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Sharing is good and all, but in the case of Incendiary Ammo, the Inferno Ammo evolution really begs for you to be selfish, as it’ll boost the damage output of the ammo to +60% and give it an area-of-effect burst up to 3 meters.
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As for evolutions, Incendiary Ammo can be upgraded to Squad Incendiary Ammo, which will give everybody in your squad the benefits of this power. Since the Vanguard is otherwise lacking in ways to strip armor (aside from the woefully inadequate pistol), it’s a welcome addition to their arsenal. When active, it’ll increase the damage dealt to armor, prevent regeneration and induce panic in unarmored organic foes. The Vanguard only has two ammo powers, and fortunately, Incendiary Ammo is one of the better ammo powers in the game.
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Inferno Ammo can melt through enemy armor and panic groups of unarmored foes. Not quite as good as the Soldier’s Adrenaline Rush, it’ll still suffice for finishing off most foes. Since charging into situations where you can hit more than one enemy is usually a bad idea anyways, we highly recommend Heavy Charge, which, to sweeten the deal further, will also net you some time dilation when you finish your Charge. (right)īecause of the inherent risks of charging, the evolution of Charge at rank 4 is a fairly simple one: Area Charge will give Charge an impact radius of 3 meters, while Heavy Charge will increase impact force up to 1,000 newtons and cause charging to recover 100% of your maximum shields (as opposed to Area Charge’s 750 newtons and 75% shields). (left), Should your shields be lowered by a Scion, charging to replenish them then laying into the ponderous monstrosity with gunfire can be quite satisfying… just don’t remain too close after the Charge. While Charge is best used against enemies unprotected by armor, shields or barriers, against some foes you can use it to engage in a biotic slugfest. You’ll have to balance keeping your shields up via Charge with mitigating risk by charging when and where enemies are unlikely to be able to respond a single enemy near cover, rather than a group of foes standing out in the open. With its relatively short recharge time (6 seconds), Charge can be used repeatedly to buffet enemies and keep your health bar from being subject to abuse, although it should be noted that the temporary shields last only 4 seconds, and that’s plenty of time for enemies to bring Shepard down with sustained fire - especially on higher difficulties. Underwhelming at first, as you expend Squad Points in Charge it’ll gain a number of useful properties, most notably temporarily recovering your shields. It’s worth noting, however, that enemies with armor, shields or barriers will be highly resistant to the effects of Charge - such defenses should be stripped beforehand, lest you find yourself standing uncomfortably close to an enemy who ended up only slightly staggered from your exertion. This is provided that the enemy survives the Charge in the first place Husks will be destroyed instantly by Charge, and other enemies may be knocked off ledges or into other objects. Properly deployed, Charge will hurl the Vanguard at an enemy, knocking them back and giving you an opportunity to finish them off with conventional small arms. This is due in no small part to Mass Effect 2’s fickle targeting system (the words “Can’t reach the target!” will likely presage a few reloads), but even at the best of times the player must demonstrate a degree of situational awareness not required from other classes.
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More accurately they’re a high risk, moderate reward combatant whose Charge power is just as likely to get them into trouble as it is to preserve them. In game, the Vanguard is referred to as a “high risk, high reward” combatant, which, to be fair, is viewing things through rose-tinted glasses, at best. As such, any discussion of a Vanguard build should start out with Charge - it’s in large part the thing that separates the Vanguard from an Adept with a shotgun. (right) Charge ¶Ĭharge is the Vanguard’s unique, playstyle defining class power, providing them a source of offense, but perhaps more importantly, of defense and mobility, as well. (left), By restoring the Vanguard’s shields and propelling an enemy helplessly away, Charge can shift the tide of battle if your favor. When a Vanguard’s shields are down, a retaliatory Charge becomes an appealing defensive counterstrike.