Squadmate Build Compendium: Mass Effect 1 Edition
Apr 9, 2017 23:18:39 GMT
capn233, Element Zero, and 1 more like this
Post by sageoflife on Apr 9, 2017 23:18:39 GMT
This is a resource for new and old players alike who want an easy resource for making decisions on how to allocate skill points for Shepard's companions. Everyone is welcome to post their own builds.
Kaidan
Throw: 12
Lift: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 1
Decryption: 9
Electronics: 12
First Aid: 6
Medicine: 12
Sentinel: 6
Reason: A good all-purpose build that gives Kaidan plenty of ways to control the battlefield. Having both Barrier and Electronics maxed out gives his defenses a much needed boost, and maxed out Medicine increases the survivability of the whole party. Kaidan won't be contributing much in terms of damage, but he'll pretty much never run into an enemy that he can't disable so the rest of the team can either take it out or have some breathing room to deal with other enemies. With Decryption and Electronics both at level nine or higher, Kaidan can also handle all your hacking needs. Getting everything to their listed milestones leaves a single loose point, which I put in Stasis for the extra crowd control. It can also be put in Decryption to give Kaidan's Sabotage and Overload a little extra punch.
Note on Legendary Edition: Kaidan is largely unchanged in the Legendary Edition, as he unfortunately still lacks Marksman. The biggest change is that players can now viably have him use assault rifles if they wish to make him more consistent with his later appearances. Kaidan does benefit indirectly from the change to Immunity; Immunity's reduced duration means that Kaidan's lack of Warp no longer leaves him at such a disadvantage against organic enemies compared to Wrex and Liara.
Ashley
Pistols: 4
Shotguns: 0
Assault Rifles: 12
Sniper Rifles: 12
Combat Armor: 12
First Aid: 12
Assault Training: 12
Fitness: 12
Soldier: 6
Reason: A good combination of damage and defense. This gives Ashley both the second highest base damage output of the squad and makes her the second hardest to kill. Even if Ashley primarily uses an assault rifle, Assassination coupled with Adrenaline Burst can be useful for burst damage against particularly strong enemies. First Aid also makes sure every usage of medi-gel counts, helping the entire party's survivability. The points in Sniper Rifles can be moved to Shotguns if the player prefers. Players who don't mind micromanaging and a loss in healing can move the points in First Aid to Shotguns and use both Assassination and Carnage in conjunction with Adrenaline Burst for even more burst damage.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Ashley is the most affected by the changes in the Legendary Edition. The change to Overkill greatly improves her damage potential. On the other hand, her lack of both Barrier and Electronics means that the change to Immunity greatly reduces her defensive potential. Fitness is still worth leveling up, but Immunity must be used more strategically now.
Garrus
Assault Rifles: 6
Sniper Rifles: 12
Tactical Armor: 8
Assault Training: 12
Decryption: 9
Damping: 12
First Aid: 7
Electronics: 10
Turian Agent: 6
Reason: This build sacrifices some defense to capitalize on the squad's highest base weapon damage. Maxing out Sniper Rifles, Assault Training, and Turian Agent makes every shot from Garrus's rifle hit as hard as possible, and two Assassinates in a row thanks to Adrenaline Burst means even higher burst damage. Enough points are put in Tactical Armor to make Medium Armor and Advanced Shield Boost available, salvaging Garrus's defense some. Sabotage and Damping give Garrus multiple ways to disable dangerous enemies, and maxing out Damping also guarantees that Garrus's tech powers will hit as many people as possible, especially with Adrenaline Burst. Decryption and Electronics are high enough for Garrus to handle all the party's hacking needs. Getting everything to the listed milestones leaves one loose point, which I put in Electronics to boost Garrus's shields a bit more.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Garrus is another character who benefits from the change to Overkill, and unlike the other two doesn't suffer from the change to Immunity. Moving points from Sniper Rifles to Assault Rifles frees up points points for Tactical Armor and Electronics, greatly improving Garrus's survivability with less loss of damage compare to the original version. The choice of Sniper Rifles vs Assault Rifles is now much more even.
Wrex
Assault Rifles: 5
Shotguns: 12
Combat Armor: 11
Fitness: 12
Warp: 12
Throw: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 0
Krogan Battlemaster: 6
Reason: This build capitalizes on Wrex's defensive prowess. Immunity and Barrier, in conjunction with the Health Regeneration from Krogan Battlemaster, makes Wrex near impossible to KO. It is unnecessary to put a twelfth point in Combat Armor because Barrier followed by Advanced Shield Boost restores Wrex's shields just as effectively as Master Shield Boost. Warp more than makes up for Wrex's lack of weapon damage compared to the other combat squadmates, and Throw gives him some crowd control.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Wrex suffers less from the change to Immunity than Ashley does, but it does mean that it needs to be used much more strategically in conjunction with Barrier. Wrex also benefits from the change to Overkill, but moving points from Shotguns to Assault Rifles doesn't open any particularly useful avenues to him besides a lackluster Stasis.
Tali
Pistols: 6
Shotguns: 12
Basic Armor: 8
First Aid: 2
Electronics: 12
Damping: 12
Decryption: 12
Hacking: 12
Quarian Machinist: 6
Reason: This build takes advantage of Tali's technical abilities. Hacking is as valuable for the recharge time reduction as it is for the ability to turn Geth Juggernauts and Rocket Drones against other enemies. Decryption and Damping allow Tali to disable most human-sized enemies, as well as turrets and drones. They also guarantee that Tali's tech mines will cause as much damage as possible and hit as many targets as possible. Electronics and Basic Armor give Tali a desperately needed defense boost. Shotguns, in conjunction with Sledgehammer Rounds, gives her a bit of crowd control against some of the organic enemies that are immune to her technical skills. Getting everything to the listed milestones leaves two loose skill points, which I put into First Aid for a decent healing boost.
Note on the Legendary Edition: The change to Marksman is more friendly to the squad's AI than the original version, opening options for Tali that were previously lackluster. Moving points from Shotguns to Pistols frees up points for Basic Armor and First Aid for a greater focus on defense over crowd control.
Liara
Throw: 12
Lift: 12
Warp: 12
Singularity: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 0
First Aid: 4
Electronics: 12
Asari Scientist: 6
Reason: This build makes the most of Liara's crowd control abilities. Stasis was left out because I consider the defensive boost from Electronics and the added ability to damage shields to be more valuable. Liara already his plenty of crowd control with both Lift and Singularity, especially with how fast her recharge times get. Liara's complete lack of weapon damage bonuses is made up for with Warp, making her invaluable against organic enemies on higher difficulties. She is also a better healer than the four points in First Aid imply. Unfortunately, the best Liara can ever do against drones and turrets is make them die faster with Warp.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Liara's is almost completely unchanged in the Legendary Edition. At most she can now use weapons besides her pistol if the player wishes to experiment.
Kaidan
Throw: 12
Lift: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 1
Decryption: 9
Electronics: 12
First Aid: 6
Medicine: 12
Sentinel: 6
Reason: A good all-purpose build that gives Kaidan plenty of ways to control the battlefield. Having both Barrier and Electronics maxed out gives his defenses a much needed boost, and maxed out Medicine increases the survivability of the whole party. Kaidan won't be contributing much in terms of damage, but he'll pretty much never run into an enemy that he can't disable so the rest of the team can either take it out or have some breathing room to deal with other enemies. With Decryption and Electronics both at level nine or higher, Kaidan can also handle all your hacking needs. Getting everything to their listed milestones leaves a single loose point, which I put in Stasis for the extra crowd control. It can also be put in Decryption to give Kaidan's Sabotage and Overload a little extra punch.
Note on Legendary Edition: Kaidan is largely unchanged in the Legendary Edition, as he unfortunately still lacks Marksman. The biggest change is that players can now viably have him use assault rifles if they wish to make him more consistent with his later appearances. Kaidan does benefit indirectly from the change to Immunity; Immunity's reduced duration means that Kaidan's lack of Warp no longer leaves him at such a disadvantage against organic enemies compared to Wrex and Liara.
Ashley
Pistols: 4
Shotguns: 0
Assault Rifles: 12
Sniper Rifles: 12
Combat Armor: 12
First Aid: 12
Assault Training: 12
Fitness: 12
Soldier: 6
Reason: A good combination of damage and defense. This gives Ashley both the second highest base damage output of the squad and makes her the second hardest to kill. Even if Ashley primarily uses an assault rifle, Assassination coupled with Adrenaline Burst can be useful for burst damage against particularly strong enemies. First Aid also makes sure every usage of medi-gel counts, helping the entire party's survivability. The points in Sniper Rifles can be moved to Shotguns if the player prefers. Players who don't mind micromanaging and a loss in healing can move the points in First Aid to Shotguns and use both Assassination and Carnage in conjunction with Adrenaline Burst for even more burst damage.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Ashley is the most affected by the changes in the Legendary Edition. The change to Overkill greatly improves her damage potential. On the other hand, her lack of both Barrier and Electronics means that the change to Immunity greatly reduces her defensive potential. Fitness is still worth leveling up, but Immunity must be used more strategically now.
Garrus
Assault Rifles: 6
Sniper Rifles: 12
Tactical Armor: 8
Assault Training: 12
Decryption: 9
Damping: 12
First Aid: 7
Electronics: 10
Turian Agent: 6
Reason: This build sacrifices some defense to capitalize on the squad's highest base weapon damage. Maxing out Sniper Rifles, Assault Training, and Turian Agent makes every shot from Garrus's rifle hit as hard as possible, and two Assassinates in a row thanks to Adrenaline Burst means even higher burst damage. Enough points are put in Tactical Armor to make Medium Armor and Advanced Shield Boost available, salvaging Garrus's defense some. Sabotage and Damping give Garrus multiple ways to disable dangerous enemies, and maxing out Damping also guarantees that Garrus's tech powers will hit as many people as possible, especially with Adrenaline Burst. Decryption and Electronics are high enough for Garrus to handle all the party's hacking needs. Getting everything to the listed milestones leaves one loose point, which I put in Electronics to boost Garrus's shields a bit more.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Garrus is another character who benefits from the change to Overkill, and unlike the other two doesn't suffer from the change to Immunity. Moving points from Sniper Rifles to Assault Rifles frees up points points for Tactical Armor and Electronics, greatly improving Garrus's survivability with less loss of damage compare to the original version. The choice of Sniper Rifles vs Assault Rifles is now much more even.
Wrex
Assault Rifles: 5
Shotguns: 12
Combat Armor: 11
Fitness: 12
Warp: 12
Throw: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 0
Krogan Battlemaster: 6
Reason: This build capitalizes on Wrex's defensive prowess. Immunity and Barrier, in conjunction with the Health Regeneration from Krogan Battlemaster, makes Wrex near impossible to KO. It is unnecessary to put a twelfth point in Combat Armor because Barrier followed by Advanced Shield Boost restores Wrex's shields just as effectively as Master Shield Boost. Warp more than makes up for Wrex's lack of weapon damage compared to the other combat squadmates, and Throw gives him some crowd control.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Wrex suffers less from the change to Immunity than Ashley does, but it does mean that it needs to be used much more strategically in conjunction with Barrier. Wrex also benefits from the change to Overkill, but moving points from Shotguns to Assault Rifles doesn't open any particularly useful avenues to him besides a lackluster Stasis.
Tali
Pistols: 6
Shotguns: 12
Basic Armor: 8
First Aid: 2
Electronics: 12
Damping: 12
Decryption: 12
Hacking: 12
Quarian Machinist: 6
Reason: This build takes advantage of Tali's technical abilities. Hacking is as valuable for the recharge time reduction as it is for the ability to turn Geth Juggernauts and Rocket Drones against other enemies. Decryption and Damping allow Tali to disable most human-sized enemies, as well as turrets and drones. They also guarantee that Tali's tech mines will cause as much damage as possible and hit as many targets as possible. Electronics and Basic Armor give Tali a desperately needed defense boost. Shotguns, in conjunction with Sledgehammer Rounds, gives her a bit of crowd control against some of the organic enemies that are immune to her technical skills. Getting everything to the listed milestones leaves two loose skill points, which I put into First Aid for a decent healing boost.
Note on the Legendary Edition: The change to Marksman is more friendly to the squad's AI than the original version, opening options for Tali that were previously lackluster. Moving points from Shotguns to Pistols frees up points for Basic Armor and First Aid for a greater focus on defense over crowd control.
Liara
Throw: 12
Lift: 12
Warp: 12
Singularity: 12
Barrier: 12
Stasis: 0
First Aid: 4
Electronics: 12
Asari Scientist: 6
Reason: This build makes the most of Liara's crowd control abilities. Stasis was left out because I consider the defensive boost from Electronics and the added ability to damage shields to be more valuable. Liara already his plenty of crowd control with both Lift and Singularity, especially with how fast her recharge times get. Liara's complete lack of weapon damage bonuses is made up for with Warp, making her invaluable against organic enemies on higher difficulties. She is also a better healer than the four points in First Aid imply. Unfortunately, the best Liara can ever do against drones and turrets is make them die faster with Warp.
Note on the Legendary Edition: Liara's is almost completely unchanged in the Legendary Edition. At most she can now use weapons besides her pistol if the player wishes to experiment.
