Bold Words: Sections
Italic Words: Sub Sections
Italic and Underlined Words: Important Concepts/Tips/Weapon Names/Map Names
Table of Contents
- Warning, Guide Key, and Table of Contents
- - Foreword
- - An Introduction
- - class Role
- - Grievances Against Vanguards
- - Powers
- - Weapons
- - Equipment
- - Basic Strategy
- - Enemy Matchups
- - Map Matchups
- - Team Synergy
- - Conclusion
- - Changelog
Foreword: A friend of mine has been asking me for some time on tips on playing the Human Vanguard. Rather than give him small little bits of advice I figured I'd write out a full blown guide and send it to him, while helping others who have had questions here on the forums. This guide was founded on my way knowledge of the class, but the community has added on to it allowing for more possibilities and variety in the way YOU play the Human Vanguard. Please thank the community for their hard work in number crunching and testing!
This thread is for those needing some help in improving their skills. Regardless of your opinion of the class, I hope you will keep yourselves civil and provide constructive critisim and feedback rather than make some comment about how everyone should use sniper rifles or that there are very little good vanguards. Remember: This guide hopes to change that with advice and positive feedback, rather than through rude remarks and- well, lack of advice.
An Introduction: The Human Vanguard is the very definition of the vanguard class in general: High Risk, High Reward. Other vanguard classes (those we have access to right now, the Krogan Battlemaster we'll see about) can religate themselves to jobs closer to their teammates while still maintaining a solid level of efficiency...the Human Vanguard, however, MUST be in the thick of things to be at his/her most useful. Most people however find themselves unable to survive in the range they're supposed to be and turn themselves into a liability...I hope to help you all with that.
A Piece of Advise: The best Vanguards HOST THEIR OWN MATCHES. This allows you to charge, and charge, and charge...all without the worry of becoming a human bouncy ball (Can you Hear me, Major Tom? Can you Hear me, Major Tom?).
EDIT 10/17/2012: The Vanguard 'flying' glitch has been fixed for awhile now, but I still suggest you host your matches for highest efficiency, as there is an irritating delay between pressing the charge button and it actually happening. I've also noticed a delay in using nova.
- class Role: Assault , Diversion , and Backup Medic. When played right, the Human Vanguard is a powerful force that sends the weaker mobs flying while keeping the stronger enemies at bay, allowing his/her team to deal heavy damage to them. By luring the heavy enemies away they can also keep the pressure off teammates who are accomplishing Hack Objectives, Upload Objectives, and other important tasks. A Human, or any Vanguard really, can also charge across the map and into the thick of an enemy group, stagger them all back, then ressurect a fallen squadmate. The Human Vanguard does this the best due to their ability to use nova to hit more enemies.
Remember this though: Even with all this biotic awesomeness, you are NOT a damage dealer. You can rip through the weak enemies like they are wet tissue paper, but your job is to divert attenion from your teammate while THEY do the heavy damage to the large enemies: you have to keep them in sight of your teammates, which in turn means you must be in sight of your teammates as much as possible.
Grievances against Vanguards:
All Vanguards do is just run off and die!
Yes they do my friend: that is their job...but a good vanguard will NOT die, but rather keep them all in one place for your heavy damage dealing to take care of! If that vanguard has run off out of eyesight and dies, you should wait before trying to ressurect them unless you think it's safe...If they die closeby while keeping enemies from swarming you, yes you should pick them up. They'd do the same thing for you, after all.
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- Vanguards kill steal!.
- All Vanguards do is charge and nova, it's so stupid!
Vanguards are not team players!
Every time your team gets swarmed by a surge of enemies, don't you wish someone was out there keeping groups of them back so you weren't covered in cannibals and Brutes? Every time you die during an objective don't you wish there was someone who could quickly fly through the battlefield to help you? Don't you wish there was someone watching your back while you picked off the distant enemies through your scope? They are not call vanguards for nothing!
Vanguards glitch like crazy when they die!
Yes...yes we do....Again, this is why the Greatest Vanguards Host Their Own Games. This means they won't Glitch into the sky should they die during a charge, and generally increases their effectiveness twinfold (that means twice as much, by the way).
Playing as a Vanguard hurts my hands!
Take regular breaks when playing a vanguard. With ME3's faster combat, and faster still as a vanguard, it's best not to play one too frequently, your hands will be sore after about a gold round or two from all the key presses. Work on a secondary class to get good as when you aren't "Vanguarding it up." I suggest a Krogan.
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- Powers: Biotic Charge, Shockwave, Nova, Alliance Training, Fitness.
- Biotic Charge: This is, without a doubt, the second most important ability of the human vanguard. It allows quick movement into your desired range without taking damage, allowing you to mop up the enemy. You will want to max out Charge fairly quickly. Of note? Biotic Charge can detonate Biotic Explosions AND Tech Bursts.
- First Evolution: The first evolution is up to you: Either increase the damage and force of your charge, or give your charge an AoE effect. Personally? I prefer the AoE evolution, allowing me to stagger multiple opponents when I need to perform an emergency ressurection. The added Damage and Force, however, can be used to help reliably stagger the stronger enemies, though you run the risk of having more enemies shooting at you after a charge.
- Second Evolution: The second evolution is also up to you: Power Synergy or Weapon Synergy. The former increases your nova, and the second increases your weapon damage. We'll go into weapons in a little bit. My preference? Weapon Synergy, though the Power Synergy gives you a stronger bonus for longer.
- Third Evolution: Your choices here are either a chance to not have charge generate a cooldown, or fully refilling your barriers. The first would be SORT of useful if you like to use charge (and it synergizes well enough with a later nova evolution), but the latter evolution is largely superior, as it allows you to maximize the efficency of a certain nova evolution. More on that soon.
Shockwave: I loved shockwave in ME2, it was right up there with Pull on my vanguard. I got used to Shockwaves new...kinda iffy system, but on a human vanguard, it's largely outclassed by Nova. Putting points into it would largely gimp you in the long run, as a glitch currently makes shockwave not affect anything after awhile. I don't understand it myself, so in the meantime I won't say anything about a shockwave using Human Vanguard. Sorry!
Nova: THE most important new toy given to vanguards in ME3, if not the most powerful ability added to ME3, and the Human Vanguard is blessed with it in multiplayer. The added invulnerability it gives after a charge is what gives you your survivability. It also doesn't share a cooldown with Charge...if it did the human vanguard would be largely useless.
- First Evolution: Radius Radius Radius. This allows you to knock about/stagger more enemies around you. That stagger effect makes the damage and force upgrade largely irrelevant, though can be used if you're more focused on damaging smaller groups or stumbling larger enemies with your biotics than stagger more enemies and using your weapons.
-Second Evolution: Either decrease the recharge time of Biotic Charge, or Half Blast...Half Blast is the ideal evolution if you prefer to be a diversionary force, with the Recharge booster being more benefitial if you opt to be a harder hitting biotic force. Your nova will do 60% of a normal nova, and the second half nova will do even less, but the tradeoff is you get the extra protection of additional shields incase there are some enemies you don't stagger, while also allow you to distract the enemy longer between charges via Nova-Canceling (see below). With Half-Nova, expect to be using your weapons for damage more.
Half Blast Vrs Power Recharge: I tell everyone it's largely preference, but what I love about the community is them catching the fact that I'm obvious paranoid about losing my shields all at once. the Power Recharge can turn you into a charging monster as it's recharge bonus STACKS. Pull off as many novas as you can (even small ones) between waves gives you a high recharge rate, allowing you to charge near instantly if you already have a high cooldown. If you prefer to be a biotic god wield a giant wrecking ball, I wholeheartedly suggest Power Recharge. If you like to be a diversionary weapon-using Paladin of Awesome, go with Half-Blast. That added survivability lets you fire your weapons more between charges, though you'll be nova-cancelling more, and being more reliant on your team for fighting Atlas' and Banshees.
- Third Evolution: Your call here, either is good. Most people (myself included) however go with Pierce to do more damage to protected enemies, allowing you to strip their defenses and helping your allies to finish them off quicker. The other ability gives your nova a 25% chance not to use your barriers...which could be handy for either prior evolution.
Note - Nova Cancelling: This is something my friend asked me about, and I'm sure you've all heard of it but I'll explain it anyways: What is Nova Cancelling?
Nova Cancelling is as it says on the tin: the ability to cancel your nova before it activates, thus your shields aren't depleted. There are multiple ways to do it: the most effective is to roll to the side, but you can also cancel it much faster by doing meleeing rapidly, allowing for faster cancelling than rolling, but you are less mobile than you would be if you cancelled by rolling..but why is this important to mention?
Nova's invulnerability frames mixed with the constant activation/cancelling makes you invincible to EVERYTHING. You can cancel-roll about in the thickest engagement and be completely safe from harm as bullets and explosions hit you for NO DAMAGE. You can be stumbled by some explosions and by melee strikes but the invulnerability will still be there during the stumble animation, keeping you safe while you recover. It also protects you from being grabbed for an insta-kill if you time it right, letting you dance around banshees while they can do NOTHING (except stumbling you. WATCH OUT FOR THE STUMBLING).
Mind you that you are not permenantly invincible! It's actually pretty easy for you to die even with nova-cancelling, so you must ALWAYS be careful, whether you nova cancel or not.
Alliance Training: Alright, I'm just going to say this now: IT'S ALL GOOD.
Really, with nova keeping you alive between charges: carry weight is largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, so you COULD focus on pure weapon damage, or if you are a bit self concious about your skill as a vanguard, or if you wish to maximize the power of your novas or charge as much as possible you can go for carry weight and power damage, allowing you to carry heavier weapons while you get used to playing a vanguard or dish out heavier novas.
My personal Evolution tree? Carry Weight/power Damage, Headshot Bonus, and Carry Weight...though I'm always trying out new combinations.
Fitness: Fitness as a Vanguard is actually more vital than you think, maybe even more so than for other classes: the intensity (stagger effect) of nova is affected by your shield strength: So a full nova (or a full half nova) will have a better stagger chance/effect than a less than full (or less than full half) nova. The more shields you have the more damage you can take without sacrificing that sweet sweet nova stagger. Upgrading your melee damage is your choice however, and largely effective if you are smart on when to/not to heavy melee someone.
My Personal Evolution Tree here? Health/Shields, then Martial Artist, then the second Health and Shields. the shield recharge delay is largely irrelevant as charge fills your shields and nova depletes them, so your shield amount is constant emptying/refilling itself, and that melee bonus will come in handy every now and then.
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Weapons:
Ah yes, Weaponry. Mass Effect Three brought us the ability to use any of the five weapon classes on all the classes, but the weight system also added a different element to things: Either carry powerful weapons and suffer from bad cooldowns, or carry leightweight weapons and spam your powers to oblivion...the Vanguard looks at the weight system and flips it the biotic finger. (as long as you aren't stupid and think you can survive with a -200% cooldown...For me I never have my cooldown worse than -10%)
As a Vanguard you want to do a lot of damage in quick bursts before darting out of there, similar to a Sniper or Shotgun Infiltrator, only you have superior surviability. I'll go into the different weapon classes now, and give you some suggestions. Use whatever you like mind you, just get used to nagging elitists who think it won't work...you'll show them wrong anyways.
Shotguns: The weapon class that should very well be a synonym for the word 'Vangaurd'. These babies pack a punch in point blank ranges: and in case you didn't notice that's where you'll be ninety percent of the time. With Nova helping to protect you during charge's cooldown you don't have to worry about too large a cooldown so you can very well roll with a Claymore Shotgun or Wraith and do rather well ( besides, with the Wraith you can be all Gold Colored and stuff!
), or you can wield a lighter shotgun like the Katana or Scimitar and carry a second weapon. I'll give some suggested weapon combos later.Of note: The Geth Pulse Shotgun and the Graal Spike Thrower are NOT affected by the Shredder mod, while the GPS is ALSO not affected by the Smart Choke Mode: Use a different mod combination instead for these weapons Damage and Ammo Capacity are always good mods to choose for all-around usefulness. Also remember you can run and shoot/charge these two shotguns, helping to compliment your run-and-gun strategy but if you activate biotic charge while charging your weapon, the shot will fire...this can be a good or bad thing. Nova does not break your weapon's charge up.
Heavy Melee: The Vanguard Punch (insert F-Zero music!
) Can be used as an impromptu throw against any unprotected unit and as a follow up to a shotgun blast...or you could punch them first then shoot them while they are down: dealer's choice really. It can be used to knock an enemy over an edge and to their death, which is always useful if you feel it'd take longer to just shoot them. With the Martial Artist evolution, after your first heavy melee kill, you'll be able to one shot husks and potentially cannibals without any other melee damage bonuses coming from outside the Fitness Tree.Assault Rifles: Assault Rifles are fun to play with, and some can be pretty good in the hands of a novaguard, but against armor...you'll have a bad time unless you carry a good sidearm. In that regard I suggest you only carry the lighter rifles like the Avenger or Phaeston, although I HAVE rolled with the Falcon if I need to stay at a distant upload objective and I need to delay farther enemies...it's a gamble to carry with you though, especially if your other weapon has a small clip as well. The problem is the low DPS: you want to do large amounts of damage in a short time frame, and with the rifles you have to fire longer, which means less time charging and nova-ing to distract the enemy...which tends to lead to you dying...The Saber is the shining exception to this rule, allowing you to dish out heavy damage from both close and long range...just be ready to deal with the weight.
Pistols: You can never go wrong with a pistol...especially as a deadly sidearm to your other weapons when they get low and you can't get back to an ammo dump. I suggest the Phalanx or Predator for their speed (just equip the piercing mod)...if you really want to use only a pistol, get a high leveled Carnifex or Phalanx, or even a decently leveled Paladin if you're that lucky. Those three pistols will provide you with a nice spike of damage per shot and allow you to deal decent damage at any range...just remember you don't have the benefit of a 'cone of error', like you would with a shotgun...or the Talon. The Talon makes for a great primary weapon if you have it leveled decently. Just remember that you don't want to be around the ammo crates for too long!
SMGs: If this were ME2 I'd be singing the praises of the Locust...this is not ME2. I'd only carry an SMG as an emergency sidearm alongside a shotgun, and even then I'd suggest a shuriken or locust at it's maximum rank...and even then I'd prefer a pistol as my sidearm. Sorry Locust, you will be missed...even with the new Geth SMG and all the buffs you were all given you just aren't USEFUL for your original purpose...
Sniper Rifles: "Woah Woah Woah- Sniper Vanguards, Brogan?" Yes. A skilled Vanguard COULD use a lighweight Sniper RIfle as a secondary weapon, but only if their other weapon was also lightweight and meant for close range. But back to Sniper Rifles, I've occasionally brought my Viper X or Valiant II along with me for those times where Charging wasn't a good idea, though this isn't something I'd ever do on Gold mind you. It's even riskier, but the damage of a sniper rifle could be used after a charge, zoom in, and shoot the enemy...it's more gimmicky than it is a good idea though. I wouldn't recommend it unless it's silver and you are bored. They aren't worth the effort on Gold.
Suggested Weapon Combos (With fancy combo names!):
Sovereign: Wraith(3+) or Katana(2+) shotguns with either Phalanx (x) or Predator (x). (Mods: Piercing and damage for both)
The "Sovereign" Set gives you the power you need at close range, as well as a reliable sidearm for- any range really. The Pistol serves as your "go to" weapon against single distant targets, or for when charging is not advised. You also keep a low coldown rate so you don't have to dodge about/nova cancel much if at all (With the Wraith Three and Phalanax X along with the weight evolutions for AT, my Cooldown is +139%)... my personal set, I call this the "Sovereign" Set because you will be the "Vanguard of their (your enemys') destruction."
Sidearm?: Claymore (any rank) (Mods: Claymore: Shredder and Ammo Capacty)
The Claymore on it's own is great for those burst damages you need, and the ammo capacity helps keep you from raiding ammo stockpiles too much. A good vanguard with the claymore can fight off brutes with little trouble while using the claymore...banshees may still be a problem but, eh- that's what your team is for.
Kirrahe: Katana (5+) and Falcon (5+) (Mods: Piercing and Damage for both).
...I only call this the "Kirrahe" set because it helps you to "Hold the Line" when you need to, providing that stumbling affect when it isn't safe to or when you shouldn't charge. Not exactly weight friendly because of the falcon, hence why I suggest a high level falcon/katana...but remember a vanguard can get away with more weight due to the invulnerability frames of nova, which doesn't function on cooldown.
Versatility: Katana/Scimitar (x) and Avenger (x) (Piercing and damage for shotgun, Piercing and clip/stability for Avenger)
As it says on the tin, the avenger makes for a great sidearm with the katana/scimitar, and with the weight capacity evolutions of AT, your cooldown rate rests nicely at 161%.
Space Justice!: Crusader Shotgun (1+) (Damage and Ammo Capacity). Optional: Phalanx (x) (damange and pierce mods)
The Crusader Shotgun allows you to fight at any range and deal good damage, has built in armor piercing , and on it's own the weight isn't too bad on a vanguard...but I don't have the crusader in MP (I got stuck with a Valiant II <_< ) so that makes me sad and stuff...just remember that it's more of a riot gun than a shotgun so you have to aim a bit more...but when your face is two inches from them that SHOULDN'T be a problem.
Alizonius': Disicple (Mods: Unknown, surely anything is useful though.).
Alizonius brought up the Disicple, and I had completely forgotten about it! The Disciple's gimmick is that it can stumble unshielded targets, giving you some added protection when engaging enemies. Combined with it's lightweight and adequete damage, it can be seen as a direct improvement of the Katana Shotgun, albeit harder to upgrade...and I think it fires slower and it's spread is kinda iffy, at least from what I recall from my time using it.
The Cavalier: Saber II or Higher (Mods: Dealers choice, though I recommend Piercing and Damage)
The Saber lets you deal solid damage at any range, albeit at a slow rate of fire...this is ideal considering you won't be shooting as much as you will be charging, novaing, dodging, dipping, diving, ducking, and dodging. Just be weary of the cooldown rate, especially if you didn't focus on weight capacity in AT.t.
The Swashbuckler: Paladin, Carnifex, or Talon of a good rank (Mods: Damage and Piercing are recommended, as always. Scopes? Not so much.)
For those people who can't get let go of their pistols, The Swashbuckler gives you solid damage at any range in the short bursts you need, but you can't pierce the shield gate like you can with a shotgun, unless you're using the Talon. Be sure to be prepared for that, and remember it's hard to get two of these weapons to a decent rank...I call this the swashbuckler because swashbucklers used a lightweight shield or buckler in one hand and a side-sword in the other...why? Because I'm trying to be clever, okay?!
The Ranger: Katana/Scimitar/Eviscerator/Disciple and Raptor/Mantis...all of high ranking (Mods: Damage and Piercing, or maybe capacity and piercing.)
I've always liked the Raptor...I'll use it on my human soldier as an assault rifle while carrying another weapon as my backup, usually the falcon...but this isn't a human soldier. The Raptor makes for a great mid-long range weapon, and has a solid rate of fire and accuracy or the raw damage of the Mantis, while your shotgun is still your primary damage dealer, whether you prefer the damage of the eviscerator, the speed of the scimitar, the versatility of the katana, or the stumbling of the disciple. Your Cooldown rate will be sub-par (especially without the corresponding AT evolutions), but if you're skilled you should be able to handle it.
Your Choice: Preffered weapon(s) here. (Mods: Preferred mods here!)
Even with all my advise and suggestions, if you find a weapon combination you like: RUN WITH IT. Have you become a terror with your carnifex and Raptor? Run with it! Or maybe you're totting about the Revenant and ripping people apart? Run with it!
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Equipment: Some pieces of Equipment are incredibly useful for Vanguards...others? Are useless. In this section I'll go over some of the details of these equipment items, and give you suggestions on which are best for your Vanguard.
Weapon Mods/Rail Amps: If you have one for the weapon you are using, you should ALWAYS use it. Even a level one Shotgun Rail Amp will yield a helpful punch when fighting in close range. If you carry a backup weapon such as a pistol, you could opt instead to use a pistol amp to better fill a support role if charging isn't an option. AN example of this would be when guarding an exposed teammate on a hack objective, firing at distant enemies while nova-cancelling to provide an extra wall.
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Suggestion: Any rail amp for your primary or secondary (if applicable) weapon.
Ammo Mods: If you are using any normal modification on your weapons that add armor piercing, ignore the armor piercing ammo though if you are not using a piercing modification, feel free to pick it up!. It's useful on the lighter weapons like the katana shotgun, to add a stronger punch to them, but largely you'll be focused on non-armored enemies (and Ravagers). You'll be looking for something to add an extra effect to your weapons. Distruptor Ammo COULD be used to set up your own tech bursts, but you risk overriding any potential biotic explosions, though this can be fixed by charging the opponent to detonate the tech burst, and if they are still alive you can then use nova to activate the biotic explosion. Cryo Ammo is only useful if you plan to use your secondary weapon a lot, to slow down your opponents, though can be used to give additional support. Incendiary Ammo adds a nice DoT effect to your weapons, and with enough shots pumped in, you can let the enemy burn to death while you move on to the next target: Fire and Forget, am I right? Warp Ammo will allow you to harm enemies affected by warp even more before you charge them. Helpful when it's a large opponent such as a Brute or Banshee, which you'd be otherwise more focused on distracting and keeping from harming your teammates..
Suggestion: Incendiary Ammo for the burn damage, and Warp Ammo for the damage against warped enemies. Armor Piercing Ammo if you aren't using a piercing mod on your weapon.
Armor Mods: This largely depends on two things: Your Weapon Loadout, and your own personal preference. But one thing is for sure: Ignore Cyclonic Modulators (Shield Equipment) . Your shield's will be fluctuating too much to make effective use of the boost, nor does the added shield strength affect the damage of your novas (thanks to Achire for finding this out!). If you are carrying a light loadout (On a Vanguard that's any loadout higher than 120%) you could opt for the Power Damage mod to up the damage and force of your charges and nova, or the Power Recharge mod for a Vanguard carrying a heavier load (On a Vanguard that's any loadout lower than 100%). Adrenaline Module is good all around: the added speed can help in your strafing the enemy or in hasty retreats where you can't charge an enemy: usally when kiting a banshee or two.
Suggestion: Again, this is largely via preference, but I'd suggest either the Damage or Recharge mods depending on your loadout, or the Adrenaline Module for an all-around useful mod.
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Basic Strategy: Some people can summarize it as "Charge -> Nova - Nova -> Charge." ...this is accurate, but when you put it into practice that just flies out the window. You NEED to use your weaponry ( and sometimes your Falcon Punch!) to be an effective vanguard, so that "Charge -> Nova - Nova -> Charge." could become, "Charge -> Side roll -> Shotgun blast -> Reload cancel to nova-cancel to forward roll -> Charge." Or even just "Nova-Nova -> backwards roll -> Shotgun blasts -> Nova-Nova." It's the same as anything else in Mass Effect: it sounds simple...but then it becomes anything BUT simple.
When To Charge: I've already talked about class role and given you a rough idea of the basic strategy, but I'd have to say the greatest thing you can do to improve your skills is to stop listening to everyone saying that vanguards are bad and to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. You have to control the urge to impusilvely charge into a group of enemies: even looking at the area for a second or two will save your life in any charge scenario. Look at the group and decide when you should charge based on:
- Diversity of the group (are they all cannibals, or is there a brute in there with them?).
- Which target you should hit? If there are four targets, which could you hit for maximum damage and which could you hit that would give you the best escape route? This is very important to charging as you'll want to be able to have a quick way to escape and not be surrounded by angry phantoms.
- Are your teammates visible? If you can keep them in an open area while your team attacks them any enemy will fall in no time, but if they can't see you, you'd best wait even if your target(s) seems easy to defeat.
The way I suggest practicing is to SOLO BRONZE against the REAPERS. Now I know what some of you will think, "But Brogan, Bronze is EASY!" Now, I agree with you that it is but remember: you're on your own and trying to learn how to properly play this class. By soloing Bronze and Silver, I was able to get used to nova-canceling out of bad situations and through that learning when/where/who to charge. Soloing Bronze and Silver will be a cakewalk after awhile you'll get used to how fast paced being a vanguard is compared to a class such as the Engineer or Infiltrator (not that I'm saying those two are boring, mind you! I love you guys for watching my back! <3)...then imagine how you'll be on a team once you get good at it!
On the Offensive: (I accidentally deleted this! Sorry, I'll work on fixing it in a moment!)
On the Defensive: (I accidentally deleted this! Sorry, I'll work on fixing it in a moment!)
Extraction Time: (I accidentally deleted this! Sorry, I'll work on fixing it in a moment!)
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At this point I should probably talk about:
Enemy Matchups:
Reapers: From my experience I've found that the best enemy group for Vanguards to fight in any difficulty: The Reapers. Why? Less things shooting at you! Cannibals and Marauders are easy to mop up as a Novaguard, and Ravagers won't fire on you when you are close as you destroy them (and nova those darn swarmers!). The Brutes and Banshees however...that's what your job is: distract them so your team can dish out damage. Detonate the warps your team flings at them for massive damage.
Ravagers: Unless the Ravager can't see your teammates consider them your Primary Target. Their ranged attacks are deadly, and your teammates may be too busy fighting a tough enemy or multiple enemies to be able to fight it. Even if you're there fighting it with them, re-direct your attention to the Ravager, so it won't fire on your team. Charge in, dance around it with nova, and shoot the crap out of it then re-engage the enemy once it's dead.
Banshees: You should RARELY charge a banshee. If you see one close to your team, mop up any nearby enemies, or stagger them if you really need to hurry, and RUN to engage the banshee or charge a nearby enemy. Lately they've gotten this nasty tendency to grab you out of your charge, and a dead vanguard is a bad vanguard, as such if you see a banshee facing you, even if it's not after you: DO NOT CHARGE. When engaging the banshee at close range, backpedal/back-roll while using nova to detonate any biotic explosions while firing your weapon, and if you need to: Nova cancel around the banshee to keep them in one place without KILLING YOU. You can also just spam roll while strafing them without nova if they are the last one left, and they won't be able to pull you out of them. If there are enemies still around the Banshee(s) and it's/their attention is on you, charge the non-banshees to get more breathing room without the risk of being grabbed. Mis-Charges happen, but don't let it get to you.
If a teammate has been grabbed by a banshee THEN you should charge it, especially if it will detonate a teammates explosion. This will usually ensure your teammate is saved from being gropped and impaled by those creepy things
Cerberus: I've found Cerberus to be the second hardest group to fight as a Vanguard. All their enemies have ranged abilities, but most of their enemies can be deemed as 'Trash Mobs'. Troopers...Centurions...Engineers (who have yet to deploy those turrets) are easy game...the guardians can be a pain if they haven't been stasis'd or you don't have a piercing mod on your gear. Your main concern will be phantoms: your charge and novas stuns them, and combined with your nova/shotgun/close combat badassery you'll make short work of them...as for Turrets and Atlas? IGNORE THOSE TURRETS, but every now and then feel free to tackle an Atlas so it staggers backwards...just don't stick around for long.
Grenades: Oh sweet enkindlers, if they don't kill you they'll stagger you out of your cover or nova-cancel, and that's always a bad thing.
Phantoms: Same principles as with a Banshee, if it's targeted you, do not charge it. However, unlike Banshee, phantoms are easy to stagger making it easy for you to save your teammates with a charge or keep them at bay while you fill them with hot space lead.
Geth: They are all Geth, and they are the biggest threat to a Vanguard. They can stun you out of your invincibility frames and generally everything is packing firepower to take you down: Pyros can whittle your shields down even before you can charge, the hunters will stun you while they do it, ALL while Rocket Troopers and that Prime pummel you with explosives. You're going to have a bad time fighting the geth, try and set off allied detonations and stay really close to your team so you can flee to them if things get bad and at LEAST get close enough so it's safe for them to help you...if they will.
Fighting the Geth: If you KNOW your group is fighting the Geth...just...just switch out of Vanguard and to a longer range class. I know some people can do really well against the Geth, and I have been lucky every now and then myself but- They are just evil.
Hunters and Pyros: These close range enemies are each a threat on their own, but when combined...expect to die if you aren't careful, a hunter will melee stun you while the pyro(s) burn you to a crisp. It's advised to stay near your teammates and nova to stumble them, and then proceed to shoot the crap out of them with the support of your team.
Prime and Rocket Troopers: Their shots stun, so stay on the lookout. The Rocket Troopers won't be a trouble as you can often take the rocket then immediantly charge afterwards to hit them back, but the Primes...you should also watch out for their turrets, and should avoid charging them unless they are the last one left: Their melees will stun you and leave you exposed to be shot. Many Many Times.
Map Matchup:
Ideal Maps: Firebase Ghost and Firebase Dagger are the best maps for a Vanguard. With large, open space, you can keep the large enemies at bay while your teammates are safe to kill them, while you are deadly in the tighter areas of the map. You have more manueverability to dodge while nova-cancelling and the differing elevations make it easier for you to charge to safety when things get dicey. Firebase Reactor gets a special mention here, as I trained on it solo to get better at selective charging, it's enclosed and can maximize nova efficiency, but that same advantage can also doom you. Firebase Giant is mostly okay, but I've found it oddly easy to get flanked badly in the central area at times. Done Right, Firebase Condor is a great map for a Vanguard: The various elevations allow you better vantage points for finding the ideal target to charge. Most areas are easy enough to navigate and allow ample room to nova-cancel/Nova Strafe your enemies. Firebase Hydra has nice wide open areas for fighting the large opponents, and you'll find yourself the center of attention. With skill you can hold them in the large open area without taking too much damage, but one staggering hit on you and you'll go down. Hard.
Non-Ideal Maps: Firebase Reactor is also a bad map as it's easy to get overrun...also that dreaded upload objective inside that circular room...Firebase White can be good or bad based on your team demographic, you'll usually find yourself on an even shorter leash than usual, primarily staggering enemies and keeping them at bay. Firebase Glacier is a nightmare. Period. Too enclosed to allow proper evasive rolls but can be effective if you aren't fighting reapers.
Team Synergy:
The Vanguard is a team player...
...I'll wait while you're done denying this. Done? Okay. The Vanguard, on a team of biotics, is what a hammer is to a box of nails. The biotics prime the detonations, and the vanguard flies in and causes the world to explode in marvelous hues of blue space magic! This makes any Adept, especially Asari, your favorite teammate. If you can stay in sight of them so they can throw warps about around you to cause giant explosions. Reave in particular is a great ability to use with a vanguard: it's instantaneous activation along with a vanguard's nova provides for immediate and powerful explosions. This make the Drell Adept and the new Asari Justicar Adept top tier Vanguard Teammates. r
If you don't have anyone with Biotics, follow someone with Overload, such as a Human Engineer to detonate those tech bursts with your charge for additional damage and support. With the addition of the Geth Engineer, you have something incredibly valuable: Shield Recharge. A Geth Engineer can throw their turret in with you to provide you with fire support AND a portable shield generator, allowing you to distract the enemies while it attacks them WHILE also healing your shields, allowing for more novas between charges...and also saving you from the occassional mistake.
Sentinels with Warp are also useful to have around, as you can detonate their combos during your little 'dance with death'. A Turian Sentinel has acess to both Overload AND Warp, allowing you to detonate both of their abilities to damage enemies.
Soldiers are, as always, a bit of an odd point about now given their somewhat 'lack of distinction' compared to other classes, but in the right hands they can be just as effective in covering your back. a Turian with Marksman and can dish out suppressive fire, enough to maybe make some enemies roll to evade rather than attack ( a useful thing to have about). A Human or Batarian Soldier can also deal out suppressive fire, and can fill otherwise empty roles to a lesser degree: A Soldier could use the Falcon with disruptor ammo to set up multiple tech bursts for the vanguard to detonate while also stumbling the enemies to keep them safe, for example.
Snipers...Snipers are the polar Opposite of Vanguards, but they can be your best friends. Any Sniper Infiltrator is an asset to have, as their rifles do immense damage to the enemies you will be focused more on distracting than damaging (Banshees, Atlas.)...assuming they can hit anything, that is.
I'd advise against following other vanguards: you find yourself wiping out the enemies around, and be without something to charge in time to recover your shields while getting to safety. If anything you should be the only vanguard on your team. The less people throwing themselves into the fire the better; less people being burned, after all.
Similar to above, Krogans of an class who specialize in close quarters (and melee) can be a bit hard to work with, albeit to a lesser degree than competing with other vanguards: They won't kill your targets you'll be charging to regenerate your shields with, and every now and then the 'aggro' will splite between the two of you, granting one or the other a small break from the fire to grab ammo or charge their shields...Also they pack a nice punch in close range, which you may need sometimes against the larger enemies (a Krogan charge after a biotic explosion usually stumbles a banshee trying to insta-kill you!). A Krogan Sentinel, if they prefer to hand back and carry heavy weapons, can fill a lesser Crowd Control with any gun that provides reliable stumbling, and their lift grenades can be used to detonate or set up explosions.
If someone on your team has a mic, try and listen to what they are saying over your nova bursts and battlecries: They can help you co-ordinate your attacks to maximum efficiency or allow you to intercept an enemy/group of enemies about to endanger your team...you aren't a vanguard for nothing, after all. But if they are just whining? Ignore them and help the people you can depend on.
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In Conclusion: I hope I was able to impart my advice onto you, dear reader, and I hope that you'll take that advice and practice until you become a great vanguard! I also appreciate, in advance, the constructive critism and imput given to me so I can improve this "guide". As a reminder there are probably good vanguards out there with a radically different style of doing things, this is just my own advice.
If you would like a question answered and it doesn't seem that I'm looking at the forums right now, feel free to send me a request on Origin at: showermonster. I'll be happy to answer your questions here and via messaging.
And remember this above all my fellow Vanguards: Have fun, but not at the expense of your team: getting your Squad killed isn't how you become well loved!
"Death Before Dishonor!" (but intelligence before death!)
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Modifié par Broganisity, 17 octobre 2012 - 08:12 .
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