MASS EFFECT 2: SENTINEL, INFILTRATOR, AND VANGUARD

MASS EFFECT 2: SENTINEL, INFILTRATOR, AND VANGUARD SENTINEL Pros: Overload for shields, Warp for armor and barriers, and Tech Armor for survival. Tech Armor restores your shields when activated and releases a damaging pulse when broken. It is a very forgiving foundation for dealing with different enemy types. Cons: Your normal guns are still pistols and SMGs, plus the heavy weapon. Reapplying Tech Armor competes with your offensive powers through the shared cooldown. Also, Warp and Throw do not let this ME2 kit produce its own standard Warp explosions: you need a squadmate to provide the lift setup. Choose Sentinel if you want a durable, adaptable Shepard with relatively few gaps in defense-stripping. It is a major change from the ME1 support version. INFILTRATOR Pros: Tactical Cloak lets you reposition and adds damage to an opening attack. Sniper aiming gets a brief time-slowing effect, making precise shots easier. Disruptor Ammo and Incinerate give you tools for shields and armor, and SMGs or pistols cover the situations where a sniper rifle is awkward. Cons: Missed shots are expensive with low-capacity rifles. Cloaking does not make you immune to damage already coming your way, so you still need a safe position when it ends. Barriers are not the specialty of your native powers, and the class has less broad crowd control than an Adept. Choose Infiltrator if you like picking an important target, setting up a strong shot, and moving before the fight closes around you. You do not have to spend every second looking through a scope. VANGUARD Pros: This is where Biotic Charge arrives. It closes distance, hits the target, and restores shields, setting up a close-range attack. Shotguns and Incendiary Ammo fit that approach well. Pull and Shockwave can help against exposed enemies. Cons: A bad charge can leave you surrounded, far from cover, and waiting for your next power. Target selection and the geometry of the encounter matter. Pull and Shockwave do not replace proper defense-stripping, and you do not have Nova yet. Choose Vanguard if you want aggressive close-range combat and are willing to learn when charging is safe. It can be extremely effective, but picking the wrong target is punished much harder than simply choosing the wrong gun.