Playing the game now (finally), I'm enjoying myself but-
CHARGE-LESS, NOVA-LESS, VANGUARD FEELS WEIRD, GUYS. I feel like a lame version of a tech-less sentinel. ;_;
I now appreciate even more the wonders that are the combat of ME2 and ME3. . .though I do admit that I like wandering around the Citadel pointing a shotgun at random people and not getting in trouble. . .
You don't have charge but you can sprint at like 100kph or something ridiculous and ragdoll things by punching them in the face or shooting them with your shotgun. Leveling lift high enough will also let you levitate geth primes and armatures.
Basically, get some medium armor, barrier and shotgun damage bonuses. Use your biotics to ragdoll everything so you can punch it in the face and shove a shotgun down it's throat. Bring Wrex and Tali, the former because he's invincible and has a shotgun, the latter because she can open boxes/ fix the Mako and has a shotgun (your squad's AI is derpy and they tend to just stick close to you even if they've a sniper and you've a shotgun). Get in close and kill everything to death.
Lots of people optimize the vanguard by running only a pistol like some wussy adept, but they're cowards and fools who should be eaten.
Lots of people optimize the vanguard by running only a pistol like some wussy adept, but they're cowards and fools who should be eaten.
Mainly because:
- Pistol with Master Marksman has the greatest DPS (Damage Per Second) in the game.
- Adrenaline Burst resets all powers. So you can Pull > Singularity (if you have it) > Throw > Warp, then use Adrenaline Burst to reset your powers and do it again. It makes for greater crowd control than the Adept can manage.
- There is an apparent bug where if you use Carnage (the shotgun skill), it will turn off your Barrier skill if it was activated.
I like using shotguns in ME1, but generally Pistols with Master Marksman wins out. And I never really liked Carnage anyway; I thought it was a lackluster power.
. . .Wrex isn't invincible, dies from rockets all the time. ;_;
My team is Wrex and Garrus. Garrus is semi useless as I've specced him for snipers, but Wrex does a good job. . .when not getting hit in the face by rockets.
. . .I just got off the Citadel after derping about and getting lost. I'm now doing the Bring Down the Sky mission:
I love the Mako, but I just got out of it and am fighting all those darn defensive turrets with my shotgun. The XP is juicy.
Melee is fine and dandy in this game, but the stamina is so short that its not worth charging most of the time. . .I Miss the glorious biotic charge and barrier regeneration of it. ;_;
I've just been using Carnage, Barrier, Throw, and the Elbow of Justice to solve everything.
Mainly because:
- Pistol with Master Marksman has the greatest DPS (Damage Per Second) in the game.
- Adrenaline Burst resets all powers. So you can Pull > Singularity (if you have it) > Throw > Warp, then use Adrenaline Burst to reset your powers and do it again. It makes for greater crowd control than the Adept can manage.
- There is an apparent bug where if you use Carnage (the shotgun skill), it will turn off your Barrier skill if it was activated.
I like using shotguns in ME1, but generally Pistols with Master Marksman wins out. And I never really liked Carnage anyway; I thought it was a lackluster power.
Oh I understand the logic behind it. Pistols are completely OP in ME1 and the hybrid classes are basically better versions of the standard ones. You can make a similar argument for pistol infiltrator vs engineer, for instance, but I just prefer playing the weapons classes using their signature weapons.
Carnage isn't bad other than the bug IMO. I've always fired it from range at the start of engagements, before putting up barrier. A quick overload before usually ensures a dead or nearly dead mid tier mook. It's lackluster on the player compared to MM, Overkill or even Assassination, but IMO it's the best weapon talent for squadmates most of the time (given their derp targeting AI).
. . .Wrex isn't invincible, dies from rockets all the time. ;_;
My team is Wrex and Garrus. Garrus is semi useless as I've specced him for snipers, but Wrex does a good job. . .when not getting hit in the face by rockets.
. . .I just got off the Citadel after derping about and getting lost. I'm now doing the Bring Down the Sky mission:
I love the Mako, but I just got out of it and am fighting all those darn defensive turrets with my shotgun. The XP is juicy.
Melee is fine and dandy in this game, but the stamina is so short that its not worth charging most of the time. . .I Miss the glorious biotic charge and barrier regeneration of it. ;_;
I've just been using Carnage, Barrier, Throw, and the Elbow of Justice to solve everything.
All teammates like to take rockets to the face if left alone. Wrex is best at shrugging them off because he has both barrier and immunity. You just have to micromanage him, which goes for everyone else as well. You should probably spec into spectre training for unity ASAP if you don't like soloing a lot early game.
Given the way the AI just sort of shadows you, as a vanguard you should probably take Tali instead of Garrus, as she has most of the same abilites but early game is a little tankier (armor and spec dependant), can get better cooldowns on tech talents and has a shotgun, thus another source of carnage. Garrus is somewhat better tech specialist to have for a ranged setup, because he'll actually do some damage instead of just spamming shotgun at guys who are 400m away. Kaidan can open boxes/ fix Mako like those two and also rekt things with OP ME1 biotics, but I don't like him as much as muh turian and muh quarian squadmates :3.
But- I NEED THE BROFORCE IN FULL POWER, QMR! TALI IS NOT PART OF THE BRO FORCE AND NEITHER IS KAIDEN. ;_;
I've just been soloing Veteran so far and having htem around as distractions and the means to open up boxes. . .this makes me miss ME:MP. So much. I'm spoiled, guys. Spoiled rotten.
I hate shotguns, always play the Vanguard class with assault rifle or heavy pistol.
I dare to say ME1 Vanguards aren't representative of the Vanguard Master Race 
I dare to say ME1 Vanguards aren't representative of the Vanguard Master Race
This is the only reason I regret playing ME1 now.
Otherwise? Enjoyable enough. Wish I didn't have to grab Liara for this journey but- *SIGH*.
This is the only reason I regret playing ME1 now.
Otherwise? Enjoyable enough. Wish I didn't have to grab Liara for this journey but- *SIGH*.
Well you don't have to get Liara until near the end of the game, though she will get bent about it. Similarly you needn't get Wrex or Garrus at all if you don't want to, and they just hang out on the Citadel. The progression in which you complete the missions in ME1 is great, because you can do them in pretty much whatever order you wish after leaving the Citadel.
Well you don't have to get Liara until near the end of the game, though she will get bent about it. Similarly you needn't get Wrex or Garrus at all if you don't want to, and they just hang out on the Citadel. The progression in which you complete the missions in ME1 is great, because you can do them in pretty much whatever order you wish after leaving the Citadel.
But I have to get Liara and I don't wanna. ;_;
But I have to get Liara and I don't wanna. ;_;
If you really don't like her, there's some funny renegade dialogue you can shout at her if you wait until after Feros, Noveria and Virmire to pick her up, leaving only Ilos and the final battle where you actually have her on the crew. Typical of ME1, you can also treat her like garbage in dialouge unlike in ME2 and 3.
Doesn't really matter in the long run. You still need her to translate the beacon/ cipher, and she still saves Shepard's body, and can't be killed unlike every other ME1 squadmate, but if you hate her that much than you can at least express it a bit.
But I have to get Liara and I don't wanna. ;_;
Space magic!
Just enjoy being a d*ck to her in ME1 now you can. ME 2 and 3 you are forced to be her best friend.
While ME3 Vanguard is the bee's knees, ME1's was kind of a powerhouse. I could ragdoll the sh** out of whole groups of baddies with max throw, lift up colossi and finish things off with my shotgun (or bonus ability assault rifle). It's easily my favorite out of that game, despite just not having that same in-your-face mayhem as the new hotness version.
Feros, AKA the: "Run over everything with Mako, glitch it into the base then Garrus keeps dying and force ammo in a Hurricane IV and the elbow of justice is hilarious for fighting the Thorian Creepers.' Simulator.
. . .and I can't wait for that glorious Sass-fest.
Feros, AKA the: "Run over everything with Mako, glitch it into the base then Garrus keeps dying and force ammo in a Hurricane IV and the elbow of justice is hilarious for fighting the Thorian Creepers.' Simulator.
. . .and I can't wait for that glorious Sass-fest.
yep, hammerhead rounds+ shotgun= good stuff.
Garrus is really squishy early game, probably the character that will get downed most often. He gets better when you level up his electronics (which you need for boxes and Mako anyway) and get him a decent set of armor. If you really want, just make a save on the Normandy then reload over and over while checking with the Requisitions officer until you get what you want. The shop items will change due to RNG. Goes for any equipment, really.
Oh I have good equipment, he just kept insisting on standing infront of me, with a sniper rifle, so that he could get vomited on. I eventually let him.
Now the Broforce is on Noveria. No Liara. 
The true Biotic Soldier. ME1 Vanguard is my favorite Vanguard. I basically go full Adept, with a Shotgun.
Oh I have good equipment, he just kept insisting on standing infront of me, with a sniper rifle, so that he could get vomited on. I eventually let him.
Now the Broforce is on Noveria. No Liara.
I usually take him to Feros too even though he's poorly suited for the sections with the creepers and krogan, mostly because he mentions hating the Thorian later in ME3 conversation with Tali. I always bring those two for certain battles because roleplay I guess.
Noveria's fun especially with Wrex along (for the famous line about fools). Prepare for some really, comically bad voice acting from asari Deanna Troi.
But I have to get Liara and I don't wanna. ;_;
I feel ya. I really do. Stupid debriefing hijacks.
Never buy anything from Vanguards, they charge too much.
You motherlover. 
. . . 
Noveria, AKA the: 'Very limited Auto-save check points and you're stupid enough to melee all the rachni babies which means you have to drive all the way back to Peak 15 because you forgot to save once arriving. Also old blue woman cleavage camera angles galore Bioware please' simulator.
Also:
Virmire, AKA the: 'I just realized how uneventful this whole moment in this game was. The dialogue quality and the animations really didn't do the moment justice or make things seem alive. Also somehow launched myself into the air and punched Saren in the face.' simulator.
Double feature for you folks. :U
Welp.
I've finished Mass Effect, and di so in a way that satisfied my indifference of Liara, plus gave me a better understanding of just how far the combat has gone in the series.
I now see that the combat, while not bad in its own right, would not have worked with the way in which its descendants were written or laid out. Vanguards, in particular, felt more like a soldier with space magic than they did a frontline soldier.
Back to top
