..Mass Effect 3..

(Continuation)

Click on any of these shortcuts to see the different sections of our Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Guide:

• Introduction
• Choosing your Class
  • The Adept
  • The Soldier
  • The Infiltrator
  • The Engineer
  • The Sentinel
  • The Vanguard
• The Games
• The Opponents
  • Cerberus
  • Geth
  • Reapers
• Unlockables and Galactic Readiness

The Sentinel

Specialization:  Mixed (Tech/Biotic)

Roles: Damage, Tank

Ideal Loadout: A fully upgraded Mattock is the only weapon you'll ever need. The Sentinel otherwise has so much in the way of damage mitigation and powers that nothing else really matters.

Strengths: Has access to both biotic and synthetic abilities, and thus is capable of taking on both biotic and synthetic targets. Tech Armor is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, and can be used both for defensive and offensive purposes. 

Weaknesses: "Jack of all trades, master of none" comes to mind. Damage output might not be as high as more specialized classes, and may still have trouble with enemies like Guardians.

Races:

Human [Throw, Warp, Tech Armor, Alliance Training, Fitness (Sentinel)]

Turian [Warp, Overload, Tech Armor, Turian Veteran, Fitness (Sentinel)]

Krogan [Incinerate, Lift Grenade, Tech Armor, Krogan Berserker, Rage]

Play If:

• You want a highly versatile class with the ability to respond to most anything thrown its way.
• You want to be able to take tons of damage, and dish out plenty in return.

Avoid If:

• You're looking for something with a bit more "oomph", or you want something more highly specialized. 

Tips:

• Tech Armor is the perfect getaway tool, and the explosion from overcharging it stuns even Banshees.
• Make sure to level up your biotic and tech abilities relatively equally, in order to play to the versatility of the class.
• While it's possible to run in equipped to the gills with weapons, it's not recommended. Keep it simple.

The Vanguard

Specialization:  Biotic

Roles: Damage, Control(Minor)

Ideal Loadout: Shotguns / close combat weapons, preferably light enough that you don't take a big hit to recharge speed. Personally, I focus more on powers, and run in with a machine pistol.

Strengths: Extremely powerful damage-dealer; can move around the battlefield with incredible speed as a result of Biotic Charge, which also functions as a top-notch escape tool.  

Weaknesses: Falls short when it comes to taking on larger, tougher foes, careless use of abilities will result in death.

Races:

Human [Biotic Charge, Shockwave, Nova, Alliance Training, Fitness (Vanguard)]

Drell [Biotic Charge, Pull, Cluster Grenade, Drell Assassin, Fitness(Vanguard)]

Asari [Biotic Charge, Stasis, Lift Grenade, Asari Justicar, Fitness(Vanguard)]

Play If:

• You want fast-paced, wild combat, and enjoy getting in the face of your enemies.
• You enjoy high-mobility, as opposed to slow and careful movement.
• You want to be able to take on large groups of enemies without much trouble.

Avoid If:

• You want to be able to mitigate damage.
• You want to be able to take on larger, tougher enemies.

Tips:

• Get Biotic Charge first. As a human, combine that with Nova. The "one-two punch" that results from a combination of the two is devastatingly effective.
• Keep a close eye on your barriers, and be aware of positioning. All it takes is one bad charge, and your team's down a player. "Look before you leap".
• If you find yourself in trouble, use charge to escape the situation and restore your barrier.

The Games

Mass Effect 3 multiplayer matches consist of ten rounds each, and they are played over a wide array of different maps. Ammo drops are scattered throughout each map, but knowing their location isn't strictly vital (between rounds, you'll usually have health and some ammo restored to you). Far more important is knowing the various hiding places and choke-points through which you can force enemies, and being aware of spawn points.

Completing games will earn you credits and experience, and increase your N7 rating. The experience and credits are calculated based on a wide array of factors, including difficulty (bronze, silver, or gold), enemy (randomizing the enemy will give you a percentage bonus to XP), and location (again, randomizing it will increase the XP gain). Each match will increase your galactic readiness by a certain amount - we'll discuss that more in a moment.

Each round will end once you've defeated every single enemy that spawned. Aside from your typical "kill all the things" objective, you'll also receive the following secondary objectives. Completing them will earn you credits.

Point Activation / Deactivation: You'll need to either activate or deactivate four individual points on the map within the time limit. The second won't become accessible until you've found the first, and so on and so forth.

Assasinate / Key Targets:  In this wave, there'll be a single enemy marked for death, which you'll need to kill within a minute or two. Usually, it's a Marauder if you're fighting the reapers, a Nemesis or Phantom if you're against Cerberus and a Geth Hunter or Prime if you're against the Geth. Killing them will add more time to the timer, and add a new target. After about four or five targets, you're done.

Data Upload: A "King of the hill" type objective, players need to stay within a small, circular area until the status bar fills up. The more players that remain in the objective area, the faster the bar moves. There's also a time limit, but unless you're all completely ignoring the objective, you shouldn't have any trouble.

Extraction: This one comes at the end of every mission. Go to the extraction point, and stay there until the countdown timer hits zero. Don't leave the point if you can help it. If you're not there when the timer drops, then the whole team takes a point/experience hit at the end of the match for a "partial extraction".

(Continued on the Next Page...)