33 réponses à ce sujet

[Ticondurus]

So I've done 1-3 with an Adept, love it.  I did 1-2 with a Sent a while ago (never did 3.)  Was going to start a new playthrough from 1 as an Engineer, but, wanted to ask if it's mostly send the drone in and hang back?  Like, is engineer less active (with weapons and such) then sentinel?  I dont wanna just be in the background and not involved with combat.  I see threads that some people love the engineer.  Seems like biotics trump engineer stuff, but am I wrong?

 

Looking for some thoughts of people on this.  I prefer tech/biotics so Soldier is out for sure.  I have a Renegade Vanguard stuck in two some where (it's ok.)

 

I usually play on Veteran but this time I'm gonna go hardcore.  thanks!

[Miserybot]

Infiltrator.

[RedCaesar97]

1. Was going to start a new playthrough from 1 as an Engineer, but, wanted to ask if it's mostly send the drone in and hang back?  

 

2. Like, is engineer less active (with weapons and such) then sentinel?  I dont wanna just be in the background and not involved with combat.

 

3. I see threads that some people love the engineer.  Seems like biotics trump engineer stuff, but am I wrong?

 

Looking for some thoughts of people on this.  I prefer tech/biotics so Soldier is out for sure.  I have a Renegade Vanguard stuck in two some where (it's ok.)

 

1. Depends. A lot of it has to do with your playstyle, choice of weapons and powers, and so on.

 

In Mass Effect 1, engineer does not have drone. It gained that in ME2. 

 

For the record, I hate both the engineer and sentinel in ME1. Mostly because Tech powers kind of suck in ME1 and tend to be situational. Both the Sentinel and Engineer are kind of squishy:

• Both can only use light armor (least amount of damage protection). Engineer can at least train in light armor to gain some damage protection, which is useful for some enemy attacks that can bypass shields.
• Engineer lacks a good defensive buff; other classes get Barrier or Immunity; Engineer gets neither. Sentinel has barrier at least.

As for Mass Effect 2 again it depends on playstyle and choice of weapons. You can be aggressive with some power setups and weapons (shotguns). Although it has to be more of a passive-aggressive approach. What I mean, is you have to hang back, cast a few powers to set up the enemy, then you can rush in.

 

Sentinel in ME2 can be really aggressive with tech armor. Tech Armor evolved to Assault Armor + passive talent evolved to Guardian + Tech cooldown upgrade =+ shotgun = walking hand grenade of death.  A power-focused Sentinel kind of sucks in my opinion because Tech Armor gets in the way of your other powers.

 

Engineer probably plays better as a caster by hanging back. You can either use powers to remove shields and armor, then use guns to kill, or use guns to remove defenses and then use powers to disable. Up to you. Drone is good for distracting a single enemy at a time. Really effective against most enemies and can make some really tough/annoying enemies useless like YMIR mechs.

 

As for ME3: Both classes can be really aggressive, although their power sets make them better casters. Sentinel specced for mas damage protection with Tech Armor and Fortification can be really tanky, allowing you to use whatever weapons you want. Engineer is probably one of the harder classes to use at first, but can really wreck shop once you know what you are doing. Drone and Turret in ME3 are erratic since some enemies ignore them and they aren't nearly as useful or good as power combos. I think Drone is better than Turret until rank 6, when Turret with Flamethrower becomes the more reliable option.

 

 

2. As I said previously, it depends on your personal playstyle, choice of weapons and powers. In ME2, the Engineer plays better as a caster, but still uses guns/powers about 50/50 split. Assault Sentinel is much more gun-focused, with you running into enemies to make your tech armor explode so it stun everyone while you shoot them to death. Works best with shotguns but SMGs work too. It takes a few missions until it works though; you need Assault Armor, Guardian, and Tech Cooldown upgrade. So Mordin > Archangel > Kasumi's loyalty mission > plus Tech Damage upgrade in citadel store > and maybe a few (side) missions before you are ready to assault.

 

 

3. I think you are wrong. Biotics do not trump tech. Well, in Mass Effect 1 they do. But in Mass Effect 2, the "biotics are weak" are mostly by people who did not like or refused to learn the new game mechanics. Biotics can get hit hard by the various duration penalties that exist in game, but biotic combos (warp bombs and physics combos) more than make up for it. 

 

In Mass Effect 3, they are both about even. Both Adept and Sentinel have throw to detonate and have access to Liara (Singularity) and Javik (Pull/Slam) for comboing often; most enemies do not have protections, so Javik and Liara prime and Shepard detonates.

 

Engineer does not have great squadmates, but has Sabotage (with Tech Vulnerability) which makes them more powerful over time.

 

 

 

Some more help:

Here are some links that may help you:

 

(Mostly Mass Effect 2, with some Mass Effect 1): List of Strategy Guides Found on the Forum compiled by Pacifen. That post was created before a migration to new forum software so some links may not work. Here is the same post but with updated links. And a list of more guides to help you.

 

Mass Effect 3 Single Player: A compilation of strategy guides and discussions compiled by Abraham_uk.

 

I can provide more specific help later if you need it.

[Ticondurus]

thank you RedCaesar for the detailed reply.  I ended up surprising myself and going Vanguard - trying that on Hardcore - doing ME1 first. I picked Singularity as my bonus power.  

 

Any tips on which abilities to focus on maxxing first? I assume pistols to unlock shotguns - what else?

 

ty!

[RedCaesar97]

From (Mass Effect 1) Start of the Journey: Single Playthrough Builds (level 50 builds) by Simbacca:

 

Lvl 49 Vanguard

12  Pistols (Master)

00  Shotguns

08  Assault Training (Advanced)

07  Tactical Armor (unlocks Medium Armor)

08  Throw (Advanced)

12  Lift (Master)

06  Warp (Advanced)

07  Barrier (Advanced)

07  Singularity (Advanced)

12  Shock Trooper

08  Charm (12 at the end because of the 4 free points earned during the one playthrough)

04  Spectre Training (Basic)

 

 

Generally, what I do:

 

1. Start by putting points into available powers. I think Vanguard starts with 1 point in Throw and Warp, so I would put points into Singularity and Assault Training.

 

2. On my first level-up on Eden Prime (level 2), I would put 3 points into Charm/Intimidate. (You can do this first if you want, then put points into powers).

 

3. On the next level up (level 3) I would put 3 points into pistols for Basic Marksman.

 

4. You can finish Eden Prime at level 4, but you do not have enough points to get anything else to basic or advanced, so I would maybe save the points.

 

5. From there, on the Citadel, I would make a beeline to meet the council > track down Garrus (Chora's den > Dr. Michel's office) > recruit Wrex > go after Fist > rescue Tali > go to the council and become a Spectre. This will unlock 1 charm and 1 intimidate point and open up some more charm/intimidate pips in the talent tree. 

 

I like doing that so you can put the 8 points in charm/intimidate as early as possible and get it out of the way. My level up strategy is to also try to get 1 point in all useful powers as soon as possible, so minimum Basic Barrier, Basic Lift, and Basic Shield Boost (armor) as soon as possible, while putting points into Charm/Intimidate.

 

I complete all the quests I can on the Citadel before leaving. A bunch require Charm/Intimidate for the best/easiest outcome so that is why I like having points available.

 

6. I then focus on my passive (Vanguard + specialization). The Rogue VI (Luna) mission unlocks at level 20. You can gain about 2-3 levels while completing Luna so you can save those points for when you get your specialization.

 

7. From there I like putting points into defensive powers, so armor and Barrier. Basically, I like being durable so I do not have to play the game like a cover shooter since the cover mechanics (and combat mechanics in general) can be rather clunky at times. Barrier and shield boost keep your shields up, and medium armor gives you more damage protection.

 

8. Then I would probably level up Pistols (Marksman) to improve your killing, followed by Singularity and Lift. You can always reverse that order if you prefer using powers over shooting, but Master Marksman really improves your killing speed.

 

 

 

If you care only about combat and do note care about passing most charm/intimidate checks (some charm/intimidate options are not really needed and are only there to increase your paragon/renegade score more quickly), you can ignore putting points into charm/intimidate and put them into your powers instead.

 

 

Regarding shotguns: while I like shotguns, I was never really good at using Carnage and never found it all that useful although I know other players really liked it. Maybe that is because I always tend to have Basic Carnage and never found it good, and even when I did have shotguns maxed I was always using Pistols (Master Marksman) or Assault Rifles on Shepard. On the Vanguard, I would just use shotguns as a mediocre backup weapon just in case. Soldier is probably a better shotgun user anyway since the soldier can unlock them with 4 points.

 

Vanguard is really good in Mass Effect 1, one of the best two classes in my opinion (the other is Infiltrator) but it takes longer to build up than say the Adept does.

[Ticondurus]

Thank you! IS there anyway I can do both charm and indimidate? I'm guessing not.  I'm a Paragon-type of guy but sometimes wonder about some intimidate chat avenues.  But, I'm not anti-alien.  Can I put points into both charm and intimidate - max them both out?

 

thanks.

[Miserybot]

(infiltrator)

[RedCaesar97]

You can put points into both Charm and Intimidate, but that means you will have less points to spend on your other powers which makes you less effective in combat. Vanguard is a little point-starved as it with so many good powers (with the better powers locked behind less important powers), you really have to decide which powers you want to skimp on if you want to put points into both charm and intimidate.

 

Conversations that require charm or intimidate checks are a rather small portion of the game and do not affect the trilogy all that much, although it does allow you to bypass some combat sections (you still get the same amount of XP). For example, A high enough charm or intimidate will allow you to bypass fighting Major Kyle's biotic cultists which can be a real pain.

 

The best class to do this on (if you want to do it) is the Soldier, since you do not need to spend a lot of points on the Soldier to make it good. Soldier only really needs:

 - Pistols or Assault Rifles

 - Combat armor (up to rank 7 to get heavy armor)

 - Assault Training (minimum 5 points to unlock fitness)

 - Fitness (Immunity)

 - Soldier passive + specialization

 - (Optional.) minimum 4 points in Spectre Training for Basic Unity. Unity becomes less important

 

This leaves you with a lot of leftover points you can use for charm and intimidate.

[Ticondurus]

lol now I'm thinking about going Engineer again.  But, does an Engineer seem much like a hero to you? No powers really, a nerd?  Saving the galaxy legit?

 

Also, I'm worried that turrets aren't fun.  Can you be a more "active" engineer in battling?  Do some combat yourself and make ur turrets explode or something?

 

I'm going for Liara now but wondering if Engineer is more fun than Vanguard later on.... thoughts?

 

Can Engineer be AS BADASS as a Vanguard with Biotic Charge?

[Miserybot]

Infiltrators can turn invisible. just thought you'd like to know

[LineHolder]

lol now I'm thinking about going Engineer again.  But, does an Engineer seem much like a hero to you? No powers really, a nerd?  Saving the galaxy legit?

 

Also, I'm worried that turrets aren't fun.  Can you be a more "active" engineer in battling?  Do some combat yourself and make ur turrets explode or something?

 

I'm going for Liara now but wondering if Engineer is more fun than Vanguard later on.... thoughts?

 

Can Engineer be AS BADASS as a Vanguard with Biotic Charge?

 

Why can't an Engineer be a hero? They have brains and approach problems with a desire to reach solutions through practical and efficient means. This means that you have to focus more on maximizing your squad's effectiveness by choosing the right ones based on enemy and terrain. Also, learning power combos in ME3 (and to an extent ME2) is key.

 

Not as badass as a Vanguard, I'll give you that. You must have realized that ME3's gameplay is smoother than the other two games. And Vanguards wreck stuff here if you know what you are doing. I have spent a lot of time in its MP so now a Shepard Vanguard feels a lot more limited than something like a Slayer or a Smashguard.

[RedCaesar97]

lol now I'm thinking about going Engineer again.  But, does an Engineer seem much like a hero to you? No powers really, a nerd?  Saving the galaxy legit?

 

Also, I'm worried that turrets aren't fun.  Can you be a more "active" engineer in battling?  Do some combat yourself and make ur turrets explode or something?

 

I'm going for Liara now but wondering if Engineer is more fun than Vanguard later on.... thoughts?

 

Can Engineer be AS BADASS as a Vanguard with Biotic Charge? 

 

i think there is a misconception that Engineer = nerd, but that really is not the case.

 

Think of Engineer as more of a "demolitions expert"; it requires a lot of technical knowledge, but in the end is all about blowing stuff up.

 

Also, a lot of people try to classify the different classes as either a "caster class" (Adept, Engineer, Sentinel) or a "combat class" (Soldier, Vanguard, infiltrator). Personally, I look at them all as "combat classes", with the only difference between whether they are power-focused or weapon-focused. Basically, they all approach combat with a different mentality.

 

 

 

Now the general concensus is that the Engineer in Mass Effect 1 is the worst class in the game, and I agree with that statement. I just finished another Engineer playthrough in ME1 and the whole time I found myself wishing I was playing an Infiltrator instead. I just do not find the tech powers very useful or fun. I think the Engineer improved significantly in ME2 and ME3; it is my favorite class in ME2.

 

 

As for the Engineer being "fun", that is a matter of personal preference and taste, and can also be dependent on your playstyle. To quote anolther player (Stardusk I believe): "There are no boring classes, only boring playstyles." For example, a lot of players find Soldier boring, which tells me they just sat back and tried to shoot things from behind cover the whole time. For more excitement, stick the Claymore on the Soldier and try to run in to get kills, it gets much more fun (at least for me). Some people prefer sniping instead; it is all about preference.

 

In Mass Effect 3, turrets and drones are not all that good, they are erratic and not as effective as using power combos to kill enemies. With the A.I. changes from ME2 to ME3, the drone (and turret) does not distract as effectively or frequently as a lot of people would like. Plus power combos can kill groups of enemies quickly while still providing some stagger, all but making drones and turrets obsolete.

 

That is not to say that you cannot build around drones and turrets. A thread you may find of interest: Incredibly Fun & Insanity-Effective Engineer Build For Console Players by No Snakes Alive. There are some video links in that thread for examples, mostly by me. I did a complete playthrough with a drone-based build. YouTube playlist here.

 

(Important: Attack Rate evolution of Defense Drone is bugged. See YouTube video here.There is BSN thread about it somewhere, but I cannot find it at the moment).

 

Compare this to say Engineer that uses power combos to take enemies down (disclaimer, all vids are mine):

• Power-combo Engineer versus Reapers in Leviathan DLC.
• Power-combo Engineer versus the three Geth Primes on Rannoch.

^ Those are the two best examples I can give showing how powerful the Engineer can be.

 

 

Now, nothing is as aggressive or in-your-face as the Vanguard, probably the most powerful class in the game in regards to killing speed and survivability when using Charge + Nova + guns effectively. And this can be quite fun of course. 

 

 

As always, I like to reference this thread for more Mass Effect 3 build ideas and discussion: Mass Effect 3 Single Player: A compilation of strategy guides and discussions by Abraham_uk.

[Ticondurus]

thanks guys! I'm at Liara now with my Vanguard -- guess I'll see it through - then I could start engineer.  Or changed classes between games but that seems cheap.

 

I did notice that I have less Paragon slots open to use points on than Renegade.  Is it because I choose Ruthless background?  Can I still max out Paragon charm or am I gimped?

 

Also, does Paragon/Renegade meters affect anything? Or do u just need the points in charm/intimidate to open all convo opens? ty.

[Ticondurus]

*double post*

[RedCaesar97]

I did notice that I have less Paragon slots open to use points on than Renegade.  Is it because I choose Ruthless background?  Can I still max out Paragon charm or am I gimped?

 

Also, does Paragon/Renegade meters affect anything? Or do u just need the points in charm/intimidate to open all convo opens? ty.

 

1. When you first start the game, you should have only 3 charm and 3 intimidate slots available to put points into.

 

 

2. Your background and reputation can also give you Charm or Intimidate meter to start the game. 

 

(Sources:

http://forum.bioware...kstory-choices/.)

 

Paragon/Renegade starting point bonuses:

• Spacer + Sole Survivor ----- [+5R, +15P]
• Spacer + War Hero ---------- [+20P]
• Spacer + Ruthless ----------- [+10R]
• Colonist + Sole Survivor ---- [+10P, +10R]
• Colonist + War Hero -------- [+15P]
• Colonist + Ruthless --------- [+15R]
• Earthborn + Sole Survivor - [+15R, +5P]
• Earthborn + War Hero ------ [+10P]
• Earthborn + Ruthless ------- [+20R]

 

 

3. You can max out Paragon even if you start the game with points in the Renegade meter. Likewise you can max out Renegade even if you start the game with points in the Paragon meter.

 

 

4. Filling the Paragon and Renegade meters do provide additional bonuses:

 

(Sources:

http://www.gamefaqs....enegade-bonuses.

http://masseffect.wi...m/wiki/Morality.)

 

Charm meter bonuses:

• 10% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point.
• 25% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point. Bonus: 10% shorter First Aid cooldown.
• 50% – No charm ranks/points. Bonus: 10% maximum health.
• 75% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point. Bonus: 5% reduction in cooldown on all powers. Achievement.
• After reaching 80% Paragon points, Admiral Hackett will give Shepard the UNC: Besieged Base assignment.

Renegade meter bonuses:

• 10% – Opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point.
• 25% – Opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point, 10% reduction in weapon powers cooldown.
• 50% – 1 health regeneration per second.
• 75% – Achievement, opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point, 5% increase in damage/duration on all weapons and powers
• After reaching 80% Renegade points, Admiral Hackett will give Shepard the UNC: The Negotiation assignment.

 

5. Points in the Charm and/or Intimidate talent trees will unlock charm/intimidate options in conversations. I think the highest morality check in the game is to talk down Jeong on Feros (12 charm, and I think 10 intimidate?). Convincing Saren to shoot himself requires 12 charm/intimidate unless you used charm/intimidate with him on Virmire which drops the requirement to 9.

 

Here is a Mass Effect 1 checklist that provides a list of quests, including charm/intimidate options.

[themikefest]

I like engineer. Its the class I have the most fun playing.

 

Never completed a playthrough as a sentinel

[obbie31]

I can concur that engineer is fun in ME3. I don't think nerd is a good assessment of the class. After I attained certain powers I felt like beastly demolitions expert as mentioned. Everything around me was blowing up, and combat turned into a battlefield. I loved Engineer in ME3, but I found it extremely boring in ME2 for some reason.

 

Sentinel is decent also. Its got a lot of areas covered but it doesn't really excel at anything in my opinion. I enjoyed Sentinel way more in ME2. Tech explosions allowed rushing and aggressive play a lot more fun. Using a shotgun with it was great fun. ME3 Sentinel doesn't have the same explosion system as you have to manually detonate it. And as far as I can tell, the tech explosion doesn't have the same blast radius and push back to it. 

[Ticondurus]

I keep thinking Engineer is just make turrets or drones and let them do the work.  Seems like a summoning class - and less active than others.  But RedCaesar I saw your videos that didn't use summons - pretty sweet!

 

Is Engineer SO BAD in Mass Effect 1 that it's worth playing another class in ME1 then changing to Engineer in ME2?

[RedCaesar97]

Is Engineer SO BAD in Mass Effect 1 that it's worth playing another class in ME1 then changing to Engineer in ME2?

 

Yes. Play as an Infiltrator, but spec it like an Engineer (taken from (Mass Effect 1) Start of the Journey: Single Playthrough Builds by Simbacca):

 

Lvl 50 Infiltrator (Pistol) 

12    Pistols (Master)

00    Sniper Rifles

07    Tactical Armor (unlocks Medium Armor)

12    Fitness (Master)

09    Electronics (Master)

06    Damping (Advanced)

09    Decryption (Master)

01    First Aid

12    AI Hacking (Master)

12    Commando or Operative

08    Charm (12 at the end because of the 4 free points earned during the one playthrough)

04    Spectre Training (Basic)

 

 

I have played this twice. As Simbacca points out in the linked thread, the above Infiltrator is essentially an Engineer that traded Neural Shock and it's bonus talent for Immunity and Medium Armor. It is a good trade since it allows you to run around in the open a lot more without needing to worry about being taken down by snipers or a Krogan/Destrpyer/Juggernaught/Prime melee.

 

I have run it twice with the Operative specialization, but it requires two Medical Exoskeleton Xs to have Immunity up constantly. I recommend taking the Commando specialization instead so you can have Immunity up constantly (with minimum the Medical Exoskeleton VIII you get from Dr. Michel). You won't have cooldowns for your tech powers as fast as the Engineer, but you won't care either because the Immunity power is so good.

 

You could also ignore Damping -- which I think is kind of bad anyway -- and put the points into Sniper rifles for a backup weapon, or even ignore AI Hacking and take a weapon talent as your bonus power bonus weapon instead (shotguns or Assault Rifles). The AI Hacking talent tree -- besides giving you the ability to hack synthetics -- also decreases the cooldown of your tech powers (up to -30%). If you only end up caring about the tech talents Electronics and Decryption for unlocking, then you can make it more of a Soldier-like build that can unlock its own crates so you do not have to drag Tali or Garrus around; Kaidan is still useful as you can actually focus on his biotics first instead of his tech.

 

 

This is kind of why I like Infiltrator more than the Soldier and Engineer. You can spec it like a Soldier and gain the ability to unlock everything yourself; or you can spec it like an Engineer and have it be more durable than the Engineer. Plus running around with Wrex and Ashley is loads of fun since no one can take you down.

[Ticondurus]

thanks RedCaesar - good idea!  I will do that I think instead of make an engineer.  Can you comment on my concern about Drones/Summoning?

 

Also, this is my first Hardcore playthrough on ME1.  Snipers one shot me - ugh.  I really can't get in the open without Barrier up.  Here is where I am now - can you/someone critique?

 

Level 17 (got Liara and did most of Citadel quests)

 

Pistols 6

Shotguns 0

Assault Training 5

Tactical Armor 7 (just unlocked medium)

Throw 8

Lift 1

Warp 4

Barrier 1

Singularity 2

Vanguard 1

Charm 8 (maxxed so far)

Intimidate 2

Spectre 0

 

Equipment:

Pistol: Stinger 2 w/ Heat Sink 2 and Radioactive Rounds 2

Amp: Unity Amp 3

Armor: Guardian 3 medium w/ Shield Battery 3

 

I'm running around with Ashley (she just got heavy armor) and Garrus for Decryption/Electronics (he almost has medium).  Are they best choice for a Vanguard?

 

Can you advise where my points should go next - and what gear I should be looking for?  I've got about 12k credits.  Noveria and Feros still to go but doing a few more Citadel missions first.  

 

Thanks!

[RedCaesar97]

Can you comment on my concern about Drones/Summoning?

I'll try. Here is what you asked about Drone/Summoning. Not sure which concern you are referring to, though. I may need clarification.
 

Also, I'm worried that turrets aren't fun.  Can you be a more "active" engineer in battling?  Do some combat yourself and make ur turrets explode or something?

  

I keep thinking Engineer is just make turrets or drones and let them do the work.  Seems like a summoning class - and less active than others.

 
 
In Mass Effect 2, you have to use your Combat Drone. You start with 1 point in it anyway. In ME2, the drone is actually very good. The way the enemy A.I. works in ME2, enemies will focus on shooting the closest threat. for the engineer, that typically means at least one enemy will be focusing on your drone which means you will have one less enemy focusing on you. Combat Drone also has a base 3 second cooldown, which means you cast it out first at the start, then you can start using your other powers.

In Mass Effect 3, the enemy A.I. works differently. Here is a thread by Cyonan about the aggro mechanics. These changes mean that the enemy will not always focus on your drone or turret. In fact I find the drone and turret to be rather underwhelming in terms of damage and distraction. Also, melee creatures (husks, brutes, banshees) will ignore your drone.

 

The combat drone can be specced to explode, both in ME2 and ME3. I rarely use explosive drone in ME2 (I usually use attack drone since I think it is more reliable). When I do use drone in ME3, I usually spec it to explode since I do not particularly think rockets are all that effective sometimes. 

 

But the ME3 engineer is better off ignoring drone and turret completely, just because power combos are more effective at stunning/staggering the enemy, and power combos can kill+stagger groups of enemies more quickly than turret and drone.

 

You can certainly play the engineer as a summoner, but it is decidedly less effective than an engineer that uses other powers and power combos; the summoner engineer also relies on big guns to be more effective. Mind you, the same guns + chain overload + incinerate can pretty much do the same thing. Playing as a summoner engineer is really about playing differently to squeeze more life out of the game instead of playing the same type of engineer over and over again. (I am not saying playing each class the same way every time is boring; I really enjoy certain playstyles for each class. I just like mixing things up to keep the game interesting and fresh.)

 

Combat Drone and Sentry Turret have very short cooldowns. They are meant to compliment your other powers. Basically, you throw them out first so they distract, stun/stagger and deal a little damage, while you then use your other powers and guns to really lay the hurt down on the enemy. Drones and turrets are meant to compliment the other engineer powers, unlike say Biotic Charge+Nova on the Vanguard which can dominate the playstyle at the expensive of the other powers.

[RedCaesar97]

Also, this is my first Hardcore playthrough on ME1.  Snipers one shot me - ugh.  I really can't get in the open without Barrier up.  Here is where I am now - can you/someone critique?

 

Level 17 (got Liara and did most of Citadel quests)

 

Pistols 6

Shotguns 0

Assault Training 5

Tactical Armor 7 (just unlocked medium)

Throw 8

Lift 1

Warp 4

Barrier 1

Singularity 2

Vanguard 1

Charm 8 (maxxed so far)

Intimidate 2

Spectre 0

 

Equipment:

Pistol: Stinger 2 w/ Heat Sink 2 and Radioactive Rounds 2

Amp: Unity Amp 3

Armor: Guardian 3 medium w/ Shield Battery 3

 

I'm running around with Ashley (she just got heavy armor) and Garrus for Decryption/Electronics (he almost has medium).  Are they best choice for a Vanguard?

 

Can you advise where my points should go next - and what gear I should be looking for?  I've got about 12k credits.  Noveria and Feros still to go but doing a few more Citadel missions first.  

 

Thanks!

 

That looks fine. I would start putting points into the Vanguard passive. At level 20, the Luna VI mission will unlock so you can go get your specialization which will improve Barrier for survivability. Spec into Shock Trooper.

 

After that, I would look to improving Barrier for more protection. After that, it depends on whether you want more pistol damage so you can kill quicker, or more points into Lift + Singularity for more crowd control.

[Ticondurus]

ok ty - can I ask which mods are best the weapons/armor?

 

And should there be any that I should buy from a store eventually?

 

Edit: which squadmates are good for a vanguard with this kinda of build? I've been running with Garrus and Ashley but I wanna dump Ashley I think.

[RedCaesar97]

ok ty - can I ask which mods are best the weapons/armor?

 

And should there be any that I should buy from a store eventually?

 

Edit: which squadmates are good for a vanguard with this kinda of build? I've been running with Garrus and Ashley but I wanna dump Ashley I think.

 

Assuming that your are referring to your ME1 Vanguard for all these questions:

1. Best equipment:

• Biotic amps and omni tools: Savant biotic amps and omni tools (starting at level VIII). Otherwise use an amp/omni tool that provides the best cooldown.
• Weapons: any HMW (Spectre weapons)
• Weapon mods: For pistol, I typically run a recoil mod early game. Later I prefer Scram Rail (VIII - X) and Frictionless materials (VIII - X). For shotgun I will use accuracy mods if I do not put any points in shotguns. But that is just me. Feel free to experiment
• Ammo mods: I typically run Shredder (for organics) or Tungsten (for synthetics). You get those mods from IV to VII.
• Armor: whatever offers the best damage protection. Colossus armor offers the best damage protection
• Armor mods: early, I like to run First Aid for the health regen. When I get enough money, I buy the Medical Exoskeleton mod from Dr. Michel since it provides cooldown and health regen bonuses. Late game, I like to run two Medical Exoskeleton mods, or one medical exoskeleton and one damage protection mod.

2. If you find something good in a store, feel free to buy it. Priorities should be (in order): Medical exoskeleton from Dr. Michel, Spectre weapon (Pistol for most classes, requires the rich achievement unlocked), then whatever else you find good in the store that is better than what you have. 

 

3. Well you need a squadmate that can unlock crates and stuff, so one of Garrus, Tali, or Kaidan. After that, take whoever you like. Since I have all the squadmate achievements, I tend to bring Kaidan and Liara everywhere for maximum crowd control with biotic powers. Squadmates tend to have a hard time killing things, so I prefer using Kaidan and Liara for the powers instead of weapon prowess. That is not to say that Wrex, Garrus, and Ashley are bad; they can be useful at times; I just prioritize different skillsets than other players would.

 

 

I would actually like to see other people's opinions on Vanguard squadmates.

[cap and gown]

As RedCeasar has already indicated, Engineers in ME3 are not about summoning. The only time I ever consistently summon a drone with an Engineer is when there is a Guardian that I want to get to turn around.

 

Engineer, insanity, Grissom Atrium fight:

Spoiler

 

Sentinels in ME3 are an extremely powerful and flexible class. Throw may be the best detonator out there because of its one second cool down. Warp is a great debuffer. Overload with the chain evolution is not only good for shield stripping, but is good for CC with the Neural Shock evolution at rank 5. The ability of Throw to detonate both biotic and tech combos allows the Sentinel to efficiently use any team mates, whether tech or biotic. At fitness rank 5 the Sentinel can increase squad mate's health and shields by 30%, giving a much needed boost to Liara. Personally, Sentinel is my favorite class in ME3, followed by Engineer.

 

Sentinel with Reave as bonus power, insanity, Grissom Atrium fight:

Spoiler