Biotic Charge

That's because the "vanguards" in ME2 aren't really vanguards (with the exception of Tela Vasir). They have warp and tech armor, they're sentinels with shotguns.

Cora isn't a spectre, but I guess she could have learned it from Alec if your theory is true.

It's just gameplay. Theoretically, every biotic should be able to do everything. Jack may not have the precision to do a very good stasis field and Jacob may not have the power to fire off shockwaves but they should be able to do it, even if they suck. They have to handicap biotics, otherwise Jack and Samara could handle the whole game themselves.

Or maybe not. Didn't Liara imply in the Citadel DLC that Kaidan shouldn't have been able to do Reave, like it was very unusual? Maybe the range of biotic powers is more limited than we think. I mean, from a lore perspective rather than behind the scenes stuff.

According to lore, I think Charge requires L5n biotic implants. Easy to headcanon that they're ludicrously expensive to produce, which is why only a very few individuals like the Cerberus-funded Shepard and the Broker-funded Vasir can afford them.

  Confusing N7 with Spectres...well, then, I have no idea.  We do have a former Spectre out there but Charge was seen happening before he was encountered.

I don't disagree there. Samara uses better weapons and fits most squads better than Jack does and she doesn't die as easily. But the game does hype up Jack as a super powerful biotic regardless of whether she is fueled by rage or not. The only real use she has is holding that bubble and even Samara can do that.

And I don't think you can really make gameplay and lore cooperate sometimes. In many games, characters seem to be stronger in cutscenes compared to gameplay. Devil May Cry games do this a lot. In Mass Effect, its the opposite. Shepard isn't some sort of god in cutscenes, but in gameplay he/she is always overpowered.

We want smarter AI for our squadmates, not for enemies.

Biotics are about manipulating the world around the user, in a "defy the laws of physics" manner. It's all external stuff, i.e. mini-black holes, blasts of force, removing gravity from an enemy, etc.
But a Vanguard turns that biotic energy inward, augmenting speed and strength to such a degree that they fly through the air (and phasing through solid objects) and into an enemy's face.
Shotguns are just sprinkles on top.

I liken them to the Arcane Warriors from Dragon Age, in the sense that it's taking the "magic powers" and internalizing it rather than simply letting it out.

To support this, look at the Adept profile in Andromeda:
Larger Biotic radius
- everything you throw out there is bigger

Look at the Vanguard profile
Faster Biotic recharge
- using your biotics in a physical way instead of purely mental, one could argue that you're using your instinctual experience to boost your power.


Biotics had to learn to walk before they could use biotics, so instead of having to "visualize" the effect they want, they can take something they already know and use biotics to augment and improve what is already there.

It makes sense to me that Adepts, Vanguards, and Sentinels would have the same (or similar) biotic training for basic comprehension and use; "This is biotics, this is what biotics can do, etc."

But where an Adept is all-in with mind powers, and a Sentinel being more cover-the-bases, the Vanguard would use biotics to turn what they can already do into something extraordinary.

I see the bits already written about how it could be a SPECTRE-ONLY technique, and for what it's worth, that's a solid explanation.

On a less philosophical side and leaning more towards pragmatism and game mechanics...
Biotic Charge is a great way to differentiate the gameplay of a Vanguard from the Adept or Sentinel, and the concept of moving at FTL velocities of your own accord, without the protective benefits of a starship hull, is really scary.
What if you miss? What if you aren't focused enough and end up halfway throw a solid wall?

Personally speaking, as much as I like the Vanguard (my first class in this series, has a special place in my heart and all those other warm fuzzies) and Biotic Charge...
if I were somehow IN the Mass Effect universe and had to choose a class for myself, I would pick the Sentinel, because it's much "safer" and if Omni-tools are generally standard-issue, then I might as well learn how to use it better, am I right?

Vanguards are also considered "biotic warriors" and an argument could be made that they are a Soldier who uses biotics. I looked up a bit on "What if Biotic Charge were Real?" and the combat implications of Charge are impressive, but very risky.
So while a "common" Vanguard would indeed mix it up with some mass effect fields in tandem with their firearms, it lends further credence to the idea that highly specialized, special-forces training would not only be necessary but critical to proper use of such a technique, making the idea that it's a SPECTRE-ONLY ability all the more likely.

I don't think so.  In SP, Shepard can't move through solid objects.  Shepard needs a clear line of sight.  Whatever MP does is separate.