Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer/Character Customization/Adept

Specializing in crowd control, Adepts are an essential asset on the field, allowing for a wide range of combat options which otherwise would not be available. Through the use of biotics, an Adept can lock down a field. Adepts tend to emphasize power usage, especially in combination to create Biotic Explosions.

Human Adept
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 adepts specialize in biotic crowd control, a valuable and renowned asset on the battlefield. Allies often share stories of how an enemy soldier, sneaking from behind to deliver a fatal blow, could suddenly end up floating above their squadron.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Singularity and Shockwave are only powerful and damaging on bronze/silver - on gold, they will still pick up enemies/knock them back respectively, but they will do minimal damage to them. Therefore, it is worth fully evolving Warp to do max damage, so that you have a strong power.
 * However, when paired with a teammate that can use Overload or Energy Drain to remove the shields of enemies, Singularity can become very effective at containing groups of enemies, and sets them all up for Biotic Explosions.
 * Since Shockwave goes through any surface, an Adept can hide behind a wall and use Shockwave, which will pass through and damage enemies on the other side.
 * Warp can be used as an initiator for Biotic Explosions on all enemies, unlike Singularity which can only initiate ones on unshielded and unarmored enemies. Also unlike Singularity, it can be used to detonate enemies.
 * Shockwave, if the Detonate evolution is chosen, will set off the most powerful Biotic Explosions available, as it gives a 65% damage bonus to them rather than the 50% given by the Detonate evolutions for other biotic powers.
 * Shockwave will stagger even the largest of opponents, allowing the player some respite.
 * Re-specing to max all powers but Singularity, or putting 5 ranks into Alliance Training and only 3 in Singularity may prove effective. Combining Warp, the game's current best Biotic Combo set-up move (with Detonate, Expose, and Pierce--rank 4, 5, and 6 evolutions, respectively), with Shockwave, the game's strongest detonating move (when the Detonate rank 5 evolution is taken), turns the Human Adept into the game's most deadly biotic explosion expert.
 * Try to keep a fair distance from your sniper allies, because Shockwave disturbs their targeting reticules.
 * Cerberus
 * Shockwave is excellent against Cerberus - it can blow Cerberus Troopers away from the player and then deals physics based damage to them. This can allow the player to run around on bronze, knocking down enemies by repeatedly using Shockwave, which stops them from shooting at you. They can then be finished off with a few shots.
 * Shockwave will also knock back Guardians, revealing their body, which can then be shot. Otherwise, it is very tricky to kill Guardians whilst playing as a Human Adept without the use of an armour piercing mod or amp, or wrapping a Singularity around their back (which will force them to drop their shield and lift them into the air, while setting up a biotic combo). That being said, if you let an ally play decoy, you can run up behind a Guardian and throw a Singularity.
 * A good tactic to set off Biotic Explosions on Atlases is to get behind a wall near it. Then, you can peek out, throw Warp at it and then go behind the wall. You can set the Biotic Explosion off by casting Shockwave through the wall without having to expose yourself. This can be done to all enemies, though the Atlas's walking speed allows one to stay in a good spot for this tactic longer, before the Atlas overruns the location.
 * Shockwave can be used to easily kill cloaked Phantoms, as it does area of effect damage and can thus be aimed near where they were seen to knock them back.
 * Reapers
 * Shockwave, with the Radius evolution, is very effective at knocking back and killing groups of Husks and Cannibals.
 * Singularity is also effective at paralysing groups of Cannibals and Husks, as they have no shields to contend with.
 * Warp can be used on Cannibals in order to negate the armor they have gained from a Marauder or from cannibalizing.
 * Spamming Warp, then Shockwave against Ravagers is perfect at close range, as the Biotic Explosion produced will kill any Swarmers that appear. However, being so close to the Ravager cannons does put you at risk.
 * Shockwave can be used effectively to momentarily stagger Brutes who have gotten to close to the player, allowing the player time to escape.


 * Geth
 * Shockwave, with the Radius evolution, can deal very well with Geth Hunters as it will hit them if it goes near them. This staggers them, allowing the player to headshot them easily.

Asari Adept
Asari are the most influential and respected sentient species in the galaxy. They are native to the planet Thessia and were the first species to discover the Citadel. Their long lifespan and history have allowed them to serve as galactic mediators for centuries. While not as physically powerful as other species, their proficiency with biotics makes them dangerous opponents.

Asari are fierce, graceful warriors. They are incredibly powerful natural biotics. The asari excel at hit-and-run tactics to ruthlessly eliminate their opponents from the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Asari Adept is the best Adept race to play as if you want to focus on Biotic Explosions, since they have two, long-ranged, enemy-seeking powers that will cause a biotic combo reliably - Warp and Throw. Back-and-forth spamming of these two powers can make a player deal out high area of effect damage at any range, chewing through and knocking back enemies with constant explosions.
 * The aforementioned tactic requires no ammo, which means no ammo-dump runs, so if a decent camping location is found, which has ammo sources constantly blocked off by enemy spawns and movement paths, the Asari Adept doesn't need to worry. That being said, allies may still have issues, requiring a different spot be chosen.
 * If evolved correctly, a player can produce a Biotic Explosion every 3 seconds by using Warp then Throw in combination. This will quickly kill any enemies in the blast radius - as such, it is best to perform them on large, slow-moving targets that are surrounded by weaker enemies.
 * The Asari Justicar passive power can increase power damage by more than any other training, making their Warp the strongest in the game.
 * Raise Stasis to at least rank 3, this way it can keep Phantoms and Geth Hunters at bay long enough to kill them.
 * Combining Stasis with a relatively light sniper rifle (such as the M-92 Mantis) can make for easy headshots. The time it takes to fire of a shot and then reloading the Mantis is enough to recharge Stasis fully.
 * Cerberus
 * Biotic Explosions can be performed at any range by an Asari Adept - as such, they are perfect for taking out Nemeses, Phantoms and Atlases at long range. This is trickier against any enemy other than Turrets or Atlases, especially on higher difficulties, as they dodge with much higher frequency and the power guidance system is inconsistent.
 * Stasis can be used to immobilise Phantoms, allowing for easy headshots. Be careful, as a Phantom can only be put into Stasis a couple times before becoming immune to it. If players fail to capitalize on this opportunity, a Phantom's greatest weakness can become unusable before the Phantom gets killed.
 * Stasis will also cause Guardians to drop their shields, allowing the player to kill them easily, but only if used from a point where the player can get a clear line of sight on the actual body of the guardian, or any time, if one chooses the rank 6 Stasis Bubble evolution.
 * Throw can be used to knock away any Troopers that get too close. With power evolutions chosen to maximize damage, it can kill in one or two uses. It can also knock enemies out of the map, which causes them to die.
 * Throw can also temporarily knock aside a Guardian's shield, allowing unobstructed shots. It's not the most effective way to kill a Guardian, but it allows an Asari Adept to deal with an alert Guardian without needing an armor piercing mod/amp or a head shot.
 * Reapers
 * Stasis is of almost no use here - it can be useful as a trap to stop Husks approaching (when evolved with Bubble) but it does nothing to the armoured units that Reaper forces have, which make up half of the standard enemies. That said, Swarmers running into a Stasis bubble (from the rank 6 evolution) will die instantly, allowing a player to place one in front of a Ravager to kill any Swarmers that appear.
 * Biotic Explosions can be excellent when used against Ravagers, as they will not only deal heavy damage to it but will kill any Swarmers that appear, due to their area of effect nature.
 * Geth
 * Stasis is perfect for stopping any Hunters that get to close to the player, and can even (with the Bubble evolution) be used to block off a passage to them. Any that get caught can be easily headshotted or detonated with Throw.
 * Using Warp and then Throw on a Geth Prime will not only occasionally stagger it but will also destroy any drones or turrets nearby.

Drell Adept
The reptilian drell have dense muscle tissue that grants them surprising, wiry strength. With unique hyoid bones in their throats, drell can vocalize high-pitched sounds outside of human hearing range. The bones have the added benetfit of making drell extremely difficult to strangle.

Though drell may lack the rugged durability of other races, they are lightning fast and deadly accurate. Drell are to be feared on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * After maximizing speed in fitness and cluster grenades the drell adept/vanguard can be used as a strike fighter. Running from ammo box to ammo box. If while traveling you keep your eye open for groups of enemies to toss cluster grenades at and distracting large groups of enemies or simply attacking specifically the larger opponents letting the rest of you team mop up the stragglers. This can be greatly improved with adrenaline mods allowing you to move at blurring speeds. A team of biotics or even just using reave with the cluster grenades can create massive biotic explosions. Stick to hit and run on groups or large enemies, using your grenades as your main attack. Not effective with soldiers or other grenade users as they burn up extra ammo.
 * Drell start off with the weakest barrier of all Adepts and, as such, should try to stay in cover - this can be lessened by maximising the damage reduction given by Reave (so that it is 40%) and by fully evolving Fitness to maximise barrier strength and movement speed, which can get you out of sticky situations quicker, saving your life.
 * Their innate movement speed bonuses (faster than nearly any other class) greatly support a fully-standing, hit-and-run-tactic fighting style. When you find enemies, find tall cover to get behind, then strafe out of cover enough to get a sight on an enemy and use a power or shoot, before popping back into cover instantly.
 * The easiest way to set off a Biotic Combos is to use Reave on any enemy and then throw a cluster grenade at them. The main draw-back is the lack of ammo supply for grenades. In a crucial situation, an under-used Thermal Clip Ammo Pack can refill the players grenade supply.
 * An alternate, less reliable way is to use Pull and follow up with either Reave or Cluster Grenades (the former being far more reliable and easier to replace). This will cause a Biotic Explosion but can only be used on unshielded enemies that don't have armour. If you plan on using this tactic more than the Reave-Cluster Grenade combo, an SMG or Assault Rifle is the suggested weapon-of-choice, as barrier/shield protected enemies are the bane of its usage and SMGs/ARs are the most effective against shields and barriers.
 * As Cluster Grenades spread out, they become less accurate at range. They should be saved for when the player is near a group of enemies who can be hit by them easily, as they explode on contact. At this range, wounded enemies can easily be finished off with a shotgun.
 * Cerberus
 * Pull will remove Guardians shields, exposing them to weapons fire from all sides.
 * On low levels, Cluster Grenades can eliminate whole groups of weaker enemies if allowed to spread out, or individual heavy enemies if they all strike the same target.
 * Reapers
 * Cluster Grenades can be used to excellent effect against Reaper units, due to their tendency to bunch together, and their slow moving nature. This allows the full effect of Cluster Grenades to be used.
 * Pull, when fully evolved, can kill Husks in one go and can be rapidly used, allowing a player to defend themselves at close quarters.
 * Geth
 * Reave is very effective against Geth Hunters, as it illuminates them, allowing the player to see them easier and putting them on the AI's auto-target radar. This allows powers to target them automatically, rather than manually. If the Hunter can't be targeted due to auto-target using Reave on a different enemy, the player can choose the Rank 4 Area of Effect evolution and target the nearest enemy, assuming the player is within 3 Meters of the Hunter. The Hunter will then be affected by the AoE damage, allowing them to be targeted by other powers.

Asari Justicar
Asari are the most influential and respected sentient species in the galaxy. They are native to the planet Thessia and were the first species to discover the Citadel. Their long lifespan and history have allowed them to serve as galactic mediators for centuries. While not as physically powerful as other species, their proficiency with biotics makes them dangerous opponents.

Asari are fierce, graceful warriors. They are incredibly powerful natural biotics. The asari excel at hit-and-run tactics to ruthlessly eliminate their opponents from the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Warp-Effect Biotic Sphere evolution is very useful, as it allows the Justicar to set up Biotic Combos against any enemy, at any time, rather than requiring enemy shields/barriers/armor to not be present (which is necessary if using the Reave/Pull combination). The caveat of this biotic combo is that it cannot be upgraded to do additional damage, as neither Biotic Sphere nor Reave have Detonate evolutions like Shockwave, Pull, Throw, or Warp, and as a result it may not kill the enemies that get close enough to become susceptible to it. However, it is very useful for CQC players, at it can detonate multiple enemies at close range, who will be knocked back and vulnerable to a shotgun blast.
 * Biotic Sphere staggers any and all enemies that are within range upon placement, allowing for the player to escape in close-quarter, clutch situations. With the Rank 5 Damage-Taken evolution, and a shotgun, the player can throw an enemy off-balance then get up close for added damage headshot. Almost every lesser enemy will die with one headshot with this tactic, potentially even a Phantom, if using stronger shotguns like the Claymore.
 * There is a mild glitch with the Biotic Sphere, where, on occasion, when you attempt to use it with no powers recharging, you will not do anything. To survive, especially if you were counting on the Sphere to save you, you think quickly on a back-up plan; dodging with haste, away from enemies is advisable.
 * Reave stacks with itself, and due to duration class-innate bonuses, the Justicar not only can have the longest Reave, resulting in the most stacking, but the base damage is also higher. To kill any enemy from far range, just start spamming Reave whenever your recharge is gone and watch them slowly bleed out. Multiple allies Reaving results in massive DoT.
 * The Falcon has an interesting synergy with the Asari Justicar. Using this weapon with Reave allows you to stagger enemies and line up groups of enemies to be reaved all at once, causing massive damage to the whole group. If done correctly whole groups can be taken out effortlessly regardless of difficulty.
 * Cerberus
 * Biotic Sphere can be used to stagger enemies. Most importantly, this is effective at saving you from Phantoms which love to get close to use melee-based attacks and even insta-kill you.
 * Reave is also highly effective against Phantoms, particularly with the armor/barrier damage evolution. It will fairly rapidly strip the Phantom's barrier, and since it does damage over time, it will also allow the Phantom to be targeted through her cloak.  Additionally, multiple uses of Reave on a target stack, so (depending on the evolution chosen for Reave) it's possible to kill a Phantom by applying Reave two (Silver) or three (Gold) times, then simply staying clear of her until she dies.
 * Reapers
 * Reave is very effective against the Reaper forces as it can damage large numbers of enemies at the same time. This can easily stop a charging group of smaller Reaper enemies cold. Reave is also powerful against Banshees and Brutes, since Reave can be evolved to do 75% extra damage against barriers and armor.
 * Biotic Sphere is less useful here since Banshees and Brutes will cause the team including the Justicar to move out of the sphere to avoid being instantly killed. It can however be used in a choke point to inflict a small amount of damage, or to set up multiple biotic explosions.
 * Although it doesn't show on the kill log, Reave instantly kills all Swarmers in its area of effect.
 * Geth
 * Biotic Sphere becomes a must have against the geth. Since the Sphere can give sigificant protection to the Justicar and allies, teams become very difficult to kill. Since geth love rushing the player and allies, this allows the team to take hits, and then use melee, or shotguns from a more accurate range, killing Geth quicker. Just make sure the team doesnt get flanked.
 * The Geth's tendency to rush, based on the Hunter and Pyro AI's, and the slower Prime AI's, makes the Offensive Biotic Sphere great for trap-tactics. Set a bubble up and fret not when they walk into it, as it merely sets them up to die faster. The Warp Effect sets them up for a Biotic Combo, and the maximum 25% extra damage taken ability allows them to die faster, if short cover is not available for grabs, and the like.

Project Phoenix Adept
A result of the Illusive Man's early experiments in enhanced human physiology, Project Phoenix subjects are highly skilled combat and biotic specialists. When the Illusive Man turned to indoctrination in order to ensure the loyalty of his troops, many Phoenix operatives defected and joined the Alliance in order to stop the Reapers.

Phoenix operatives are highly skilled combat and biotic specialists. Their ability to manipulate Cerberus lash and stasis technology, backed up by their powerful skills, make them invaluable assets on the battlefield.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * The Cerberus Adept's Lash ability functions similarly to Pull, except that targets are dealt considerable damage and thrown a good distance. With the Shield Penetration evolution, Lash can be set up to penetrate shields and barriers. Lash can also be used as a primer for biotic explosions, with the Fast Recharge evolution increasing the short time that Lash's biotic effect affects a target.
 * Smash is most effectively used through walls, as the animation leaves the Adept vulnerable to fire, which can be deadly on harder difficulties.
 * Smash is very effective against all units, and the knock backs that result from it can be used to escape from the clutches of enemies that can insta-kill you at close range, such as Phantoms.
 * Smash's animation may be cancelled while retaining its effect by performing a heavy melee, which has a shorter animation, allowing the player to perform two devastating short-range attacks simultaneously.
 * Lash can be somewhat useful even against armoured targets, as it can stagger anything.
 * The Project Phoenix Adept's main drawback is it's relative inability to effectively deal with heavy enemies (Banshees, Brutes, Atlases, Pyros, Primes). While a fully upgraded Smash can do significant damage to these enemies, its short range requires the player to get dangerously close to the strongest melee enemies in the game.
 * Cerberus
 * Lash is a Cerberus Adept's best friend against Cerberus since it can affect any infantry when the rank six evolution Shield Penetration is chosen.
 * Smash is devastating against Atlases, since they are slow and big. It's also lethal against groups of infantry bunched up.
 * If Singularity is used against infantry, it can hold groups of them in place, allowing the player to utilise the AoE damage of Smash to the max.
 * Reapers
 * Lash is less useful since only the smaller enemies can be yanked off the ground.
 * Smash, however, is very deadly against any foe, but should be used with caution around Banshees and Brutes to avoid being insta-killed by them.
 * Singularity is really effective on swarmers so place a singularity with rank 6 radius infront or behind you to protect you from them
 * Geth
 * Lash is much needed against Geth Hunters since they are frighteningly deadly against anybody. Its also effective against Rocket Troopers too. Dont try to Lash Pyros or Primes though, as they are immune to it.

N7 Fury Adept
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.

Fury operatives use implants to fuel biotics and their incredible movement speed. These operatives wind an unpredictable path on the battlefield, moving in and out of combat before returning to unleash a sweeping biotic attack on their unsuspecting targets.

Player Notes

 * General Notes
 * Annihilation Field is similar to the Sentinel's Tech armor with a time period; it lasts until the player activates it once more. While it is active, any enemy coming in contact with the field takes damage and is susceptible to a biotic combo. Annihilation field can also detonate any source power.
 * Since Annihilation Field's burning damage is quite small, it may be wise to keep the power on until the player decides to detonate the field. Additionally, it may be wise to choose the option to level up this power to increase their movement speed while the power is active, waiting until the right moment to detonate the power.
 * Since this is a power intensive class, a light load-out is highly recommended, focusing on power recharge speed.
 * The Fury's combat evasive maneuver is a biotic dash, similar to the asari characters, meaning the player can somewhat teleport at the cost of barrier strength. If the player practices this enough, they can actually move through walls. It is somewhat easier to move through walls of the map if the player dashes from side to side.
 * The Fury's melee is a series of kicks and punches. The heavy melee is similar to the biotic blasts of the asari characters. However, unlike an asari's biotic blast where the asari stays in the same place, the Fury's biotic blast moves the player forward some distance. Players should start the melee a little distance prior to the targeted enemy, or they can use it tactically to be target a group of enemies without exposing oneself to enemy fire.
 * Bug. While using the N7 Fury Adept if you do your teleport dash move and you are hit with a missile from a Cerberus atlas while doing it you will become invisible. Only a small part of your gun will be showing but you will be completely invisible. Even if you are downed and revived you will still be invisible. It seems to kind of be like the vanguard glitch but you do not jump around the map and fall though it. It lasts until the match is done unless you go to a N7 Demolisher's supply pylon, which will let you reclaim most of your visibility, though your most of your gun will still not be shown, and you will not be able to tell when Annihilation Field runs out.
 * Be careful with this class on gold difficulty, since even with full shield upgrades you will only have 800-900 shield and in direct combat you'll die quickly, use the teleport ability to your advantage and teleport through walls to escape/surprise enemies (a very fun and effective tactic on "Firebase Glacier"), you may sooner or later have trouble moving through walls on your front (you move into cover instead of teleporting), just teleport sideways. An even better idea (especially if enemies are on the other side) is to execute a heavy melee attack, it also teleports you forward and unleashes a shockwave that knocks enemy units back and buys you some time to kill them off.
 * If you don't consider using the Annihilation Field power at all, use the "biotic explosion combo" with throw and dark channel, by using these powers you can dispose of boss units quite fast (atlas mechs usually stagger if hit by a biotic explosion so they don't get close THAT fast)
 * The fury can set of multiple biotic explosions that can affect all enemies with Dark Chanel and Throw combination, as Dark Channel travels to the next enemy when they expire, regardless of defences. Used correctly it becomes easy to wipe out a cluster of enemies with minimum difficulty
 * The N7 Fury is extremely potent when paired with the M-37 Falcon. The Falcon can stagger a group of enemies long enough for the player to rush in and detonate those caught in the Annihilation field with Throw.  If the biotic explosion itself doesn't kill, then a follow-up shot from the Falcon will usually be adequate, and even in cases where it isn't, a second stagger is guaranteed, allowing for another biotic explosion.  Strictly speaking, any weapon that can stagger enemies on-demand (such as the Scorpion, Graal Spike Thrower, or Geth Plasma Shotgun) will work.  The Falcon's advantage over these is the fact that is doesn't require precise aiming, and because it can impact multiple enemies at a time.  This strategy can work against boss enemies, but it isn't recommended, and should only be attempted if your target is occupied with another player.
 * The N7 Fury's melee attack can be used to safely prime targets for a biotic explosion. The melee attack will stagger enemies caught in its radius, allowing for a followup by casting Throw or detonating Annihilation Field.
 * Cerberus
 * Guardians pose a serious problem for the Fury. The shield will block Dark Channel, and it is far too risky to run behind them to detonate Annihilation Field. Furies can either use Throw to knock aside the shield briefly for unobstructed shots, or equip a piercing weapon. Another option with Guardians is to run by them or circle them quickly with Annihilation Field activated.  If you're fast enough, you may not take a hit from them, but you will have applied the biotic effect to them, which begins to damage them as well as give your squad mates a chance to detonate a combo or attack them from behind if the Guardian turns to track you.  In any case, you will have damaged them at least a little.
 * Reapers
 * This is probably where the N7 Fury can be most useful since only two units have any form of extra protection.
 * Since Dark Channel can now be used as a source power for biotic combos, Brutes, Ravagers, and, (especially) Banshees can be taken down almost single-handedly with Dark Channel and Throw that are properly evolved.
 * Swarmers will instantly be killed when they come in contact with Annihilation Field. This can potentially eliminate the threat of having barriers or health depleted by Swarmers.
 * It may be wise to keep Annihilation Field active in case any Husks get too close to the player. A properly leveled up field can kill Husks in a single detonation.
 * Geth
 * This is perhaps where the N7 Fury has the most trouble. Almost every enemy has shields, and the Fury's powers are better focused around single enemies. A player should keep their distance at all times.
 * Even then, by taking the Drain evolution at Rank 6 of Annihilation Field, the Fury can take advantage of the prevalence of shields by using them to restore their own. Geth Hunters and Pyros can be staggered by biotic explosions this way, buying time for the Fury to retreat to a safer distance.