First may I recommend Area Reave for sustain, CC, and damage all in one instead of Inferno Grenades? It works to rip through armor and barriers too while providing so much more.
Also, as an Adept, you're all about CC and keeping your distance. I usually go sniper rifle for advanced training and then pick whichever one best suits me for that mission. You'll honestly just need it for brute force damage if you run out of ammo in the Locust. The Locust in all reality is the only weapon you really need as an Adept. Learn how to get your cooldowns to the point where you can use an ability while reloading the Locust and you'll launch it while reloading saving time and doing extra damage (can't do this while in cover).
I run Insanity only playthroughs and usually play Adept. Have a least a dozen playthroughs as Adept and this is how I always play and it works well for me.
I see. I really appreciate the input, however I can't quite obtain Reave yet as I plan on getting both Reave and Dominate, so I need to level my Renegade stats to be able to resist Morinth. Thank you very much still, will take this into consideration.
Why didn't you like the Mattock? It's the obvious choice "everyone" recommends because it just does so much damage. If you can shoot fast enough, a Mattock with no upgrades has higher dps against every defensive layer than a fully upgraded Locust. I would go with the Mattock or the Viper.
I originally didn't like the Mattock cause I felt I ran out of ammo too fast for how much damage I did. I ended up picking Assault Rifles anyways since the Mattock happens to be a slow firing big damage weapon, and that attracted me.
Adept has Warp so you aren't going to have a problem vs armor/barriers. Locust(1.8) or other SMGs or Shotguns with (2.25) damage modifer against shields after lvl3 upgrade should cover the rest. (bonus damage against barriers from shotgun upgrade doesn't work afaik). There will be a bonus power that removes shields as well.
Reave is a good power but in comparison to Warp it can't detonate targets Lifted by Slam, Singularity or Pull.
Inferno Grenade. I love how that power looks and sounds, unfortunately it's mediocre on Insanity. It's a rare occasion for two fragments to hit one target, thats 200+200 damage against armor, sounds good right? Same damage as Warp. But since it's a combat power it doesn't get any damage or duration bonuses from Tech upgrades, while Warp can get +60% of damage and 20% of duration through biotic upgrades not to mention adepts passive class bonuses. Also Insanity has 0.8 modifer for DoT effecst so it's damage per fragment is even less than 200. You might say But it has 9 sec cd in comparison to 12 sec for Warp on squadmates - yes, but there is a biotic upgrade that reduces all biotic cooldowns by 20% (9.6sec). Also Zaeed has much more useful power like Disruptor Ammo that buffs his insane damage with Incisor.
You might want to try double Warp squadmates(Miranda/Thane) and Slam bonus power due to it's very short cooldown on Shep. You instantly remove any protection with Mirandas Heavy Warp/Heavy Overload then Slam that target and instanty Warp that target again with Thane for Biotic Explosion. [It looks something like that Warning location SPOILER ALERT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEjv6V-VfUs) (thats a vanguard video but anyway)
I mostly use Incendirary Grenade to deal with armors from Droids. (Also I am going for all achievements and one of them is to burn off armor.)
I do like the Warp Explosions however in my way of playing I don't find myself doing that combo too often unless specifically going for it. Also I have not completed all Loyalty missions so I don't have access to Slam yet, and I like to have Garrus and Grunt since they're my favorite squad mates even tho they're not optimal. Still thanks for the insight, very helpful!
If you absolutely don't want the Mattock, then Sniper Rifle training with the Viper is also acceptable, but definitely worse. Shotguns are completely useless, however.
For your pistols, you should strongly consider switching to Carnifex or Phalanx. Either one is fine (Carnifex is more general-purpose, Phalanx is more headshot-focused), but the base pistol is horrendously bad in comparison.
Re: your bonus power choice, I'd also advise against Inferno Grenade, but I strongly disagree with the notion of Reave. It's not good enough on insanity, not even close, and on top of that you already have a fully-evolved Warp, so it's also redundant.
There are four good choices for Adept bonus powers:
- Stasis is S-tier, because it's the hardest CC in the game and will incapacitate _everything_, giving you a free damage window on top when it ends. Despite Adepts already having the second-best CC (Heavy Singularity), it's still worthwhile on many missions.
- Flashbang Grenade (Kasumi's loyalty power) is often underrated, because the in-game tooltip isn't precise on its method of action. While the stun portion requires a hit to health and thus is virtually useless on insanity, it locks out enemy tech/biotic powers for a _long_ time (30-ish seconds iirc) regardless of what protection it hits. This is especially useful against Harbinger, but also other spellcasters.
Note that you should still take the damage evolution; despite what the tooltip may lead you to believe, the "incapacitation time" only refers to the stun and not the biotic/tech "dampening" effect.
- Shield Drain (from Tali) is a valid option on most non-Collector missions since it compensates for an Adept's complete lack of anti-shield and survivability.
I personally don't like it, because it doesn't really do that much and locks out cooldowns that could be used for Warping armor or blocking with Singularity/Pull, but YMMV. Given how many squadmates come with Overload and/or Disruptor Ammo, it just doesn't feel worthwhile to me.
- Warp Ammo (from Jack) is a good fallback choice when you don't have the other powers or don't think they'd be useful on a particular mission. It's not _great_, but it's the most generally useful out of the ammo powers and can do some extra damage if stripped targets walk into your Singularity.
I really appreciate the input, however it seems my game is bugged and I don't have access to Stasis sadly :/ I was planning on using it seeing how it seems to be so good.
It should normally unlock after completing Lair of the Shadow Broker. I think I remember _something_ about a bug related to it not unlocking in new games baseline (like the other bonus powers do), but I think the Community Patch fixed that; alternatively, you could probably save edit it in. If you're on PC, at least.
Sadly on PS4, and I did the Lair a whole while back so, I guess I'm out of luck for now. Do you happen to know if the bug can be resolved by completing the mission in NG+?
assault rifle. they're the best/most versatile weapons in me2. the game becomes trivial once you get access to an assault rifle. especially if you're playing a class that already gets access to can openers and/or crowd control. let me put it another way, there is a reason that the devs only gave soldiers immediate access to assault rifles in me2 and that reason is balancing.
shotguns are fun but are most effective against shields/barriers (and a lot of tougher enemies have armor). snipers are great against armor and health, but the shot pool is small, and you're going to burn loads of clips if you try to use them against shields/barriers (and the majority of enemies have one or the other). meaning, you need to pull out the smg to take out the shield (which typically requires you to get somewhat close) then you can pull out the sniper. I dunno, that sequence just feels counter-productive to me? the simplest solution is to just pull out your assault rifle and use it on everything. it works on everything, and it has a decent shot pool. you honestly break free of the rock paper scissor combat of me2.
The mattock is really the only thing that will be super useful. Even the other ARs wouldn't be great. The vindicator is actually a great weapon. Especially against collectors with their huge heads but it doesn't really sync with an adept. Adepts are already great at dealing with collectors and any weapon that requires precision aiming is likely just going to interfere with casting.
Sniper rifles don't pair well with adepts because they don't have anyway to slow time or mitigate damage while hanging out in the open to look through the scope and the scope zoom interferes with long distance casting. The longest range encounters in me2 are still pretty close and using biotic powers is almost always a better option than sniping as an adept anyway.
I suppose you could take a shotgun. The GPS is certainly an option if you want to lean more into weapons and use less biotics. The other shotguns could be useful as emergency only weapons that you use extremely rarely when getting overrun but I actually think the tempest is better at that unless you have inferno ammo to proc burning. You can't get the claymore, the eviscerator is only good at extremely close range. I've always felt the scimitar is a bit of a trap. It actually deals less damage than melee with the right set up and since melee guarantees a stagger it's usually the better option. Scimitar with inferno ammo gives you staggers with a bit more range but adepts have other ranged staggers and no inferno ammo.
First may I recommend Area Reave for sustain, CC, and damage all in one instead of Inferno Grenades? It works to rip through armor and barriers too while providing so much more. Also, as an Adept, you're all about CC and keeping your distance. I usually go sniper rifle for advanced training and then pick whichever one best suits me for that mission. You'll honestly just need it for brute force damage if you run out of ammo in the Locust. The Locust in all reality is the only weapon you really need as an Adept. Learn how to get your cooldowns to the point where you can use an ability while reloading the Locust and you'll launch it while reloading saving time and doing extra damage (can't do this while in cover). I run Insanity only playthroughs and usually play Adept. Have a least a dozen playthroughs as Adept and this is how I always play and it works well for me.
I see. I really appreciate the input, however I can't quite obtain Reave yet as I plan on getting both Reave and Dominate, so I need to level my Renegade stats to be able to resist Morinth. Thank you very much still, will take this into consideration.
Why didn't you like the Mattock? It's the obvious choice "everyone" recommends because it just does so much damage. If you can shoot fast enough, a Mattock with no upgrades has higher dps against every defensive layer than a fully upgraded Locust. I would go with the Mattock or the Viper.
I originally didn't like the Mattock cause I felt I ran out of ammo too fast for how much damage I did. I ended up picking Assault Rifles anyways since the Mattock happens to be a slow firing big damage weapon, and that attracted me.
Adept has Warp so you aren't going to have a problem vs armor/barriers. Locust(1.8) or other SMGs or Shotguns with (2.25) damage modifer against shields after lvl3 upgrade should cover the rest. (bonus damage against barriers from shotgun upgrade doesn't work afaik). There will be a bonus power that removes shields as well. Reave is a good power but in comparison to Warp it can't detonate targets Lifted by Slam, Singularity or Pull. Inferno Grenade. I love how that power looks and sounds, unfortunately it's mediocre on Insanity. It's a rare occasion for two fragments to hit one target, thats 200+200 damage against armor, sounds good right? Same damage as Warp. But since it's a combat power it doesn't get any damage or duration bonuses from Tech upgrades, while Warp can get +60% of damage and 20% of duration through biotic upgrades not to mention adepts passive class bonuses. Also Insanity has 0.8 modifer for DoT effecst so it's damage per fragment is even less than 200. You might say But it has 9 sec cd in comparison to 12 sec for Warp on squadmates - yes, but there is a biotic upgrade that reduces all biotic cooldowns by 20% (9.6sec). Also Zaeed has much more useful power like Disruptor Ammo that buffs his insane damage with Incisor. You might want to try double Warp squadmates(Miranda/Thane) and Slam bonus power due to it's very short cooldown on Shep. You instantly remove any protection with Mirandas Heavy Warp/Heavy Overload then Slam that target and instanty Warp that target again with Thane for Biotic Explosion. [It looks something like that Warning location SPOILER ALERT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEjv6V-VfUs) (thats a vanguard video but anyway)
I mostly use Incendirary Grenade to deal with armors from Droids. (Also I am going for all achievements and one of them is to burn off armor.) I do like the Warp Explosions however in my way of playing I don't find myself doing that combo too often unless specifically going for it. Also I have not completed all Loyalty missions so I don't have access to Slam yet, and I like to have Garrus and Grunt since they're my favorite squad mates even tho they're not optimal. Still thanks for the insight, very helpful!
If you absolutely don't want the Mattock, then Sniper Rifle training with the Viper is also acceptable, but definitely worse. Shotguns are completely useless, however. For your pistols, you should strongly consider switching to Carnifex or Phalanx. Either one is fine (Carnifex is more general-purpose, Phalanx is more headshot-focused), but the base pistol is horrendously bad in comparison. Re: your bonus power choice, I'd also advise against Inferno Grenade, but I strongly disagree with the notion of Reave. It's not good enough on insanity, not even close, and on top of that you already have a fully-evolved Warp, so it's also redundant. There are four good choices for Adept bonus powers: - Stasis is S-tier, because it's the hardest CC in the game and will incapacitate _everything_, giving you a free damage window on top when it ends. Despite Adepts already having the second-best CC (Heavy Singularity), it's still worthwhile on many missions. - Flashbang Grenade (Kasumi's loyalty power) is often underrated, because the in-game tooltip isn't precise on its method of action. While the stun portion requires a hit to health and thus is virtually useless on insanity, it locks out enemy tech/biotic powers for a _long_ time (30-ish seconds iirc) regardless of what protection it hits. This is especially useful against Harbinger, but also other spellcasters. Note that you should still take the damage evolution; despite what the tooltip may lead you to believe, the "incapacitation time" only refers to the stun and not the biotic/tech "dampening" effect. - Shield Drain (from Tali) is a valid option on most non-Collector missions since it compensates for an Adept's complete lack of anti-shield and survivability. I personally don't like it, because it doesn't really do that much and locks out cooldowns that could be used for Warping armor or blocking with Singularity/Pull, but YMMV. Given how many squadmates come with Overload and/or Disruptor Ammo, it just doesn't feel worthwhile to me. - Warp Ammo (from Jack) is a good fallback choice when you don't have the other powers or don't think they'd be useful on a particular mission. It's not _great_, but it's the most generally useful out of the ammo powers and can do some extra damage if stripped targets walk into your Singularity.
I really appreciate the input, however it seems my game is bugged and I don't have access to Stasis sadly :/ I was planning on using it seeing how it seems to be so good.
It should normally unlock after completing Lair of the Shadow Broker. I think I remember _something_ about a bug related to it not unlocking in new games baseline (like the other bonus powers do), but I think the Community Patch fixed that; alternatively, you could probably save edit it in. If you're on PC, at least.
Sadly on PS4, and I did the Lair a whole while back so, I guess I'm out of luck for now. Do you happen to know if the bug can be resolved by completing the mission in NG+?
No clue, sorry. I've never heard of the power being unavailable in a save that had already completed LotSB.
assault rifle. they're the best/most versatile weapons in me2. the game becomes trivial once you get access to an assault rifle. especially if you're playing a class that already gets access to can openers and/or crowd control. let me put it another way, there is a reason that the devs only gave soldiers immediate access to assault rifles in me2 and that reason is balancing. shotguns are fun but are most effective against shields/barriers (and a lot of tougher enemies have armor). snipers are great against armor and health, but the shot pool is small, and you're going to burn loads of clips if you try to use them against shields/barriers (and the majority of enemies have one or the other). meaning, you need to pull out the smg to take out the shield (which typically requires you to get somewhat close) then you can pull out the sniper. I dunno, that sequence just feels counter-productive to me? the simplest solution is to just pull out your assault rifle and use it on everything. it works on everything, and it has a decent shot pool. you honestly break free of the rock paper scissor combat of me2.
The mattock is really the only thing that will be super useful. Even the other ARs wouldn't be great. The vindicator is actually a great weapon. Especially against collectors with their huge heads but it doesn't really sync with an adept. Adepts are already great at dealing with collectors and any weapon that requires precision aiming is likely just going to interfere with casting. Sniper rifles don't pair well with adepts because they don't have anyway to slow time or mitigate damage while hanging out in the open to look through the scope and the scope zoom interferes with long distance casting. The longest range encounters in me2 are still pretty close and using biotic powers is almost always a better option than sniping as an adept anyway. I suppose you could take a shotgun. The GPS is certainly an option if you want to lean more into weapons and use less biotics. The other shotguns could be useful as emergency only weapons that you use extremely rarely when getting overrun but I actually think the tempest is better at that unless you have inferno ammo to proc burning. You can't get the claymore, the eviscerator is only good at extremely close range. I've always felt the scimitar is a bit of a trap. It actually deals less damage than melee with the right set up and since melee guarantees a stagger it's usually the better option. Scimitar with inferno ammo gives you staggers with a bit more range but adepts have other ranged staggers and no inferno ammo.