Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Catch-All – Shepards with Jobs

kexx wrote:

Wow. Ok. I'm trying to complete the Biotic Challenge at the same time as the Sniper Rifle Challenge. Let me tell you, that's a HUGE mistake. Human Adepts are sh*t. I already have Warp done, so the only arsenal I have is Singularity and Shockwave. Both are sh*t. Singularity I assume is better with a squad, but Shockwave, jesus christ it's just god awful.

I don't know the specifics of the challenge but if it's just a matter of using biotics, try the Human Sentinel. You'll want to pack light and ignore their armor ability entirely. Just use warp and then throw. Repeat as necessary. Most of your damage comes from biotic explosions, so spec in that direction.

LobsterMobster wrote:
kexx wrote:

Wow. Ok. I'm trying to complete the Biotic Challenge at the same time as the Sniper Rifle Challenge. Let me tell you, that's a HUGE mistake. Human Adepts are sh*t. I already have Warp done, so the only arsenal I have is Singularity and Shockwave. Both are sh*t. Singularity I assume is better with a squad, but Shockwave, jesus christ it's just god awful.

I don't know the specifics of the challenge but if it's just a matter of using biotics, try the Human Sentinel. You'll want to pack light and ignore their armor ability entirely. Just use warp and then throw. Repeat as necessary. Most of your damage comes from biotic explosions, so spec in that direction.

Yeah, what Lobster said. Putting a heavy-ass sniper rifle on an adept isn't a great idea. Your cooldown will suck, so you can't play to the adept's strength (spamming powers). Try a heavy pistol or SMG instead. Sniper rifles tend to pair much better with infiltrators.

You may also be giving shockwave short shrift, as it can be an awesome explosion detonator when used in tandem with warp or another biotic. Spec both warp and shockwave for explosions and you'll see what I mean. Amusingly enough, shockwave will also shake the screen for any snipers in the area, messing up their aim.

Keep in mind that Singularity is also a biotic explosion primer that you can detonate with either Warp or Shockwave. So set up enemies with Singularity then detonate with Shockwave.

I actually really like shockwave, and tend to favor it on my human Vanguards over charge. Evolve it to suspend enemies at level 6 for some real fun.

For the challenge, you need to complete 14, and there are 19 available, so eventually you do have to start spamming powers you don't much like--though I would say Singularity is a good choice for The Remaining 5. Warp, then Shockwave prompting an explosion with a Krogan adept works well.

Bought a Reserves pack last, hoping to get a Volus Vanguard. Nope, no characters. Instead? A Particle Rifle V and a Black Widow II. A character pack giving me two N7 weapons? Uh, I'll take that, yeah.

I love my human sentinels. Agreed with whomever said above, about Warp + Throw. It´s amazing, and yes, I pack light weapons for them. Actually, whenever I´m playing "seriously", as in, with other people and/or not doing a challenge, I do pay close attention to what I bring with me, I always try to keep the 200% bar as high as possible, etc.

But, playing by myself, finishing the damn challenges which are about a million to do, it tends to get a bit tedious. I´ve already completed the use for all the cool biotic powers, as well as all the cool tech powers, and now I have to use some of the not so cool ones. Based on what I have available, I went with Shockwave and Singularity, and combined with a sniper rifle is a big mistake. I was aware Sentinels spam powers, but didn´t know Adepts do as well.

For the future, I think I´ll combine the biotic powers challenge, with either gun or SMG challenges, just so I can play the class as intended.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Bought a Reserves pack last, hoping to get a Volus Vanguard. Nope, no characters. Instead? A Particle Rifle V and a Black Widow II. A character pack giving me two N7 weapons? Uh, I'll take that, yeah.

Yeah, that's happened to me before, but it's not a character pack. It's a pack with a higher chance of containing characters. Besides, if you've got to get two guns instead of a Volus, you could've done far worse.

kexx wrote:

I love my human sentinels. Agreed with whomever said above, about Warp + Throw. It´s amazing, and yes, I pack light weapons for them. Actually, whenever I´m playing "seriously", as in, with other people and/or not doing a challenge, I do pay close attention to what I bring with me, I always try to keep the 200% bar as high as possible, etc.

I think we've been saying that since Feb.

kexx wrote:

Wow. Ok. I'm trying to complete the Biotic Challenge at the same time as the Sniper Rifle Challenge. Let me tell you, that's a HUGE mistake. Human Adepts are sh*t. I already have Warp done, so the only arsenal I have is Singularity and Shockwave. Both are sh*t. Singularity I assume is better with a squad, but Shockwave, jesus christ it's just god awful.

For sniper rifles, obviously all of the good ones I have completed, and the remaining ones I do have, man alive do they absolutely blow. Krysae isn't that bad, but if the only you have is Krysae, Singularity and Shockwave, you won't last alive long. Then, sh*t, I don't even know where to begin. Incisor, Collector Sniper Rifle, Kishock Harpoon, Raptor. I couldn't give these weapons more than 2 waves on Bronze. They absolutely blow. Aren't these guns, all guns, supposed to be in some capacity, simply sidegrades? For the life of me I can't believe any sane person would choose these guns over Valiant, Black Widow, Widow, Mantis, or Viper. I can't. They suck balls.

Spec Singularity out so it explodes when the effect ends and use it like a grenade--toss one in choke points you think the enemy will head through N seconds in the future, or in places where you think you can pin down an enemy for a while. It also makes a good prep for a biotic explosion, and for non-shielded enemies the snare effect is powerful. Shockwave is really more of an "oh sh*t" button most of the time since Adepts aren't so hot at close range, but it can be used to trigger a biotic explosion with Singularity if the range is right.

I've said this before, but I use the Raptor as my primary weapon as Adept. Partly because I just haven't unlocked the awesome weapons, I'll admit. But I rather like it. The key with the Raptor is to use it like a high-accuracy assault rifle. Sight-aiming is completely optional unlike most sniper rifles, and the moderate ranged accuracy and relative low damage are offset by the large clip and semi-auto fire capability. Add a capacity mod to make sure you don't run out of ammo, aim for the center of mass for long-distance shots and shoot like crazy. I carry the Raptor and an SMG and never actually use the SMG. That loadout gives me around +100% biotic recharge time.

That makes me think, do people actually pack 2 weapons? I NEVER do. I only use one weapon, I give it ammo and mods, and I use my powers.

When would it be smart to actually take 2 weapons? I´ve seen Platinum vids where some players do that, but generally, I´ve never found myself in the situation where I needed 2 guns.

kexx wrote:

That makes me think, do people actually pack 2 weapons? I NEVER do. I only use one weapon, I give it ammo and mods, and I use my powers.

When would it be smart to actually take 2 weapons? I´ve seen Platinum vids where some players do that, but generally, I´ve never found myself in the situation where I needed 2 guns.

I play in the wild alot and yes, there are lots of folks who pack 2 weapons. Especially once you get some of the lightweight materials mods, it makes it a no brainer for certain classes/builds.

kexx wrote:

That makes me think, do people actually pack 2 weapons? I NEVER do. I only use one weapon, I give it ammo and mods, and I use my powers.

I carry an SMG as a backup mostly because it weighs almost nothing, but I rarely use it and am considering just leaving it behind. Still, it makes a decent close-range alternative if your primary is a sniper rifle.

LobsterMobster wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Bought a Reserves pack last, hoping to get a Volus Vanguard. Nope, no characters. Instead? A Particle Rifle V and a Black Widow II. A character pack giving me two N7 weapons? Uh, I'll take that, yeah.

Yeah, that's happened to me before, but it's not a character pack. It's a pack with a higher chance of containing characters. Besides, if you've got to get two guns instead of a Volus, you could've done far worse.

Oh, I know, I just found it funny that a few days after I stopped buying Arsenal packs because I got everything non-N7 up to X, I wound up getting one of the best weapon packs ever by going more on the character-focused pack. I was actually using the Particle Rifle at the time, so it was even better. I thought that thing sucked when I had it at I, but at V? 200 shots in the clip, just eats people for lunch. Great gun.

I'll usually bring an N7 Hurricane or Geth SMG with a level 5 lightweight material mod. It's virtually weightless.

On less power-focused classes I for sure carry 2 weapons, and with lightweight materials on both, I can pack a pistol and SMG and still have 200% cooldown, so I do that on adepts and my N7 Shadow.

complexmath wrote:

I've said this before, but I use the Raptor as my primary weapon as Adept. Partly because I just haven't unlocked the awesome weapons, I'll admit. But I rather like it. The key with the Raptor is to use it like a high-accuracy assault rifle. Sight-aiming is completely optional unlike most sniper rifles, and the moderate ranged accuracy and relative low damage are offset by the large clip and semi-auto fire capability. Add a capacity mod to make sure you don't run out of ammo, aim for the center of mass for long-distance shots and shoot like crazy. I carry the Raptor and an SMG and never actually use the SMG. That loadout gives me around +100% biotic recharge time.

Yeah, the Raptors not that bad. Kind of feels like a heavy Mattock. I just maxed it out for the sniper thingies. Didn't take that long. Makes me wonder if the the points are allocated for landing shots as well as damage inflicted or kills. Not sure how that is calculated.

It may be that the recent gun controversy has made me a little sensitive to it, but I feel like I should point out that a semi-automatic rifle only fires one round per trigger pull. The Raptor is fully automatic.

...I'm in favor of a ban on high-capacity thermal clips.

LobsterMobster, you sure about that? I could have sworn it was a semi-automatic weapon... The wiki says it is. You might have that confused with the Indra, which is fully automatic.

LobsterMobster wrote:

It may be that the recent gun controversy has made me a little sensitive to it, but I feel like I should point out that a semi-automatic rifle only fires one round per trigger pull. The Raptor is fully automatic.

You're thinking of the Indra.

kexx wrote:

When would it be smart to actually take 2 weapons?

As others have said, Pistols and especially SMGs are very low cost if you spend a mod slot on Lightweight Materials.

Also, there are some classes that don't have to care about cooldown if specced right. I love the Vorcha Sentinel (or Vorcha Soldier w/out Carnage) as a heavy weapons player: turn on Bloodlust and go to town with a rifle + Shotgun combo. I've recently been speccing my Quarian Engineer as incinerate-less too, so that Tac Scan is the only cooldown I have to care about (and that one bears even some amount of negative cooldown). There are some others like this (e.g. Krogan Sentinel & Soldier) who won't necessarily have an active power, or at least one that you need a good cooldown to be effective with.

Another important point: if your cloak breaks due to firing a weapon rather than the duration running out, it requires only a set cooldown period. So if Tac Cloak is the only "cooldown" power you use, strap on heavy weapons as you like, so long as you plan on using it for damage instead of invisibility.

Kloreep wrote:

There are some others like this (e.g. Krogan Sentinel & Soldier) who won't necessarily have an active power, or at least one that you need a good cooldown to be effective with.

Yeah, my Krogan Sentinel carries two weapons (Mattock & Reegar), and doesn't rely on Incinerate or Tech Armor to deal his damage. Essentially a tank, and really fun to play with. He's definitely my class when I'm playing for realzies.

Ok, I have a new found respect for the N7 Crusader. I have it at level 3 and if you use it like a sniper rifle, it's beastly. Beastly!!! If you don't aim and use it like a shotgun, it's pretty rubbish, but when you aim down sights, go for headshot means most enemies die in 1, sometimes 2. I took out an Atlas pretty damn quickly with it. Faster than what I could with a sniper rifle. Krogan Sentinel with the N7 Crusader and lift grenades is definitely fun!

For the first time in almost a month, balance changes!

Derek Hollan[/url]]Raised Guardian point value from 400 to 450, kill bonus from 40 to 45, and the assist budget from 100 to 120.
- These are bronze values. Silver, Gold, and Platinum difficulties are, likewise, proportionally affected.

Phase Disruptor (Slayer)
Lowered the base barrier drained for Phase Disruptor from 50% to 40%
- Evolution 4 increases the reduction of Phase Disruptor from 25% to 50%

I'd given up on Phase Disruptor. Sounds like it could possibly be worthwhile now...

I might give it a try. I haven't been that successful with the N7 Slayer yet.

I love using Human Adepts. I usually will just equip them with an Acolyte pistol, which is an awesome weapon for removing shields, and just use my powers for the rest of the damage dealing. I do struggle a bit with armored enemies, but some liberal use of Singularity followed up with Warp will still give you biotic explosions, and if they get too close to me, some Warp combined with Shockwave gives the same result.

Kloreep wrote:
kexx wrote:

When would it be smart to actually take 2 weapons?

As others have said, Pistols and especially SMGs are very low cost if you spend a mod slot on Lightweight Materials.

Also, there are some classes that don't have to care about cooldown if specced right. I love the Vorcha Sentinel (or Vorcha Soldier w/out Carnage) as a heavy weapons player: turn on Bloodlust and go to town with a rifle + Shotgun combo. I've recently been speccing my Quarian Engineer as incinerate-less too, so that Tac Scan is the only cooldown I have to care about (and that one bears even some amount of negative cooldown). There are some others like this (e.g. Krogan Sentinel & Soldier) who won't necessarily have an active power, or at least one that you need a good cooldown to be effective with.

Demolishers can often carry two weapons and ignore cooldown, unless you want to constantly be re-deploying your pylon for the extra grenades. Destroyers don't have any active abilities, so I almost always bring Harrier + Piranha on mine.

I tend to pack heavy with my Asari Valkyrie, too. Once she has her armor up she only needs to cast Annihilation Field, but that lasts long enough that cooldown isn't really a problem. I think there are also some classes whose frequent-use powers are grenades too, and those go by ammo count rather than cooldown.

Hmm, I may have to jump back into this once my current obsession with Farcry 3 is over.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I tend to pack heavy with my Asari Valkyrie, too.

Yeah, the Valkyrie is another one of those, like the Vorcha or the Quarian Engineer, who can be cooldown-independent if you spec them to avoid the right power.

Personally, I have too much fun speccing my Valkyrie for Warp and making her a walking Biotic Explosion. But skipping Warp and making her a heavy is definitely very effective.

I also tend to put a light-material Locust on anyone carrying the Cerberus Harrier, since that's a great gun with pathetic ammo.