30 réponses à ce sujet

[niniendowarrior]

I've been reading this thread: http://forum.bioware...he-trade-volus/

 

Really good volus thread and I enjoy using the volus kits generally.  However, I still don't quite get how to use the heavy melee.  Every time I think of using it, I am helpless.  I find cloaking and shield boosting as perfect tools to get away and keeping my volii alive.  I'm surprised how the thread talks about how good heavy melee is, and I can't really see how that's the case.  So, how should one use it?

 

Another thing that I don't really use is the volus protector thing.  Biotic charge seems like a good way to die most of the time.  One of my old friends recommended the batarian gauntlet and that just made that kit suck even more. lol.  Any tips on how I should spec this little guy would be splendid.

 

I love the volus sentinel and the combat drone, but I'm curious as to whether you should spec rockets or shock on the last evolution.  I understand the explosion being a good way of dealing damage, but I think the rockets seem to kill more stuff in my experience.

 

Any thoughts and insight is appreciated.

[Jeremiah12LGeek]

I'll answer to the best of my ability, though I'm no Volus expert.

 

- The Heavy Melee requires a bit of planning because there's an animation to it. However, it does make you effectively immune to damage for a brief period, followed by a gradual loss of damage reduction offset by a gradual restoration of shields. It is another way to reduce damage and recover shields, so in combination with his other abilities, it is very useful. Mainly during cooldowns for powers during heavy fire situations, or tanking enemies momentarily when other options aren't available.

 

- Biotic Charge serves a similar niche, except in a very offensive way. It provides invulnerability frames and restores shields. Another tool in his arsenal that shouldn't be underestimated. Vanguards take some learning to avoid killing oneself regularly, but otherwise are very powerful and easy to use.

 

- I believe the choice between rockets and shock depends on the earlier choices made in the tree. If you have chosen close range bonuses, don't take rockets, as they will interfere with each other and reduce effectiveness.

[Arkhne]

As a fairly decent (read: Competent) Volus player, and someone who regularly (read: Most days) with Monomyth, who is probably the best damned Volus (and Warlord) I have ever seen, I'd like to think I could add something to the discussion. However, I am mostly just going to agree with everything Jeremiah said, he seems to have a good grasp of the right way to do things in this case.

 

The difficult part is practice. I can not stress this enough, the timing of the Volus abilities is the hardest bit. Also, if you're rocking the Sentinel more, then I find cloak is more useful than bubble, since you should be aggro-dumping on your pets. Sentinel is about aggro control, Adept is about damage mitigation (the one to learn bubble and shield boost timings). I also find Engineer is great for learning cooldown management. As to the Protector, I do play him as a BatGlove maniac, but only against Geth, learning that on Gold can be difficult, the secret of that is BatGlove's DR with Biotic Charge's iframes, which is again a timing thing.

[Brannigans 1ove]

Personally I take the shock and detonate evolutions on both the drone and decoy, and whilst everything is staggered or distracted, I melt them with my PPR.

 

For the vanguard, always try to cloak before charging.  I take a lightweight shotgun on him, Piranha or Wraith.

[niniendowarrior]

Thanks for the useful answers.  My lasting memory of using heavy melee was when my lancer ran out of ammo and a Cerberus Trooper was in front of me readying the melee baton.  I throw up heavy melee and I notice that I cannot move nor get out of the situation.  So, it seems to me that most volus kits is about staying away and out of harms way while dealing the most amount of damage possible.  Obviously, I don't know how to use the heavy melee, but if the enemy finds a way to be standing right in front of you, then, it seems like you'd be playing the volus wrong, no?

 

Using heavy melee against the banshee's warp ball is ingenious though.  Never even crossed my mind.  Does it work with the praetorian cheese beams?

 

I do use the sentinel a lot more than all the other volus kits.  I slap the adas rifle (because I can't aim) on him, and drop the drone to let it confuse enemies.  I spec the drone (all my combat drones for that matter) with exploding evolution and rockets.  In my experience in both Wii U and PC, I've never seen the exploding drone kill anything and I thought putting all the shock evolutions would do that.

 

I am also curious as to how useful decoy is on the sentinel.  Other friends of mine say nobody will notice the decoy due to the height of the volus.  At the moment, I've specced out of the decoy.  Anyone know the efficacy of this?

 

As the engineer, I definitely have a harder time than the sentinel for some reason.  It seems to be an issue with how to effectively use the recon mine.  I've gotten a bit better with it, but I'm probably still a scrub.

 

The protector with the batgloves still seems very crazy to me.  In fairness, I've never really learned how to use the gloves.  Everytime I try to use it, I miss.  The wind up time before the strike is also the moments my volus go down.  I guess that the timing of biotic charge's DR and bat gloves is just way too tight for me.  Not sure how I should be speccing the kit as biotic charge means going up close, and that's just a death sentence. lol.

[niniendowarrior]

Personally I take the shock and detonate evolutions on both the drone and decoy, and whilst everything is staggered or distracted, I melt them with my PPR.

 

For the vanguard, always try to cloak before charging.  I take a lightweight shotgun on him, Piranha or Wraith.

 

For decoy to be of any use, the enemies have to be close to the decoy and thus, you also, no?  Just wondering how you use the decoy.

 

I didn't even know it was possible for the cloak to stay while using biotic charge.  Maybe I should slap the talon with him for a shotgun-like effect after charge.

[LemurFromTheId]

First rule of playing Volus: spec out of Shield Boost. Ain't got time for dat when you're killing enemies, and you won't annoy your teammates by jamming their Claymores.

 

Decoy works just fine against all factions, and it doesn't have to be close to the enemies. Place it in a visible spot (you can put it on top of many obstacles) while you yourself are out of sight, and it will draw a lot of fire.

[Dalakaar]

Few examples of how I use their Heavy Melee.

 

Banshee:

 - When she's Warp Balling turn it on for when the visual connects - variable with lag - then shut it off and get back to doing damage.

 - When she's doing her AoE Scream and you know you're going to get hit tap it on for the initial burst. It breaks your bubble but soaks some damage.

 - Don't try to use it when she's in her claw swipe animation. That you just really need to soak the shieldboost and gtfo. The reason is that she can become continuously looped in that animation, and it can kill you by endless stagger.

 

Ravager

 - Great for soaking swarmers on your windshield when you're out of rockets.

 

Dragoon

 - Will stagger him in his wind up smash animation. Will stagger his two friends in their smash animations too.

1v3 Dragoon Hit Squad: Best Used With A Shotgun

When you see them...

Shieldboost (You're going to take damage.)

Run at them in a completely comical fashion as the lone volus charges headlong into their midst. Try to gather them as evenly as possible.

Tap Heavy Melee on then off.

All three get punted back.

Choose the ugliest one.

Aim at it.

Shoot where you're going to hit (center mass, Headshot, whatever works)

His friends are probably back on their feet again.

Position yourself between them.

Repeat.

...This is one of those circumstances where heavy melee isn't used to soak damage, but as Crowd Control. You have to soak the damage with Shieldboost, which normally isn't the greatest way to do things. But if it lets you get up close to the Goonsquad where you can singlehandedly start tossing them around and making shortrange shotgun kills it's worth it. It's messy as tactics go though. It's definitely not the mid-long range RHA standard.

 

Atlas

 - Incoming rocket, Shields up!

 

Prime

 - Drone incin stopper.

 

If you ever take a DoT due to AoE damage you can Heavy Melee to counteract the damage if you're close and gated, or just have the time to kill.

 

Essentially, for most of the enemy units in the game it's a spammable aoe stun that has no diminishing returns and costs nothing to use except a short amount of time. You can literally stunlock the enemy. You have to play him at close range though.

Thanks for the useful answers.  My lasting memory of using heavy melee was when my lancer ran out of ammo and a Cerberus Trooper was in front of me readying the melee baton.  I throw up heavy melee and I notice that I cannot move nor get out of the situation.  So, it seems to me that most volus kits is about staying away and out of harms way while dealing the most amount of damage possible.  Obviously, I don't know how to use the heavy melee, but if the enemy finds a way to be standing right in front of you, then, it seems like you'd be playing the volus wrong, no?

Close range volus is great.

 

***

 

I don't take the Volus Protector, aka...

...very often. The only time I really enjoy playing him is hosting, which I rarely do.

 

When I do play him, I spec for power damage, and bonus charge on Biotic Charge. I attempt to play an eye-level game of pin-ball.

 

***

 

Shock and Detonation Drone/Decoy can do some hefty damage output but are probably the hardest things to get damage done with. Decoy works extremely well on some enemies and is almost completely useless against other enemies.

 

For my part, the enemies it works on (Primes, Phantoms) give it enough of a strategic edge to keep it in the arsenal.

 

***

 

I hate the Batglove on all my Volus now. But it's definitely something to play at least once in your life. (Albeit maybe not on Platinum.)

 

[niniendowarrior]

First rule of playing Volus: spec out of Shield Boost. Ain't got time for dat when you're killing enemies, and you won't annoy your teammates by jamming their Claymores.

 

Decoy works just fine against all factions, and it doesn't have to be close to the enemies. Place it in a visible spot (you can put it on top of many obstacles) while you yourself are out of sight, and it will draw a lot of fire.

I shield boost responsiblyTM.  Normally I use it only for me and the only time I ever use it with the intention of restoring someone else's shield is after revive.  Gives me a nice warm feeling of being useful for a change. I personally don't have fun with a volus that cannot shield boost.  It's there, use it.  Just try not to clog someone else's game.  I play volus usually at long range and away from anybody.  Plus, I use shield boost to keep myself up and firing my adas rifle to deal more damage. 

 

I may try to respec to put in some decoy points.  I will definitely have to rethink on the points spent though.

[niniendowarrior]

Few examples of how I use their Heavy Melee.

 

Banshee:

 - When she's Warp Balling turn it on for when the visual connects - variable with lag - then shut it off and get back to doing damage.

 - When she's doing her AoE Scream and you know you're going to get hit tap it on for the initial burst. It breaks your bubble but soaks some damage.

 - Don't try to use it when she's in her claw swipe animation. That you just really need to soak the shieldboost and gtfo. The reason is that she can become continuously looped in that animation, and it can kill you by endless stagger.

 

Ravager

 - Great for soaking swarmers on your windshield when you're out of rockets.

 

Dragoon

 - Will stagger him in his wind up smash animation. Will stagger his two friends in their smash animations too.

1v3 Dragoon Hit Squad: Best Used With A Shotgun

When you see them...

Shieldboost (You're going to take damage.)

Run at them in a completely comical fashion as the lone volus charges headlong into their midst. Try to gather them as evenly as possible.

Tap Heavy Melee on then off.

All three get punted back.

Choose the ugliest one.

Aim at it.

Shoot where you're going to hit (center mass, Headshot, whatever works)

His friends are probably back on their feet again.

Position yourself between them.

Repeat.

...This is one of those circumstances where heavy melee isn't used to soak damage, but as Crowd Control. You have to soak the damage with Shieldboost, which normally isn't the greatest way to do things. But if it lets you get up close to the Goonsquad where you can singlehandedly start tossing them around and making shortrange shotgun kills it's worth it. It's messy as tactics go though. It's definitely not the mid-long range RHA standard.

 

Atlas

 - Incoming rocket, Shields up!

 

Prime

 - Drone incin stopper.

 

If you ever take a DoT due to AoE damage you can Heavy Melee to counteract the damage if you're close and gated, or just have the time to kill.

 

Essentially, for most of the enemy units in the game it's a spammable aoe stun that has no diminishing returns and costs nothing to use except a short amount of time. You can literally stunlock the enemy. You have to play him at close range though.

Close range volus is great.

 

***

 

I don't take the Volus Protector, aka...

 

...very often. The only time I really enjoy playing him is hosting, which I rarely do.

 

When I do play him, I spec for power damage, and bonus charge on Biotic Charge. I attempt to play an eye-level game of pin-ball.

 

***

 

Shock and Detonation Drone/Decoy can do some hefty damage output but are probably the hardest things to get damage done with. Decoy works extremely well on some enemies and is almost completely useless against other enemies.

 

For my part, the enemies it works on (Primes, Phantoms) give it enough of a strategic edge to keep it in the arsenal.

 

***

 

I hate the Batglove on all my Volus now. But it's definitely something to play at least once in your life. (Albeit maybe not on Platinum.)

 

Some really good tips on using heavy melee there.  Thank you very much for the insight!  Host lag not withstanding, those situations seem perfect.  I've never seen/heard of the heavy melee introducing stagger.  How does this happen? 

 

Seems like I really should put some points on decoy.  Maybe 3 points or so and trade out the last fitness evolution.

[LemurFromTheId]

I've never seen/heard of the heavy melee introducing stagger.  How does this happen? 

 

The bubble pushes enemies away from you. You have to be close, of course.

[Arkhne]

Some really good tips on using heavy melee there.  Thank you very much for the insight!  Host lag not withstanding, those situations seem perfect.  I've never seen/heard of the heavy melee introducing stagger.  How does this happen? 

 

Seems like I really should put some points on decoy.  Maybe 3 points or so and trade out the last fitness evolution.

 

I'm not sure of the exact Force rating, but the love bubble will stagger most things (read: Basically any non-boss).

[niniendowarrior]

Does it happen when the bubble goes up?  Or goes down?  Now I'm intrigued!

[Arkhne]

Does it happen when the bubble goes up?  Or goes down?  Now I'm intrigued!

 

With the first Pulse. Maybe all of them? I don't know, I usually only use it for a single pulse, then I usually have other options available.

[Arktinen]

I just have to say: Volus
Less this: They see me rolling...

 
More this:

That's all.

[Catastrophy]

You can try to cloak before biotic charge. Works best when you come out of their LoS and without aggro. Pack a Reegar and they are in for a big surprise. You can also try to up your DR with a shield boost before charging, though that takes a lot more time. Anyway, it's risky when you don't really know how many enemies there are around.

The HM gives you initially some invincibility for a tiny bit of time. Stagger them enough, kill with your surprise and maybe your biotic charge is up again for another go. On host recommended. Good map knowledge and awareness pretty much required. Remember you cannot vault cover - if you use biotic charge for that you might find the surprise is on you.

[niniendowarrior]

With the first Pulse. Maybe all of them? I don't know, I usually only use it for a single pulse, then I usually have other options available.

I've seen a youtube clip of the heavy melee now.

 

 

I still don't understand what's happening nor how it can so damaging. lol.

[niniendowarrior]

You can try to cloak before biotic charge. Works best when you come out of their LoS and without aggro. Pack a Reegar and they are in for a big surprise. You can also try to up your DR with a shield boost before charging, though that takes a lot more time. Anyway, it's risky when you don't really know how many enemies there are around.

The HM gives you initially some invincibility for a tiny bit of time. Stagger them enough, kill with your surprise and maybe your biotic charge is up again for another go. On host recommended. Good map knowledge and awareness pretty much required. Remember you cannot vault cover - if you use biotic charge for that you might find the surprise is on you.

That's interesting.  Something to ponder on.  The note on host play is a good one.  A laggy biotic charge is as good as none at all and without biotic charge, this kit isn't anything special.

[SweatoftheHamster]

For decoy to be of any use, the enemies have to be close to the decoy and thus, you also, no?  Just wondering how you use the decoy.

 

Decoy works just fine against all factions, and it doesn't have to be close to the enemies. Place it in a visible spot (you can put it on top of many obstacles) while you yourself are out of sight, and it will draw a lot of fire.

 

Also, with the shock decoy, you can place it in a choke point (doorways especially) and it will stagger enemies coming at you. The shock will also totally distract Phantoms and Hunters. (The same is true of the SE's decoy.)

 

My best Volus results have been with 66660 specs, because his fitness is pretty minimal, and you can use CMs instead.

[Catastrophy]

That's interesting.  Something to ponder on.  The note on host play is a good one.  A laggy biotic charge is as good as none at all and without biotic charge, this kit isn't anything special.

Not only that. Off host I've seen shield boost fail the same way as Ops packs and cloak can be iffy under lag, too.

[filippopotame]

Ok, the batglove is fun. But it's also stupid

[SweatoftheHamster]

Ok, the batglove is stupid. But it's also fun.

 

[X] Thunderdome.

[X] Fixed.

[Brannigans 1ove]

For decoy to be of any use, the enemies have to be close to the decoy and thus, you also, no?  Just wondering how you use the decoy.

 

I didn't even know it was possible for the cloak to stay while using biotic charge.  Maybe I should slap the talon with him for a shotgun-like effect after charge.

Put the decoy in choke points and spawns for most effectiveness.  As far as the combat drone is concerned, don't mix explode with rockets.  Rocket drone tries to put distance between itself and it's targets, and therefore when it explodes won't be near anything to cause damage.

[niniendowarrior]

Sound advice from everyone. I'll do a respec and change a few things.

[quebra]

I'll answer to the best of my ability, though I'm no Volus expert.

 

- The Heavy Melee requires a bit of planning because there's an animation to it. However, it does make you effectively immune to damage for a brief period, followed by a gradual loss of damage reduction offset by a gradual restoration of shields. It is another way to reduce damage and recover shields, so in combination with his other abilities, it is very useful. Mainly during cooldowns for powers during heavy fire situations, or tanking enemies momentarily when other options aren't available.

 

- Biotic Charge serves a similar niche, except in a very offensive way. It provides invulnerability frames and restores shields. Another tool in his arsenal that shouldn't be underestimated. Vanguards take some learning to avoid killing oneself regularly, but otherwise are very powerful and easy to use.

 

- I believe the choice between rockets and shock depends on the earlier choices made in the tree. If you have chosen close range bonuses, don't take rockets, as they will interfere with each other and reduce effectiveness.

On the protector, I would add select the multicharge evo for charge, you can get a ridiculos number of charges.  That character has 2 ways to recover shield, BOOST, CHARGE, and disco bubble.  Amazing mobility/survivability, when combined with the cloak.

 

The VOLGINEER is amazing as well.  Reccommend skill glitching all the volus for max builds/fun.