What Did You Do Today in Andromeda

I logged in and did some testing this afternoon. I found a build with which I had a lot of fun.

Biotic Bomber? BioTech Commando? (I’m not sure what I’d call it. )

Sentinel (Lance/Shockwave/Energy Drain) I have been enjoying playing as a Sentinel for the first time.

Sentinel is the ideal Profile for this. It grants +40% Combo Damage. It reduces the cost of Lance by 45%. It improves the effectiveness of Energy Drain and your Tech Passives by 45%. It even adds a bit of extra durability via Tech Armor.

Still, maybe you’re worn out using Sentinel, or really like other Profiles. Explorer is pretty solid, and one I barely ever use. It can’t compete with Sentinel, but it gives a few useful perks. It boosts weapon damage by 15%, which helps pretty much anyone. It gives 15 Damage Resistance. Cool. It improves Energy Drain and Tech Passives by 40%. Not bad. It’s far less ideal than Sentinel, but it works. If you’re looking to do less optimization, like I have been doing, this is a lesser alternative that’s still fun.

* Lance is a pretty good direct damage power, which is a rare thing, but that’s not its best feature. It is a detonator with no cooldown. You can throw as many as you like. Yes, it uses barrier, but that doesn’t matter for the following reasons: You have Energy Drain. You have Team Support 6B (Life Support). You have Auxiliary Systems 6A (Shield Feedback). You have a Shield Oscillator in all of your assorted Chest Pieces. Basically, you always have barrier to burn, meaning you can hurl as many Lances as you wish.

An okay alternative to Lance would be Concussive Shot or Throw. They are not going to put out great damage, and are not going to dovetail beautifully with Energy Drain, Sentinel and your Tech Passives. Still, they’re functional. I didn’t find them nearly as fun, effective or flavorful, though, to be honest.

I like Concussive shot because it not only detonates stuff but it sits enemies on their ass as well. 


* Shockwave: I initially had Singularity here, since it is somewhat “better”. I found that I wasn’t using Singularity as often as I could, though. It regens constantly with FMoA, but still felt like a “slow” power. Shockwave is less useful versus heavies and bosses, but it’s a rapid-release primer/detonator that lifts. It’s a solid power that fits nicely into this rotation. It’s also fun in that I’ve pretty much never used it since it was introduced back in ME2.

I like shockwave because when you are being rushed its just fun to send enemies flying, plus its utility value of freeing enemies trapped in walls etc.!!!!!



* Energy Drain: Alongside Tactical Cloak, this is arguably the king of active skills. It primes, it detonates, it restores your barrier! Not only that, but it constantly triggers your awesome Tech Passives. It’s the ultimate “Invincibility Skill” in MEA, and it can be yours for three easy payments of $29.99 a handful of skill points.

I might have a look at Energy Drain today



EDIT: Added some alternative options.