Post by physiolosopher on Mar 25, 2017 19:18:13 GMT
So by now we probably all have a decent amount of points to put in our vanilla hew-munns. Anyone have any strong opinions on what works well for single evolution options, general build strategies, etc? I figure since [mostly*] all of use are still noobish by the strict definition [*obvs not the people saying gold is too easy], this could be helpful for a lot of new players who may wander here looking for help. If this is TL;DR then don't bother reading past here but please still contribute your thoughts. I may update if anyone has an obvious improvement on one my my ideas (will give credit) or points out an error.
Disclaimer: I am not 100% about how hidden attributes and vague descriptions might change some of my ideas. These are just my starting points for build theory.
1. Human engineer:
A) Assault turret at rank 5 can give a chunky recharge boost to tech powers if you're close by. Very handy for me with my power build. I missed this until someone told me as I thought it was only a self-healing option. Reading comprehension, eh? At rank 4 I like recharge speed over durability so I can re-deploy more frequently and also because I take self-healing over time at rank 5. The rank 6 flamethrower appears to do more damage and prime more reliably. Fire explosions are a nice addition anyway because you already have innate cryo combo capability.
Cryo beam reminds me of snap freeze because it innately primes against all defense types. The 6th cryo beam evolution (group shatter) makes cryo explosions feel more like they did in ME3. The other evolution is like a spring cryo trap that might be good for silver/gold objective waves at the cost of great crowd control cryo combos. The 5th evo brings the armor debuff to 100% which is insanely useful against high level bullet sponge bosses. The other 5th evo of radius seems unnecessary because you can just hold the button and aim at multiple targets. As long as one freezes, and you have the shatter evo at rank 6, everything in the area will freeze anyway. Rank 4 recharge speed is the best choice because the base damage is low to start.
C) Overload has two clear paths: single target shield strip or crowd control. I am rolling with single-target so I can play a specific role in silver/gold: anti-observer/sharpshooter/anointed. A single-target specced overload detonating disruptor ammo will strip mid-tier mooks in a hurry. I have yet to experiment with how chain overload interacts with shatter-specced cryo beam so this is subject to change.
D) The passive has a nice boost for turret damage (rank 3) and combo damage (rank 4). I view rank 5 (anti-shield or armor) as a luxury and may skip rank 6 if I want extra fitness.
E) Fitness gets 1 point or potentially 3 if I forgo the final passive evolution of a huge boost in weight capacity (may do this for one of my two engies).
F) Both of my builds are functionally the same (one will be able to carry heavier weapons at the cost of some survivability). Engineers can prime cryo and fire combos (flame turret) while detonating everything with overload (possibly multiple explosions???). Combo master extraordinaire.
2. Human infiltrator:
A) Sticky grenades seem easier to place than in ME3, I ALWAYS skipped it back then but really like them now. I think radius at rank 4 is crucial. I would probably keep this at 4 if I wanted to max fitness.
Incinerate works best for me as a fire combo primer. This would be a good candidate to max out for fire explosion damage and also to make it double as a primer and detonator (at rank 6). That makes it a very useful power to chuck indiscriminately in a power-focused team.
C) Rank 4 for cloak will be a point of contention for people. One option maximizes the damage boost from 50% to 90% which may be better if you build your infiltrator around a relatively light but heavy hitting weapon. This would also be a good fit for a build based around light rapid-firing weapons (*see note*). The other option is recharge speed which may give better returns if the build is centered around a big heavy weapon. Duration at rank 5 seems like a no-brainer for objectives, especially devices. Rank 6 can allow shield regen in cloak which at first appears to be the better option and indeed it may be. But the other evolution would be handy in a specific build (*see note*).
D) Passive Rank 5 can give boosts to reload speed (!) and ammo capacity. This would be an obvious choice unless you are comfortable meleeing frequently for the bonus from the other option. The 6th evolution has a great boost for headshot damage, accuracy/stability and shotgun spread reduction. This makes for a good mid-range shotgun build. This will be one of my two human infil builds, the other being the one described below that uses the other 6th evolution (*see note*).
E) I plan on going light in fitness but the rank 6 option for huge damage reduction at low health is an interesting option if you don't mind forgoing some points in grenades and/or incinerate.
*note* The infiltrator can make a pretty solid platform for rapid-firing weapons. The key to the build is the rank 6 cloak evo that allows bonuses to extend for 2 seconds after breaking cloak. While this is mechanically similar to ME3 cloak, what sets this build apart is the 6th passive evo that debuffs enemy defenses for every shot up to 24%. With a high rate-of-fire weapon you can get the full debuff in about a second (or possibly even less). If you can apply the debuff before cloaking (not sure how long debuff lasts), then you will have 2 full seconds (10-20 rounds) of up to 90% boosted weapon damage against an enemy debuffed by 24%. That's why the rank 4 cloak for damage may work better for this build (recharge is less penalized with lighter weapons). This is obviously handy vs bullet sponge boss types and may be a good welcome-to-gold build to deal with heavies.
3. Human Sentinel:
A) I have two builds planned here. One is basically the same concept as the one Stardusk posted about. It revolves around priming with energy drain (requires rank 5) and detonating with throw. I also use barricade to prime for tech bursts (requires rank 6; different from his build) and may spec throw to prime. Check out his video --> Stardusk Human Sentinel. My second build is weapon-focused (specifically snipers). I hunt around for a spot where enemies will funnel to me down scope and set up a barricade. I like to think of this as mobile camping.
Barricade is fantastic. My only issue is that it seems to be sensitive to terrain. I have trouble initiating it if I'm not on perfectly even ground. Rank 4 I take duration (3 power cells is enough between ammo box visits). Rank 5 I take weapon damage bonus (power bonus might be good for the ED-throw tech combo build). Rank 6 has two awesome evos. The first removes the shield regen delay which is better if you are relying on barricade as a panic button and to hold up under intense fire (note: the efficacy of this will depend on shield gate mechanics which I do not yet understand). I prefer the DOT/tech priming option for both builds because it cleans up grabby dogs in a big hurry. I often plop one of these down even if there is nearby cover for the weapon damage boost and to protect me from charging enemies trying to mess with my headshot medal. It's also useful for every objective except perhaps assassination.
C) I will spec energy drain for recharge speed/extended drain/damage for my tech combo build. Rank 5 here is what makes ED a primer. In my weapons build it will be a 1-point stun power to set up headshots and serve as a spot shield booster. This will allow me to max throw and serve as an all-purpose team detonator. If team detonations aren't a priority, skill points can be siphoned from something else for this.
D) Rank 4 throw will be radius but subject to change when we ascertain the stagger threshold values for various enemies. Recharge speed at rank 5 will be my choice but the other option makes throw a primer and allows a sentinel to prime both tech and biotic combos resulting in a well-balanced team player. Rank 6 can grant even more recharge speed (to bring cooldown to 4 seconds by my calculation) and improved combo damage. Double throw has some utility but a 4-sec CD with bonus combo damage would be hard to pass up. With a fast CD throw and two abilities to prime tech combos the potential for fast-paced anti-shield/synthetic builds is exciting.
E) Passives and tech armor are maxed in my weapon build for max weapon damage and damage reduction. Tech armor rank 6 has a useful bonus for boosted shield regen after being hit. This helps make up for the 6th evolution of barricade I skip. For the combo build those two could be specced to preference leaning towards damage, protection or balance.
F) Discounting a build designed for balance, the two clearest build options are self-detonating tech comboer and weapon-focused mobile skirmisher.
4. Human Soldier:
A) Turbocharge will make your common and low-level advanced weapons function much better. If you are bronzing, TBC makes the avenger feel like an ME3 hurricane. The charger pistol is a wonderful common weapon and under the effects of TBC it could very well be your entry weapon for silver and gold. I will have two unique specs here. First, duration + accuracy/stability + supercharge for assault rifles and rapid fire pistols. Duration over recharge because weapons will be lighter and to allow concentrated fire on hard targets. Stability is big for most rapid-fire weapons and functionally adds more damage by making more bullets connect. Supercharge boosts ROF for better DPS. Second, recharge + damage + dump heat for shotguns and snipers. Recharge accounts for these weapons' weights. Damage because snipers are already pinpoint accurate and shotguns don't get as much benefit from stability as rapid fire guns. However, the accuracy option may be a good alternative for pure shotgun builds. Dump heat doubles the clip size which will massively improve single shot weapons. Since TBC auto-reloads, you could theoretically get three straight shots out of a single-shot weapon [needs fact checking].
Concussive shot will serve as both a team detonator and ammo power self-detonator for me. At rank 6 I'm going anti-armor (to complement my frags) but either option seems fine. Rank 5 seems like a toss up to preference. I'm thinking damage and force; CS can work as a great finisher in clutch situations, especially on bronze. Radius could come in handy as a panic move as well but if you fully spec frags then its utility may be situational. Rank 4 is interesting. Recharge speed is obviously valuable but you can also convert it to a power cell-dependent power. It won't hurt your grenade count but will necessitate frequent trips to ammo boxes. With power cell capacity consumables this could get very interesting.
C) Frags have good options at every level. I prefer radius to set up more enemies to be quickly finished but if you want to go for outright KOs then damage might be better at rank 4. At rank 5 I like capacity vs DOT. It may actually make more sense to combine radius and DOT in my build, though. If you take DOT here and switch CS to power cells then liberal use of ammo packs will help a lot. My rank 6 will be anti-shield because there are more frequently clusters of shielded enemies and the damage done to them will be more impactful than that done to armor. This may be different in gold depending on faction. Also with CS set up for anti-armor this gives a nice balance that fits faction wave composition rather well.
D) Passive ranks 4 and 5 straightforward based on desired playstyle. Rank 6 has the defense debuff per bullet which synergizes well with most assault rifles and pistols. The other evo grants a headshot bonus and spread reduction to enhance snipers and shotguns, respectively. Though all weapons would benefit from this buff.
E) My tanky turbocharge platform will be the TSol. Both of my builds will be 6/6/6/6/1. The only functional difference will be turbocharge spec + 6th passive evo and thus weapon selection. One build will assume assault rifle and pistol use ("combative" gear boosts both) and the other for snipers and shotguns ("guerilla" gear boosts both).
5. Human Vanguard:
A) Charge rank 4 can go either way. Radius is nice if you follow up with nova and force may be better for stagger to shoot faces easier. The same pattern applies to rank 5. Power buff with R4 radius and weapon buff with R4 force. Rank 6 is divisive. Many prefer full shield regen on every charge but I'm not so sure about this because you are then hosed if you take a lot of damage in a hurry. The other evo gives a 75% recharge boost (!) and allows for faster escape and/or target prioritizing. If you charge smart, I believe recharge is much more useful and I plan to take this evo on every vanguard.
Ranks 4 and 5 for the other two active powers seem straightforward. I personally prefer anti-shield and recharge for nova and shockwave, respectively. Rank 6 can make both powers biotic primers for charge detonations. If charge recharge speed is maxed then having both primers is cool. The shield consumption nova is possibly good for finishers if you have equivalent cooldowns on shockwave and charge and rely on that for combos. This effectively piggyback's nova's cooldown to charge's. I see no good reason to not make shockwave a primer.
C) Passives are simply a decision between power builds and weapon builds. Barrier rank 4 can boost max shields which is better if you plan on charging a lot to recover shields. Shield regen has utility for a more tactical playstyle. Both rank 5 evos are useful but the shield cost reduction is good if you take shield consumption for rank 6 nova. The other rank 5 evo could make for an interesting charge-melee build. The saving barrier evo at rank 6 effectively gives you the shield regen benefit of charging without having to do anything. The other option may be more helpful for teamplay.
D) I have two distinct builds in mind for vanguards. The first is a CQC shotguard with shockwave for team priming detonating. I would skip nova in this case. The second is a self-detonating power-focused style. I would spec both nova and shockwave for biotic priming and take full advantage of my low-cooldown charge to explode every multiple all of the things.
6. Human Adept:
A) Singularity is straightup awesome but has a debilitating base cooldown. I like radius over duration at rank 4 because I have had trouble aiming it to date. Definitely recharge at rank 5. Anti-shield is potentially useful to trap shield mooks but since the cooldown is terribad I can't pass up recharge here. Rank 6 exploding singularity is useful but I prefer expanding sing in combination with R4 radius to catch every possible target.
Pull rank 4 allows you to pull two enemies at once but if you are setting up for teammates between shockwave cooldowns the duration might be advantageous. I like the debuff at rank 5 because the direct damage option provides minimal damage compared to simply shooting what you pull. Rank 6 can restore shields while holding a pulled target which is a nice charge-like biotic defensive ability; however, anti-shield can lift an enemy that still has shields left. Less time shooting away shields before immobilizing means a shorter window to take fatal damage.
C) Radius on shockwave rank 4 seems better to catch peripheral targets floating in singularity. Recharge speed at rank 5 is really good since you have two primers just waiting for detonators to come off cooldown. Speccing shockwave to prime at rank 6 is ostensibly mandatory because shockwave won't do significant damage vs armor anyway. Also it gives you three primers in a game where most characters so far are much better at detonating than priming.
D) My barrier will have either 1 or 3 ranks. Passive evo 4 buffs recharge speed. Passive evo 5 can increase combo damage (very much want) or cause increased damage taken by affected enemies to a degree equal to prox mine in ME3 (also very much want, sad face). The debuff may be more valuable since it still boosts combo damage, just to a lesser degree. Consequently, it allows you and your squad to pick your poison in how to murderface targets. Both rank 6 options are nice but appear ripe for sacrifice if you want extra shield regen and melee damage from barrier.
E) Both my adepts will be triple-primers with the ability to self-detonate biotic combos. Adept is probably the best option if you hate weapons or don't have any you like yet.
general note 1: Recharge speed evolutions are much more valuable than in ME3 for a couple reasons. Base recharge speeds for many powers are crazy high and there is no recharge bonus for using a light loadout. Since most powers don't do insanely high damage the recharge evos are worthwhile and also contribute to max levels for combo damage.
general note 2: Weapon scope mods aren't as unwieldy as in ME3. The FOV reduction isn't as bad as I remember it being. My headshot totals rise when I use them. Since they are common mods they are worth taking on a base human kit that has free mod slots anyway. I was skipping them at first because of my ME3 experience but after trying them for giggles I like them a lot.
Disclaimer: I am not 100% about how hidden attributes and vague descriptions might change some of my ideas. These are just my starting points for build theory.
1. Human engineer:
A) Assault turret at rank 5 can give a chunky recharge boost to tech powers if you're close by. Very handy for me with my power build. I missed this until someone told me as I thought it was only a self-healing option. Reading comprehension, eh? At rank 4 I like recharge speed over durability so I can re-deploy more frequently and also because I take self-healing over time at rank 5. The rank 6 flamethrower appears to do more damage and prime more reliably. Fire explosions are a nice addition anyway because you already have innate cryo combo capability.
Cryo beam reminds me of snap freeze because it innately primes against all defense types. The 6th cryo beam evolution (group shatter) makes cryo explosions feel more like they did in ME3. The other evolution is like a spring cryo trap that might be good for silver/gold objective waves at the cost of great crowd control cryo combos. The 5th evo brings the armor debuff to 100% which is insanely useful against high level bullet sponge bosses. The other 5th evo of radius seems unnecessary because you can just hold the button and aim at multiple targets. As long as one freezes, and you have the shatter evo at rank 6, everything in the area will freeze anyway. Rank 4 recharge speed is the best choice because the base damage is low to start.C) Overload has two clear paths: single target shield strip or crowd control. I am rolling with single-target so I can play a specific role in silver/gold: anti-observer/sharpshooter/anointed. A single-target specced overload detonating disruptor ammo will strip mid-tier mooks in a hurry. I have yet to experiment with how chain overload interacts with shatter-specced cryo beam so this is subject to change.
D) The passive has a nice boost for turret damage (rank 3) and combo damage (rank 4). I view rank 5 (anti-shield or armor) as a luxury and may skip rank 6 if I want extra fitness.
E) Fitness gets 1 point or potentially 3 if I forgo the final passive evolution of a huge boost in weight capacity (may do this for one of my two engies).
F) Both of my builds are functionally the same (one will be able to carry heavier weapons at the cost of some survivability). Engineers can prime cryo and fire combos (flame turret) while detonating everything with overload (possibly multiple explosions???). Combo master extraordinaire.
2. Human infiltrator:
A) Sticky grenades seem easier to place than in ME3, I ALWAYS skipped it back then but really like them now. I think radius at rank 4 is crucial. I would probably keep this at 4 if I wanted to max fitness.
Incinerate works best for me as a fire combo primer. This would be a good candidate to max out for fire explosion damage and also to make it double as a primer and detonator (at rank 6). That makes it a very useful power to chuck indiscriminately in a power-focused team.C) Rank 4 for cloak will be a point of contention for people. One option maximizes the damage boost from 50% to 90% which may be better if you build your infiltrator around a relatively light but heavy hitting weapon. This would also be a good fit for a build based around light rapid-firing weapons (*see note*). The other option is recharge speed which may give better returns if the build is centered around a big heavy weapon. Duration at rank 5 seems like a no-brainer for objectives, especially devices. Rank 6 can allow shield regen in cloak which at first appears to be the better option and indeed it may be. But the other evolution would be handy in a specific build (*see note*).
D) Passive Rank 5 can give boosts to reload speed (!) and ammo capacity. This would be an obvious choice unless you are comfortable meleeing frequently for the bonus from the other option. The 6th evolution has a great boost for headshot damage, accuracy/stability and shotgun spread reduction. This makes for a good mid-range shotgun build. This will be one of my two human infil builds, the other being the one described below that uses the other 6th evolution (*see note*).
E) I plan on going light in fitness but the rank 6 option for huge damage reduction at low health is an interesting option if you don't mind forgoing some points in grenades and/or incinerate.
*note* The infiltrator can make a pretty solid platform for rapid-firing weapons. The key to the build is the rank 6 cloak evo that allows bonuses to extend for 2 seconds after breaking cloak. While this is mechanically similar to ME3 cloak, what sets this build apart is the 6th passive evo that debuffs enemy defenses for every shot up to 24%. With a high rate-of-fire weapon you can get the full debuff in about a second (or possibly even less). If you can apply the debuff before cloaking (not sure how long debuff lasts), then you will have 2 full seconds (10-20 rounds) of up to 90% boosted weapon damage against an enemy debuffed by 24%. That's why the rank 4 cloak for damage may work better for this build (recharge is less penalized with lighter weapons). This is obviously handy vs bullet sponge boss types and may be a good welcome-to-gold build to deal with heavies.
3. Human Sentinel:
A) I have two builds planned here. One is basically the same concept as the one Stardusk posted about. It revolves around priming with energy drain (requires rank 5) and detonating with throw. I also use barricade to prime for tech bursts (requires rank 6; different from his build) and may spec throw to prime. Check out his video --> Stardusk Human Sentinel. My second build is weapon-focused (specifically snipers). I hunt around for a spot where enemies will funnel to me down scope and set up a barricade. I like to think of this as mobile camping.
Barricade is fantastic. My only issue is that it seems to be sensitive to terrain. I have trouble initiating it if I'm not on perfectly even ground. Rank 4 I take duration (3 power cells is enough between ammo box visits). Rank 5 I take weapon damage bonus (power bonus might be good for the ED-throw tech combo build). Rank 6 has two awesome evos. The first removes the shield regen delay which is better if you are relying on barricade as a panic button and to hold up under intense fire (note: the efficacy of this will depend on shield gate mechanics which I do not yet understand). I prefer the DOT/tech priming option for both builds because it cleans up grabby dogs in a big hurry. I often plop one of these down even if there is nearby cover for the weapon damage boost and to protect me from charging enemies trying to mess with my headshot medal. It's also useful for every objective except perhaps assassination.C) I will spec energy drain for recharge speed/extended drain/damage for my tech combo build. Rank 5 here is what makes ED a primer. In my weapons build it will be a 1-point stun power to set up headshots and serve as a spot shield booster. This will allow me to max throw and serve as an all-purpose team detonator. If team detonations aren't a priority, skill points can be siphoned from something else for this.
D) Rank 4 throw will be radius but subject to change when we ascertain the stagger threshold values for various enemies. Recharge speed at rank 5 will be my choice but the other option makes throw a primer and allows a sentinel to prime both tech and biotic combos resulting in a well-balanced team player. Rank 6 can grant even more recharge speed (to bring cooldown to 4 seconds by my calculation) and improved combo damage. Double throw has some utility but a 4-sec CD with bonus combo damage would be hard to pass up. With a fast CD throw and two abilities to prime tech combos the potential for fast-paced anti-shield/synthetic builds is exciting.
E) Passives and tech armor are maxed in my weapon build for max weapon damage and damage reduction. Tech armor rank 6 has a useful bonus for boosted shield regen after being hit. This helps make up for the 6th evolution of barricade I skip. For the combo build those two could be specced to preference leaning towards damage, protection or balance.
F) Discounting a build designed for balance, the two clearest build options are self-detonating tech comboer and weapon-focused mobile skirmisher.
4. Human Soldier:
A) Turbocharge will make your common and low-level advanced weapons function much better. If you are bronzing, TBC makes the avenger feel like an ME3 hurricane. The charger pistol is a wonderful common weapon and under the effects of TBC it could very well be your entry weapon for silver and gold. I will have two unique specs here. First, duration + accuracy/stability + supercharge for assault rifles and rapid fire pistols. Duration over recharge because weapons will be lighter and to allow concentrated fire on hard targets. Stability is big for most rapid-fire weapons and functionally adds more damage by making more bullets connect. Supercharge boosts ROF for better DPS. Second, recharge + damage + dump heat for shotguns and snipers. Recharge accounts for these weapons' weights. Damage because snipers are already pinpoint accurate and shotguns don't get as much benefit from stability as rapid fire guns. However, the accuracy option may be a good alternative for pure shotgun builds. Dump heat doubles the clip size which will massively improve single shot weapons. Since TBC auto-reloads, you could theoretically get three straight shots out of a single-shot weapon [needs fact checking].
Concussive shot will serve as both a team detonator and ammo power self-detonator for me. At rank 6 I'm going anti-armor (to complement my frags) but either option seems fine. Rank 5 seems like a toss up to preference. I'm thinking damage and force; CS can work as a great finisher in clutch situations, especially on bronze. Radius could come in handy as a panic move as well but if you fully spec frags then its utility may be situational. Rank 4 is interesting. Recharge speed is obviously valuable but you can also convert it to a power cell-dependent power. It won't hurt your grenade count but will necessitate frequent trips to ammo boxes. With power cell capacity consumables this could get very interesting.C) Frags have good options at every level. I prefer radius to set up more enemies to be quickly finished but if you want to go for outright KOs then damage might be better at rank 4. At rank 5 I like capacity vs DOT. It may actually make more sense to combine radius and DOT in my build, though. If you take DOT here and switch CS to power cells then liberal use of ammo packs will help a lot. My rank 6 will be anti-shield because there are more frequently clusters of shielded enemies and the damage done to them will be more impactful than that done to armor. This may be different in gold depending on faction. Also with CS set up for anti-armor this gives a nice balance that fits faction wave composition rather well.
D) Passive ranks 4 and 5 straightforward based on desired playstyle. Rank 6 has the defense debuff per bullet which synergizes well with most assault rifles and pistols. The other evo grants a headshot bonus and spread reduction to enhance snipers and shotguns, respectively. Though all weapons would benefit from this buff.
E) My tanky turbocharge platform will be the TSol. Both of my builds will be 6/6/6/6/1. The only functional difference will be turbocharge spec + 6th passive evo and thus weapon selection. One build will assume assault rifle and pistol use ("combative" gear boosts both) and the other for snipers and shotguns ("guerilla" gear boosts both).
5. Human Vanguard:
A) Charge rank 4 can go either way. Radius is nice if you follow up with nova and force may be better for stagger to shoot faces easier. The same pattern applies to rank 5. Power buff with R4 radius and weapon buff with R4 force. Rank 6 is divisive. Many prefer full shield regen on every charge but I'm not so sure about this because you are then hosed if you take a lot of damage in a hurry. The other evo gives a 75% recharge boost (!) and allows for faster escape and/or target prioritizing. If you charge smart, I believe recharge is much more useful and I plan to take this evo on every vanguard.
Ranks 4 and 5 for the other two active powers seem straightforward. I personally prefer anti-shield and recharge for nova and shockwave, respectively. Rank 6 can make both powers biotic primers for charge detonations. If charge recharge speed is maxed then having both primers is cool. The shield consumption nova is possibly good for finishers if you have equivalent cooldowns on shockwave and charge and rely on that for combos. This effectively piggyback's nova's cooldown to charge's. I see no good reason to not make shockwave a primer.C) Passives are simply a decision between power builds and weapon builds. Barrier rank 4 can boost max shields which is better if you plan on charging a lot to recover shields. Shield regen has utility for a more tactical playstyle. Both rank 5 evos are useful but the shield cost reduction is good if you take shield consumption for rank 6 nova. The other rank 5 evo could make for an interesting charge-melee build. The saving barrier evo at rank 6 effectively gives you the shield regen benefit of charging without having to do anything. The other option may be more helpful for teamplay.
D) I have two distinct builds in mind for vanguards. The first is a CQC shotguard with shockwave for team priming detonating. I would skip nova in this case. The second is a self-detonating power-focused style. I would spec both nova and shockwave for biotic priming and take full advantage of my low-cooldown charge to explode every multiple all of the things.
6. Human Adept:
A) Singularity is straightup awesome but has a debilitating base cooldown. I like radius over duration at rank 4 because I have had trouble aiming it to date. Definitely recharge at rank 5. Anti-shield is potentially useful to trap shield mooks but since the cooldown is terribad I can't pass up recharge here. Rank 6 exploding singularity is useful but I prefer expanding sing in combination with R4 radius to catch every possible target.
Pull rank 4 allows you to pull two enemies at once but if you are setting up for teammates between shockwave cooldowns the duration might be advantageous. I like the debuff at rank 5 because the direct damage option provides minimal damage compared to simply shooting what you pull. Rank 6 can restore shields while holding a pulled target which is a nice charge-like biotic defensive ability; however, anti-shield can lift an enemy that still has shields left. Less time shooting away shields before immobilizing means a shorter window to take fatal damage.C) Radius on shockwave rank 4 seems better to catch peripheral targets floating in singularity. Recharge speed at rank 5 is really good since you have two primers just waiting for detonators to come off cooldown. Speccing shockwave to prime at rank 6 is ostensibly mandatory because shockwave won't do significant damage vs armor anyway. Also it gives you three primers in a game where most characters so far are much better at detonating than priming.
D) My barrier will have either 1 or 3 ranks. Passive evo 4 buffs recharge speed. Passive evo 5 can increase combo damage (very much want) or cause increased damage taken by affected enemies to a degree equal to prox mine in ME3 (also very much want, sad face). The debuff may be more valuable since it still boosts combo damage, just to a lesser degree. Consequently, it allows you and your squad to pick your poison in how to murderface targets. Both rank 6 options are nice but appear ripe for sacrifice if you want extra shield regen and melee damage from barrier.
E) Both my adepts will be triple-primers with the ability to self-detonate biotic combos. Adept is probably the best option if you hate weapons or don't have any you like yet.
general note 1: Recharge speed evolutions are much more valuable than in ME3 for a couple reasons. Base recharge speeds for many powers are crazy high and there is no recharge bonus for using a light loadout. Since most powers don't do insanely high damage the recharge evos are worthwhile and also contribute to max levels for combo damage.
general note 2: Weapon scope mods aren't as unwieldy as in ME3. The FOV reduction isn't as bad as I remember it being. My headshot totals rise when I use them. Since they are common mods they are worth taking on a base human kit that has free mod slots anyway. I was skipping them at first because of my ME3 experience but after trying them for giggles I like them a lot.
