Tag Archives: biotic explosion

Biotic Annihilator – by x-Lee_666-x

Posted on by
Reply

Build Title: Biotic Annihilator by x-Lee_666-x

 

Class: Asari Valkyrie Sentinel

 

Map Difficulty Rating: This build has the potential for Platinum Gameplay

 

Power Evolution:
Tech Armor: (4) Durability, (5) Power Damage, (6) Durability
Annihilation Field: (4) Impact Radius, (5) Movement Speed, (6) Drain
Warp: (4) Detonate
Asari Valkyrie: (4) Damage & Capacity
Fitness: (4) Durability, (5) Shield Recharge, (6) Fitness Expert

 

Weapons:
N7 Piranha shotgun with Extended Barrel mod and Shotgun Shredder Mod. This works for both Gold and Platinum, as my Piranha is level X. Alternatives would include any powerful and lightweight weapon. I optimize for close range only with this build.

 

Gear:
Bronze/Silver/Gold: Structural Ergonomics V Gear mod. This is to counterbalance the weight of the Piranha, reducing cooldowns by 15%. Platinum: Structural Ergonomics V Gear mod, Cyclonic Modulator III Armor mod or Adrenaline Module III Armor mod, Warp Ammo IV Ammo mod, Shotgun Rail Amp III Weapon mod. This will be explained later.

 

Strategy:
Across all difficulty levels, the basic strategy with this character is to devastate enemies at close range. Activate Tech Armor, activate Annihilation Field, then run in close to enemies, hit them with Warp, parry with the Piranha, and repeat. This class is good for crowd control, and excels greatly in one-on-one close range combat. The Tech Armor is only to give the Biotic Annihilator an added 50% damage reduction bonus, essentially making your character twice as hard to kill. Because of this, the Tech Armor is really what makes Annihilation field usable, and is the basis of effectiveness with this character. I will have this on for the whole match, as the detonation of the Tech Armor is not very powerful, being ranked for damage reduction. The Tech Armor also slows power use, so rank six of the power can really go either way, I just prefer the added damage reduction over the alternative of increased power recharge time. To mitigate the added cooldown time of the Biotic Annihilator‘s powers, I always use the Structural Ergonomics V Gear mod. The Warp power does not need to be ranked too high, as it is only needed to detonate the biotic primer from Annihilation Field. I have Warp ranked to level 4 to get the 50% bonus to force and damage of biotic explosions. Annihilation Field is ranked to: have a larger radius, give the Biotic Annihilator added movement speed, have increased duration (90 seconds), drain the shields of enemies to replenish your own. Annihilation
Field’s increased movement speed will let you get enemies in and out of the Field’s enhanced radius quicker, for more biotic explosions, and plus, everyone likes to run faster. Having Tech Armor and Annihilation Field ranked this way adds to the durability of the Biotic Annihilator, making you much harder to kill due to damage reduction(Tech Armor) and quick shield regeneration(Annihilation Field). The increased radius also can set up more enemies for biotic explosions that are best detonated with a teammate with Shockwave. In general, the larger Field also makes priming BE easier. The equipment mods listed for Platinum difficulty are mainly to increase the effectiveness of the Piranha shotgun. The Shotgun Rail Amp III, and Warp Ammo IV make the Piranha much more powerful. Also, the added damage bonus from Warp Ammo will be in effect when firing on nearby enemies affected by the Annihilation Field. The Piranha is also used to fill the lengthened recharge speed of Warp after a Biotic Explosion. Step by step example: Lone Geth Pyro. With Tech Armor and Annihilation Field active, sprint over to the Pyro. Get close enough for Annihilation Field to take effect, and hit the Pyro with Warp. After the Biotic Explosion, move away so the Pyro is out of the Annihilation Field’s radius, and then move back in while bullying and stunning the Pyro with the Piranha until Warp recharges/magazine is empty. Finish off the Pyro with another Biotic Explosion or more Piranha shots. Only use melee to stun a single enemy when the Piranha needs to be reloaded. For a group of enemies, do the same thing as you would with a single enemy. The only difference would be to retreat when necessary to allow your shields to recharge. The Biotic Explosion will stun nearby enemies, making them all vulnerable to the Piranha, and depending on the amount of enemies in the group, you might not even need to move back and forth for the Annihilation Field to take effect, as you only lose the priming effect on the enemy detonated. This build is effective on all enemy types and all enemy characters, but is most effective against the Geth, as there is no risk of being sync-killed (except if you play on Platinum). Caution should be taken when playing Collector, because as a close range specialist, Praetorians and Possessed Abominations are dangerous and numerous. You could solo Gold with this build, but Platinum would be very difficult. The Biotic Annihilator is best used as the spearhead of a two man group, with your teammate covering you from nearby. This build is a driving force on Gold. The best support for the Biotic Annihilator would be a team of a Batarian Slasher, a Drell Vanguard or Adept, and character with throw or another Biotic Annihilator. If you can, avoid teammates with Tech Burst primer powers, as these can be a major troll on your flow, since tech powers take priority of detonation over biotic primers, causing you to waste Warp on a relatively weak Tech Burst instead of a powerful Biotic Explosion, potentially getting you killed. Seriously, Tech powers ccan get you killed! With the Biotic Annihilator, it is important to remember to be aggressive, but to be smart. DO NOT take on too many enemies or risk getting cornered or downed. Only experience can help you gauge the situation and the tactics needed with this character.

 

N00b Rating:
3.5 – It takes experience to effectively use the Biotic Annihilator effectively.
GD Star Rating
loading...
Share

Angel of Darkness – by CoreyImperia

Posted on by
2

Build Title: Angel of Darkness

Class: Asari Huntress Infiltrator

Map Difficulty Rating: This build has the potential for Platinum gameplay

Power Evolutions:
Tactical Cloak: (4) Damage, (5) Recharge Speed, (6) Power Damage
Dark Channel: (4) Damage, (5) Slow, (6) Pierce
Warp: (4) Detonate, (5) Expose, (6) Pierce
Asari Huntress: (4) Weapon Damage, (5) Power Damage
Fitness: (1), (2), (3)

 

Weapon:
I recommend the M-11 Wraith with High-Velocity Barrel and Smart Choke. You want weapons with heavy damage but that are not too heavy themselves. Because there is that convenient bug which means non-DLC weapons like the Wraith are not affected by the weight penalty, you can get away with having a high-level Wraith with the High-Velocity Barrel. If you do not have the Wraith, use another shotgun like the Eviscerator with the same mods or the Geth Plasma Shotgun with Spare Thermal Clip and High Caliber Barrel. I’d also recommend the Cerberus Harrier with Extended Magazine and Piercing Mod, but I do prefer the Wraith on her. You might benefit from taking the Acolyte with Heavy Pistol Barrel (High Caliber Barrel if you don’t have that) and Ultralight Materials with you, but that is completely up to you.

 

Gear:
I recommend Warp Rounds, for more damage against targets affected by Biotics and as compensation for a lack of Weapon Damage (which I’ll talk about later). For your weapon bonus you’ll want Shotgun Rail Amps (unless using the Harrier, the Assault Rifle Rail Amps) and for your armor bonus you’ll need Cyclonic Modulators or if you are feeling risky, Power Amplifier Modules. As for the gear itself, I use Adaptive War Amp for the increase in Biotic Damage.

 

Strategy:
The Asari Huntress was a very interesting character to say the least, she was an Infitrator that had biotics. This means a different playstyle. Especially because you cannot use her in the same ways you’d use other Infitrators as she is soley based around Powers. I’ll go over the build, then the factions and end with the difficulties she has.
When she was first released, we thought her Tactical Cloak was bugged because when you fired weapons in it, it did no more damage. But strangely, this is what BioWare wanted. It only affects Powers and Melee, and by taking Damage its a massive 120% Damage bonus to Powers. Recharge Speed on Tactical Cloak is better because this isn’t a melee build. At Rank 6 you have the choice between Bonus Power and Power Damage; I go for Damage because I want maximum Damage for the Powers, and this brings it to 160%. Bonus Power is definitely viable if you want to be ‘safer’ as in throw of explosions cloaked; but overall I think the extra Power Damage is better in the long run. For Dark Channel, having the Damage is overall better than the Duration: Dark Channel already lasts 30.00 seconds, and that extra damage-over-time has you thieving kills the whole match. Slow is about the best ability on Dark Channel, especially when you’ve got it on bosses, Brutes, Dragoons and Phantoms. Finally, Pierce for extra Armor and Barrier damage. On Warp it is the standard you-should-always-use spec; Detonate as it is her detonator power, Expose to weaken everything and Pierce for extra Armor and Barrier damage. On her passive, I go for Weapon Damage then Power Damage; the reason I do not take Damage & Capacity is because she doesn’t need the capacity and the power Biotic Explosions aren’t affected by any power damage bonuses you have, because you have two level 6 powers, you create a level 12 explosion. Finally, three in Fitness because she’s squishy. Still squishy, but better than 500/500.
As most biotics are, she is best against Reapers or Collectors, fairs well against Cerberus and sometimes struggles with Geth. Only because both of her biotics have a 0.5 damage multiplier against shields. This is another reason we went for maximum damage on Tactical Cloak, to help overcome this and make her more useful against other factions, hence how she can do Platinum. Troopers fall to Dark Channel, your weapon and explosions (if they survive long enough, as a Dark Channel then a Wraith shot should kill most weaker troopers). Anything armored like Geth Pyros and Dragoons sometimes stagger when hit with biotics, and Dark Channel and Warp will easily tear their armor away. Phantoms will fall pretty easily if you leave them to die to Dark Channel, but once Dark Channel is on them your weapon causes more damage to them. Explosions love Ravagers, Scions and Brutes as it annihilates them. Dark Channel has a field day on Swarmers, jumping through all of them and then into the Ravager. Scions are susceptible to Wraith shots on the tumors which greatly weaken their armor if you break them. This is hard to do without Armor-Piercing Ammo, but you have High-Velocity Barrel so you should be fine. These enemies aren’t particular tough to kill, though Ravager slime is deadly to this class (with 625 health and 625 shields I mean). As for the big bosses, Banshees and Praetorians are the easiest. Use your Biotic Explosions with Wraith shots in-between. You’ll normally find that Dark Channel will finish them off eventually if you keep shooting them or keep applying explosions. Altases and Primes resist half of your biotic damage with their shields, but take 2.25 times more damage when its down to armor, work with your team to get their shields down and then ravage them with bullets and explosions.
This class relies heavily on powers, this prevents you from taking heavy weapons which reacts poorly on your overall DPS (high DPS is essential for Platinum); but the Wraith or Harrier both compensate for that. Her cloak disguises her for 5.20 seconds, not enough for objectives and it gives no bonus to weapon damage yet that will still break cloak, so be careful. Finally, she’s frail. Even with Cyclonic Modulator IV (which gives +150% shields), she only has 1375 shields and 625 health, which isn’t much compared to other classes. So be careful and make the best decisions. Stay with your team for protection for objectives and use Cloak often to hide from harm. You also have the neat Asari dodge to use, but be aware of the fact it drains your shields and if they are drained, it resets the Shield Recharge Time.

 

N00b Rating:
3.5 – The Asari Huntress takes a little getting used to, and I’ve found times where I think I’m playing an Adept and totally forget about Tactical Cloak so be careful not to do that. On top of that, she is frail like most Asari you don’t Fitness spec but she has the added benefit of Tactical Cloak for quick get aways. You’ll find yourself making more Dark Channel kills and Biotic Explosion kills than anything else and because you can debuff enemy speed and armor, you’re an assest to any Gold or Platinum team. Just be aware of your awesome dodge mechanic and how it drains your shields.
GD Star Rating
loading...
Share

Retaliation Adept – by CoreyImperia

Posted on by
1

Build Title: Retaliation Adept

Class: Human Adept

Map Difficulty Rating: This build has the potential for Gold gameplay, it may be viable on Platinum as part of a strong team of biotics.

Power Evolutions:
Singularity: (4) Radius, (5) Lift Damage, (6) Damage
Warp: (4) Detonate, (5) Expose, (6) Pierce
Shockwave: (4) Force & Damage*, (5) Detonate, (6) Recharge Speed
Alliance Training: (4) Damage & Capacity, (5) Power Damage
Fitness: (1), (2), (3)

 

*Radius at Rank 4 Shockwave may also be viable. Refer to the strategy guide below for the details about this option.

 

Weapons:
M-358 Talon is your best bet. Put Extended Barrel and Piercing on it (if you use Armor-Piercing ammo, put Extended Magazine on instead). If it is a high level (VIII – X), use the new Pistol Heavy Barrel instead of Extended Barrel. It is an excellent close range weapon and despite being an Adept, you’ll be in close-quarters often due to your powers. Enemies will dodge your power more frequently the further away from them you are. The Talon is also great for afflicting enemies with ammo effects which adds to the diversity of this build. If you don’t have the M-358 Talon, I recommend other Heavy Pistols such as the Acolyte, M-6 Carnifex and M-77 Paladin. Out of these three, the Acolyte is probably the best choice. Make up for the lack of armor damage with your biotics.

 

Gear:
For ammo bonus, use either Warp, Incendiary, Disruptor or Armor-Piercing Rounds. Each has their niche. Warp will increase the damage the weapons do to enemies affected by Singularity. Armor-Piercing makes the Talon even stronger. Disruptor or Incendiary allow it to set up Tech Bursts and Fire Explosions to be exploded by Warp or Shockwave. Use Pistol Rail Amp and either Power Amplifier Module or Cyclonic Modulator for weapon and armor bonus. You’ll want Adaptive War Amp for Gear Bonus.

 

Strategy:
The humble Human Adept. Grossly underused and frankly, one of the best Adepts in the game since the Singularity patch. Honestly, I liked Singularity before the massive change it went through and now it is all the more likable. Your main task is to use Singularity, then Warp to create an explosion and then Shockwave to explode Warp with Talon shots in-between. Both Warp and Shockwave set off Tech Bursts, Fire Explosions, Cryo Explosions and Biotic Explosions so there is a large variety to what you can do.
For your powers, this is the only way you should evolve Warp. It is the best way. Hands down. Detonate not only increases the strength of Warp’s biotic explosions but every explosion it detonates: Cryo, Fire, Tech or Biotic. Expose makes Warp one of the best debuffing powers in the game (when you combine it with Pierce at rank 6) as it makes the target sustain more damage for Warp’s duration. Pierce weakens armor as well as adding additional piercing capabilities to Warp itself. Singularity is now incredibly powerful, as its explosions hit every target in its radius and damage them regardless of whether they have shields, barriers or armor. Radius allows more to be affected, Lift Damage can cause additional damage to all targets lifted and Damage increases the Damage per second all targets in its radius get. As for Shockwave, I’m at an impasse here. I like the extra Force & Damage but that extra 60cm makes a bit of a difference. Sometimes 2.00m doesn’t seem to be enough. I still prefer the Force & Damage but the Radius evolution is definitely viable. Detonate on anything is normally the best power evolution choice and of all the biotic powers, Shockwave gets the biggest. A massive 65% power, force and impact radius increase. Take on Recharge Speed so you can explode the explosions faster, as there is no need to set explosions up with Shockwave because you have Singularity and Warp to do that. Standard power-dependant class passive upgrades and 3 ranks in Fitness to bump up those weak human Barriers.
This class is best against Reapers and Collectors; because at base, Warp is stronger against armor and barriers than anything else. Because of this, he (or she) is less effective against Geth and Cerberus but you should select an ammo power to conpensate for this. All trooper-tier enemies and armored enemies (Dragoons, Scions, Brutes, Ravager) will suffer against Singularity, which damages all in its radius and sets them all up for explosions. Singularity may keep Scions, Brutes, Dragoons and Phantoms in place momentarily, while damaging them at the same time. Lifted targets receive 72.50 more damage per second than all other targets and are more susceptible to explosions. Singualrity will also kill those nasty Swarmers and to a lesser extend Seeker Swarms which terrorize low-shield power-based characters and Warp will weaken everything it touches. So, the humble Human Adept is quite capable against the trooper enemies.
Please be wary of Geth Pyros, Geth Hunters and Geth Bombers. I do not recommend this character for Geth as he (or she) faces too much trouble. Pyros and Hunters can be staggered with Shockwave but their staggering shotguns and shiel-stripping flamethrowers will beat you biotics everytime without back up. Geth Bombers have a tendancy to dodge Shockwave, so stick with your Talon and then hopeful explode a tech burst on it with Warp.
The Human Adept has Warp which is amazing for bosses, it not only has a bonus multiplier against armor and to a lesser extend barriers but weakens armor, primes them for an explosion and increase that target’s vulnerability to all attacks. Warp is an amazing power, often underestimated, just like this class. Atlases will causes issues if you’re hit with their rocket, it will down you in one shot I believe, even with the Cyclonic Modulator on (if not 1 with the Cyclonic Modulator, then 2). Banshees and Praetorians are easier becuase of their susceptibility to biotics, but in a Banshee’s second stage, she can block powers and Praetorians can pull up that stupid Spherical Barrier to block powers. Warp is handy, Singularity will keep them in place momentarily, Shockwave should stagger them slightly. Biotic Explosions stagger Atlases and Primes nearly every time as well and have a chance to stagger the other two bosses.
Your main difficulty is you frailty. Objectives aren’t really an issue, you can put Singularity at doors to stop things from coming in and Shockwave passes through walls. But you only have 625/625, and only 1125/625 with Cyclonic III. You’ll likely need to play to cover when swarmed but it’s smartest to stick with another player, especially if they are a biotic too. Above all, just remember that Singularity primes explosions, Warp detonates Singularity and then primes another explosion and Shockwave detonates Warp. Constant explosions make a good Human Adept.

 

N00b Rating:
2 - This class isn’t difficult to play and works best with multiple Biotic users on the team. As will all Adepts, they should stick with other Biotics for support. Their explosions deal a lot of damage but this comes at a cost. You only have 625 Health and 625 Shields, so you need to play smartly and be aware of your frailty. Adepts, Human Adepts in particular, are commonly team players and are less effective without another Biotic with them. Exploit this.
GD Star Rating
loading...
Share

Versa-Utility – by CoreyImperia

Posted on by
Reply

Build Title: Versa-Utility

Class: Volus Adept

Map Difficulty Rating: This build has the potential for Gold gameplay, if you choose to play Platinum, make sure your team covers the bases.

 

Power Evolutions:
Stasis: (4) Stasis Strength, (5) Recharge Speed, (6) Bubble
Biotic Orbs: (4) Radius, (5) Recharge Speed, (6) Expose
Shield Boost: (4) Shields, (5) Regeneration, (6) Protection
Volus Training: (4) Damage & Capacity, (5) Shield Boost
Fitness: (1), (2), (3)

 

Weapons:
I recommend either the M-358 Talon or the N7 Hurricane. Both deal respectible damage and both allow high recharge speeds. When taking the M-358 Talon, apply High Caliber Barrel and Piercing Mod. When taking the N7 Hurricane, apply High Velocity Barrel and SMG Recoil Systems. Both hit hard against bosses and infantry. My preference is the N7 Hurricane because I just prefer something that can give a constant stream off damage, but it really doesn’t matter which you choose. If you can’t decide, use whichever one is the highest level. Both of these are difficult to get, if you have neither, use the M-12 Locust with High Velocity Barrel and Heat Sink or the M-6 Carnifex with Piercing Mod and High Caliber Barrel. Take the Acolyte with Extended Magazine and Pistol Heavy Barrel if taking an SMG.

 

Gear:
Use Warp or Cryo Rounds for this build, their armor weakening pairs excellently with Expose Biotic Orbs. For your weapon and armor bonuses, use the respective rail amp (SMG or Pistol) and Power Efficiency Module. I recommend Expert Package for your gear bonus for +12% SMG Damage and +12% Recharge Speed. If you aren’t using the Hurricane or Locust, use Structural Ergonomics for +15% Recharge Speed. Again, as with the Volus Engineer, you want to optimize Recharge Speed for this build, allowing you to use the powers quicker.

 

Strategy:
When players look at the two Volus, it’s pretty clear who the favourite of the Adept and Engineer is with the community. Personally on the XBOX360, I don’t see half as many Volus Adepts as I do Volus Engineers. Volus Adepts are harder to play and don’t have the same skill set as their Engineer counterparts but are just as effective if played right. Again, a Volus that gets 10000 points from spamming Shield Boost isn’t an asset to the team in the long-run. We’ll look at its powers, how he fares against the enemies and then look at his limitations.
For Stasis, your standard Stasis spec applies. You shouldn’t need the extra Duration on Stasis to make a kill, considering Stasis and Biotic Orbs is a biotic explosion. Bonus Power on Stasis is nice… but only when it works, you’re better off have the flat recharge increase everytime. You should always spec Stasis for Bubble, never Vulnerability. It is a crowd control ability. As for Biotic Orbs, it is evolved in a similar way to Proximity Mine. Radius allows it to affected multipe targets and Recharge Speed allows you to benefit from the Orbs when you aren’t using them for debuff, with +45%/+30%/+15% Recharge Speed with 3/2/1 Orbs on you. Expose is the money on this power, it’s like a Warp that stacks 3 times. 45% more damage for 6 seconds. Biotic Orbs also detonates Biotic Explosions and other explosions as well (pairing well with Dusruptor, Cryo and Incendiary Ammo). Shield Boost is the basic, best spec for maximum recovery and protection. Volus Training applies more damage to Biotic Orbs and empowers Shield Boost further, adding to your versatility and utility.
The Volus Adept doesn’t have a niche particularly because it’s versatile all-round. It is good against Cerberus because of Stasis but less so against Collectors or Reapers because of Stasis (too many armored units). But Expose is effective against and should be used everything, plus Stasis is just always handy for your Phantoms, Hunters, Marauders and Possessed Abominations. He works effectively at killing trooper enemies, having little trouble aside from being staggered. If the Volus Adept becomes staggered, you better hope you can use Shield Boost in the next few seconds. Stasis is effective against all troopers without armor, and Biotic Orbs will weaken Bombers, Turrets, Pyros and Dragoons so your Hurricane (or Talon, Locust, or Carnifex) can finish it off.
Smaller boss enemies like Scions, Ravagers and Brutes shouldn’t cause much trouble either. For the first two you need to be wary of their protectile attacks and if you are hit by one it is likely you’ll be hit with the others and I don’t believe the Volus can survive all three, make sure to Shield Boost if this happens. Keep a respectable distance, far enough to aim accurately. Otherwise Ravagers will down you quickly with their swarmers and Scions and Brutes both have relatively quick sync-kill techniques. Weaken them with Biotic Orbs and kill them with your team from afar.
As for the big bosses (Altases, Primes, Banshees, Praetorians), you’ll be throwing your Biotic Orbs a lot. You want to keep that Expose effect going for as long as possible while Shield Boosting inbetween when you need to. Try to make sure that you have Orbs up when you Shield Boost to make the cooldown faster. Fire shots of your Hurricane inbetween this. If you work with your team, the bosses can go down very fast; especially if you have Proximity Mine users or other debuffers on your squad. Keep a respectable distance, far enough to aim accurately but not close enough to be sync-killed. Volus have the power to make or break teams.
Do not forget about the light melee Tactical Cloak the Volus characters receive either. You need to use this often and whenever possible to keep you out of fire. Use this to your advantage for objectives and when battling in general. You can sneak around Exposing targets your team is on, particularly effective with bosses are near the ends of rounds.
The Volus Adept is a sturdy character with Shield Boost at the ready…and incredibly flimsly without it ready. With 625/188, it will die nearly immediately on Gold with no shields active. Play with your team, supporting them with Shield Boost and Biotic Orbs. You have more of a chance to survive with another player near you, providing they aren’t getting killed every 5 seconds. Unfortunately, the Volus characters got awesome powers with lengthy cooldowns. Biotic Orbs has the longest cooldown of all biotics and Stasis isn’t fast either. Shield Boost, while not as long to cooldown, doesn’t get off easily either. Use the recommended gear and supplies to counteract this. He also cannot get into cover, and on Gold, even though you don’t use cover often, it is frustrating thinking you are in cover to avoid that Praetorian Particle Beam, but then you remember you are a Volus. I also recommend not fighting Collectors with the Volus Adept. I said he is viable for all factions, which is true, but he has the most trouble with Collectors. If he is ever caught amongst them in melee range, you can expect to use a medi-gel from all the staggering going on. You’ll never “dominate” with a Volus character, but it isn’t impossible to be leading the pack. Play to your strengths, play to your team and play intelligently.

 

N00b Rating:
5 – You’re playing a Volus. That in itself is never simple. The Volus Adept doesn’t have Proximity Mine to stagger enemies at will, just Stasis which cements them in place but has a longer cooldown. You only have 625 shields and 188 health: one shot from a trooper on Gold will down you instantly. Play with your team. This Volus is versatile because it can cause havoc on its own but also support a team. If you have another biotic on your team that you stick with, your road will be easier. It’ll take time to get use to a Volus character in general, let alone one which plays aggressively and defensively.
GD Star Rating
loading...
Share

Virulent Plague – by CoreyImperia

Posted on by
1

Build Title: Virulent Plague

Class: Asari Valkyrie Sentinel

Map Difficulty Rating: This build has the potential for Platinum gameplay

Power Evolutions:
Tech Armor: (4) Durability, (5) Power Damage, (6) Durability*
Warp: (4) Detonate, (5) Expose, (6) Pierce
Annihilation Field: (4) Radius, (5) Damage Taken, (6) Drain
Asari Valkyrie: (4) Damage & Capacity, (5) Power Damage
Fitness: (1), (2), (3)

 

*For Rank 6 Tech Armor I prefer Durability. In saying that, I have the M-11 Wraith and Acolyte at level X so I don’t need the Recharge Speed. If you feel you need it, spec Tech Armour for Recharge Speed instead. The only issue here is you miss out on that nice extra Damage Protection boost.

 

Weapons:
The recommendation will be either the M-11 Wraith or both the M-11 Wraith and Acolyte.If you don’t have the M-11 Wraith, the M-22 Eviscerator is an okay substitute. It is better to just take the Wraith if you do not have it above Level IV or have the Acolyte above Level VIII. You need a rather quick recharge but it does not need to be 200%. You also only need to Acolyte if you plan to achieve countless Fire Explosions (which of course can be done with the just the Wraith but at lesser degree). I prefer to just take the M-11 Wraith, a boss-buster weapon that is a lighter, slightly-weaker, two-shot Claymore. If just using the M-11 Wraith, use Smart Choke and High Velocity Barrel (or High Caliber Barrel if Wraith is low level). If using the M-11 Wraith and Acolyte, use Smart Choke and High Caliber Barrel, and High Caliber Barrel and Extended Magazine respectively.

 

Gear:
You will always want Incendiary Rounds. Damage-over-time from Warp, Annihilation Field and Incendiary Rounds combined is deadly. Shotgun Rail Amp if using the M-11 Wraith only or Pistol Rail Amp if using both, as your main strategy is Acolyte from troopers and Wraith for bosses. Cyclonic Modulator to give you a little more shields (500 if you use Cyclonic Modulator III and 750 if using Cyclonic Modulator IV). For gear bonus, you’ll benefit from Adaptive War Amp to superpower your biotics. If you feel too weak defence wise, use Stronghold Package instead but the former is the better option.

 

Strategy:
The Asari Valkyrie is one of the best-off classes in the game. It can’t set up explosions as fast as the N7 Fury, nor are they as powerful but it has the bulk which the N7 Fury lacked. Personally, my second-favourite Sentinel. I’ll give insight to the power evolutions, go over strategy against the faction’s enemies and list some problems the build faces.
The Tech Armor evolutions are different from how I would spec other Sentinels. The Valkyrie needs to keep Tech Armor on at all times, unless in danger from a Phantom, so Durability is the most important. Since you aren’t a Melee build, Melee Damage is useless on Tech Armor, best to make Annihilation Field and Warp stronger with Power Damage. As mentioned above, the last evolution depends on the player. I have no need for Power Recharge so Durability is my choice, and it is nice having that extra damage reduction keeping you alive longer. Annihilation Field is also different from how I spec out the Fury. Radius increases the Radius of the Field, so it is better than Damage. While I would take Movement Speed for the N7 Fury, I take Damage Taken on the Valkyrie as this stacks with both Warp and Incendiary Rounds. Finally, Drain is always necessary on Annihilation Field. Warp is evolved the only way it should be, maximizing debuffing and DoT. The reason Fitness only has 3 ranks is that it’s better to have that extra Power Damage from the passive skill than the extra Shields that Cyclonic Modulator and Tech Armor already supply you with.
The Asari Valkyrie can handle herself around all trooper-tier enemies; using biotic explosions and your weapon of choice (M-11 Wraith/Acolyte). Drain evolved Annihilation Field will begin recharging your Shields so close-quarters combat is not as complicated. The only worrying enemies are Phantoms and Collector Captains. Detonate Tech Armor to stun them and make sure you can give them a biotic explosion. Against armored troopers (Dragoons, Pyros, Bombers, Ravagers even), shoot and then Warp. This should create a Fire Explosion as long as your gun triggers Incendiary Round’s effect. Warp is an incredible detonator, being able to detonate all types of explosions (Biotic, Cyro, Fire and Tech).
The bigger foes, Brutes and Scions, will need the same tactic as the armored troopers. Against Brutes, it is easier to run up for a Biotic Explosion. Against Scions, it’s a little tougher as there is no Barrier to restore your own (unless possessed) and that Arm Cannon is deadly. For bosses: Atases, Banshees, Primes, Praetorians; you want to use Biotic Explosions. This is dangerous but you have the amazing Asari Dodge manoeuvre to get out of the way. You should be using Warp and your Incendiary-powered weapon on them also, creating a massive weakened target for you to support your team in taking out. Having this dodge to use gives you a lesser chance to be sync-killed; but be wary of Banshees that are in the Biotic Charge type stage (the only stage they can sync-kill you in; the glow with a wispy biotic barrier, not the one they pull up to block powers) and Praetorians in general. Praetorians can jump huge gaps and once stagger by their melee, a sync-kill is almost certain.
This class does not have much trouble against enemies, but she isn’t the best at doing objectives. To be effective in the Upload/Hack objective, the enemies need to be close (somewhat mitigated by Smart Choke Wraith). She doesn’t have the speed to do the Recovery objectives nor the stealth for the Devices. The Escort will be her niche as she is best against enemies when the are closes. Apart from difficulty with objectives, her main draw back is there isn’t enough points to go around. Fitness at Rank 3 gives her 625/625, which is bumped up to 1125/625 or 1375/625 with Cyclonic III or Cyclonic IV respectively. While this is quite a bit and you have the Damage Reduction from Tech Armor, if those Barriers are gone, she is incredibly frail. Pray an enemy has a Shield/Barrier nearby, use an Ops Pack or try your best to slide away (but be cautious of this, the dodge manoeuvre resets the Barrier Recharge Time).

 

N00b Rating:
2 – This class is a tanky N7 Fury and is played in a very similar manner. You are mainly in close-quarters so you need to be careful but your survivability should be stellar because of Tech Armor’s boosts and the Cyclonic Modulator (that should be being used). You are not invincible and if you make poor decisions, like running into a Praetorian and getting sync-killed, you’ll go down. This class is an asset to any team with its debuffing prowess and offensive expertise and is a dangerous comodity to lose.
GD Star Rating
loading...
Share