Tag Archives: carnifex

Asari Pls

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Build Title:
Asari Pls

Class:
Asari Adept

Power Evolutions:
Stasis:(4) Duration, (5) Recharge Speed, (6) Bubble
Warp: (4) Detonate, (5) Expose, (6) Pierce
Throw: (4) Force, (5) Detonate, (6) Force and Damage
Asari Justicar: (4) Damage and Capacity, (5) Power Damage, (6) Weapon Damage *
Fitness: N/A *(You could drop the last evolution of Asari Justicar in favour the first 3 in fitness)

Weapons:
Anything that gives you at least 150% recharge. The faster your recharge, the more efficient you will be. Carrying a weapon is more of a formality than a necessity. However, I do run a Carnifex X with Extended Barrel V and Piercing V. The only other useful mod would be Ultralight Materials for lower-level, heavier weapons. The Carnifex suits this build perfectly with its decent accuracy and range but still remaining effective at close range.

Gear:
For a gear bonus I tend to use Stronghold Package for some extra survivability and because I don’t run any points in fitness. However, if you place 3 points in fitness, anything that boosts your Biotic effectiveness such as Commando, Mental Focuser or Structural Ergonomics will work a charm.

As far as weapon, ammo or armour mods go, I rarely use any even on Gold but an Adrenaline Module works well as do Disrupter and Warp Rounds for enemy shields which will resist your biotic explosions.

Strategy:

Stasis: The way in which the Stasis damage calculations work are not inherently obvious. Damage done to Shields and Barriers does not count as actual damage whereas any damage done to Health does. The amount of damage an enemy can take whilst under Stasis is incredibly small so buffing it by 150% will make no difference. However, extending the duration to 10 seconds will help nullify the threat of Phantoms and Geth Hunters for a few more vital seconds. The cool-down on Stasis can also be unforgiving, especially given how easy it is to miss, thereby leaving you completely vulnerable for a few seconds. The Bubble evolution helps with this as enemies will just waltz right into its effect field, allowing you to shoot off their shields and then detonate them with a Throw. Effective use of Stasis can be a useful crowd control tool as well as making Phantoms vulnerable for sniper head-shots. Furthermore, it can be used to hold a choke-point and to stop enemies from flanking your group as well as freezing certain threats and allowing you to revive an ally. However, it is very important to remember that the more to use Stasis on the same enemy, the shorter the period it will remain frozen and the less damage it will take before the effects wear off. After using it 3 times on the same enemy, said enemy will become immune so be sure to make it count.

Warp: The evolution of Warp serves two primary purposes. First of all, to maximise your Biotic Explosion damage and the Area of Effect. By setting off Biotic Explosions, especially on Altas’, you can hold choke-points, terminate large groups of enemies and quickly deal with substantial threats such as Brutes, Ravagers, Engineers, Phantoms etc. In fact, it only takes 2 Biotic Explosions and a few shots from your gun of choice to neutralise a Brute on Gold. The second reason for the chosen Warp evolution is as a utility. The Expose and Pierce evolutions act as a de-buff and allow your team to do increased damage to large threats such as Banshee’s, Atlas’ and Geth Primes.

Throw: Throw has been maximised for damage and force, allowing you to catapult weaker enemies into the sky box, briefly stun Atlas Mechs and do incredibly high damage with Biotic Explosions. The cool down on Throw is incredibly low and investing in shortening it is unnoticeable so it is best to invest in damage.

Asari Justicar: As as AsarI Adept, you will not be using your weapon a whole lot and so it’s best to put all of your points in Power Damage. There is no need to choose the final evolution that allows for increased weight capacity because as your weapons reach a higher level, they will become lighter and the points will be wasted. If you choose to drop any points in favour of fitness, the final evolution of Justicar is by far the most expendable.

Fitness: As stated above, you can possibly spare enough points for 3 levels. The Asari Adept is incredibly fragile and is the very definition of a Glass Cannon (excuse the cliché). However, even on Gold, I have found that the frailty of the character isn’t too much of an issue. Stasis allows you to get out of sticky situations and Biotic Explosions will decimate any large groups baring down on you.

The frailty of this class means that it is best to stick with the pack and preferably play with a well coordinated team. However, teaming up with one friend, either another Adept or a Sniper, will allow you to work together to quickly and efficiently deal with large groups, “Bosses” and agile enemies such as Phantoms and Nemesis’.

The Asari Adept is very effective against all three enemies. However, the effectiveness of Stasis against Cerberus will really allow you to excel as both a top scorer and a valuable team member. With Reapers, you will rarely find cause to use Stasis given the prevalence of Armour but your Biotic Explosions can tear through every level of enemy that you will come across, even on Gold. The Geth is definitely where the Asari Adept’s effectiveness begins to wane. The Geth Pyro is your worst enemy because it can quickly kill you and its shields are resistant to your explosions and its Armour makes it immune to Stasis. However, by using Stasis on Hunters and Rocket Troopers and spamming Warp -> Throw, you can still prove to be a valuable asset to your team, clearing out whole rooms in a matter if seconds and keeping large threats off your team. Brutes and Banshees can be easily kited providing that your team is taking the rest of the heat from other enemies in the area. Kiting leaves you exposed but a good awareness of your surroundings and clever dodging and Biotic Explosions will help you smash your opponents and stop a Brute from steam rolling your team.

N00b Rating: (scale 1-5, 1 is easy for everybody!)
5. As an Asari Adept you can expect to die a lot whilst still getting used to the finer points of this class. It will take some time to fully understand to the machinations of how it works and how to use it to its maximum potential. You will be playing a very fragile character that can really excel on Gold but getting to grips with how Stasis acts will cost you your life on more than one occasion when you misfire at a crucial moment. Furthermore, going toe to toe with Brutes, Banshees and Phantoms (which you will have to do a lot on Gold as your team may rely on you to handle them) often involves kiting rather than staying in cover, Even when you’ve mastered the class, it is still a very difficult one to use but being able to tear apart anything that stands in your way is well worth it.

Appearance: Black and Teal – A16 A10 A10 1:A11 B3

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Hit and Run Shadow – by ARMAVQUE

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Build Title:
Hit and Run Shadow – by ARMAVQUE

Class:
N7 Shadow Infiltrator

Power Evolutions:

Tactical Cloak: Duration (4), Melee (5), Bonus Power (6)
Electrical Slash: Damage (4), Detonate (This is quite optional though, both work in given situations. (This will be explained later)) (5), Damage (6)
Shadow Strike: Damage (4), Electrical Damage (5), Shield Drain (6)
N7 Shadow: Damage and Capacity (4), Power Damage (5), N/A (6)
Fitness: Take the first three ranks only

Weapons:
For this build, really anything moderately lightweight will work. I prefer the Carnifex, but It really comes down to personal preference. You will not use your weapon very often so it really should be that much of a worry.

Gear:
For gear something along the lines of an omni-capacitor or really anything that can provide power, tech or recharge speed. But this really come down to personal preference as you can tweak it to fit the way you want to use the build.

Strategy:

This is mainly a two step build, and those two steps are quite interchangeable. The first step is using your shadow strike. Find and enemy, and also find an escape route near the enemy so you can retreat to a safe distance. Use tactical cloak so you will remain hidden and so you can get a damage boost, and then use shadow strike on your unsuspecting target. Because you have bonus power, you will remained cloaked after you strike. This will create a dichotomy that leads into step two. From here, you need to make the judgement as to: A) If it is safe to uncloak, make another shadow strike on a same of different target to do some extra damage (this would uncloak and leave you vulnerable however). OR B) use what’s left of your cloak to retreat to a safe and reasonable distance away from your target or other enemies and then use electrical slash to detonate and get extra damage on you prey. This will result in high amounts of damage for single targets, if you apply good judgement and can make the right call as to when it is time to retreat and get yourself out of danger. This above strategy will really only be effective however when you can judge and predict a proper escape route to return to a safe distance, if this is not, however, an option, this class still has some utility. This is where the Spec 5 power of Electrical Slash comes into play. If things are getting hectic and you don’t think a Shadow strike would be viable at the time, then having shadow strike spec’d for recharge speed would be quite advantageous as you would be able to spam it in a pinch and keep enemies at bay in things such as doorways or choke points. However, should you choose detonate, then this will make electrical slash far more effective at detonating enemies set up by shadow strike, or at detonating enemies set up by team mates (if you friends are good teams players). This leaves of spec #5 of electrical slash wholly up to you as it can fit in well with different styles and points of play. Just remember that because this build lacks high ranks of fitness, extra caution should be utilized as playing stupid and getting yourself killed in the midst of a clump of enemies is doing more harm than good. But keep principles of good judgement in mind and this class can deal thousands of points of damage in one fell sweep

N00b Rating: (scale 1-5, 1 is easy for everybody!)
3. While having tactical cloak spec’d for bonus power definitely gives you a better chance of escaping a sticky situation, you are still quite flimsy and are potentially going to be putting yourself in some risky scenarios. While this build definitely gets the job done on nearly any gold game, it is not for the faint of heart or those new to the Mass effect multiplayer scene. Bad judgement and not knowing when to fall back will land you and easy loss and will make you a burden for your team. However, if you make the right calls and strike when you calculate the odds, you will be a damage dealing machine that one a single enemy, has the potential to rack up thousands upon thousands of point of damage in a matter of seconds.

Appearance: Everything Black, all the time.

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Duraguard – by murphlittle

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Build Title: Duraguard

Class: Human Vanguard

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

Power Evolutions:
Biotic Charge: (4) Force & Damage*, (5) Power Synergy, (6) Barrier
Shockwave: N/A
Nova: (4) Force & Damage, (5) Half-Blast, (6) Pierce
Alliance Training: (4) Damage & Capacity, (5) Power Damage, (6) Weapon Weight
Fitness: (4) Durability, (5) Shield Recharge, (6) Fitness Expert

 

*Take Force & Damage rather than Radius, because the forceful charge generally stuns a phantom in gold, giving you time to work into combos safely after hitting one. You will also hit Brutes, Atlases, and Ravagers with a little more strength, which might seem incremental, but increments keep you alive in gold matches. Also, a nova’s original radius is more than enough crowd control in close corridors where you should be playing Gold.

 

Weapons:
This build relies on using two weapons (heavy and light) to allow this vanguard to keep distance before he/she charges. The cool down time required is +180%, but +190% is preferred. The light weapon will generally be an SMG. The M-25 Hornet, N7 Hurricane, or Geth Plamsa SMG’s offer different types of long range fire dependent on playing style, but each are effective options. The M-25 Hornet and N7 Hurricane lack accuracy, so put SMG Recoil Systems on them as well as High Velocity Barrel or Ultralight Materials. The Geth Plasma SMG allows for continuous fire, so put a Heat Sink on it—a level V heat sink sometimes allows you to get off 200 rounds before depleting the clip.
The second weapon choice is a heavy pistol. The M-6 Carnifex, M-77 Paladin, and M-358 Talon give you different options of play. The M-77 Paladin seems like the all out better choice than the M-6 Carnifex, especially if the gods have decided to bestow you the raw awesome that is the Paladin X, but a Carnifex X will carry more rounds than the Paladin and will not require Ultralight Materials, so beware of these considerations. The M-358 Talon will allow a light shotgun style of play, but if you imbue it with Ultralight Materials, you will have an ultra-light shotgun. On each of these pistols place a High Caliber Barrel. Put Ultralight Materials on the Paladin and Talon, and Extended Barrel on the Carnifex.

 

Gear:
The suggested permanent gear for this build is the Shield Booster V to continue the theme of durability, giving 150 additional shields. Other equipment bonuses for Gold: weapon bonus, your preferred primary weapon; ammo bonus, enemy specific; armor bonus, Shield Power Cells.

 

Strategy:
This build provides a half-blast Nova-guard that is a team player in gold matches when mobility is key. It relies on versatility, not raw power, to support team mates and is best used for situational, hard-hitting crowd control. If you charge all the time, you will eventually die. And you are no good to your team dead. This is not an attack against your vanguard pride; it’s the truth.
Start each round in cover close to other teammates, using your weapons to kill or weaken enemies. As enemies approach closer, use nova or charge to suppress the advance. Nova goes through walls and barriers, so you can easily use it to press back advancing troops while still maintaining a safe position. A good combo to use with this style is Nova (from behind the wall)- Charge- Roll- Nova- Roll toward your original protected position, to start picking enemies with your guns again. If you have good team synergy, you will only have to expose yourself a few times in the early rounds with this strategy. Progressively, this combo will be used all the more often in later rounds—until the time you have to abandon it all together and wreak havoc! Yes, in gold matches it is easy to be overrun, and it is a good thing that hard-hitting crowd control is your specialty. Use the initial nova from behind your wall or barrier to start this continuous combo: Charge- Roll- Nova- Roll- Nova cancel- Roll- back to Charge. It is important to not become separated from your teammates during your raw display of godlike power. Once you have overwhelmed the overwhelming forces with your biotic wrath, go seek shelter by your teammates and start shooting crap again.
Mobile objectives will be your time to shine. You have the ability to reach some objectives faster than other teammates due to your light-speed biotic charge, but when you charge make sure you don’t ineptly find your way in a trap, surrounded by enemies. Use your biotic abilities slightly in front of the group, allowing the team to pick off weakened enemies. (This does put you in some hazard however. Every Vanguard has been prepared to restore their barrier at the expense of some poor Geth trooper, only to have that trooper blown to bits by their teammate, leaving the vanguard (with no barrier) to be slapped around by the Geth Prime. My advice is to charge enemies unlikely to be attacked by your teammates, or sometimes just going after the Prime itself—at least there will be something solid to hit on the other side.) Use this strategy to march to the objective, and you should be fine. One of the great aspects of this build is its effectiveness as a mobile unit, when your team has to be mobile. Many of your other teammates will be stationary builds, and will love your ability to punish enemies on the go.

 

N00b Rating:
3.14159 – Easy as Pi. Not the delicious pastry, but yes, the mathematical formula. It’s not that hard, but it takes hard work and the right formula of play to make this build work most effectively.

 

Edits by CoreyImperia

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Quarian Mechanic – by Calibr886

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Build Title: Quarian Mechanic – by Calibr886\

Class: Quarian Male Engineer

Power Evolutions:
Tactical Scan: Weapon Damage (4), Headshots (5), Damage (6)
Incinerate: (1), (2), (3)
Arc Grenade: Damage (4), Max Grenades (5), Shield Overload (6)
Quarian Defender: Weapon Damage (4), Headshots (5), Weapon Damage (6)
Fitness: Durability (4), Shield Recharge (5)

Weapons:                                                                                                                         Load out 1:                                                                                                                                - M-8 Avenger X (Mag Upgrade + Piercing Mod)                                                                     - M-25 Hornet X (Mag Upgrade + Ultralight Materials/Heat Sin                                         Load out 2:
- M-90 Indra X (Spare Thermal Clip + Piercing Mod)                                                        Load out 3:
- M-8 Avenger X (Mag Upgrade + Precision Scope/Stability Dampener)
- M-6 Carnifex X (Piercing Mod + High-Caliber Barrel/Mag Upgrade)

Gear: This build has a more difficult time with Armor than shields, so Armor-Piercing/Incendiary/Warp ammo is recommended to help you deal with armored opponents more easily.
Your armor bonus will depend on your play style: if you have trouble dying on higher difficulty settings, you may want a shield boost, otherwise it is recommended to pack a stabilization module to aid in getting headshots.
Weapon bonuses all depend on the weapon load out you are currently using – match that with your preferred load out.
Ideally you want your gear bonus to either give you an edge on your weapon damage depending on your load out  or give you more grenades. I tend to like the grenade package because I abuse Arc Grenade, although the warfighter package is extremely useful when using an assault rifle.

Strategy: This build is called the “Quarian Mechanic” because it is designed to troubleshoot and deal with problem opponents (Phantom, Atlas, Geth Prime, etc.). Paint the target with your Tactical Scan, using Arc Grenade to bypass its shields, then shoot the hell out of it. On lower difficulties, abuse Arc Grenade for crowd control. On higher difficulties, use Arc Grenades as a utility to bypass shields and use Incinerate to stun enemies, giving you a chance to light them up with your weapons. Use Tactical Scan generously, as it has a lightning fast recharge speed, to up your weapon damage. This is especially useful on troublesome mid-level enemies, like Geth Pyros and Centurions. Finally, you can use Arc Grenade as a Panic Button if enemies begin to overwhelm you. You may not win the points standings all the time, but you will be a vital utility on any team to counter virtually any threat opposing you.

N00b Rating: 3. While this build may not be the squishiest character (i.e. Geth Infiltrator/Drell anything), it is still on the low end of health and shields. Be wary on higher difficulties that if you get caught out in the open, it doesn’t take much to put you down. This build has utility for just about anything, however, and is very balanced. You have answers to virtually every threat, and the hardest part about learning this build may very well be unlocking the weapons you want to use for it

Appearance: N/A

-Edits by Bryan

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There Will Be Bloodlust – by Elan D.

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Build Title:
There Will Be Bloodlust – by Elan D.  Credit to No Snakes Alive

Class:
Vorcha Sentinel

Power Evolutions:
Bloodlust: Regeneration (4), Power (5), Regeneration (6)
Flamer: Damage (4), Damage (5), Armor (6)
Cluster Grenades: Damage (4)
Resilience: Damage and Capacity (4), Power and Force (5)

Fitness: Health and Shields (4), Martial Artist (5)

Weapons:

I only feel that one weapon truly fits with this build, and that is the wonderful Reegar Carbine. Any other heavy shotgun would work as well. What this means is that while you won’t have a lot of long-distance viability, you’ll rip in CQC. And, as an additional bonus, being in range to use the Reegar means you are also in range to use Flamer, which is really what makes the Vorcha Sentinel rip at a whole new level, as you can shred shields and barriers with the Reegar and then immediately melt armor with Flamer. This advantage is compounded by outfitting the Reeger with the Shredder mod, which will literally rip through guardians.

If you want a bit more versatility, I’ve had good results with a scoped high-level Carnifex.

Strategy:

This build has a real close-quarters survivability that few can match. Basically, the strategy is to get your three stacked kills right away, which usually mean running up and heavy meleeing some enemies you can kill in one hit. Husks are best. Once you’ve got that one kill, your heavy melee can take out any level 1 enemies in a single shot (geth troopers, assault troopers, cannibals). You can blast anything with a shield (centurions, marauders, rocket troopers) with the Reeger to nearly instantly drain their shields, and then to save that precious ammo, just heavy melee them for the kill.

As far as upper level and boss enemies go, they don’t stand a chance. Flamer can take out Ravagers in less than 3 seconds, Brutes in just a second more. A single Reegar clip will de-barrier a Banshee, and then it’s just a matter of staying in that sweet spot beyond her reach but where you can still hit her. Atlases take a bit more, but if you can hop out from a corner, blast with Reegar or Flamer, and dive back, and you’ll be just fine.

The only thing you CAN’T handle with this build is burst damage, such as several Ravagers firing on you at once. It doesn’t matter how awesome your health regeneration is if all your health gets wiped in a second.

N00b Rating: (scale 1-5, 1 is easy for everybody!)

3. The build has amazing survivability, but you really have to know how far you can be from enemies to hit, especially when eating armor with Flamer, it’s VERY easy to get caught in a Brute’s path, or to have a Banshee teleport behind you and grab you up. The Vorcha’s dodge gives you all the tools you need to stay out of the line of fire, so learn to use them well and you’ll be tearing things up in no time!

-edits by PunxsatownyPhil

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