2.52%)
13. N7 Demolisher (2.24%)
14. Asari Huntress (1.99%)
15. N7 Slayer (1.98%)
10 Least Played Kits (All Difficulties)
1. Volus Protector Vanguard (0.40%)
2. Volus Mercenary Sentinel (0.44%)
3. Drell Vanguard (0.59%)
4. Batarian Slasher Adept (0.61%)
5. Male Quarian Marksman Soldier (0.61%)
6. Vorcha Hunter Engineer (0.67%)
7. Volus Adept (0.70%)
8. Volus Engineer (0.81%)
9. Male Quarian Engineer (0.81%)
10. Batarian Brawler Vanguard (0.82%)
10 Least Played Kits (Gold & Platinum Only)
1. Drell Vanguard (0.31%)
2. Battlefield 3 Soldier (0.36%)
3. Volus Protector Vanguard (0.40%)
4. Volus Mercenary Sentinel (0.50%)
5. Vorcha Hunter Engineer (0.53%)
6. Male Quarian Marksman Soldier (0.57%)
7. Human Sentinel (male and female combined) (0.60%)
8. Batarian Slasher Adept (0.62%)
9. Volus Adept (0.65%)
10. Human Infiltrator (male and female combined) (0.74%)
Breakdown by class (All Difficulties)
1. Soldier 28.3%
2. Engineer 16.7%
3. Sentinel 15.8%
4. Infiltrator 14.1%
5. Adept 13.1%
6. Vanguard 12.0%
Breakdown by class (Gold & Platinum Only)
1. Soldier 31.9%
2. Infiltrator 16.0%
3. Sentinel 15.3%
4. Engineer 15.0%
5. Adept 13.8%
6. Vanguard 8.0%
15 Most Used Weapons (All Difficulties)
1. Avenger Assault Rifle (5.29%)
2. Hurricane SMG (4.65%)
3. Harrier Assault Rifle (3.95%)
4. Eagle Pistol (3.16%)
5. Predator Pistol (3.13%)
6. Mantis Sniper Rifle (3.08%)
7. Reegar Shotgun (3.02%)
8. Phaeston Assault Rifle (2.76%)
9. Acolyte Pistol (2.71%)
10. Shuriken SMG (2.53%)
11. Locust SMG (2.47%)
12. Geth Pulse Rifle (2.39%)
13. Geth SMG (2.33%)
14. Phalanx Pistol (2.19%)
15. Mattock Assault Rifle (2.15%)
15 Most Used Weapons (Gold & Platinum Only)
1. Hurricane SMG (6.95%)
2. Harrier Assault Rifle (6.71%)
3. Acolyte Pistol (6.45%)
4. Reegar Shotgun (6.04%)
5. Piranha Shotgun (2.80%)
6. Geth Shotgun (2.62%)
7. Black Widow Sniper Rifle (2.62%)
8. Eagle Pistol (2.59%)
9. Geth SMG (2.46%)
10. Lancer Assault Rifle (2.33%)
11. Adas Assault Rifle (2.26%)
12. Talon Pistol (2.22%)
13. Wraith Shotgun (2.14%)
14. Collector SMG (2.01%)
15. Scorpion Pistol (1.88%)
[b]10 Least Used Weapons (All Difficulties)
[/b]
1. Venom Shotgun (0.35%)
2. Incisor Sniper Rifle (0.46%)
3. Collector Sniper Rifle (0.51%)
4. Falcon Assault Rifle (0.58%)
5. Kishock Sniper Rifle (0.60%)
6. Raider Shotgun (0.60%)
7. Krysae Sniper Rifle (0.66%)
8. Javelin Sniper Rifle (0.66%)
9. Scimitar Shotgun (0.68%)
10. Spitfire Assault Rifle (0.72%)
10 Least Used Weapons (Gold & Platinum Only[/b][b][b][/b][b])
[/b]
1. Incisor Sniper Rifle (0.23%)
2. Viper Sniper Rifle (0.32%)
3. Scimitar Shotgun (0.36%)
4. Vindicator Assault Rifle (0.39%)
5. Raptor Sniper Rifle (0.43%)
6. Venom Shotgun (0.46%)
7. Falcon Assault Rifle (0.47%)
8. Collector Sniper Rifle (0.54%)
9. Krysae Sniper Rifle (0.57%)
10. Argus Assault Rifle (0.61%)
Breakdown by difficulty
Bronze (46%)
Silver (33%)
Gold (18%)
Platinum (3%)
5 Most Played Maps (All Difficulties)
1. Firebase Dagger (13%)
2. Firebase White (13%)
3. Firebase Glacier (12%)
4. Firebase Giant (11%)
5. Firebase Hydra (6%)
5 Most Played Maps (Gold & Platinum Only)
1. Firebase Glacier (15%)
2. Firebase White (15%)
3. Firebase Giant (13%)
4. Firebase Dagger (9%)
5. Firebase Rio (5%)
Some other interesting map statistics
- On Platinum difficulty, Firebase Rio is currently played 11% of the time (3rd place overall after Firebase Glacier and Firebase Giant)
- At its height, Firebase White was played 50% of the time on all difficulties, and 70% of the time on Gold and Platinum.
[b]Completion Rate Per Faction & Difficulty
[/b]
Out of all successful extractions against a given faction, the % of matches per difficulty.
- Cerberus: Bronze (47.0%), Silver (36.3%), Gold (13.3%), Platinum (3.2%)
- Geth: Bronze (37.4%), Silver (38.0%), Gold (22.2%), Platinum (2.4%)
- Reapers: Bronze (38.3%), Silver (35.7%), Gold (17.6%), Platinum (8.4%)
- Collectors: Bronze (43.9%), Silver (44.8%), Gold (8.7%), Platinum (2.6%)
Enemy Popularity (All Difficulties)
1. Cerberus (40.0%)
2. Reapers (28.0%)
3. Geth (27.0%)
4. Collectors (5.0%)
Enemy Popularity (Gold & Platinum)
1. Reapers (38.0%)
2. Geth (29.0%)
3. Cerberus (28.0%)
4. Collectors (5.0%)
Enemy Popularity (Platinum Only)
1. Reapers (52.0%)
2. Cerberus (21.0%)
3. Geth (15.0%)
4. Collectors (12.0%)
[/quote]
Link: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/343/index/16654720/1#16654720
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