Mass Effect 3 multiplayer tips and strategies guide

An enraged Krogan can go toe to toe with an Atlas

When a Krogan with Rage gets three melee kills in thirty seconds, he gets a massive boost to his defense and melee attack. Right then hes about the only thing that can get up close and personal with the giant Cerberus Atlas. Unlike the Brute or the Banshee, the Atlas doesnt have an instant kill melee move. If you keep headbutting and blasting away with your shotgun, youll bring it down and really impress your team.

Don't charge Banshees

It doesnt matter if youre a Drell Vanguard or a Krogan Soldier, unless a Banshees shields are down and its health is low, you dont wanna be anywhere near it. Getting close to a Banshee sets you up for its deadly one hit kill. To lower a Banshees shields, use Energy Drain, biotic combos or rapid fire weapons. Brutes can also instant kill at this range, but their lack of shields makes them a lot less formidable.

Drells can Pull away Cerberus shields

Drells have Pull, which sends enemies straight up in the air like balloons. It can also yank away the shields from annoying Cerberus Guardians. Pull then Reave is a great Drell Adept combo, or Pull then Biotic Charge for Drell Vangaurds.

Spec an Engineer for Overload crowd control

A maxed out Overload power can behave like chain lightning and hit up to three targets. Choose Chain Overload at Ranks 4 and 6 for a 60% chance the shock will bounce from one target to another to another. Nothing stops a wave of Geth like this.

The Sentinel is the toughest, most versatile class

A Sentinels Tech Armor makes him a great tank, and they can soften up enemy armor and barriers with Warp. Since your Tech Armor slows your cooldowns, wait to use it until you really need it.

If you spec with defense in mind, a Krogan Sentinel can be the heaviest guy on the battlefield. As a human Sentinel, use Throw then Warp for a mean combo. The Turian Sentinel is the most versatile warrior on the battlefield. His Overload power makes him great against shielded or synthetic foes, something no other Sentinel can say.

Nova is the Vanguard's get out of jail free card

Vanguards love to brutalize a single target. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed after charging in, use Novas wide range blast to clear the area. After that, your shields will be down, so you need to find cover. Beware of long range enemies who will pick at you when your defense are down.

Snipe Geth Pyro tanks

Every gamer knows a flamethrower is trouble up close. Luckily, Geth Pyros are none too quick, and theyre easy to spot with their bright yellow coloring. The best way to take them out is to lower their shields and shoot the fuel tank on their back. If the Pyro is looking straight at you, youll see the top of his tank just behind his head.

A Salarian with a sniper rifle is the guy for this job. His energy drain can get the Pyros shields down fast, then he can ignite the fuel tank with a couple well placed rifle rounds.

Reset your Powers by promoting a class

Promotion is basically Call of Dutys prestige mode. In exchange for a 75 point contribution to your War Effort and a 10 point boost to your N7 level, promoting a class returns all four characters to level one. For reseting a characters powers, its a bit like trimming the hedges with a chainsaw, but its the only free way to do it. Otherwise you can get a Reset Power item randomly from the store.

Unlock the Battlefield 3 Soldier

Thank EA corporate synergy for this explosive warrior. A nimble human with Frag Grenades and Carnage, this dude was born to walk away from explosions, totally not looking. Unlock him by registering a copy of Battlefield 3 on the same account as your Mass Effect 3.

Fighting Cerberus

The Illusive Mans goons use armor and shields, so youll want biotics and engineering. Engineers are doubly equipped to deal with Cerberus, Incinerate will torch their armor and Overload will shut down Centurion and Atlas shields.

A Drells Pull is perfect against Guardian shields and an Asaris Stasis is what you want against fast-moving Phantoms. Quarian Infiltrators can Sabotage Centurion and Nemesis shields, and stun Assault Troopers.

For equipment, use Incendiary Rounds or Armor-Piercing Rounds, which can punch right through a Guardians Shield. No need to mailslot him!