Biotics in ME2

[NoSoup4You]

Does anyone actually enjoy using biotics in ME2? I'm almost ready to give up on my adept character which I brought over from ME1. In ME1 he absolutely rocked the house, crowd control up the ying yang and Shotguns as an extra talent made him truly awesome. But in ME2 this same guy is completely worthless.

I play both games on Hardcore difficuly.

It starts with the new cooldown system they implemented in ME2 - no longer can I throw out all my powers for MASSIVE crowd control as in ME1. The powers, all of them, now have to cooldown regardless of which power you use. This is just awful and it discourages you from using all your different powers since they all become available at the same time after a cooldown, so you're naturally going to keep using your best powers consistently whereas in ME1 I'd throw out everything I had while waiting for the other powers to cooldown.

Sure, in ME1 it might have been cheap as hell starting a battle using Lift + Throw to launch enemies off the map, immediately followed by dishing out Singularity on a tightly grouped pack of geth for crowd control, then whipping out Barrier and slapping Warp on a Krogan immediately followed by charging in with a Shotgun Carnage blast. All of this was done rapid-fire, one power after another, and holy hell it was fun. That's what single player games are supposed to be all about - fun. In ME2 I can't do any of this, adepts are totally gimped.

And it's not just the cooldowns, biotic powers now have to travel to the enemy before they take effect instead of the nearly instantaneous effects in ME1. I'm okay with this and I like angling them around corners, but some of the powers move so damn slowly. Singularity moves like molasses... seriously! Not to mention it's not uncommon to miss with the slow ones since they take a more direct path even when angled to move around an obstacle than the faster powers do.

Am I missing something? Where's the appeal here...

 

[disappoint]

They (the game designers) probably thought it was too easy the way it was, so they gimped the biotic powers, because well, in short...they are fail.

Instead of gimping powers if they thought the first one was too easy they should have just added more enemies, or stronger ones, but it's not what you know but who you know so the game designers are probably just the CEOs idiotic nephew so lets all write a scathing letter to them so they can wipe their multimillionaire butts with it because while everyone knows this....no one cares.

the end.

 

[Udgnim]

I still abused Biotic power in ME2

 

[mk]

Playing adept on veteran was still fun. Somehow managed to finish about a third of the game before actually needing to resort to a weapon.
On vet/lower all enemies don't have extra protection layers so you can start throwing them around before stripping them. Even with cooldowns and a narrowed talent pool you can do plenty even if ME1-style biotic fireworks aren't possible anymore.

 

[NoQuarter]

I heard biotics on Normal in ME2 are way powerful, I imagine they could be when most enemies don't have shields or armor to take down first. I've only played on Insanity difficulty and biotics aren't worth bothering with since you gotta work down their protections first. Overload was only thing worthwhile.

 

[Zenoth]

Wait until you have Throw Field and Pull Field, including Biotics upgrades, and it rocks the house, especially against Husks (on Hardcore, Pull Field alone is instant death for up to four Husks as far as I've managed to do). I agree about the cooldown of all powers being a nerf somehow, but in ME1 Biotics were over-powered in my opinion, one thing I do appreciate in ME2 despite the cooldown is the duration of some of the powers which is longer than the cooldown, so for instance with Pull Field your targeted foe(s) will be pulled long enough for your to use a second power on them before the effect is gone (if they aren't already dead at that point).

Overall I would say that indeed the Biotics in ME2 were perhaps a bit too much nerfed but they're still good enough and I do have fun with mine, so in the end it's a matter of taste I guess, for me the fun isn't gone at all, but if it is for you then the simplest solution would be to start a new character and try something different.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Use your squad mates powers in combination with your own. Don't just mix biotic powers, if you experiment with different combinations of powers sometimes interesting things happen. Use your squad.

 

[NoSoup4You]

That's a great point, in ME1 I could rely solely on my own character to nuke the enemies with all the various biotic powers available. I think I'm trying to play ME2 the same way and it just doesn't work. I will try bringing along a complimentary character and resurrecting the ol' Lift/Pull + Throw combo and others. Thanks for the tip, sometimes the most obvious answer is right there in front of you but you can't see it!

 

[skace]

I'm playing ME2 the exact same way I played ME1: Running around sniping everything.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I'm playing ME2 the exact same way I played ME1: Running around sniping everything.

Yeah when I played ME2 I just played as a soldier. Just shoot everything.

If I play through a second time I'll probably go Vanguard. Biotic powers + weapons so you aren't as susceptible to cooldowns.

 

[s44]

The most powerful class now is probably Sentinel. Vanguard no longer plays like a caster in ME2, but a teleporting close-combat brawler.

Adept needs to use tactics now instead of spam. Use Singularity to lock down the toughest baddies and set up Warp Explosions (seriously, use this *every time*) with squadmate powers. This guide (with mind-boggling videos) is really good.

 

[NoQuarter]

The most powerful class now is probably Sentinel. Vanguard no longer plays like a caster in ME2, but a teleporting close-combat brawler.

Adept needs to use tactics now instead of spam. Use Singularity to lock down the toughest baddies and set up Warp Explosions (seriously, use this *every time*) with squadmate powers. This guide (with mind-boggling videos) is really good.

Yea Vanguard seems one of the hardest classes to play on insanity since getting in close exposes you to death but it's fun as hell. My first tactic was to use squadmates with Overload to reduce a target's shields to half then charge in and blast in the face with a shotgun while I set up Overload on the next target so I could continue charging and killing then take cover.

Now I just use 2 rocket drones to distract the enemies while I charge around blasting in the face with a shotgun and it works really well since you don't get focus fired.

 

[Lonyo]

I played sniper with biotic powers and at first I didn't use biotics and found it tough.
Then I remembered biotics and suddenly the game became so much easier.
Definitely powerful.

 

[zinfamous]

I've yet to play ME2, but I've assumed that when I do, I will simply adopt the same strategy that I always use for these type of games: run head-long into danger behind a spray of bullets.

 

[Qbah]

Sentinel with max cooldown reduction skills and Reave = bringer of death with sick survivability. Overload + Reave cover every possible enemy type (and stun your targets once their defenses are down). Both instant. Next in line is Soldier with Warp and Disruptor Ammo. Everyone is a weakling compared to those two IMO

And squad powers are instant. I use them constantly. Mordin with Incinerate and Neural Shock is so deadly it's not funny. Add Kasumi for her stun grenades, overload (both instant) and that cloak attack and you rape every single encounter on Insanity without breaking a sweat (except

Spoiler

that ambush on the Collector cruiser - hard as hell with a Harbinger at melee range and the biotic hulk flying around

). Or Miranda with instant Warp and Overload (and a great passive HP boost to your team). Just quick slot their powers for quick use and keep them behind you (so you don't see them) and every time you use their power it happens the moment you press it. If you can see them, they need to duck out of cover.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Biotics are awesome in ME2, but you have to combine them with your allies' powers. I like to use throw/pull/whatever and then have someone else use warp to get a biotic explosion.

 

[jonks]

"it discourages you from using all your different powers since they all become available at the same time after a cooldown, so you're naturally going to keep using your best powers"

don't know what you mean by "best" powers, since some biotic powers are better vs diff enemies depending on if they have a biotic shield, or armor, or are geth/robotic, you're going to switch up powers accordingly. If you're near a ledge Pull/push makes more sense than incinerate. Reave decimates collector shields and armor. I used all the powers I selected.

 

[NoSoup4You]

Some great info in this thread, thanks for the feedback.

Another query - are all the weapons balanced with one another or are they "upgrades"? The in-game tips suggest they're upgrades but clearly the guns are quite different from one another and would appear to be configured to allow you to use the type of gun that fits your preference (semi-auto, full auto, burst...etc.). Any conclusive info on the matter?

I wish the game gave stats...

 

[Cheesetogo]

Generally speaking, all of the non-DLC weapons are on a similar level (aside from the collector ship ones). While the DPS does vary, the main differences are in how they work. I used the Vindicator rifle because I liked the accuracy, not because it does more possible damage per second. Use what you feel works best for you.

 

[s44]

I believe the starting weapon in the class is inferior but the ones after that are to your taste. (The Collector Ship ones are, as mentioned, a class above.) I believe you only get the Vindicator alternative if you play Tali's loyalty on Hardcore or Insane, though. I prefer the Vindicator anyway...

The Kasumi DLC is nice not only for the cool mission but two pieces of gear: a tux/cocktail dress (how come FemShep doesn't get formal wear as GuyShep does?) for looking dapper on board, and the best SMG (unless you're heavily into brainless spraying). Her Locust (you get it from her mission) is the only SMG that's a passable assault rifle replacement. There's also a free DLC shotgun you can download (the Eviscerator, part of the "Cerberus Weapon and Armor" pack) that gives you more range and is probably the best shotgun unless/until you get the Collector Ship one.

 

[s44]

Btw, if you miss Stasis you can pick it up as your bonus power in the Liara DLC (which you should buy anyway). But I don't think it's worth rushing into that mission for -- Singularity usually does the trick.