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Mass Effect 3 Build: Deadshot Soldier

Tags: #character build  #Mass Effect 3  #Mass Effect Build  #Vazgen ME Build  #Deadshot Soldier  #Soldier  #Mantis  #Sniper 
  • Member
    April 27, 2016

    Deadshot Soldier

    Precise, relentless and fast - these words perfectly describe this character. Capable of dishing large amount of damage in mere seconds with her sniper rifle, deceiving enemies with false targets and supporting her team - the Deadshot Soldier does it all!

    Gameplay

    Deadshot Soldiers are classic snipers with a unique twist in form of reload canceling with Adrenaline Rush and distractions (Decoy). Targets usually die from one shot, if they don't - Incendiary Ammo primes them for fire explosion, detonated by a squadmate. Decoy allows for more freedom in the battlefield and helps to divert some of the enemy fire away from Shepard.

    Squadmates work greatly with Deadshot Soldier due to the Squad Bonus evolution with Incendiary Ammo which allows them to set up and detonate fire explosions with ease. Enemies never stand a chance.

    The Build

    Adrenaline Rush: Ranks 1-2

    The leveling is unusual, especially since it forgoes weapon damage bonus at rank 4 but it has a unique synergy with the playstyle. Adrenaline Rush is used to fire Mantis for a second time in quick succession and extra duration at rank 3 interferes with that, lowering DPS. 

    Incendiary Ammo: Squad Bonus, Headshots, Explosive Burst

    Squad Incendiary Ammo allows squadmates to set up fire explosions and gives much needed damage boost to their not as powerful weapons (more on that later). It also allows the Deadshot Soldier to prime targets herself. One shot from Mantis is enough to prime a target. Needless to say, this skill, along with the previous one, is at the core of the playstyle.

    Combat Mastery: Damage, Headshots, Weapon Master

    The main focus here is to increase weapon damage. Low weight of Mantis allows to have a reasonably high cooldown bonus and extra damage is always helpful against bosses - common enemies are decimated with that rifle.

    Fitness: Durability, Shield Recharge, Durability

    This build involves a lot of relocations, mostly due to the Mantis being a single shot rifle. Focus on survivability in this skill tree allows for safer movement across the battlefield.

    Decoy: Durability, Shock, Shields & Duration

    Another option to allow more freedom on the battlefield. Decoy does a good job on diverting enemy fire from Shepard and is especially effective on Phantoms, distracting them enough for a perfect headshot.

    Squadmates

    Garrus

    Concussive Shot: Force & Damage, Recharge Speed, Shredder
    Overload: Damage, Recharge Speed, Shield Damage
    Turian Rebel: Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Sniper Rifle

    Garrus provides fire detonations, sniper fire and helps to deal with shielded bosses, like Atlases. Concussive Shot is used to detonate fire explosions and prime them (with rank 6 ammo power evolution). Overload is used in conjunction with Liara's Warp to provide tech bursts, stripping shields from boss enemies. Class power is evolved for maximum sniper rifle and power damage.

    Liara

    Singularity: Duration, Recharge Speed, Detonate

    Warp: Detonate, Expose, Pierce
    Pure Biotic: Recharge Speed, Duration & Force, Singularity Recharge

    Liara is picked for her fast power recharge rate and crowd control abilities. Singularity can lift/stun enemies for easy headshots. Warp can be used to detonate both fire explosions from Mantis shots, tech bursts from Garrus's Overload or biotic explosions from Liara's own Singularity. Class power is evolved for fastest power recharge and highest power damage - all boosting Warp.

    Equipment

    Mantis was chosen for its low weight, high damage (and simply awesome looks). Low weight allows for 184% cooldown bonus in the end game while providing damage that can take down enemy shields or kill a regular enemy in one shot. Low rate of fire allows to reliably prime targets for fire explosions with every shot.

    Mods: Piercing Mod, Extended Barrel

    Piercing mod allows to pierce Guardian shields, cover and Cannibal plating, not to waste precious ammo. Extended Barrel gives more damage and helps with bosses.

    Armor

    Helmet: Kestrel Helmet 
    Chest: Hahne Kedar
    Shoulders: Hahne Kedar
    Arms: Hahne-Kedar
    Legs: Hahne-Kedar

    Together this armor set increases weapon damage by 40% and ammo capacity by 10%. Large weapon damage allows to take down enemy shields in one shot and extra ammo capacity helps to circumvent the inherent low number of thermal clips for Mantis. Despite seemingly low number, the abundance of dropped/placed thermal clips in Mass Effect solves the issue of searching for ammo. Higher weapon damage also helps with boss fights.

    Closing Remarks

    Decoy is perfect for trolling Kai Leng and Phantoms. Shoot them in the head while they are busy slashing fake targets 

    Thanks to Borom for the name suggestion!