Skills

Because Skills, Training and Profiles are all intertwined, this article will cover all three. When creating a character in Mass Effect: Andromeda, the player will always begin with a 'Training'. Players who choose a default Scott or Sara Ryder will have Security as their default. This Training unlocks Concussive Shot in the Combat Skillset. Players who create a custom character will have access to all six. For those wanting a default Ryder but not a default Training, will need to create a custom character and simply leave the appearance and name as default.

Both single-player and multiplayer characters have access to Profiles. Profiles are the equivalent of the classes we have seen previously in the franchise, with the addition of Explorer.

Single Player Overview

With Mass Effect: Andromeda single-player, comes big changes with combat. Players will no longer choose a single skillset at the beginning of the game and be locked into it as before. Players will now start with an initial skill type called Training but will be able to further expand the skillset of their character using the distribution of points. Points are earned during gameplay by completing activities and missions. There are no restrictions on which skills a player can choose. There is no level cap, so in time, a player could potentially unlock everything.

The Skill system in Mass Effect: Andromeda will feel similar to previous games, in that the same types of abilities are used. Skill types are broken down into three main categories. Combat, Tech and Biotics. Each type will have its own set of active and passive skills. Each of those skills will have a skill tree that can be unlocked, allowing the ability to become more effective. There is a total of six upgrades in a skill tree. The first three are pre-determined while the last three will have two options for each point.

For players who preferred the previous class choices, they can still design their character to be a Soldier, or Vanguard, or whatever they played before by choosing skills related to that class. Choosing abilities primarily in the Combat set, for example, will constitute gameplay more in line with that of a Soldier or Infiltrator whereas choosing more abilities in Biotics may give the character a more Adept or Vanguard feel. It would also be more likely to unlock the related Profiles.

With the new system, players have more options and are able to fine-tune their character to their preferred playstyle. There are hundreds of skill combination possibilities. As a player unlocks skills, they can create loadouts to be used during gameplay.

Each loadout can hold 3 active abilities. The loadouts can be changed at any time. They can then be saved as a Favorite preset and a player can store up to four Favorites. These can be swapped both in and out of combat. Swapping a loadout will cause the active abilities to go on a brief cooldown before they can be used.

It is yet unknown how passive abilities will work, whether or not all unlocked passives will be active at any given time.

Multiplayer Overview Multiplayer mode uses the class system.

Skill Types
Points invested in Skills will unlock profiles. See below for more information on how Profiles work.

Combat
Abilities include:
 * Omni Grenade
 * Concussive Shot
 * Barricade
 * Turbo Charge
 * Trip Mine
 * Flack Cannon
 * Pistols
 * Assault Rifles
 * Shotguns
 * Sniper Rifles
 * Combat Fitness
 * Combat Tools

Tech
Abilities include:
 * Overload
 * Incinerate
 * Assault Turret
 * Cryo Beam
 * Energy Drain
 * Tactical Cloak
 * Flamethrower
 * Unkown (Remnant VI, Requires Research)
 * Invasion
 * Team Support
 * Offensive Tech
 * Auxiliary Systems

Biotic
Abilities include:
 * Pull
 * Throw
 * Charge
 * Nova
 * Shockwave
 * Annihilation
 * Backlash
 * Singularity
 * Lance
 * Barrier
 * Offensive Biotics
 * Containment

Profiles
Profiles are predetermined skillsets that are more class specific. They are unlocked when a player has invested a certain amount of points into a specific skill type, be it Tech, Biotic or Combat. A player investing highly into Combat is more likely to unlock Soldier before unlocking Sentinel. Mass Effect: Andromeda uses the same class types as previous games as Profiles, with the addition of Explorer. Unlocking Explorer will require points into all three skill types. Unlocking Profiles will give the player additional bonus features that fit their chosen playstyle. As players continue to add points to Tech, Biotic and Combat, more Profiles will unlock, potentially giving the player access to all seven. Profiles can be ranked higher by spending points in specific skills. For example, spending 18 points each in all three skill types would unlock Explorer Rank 3.

Players can view Profiles from the main menu. When first creating a character, players will need to choose an initial class type.

Soldier
Soldiers are pure combat specialists. Their mastery of armor and weapons makes the Soldier tougher and more effective in a gunfight. Requires a minimum of points into the Combat skill type.

The bonuses include an increase to Weapon Damage, Weapon Accuracy, Damage Resistance, Weapon Clip Size and grants Marksman's Focus - an escalating damage bonus for every target killed in a short time.

Engineer
Engineers are experts in both offensive and defensive tech powers. Engineer Pathfinders have the ability to control a small combat drone which assists and protects them in battle. Requires 6 six points invested in Tech to unlock this profile.

The bonuses include an increase to Combo Damage, Tech Construct Health, Tech Construct Health Regeneration, Tech Construct Damage, and Tech Restoration and Defense

Adept
Adepts are biotic specialists capable of disabling and killing enemies with powerful mass effect fields. Adepts are able to kill enemies without the use of gunfire. Requires 6 skill points in Biotics to unlock this profile.

The bonuses include an increase to Biotic Force, Biotic Area of Effect Damage, Biotic Area of Effect Radius, Biotic Effect Duration, and Biotic Combo Radius. It also grants Biotic Echoes. This ability causes biotic combos to cause additional explosions on every enemy it touches. Players with biotic skills will no longer use a Jump-Jet, but will instead use Biotics to jump and evade.

Sentinel
Sentinels are the only profile that can create and use Tech Armor. This extra protection is granted through the use of flash-forging. Tech Armor absorbs a significant amount of damage and is used against damage that gets through the shield. Requires 3 points each in Biotics and Tech to unlock this profile.

The bonuses include an increase to Combo Damage, Tech Recharge Speed, Power Shield Cost Reduction, Power Restoration and Defense and grants Tech Armor.

Vanguard
Vanguards are exceptional melee combatants. They absorb energy from their enemies with Siphoning Strike and use it to reinforce their own shields. Requires 3 points each in Combat and Biotics to unlock this profile.

Bonuses include an increase to Melee Damage, Melee Force, Biotic Recharge Speed, Power Shield Cost Reduction, and a small increase to Max Shields. Vanguards use Biotics to jump and evade rather than the Jump-Jet.

Infiltrator
Infiltrators are tech and combat specialists who focus primarily on precise hits and avoidance. The make excellent snipers and do additional damage to the enemy if they are able to successfully land a headshot. Infiltrators can observe enemies through walls when using a scope. While evading, a brief cloaking device is activated. Requires 3 points each in Combat and Tech to unlock this profile.

Bonuses include an increase in Weapon Accuracy, Weapon Stability, Tech Recharge Speed, and Weapon Headshot.

Explorer
The Explorer is a 'Jack-of-all-trades' as the points are dispersed into all three skill types - Combat, Biotics, and Tech. This allows them to quickly switch between firing weapons, deploying technology and using biotic powers. Requires 2 points each in Combat, Biotics, and Tech to unlock this profile.

Bonuses include increased Weapon Damage, Damage Resistance, Tech Recharge Speed, Biotic Power Damage, as well as Power Restoration and Defense. Explorers also have Biotic Blink. This ability allows Evade to traverse a wider distance, even seemingly through solid matter.

Training
Training reflects a character's playstyle. Players can choose a training type when creating a character. Doing so will determine the initial abilities of that character and which skills will be available early in the game. Players who select a Quick Start Sara or Scott Pathfinder, will start with Security as their default training and have Concussive Shot unlocked.

Security

 * During your Alliance military service, you focused on learning everything you could about weapons and tactics.
 * Starting Power
 * Concussive Shot - Fires a heat seeking high-impact round to knock down opponents.
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Turbocharge - Grants a massive short-term boost to weapon fire rate and thermal clip efficiency.
 * Combat Fitness - Grants increased durability and the option to carry more weapons into battle.

Biotic

 * You were effectively 'designated biotic' during your Alliance military tenure, assisting your cohorts with your ability to control mass effect fields.
 * Starting Power
 * Throw - Use your biotic powers to hurl an opponent through the air.
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Singularity: Create a vortex that will trap and disable enemies caught in it's field.
 * Barrier - Bolster your defenses with a powerful biotic barrier.

Technician

 * As a technician in the Systems Alliance military, you learned to operate drones and hack enemy systems.
 * Starting Power
 * Overload - Unleash an eletrostatic discharge that deals high damage to shields and synthetic enemies. Can chain to multiple targets.
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Invasion - Hack into your opponent's armor and weapons, infecting them with a computer virus to weaken their defenses and even spread to nearby foes.

Leader
You were a team player and a natural leader in the Alliance military, working closely with your cohorts for their safety and the safety of others.
 * Starting Power
 * Energy Drain - Drain your target's shields to replenish your own. Especially effective
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Annihilation - Weave a shifting aura of mass effect fields around you to slowly damage nearby foes.
 * Team Support - Develop specialized technology to bolster the survivability of your entire squad.

Scrapper
When a fight broke out, you were always the first soldier in the thick of it - mostly according to Alliance military protocol and occasionally not.
 * Starting Power
 * Charge - Launch yourself like a comet at opponents and regain a portion of your shields on impact.
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Combat Fitness - Grants increased durability and the option to carry more weapons into battle.
 * Charge - See Above.

Operative
In the Alliance Military, you studied covert operations and the tech used by special forces - knowledge you rarely found a use for until the Andromeda Initiative.
 * Starting Power
 * Tactical Cloak - Employ light-bending technology to become invisible for a short duration. Gain a large damage bonus when you break cloak to attack.
 * Unlocked Skills
 * Combat Fitness - Grants increased durability and the option to carry more weapons into battle.
 * Tactical Cloak - See Above.

Synergies
For players wanting to take a character down a specific skill path, here are some ideas of what to choose.