Choosing specialization/build?

If you're looking for flexibility, I highly recommend the Sentinel class: they have a mix of tech and biotic abilities that will complement your squad, no matter who's on your roster.

If you're looking for correspondence with the DA classes...this isn't perfect as they don't correspond exactly, but I'll have a go:

DA Warrior=ME Soldier and Vanguard class
DA Rogue=ME Infiltrator (sniping and cloaking abilities)
DA Mage=ME Adept (biotics) or ME Engineer (tech). A Sentinel can also be played as a caster class, as they have throw, incinerate and cryo. I played caster Sentinel through ME 2 and ME 3 and had a blast.

You cannot really equate Mass Effect classes with Dragon Age/traditional Fantasy RPG classes. In Mass Effect 3, you have three power types: combat, biotic, and tech.

Soldier: Combat specialist
Adept: Biotic specialist
Engineer: Tech specialist
Infiltrator: combat-tech hybrid
Vanguard: combat-biotic hybrid
Sentinel: tech-biotic hybrid

The game wants you to have a mix of biotic, combat, and tech skills in your squad. Generally speaking, at least in your first playthrough (or first three playthroughs if you want to get all achievements) is you will pick two squadmates and use them for the rest of the game.

For Tech, the most important talents are Electronics (Overload) and Decryption (Sabotage), since these two powers will allow you to unlock containers and other objects. The three classes with tech -- Engineer, Infiltrator, and Sentinel -- have these two talents. Three of your squadmates will also have these two talents.

Tech talents: Electronics (Overload), Decryption (Sabotage), AI Hacking, Damping, First Aid*, Medicine (Neural Shock)
Biotic talents: Throw, Lift, Warp, Singularity, Barrier, Stasis
Combat talents: Immunity, Assault Training (Adrenaline Burst), Pistols (Marksman)*, Assault Rifles (Overkill), Sniper Rifles (Assassination), Shotguns (Carnage), Basic/Tactical/Combat Armor (Shield Boost)*

* All or most classes have access to these skills, so trying to mark them as tech/combat is difficult.


Soldier talents: Pistols, Shotguns, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Assault Training, First Aid, Combat armor (medium/heavy armor), Immunity
Engineer talents: Pistols, Basic armor (light armor), Electronics, Decryption, Damping, AI Hacking, First Aid, Medicine
Adept talents: Basic armor (light armor), Pistols, Throw, Lift, Warp, Singularity, Barrier, Stasis
Infiltrator talents: Pistols, Sniper rifles, Tactical armor (light/medium armor), Immunity, Electronics, Decryption, Damping, First Aid
Vanguard talents: Pistols, Shotguns, Tactical Armor (light/medium armor), Assault Training, Throw, Lift, Warp, Barrier
Sentinel talents: Throw, Lift, Barrier, Stasis, Electronics, Decryption, First Aid, Medicine. (Sentinel's passive bonuses allow it to learn Basic Marksman)

MINOR SPOILER: At some point in the game, after you reach level 20, Admiral Hackett will tell you about a mission on Luna, Earth's moon. Completing this mission will allow you to learn a specialization for your class, which improves some passive bonuses and some of your skills.

Soldier specializations:
> Shock Trooper: more health and damage protection, and improves Immunity and Adrenaline Burst
> Commando: more weapon damage, and improves Immunity and Marksman+Assassination cooldowns

Adept Specializations:
> Bastion: more biotic cooldown bonuses, and improves Stasis and Barrier
> Nemesis: more biotic bonuses (I think damage, not cooldown?) and improves Warp and Lift

Engineer specializations:
> Operative: more tech cooldown bonuses, and improves Overload and Sabotage
> Medic: improves First Aid and Neural Shock

Infiltrator specializations:
> Commando: more weapon damage, and improves Immunity and Marksman+Assassination cooldowns
> Operative: more tech cooldown bonuses, and improves Overload and Sabotage

Vanguard specializations;
> Shock Trooper: more health and damage protection, and improves Immunity and Barrier
> Nemesis: more biotic bonuses (I think damage, not cooldown?) and improves Warp and Lift

Sentinel specializations:
> Bastion: more biotic cooldown bonuses, and improves Stasis and Barrier
> Medic: improves First Aid and Neural Shock


Hope that helps

Many thanks, Morinna and RedCeasar! Per Morinna's recommendation, I went with Sentinel. Some dumb basic questions; do you ever directly control the companion characters or are you limited to just giving them orders? So far, it seems as if half the time, they don't have the good sense to take cover in a firefight and die rather quickly. The Move function doesn't always seem to put them behind cover.

Thanks.  Good to know I'm not doing anything too stupid!  Currently about to expose Saren after having saved Tali.  (Does she ever unmask?)

Here's a question about dialogs...does it show you options you can't use yet based on your charm or coercion points currently being too low?  Sometimes I'll find five options but only be able to select from three of them.