I don't know if a guide's been done for the Claymore Commando, so I'm going to try and keep this post to a list of observations that'll help people who are thinking about channeling their inner Krogan for their next Soldier run.
1) Pick Heightened over Hardened Adrenaline Rush.
- Heightened grants a 140% damage bonus, which not only pushes the burst damage of the Vindicator, Viper, Carnifex, and Claymore through the roof, but also has the side effect of increasing the Claymore's effective range. Once you begin storming enemy positions, you'll see that you inflict massive damage starting from mid-short range, instead of point-blank. Play around with this. If your only experience with the Claymore has been with a Vanguard, this will really open your eyes.
- You can get off four Viper shots under a Heightened Adrenaline Rush. It only takes 3 shots to kill an enemy mook with the Viper during an AR if you land headshots.
- The Vindicator and Carnifex is noticeably more powerful with Heightened AR. You can try both Commando and Shock Trooper specs and see for yourself.
- The increased time dilation, coupled with the Commando spec, allows you to perform what I call "mini-Charges." Your insane storm speed allows you to reach entrenched enemies quickly. Get your AR timing down, and you can storm an enemy position, OHKO a mook, and run to cover all during one cycle.
2) Pick Commando over Shock Trooper.
- You give up 15% power duration (which translates to less than a second longer for AR, during which you can't even get another shot off) and 10% health for 10% extra storm speed, 6% extra weapon damage, and 15% power damage WHICH WORKS ON YOUR AMMO POWERS. The Shock Trooper spec is nonsense anyways. Have you ever thrown on Life Support Webbing (also a 10% health bonus), and noticed any increase in survivability on Insanity? I certainly haven't.
3) Use Inferno ammo! Inferno ammo has a 3m impact radius and grants +60% damage bonus against health and armor. What's most important about Inferno ammo is that any organic enemy caught within the 3m burst gets set on fire, even if they have shields. This, in my mind, pushes Inferno ammo far ahead of Tungsten ammo, the next best choice. The CC effect of an Inferno Claymore shot can save your life when getting up close and personal with multiple enemies.
4) My personal builds:
A)
Heightened Adrenaline Rush
Squad Disruptor Ammo
Inferno Ammo
Squad Cryo Ammo
Commando
Geth Shield Boost 1 (has actually saved my life in hairy situations, invaluable on NG+ before you get the 3 Medi-Gel upgrades)
Heightened Adrenaline Rush
Squad Disruptor Ammo
Inferno Ammo
Cryo Ammo 1 (Husk killer, guaranteed freeze if put on the Carnifex)
Commando
Squad Warp Ammo (your squad has ammo for every situation)
C)
Heightened Adrenaline Rush
Squad Disruptor Ammo
Inferno Ammo
Squad Cryo Ammo
Commando
Slam 1 (set up Warp explosions with Miranda/Thane. Also, I'm not sure, but I THINK you can use squadmates' Throw for the ragdoll bonus to throw enemies off ledges/platforms. Have to test it a few times to make sure)
I wouldn't suggest any other bonus power for the Soldier, tbh. I've played around with Reave and Dominate, and they're really not worth the cool-downs. Same for Concussive Shot. 6s is way too much, plus the start-up animation is killer and exposes you to weaponsfire. I generally run Build A until I have the Medi-Gel upgrades, after which I switch to C or B.
BASIC STRATEGY
As soon as an engagement begins, pause to look around the battlefield (unless you already know the layout). Take note of cover positions and enemy entrenchments if they're already set up.
I generally start off battles holding the Viper (although the Vindicator is a good first-shot weapon too). The Viper is great at ANY distance, kills just as many enemies during an AR as the Widow (one fully protected mook), and can be used as a semi-automatic at mid-range AND short-range. Plus, every successful shot results in a short stagger! Remember, outside of AR, just MASH the trigger button.
Pop AR and thin out the herd by sniping/Vindicator bursting one or two enemies to death. If the enemies are spawing in waves, this will generally be enough time for the rest of them to take up scattered defensive positions. From here on, you wil usually start aggressively pushing forward. Switch to the Vindicator and take potshots, while you set up your "mini-Charges."
Remember, AR is MUCH more forgiving than Charge, simply because you can use it to both advance and retreat. Check you radar often, storm isolated enemies and Claymore them in the face. You can storm positions with 2-3 mooks, but be careful about getting in close against more than one fully shielded Elite at a time. You can also storm bosses and sub-bosses (Engineers with Shields + Armor, Blue Suns commanders, etc.) so long as you make liberal use of the Claymore reload trick. Incidentally, I don't think it's "wrong" to use the reload trick... to use Street Fighter terms, that's like saying Kara throwing is against the spirit of the game because it's a "glitch." Animation canceling is an accepted part of gameplay for me, it takes a certain amount of skill to do it and I feel a player SHOULD be rewarded for being able to perform it on a consistent basis. However, it's not really necessary, you'll just have to be more cautious without it.
Of course, sometimes, the battlefield layout won't allow you to close distance safely. Unlike the Vanguard, you have no invulnerability while traveling, so sometimes, it's best to just end engagements with the Viper/Vindicator from a distance. One example is during Korlus, right before the final boss, when you're facing a long stretch of open field against two Legionnaires backed up by supporting Troopers and rocketeers. In situations like this, it's often better to just liberally use your long-range weapons.
Now, I don't have a video recorder, which is unfortunate, but I searched around on youtube, and I found a video by Average Gatsby that perfectly illustrates how I normally play through levels as the Claymore soldier. Listen to his commentary, too... a lot of the things he says are things I found out while playing around on Insanity, and it'll definitely up your gameplay. Here's the link:
www.youtube.com/watch
SUMMARY
The Claymore is a unique weapon because it dramatically enhances your short-range engagement capabilites as a Soldier in tandem with your AR. I feel like the Widow and Revenant are unnecessary for a Commando Soldier, merely because you already have the Viper and Vindicator, both of which can handle long and mid-range engagements just as effectively. Remember, you kill just as many enemies with the Viper as you do with the Widow during an AR (1). Plus, if you're a halfway decent shot, the Vindicator outpaces the Revenant at mid-long distance too. However, nothing in your arsenal matches the killing power of the Claymore at short-range, not even the Revenant. This is especially true in NG+ Insanity, when you can only get one Assault Rifle damage upgrade before Horizon (two with Zaeed). To see the truth of this, go to Korlus, and run down the long hallway right before the waves of Krogan. You'll run smack into two Blue Suns troopers with little available cover. If you try to take them out using the Revenant up close, you'll get squashed.
With the Claymore and the right strategy, I noticed I clear rooms remarkably faster and died LESS (mostly because rushers, flankers, and melee creatures eat a freaking fireball of doom when they get in my face). It really lends itself to a unique, visceral gameplay experience, and gives you a surgical weapon for every possible circumstance. However, as Gatsby says, you must understand the Claymore is a situational weapon (and that you can't reload during an AR with it). I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a unique, fast-paced, tactical Soldier experience.
Retour en haut
:devil:
