Mass Effect 1 Class

[Del Murder]

I ended up going with vanguard and it was fun, though I didn't see much differentiation among the classes in that game.

[Mr. Carnelian]

I ended up going with vanguard and it was fun, though I didn't see much differentiation among the classes in that game.

The differentiation increases a fair bit in 2 and 3.

[Formalhaut]

I ended up going with vanguard and it was fun, though I didn't see much differentiation among the classes in that game.

The differentiation increases a fair bit in 2 and 3.

As I said, in ME1, the Vanguard is basically an Adept who is beefier and wields a shotgun. Most classes don't play terribly different in the first game. Probably the main distinction is the distance in which you approach. The Vanguard is all up in the enemy's face, while the Adept hangs back some more. Beyond that, a few equipment distances. That's it.

The Vanguard is markedly different in ME2 and ME3, which prompted me to not pursue it further. As I said previously, it necessitates riskier, 'hit and run' style gameplay with the use of the power Biotic Charge. You charge towards a target, phasing through any obstacles, placing yourself in point blank range, where you can use your shotgun to maximise damage. It is very powerful, as you gain a strength boost after your charge. It is also somewhat defensive, as your shields also recharge after a charge, and gain a 4 second boost to your shields. Of course, what is risky is that despite these defensive supplements, you're then left stranded in enemy territory. You can't use biotic charge without an enemy target either, so you cannot Biotic Charge back to safety. Part of the challenge is analysing the benefit of charging at enemies, making sure you don't get surrounded.

The main issue with Vanguards is their limited options for ranged combat. They do have Pull, which helps somewhat, and they do have access to heavy pistols and SMGs. However, they are much less comfortable in ranged combat than other classes. You also have to consider squadmates much more, as they do not have long-range capability, and do not possess protection stripping powers such as overload or warp.

The only difference in ME3 is they now have Nova, a close-range shockwave attack which uses up all your biotic barrier to create a devastating AoE attack. Naturally, this makes the Vanguard even more risky.

[Pumpkin]

I got the first one but I haven't tried it yet and it will probably be a long time because the Xbox is going bye bye soon

[Ayen]

This thread reminds me I need to replay the game as another class. I only ever played as a soldier since I prefer physical damage and the likes. Though I did play as one of the biotic classes just to see how much dialog changes.

[theundeadhero]

Infiltrater so you can rack up the mass damage and still pick locks all by yourself.