Mass Effect Legendary Edition Build Guide: Shock Trooper Vanguard (Mass Effect 1)

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Build Guide: Shock Trooper Vanguard (Mass Effect 1)
In this Mass Effect Legendary Edition Vanguard Build Guide I’m going to cover my Vanguard Build for Mass Effect 1, which is a Vanguard Build designed for close-range encounters. I’ll be sharing the best Talents to prioritize, what it means to choose the Shock Trooper Specialization for your Vanguard, the optimal Weapons, Armor, and Mods to equip, and the Squadmates to take with you on Missions and Assignments. If you’ve been looking for a way to optimally play as a Vanguard then this Guide is for you.

Timestamp
0:00 - Mass Effect Build Intro
0:20 - Shock Trooper Vanguard Build Guide
1:05 - Shock Trooper Vanguard Talents and Abilities
6:24 - Shock Trooper Specialization
7:26 - Squadmates
8:43 - Shock Trooper Vanguard Weapons and Mods
10:06 - Shock Trooper Vanguard Armor and Mods
10:56 - Final Tips

The Vanguard Class specializes in dealing massive damage at point-blank range and sometimes, even killing enemies with just one shot thanks to their expertise in wielding a Shotgun. Meanwhile to inflict mid-range damage, they can opt to use a Pistol, as it provides decent accuracy and damage at this distance.

What makes the Vanguard menacing, in addition to high Weapon Damage, is their Biotic Abilities. They can immobilize enemies by knocking them down and by suspending them up in the air with Throw and Lift. Additionally, the Vanguard’s resilience is commendable because they can equip Medium Armor like the Infiltrator, and they have access to Barrier, which further enhances their Shields.

The Shock Trooper Vanguard Build boosts your survivability even more by raising your HP and Shield Strength while reducing the recharge time of Adrenaline Burst, thereby allowing you to reuse any of your depleted Abilities as soon as possible. Your Barrier’s strength and duration are improved as well.

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[TheSuperhomosapien]

7:26 The hardest part of companion selection for any class is deciding which squadmate you'll bring with Garrus.

[chosangel]

Your lack of investing points in charm or intimidate means you're gimping yourself by your lack of choices sure your character is good at fighting but even on insanity enemies aren't that much of a treat in all the trilogy but sure your build is potent for combat .

[jrod]

Finally!!!! This is the one I've been waiting for. Playthrough currently in progress.

[SwashBuccaneer]

More fun to ignore pistol (beyond the reqs for shotgun) and pump Shock Trooper, Barrier, and Shotgun. You can keep Barrier up full time as it cools down faster than its duration don't even need shield boost or cover, you become walking cover and can blast everything.

Way more interesting and fun to pump Charm or Intimidate too as it opens fun dialog options.

[ANDrew]

Tips for vanguard build:
1) Max all shotgun related stats
2) Get shotgun with highest DPS, forget all other stats
3) Get explosive rounds and highest level rail / barrel extension
4) Never aim again
I swear the physics engine uses gun damage to determine 'weapon force' and with the previous steps you dont even need to hit close to people to send them flying. You will overheat quickly but the carnage power resets your heat and you can use adrenaline burst to reset that quickly as well so what you'll have (and I swear I am not joking here) is a +1000 DPS shotgun build before you even get to Noveria, and you'll be able sustain a rate of fire long enough to kill thresher maws on foot on insanity difficulty. I HIGHLY recommend you try this if only to turn every indoor battlespace into a trampoline blender of fire and death.

[Trehek]

I played the vanguard a lot, and to me the Predator M is the ideal mid-game armor, since the high shields combo with the ability to recharge it with your skills, with the ability to add another layer with Barrier, and being able to refresh your cooldowns to do this twice. However, in the endgame once you've unlocked Shock Trooper and levelled up the class talent as well as the Tactical Armor talent, the Colossus Medium armor becomes superior. Add health regeneration mods to it, and combined with your incredible damage reduction from from the armor and your spec, you become nigh invulnerable.

[DOCBurkio]

I'm playing on legendary with insanity difficulty as a van guard and I'm literally a walking killing machine. Don't even need cover. Super fun.

[nejiefelipe]

thanks for the guide!! im looking forward to a sentinel video next...

[mattbrown]

Vanguard is my favorite, but I tend to overuse biotic charge in ME2 on Insanity and get myself killed lol

[Henbot]

Great video, if I watched this when I was just starting would have saved me from a lot of deaths 😂😂. It is fun to play this edition, I played ME 1 for a few hours but then never went back to it. Fresh experience majority of the time with some stuff I knew from others. Really great game

[Nspectre]

Note: the Spectre Master X gear is unlocked after the Virmire mission, in the Legendary Edition.

[dimKiriyenko]

Thanks! Please, do Sentinel build, i feel this is the most logical choice for my second playthrough, given the first one is the soldier, inspired by your guide. Please!

[gamerstar]

For the shotgun mod, I think alot of ppl over look weapon force. It's very strong and will knock down most enemies at a very high rate with higher lvl force mods. It's like having an unlimited throw.

With armor mods I'd go with medical interface and kinetic stabilizer for health regen and cool down reduction. If you know you going up against biotics, you can in use a mod that increases hardening.

I also will max out barrier and shock trooper, you're basically invincible because the recharge time allows you to always have it up and it's over 1000 sheilds.

[benjaminwoodham]

Biotic Charge in Mass Effect 3 is just straight up broken when paired with Nova.

(Biotic Charge + Nova)repeat = kills everything in literal seconds.

[Cipher_X_x]

I did an adept speed run so I could unlock singularity as a bonus talent, vanguard with singularity is great for team flexibility, I like to run with either Garrus and Tali or swap o e of them out either Wrex...Liara certainly always a goood option, can never have too much singularity

[rocketscientist]

Hell yeah. I just run incendiary rounds on everything and it annihilates lol.

[ezimm]

I saw your solider build and this build what you think is good to play on insanity?

[MisterTwoScoops]

I'd argue that this build is actually the most accurate given the role played in the games. As shock troopers are of course often the spearhead of any military assault, they would be the first into the fray just like I imagine you are in this (as most rpgs have you leading major attacks).

So both from an in game and actual historical perspective this build makes perfect sense, I can't speak much as to the balancing of gear but the concept at least is sound and by all appearancea execution is well done. My only gripe is that you'd have to make your whole party shock troops for it to be of any real tactical benefit.

Then again this is a game that follows a pre-determime script, so do whatever you want.

[georgre]

Can you please make an adept guide video? I tried vanguard helping me with this video and I’m having a blast! Thanks!!

[jimbeaux]

Kotor is probably my all time favorite game. I also really enjoyed Jade Empire. I never got a 360 because that’s about the time I left for the navy, but I’ve always wanted to play mass effect. When I saw the legendary edition on game pass, i immediately started the download. Needless to say, I am THOROUGHLY enjoying this trilogy on my series X.