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[capn233]

There might be old threads on this, but I am going to make one that will be newer and hopefully easier to find.

 

Objective: Outline a path for a relatively standard adept created as a new character and played through level 40 or so.  This guide my have some plot spoilers in order to give an idea of when certain levels may be achieved with a relatively standard but somewhat completionist run.

 

Bonus Power:  Will take Assault Rifle training, but you can substitute any of the other three weapons.  Shotguns do not require much investment at all for the entire game to be useful, so if you would prefer using those points somewhere else, consider that weapon class.  Keep in mind that Shotgun DPS does not compare favorably to late game AR or Pistol DPS, although it does give you a bit of CC via knockdown.  Late game AR can beat Pistol in DPS with the exception of when Master Marksman is activated, and some people skip Pistol altogether if they take ARs.  I do not as I prefer to have both.

 

Charm / Intimidate: I prefer to be able to pass most checks in the game at some point.  This requires either 10 Intimidate or 12 Charm.  This does not mean the Intimidate check is always lower than the Charm check, but simply that the highest checks have the previous requirements.  In general the checks will be within a point or so of each other.  The general point however is that you need less investment to pass all checks with Intimidate, specifically 6 invested points + your 4 free points.  If you don't care, you can spend these points elsewhere.

 

Assumptions: The only important assumption is that you have already played through the game at least once to unlock bonus weapon talents.  A secondary assumption for the rough level to mission estimates is you have XP bonuses from achievements.  However, I would argue that this guide is fairly useful even if you cannot level quite as fast as I suggest and even if you don't have any bonus talent.  That said I typically do not recommend Adept as a first character to ever play in Mass Effect, but you might still find this guide helpful if you plan to use this class for your first game.  Just remember you will accumulate XP slower, but you will also be capped to Level 50.

 

I will go by level early, then possibly skip levels later.  Parenthesis will indicate the latest milestone or power unlocked in the talent tree.

 

See also post 11 for some more general thoughts and glitches of which to be wary.

 

Level 1

 

Points: 3 + 2 initial

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 3 (Shield Boost)

Throw 1 (Basic)

 

You start out with a point in Basic Armor and Barrier.  You then have 3 points to spend.  I would work towards Pistols via the Armor tree as well as invest in level 1 Throw.  Throw will not actually be helpful for the very beginning of Eden Prime, but we want to have Lift as soon as possible, so it makes sense to invest a little here.

 

Level 2

 

Points: +3 (8)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 4 (Shield Boost)

Throw 1 (Basic)

Intimidate 2

 

Around the time you get Williams you should have hit Level 2.  I invest the 2 points in Intimidate you will need for Cole and the farmers here, then keep working towards Pistols.

 

Level 3

 

Points: +3 (11)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 2

Throw 1 (Basic)

Intimidate 2

 

Working towards basic Marksman in the Pistol tree.  The max intimidate check on Eden Prime is actually 3 at the smuggler, but I wouldn't worry about that one too much.  If you want it, skip a point in pistols now and put it towards Intimidate.  You should be level 3 before you get to the smuggler.  There will be no compelling reason to invest in Basic Armor after this.

 

Level 4

 

Points: +3 (14)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 3 (Basic)

Intimidate 2

 

You should hit Level 4 around the climax fight on Eden Prime.  From here the idea is to work towards Lift which can't be unlocked until Level 6.  Note that if you skip Pistols and Intimidate you still shouldn't be able to level Throw past 5 since that is max at this level IIRC.  You may have also potentially earned a free point in Charm or Intimidate by now (not shown yet).

 

Level 5

 

Points: +3 (17)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 5 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Intimidate 3 (1 freebie)

 

I assume a morality gimme in Intimidate here, and 3 is the max you need of Charm or Intimidate for Expose Saren, and importantly for Dr Michel’s quest. This is the level you should be for the beginning of Expose Saren.  It is likely this is the level you will be when you confront the Assassins outside Chora's Den.  Since you have Throw and Kaidan has Throw you will have a decent chance against them.  If you can separate them, hit them with Shepard's Throw, then Warp, and potentially grenades, and then pop Marksman.  The second you can dispatch more leisurely.  Retreat out towards the Rapid Transit if need be.  Alternatively you can get Overkill from AR’s instead of Warp.

 

Level 6

 

Points: +2 (19)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 1 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Intimidate 3 (1 freebie)

 

Now you have Lift and you should start to feel a bit more confortable in the fights, even though they will still be somewhat tedious due to lack of firepower from low level weapons.  This will be helpful with the Krogan Bouncer in Chora’s Den.  If possible, lift him before hit hits Immunity.

 

Level 7

 

Points: +2 (21)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 1 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Intimidate 5 (1 freebie)

 

What you do here depends somewhat on how you plan to proceed with the game.  You can either bank the 2 points in order to get Unity immediately at Level 8, or if you plan to knock out some Citadel sidequests before you leave, you might just want to put some points in Intimidate or Charm here.  The last alternative is to start towards Singularity in the Warp tree.  I show the Intimidate option here as I like to wander around the Citadel before leaving the first time, although since this level probably happens during the Fist / Quarian section, you might just play through it.

 

Level 8

 

Points: +2 (23)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 1 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Spectre Training 2

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

You will probably hit Level 8 when you become a Spectre.  This will also give you a free charm an intimidate point as well as unlocking Spectre Training.  I spent the two points in Spectre Training to work towards Unity.

 

I tend to do some Citadel side quests at this points, and 6 Intimidate should allow you to do all of them available to you at this juncture.  Specifically, it makes sense to do Dr Michel’s quest and then potentially to exploit her generosity in order to make enough to buy a HMWP VII pistol or HMWA VII rifle.

 

Also Tali at Level 8 should be able to get Master Decryption and Master Electronics meaning she can already unlock every crate in the game for you before you leave the Citadel.

[capn233]

Level 9

 

Points: +2 (25)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 1 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Go ahead and spend your 2 points on Unity.  You will either be going on a side mission or the first story planet and it is worth having.  If you feel like you don’t need it quite yet, put the points in AR and or Warp.  Therum is my first story planet destination usually, and since it is near, I will do UNC Missing Marines first.

 

Level 10

 

Points: +2 (27)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 2 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

You should achieve this level during Missing Marines, or the beginning of Therum depending on what you have done so far.  Added in Overkill and started working towards Advanced Lift.  Only use the AR under Overkill at this stage of the game as a change of pace for when Marksman is on cooldown.  Since you don’t have Advanced Lift yet, use the Mako to weaken or knock down Armatures, etc.

 

Level 11

 

Points: +2 (29)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 4 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 12

 

Points: +2 (31)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 6 (Basic)

Warp 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

If you are doing Therum, you will hit 11 around the time you get to the area with two gates, and 12 a bit later along the Mako portion as long as you are killing targets (death blow) on foot and not with the Mako.  You are just pumping Lift for now.

 

Level 13

 

Points: +2 (33)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 2 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Now you have Advanced Lift which is sufficient for lifting Armatures as well as the Krogan Battlemaster.  If you have taken Kaidan with you, it is worth having him get Advanced Lift around this time for the same reason, or simply make sure he has Neural Shock somewhere between here and 15 (where you will likely fight the Battlemaster).

 

Level 14

 

Points: +2 (35)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 4 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 15

 

Points: +2 (37)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 6 (Advanced)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

You will probably achieve Level 15 around the cutscene before the Battlemaster fight.  If you don’t there is enough of a buffer zone built in this leveling scheme that you should still have a good chance of beating him.  The idea will be to engage the Geth first, then turn your attention to the Battlemaster.  Save Shepard’s Lift and Warp while you engage the Geth (Tech is at least as good anyway and you probably have one of Tali, Kaidan or Garrus).  I tend to do this mission with Tali and Garrus regardless of class, and really if you sabotage and overload the geth, they should die to your pistol relatively quickly.  Just don’t use AOE if the Battlemaster is in range.

 

After the Geth are dispatched, the Battlemaster will attack.  Lift him, then hit him with Warp, then engage Marksman and fire away.  If he did not hit immunity you will probably kill him before he can do anything, especially if you got the HMWP VII before you left the Citadel.  If he lands and you have Kaidan, you can just NS or Lift him again.  Otherwise spam grenades at him and try Overkill.

 

The other alternative starting at Level 13 would have been to invest in Pistols instead of Warp.  This can give you Advanced Marksman by Level 15

 

Level 16

 

Points: +2 (39)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

You may hit this during the Battlemaster fight, or a little after.  At this point you can unlock and invest in Singularity.  This could potentially be the last time you spend any points in Warp.

 

The choice now is to either increase DPS via weapon talents, or move towards passive for faster cooldowns and to prepare for specialization.  I tend to go back to the Citadel to take care of Sha'ira and some sidequests, so it doesn’t matter a great deal either way.

[capn233]

Level 17

 

Points: +2 (41)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 2

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 18

 

Points: +2 (43)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 4

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

After finishing a couple quests on the Citadel, you can take care of some sidequests which shouldn’t be too bad at this stage of the game.  Head towards Hades Gamma for Missing Survey Team.  You should have more than enough CC to make this mission go smoothly.  Then you can go for the Hawking Eta and knock out Major Kyle (figuratively and or literally).

 

If you are leveling as above, you won’t be able to pass all the Intimidate checks in Snap Inspection, but that doesn’t matter a great deal.  You need 9 for that.

 

Level 19

 

Points: +2 (45)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 3 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 6

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 20

 

Points: +2 (47)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 5 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 6

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

You may hit 20 by the time you finish Major Kyle if you are getting all the minerals, unlocking all the crates, etc.  You can then go for UNC Distress Call aka Unusual Readings just to get extra travel to unlock the Luna VI mission.  Since you haven’t unlocked the specialization yet, go ahead and start working towards the next level of Marksman.

 

One thing to note is that Kyle takes 7 Charm or 8 Intimidate (10 if you fought your way to him).  You probably actually have another freebie persuasion point by the time you get to him which will work out if you go Charm, but won't if you want to use Intimidate.  So if you want to resolve it with Intimidate, you can pull a point from Pistols and make it up later.

 

Level 21

 

Points: +2 (49)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 7 (Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 7 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 6

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 22

 

Points: +2 (51)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 8 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Adept 6

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 23

 

Points: +2 (53)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 8 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Bastion 8

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Since Luna is fairly target rich, you will accumulate decent XP and will probably be 22 or 23 when you finish the mission, especially if you take out everything on foot.  Take Tali and Garrus or Kaidan for as much Tech powers as possible as Biotics aren't particularly good against the drones.

 

Bastion is my preferred choice for the Adept.  Once the specialization is unlocked, we will level towards Barrier Specialization for improved barrier.

 

The meat and potatoes of the build are basically set, and you can attempt a few of the more difficult side missions now.

[capn233]

Level 24

 

Points: +2 (55)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 9 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Head back to Artemus Tau and you should be able to take care of Nassana’s sister for Asari Diplomacy.  To deal with the snipers, you can take along Ashley or Wrex and have them tank the shots (Immunity active) while you dispatch them with Marksman or use Lift / Singularity.  Barrier Specialization will improve your survivability a bit, but you aren’t invincible at this point.

 

The next goal in leveling is Master Lift.  As far as missions, you can move to tackle Lost Freighter and then the Mavigon and Klensal bases for Hostile Takeover.

 

Level 25

 

Points: +2 (57)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 11 (Advanced)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 6 (2 freebies)

 

Level 26

 

Points: +2 (59)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 1 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 7 (2 freebies)

 

You now have the best ability in the game in Master Lift.  Additionally you should have 7 Intimidate points which is enough to resolve Hostile Takeover without fighting Blake, although you probably still have at least one of the bases to take care of still.

 

What you want to level next may depend on how you feel the game has gone.  If you need more defense, consider investing towards Advanced Barrier.  If you want more DPS, either work towards Master Marksman or invest in AR’s for when Marksman is on cooldown.

 

Level 27

 

Points: +2 (61)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 3 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 7 (2 freebies)

 

Level 28

 

Points: +2 (63)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 4 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 8 (2 freebies)

 

I would go for more DPS options, hence working on ARs.  With high level Spectre ARs you won’t necessarily need to worry as much about Overkill, but you still need the bonuses from the base talent for practical DPS.  Alternatively if you took Shotguns or don’t care about a bonus weapon, you could have Master Marksman now.

 

You should have been able to take care of both the crime bosses for Hostile Takeover on your way to Level 28.  Knock out UNC Hostage, then go to Noveria.

 

To use the Lorik Qui’in glitch you need 5 Charm or 5 Intimidate for Paragon and Renegade respectively.  If you have been following this leveling scheme, you should be able to max out Renegade to get 2 more freebie Intimidate points.  If you don’t want to do that, then you can either spend more of your regular talent points in it, or not worry about a couple harder checks.  Level 8 Intimidate before breaking in to Synthetic Insights allows you to get the first couple of dirty guards to leave.

[capn233]

Level 29

 

Points: +2 (65)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 6 (Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

Level 30

 

Points: +2 (67)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 8 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

You will have 10 Intimidate after Qui’in glitching around Level 29 and that is enough to pass every Intimidate check in the game.  Working on Assault Rifles will help with DPS.  You will probably hit Level 30 on the road to Peak 15.

 

There is a decent argument that you can skip Advanced Overkill and rely on mods like Frictionless Materials to help AR’s later game.  If you want to do that, then stop AR’s at 7 and put that point somewhere else, like in Marksman or Singularity.

 

Level 31

 

Points: +2 (69)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 10 (Advanced Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

Level 32

 

Points: +2 (71)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 1 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

You will probably be Level 31 about the time you reach Peak 15, then 32 when you repair the VI.

 

Weapon Talents are about as invested as they need to be.  You might want to take AR’s higher if you plan to use standard drop ARs instead of Spectre ARs (in which case it may have been prudent to reduce investment in Pistols earlier to ramp up AR investment).

 

Singularity makes sense to pump next.  If you feel like you need more defense, you can put some more in Barrier though.

 

Level 33

 

Points: +2 (73)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 3 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

Level 34

 

Points: +2 (75)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 5 (Basic)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

Level 35

 

Points: +2 (77)

 

Barrier 1 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 7 (Advanced)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

You should be around 33 when you enter Rift Station.  Then it is possible to gain another couple of levels depending on how you complete the rest of Noveria.

 

By the time you have Advanced Singularity at Level 35 you are really about as good as you are going to get.  The rest will depend on items like armor, amps and weapons, and the rest of power investment will be fairly incremental.

 

After this point you will only gain 1 talent point per level.  So I am not going to show every level for the remainder.

[capn233]

Level 40

 

Points: +1 (82)

 

Barrier 4 (Basic)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 9 (Advanced)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

The idea is to alternate points between Barrier and Singularity after Noveria.  Also by Level 37 you start getting items at VII and higher, which is where most of the better equipment will show up.  If you end up getting Colossus Light armor then you might not need to worry as much about Barrier.

 

I do not usually bother with getting Stasis, but if you like it then it can be acquired around this time if you skip out on some Singularity points.  Personally I find diminishing returns to the number of CC powers you have as long as you have acceptable damage from weapons, which you should have by now.

 

An example of a mission path that might get you to 40 after Noveria would be Hostile Takeover (Amaranthine), Privateers, Dr Saleon, Dead Scientists, and part of Cerberus.

 

Level 46

 

Points: +1 (88)

 

Barrier 7 (Advanced)

Basic Armor 5 (Shield Boost, Unlock Pistols)

Pistols 12 (Master Marksman)

Throw 6 (Basic, Unlock Lift)

Lift 12 (Master)

Warp 7 (Advanced, Unlock Singularity)

Singularity 12 (Master)

Assault Rifles 8 (Advanced Overkill)

Bastion 9 (Barrier Specialization)

Spectre Training 4 (Unity)

Intimidate 10 (4 freebies)

 

No matter how you alternate between Barrier and Singularity starting at 36, by 46 you should have both Advanced Barrier and Master Singularity.

 

The Adept in terms of relative power should be strongest compared to the enemies in this region of levels as you have all of the important powers and decent levels of some support talents, as well as decent equipment.  The same is basically true of any class as long as some care has been taken to level them.

 

In general terms for reaching this level, completing Cerberus, Hades Dog, Espionage Probe, and some Citadel quests should get you to around 42.  Landing on Feros then working through it will let you hit 44 by about the time you go on the Skyway, and then 46 by the time you are wrapping up ExoGeni HQ.

 

From this point on it is hard to go wrong and really it is up to personal preference.  Maxing Barrier by Level 51 might be a good idea.  Or you can get Stasis and Stasis Specialization.

[mesiasmith]

Wowww, this is one of the awesome thread to adept.

 

Bookmark and pinned !!

[RedCaesar97]

Nice guide capn.

 

Does this guide assume you have the full XP bonus from achievements or not?

 

With the full XP bonus, you can leave the Citadel around level 11, provided you do all the missions there first. The only Charm/Intimidate check you cannot pass at that time is Chellik, but that is not really needed anyway.

[Alfonsedode]

Nice guide Capn !

U(I) might have wanted to highlight change at each step (;p) but, this way is more all around if not read all at once.

 

edit : Any reason not to finish all citadel buisiness asap ? For example SHaira blanket was quickly usefull with some protean artifact early in game.

 

 

I just missed a charm check at level 10, I think with exogeni before zhu's hope return. but the intimidate one was ok. I think i maxxed intimidate, too bad . I like having those maxxed, but should have check how much is needed...

Just got the HWSMR AR selling all my equipment .

HWSMR X are reserved for NG+ ?

[capn233]

Nice guide capn.

 

Does this guide assume you have the full XP bonus from achievements or not?

 

With the full XP bonus, you can leave the Citadel around level 11, provided you do all the missions there first. The only Charm/Intimidate check you cannot pass at that time is Chellik, but that is not really needed anyway.

 

Yeah I referenced a run I did for the levels, but in that one I didn't do anything besides Dr Michel's quest before leaving the Citadel to get the Spectre pistol.  In this scheme you do have enough intimidate to do Presidium Prophet and other stuff before taking command of Normandy.

 

I just mentioned missions as a reference, I didn't want to make it seem like the guide was built for a specific mission path necessarily, but since more people mention issues with the Battlemaster than Benezia or the Thorian I just assumed Therum would be first, which is also how I play the game most often anyway.

 

Nice guide Capn !

U(I) might have wanted to highlight change at each step (;p) but, this way is more all around if not read all at once.

 

edit : Any reason not to finish all citadel buisiness asap ? For example SHaira blanket was quickly usefull with some protean artifact early in game.

 

 

I just missed a charm check at level 10, I think with exogeni before zhu's hope return. but the intimidate one was ok. I think i maxxed intimidate, too bad . I like having those maxxed, but should have check how much is needed...

Just got the HWSMR AR selling all my equipment .

HWSMR X are reserved for NG+ ?

 

You can do all the Citadel stuff before leaving to take command of the Normandy, but it isn't required.  Dr Michel's quest and then acquiring the HMWP VII is something I would recommend because it alters the damage output of your team fairly substantially.  Or if you skip pistols, getting the HMWA VII will be a boon as well, although not quite to the same amount since you don't have late game mods yet.

 

Ethan Jeong is supposed to take 12 Charm (tied for highest charm check) or 10 Intimidate (tied for highest intimidate check depending on Saren conversation options, otherwise second highest).  I don't know why you didn't pass it with 10.

 

Sha'ira's token is used on Eletania during Lost Module.  I don't bother with that sidequest until I do Feros since it is in the same cluster.  If you plan to go to Feros for the first story planet, then I would do Sha'ira's quest before taking command of Normandy.

 

Regarding Spectre weapon unlocks, you have to have the Rich achievement to unlock them, and then for X you have to hit Level 50 since they are X level items in stores.  You have to be Level 37 or higher for the VII's the first time you unlock them, but in subsequent playthroughs with the Rich achievement, they are available basically immediately.

[capn233]

Weapon Generalities

 

There are a lot of old AR bonus adept builds that have 0 in armor and 0 in pistols.  The reasoning is that you can save those points and leveled ARs beat pistols outside of marksman.

 

My view is that Shepard is probably going to deal most of the weapon damage, and since early game pistols are largely better than early game ARs I tend towards pistols and Marksman.

 

I don't mention Snipers in this guide at all.  If you take them you will likely find they require a somewhat steep investment in talents, or buying the Spectre rifle early.  Also it is completely useless to attempt the "grenade launcher" rifle if you do not have the talent.  Even with max combat optics in both slots on a high level Spectre rifle, the HE shot is not accurate enough to be worth your effort.

 

Defense

 

I make Barrier Specialization a bigger priority than higher levels of Barrier.  If you think you will have a lot of issues with defense, then you can consider skipping out somewhere else to improve Barrier.  But really the biggest threats are shield bypass attacks anyway, and higher levels of Barrier aren't guaranteed to stop them, depending on your level and the specific armor you have.  For the massed lower tier enemies, you will be relying on you and your squad's CC to limit their damage rather than trying to tank it all with Barrier.

 

If you keep Shepard in decent light armor you shouldn't run into too many problems.  That means the Hahne-Kedar family for most of the game typically, but Rosenkov is ok later, and there are some other suits that aren't too bad.  The last run I did as an Adept used Onyx IV for the bulk of the game though, so whether or not this is a necessity depends on experience and strategy.  Colossus X is the king, although Armax Predator L isn't too bad.

 

Barrier Glitches

 

Shield Boost apparently will interfere with the barrier regen from Barrier Specialization.  I basically don't use Shield Boost on an Adept so this is never an issue for me.

 

Something which is more important for Vanguards but is somewhat important for Shotgun Adepts is the glitch between Carnage and Advanced Barrier where Carnage can cause Barrier to deactivate.

 

Lift Glitch

 

For some reason, if you target a specific enemy with Lift, the radius may be ignored and other targets will not be affected.  I think this may be why many older guides leveled Singularity faster and higher than Lift.  The simple work around is to target the floor in between the enemies you want to Lift, and it should work correctly.

 

Miscellaneous Comments

 

Also it probably goes without saying that there are several different builds that are good for adept and there are plenty of different ways to level it and be successful as a new character.  The above is something I think is relatively balanced in terms of CC damage and defense.

[Alfonsedode]

Ethan Jeong is supposed to take 12 Charm (tied for highest charm check) or 10 Intimidate (tied for highest intimidate check depending on Saren conversation options, otherwise second highest).  I don't know why you didn't pass it with 10.

 

I did pass the intimidate check, not the charm one, that s all. My english had been pooir

[KrrKs]

Regarding Spectre weapon unlocks, you have to have the Rich achievement to unlock them, and then for X you have to hit Level 50 since they are X level items.  You have to be Level 37 or higher for the VII's the first time you unlock them, but in subsequent playthroughs with the Rich achievement, they are available basically immediately.

Fixed

[capn233]

Fixed

 

Yeah

[BloodyMares]

Nice guide! Are you going to write similar ones for other Shepard classes? 

[capn233]

If someone thought it would be helpful I guess I could.

[Sanger6]

Thanks for the guide. There is so much information out there it is overwhelming. I for one would love to see more builds for all classes from people who know the game. I am a TOTAL newbie to the Mass Effect world. From all I have read so far, I am going to do my first ever run as soldier class. I am interested in playing as all classes eventually. Wish me luck! 

[The Grey Ranger]

Nice guide capn233, I like the idea of by level class builds for newer players.  I haven't touched the series for quite a while, I may have to dust them off again.

[capn233]

Thanks for the guide. There is so much information out there it is overwhelming. I for one would love to see more builds for all classes from people who know the game. I am a TOTAL newbie to the Mass Effect world. From all I have read so far, I am going to do my first ever run as soldier class. I am interested in playing as all classes eventually. Wish me luck! 

 

Good luck.

 

Nice guide capn233, I like the idea of by level class builds for newer players.  I haven't touched the series for quite a while, I may have to dust them off again.

 

Thanks.  I still like playing this series.

[SergeTroy]

@ capn233 - This guide and your Soldier Guide have become very important for me as I knock out my list of Achievements!  Using this and the Completionist Guide of Mass Effect Wiki has made everything so much easier.  Once I've finished my current playthrough, I'll have everything unlocked except for the Tech Bonus Talents, three Allies (Kaidan (screw that guy ), Liara, & Wrex), and the Hardcore & Insanity badges (which I'm not as concerned about, moving on to ME2.

[Abraham_uk]

With my adept I went for maxing out warp, barrier, bastion, shield boost and pistols.

I was going for a pistol commando type build.

 

Warp is a debuff so that I can blitz foes with my pistols. Pistols + warp + marksman = really high single target dps.

Then have a bunch of points in the other biotic powers to add some crowd control into the mix.

 

Does this build sound solid?

Would I have been better off playing a vanguard?

[cap and gown]

With my adept I went for maxing out warp, barrier, bastion, shield boost and pistols.

I was going for a pistol commando type build.

 

Warp is a debuff so that I can blitz foes with my pistols. Pistols + warp + marksman = really high single target dps.

Then have a bunch of points in the other biotic powers to add some crowd control into the mix.

 

Does this build sound solid?

Would I have been better off playing a vanguard?

 

Not unless you take Singularity as a bonus talent. Singularity is truly an awesome CC device since it catches many more enemies than Lift. The one drawback is that it doesn't work on Armatures and Colossus's. For that I think you need master lift.

 

OTOH, in the ME1 playthrough I just did, I decided to go with a Vanguard with sniper rifle bonus. Why? Because I don't like pistols and decided to use the shotgun as a assault rifle substitute.

[RedCaesar97]

With my adept I went for maxing out warp, barrier, bastion, shield boost and pistols.

I was going for a pistol commando type build.

 

Warp is a debuff so that I can blitz foes with my pistols. Pistols + warp + marksman = really high single target dps.

Then have a bunch of points in the other biotic powers to add some crowd control into the mix.

 

Does this build sound solid?

Would I have been better off playing a vanguard?

 

With that focus, then yes, you probably would have been better off playing as a Vanguard since you were not using on Throw, Lift, Stasis, or Singularity. Vanguard would have given you Medium Armor and Adrenaline Burst and still given you Warp and Barrier.

[capn233]

With my adept I went for maxing out warp, barrier, bastion, shield boost and pistols.

I was going for a pistol commando type build.

 

Warp is a debuff so that I can blitz foes with my pistols. Pistols + warp + marksman = really high single target dps.

Then have a bunch of points in the other biotic powers to add some crowd control into the mix.

 

Does this build sound solid?

Would I have been better off playing a vanguard?

 

This is a late reply, so it probably won't help, but as others said it would have been easier on Vanguard because of medium armor, although it depends on what other points you put in other powers like Singularity.  Assault Training also helps with weapon damage.

 

Personally I don't like Shield Boost in this game.  Barrier is a pretty powerful by itself when leveled up, and the side effect of the damage protection in the armor line isn't very noticeable if you can keep pace with level appropriate armor.

 

There are a lot of ways to get through the game though.

[RanetheViking]

Nice guide capn.

 

Does this guide assume you have the full XP bonus from achievements or not?

 

With the full XP bonus, you can leave the Citadel around level 11, provided you do all the missions there first. The only Charm/Intimidate check you cannot pass at that time is Chellik, but that is not really needed anyway.

No you can pass the Charm/Renegade check with Chellik before leaving the Citadel. I usually do it either last thing or alongside Dr Michels mission before heading up to get the last XP for scanning the last of the Keepers at the Docking Bay.