Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer/Character Customization/Sentinel

Master of nothing but proficient in everything, Sentinels often end up the one everyone relies on to draw enemy fire. They have a variety of tools in their arsenal, covering both biotics and tech. Sentinels are also resilient--most have a form of upgraded armor to provide extra damage protection.

Human Sentinel
Humans joined the galactic community after discovering a Prothean data cache on Mars in 2148. Their devotion to understanding and adapting to modern warfare left the staid Council races stunned. Humanity's persistence and unflappable spirit has taken them further than anyone in the galaxy could have imagined.

Master of nothing but proficient in everything, human sentinels are often relied upon to draw fire on the battlefield. Sentinels relish their opponents' look of surprise when they realize they were focusing on the wrong enemy all along.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Human Sentinel can use Warp and Throw in sequence to trigger Biotic Explosions on any enemy, at any time.
 * It may seem illogical, but power damage increases do not affect the strength of biotic explosions: the strength of the combo is determined only by the total of the ranks of the set-up and detonation powers used and any rank evolutions taken which specifically increase the damage of biotic combos. As a result, Tech Armor, active or not, cannot increase biotic combo damage, and neither can Alliance Training passive bonuses. That being said, you can run around abusing the explosive Tech Armor to stagger enemies that get too close, explode it to fire off biotic combos faster, and reactivate it to take enemies on in longer-range combat.
 * Because Human Sentinels are power intensive, a light loadout is recommended. Consider a Carnifex or Disciple, or even both.
 * On higher difficulties, all enemies with dodging capabilities dodge with increased frequency, making set-up and detonation a pain (especially set-up, as only Warp can set up, and it has the longer recharge speed). Either shoot first to cause the enemy to dodge or get close enough to make the thrown power unavoidable. Another option is to team up with an ally who has a "hit-scan" power such as Reave--once a target has been primed, a biotic explosion is only 1-2 seconds away since the recharge speed of Throw tends to be faster than the frequency of an enemy's dodge.


 * Cerberus
 * Biotic explosions are deadly against Atlases, especially once their shielding has been removed.
 * While Phantoms can be detonated, their gauntlet can block powers, preventing explosions or damage. Counterintuitively, one can simply spam powers without specifically aiming for a combo to try to pin them down for weapons fire.
 * Guardians can also be detonated, but only when hitting the Guardians' bodies. Throw can be used to stagger them, exposing their bodies to gunfire. Another tactic is to send Throw at their backs--usually the power and physics damage will kill them outright. If not, they'll have dropped their shields for easy pickings.


 * Reapers
 * Since most enemies have either just health or armor, biotic combos are devastating against Reapers, although a little time-consuming. Make sure you have a good means of defending yourself at close-quarters or medium-range while your powers recharge.


 * Geth
 * Human Sentinels do not excel against the geth, as they have no powers that strip shields. This can be somewhat remedied by carrying an anti-shield weapon such as the Acolyte.
 * Human Sentinels do well against geth with allies that have tech powers such as Overload and Energy Drain--Throw, with its low cool down can help set-off quick Tech Bursts. This can also be accomplished by yourself by equipping Disruptor Rounds--shoot, then Throw.
 * Warp can be useful against the Geth Primes and Geth Pyros, but against anything else, you should consider using your weapons instead.
 * The Geth Hunter, of all the geth units, will most likely give you the most trouble. Without auto-target and the trajectory-tracking function of projectile powers, such as Warp and Throw, hitting cloaked Hunters can prove difficult, especially if you don't realize they're there, and even more so if they see it coming and dodge.

Turian Sentinel
Turians adhere to a strict moral code: "The needs of the group outweigh that of the individual." Discipline is the foundation of turian society. A turian line never collapses, its troops fall back in order, setting ambushes as they go. You will only see a turian's back when they're dead.

Turians receive the best military training in the galaxy. Their proficiency with a wide range of weapons, as well as their unmatched focus and determination, make up for their lack of speed and agility. They are a redoubtable ally on any battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * With Overload to strip shields and barriers, and Warp to chew away enemy armour, the Turian Sentinel is effective against any type of enemy. Combined with Tech Armor to reduce damage by up to 50%, explode to stagger enemies in close-quarters, clutch situations for escape, and increase power damage by 30%, the Turian comes to a very balanced class.
 * High damage assault rifles, such as the Revenant, are a good choice thanks to the Turian Veteran ability, which gives encumbrance and stability bonuses.
 * By landing a Warp on a target that is still arcing from an Overload, you will produce a Tech Burst, dealing extra damage to an area as well as to the target.
 * The Turian Sentinel is a good choice if you are looking for a tough, well-armoured character who can offer the team heavy and constant fire support.
 * Sorting out what you should pick for your powers is quite possibly the most difficult thing you will be doing with the Turian Sentinel. Since all 5 skills are useful, you may be much more inclined to take all 5, rather than maxing out 4 and leaving one skill untrained. If you want to be versatile, you will either have to sacrifice protection, damage, or endurance, and this can be quite a deterrent to invest in both damaging powers.


 * Cerberus
 * Overload can easily strip away shields and barriers from Atlases, Phantoms, Centurions, Combat Engineers, Turrets, and Nemeses, while Warp can then chew away armour on Atlases, or deal damage over time against other foes.
 * Turians lack agility so remember to use cover or accompany teammates when dealing with the more elusive enemies such as Nemeses or Phantoms.


 * Reapers
 * Warp will be helpful against Brutes, Ravagers and Banshees, especially when evolved to do max damage to armour.
 * Overload can be employed against Banshee's barriers or Marauder's shields, but for most Reaper opponents you'll need your guns or Warp.
 * Tanking with Tech Armour and a heavy gun loadout can be viable against Reapers, as it allows the player to fire continuously outside of cover, while reducing damage taken by up to half.
 * Tech Armour can also be detonated to reliably kill Husks that have gotten too close, or stagger Marauders or Cannibals which get too close. Do so to prevent their melee attacks, which are incredibly hard to interrupt, deal significant damage on higher difficulties, potentially breaking shields in one hit, and they stagger every time.


 * Geth
 * Overload is very effective, as it will paralyse all units, except for Geth Primes, when used on them. This allows for escape/follow-up headshots.
 * Overload with both chain evolutions selected can be useful for revealing cloaked Geth Hunters, since Overload will jump from one of them to another.
 * Warp can be employed effectively against unshielded Geth Pyros and Primes, as it weakens their armor, not only doing damage, but increasing damage dealt to them while the biotic effect is active.

Krogan Sentinel
Krogan are large bipeds native to the planet Tuchanka, a world known for its harsh environment, scarce resources, and vicious predators. Until the invention of gunpowder, the leading cause of krogan fatalities was "eaten by predators." Though slow, krogan can take tremendous damage in combat, allowing them to inflict grievous harm with impunity.

Armored like a tank--and as slow as one--an angry krogan has more going for it than the species' infamous belligerence. It should come as no surprise that a krogan dishes out as much punishment as they're able to take on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * A popular build for the krogan Sentinel is to ignore Incinerate and fully evolve Lift grenade instead. This way the krogan can equip Tech Armor and any heavy weapons he chooses to use without worrying about power recharge time, as Grenades do not have cooldowns.
 * They function similarly to the soldier, Incinerate replaces Carnage, Lift Grenade over Inferno Grenade and Tech armor over Fortification. These abilities make the Sentinel slightly less bulky than the soldier, but more versatile.Tech armor provides more damage resistance than Fortification,but does not have an evolution which increases shield regeneration rate.
 * Krogan Sentinels can also be built for a pure melee damage approach. While not as effective as the Krogan Soldier, they don't need to destroy their armor to gain extra benefits. This gives Sentinels a constant level of protection and a large amount of damage in melee to boot.
 * Cerberus
 * Lift Grenades are powerful, but only against unprotected enemies. Use it against Phantoms when possible to stop them escaping, or Troopers to prevent yourself from being incapacitated.
 * Weaker troops with the right evolutions in melee can be killed outright in just one well placed Grenade, or melee attack. Be careful if using the latter option as it is risky because of several reasons: The first is you will open yourself up to melee attacks from enemies close to you (which are deadly if its Phantoms), and the second, is your going to be taking a lot of shots elsewhere from other foes.
 * Phantoms are one of the biggest threats to a Krogan Sentinel, thanks to the krogan lack of maneuverability. However, a melee-optimized krogan in a rage can kill them with a heavy melee attack even on Silver. If this is unavailable, Phantoms will dodge the first projectile power sent at them, but usually stand still for a few moments immediately after dodging. So use Incinerate to force one to dodge, and then shoot the Phantom point-blank, or drop a Lift Grenade at your feet, or use heavy melee.
 * Reapers
 * Use your Lift Grenades when given half a chance, since they do good damage against any enemy, and lift Cannibals, Husks, and unprotected Marauders.
 * Avoid Banshees at all costs, since you are slower than other races and they can grab you and subsequently insta-kill you.
 * Geth
 * Since you dont have to worry too much about powers, you should have an easier time dealing with the Geth Hunters, Primes, and Rocket Troopers, but you should still stick to cover being a krogan.
 * Lift Grenades should wait until you have a group of enemies vulnerable to lifting to avoid wasting Grenades.
 * Tech Armour will drastically reduce damage - which becomes even more apparant when using the Rage damage reduction evolutions.

Batarian Sentinel
Little is known about the batarian homeworld of Khar'shan or its inhabitants. As a result, the race is judged by those whom the Hegemony allows to travel beyond its borders: organized crime enforcers, pirate boarding parties, slaver gangs, and gladiatorial combatants.

Batarians are large brawlers that use nets and spiked weapons to capture targets...or to bleed them dry on the battlefield. If an opponent gets too close, a batarian enforcer bludgeons them with spiked armor and enforcement gauntlets.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Shockwave arguably loses some use on higher difficulties compared to Submission Net and Blade Armor. While it can affect multiple enemies and send them flying, stagger them, stun them, or lift them, setting up or activating biotic combos, Submission Net deals high damage over time to any target, while freezing them in place (if unarmoured), exposing them to easy aiming while being unable to fight back, which is much more useful on higher difficulties, though Shockwave can still be used to generate powerful Tech Bursts.
 * Despite using Submission Net a lot, a powerful loadout might be advisable, to give yourself a means of defending yourself when Submission Net fails.
 * Conversely, single, light-weight weapons can be versatile for all situations, which allows for power-spam of Submission Net, especially when it misses or an enemy dodges.
 * If you're new to a weapon and want to get used to it, and see how useful it can be, in multiplayer, where the weapons are subject to updates and balancing, this class is great, as Submission Net reliably holds enemies in place, even after repeated use, and you can take your time to target enemies, and see what they're made of.
 * Submission Net followed by Shockwave can result in a Tech Burst.
 * If you want to be a team player, Shockwave suddenly becomes a significantly useful power, as, since the update, it now has the largest Biotic Combo damage bonus evolution, with Rank 5 Detonate. This however locks you to a 10m radius for use, however 10m is fairly long. It is the rough length between the short cover in the far building of Firebase: White, and the wall of the small room, leading to the stairs, and the ammo crate. With Lifting Shockwave, you can even sometimes set up a Biotic Combo, for allies. Considering the range requirement, this Class, with this power evolved so, becomes highly useful when used in combination with the Asari Justicar Adept's Warp Biotic Bubble with added Radius and Damage Taken, and Reave, due to Reave detonating lifted enemies. Warp Bubble sets Shockwave up for a close-range explosion, which can lift unprotected targets, which sets up Reave.
 * Submission Net has its advantages and disadvantages when compared to its Biotic Counterpart, Stasis, but most notable, it appears to have drastically better effectiveness with repeated use, rather than becoming ineffective outright after the first 1-3 uses on a single enemy. That being said, it also deals damage which is not to be underestimated, and multiple uses only increases that. Lastly, the AoE Rank 6 evolution can stun enemies in a radius giving it, and the Batarian, the only character with the power, crowd control capabilities.
 * Combine Submission Net with a gun like the Graal Spike Thrower or the Kishock Harpoon Gun, and you can have a highly versatile and greatly effective character. Both guns shoot through the shield gate on higher difficulties, both are decently accurate, even at long distances, moreso in mid-range combat, and all effectiveness lost in CQC is made up by Submission Net, the Range of CQC making up for the fact that Submission Net is a projectile-based move. Additionally Submission Net deals with the laggy travel time of weapon projectiles at long range.
 * The Kishock charged deals damage comparable with the Widow, can shoot through the Shield Gate with its unique ability, unlike the Widow, has the same clip size as the Widow, and reloads faster than the Widow, and is lighter than the Widow, as light as the Geth Plasma Shotgun, and can shoot Guardians through the shields (Though it cannot pierce anything else, unlike the Widow). With good aiming and planning, the Kishock can even one-shot foot-soldier enemies with full shields and health, such as the Centurion, Nemesis, and Combat Engineer. The Kishock remains effective when fired from the hip. As the piercing mod appears to have no significant effects, and if you need more ammo, you can always pick some up from the infinite-supply crates, the Damage and Scope mods are likely the best bet with this set-up.
 * The Graal Spike Thrower has a high DPS, and an even higher and more-impressive Burst DPS (Damage per second during the time it takes to empty the clip, not counting down-time during reloads). The multiple-projectile, shotgun nature of the Graal allows it to shoot through the shield gate, the aiming reticle is reasonably small, and its base damage is incredibly high. The Damage and Choke mods are advisable as you don't want to melee enemies anyway, and if you need more ammo, you can find a crate, and the piercing mod doesn't allow piercing with the unique projectiles, anyway.


 * Submission Net is arguably your most valuable power, and should be used often and smartly.
 * Batarian Heavy Melee has one of the highest damage reduction bonuses of any other Heavy Melee, while in use. In clutch situations, knowing you're about to take lethal damage, starting a Heavy Melee into the air might be able to save you. It won't stop damage from hitting, but it can make it so you survive the damage, like a full 3-shot-barrage from a Prime or a Ravager. If you round the corner too fast to notice either, and without combat rolls, are unable to get back behind the wall, this may be the only way to survive. Dying too close to such enemies can prove difficult for allies to pick you up, as well, potentially saving their lives from having to save yours. Once no longer under duress of fire, and out of the Heavy Melee, you can use the enemy's downtime between fire-bursts to then get out of there.
 * Batarians are unable to evade, making them more vulnerable to instant-kill moves.
 * Note also, that although Batarians are quicker moving than Krogan, they are less defensible: thus, staggering attacks such as Geth Primes' can lock them down to lethal effect.


 * Cerberus
 * Phantoms are very lethal against batarians due to the inability of batarians to dodge. Whilst Submission Net can stop Phantoms cold, if they activate a barrier from their gauntlet, the net will do nothing, and leave you vulnerable to a counter-attack. Consequently, if you wish to trap a phantom, you can target the ground and get them to run into it, resulting in a perfect trap. Another tactic is to start a heavy melée with Blade Armor engaged. The Phantom will then use its basic melée. While this seems counterintuitive, the Phantom will then stagger due to the armor's Damage Returned bonus, allowing for essentially an instant kill (or very close to it) when the melée finally goes off.
 * Shockwave can be spammed to send Troopers flying around the map, making them unable to ever fire at you whilst damaging them at the same time. Send them over the edges of the map for instant kills.
 * You can fire a Submission Net at the ground and lead a Guardian into it. It will have the same effectiveness as Stasis Bubble'ing Guardians, or Stasis'ing a Guardian from behind. They will be frozen in place, unable to move or dodge, unable to shoot back, and they will drop their shield, opening them to fire from all sides permanently.
 * Reapers
 * The Net is much less useful here since only the smaller enemies can be incapacitated by it. You may wish to use just use your guns against the Reapers, especially against Brutes, Ravagers, and Banshees.
 * With the Rank 5 Damage & Slow evolution, however, it can find use in stopping 3/6 of basic Reaper enemy types, and slowing the other half, which have base Armor.
 * It can also still allow Tech Bursts to be generated on armoured targets.
 * Geth
 * Submission Net really comes into play here - if you can use it effectively. Consider sticking to cover and using the net on Hunters - this will prevent them from cloaking again if you deal enough damage.
 * Submission Net's electrical nature, and Rank 6 AoE evolution can be highly helpful in crowd control purposes. Target an enemy in the center of a horde, and watch as every other enemy gets consistently electrocuted and stunned, or brought to their knees every 1.5 seconds.
 * Shockwave is also useful here since, if your allies use a shield draining power such as Energy Drain or Overload, you can use it to deal significant damage to enemies and send them flying. This can be used to push enemies away from the player, allowing the player to escape.

Vorcha Sentinel
Vorcha are considered vermin by other species inhabiting Citadel space, but their unique physiology and innate aggressiveness make them shockingly durable combatants.

A vorcha's resilience and malleable DNA allow them to evolve and adapt to any situation, making them formidable opponents on the battlefield. Their lightning-quick pounce is a direct result of their societally ingrained bloodlust.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Bloodlust power can be triggered by any kill, not just melee kills. Each Bloodlust stack lasts only fifteen seconds, which forces Vorcha to constantly kill in order to keep the maximum bonuses that Bloodlust offers.
 * Flamer can be combined same time as the Reegar Carbine, offering a dramatic boost in power against stronger enemies like Atlases, Banshees, Brutes, Phantoms, Ravagers, Geth Pyros and Geth Primes. Flamer does not have a fixed quantity attached to it and can be used any time. Flamer can be used and swung around to target multiple enemies, setting them all on fire. Considering it already has a range limit to it, you'll already be within close enough range for Cluster Grenades to be effective (accurate). Follow up with a single, maybe multiple, Cluster Grenade(s) to start killing enemies and simultaneously activating multiple Fire Explosions at once, for a potential Killstreak without a missile.
 * Choosing Cluster Grenade over Flamer enables a no-cooldown approach. This allows the vorcha to equip the heaviest of weapons, and so long as the Bloodlust power isn't deactivated, cooldowns are not a concern.
 * Cluster Grenades are useful against all enemies. Cluster Grenades have a more universal use, and are not restricted to range, but are less specialised at taking down armored foes compared to Flamer. They certainly do the trick against unprotected foes though.
 * Due to Cluster Grenade's splitting reducing their accuracy over range, and Flamer's range limit, one should either look into a weapon that contrasts their range limits to balance such, or embraces the range limit, and will support one knowingly walking into CQC situations.
 * The Reegar Carbine has massive DPS, but a low range-limit, like Flamer, and fits the latter role exceptionally. Combine with kills, and Bloodlust's regenerative properties, and one can become the organic embodiment of a tank.
 * Melee combat should be approached carefully. Vorcha can be killed when attempting heavy melee against stronger enemies or large groups. Misjudgment of health in enemies with instant-kill animations places one within lethal range for these attacks. That aside, it is among the fastest heavy melee attacks in the game. It closes distance to the target like krogan charges, though it is easier to aim at close ranges. Thus, between melee damage evolutions from Bloodlust and Fitness, one can move rapidly from target to target, shredding enemy infantry.


 * Cerberus
 * Flamer's high damage evolution can be used to kill groups of Troopers, Centurions, Engineers and other infantry very quickly at close range. Against Phantoms and Atlases, caution should be used since on higher difficulties they can easily inflict more damage than you can handle. It is these kinds of enemies that you should consider staying close to team mates. Opt for a piercing weapon, or Piercing Mod on one of your weapons to make sure Guardians dont get the edge on you.


 * Reapers
 * Flamer is effective against Reapers, due to the majority of enemies having armor, or just health. With the Armor Damage evolution for Flamer and both health regeneration evolutions, the Vorcha Soldier is capable of taking down Ravagers and Brutes. The green acid puddle that Ravagers release upon death also deals minimal damage to the Vorcha, provided that Bloodlust stacks are still active.


 * Geth
 * Flamer can be used to great effect against unshielded Geth Primes, as it does very high damage to armour. Otherwise, all Geth (except Geth Troopers) have shielding protecting themselves from any flame attacks. While capable of regenerating, the geth are "hard-hitting" specialists, and will not drop vorcha's health quicker than they can regenerate, so a "cautious but aggressive" approach would be best here.

N7 Paladin Sentinel
These soldiers are the go-anywhere, fight-anything special forces of the Alliance that were trained at the Interplanetary Combatives Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They had to survive combat situations "in an admirable and effective fashion" to receive the N7 rank. Many N7s now train other species in anti-Reaper asymmetric warfare.

The Paladin carries a powerful omni-shield onto the battlefield to block enemy fire. The Paladin also uses the shield as a heavy-melee weapon that, when modified with incendiary or cryo upgrades, creates a devastating combination attack.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Paladin's heavy melee plants the omni-shield to the ground, absorbing hostile fire. This can be used to protect wounded team members or objectives.
 * Pressing the melee button while blocking with the omni-shield will result in a powerful melee attack. The shield can also be cancelled by using a tech ability or by pressing melee button while holding down buttom.
 * A Paladin's omni-shield will break due to blocking excessive damage or forceful attacks, such as a Geth Prime's melee. In this situation, the Paladin will be staggered momentarily. However, the shield can be immediately redeployed at full durability.
 * The Paladin's omni-shield grants him very powerful melee abilities with a small area of effect. If specialized to do melee damage, the Paladin is capable of killing tight groups of lesser enemies in a single shield swipe.
 * With Energy Drain, Incinerate, and Snap Freeze, the Paladin has powers that are useful against almost every type of enemy. Equipped with a piercing weapon to shoot through a Cerberus Guardian's shield, the Paladin has an effective response to any enemy in the game.
 * One viable build for the Paladin is to play him like an Engineer and focus on tech powers. This is particularly feasible for the Paladin because the Shield Mastery power has its final shield strength evolution at rank 4 (rather than rank 6 for Fitness), allowing the Paladin to have maximum health and shields while spending 11 fewer points than most other classes.  This leaves more points for either the tech powers or the class passive power.
 * Cerberus
 * If a turret is placed a Paladin can activate his shield right in front of it allowing teammates to destroy it or move across its field of view without being shot.
 * The shield allows for deflection of Phantom sword strikes, and damages them as well as causing them to stagger. Once the Paladin blocks the sword attack, it is recommended he move or roll away, lest the Phantom impale him with instant death.
 * Reapers
 * The player should pay extra caution for brute's melee attacks and banshee's biotic blast/nova. These attacks can instantly break your omni-shield.
 * Geth
 * The Paladin is exceptionally resilient when fighting against the geth. With his ability to restore shields with Energy Drain and block with his shield during cooldowns, he can easily hold down a flank against ridiculous firepower.