Heya everyone. I am about to take on the suicide mission with my soldier shepard. I've been using fortification bonus power for a while and like it, but I was wondering if Geth Shield Boost is better. I unlocked both research upgrades for GSB, but how does it compare to Fortification (with 100% damage protection)? Or if any of the other bonus powers are better, let me know. I heard barrier is preaty useless during the suicide mission.
Fortification vs. Geth Shield Boost (ME2)
Débuté par
sirus1988
, janv. 14 2013 08:26
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#2
Posté 14 janvier 2013 - 09:14
RedCaesar97
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All of the shield boost powers--Fortification, Geth Shield Boost, and Barrier--are terrible on Insanity (or just bad in general), and Fortification is the worst of the bunch.
The biggest problem with the shield boost powers is that they all have a long cooldown (12 seconds base cooldown). The good news is that they add shields to your character when activated. The bad news is they only add shields based on your base shields. (so say 75% of base shields). I forget offhand what your base shields are.
Fortification is also the worst of the three, because while Geth Shield Boost benefits from the Tech Cooldown upgrade and Barrier benefits from the Biotic Cooldown upgrade, Fortification gets no upgrade bonuses except from your class passive only (0 for Soldier, up to 15% on Infiltrator and Vanguard, up to +20% on Engineer and Adept, and up to +30% on Sentinel).
And since you are Soldier, that means you are wasting 12 seconds on a power that does not really help you, especially since Adrenaline Rush will keep you alive easier.
Better bonus powers for Soldiers:
- Neural Shock (1-point wonder)
- Stasis (1-point wonder)
- Slam (1-point wonder)
- Warp Ammo, although best used for Widow (or Mattock-Widow) Soldiers or for sniping Barriered or Armored enemies--like Collectors--outside of Adrenaline Rush.
If you are concerned with lore, such as no biotics or tech on Soldiers, then Warp Ammo may be your best bet, although Flashbang (recommend evolving to Improved Flashbang) is okay as well.
The biggest problem with the shield boost powers is that they all have a long cooldown (12 seconds base cooldown). The good news is that they add shields to your character when activated. The bad news is they only add shields based on your base shields. (so say 75% of base shields). I forget offhand what your base shields are.
Fortification is also the worst of the three, because while Geth Shield Boost benefits from the Tech Cooldown upgrade and Barrier benefits from the Biotic Cooldown upgrade, Fortification gets no upgrade bonuses except from your class passive only (0 for Soldier, up to 15% on Infiltrator and Vanguard, up to +20% on Engineer and Adept, and up to +30% on Sentinel).
And since you are Soldier, that means you are wasting 12 seconds on a power that does not really help you, especially since Adrenaline Rush will keep you alive easier.
Better bonus powers for Soldiers:
- Neural Shock (1-point wonder)
- Stasis (1-point wonder)
- Slam (1-point wonder)
- Warp Ammo, although best used for Widow (or Mattock-Widow) Soldiers or for sniping Barriered or Armored enemies--like Collectors--outside of Adrenaline Rush.
If you are concerned with lore, such as no biotics or tech on Soldiers, then Warp Ammo may be your best bet, although Flashbang (recommend evolving to Improved Flashbang) is okay as well.
- peddroelm aime ceci
#3
Posté 14 janvier 2013 - 09:35
capn233
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Do you mean the "Geth Shield Strength" upgrades? I don't think that even affects Geth Shield Boost anyway, just Legion's total shields.
Regardless, I agree with RedCaesar97. Really you don't even need a bonus power on a Soldier all that much, although I did use AP Ammo a lot, for no good reason.
Regardless, I agree with RedCaesar97. Really you don't even need a bonus power on a Soldier all that much, although I did use AP Ammo a lot, for no good reason.
#4
Posté 14 janvier 2013 - 09:56
sirus1988
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wow, I didn't even realize fortifaction got the **** end of the stick. Okay, I think I'll go with warp ammo. How should I spec my soldier with it. I have this build now:
Adreneline Rush: 1 point only
Concussive Shot: 0 points
Disruptor Ammo: Went with heavy disruptor ammo evo since it's really only good against sheilds and synthetics
Cryo Ammo: Squad evo
Incendiary Ammo: Squad evo
Soldier skill: Commando evo
Fortification: Heavy Fortification evo
Adreneline Rush: 1 point only
Concussive Shot: 0 points
Disruptor Ammo: Went with heavy disruptor ammo evo since it's really only good against sheilds and synthetics
Cryo Ammo: Squad evo
Incendiary Ammo: Squad evo
Soldier skill: Commando evo
Fortification: Heavy Fortification evo
#5
Posté 14 janvier 2013 - 11:43
RedCaesar97
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The typical Soldier build goes like this:
4 - Heightened/Hardened Adrenaline Rush
0 - Concussive Shot
4 - Squad Disruptor Ammo
4 - Inferno Ammo
4 - Squad Cryo Ammo
4 - Shock Trooper/Commando
0 - Bonus power *
* This leaves 1 point for Concussive Shot or a bonus power. Concussive Shot is very bad in Mass Effect 2. This is why the 1 point is good for Stasis, Slam, or Neural Shock, which are considered 1-point wonders; they are very good at at rank 1 and do not need to be levelled up to become good.
What is your bonus weapon?
- Hardened Adrenaline Rush is considered the best option for the Revenant and other assault rifles, pistols, Scimitar shotgun, and the Viper sniper rifle (Incisor too I guess).
Most people choose Heightened Adrenaline Rush for the Widow. Mantis is better under Heightened as well.
- For the Claymore, Eviscerator, and Katana, I would use Heightened but Hardened would work as well.
- Adrenaline Rush gives you an undocumented +100% weapon damage bonus. Heightened gives you +140% weapon damage, but it also gives you more time dilation so you end up dealing less damage with rapid-fire weapons under Adrenaline Rush than you would without it.
As for Commando versus Shock Trooper, Commando give you more weapon damage and power damage and storm speed, while Shock Trooper give you more health and shields and power duration. Commando is probably the better choice.
Ammo power damage is based off of the base weapon damage, not the total weapon damage. So you are not losing much by going the squad version of Disruptor Ammo. Plus, Heavy Disruptor Ammo will cause mechs to explode when they die which is bad if it explodes next to you.
Inferno Ammo is better on Shepard since if it explodes on an unprotected organic's health and sets that enemy on fire, any organics within the blast radius will panic as well regardless whether they are protected or not. (Note that Varren, Klixen, husks, Krogan, and Harbinger are immune to fire panic).
4 - Heightened/Hardened Adrenaline Rush
0 - Concussive Shot
4 - Squad Disruptor Ammo
4 - Inferno Ammo
4 - Squad Cryo Ammo
4 - Shock Trooper/Commando
0 - Bonus power *
* This leaves 1 point for Concussive Shot or a bonus power. Concussive Shot is very bad in Mass Effect 2. This is why the 1 point is good for Stasis, Slam, or Neural Shock, which are considered 1-point wonders; they are very good at at rank 1 and do not need to be levelled up to become good.
What is your bonus weapon?
- Hardened Adrenaline Rush is considered the best option for the Revenant and other assault rifles, pistols, Scimitar shotgun, and the Viper sniper rifle (Incisor too I guess).
Most people choose Heightened Adrenaline Rush for the Widow. Mantis is better under Heightened as well.
- For the Claymore, Eviscerator, and Katana, I would use Heightened but Hardened would work as well.
- Adrenaline Rush gives you an undocumented +100% weapon damage bonus. Heightened gives you +140% weapon damage, but it also gives you more time dilation so you end up dealing less damage with rapid-fire weapons under Adrenaline Rush than you would without it.
As for Commando versus Shock Trooper, Commando give you more weapon damage and power damage and storm speed, while Shock Trooper give you more health and shields and power duration. Commando is probably the better choice.
Ammo power damage is based off of the base weapon damage, not the total weapon damage. So you are not losing much by going the squad version of Disruptor Ammo. Plus, Heavy Disruptor Ammo will cause mechs to explode when they die which is bad if it explodes next to you.
Inferno Ammo is better on Shepard since if it explodes on an unprotected organic's health and sets that enemy on fire, any organics within the blast radius will panic as well regardless whether they are protected or not. (Note that Varren, Klixen, husks, Krogan, and Harbinger are immune to fire panic).
- peddroelm aime ceci
#6
Posté 15 janvier 2013 - 01:47
capn233
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I'm probably the only one that did it regularly, but I typically ran Squad Disruptor on my team for most of the game. There is some CC to be gained versus organic troops as well via the weapon overheat mechanic. Basically if you shoot an unprotected target their weapon overheats, which forces them to reload. Practically speaking it is a pretty mild form of CC, since on Insanity the troops are quick to reload, but I think it is noticeable, and turning down the volume of fire is never that bad a thing.
In any event, my "default" soldier build was more like:
Adrenaline Rush 4 - Hardened
Concussive Shot*
Disruptor Ammo 4 - Squad**
Incendiary Ammo 4 - Inferno
Cryo Ammo**
Combat Mastery 4 - Shock Trooper
Bonus Power 4**
So for most missions (versus mercs) I would be running Inferno on basically all Shep's guns (except sometimes Shotguns after getting the shield upgrade), and Squad Disruptor on my teammates (to help slightly with shield stripping, and the mild CC as above).
There are a couple missions where it is much better to go with Squad Cryo. Namely "Derelict Reaper," "N7 Abandoned Mine," "N7: Quarian Crash Site," and then "Rite of Passage" and "Old Blood. The main thing linking these are "melee" organics, ie husks, varren and klixen. And Cryo is somewhat helpful versus Krogan. If this is the case, I would just respec. Depending on how useful the bonus power is, you may or may not want to keep it. You have to have 3 pts in Disruptor to unlock Incendiary, and likewise 3 pts in Incendiary to get Cryo though, so some points are tied up. So it might look like this:
AR 4
CS 1
DA 2
IA 4
CA 4
CM 4
BP 3
Leaving 1pt that you can't invest anywhere.
In any event, my "default" soldier build was more like:
Adrenaline Rush 4 - Hardened
Concussive Shot*
Disruptor Ammo 4 - Squad**
Incendiary Ammo 4 - Inferno
Cryo Ammo**
Combat Mastery 4 - Shock Trooper
Bonus Power 4**
So for most missions (versus mercs) I would be running Inferno on basically all Shep's guns (except sometimes Shotguns after getting the shield upgrade), and Squad Disruptor on my teammates (to help slightly with shield stripping, and the mild CC as above).
There are a couple missions where it is much better to go with Squad Cryo. Namely "Derelict Reaper," "N7 Abandoned Mine," "N7: Quarian Crash Site," and then "Rite of Passage" and "Old Blood. The main thing linking these are "melee" organics, ie husks, varren and klixen. And Cryo is somewhat helpful versus Krogan. If this is the case, I would just respec. Depending on how useful the bonus power is, you may or may not want to keep it. You have to have 3 pts in Disruptor to unlock Incendiary, and likewise 3 pts in Incendiary to get Cryo though, so some points are tied up. So it might look like this:
AR 4
CS 1
DA 2
IA 4
CA 4
CM 4
BP 3
Leaving 1pt that you can't invest anywhere.
#7
Posté 15 janvier 2013 - 05:48
Locutus_of_BORG
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GSB is the *best* of the shield powers in that it boosts your damage at lvl4.
That said, Barrier was the old-skool staple b/c it had no casting animation, meaning you could basically slap a second shieldgate during an emergency, something even medi-gel couldn't do.
But listen to to RC and capn. 1-pt wonders are way better than shield powers in ME2.
Being the min/maxing cheeze dealer I was back in ME2, my Soldier build was always:
4 - Heightened Adrenaline Rush
0 - Concussive Shot
4 - Squad Disruptor Ammo
4 - Inferno Ammo
4 - Squad Cryo Ammo
4 - Commando
1 - Stasis
That said, Barrier was the old-skool staple b/c it had no casting animation, meaning you could basically slap a second shieldgate during an emergency, something even medi-gel couldn't do.
But listen to to RC and capn. 1-pt wonders are way better than shield powers in ME2.
Being the min/maxing cheeze dealer I was back in ME2, my Soldier build was always:
4 - Heightened Adrenaline Rush
0 - Concussive Shot
4 - Squad Disruptor Ammo
4 - Inferno Ammo
4 - Squad Cryo Ammo
4 - Commando
1 - Stasis
Modifié par Locutus_of_BORG, 15 janvier 2013 - 05:52 .
#8
Posté 15 janvier 2013 - 03:38
capn233
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One thing I forgot to mention...
Part of the reason I would end up going Shock Trooper was not just because it was nice having more health, but because that is the one with the extra Paragon / Renegade bonus, so it is easier to pass those checks.
Part of the reason I would end up going Shock Trooper was not just because it was nice having more health, but because that is the one with the extra Paragon / Renegade bonus, so it is easier to pass those checks.
#9
Posté 16 janvier 2013 - 08:15
sirus1988
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Thanks guys. I ended up going with warp ammo, which was awesome against the colllectors! Took Miranda and Mordon with me to fight the humanized reaper. Sooo easy! Gave them cryo ammo and I took warp ammo. I also increased my Adren Rush which did prove very life saving at some points. I'll have to try some of those 1 point wonders in my next playthrough.
Also, why stasis? I tried it in a previous build (sentinel) but I didn't like it since I couldn't damage the stasis'd enemy. it was good to stun them and deal with others. Then when stasis broke I would have some time to shoot them when they fall to the floor stunned.
Also, why stasis? I tried it in a previous build (sentinel) but I didn't like it since I couldn't damage the stasis'd enemy. it was good to stun them and deal with others. Then when stasis broke I would have some time to shoot them when they fall to the floor stunned.
#10
Posté 16 janvier 2013 - 09:18
RedCaesar97
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Stasis is to take some of the biggest or annoying targets (YMIR mechs and Scions) out of the fight. Stasis does not work on Harbinger or Praetorians.
Stasis is also bugged, where enemies falling out of Stasis take an insane amount of damage. By default, enemies that are ragdolled take more damage, however they end up taking even more damage if ragdolled coming out of Stasis. I believe Kronner first found the bug here. 1 page later in the thread he added a video. An official dev statement can be found here explaining the bug.
Stasis is also bugged, where enemies falling out of Stasis take an insane amount of damage. By default, enemies that are ragdolled take more damage, however they end up taking even more damage if ragdolled coming out of Stasis. I believe Kronner first found the bug here. 1 page later in the thread he added a video. An official dev statement can be found here explaining the bug.
Modifié par RedCaesar97, 16 janvier 2013 - 09:25 .
#11
Posté 17 janvier 2013 - 03:13
Locutus_of_BORG
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^Yup Stasis --> Widow headshot was probably the signature combo for the classic Widow Soldier. OSOK any mini-boss in the game.
Kudos, RC, for digging up another classic nostalgia thread.
Kudos, RC, for digging up another classic nostalgia thread.
Modifié par Locutus_of_BORG, 17 janvier 2013 - 03:16 .
