Post by sageoflife on Apr 10, 2017 6:08:29 GMT
This is a resource for new and old players alike who want an easy resource for making decisions on how to allocate skill points for Shepard's companions. Everyone is welcome to post their own builds.
Kaidan
Barrier: Barrier Strength, Power Synergy, Power Recharge
Reave: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage & Duration
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Cryo Blast: Left at Level 3
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Biotic Damage, Squad Bonus (power damage)
(or)
Barrier: Left at Level 3 or 0
Reave: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage & Duration
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Cryo Blast: Radius, Cryo Explosion, Frozen Vulnerability
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Biotic Damage, Squad Bonus
Reason: Kaidan is the best squadmate for contributing to power combos, and also potentially has the best defenses. In the case of both Reave and Overload, the Recharge Speed bonus is chosen because Kaidan has very few ways to reduce that. Cryo Blast is fast enough on its own that it does not need that same consideration. Reave is evolved both to improve Kaidan's defense and to damage and prime as many enemies as possible. Overload is evolved to soften up nearby enemies for the impending Tech Burst. Biotic Explosions and Tech Bursts are the two most valuable power combos, so neither Reave nor Overload are worth giving up in favor of his other powers. The choice then comes down to Barrier versus Cryo Blast. Barrier in conjunction with Reave gives Kaidan the best defense in the squad, but many players feel that the recharge penalty isn't worth it. Players who decide that it is should evolve it to minimize the penalty and give an extra boost to Reave and Overload. If the player doesn't think Barrier is worth it, Cryo Blast is useful for weakening the game's strongest enemies, and should evolve to maximize that. It also gives Kaidan a third type of power Combo to prime. Reave already gives Kaidan a strong defense boost, so Alliance Officer was evolved to maximize Kaidan's damage output. The fact that Reave keeps going after its been used as part of a power combo makes it especially useful, and the Biotic Damage Upgrade makes the most of that. Regardless of whether or not Barrier is used, Kaidan does best with the armor that lowers his recharge times.
Ashley
Marksman: Left at level 3
Concussive Shot: Radius, Recharge Speed, Amplification
Disruptor Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Stun
Inferno Grenades: Damage, Max Grenades, Radius & Shrapnel
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Assault Rifle
Reason: Patch 1.04 ruined Ashley's Marksman power, but in exchange, it made her surprisingly effective at contributing to power combos for a pure combat character. Where some squadmates can prime and detonate one type of combo without assistance, Ashley can prime and detonate two, and chain them together, all without any help from Shepard or the third squadmate. By using Disruptor Ammo in conjunction with an assault rifle, Ashley can easily prime enemies for a Tech Burst, and immediately detonate it by throwing an Inferno Grenade. since Inferno Grenades do not trigger a cooldown, they can immediately be followed up with Concussive Shot to detonate a Fire Explosion. Concussive Shot and Inferno Grenades are both evolved to be able to hit a large number of enemies while still causing decent damage. Assault Rifles work much better with Disruptor Ammo for priming combos, so Ashley's ability to use sniper rifles is ignored. Alliance Officer is thus evolved to give Ashley the game's second highest weapon damage. Ashley does best with the armors that improve her weapon damage.
James
Fortification: Left at level 3
Incendiary Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Explosive Burst
Frag Grenade: Radius, Max Grenades, Shield Overload
Carnage: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage
Arms Master: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Fortification
Reason: While James is obviously the designated meat shield, some of the bonuses in that direction are overkill. Fortification is left at level 3 because Carnage is the only power with a cooldown, minimizing the impact from the recharge speed penalty while still boosting his defenses. Explosive Burst is one of the game's strongest power upgrades, and it works especially well with assault rifles and shotguns, making it worth using regardless of which weapon James ends up using. James has multiple ways of priming and detonating his own Fire Explosions. Carnage, which is both a primer and a detonator, and Frag Grenade, which is a detonator, have been evolved to facilitate this role. Since Frag Grenade's main use is as a detonator, it has been evolved to hit as many enemies as possible, while the anti-shield upgrade is because James's Fire Explosions already allow him to deal with armor. Arms Master is evolved in such a way that James has a good balance of damage and survivability. He does best with armor that increases his weapon damage.
Liara
Singularity: Duration, Lift Damage, Expand
Stasis: Duration, Bonus Power, Bubble
Warp: Detonate, Expose, Pierce
Warp Ammo: Left at level 3
Pure Biotic: Recharge Speed, Duration & Force, Singularity Recharge
Reason: Warp Ammo is left at level 3 because Liara's role is not to shoot things. Her role is to control the battlefield with powers and her passive is evolved to make sure her powers can be used as often as possible and last as long as possible. Because Liara's recharge bonus from her passive power is so high, it is unnecessary to take the Recharge Speed evolutions on her other powers. Singularity is evolved to capture as many enemies as possible. Stasis Bubble is an excellent trap. Both allow Liara to detonate her own Biotic Explosions on unarmored enemies. Warp is evolved to maximize the damage enemies take from Biotic Explosions, while also weakening enemies for other squadmates to kill. Because Liara's passive recharge speed bonus is so high, she does better with armor that increases her power damage. Because she is so fragile, Liara should not be allowed to use her submachine gun unless she is using a Locust or a Geth Plasma SMG.
Garrus
Concussive Shot: Left at level 3
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Proximity Mine: Radius, Damage Taken, Recharge Speed
Armor-Piercing Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Damage
Turian Rebel: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Sniper Rifles
Reason: Garrus's powers are evolved to give him the game's highest weapon damage. A sniper rifle with AP Ammo active causes incredible damage to both armor and health, and Overload is there to deal with shields and barriers, and evolved to soften up additional enemies that will be in range of the upcoming Tech Burst. The Power Damage boost on his passive improves AP Ammo, boosting Garrus's damage with a sniper rifle even further. Proximity Mine is a great debuffing power, and is evolved so that it affects as many enemies as possible and usable as often as possible. These properties also make Proximity Mine a good combo detonator. Because Garrus already has two good combo detonators in Overload and Proximity Mine, he has little use for Concussive Shot, which is left at level 3 as a result. Garrus does best wearing an armor that improves his weapon damage.
EDI
Incinerate: Radius, Recharge Speed, Armor Damage
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Defense Matrix: Durability, Power Synergy, Power Recharge
Decoy: left at level 3
Unshackled AI: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Shield Recharge
(or)
Incinerate: Radius, Recharge Speed, Armor Damage
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Defense Matrix: Left at level 3 or 0
Decoy: Duration, Recharge Speed, Shields & Duration
Unshackled AI: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Shield Recharge
Reason: EDI is one of the only three characters that can prime more than one type of power combo. Incinerate and Overload are both evolved to facilitate this while softening up other enemies that will be in range of the follow-up detonation. Neither one should be sacrificed regardless of what is done with Defense Matrix. The question of whether or not Defense Matrix is worth it is very similar to Barrier. EDI gets no recharge speed bonuses from her passive, so her other powers need to be evolved to compensate, which Defense Matrix cancels out. However, it does improve both her survivability and burst damage. If Decoy is used instead, it is evolved as listed because the lack of movement makes the explosive upgrade of little use. The Weapon Damage bonus on EDI's passive power is chosen because the extra power damage can also come from weapon upgrades for either of EDI's weapon types, making Weapon Damage the more useful upgrade overall. Regardless of whether or not EDI uses Defense Matrix, she gets the most out of armors that improve her recharge speed.
Tali
Energy Drain: Radius, Drain, Armor Boost
Combat Drone: Shields & Damage, Shields & Damage, Rockets
Defense Drone: Left at level 3
Sabotage: Backfire, Recharge Speed, Tech Vulnerability
Quarian Machinist: Recharge Speed, Tech Upgrade, Drone Specialist
Reason: Energy Drain is evolved both to shore up Tali's questionable defense, and to prime Tech Bursts on as many targets as possible. Because power combos are the primary source of power based damage in this game, the loss of damage is a small price to pay for these benefits. A fully powered Rocket Drone is surprisingly useful for wearing down enemies while the squad deals with them, and Quarian Machinist is evolved to capitalize on that. Defense Drone is neglected because it simply doesn't have much to offer compared to the alternatives. The Tech Vulnerability upgrade alone makes Sabotage worth investing in, because of the boost not just to base tech powers, but Tech Bursts and Fire Explosions. Like Liara, Tali's recharge speed bonus from her passive power means she won't get much out of the armor that improves recharge speeds. The armor that improves power damage is better to boost her drone, while the armor that improves weapon damage is better to boost her shotgun.
Javik
Dark Channel: Duration, Recharge Speed, Damage
Lift Grenade: Radius, Max Grenades, Damage & Radius
Slam: Left at level 3
Pull: Radius, Expose, Double Pull
Vengeful Ancient: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Squad Bonus (shield recharge)
Reason: Dark Channel's value in priming Biotic Explosions means it is better to make it last as long as possible. Lift Grenades are a crowd clearer, so making sure they hit as many enemies as possible is a good choice, especially since Javik's passive ability makes up for the loss in damage from not choosing the alternative. Pull followed by a Lift Grenade allows Javik to detonate his own Biotic Explosions on unprotected enemies. Double Pull also helps with Guardians, since they like to come in pairs. Slam is a gimmick and has little to offer compared to Javik's other powers. The Weapon Damage bonus on Javik's passive is chosen over the second Power Damage upgrade because a 100% bonus is already overkill. The Weapon Damage upgrade balances things out a bit. The Shield Recharge bonus at least improves Javik's survivability, even though a glitch prevents squad bonuses from working on anyone other than the user. Because Javik's power damage is already so high, he gains more benefit from the armor that improves his recharge speeds.
Kaidan
Barrier: Barrier Strength, Power Synergy, Power Recharge
Reave: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage & Duration
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Cryo Blast: Left at Level 3
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Biotic Damage, Squad Bonus (power damage)
(or)
Barrier: Left at Level 3 or 0
Reave: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage & Duration
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Cryo Blast: Radius, Cryo Explosion, Frozen Vulnerability
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Biotic Damage, Squad Bonus
Reason: Kaidan is the best squadmate for contributing to power combos, and also potentially has the best defenses. In the case of both Reave and Overload, the Recharge Speed bonus is chosen because Kaidan has very few ways to reduce that. Cryo Blast is fast enough on its own that it does not need that same consideration. Reave is evolved both to improve Kaidan's defense and to damage and prime as many enemies as possible. Overload is evolved to soften up nearby enemies for the impending Tech Burst. Biotic Explosions and Tech Bursts are the two most valuable power combos, so neither Reave nor Overload are worth giving up in favor of his other powers. The choice then comes down to Barrier versus Cryo Blast. Barrier in conjunction with Reave gives Kaidan the best defense in the squad, but many players feel that the recharge penalty isn't worth it. Players who decide that it is should evolve it to minimize the penalty and give an extra boost to Reave and Overload. If the player doesn't think Barrier is worth it, Cryo Blast is useful for weakening the game's strongest enemies, and should evolve to maximize that. It also gives Kaidan a third type of power Combo to prime. Reave already gives Kaidan a strong defense boost, so Alliance Officer was evolved to maximize Kaidan's damage output. The fact that Reave keeps going after its been used as part of a power combo makes it especially useful, and the Biotic Damage Upgrade makes the most of that. Regardless of whether or not Barrier is used, Kaidan does best with the armor that lowers his recharge times.
Ashley
Marksman: Left at level 3
Concussive Shot: Radius, Recharge Speed, Amplification
Disruptor Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Stun
Inferno Grenades: Damage, Max Grenades, Radius & Shrapnel
Alliance Officer: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Assault Rifle
Reason: Patch 1.04 ruined Ashley's Marksman power, but in exchange, it made her surprisingly effective at contributing to power combos for a pure combat character. Where some squadmates can prime and detonate one type of combo without assistance, Ashley can prime and detonate two, and chain them together, all without any help from Shepard or the third squadmate. By using Disruptor Ammo in conjunction with an assault rifle, Ashley can easily prime enemies for a Tech Burst, and immediately detonate it by throwing an Inferno Grenade. since Inferno Grenades do not trigger a cooldown, they can immediately be followed up with Concussive Shot to detonate a Fire Explosion. Concussive Shot and Inferno Grenades are both evolved to be able to hit a large number of enemies while still causing decent damage. Assault Rifles work much better with Disruptor Ammo for priming combos, so Ashley's ability to use sniper rifles is ignored. Alliance Officer is thus evolved to give Ashley the game's second highest weapon damage. Ashley does best with the armors that improve her weapon damage.
James
Fortification: Left at level 3
Incendiary Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Explosive Burst
Frag Grenade: Radius, Max Grenades, Shield Overload
Carnage: Radius, Recharge Speed, Damage
Arms Master: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Fortification
Reason: While James is obviously the designated meat shield, some of the bonuses in that direction are overkill. Fortification is left at level 3 because Carnage is the only power with a cooldown, minimizing the impact from the recharge speed penalty while still boosting his defenses. Explosive Burst is one of the game's strongest power upgrades, and it works especially well with assault rifles and shotguns, making it worth using regardless of which weapon James ends up using. James has multiple ways of priming and detonating his own Fire Explosions. Carnage, which is both a primer and a detonator, and Frag Grenade, which is a detonator, have been evolved to facilitate this role. Since Frag Grenade's main use is as a detonator, it has been evolved to hit as many enemies as possible, while the anti-shield upgrade is because James's Fire Explosions already allow him to deal with armor. Arms Master is evolved in such a way that James has a good balance of damage and survivability. He does best with armor that increases his weapon damage.
Liara
Singularity: Duration, Lift Damage, Expand
Stasis: Duration, Bonus Power, Bubble
Warp: Detonate, Expose, Pierce
Warp Ammo: Left at level 3
Pure Biotic: Recharge Speed, Duration & Force, Singularity Recharge
Reason: Warp Ammo is left at level 3 because Liara's role is not to shoot things. Her role is to control the battlefield with powers and her passive is evolved to make sure her powers can be used as often as possible and last as long as possible. Because Liara's recharge bonus from her passive power is so high, it is unnecessary to take the Recharge Speed evolutions on her other powers. Singularity is evolved to capture as many enemies as possible. Stasis Bubble is an excellent trap. Both allow Liara to detonate her own Biotic Explosions on unarmored enemies. Warp is evolved to maximize the damage enemies take from Biotic Explosions, while also weakening enemies for other squadmates to kill. Because Liara's passive recharge speed bonus is so high, she does better with armor that increases her power damage. Because she is so fragile, Liara should not be allowed to use her submachine gun unless she is using a Locust or a Geth Plasma SMG.
Garrus
Concussive Shot: Left at level 3
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Proximity Mine: Radius, Damage Taken, Recharge Speed
Armor-Piercing Ammo: Damage, Headshots, Damage
Turian Rebel: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Sniper Rifles
Reason: Garrus's powers are evolved to give him the game's highest weapon damage. A sniper rifle with AP Ammo active causes incredible damage to both armor and health, and Overload is there to deal with shields and barriers, and evolved to soften up additional enemies that will be in range of the upcoming Tech Burst. The Power Damage boost on his passive improves AP Ammo, boosting Garrus's damage with a sniper rifle even further. Proximity Mine is a great debuffing power, and is evolved so that it affects as many enemies as possible and usable as often as possible. These properties also make Proximity Mine a good combo detonator. Because Garrus already has two good combo detonators in Overload and Proximity Mine, he has little use for Concussive Shot, which is left at level 3 as a result. Garrus does best wearing an armor that improves his weapon damage.
EDI
Incinerate: Radius, Recharge Speed, Armor Damage
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Defense Matrix: Durability, Power Synergy, Power Recharge
Decoy: left at level 3
Unshackled AI: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Shield Recharge
(or)
Incinerate: Radius, Recharge Speed, Armor Damage
Overload: Chain Overload, Recharge Speed, Chain Overload
Defense Matrix: Left at level 3 or 0
Decoy: Duration, Recharge Speed, Shields & Duration
Unshackled AI: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Shield Recharge
Reason: EDI is one of the only three characters that can prime more than one type of power combo. Incinerate and Overload are both evolved to facilitate this while softening up other enemies that will be in range of the follow-up detonation. Neither one should be sacrificed regardless of what is done with Defense Matrix. The question of whether or not Defense Matrix is worth it is very similar to Barrier. EDI gets no recharge speed bonuses from her passive, so her other powers need to be evolved to compensate, which Defense Matrix cancels out. However, it does improve both her survivability and burst damage. If Decoy is used instead, it is evolved as listed because the lack of movement makes the explosive upgrade of little use. The Weapon Damage bonus on EDI's passive power is chosen because the extra power damage can also come from weapon upgrades for either of EDI's weapon types, making Weapon Damage the more useful upgrade overall. Regardless of whether or not EDI uses Defense Matrix, she gets the most out of armors that improve her recharge speed.
Tali
Energy Drain: Radius, Drain, Armor Boost
Combat Drone: Shields & Damage, Shields & Damage, Rockets
Defense Drone: Left at level 3
Sabotage: Backfire, Recharge Speed, Tech Vulnerability
Quarian Machinist: Recharge Speed, Tech Upgrade, Drone Specialist
Reason: Energy Drain is evolved both to shore up Tali's questionable defense, and to prime Tech Bursts on as many targets as possible. Because power combos are the primary source of power based damage in this game, the loss of damage is a small price to pay for these benefits. A fully powered Rocket Drone is surprisingly useful for wearing down enemies while the squad deals with them, and Quarian Machinist is evolved to capitalize on that. Defense Drone is neglected because it simply doesn't have much to offer compared to the alternatives. The Tech Vulnerability upgrade alone makes Sabotage worth investing in, because of the boost not just to base tech powers, but Tech Bursts and Fire Explosions. Like Liara, Tali's recharge speed bonus from her passive power means she won't get much out of the armor that improves recharge speeds. The armor that improves power damage is better to boost her drone, while the armor that improves weapon damage is better to boost her shotgun.
Javik
Dark Channel: Duration, Recharge Speed, Damage
Lift Grenade: Radius, Max Grenades, Damage & Radius
Slam: Left at level 3
Pull: Radius, Expose, Double Pull
Vengeful Ancient: Power Damage, Weapon Damage, Squad Bonus (shield recharge)
Reason: Dark Channel's value in priming Biotic Explosions means it is better to make it last as long as possible. Lift Grenades are a crowd clearer, so making sure they hit as many enemies as possible is a good choice, especially since Javik's passive ability makes up for the loss in damage from not choosing the alternative. Pull followed by a Lift Grenade allows Javik to detonate his own Biotic Explosions on unprotected enemies. Double Pull also helps with Guardians, since they like to come in pairs. Slam is a gimmick and has little to offer compared to Javik's other powers. The Weapon Damage bonus on Javik's passive is chosen over the second Power Damage upgrade because a 100% bonus is already overkill. The Weapon Damage upgrade balances things out a bit. The Shield Recharge bonus at least improves Javik's survivability, even though a glitch prevents squad bonuses from working on anyone other than the user. Because Javik's power damage is already so high, he gains more benefit from the armor that improves his recharge speeds.
