Hello, friends. I see a lot of complaining about my new favorite class, and find it kind of disheartening. Due to this, I decided to write a guide to help people get the most out of it, because it's incredibly enjoyable, not to mention an absolute BEAST of a character. Let's get into it, shall we?
Videos
Teach Me How to Phoenix Vanguard!
The Defector's Revenge - Cerberus Gold Speed Run
Cerberus Vanguard - Whips Never Hurt So GOOD! (Unless you're, you know, into that.)
First thing's first: This is not the vanilla human Vanguard. There are no scrubby invincible AOE attacks. If you try to play it like it's anything but itself, you will die. Repeatedly. The Cerberus Vanguard is an entirely different beast than the Novaguard, and to play it to its full potential, needs to be treated as such.
I Dub Thee...SMASHGUARD!
So, we've established that it's not the Novaguard. What is it, then? It's the Novaguard's svelte, sexy, stylish, BDSM loving cousin. The class relies on finesse and good situational awareness. You trade in outright tanking damage and some survivability for being a threat in any situation, being just as apt at setting up your teammates to do damage as yourself, keeping everyone safe by outright murdering boss enemies in the FACE and yoinking the little ones away. How do you do all this, you ask? I'll tell you...
The Powers - Devo Would Be Proud
Biotic Charge
Charge, along with Smash, is your bread & butter. It lets you detonate biotic effects, instantly put yourself in the action, and restores your shields. Charge is just as much of a defensive power as an offensive one. Consider sprinting, instead of Charging, to a group of enemies, getting a good position, using Smash, then Charging to detonate the effect and regain your shields. Some people Charge like madmen, some people only Charge when their shields get low. To play the Cerberus Vanguard, you're going to need a balance of both, and the situational awareness to know which one is called for in that specific moment. Make SURE you remember that YOU DO NOT HAVE NOVA, meaning that if you make a bad decision on where/what you charge, you are VERY likely to die. Get well-acquainted with those Ops Survival Packs until you improve.
Sub-Note: Charging Bosses
Nothing makes you feel more like a man than seeing an Atlas and ramming into it at a billion miles per hour, but how do you do this without getting absolutely destroyed (or worse, insta-killed)? Here's how:
- The Atlas, the Phantom, and the Brute will ONLY grab you for an insta-kill after they use a melee. Also, note that they can melee your teammate and then grab ANYONE who is close enough, This means that the smartest thing to do if you choose to charge one of them is to instantly roll back afterwards. From here, you should zone the enemy out. Close enough to stay in shotgun range, but far enough to not trigger a melee.
- The Banshee's insta-kill is random. Unlike the above three enemies, the Banshee can simply grab you whenever she feels like, because her grab does not require a melee to trigger. Sometimes, it's the only thing to Charge to regain shields, but the wiser choice by far is zoning the Banshee out and using Smash and your weapon. Done correctly, it will lock her down very effectively, and nearly render her immobile. Also, it *seems* to me that once a Banshee loses her Charge, she either has a lower chance, or no chance, to use her grab. Take this with a grain of salt, as this is just a theory based on observation.
- The Geth Prime does not have a grab, but be wary that the shots from its cannon temporarily disable your ability to use powers. The other thing to be careful of is Geth Turrets, which are the bane of everyone's existence. Watch for their hand to go up (throwing it out), and destroy it quickly.
Sub-Note 2: Stacking Damage Reduction
Charge and Heavy Melee (not sure about normal melee) both have a hidden 50% Damage Reduction added to them. Charge DR lasts a few seconds after it is complete, and melee's lasts through the animation. Therefore, a very viable strategy would be: Mob - Charge -> Heavy Melee -> Shoot -> Charge, or Charge -> Heavy Melee -> Smash, if you're feeling frisky.
Smash
There just isn't enough I can say about this power. The things to get out of the way right now is that yes, it does have a relatively slow startup, and no, it does not grant you any invincibility frames. Take these things into consideration when I tell you that it is STILL one of the strongest powers in the game despite them. Hits like a ****ing Mack truck? Check. Primes targets? Check. Detonates targets? Check. Detonates MULTIPLE targets? Check. Can go through walls and be used around corners? Check. Looks baller as ****? CHECK and CHECK. It's downright amazing. One of my favorite uses of it is throwing on Incendiary Ammo III, getting their health down a bit, and dropping Smash on their heads for totally free Fire Explosions. The most important thing, though, is getting a feel for making judgment calls on WHEN to use it. If you can use it through a wall, you're totally safe. If there's 3+ enemies and you have no support, use Charge. Be smart, and you will fall in love with the power the same way I have. It takes practice, but pays off dividends when you become proficient.
Sub-Note 1: Smash Cancelling
Smash can be cancelled by a normal melee, heavy melee, or roll at any point during the animation. You have about a second after activating it where you can cancel it and the cooldown won't be initiated. Use all of these to your advantage. If an enemy has a little bit of health left, cancel into a heavy melee to guarantee the kill. If you need to evade or get behind cover, cancel after it hits and roll away. If more enemies come after you've started it, cancel it early and charge. Take advantage of all of these to bring out the best in this power.
Sub-Note 2: Ravagers
Something to be aware of: if you try to hit a Ravager with Smash, and it has Swarmers in front of it, the Swarmers will eat the hit, while the Ravager gets off scot-free. If you are going to use Smash on one, make sure the area in front of you is clear of Swarmers first.
Note: As of the most recent balance change, Smash has had its base damage increased to 550, the range increased from 6 to 8 meters, and the base cooldown lowered from 8 to 5 seconds. This means that, with 200% recharge rate, Smash will be on a 1.54s CD. A very strong tactic vs closely grouped basic enemies is cancelling Smash into heavy melee over and over. With the new CD, you can do this almost infinitely.
Lash
Tears Cerberus the **** up. Also isn't too shabby vs Geth and Reapers, but against Cerberus is where it really shines. There are some complaints about Lash being inconsistent in where it throws the enemy, and while I agree to an extent, this becomes negligible with Charge. The window for you to detonate a Lashed target is relatively small, so make sure you closely follow where the enemy goes to Charge it. If used on a primed target, Lash will detonate them in their current location and then fling them where it may, With the rank 6 evolution (which *totally* makes Lash worth it), the enemies can be pulled and thrown even through shields and barriers! After the power is thrown out, you can roll or melee to cancel it, in pretty much the same way you can Smash. Note that you need at least a 130%-140% cooldown to comfortably self-detonate Lash with Charge.
Sub-Note: Double Detonations
Lash is, to the best of my knowledge, the ONLY power that allows for two biotic detonations on the same target with one cast. As stated above, if you use Lash on a primed target, they will detonate in their current location, and then be thrown. When they are thrown, they can be detonated a SECOND time by any biotic power (besides Lash) during its prime.
Phoenix Training/Fitness
Both pretty standard here, your basic Fitness and class/racial passives. Only things of note here are that Cerberus Vanguard gets 25% reduced weight for pistols and shotguns at Phoenix Training 6, which is very good, and 25% power damage increase after a heavy melee kill at Fitness 6. Both have great synergy with the dynamics of the class, and will be touched on again in the builds.
The Builds
The Glass Cannon - 6/6/6/6/0
The build I personally use. Be sure to put on a Shield Booster and maybe a Cyclonic Modulator to help your survivability a bit. Not for the inexerienced or faint of heart. Emphasis is on smart play, taking advantage of wallSmash + Smash cancels, lots of Charge, Lash double detonations, and hit & run when neccessary. Also utterly DESTROYS bosses if you can keep safe for Smash.
Biotic Charge - 1, 2, 3, 4: Radius, 5: Power Synergy, 6. Barrier
Smash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Biotic Combo, 5: Force & Damage, 6: Armor Damage
Lash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Detonate, 5: Recharge Speed, 6: Shield Penetration
Phoenix Training - 1, 2, 3, 4: Damage & Capacity, 5: Power Damage, 6: Pistols & Shotguns
Fitness - 0
The Ribbon Dancer - 6/6/0/6/6
This build is focused on Charge, Smash, and heavy melee. No Lash, so you'll be charging for detonations over a distance. Take full advantage of the power damage buff after a heavy melee kill. Use Smash Cancelling to easily activate it and beef up Smash/Charge.
Biotic Charge - 1, 2, 3, 4: Radius, 5: Power Synergy, 6. Barrier
Smash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Biotic Combo, 5: Force & Damage, 6: Armor Damage
Lash - 0
Phoenix Training - 1, 2, 3, 4: Damage & Capacity, 5: Power Damage, 6: Pistols & Shotguns
Fitness - 1, 2, 3, 4: Melee Damage, 5: Martial Artist, 6: Power Synergy
The Jack-of-all-Trades - 6/6/6/5/3 / 6/6/6/4/4
Biotic Charge - 1, 2, 3, 4: Radius, 5: Power Synergy, 6. Barrier
Smash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Biotic Combo, 5: Force & Damage, 6: Armor Damage
Lash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Detonate, 5: Recharge Speed, 6: Shield Penetration
Phoenix Training - 1, 2, 3, 4: Damage & Capacity, 5: Power Damage
Fitness - 1, 2, 3
This build gives you a little bit of everything. but skips out on the final rank of Phoenix Training. Make sure you use light enough weapons to keep your cooldowns low. Try cancelling more smashes into heavy melees to take advantage of the damage boost. My favorite weapon for this build is the Talon X. Below is a variant of the JOAT build for slightly more melee damage.
Biotic Charge - 1, 2, 3, 4: Radius, 5: Power Synergy, 6. Barrier
Smash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Biotic Combo, 5: Force & Damage, 6: Armor Damage
Lash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Detonate, 5: Recharge Speed, 6: Shield Penetration
Phoenix Training - 1, 2, 3, 4: Damage & Capacity,
Fitness - 1, 2, 3, 4: Melee Damage
The Survivor - 6/6/0/6/6
This build is focused on maximum survivability, for peple who are less confident in their play/still learning the character. it aims to give you as much survivability as possible, while still keeping the killing power that makes this class a beast. Take advantage of the notes on DR under Charge to really beef up your defense. Note that Martial Artist is taken because having a decreased shield-recharge delay on a class that can instantly refill shields is redundant.
Biotic Charge - 1, 2, 3, 4: Radius, 5: Power Synergy, 6. Barrier
Smash - 1, 2, 3, 4: Biotic Combo, 5: Force & Damage, 6: Armor Damage
Lash - 0
Phoenix Training - 1, 2, 3, 4: Damage & Capacity, 5: Power Damage, 6: Pistols & Shotguns
Fitness - 1, 2, 3, 4: Durability, 5: Martial Artist, 6: Fitness Expert
The Guns
In my opinion, due to lacking Nova's derpy invincibility frames, you need to have very close to or above a cooldown of 180% to keep a fast CD on Charge to help your survivability. My weapon choices will reflect that. Equipment should always be Damage Barrel & Shredder mod, and High Caliber Barrel & Heat Sink on the SMGs.
Reegar Carbine - At least VIII - My personal choice, take Phalanx X too, on larger maps.
M-358 Talon - At least IV - My second favorite
M-6 Carnifex - At least V
M-77 Paladin - At least IV
Geth Plasma Shotgun & Graal Spike Thrower - X, with Efficiency Module III
Disciple - Any - Can add Carnifex X/Phalanx X at X & keep 200% at X
M-11 Wraith - At least VII - Good luck with that, boss
M-22 Eviscerator - At least V, Can add Carnifex X/ Phalanx X at X & keep 190%/200% respectively
M-25 Hornet - At least VI, Can add Carnifex X/Phalanx X at X & keep 190%/200% respectively
N7 Hurricane - Any - Can Add Phalanx X for free
N7 Eagle - Just kidding, bro. Don't do that to yourself.
In Conclusion
Phoenix Vanguard is a ton of fun, but will take practice to master. Give it a chance! Stick with it, tough it out, and I *promise* you will have a blast with it. Enjoy!
This guide and the information in it belong to me. It may not be reposted, used for proft, etc. ANYWHERE, for ANYTHING without my permission. If you want to show it to people, link them to this thread.
Modifié par AreleX, 21 juin 2012 - 10:32 .
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