61 ответов в этой теме

[capn233]

This is the character I am playing for my next SP run.

Basically the only rule I came up with was "No biotic charge."  Which means that Nova has lost the synergy that makes it ridiculously powerful.  At least now I might have a use for the Capacitor Chest Plate

For a bonus power, it is probably smartest to take a biotic that would prime armor, and it would be good if it gave you damage protection.  That would mean Reave.  I did not go that route and instead took Inferno Grenades.  In fact I think I will content myself with only Pull, Nova and Inferno Grenades as active powers on Shepard, with Incendiary Ammo, Assault Mastery and Fitness rounding out the build.

I started at Level 1, and as you may already know you do not unlock Nova until Level 6, so essentially the Prologue was boring with just a couple grenades getting tosses.  When you arrive on Mars, you rank to Level 3, so I had some points (which I neglected to spend) and made due with grenades and weapon fire until rank 6 showed up, right after you get to the Security checkpoint on the other side of the cafeteria.

For weapons I started with Avenger, Katana, and Predator.  I am not completely sure where I want to go with the weapons.  I might do SMG and Shotgun.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Vindicator is about my favorite all around gun, but I have used it so many times I think I will try to avoid it this time.  After suggestions I went with the Claymore when available.  For better or worse... it is really only excellent if you reload cancel it, and to do that with ease I need to burn my Inferno Grenades first.

Addressing some issues from below... As was pointed out, this is supposed to be something of a handicapped character.  However, it is still a fun character.  I don't care that it isn't the best way to get through the game, it is a fun way, IMO.

As for Energy Drain, if you don't mind having a tech power on a Combat/Biotic Hybrid, that would be a very good choice for a No Charge Novaguard.  You can swap your Biotic shield restore for a Tech shield restore that can also prime and detonate Tech Bursts.  That was not the goal of my character, but I bet you could have fun that way if you wanted to.

Alternatively you could go with Defensive Matrix... which was something I did think about for a bit.  You get damage protection, and then can purge to shields.

By the time you get leveled enough to get Half Blast on Nova this character is fairly safe.  Additionally, if you take Liara you are probably going to be able to get more than enough quick Biotic Detonations to kill relatively quickly.  No you probably won't be as fast as a Vanguard played "correctly", but it is more than a match for the game so far, IMO.  I am compressing Sur'Kesh right now and it was fairly straightforward.  Grissom wasn't as bad as I expected, but I also did not try to run around on the bottom in the first part of the Atrium (I never do that), although I did run around a bit in the second part.

***

No Charge NovaGuard

Mars I
Mars II

Sanctum

Palaven (Menae)

Eden Prime

Grissom Academy

Sur'Kesh

Cerberus Attack

The Rachni

Cerberus Abductions

Turian Platoon

Tuchanka Bomb

Tuchanka: Cure the Genophage

Citadel Coup

Cerberus Fighter Base

Ex-Cerberus Scientists

Ardat-Yakshi Monastery

Geth Dreadnought

Geth Server

Rescue Admiral Koris (w/ Energy Drain)

Fuel Reactors

Rannoch: Destroy Reaper Base

Leviathan: T-GES Mineral Works
Leviathan: Dig Site
Leviathan: 2181 Despoina

Thessia

Communication Hub

Sanctuary (w/ Stasis)

Omega: Invasion
Omega: Talon Territory I
Omega: Talon Territory II
Omega: The Mines
Omega: Assault on Afterlife I
Omega: Assault on Afterlife II

Citadel: Ambush
Citadel: Casino with Ash (LI)
Citadel: Council Archives
Citadel: Normandy Dry Dock

Armax Arsenal Arena - The One and Only (Full Bonus)

Cerberus HQ

Earth: Hades Cannon
Earth: No Man's Land
Earth: Defend the Missile Battery

-----

Omega DLC Full Walkthrough (Renegon)

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 12 Март 2013 - 04:04 .

[RedCaesar97]

Edited starting on September 4, 2014.

 

For anyone interested, I briefly tested a Chargless NovaGuard back in May 2012 using Nova, Reave, and Shockwave.

 

My version of the Chargless NovaGuard (final build):

Incendiary Ammo: Squad Bonus - Headshots - Explosive Burst

Shockwave: Radius - Detonate - Lifting Shockwave

Nova: Radius - Half Blast - Sustain

Assault Mastery: Damage - Weight Capacity - Power Intensity

Fitness: Durability - Shield Recharge - Durability

Reave: Radius - Damage Reduction - Damage and Duration

 

The full YouTube playlist of my Chargless NovaGuard.

 

This was an ME2 import, so at the beginning of Mars I am level 31. I start with:

3 - Incendiary Ammo

0 - Cryo Ammo

0 - Pull

2 - Shockwave

5 - Nova

5 - Assault Mastery

5 - Fitness

4 - Reave

 

My build priorities:

1. Max Reave and Nova (I think I maxed Reave first, or got Reave to rank 5, then Nova to 6, then Reave to 6)

2. Max Incendiary Ammo

3. Max Shockwave

4. Max Fitness

5. Max Assault Mastery

 

Since I am on Xbox, I can only hotkey three powers, so no Pull. Pull would be better early than Shockwave, but screw it.

I try to use a variety of shotguns and squadmates. I switch around squadmates a lot since I do not want to rely completely on biotic explosions with Liara and/or Javik. I wear armor that maximizes my shields and shield recharge speed.

 

Missions:

Mars.

Menae

Sur'Kesh.

Missing Krogan Scouts.

Cerberus Abductions.

Cerberus Lab.

Cerberus Attack.

Grissom Academy.

The Shroud.

Omega DLC part 1: Invasion.

Omega DLC part 2: Talon Territory.

Omega DLC part 3: The Mines.

Omega DLC part 4: Assault on Afterlife.

Citadel Coup.

Geth Dreadnaught.

Rescuing Admiral Korris.

Geth Base.

Eden Prime.

Citadel DLC part 1: Ambush. Alternate title: how to Nova-cancel your way to safety.

Citadel DLC part 2: Citadel Archives.

Citadel DLC part 3: Dry Dock.

Citadel DLC part 4: Normandy CIC.

Citadel DLC part 5: The Clone (successful attempt).

Armax Arena: Geth Challenge.

Armax Arena: Thermal Clips Challenge.

Armax Arena: Medi-gel Challenge.

Armax Arena: Spin Zone Elite Challenge.

Armax Arena: Charity Reaper Challenge and Reaper Solo Challenge.

Armax Arena: Cerberus Challenge and Unusual Scores part 1.

Armax Arena: Unusual Scores part 2. May also include the Prothean Challenge.

Armax Arena: Unusual Scores part 3.

Leviathan DLC: T-GES Mineral Works.

Leviathan DLC: Dig Site.

Leviathan DLC: Shipwreck.

Ardat-Yakshi Monastery.

Ex-Cerberus Scientists.

Turian Platoon.

Bomb Site.

Thessia.

Sanctuary.

Fuel Reactors.

Cerberus Fighter Base.

Communications Hub.

Cerberus Headquarters.

Hades Cannon.

No Man's Land.

Missile Battery.

 

Bonus:

Omega kills the Chargeless NovaGuard. A Critical Mission Failure compilation.

Geth kill the Chargeless NovaGuard. A Critical Mission Failure compilation.

Shepard versus clone: The Long Road to victory part 1 (with commentary).

Shepard versus clone: The Long Road to victory part 2 (with commentary).

Earth kills the Chargeless NovaGuard. A Critical Mission Failure compilation.

[godlike13]

Not gonna lie, sounds horrible.

[RedCaesar97]

godlike13 wrote...

Not gonna lie, sounds horrible.

I recommend giving it a shot. Without Charge, you really have to think about when and where to use Nova, and you cannot rely on Charge to replenish your shields. It actually makes for a good challenge and it is actually quite fun. Inferno Grenades are probably not the bes choice for a bonus power, but it totally makes for a unique chargless NovaGuard.

[ZombieGambit]

godlike13 wrote...

Not gonna lie, sounds horrible.

Yep.

Might as well just play a Soldier if you're gonna gimp your class and then only focus on grenades and weapons.

Terrible build, OP. I cannot emphasize that enough.

[capn233]

ZombieGambit wrote...

godlike13 wrote...

Not gonna lie, sounds horrible.

Yep.

Might as well just play a Soldier if you're gonna gimp your class and then only focus on grenades and weapons.

Terrible build, OP. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Thanks for the support!

[capn233]

RedCaesar97 wrote...

Inferno Grenades are probably not the bes choice for a bonus power, but it totally makes for a unique chargless NovaGuard.

You are right, it almost certainly is not the best bonus power, which is why I took it.

Reave is probably the best for a multitude of reasons.

So far it has been a more interesting than any other class that I have played on SP.  I don't know why everyone is always just fascinated with the easiest way to get through the game.

[godlike13]

Energy Drain for bonus power

Сообщение изменено: godlike13, 08 Сентябрь 2012 - 07:18 .

[Locutus_of_BORG]

capn233 wrote...

ZombieGambit wrote...

godlike13 wrote...

Not gonna lie, sounds horrible.

Yep.

Might as well just play a Soldier if you're gonna gimp your class and then only focus on grenades and weapons.

Terrible build, OP. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Thanks for the support!

This is obviously a stunt and the no-charge rule is obviously an arbitrary handicap. I say, do it... for science!

[capn233]

Locutus_of_BORG wrote...

This is obviously a stunt and the no-charge rule is obviously an arbitrary handicap. I say, do it... for science!

Then we will have cake.

Added a couple more.

[known_hero]

I know you have your mind set on inferno grenades but Marksman would be a fun bonus power for this build. In theory, you should be able to use Nova while under Marksman. It will come in handy for those non-nova situations(you're going to have a lot of those on Grissom).

Although, I do like the idea of not selecting Reave because it forces you to rely on CQC biotic explosions instead of casting from cover.

I might have to try this out.

Сообщение изменено: known_hero, 09 Сентябрь 2012 - 01:05 .

[capn233]

I'm not completely forced to only do CQC BE's since I have Pull... at least if I have someone else detonate. You will see some of that, but if Shepard is the detonator, he has to be pretty close.

Marksman would have been an interesting power, I didn't really think about that one. It is a combat power, and it doesn't give you shields back or damage protection.  But I have a different guy I plan to play built around marksman (not a biotic though)

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 09 Сентябрь 2012 - 02:55 .

[capn233]

Half Blast makes this setup relatively easy to play, as does giving Liara Warp...

[capn233]

So should I do Krogan Team next to get the Claymore? I usually do it after Citadel coup, but I guess I could do it as the first part of the Tuchanka plot.

I was thinking about Turian Platoon. I wonder if I will be able to kill all the Harvesters with the Punisher. I haven't really played a game where I take them on with SMGs.

[Soja57]

How about bonus power as Defense Matrix. That has great synergy with Nova, as you can purge to restore shields and Nova up to 4 times if you have half blast, and even more if you choose the chance of not using barriers evolution.

[known_hero]

How did you get Jack in a "fresh start" playthrough?

[capn233]

Soja57 wrote...

How about bonus power as Defense Matrix. That has great synergy with Nova, as you can purge to restore shields and Nova up to 4 times if you have half blast, and even more if you choose the chance of not using barriers evolution.

I actually did think about that one for the reasons you stated.  Plus a little damage protection would have helped.

known_hero wrote...

How did you get Jack in a "fresh start" playthrough?

I used the ME2 save editor to make the final ME2 save only have a Level 1 character, who I then imported.

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 09 Сентябрь 2012 - 09:28 .

[capn233]

So...

Rachni were annoying, I usually do that mission after Citadel Coup, but did it earlier to get the Claymore. Took Javik this time, along with Liara in an attempt to get more explosions. I am not sure it really worked.

For Turian Platoon it was back to Garrus and Liara. Punisher and Claymore where Punisher was mainly reserved for Harvesters. I thought the last fight went pretty well.

Tuchanka Bomb was ok, I used Garrus and Javik and took the Harrier and Claymore. Sort of ran around most of the time, so it doesn't look all that much like an organized strategy.

For Tuchanka, I suppose some of the spots I take might be of interest. This mission feels like a whole lot more exposition than fighting... In any event, the Hammer part might be sort of fun to watch. If you are wondering why I count the Brutes, it is just to see how many will show up. I have had a couple runs where whonky stuff happens and some will double spawn, or sometimes they don't at all.

[deaths origin]

RedCaesar97 wrote...

Weapon suggestion: Claymore. Just because it is the freaking Claymore.

heck no novaguard's best weapon at any time has ALWAYS been the falcon with cryo ammo because of the massive amount of force involved in most of the abilities

[RedCaesar97]

deaths origin wrote...
heck no novaguard's best weapon at any time has ALWAYS been the falcon with cryo ammo because of the massive amount of force involved in most of the abilities

If you have read this thread or even watched one of the videos, you will know that capn233 started the game with an ME2 import, modified to reset his starting level back to 1. The Falcon is acquired at Cerberus Headquarters, the third-last mission in the game. So using the Falcon on this character is--for all intents and purposes--impossible.

[capn233]

Falcon is an ok weapon, I suppose on a NG+ character it wouldn't be so bad. Personally I find it occupies a relatively small niche of stagger and ammo effect. I use the weapon near exclusively on my Demolisher in multiplayer (stagger Phantoms and apply Disruptor effect for more Tech Bursts), but I am not so sure how well that translates into SP considering the fact that you face maybe 10 Phantoms in all of SP, and they aren't as hard to deal with when you have a squad that always does what you tell them to.

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 10 Сентябрь 2012 - 06:59 .

[capn233]

Ok Citadel Coup is up. Went with just the Claymore.

Nova is up to Rank 6, I took Pierce, although I was tempted to go with chance to not use barriers. Oh well.

I should probably focus on Incendiary Ammo now. Then again I hardly have any points in Assault Mastery, but since I only have 1 power on actual cooldown, I am not so sure how much it will help me.

[capn233]

Did Cerberus Fighter Base with Liara and Ash. I had Squad Incendiary ammo... I am not sure if there was anything all that notable there.  Mainly just setting guys on fire and blowing them up.  Stasis was overused, that's something.

Next was Ex Cerberus Scientists. But before that I did most of the things I could on the Citadel, scanned all the systems, and got some more squad points. So I had enough to max Incendiary to Explosive Burst and then increase Assault Mastery to 3. For the mission I decided to be a little different and go with Garrus and Ash... which is sort of a different kind of squad for a Vanguard. But it isn't too bad really. Overload then CS for Tech Bursts, or a quick Inferno Grenade for CC or Pull for CC, and then Nova. And the Claymore helps too.

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 11 Сентябрь 2012 - 03:11 .

[capn233]

Ardat-Yakshi Monastery is uploading.

I have to say that the Banshee is probably the biggest problem for this character and that is due solely to the damage over time attack ("Banshee Ball") that makes your shields take forever to recharge. And shield recharge is important.  If you dodge like a pro this isn't an issue whatsoever (not saying I do necessarily).

At this point you could point out that had I taken Defensive Matrix, Reave, or whatever this wouldn't be as big a problem.

But I also wouldn't be able to reload cancel the Claymore as easily by just pressing 'G'.

I have been rolling with Ash for the past couple of missions to see what she can do with the Revenant and Incendiary Ammo. Yeah Particle Rifle would be better, but I just don't like having it on anyone except Javik, and the Revenant still has cool factor. In fact I might pick a mission, and then Ash, Garrus and I will just roll up all with Revenants for the hell of it.

Сообщение изменено: capn233, 12 Сентябрь 2012 - 02:44 .

[known_hero]

Are you playing on the modded Spectre difficulty or insanity?