60 réponses à ce sujet

[GLaDOScake]

 Funny though... the reason I want to try it is because it looks nearly impossible. lol

Any advice on character build for Vanguard insanity?
 Bonus power: reave / dominate / stasis ?

[SpockLives]

You could, you know, check the List of Strategy Guides thread stickied at the top of this forum.  Good Vanguard stuff in there.  I used Thisisme8 and sinosleep's video guides to do my first Vanguard Insanity run.  AverageGatsby also has a tutorial on charging on Insanity.  Also check youtube for the Cryo Vanguard for a different style of Vanguard.

Oh, and bonus powers will only slow you down.  Anytime you use a power other than charge, you are losing an opportunity to charge.  Also, expect to die a lot until you find your own rythm. 

Modifié par SpockLives, 06 janvier 2012 - 06:13 .

[ryoldschool]

 ^ I did what Spock did -> sinosleep low level vanguard guide ( only I played less aggressive ).   Also in the sticky there is a Reave Vanguard guide that has lots of useful tips, etc.  Bonus powers - Spock is actually pretty close to the truth once you get the hang of it.
Xassantex just did his first vanguard insanity run and posted a lot of videos in this thread.   Its a ten page thread where lots of people give lots of tips as he goes through the entire game.

[capn233]

It is a challenge before you learn the class.

After you level up, get a few upgrades and know how to play it then I think it is actually one of the "easiest" classes to beat each mission with. The only drawback is that it isn't all that powerful against bosses. Everywhere else it is probably the strongest.

I like slam early. It is useful at 1pt, and has a fast cooldown. It can save you before you level up and can chain charge all over the place. Once that happens, you just need your weapon and inferno (or cryo) ammo. I keep it around, but you could respec if you want.

Personally, I wouldn't get defensive powers. Charge gives you a bonus to barrier (at Rank2 and up)... so that is what you should be focusing on. That includes Reave. If you want to not use charge for some reason, then consider it. Reave is pretty powerful if used correctly (but not on synthetic missions of course).

[mcsupersport]

I usually go Slam early and then Stasis not long after both at 1 pt. Stasis is too good in some situations to not have it, while Slam is only ok, because you can usually just heavy charge them for similar effect.

[SpockLives]

I will add that maxed out Slam is better on a Cryo Vanguard than Shockwave or Pull. Freeze 'em then shatter 'em.

[goofyomnivore]

My advice for a newer Vanguard player.

Pick Slam as your bonus power.
Max Charge first, pick Heavy Charge evolution (You should be around level 6 when this is maxed)
Then max passive, pick Champion evolution (You should be around level 10 when this maxed)
Next max Incendiary Ammo, choose Inferno Ammo (You should be around level 15 when this is maxed)
After that you should probably max Squad Cryo Ammo

Basic strategy for groups is use one of your squad to aoe strip defense, you use your slam and Miranda warp bombs. Just be sure Miranda isn't in your line of sight or it could cause timing issues.
By the time your cooldown has refreshed the Warp Bomb should have gone off and then you just Charge and clean up.

As for shotgun preference it really doesn't matter. I however highly suggest not using the Geth Plasma Shotgun. I think the Eviscerator and Scimitar are better for newer Vanguard players because it lets you pick a bonus weapon(I suggest the Mattock if you have the DLC if not go Sniper and get the Viper).

[FJVP]

 I may be the only one that hates slam. On Miranda it constantly disrupts my warp bombs and on myself it tends to lift enemies too fast to detonate them. I prefer Area Reave since Samara's always leaves enemies with an invisible layer of defense.

[ryoldschool]

strive wrote...

As for shotgun preference it really doesn't matter. I however highly suggest not using the Geth Plasma Shotgun.
...

Dude, when I first saw this I missed the NOT in that sentence and it messed me up, having seen your awesome claymore videos!

Modifié par ryoldschool, 06 janvier 2012 - 11:29 .

[GLaDOScake]

Thanks!

[HolyAvenger]

I'm doing an Insanity vanguard run now, and I'm finding it to be actually quite easy. I just finished Horizon, and I think it was the first time I've done so without dying. I don't like using bonus powers (I've got ED, but I don't use it), but vanilla vanguards are like a boss.

I second maxing out charge and your class passive first, then focus on incendiary. Not a fan of cryo ammo, so I'd probably look at shockwave next. The thing about vanguard is knowing how and when to use charge. Use it to get behind people, get at high-priority targets (heavy weapon troopers), or just to knock people off ledges for the lulz.

[capn233]

I wasn't much of a cryo ammo supporter until I did Vanguard. It is actually pretty good in squad form. Best against melee units (varren, husks, klixen). Of course you will want to run Inferno on your weapons as Vanguard. Except perhaps on Geth missions, there I just used the squad cryo. This was ok. Really disruptor is better against synthetics than cryo. It's almost a toss up against shielded organics (basic Blue Suns), but I think I prefer disruptor there as well. Moot since Vanguard doesn't get disruptor.

I suppose if you wanted to mess around with casting powers then you would not invest in cryo and opt for maxing pull and shockwave. That means you are starting to get out of bread and butter Vanguard and into "crossover" territory.

Modifié par capn233, 07 janvier 2012 - 06:02 .

[taine]

It's not impossible. Granted, I've only completed insanity with Soldier and Infiltrator, but the same basic strategies still apply to Vanguards -- you're just a bit more reliant on your squad mates I would say. In particular, squad mate ammo powers for missions where Inferno ammo is useless (geth, etc.). You'll definitely want a 'panic button' power, like Geth Shield Boost or Barrier as your bonus. I suppose Reave might be good as it can strip defenses from groups, but being able to save your own butt is very helpful.

Charge is obviously less useful on insanity, but as people have pointed out it can still be handy, particularly for getting out of sticky situations and against smaller groups of enemies. It's easy to get yourself killed with it though.

And remember, if all else fails, the Arc Projector is basically a victory button -- it strips all defenses from almost any enemy in one or two shots, paralyzes almost everything, and has tons of ammo. Also, make sure you do Katsumi's loyalty mission ASAP to get the Locust.

[ryoldschool]

taine wrote...

It's not impossible. Granted, I've only completed insanity with Soldier and Infiltrator, but the same basic strategies still apply to Vanguards -- you're just a bit more reliant on your squad mates I would say. In particular, squad mate ammo powers for missions where Inferno ammo is useless (geth, etc.). You'll definitely want a 'panic button' power, like Geth Shield Boost or Barrier as your bonus. I suppose Reave might be good as it can strip defenses from groups, but being able to save your own butt is very helpful.

Charge is obviously less useful on insanity, but as people have pointed out it can still be handy, particularly for getting out of sticky situations and against smaller groups of enemies. It's easy to get yourself killed with it though.

And remember, if all else fails, the Arc Projector is basically a victory button -- it strips all defenses from almost any enemy in one or two shots, paralyzes almost everything, and has tons of ammo. Also, make sure you do Katsumi's loyalty mission ASAP to get the Locust.

After you play vanguard on insanity a few times, you might want to change your advice about charging. If you check out the threads that are stickied at the top of this forum you will see we have loads of folk posting videos of vanguards charging all over the place - and insanity is the level that all videos are posted at.

Two of those bonus powers you suggest might be the worst to choose on a vanguard ( Geth Shield Boost and Barrier ).  That is because of the way charge refills your shields + stuns whoever you charge.  One of the earliest builds in the sticky is a Reave vanguard so we know that is proven to work well.

I agree with your suggestions about the Locust   Locust is great on any class not named soldier, if you don't mind the irritating sound it makes.  

I also agree that on the hardest parts of the game ( Horizon, Collector ship trap ) a heavy weapon like Arc Projector or Avalanche is a great way to navigate those parts the first time on insanity ( and keep your sanity ).

But if you have not played vanguard on insanity yet, you are in for some fun gaming - it is very tough, but its now my favorite class to play ME2 with.

[HolyAvenger]

Charge is great because Charge + shotgun blast = one hit kill on most basic enemies. Used tactically, it means you can mow through fights rapidly.

[SpockLives]

I have to vote against stripping enemies' defenses before charging like taine suggested (except for really tough enemies like Ymirs). Strip an enemy's defenses and it will fly out of shotgun range when you charge. Leave its defenses up and it will be staggered and stay in shotgun range so you can kill it conveniently.

You can also use one enemy as cover from other enemies. Charge, then circle to the side of the enemy to get cover from his friend. Also look for guys near tall cover that you can use without locking yourself in to cover. Those guys are prime Charge candidates. Charge is most definitely not less useful on Insanity.

Finally, HolyAvenger is right. The Claymore plus Inferno ammo will one-shot kill normal NPCs on Insanity. The Scimitar with Squad Cryo will one-shot freeze normal NPCs 85-90% of the time on Insanity. Frozen enemies don't shoot back.

[HolyAvenger]

You don't even need to wait till you get the Claymore. Just done Tali's recruitment mission, the Evi was more than sufficient to OHK geth troopers.

[capn233]

SpockLives wrote...

I have to vote against stripping enemies' defenses before charging like taine suggested (except for really tough enemies like Ymirs). Strip an enemy's defenses and it will fly out of shotgun range when you charge. Leave its defenses up and it will be staggered and stay in shotgun range so you can kill it conveniently.

You can also use one enemy as cover from other enemies. Charge, then circle to the side of the enemy to get cover from his friend. Also look for guys near tall cover that you can use without locking yourself in to cover. Those guys are prime Charge candidates. Charge is most definitely not less useful on Insanity.

Finally, HolyAvenger is right. The Claymore plus Inferno ammo will one-shot kill normal NPCs on Insanity. The Scimitar with Squad Cryo will one-shot freeze normal NPCs 85-90% of the time on Insanity. Frozen enemies don't shoot back.

Yes.  Or what you can do is strip defenses on one guy, charge the guy with shields beside him to stagger, shoot the unprotected enemy, then go back to the guy you charged.  Works well if you also decide you want to charge with SMG instead of shotgun.  Or you could strip a group, charge one, and finish the rest while the charged one flies through the air.  It will all work out in the end.  At least from a mission successful and fun standpoint.  Of course if you are trying to set speed records, I won't guarantee this is best.  But it works.

And as for some discussion further above, charge is one of the most useful skills on Insanity.  It is why the Vanguard can pull off more ridiculous stunts than any other class.  You can even bypass sections of missions with it, or at least spawn trigger points.

[taine]

SpockLives wrote...

I have to vote against stripping enemies' defenses before charging like taine suggested (except for really tough enemies like Ymirs). Strip an enemy's defenses and it will fly out of shotgun range when you charge. Leave its defenses up and it will be staggered and stay in shotgun range so you can kill it conveniently.

I never actually said anything about stripping defenses before charging, but that things that help to strip defenses are useful on Insanity in general. I was just noting that you have to be more careful with it than on lower difficulties. I've only played Vanguard on Insanity briefly, but although Charge is still good once you've fully upgraded it, it's a lot trickier to use effectively.

[HolyAvenger]

Now that I've recruited Samara and picked up the Scimitar, I can't decide between it and the Evi. I'm going to stick with a classic Claymore Vanguard this time so this is just temporary. Wondering what people preferred? (Discounting the GPS because I don't own that particular bit of DLC).

[capn233]

Depends. For ammo effects the Scimitar is a little better. The Eviscerator was what I used the most though. The pattern is the best and it is easier to get effective headshots because of that.

[CoffeeHolic93]

I like the Katana. The Shot->Melee->Shot rhytm feels more natural with it. And I have this habit of reload-tricking constantly, so I can't use the Scimitar properly.

[RedCaesar97]

If I have the Claymore, I use it. If I do not have the Claymore, I usually stick with the Katana, since as Mi-Chan points out, you can get into a nice Shoot > Melee rhythm that feels more natural than with the Eviscerator.

I do not think I have used the Scimitar for any long stretch of time with my Vanguard. I think the one time I tried to use was on a New Game+ which was probably the worst time to use it. I find the Scimitar usually does not strip defenses on the first shot, which usually means the enemy is not staggered and no ammo effects were activated, so I am still getting shot which usually means I die before I can charge again.

I have only used the GPS once on a Vanguard, and that was only to see how it felt on the Vanguard (pretty good actually). But since many people consider the GPS overpowered, I stopped using it.

[mcsupersport]

I almost always use the Eviscerator, to the point I will choose Snipers or ARs on the CS many plays. If you are going Claymore, then I would use the Eviscerator, simply because it is the closest playstyle to Claymore by any of the starting shotguns.

To me, Eviscerator will one shot or one shot+melee kill enemies that I like the advantage of having another class of weapons, but I have played a Claymore Vanguard and it was fun too. IF your class passive and charge skill are fully upgraded with hard shields that is all you need to be able to charge just about anywhere on the board.....no matter the level.

[HolyAvenger]

Hmm, interesting. I always forget how to transition from the Evi (one shot, headshot if possible) to the Scimitar (shoot, melee, keep shooting) so the first few enemies are tricky but once I get used to it its a very handy shotgun. The higher ammo capacity means I don't have to worry about running out of ammo mid-fight either. Absolutely owned Wasea at the end there. Ehh true though the Evi and Claymore are the most alike. Probably will switch back to the Evi as I'll be picking up the Claymore shortly.