That screen is daunting isn't it?
What's worse is that finding information on Mass Effect builds is somewhat scarce. Ever since BioWare gutted their own forums, and gamefaqs periodically deletes posts, finding good information on how and what to level is hard to get. I've got some principles I'll lay out here that are good for all classes, and then some particulars on how I intend on going about with the Vanguard. I'll also eventually be explaining some of these things in a video.
Priorities:
One point I want to make here: Don't fear allocating points. No, you don't get a respec. But, like mass effect 2, its hard to make a bad build. You may end up with something not quite as effective as it could be, but you'll be hard pressed, with all the points available, to make a build that will simply not work. Mass Effect isn't so much of an RPG that early game mistakes (unlike, say, Dragon Age) will significantly mess up your character.
1) Powers. Since each power has its own cooldown, the more abilities your character has, the more options it has in a fight. I don't think any powers in Mass Effect are useless, so even having one point in a power can be beneficial even if it isn't a focused power. Try to get as many powers as you can, as early as you can.
2) Guns. Increasing your gun power has a lot of benefits. Besides giving you access to, you guessed it, more powers, it can really help with your killing effectiveness. Bear in mind that a gun can always be used reguardless of cooldowns, so that passive benefit to shooting will make a big difference.
3) First Aid. This one is kind of a wash. If your class has first aid, at least 1 point is worthwhile. First Aid is based on the cumulative first aid points of your party, and the first point in first aid gives the most bang-for-the-buck (40 points), as opposed to leveling up the power (10 points per skill point added). Taking first aid to gain access to the medicine tree is worthwhile, because Neural shock is quite a powerful ability for the classes that can use it. You'll want to have points dispersed in first aid, but its up to you to decide if you want the burden of first aid points or your squad to shoulder that.
4) Passives. This is a tricky one. Armor Unlocking passives are usually worthwhile, but its important to pay attention to what the passive is actually doing. Passives very greatly from class to class when it comes to effectiveness. However, a passive never should take precedent over gaining access to more powers. The class talents also vary. They grant a somewhat universal bonus, but it is up to you to decide whether that bonus is strong enough.
Vanguard Build:
Pistol: Putting points in until I unlock shotgun, after that shotgun takes priority
Shotgun: Maxing
Assault Training: Taking until I unlock the Tactical Armor
Tactical Armor: Taking until I unlock Medium Armor
Throw: Maxing
Lift: Maxing
Warp: Taken till level 6
Barrier: Maxing
Passive: At least 1 point, unsure at this point
Spectre: Taking until Unity
As I'm not sure how my character will end up by the end of the game, this is how you can basically see I'm going to operate my character. I also plan on putting 6 points into Intimidate, although this is unnecessary for multiple playthrough characters, as they will have access to 12 points after 2 playthroughs of the game.
Questions? Comments? Advice? Leave below.
I would advise that Barrier be given max priority during this Vanguard playthrough. Maxed out and with an adequate amp, a permanent barrier can be obtained. It adds so much to a character's durability and one can become essentially invincible to anything except splash damage and melee.
ReplyDeleteI see that you're only taking Assault Training and until Armour is unlocked. On top of this you don't seem too pushed regarding the class passive. However I would recommend that you max Assault Training and take the Shock Trooper specialisation. This allows an extremely short cooldown time for Adrenaline Burst to be obtained.
Of course, this is all dependent on playstyle, but Adrenaline Burst was considered to be one of the best abilities in ME1. It allowed a Vanguard to cast all its powers, and then instantly cast them again, allowing two groups of singularitied(word?) enemies and two group of lifted enemies to be controlled simultaneously, while also granting two Throws, Warps, and Carnages.
Indeed, the power of A. Burst was such that many contended that the Singularity Vanguard was a superior biotic to the Adept.
However, this was generally posted with the assumption that a character would reach Level 60. Yours, in one playthrough, will not. Therefore the build will likely be different with this in mind.
I apologise for dragging on. Thanks for the videos.
I definitely am considering the shock trooper option, but since I don't really know where I'm going to end up by the end of the game, I tried to lay out more of a general how I'm going to do things than specifically saying what I'll have at what level.
ReplyDeleteI may be faced with a choice between stronger abilities through leveling up the powers or between more ability usage with adrenaline rush. I'm not exactly sure which way I'll go. Barrier will be taking priority though, especially with how I'll be playing in upcoming videos.
Hi Gatsby,
ReplyDeleteThis is an old post so I don't know how relevant this is, but there are a number of "gold standard" builds posted at the following link, intended primarily for Insanity playthroughs:
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Gold_Standard_Class_Builds
Personally I found a build looking like this to be really, really effective:
Pistols 6
Shotguns 12
Assault Training 12
Tactical Armor 7
Throw 12
Lift 12
Warp 6
Barrier 7
Singularity 12
Shock Trooper 12
Spectre Training 4
There used to be a thread on the bioware forums discussing the reasons for the point allocation, it was quite in-depth (discussing diminishing returns on Spectre Training after 4 points, etc) and very instructive, shame it's no longer around. The alternative build was of course Barrier to 12 with points taken from Throw or elsewhere. The core of the build was, as I recall, Singularity/Lift/Adrenaline Burst to maximise lockdown.
Anyway this might not be relevant to you anymore, I dig your videos a lot and they turned me into a dedicated ME2 Adept, so I thought I'd drop the link in case it helps. Huge fan of min-maxing builds, particularly Infiltrator, in ME1 so hope you enjoy the link.
Cheers mate!