Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Walkthrough Part 2: Races: Krogans, Quarians, Salarians, & Turians

There are a total of seven different races for players to choose from when signing in to the Mass Effect 3 Galaxy At War multiplayer mode. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, its own inherent perks, and its own class restrictions. This walkthrough will cover the Krogan, the Quarians, the Salarians, and the Turians in detail, including their available classes and powers.

Krogan

The Krogan have a galaxy-wide reputation for being brutes, and they have really earned it. Their tough armor is the hardest of any of the various classes to punch through, and their weapons and melee attacks will deal the most damage of any of the available classes. Players who enjoy taking on the Soldier role should definitely select Krogan as their race of choice because of these strengths. A fully specced-out Krogan Soldier is the equivalent of a tank smashing through the battlefield. They really are that strong.

The Krogan are not just the toughest class in terms of armor and weapons, though. They also have the strongest non-charged melee attack. While the Asari can still boast their ultra-powerful Biotics-based melee attacks that hit all around them, the Krogan choose to focus all of their force on one target instead of many. This concentrates the power of the blow into something that is almost always deadly, especially when charge fully.

The big limiting factor to the Krogan is their speed. While other races like the Drell and Asari make up for their lack of physical prowess in dashing speed, the Krogan will often be left behind on the battlefield. If you are playing as a Krogan and you do end up overwhelmed, escape is unlikely. Finally, the Krogan’s giant silhouette is easy to spot even when they are behind cover. While a Human or a Turian might be able to fit behind cover easily enough, the Krogan’s massive frames often peek out from behind cover a bit.

Available Classes:

Sentinel:

·         Tech Armor

·         Incinerate

·         Lift Grenade

Soldier:

·         Fortification

·         Carnage

·         Inferno Grenade

In addition to the above stated powers, all Krogan will have access to Rage and Krogan Berserker skill trees.

Quarians

The Quarians are perhaps most similar to the Asari, in that they specialize firmly in Tech (while the Asari specialize only in Biotics) and wandering outside of this comfort zone means certain death. If you are playing Quarian and you find yourself under fire, it is best to duck your small frame behind whatever cover you can find. Unlike the Krogan, the Quarians are small enough to fit snugly behind just about any piece of cover in the environment. Just don’t let that gunfire hit you, as the Quarians have some of the weakest armor in the game and will die quite easily.

That said, the Quarians’ powers center around dealing some of that damage back out at the enemies. The Quarian Engineer is the only class in the multiplayer that has the Sentry Turret available to it. This can be absolutely essential on the later waves, especially on Silver or Gold difficulty levels. Besides, with armor this weak, it’s imperative to have a Sentry Turret watching your back. Meanwhile, the Quarian Infiltrator will have the Sabotage ability, which can cause Cerberus turrets to malfunction. Either way, Quarian players will want to keep their loadouts light. An Engineer can get by mostly by using offensive powers, and thus will not need much beyond the standard Pistol and maybe an SMG. The Infiltrator will want to bring along a Sniper Rifle to complement their Tactical Cloak ability, and a standard Pistol as well. Be sure to keep those power recharge rates high.

Available Classes:

Engineer:

·         Sentry Turret

·         Incinerate

·         Cryo Blast

Infiltrator:

·         Tactical Cloak

·         Sticky Grenade

·         Sabotage

In addition to the above stated powers, all Quarians will have access to Fitness and Quarian Defender skill trees.

Salarians

Salarians are in many ways similar to the Quarians, and it may appear at first that the two races are interchangeable. Luckily, this is not quite the case. While it is true that both the Quarians and Salarians can only play Engineer and Infiltrator roles, the ways in which both classes choose to act out those roles are completely different. The Salarians are not nearly as good at dodging as the Quarians are. Their stock combat roll is far from the most effective evasive move in the game. The Salarians are also one of the physically weaker races in the game. Damage that a Krogan would scoff at will easily kill a Salarian. This mixture of physical weakness and lousy dodging capabiltities means that Salarian players will have to rely more on tricking the enemies than on outright combat.

Luckily, this is the area in which the Salarians really excel. They can send out Decoys, drain the enemy’s health with Energy Drain, become invisible using Tactical Cloak, and even set Proximity Mines. Since both of the Salarian’s available classes (the Engineer and the Infiltrator) have the Energy Drain ability, it should become standard practice to use this ability when near defeat. Soup this power up towards the beginning of your career as a Salarian, and you will be able to survive encounters that other, weaker members of your race would easily fall to.

Available Classes:

Engineer:

·         Energy Drain

·         Decoy

·         Incinerate

Infiltrator:

·         Tactical Cloak

·         Proximity Mine

·         Energy Drain

In addition to the above stated powers, all Salarians will have access to Fitness and Salarian Operative skill trees.

Turians

The Turians are perhaps most comparable in terms of actual gameplay to the Humans, although they share available classes with the Krogan. The Turians are around the same size as the Humans, and their armor levels are about the same, too. This race lacks the raw melee power of the Krogan, but they can eat more bullets than most classes and can dole out pretty harsh punishment. If you plan to play a Turian, you will have to learn when to stay at range, and when to rush in close. Their two classes, Sentinel and Soldier, both make for pretty versatile combat options. You can stay on the opposite side of the battlefield and snipe, or you can wade into the thick of things with a Shotgun. It’s really more about your personal preference.

Just note that, on the whole, this particular Sentinel class is more suited to close range encounters thanks to abilities like Tech Armor. Soldiers, on the other hand, get the Marksman and Proximity Mine abilities, making them superb snipers. Simply set a Proximity Mine in the doorway of the room where you intend to snipe from, and hit the enemies from afar using Marksman to help. Finally, this race is the best at using Assault Rifles. Because their Turian Veteran ability will allow them to carry three weapons without suffering a powers recharge penalty, equip an Assault Rifle, a Sniper Rifle, and something else like an SMG or Pistol to make the most of the Turians.

Available Classes:

Sentinel:

·         Tech Armor

·         Warp

·         Overload

Soldier:

·         Marksman

·         Concussive Shot

·         Proximity Mine

In addition to the above stated powers, all Turians will have access to Fitness and Turian Veteran skill trees.