Like many of you out there, the drell Vanguard was (and is) my most looked-forward to class/species combination for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. I was lucky enough to have unlocked it with my very first Veteran pack at level 4 or so, and I didn't look back until level 20 when I started Gold runs.
Something seemed... off. Yes, I absolutely decimated on Bronze and Silver. There was nothing quite like showing those Centurions and Nemeses my kung fu power, zipping from target to target. Regardless of whatever else I say, we are still the most stylish class, particularly with the drell melee moves. In the latter waves of Silver, and thoughout Gold, however.. I noted that we simply do not synergize well.
Charge - the quintessential Vanguard move. It defines everything we are capable of. There is nothing quite as satifying as flying into a shielded enemy, following up with a Biotic Falcon Punch into their staggered bodies, and kicking whatever life is remaining out of them. Unfortunately, all we have going for our role as a Vanguard (ie. a melee-range disruptor) is that awesome melee in combination with Charge. (That tracking on the second melee hit is also a God-send with a mobile opponent)
Pull - Here's where things start to fall apart for the class, mechanically. Yes, you can set up your own Biotic Explosions, but you are usually wasting a cooldown that could have been used filling your (meagre) shield if you're in melee range, and if you're at range, there's probably a reason for that in the first place, and you wouldn't want to head into melee. Yes, you can set up a decent initiation, but human Vanguards simply fill that AoE better, with little risk to themselves due to the lack of spending their Charge cooldown. Likewise, Adepts can safely chain Biotic Explosions from range with no risk to themselves. Also, dealing with Guardians? Having anyone with a Sniper rifle on your team makes that a moot point.
Cluster Grenade - Stylish? Yes. Powerful? Of course. Liability? Unfortunately. Firstly, on higher difficulties, anything with limited use is almost a wasted slot, particularly when you can't be zipping from box to box. You're either saving them for a situation that never presents itself, or you're using them when such a situation does and finding yourself with a useless slot. Likewise, aside from some Pull synergy (ie. ranged synergy, that doesn't meld with Charge at all), they do not match the Vanguard concept. They're a poor man's limited and less-predictable version of Nova's AoE when you're trying to fill the Vanguard role. Yes, I'm sure you're great with them, that you know exactly how they're going to bounce, but that doesn't change the fact that they do not synergize at all with your primary role, particularly when something else could do much better.
In short, drellguards are walking contradictions - they are melee specialists (given Charge and the species' melee) with supporting abilities that focus on ranged combat. As a result, they excel at nothing at all. They're either a squishy single-target Vanguard, when you could have a human in there with better durability and AoE power, or a less powerful, less-controlled Adept, having to get into melee range to trigger their explosions, and only able to concentrate on a single target at a time.
Yes, I'm sure you are a stellar example of a drell Vanguard. I've seen many perform admirably. But that isn't the point that is being made here. I'm saying that if we had a more defined role (or the ability to more clearly define the half-roles we've been given), we drellguards could be doing even better than we currently are. As is, we're simply making the best of what we've been given, and more stylishly than anyone else at that. But that doesn't change the fact that anything we can do, someone else does it better, mechanically.
Do not settle for mediocrity, even if you can make the mediocre look great.
Modifié par Berkilak, 28 février 2012 - 05:28 .
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