Vanguard Guide (Mass Effect 2)

The vanguard specializes in close combat, using biotics to close in as well as disable foes and powerful shotguns and ammo powers to deal large amounts of damage, swiftly ending most encounters.

Overview
The main difference between ME 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. Shotguns mix well with the vanguard's signature ability, Charge.

While other classes tend to hide behind cover and shoot at foes from afar, a vanguard's main strategy is to charge in (preferably picking off the isolated enemies first), headshot with the strongest shotgun available and finish off with melee hits. Given charge's 6 second cooldown, this can be done rather often. In lower difficulties where enemies are largely unprotected or with the right strategy (using powers to strip the defenses of enemies first), powers like shockwave or cryo ammo can obliterate large groups of enemies with ease.

When it comes to armor and buying/researching defensive upgrades, the Vanguard benefits the most from shield-enhancing armor parts and upgrades than from health ones, since charge's bonus to shields depends on how much shield you have. Offensively, weapon damage is far more important than power damage when it comes to armors. It is also useful to take the first 3 biotic damage upgrades early to unlock the duration and cooldown upgrades for biotics, as they benefit charge.

Incendiary Ammo
This power adds extra fire damage over the next few seconds, which stops enemies from regenerating, and works effectively against armor. It also causes unprotected organic enemies to instantly panic for a couple of seconds. Incendiary ammo is a solid power choice when dealing with armored and/or organic enemies and remains more so on hardcore and insanity, where armor is the most common protection found.

At rank 4, Inferno Ammo deals 60.00% of weapon damage over 3.00 seconds for Shepard alone, while Squad Incendiary Ammo adds 40.00% of weapon damage over 3.00 seconds for your whole team's equipped weapon. Inferno Ammo's splash effect, however, can cause enemies in close proximity to the attacked target to catch fire (even if protected by Shields or Barriers), and thus offer improved crowd control when used against sapient organic targets in tight groups (by setting them on fire, causing them to panic). This effect can greatly contribute to a Vanguard's survivability when Charging into groups of sapient organics.

Note that different ammo powers do not stack (they override each other).

Cryo Ammo
Cryo ammo freezes targets after a few seconds from hitting them, keeping them immobile, harmless, and more vulnerable to damage. Freezing also instantly kills husks. Cryo ammo seems to have a 100% chance of freezing when using the M-6 Carnifex Hand Cannon or the non-automatic shotguns as long as the hit damages the enemy's health. Cryo ammo is a very solid power choice on veteran or lower difficulties, but loses a large part of its edge on hardcore and insanity difficulties since all foes come with protection (armor, shields or barriers). However, overall it is still a useful power and remains a good 1 point investment, especially when dealing with synthetic enemies that are not susceptible to Incendiary Ammo and husks.

At rank 4, there are two evolved versions of Cryo Ammo. The first, Improved Cryo Ammo lasts 2 seconds longer and it allegedly freezes more frequently, however, this is unnoticeable if one uses the M-6 Carnifex or a shotgun because these weapons have a high likelihood of freezing all the time anyway. The second is the squad version, which offers unparalleled control of the battlefield, even on higher difficulty settings as long as you focus on stripping down defenses.

Charge
Charge is the Vanguard-exclusive ability, which moves you through cover across the battlefield and into the targeted enemy's face. At this point, the enemy is either sent flying if it had no special defenses or the enemy is knocked back for a couple seconds if it had defenses. Not even krogans and geth primes are immune to the knockback effect. While ammo powers and shotguns are what the Vanguard will likely use the most to dish out large amounts of damage, Charge is the ability that lets a Vanguard use them to the fullest potential while remaining alive. As such, it is a vital power and one that is very useful to maximise early.

Charge combines well with the shotgun because, at short range, not only does Charge bring you to point-blank range allowing you to hit with all the pellets, you also get a 2x bonus to damage. This tactic is extremely deadly with the heavy-hitting shotguns such as the M-300 Claymore Heavy Shotgun or the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun. With the heavy charge and/or quick reflexes, it is even possible to land headshots for further damage bonuses.

Charge also gives a 4 second bonus to your shields as well as recharging them, which remains even after the 4 seconds pass. This shield boost increases the Vanguard's survivability and makes charge a viable tactical option even when Shepard is wounded and shieldless; it is also good to note that one might want to charge before retreating from large groups or bosses in order to take advantage of the shield bonus and potential slow-down in time.

Charge has significant utility as well, providing unsurpassed mobility to a skilled user. This is most useful in scenarios where the player just has to "tag" something to complete mission objectives, such as during the ventilation shaft run on the Collector Base. A situationally aware player can use Charge to target isolated enemies, finish them off with melee attacks (on lower difficulties), a shotgun, or an SMG, and continuously outflank a larger group of enemies by "dancing" around them and continuously charging from one position to another (this tactic works well with the M-12 Locust from the Kasumi DLC pack). Fully maxed out Champion-spec Assault Mastery reduces cooldowns enough to make this tactic deadly. Using Charge in this capacity will still work on otherwise protected enemies (better in fact, as the isolated enemy will stay right where he is and stagger for an easy beat down), preserving the usefulness of Charge into Hardcore and Insanity modes. Finally, a player finding himself trapped in a large group of enemies can locate an enemy outside of the group and use Charge to escape.

Charging does have a few disadvantages: the enemy must be on a 'reachable' part of the map, which rules out charging into snipers on a platform, the shield bonus is short-lived (only 4 seconds) meaning the Vanguard may need to run for cover right after charging (and shooting). Vanguards have to know when to charge, and more importantly when not to, an impulsive charge can lead to a short victory but also to an instant death. Vanguards must especially think of what they will do after charging (and after a possible kill). Examples of considerations include: where is the next safe position, what are the positions of enemies, can they outflank you post-charge, and what weapons the enemy is using because, while Vanguards do extra damage at point blank range, this is also true for enemies targeting you. In situations where a player is forced into ranged combat (such as the biotic bubble run on the Collector Base), Charge is rendered completely useless. Unless a player received assault rifle or sniper training, a vanguard will be at a serious disadvantage.

In summary Vanguards must still utilise squadmates' abilities to disable foes and must plan ahead when charging at the middle of an enemy formation; the vanguard may be powerful and able to take a good deal of damage, but they are not invincible. Situational awareness is key to success.

Charge can be evolved into an area or a heavy version. The area version gives more breathing room as long as the enemies are unprotected, which is more likely on veteran difficulty or lower, while the heavy version offers a bigger boost to shields and a very useful but short-lived slow-down in time after charging. The slow-down in time allows more time for a precise shotgun headshot as well as swift retreats for cover.

Shockwave
Shockwave creates a line of explosions in front of the Vanguard that ignores cover and often height. The explosions deal damage and knock away unprotected enemies. As with other biotic powers, it instantly kills unprotected husks. It is an extremely powerful ability on veteran or lower difficulties where enemies are largely unprotected, wreaking havoc through the enemy formation.

Unfortunately, like other area biotic powers and most disabling powers, shockwave loses its usefulness on hardcore or insanity difficulty, where all foes bring some sort of protection. It can still be used if one takes the time to destroy such protections from several foes first but this is not practical with a class that has no direct protection-removing powers.

However, protected targets hit with Shockwave will temporarily stand up and recoil slightly. This can be useful on higher difficulties as hitting a group of foes with it will allow the Vanguard a brief moment of respite to either return fire or reposition, as well as allow squadmates to utilize their abilities free from retaliation. This tactic must be used strategically, as enemies are only off-balance a short while.

If another Biotic that knows Shockwave (such as Jack) is in the squad, the two biotics should time shockwaves properly. Against unprotected targets, sending both shockwaves together can devastate even the largest groups of enemies (the player will have an extra cooldown to use in the time it takes for the other squad member to cooldown). If targets are protected, however, shockwaves should be staggered apart to maximize the amount of enemy recoil time per cooldown.

Pull
Pull makes the enemy float helplessly towards the direction it was hit from. If correctly arced Pull can easily to drag foes towards pitfalls or at least out of cover. Floating foes receive extra damage from Warp Ammo, Warp and other biotic powers, and they also fly further when hit by a Throw or Charge.

Pull's extremely short cooldown makes it more useful on higher difficulty settings against unreachable enemies or to instantly kill husks. Sadly, Pull requires you to spend a total of 3 points on the arguably less useful Shockwave power to unlock.

Assault Mastery
This is the passive ability which increases your health, weapon damage, and decreases power recharge time. It also provides a bonus to Paragon/Renegade scores and is definitely worthwhile to maximise.
 * Champion increases survivabilty by increasing health and power duration while decreasing power cooldown times. It also provides the maximum bonus to Paragon/Renegade scores.
 * Destroyer enhances destructive capabilities by increasing weapon and power damage.

Both are sound choices for the Vanguard's play style.

Reave
Reave is a great skill that has good synergy with the Champion or Destroyer specialization, as both specializations provide an equivalent damage increase. It offers the Vanguard the ability to strip 2 of the 3 protections at range as well as dealing damage, as well as increasing your health and immobilizing enemies when used against unprotected organic targets. The only disadvantage is that Reave is an active power and all active powers share the same cooldown, if the Vanguard uses Reave, then it is impossible to charge for the next 6 seconds. Still, Reave can be useful against enemies that are unreachable by Charge, and in situations where using Charge is likely to result in death. Unlike Warp, Reave will not interact with Pull to cause a biotic detonation.

Barrier / Geth Shield Boost / Fortification
Vanguards have a very aggressive fighting style and tend to stay very close to their foes. Having one of these three protective bonus powers at the start of the fight complements the Charge strategy by adding a safety net that should last at least one or two charges into the fray. The shield bonus also stacks with Charge shield boost. In addition, these powers also immediately recharge the user's shield when used, so they can be used to stay alive when under heavy fire, however, charge is arguably more effective for this task since it has a shorter cooldown. Regardless, even a Rank 1 defensive ability can be used as a "panic button" of sorts to buy you some time to run for cover if your standard barrier is breached and there is no easy way to escape a situation. Barrier benefits from biotic-related upgrades and abilities, while one of the specializations of the Geth Shield Boost trades extra shields for 10% extra weapon damage. Any defensive talent benefits greatly from the Champion specialization's increased duration and cooldown.

Warp Ammo / Armor Piercing Ammo
While incendiary ammo is great against armored foes and organics, it falls short when dealing with synthetics, therefore an ammo power can solve this, particularly when using the Destroyer specialization. Cryo ammo remains effective against synthetics, however, and Vanguards who invest heavily in both incendiary and cryo ammo will likely find another ammo power redundant.

Heavy Pistols
As with every class you have two options: the M-3 Predator, and the M-6 Carnifex Hand Cannon. The M-3 predator has the more ammo of the two, but the Carnifex is arguably the better choice. Although it has low ammo capacity, the damage, range, tight shot grouping and fact that you obtain the weapon early on more than compensate. On another note, a fully upgraded M-3 Predator does well enough to be considered worth the while.

For Vanguards, heavy pistols are probably the best option for mid-range combat. The M-6 Carnifex can cut down weak enemies in 1-2 shots on normal. Shot placement is a must, so aim for the head whenever you can, because the M-6 has limited ammunition, and Vanguards generally lack alternative weaponry. Fortunately, the M-6 Carnifex shoots exactly where you point it when stationary and aiming. However, you'll find very quickly that you cannot rely on your heavy pistol alone.

The Firepower Pack DLC adds a third choice in heavy pistols, the M-5 Phalanx. Possessing even greater stopping power and accuaracy then the Carnifex, it is an excellent option for Vanguards looking to add a long range weapon to their arsenal. Unfortunately, the Phalanx suffers from extreme recoil and a relatively slow refire rate, making it less effective at shorter distances, the Vanguard's preferred range. The player must decide which pistol best suits their particular play style.

Submachine Guns
Submachine guns have a very high ammo capacity and can strip down barriers and shields swiftly, the latter of which is an area the Vanguard lacks biotic powers against. However, they fall short when dealing with armored foes. The M-9 Tempest is the better of the two choices.

With addition of the Kasumi DLC, players can find a third SMG, the M-12 Locust. Boasting high accuracy at long ranges, it is an excellent choice for any Vanguard, especially those that forgo assault rifle training aboard the Collector vessel.

Shotguns
Shotguns are the primary weapon of the Vanguard and are the dominating weapon at close range. However, shotguns have too large a spread to be anything more than a waste of ammo at mid- or long-range. There are a total of four shotguns on the Vanguard's arsenal, with one obtained through the Cerberus Network DLC and another obtained only through advanced weapon training.
 * The M-23 Katana Shotgun is the starter shotgun. It packs a good punch, however, it is weak against armor and it is a little short on the ammo department, at least until the shotgun ammo upgrade. It is surpassed by the M-22 Eviscerator.
 * The M-27 Scimitar Assault Shotgun is a semi-automatic shotgun obtained during the Dossier: The Justicar quest and it is slightly better than the M-23 Katana.
 * The DLC M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun is a slow-firing heavy-hitting shotgun available from the start of the game, it does not have the armor weakness of the first two and it does much higher damage per shot. It combines very well with the Vanguard's charge-and-headshot strategy. The higher damage also means that while it carries less ammo, it is much more efficient. The Eviscerator has a rather low fire rate, however, so it is wise to either mix in melee hits or to seek cover after the first shot. The Eviscerator also inflicts damge more reliably at range (see main article for explanation), making it a more appealing choice for higher difficulties when charging headlong into enemy squads becomes increasingly dangerous.
 * The M-300 Claymore Heavy Shotgun is only obtainable by selecting it as advanced weapon training on the Collector Cruiser. It is the single most damaging weapon (per shot) of the game as long as all pellets hit, which fits like a glove to the vanguard's charge and headshot strategy, as only the toughest foes would be able to survive it. Like the Eviscerator, the Claymore does not have the armor weakness that the other two shotguns have. Its main disadvantage is that it spends a heatsink per shot, forcing you to either mix melee hits mid-reload, or to seek cover after firing. While it has a low ammo capacity, the Vanguard is likely to pick up ammo right after killing foes, and the Claymore's high damage make it very ammo-efficient. Combine this with the shotgun ammo upgrade and it is very unlikely to run out of ammo unless you waste it in mid-range fighting.
 * The Geth Plasma Shotgun is available with the Firepower Pack DLC installed. Boasting tight groupings at longer ranges, an overchage ability, and high damage output, it would seem at first glance a shotgun made for Vanguards. However, it suffers from key drawbacks. It's range is a curse as well as a blessing, as it serves to handicap the shotgun in close range confrontations. It also fires three pellets as opposed to the traditional eight, allowing for tighter groupings, although each pellet impact does subsequently less damage to the target (see main article for more detail). The overcharge ability is capable of devastating damage and can be retained during a Charge, but consumes two rounds per use and must be used sparingly, as the weapon possesses only fifteen rounds (twenty-five when upgraded). Overall, the Geth Plasma Shotgun is an ideal weapon for classes that eshew close combat fighting, but is slightly counter-intuitive to the Vanguard's style of play.

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 the Vanguard's capabilities start to get better in the later game, the other weapons may be of better use. Conversely, a Vanguard may choose to rely on the ML-100 for the entire game, as it can knock down enemies even if their protections are still intact, allowing the Vanguard to advance to devastating effect. Shots must be very well-placed, however, since ammo is limited and the projectile travels relatively slowly.

ML-77 Missile Launcher
The missile launcher is essentially a dumbed down version of the M-100 Grenade Launcher that comes with a decent ammo capacity. For Vanguards it is situationally effective in missions against gunships or other highly mobile tough enemies, where the Vanguard lacks alternative weaponry, but is also useful for taking down smaller targets. As a rule, the Vanguard benefits more from the ML-100's knockdown capabilities.

M-622 Avalanche
The M-622 takes chunks out of enemy protections, although it does not do much damage compared to the other weapons of the Vanguard. The M-622 freezes any enemies within the vicinity of the projectile's impact making them vulnerable to attack, however, this can also be achieved through the usage of the Vanguard's Cryo Ammo power. The Avalanche is a decent choice for Vanguards who forsake Reave or Ammo Powers for a more defensive ability, as its protection stripping abilities are quite substantial, and although the Avalanche can be charged, doing so has no effect. Therefore, the Vanguard can minimize exposure from cover when firing.

M-920 Cain
For Vanguards who have chosen the Barrier bonus power, raising a biotic barrier in advance can help with negating the Cain's charge-up time. It is very effective for bosses (e.g. Thresher Maw) and certain parts of the suicide mission where Vanguards lack long-range weaponry. This is the most powerful heavy weapon available, which will destroy anything in its blast radius instantly. Vanguards lacking a defensive power will be hard pressed to wield the Cain effectively, especially on higher difficulties (where the Cain is more useful).

Collector Particle Beam
Found during the mission on Horizon, the Collector Particle Beam is one of the better heavy weapon choices for a Vanguard to fulfil the class deficit in long range weaponry. The Particle Beam unleashes a sustained particle beam 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 Vanguards lack in the weapons department. It is not very difficult to aim at all, and very useful for taking down larger enemies quickly.

M-490 Blackstorm Projector
For Vanguards, the M-490 finds its main use as a weapon to augment the control of enemy movement. It is particularly useful against weaker unshielded enemies. The long charge period and abundant enemy protection layers prevent the Blackstorm from being an effective weapon for the Vanguard on higher difficulties.

M-451 Firestorm
The Firestorm is a short-range flamethrower, and fills a similar role to the Vanguard's primary weapon, the shotgun. However the M-451 has a much higher damage output and has no need to reload. It burns through armor and health very quickly. It is also effective at controlling smaller enemies through the burning animation and even taking out larger enemies (e.g. Scions). Fire also has the added ability to block regeneration in krogans and vorcha, although this can also be achieved through the use of Incendiary Ammo. The Firestorm is useless at range, however, meaning to be useful against tougher opponents like YMIR Mechs or krogan, the Vanguard must be is close range, which can be excedingly dangerous on higher difficulties.

Arc Projector
The Arc has a charge time of 2s before firing. It is effective at removing protections from a squad of enemies (in particular the regular enemies) as the weapon fires a chain-lightning attack which travels from the initial targeted enemy to nearby enemies. This can be a very useful weapon for competent Vanguards as it will remove protections on tight groups of enemies, making it an excellent prelude to devastating Charge assaults. In addition, the Arc Projector will temporarily immobilize organic enemies, allowing the Vanguard to attack unhindered. It is also quite effective against synthetic foes and shields, two obstacles the Vanguard has no inherent solution to.

Advanced Weapons Training
Later in the game, there is the option to obtain advanced weapons training. You will be presented with the option to obtain the M-300 Claymore Heavy Shotgun, assault rifle training, or sniper rifle training.

As previously said, the M-300 Claymore is the quintessential Vanguard shotgun. It is extremely deadly, able to take down all but the strongest foes when used at point-blank range, thus allowing the Vanguard to put out the highest damage in the smallest amount of time before heading for cover, reloading, charging, and repeating the strategy. There are reasons you may want to forego the M-300, however, such as clip size or rate of fire, which make it a poor choice for crowd control. For example the Eviscerator is a very good shotgun which can be complemented by either taking assault rifle training for a more balanced mid- and long-range offensive capability, or sniper rifles for its long range and anti-armor capabilities. If sniper rifles are taken for long range interdiction, mid-range can still be taken care of by either Submachine Guns or biotic powers such as Charge.

In the end it is a choice between making the Vanguard strategy deadlier or patching up its weaknesses.

Squad Members
Picking the right squad members for each mission and correctly using their abilities is a big step towards making fights easier.

Vanguards lack active powers to deal with protections, which is bad because unprotected enemies fly beautifully when you charge them. When dealing with high-tech shield-using enemies it is good to bring allies with shield-destroying abilities such as Energy Drain, Overload, or Disruptor Ammo (particularly Squad Disruptor Ammo); when dealing with barrier-using biotics, Warp, Concussive Shot and Reave are key; when dealing with low-tech tough armored opponents, Incinerate and warp are very good to have. This is particularly important on hardcore & insanity where, starting at Freedom's Progress, ALL enemies possess protection.

Vanguards also lack long-range capabilities, biotic powers such as throw or warp and high damaging powers such as incinerate can be used to eliminate unprotected pesky foes on vantage un-chargeable positions, combine with protection-killing powers when playing at higher difficulty settings.

Concussive shot, neural shock and biotics such as throw, pull, reave, or shockwave can be used on unprotected opponents to prevent them from damaging your vanguard, and they can still be used on protected opponents to stun them for a couple of seconds. This allows the vanguard to charge larger groups of enemies and result victorious.

When all else fails, allies with sniper or assault rifles can dish out decent damage from safe distances, switching your team's weapons between rapid firing and slow but powerful guns depending on the most common protection you're dealing with is also a good idea.

Links

 * Comprehensive Insanity guide for Vanguard