Back in April, we gave you the guide to being the best you can be at Mass Effect 3′s Multiplayer. However, in the few months that have passed, things have changed. There have been three free map and character packs that have gone up since then, and with it, more ways to play. With the new Leviathan DLC out, people will be clamoring back to Mass Effect 3, so here are some pointers if you have gotten a little rusty.
With all the new classes and races added to Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode, it can almost seem overwhelming which way you should go, be it offensive, defensive, or supportive. Luckily, there are a few tricks you can pull with both old and new characters. This guide will show you what the various packs that BioWare put out can do. A lot of the same rules apply with these new batches of characters, but some races are a whole new ballgame. Here are a few examples.
BEST NEW CHARACTERS
Geth Infiltrator
Let’s go with the Geth Infiltrator to start with. Infiltrators are always best off being snipers, and the Geth are no exception. You definitely should level up Hunter Mode as soon as you can, because as you level up, you’ll be able to see enemies through walls, increase accuracy, rates of fire, and even weapon damage.
Networked A.I. is another key trait to level up if you’re into sniping, because as you put points in, you’ll increase damage, headshot damage, and specifically, an increase of Geth weaponry, specifically. Pair up your Geth Infiltrator with a Javelin sniper rifle (and your cloaking), and your bullet will do crazy amounts of damage. If you want a higher percentage in cooldown, go with a different sniper, like the Mantis.
Krogan Battlemaster (Vanguard)
Nothing instills fear quite like a teleporting Krogan, plain and simple. You’ll be the biggest guy on the team, with the most potential, so utilize it. Be smart, and you can take down a Brute with no trouble at all. Your weaponry should persist just of a shotgun – I find the Wraith my go-to shotgun. Obviously, being a Vanguard, go for putting points into Biotic Charge. Also, being Krogan, put literally all the points you can into Rage, which makes your Krogan a true force to be reckoned with.
Barrier is a new, welcomed ability. Put points in this power, and you’ll maximize your defense to a Krogan’s insane offense. However, it comes with a vice – your cooldown time will take a hit. I’ve found that it’s a compromise that works, however, when you use a lighter weapon like the Wraith.
Do not mess with a Krogan Battlemaster mid-charge. It’s hazardous for your health.
Vorcha Sentinel
Here’s what you need to know about the Vorcha Sentinel, first and foremost; while it’s a very attack-heavy class, it’s not built for defense like, say, Krogan. While agile, you are very vulnerable to “bigger” targets like Geth Primes and Reaper Brutes. With that in mind, be sure to max out Cluster Grenades and Flamer abilities. A good weapon like the Mattock Assault Rifle or the Geth Pulse Rifle will work with the Vorcha’s unique talents. Or, if you want to be a close-ranged killer, the Wraith shotgun is your best bet.
Bloodlust is a trait unique to the Vorcha, but don’t go spending all of your points on it, the first three will prove to be sufficient, as kills are what triggers it, similar to the Krogan’s Rage ability.
N7 Demolisher (Engineer)
The first word that comes to mind when you think of the N7 Demolisher should be simple – “grenade”. This class is literally built for grenades over anything else, featuring two different grenades (that share a grenade count). The Demolisher is good with pretty much any weapon, but I find weapons with a lot of ammo to spare work best, like the Phaeston or Geth Plasma SMG. This works well with the Demolisher’s third power, Supply Pylon.
Make sure you keep the Supply Pylon close, however. The Supply Pylon makes it so you can pick up more ammo (and grenades!) from wherever you plant it, which is good when you’re pinned down. And if you’re looking to keep your grenade count up, use equipment like the instant ammo-refill, or the “grenade count +2” gear.
With a good weapon in hand, be sure to use the Demolisher’s signature weapon, the grenade. Both grenade types are useful, but different in combat. The Homing Grenade is like a grenade launcher you’d see in Call of Duty, except it locks on to a certain target, and is great for crowd control. The Arc Grenade (previously used by Male Quarians), is amazing at stunning synthetics of any team, and for clearing a path for your roadie run. Level them both up to the max, and you’ll be the Cerberus’ worst nightmare.
Now that you’ve got a good race to go with, let’s talk weapons.
Don’t disregard the Alliance, they offer some of the most unique characters in the multiplayer.
BEST NEW WEAPONS
Geth Plasma SMG
Hands down, this is my most-used weapon. It’s light weight, large ammo clip, and extremely fast rate of fire, this is the ideal weapon for anyone looking to fill in the second weapon slot. Combine it with an extended clip, and the cooldown accessory, and you have a gun that can do no wrong. It’s a win-win for biotic and tech-heavy people, but for Soldiers, with abilities like Adrenaline Rush, you can make a clip that much more wild.
Harrier Assault Rifle
This Cerberus weapon is literally just a fully-automatic Mattock Assault Rifle, but think about al the power that the Mattack packs, just at a way faster rate, and you’ve got the Harrier in a nutshell. It’s a great weapon for when you need to take down some mid-tier targets like Reaper Ravagers and Cerberus Engineers. Just be careful, the gun is a little on the heavy side, and will raise your cooldown percentage by quite a it, so if you’re an Adept, this may not be the weapon for you.
Prothean Particle Rifle
A personal favorite from the campaign, the Particle Rifle is not your everyday assault rifle, by no means. It doesn’t have a select amount of ammunition, meaning it’ll never go empty. But, it still has a clip size, and if you reach it, it has a very long reload time. However, it’s one of the heavier assault rifles, so be wary if you’re into having tech and biotic powers at your disposal. Use Inferno or Cryo ammo to maximize the gun’s proficiency.
Krysae Sniper Rifle
This is a demolition expert’s best friend. The Krysae is an insane weapon on the surface. A three round sniper that explodes on impact, the Krysae is the perfect companion for the Infiltrators among us. What other weapons can drop Geth Rocket Troopers on Gold in one burst? Again, this is not a light weapon, you’ll probably have to make this your main weapon if you’re going the Infiltrator route.
You’ve got a class and weaponry down, so now we move to the tweaking side of Mass Effect 3.
The “Freemium” way of earning weapons is the same, but you can get so much more bang for your buck.
EQUIPMENT AND GEAR
This is where your unique setup comes into play. Let’s make something clear – gear doesn’t go away after the waves are over, but equipment does. Gear is definitely useful when you need an extra punch to your killer class. Are you a grenade horder? Try getting the grenade gear bonus, which nabs you two extra grenades. Do you like to let loose with your biotic powers? There’s plenty of gear that lets you top off the damage bonus to your powers, which could mean the difference between a living Banshee or a dead one.
In terms of what ammo you should go with, it’s the same strategy we’ve been using since launch. It still matters what your setup is. Are you a Vanguard or Adept? Go with Warp ammo, as it adds damage to the already weakened foes of your Warp or Reave powers. If you’re the more soldiering type, you won’t go wrong with Cryo or Inferno ammo. Among the free DLC, BioWare has added a completely new item for our arsenal – gear. For the Soldiers and Vanguards among us, there are a lot of melee-enhancing gear, along with equipment that will enhance your ammo capacity, or even your accuracy, which is essential for most snipers.
SAME OLD TRICKS
Clearly, a lot has changed since Mass Effect 3 has been in our hands, but there are still some things that hold true, even months later. First off, it’s still just as difficult to beat Gold as it was before, but BioWare opted to crank it up a notch with a new difficulty – Platinum. If Gold makes you shake in your boots, don’t bother showing up to a Platinum match. You’ll need a diverse team at least at level 18 to survive, and I’ve found a nice mix of Adepts and Engineers works the best.
Also, for those of us who want to essentially cheat the system, try the Firebase White trick. There’s a specific bunker in that map where enemies won’t spawn behind you, and you can load the door with Engineer Drones to keep enemies occupied. Try the Geth, because if you have a Quarian Infiltrator on your side, you can take control of any of them for a short amount of time, if things get harry. Is it a cheap, exploitative trick? Yes. But if nothing else, it’ll show you what you’ll be facing if you decide to take on Platinum for real. Be warned, though, other factions are known to seed into the Geth ranks…
You still need credits to make some sort of progression to the game. Since launch, the game has added Premium Spectre Packs, which offers Ultra-Rare items, and costs 99,000 credits. You’ll get crazily rare characters, weapons, and equipment. Also, Jumbo Equipment Packs were added for 33,000 credits, and as the name implies, you get a lot of equipment for the low cost. Comes in handy if you find yourself running low on supplies and don’t want to spend the big bucks.
The biggest baddies are still as hard as ever, but occasionally, some of them will spread into other factions. For example, I’ve seen quite a few Banshees in missions that feature the Geth, which allegedly have to do with whether or not the Mass Effect community succeeds or fails in a challenge weekend. But, on Platinum, it’s different. You can’t farm credits like you could on Gold, because you’ll be seeing some of the best each faction has to offer, no matter the difficulty you’re on. If you can stomach it, and keep moving across the map, you’ll survive.
