I never played Vanguard when ME2 & ME3 were originally released, it seemed like a stressful and suicidal way to play... Then I played DOOM 2016 a few years ago and found out how fun that fast paced, shotgun blast to their face, gameplay was, and as soon as Mass Effect Legendary edition was announced, I knew I had to go back and play the series as a Vanguard. Charge is the most unique ability in the game, and makes all other classes seem stale in comparison; whereas you're mostly hiding behind cover for the other classes, with the Vanguard you're charging and shotgun blasting your way through the field with reckless abandon. A fully specced out Vanguard is an absolute beast, the Charge cooldown can get reduced by half if you spec into the right talents and find all the research upgrades, so even when it seems suicidal to charge into a group of 3 or 4 enemies, I know Charge is ready to go after a few seconds to recharge my shields and keep me alive. Also, you can get the Barrier bonus power after the Jacob loyalty mission to boost your survival, I usually have that up before I charge into a group of enemies. Playing as a Vanguard makes you feel like the fearsome badass Spectre's are made out to be, and I don't think I can ever go back to playing as any other class in Mass Effect.
What I am noticing: The key thing you do isn't taking opportunities for point-blank shots, but it's that as soon as you've killed your target you pull back ever so slightly into an angle where you can't be shot at. It's knowing what to do AFTER you charge that keeps you alive.
Using Biotic Charge on higher difficulties was something I never figured out when I played. Glad someone did. 13 years later, this game is still the GOAT.
Never played Vanguard before the Legendary Edition, it's the most fun I've ever has in Mass Effect games. How terrifying would this be to meet on the battlefield, you peek out of your cover, see a flash of purple and before you have time to blink someone hits you with the force equivalent of a 100 kg hunk of concrete in freefall. In the odd chance you manage to survive that, you get booped with a shotgun for good measure.
This video is old…but there’s a saying that old is gold….cause of all the other vanguard gameplay related videos I have watched this video is the perfect entry level masterclass for vanguard……cause In the beggning of the game ( i.e till the charge and assault mastery isn’t maxed out )….vanguard is almost a dark soul level class of mass effect 2 and it requires more focus of reflexes and complete knowledge of your surroundings ( i.e the location of enemies if they are ganged up or not and when to charge aggressively and when to not and simply play passive vanguard ) than any other class …..and I am proud to say that even after 13 long years none of the videos teach these tactical aspects of vanguard class playing style then your video ….and this level although very difficult for vanguard class is a perfect representation of exactly how to play as a vanguard in the beggining without dying cluelessly and constantly 🙏🏻😇
this is a very helpful video! I am normally a sniper, so I like to fight from long range. but now I can see why my 2 best friends LOVE the vanguard class! I am now very much looking forward to trying out Vanguard.
@Kom Kom yeah, ME2 only has a few sniping missions (this one has rooftop rocket launcher guys you can't charge, so does Grunt recruitment one), but first game was the other way around, apart from husks & thorian creepers, there's very little close quarters fighting, no charging (you get throw & warp instead), so I take sniper rifle even as Vanguard (bonus power, helps with out-of-Mako Thresher Maw & turret fighting), but it's really better to run as Infiltrator in first Mass Effect 1 as Carnage cancels Barrier while Immunity non-Biotics get is OP plus shotgun can be used untrained for ll three missions you fight uplose))) Here though, just corridors & cover everywhere.
@Kasumi Ryona lol for me close quarters combat in me1 is op, just did a playthrough as an adept with bonus shotgun power, it's actually really fun and effective once you level up far enough. All the different biotic powers that you don't get as a vanguard you now can use, giving you nearly unlimited potential ways to take down an enemy (Especially if you have another biotic like liara, who can cover the powers you haven't invested in)
I must be a bit of an enigma then since i have never played soldier in any of the mass effect games and the vanguard i havent played past the first mission in me2
I actually use charge for defense as often or more often than I do for offense. If there's an enemy that's far away and you're cornered, you can charge towards him, replenishing your shields and getting yourself out of cover. If you are caught in a defensive position where there are a lot of enemies in a very enclosed area, say the ship full of Geth on Tali's loyalty mission, you can also use charge to push back any enemies that get close to where you're pinned down.
Agreed. It just goes to show how versatile the charge really is, you're in a sitcky sitch and your powers aren't enough to get you out of heavy fire? Charge that one dude in the back and hit the enemy's flank! In that one awesome shadow broker fight (There are two, one with a biotic, and one with the broker)? Charge at the enemy for "Koel" factor! Need to take out a annoying enemy that's harassing you? Charge him and blast with a shotgun!
Look, I know this vid is 11 years old and you probably won't see this comment, but I just gotta say thank you for this. It's encouraging to see vanguard used this way. It's always been my go to build but insanity has just been chewing me up. Looking forward to continuing my quest to platinum on the LE
after two playthroughs with a soldier, I hadn't realized the importance of biotics. it was so worth restarting with a new character for charge. also, you don't have to be afraid to fight multiple people surrounding you, even with krogans. you have two biotics with you, and they each can always pull or take out an enemy with their powers.
Thank you Gatsby! This was seriously helpful. I just started playing vanguard, and hearing your step-by-step strategy explanation was much more helpful than just watching raw gameplay. I wish more people would make vids like this. Well done old sport.
Haha, I love how you're shooting exactly like I was when I started my vanguard. It's really hard to wrap your head around how the shotty and aiming works at point blank range at first.
''wise'' man once told me: ''you are using charge too much'' he now lies dead, his chest was pounded inside and his lungs were smashed how did that happen? i used charge too much
This is the best advertising for the Vanguard class. It looks so aggressive and different from my Engineer play. Can't wait to start a Vanguard up, thanks for the guide.
Ugh beautiful. My first insanity play through. It’s been tough and it looks like I’m playing like this already but you make it look easy. Gonna def be more aware of what cover I can use after charging and picking off one by one
I've never played as a vanguard personally mostly because i perfer keeping my enemies at a distance normally anyway.generally if I want to play around as a biotic i normally go adept but have been considering going through as a vanguard for my next playthrough and am already looking forward to it.
***** yeah it is quite a fun class to play as I've done a couple of Vanguard runs since I typed this. As long as you use the charge at the right time it's not too bad. It's not my favourite class but I did enjoy playing as one.
***** that'll be sentinel I think you're reffering to as you have a tech armour at your disposal. I like Biotics as I love using them to throw people and objects all over the place with them. In fact I'm part way through a biotic playthrough as I do have an adept playthrough on the go. I've done ME's 1 and 2 but still got to go in and do 3 yet. In fact Soldier and Adept are my 2 favourite classes but I like using all 6 of them as they all provide different interesting challenges
***** the main difference is tech armour remains active all the time whereas barrier only remains active for a certain amount of time. It's basically a quick leap for cover type power really. In the middle of Bioware's other great RPG atm Dragon Age so will be finishing that first. Yeah I've played the trilogy multiple times. Probably one of my favourite games I've got. Strange really as mages are my favourite class on DA as I love freezing enemies on the spot and throwing fireballs. Although atm I'm playing as a warrior on that game.
Great video, this is the core strategy of people who love to charge with shotgun: wait for enemy separating-charge toward your enemy for point-blank shot-find cover-wait for next opportunity
Very informative. I love being a vanguard and on insanity I was to afraid to go charging in. Now I see that its actually a better idea to go charging in rather than hanging back (which takes forever!). Thanks a bunch
This was very helpful. I got Mass Effect 2 last night, playing Vanguard, and I sort of felt like Charge wasn't that powerful. I came to the conclution that Charge was more to stun the enemies, but I didn't really consider using a shotgun with charge :P
I'd advise you to get pull as soon as you can, that can take out a mass of enemies, allowing you to charge at them with much higher damage, and without giving them a chance to attack :) But that's my tactic only
Nice video Gatsby. I really enjoyed the Adept videos and just beat it on Insanity today! I'm starting Vanguard, so this was great quick tutorial. This level was extremely hard for me as an Adept. I was level 30 though.
I picked Vanguard but am barely using Charge due to feeling way too vulnerable after coming out of it. But now I have a better grasp on how to use it, and which weapons to pair with it. Cheers!
love your videos. I just started a vanguard after playing as an infiltrator for the first game and this one and this was pretty helpful when I was deciding between this or sentinel.
Oh my goodness AAAAA this class looks fun as hell, provided I can master this charge mechanic. I was actually a vanguard in ME1 in the legendary edition, so I got pretty used to throwing up my barrier and just getting in enemies faces with my biotic powers. This obviously isn’t EXACTLY the same as the original, but I think I can rock this class with some adjustment.
Coming in years later to read the comments. I've always enjoyed this play style for years. Mostly because a lot of people hate playing as front line characters in RPG I can't stand them blocking my shots so it evens out. Been playing as a Titan on Destiny for the last decade or so and the community came up with a term crayon eater for Titans because you do have to practice a lot finding out what you can and can't survive and a lot of Titan mains found creative ways to die quickly. But essentially the Vanguard class got me prepared for Titans. Buddy of mine used to play the ME3 multiplayer with me back in it's hay day and he called me his little pokemon because he'd just mark targets with his abilities and was go attack. lol
AG, great vid. You shedded a lot of light now how to play this vanguard. I"ll have to give it another go, I don't think I was playing it agressive enough. I should be going forward instead.
Good guide by the way. "Charge is as much defensive as it is offensive" is a pretty important point imho. If you lose your shields and face multiple enemys - the best tactic is often to charge first and search cover afterwards (or even kill them). it's also worth noting (especially on insanity, as pretty much everything got armor) that enemys won't get a knockback (just a short stun) if they got armor or shields. Often this isn't bad because you want them right in front of you for your shotgun
Just a tip I'd like to add. Personally, I like to immediately hit the Power Reel button after using Charge, and while everything's paused, I can adjust my aim, release and fire immediately, then wait the 1/4 to 1/2 second needed before a second shot of the shotgun is available, then hit the Powers button again, take aim at another nearby enemy, release and fire. This way you eliminate the time it takes to aim, as long as you wait for the next shot to be ready you'll never miss.
Wow, this is awesome. I was actually doing it backwards. I would run around and soften enemies up with Reave+Shotty/Melee then finish them up with Charge... Obviously, your way is much more effective. Thanks a lot dude!
I don't know if you still see the posts to your videos, but dude you are easily have the most instructive Mass Effect videos I've seen. I hope you're back for Mass Effect 3.
Dude you have no idea how helpful this guide was for me. Vanguard is now my favourite class to play now that I'm not charging headfirst into a clusterfuck of enemies ^^'
I just started a Vanguard tonight and I've been doing it wrong all this time. Great vid! I never played vanguard before, so it's kind of weird. I'm excited to try some of this out now!
Nice video for low level Vanguards. Charging Vanguard on Insanity got a steep inital slope when Charge and Assault Mastery aren't maxed and I played extremely defensive/slow when I started out (Reave helps a lot there).
doing my first playthrough on soldier, not even like 2/5 done lol. Vanguard didn't seem so fun at first but now I'm thinking about doing it on my next playthrough :P
LOL thanks for replying, I honestly did not know that, I was a bit iffy about getting the game as well, but great job on your videos, everything was very helpful and top quality!
A friend of mine is running a Mass Effect roleplaying campaign (pen & paper), where I play an Asari Vanguard. I actually never played Vanguard in the games (sticked to my adept). I'm a little amused to have learned (from mistakes) very similar tactics with no experience from the class gameplay in the pc game. Mass Effect is awesome.
You definitely are not a terrible player! You are rather good with that class. I feel it's the hardest to learn and get used to because it's at a disadvantage more times than other classes. Especially during the last few battles of the game where you are swamped with husks. If you can beat the game on Insanity you're pro. If you beat it on insanity with a vanguard, I feel you're "fucking pro". Feel me? Good work none the less 5/5.
also note that the charge gets cooldown reducton only from the vanguard's passive. the biotic cooldown upgrade does not effect charge. so that 9 or 15% from the passive is all you can get. and after you get rang 4 passive then go rang 4 charge..
@ThatAverageGatsby Hey, I caught this video last night, I put your tips into action just now on multiplayer, I sucked with the Vanguard before, but my gods, I came in first on my first game, I owe you big time man, thanks! :D
Wow.... I'm on my first playthrough on insanity as a vanguard (I'm *that* guy) and wow.... I hate playing so conservatively so thank you for opening up my eyes!!!
soldier-frontline fighter with more health and using all guns for taking down enemies. if you like using a variety of weapons this is your class. infiltrator-sniper class that can slow down time when you zoom in, and also cloak for flanking enemies. if you like picking enemies off this is your class. vanguard-up close and personal class with high risk, but the prize...i mean pull out that shotgun. if you're one of those people in call duty that rushes, this is your class.
In the first game I was a soldier, but for ME 2 I wanted to be a Vanguard, my only problem? You can only use Pistols and piss poor SMGs till you get about 3/4s of the way through the game, then you can finally use Assault Rifles if that's the upgrade you pick.
+Talibanana Pistols and SMGs aren't so bad. Pistols are great for dealing headshots, especially if you're a soldier . If you have the Kasumi DLC, The Locust with Inferno Ammo or Heavy Warp Ammo can be almost as deadly as an assault rifle.
+Talibanana That's not what you were talking about though. You were talking about picking the assault rifle training from the Collector cruiser. My point was why would anyone choose "give me an assault rifle" over "let me one-shot-kill things" when you're playing as Vanguard? If you're playing Vanguard and you're thinking to yourself "gosh I want an assault rifle" you are clearly not Charging enough. Or using your squadmates enough.
+Fuzzballfox Onionring Because when I charged I either used the epic Shepherd elbow, the shotgun, or assault rifle for close range. That and I had Garrus on my team through the entire game so I already had a sniper. Tali + Garrus + Shepherd = Best squad
@XxLasTxReBeLlioNxX Incendiary ammo is good for Vanguard when up against sentient organic races because setting them on fire makes them panic and while they're panicking, they're just standing about flailing away and not attacking your or trying to take cover. Non-thinking organics (husks or varren) won't panic, and synthetics (Geth/robots) are resistant to fire; you might want to use Cryo ammo against the latter instead.
this is actually pretty useful for me since i plan to import my vanguard for a second runthrough on insanity. atm im doing normal and i dont like to charge too much cause vanguards take damage so easily but when i do i just charge recklessly and melee anything infront me then run for cover. if i have the chance then ill try and charge anything nearby for the shield boost and use the shotty. aparently your supposed to be able to charge away from enemies but it doesnt work for me.
@DanDhill yes it does xD but... i'd strongly advice using it with inferno rounds (for max damage) and also having the group carrying cryo ammo (free CC). also you NEED to know the reload trick for this. (shoot, wait for the click, and then melee/ shoot again, rinse and repeat)
@xPAYASO323x i wasnt talking about the having the face but about the fact that i managed to heal her scars naturally instead of using the med bay upgrade. and the whole point of replaying a game is for the challenge and to unlock stuff you didnt get the first time. besides i havent gotten a character to level 30 yet. my first finnished at 28 and this one is 21 atm.
@dueceondic no, it wont kill harginger in one shot. Never played as a infiltrator so i don't know if it's equally good, i guess i'll do that on my next playthrough though. Tbh i've only played through insanity once on my vanguard. I tried it on the collector ship and decided I liked my geth plasma much better, so I restarted the mission and took assault rifle instead. The claymore is powerful and alot of ppl like it, and apparently there is some kind of reload trick to make it faster, but
I believe Adepts are very fun, but they are very challenging on ME2. Adepts can be the most powerful class, even on ME 2's Insanity. However, on several missions and areas on ME 2 the enemies constantly re spawn and it can very tough for non Assault Rifle based Adepts to over come. The vanguard has the advantage of the charge which gets the Vanguard moving forward and fewer spawns. On Insanity and on ME 2 where every enemy is protected with shields, biotics, or armor it is tough for adepts.
@UberTourist Yes and no. It's so powerful, but it's a lot harder to use. You have to charge it behind a wall, because charging it takes you out of cover. It can slow down the play a bit. If you start with another shotgun, you'll hate the GPS. If you start with the GPA, you'll never go back.
@xFiasco33 after watching this i actually started flanking more often. unfortunately i couldnt do it that much because i saw this when i had like 5 story missions left (right now i have 3) but when i do my second playthrough on insanity importing my vanguard ill be able to do it more often and practice.
adept-can win battles without using your gun very much. manipulate the battlefield with your mind. if you think you are a jedi, or you always wanted to be one here's your class. engineer-to me this a tactical class. you can hack robots to attack each other, summon a drone for distractions. i had lots of fun with this class. sentinel-mix between adept and engineer. to me good a blasting through all defenses like barriers, armor, and shields. and you have this armor that stuns enemies.
@Abysia I agree, it is sad when people reply to their own comments with fake accounts, but I honestly didn't. Why would I go out of my way to respond to my own comment on a video with so little views? For all I know, you could be shinigamidu13 doing what you just said. I don't care about what people on the internet think of me enough to put the time and effort into making a separate account, there's nothing to gain from it.
just got ME2, gotta say the graphical clipping during conversations of the pc is annoying but it still looks good as ive got it cranked up to the highest settings. never played as a vanguard yet. good vid
This is interesting to say at least. I play biotics so I just put him in the air and finish him with the pistol, but this seems way much fun and I will probably start again xD
Ah the Vanguard. *cough* pardon me. I meant Manguard. The only class that would think forsaking cover in a cover based shooter to charge in head first with little more than a shotgun and a "take no prisoners" attitude is a good idea. Unfortunately for the bad guys... they're wrong. It's a GREAT idea! My first insanity run was with a Soldier. It took me 35 hours and 19 minutes to complete. My second insanity run was with a Vanguard. It took a little over 17 hours. Case in point.. CHAAAAAARGE!!!
@michaelbjerre That freaking Kestrel armor made at least my Soldier playthrough a breeze, and no doubt it helps a Vangaud even more. I just never wear the helmet, because it is just fugly.
@CommanderMattShepard It's actually just the Cerberus armour. It should be free if you bought the game new. It's part of the Cerberus weapon and armour DLC pack.
@xFiasco33 its kinda late for me to try out armors because i just have the reaper iff and legions loyalty mission before the suicide mission (i did everything else and the dlc missions) but ill try that out.
@Dhoska thanks for your help! should i also get the special shotgun or get some other training because im currently on the collectors ship mission and its a pain in the ass on insanity with the vanguard class cuz all the harbingers dont die.
@xPAYASO323x yea but i wanna use all the stuff im working towards unlocking in this playthrough. mainly upgrades. i need to find a good set of armor thats good for vanguards. atm im using the collector armor (i have all the dlc) but it doesnt seem to help very much. plus i like how my femshep looks. i actually put effort into making this one and i managed to get her scars to heal without the medbay lol
@michaelbjerre It doesn't JUST help melee. Give you better weapon damage and higher shields. By the time I was done with my soldier playthrough, good lord, he had around 800 total damage he could take before he died. Didn't make a HUGE difference, but it made things much easier, since I didn't have to duck into cover every 2 seconds just so i can shoot back without dying.
I had a lot of fun with Vanguard on MF1 (insane difficulty) but i felt pretty hopeless on MF2 on the same difficulty, i couldn't charge without getting my ass kicked, so it was basically a useless power. Time to give another shot haha.
i miss the vanguard from me1. it really felt like a combination of adept and soldier, while in 2 and 3 its like it's entire own thing. in me1 your strategy consisted of this: 1. use biotics powers to through enemies around like Ragdolls 2. use warp on remaining stragglers go get their shields down 3. put up barrier and charge in with the shotgun on said stragglers in me2 And 3 vanguard gameplay is basically charge + shotgun, repeat. not to mention biotics got seriously nerfed so that they only work on enemies without shields or armor
Deathpool vanguard was basically unstoppable in me3 with the right build and power combo’s. You should also consider setting up your team to take down shields with characters that use overload in me2. Then charge in and destroy
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And now that the Legendary Edition is out, this video has to be re-watched again!
As it was foretold, here it has come to pass.
Yep, back to brush up on the charge once again.
I never played Vanguard when ME2 & ME3 were originally released, it seemed like a stressful and suicidal way to play... Then I played DOOM 2016 a few years ago and found out how fun that fast paced, shotgun blast to their face, gameplay was, and as soon as Mass Effect Legendary edition was announced, I knew I had to go back and play the series as a Vanguard. Charge is the most unique ability in the game, and makes all other classes seem stale in comparison; whereas you're mostly hiding behind cover for the other classes, with the Vanguard you're charging and shotgun blasting your way through the field with reckless abandon. A fully specced out Vanguard is an absolute beast, the Charge cooldown can get reduced by half if you spec into the right talents and find all the research upgrades, so even when it seems suicidal to charge into a group of 3 or 4 enemies, I know Charge is ready to go after a few seconds to recharge my shields and keep me alive. Also, you can get the Barrier bonus power after the Jacob loyalty mission to boost your survival, I usually have that up before I charge into a group of enemies. Playing as a Vanguard makes you feel like the fearsome badass Spectre's are made out to be, and I don't think I can ever go back to playing as any other class in Mass Effect.
What I am noticing: The key thing you do isn't taking opportunities for point-blank shots, but it's that as soon as you've killed your target you pull back ever so slightly into an angle where you can't be shot at.
It's knowing what to do AFTER you charge that keeps you alive.
That's why the slo mo is very important.
Using Biotic Charge on higher difficulties was something I never figured out when I played. Glad someone did. 13 years later, this game is still the GOAT.
Charge as a Vanguard is why this is the best game of all time to me. no other gaming experience comes close.
Never played Vanguard before the Legendary Edition, it's the most fun I've ever has in Mass Effect games.
How terrifying would this be to meet on the battlefield, you peek out of your cover, see a flash of purple and before you have time to blink someone hits you with the force equivalent of a 100 kg hunk of concrete in freefall. In the odd chance you manage to survive that, you get booped with a shotgun for good measure.
This video is old…but there’s a saying that old is gold….cause of all the other vanguard gameplay related videos I have watched this video is the perfect entry level masterclass for vanguard……cause In the beggning of the game ( i.e till the charge and assault mastery isn’t maxed out )….vanguard is almost a dark soul level class of mass effect 2 and it requires more focus of reflexes and complete knowledge of your surroundings ( i.e the location of enemies if they are ganged up or not and when to charge aggressively and when to not and simply play passive vanguard ) than any other class …..and I am proud to say that even after 13 long years none of the videos teach these tactical aspects of vanguard class playing style then your video ….and this level although very difficult for vanguard class is a perfect representation of exactly how to play as a vanguard in the beggining without dying cluelessly and constantly 🙏🏻😇
this is a very helpful video! I am normally a sniper, so I like to fight from long range. but now I can see why my 2 best friends LOVE the vanguard class! I am now very much looking forward to trying out Vanguard.
lol @ long range in a game that is mostly corridors and space stations
@Kom Kom yeah, ME2 only has a few sniping missions (this one has rooftop rocket launcher guys you can't charge, so does Grunt recruitment one), but first game was the other way around, apart from husks & thorian creepers, there's very little close quarters fighting, no charging (you get throw & warp instead), so I take sniper rifle even as Vanguard (bonus power, helps with out-of-Mako Thresher Maw & turret fighting), but it's really better to run as Infiltrator in first Mass Effect 1 as Carnage cancels Barrier while Immunity non-Biotics get is OP plus shotgun can be used untrained for ll three missions you fight uplose))) Here though, just corridors & cover everywhere.
@Kasumi Ryona lol for me close quarters combat in me1 is op, just did a playthrough as an adept with bonus shotgun power, it's actually really fun and effective once you level up far enough. All the different biotic powers that you don't get as a vanguard you now can use, giving you nearly unlimited potential ways to take down an enemy (Especially if you have another biotic like liara, who can cover the powers you haven't invested in)
Lol, i picked vanguard first playthrough, surprise surprise, everyone else did too
Mostly everyone take soldier
@@foxwhite3852 i took infiltrator XD
@@skylark2383 First time it's was soldier. Next is vanguard. Always.
Nah, soldier. Three others I know who play Mass Effect were soldier as well.
I must be a bit of an enigma then since i have never played soldier in any of the mass effect games and the vanguard i havent played past the first mission in me2
I actually use charge for defense as often or more often than I do for offense. If there's an enemy that's far away and you're cornered, you can charge towards him, replenishing your shields and getting yourself out of cover. If you are caught in a defensive position where there are a lot of enemies in a very enclosed area, say the ship full of Geth on Tali's loyalty mission, you can also use charge to push back any enemies that get close to where you're pinned down.
Agreed. It just goes to show how versatile the charge really is, you're in a sitcky sitch and your powers aren't enough to get you out of heavy fire? Charge that one dude in the back and hit the enemy's flank! In that one awesome shadow broker fight (There are two, one with a biotic, and one with the broker)? Charge at the enemy for "Koel" factor! Need to take out a annoying enemy that's harassing you? Charge him and blast with a shotgun!
Look, I know this vid is 11 years old and you probably won't see this comment, but I just gotta say thank you for this. It's encouraging to see vanguard used this way. It's always been my go to build but insanity has just been chewing me up. Looking forward to continuing my quest to platinum on the LE
after two playthroughs with a soldier, I hadn't realized the importance of biotics. it was so worth restarting with a new character for charge. also, you don't have to be afraid to fight multiple people surrounding you, even with krogans. you have two biotics with you, and they each can always pull or take out an enemy with their powers.
Thank you Gatsby! This was seriously helpful. I just started playing vanguard, and hearing your step-by-step strategy explanation was much more helpful than just watching raw gameplay. I wish more people would make vids like this. Well done old sport.
Haha, I love how you're shooting exactly like I was when I started my vanguard. It's really hard to wrap your head around how the shotty and aiming works at point blank range at first.
excited for the new one - i used to play as vanguard with charge too. miss this gameplay
''wise'' man once told me: ''you are using charge too much''
he now lies dead, his chest was pounded inside and his lungs were smashed
how did that happen? i used charge too much
This is the best advertising for the Vanguard class. It looks so aggressive and different from my Engineer play. Can't wait to start a Vanguard up, thanks for the guide.
Ugh beautiful. My first insanity play through. It’s been tough and it looks like I’m playing like this already but you make it look easy. Gonna def be more aware of what cover I can use after charging and picking off one by one
really helpful video taught me a lot about how to play a vanguard if i ever decide to.
I've never played as a vanguard personally mostly because i perfer keeping my enemies at a distance normally anyway.generally if I want to play around as a biotic i normally go adept but have been considering going through as a vanguard for my next playthrough and am already looking forward to it.
***** yeah it is quite a fun class to play as I've done a couple of Vanguard runs since I typed this. As long as you use the charge at the right time it's not too bad. It's not my favourite class but I did enjoy playing as one.
***** that'll be sentinel I think you're reffering to as you have a tech armour at your disposal. I like Biotics as I love using them to throw people and objects all over the place with them. In fact I'm part way through a biotic playthrough as I do have an adept playthrough on the go. I've done ME's 1 and 2 but still got to go in and do 3 yet. In fact Soldier and Adept are my 2 favourite classes but I like using all 6 of them as they all provide different interesting challenges
***** the main difference is tech armour remains active all the time whereas barrier only remains active for a certain amount of time. It's basically a quick leap for cover type power really. In the middle of Bioware's other great RPG atm Dragon Age so will be finishing that first. Yeah I've played the trilogy multiple times. Probably one of my favourite games I've got. Strange really as mages are my favourite class on DA as I love freezing enemies on the spot and throwing fireballs. Although atm I'm playing as a warrior on that game.
***** Luckily I can run all 3 in mine playing DA2 atm. I know some people don't like DA2 but personally I enjoy all 3 of them same as with ME
Great video, this is the core strategy of people who love to charge with shotgun: wait for enemy separating-charge toward your enemy for point-blank shot-find cover-wait for next opportunity
Here I am, heavy-charging in 2020 because of this video. Thank you good sir
Very informative. I love being a vanguard and on insanity I was to afraid to go charging in. Now I see that its actually a better idea to go charging in rather than hanging back (which takes forever!). Thanks a bunch
Was on BSN and asked for advice for vanguard build. This vid is great and so was the advice. Thanks. Great vid.
This was very helpful. I got Mass Effect 2 last night, playing Vanguard, and I sort of felt like Charge wasn't that powerful. I came to the conclution that Charge was more to stun the enemies, but I didn't really consider using a shotgun with charge :P
I'd advise you to get pull as soon as you can, that can take out a mass of enemies, allowing you to charge at them with much higher damage, and without giving them a chance to attack :) But that's my tactic only
Nice video Gatsby. I really enjoyed the Adept videos and just beat it on Insanity today! I'm starting Vanguard, so this was great quick tutorial. This level was extremely hard for me as an Adept. I was level 30 though.
Vanguard is the best class, it's so fun to charge and wreck peoples shit with the shotgun
I picked Vanguard but am barely using Charge due to feeling way too vulnerable after coming out of it. But now I have a better grasp on how to use it, and which weapons to pair with it. Cheers!
love your videos. I just started a vanguard after playing as an infiltrator for the first game and this one and this was pretty helpful when I was deciding between this or sentinel.
Oh my goodness AAAAA this class looks fun as hell, provided I can master this charge mechanic. I was actually a vanguard in ME1 in the legendary edition, so I got pretty used to throwing up my barrier and just getting in enemies faces with my biotic powers. This obviously isn’t EXACTLY the same as the original, but I think I can rock this class with some adjustment.
Coming in years later to read the comments. I've always enjoyed this play style for years. Mostly because a lot of people hate playing as front line characters in RPG I can't stand them blocking my shots so it evens out. Been playing as a Titan on Destiny for the last decade or so and the community came up with a term crayon eater for Titans because you do have to practice a lot finding out what you can and can't survive and a lot of Titan mains found creative ways to die quickly. But essentially the Vanguard class got me prepared for Titans. Buddy of mine used to play the ME3 multiplayer with me back in it's hay day and he called me his little pokemon because he'd just mark targets with his abilities and was go attack. lol
This class ROCKS with the accuracy-upgraded Avenger or Geth Pulse Rifle. It's like playing third-person Call of Duty on steroids.
AG, great vid. You shedded a lot of light now how to play this vanguard. I"ll have to give it another go, I don't think I was playing it agressive enough. I should be going forward instead.
Thanks so much! You’re a great guide and this has helped me a lot with vanguard
Good guide by the way.
"Charge is as much defensive as it is offensive" is a pretty important point imho. If you lose your shields and face multiple enemys - the best tactic is often to charge first and search cover afterwards (or even kill them).
it's also worth noting (especially on insanity, as pretty much everything got armor) that enemys won't get a knockback (just a short stun) if they got armor or shields. Often this isn't bad because you want them right in front of you for your shotgun
Just a tip I'd like to add. Personally, I like to immediately hit the Power Reel button after using Charge, and while everything's paused, I can adjust my aim, release and fire immediately, then wait the 1/4 to 1/2 second needed before a second shot of the shotgun is available, then hit the Powers button again, take aim at another nearby enemy, release and fire. This way you eliminate the time it takes to aim, as long as you wait for the next shot to be ready you'll never miss.
Wow, this is awesome. I was actually doing it backwards. I would run around and soften enemies up with Reave+Shotty/Melee then finish them up with Charge... Obviously, your way is much more effective. Thanks a lot dude!
I don't know if you still see the posts to your videos, but dude you are easily have the most instructive Mass Effect videos I've seen. I hope you're back for Mass Effect 3.
Dude you have no idea how helpful this guide was for me. Vanguard is now my favourite class to play now that I'm not charging headfirst into a clusterfuck of enemies ^^'
I just started a Vanguard tonight and I've been doing it wrong all this time. Great vid! I never played vanguard before, so it's kind of weird. I'm excited to try some of this out now!
Great tutorial. You really highlight how to think about charging well.
Thanks dude, I started a new game and I chose vangaurd because I normally choose soilder. Now I actually know how to use all these abilities
Nice video for low level Vanguards. Charging Vanguard on Insanity got a steep inital slope when Charge and Assault Mastery aren't maxed and I played extremely defensive/slow when I started out (Reave helps a lot there).
doing my first playthrough on soldier, not even like 2/5 done lol. Vanguard didn't seem so fun at first but now I'm thinking about doing it on my next playthrough :P
charging in followed by a close range shotgun blast and melee combo is deadly
LOL thanks for replying, I honestly did not know that, I was a bit iffy about getting the game as well, but great job on your videos, everything was very helpful and top quality!
A friend of mine is running a Mass Effect roleplaying campaign (pen & paper), where I play an Asari Vanguard. I actually never played Vanguard in the games (sticked to my adept). I'm a little amused to have learned (from mistakes) very similar tactics with no experience from the class gameplay in the pc game.
Mass Effect is awesome.
You make playing all the classes fun as hell.
Thanks for the video. It helped me understanding this class better.
You definitely are not a terrible player! You are rather good with that class. I feel it's the hardest to learn and get used to because it's at a disadvantage more times than other classes. Especially during the last few battles of the game where you are swamped with husks. If you can beat the game on Insanity you're pro. If you beat it on insanity with a vanguard, I feel you're "fucking pro". Feel me? Good work none the less 5/5.
also note that the charge gets cooldown reducton only from the vanguard's passive. the biotic cooldown upgrade does not effect charge. so that 9 or 15% from the passive is all you can get.
and after you get rang 4 passive then go rang 4 charge..
@ThatAverageGatsby Hey, I caught this video last night, I put your tips into action just now on multiplayer, I sucked with the Vanguard before, but my gods, I came in first on my first game, I owe you big time man, thanks! :D
Thanks for the video. I am playing through ME1 with a Vanguard and wasn't sure if I could survive on ME2 insanity with him.
Wow.... I'm on my first playthrough on insanity as a vanguard (I'm *that* guy) and wow.... I hate playing so conservatively so thank you for opening up my eyes!!!
soldier-frontline fighter with more health and using all guns for taking down enemies. if you like using a variety of weapons this is your class.
infiltrator-sniper class that can slow down time when you zoom in, and also cloak for flanking enemies. if you like picking enemies off this is your class.
vanguard-up close and personal class with high risk, but the prize...i mean pull out that shotgun. if you're one of those people in call duty that rushes, this is your class.
In the first game I was a soldier, but for ME 2 I wanted to be a Vanguard, my only problem? You can only use Pistols and piss poor SMGs till you get about 3/4s of the way through the game, then you can finally use Assault Rifles if that's the upgrade you pick.
+Talibanana Pistols and SMGs aren't so bad. Pistols are great for dealing headshots, especially if you're a soldier . If you have the Kasumi DLC, The Locust with Inferno Ammo or Heavy Warp Ammo can be almost as deadly as an assault rifle.
+Talibanana But why would you ever want a AR when your other option is The OHKO Shotgun Of Doom?
+Fuzzballfox Onionring I'm like 99% sure you can use shotgun with AR if you pick soldier
+Talibanana That's not what you were talking about though. You were talking about picking the assault rifle training from the Collector cruiser. My point was why would anyone choose "give me an assault rifle" over "let me one-shot-kill things" when you're playing as Vanguard?
If you're playing Vanguard and you're thinking to yourself "gosh I want an assault rifle" you are clearly not Charging enough. Or using your squadmates enough.
+Fuzzballfox Onionring Because when I charged I either used the epic Shepherd elbow, the shotgun, or assault rifle for close range. That and I had Garrus on my team through the entire game so I already had a sniper.
Tali + Garrus + Shepherd = Best squad
@TheRealMoosecake Never mind, discovered it's the Cerberus gear, wasn't aware I'd missed any DLCs!
DAMN! that blew my mind. I just picked this game up, played instantly on veteran, and I thought charge was more than useless.
@XxLasTxReBeLlioNxX Incendiary ammo is good for Vanguard when up against sentient organic races because setting them on fire makes them panic and while they're panicking, they're just standing about flailing away and not attacking your or trying to take cover. Non-thinking organics (husks or varren) won't panic, and synthetics (Geth/robots) are resistant to fire; you might want to use Cryo ammo against the latter instead.
Thank you. This was very helpful
I never played as a Shep vanguard on ME2. I need to try it now.
ME may have influenced Bioshock Infinite's Charging and Bucking Bronco Vigors. I could be wrong.
this is actually pretty useful for me since i plan to import my vanguard for a second runthrough on insanity.
atm im doing normal and i dont like to charge too much cause vanguards take damage so easily but when i do i just charge recklessly and melee anything infront me then run for cover. if i have the chance then ill try and charge anything nearby for the shield boost and use the shotty. aparently your supposed to be able to charge away from enemies but it doesnt work for me.
@DanDhill yes it does xD
but... i'd strongly advice using it with inferno rounds (for max damage) and also having the group carrying cryo ammo (free CC). also you NEED to know the reload trick for this. (shoot, wait for the click, and then melee/ shoot again, rinse and repeat)
I am so lucky that i came past this video :)
thx for the vids!!! nicely done
@xPAYASO323x i wasnt talking about the having the face but about the fact that i managed to heal her scars naturally instead of using the med bay upgrade. and the whole point of replaying a game is for the challenge and to unlock stuff you didnt get the first time. besides i havent gotten a character to level 30 yet. my first finnished at 28 and this one is 21 atm.
@dueceondic no, it wont kill harginger in one shot. Never played as a infiltrator so i don't know if it's equally good, i guess i'll do that on my next playthrough though. Tbh i've only played through insanity once on my vanguard. I tried it on the collector ship and decided I liked my geth plasma much better, so I restarted the mission and took assault rifle instead. The claymore is powerful and alot of ppl like it, and apparently there is some kind of reload trick to make it faster, but
Miranda was modeled after Yvonne. You can say that Yvonne is Miranda's face and voice in the game.
I believe Adepts are very fun, but they are very challenging on ME2. Adepts can be the most powerful class, even on ME 2's Insanity. However, on several missions and areas on ME 2 the enemies constantly re spawn and it can very tough for non Assault Rifle based Adepts to over come. The vanguard has the advantage of the charge which gets the Vanguard moving forward and fewer spawns. On Insanity and on ME 2 where every enemy is protected with shields, biotics, or armor it is tough for adepts.
you have great logic and foresight. you dont suck, its the computer, i find it restricting.
THANK YOU for this guide! I finally get how to use Charge.
For those wondering: it's the cerberus armor.
@UberTourist Yes and no. It's so powerful, but it's a lot harder to use. You have to charge it behind a wall, because charging it takes you out of cover. It can slow down the play a bit.
If you start with another shotgun, you'll hate the GPS. If you start with the GPA, you'll never go back.
If only I would have know 5 years ago how OP vanguard is on all three games
@xFiasco33 after watching this i actually started flanking more often. unfortunately i couldnt do it that much because i saw this when i had like 5 story missions left (right now i have 3) but when i do my second playthrough on insanity importing my vanguard ill be able to do it more often and practice.
adept-can win battles without using your gun very much. manipulate the battlefield with your mind. if you think you are a jedi, or you always wanted to be one here's your class.
engineer-to me this a tactical class. you can hack robots to attack each other, summon a drone for distractions. i had lots of fun with this class.
sentinel-mix between adept and engineer. to me good a blasting through all defenses like barriers, armor, and shields. and you have this armor that stuns enemies.
great vid. very educational and entertaining. keep it up.
@Abysia
I agree, it is sad when people reply to their own comments with fake accounts, but I honestly didn't.
Why would I go out of my way to respond to my own comment on a video with so little views? For all I know, you could be shinigamidu13 doing what you just said. I don't care about what people on the internet think of me enough to put the time and effort into making a separate account, there's nothing to gain from it.
God these games are good... still the best scifi game to play in 2021
This is so awesome, I'm going to go and play a vanguard right now :3
just got ME2, gotta say the graphical clipping during conversations of the pc is annoying but it still looks good as ive got it cranked up to the highest settings. never played as a vanguard yet. good vid
nice video...you should probably have barrier/fortification with the vanguard class. That helps a lot when you are charging.
This is interesting to say at least. I play biotics so I just put him in the air and finish him with the pistol, but this seems way much fun and I will probably start again xD
Ah the Vanguard. *cough* pardon me. I meant Manguard.
The only class that would think forsaking cover in a cover based shooter to charge in head first with little more than a shotgun and a "take no prisoners" attitude is a good idea. Unfortunately for the bad guys... they're wrong. It's a GREAT idea! My first insanity run was with a Soldier. It took me 35 hours and 19 minutes to complete. My second insanity run was with a Vanguard. It took a little over 17 hours. Case in point.. CHAAAAAARGE!!!
by far soldier is the most versitile class ever, once you get all ur important shit upgraded, nobody can stop u, even on insanity.
@michaelbjerre That freaking Kestrel armor made at least my Soldier playthrough a breeze, and no doubt it helps a Vangaud even more. I just never wear the helmet, because it is just fugly.
Charging is also good for crossing the infinite respawn line.
Holy crap that's a lot of resources at level 5. I forgot about those bonuses, assuming it's them.
@Hunaid786 You need to unlock it first!
There is a combination of 2 buttons.
You have to press them in the same time Alt + F4
@CommanderMattShepard It's actually just the Cerberus armour. It should be free if you bought the game new. It's part of the Cerberus weapon and armour DLC pack.
@xFiasco33 its kinda late for me to try out armors because i just have the reaper iff and legions loyalty mission before the suicide mission (i did everything else and the dlc missions) but ill try that out.
@Dhoska thanks for your help! should i also get the special shotgun or get some other training because im currently on the collectors ship mission and its a pain in the ass on insanity with the vanguard class cuz all the harbingers dont die.
@xPAYASO323x yea but i wanna use all the stuff im working towards unlocking in this playthrough. mainly upgrades. i need to find a good set of armor thats good for vanguards. atm im using the collector armor (i have all the dlc) but it doesnt seem to help very much. plus i like how my femshep looks. i actually put effort into making this one and i managed to get her scars to heal without the medbay lol
@infections Reading that made me feel pretty smug with myself ^^ Thanks! I loved playing Vanguard even with the insanity pains.
very imformitive vid. nice job. i'm debating if i should play this or sentinel
@michaelbjerre It doesn't JUST help melee. Give you better weapon damage and higher shields. By the time I was done with my soldier playthrough, good lord, he had around 800 total damage he could take before he died. Didn't make a HUGE difference, but it made things much easier, since I didn't have to duck into cover every 2 seconds just so i can shoot back without dying.
Very helpful! Thanks a bunch
A year ago this video had a couple hundred views now it's over 160K!!!
I had a lot of fun with Vanguard on MF1 (insane difficulty) but i felt pretty hopeless on MF2 on the same difficulty, i couldn't charge without getting my ass kicked, so it was basically a useless power. Time to give another shot haha.
i miss the vanguard from me1. it really felt like a combination of adept and soldier, while in 2 and 3 its like it's entire own thing. in me1 your strategy consisted of this:
1. use biotics powers to through enemies around like Ragdolls
2. use warp on remaining stragglers go get their shields down
3. put up barrier and charge in with the shotgun on said stragglers
in me2 And 3 vanguard gameplay is basically charge + shotgun, repeat. not to mention biotics got seriously nerfed so that they only work on enemies without shields or armor
Deathpool vanguard was basically unstoppable in me3 with the right build and power combo’s. You should also consider setting up your team to take down shields with characters that use overload in me2. Then charge in and destroy