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[Sihmm]

So, I love the Quarian Female Engineer and consider her one of my favourite Platinum classes.  Purely for that reason I've wanted to do a video about her for ages:

Video Guide: QFE Platinum build & gameplay commentary

"But Sihmm", you may say, "everyone and their grandma has done a QFE guide!"  Well, yes hypothetical commenter person, that's very true.  But this is how I interpret her, what works for me as a not-quite-that-great player, and well, Platinum!!

The video shows a chaotic Platinum group game against Collectors with commentary about how I play her, some of the things she's good at, and a few of the little techniques I find helpful.  I also talk about how important it is to find a weapon you're comfortable with, as for me that was what transformed her from an interesting curiosity into something I love playing.

Feedback welcomed and appreciated as always!  Mockery also accepted as a suitable substitute.

Update: also here she is on Gold:

QFE Gold White Hazard Reapers

Modifié par Sihmm, 13 novembre 2012 - 12:56 .

[Klokos]

I find the FQE very Buzzword to play too, but I never took her past Gold.

[Jzadek72]

I've always liked her, but never had the stones to take her past gold.

[Sihmm]

Not sure if I would take her into a public Platinum game, but when you can trust your teammates I've definitely found her very strong on Platinum. Different playstyle to Gold obviously but I do like and/or recommend it!  She can run around debuffing everything, detonating tech explosions, setting up fire explosions and slowing stuff down with the turret/cryo, so she works very well as part of a team.

Modifié par Sihmm, 02 novembre 2012 - 01:43 .

[Sihmm]

Bump of shame.

[Learn To Love Yourself]

She is one of my favs too, and I always felt like she was a beast. I never did take her to Platinum either. It is good to know she can do well. I look forward to watching the vid.

[Sihmm]

Jack Crapper wrote...

She is one of my favs too, and I always felt like she was a beast. I never did take her to Platinum either. It is good to know she can do well. I look forward to watching the vid.

Well, I hope it doesn't disappoint - I don't want to give the impression that she's some sort of demigod who mows down bosses like twigs, but I do specifically like how well she fits into just about any (decent) team, especially now that fire and cryo explosions have been unlocked.  And she is just so much fun to play on Platinum, largely of course because she lacks that 'raw power' which can make the game dull, but has so much utility and synergy which make it interesting.

Also now I'm starting to feel slightly embarrassed about uploading a video where I die so much

[thearbiter1337]

Wait was is your power tree (I have very low attention span when it comes to vids like that) as i want to know it as i'm using the QFE atm to get the Machinist banner

[kww75]

QFE was good when they finally buffed up the turret not long after the Geth Engineer almost made her completely useless coupled with the fact it was insanely hard to get fire and cryo explosions with her. Unfortuantely not had much time to use her lately because of all the challenges

[Sihmm]

thearbiter1337 wrote...

Wait was is your power tree (I have very low attention span when it comes to vids like that) as i want to know it as i'm using the QFE atm to get the Machinist banner

Heh I don't blame you.  Here's a link to the spec:

Sentry Turret 6: Health & Damage, Armor Piercing, Flamethrower
Incinerate 6: Radius, Burn Damage, Freeze Combo
Cryo Blast 6: Radius, Cryo Explosion, Frozen Vulnerability
Be A Better Quarian 4: Weight & Power Damage
Fitness 4: Health & Shields

I use incinerate as a detonator for my disruptor ammo (which helps make up for her weakness against shields/synthetics) and for my teammates' tech effects, and to set up fire explosions for teammates to detonate.  Radius means more of the above, and I've never felt the damage is that great anyway.

I alternate Cryo with incinerate on big targets and use it to CC/stagger mooks, as well as get the odd cryo explosion.

Sentry turret gets tossed in chokepoints or around corners to add some extra DPS and to distract enemies while I run away, revive or complete an objective (etc).  Despite the fact that I do actually use it for damage dealing, it seems to only rack up points towards the challenge very very slowly.

Modifié par Sihmm, 02 novembre 2012 - 09:03 .

[Edolix]

QFE is currently my favourite class in the game. I'll be sure to check out your vid later, as i'm mostly a Gold player that rarely ventures into Platinum

[Fortack]

Great video!

She's very good, but a lot of people have no clue how to play her well. She needs a powerful gun to be really effective, but a lot of FQEs I've met in PuGs use crap weapons for some reason, and try to spam Cryo-Incinerate all the time. I always have to laugh when my Quarian honey makes the so-called powerhouse classes look like utter fools, esp the Geth characters

You're using the Saber which is a good weapon, but cooldowns are not really an issue for her. Both her Turret and Cryo Blast have super fast cooldown, and since it's rather pointless to spam turrets and / or Cryo Blast you can take whatever weapon you want. I use the Claymore (my fav weapon) and still have both powers on a ~3 second cooldown which is good enough (Incinerate is a little over 4 seconds with this setup).

Something I really like about Cryo Blast (and I didn't hear you mention it in the video) is the stagger effect. Almost every enemy (except bosses) will be staggered when hit which makes it a very good 'oh crap' power. It has saved my FQE's butt plenty of times

Excellent commentary, some really useful information. One thing I noticed about ammo powers is that Cryo Blast seems to increase the DoT from Incendiary Ammo quite a lot (esp against armor). I'm not entirely sure, but it looks very similar to the Warp-Incendiary Ammo effect (supposedly a bug, but very nice The fire explosions are great too and I think they benefit from the Cryo debuff so Cryo Blast + Incendiary Ammo + Incinerate does some sick AoE damage.

/rant

Thanks for sharing and Keelah se'lai

[Sihmm]

Fortack wrote...

Great video!

<snip>

Thanks for watching and for the feedback/comments   It's pretty cool when I feel like I can learn something from a response to my own video.

As you say the weapon is really important, because while she has good powers they just don't work so well without a powerful gun.  I did try her with the Claymore a few times a while ago, and while I liked it (I love the claymore, I would probably like it on any class) I had one major problem: it had a tendency to kill everything before I could get any tech bursts or cryo explosions off them  I was also a bit uncomfortable with the cooldowns I got, as I couldn't keep the cryo debuff on a boss while alternating incinerate without taking the duration evolution, or both the recharge evos.

(Also I am perennially short on Shotgun Rail Amps - hilariously I am now also starting to have to conserve Assault Rifle Rail Amps too.)

Regarding Cryo's stagger - I've noticed it stagger even shielded mooks but I have to admit, I've never been clear on whether it's a consistent 100% thing.  When I fire a reaction power it tends to be Incinerate, which I think can also stagger (?) but definitely doesn't work so well against Geth or Cannibals (which don't panic when on fire).  I should probably try to develop a cryo first muscle memory!

I also don't know if Cryo and the Incinerate DoT interact in any interesting way, but certainly the Freeze Combo Incinerate evolution plus the damage taken evos on Cryo certainly give the power and DoT some beef.  Incendiary Ammo is definitely a good choice and I'm sure it'd increase her overall DPS on most things, but I'm very attached to my Disruptor Ammo as I feel it rounds out the class.  (The extra CC from procs doesn't hurt either.)

Anyway thanks again for the comments!

[Sihmm]

Bump of... justice?

[Beelzebubs]

FQE has always been my favourite class. Really underestimated.

[Fortack]

Sihmm wrote...

I did try her with the Claymore a few times a while ago, and while I liked it (I love the claymore, I would probably like it on any class) I had one major problem: it had a tendency to kill everything before I could get any tech bursts or cryo explosions off them  I was also a bit uncomfortable with the cooldowns I got, as I couldn't keep the cryo debuff on a boss while alternating incinerate without taking the duration evolution, or both the recharge evos.

Yeah, the Claymore is deadly (and I named my FQE Claymi'Amore so can't take another weapon , but you can use it to kill one enemy while freezing (or staggering) another in the meantime. With the Claymore you'll have Cryo Blast on a 2.7 second cooldown. That goes nicely with reloading which takes ~2.5 seconds (2.2 s with perfect timing) when you reload cancel. You can either spam Cryo Blast between shots or you can immediately follow up with Incinerate (after taking a shot). I use the same evolution as you do so no recharge or duration bonuses.

The 5.6 second freeze / chill duration is more than enough to fire 2 shots (3 is possible too, if you're fast enough and very close to the enemy) and get the extra 100% damage from Incinerate on top of that (the DoT effect will be affected a little though). Another advantage is you're using burst damage so it doesn't matter that you don't have the debuff active all the time. Incinerate has a 4.3 second cooldown with this setup so if you time your attacks right every Claymore shot will use the extra 25% damage when you cast Cryo (shoot) > Incinerate (shoot, shoot) > Cryo etc etc.

Things will be different when you use other weapons like the Saber you use in the vid. With fast(er) firing weapons you want Cryo's debuff active all the time. The key I think is to try and find the right rhythm between weapons and powers to make the most of both.

Regarding Cryo's stagger - I've noticed it stagger even shielded mooks but I have to admit, I've never been clear on whether it's a consistent 100% thing.  When I fire a reaction power it tends to be Incinerate, which I think can also stagger (?) but definitely doesn't work so well against Geth or Cannibals (which don't panic when on fire).  I should probably try to develop a cryo first muscle memory!

Except maybe Stasis there isn't a 100% reliable stagger in the game (well they don't stagger when hit by Stasis anyway . In my experience you have a 90% chance to stagger Cerb Nemesis, Centurions, Engineers and Dragoons (I just shoot Guardians so dunno about those); Geth Pyros, Rocket Troopers and Hunters; Collector Troopers, Captains and Abominations (including the possessed ones) and Marauders (Cannibals just freeze like all other enemies with only a health bar (left), they stagger on impact and are frozen before they can do anything).
Staggers don't work (but that goes for all powers that can stagger) when the target dodges or has already started another annimation (like jumping over cover, rallying husks, or the Dragoon melee attack for example).

When I'm using the Claymore the Cryo Blast stagger is perfect when you've shot something and immediately hit another (or the same) target (if it survived the shot) with Cryo Blast. The stagger last just long enough to finish reloading and blow their brains out before they can react

Cryo Blast also has a much faster cooldown (and a nice damage bonus) than Incinerate so it's a better pick when the main thing you want to achieve is a stagger.

I also don't know if Cryo and the Incinerate DoT interact in any interesting way, but certainly the Freeze Combo Incinerate evolution plus the damage taken evos on Cryo certainly give the power and DoT some beef.  Incendiary Ammo is definitely a good choice and I'm sure it'd increase her overall DPS on most things, but I'm very attached to my Disruptor Ammo as I feel it rounds out the class.  (The extra CC from procs doesn't hurt either.)

Disruptor is good too, but the FQE is the mistress of fire and ice so I prefer to have the ability to create her own ice and fire explosions especially since the patch. Before I used Disruptor a lot b/c it made it easier (and more reliable) to trigger tech bursts. Disruptor is also a better pick (imo) against the Geth but I avoid them as best I can b/c I don't like their constant stunlock crap. It's also great against Cerb b/c Disruptor Ammo is better for CC than Incendiary (more reliable). However, I always slap Incendiary Ammo on my weapon when facing Reapers or Collectors.

And yeah, I'm always low on shotgun amps too <_< I wish I could trade my other weapon amps for a couple extra

Modifié par Fortack, 03 novembre 2012 - 06:12 .

[Lt RedTide]

Beelzebubs wrote...

FQE has always been my favourite class. Really underestimated.

I second that. Very underestimated.

[IndigoVitare]

Lt RedTide wrote...

Beelzebubs wrote...

FQE has always been my favourite class. Really underestimated.

I second that. Very underestimated.

It's been, in my opinion, one of the best engineers, and classes, since that sentry turret buff. I even took Flame Combo when it still didn't hit chilled targets.

I like the Talon myself. You mention it, but not the big reason for using it: Bonus Damage against shields. No need for ammo powers.

[-JP-]

As always, great video, great commentary, great thread.

My QFE is among my weakest classes, so I'll be re-specing and trying this out for sure. For someone like me (mainly gold, platinum-every-now-and-then kind of player), your vids have taken my game to a whole new level previously. Hopefully this'll have the same effect.

[Fortack]

IndigoVitare wrote...

It's been, in my opinion, one of the best engineers, and classes, since that sentry turret buff. I even took Flame Combo when it still didn't hit chilled targets.

Her sentry turret does decent damage since the buff, but unfortunately they nerfed it with the latest patch

Before the patch her turret was effective against melee creatures, but that feature has been removed. The days you could see 2 Banshee and a Brute screaming and roaring at her little pet (unable to do anything against it) are gone. Those moments were glorious, some of the coolest things I've seen in this game.

The sentry turret is still useful, but for the most part as free damage and the occasional distraction. Fortunately its cooldown is superfast so you can have one in play all the time without any noticeable effect one her bread and butter powers (Cryo Blast & Incinerate)

I like the Talon myself. You mention it, but not the big reason for using it: Bonus Damage against shields. No need for ammo powers.

Not using ammo powers makes no sense (at least when you play on gold+). Most likely you have a crap load of them anyway so why not use them? Ammo powers are also great for tech combos. I highly recommend to use them, your FQE will be a lot better with them.

Modifié par Fortack, 03 novembre 2012 - 08:09 .

[IndigoVitare]

Fortack wrote...

IndigoVitare wrote...

It's been, in my opinion, one of the best engineers, and classes, since that sentry turret buff. I even took Flame Combo when it still didn't hit chilled targets.

Her sentry turret does decent damage since the buff, but unfortunately they nerfed it with the latest patch

Before the patch her turret was effective against melee creatures, but that feature has been removed. The days you could see 2 Banshee and a Brute screaming and roaring at her little pet (unable to do anything against it) are gone. Those moments were glorious, some of the coolest things I've seen in this game.

The sentry turret is still useful, but for the most part as free damage and the occasional distraction. Fortunately its cooldown is superfast so you can have one in play all the time without any noticeable effect one her bread and butter powers (Cryo Blast & Incinerate)

I like the Talon myself. You mention it, but not the big reason for using it: Bonus Damage against shields. No need for ammo powers.

Not using ammo powers makes no sense (at least when you play on gold+). Most likely you have a crap load of them anyway so why not use them? Ammo powers are also great for tech combos. I highly recommend to use them, your FQE will be a lot better with them.

I'm far too lazy to equip them.

You're right though, I do have loads.

Of course, you can still use ammo powers, but using the Talon means you don't need to use Disruptor Ammo. You can do something else if you want and rely on the inherent shield damage bonus.

[Sihmm]

Fortack wrote...
Her sentry turret does decent damage since the buff, but unfortunately they nerfed it with the latest patch

Before the patch her turret was effective against melee creatures, but that feature has been removed. The days you could see 2 Banshee and a Brute screaming and roaring at her little pet (unable to do anything against it) are gone. Those moments were glorious, some of the coolest things I've seen in this game.

The sentry turret is still useful, but for the most part as free damage and the occasional distraction. Fortunately its cooldown is superfast so you can have one in play all the time without any noticeable effect one her bread and butter powers (Cryo Blast & Incinerate)

Pretty much this exactly.  It's such a shame that Sentry Turret and its brethren no longer mesmerise banshees and the like, though I can understand why it was 'fixed'.  Would be nice if it got a bit more of a health or damage upgrade to compensate - not that it's bad right now, but I still feel it's more something you throw during a free cooldown as a bonus than a truly integral part of the class.

Having said that I do like it very much and try to have it up as often as possible.

IndigoVitare wrote...

Of course, you can still use ammo powers, but using the Talon means you don't need to use Disruptor Ammo. You can do something else if you want and rely on the inherent shield damage bonus.

The Talon is an incredibly high damage weapon even without the bonuses it gets to shields and barriers, but yes I do see your point.  Nevertheless I don't only use Disruptor because it's effective against shields - that's one factor of several which makes it attractive.  The instant CC on almost any enemy, the high chance to prime an explosion (considerably higher than Incendiary or Cryo Ammo, I believe), its effectiveness against synthetics and yes, the fact that it gives the otherwise shield-weak QFE not just anti-shield power but AoE anti-shield power all contributes to my preference for it!

The Acolyte is also, of course, utterly brutal against shields specifically - I'm surprised I don't see more QFEs using it.  But then I see very few QFEs in general, sadly.

-JP- wrote...

As always, great video, great commentary, great thread.

My QFE is among my weakest classes, so I'll be re-specing and trying this out for sure. For someone like me (mainly gold, platinum-every-now-and-then kind of player), your vids have taken my game to a whole new level previously. Hopefully this'll have the same effect.

Thanks, I'm really glad you've found them helpful - and yes I hope this one is too

Modifié par Sihmm, 04 novembre 2012 - 02:20 .

[Stahlhammer]

I tried this today. Didn't have to respec cause the build is almost identical, and i happen to have Saber X too.

It was fun, but i must say Saber is just not working for me. When hipfired i managed to miss Praetorians @ point blank. Can't explain that, just happens. Did much better with Talon, Paladin and Acolyte.

[Sihmm]

Stahlhammer wrote...

I tried this today. Didn't have to respec cause the build is almost identical, and i happen to have Saber X too.

It was fun, but i must say Saber is just not working for me. When hipfired i managed to miss Praetorians @ point blank. Can't explain that, just happens. Did much better with Talon, Paladin and Acolyte.

I can't explain Saber hipfire missing at point blank either - it shouldn't be that inaccurate.

But yes, for me it wasn't about specifically the Saber so much as it was about finding a strong weapon that I was personally comfortable with.  Talon is a very popular choice, but didn't work so well for me and also unfortunately prevents carrying an Acolyte.  Would be interested to hear what weapon combination you eventually settle on

[JohnShades]

Wow, that is the most soothing voice I've ever heard. Kinda want to take a nap now. Good vid though, FQE is probably my favorite class. I use the turret with rockets. I employ it as a spawn bomber as I spam area cryo blast. Lots of good cryo explosions!