Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer/Character Customization/Infiltrator

While focusing on taking out enemies from afar without detection, Infiltrators also specialize in flanking and misdirection, serving to disorient the opponent.

Human Infiltrator
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.

Human infiltrators focus on taking out enemies from afar without detection, but they also specialize in flanking and misdirection, allowing their allies to make short work of disorientated opponents on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Cryo Blast can freeze unshielded and unarmored enemies, making them much easier to headshot. However, it is much more valuable to max out the other powers, as Cryo Blast does not do significant damage on any difficulty higher than bronze unlike Sticky Grenades, which can be upgraded to do lots of damage to one target.
 * As Human Infiltrators have no really damaging offensive powers with a cool down, it is worth foregoing the Power & Capacity/Power Damage/Weapon Weight ranks of Alliance Training in order to maximize weapon and headshot damage.
 * Sticky Grenades are perfect for escaping situations whilst damaging enemies, as they have no cooldown and will not break your Tactical Cloak when thrown, allowing an Infiltrator to retreat throwing grenades, whilst under cloak.
 * A duration maxed Tactical Cloak is very useful on Gold, when it allows a player to be invisible for the time it takes to activate an objective (such as Signal Boosters etc).
 * Cerberus
 * Cryo Blast is more useful here due to the number of enemies that can be frozen, since, barring Atlases, all Cerberus unit have health. If combined with a player who has a shield stripping power, such as Arc Grenade, Cryo Blast can be used in tandem to snap freeze groups of enemies if the increased radius evolution is chosen.
 * Cryo Blast can also be useful if a Phantom gets too close to your squad - it will slow her down significantly, allowing for retreat/headshots.
 * A Sticky Grenade can be used to eliminate whole groups of Guardians and Troopers by, if the increased radius evolution is chosen, sticking it to a low ceiling above them. They will rarely ever dodge it, and it ignores the Guardians shields as it damages them from the top down. Alternatively, a grenade can be stuck directly to a Guardians shield, which can kill them.
 * Tactical Cloak can allow the player to sneak out of close quarters situations, and to sneak past Guardians and attack them from behind if it is too tricky to shoot them through the slit in their shields.
 * On bronze, it is advisable to have maximised Sticky Grenade damage and to equip Grenade Capacity gear - this way, you can take down Atlases with ease by sticking up to 8 grenades to them, and this can be accomplished without breaking cloak.
 * Reapers
 * Cryo Blast is virtually useless, unless you have a problem dealing with Husks that run in - Cannibals are already slow moving enough, and it is not worth it to level it up to only really be useful against Marauders. In addition, it has negligible effect on the multitude of armoured enemies.
 * Sticky Grenades, when levelled up to do max damage to armour, can be used to instantly eliminate Brutes and Ravagers. They have the additional bonus that they will kill any Swarmers that appear with their area of effect damage. However, it is inadvisable to use them against Banshees unless they have had their barrier already removed - they are likely to biotic jump out of the way, wasting the grenade.
 * Sticky Grenades are very effective against Reaper enemies, given their propensity to stick together in groups. This allows a player to take down multiple enemies with only one grenade, as the area of effect damage will be utilised to the max.
 * Geth
 * Cryo Blast is only useful here for slowing down Geth Hunters that get too close, or freezing them solid if they have no shields. Apart from that, it is not useful to have Cryo Blast when fighting the geth - the high damage that can be done from Sticky Grenades and getting headshots whilst in Tactical Cloak is much more useful.
 * Headshots can be performed on all geth units barring Geth Primes - this allows for heavy damage to be inflicted easily with just a sniper rifle.

Salarian Infiltrator
Salarians have a high-speed metabolism that allows them to function on just one hour of sleep a day. They also process information much faster than other sentient races.

Salarian infiltrators specialize in long-range suppression, flanking, and stealth-based combat. These agile combatants are deadly and difficult to detect on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Energy Drain is the biggest asset of a salarian Infiltrator. It allows them to not only inflict heavy shield damage against enemies but to also repair their own shields.
 * Proximity Mine can be used very effectively even on higher difficulties as, if it detonates whilst the player is in cloak, it can do lots of damage. However, it is worth maximising one or the other but not both of Energy Drain and Proximity Mine in order to have maximum shields and weapon damage, and one very strong offensive power.
 * A duration maxed Tactical Cloak is very useful on Gold, when it allows a player to be invisible for the time it takes to activate an objective (such as Signal Boosters etc). A recent patch has significantly reduced the time on a standard Tactical Cloak; the base duration is halved and without the duration bonus a cloak will barely last halfway through a device de/activation.
 * Because the Tactical Cloak's cooldown is based on the length of time it is used, salarian Infiltrators should consider a heavy weapons loadout. Using for example a Valiant or Krysae with a Claymore can offer unprecedented firepower and so long as you use the Cloak judaciously, you can retain a 3 second cooldown as opposed to for example, 20 seconds. This can also be used in tandem with Energy Drain too, you could use the Cloak, then the Drain immediately afterwards and still maintain a 3 second cooldown. Just remember to break the cloak after a period of time has passed. This also subsequently bypasses the biggest weakness of an Infiltrator, which is the inability to regenerate shields when using Tactical Cloak on a regular basis. What it does not do however is protect you from enemies bypassing the "Shield Gate" aspect of your overall status if you have not had adequate time to properly recover (the time shields and health take to recover naturally).
 * Cerberus
 * Proximity mine is arguably more useful than Energy Drain against Ceberus on lower difficulties - when fully upgraded, it can be used like a grenade with a cool down, allowing for takedown of groups of troopers.
 * However, on higher difficulties Energy Drain is much more effective as it can strip the shields/barrier from a multitude of the harder enemies, allowing for fast elimination of Phantoms and Nemeses.
 * Energy Drain can be used to remove the shields of Centurions, exposing them to a headshot, especially as it can momentarily stagger them.
 * Tactical Cloak can allow Infiltrators to sneak out of close quarters situations, and to sneak past Guardians and attack them from behind if it is too tricky to shoot them through the slit in their shields. This problem can be countered however by using a Piercing Mod on a weapon, as it then mitigates the need to aim for the hole in the shields. One should still be careful around Guardians however as they can flank you, or let other troops flank you while you are trying to deal with said enemies. Since the update, the Tactical Cloak's duration has been drastically decreased, and therefore is not as effective for avoiding said enemies.
 * Reapers
 * Proximity Mine is infinitely more useful against all of the Reaper troops except for Banshees. It can be used to guard against Husks/Swarmers that come to close, and does decent damage to armoured enemies.
 * However on higher difficulties, it is better to equip a harder hitting weapon such as the Javelin to deal with these armoured enemies, and max out Energy Drain to strip the barriers from Banshees, stopping them from getting any closer to you.
 * Tactical Cloak is incredibly useful, as it allows the player to retreat safely from a Brute/Banshee that has got too close.
 * Geth
 * The salarian is one of the best Infiltrator races to play as when fighting the geth as a player can use a maxed out Energy drain to not only restore shields completely but to reduce the damage they take by 40% for ten seconds, after which they can simply use it on another target.
 * Salarians looking to play Gold should grab Damage instead of Armor Boost; this will ensure that Drain removes all of the shields from weaker enemies.
 * Proximity mine is comparatively redundant, as a player can instead use the headshots that can be performed on all geth enemies (except Primes) to do high damage to them. As well as this, the use of Energy Drain is far more useful since it can strip both shields and energy from geth units.
 * Despite their power, Hunters should be targetted as a priority, since the Hunters are more than capable of flanking you, and your team, and subsequently stunning or incapacitating you and them.

Quarian Infiltrator
Quarians have spent centuries at perpetual salvage and ship repair; the survival of their species depends on this technical expertise.

Quarian infiltrators are elite support specialists with a talent for setting up ambushes. Their technical wizardry makes them crucial contributors on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Sticky Grenades are perfect for escaping situations whilst damaging enemies, as they have no cooldown and will not break your Tactical Cloak when thrown, allowing an Infiltrator to retreat throwing grenades, whilst under cloak.
 * A duration maxed Tactical Cloak is very useful on Gold, when it allows a player to be invisible for the time it takes to activate an objective (such as Signal Boosters etc).
 * In addition to the hacking ability, Sabotage is fairly useful for its brief stun effect. As almost all but the most powerful enemies have guns, stunning them briefly allows much easier headshots, killing infantry level enemies and severely damaging others.  The excellent damage-to-weight ratio of the M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle allows you to do this more often, and reload-canceling lets a player fire shots more often.
 * Cerberus
 * A Sticky Grenade can be used to eliminate whole groups of Guardians and Troopers by, if the increased radius evolution is chosen, sticking it to a low ceiling above them. They will rarely ever dodge it, and it ignores the Guardians shields as it damages them from the top down. Alternatively, a grenade can be stuck directly to a Guardians shield, which can kill them.
 * Tactical Cloak can allow the player to sneak out of close quarters situations, and to sneak past Guardians and attack them from behind if it is too tricky to shoot them through the slit in their shields.
 * On bronze, it is advisable to have maximised Sticky Grenade damage and to equip Grenade Capacity gear - this way, you can take down Atlases with ease by sticking up to 8 grenades to them, and this can be accomplished without breaking cloak.
 * Sabotage is fantastic on higher difficulties as it can be used to cause Atlas Mechs to attack their own troops. More importantly, they will also normally have to turn around to do so, allowing the player a bit of respite as they then have to turn back to shoot at the player.
 * Sabotage can also be used on Turrets, which is useful to kill their own nearby master, the Engineers, and other nearby enemies, whilst distracting it from shooting you and your teammates.
 * Reapers
 * Sticky Grenades, when levelled up to do max damage to armour, can be used to instantly eliminate Brutes and Ravagers. They have the additionally bonus that they will kill any Swarmers that appear with their area of effect damage. However, it is inadvisable to use them against Banshees unless they have had their barrier already removed - they are likely to biotic jump out of the way, wasting the grenade.
 * The recent patch made Infiltrators a lot less effective against Reaper units as there are no longer any headshot bonuses against the larger foes, making them the enemy against which there are the fewest headshot bonuses.
 * Sticky Grenades are very effective against Reaper enemies, given their propensity to stick together in groups. This allows a player to take down multiple enemies with only one grenade, as the area of effect damage will be utilised to the max.
 * Geth
 * One of, if not the best class to play as when fighting the geth as Sabotage can turn any geth enemy into a momentary ally. This is very effective when used on Geth Rocket Troopers, as they deal high damage with their rocket launcher and thus can do a lot of damage to their fellow geth in the short time that they are sabotaged. Pyros can also burn through armor and shields very quickly and are also very slow to reach you when the effect wears off. Primes also deal massive damage to anybody around them, but it does not effect their drones or turrets.
 * However, it is important to remember that enemies build up resistance to Sabotage and so can only be used three times on any enemy before it becomes ineffective.
 * When used whilst in Tactical Cloak, depending on how long you stayed in the cloak (or your power recharge speed), Sabotage will use the recharge speed of the cloak instead of its own, meaning you can use it much more regularly. This can allow the player to headshot any enemy (whilst in cloak), Sabotage it before the cloak breaks and then headshot it again whilst it is attacking its allies.
 * Grenades can be used against the Pyros and Primes, but it would probably be better to use Sabotage since it will more than likely inflict more damage than a Grenade ever will, especially on Gold.
 * In some sense, Sabotage can also be used like a mobile bomb although a little unorthodox and slightly unreliable when the target has been hit multiple times with Sabotage. However used correctly, it can be used very effectively to deal significant damage to enemies around the unfortunate victim. Chain this together with other geth, and huge damage can be inflicted to tougher enemies, or smaller enemies can sometimes be killed outright.
 * Make sure you or your team deals with Geth Hunters when you can, since they can suppress your sabotaging skills to the point where they can stop you from fighting back. Pairing up with geth Engineers or Infiltrators, or a Male Quarian and his tactical scan, this can partially eliminate this threat, but constant vigilance is the best tactic against said enemies.

Geth Infiltrator
The geth are a humanoid race of networked AIs that were created by the quarians 300 years ago as tools of labor and war. Having since won their freedom from their creators, the geth have proven they are able to reason, analyze situations, and deploy tactics as well as any organic race so long as they remain networked with other geth.

Geth hunters converge quickly on a target while remaining undetected. Unique perception systems give geth an unsurpassed understanding of the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * This is potentially the most damaging class in Multiplayer, as you can acquire passive weapon damage bonuses from Networked AI and Hunter Mode, an additional bonus from Tactical Cloak, and still more from Proximity Mine. This makes the geth Infiltrator one of the best classes to take down heavy units, due to the high damage that they can put out.
 * Taking into account the geth weapon damage bonuses acquired from Networked AI, it is worth using the Javelin or the Geth Plasma Shotgun on this class in order to maximise damage done.
 * A player can use the ability of the Plasma Shotgun to be charged up, then go into cloak, and then fire without breaking cloak to devastating effect, as it allows for an incredibly powerful attack without losing your cloak. Beware of the "charge-cloak" glitch when using the GPS though; the cloak is prone to instantly deactivating if the player has been using a charged weapon.
 * Having Hunter Mode on allows a player to use the penetration of either the Widow, the Black Widow or the Javelin to great effect, as it outlines enemies through walls and allow a player to then headshot them. However, it comes at the price of incredibly reduced shields, making the player very vulnerable to grenades and rockets, which can kill a player in one hit on gold. Grenades, however, require the enemy to have a straight line of sight on you, in order for the enemy to target you, and on higher difficulties, Grenades one-shot everyone but the most sturdy Krogan. Even without Hunter Mode on, one is likely to be killed by a grenade on Gold. Rockets can't initially shoot through shields, but if shields are not given a chance to regenerate adequately enough, rockets CAN hit through shields. That being said, there is an annoying bug where Rocket Troopers may shoot 2 rockets practically simultaneously. Other than that, both grenades and rockets can be avoided to taking no damage, and the battle information and tactical awareness gained from Hunter Mode can be invaluable regardless.
 * The Javelin's natural Pierce distance is 1m, while the Widow's is 0.5m, while the Black Widow's is 0.25m. Hunter Mode, any of those weapons, and a wall shorter than the applicable distance means easy kills with no worries of fighting back.
 * Hunter Mode allows a deadly strategy on even the highest of difficulties. Knowing exactly where you opponent is, especially their head, even through environment is invaluable information.
 * Defensively, Hunter Mode allows you to defend yourself against enemies by always keeping a wall and some cover between you and them at all times, thus never taking any damage.
 * Offensively, with the aforementioned Sniper Rifles with natural piercing, the player can combine one with Armor Piercing Ammo, a Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod V, and a Sniper Rifle Rail Amp III to be able to penetrate the furthest possible distance of any combined set of weapons and equipment. Combined with Hunter Mode's awareness of where enemies are exactly behind a wall, and you can pierce up to 3.35m of environment with a shot, targeting the head, doing massive damage. The only reduction of damage is the 30% reduction of the Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod, and it is made up for in damage bonuses of the Armor Piercing Ammo and the Extended Barrel, the other advised mod. The only problem is that the Javelin and Widow only have one shot per clip, and Hunter Mode is a passive ability that increases damage dealt with guns and powers but does no damage. If you're shooting through walls completely, the Proximity Mine can be ignored. As such all damage will be coming from weapons, so its recommended to take the Black Widow, as of the 3 sniper rifles which can increase piercing damage, the Black Widow is the only one with a multi-shot clip. The resulting pierce distance is 2.6m. An alternate option is to use the Javelin due to its piercing properties and high damage.
 * With all damage bonuses of Ranks 4 and 6 for Sniper Rifles in Tactical Cloak, and all other damage bonuses it is possible to kill a Prime with 9 shots, 3 clips, and 2 reloads or less.


 * A duration maxed Tactical Cloak is very useful on Gold, when it allows a player to be invisible for the time it takes to activate an objective (such as Signal Boosters etc). That being said, when buying the Rank 4 Damage bonus rank over the Rank 4 Duration bonus rank, one can cloak right before starting a device, and finish mere seconds after the cloak breaks. If timed properly and no one sees you, enemies are unlikely to attack, and you can even use a power right as you're finishing the device and standing, and the Tactical Cloak will override the recharge speed, as it would have anyway.
 * Proximity Mine can be used very effectively even on higher difficulties as, if it detonates whilst the player is in cloak, it can do lots of damage. However, it might be worth maximising either Hunter Mode or Proximity Mine, but not both in order to have maximum shields and weapon damage, and one very strong power.
 * The geth's "light" melee strike is actually slower in execution than the "heavy" shield pulse, which is also capable of doing more damage, to multiple enemies, so it is generally better to use the shield pulse.
 * Note that keeping the melee button held will cause you to continuously send out up to six pulses.


 * The Geth Infiltrator can also excel with a heavy shotgun like the Claymore or Wraith. A cloaked Proximity Mine + Shotgun blast is fatal to all but the most powerful enemies, even on Gold. Don't put points into rank 6 of Tactical Cloak if you want to use a shotgun, though; put them in Advanced Hardware to give you some extra survivability.
 * The Krysae Sniper Rifle has seen such extensive use with the Geth Infiltrator that BioWare was forced to reduce the Krysae's damage and Hunter Mode's vision range and damage. Fortunately the Krysae is still extremely effective; it is easily possible for a competent player to get off a Proximity Mine and two Krysae shots before breaking cloak. The Krysae's shield-ignoring explosion damage and ability to "double-shot" while zooming in make it a force to be reckoned with.
 * Cerberus
 * A Javelin can be used very effectively against Cerberus, as it can shoot through multiple Guardians and kill all of them even on higher difficulties.
 * Hunter Mode is very useful against Cerberus, as it will show where cloaked Phantoms are and will also highlight where the head of a Guardian is.
 * Hunter Mode also renders smoke grenades useless. A level 6 Speed and Vision evolution can allow you to see right through it at a much longer range and take out anyone who might be hiding behind it.
 * Proximity Mine combined with the locating bonuses of Hunter Mode, can help kill phantoms easily. Use Hunter Mode to locate, cloak, shoot the ground near their feet with Proximity Mine to damage and stagger and even weaken them, and then while stunned and staggered, move in or aim for the kill. Repeat until dead.
 * Reapers
 * Geth are very weak, even with Hunter Mode off and Advanced Hardware maxed out - therefore, it is advisable to stay well away from Brutes/Banshees, and to keep out of sight of Ravagers who, on gold, can kill you with three shots.
 * Geth
 * Proximity Mine is comparatively redundant, as a player can instead use the headshots that can be performed on all geth enemies (except Primes) to do high damage to them.
 * Hunter Mode is fantastic as it allows a player to clearly see any Hunters sneaking up on their squad, and to headshot them. This becomes even more useful on gold, when one Hunter can take down an entire squad if not seen.

Quarian Male Infiltrator
Quarians have spent centuries at perpetual salvage and ship repair; the survival of their species depends on this technical expertise.

Quarian infiltrators are elite support specialists with a talent for setting up ambushes. Their technical wizardry makes them crucial contributors on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Tactical Scan is one of the most useful powers in game, as it can increase weapon damage taken by a target by up to 32.5%. This allows for incredibly fast takedown of hardened enemies on gold, especially if paired with a damage maxed geth Infiltrator.
 * Due to the Male Quarian Infiltrator having 3 good powers, it can be useful (if unconventional) to maximize all of them along with Quarian Defender in order to do the most damage possible - however, this comes at the price of being physically weak.
 * Arc Grenades can be combined with Tactical Scan to remove the barrier/shields of an enemy very rapidly, as they can do an extra 32.5% damage when Tactical Scan is evolved to maximize power damage.
 * Arc Grenades do not break cloak and as such can be used to kill enemies/take down their shields whilst the player is retreating.
 * Cerberus
 * Tactical Scan can be used to not only eliminate Atlases, but, if placed on a Phantom, also show where a cloaked Phantom is hiding.
 * If the Area Scan evolution is chosen, it allows for easy headshots of Guardians since it displays them in a similar manner to Hunter Mode. It can also be useful for finding cloaked Phantoms without having to target them with it.
 * Arc Grenades are incredibly effective against Cerberus troops, as they can remove the shields from Centurions, Nemeses, Phantoms and Atlases with ease - it is therefore recommended to equip the Grenade Capacity gear in order to be able to spam these for a long period.
 * Reapers
 * Tactical Scan works wonders against the armored units that Reaper forces possess - when used in tandem with Arc Grenades, a player can strip the barrier of a Banshee and then use a sniper rifle to finish her off.
 * However, Arc Grenades are useless against all other Reaper units - it is better to put points in Quarian Defender instead.
 * Geth
 * The best enemy to use the Male Quarian Infiltrator against, as Arc Grenades can kill entire groups of enemies with ease, even on gold, since they have such a large area of effect.
 * Arc Grenades can easily be used to remove the shields from multiple Geth Hunters at one time and therefore make them all visible, which is very valuable on gold as Hunters are much more deadly.
 * The Tactical Scan evolution Area Scan can also be used to reveal where Geth Hunters are - however, its effects wear of quickly.
 * Tactical Scan can be used to fantastic effect on Geth Primes - it allows a player to then easily strip its shields with Arc Grenades, and then to kill it with a few sniper rifle shots from Tactical Cloak.
 * However, having all of the non passive powers and Quarian Defender upgraded leaves the player very vulnerable to attack. On gold, a player will die after two hits from a Geth Prime's cannon.

N7 Shadow Infiltrator
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.

Shadow infiltrators use implants to dramatically improve agility, making them slippery combatants on the battlefield. Their monomolecular blades are a menace from cover and close range.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Primarily, a Shadow's specialty is to quickly eliminate dangerous or hard to reach enemies while the rest of the team deal with the main force. Key targets include Geth Rocket Troopers, Nemeses, Phantoms and Turrets.
 * When using Shadow Strike, you will cloak and move behind the opponent, even if they are at range. This essentially turns Shadow Strike into an Infiltrator's Charge, allowing unsurpassed mobility around the battlefield.  Shadow Strike can also be rank evolved to provide either; damage reduction or shield drain evolutions of the power.  Couple this with the fact that the N7 Shadow Infiltrator can cloak, and a player can: select targets while shielded from enemy sight, Shadow Strike (which is a melee class attack and as such could couple cloak damage bonuses and dual power use evolutions at rank 6), and return to cover before the target (if still standing) is alert to the player.
 * The rank six shield drain evolution of Shadow Strike will make the N7 Shadow significantly more durable in combat. It functions in a similar manner to Energy Drain; when performing Shadow Strike on a shielded opponent, you will absorb their shields, restoring your own.  Unlike Energy Drain, it will not restore shields when used on unshielded synthetics.
 * With Sword Mastery maxed out in favor of heavy melee damage, and Shadow Strike maxed out in favor of damage, it is possible to kill almost every single enemy in one hit (on Silver) if used with Tactical Cloak. This is true even without the rank 4 Tactical damage evolution.  Even Phantoms can be instantly killed in this manner.  This makes duration a much more appealing option at rank 4, since the Shadow is far better at close range than any other infiltrator.
 * The bonus power evolution of Tactical Cloak is extremely useful for the Shadow, as it allows two Shadow Strikes to be performed before uncloaking. This allows the cloaked Shadow to dance around the battlefield, taking at two enemies in each cloak.  Furthermore, it gives them some great mobility options for getting out of tough situations.
 * The Shadow performs best when geared around melee damage and power use. For these reasons, a light load-out is recommended.  With the massive damage of their melee attacks, the sheer lethality of Shadow Strike, and the decent crowd control ability Electric Slash, they are well suited to complete a match without firing a single shot.
 * If the Rank 5 Electrical Damage evolution of Shadow Strike is taken, players can detonate it with Electric Slash to create a Tech Burst singlehandedly. This is useful when engaging large enemies who will still be alive after the former - execute a Strike, quickly dodge behind cover, then activate the Slash.  The brief vulnerable period is largely irrelevant since Electric Slash can hit enemies behind solid objects.
 * As always, caution should be exercised when engaging Banshees, Brutes, Atlases, and Phantoms at close range, in order to avoid their insta-kill moves.
 * The rank 4 damage reduction evolution of Shadow Strike can greatly increase your survivability after uncloaking, allowing you to shrug off 40% of all damage for five seconds after performing Shadow Strike. This lets you survive in heated combat until cloak is off cool-down.
 * As with Kasumi's power in Mass Effect 2, Shadow Strike can be a useful distraction. Using it on a powerful enemy such as an Atlas will get its attention, causing it to turn around and redirect its fire from the player's teammates.  A nimble player can dodge the retaliatory strike and escape into cloak, though this is a risky maneuver.
 * While shotguns combine well with Shadow Strike for a close quarters specialized character, equipping a lightweight sniper rifle is also an excellent choice. The resulting character is strong at all ranges, with melee attacks and Shadow Strike (with a short cooldown) covering short-range combat, and the rifle covering long range.  A sniper rifle's scope also allows the player to lock onto enemies for Shadow Strike from further away.
 * For a completely Shadow Strike-oriented Shadow, to retain a cooldown reduction of 200%, a heavy pistol is an excellent choice. With this play style, you are unlikely to fire your weapon, so damage is irrelevant. What is important, however, are the Melee Damage and Scope mods. This gives you even more damage output and a longer range for Shadow Strike at no cost to your power recharge.
 * The Bonus Armour Damage Evolution of Sword Mastery is an excellent choice, as it allows the Shadow to be good at what it previously lacks - dealing with armour. Both shields and barriers are devastated by Electric Slash and Shadow Strike but armour remains stubborn without this Evolution taken. Alternately, the Shadow can carry a weapon such as a sniper rifle or the Carnifex that is effective against armor.
 * The Shadow is capable of using Shadow Strike twice, at 200% CDR, if Bonus Power Cloak is taken but the window of time available requires extreme precision and an instant jump to a second target; Shadow Strike followed by Electric Slash is impossible. To improve this, the 4th Evolution of Tactical Cloak, Duration, is an ideal choice. The window of time available for double Shadow Strike gives you time to choose your second target or escape if you must and Shadow Strike followed by Electric Slash becomes possible, for Cloaked, high damaging Tech Bursts.
 * It's possible to replace Tactical Cloaks' cooldown timer with Electric Slash by cancelling Tactical Cloak manually right before using Electric Slash itself. This essentially swaps the two powers' respective cooldown timers, as Electric Slash is done last. Due to Electric Slash' extremely low cooldown, this is extremely useful as it allows the Shadow to get Tactical Cloak back up extremely fast, or even allow a player to simply reset it if the duration is running low. This can also make it so rapid use of Electric Slash, or the Shadow Strike to Electric Slash combo as noted above, can always be done in stealth or minimize exposure respectively.
 * Keep in mind that the Rank 6 melee buff, either additional damage to armor or shields, only applies to the standard heavy melee. It does not factor into Shadow Strikes' damage.
 * Cerberus


 * Shadow Strike is usually effective against Guardians -- since the Shadow appears behind the target, the Guardian's shield is useless. However, sometimes the Guardian will be aware of the Shadow, and will turn to interpose his shield in time.
 * Properly specialized, a double shadow strike from cloak (bonus power allows two to be used before cloak is removed) with melee damage bonuses will kill a phantom full health and barriers even on gold.
 * Even without the highest-damage Shadow Strike specialization, Shadow Strike is extremely effective at killing Phantoms. With the electrical damage evolution, the Phantom will continue to take damage over time, allowing her to still be targeted when she cloaks, and Shadow Strike has essentially perfect accuracy, allowing it to connect even if the Phantom is running or dodging.  Make sure to dodge away after performing Shadow Strike, though, as the Phantom will perform a retaliatory strike even if the player is cloaked.
 * It is very important to ensure that the Phantom is not aware of the Shadow when executing Shadow Strike or the Phantom will immediately counterattack, leaving the Shadow highly vulnerable and in critical condition. If the Phantom is aware of the Shadow prior to performing Shadow Strike, the Phantom may, on occasion, interrupt the Shadow Strike with her instant-kill attack, killing the Shadow before the blow even lands.


 * Reapers


 * When using Shadow Strike on a Ravager, be sure that you will kill it and whether or not you do, be ready to Dodge backwards as soon as you are able, otherwise you are going to be assaulted by Swarmers or be quickly damaged by the blood, something you simply cannot afford.
 * It is recommended to wait until the Ravager is preoccupied with shooting before using Shadow Strike or it will rupture its sacs and cause massive damage. Alternatively, one could deliberately shoot all of the Ravager's sacs before performing a Shadow Strike.
 * Brutes are an excellent way to test your capability to Shadow Strike. Always wait for a Brute to charge before you initiate your combo and Shadow Strike just before it reaches you. That way, you will teleport behind the beast and strike him from behind where he takes maximum damage.
 * Shadow Strike may be safely used against Banshees if they are in the early stages of a teleport chain. Shadow Strike will often position the Shadow a few jumps before the current location of the Banshee to slash at nothing. Despite the apparent miss, the Banshee will still take full damage.
 * Geth


 * With Geth, using shadow strike on enemies is not as risky as it is with Cerberus and Reapers, since Geth do not have any units that can instantly kill you.