"Mass Effect 2" - The Classes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Adept

In "Mass Effect 2", only the Adept has access to Singularity. Singularity functions like you would expect a singularity, except enemies are not spagettified by the black hole they start to orbit. Singularity only works on unprotected enemies (enemies without shields, armor, or barriers), but it can hold many enemies at once, suspending them in the air for you to shoot at your pleasure, or to use other powers on.

Adepts are biotic specialists, and are great at controlling the battlefield by picking up and throwing enemies everywhere.

Answer: Infiltrator

Infiltrators have the unique Tactical Cloak power, which turns them invisible for a short period of time. Firing a weapon will cause the cloak to disappear, but Infiltrators get a damage bonus. Tactical Cloak is perfect for when you want to step out of cover unseen. You can set up a perfect sniper shot, retreat from a dangerous area, or walk up to an enemy and unleash a close-range surprise attack.

While Infiltrators initially have an SMG for this last tactic, some players choose to acquire shotgun training on the Collector Cruiser mission, making this tactic much more deadly.

The Geth Plasma Shotgun from the Firepower downloadable content (DLC) can be particularly devastating in the hands of an Infiltrator.

Answer: Vanguard

Vanguards like to get up close and personal. While they have a pistol and SMG like most other classes, they also start off with shotgun training. That and their unique power is Biotic Charge. Charge launches the Vanguard at a target, temporarily stunning it and recharging the Vanguard's shields at the same time.

At higher levels there is also a small amount of time dilation right after impact. A Vanguard with full shields and a shotgun ready to go against a stunned and damaged enemy often makes for a very imbalanced and short fight.

Answer: Engineer

The Engineer is the tech specialist. Engineers excel at fighting against synthetic targets. Their Overload can take out shields, as well as doing extra damage to synthetics, while their Incinerate will take care of any armor.

The Combat Drone is the Engineer's unique power. It summons a drone beside a target, which will attack enemies without any fear for its own safety. The drone can be leveled up to explode when it dies. Because the recharge time on the drone is so small, it is very easy to summon a drone, and then follow up with another ability once it has pushed an enemy out of cover.

Answer: Sentinel

The Sentinel is the biotic/tech hybrid class. It has an array of powers that give the Sentinel an edge, no matter what kind of enemies it may be fighting. The Sentinel is also the only class with access to the Tech Armor power, which greatly increases the Sentinel's shields. It can also be leveled up to detonate when its depleted, damaging and stunning any nearby enemies.

Answer: Soldier

The Soldier probably takes the most blunt approach to combat situations, but is extremely effective at it. The Soldier can equip a shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle, and pistol, so range is no issue. The Soldier can also employ a number of different ammo powers to get an edge, regardless of what kind of enemy is being fought. Finally, the Soldier-unique power Adrenaline Rush slows down time, increases weapon damage, and increases damage protection for a short time when used. Adrenaline Rush has a fast enough recharge rate that almost entire battles can be fought in slow-motion.

Answer: Sentinel

Each power will damage the defenses of the enemy that it is used on, but some powers are better suited for certain defenses. For example, Warp is particularly effective at taking out armor and barriers, but it will still do normal damage to shields and health.

The Sentinel has access to both Overload (good against shields) and Warp (good against armor and barriers), which means it can deal bonus damage to any defenses it encounters.

Adepts have Warp (good against armor and barriers), but no powers with an advantage against shields.

Vanguards have Incendiary Ammo (good against armor), but no powers useful for taking out shields or barriers.

Soldiers actually do have powers enough to take on any defense. They have Disruptor Ammo (good against shields), Incendiary ammo (good against armor), and Concussive Shot (good against barriers). Concussive Shot still does not seem to be as effective against barriers as Warp, but there is bonus damage.

Infiltrators have Disruptor Ammo (good against shields) and Incinerate (good against armor), but no powers for taking out barriers.

Engineers have Overload (good against shields) and Incinerate (good against armor), but no powers for taking out barriers.

While the different classes may not have powers with specific bonuses, a balanced squad and a varied weapon set can mitigate that. Fast-firing weapons, like SMGs and assault rifles, are better at taking out barriers and shields, while slow-firing weapons, like heavy pistols and sniper rifles, are better at destroying armor. Each weapon has its own set of bonuses.

Answer: Soldier or Vanguard

When on the Collector Cruiser mission, you come to a point where you acquire a new weapon: a shotgun, an assault rifle, or a sniper rifle. If you do not have training in one of those three areas, then you can choose to receive training in that weapon type. If you already have training in one of those areas, then a new, powerful weapon of that type will become available.

Of the six classes, four of them have the option to receive shotgun training. For the two classes that already have shotgun training (Soldier and Vanguard), they can instead choose to obtain the M-300 Claymore. This shotgun is a beast. It has the highest damage-per-shot of any weapon (even the M-98 Widow) in the basic game, provided all eight pellets hit (The Geth Plasma Shotgun in the Firepower DLC can actually do more damage). The Claymore can only fire one shot per thermal clip, like the Mantis or the Widow, and it has a wide spread. This means that you have to be very close to your target before firing, and if you miss, the cost could be deadly.

Many players, especially on higher difficulty settings, choose to not use the Claymore, instead opting for assault rifle or sniper rifle options on the Collector Cruiser.

Answer: Infiltrator

The Infiltrator class power (Operative) helps Infiltrators that like to use sniper rifles (which is what the class is set up to do). It actually gives a time dilation, comparable to Adrenaline Rush, for a few seconds whenever an Infiltrator looks through the scope of a sniper rifle, making kill-shots easier. Operative also increases weapon damage.

Soldiers could also achieve time dilation when looking through the scope of a sniper rifle, though they would have to activate Adrenaline Rush separately to achieve this effect.

Vanguards could conceivably look through a sniper scope in dilated time, but one would have to choose sniper rifle training on the Collector Cruiser. The only time a Vanguard gets time dilation is when exiting a Biotic Charge (putting the Vanguard right beside an enemy), and the window of slow-motion is very small.

Answer: Adept or Engineer

On the Collector Cruiser you will acquire a new weapon. It will be a shotgun, an assault rifle, or a sniper rifle. For any of these weapon types that you cannot use, you will have the option to receive training in it. For those that you already have training in, a new weapon of that type will be available.

If you already have shotgun training (Soldier and Vanguard), you will be able to add the M-300 Claymore to your arsenal. If you have sniper rifle training (Infiltrator and Soldier), you will be able to pick up the M-98 Widow. And if you already have assault rifle training (Soldier only), you will be able to take the M-76 Revenant.

The three classes without any training in any of those three weapon types (Adept, Engineer, and Sentinel) will not be able to get one of the new powerful weapons. They will only be able to train in one of those areas and use the same old weapons that the other classes and squad members already could.