Forum talk:Character builds

Singularity Medic Sentinel
First off I'm Devos from the BW official forums. I know it says don't edit other peoples entries but since one was credited to me I thought it would be ok. I've removed my credit because I haven't actually played that build yet, I'm pretty sure it comes from this thread. Also I shifted the points a little from Spectre Training - 7, First Aid - 5 to Spectre Training - 4, First Aid - 8 which is the version I plan to test, eventually. Although I haven't played it covers all the bases so it should be Insanity friendly, in either version. Devos 01 21:16, December 18, 2009 (UTC)
 * No problem at all. There is nothing wrong with the credited people making changes or corrections to their classes. I simply gathered the information here for all to see and contribute if you can. ArmeniusLOD 04:22, December 31, 2009 (UTC)

Alternatively you could completely discount spectre training and put the extra points in first aid. that would stop the power wheel glitch from occuring for those of us playing the 360 version. -Purple
 * The build already forgoes Stasis so no power wheel glitch but there is definitely something to be said for dropping spectre training to boost first aid. Basic Unity has the slight advantage of not costing medi-gel and being on a separate, if much longer, cool down timer. Also you get the small bonus from spectre training. Team mates may well be able to bring those last four points most of the time. So I think spectre training 4 is marginally the better deal but it will make very little difference shifting them either way. The other 98 points I'm pretty happy with though.Devos 01 05:39, January 11, 2010 (UTC)

Snipers, Assault Rifles and Shotguns
I understand why putting 12 points in sniper or assault rifle in the soldier class, since you rise the accuracy and damage, but doing this makes you waste the best ability a soldier have: using any weapon available in the game.

You don't need 12 points in a sniper rifle, unless you're looking for the Master Assassination ability to do a whopping 225% more damage when shooting. Putting 9 points into it, wich will gives you the impressive ability to do 125% more damage in the next shot, this is better in my opinion. The same goes for assault rifles, you don't need 12 points on it, 9 is good and your accuracy will be very high. Also, this options will make both rifles become steady and not shake when you fire/zoom them.

Since the Spectre Training specialization also gives you accuracy and damage, you're wasting points.

I also notest a lot of guides leaving shotguns in second place putting no points on it, wich is a mistake in my opinion. In close quarters missions, like the Asari Diplomat or the many bunker locations, shotguns pay off the very high price it takes to maximize them, since you'll only need one or two shots to dispatch an enemy. Also, nothing beats a shotgun to dispatch Rachni and Thorian Creepers, since they can take a lot of damage before going down.

And Lift in 12? 10 is more than enough to even raise a Colossus of the ground!

Doing this your shotgun will have 9 points, wich makes them very accurate in close fights, average accurate in medium distances and gives you the impressive advanced carnage.

And this goes pretty much for the others classes, you don't need 12 points in Sniper Rifles for an Infiltrator to be very good with the weapon. Brfritos 22:19, January 16, 2010 (UTC)


 * Boosting Lift to max is mostly about adding duration and reducing recharge, not lifting bigger enemies. Radius and accuracy cost don't matter so much, but they're a nice bonus. Particularly on higher difficulties, the boss battle is made *much* easier if you have Lift; the more often you can use it and the longer it lasts, the more good it does. Since a Soldier with Lift doesn't have access to Biotic Amps (that could provide a useful cooldown bonus), the only way to use it more often is to max out the power. Honestly, I think the only reason I ever use Lift is for the final boss fight and during outdoor exploration; the annoyance of having enemies clip through the ceiling in other circumstances outweighs the convenience.
 * That said, I don't play soldiers. My argument grows from the usefulness of Lift to my Vanguard and Adept builds. I don't generally max it out for either class, because I usually use it for single targets (e.g. final boss) where radius doesn't matter, and a good biotic amp combined with Bastion or Nemesis means it lasts a long time and recharges quickly. Since the Soldier doesn't get the recharge and duration bonuses, and generally has skill points to spare, maxing Lift makes sense. ShadowRanger 20:06, February 19, 2010 (UTC)


 * To your point on maxing Assault Rifle being a waste, you're correct (though I consider a maxed Sniper Rifle useful; +100% damage is nothing to sneeze at). With a reasonable Spectre Training and good weaponry, your accuracy and damage will be high enough to make anything beyond level 7, let alone level 9, inefficient (Overkill is pointless and your accuracy is already maxed, so all you get is a +4% damage). On the other hand, Pistols are basically worthless (anything they can do Assault Rifles do better), so the four points in Pistols is a waste. And the benefits of a shotgun are mostly covered by Assault Rifles and Sniper Rifles. Regular shotgun usage is slightly more efficient at close range than an assault rifle, but the cost of missing is higher since you don't have continuous fire. While shotgun knockdown is better, slotting Sledgehammer rounds in an assault rifle works nearly as well (as my Adept with Assault Rifles discovered during a Hardcore playthrough). Carnage and Assassinate are mostly interchangeable in their effect, but enemies can dodge Carnage while it travels, whereas Assassinate travels the distance instantly.
 * Basically, the shotgun combines the roles of assault rifle and sniper rifle, but isn't quite as good at either (slight edge on the assault rifle at short range if you have perfect aim, weaker than an assault rifle at medium range, less accurate and easier to dodge than a sniper rifle at long range). If you are hurting for skill points, ditching assault/sniper for shotgun makes sense, but if you're doing that, either you aren't playing very thoroughly (in which case these level 60 builds won't help you) or you may as well play a Vanguard and have more powers to choose from (after all, if you reject assault/sniper rifles, the only edge over the Vanguard is regeneration, which achievements provide, slightly greater health, which barrier compensates for, and heavy armor, when medium Colossus plus achievements is nigh invulnerable anyway). Training all four weapons makes sense from a role-playing perspective ("I'm proficient with all weapons!"), but from a power perspective, means throwing away over a dozen points for little gain. Are you really going to switch weapons every time the combat moves from short to medium range and back? If not, those points were wasted. ShadowRanger 20:06, February 19, 2010 (UTC)