Vanguard Guide (Mass Effect 2)

The Vanguard specializes in a combination of combat and biotic abilities. Though neither as tough as the soldier nor as potent as the adept, the Vanguard can still (like any other class) be a force to be reckoned with. As in the original Mass Effect, the Vanguard's gameplay focuses on taking down enemies as quickly as possible.

Overview
The main difference between ME1 and ME2 is that the Vanguard is now more focused on close combat. Vanguards are able to use the following weapons: heavy pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, and heavy weapons. The submachine gun serves as both your main weapon and your backup weapon; you'll probably find yourself using a submachine gun the most of the time, but in certain areas you'll find that they can be rather lacking at times, therefore switching between weapons frequently (depending on the situation) is necessary. Whenever you're about to go into close range combat, you'll obviously want to use your shotgun. The shotgun literally shreds through enemies at close range, but use your ammo wisely because you don't have a whole lot of it. If the enemies are a bit farther away, pull out a pistol and start picking enemies off, but again, make each shot count. As for heavy weapons, you'll want something that's decent at taking down enemies as quickly as possible (the collector particle beam works quite well). When the situation calls for it, use your ammo abilities to appropriately fit the situation. If you find yourself too far away from an enemy, use charge to quickly clear the distance and knock them to the ground so you can finish them off! If not, use pull to drag them closer.

The Vanguard isn't the toughest class out there in terms of health, therefore you will need to select your armor pieces so that you have decent shields and health. Even with a lot of health, cover is a must. With health setbacks all set aside, you are equipped with everything you need to bring down your enemy quickly. Combat is mostly strategic, your best bet is to look for weak points in the enemy lines and target them first (use charge to get right in there). If you find yourself completely swamped, a carefully placed shockwave can quickly turn the tables; use it and make a quick getaway to cover, or use it as an opportunity to finish them off before they can get back up again!

The main area in which a Vanguard suffers is mid and long range firepower. The majority of combat in any situation is close range or medium range, and Vanguards are capable of holding their own in mid range combat with heavy pistols or submachine guns, but even then you'll still find the firepower you do have to be somewhat lacking. You will want to have at least one squadmate who can use assault rifles and/or sniper rifles to make up for this. In addition, the biotic abilities you possess lack any means of quickly lowering enemy defenses (i.e. armor, shields, etc.), so you will also want to choose a squadmate who has biotic or tech powers to compensate and/or select an appropriate bonus power.

Incendiary Ammo
Adds extra damage over time, stops enemies from regenerating, and works wonders against armor. Since most of your kills will be caused by shooting, it's a good idea to max this skill out. The reason is because the shotgun is great against barriers and shields, but not too effective against armors and health, but with incendiary ammo, the shotgun becomes the ultimate weapon for the vanguard.

Recommended: 4-Inferno Ammo

Cryo Ammo
Unlike incendiary ammo, it doesn't give your weapons extra damage. Instead it has a chance of freezing enemies solid, which is useful for keeping an enemy still for a few seconds. You can use those few seconds to focus on dealing with other enemies, or you can shatter the frozen enemy for an instant kill. All in all, this ability has its uses, but its not necessary.

Recommended: More than 1 is an overkill.

Charge
The ace-in-the-hole Vanguard ability, the best thing about it? Only Vanguards get it! Versatile power which can either turn the tide of battle in your favour or against you, depending on how you use it. The most obvious use for this power would be clearing a distance between you and an enemy in a very short time, but it can also be used to knock back an enemy that's close up to you. Definitely comes in handy against charging krogan. If you find a squad member has run into a bunch of enemies and they're surrounded, charge in to give your artificially intelligent friend a hand. It can be upgraded to Heavy Charge (increased damage) or Area Charge (gives area impact). Area charge seems to be the more worthwhile investment, but Heavy Charge also slows time down, so if you're quick you could pick off some enemies before they gang up on you. It also enables the charge to take out larger enemies, such as YMIR mechs. One should take caution when using this ability, as charging into the wrong place might not end well. However, it is sometimes overlooked that charging grants a shield bonus, and so it can also be useful to charge whenever your shields are down.

Recommended: 4-Area Charge

It should also be noted that Heavy Charge can be extremely useful when coupled with high skill recharge reduction. This can fully recharge the Vanguards shields in a time of dire need, and can also place them in good cover.

Another strategy worth mentioning is using Charge to skip to essential objectives. Since ME2 rewards exp for completing missions and not for killing enemies, this saves alot of time. However, doing this ruins the whole aim of the game.

Shockwave
Another useful ability found in the Vanguard's arsenal. It works kind of like throwing a bowling ball into your enemies, and it seems to ignore cover and climb up ledges as well. However, it is best used on level or sloped terrain. Pretty much anything it hits, it knocks down. Therefore it has its uses in clearing out enemies that are surrounding you, knocking them out of cover, or it can be used as a follow up to charge. If you find your enemies funneling onto a very narrow bridge, well... you get the idea! Can be upgraded for more damage, or more area of effect. Either seem to be useful. Also instantly kills husks.

Recommended:4-Heavy Shockwave

Pull
Basically the ME2 version of Lift, except this time it actually pulls enemies towards you instead of simply lifting them in the air. Although it might not seem like much, pull has its uses in (at least temporarily) helping you having one less hostile to worry about. While enemies are airborne, it's wise to finish them off while they're helpless. It can be upgraded to have longer duration, or to pull more enemies at once. The latter seems to be the better bet.

Recommended:4-Pull Field

Assault Mastery
Passive ability which increases your health, power recharge times, weapon damage, and decreases your power recharge time. Also provides a bonus to Paragon/Renegade scores. Definitely worthwhile to invest a few points here, and even more worthwhile to specialize in one of the two specializations.

Champion- Champion grants additional paragon/renegade, health, and even further reduces power recharge times. Also maximizes power duration.

Destroyer- Destroyer yields further increase to weapon and power damage.

Recommended: 4-Destroyer. Champion if you want to unlock certain dialogue options.

Bonus Powers
Reave - A great skill for the vanguard. Reave does 40 damage for 5.5 seconds maxed. And it also heals you. With the champion upgrade, the duration of reave is longer and the cd for biotic/tech skills are shortened.

Barrier / Fortification / Geth Shield Boost - Vanguards have a very aggressive fighting style and tend to stay very close to their foes. Although most of the times it is not a good idea to jump in the middle of a dense cluster of enemies, you may sometimes be surrounded by foes. As Vanguards have no natural abilities to protect against damage, these abilities are a nice safeguard to have.

Barrier creates a biotic barrier around you, Fortification creates armor and Geth Shield can grant a bonus to weapon damage at rank 4. However, it's worth noting that Heavy Charge also instantly recharges your shields, at half the cooldown, making those powers less useful.

Skill Builds
 Overall Skill build: 

Inferno Ammo-4

Cryo Ammo-0 (Useless on higher dificulties)

Area Charge-4

Shockwave-3

Pull-3

Champion-4

Area Reave-4

Heavy Charger Build:

Incendiary Ammo-->Inferno Ammo-4

Cryo Ammo-0

Charge-->Heavy Charge-4

Shockwave-->Improved Shockwave-4

Pull-1 or 2

Assault Mastery-->Champion-4

Bonus: Reave-->Heavy Reave-4

This is the perfect set-up for anyone who wants to utilize the Heavy Charge ability to its fullest. Inferno Ammo is not only great at weakening enemies over a distance, but when used against organics it has a chance to set them on fire, preventing them from attacking you as they pat out the flames or flail in panic. This distraction can last, at most, for 4.5 seconds, allowing Shepard to continue to fire unimpeded or to launch another biotic power if the Champion buff has been chosen. This also makes Cryo Ammo a useless power, as the extra damage it does is only marginally better than the damage of Inferno Ammo. Moving on to biotic powers, with its wide radius of effect Improved Shockwave can separate large groups of enemies, allowing you to charge in and pick them off in slow-mo one by one. The M-300 Claymore Heavy Shotgun is recommended for this, but because it is difficult to get used to any shotgun will work. With the Champion passive boost you can rinse and repeat these two steps with the help of a reduced power cooldown time, allowing you to take out most enemies and ambushes in a quick manner. Another option is to use Heavy Reave to recover health and shields--often killing one enemy in the process--before Charging, helping to prevent Shepard from dying as you charge into the fray.

Charge-Brawling Build:

Incendiary Ammo - 1

Cyro Ammo - 0

Charge --> Heavy Charge - 4

Shockwave --> Improved Shockwave - 4

Pull --> Pull Field - 4

Assault Mastery --> Champion - 4

Bonus: Warp Ammo --> Heavy Warp Ammo - 4

This setup is to maximise the Vanguard's ability to fight in melee range. Strategy is to find a suitable charge target (preferably one that doesn't have LOS to 10 other enemies, on Insanity you can only really take 3-4 shooting you with this build) then charge, 2x Warp Ammo Shotgun -> Melee attack (be careful on the timing, they need to get flinched from the melee attack) -> Shotgun. You can repeat with another charge after this if the target is not dead but they should be unless they have 3 sets of health. Recommended squad is Tali/Garrus for taking out shields and for supporting skills but anyone that complements the Vanguard's abilities should do -- if you find yourself dying while charge brawling then think about using the combat drone or other skills that stun armored/sheilded/barriered enemies to lower DPS while you're sitting in melee. Warp ammo is to give the best bonus to the most types of defence, you and your squad mates (who need to distract the targets and destroy shields) don't have time to switch ammo for specific targets... despite this the Charge-Brawler needs to kill the target they charge ASAP or risk death (especially on insanity) this is why Warp ammo is the best here. 1 point in incendiary ammo is useful for situations where you cannot Charge-Brawl (Either because you can't charge them or it's way too dangerous) and the enemies have health regen. Max Pull last as it, like shockwave, will mostly be used in situations where you cannot Charge-Brawl properly (however unlike Incendiary Ammo these aren't as useful if not maxed and upgraded). Since your method of survival will be keeping your shields up through charging you should use armor that maxes out your shield as much as possible (Shield Bonus Chest -> Shield Recharge Chest because Charge auto regens shields to full) On lower difficulties you may swap out Warp Ammo for Geth Shield upgrade for more realiable survivability while charge spamming, on insanity I'd suggest a good offense is your best defense while charge-brawling. This playstyle is very fastpaced and fun, but has a very high learning curve and is very difficult initially, getting easier as biotic skill cooldown upgrades are researched.

Heavy Pistols
You have two options: the M-3 Predator, and the Carnifex Hand Cannon. The M-3 predator has the more ammo of the two, but the Carnifex is the better choice hands down. Although it has low ammo capacity, the damage and range more than make up for it. You get the Carnifex early on as well, so yeah.

Heavy pistols can be described as a poor-man's option for mid range combat. The Carnifex can cut down infantry in 1-2 shots. You have limited ammo, so make sure each shot counts. Shot placement is a must, so try and aim for the head whenever you can. You'll find very quickly that you can't rely on your heavy pistol alone, so make sure to have teammates who can cover you.

Submachine Guns
Having the highest ammo capacity of all the weapons available to the vanguard, you'll be forced to rely on your submachine gun most of the time. Although they're not the strongest weapons in the game, they do well in close range combat. Although they're reasonable for mid range, you'll have to rely on your teammates for dealing damage mid range. Use pull often to bring your enemies closer.

Get the Tempest SMG as soon as possible! It's well worth it.

Shotguns
Shotguns dominate the close range playing field. Shotgun shots tend to spreadin a cone like pattern, so aiming isn't too hard; just point at your target, and shoot. Before charging, it's obvious that you'll want to pull out your shotgun first. The best uses for a shotgun include finishing off stragglers at close range, or taking down bigger enemies (i.e. krogan) at close range. Has very limited ammo, so try and save it.

You start out with the katana shotgun, and it packs a good punch from the start. You'll find the scimitar shotgun later in the game, which has higher ammo capacity and higher rate of fire. The scimitar is definitely more of a bang for the buck, but it's not urgent that you get it right away.

Advanced Weapons Training
Later in the game, you'll be faced with the option to have advanced weapons training. You will be presented with the option to obtain the Claymore Shotgun, assualt rifle training, or sniper rifle training. The claymore is a high damage shotgun that fires only one shot before having to reload, and in the end isn't worth it. Assault rifles seem like your best bet, but sniper rifles work well with Vanguards also.

If you choose assault rifles, the Vindicator Battle Rifle is a good option to boost your potential in mid-long range combat. If you can get your hands on it, the Geth Pulse Rifle works extremely well with a vanguard; it rips through shields, and the addition of incendiary ammo makes it efficient at taking down armor as well.

ML-100 Grenade Launcher
The grenade launcher has its uses in taking out a lot of enemies really quickly. The best thing about it is you have it from the start. Good for use in the early game, but once your crowd controlling capabilities start to get better in the later game, you might find yourself wanting to change to another weapon.

ML-77 Missile Launcher
The missile launcher is essentially a dumbed down version of the grenade launcher. All you have to do is point and shoot, and the missile will blow up the nearest enemy (provided there is an enemy that is close enough). Though it may seem like a no-brainer, it comes at the cost of seemingly decreased damage and impact radius. Good for quickly taking down single targets at medium range. All in all, most useful for taking down smaller targets. Decent ammo capacity as well.

M-622 Avalanche
Takes chunks out of enemy health, although it does not do much damage compared to the other weapons. It does freeze any enemies within the vicinity of the projectile's impact however, making them vulnerable to attack. Carries a decent amount of ammo as well. Use it to increase your crowd control capabilities.

M-920 Cain
The mother of all heavy weapons, the Cain fires what appears to be a mini nuclear bomb, complete with ginormous explosion upon impact. The explosion WILL destroy anything in the blast radius (including you, and make sure to keep your squadmates out of the way too!), but it won't kill larger enemies (i.e. Thresher Maw) instantly. Highest damage and best crowd control capability in the game. Seems like a no-brainer at first, but it has extremely limited ammo reserves (a maximum of 1-2 shots), so be sure to use said ammo very wisely.

Collector Particle Beam
Found during the first mission where you fight the collectors, the Particle Beam unleashes a sustained laser which deals continuous damage at a high rate to a single target. It works well at any range (especially medium and long ranges) against shields, barriers, and armor, easily making up for what you lack in the weapons department. Not very difficult to aim at all, and very useful for taking down larger enemies quickly. One of the better heavy weapon choices for a Vanguard.

M-490 Blackstorm Projector
PRE ORDER BONUS ONLY!

If you do happen to have it, it finds its main use as a crowd control weapon, particularly against weaker unshielded enemies. Shoots out an orb like projectile that has its own gravitational pull, as it flies through the air it sucks enemies into its gravitational field. If enemies happen to reach zero health while trapped inside it, they will be sucked in. If enemies survive it, they will simply fall to the ground and get back up (although they still have taken damage). Again, it's mainly useful against large groups of smaller enemies.

M-451 Firestorm
DLC ONLY!

Obtained by playing Zaeed's loyalty missions. The firestorm is essentially a flamethrower. Burns through armor and health very fast, great for crowd controlling smaller enemies and even taking out larger enemies (i.e. Scions). The ammo capacity is quite decent, the main drawback being its range but it can be compensated with charge.

Garrus
He was one of your best friends in the first game, and he is most certainly one of your best friends the second game. Garrus can wield both assault rifles and sniper rifles, immediately making up for what you will lack in the weapons department. A very well balanced character in terms of combat, he is capable of holding his own in just about any situation. His overload will prove invaluable when taking down a shielded enemy, and his concussive shot is definitely a plus for hitting barriers hard, or simply knocking an unshielded enemy on their ass. In combat, let him hang back a bit and cover you as you move in closer. Once you unlock his armor piercing ammo, he's pretty much set. Garrus goes well with just about any squadmate. Definitely one of the better squadmate choices for a Vanguard.

Grunt
Grunt is raw health and firepower, without a doubt the most durable squadmate in the game. He can pack quite a punch with concussive shot, and his incendiary ammo comes in handy as well. Grunt is best used as being a pure tank, and the large shield increases offered by fortification adds a great deal to that. Using shotguns and assault rifles, he excels in just about all combat situations. Great for complemeting you in close range. For his assault rifle, give him the Vindicator to increase his potential at longer ranges. The damage he can deal is decent enough already, so it's best to upgrade his class power to increase his health/regeneration rate.

Jack
Based upon the abilities she has and the weapons she uses, Jack is essentially a Vanguard as well. Her abilities are pretty much the same as yours, complement yours very well. Her absolutely most useful ability is shockwave; if you have Jack in your squad, you can continually pound the enemy with shockwaves! Once you unlock Warp Ammo, she becomes very useful in taking down enemies with barriers and armor (especially Collectors). Pull doesn't hurt either. Jack combines well with a squadmate who can lower enemy defenses and/or wield longer range weapons such as Garrus or Thane.

Jacob
Like Jack, Jacob seems to be a Vanguard as well. The only difference is he seems to be more of a tank than a damage dealer. He has pull and incendiary ammo, and both can be put to good use. Once he gets barrier, his role at being a tank seems to become more justified, although not quite as tough as Grunt. Upgrade his class power so he has more health.

Legion
Legion has quite an interesting weapon/power configuration. He has assault rifles and sniper rifles making him more of a mid-long range specialist, but his class power makes him seem a bit like a tank as well. He offers Combat Drone and AI Hacking, making him useful for taking out shields and dealing with robotic enemies like mechs and of course, geth.

Miranda
Best thing about Miranda, she has both warp and overload! Extremely useful in the fact that she can take down armor, barriers, health, and shields with relative ease. The only thing is she's a bit lacking in the firepower department, only being able to use submachine guns and pistols. Your second squadmate should preferably be someone who can use assault rifles and/or sniper rifles. Her squad damage and hitpoint boost is always a welcome bonus.

Mordin
Mordin is your man for organics. Able to take down shields, use neural shock, and freeze annoying snipers, he's the collectors worst nightmare. Definetly bring him in any mission with organics and in general. His long range tech powers will help for sure against unreachable enemies like snipers. He also combines well with Grunt for a tank. Also goes well with Garrus in the back picking off the stonger foes whilst you flank the enemy with charge and shockwave. Definitely a very useful Salarian.

Samara
Samara is a very useful partner to have on the squad. Samara offers pure firepower and damage, possessing offensive biotic powers such as throw and pull, and being able to wield assault rifles and submachine guns. Her throw ability compliments your pull ability very well. Her ability to utilise assault rifles can be a good replacement for the Vandguard's inability to. Although this can be easily replaced by others, Samara is still a useful asset to most squads, and choosing her on a player's squad should not be overlooked.

Tali
Since the Vanguard's focus is close range combat and biotics, Tali can be an excellent choice for your team to replace the lack of technological adeptness of Vanguards. Her Combat Drone is a good distraction so that you can use the break in enemy fire to unleash your biotic abilities, or perhaps recharge them. AI Hacking is useful for this as well. If she hacks a more powerful synthetic like a Geth Hunter, you can use that as suitable cover for you to charge in close and unleash hell with your shotgun. Her Energy Drain ability is extremely useful in taking down enemy shields, and also increases her own shields as well. She appears to function as a close combat alternative to Legion. Combine her with a teammate who excels in long range combat. Just like in the first game, she makes a good couple with Garrus.

Thane
Thane is similar to Samara in terms of gameplay, he's especially versatile when it comes to dealing damage. He possesses Throw and Warp, two biotic abilities which the Vanguard does not have, and both are welcomed to supplement your own biotic abilities. He can use submachine guns and sniper rifles, so once you get your hands on the Tempest SMG, he's set for both close quarters and long range combat. At rank 4, you can upgrade his passive ability to increase his damage by a large 50%, arguably making him the best sniper squadmate in the game (though Legion challenges him at this). Combines quite well with a close combat squadmate. Have him sit a bit farther back while you and your other squadmate go in up close and personal. If the hostiles get too close to him, have him switch to his submachine gun.

Zaeed
Great member to have on your squad. Assault Rifle and Sniper Rifle training gives him firepower at range and Inferno Grenade is great for killing organics (notably Collectors).