inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Jun 6, 2023 2:49:48 GMT
I switched back to Assault Armor. I have to say, paradoxically, I seem to be a better caster with it. Using Power Armor, I feel pressured to keep it active most of the time since the point of it is the power damage bonus. This results in having to reactivate it more often than would be ideal, then dealing with Tech Armor's huge cooldown. With Assault Armor, it's a decent investment still to play a mixed style (lay back and cast for a while without Tech Armor; then charge in with it) if you like casting. The pace of the game is significantly better so far. My Power Armor caster Sentinel had the slowest rate of progression of any ME2 character I've played so far, to a comical degree.
A couple of things to consider, though:
- I didn't have an AR like the person in the video. I had to rely on SMGs and pistols except when I could corner an enemy or two with a shotgun.
- I tested the build with missions on Illium, where there are a lot of cramped corridors.
Still, it was painful to play at times and there wasn't much noticeable benefit from Power Armor. The blast from Assault Armor is great and was very much missed, and the mixed playstyle actually makes casting better to me. I guess one could argue that as long as you're hypercautious, Power Armor is still feasible, but that doesn't lend itself to much enjoyment.
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Jun 25, 2023 23:55:43 GMT
|
|
CosmicGnosis
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, KOTOR, Jade Empire
Posts: 101 Likes: 74
inherit
1272
0
74
CosmicGnosis
101
August 2016
cosmicgnosis
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, KOTOR, Jade Empire
|
Post by CosmicGnosis on Jul 6, 2023 9:19:57 GMT
Does the shorter duration for Master Marksman hurt the DPS for pistols, or does the new damage boost make up for it? Marksman lasts for 6 seconds (Basic, Advanced, and Master). Master Marksman adds +75% damage and +100% headshot damage. (That is in additional to the +30% or so extra damage you get from putting points into the Pistols talent bar.) My opinion: I do not think that makes up for the lost DPS. BUT I should point out that I have not been using pistols very much in any of my playthroughs yet. I will probably start to use them a little more as I start to put more points into them and see how that goes. I would also need to compare equivalent weapons: HMWP Pistol VII with Master Marksman versus the HMWA Assault Rifle VII or X (no Overkill) for example. Hey Caesar, just checking to see what your conclusions were for this analysis. What did you ultimately settle on?
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Jul 27, 2023 7:26:28 GMT
Ugh, I'm so deep in my Sentinel playthrough, I just did Thessia - I think I'm gonna see it through. I have an idea to build a "walking time bomb Sentinel" using Barrier and Tech Armor detonations. It'll be a close quarter combat character, probably wielding a Talon or Scorpion with the power damage mod. I don't know, I'll try it out and see how it goes. How did this go, if you did try it out?
|
|
nannerb
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 101 Likes: 169
inherit
11588
0
Apr 23, 2024 14:27:39 GMT
169
nannerb
101
July 2020
nannerb
Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
|
Post by nannerb on Jul 31, 2023 14:48:09 GMT
I realized I didn't have Barrier as a bonus power so I couldnt do it lol I assumed I had every possible save type like I had in the original trilogy, but I actually don't have a Kaiden Virmire Survivor save. I'm kinda bummed but ah well. I've basically been living in the Armax Arena trying every gun and armor the game has. Still haven't landed on a satisfying Sentinel build yet (without Barrier). I was toying with Defense Matrix for a gunplay build - closing the gap and staying out of cover so Shepard can lay a consistent spray of fire. Activating the Defense Matrix to restore shields instantly to continue the assault. It's kind of like a Krogan/Vorcha build - where you "regenerate" your health. n7double07 How have your builds been going? |
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Jul 31, 2023 20:37:26 GMT
I realized I didn't have Barrier as a bonus power so I couldnt do it lol I assumed I had every possible save type like I had in the original trilogy, but I actually don't have a Kaiden Virmire Survivor save. I'm kinda bummed but ah well. I've basically been living in the Armax Arena trying every gun and armor the game has. Still haven't landed on a satisfying Sentinel build yet (without Barrier). I was toying with Defense Matrix for a gunplay build - closing the gap and staying out of cover so Shepard can lay a consistent spray of fire. Activating the Defense Matrix to restore shields instantly to continue the assault. It's kind of like a Krogan/Vorcha build - where you "regenerate" your health. n7double07 How have your builds been going?
I have a few things going on right now. I've been distracted by other games recently, so I haven't made too much progress with any of these builds yet.
1. My Defensive Soldier in ME1 - Took Barrier as a bonus power and am focusing on leveling up all the other defensive powers + Adrenaline Rush. This is my first Soldier playthrough in ME1 in many, many years. I haven't gotten far enough to see its true potential and if it's even really worth taking Barrier as a bonus power at all.
2. My Sniper Engineer in ME2 - Focusing on Combat Drone, Overload, and either Incinerate or Cryo Blast, in addition to using Armor-Piercing Ammo or Shredder Ammo as a Bonus Power (Have Shredder at the moment but am likely going to switch to APA since it's more versatile.) Just started this last night by reverting back to an old save on the Collector Ship and switching from ARs to Snipers.
3. My Control Engineer in ME2 - Plan on creating a build centered on Combat Drone, Cryo Blast, AI Hacking, and Dominate. I've seen others play this and it looks like the most fun Engineer to me. Right now I'm a bit lukewarm on the Engineer in 2, and it's ranking below Adept, Vanguard, and Infiltrator. Not sure if I prefer it to Sentinel or not; I need to play more of both classes. Curious to see if this build will put it above Sentinel, or even above or equal to some of the other three. This is in the works right now and with this character I'm also at the Collector Ship mission. Took Shotgun training.
4. In the future, I want to make a Sentinel that uses AI Hacking in ME1.
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Aug 10, 2023 4:38:41 GMT
I went back to a NG+ ME2 Sentinel tonight. I wanted to try rank 4 Neural Shock with a Sentinel, so I loaded up a save pre-LoTSB and put it on. My build is:
Heavy Throw - 4
Unstable Warp - 4 (might change to Heavy)
Assault Armor - 4
Overload - 1
Cryo Blast - 0
Guardian - 4
Neural Shockwave - 4
I'm finding that Garrus and Jacob is the best team for this Sentinel; Garrus for Overload and Jacob for Pull + Squad Incendiary Ammo. Using the Scimitar, my favorite shotgun in ME2, and often the best for running into skirmishes head-on. Incendiary Ammo helps for staggering enemies.
Even though the mechanics differ, the feel of this build seems similar to what I was going for with my Energy Drain Sentinel. An Energy-Drain Assault Sentinel seems highly difficult, if even (consistently) viable at all. I'd have to play around with that a bit more, but I don't see it working out well.
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Aug 10, 2023 7:53:13 GMT
I think this build could also make use of Jacob + Miranda. From what I've read, Miranda's Overload doesn't hold up to Garrus', but it might be able to work. While your Sentinel is focusing on Tech Armor and Neural Shock, you can use the Tech Armor power-reset trick to create a double Pull + Warp chain when Miranda isn't necessary for Overload.
|
|
nannerb
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 101 Likes: 169
inherit
11588
0
Apr 23, 2024 14:27:39 GMT
169
nannerb
101
July 2020
nannerb
Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
|
Post by nannerb on Aug 14, 2023 16:53:27 GMT
I went back to a NG+ ME2 Sentinel tonight. I wanted to try rank 4 Neural Shock with a Sentinel, so I loaded up a save pre-LoTSB and put it on. My build is: Heavy Throw - 4 Unstable Warp - 4 (might change to Heavy) Assault Armor - 4 Overload - 1 Cryo Blast - 0 Guardian - 4 Neural Shockwave - 4 I'm finding that Garrus and Jacob is the best team for this Sentinel; Garrus for Overload and Jacob for Pull + Squad Incendiary Ammo. Using the Scimitar, my favorite shotgun in ME2, and often the best for running into skirmishes head-on. Incendiary Ammo helps for staggering enemies. Even though the mechanics differ, the feel of this build seems similar to what I was going for with my Energy Drain Sentinel. An Energy-Drain Assault Sentinel seems highly difficult, if even (consistently) viable at all. I'd have to play around with that a bit more, but I don't see it working out well. I had some fun with Neural Shockwave Infiltrator using an SMG with disruptor ammo. There was a bit of a challenge mowing down enemies crippled by the effect because it was like they were crouching. Especially difficult hitting them if they fell behind cover. I think it's a really interesting ability that probably should've had more of a damage component to it. I think the 3 second cooldown time makes it a little bit more attractive over cryo blast, but the kill isn't as satisfying for some reason.
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Aug 15, 2023 0:08:07 GMT
I went back to a NG+ ME2 Sentinel tonight. I wanted to try rank 4 Neural Shock with a Sentinel, so I loaded up a save pre-LoTSB and put it on. My build is: Heavy Throw - 4 Unstable Warp - 4 (might change to Heavy) Assault Armor - 4 Overload - 1 Cryo Blast - 0 Guardian - 4 Neural Shockwave - 4 I'm finding that Garrus and Jacob is the best team for this Sentinel; Garrus for Overload and Jacob for Pull + Squad Incendiary Ammo. Using the Scimitar, my favorite shotgun in ME2, and often the best for running into skirmishes head-on. Incendiary Ammo helps for staggering enemies. Even though the mechanics differ, the feel of this build seems similar to what I was going for with my Energy Drain Sentinel. An Energy-Drain Assault Sentinel seems highly difficult, if even (consistently) viable at all. I'd have to play around with that a bit more, but I don't see it working out well. I had some fun with Neural Shockwave Infiltrator using an SMG with disruptor ammo. There was a bit of a challenge mowing down enemies crippled by the effect because it was like they were crouching. Especially difficult hitting them if they fell behind cover. I think it's a really interesting ability that probably should've had more of a damage component to it. I think the 3 second cooldown time makes it a little bit more attractive over cryo blast, but the kill isn't as satisfying for some reason. I prefer Cryo Ammo/Blast also. One point in Neural Shock should be adequate on an Infiltrator if you use Cryo Ammo, useful for those periods where you're being aggressive and can't afford the latency with Cryo and/or you're low on ammo. Neural Shockwave would make more sense if you're not using Cryo Ammo.
Having the highest level of Neural Shock definitely seems like it would be a lot more important on a(n Assault) Sentinel. I tried this out on the Dracon Trade Center and Azure levels of LoTSB, and it definitely worked well, except sometimes squadmate fire would break the effect of Neural Shock. I found this was a good stage for testing builds in general. I imagine it won't work as well on certain levels, aside from the obvious like Geth levels where I'd respec those points into Overload or Energy Drain. I've been focusing on ME1 and ME3 at the moment and need to go back and try this build out more at some point.
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Aug 20, 2023 7:12:18 GMT
I've also finished most of my Defensive Soldier (only have the Citadel crawl left.) Having Barrier was useful, particularly during the home-stretch portions of major missions: fighting your way through the Thorian's lair, fighting Balak's squad at the end of Bring Down the Sky, etc. So I'm fairly satisfied. It certainly allowed me to tank more.
I think I'd rather have another offensive ability instead, though. Playing a Soldier again, I'd probably take Medicine or Sabotage.
|
|
nannerb
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 101 Likes: 169
inherit
11588
0
Apr 23, 2024 14:27:39 GMT
169
nannerb
101
July 2020
nannerb
Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
|
Post by nannerb on Aug 28, 2023 13:51:48 GMT
I had some fun with Neural Shockwave Infiltrator using an SMG with disruptor ammo. There was a bit of a challenge mowing down enemies crippled by the effect because it was like they were crouching. Especially difficult hitting them if they fell behind cover. I think it's a really interesting ability that probably should've had more of a damage component to it. I think the 3 second cooldown time makes it a little bit more attractive over cryo blast, but the kill isn't as satisfying for some reason. I prefer Cryo Ammo/Blast also. One point in Neural Shock should be adequate on an Infiltrator if you use Cryo Ammo, useful for those periods where you're being aggressive and can't afford the latency with Cryo and/or you're low on ammo. Neural Shockwave would make more sense if you're not using Cryo Ammo.
Having the highest level of Neural Shock definitely seems like it would be a lot more important on a(n Assault) Sentinel. I tried this out on the Dracon Trade Center and Azure levels of LoTSB, and it definitely worked well, except sometimes squadmate fire would break the effect of Neural Shock. I found this was a good stage for testing builds in general. I imagine it won't work as well on certain levels, aside from the obvious like Geth levels where I'd respec those points into Overload or Energy Drain. I've been focusing on ME1 and ME3 at the moment and need to go back and try this build out more at some point.
I ended up trying the Neural Shockwave Sentinel paired with Mordin. My assumption was the double neural shock would make for an interesting tech crowd control squad build. The reality is that with no damage-on-hit plus the crippling over effect - it became increasingly difficult to clear rooms. The fast cooldown was nice but the playstyle kind of turned into whack-a-mole. Thinking about his thread, I think Neural Shock could use some balance changes. New Neural Shock:Delivers a shock to the opponent's nervous system, briefly incapacitating one organic at a time. Enemies affected take 2x rag-doll damage. If affected enemies are hit with other powers, neural shock does not cancel. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -30% penalty to accuracy; -30% penalty to damage; -30% penalty to footspeed. Stops health regeneration. Instant kills husks. Rank 1: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 5 sec Rank 2: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 7 sec Rank 3: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Rank 4: Heavy Neural ShockDelivers 100 points of damage. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -50% penalty to accuracy; -50% penalty to damage; -50% penalty to footspeed Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 12 sec Neural Shockwave
Delivers a wide neural shock attack affecting anyone within the radius. Delivers 30 points of damage to each enemy affected Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Radius: 6m
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Aug 30, 2023 0:24:32 GMT
I ended up trying the Neural Shockwave Sentinel paired with Mordin. My assumption was the double neural shock would make for an interesting tech crowd control squad build. The reality is that with no damage-on-hit plus the crippling over effect - it became increasingly difficult to clear rooms. The fast cooldown was nice but the playstyle kind of turned into whack-a-mole. Thinking about his thread, I think Neural Shock could use some balance changes. New Neural Shock:Delivers a shock to the opponent's nervous system, briefly incapacitating one organic at a time. Enemies affected take 2x rag-doll damage. If affected enemies are hit with other powers, neural shock does not cancel. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -30% penalty to accuracy; -30% penalty to damage; -30% penalty to footspeed. Stops health regeneration. Instant kills husks. Rank 1: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 5 sec Rank 2: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 7 sec Rank 3: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Rank 4: Heavy Neural ShockDelivers 100 points of damage. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -50% penalty to accuracy; -50% penalty to damage; -50% penalty to footspeed Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 12 sec Neural Shockwave
Delivers a wide neural shock attack affecting anyone within the radius. Delivers 30 points of damage to each enemy affected Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Radius: 6m
It worked decently well when I tried it, but I still haven't tested it on any stages other than the Illium parts of LoTSB. Since it's crowd control how satisfactory it feels is gonna be dependent on enemy/level layout.
Interesting that you find it hard to clear rooms because of the keeling-over effect. If you're playing an Assault Sentinel, you're gonna be running around with Tech Armor. I played this with Assault Armor and the Scimitar.
You seem like you're about as invested in finding interesting builds as I am, so there's a good chance you're right about some of this if you've played a lot.
Your proposed changes to Neural Shock might actually be so good that they kill the appeal of Cryo Blast completely lol (to most, anyway. I still love freezing and shattering)
|
|
nannerb
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 101 Likes: 169
inherit
11588
0
Apr 23, 2024 14:27:39 GMT
169
nannerb
101
July 2020
nannerb
Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
|
Post by nannerb on Aug 30, 2023 18:47:15 GMT
I ended up trying the Neural Shockwave Sentinel paired with Mordin. My assumption was the double neural shock would make for an interesting tech crowd control squad build. The reality is that with no damage-on-hit plus the crippling over effect - it became increasingly difficult to clear rooms. The fast cooldown was nice but the playstyle kind of turned into whack-a-mole. Thinking about his thread, I think Neural Shock could use some balance changes. New Neural Shock:Delivers a shock to the opponent's nervous system, briefly incapacitating one organic at a time. Enemies affected take 2x rag-doll damage. If affected enemies are hit with other powers, neural shock does not cancel. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -30% penalty to accuracy; -30% penalty to damage; -30% penalty to footspeed. Stops health regeneration. Instant kills husks. Rank 1: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 5 sec Rank 2: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 7 sec Rank 3: Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Rank 4: Heavy Neural ShockDelivers 100 points of damage. After the affect, the enemy suffers a -50% penalty to accuracy; -50% penalty to damage; -50% penalty to footspeed Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 12 sec Neural Shockwave
Delivers a wide neural shock attack affecting anyone within the radius. Delivers 30 points of damage to each enemy affected Recharge time: 6 sec Duration: 9 sec Radius: 6m
It worked decently well when I tried it, but I still haven't tested it on any stages other than the Illium parts of LoTSB. Since it's crowd control how satisfactory it feels is gonna be dependent on enemy/level layout.
Interesting that you find it hard to clear rooms because of the keeling-over effect. If you're playing an Assault Sentinel, you're gonna be running around with Tech Armor. I played this with Assault Armor and the Scimitar.
You seem like you're about as invested in finding interesting builds as I am, so there's a good chance you're right about some of this if you've played a lot.
Your proposed changes to Neural Shock might actually be so good that they kill the appeal of Cryo Blast completely lol (to most, anyway. I still love freezing and shattering)
One of the biggest benefits of the Assault Armor is that it has the knockdown feature. Unfortunately, neural shock already does that. The 100 points of damage from the tech blast is nice though. Ha, you read my mind, I was thinking of Cryo Blast and how that would also need a re-spec. Maybe one day I'll put together a rebalanced ME2 power list on here. And yes, I pretty much spend 95% of my Mass Effect playing time trying out something new and different! So, I love hearing what people share and discover!
|
|
inherit
12362
0
Nov 23, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
197
n7double07
211
November 2022
n7double07
|
Post by n7double07 on Sept 13, 2023 10:47:02 GMT
One of the biggest benefits of the Assault Armor is that it has the knockdown feature. Unfortunately, neural shock already does that. The 100 points of damage from the tech blast is nice though. Ha, you read my mind, I was thinking of Cryo Blast and how that would also need a re-spec. Maybe one day I'll put together a rebalanced ME2 power list on here. And yes, I pretty much spend 95% of my Mass Effect playing time trying out something new and different! So, I love hearing what people share and discover! Going back to Sentinel, I'm focusing more on exploiting the Tech Armor reset trick for squadmate cooldowns. Ultimately, this is the way to go, I'd say. Bringing at least one squadmate with Overload makes Tech Armor extremely useful, to the point where another power that acts as crowd control on your Sentinel is hardly necessary. It seems with the way I'm playing it I can sometimes cast Overload myself without noticeably interrupting the momentum of gameplay.
I tested Dominate out a bit but didn't end up using it all that much.
Looks as if the best builds for Assault Sentinels are:
Heavy Throw - 4 Warp - 1 or 0 Assault Armor - 4 Area Overload - 4 Cryo Blast - 1 or 0 Guardian - 4 Neural Shockwave/Enhanced Dominate/Tungsten Ammo/ Improved Shredder Ammo - 4
You can either make it easier to finish off enemies with an ammo power (albeit not that much) or use Neural Shockwave or Enchanced Dominate when they're occasionally useful.
Some combination of Garrus, Zaeed, or Kasumi seems ideal for a lot of missions. Mordin or Thane with Kasumi would be useful on Blood Pack missions. If you want to use his Squad Disruptor Ammo, Zaeed can work on any level.
Edit: And of course, since it was bothering me that I didn't include this, Samara, Miranda, and Thane can be added in for Collector/Eclipse missions.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
Member is Online
Nov 23, 2024 19:10:27 GMT
7,408
RedCaesar97
1,965
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 19, 2024 23:58:05 GMT
I updated the original post and corrected some broken links. All links in the original post should work now.
|
|
inherit
1319
0
Member is Online
Nov 23, 2024 19:10:27 GMT
7,408
RedCaesar97
1,965
Aug 28, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
August 2016
redcaesar97
Mass Effect Trilogy, Jade Empire
|
Post by RedCaesar97 on Apr 24, 2024 20:27:32 GMT
Under the ME3 single-player weapon guides, added a link to "Analyzing and ranking the best weapons on your squadmates (Mass Effect 3)" by lesser.
|
|
