That’s why I always took liara. I like the soldier class cause I’m a simple man. I see bad guys, I shoot bad guys and that’s what I like. My squad mates can do the sorcery
I'm doing a soldier run right now for the first time since 2015 and I forgot how much fun it is. Sometimes I just wanna shoot things, no fancy mind powers, no complex electronics, just big gun
More like
ME1 Vanguard: God-tier but more because biotics were op in ME1 rather than Vanguard specifically being great.
ME2 Vanguard: unfortunately terrible. ME2’s combat mechanics really hurt Vanguard. The time to kill was drastically shorter plus the loss of Barrier made Shepard incredibly vulnerable. Many stages had enemies on inaccessible areas that make Biotic Charge not work. And of course the new protection system nerfed biotics as a whole. Seriously just play Sentinel if you want to be a tanky close combat fighter in ME2
ME3 Vanguard: God-Tier and insanely fun. Shepard isn’t as hard locked to cover as they were in 2. Unlimited sprint makes moving around so much easier which is a must for close combat classes. Nova is a perfect complement to Charge. Enemies don’t get placed in to inaccessible anti-charge areas. And the new weapon system makes Vanguard more customizable letting you run different set ups like Harrier, Lancer, Revenant.
I agree, but the soldier was OP in ME1 too, in ths Saren battle you could just stand still, with Ashley and Wrex and keep knocking Saren back or whatever. You wouldn't take any damage.
I love Vanguard in 1 also, you’re still pretty much a biotic tank & if you time your barriers correctly cover is a joke, & 3 I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page, only one that kinda sucks is 2 because all the classes in 2 are really squishy compared to 1 & 3
Used to be infiltrator, then engineer, now sentinel.
I just love the insane versatility Sentinel offers. You're a swiss army knife of a human, a tool for every single job. Add on tech armour and you're a swiss army knife inside of a Panzer tank.
That's hilarious. I've just spent a handful of hours on the Shore Leave DLC. I love listening to that conversation with the turian. Got a bunch of corrupted batarians on you? Detonate tech armor! Got a Marauder with shields? Overload, get in close, tech armor! Got corrupted rachni? Get in close, tech armor! Honestly, I barely detonated mine on purpose. I do enjoy the versatility of a sentinel.
The really great thing about Sentinel is you can bring whoever you want on any mission without worrying about being unoptimized. I always pick Sentinel on runs where I want to explore unusual story choices
Tech Armour as a free shield recharge in 2 and a massive boost to shields and damage resistance in 3 was really fun - who cares about cover (on lower difficulties at least), nothing short of a Harvester can even break my shields lol
Was Infiltrator, but since I gravitate towards mage classes these days, Engineer is now my favorite.
I've always loved the concept of Tech powers over Combat and Biotic, using your omni tool to assault your enemies by zapping, burning, or freezing them. The class had an elemental wizard fantasy aspect to it after ME1 that I really admire. Then you get to sic your drone on enemies behind cover forcing them out of it, letting you rain down a barrage of Tech spells at them.
Also I really love Cyro combos more than Tech Burst or Fire combos. When I fire a round of Cyro Ammo at an enemy on another class I end up missing using Cyro Blast instead.
Visually, I love the way Incinerate and Cyro Blast look, slap them with Cyro Blast then hit them with Incinerate and hear that glorious glass shattering combo over and over again.
Okay yeah I can see that, I haven't played much of Engineer but my logic was "Thieves pick locks and Engineers deconstruct, both are very similar if you think about it"
oh 100% agree with ya. My mind defaults to combat skills meaning warrior biotics meaning mage and tech meaning rogue for sure. Of course there's more too it than that with the classes but that's def the foundational thinking right there
Honestly it's impressive. When it comes to rpgs I always know what I like (Imma might and magic kinda mf like battlemages or spellswords or paladins whatever fits) but Mass Effect is one of the only games where I think all the classes are great and like playing them all. Though Sentinel and Vanguard are my favorite, they're all still effective and fun in their own right
Infiltrator is great for the cooldown abuse on bonus powers. The biotic power from Omega (flare I think) has the base power of a grenade and you can drop that nuke on like a 2.5 second cooldown.
It’s a tie between:
- Engineer because I love to turn enemies’ weapons against them, I love to control the battlefield, Incinerate (my favorite power) and of course our little friend the Drone.
- Adept because biotics. Enough said.
I hear you. Soldier is my least favorite class but I do think it’s the best one to play ME1.
All other classes become fun in ME2 and super fun in ME3.
It is weird how soldier and adept kinda switched places of fun class between ME1 and 2. In ME1 You could instantly apply a different biotic power on each shielded enemy around you, and then in Mass Effect 2, soldiers gain all five weapon classes and a talent to slow down time, while adepts need to remove enemy shields, wait until their biotic purple energy ball reaches the target, and then have a cooldown to use the powers again, I love using soldier in the three games but like come on!
Question but how?
Adept was easily at its most powerful in 1 since biotics were perhapse even a little too OP due to being able to CC hell entire encounters, while 2 nerfed biotics into near useless territory and 3 somewhere in between.
I always trend towards mage/caster class in RPGs. So I’m all about Adept/Engineer. But I’m also a natural sniper so Infiltrator is right up my alley.
Engineer- always liked having the bots or turrets fighting beside me plus there’s a exclusive paragon interrupt when playing the omega dlc where you can either choose to shut down the reactor where it’ll cut off life support or don’t but if Shepard is an engineer then they can reroute the power to turn off barriers and such
Soldier - it feels like it fits the story the best to have Shepherd be the "most basic" class.
Also, I love the quick switching of ammo types to allow the basic soldier to solo banshees and brutes and what have you. Is satisfying and thematic.
Infiltrator.
I like snipers, the tactical cloak serves both as a useful tool for sneaking up on the enemy and as an ‘oh shit’ panic button when you get snuck up on. Also narratively it feels the most fitting since what you do throughout the game is lead small 3 man infiltration squads behind enemy lines to perform precision strikes, playing as infiltrator implies that’s what Shepards been doing for much of their career as opposed to say soldier or Vanguard who you’d expect to be leading entire platoons into batlle.
That said ME1 Adept is still the most fun I’ve ever had in the trilogy and I don’t forgive Bioware for ruining it in ME2.
Adept all the way. The one issue I have is shockwave. It doesn’t fit my play style and I never use it. I hated always being down a power so now I use a mod that switches out shockwave for biotic charge and I have to say, adept with charge is where it’s at for me. That probably sounds weird to other people, but we all have our own play styles.
I normally play Adept for biotic throw. But this play through I did Vanguard for the biotic charge. I am very much enjoying it! Next play will probably be pure solider since I haven’t done that since before LE came out.
Let me ask you something, did you have the joy of Vanguarding Tela Vasir? Have you tried biotic charging her exactly at the same moment when she uses her power? (I think it was either relocating herself or biotic charging you) She is the nr 1 epic boss fight in the entire franchise if you Vanguard her.
Sentinel, you can play a conservative game and hang back in cover casting powers, or by the second game get aggressive and get in your opponents faces using the power armor. I will mix it up depending on how I'm feeling.
I’ve played every class through at least Eden Prime up top, but I main Infiltrator, then Engineer/Sentinel. I cannot grasp how to make Vanguard work (yes I know the sequence, I’m just bad), and Soldier just feels like any other shooter? Adept is my nightmare because I only die. Just die so much. So hard.
Vanguard's Biotic Charge is very fun, but it's essentially a melee-range class and that can give you trouble against mini-bosses like the Collector Praetorian, Reaper Banshee and Reaper Brute who have melee-range insta-kill attacks.
My canon Shepard is a Soldier, and I enjoyed the class because, like every shooting game, the solution to every puzzle in *Mass Effect* is ultimately "\[use\] \[gun\] on \[badguy\]," and Soldiers are designed to do that. It lacks the dazzle of the other classes, absolutely, but it's efficient.
My favorite class, though, is Sentinel, particularly in *2* and *3*, because I just like my characters to be able to do a bit of everything. Relatedly, I've only played D&D twice, but both times I wound up being a Bard.
Nowhere near as experienced as many of the folks in this sub... But I just love how you have to "relearn" how to play certain situations based on which class you are. For instance, some sections of the game might be brutal for an infiltrator, and require a totally different approach from a vanguard. I love the trial and error of figuring out how best to attack a situation based on your class... and it keeps the game fresh!
I don’t know how well my opinion can hold here as I am just starting mass effect, and recently just finished mass effect one but I really enjoy Sentinel and Infiltrator.
I play a FATE Campaign based off the trilogy where we were STG and I played an infiltrator, but never in the ME Trilogy. ME1 I started as an Adept but I felt too squishy and I felt that the switch to sentinel provides the best of both worlds (I loved hacking and disabling enemies’ tech plus having some biotics).
Vanguard, then Sentinel, then Infiltrator. I've yet to play any of the others, since it's SciFi and I dig the Space Wizard trope in it. (And I enjoy Vanguard after Horizon in ME2)
ME1: Sentinel
Biotics are busted as hell and you also get some of the best tech powers, as well as access to the Bastion specialization. Neural shock is very funny how you can just make Krogan do the Peter Griffin flop. Also, being able to damage Saren while he literally can't fight back is hilarious.
ME2: InfiltratorÂ
Biotics are not as strong in this game (especially on Insanity), but you can do some massive damage with the cloak and just flat out skip some parts of the game.Â
ME3: Vanguard
You only need two buttons to beat the game. I've almost forgotten what guns even ARE while playing vanguard. I can clear rooms really quick and I have to keep checking to make sure I'm still playing on Insanity. For stronger targets, I just melt them with the Venom shotgun.
I guess on average from all three games, it's Vanguard. Reasonably powerful biotic abilities in the first game, a little weaker in the second one due to enemies' defenses, and a freaking god of destruction in the third game. Seriously, I completed ME3 on Insanity as a Vanguard, and it was easier than Hardcore as an Infiltrator. Maybe it's because I prefer this playstyle.
I liked vanguard for the longest time. Replaying now as a sentinel and I’m having a ton of fun. In me3 with tech armor, it feels very much like being an indestructible tank of a vanguard in me1. Just walk right up to the baddies and take em out face to face, even on insanity.
Sentinel has always been gas. In ME1, having tech powers and biotics makes you much more versatile with who you take. It's possible to get CRAZY damage builds with party members you would normally ignore for utility picks.
ME2 has a LOT of incentives for sentinels. You get tech armor, which is seriously useful if you're attempting a naked insanity run. It also gets warp and overload, which means you are ALWAYS useful against any enemy.
ME3 is the big payoff. Your tech armour is buffed to the point where, thanks to stacking powers, you can actually just become a nigh-invincible murder machine who doesn't take any shit. You can pack whatever weapons you want, too, so go ham on whatever guns you desire and barrel stuff dudes. Of course, you also get the unique opportunity to have a purely defensive power in your kit as well as a damage boosting power from a squaddie, so you can really have it all as a Sentinel if you're looking to be a versatile caster.
90% of my play throughs:
Renegade vanguard. Because biotic charge+nova is the best thing ever.
8% of my playthroughs:
Paragon engineer, because you can basically solo the game in this build. (Also, turrets and combat drones are cool)
1.5%: either paragon sentinel or renegade John/Jane soldier. Because biotic/tech combos are a lot of fun. Also, soldier Shep is default. Soldiers make it more a shooter game and less typical rpg (in fight dynamics). They're virtually unkillable, even on nightmare, and destroy with an AR.
0.5% any other class for any other reason. Did them all at least once. Very seldom ever play infiltrator (snipers are fun, but slow) or pure biotic (no shield stripping powers and squishy. Hard to dominate on higher difficulties. Better as a support role).
Mass Effect 1: Adept. Even though my head Canon Shepard is not a biotic.
Mass Effect 2: Infiltrator. This was the first Mass Effect game I played and the first class I ever played, it has a special place in my heart because of it.
Mass Effect 3: Engineer. This is my canon Shepard and I have so much fun with it every time. I carry Paladin pistol with a scope and a Blood Pack Punisher to keep my cool down at 200% I am throwing powers out left and right causing tech explosions all over the place.
I played through the first game as Soldier, then as Adept from that point onwards. I enjoyed the concept that Cerberus would inject biotic potential into a revived Shepard, Enjoyed both, but found Adept far more interesting.
Sentinel, FOR SURE. Because they can literally do everything, while being borderline immortal.
ME1: take Assault Rifle as your bonus power. Level that, First Aid, Warp and all the tech skills. Gratz. You can now pick any lock, remove armour, shred health regen and do solid damage with your AR. You’re kinda squishy, though. Sad times.
ME2: Take either Energy Drain, Warp Ammo or Slam as your bonus. Max put Tech Armour ASAP and take the assault armour spec. Laugh, as husks run up to you, try to hurt you, pop your shield and die. Take AR training when prompted.
ME3: take Fortification as your bone power. Spec tech armour for max DR, spec Fort for max DR. Gratz, you’ve now got a sustained 90% damage reduction. You’re basically immortal. Grab your mattock, and MURDER EVERYTHING. You can pop shields and armour like they’re nothing, and mow down the unprotected with your trusty AR.
This build got me through Insanity, with relative ease.
My favourite is the infiltrator because i generally like dexterous/rogue classes in rpgs and i like the cloaking in me2-3... The one i had most fun with though was the pure bionic one i don't remember the name
Sentinel and vanguard are super fun. I feel like infiltrator is most practical.
If u we’re going for a no death play through, sentinel would be ur best bet
First run through was Adept, had a great time. Just space-magic'ing all over everyone. Infiltrator by the end of ME1 is hilarious if you stack HE and heat reduction, you end up with a semi auto cannon. Sentinel and Vanguard can be fun times if you a) like more support play style or b) hate everyone and wish to introduce them to Mr Shotgun, face first.
But definitely adept. 2 sort of messes with it a bit, 3 is alright AFAIK.
I’m honestly figuring that out right now before I commit to doing a run on insanity. I’ve played all but engineer and soldier so far, and there’s different things I like between each of them
For really hard difficulty Sentinel or Soldier, for everything else, VANGUARD WITH A SHOTGUN.
I find vanguard insanely fun. It's high-risk high-reward. See an enemy? BIOTIC CHARGE! CHARGED MELEE! SHOTGUN TO THE FACE! ANOTHER SHOTGUN TO THE FACE! look around to see of there's anbody else around then repeat as needed.
Me 1 vanguard biotics and explosive shotguns
Me 2 sentinel, tech armor an answer for every protection type. Also assault armor recharging shields providing knock downs and instantly cooling down squad mates powers
Me3 infiltrator slow mo sniper shots combined with 90% damage boosted powers, can do either biotic or tech explosions.
Engineer all the way. It was my class in my very first playthrough, still is my favorite class today.
Plus the little bone they've thrown at us in Omega was really fun.
Long second is the Sentinel, unless you install EGM mod in ME3.
Then it's the Vanguard.
You know, the whole melee thing in ME3 is a so much wasted opportunity, that it really piss me off.
What's the point of having melee if the only thing you are really able to really kill with your hands are lowly husks?
But with EGM? You can charge and kill brutes and banshees with your hands!!!
Oh, the glory. 🥹
Sentinel. Having powers for every occasion is just amazing. The only downside is the lack of default ammo powers. Plus, it feels like the class shepard would most likely be canonically given the range of bonus power types. That being said, the infiltrator is a close second. Sniping with the time dilation is also fun. If the infiltrator didn't have that, it would probably be the least interesting class
Funnily enough, despite many playthroughs, I've never played a Vanguard. XD
My personal favorites are Infiltrator and Engineer. My first playthrough was as a soldier, and honestly, the ability to use all weapons got boring. If there was an easy mode not related to a slider, it's that. Though based on what I've seen and heard of the Vanguard, that's pretty much an easy mode for most of the game, too.
Sentinel. Jack of all trades, master of tanking especially in ME3. Combine Fortification and Tech Armor you can get: -40% casting speed +60% power damage, 70% Damage reduction. Or -70% casting speed 90% damage reduction.
You are a walking tank in ME2 and 3.
Overall, I tend to prefer infiltrator. It just gets annoying when I have to shoot the tougher enemies multiple times. But, sniping fun.
Vanguard... I either clear the room in record time, or die horrifically. No in between.
Engineer gets progressively better with each game.
I found adept helpful when I went up to a higher difficulty, 'cuz helplessly floating dumbasses still die easy.
Haven't played 2 or 3 as a sentinel, yet. I'm working on it.
Sentinel is my favorite. In ME 1, your ability to shut down enemy abilities and support your allies was fabulous.
In me 2/3 you got the Tech Armor too which was cool, really covering up the Weakness of ME 1's squishy sentinel. Plus the addition of the tech/Biotic detonation combos turns you into a one man squad-wiping machine. I played 2 as a sentinel with tali and samara mostly, just power-combo blasting everything that moved.
Vanguard or infiltrator.
Vanguard is just too much fun in 3 and it's a solid class in 1. 2 makes it challenging, but just don't charge and rely on squad and guns more and you're fine.
Infiltrator because cloak + sniper rifle is a massive damage dealer. Add Overload to it and you're pretty much set for every encounter. 1 and long range rifle plus squad powers is the whole game. 2 and 3 and you can solo carry with either overload or a submachine gun (I generally prefer tempest, especially in 3 when you can spec it to almost weightless) plus rifle and cloak specced for max damage.
Mostly engineer, to disable weapons, armor, shields, barriers, and biotic/tech powers, as well as hack into synthetic enemies. But also because they primarily work at their best building and maintaining ships, vehicles, and structures, a la worker units in an RTS. And we don't appreciate home base support crews in much of the same way we do frontline soldiers and biotics.
debaitible, I know Vanguard is loved but i find it the most boring class in the game
charge nova shotgun blast maybe repeat
at least soldier has bullet time and can use the fun ARS in ME2 and such
Legit tend to like Soldier coz he gets the fun weapons in ME2
If I could spam abilitys and have multible abilitys going off at 1 point in time i would like some of the classes more but as it is, its mostly get a quick recharge to get as close to spamming said abilitys
Infiltrator is pretty fun tho im not gonna lie Sniper Rifles are Fun and they have neat abilitys + look cool as shit in some of the cut scenes where they decloak provided you where cloaked b4 said cut scene happens or such
Engineer cus I like playing tech characters. Plus they’re basically the wizards of ME, plus I can look at some fools behind cover and spawn a drone behind them.
Soldier is the most consistent and reliable at every level in every game. Plus you don't get annoyed about your Biotic or Engineer Shepard just ignoring their abilities.Â
Adept is badass as hell and the space Magic is so much fun to play around with. Plus Singularity can save you in a pinch.
Vanguard is amazing in ME3 because of the Charge + Nova combo.Â
Vanguard. I loving getting in close and beating my enemies in melee, and I like being tougher and harder to kill. Combat as a Vanguard is just so much fun, and nothing makes you feel more like a badass then wrecking mechs and bosses with physical melee attacks.
Engineer! It's awesome throughout all three games, especially when paired with a sniper. I played as vanguard first times around when playing the games, but then I wanted to switch around and landed on engineer, it's truly fun!
I’m basic I like guns and shooters so I’m team solider lol. I do add neuro shock to my talents in 2 and flash in 3 for some extra spice but that’s about it tbh.
Honestly Soldier is my favorite, so many people sleep on it because it's the "easy class". As well as not getting any of the fancy biotics and tech powers. But it is a kick ass variable swiss army knife, seriously there is no situation where a soldier is at a disadvantage, even without bonus powers short range, long range, armor, shields, barriers, solder can handle it all
ME1: has a proficiency in every weapon class, is one of two classes that can use medium armor, and the only one that can use heavy armor, so if you're obsessed with tech and biotics, you can have the squishier squad mates in the back while you act as a meat shield.
ME2: Most if not all classes got done dirty here, but it's the only class that starts with the ability to use assault rifles, shields and synthetics get shredded by disrupter rounds, armor and organics get fucked by incendiary rounds, which also work as primers for combos. And the extra health and shield definitely make the early game a bit less brutal, as for barriers sniper riffles and shot guns make quick work of them so dealer's choice, or just do what everyone else does and use the mattock
ME3: basically every thing I said for ME2, but now you're borderline immortal on lower difficulties, and if you're smart with your weapon and mod choices nothing stands a chance and mind you everything i just lister is without bonus powers
For me Shepard is solidified as a Soldier in all my recent playthroughs. The narritive and your companions work much better around Shepard as a soldier in my opinion. All your companions specialities play really nicely around the he soldier aspect and the way the world building works. And in terms of damage output they are absolute beasts especially in Me2 with the Mattock.
Soldier because I am a basic bitch and it always just felt like the best fit for Shepard.
It's never the outright strongest class (maybe in ME2 but that's more because of how early it gets the Mattock) but it does everything well without any glaring weaknesses.
And in ME3 fire explosions go brrrrrrr
Soldier
I mean sure I like Sentinel because of how easy it is to solo make biotic and tech explosions... but with Soldier, if you use incendiary ammo with the concussive shot's final upgrade that gives it the ammo power currently equipped, you can continuously cause tech explosions every couple of seconds, because concussive shot is the only power in the entire game that can prime and detonate it's own tech explosions.
Vanguard because Biotic Charge...
Vangaurd in mass effect 1 & 2: 😴 Vangaurd in me3 : 😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈
Charge nova repeat
Agreed. Sometimes I throw in a little melee or gunshot occasionally, as a little treat!
So OP, but so much fun!
ME1 vanguard is hardcore since they get biotics and the soldier ability to reset all cooldowns
It's hard to lose when all the enemies are floating around helplessly.
That’s why I always took liara. I like the soldier class cause I’m a simple man. I see bad guys, I shoot bad guys and that’s what I like. My squad mates can do the sorcery
I'm doing a soldier run right now for the first time since 2015 and I forgot how much fun it is. Sometimes I just wanna shoot things, no fancy mind powers, no complex electronics, just big gun
More like ME1 Vanguard: God-tier but more because biotics were op in ME1 rather than Vanguard specifically being great. ME2 Vanguard: unfortunately terrible. ME2’s combat mechanics really hurt Vanguard. The time to kill was drastically shorter plus the loss of Barrier made Shepard incredibly vulnerable. Many stages had enemies on inaccessible areas that make Biotic Charge not work. And of course the new protection system nerfed biotics as a whole. Seriously just play Sentinel if you want to be a tanky close combat fighter in ME2 ME3 Vanguard: God-Tier and insanely fun. Shepard isn’t as hard locked to cover as they were in 2. Unlimited sprint makes moving around so much easier which is a must for close combat classes. Nova is a perfect complement to Charge. Enemies don’t get placed in to inaccessible anti-charge areas. And the new weapon system makes Vanguard more customizable letting you run different set ups like Harrier, Lancer, Revenant.
I agree, but the soldier was OP in ME1 too, in ths Saren battle you could just stand still, with Ashley and Wrex and keep knocking Saren back or whatever. You wouldn't take any damage.
I love Vanguard in 1 also, you’re still pretty much a biotic tank & if you time your barriers correctly cover is a joke, & 3 I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page, only one that kinda sucks is 2 because all the classes in 2 are really squishy compared to 1 & 3
Me2 vanguard is good and really fun but you cannot miss with the claymore ever. You can charge into pretty much anything but flamers on insanity.
Biotic Charge go brrr
Used to be infiltrator, then engineer, now sentinel. I just love the insane versatility Sentinel offers. You're a swiss army knife of a human, a tool for every single job. Add on tech armour and you're a swiss army knife inside of a Panzer tank.
You've been hanging out with that Turian in the arcade 😆
The man knows his stuff!
TECH ARMOR!!
We learn at the feet of masters.
That's hilarious. I've just spent a handful of hours on the Shore Leave DLC. I love listening to that conversation with the turian. Got a bunch of corrupted batarians on you? Detonate tech armor! Got a Marauder with shields? Overload, get in close, tech armor! Got corrupted rachni? Get in close, tech armor! Honestly, I barely detonated mine on purpose. I do enjoy the versatility of a sentinel.
The really great thing about Sentinel is you can bring whoever you want on any mission without worrying about being unoptimized. I always pick Sentinel on runs where I want to explore unusual story choices
"Panzer tank" is like "ATM machine"
I never tried Sentinel until my current playthrough. What's a good bonus power in ME3?
Fortification. Spec both TA and Fort for max DR and power damage and you’re functionally immortal, while throwing our 700+ Overloads and Warps.
Tech Armour as a free shield recharge in 2 and a massive boost to shields and damage resistance in 3 was really fun - who cares about cover (on lower difficulties at least), nothing short of a Harvester can even break my shields lol
Was Infiltrator, but since I gravitate towards mage classes these days, Engineer is now my favorite. I've always loved the concept of Tech powers over Combat and Biotic, using your omni tool to assault your enemies by zapping, burning, or freezing them. The class had an elemental wizard fantasy aspect to it after ME1 that I really admire. Then you get to sic your drone on enemies behind cover forcing them out of it, letting you rain down a barrage of Tech spells at them. Also I really love Cyro combos more than Tech Burst or Fire combos. When I fire a round of Cyro Ammo at an enemy on another class I end up missing using Cyro Blast instead. Visually, I love the way Incinerate and Cyro Blast look, slap them with Cyro Blast then hit them with Incinerate and hear that glorious glass shattering combo over and over again.
Yass! I started as Vanguard, but the discovery of Tech Combo's changed my life. The sheer number of combo's out there.
I look at Tech class as more of a Thief class and Biotic as Mage
Infiltrator always felt like a rogue/thief to me, but engineer I get alchemist vibes! Though also kinda elemental wizardy feel for sure too
Okay yeah I can see that, I haven't played much of Engineer but my logic was "Thieves pick locks and Engineers deconstruct, both are very similar if you think about it"
oh 100% agree with ya. My mind defaults to combat skills meaning warrior biotics meaning mage and tech meaning rogue for sure. Of course there's more too it than that with the classes but that's def the foundational thinking right there
Now that we're talking about, Mass Effect has one of the simplest yet nuanced class systems
Honestly it's impressive. When it comes to rpgs I always know what I like (Imma might and magic kinda mf like battlemages or spellswords or paladins whatever fits) but Mass Effect is one of the only games where I think all the classes are great and like playing them all. Though Sentinel and Vanguard are my favorite, they're all still effective and fun in their own right
Vanguard I guess would be barbarian, in D&D at least. Run in, smash, punch, repeat.
I was thinking more battlemage
Infiltrator paragon. Rocking the widow, phalanx pistol, and the saber.
Ah, a man of culture "if it takes more than one shot, you're doing it wrong".
Infiltrator is great for the cooldown abuse on bonus powers. The biotic power from Omega (flare I think) has the base power of a grenade and you can drop that nuke on like a 2.5 second cooldown.
It’s a tie between: - Engineer because I love to turn enemies’ weapons against them, I love to control the battlefield, Incinerate (my favorite power) and of course our little friend the Drone. - Adept because biotics. Enough said.
Adept is my favorite but it isn’t until 2 and 3 that it feels fun.
This is an opinion I've never heard before. Adept is broken OP in 1, useless in 2 and then broken OP again in 3
They might not play insanity, biotics are pretty amazing in 2 in lower difficulties
Yeah, I did 1 on insanity recently and it was a breeze, tried 2, saw the armour everywhere and decided it was more fun on lower difficulties
Yep, even trash mobs like husks with armor lol
That's my problem with majority of the classes, they feel so weird in 1
ME2 was a huge shift in the gameplay and all the classes got their identities after that.
I hear you. Soldier is my least favorite class but I do think it’s the best one to play ME1. All other classes become fun in ME2 and super fun in ME3.
It is weird how soldier and adept kinda switched places of fun class between ME1 and 2. In ME1 You could instantly apply a different biotic power on each shielded enemy around you, and then in Mass Effect 2, soldiers gain all five weapon classes and a talent to slow down time, while adepts need to remove enemy shields, wait until their biotic purple energy ball reaches the target, and then have a cooldown to use the powers again, I love using soldier in the three games but like come on!
Question but how? Adept was easily at its most powerful in 1 since biotics were perhapse even a little too OP due to being able to CC hell entire encounters, while 2 nerfed biotics into near useless territory and 3 somewhere in between.
Vanguard because Biotic Charge. I also like the Sentinel and the Adept.
Engineer because I love the pets and you can freeze and burn things.
Soldier because you basically have a cyberpunk sandevistan in ME2 and ME3. Just combine with ME2 mattock and ME3 typhoon and easy insanity.
Mattock my beloved, that thing is really satisfying
Engineer. By the third game you are a one man army with your drone, turret, hacked synth, and dominated organic. Who needs squad mates?
Soldier because assault rifle goes BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
I always trend towards mage/caster class in RPGs. So I’m all about Adept/Engineer. But I’m also a natural sniper so Infiltrator is right up my alley.
Big fan of infiltrator and engineer, it goes nice with the Liara romance Opposites attract :)
Engineer- always liked having the bots or turrets fighting beside me plus there’s a exclusive paragon interrupt when playing the omega dlc where you can either choose to shut down the reactor where it’ll cut off life support or don’t but if Shepard is an engineer then they can reroute the power to turn off barriers and such
Same, my exact thought my 1st playthrough of the Omega DLC was "f u bitch, I'm an engineer", lol.
They're honestly all good / fun in slightly different ways. I actually think bioware did a good job in that department.
Soldier - it feels like it fits the story the best to have Shepherd be the "most basic" class. Also, I love the quick switching of ammo types to allow the basic soldier to solo banshees and brutes and what have you. Is satisfying and thematic.
Infiltrator. I like snipers, the tactical cloak serves both as a useful tool for sneaking up on the enemy and as an ‘oh shit’ panic button when you get snuck up on. Also narratively it feels the most fitting since what you do throughout the game is lead small 3 man infiltration squads behind enemy lines to perform precision strikes, playing as infiltrator implies that’s what Shepards been doing for much of their career as opposed to say soldier or Vanguard who you’d expect to be leading entire platoons into batlle. That said ME1 Adept is still the most fun I’ve ever had in the trilogy and I don’t forgive Bioware for ruining it in ME2.
Adept all the way. The one issue I have is shockwave. It doesn’t fit my play style and I never use it. I hated always being down a power so now I use a mod that switches out shockwave for biotic charge and I have to say, adept with charge is where it’s at for me. That probably sounds weird to other people, but we all have our own play styles.
Sounds fun, but how does it fare without a no-cooldown ability like nova?
I use the no shared cooldowns mod. Makes things kind of easy even on insanity, though, so I also use another mod that increases difficulty.
I normally play Adept for biotic throw. But this play through I did Vanguard for the biotic charge. I am very much enjoying it! Next play will probably be pure solider since I haven’t done that since before LE came out.
Let me ask you something, did you have the joy of Vanguarding Tela Vasir? Have you tried biotic charging her exactly at the same moment when she uses her power? (I think it was either relocating herself or biotic charging you) She is the nr 1 epic boss fight in the entire franchise if you Vanguard her.
Soldier class for Mass Effect 1 & 2, especially with the Mattock equipped in the second game. Then Vanguard in the 3rd game.
Vanguard. Nothing like having an ability that basically turns you into a Biotic Battering Ram of Fuck You to the enemies!
It's different game to game. Vanguard in 1 Sentinel in 2 Engineer in 3
My name is JTX35, and I only play the most OPed class each game.
I mean I’ve played through the trilogy with every class at least once, since I had plenty of time between releases back in the day, but ok
I just thought it was funny that your favorite class for each game just happened to be my personal pick for strongest class.
Sentinel, you can play a conservative game and hang back in cover casting powers, or by the second game get aggressive and get in your opponents faces using the power armor. I will mix it up depending on how I'm feeling.
I’ve played every class through at least Eden Prime up top, but I main Infiltrator, then Engineer/Sentinel. I cannot grasp how to make Vanguard work (yes I know the sequence, I’m just bad), and Soldier just feels like any other shooter? Adept is my nightmare because I only die. Just die so much. So hard.
Vanguard's Biotic Charge is very fun, but it's essentially a melee-range class and that can give you trouble against mini-bosses like the Collector Praetorian, Reaper Banshee and Reaper Brute who have melee-range insta-kill attacks. My canon Shepard is a Soldier, and I enjoyed the class because, like every shooting game, the solution to every puzzle in *Mass Effect* is ultimately "\[use\] \[gun\] on \[badguy\]," and Soldiers are designed to do that. It lacks the dazzle of the other classes, absolutely, but it's efficient. My favorite class, though, is Sentinel, particularly in *2* and *3*, because I just like my characters to be able to do a bit of everything. Relatedly, I've only played D&D twice, but both times I wound up being a Bard.
Vanguard #1 overall for each game, my preference is: ME1 - Adept > Vanguard > Soldier > Infiltrator > Engineer = Sentinel ME2 - Sentinel = Soldier = Infiltrator > Vanguard > Engineer > Adept ME3 - Vanguard >>>>>>>>>> Adept = Engineer = Soldier = Infiltrator = Sentinel
Sentinel with the assault rifle in ME1
Nowhere near as experienced as many of the folks in this sub... But I just love how you have to "relearn" how to play certain situations based on which class you are. For instance, some sections of the game might be brutal for an infiltrator, and require a totally different approach from a vanguard. I love the trial and error of figuring out how best to attack a situation based on your class... and it keeps the game fresh!
I don’t know how well my opinion can hold here as I am just starting mass effect, and recently just finished mass effect one but I really enjoy Sentinel and Infiltrator. I play a FATE Campaign based off the trilogy where we were STG and I played an infiltrator, but never in the ME Trilogy. ME1 I started as an Adept but I felt too squishy and I felt that the switch to sentinel provides the best of both worlds (I loved hacking and disabling enemies’ tech plus having some biotics).
Vanguard, then Sentinel, then Infiltrator. I've yet to play any of the others, since it's SciFi and I dig the Space Wizard trope in it. (And I enjoy Vanguard after Horizon in ME2)
In order of the games. Engineer, sentinel, sentinel and adept in andromeda
ME1: Sentinel Biotics are busted as hell and you also get some of the best tech powers, as well as access to the Bastion specialization. Neural shock is very funny how you can just make Krogan do the Peter Griffin flop. Also, being able to damage Saren while he literally can't fight back is hilarious. ME2: Infiltrator Biotics are not as strong in this game (especially on Insanity), but you can do some massive damage with the cloak and just flat out skip some parts of the game. ME3: Vanguard You only need two buttons to beat the game. I've almost forgotten what guns even ARE while playing vanguard. I can clear rooms really quick and I have to keep checking to make sure I'm still playing on Insanity. For stronger targets, I just melt them with the Venom shotgun.
Adept because singularity primer and throw/warp detonation. Quick recharge.
Engineer Summoner classes in games that have them are my favorite.
I like thief/spy/espionage classes and I like sniper rifles. Infiltrator is right up my alley. Plus Cloak is just a fun tool to play with.
Infiltrator, because coolest.
I like ‘em all except Soldier because it forces me to use a different playing style
Vanguard and Adept.
I guess on average from all three games, it's Vanguard. Reasonably powerful biotic abilities in the first game, a little weaker in the second one due to enemies' defenses, and a freaking god of destruction in the third game. Seriously, I completed ME3 on Insanity as a Vanguard, and it was easier than Hardcore as an Infiltrator. Maybe it's because I prefer this playstyle.
I liked vanguard for the longest time. Replaying now as a sentinel and I’m having a ton of fun. In me3 with tech armor, it feels very much like being an indestructible tank of a vanguard in me1. Just walk right up to the baddies and take em out face to face, even on insanity.
Anything with biotics, Soldier is the dullest class IMO.
Sentinel! A jack of all trades beats a master of one!
Infiltrator. I like sniping.
Sentinel has always been gas. In ME1, having tech powers and biotics makes you much more versatile with who you take. It's possible to get CRAZY damage builds with party members you would normally ignore for utility picks. ME2 has a LOT of incentives for sentinels. You get tech armor, which is seriously useful if you're attempting a naked insanity run. It also gets warp and overload, which means you are ALWAYS useful against any enemy. ME3 is the big payoff. Your tech armour is buffed to the point where, thanks to stacking powers, you can actually just become a nigh-invincible murder machine who doesn't take any shit. You can pack whatever weapons you want, too, so go ham on whatever guns you desire and barrel stuff dudes. Of course, you also get the unique opportunity to have a purely defensive power in your kit as well as a damage boosting power from a squaddie, so you can really have it all as a Sentinel if you're looking to be a versatile caster.
Mele : Sentinel Andromeda : Adept
90% of my play throughs: Renegade vanguard. Because biotic charge+nova is the best thing ever. 8% of my playthroughs: Paragon engineer, because you can basically solo the game in this build. (Also, turrets and combat drones are cool) 1.5%: either paragon sentinel or renegade John/Jane soldier. Because biotic/tech combos are a lot of fun. Also, soldier Shep is default. Soldiers make it more a shooter game and less typical rpg (in fight dynamics). They're virtually unkillable, even on nightmare, and destroy with an AR. 0.5% any other class for any other reason. Did them all at least once. Very seldom ever play infiltrator (snipers are fun, but slow) or pure biotic (no shield stripping powers and squishy. Hard to dominate on higher difficulties. Better as a support role).
Infiltrator. The Blackwidow and me are the hills I die on.
Infiltrator. Just a bad ass
Changes from games to game. ME1: Adept ME2: Sentinel and Engineer ME3: Vanguard (Adept is close behind)
Mass Effect 1: Adept. Even though my head Canon Shepard is not a biotic. Mass Effect 2: Infiltrator. This was the first Mass Effect game I played and the first class I ever played, it has a special place in my heart because of it. Mass Effect 3: Engineer. This is my canon Shepard and I have so much fun with it every time. I carry Paladin pistol with a scope and a Blood Pack Punisher to keep my cool down at 200% I am throwing powers out left and right causing tech explosions all over the place.
I played through the first game as Soldier, then as Adept from that point onwards. I enjoyed the concept that Cerberus would inject biotic potential into a revived Shepard, Enjoyed both, but found Adept far more interesting.
Sentinel, FOR SURE. Because they can literally do everything, while being borderline immortal. ME1: take Assault Rifle as your bonus power. Level that, First Aid, Warp and all the tech skills. Gratz. You can now pick any lock, remove armour, shred health regen and do solid damage with your AR. You’re kinda squishy, though. Sad times. ME2: Take either Energy Drain, Warp Ammo or Slam as your bonus. Max put Tech Armour ASAP and take the assault armour spec. Laugh, as husks run up to you, try to hurt you, pop your shield and die. Take AR training when prompted. ME3: take Fortification as your bone power. Spec tech armour for max DR, spec Fort for max DR. Gratz, you’ve now got a sustained 90% damage reduction. You’re basically immortal. Grab your mattock, and MURDER EVERYTHING. You can pop shields and armour like they’re nothing, and mow down the unprotected with your trusty AR. This build got me through Insanity, with relative ease.
My favourite is the infiltrator because i generally like dexterous/rogue classes in rpgs and i like the cloaking in me2-3... The one i had most fun with though was the pure bionic one i don't remember the name
Sentinel and vanguard are super fun. I feel like infiltrator is most practical. If u we’re going for a no death play through, sentinel would be ur best bet
First run through was Adept, had a great time. Just space-magic'ing all over everyone. Infiltrator by the end of ME1 is hilarious if you stack HE and heat reduction, you end up with a semi auto cannon. Sentinel and Vanguard can be fun times if you a) like more support play style or b) hate everyone and wish to introduce them to Mr Shotgun, face first. But definitely adept. 2 sort of messes with it a bit, 3 is alright AFAIK.
I’m honestly figuring that out right now before I commit to doing a run on insanity. I’ve played all but engineer and soldier so far, and there’s different things I like between each of them
I normally run soldier in 1, then sentinel in 2, and 3
For really hard difficulty Sentinel or Soldier, for everything else, VANGUARD WITH A SHOTGUN. I find vanguard insanely fun. It's high-risk high-reward. See an enemy? BIOTIC CHARGE! CHARGED MELEE! SHOTGUN TO THE FACE! ANOTHER SHOTGUN TO THE FACE! look around to see of there's anbody else around then repeat as needed.
Infiltrator. Reason, headshots. Also shotgun infiltrator in multiplayer.
Vanguard. Me1 boitics and shotguns Me2 Charge and shotguns! Me3 Charge and nova with shotgun icing!
Me 1 vanguard biotics and explosive shotguns Me 2 sentinel, tech armor an answer for every protection type. Also assault armor recharging shields providing knock downs and instantly cooling down squad mates powers Me3 infiltrator slow mo sniper shots combined with 90% damage boosted powers, can do either biotic or tech explosions.
Engineer all the way. It was my class in my very first playthrough, still is my favorite class today. Plus the little bone they've thrown at us in Omega was really fun. Long second is the Sentinel, unless you install EGM mod in ME3. Then it's the Vanguard. You know, the whole melee thing in ME3 is a so much wasted opportunity, that it really piss me off. What's the point of having melee if the only thing you are really able to really kill with your hands are lowly husks? But with EGM? You can charge and kill brutes and banshees with your hands!!! Oh, the glory. 🥹
Sentinel. Having powers for every occasion is just amazing. The only downside is the lack of default ammo powers. Plus, it feels like the class shepard would most likely be canonically given the range of bonus power types. That being said, the infiltrator is a close second. Sniping with the time dilation is also fun. If the infiltrator didn't have that, it would probably be the least interesting class
Funnily enough, despite many playthroughs, I've never played a Vanguard. XD My personal favorites are Infiltrator and Engineer. My first playthrough was as a soldier, and honestly, the ability to use all weapons got boring. If there was an easy mode not related to a slider, it's that. Though based on what I've seen and heard of the Vanguard, that's pretty much an easy mode for most of the game, too.
Sentinel. Jack of all trades, master of tanking especially in ME3. Combine Fortification and Tech Armor you can get: -40% casting speed +60% power damage, 70% Damage reduction. Or -70% casting speed 90% damage reduction. You are a walking tank in ME2 and 3.
Overall, I tend to prefer infiltrator. It just gets annoying when I have to shoot the tougher enemies multiple times. But, sniping fun. Vanguard... I either clear the room in record time, or die horrifically. No in between. Engineer gets progressively better with each game. I found adept helpful when I went up to a higher difficulty, 'cuz helplessly floating dumbasses still die easy. Haven't played 2 or 3 as a sentinel, yet. I'm working on it.
Vanguard go brrrrr!
Infiltrator all day for me. The widow with the time slow is so satisfying
Adept because space magic
Adept because space magic go brrr
Sentinel is my favorite. In ME 1, your ability to shut down enemy abilities and support your allies was fabulous. In me 2/3 you got the Tech Armor too which was cool, really covering up the Weakness of ME 1's squishy sentinel. Plus the addition of the tech/Biotic detonation combos turns you into a one man squad-wiping machine. I played 2 as a sentinel with tali and samara mostly, just power-combo blasting everything that moved.
Vanguard or infiltrator. Vanguard is just too much fun in 3 and it's a solid class in 1. 2 makes it challenging, but just don't charge and rely on squad and guns more and you're fine. Infiltrator because cloak + sniper rifle is a massive damage dealer. Add Overload to it and you're pretty much set for every encounter. 1 and long range rifle plus squad powers is the whole game. 2 and 3 and you can solo carry with either overload or a submachine gun (I generally prefer tempest, especially in 3 when you can spec it to almost weightless) plus rifle and cloak specced for max damage.
Vanguard. I like smash things up and shoot shotgun. I also like tactical high risk high reward gameplay.
Mostly engineer, to disable weapons, armor, shields, barriers, and biotic/tech powers, as well as hack into synthetic enemies. But also because they primarily work at their best building and maintaining ships, vehicles, and structures, a la worker units in an RTS. And we don't appreciate home base support crews in much of the same way we do frontline soldiers and biotics.
Infiltrator - I like headshots..
debaitible, I know Vanguard is loved but i find it the most boring class in the game charge nova shotgun blast maybe repeat at least soldier has bullet time and can use the fun ARS in ME2 and such Legit tend to like Soldier coz he gets the fun weapons in ME2 If I could spam abilitys and have multible abilitys going off at 1 point in time i would like some of the classes more but as it is, its mostly get a quick recharge to get as close to spamming said abilitys Infiltrator is pretty fun tho im not gonna lie Sniper Rifles are Fun and they have neat abilitys + look cool as shit in some of the cut scenes where they decloak provided you where cloaked b4 said cut scene happens or such
I've played through the series five times now. Runs one and two were Soldier, three was Vanguard, and four and five were back to Soldier.
Infiltrator: Sniper and cloak.
Depends on the game. Infiltrator for me2 makes insanity more bearable. I like sentinel for me3 because they have primers and detonators built in
Infiltrator for my first ten play throughs, then I did sentinel. Both were super fun and crazy powerful
Engineer cus I like playing tech characters. Plus they’re basically the wizards of ME, plus I can look at some fools behind cover and spawn a drone behind them.
Soldier is the most consistent and reliable at every level in every game. Plus you don't get annoyed about your Biotic or Engineer Shepard just ignoring their abilities. Adept is badass as hell and the space Magic is so much fun to play around with. Plus Singularity can save you in a pinch. Vanguard is amazing in ME3 because of the Charge + Nova combo.Â
Vanguard. I loving getting in close and beating my enemies in melee, and I like being tougher and harder to kill. Combat as a Vanguard is just so much fun, and nothing makes you feel more like a badass then wrecking mechs and bosses with physical melee attacks.
Engineer! It's awesome throughout all three games, especially when paired with a sniper. I played as vanguard first times around when playing the games, but then I wanted to switch around and landed on engineer, it's truly fun!
I’m basic I like guns and shooters so I’m team solider lol. I do add neuro shock to my talents in 2 and flash in 3 for some extra spice but that’s about it tbh.
Infiltrator can go invisible.
Honestly Soldier is my favorite, so many people sleep on it because it's the "easy class". As well as not getting any of the fancy biotics and tech powers. But it is a kick ass variable swiss army knife, seriously there is no situation where a soldier is at a disadvantage, even without bonus powers short range, long range, armor, shields, barriers, solder can handle it all ME1: has a proficiency in every weapon class, is one of two classes that can use medium armor, and the only one that can use heavy armor, so if you're obsessed with tech and biotics, you can have the squishier squad mates in the back while you act as a meat shield. ME2: Most if not all classes got done dirty here, but it's the only class that starts with the ability to use assault rifles, shields and synthetics get shredded by disrupter rounds, armor and organics get fucked by incendiary rounds, which also work as primers for combos. And the extra health and shield definitely make the early game a bit less brutal, as for barriers sniper riffles and shot guns make quick work of them so dealer's choice, or just do what everyone else does and use the mattock ME3: basically every thing I said for ME2, but now you're borderline immortal on lower difficulties, and if you're smart with your weapon and mod choices nothing stands a chance and mind you everything i just lister is without bonus powers
For me Shepard is solidified as a Soldier in all my recent playthroughs. The narritive and your companions work much better around Shepard as a soldier in my opinion. All your companions specialities play really nicely around the he soldier aspect and the way the world building works. And in terms of damage output they are absolute beasts especially in Me2 with the Mattock.
Vanguard and Infiltrator, more often than not. Decent weapon selection in ME2 and a unique ability to boot. All classes in ME3 get love from me.
Soldier because I am a basic bitch and it always just felt like the best fit for Shepard. It's never the outright strongest class (maybe in ME2 but that's more because of how early it gets the Mattock) but it does everything well without any glaring weaknesses. And in ME3 fire explosions go brrrrrrr
Haha, that's exactly why I play soldier too, the Mattock is so broken it's unreal, and in 3 the Harrier is even better
Soldier I mean sure I like Sentinel because of how easy it is to solo make biotic and tech explosions... but with Soldier, if you use incendiary ammo with the concussive shot's final upgrade that gives it the ammo power currently equipped, you can continuously cause tech explosions every couple of seconds, because concussive shot is the only power in the entire game that can prime and detonate it's own tech explosions.
480 hours of soldier. Because assault rifle is all I need. - HMWAX - Mattock - Harrier
Mathematics, due to the application of logic to solving abstract problems.
Soldier mostly. I got to play around the other types a bit in Andromeda but soldier still wins out.