23 réponses à ce sujet

[Captain_Obvious_au]

Hi folks,

Soldier is my favourite class from ME1 (plus Electronics/Overload), and played as a Soldier in ME2 in my first run. In that playthrough I took the Widow Sniper Rifle and had Armour-Piercing Ammo (which I'll likely change to Barrier, Geth Shield, or Inferno Grenade).

However, I am now playing my second playthrough as a Vanguard and love it! I chose Assault Rifles as my bonus, and Barrier as my bonus skill. Essentially, the comparison for me boild down to:

- Crowd Control: Vanguard has area Charge and Shockwave. Soldier has nothing, but can choose the grenade
- Weapons: Soldier has the Sniper Rifles, Vanguard has Submachine Guns (which I don't use)
- Ammo: Soldier has the advantage here with Disruptor Ammo, but Cryo isn't too bad on synthetics either which Vanguards have
- class Power: honestly never used Adrenaline Rush that much, but love using Charge. Will have to use AR again to see if I like it
= Bonus Power: Vanguard gets Barrier, but Soldier has to choose between Crowd Control or Self-Protection

I'm kinda torn here. If the Vanguard had Sniper Rifles to start with instead of Sub-machine Guns, it would be an easier choice. Thoughts?

[ashwind]

Captain_Obvious_au wrote...
I'm kinda torn here. If the Vanguard had Sniper Rifles to start with instead of Sub-machine Guns, it would be an easier choice. Thoughts?

And... what would I use to strip shields/barriers from say... Pretorians? The Incisor? Sniper Riffles are nice to have for Vanguards but I wont trade my SMG for it 

Modifié par ashwind, 28 octobre 2010 - 10:50 .

[Captain_Obvious_au]

Fair enough, but I don't use SMG's at all, but have used Sniper Rifles as a Soldier. Now of course I could change it so that Vanguards have Sniper Rifles instead of SMG's; or so that Soldiers have Shockwave instead of Cryo Ammo, but I'm trying not to make any class a super-class so to speak.

[HWM Sarge]

The soldier wouldn't be the soldier if they had biotics...

[Captain_Obvious_au]

Sure they would. They'd just be a Soldier with a small biotic ability.

[aeetos21]

ok... i'm guessing you haven't had a chance to use the locust yet because that weapon strips shields just as well, if not better, than any other weapon in the game. i was going through haestrom and had the geth pulse rifle with me - didn't touch it. just used that little smg and the arc projector and the rest was history. well then i swapped the arc for the cain, charged the collosus from the other side of the map, and one shot koed it but that's another story ;-)

[Isaidlunch]

It sounds like you enjoy the Vanguard a lot but wish you had more flexibility in weapon usage? The Predator heavy pistol can handle "sniping" situations quite well and if you have the Kasumi DLC the Locust SMG can deal with those pesky range barrier/shield enemies (eg Rocket Drones).

[Captain_Obvious_au]

Pretty much yeah - love the Vanguard but want more flexibility. I don't have the Kasumi DLC though, so no Locust. I won't be buying that DLC until Bioware comes out with an expansion etc.

[JaegerBane]

Captain_Obvious_au wrote...

Pretty much yeah - love the Vanguard but want more flexibility. I don't have the Kasumi DLC though, so no Locust. I won't be buying that DLC until Bioware comes out with an expansion etc.

This is a recurring problem with the Vanguard, even among it's die-hard fans.

To be honest I've always favoured the Scimitar over all other shotguns thanks to it's ability to keep the pressure up on enemies, so on my Vanguard playthroughs I've found the Viper is, pound for pound the best choice for me and my playstyle. It's an exceptionally deadly long-range piece that manages a fast enough rate of fire and large enough clip to function as a battle rifle. You could, in theory, gain similar performance from the Mattock, though I'd suspect the Mattock's shorter effective range means that, unlike the Viper, most situations you use the Mattock in will be situations that could have been equally handled as well (if not better) by Charge and your shotty.

As for the Kasumi DLC... to be honest, while it's still your choice whether to purchase any DLC, you're only gimping yourself by not getting it. It grants a *lot* of bonuses for any kind of character, though less so for soldiers. The Locust is, functionally, the best assault rifle in the game. Once you get your hands on that then the AR choice is bordering on redundant if you're not getting the Mattock.

[Bozorgmehr]

JaegerBane wrote...

Captain_Obvious_au wrote...

Pretty much yeah - love the Vanguard but want more flexibility. I don't have the Kasumi DLC though, so no Locust. I won't be buying that DLC until Bioware comes out with an expansion etc.

As for the Kasumi DLC... to be honest, while it's still your choice whether to purchase any DLC, you're only gimping yourself by not getting it. It grants a *lot* of bonuses for any kind of character, though less so for soldiers. The Locust is, functionally, the best assault rifle in the game. Once you get your hands on that then the AR choice is bordering on redundant if you're not getting the Mattock.

Yeah, the Locust is an excellent weapon though Vanguard don't need it imho. The best thing about Kasumi's dlc is the option to get 3 tech upgrades very fast (you only need to get Mordin; Garrus and do Kasumi's LM) and you've got the tech cd reduction upgrade - wonderful for Engineers, Sentinels and Infiltrators; benefitial to all squadmate with tech powers.

[JaegerBane]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Yeah, the Locust is an excellent weapon though Vanguard don't need it imho.

The Vanguard doesn't need it, no, but without it the Vanguard has even less options in any given situation than it normally does. On such a one-trick-pony class, that's saying something.

The best thing about Kasumi's dlc is the option to get 3 tech upgrades very fast (you only need to get Mordin; Garrus and do Kasumi's LM) and you've got the tech cd reduction upgrade - wonderful for Engineers, Sentinels and Infiltrators; benefitial to all squadmate with tech powers.

Or just about anyone who picked Energy Drain for their bonus.

[ashwind]

JaegerBane wrote...

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Yeah, the Locust is an excellent weapon though Vanguard don't need it imho.

The Vanguard doesn't need it, no, but without it the Vanguard has even less options in any given situation than it normally does. On such a one-trick-pony class, that's saying something.

I must be nuts because my Vanguard always choose the Tempest over the Locust 

Tempest's higher rate of fire (nearly double) and ammo makes short work of Shields/Barrier - tears Pretorian's Barrier apart faster than the Locust... and since I use SMG mainly for that purpose - Tempest is my favorite Vanguard SMG 

[Kronner]

For my Vanguard I prefer Locust, but take Tempest (when I play NG+) for Horizon and Collector Ship, because it is much better against the Praetorian.

But I rarely use SMGs, actually Korlus and The Long Walk is the only (part) of a mission that I remember using Locust against the few unchargeable guys. Predator pistol + Slam against some (not all) husks.

Other than that pretty much everything is killed with the Claymore. Well and some Warp explosions to spice things up.

Vanguard is a one-trick pony because it is pretty good trick and you do not really need anything else - you can Charge nearly all enemies in the game.

Modifié par Kronner, 30 octobre 2010 - 05:02 .

[JaegerBane]

ashwind wrote...
I must be nuts because my Vanguard always choose the Tempest over the Locust 

Tempest's higher rate of fire (nearly double) and ammo makes short work of Shields/Barrier - tears Pretorian's Barrier apart faster than the Locust... and since I use SMG mainly for that purpose - Tempest is my favorite Vanguard SMG 

There's nothing wrong per se with taking the Tempest, it's just it doesn't really do anything that the Vanguard's other stuff can't do. It's accuracy is *horrible*, to the extent it only really works at point blank range, which the shotgun is better at.

The Tempest has a higher rate of fire, yeah, but it's not 'nearly double' - it's close to about 60% faster. But each shot the Locust fires does nearly 80% more damage, so the Tempest's actual DPS is only better when used specifically against shields. Add to the fact that the Locust's accuracy will mean far more hits and headshots and the Tempest's performance is even more inferior.

The Locust basically allows you to fight at any range. That prevents you from having to take an assault rifle to fight well at ranges beyond point blank.

[ashwind]

JaegerBane wrote...
There's nothing wrong per se with taking the Tempest, it's just it doesn't really do anything that the Vanguard's other stuff can't do. It's accuracy is *horrible*, to the extent it only really works at point blank range, which the shotgun is better at.

The Tempest has a higher rate of fire, yeah, but it's not 'nearly double' - it's close to about 60% faster. But each shot the Locust fires does nearly 80% more damage, so the Tempest's actual DPS is only better when used specifically against shields. Add to the fact that the Locust's accuracy will mean far more hits and headshots and the Tempest's performance is even more inferior.

The Locust basically allows you to fight at any range. That prevents you from having to take an assault rifle to fight well at ranges beyond point blank.

True true - but I find the Tempest more effective against Preatorian's Barrier (basically the only thing I use it for with consistency). You cant really miss the Preatorian nor can you fight it close. You mostly have to shoot behind high cover so head shots are not an issue too.

I agree that the Locust is a superior SMG and I use it for all my other classes. 
I know - call me nuts but there is somthing about the chaotic Tempest that I like so much 

[Bozorgmehr]

JaegerBane wrote...

The Locust basically allows you to fight at any range. That prevents you from having to take an assault rifle to fight well at ranges beyond point blank.

That's the great thing about the Locust; it's an all purpose weapon, very versatile. The Tempest on the other hand is a 'true' SMG; high RoF, low accuracy.

ashwind wrote...

I know - call me nuts but there is somthing about the chaotic Tempest that I like so much [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/tongue.png[/smilie]

I managed to increase the Tempest's performance by looking where the bullets hit instead of using the crosshair to aim (works best with ammo powers like Incendiary and Cryo); this makes it pretty accurate up to medium range though headshotting is out of the question.

[Locutus_of_BORG]

The Locust is a pretty broken gun. The Tempest might be better in some situations, but you'll never be caught wanting with the Locust.



Tempest rates higher on the fun factor though, imo. Again, as a vanguard, charging a bunch of low-level baddies and spraying wildly with the Tempest... not necessarily the best tactic, but one of the most fun.

[ashwind]

Bozorgmehr wrote...
...
I managed to increase the Tempest's performance by looking where the bullets hit instead of using the crosshair to aim (works best with ammo powers like Incendiary and Cryo); this makes it pretty accurate up to medium range though headshotting is out of the question.

True - never really analyze it but when I shoot the Preatorian, it lights up like a Chrismas tree and that is how I know it hits it. 

m14567 wrote...
I also use the bullet traces for aiming with the Tempest, and to a lesser extent the Predator. In fact, if you are behind cover shooting, you can get decent accuracy with the Tempest even at range. My biggest problem with the Tempest, esp. on Vanguards, is when you have to strafe and shoot at a moving shielded target (the rocket drones on the broker's ship) then it is truly hopeless. You have no option in that case but to take the Locust.

That is why I pull the Arc Projectors on those annoying mosquito  Tis more effective than the Locust :devil:

[Kaiser Shepard]

Vanguard with Inferno Ammo, Area Pull, Improved Shockwave, Champion, Area/Heavy Charge and a one-point Barrier. I find this build to really play to the Vanguard's strength's, while the one small Barrier is more than enough to compensate for its weaknesses (it allows you to get sloppy once in a while).



You can get Assault Rifles later on, while the Collector Particle Beam can temporarily substitute for one.

[sinosleep]

The locust is a glorious, GLORIOUS, weapon, particularly on vanguards that know they'll be taking the claymore. When I don't go claymore I prefer the viper to the mattock due to the fact that I use it as a pistol replacement and it absolutely MERCS armor.

[Captain_Obvious_au]

So, everyone hates the Locust hey? :-p



Sounds like a good gun, will have to try it out when I get around to getting Kasumi. Actually to make the Vanguard better (for my style of play) I thought 'stuff it, why shouldn't this Vanguard be MY kind of Vanguard?' So I swapped Submachine Guns for Sniper Rifles. :-)

[Miss Yuna of Atlanta]

I don't like to hack the game to put things in there that aren't normally there, but that's just me. As for the question posed by your topic, I'd go with a Widow Soldier. It's surprisingly fun.

[Captain_Obvious_au]

Well I prefer not to edit the game, but I figure hey, makes it more fun for me and doesn't impact on anyone else. I'll just change it back later to make sure my Shep can import into ME3.



I did enjoy my Widow Soldier in my first playthrough, but I've somewhat gone off Soldiers these days - the Adrenaline Rush power just doesn't do it for me, I prefer charge.