r/MECoOp•13 yr. ago

Batarian Charger Warlord (Batarian Brawler build)

It has been a month since the Fall of the Motherland.

As I fled the home of my people and the resting place of our ancestors, I watched the Leviathans burn and slaughter my people. A monster within me screamed and pleaded me to release him. To stay. To fight. To crush the eyes of the behemoths.

But I pushed the monster aside. That day was not the day.

Yesterday, gathered around the Pillars of Strength, my fellow warriors and I prayed to our ancestors for perception, agility, and strength, and death to the all enemies we may face. The monster, roused by the religious chants, demanded to be set free.

I ignored it once more. Yesterday was not the day.

Time for reminiscence was up; the Alliance shuttle had arrived at Firebase Reactor. The squad of Asari, Human, Krogan and I exited the shuttle. Roused by the familiar scent of burning flesh, the monster roared. The Anger demanded death. Annihilation. Vengeance.

This time, it will not be ignored.

I will strike them. Cut them. Burn them. I will break their bones, tear out their tendons, and crush their eyes in retribution for their sins at Khar'shan.

My name is Moknal Raga, the High Warlord of Batarian Hegemony.

And today is the day.

UPDATE 1 (11/6/2012): Squad specific tips and Cerberus Guide has been added! "How to play" has been expanded.

UPDATE 2 (12/9/2012): Cerberus Guide refined. Changes to weapon choices.

Remember the Krogan Murdertrain? This is his more agile cousin. With high shields, Blade Armor, and Biotic Charge, Batarian Charger Warlord is very difficult to kill. He is very powerful in silver (my first solo!) and is gold-viable (platinum untested). He is especially effective against the Reapers.

So why should you choose the Charger Warlord over the Murdertrain?

He's more agile (melees, runs, and charges faster).
His heavy melee gives you a huge damage resistance.
The heavy melee renders Abominations (both possessed and non-possessed) useless. The melee crush their heads, which prevent them from detonating.
Blade Armor not only gives you damage resistance, but also reflects the melee damage back to the attacker (+stagger!). This is especially effective against Marauders and Brutes.
Falcon punch. 'nuff said.

Here is the build in case you missed it.

Power and explanations:

Biotic Charge: Bread and butter of all vanguards, this power is essential for this build. Since you'll be skipping the Shield Recharge of Fitness and Recharge Speed of Blade Armor, this will be your main method of regaining your shield. Radius is for staggering/flinging multiple targets at once. Weapon Synergy is my personal choice, but not a necessity. Barrier is an obvious choice.
Blade Armor: This power, in conjunction with Fitness and gear, will turn this guy into a tank. Melee Damage will be explained later. Damage Returned is for those pesky Brutes and Husks (Recharge Speed is pretty unnecessary, as your charge will be your main method of shield recharge). Power Recharge is unnecessary with our (relatively) low-weight weapons, while Durability will make this guy even a better tank.
Lash: Not worth it unless you max it with Shield Penetration, and we don't got points for that!
Batarian Enforcer: The Damage & Capacity and Power Damage will push our charge to over 1000N, while keeping the cooldown low. Sniper & Shotguns will help out with the cooldowns.
Fitness: Martial Artist, combined with Melee Damage from Blade Armor and Blade Attachment, will kill a Marauder (and every other mook) in a single Charge + Heavy Melee combo. Durability and Fitness Expert will keep you alive.

Weapons:

Graal Spike Thrower X: As you may have noticed right now, I love roleplaying in Multiplayer. As such, this gun is very fitting; it's brutal, unconventional, but effective, exactly what a Batarian soldier would love. I would have used Kishock if sniper rifles had a melee attachment, as it is an authentic Batarian weapon and was very effective in my test runs both in-scope and off-scope. Anyways, back to the Graal. This shotgun is light, accurate, and deadly. The built-in armor penetration means that shredder is useless. High Caliber Barrel V will boost the power even more, while Blade Attachment V will increase the melee damage for the Marauders and Brutes. You're going to use this gun for everything and against everything. This guy is ridiculously accurate so try to aim for their humongous heads (but if you don't, it's not a big deal). This gun is very finicky when you're not hosting so if you're not hosting, use at your own risk!
Acolyte I: This pistol is what this Batarian needs to strip down the barriers of those Banshees and Phantoms. Ultralight Materials to keep that cooldown low, and a Melee Stunner for the Melee Boost.
Wraith: This is a replacement shotgun for Graal if you are not hosting. Still a decent weight, and packs a lot of power, but lacks the accuracy and AP of Graal. Give it a Smart Choke V and Blade Attachment V for better accuracy + melee damage.

Gear: Use a shield focused gear. Juggernaut Shield, Shield Booster, Stronghold Package, Survivor Loadout, whatever that gives you the highest shield. I would use Juggernaut since it has both melee and shield boost.

Equipment: Believe it or not, I have not used this guy with equipments, even in Gold. (Readers: GASP! YOU BASTARD!) I still managed to top-score and contributed quite a bit to the team (more often than not, I became a sole-survivor of a wave and would have to kill the enemies myself). If I had to use them, I would use Shotgun Amp, Cyclonic Modulator, and Incendiary Ammo. AP/Drill Ammo is basically useless on Graal. Cryo Round's speed reduction is nice but not game changing. Freeze doesn't help since mooks generally die in few shots anyways. Same with Disruptor Rounds with stun. Warp Ammo's extra damage is great and +biotic damage is nice too. However, Incendiary Ammo's damage, DoT, and chance for fire explosion with charge is much superior in comparison to Warp Ammo.

How to play: You channel the anger of the Batarian Warlord. It is powerful and overwhelming, but patient and precise. Pick your fights wisely, but when you strike, strike with force and ferocity. Don't be afraid to charge and retreat. You can enter and exit fights more easily than the Murdertrain, but still feel like a tank unlike an Asari.

Utilize your flexibility. You can tank for your squad, but you can also flank your enemies very effectively.

Stay on the move. You should only enter a cover when you are retreating after an attack or dodging the Banshee Warp. Your frontline should constantly change as you flank and bait enemies.

Some of the tips below might seem obvious, but I don't want people to jump into a crowd of Banshees and Ravagers and complain that this build doesn't work.

Reaper Guide

This guy is made to kill the Reapers. Your only real problem are Banshees, which should be avoided unless you are supported by your teammates. You can take care of anyone else by yourself.

You can tank better than a Murdertrain in Reaper games. Before you crucify me, let me explain! Many of the Reaper enemies rely on melee, which makes your Blade Armor much more useful than the Barrier, which has a larger DR but no melee reflects. Husks and Brutes are no brainers, but you'll also find yourself killing Marauders, Cannibals, and even Banshees with your Blade Armor.

Cannibals: Easy peasy. Graal them, charge them, or heavy melee them. For maximum lulz, charge and as you are charging, heavy melee. As the Cannibal slide across the floor, you'll sliiiiide along with him as you are doing the heavy melee and crush his face.
Husks: Same with Cannibals, except easier since they'll be chasing you instead of shooting you. Just make sure that when you heavy melee, you do it fast. The husk will start climbing on top of you if you are too slow.
Marauders: While they're stronger than the other mooks, these guys are not that hard either. Either Charge and Graal or Charge and Punch (if you have Martial Artist effect enabled, you'll one-shot it). They're prone to meleeing you, but that will stagger them, which will give you time to counterattack. Don't let them gang up on you.
Brutes: Ahhh, the pushovers among the armored "bosses". Keep your distance and kite them. Try to Graal them in the unprotected areas. If they try to hug you, it would be nice if you dodged it but don't be shy; you'll laugh as Brutes cut themselves on your Blade Armor. Just don't melee them as soon as they finish the charge; Brute sync-kills are the most embarrassing sync-kills.
Ravagers: Much easier than you think. Graal their sacks, charge in front of them to kill Swarmers, then Graal/Melee them. They can't shoot at point blank range. Try to pick them off by themselves. If they are supported by Brutes, GTFO. Brute stagger will let the Ravagers blast you to bits. If they are supported by mooks, charge one and kill it then run before they can react. Repeat until only Ravagers are left.
Banshees: The only real challenge of the bunch. Sync-kill means that you can't just charge and punch. There's 2 ways to beat them. One is to kite them with Acolyte and Graal. Other is to find a slope, bait them on to there, and charge + melee as they struggle to understand the concept of stairs (it doesn't mean that they wont attack you; they just can't sync-kill you). Make sure that your elevation is different from the Banshee. Take care of them LAST. Stay away from them until the other enemies are dead or your squad is assisting you.
Squad tips: Your flexibility really shines against the Reapers. Tank for your team if your team lacks one. If not, flank your enemy. Ravagers and mooks are your primary targets. Bait the Brutes to follow you instead of the main squad. This will let your squadmates focus on other enemies or kill the Brutes without the fear of Brute charges. Baiting Banshees is a bit more tricky, but taking Banshee warps can determine the life or death of the squad.

Cerberus Guide

Cerberus is a little different. While their mooks are not very different from the Reapers, and Atlas is much easier to kite, Dragoons and Phantoms will be a nightmare. Your Blade Armor is less useful here. Fortunately, there are few fatal weaknesses that you can exploit to your advantage.

Assault Troopers: No different from Cannibals. They're a little more difficult to headshot, but it's not a big deal.
Centurians: Same with Marauders, but actually easier. They are easier to headshot and have a much bigger body for you to aim.
Nemesis: I think Nemesis is the biggest weakness of the Cerberus facing Vanguards: Nemesis is an escape path. If you're being attacked from all sides by Dragoons, Phantoms, and Atlas, you can aim at a Nemesis far away and charge to escape. Since Nemesis prefer to stay away from the frontlines, this will almost always save your life. If you have Martial Artist, you can heavy melee her in one shot. Use charge to close distance and melee/Graal her.
Guardians: These guys are not dangerous per say, but they're annoying to kill. Graal can't penetrate the shields. So the best way is to charge to lift their shield and headshot them. If you are killing multiple Guardians, kill one or two at a time, but backpedal before executing each time. Their melee animation will supersede your charge stun and they will not lift their shields.
Dragoons: The most difficult enemy you'll face in Cerberus. By themselves are not too dangerous; their attacks can be easily sidestepped, and if you get hit you can always charge to recharge your shields. The worst is when you face them with other enemies. Their stuns will leave your vulnerable for enemy fire and sync-kills from Phantoms. Best is to try to isolate them and take care of them on their own. Heavy melee is very effective. If not, you have 2 options: you can stun them with charge (WITHOUT THEM USING THEIR ATTACK ANIMATION) and go to town with Graal; or you can tank the damage for your squad while your squad takes care of them for you. Good thing Graal ignores armor bonus.
Combat Engineers: Really easy. Treat them as Centurians with an explosive backpack. While they are in the initial Turret setup time, charge them to cancel their setup.
Turrets: Turrets are quite easy to take care of. One way is whittle it down from a distance, but that's quite boring. The other, much more exciting way, is to drain their shield with Acolyte, charge then heavy melee. This should almost always kill the Turret. If it doesn't, Graal or heavy melee again. The damage resistance during heavy melee will keep you alive. Turrets are also annoying while you are on the move, but your high shields and Blade Armor will generally protect you long enough for you to find cover.
Phantoms: Phantoms are unbelievably easy. Their sync-kill is the most dangerous, since you can tank their phase disruptors easily with charge. My favorite way to take care of them is to use Acolyte remove their barriers, then charge + heavy melee while they are stunned by your charge. Make sure that when you do so, the Phantom is at a distance or has her sword shattered; Phantom can only sync-kill if she has melee'd already, so by charging before a melee you can prevent her from sync-killing in case something goes wrong. In terms of tanking, their sync-kill ability will heavily hinder your ability to tank. I much prefer flanking them if they start showing.
Atlas: Easy. Acolyte to remove shields, Graal to kill. Heavy melee if you are in a slope. Charge to replenish shields, but do not go near them after they do a melee. Atlas can only sync-kill after a melee. Atlas sync-kill is the second most embarrassing sync-kill in the game.
Squad tips: Tank for your team. If tanking is not a necessity, flank them. Nemesis, mooks, and especially Phantoms are your primary targets. Less phantoms there are, better for your team, and Phantoms eat up the wave budget fast.

Now go. Let the anger flow through you. Enemies will be destroyed! For Khar'shan!

Posted Nov 4, 2012, 1:45 AM UTC · edited

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