(Guide)The Asari Duelist: Bring Justice to Andromeda

Charge < 4a or 4b | 5a | 6b >
Backlash < 4b | 5a or 5b | 6b >
Lance < Leave at 1pt >
Offensive Biotics < 4b | 5a | 6b >
Barrier < 4a | 5b | 6b >

Progression: Max Barrier up to 5b (take 6b after maxing Charge or moving to gold) > Max Charge > Max Offensive Biotics > Max Backlash

Weapons/Equipment/Boosters:
Scattershot (melee+barrel) or Piranha (melee+barrel) or Talon (melee+magazine)
Juggernaut Shield
Strength Enhancer + Shotgun/Pistol Amp

Charge
An incredible ability on a mind boggling low cooldown. It can be used to initiate, escape, reposition, access iframes, reset shields to full, detonate combos, and provide brief CC. Fully talented, Charge also provides damage bonuses (15% weapon & 30% melee) and 37.5% damage resistance.

Backlash
An excellent defensive tool in the Duelist’s arsenal. Backlash’s cooldown is based upon how much damage it absorbed and its fully cooldown is only trigged if it is broken by damage. It can and should be used when you are under fire and outside of cover, while charge is on cooldown. It is excellent for buying you time to assess the situation, wait for cooldowns, objectives, etc. Lastly, it can also be quickly activated and released to activate biotic warrior. Supposedly it has melee interrupt properties, but I haven’t had much success with it. I find that staggering and iframes to be much more reliable than trying to time a Backlash to interrupt a melee attack.

Lance
While not one of the strongest abilities in the game, it is an excellent damage filler. It’s ranged nature coupled with its staggering properties vs red bars are often overlooked on this kit. It should be weaved between melee and gunfire to keep biotic warrior up. Furthermore, its stagger will keep red bars from returning fire and moving about while you dispense unrelenting justice on their guilty asses.

Asari Sword
Her trademark melee attack and arguably the best in the game. Hits like a truck, provides two seconds of iframes, can hit foes through cover, and has biotic blink dash properties. This is your bread and butter when bringing justice to your enemies. Mastering her melee is vital to success with her kit. It may feel wonky at first, but you will get the feel of it the more you use it. My best advice is to make sure you aim before using it, continue aiming your reticle at your desired target the best you can during the animation, and once the animation finishes, begin walking backwards so that you and the camera realign correctly with the target.

To maximize your damage with it, weave in shots between melee attacks as there is a small cooldown period between consecutive swings. Be careful when dogs are around as their grab will absolutely ruin your combo happy session. I have experienced their grabs cheating their way through the melee iframes. Due to its biotic blink properties, you can use it nearly a blink’s distance away from your target. As such, you can quickly close the distance on your target by using a blink beforehand and then immediately following it up with a melee attack like so:

Lastly, make sure you take maximum advantage of its iframes. Great examples are when squaring off against foes with telegraphed attacks –i.e., berserker/hydra/nullifier melee & Saboteur Energy Drain.

Biotic Blink
Best dash in the game. Can go through walls, provides iframes, and covers slightly more distance than other dashes. Her dash is as much as a part of her survivability as it is her mobility. The potential of the Duelist’s dash scales with the player’s experience and knowledge of the map. This dash and all of its map specific tricks deserves its own guide. My best advice at this point is to experiment with it to learn which areas you can blink through and how to use that to your advantage.

Here's an example:

As I mentioned earlier, I find it more effective to weave shots and lances between melee swings as there is a cooldown period between consecutive melee attacks. Ideally your attack sequence should look something like this: Charge > Shoot > Melee > Lance > Shoot > Melee > Charge > Shoot > Melee > Backlash (instant release) > Shoot > Melee > etc. This sequence not only takes advantage of the cooldown between swings, but also keeps up the biotic warrior damage bonus. This is just an example, and you should adjust your follow ups according to the situation like so:

SPOILER: Click to show

Furthermore, when you are relentless beating down your target, they tend to get locked up. By the multitude of staggers and brief cc properties attached to charge and melee attacks (when they are slightly out of range). However, the sequence I listed is simply an example. There are many times I will skip lancing and will either melee or squeeze the trigger instead depending on the circumstances. For example, if an enemy is not staggered and will most likely interrupt a follow up lance, it’s best to try to beat their follow up with an iframed melee attack. Another example would be foregoing a melee attack for a gunshot or two saving the melee to dodge an attack instead. With experience, you will know how to weave your attacks against particular enemies and in certain situations.<example></example>

Charge < 4a <or> b | 5a | 6b >
• Evo 4 is not cut and dry. The AoE damage is nice, but the real reason I use 4b is that it makes it so Charge will also stagger those near the target. Furthermore, with my current set up, the extra damage from 4a does not speed up the majority of my kill. With that being said, 4a can still be valuable if you find that your Charge > Gunshot > Melee etc. just shy of killing mooks or what not. I also haven’t done extensive enough testing with the extra force to see if it increases stagger rates.
• Evo 5a is the clear winner here as it empowers follow up attacks of melee and weapon damage after charging your target. 5b only boosts the damage and force of a follow up lance and reflect damage from Backlash. Nuff said.
• Evo 6b wins this one as the big boost in shield restoration and 5 seconds of DR gives you significantly more staying power. 6a is nice and some people swear by it. However, I find that you end up being way too reliant on charge spam (at least in gold) which cuts down on your overall damage and choices in combat. Due to my own experiences, I recommend sticking to Bastion – it is so, good.


Backlash < 4b | 5a or 5b | 6b >
Backlash should not be touched until the other priority trees are maxed. The reason why I choose maxing Backlash over Lance is that you simply get more benefit from the evolutions in Backlash than with Lance. For 20 points, you are essentially getting red bar knockdown properties (lance already staggers red bars) and an extra 176 damage per a lance. That just doesn’t seem worth it over the strengthening in utility that points spent in Backlash offers. For 20 points here, a shattered Backlash’s recharge ends up being 12-13seconds opposed to 20seconds, an additional 122 hp on a 75DR shield, +100% projectile damage reflected, 236 shield restore (more if you opt for more durability) over 3 seconds after releasing Backlash. These boons just seem better overall than what you end up with from the lance tree.
• Evo 4b While the additional durability is nice and somewhat synergizes with 6a, I find that I don’t keep Backlash up long enough to warrant the additional durability. I use it mostly as a buffer between Charge or as a temporary layer of protection for reposition/assessing who I want to smite down next. Instead, I rather have it back off cooldown after it has put some work in or shattered. Durability helps against shattering, but usually when it gets shattered, it’s due to a large spike in damage where the extra durability would not have helped.
• Evo 5a or 5b I can see arguments for either, though I am leaning more towards 5b – Reflection from my experiences. You’ll get more work out of the brief periods that you have Backlash up with 5b.
• Evo 6a Provides additional sustain after Backlash has put some work in. This translate to more staying power and ideally, more justice being handed out before we need to retreat. Evo 6b would be great if it wasn’t based upon the amount of damage absorbed and lasted longer than 3 seconds. I can definitely see merits with it, but you will get more consistent value out of 6a.  

Lance < Keep at base >
For reasons mentioned previously.

Offense Biotics < 4b | 5a | 6b >
• Evo 4b, because I cannot count how many times my charge or backlash just barely made it off of cooldown to bail me out. Whereas 10% more power damage is quite underwhelming in comparison.
• Evo 5a benefits our main sources of damage.
• Evo 6b further improves our main sources of damage and makes chaining attacks all the more damaging. The knockdown is a nice touch and improves our lockdown versus red bars.

Barrier < 4a | 5b | 6b >
• Evo 4a gives us more effective health and synergizes nicely with evo 5b.
• Evo 5b is a no brainer and staple. 20% shield syphoned per a melee attack AND 50% more melee damage is just nuts on this kit.
• Evo 6b Your get out of jail free card for when you finally get caught. 10 second cooldown and can save you from sync kills. One of the most powerful defensive abilities in the game. Burst damage will ultimately be what kills you and this counters that. Active Barrier is the opposite in that it provides sustain, something you already have ample amounts of.


Build Progression
I recommend working towards Barrier Drain first. From there you can either start working on maxing out Charge, or finish up the Barrier tree with Saving Barrier. Depending on skill level, you probably won’t get much value out of Saving Barrier until gold. Once both Charge and Barrier are maxed, Offensive Biotics should be your next priority. Big power spikes will come from Barrier Drain, evos 5a and 6b in Charge, as well as evos 5a and 6b in Offensive Biotics. Lastly, invest the rest of your points into Backlash.

Weapons, Mods, Equipment, Boosters
The Scattershot, Talon, and Piranha are all good options. This is one of the only kits where I can see the Scattershot being very good as it allows you to forgo reloading. You will spend a lot of time in the middle of battle, and things get awkward very quickly when you need to constantly reload. Still, there are benefits to carrying higher damage weapons as it gives you more burst for taking down high priority targets. A good example would be against Observers where you simply want to get in with a Charge to hover shots and then get out ASAP. I do not have a Piranha, but I hear good things about it – so much so that I recommend it if you have one.

Another recommendation I can make is the Scorpion. It actually a part of my standard loadout as my secondary. Scattershot X + Scorption X is just underweight for 100% recharge speed. I run it with barrel and mag however since I only use it against enemies that I cannot reliably melee, i.e., Observers, Destroyers, Ascendants, etc.
If you don’t have any of the weapons I recommended, simply using your hardest hitter that you can reliably weave in between melee and lances will work. Be mindful of clip size.

In terms of mods, your main weapon should always have a melee mod as melee is a big part of your damage. Keep in mind that shotgun melee mods will be slightly stronger (29% vs 33% at rank X) compared to their equivalent in rank pistol counterpart. As far as the secondary mod, I usually use a magazine mod on pistols to delay the need to reload, and a barrel mod on shotguns (since there is no magazine mod for shotguns/I use a scattershot anyway). Depending on your current situation, you may want to run a barrel mod instead of increasing clip size if you find that you are just shy of lethal after a rotation of attacks.

The Juggernaut shield boosts melee damage by 75% and shields by 10%. It’s a no brainer. If you don’t have one, you can use an Adaptive War Amp or Combatives Upgrade (if you’re using a Talon) instead. Though both are extremely woeful compared to the J-Shield.

For boosters, I recommend the Strength Enhancer to make your sword hit even harder and either a Shotgun or Pistol amp depending on what you are using. Another good option would be the power efficiency mod, especially if carrying a sidearm that pushes your weight into a noticeable ability cooldown penalty. I don’t recommend ammo boosters as the previously mentioned options are superior, but it’s better than nothing. Same thing with biotic power amp boosters - not recommended.

Arguably the easiest faction in multiplayer. You still need to be mindful of your surroundings and make an effort in prioritizing particular targets. If you are having problems mechanically, this is a good faction to train against.

Raiders
While you eat raiders for breakfast, a group of them can quickly shred you, so be mindful of their numbers. Try not to get caught out in the open with multiple raiders in the area – especially without Bastion up.

Adhi
These Outlaw dogs will end your combotastic iframe party with their infuriating grabs. For dogs in general, I find it very effective to back dash away from the dog, and then follow up with a headshot or an ability with high staggering potential such as Charge or Lance. This should interrupt any potential grabs coming your way and make a follow up sword execution pretty much guaranteed.

Sharpshooters
Annoying, but their damage should be respected as they will make you pay for being caught outside of an iframe when they fire. As such, I recommend keeping a watchful eye for Sharpshooters and their telltale targeting lasers. They will try to escape your wrath by sprinting away when you close in for the kill. As such, be sure to be on your A game with chaining attacks to keep these bastards locked down. When you spot them, and your situation allows it, I recommend using Charge to serve them their sentence…death.

Pariah
Avoid shooting/lancing them when they have Backlash up. Other than that, they are very easy. Use Charge or melee to get them to drop Backlash, then proceed as normal.

Agent
Do not get baited by their clones as the real Agent will shred you fairly quickly. The clone has a telltale holographic effect/blue shimmer, so be watchful.

Anarchist
Their shotgun+melee do a ton of damage. However, they do not have much hp, and are not very stagger resistant. Also, avoid their grenades and the burning area post explosion at all cost.

Saboteur
Their biggest threat is Energy Drain, as it chunks your shields and makes the Saboteur beefy. It does have a long telltale windup animation however. As such, iframes should always be used to avoid Energy Drain, which is key to dispatching this foe quickly.

Berserker
-Ah, the mighty flakspam lord himself. Convicted of using infinite flak hacks. These guys can be extremely vexing and overwhelming for the majority of other classes. For you however, your arsenal of iframes will make them just look plain silly. Regardless, they should not be top priority if there are other softer targets in the immediate area for obvious reasons. When taking down a Berserker, get up in their grill as this will prompt them to use their melee. From here, simply use your melee and Charge to avoid their melee attacks while carefully weaving gunshots and lances in between. The only real way they can win is if you ignore their buddies and get shredded.

Hydra
The Outlaw boss unit. Just like everything else, you can go head to head with them. However, just like berserkers, you must be mindful of other Outlaws in the area. When fighting Hydras, you must be constantly on the lookout for their sync kill and melee. The sync kill starts with the Hydra raising the clawed arm and somewhat pausing before reaching out to grab. The melee swing is when it goes directly into a wind up with the same arm before swinging. Since these attacks are quite telegraphed, they are easily avoidable with iframes. A very effective method is simply dashing behind them when they begin the animation of either; the Hydra will continue its animation in the direction it was facing. Lastly, if you are ever caught out of position when Hydra missiles are headed towards you, there are two options – iframes or Backlash, both work reliably.

The faction you are least effective against due to the multitude of foes that hover out of melee range. Using a power efficiency mod and side carrying a long-ranged weapon for turrets and Observers is very effective here (but not required).

Assembler
Basic shock troop with a twist: they produce Breachers which are the “dogs” of the Remnant. As such, you should be actively seeking out killing these to keep Breacher numbers low.

Breacher
Pretty much a hovering “dog” unit that will grab you and proceed to explode. Additionally, their normal attacks will stagger you. Worst yet, your melee attack will usually whiff against these, so use gunshots, Lance, and even Charge if necessary to dispatch them. When they are flashing, they are in suicide bomber mode and should be destroyed before getting to their destination. If that destination is you, well timed iframes can be used to avoid the blast.

Nullifiers
When in their “siege mode”, their projectiles will go through cover. Once fired, the projectile is nearly hitscan speed, chunks for hefty amount of damage, and will stagger. This projectile can be reflected with Backlash however. Nullifers, will also project a shield in front of them which will reduce incoming damage by an extremely large margin. The best way to deal with them is to engage them in melee (preferably behind them). If they drop their shield and turn their attention to you, be mindful of their melee as it hurts and will stagger you. Just like Berserkers, save your melee to iframe through the Nullifier’s melee attack. 

Observers
Concentrated fire from a group of these will melt you nearly instantly. Due to their flying nature, melee is rarely ever an option, and as such, they can be very difficult to deal with as the Duelist. Regardless, they are quite squishy and you can still dispatch them rather quickly with charge+hover > gunfire+Lance. Try to shove your shotgun/Talon into their weak spot before squeezing the trigger if you can. Another sound strategy is using Backlash to reflect their beam back upon them. From here, simply wait until they are low enough from this to finish them off.

Destroyers
You cannot go toe to toe with these as their turrets will destroy ( haha ) you. Even with their turrets down, they can project a damaging energy aura around them that will quickly deplete your shield and hp. Due to the consistent damaging nature of turret fire and the aura, iframes aren’t very effective. Iframes are very effective against their charge up attack however. My advice is to wait until both turrets are down before full on engaging them. From here, bait out their aura by engaging in close quarters with gunshots and Lance only. When they begin channeling their aura, back dash out of the aura’s range and continue firing until the aura ends. From here, you have a small window to utilize melee before they will begin channeling their aura again. When they begin using their telltale charge up attack, make sure to aim your lances and shots at their weak spot for maximum damage while timing iframes to avoid the blast.

Teleporting instagib Fiends, smoke screening Destined, seemingly endless supply of stealth dogs, monstrous dps Anointed, time sponge Ascendants, and overall a cohesive nature makes this faction the toughest out there.
Regardless, you must show them and their Bioware overlords that there is no escape from justice.

Wraiths
The stealth dogs of the Kett. Their stealth still has a shimmering effect that gives away their position. Treat them as Outlaw dogs by back dashing away with a follow up headshot -> melee attack, etc.

Chosen
The Kett grunt. Just like raiders, concentrated fire from multiple Chosen will turn you into swish cheese. Be mindful of groups of them, but terminate with extreme prejudice.

Anointed
These guys possess eye watering dps if left unchecked and are quite beefy. It’s best to get them to blow their load on your Backlash until it is about to shatter and then engage with Charge. This will prevent you from taking much damage while serving them their well-deserved execution.

Destined
These foes can be a pain due to their beefiness and cloaking effect making melee attacks harder to land. Furthermore, if you try to ignore them, the area cloak they provide will bite you in the ass later as their comrades join the fray. Couple this with their area denial grenades and the consistent chip damage their Hesh shotguns provide, and you can see why Destineds are pretty much the MvP of the Kett standard Army. As such, it is important to keep their numbers low. The best way to land melee swings on them is to start the melee attack from about a blink distance away. As such, if you are close to one, a back dashing will put you at the perfect distance for a follow up melee attack.

Ascendant
Not a particularly tough enemy, but can certainly be a time sucking vampire. The orb CAN be hit by melee, but you will most likely whiff due to its hovering nature. Stick to charging, shooting, and lancing instead. Once the Ascendant is exposed, melee has much higher reliability compared to the orb IF the Ascendant is low to the ground. Furthermore, the orb projectile can be deflected with Backlash provided you make contact with the center sphere. While the deflected sphere has no real effect on the Ascendent himself, opting to deflect it can save you from having to otherwise move out of position. Rumor has it that the deflected sphere can damage the shields of other Kett…

Fiends
The current bane of ME:A MP. Undoubtedly you have witnessed firsthand their cheesy teleport+sync kill state. Unfortunately, there isn’t much anyone can do about this other than taking the Fiend down asap tbh. Running and trying to hide from it isn’t going to stop it from either sucking you in from across the map through walls and ceilings, or simply warping on top of you for the sync kill. In theory as a Duelist, you have the tools to take these big boys down by saving your iframes for when it raises its right arm. In practice however, their warping behavior and constant spinning in place can make it nearly impossible to track the animation of their right arm or predict what they will do next. Sometimes they don’t even raise their right arm to give away they are about to sync kill (or melee, as they have pretty much the same animation), and instead you simply get sucked in for front roll seats to your character’s demise. Sometimes Saving Barrier will pop and other times it will not. I recommend summoning the courage and simply standing your ground against them. Ignore the possibility that you’ll get cheated and keep an eye on their right arm for when to iframe. Maybe you’ll inspire the rest of your team to turn around and concentrate fire on the Fiend leading to its satisfying demise…or maybe you’ll just get cheesed and cheated out of Saving Barrier. Either which way, I find that this is the best way to approach Fiends other than Cobra RPG spam.