22 réponses à ce sujet

[swk3000]

I've just completed my first Insanity run (Duct portion was a b*tch, but it was all easy after that). Now, I've got a few other games I want to work on before I get back into Mass Effect again, but I know for a fact that I'd like to run an Assault Sentinel when I do come back. I do, however, have several questions about the class, and I'd appreciate any input on it.

1. Are there any 'required' N7 Armor Pieces, or would I be fine using the Blood Dragon Armor?

2. What weapon training should I take on the Collector ship? I'm thinking Shotgun since I'll be up close anyway, but I'm not sure.

3. Tempest or Locust?

4. Bonus Power?

5. Looking at the skills available, I'm thinking of the following build (numbers are total points, so 3 means Level 2, not Level 3):

* Throw - 3 (only to unlock Warp. Since I'll be playing on Insanity, powers like Pull and Throw are less useful)
* Heavy Warp - 10 (I've never been a big fan of Warp Explosions; I just want to strip defenses)
* Tech Armor - 10 (No idea which evolution to take. Help would be appreciated.
* Heavy Overload - 10 (It's rare to be able to hit multiple enemies with this, so Heavy will see more use)
* Cryo Blast - 0 (I've never been a big fan of it)
* Guardian - 10 (More Power Recharge Reduction means I'm able to pop Tech Armor more often, increasing my survivability)

That's all the questions I can think of right now. Any help would be appreciated.

Modifié par swk3000, 22 avril 2010 - 12:36 .

[tonnactus]

swk3000 wrote...

1. Are there any 'required' N7 Armor Pieces, or would I be fine using the Blood Dragon Armor?

Required for what?What did you want?Protection or power damage?You are take guardian anyway,so blood dragon for more power damage would be a good choice.

2. What weapon training should I take on the Collector ship? I'm thinking Shotgun since I'll be up close anyway, but I'm not sure.

The assault rifle is redundant with the locust now.So choose sniper or shotgun.

3. Tempest or Locust?

I my self prefer accuracy and low recoil.So i would choose the locust.

4. Bonus Power?

Dominate for distraction of organic enemies isnt that bad.Armor piercing is effective vs health of enemies if there defensices are gone,also a good choice.Or reave,works like warp except warp exposions.So you could take that and dont put powers in throw.(but throw killed husks when they dont have armor instantly)
A lot of choices are good.

* Tech Armor - 10 (No idea which evolution to take. Help would be appreciated.

Assault armor for shotgunning.Gives your shield a boost after the tech armor is destroyed.

* Heavy Overload - 10 (It's rare to be able to hit multiple enemies with this, so Heavy will see more use)

Energy drain as a bonus talent destroy shields and refill your own ones.Otherwise area overload.40 points more damage are not worth to give up bigger radius when needed.

[JWCbox]

1. armor=not significant, but strength pads for melee= useful, in addition to power bonuses

2. Shotty is basically the defining feature of an assault sentinal... ofc take it

3. locust since you don't have assault rifles

4. not really necessary, because you use you're cooldown on armor, so you should prolly go for an ammo (warp imo) but if you use a squadmates squad ammo (incendiary is very helpful for up close classes), inferno grenade, flashbang, slam, really anything works

5. Assault armor ofc, thats the other half of why its an assault sentinal. Bigger blast and a backup shield? kthnxbai



Also I find that area overload is more useful, because it will still fully strip low level shields, and low level shielded enemies clump often (geth+mercs)

[Simbacca]

Well if you did AP Ammo, since you'll be in there face shotgunning anyway and don't need another power taking cooldown away from recast Assault Armor, I guess that leaves you this:

Rank 2 Throw
Rank 3 Warp
Rank 4 Assault Armor
Rank 3 Overload
Rank 1 Cryo Blast
Rank 4 Guardian
Rank 3 AP Ammo

Which will leave you 9 points for you choice of 2 of the following; Heavy Warp, Area Overload, or Tungsten Ammo.

Of if you took Reave to forgo Warp Explosions and to regain health, you could go

Rank 1 Throw
Rank 0 Warp
Rank 4 Assault Armor
Rank 4 Area Overload
Rank 4 Full Cryo Blast
Rank 4 Guardian
Rank 4 Area Reave

No Ammo power, but since you have Area Reave and therefore don't need points in Throw to get Warp, you have enough points to max Cyro Blast.  Could be useful for a closer range fighter like the Assault Sentinel, for not only crowd control but also the damage boost you attacks would have on frozen enemies.  Could always bring a teammate with Squad Ammo too.

I would imagine Energy Drain would work better as a bonus power on a Power Armor Sentinel versus an Assault Sentinel, but I could be mistaken.

[asfaltowy]

my 2 cents:



Now I see there are 2 main approaches to Assault Sentinel: Shutter (Cryo, Throw / AR) and Finisher (Warp, Overload / Shotgun)



1. Shutter Assault Sentinel

You choose Assault Rifle training for taking down enemies' protections (shields, barriers), so you can Cryo+(Pull)+Throw them. As always you have to level up to reach Assault Armor and Guardian asap. Then you have to level up Throw and have at least 1 point in Cryo (Throw is more crucial because it can shutter the frozen enemies). Also, you can have Mordin for Cryo (he is more useful with Incinerate, but you can put some points in Cryo early on). You cannot fill Warp and Overload, because you wont have enough points. It doesnt matter, AR does pretty good job and your squadmates too (Miranda, Mordin, Garrus, Mordin).

I haven't yet found a decent bonus power. I have been using GSB, but the cooldown is as long as tech armor's and doesn't give you the energy pulse effect. Maybe I am not a good player, because I keep on losing my shields at the very beginning of the fight (tech armor + GSB = roughly 800 shields). /images/forum/emoticons/angry.png

Main strategy - shoot AR, use Warp/Overload if necessary, use squadmates' powers, get close, freeze, throw (with or w/o pull). Repeat.



2. Finisher Assault Sentinel

You choose Shotgun training for maximum damage. You strip down defenses with powers (Warp / Overload), you get closer, blast in the face and it's over. You can sometimes freeze or throw someone, but it is redundant. For long/middle rang fights you begin with Locust (which is also great for defenses). When you get close, defenses aren't a problem anymore. For armor always use Shotgun ofc. Eviscerator is a great addition because it has a decent range and can wound mid-range enemies. Be sure to take squadmates who have anti-defense powers or are good at dealing damage (you whole team's strategy is DPS), so Miranda, Garrus, Grunt will work.

For bonus power take Tungsten ammo (you dont need Cryo nor Throw so you will have enough points), but Garrus can handle this also. Flashbang could be good, but I dont realy feel this one.

Main strategy - use Warp/Overload, move from cover to cover (sometimes shoot), use squadmates' powers, shoot with Shotgun in somebody's face. If he's alive - shoot again. Repeat.

[Simbacca]

^do you mean "Shatter"?

Modifié par Simbacca, 21 avril 2010 - 07:40 .

[asfaltowy]

yeah, right. English isnt my native language

[tonnactus]

asfaltowy wrote...

2. Finisher Assault Sentinel
You choose Shotgun training for maximum damage. You strip down defenses with powers (Warp / Overload), you get closer, blast in the face and it's over. You can sometimes freeze or throw someone, but it is redundant. For long/middle rang fights you begin with Locust (which is also great for defenses). When you get close, defenses aren't a problem anymore. For armor always use Shotgun ofc. Eviscerator is a great addition because it has a decent range and can wound mid-range enemies. Be sure to take squadmates who have anti-defense powers or are good at dealing damage (you whole team's strategy is DPS), so Miranda, Garrus, Grunt will work.

What??Sorry,but all three are not good damage dealers.Thane and Zaeed get the biggest weapon damage bonuses,and all three types of defenses are covered there.

Modifié par tonnactus, 21 avril 2010 - 10:10 .

[FoFoZem]

With Heavy Warp and Heavy Overload, a Sentinel is capable of doing 840 damage with each power. But that's only if you take Power Armor and Raider with 6/6 upgrades and Blood Dragon Armor. but it's ridiculously powerful.

Just something to keep in mind for Caster Sentinels like myself.



For any power-based class, I think Blood Dragon is the best option. And it also provides shields.



For Assault Sentinel I would take Shotgun training.

Might be a good idea to take Miranda on a lot of missions for her squad bonus to weapon damage and health.



I prefer Locust. But it's really a matter of preference. As an Assault Sentinel you will need an accurate gun at long ranges for when you cannot safely move up on the enemy's position.



I don't honestly think Sentinels have a lot of room for bonus powers. As the Sentinel arguably benefits the most from Biotic and Tech Upgrades, you want to utilize every ability you have. If you do go with a bonus power, I would either take Energy Drain (and forget about Overload completely) or Neural Shock. I think the Sentinel really needs to keep a Tech/Biotic skill set to maximize its effectiveness. But Flashbang would be really productive for an Assault Sentinel if you don't mind the cooldown. Around level 15 or so, your powers will cooldown so fast that the 6s cooldown, even with Guardian Spec., will seem long for the grenade.



But I see no reason why any bonus power -couldn't- work. I just prefer to keep the Sentinel in its comfort zone.



Your build looks solid and, even with a maxed-out bonus power, you could bump Throw up to 4 or bump it up to 3 and take a few points in cryo just in case.



I like cryo, I feel anxious when there's no cryo on my team for some reason.

[cruc1al]

If there's one bonus power the assault sentinel benefits from, it's area drain. The idea is to get the shields of close-by enemies down while keeping your assault armor up until you're at point-blank range for shotgunning. When the armor goes down, unprotected enemies will knock over, giving you more time to replenish your assault armor than if they were only stunned for a bried period.. It also means you don't have to take cover if you're facing shielded enemies, and advancing with a shotgun will be quicker.

There are of course different ways to play the assault sentinel. One way is to use the assault armor excessively, at least for the majority of cooldowns. When a fight starts, don't care about enemy defenses, just get the armor up, get up close with a shotgun, and recharge the armor when it goes down. Another way is to prioritize warp and overload/drain, so that when you do get up close, everyone will be defenseless already. I think the latter is much safer, but also less fun.

Modifié par cruc1al, 21 avril 2010 - 10:54 .

[swk3000]

I was looking at things, and Energy Drain is actually a solid alternative to Overload, so I think I may use that as my Bonus Power.



As for the build, I'm considering this now:



Throw - 10

Warp - 10

Assault Armor - 10

Overload - 0

Cryo Blast - 1

Guardian - 10

Area Drain - 10



I think that build gives me the best combination of skills for my play-style. The only question is what order to fill them in. I'm thinking Assault Armor first, followed by the Passive. I'll have to work with a level 1 Energy Drain for longer than I'd like, but I'll have a lot more survivability in exchange, so it all works out in the end.



As for Cryo, I've never really been a big fan of it. Don't get me wrong: I understand it's usefulness (Squad Cryo saved my **** on the Reaper IFF as a Soldier). I just don't like it.



Finally, cruc1al, my strategy would probably be to activate Tech Armor, then charge in. I'll pop off Energy Drain and Warp, but I'll do so at point-blank range. That way I get all the benefits of Defense Stripping, and all the fun of the in-your-face gameplay. Win-Win.

[FoFoZem]

Yes. It's a very good build. But you need Rank 2 Overload to get to Cryo so the point will have to go into Overload or nothing at all.

[swk3000]

Right. Thanks.

[cruc1al]

overload rank 1 is not a complete waste of points with energy drain. After all, you can blow up vorcha pyros, geth destroyers and canisters

Modifié par cruc1al, 22 avril 2010 - 08:44 .

[OniGanon]

Also kills enemy tech drones. Not sure if Energy Drain does that as well...

[nihilreich]

I'm wondering this myself since I started a game as an Assault Sentinel just yesterday and I have trouble deciding between the Evi and Geth Pulse Rifle. I love shotties (long-time vanguard lover) but GPR with Tungsten Ammo sounds pretty solid as well.



Energy Drain seems like it could be better than Overload, but it takes up the slot that could be used for Tungsten/Heavy Warp Ammo. Also note that as an Assault Sentinel, your armor exploding is often a good thing.

[cruc1al]

nihilreich wrote...

I'm wondering this myself since I started a game as an Assault Sentinel just yesterday and I have trouble deciding between the Evi and Geth Pulse Rifle. I love shotties (long-time vanguard lover) but GPR with Tungsten Ammo sounds pretty solid as well.

Why GPR may I ask? Vindicator does more damage and requires less time out of cover. Just preference, or ammo concern?

Energy Drain seems like it could be better than Overload, but it takes up the slot that could be used for Tungsten/Heavy Warp Ammo. Also note that as an Assault Sentinel, your armor exploding is often a good thing.

True. That's actually how I would use energy drain - to help time the explosion right.

Modifié par cruc1al, 22 avril 2010 - 10:15 .

[cruc1al]

OniGanon wrote...

Also kills enemy tech drones. Not sure if Energy Drain does that as well...

Area drain certianly does, and level 1 drain probably does too since they don't have much health.

[nihilreich]

cruc1al wrote...

nihilreich wrote...

I'm wondering this myself since I started a game as an Assault Sentinel just yesterday and I have trouble deciding between the Evi and Geth Pulse Rifle. I love shotties (long-time vanguard lover) but GPR with Tungsten Ammo sounds pretty solid as well.

Why GPR may I ask? Vindicator does more damage and requires less time out of cover. Just preference, or ammo concern?

Personal preference. I understand it has lower DPS but with its highly accurate full auto I just like how it handles better. I don't have anything against the Vindicator so I'd probably check how it works with this build as well.

[swk3000]

After thinking about things, I'm wondering if Blood Dragon Armor is such a good idea. It will make my Energy Drain and Warp more powerful, so I'll be more likely to strip full protection in a single shot, but most of my actual damage comes from my weapon. Would I be better served going with N7 armor that focuses on Weapon Damage?

[cruc1al]

It really doesn't make much difference what armor you choose, the bonuses are not significant enough to make the decision meaningful. But if you really want to optimize everything, I'd suggest N7 armor for an aggressive assault sentinel. Melee shoulder pads, sprint boost and shield bonuses. Though the +15% power damage from the Blood Dragon armor might make the difference between taking care of defenses in one warp/overload or not.

Modifié par cruc1al, 22 avril 2010 - 01:55 .

[Nexolek]

I'm a Vanguard addict. It is a disease. It was really really hard for me to play another class. I've tried them all and actually found the Sentinel to be awesomely fun!

So naturally, I took shotguns. I made sure to have all four upgrades before reaching the Collector Ship. Armor wise, I went strictly for weapon and melee damage (with shield recharge and storm speed boost). It took me a long time time to really get a feel for things though. The Vanguard in me doesn't like cover apparently, so I don't do much casting. My cooldowns are spent on refreshing Assault Armor and occasionally something else (mostly Throw).

Spec wise, I don't have one. Assault Armor, Guardian, some form of Throw and then whatever else fits the mission best. I go through eezo like there's no tomorrow. That's the beauty of the Sentinel, you can adapt to any situation. For example, the IFF mission. I took Grunt and Mordin. Spec wise, AA, Guardian, Throw Field and Heavy Warp. I barely even had to use a weapon. It was hilariously easy.

I take the Tempest for shield heavy missions and the Locust if there's a lot of armor. Even so, I barely even touch them and it really doesn't seem to make all that much of a difference anyway. Not that I've noticed at least. I also try to play each class without any bonus power. I've tried Area Drain and would definitely give it a thumbs up. The way I play though, I don't really have time for it because I'm refreshing Assault Armor more often than not. But yeah, I definitely like it.

My point is, it's really up to you to figure out what works best, based on how you play. There's enough eezo out there that you can respec for every mission, and as cruc1al said, armor doesn't make much of a difference either. 
I always just go with what's the most fun in the end. 

[SmilingMirror]

My Assault Sentinel:
Throw 3
Heavy Warp 10
Assault Armor 10
Overload 6
Cyro Blast 1
Guardian 10
Heavy Barrier 10

Weapons:
Scimitar
Locust
Predator
Arc Projector

Team:
Grunt and Kasumi for the Flashbang Grenades and the Team Incindiary Ammo. We're all good close range specialists as well.

Gear:
Melee Pads and Shield Gear.

Strategy: Double up on shields, pretty Heavy Barrier before shields ever go down. Use Warp and Cryo Blast to devastate enemies when your in advantageous positions.

Modifié par SmilingMirror, 22 avril 2010 - 07:39 .