Scout - Single Player Game
I will focus on the classic scout-sniper, which I played throughout the trilogy, briefly mentioning the scout "close combat" playstyle with a shotgun. Looking back at the past games, playing as a scout has become somewhat easier, especially compared to the first game—there's no more nightmarish recoil, the sights don’t jump, but since this applies to all classes, let's not dwell on it.
Scout Abilities
Tactical Cloak
Like in [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2), tactical cloak is one of the main abilities of the scout. In addition to Shepard being able to move among enemies unnoticed, the next shot deals additional damage to the enemy. A new feature in [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3) is that disabling the cloak before it expires reduces the cooldown of abilities, allowing the cloak to be activated much more often.
Tactical cloak is an ideal skill when playing as a sniper, but it can also be useful when playing as a scout with a shotgun. Sneaking up on enemies under cloak, you can deal significant damage at close range, which is quite handy in situations when the sniper rifle is less effective.
The first three levels are standard, but at level four, we need to choose between two options.
Level 4: Increase bonus damage by 40% / Increase ability duration by 40%
Level 5: Increase ability recharge speed by 30% / Melee damage while cloaked increases by 5%.
Level 6: Increase bonus damage by 40% when using sniper rifles / Allows using skills (any, not just sticky grenades) without coming out of cloak.
Cloak duration at level 4, melee damage at level 5—these are more suited for the shotgun scout, who needs to get closer to the enemy for increased effectiveness. The sniper, on the other hand, needs to keep their distance and hit harder.
Sticky Grenade
This ability is useful because it doesn’t require reloading and can be used at any time. It’s best used under tactical cloak since sticky grenades do not disable the cloak effect.
Grenades are not very effective against moving targets, as their blast radius is quite small. The best target for a sticky grenade is a lone armored enemy, but not the "Cerberus" guardians—the grenade adheres to their shield and deals no damage.
Sticky grenades are great against slow or large targets, such as creatures and banshees. If you can get close enough to them, try throwing a grenade. Few things in the game deal as much damage as a grenade exploding on the enemy right behind their back.
It's worth upgrading the sticky grenade since it’s the only skill that does not break the cloak while providing significant benefits to the scout and hindering the opponent.
Level 4: Increases damage by 30% / Increases blast radius by 30%.
Level 5: Increases maximum number of grenades by 2 / Increases damage to armored targets by 50%.
Level 6: Increases damage by 40% / Increases blast radius by 50%. After sticking to a flat surface, the grenade remains active for 15 seconds and explodes when an enemy approaches.
The blast radius doesn’t increase much, and it's not very effective against moving enemies, so it’s better to invest points in damage. At level six, you can also choose to detonate upon enemy approach. This is useful if you are in ambush and know exactly which path the enemy will take (which is usually obvious).
Incinerate
A great penetrate skill, it simplifies life when facing creatures, banshees, and other armored enemies. At higher levels, this skill significantly increases damage to frozen targets, so it makes sense to use it with cryo ammo or freezing skills from your teammates.
Incinerate is useful for finishing off weak enemies, damaging armored targets, and flushing opponents out of cover (this ability hits in an arc, so you need to aim slightly above your target). It is undoubtedly a valuable asset in your arsenal, although not as useful as tactical cloak.
This is a very useful ability. How to develop it is up to each player; I focused on armor damage and the ability's recharge speed.
Level 4: Increases radius by 2 meters / Increases incinerate damage by 30%.
Level 5: Increases damage by an additional 40% over 8 seconds / Increases recharge speed by 25%.
Level 6: Damage to frozen targets increased by 100% / Increases damage from incinerate to armor by 50%.
You can also choose the combination of "increases radius by 2 meters" - "Increases damage from incinerate to armor by 50%" + "mass freeze" from a teammate (for example, Kaiden). Turn enemies into ice sculptures and then play the fakir.
Sabotage
Sabotage disables enemy weapons and deals minor damage to the target over time.
Sabotage doesn't deal much damage by itself but can incapacitate a strong enemy long enough for you to take care of weaker opponents or finish off a weakened target (with damage from their malfunctioning weapon) while moving to the next victim. It is also very useful for disabling "Atlas" mechs, allowing you to shoot them a bit without retaliation.
Hacking AI with sabotage is also extremely pleasant. "Cerberus" turrets are very, very effective and are often positioned in the heart of enemy positions. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a single turret switched to your side can take out any soldiers, engineers, or centurions that come near it. Hacking AI is as useful as ever against the geth: divert a target in the middle of a squad, and it will distract attention, force enemies out of cover, or simply perish, weakening the opponent overall.
Sabotage is a necessary and irreplaceable skill for a scout.
Level 4: Increases ability duration by 50% / Increases damage taken by 30% when overheating enemy weapons.
Level 5: Enemies affected by "Sabotage" explode upon destruction, dealing 395 damage in a 4-meter radius / Recharge time for this ability is increased by 25%.
Level 6: Hacked synthetics move faster and deal 100% more damage / Increases technical damage to the target by 100% for 10 seconds.
Hacking synthetics in single-player mode is preferable since throughout the plot we will face "Cerberus" and their delightful turrets, geth, and other synthetic joys.
Disruptor Ammo
Disruptor ammo helps to tear down shields and destroy synthetics, while also sometimes stunning organic foes. As an added bonus, they now deal damage to barriers as well, though not as much as piercing ammo.
Ammo is a matter of taste. I would rather spend points on other skills. However, this type of ammo can be very good for a shotgun scout + at level 5 they increase headshot damage.
Level 4: Damage to health increased by 3%, and damage to armor and shields by 12% / Squadmates gain 50% of the effects of this ability.
Level 5: Ammo reserve increases by 30% / Headshot damage increased by 25%.
Level 6: Damage to health increased by 5%, and damage to armor and shields by 20% / Paralysis chance increased by 25%.
Cryo Ammo
Cryo ammo is great thanks to its armor-piercing properties, even if it doesn’t freeze the target. It’s best used with weapons like assault rifles that boast high fire rates, thereby increasing the chance of freezing the enemy. A frozen target can be taken down with a shot from a sniper rifle or incineration.
Level 4: Duration of freeze increased by 40% / Squadmates gain 50% of cryo ammo effects.
Level 5: Ammo reserve increases by 30% / Headshot damage increased by 35%.
Level 6: Chance of freezing increases by 50%, slowing enemies increases by 20% / Frozen targets take 50% more damage, enemy armor is reduced further by 25%.
Cryo ammo is a controversial skill for me. I’d rather take a companion who has a full freeze or Liara with stasis. However, if you have ability points—why not invest them here?
Durability
Durability is a passive skill that increases shields, health, and damage.
Level 4: Melee damage increases by 30%, weapon damage increases by 25% for 20 sec if the enemy is killed with a powerful melee attack / Health and shield increase by 25%.
Level 5: Reduces shield recharge time by 15% / Melee damage increases by 75% if the enemy is killed with a powerful melee attack.
Level 6: Melee damage increases by 30% / Health and shields increase by 25%.
Melee damage is left to the shotgun scout, while the sniper needs health and shields.
Field Skill
This passive skill helps boost your reputation in the eyes of others, enhancing damage from abilities or weapons.
Level 4: Bonus weapon damage increased by 5% / Increases damage from abilities by 10%.
Level 5: Increases weapon damage from squad members by 10%. Increases power and damage from squad members’ abilities by 15% / Maximum allowed weight increases by 35.
Level 6: Ability duration and damage increase by 20% / Increases headshot damage by 15% and damage dealt with a sniper rifle by 15%.
Bonus Ability
The bonus ability gives you a chance to create a unique scout, trying out various tactical combinations.
In my case, I preferred the ability "Carnage" on my first playthrough, and on repeat—"Energy Drain".
Carnage
Carnage is great if enemies are trying to get close to you. Our scout is made for long-range combat, so against any oncoming husks, this ability will be helpful.
This ability is possessed by James Vega. If you constantly take him on your team, then the ability may not even be needed.
Level 4: Radius of effect increases by 50% / Damage increases by 30%.
Level 5: Recharge speed increases by 35% / Knocks enemies out of commission, knocking them down.
Level 6: Damage dealt to armored targets increases by 65% / Damage increases by 50%.
Our problem is approaching enemies, while we have other means against armored targets. So we choose the area of effect and damage.
Energy Drain
Energy Drain is another useful skill. It allows you to knock down enemy shields while replenishing your own.
This is a very useful ability; it's worth developing area damage to cover more enemies and restore your shields by attacking synthetics.
Level 4: Area of effect increases by 100% / Damage increases by 30%.
Level 5: Increases shield recovery rate by 50% / Shield recharge speed increases by 25%.
Level 6: Reduces damage taken by 10%, creating an additional temporary layer of armor / Damage increases by 40%.
Bonus abilities are called bonuses because they can be exchanged. If you’re not satisfied with your current ability, you can buy a new one.
All bonus abilities except for carnage, which has been selected.
Interesting note: there’s something in the game related to "active reload", especially useful for scouts and sniper rifles. Using an ability interrupts the reload animation, which is very long for snipers. However, the ammo replenishes directly during the animation. Knowing this fact, you can significantly reduce the time between shots by activating one of the ability buttons, even if it is still not ready.
For example, you can activate your cloak immediately after starting to reload your weapon. To learn how to do this, you’ll need to practice, but when used correctly, it becomes an indispensable tool for the scout—you can fire at the enemy at incredible speed.
Ammunition
Like in Mass Effect 2, scouts are well-suited for good sniper rifles like the "Mantis" or "Widow." Use tactical cloak, flank the enemy, and shoot. To achieve sniper slow-motion, equip the rifle with a concentration mod—that will also slightly boost damage.
You need good gear against such an enemy...
As always, when using the sniper rifle, aim for the head after removing shields and barriers. A powerful single-shot sniper rifle will kill any "Cerberus" fighter and all Reaper soldiers except the strongest with one shot.
This style of play is most important at higher difficulty levels, especially on Insanity—very often the greatest danger comes from falling grenades that can instantaneously kill you if you’re nearby, but the enemies throwing them (gunmen and cannibals) are not shielded or behind barriers. If you take out these opponents before they reach you and start throwing grenades, you can avoid the chaos that ensues from the bombardment of your positions.
Weapons
It’s impractical to take more than two types of weapons—due to the heavy weight, the cooldown of abilities increases drastically. It’s best to stick to a sniper rifle and an assault rifle/pistol.
There are many sniper rifles in the game, but only a few will suit our playstyle well:
M-92 "Mantis"
A great choice for the beginning of the game. We get it almost immediately—on Mars.
It has 1 round in the chamber, 9 in reserve. Without upgrades, it requires reloading after every shot. However, you can complete the entire game with this rifle, even if it’s not as penetrating as the "Widow."
M-97 "Viper"
The "Viper" is a good weapon; we can find it on Palaven.
But I wouldn’t rush to replace the "Mantis" with the "Viper," although it weighs slightly less, and it has more rounds in the chamber (6 shots, 36 in reserve). The "Mantis" is more effective at taking out protected enemies.
M-98 "Widow"
The "Widow" can be found on Tessia, which is roughly mid-game.
The distinctive feature of the "Widow" that makes it an excellent choice for a sniper is that it kills most enemies with a single shot. "Widow" is not intimidated by the shields of the "Cerberus" guardians and can penetrate thin cover.
Of course, with such killing power, this sniper rifle does not boast high fire rates or plenty of ammo. After every shot, it will require reloading. It has 1 round in the chamber and only 7 in reserve.
"Black Widow"
An "elite" rifle. It can be bought in the "Spectre Requests" for a hefty sum of 250,000 credits, but it’s well worth it.
3 shots before reloading, 15 rounds in reserve (before modification).
High damage, low recoil, and deadly accuracy. The "Black Widow" allows killing a weak enemy with one shot and not wasting time reloading to take out a couple more foes.
Yes, it has lower damage than the "Widow," but due to the larger ammo capacity and upgrades, the "Black Widow" wins.
Weapon Enhancements
Thermal Clip Reserve
Adds slots to increase thermal clip reserves, increasing the number of backup shots.
Ammo Capacity Increase (from +50% to +90% at level V)
Naturally, a very useful skill. The more ammo, the fewer reload problems.
Extended Barrel
An extended barrel increases bullet velocity and kinetic energy.
Damage (from +15% to +25% at level V)
Another extremely important and useful enhancement for sniper rifles, especially if you want to take down enemies with the first (or second) shot.
Enhanced Scope
The scope improves stability, reducing aiming inaccuracies when moving and when injured.
Accuracy (from +15% to +35% at level V)
This is a useful enhancement; it allows you to see the silhouettes of hiding enemies and increases accuracy through obstacles.
Armor-Piercing Modification
Capacitors transfer energy to accelerators, increasing penetration power.
Armor Ignore (from 25% to 65% at level V), Penetration (from 0.75 m to 1.35 m at level V), Damage Loss (from 70% to 30% at level V).
Armor piercing is always great, especially when dealing with thick armored creatures.
Concentration Module
Biometric sensors and special software compensate for the shooter’s breathing and pulse.
Slow Motion (from 25% to 35% at level V), Slow Motion Duration (from 1.50 s to 2.50 s at level V), Damage (from +5% to +15% at level V).
This is also a good thing, but I hardly used it at all.
Armor
"Armax Arsenal" Armor
An excellent choice for a scout with a sniper rifle.
This is composite armor. Each part is sold/located separately.
• Chestpiece: Early on. Mission to rescue Admiral Koris.
+10% to ammo capacity.
• Shoulders: "Priority: Palaven."
+5% weapon damage, +10% headshot damage.
• Gloves: Mission "N7: Cerberus Assault," or after the mission in the "Spectre Requests" at the Citadel.
+5% weapon damage, +10% headshot damage
• Leggings: "Priority: Sur'Kesh," or after the mission in the "Spiritin Arsenal" shop.
+10% to ammo capacity.
"N7: Defender" Armor
From DLC, available with the collector's edition or through pre-order with certain retailers.
In the game, it can be found while completing the mission N7: "The Gear of War."
Characteristics:
• Weapon damage: +5%
• Ammo capacity: +20%
• Health: +10%
• Shields: +10%
"Cerberus" Armor
Sold in "Elkos Combine Arsenal."
Characteristics:
• Ammo capacity +10%
• Weapon damage +10%
• Shields +10%
• Health +20%
Helmets
"Kuwashi" Visor
Sold in "Sypretin Arsenal."
The owner gains additional visibility and increased accuracy while losing head protection.
Characteristics:
• Weapon damage +5%
• Headshot damage +10%
"Delumcor" Helmet
During the mission "Priority: Cerberus Headquarters.
Designed by "Delumcor Systems," the AI inside this helmet targets enemy weak points. It can also transfer excess energy to weapons. Early models of this helmet were noted for the AI announcing combat stats aloud, but testers found it "too chatty" and "too grim."
A good helmet, but it looks much better on Kai Leng.
Characteristics:
• Headshot damage +5%
• Weapon damage +10%
Team
And still, Mass Effect is a team game. The choice of companions in the third part is not as vast as in the second, but our teammates possess all the necessary arsenal of abilities.
In the game, there are companions who will be with you regardless of what happened to your hero in the first two parts: Liara, James Vega, and EDI. Also, Javik, if you have the "From Ashes" DLC.
Garrus, Tali could die at the end of the second game, and Kaiden/Ashley may simply not join your team in the third part.
So that’s plenty. Especially since the most irreplaceable companion for the scout is Liara.
Liara is the only companion in Mass Effect that cannot be killed throughout all three games.
If you’re playing as a sniper, Liara is invaluable. Stasis holds enemies in place and allows you to easily land headshots. It also works on shielded opponents, allowing you to kill centurions, engineers, marauders, and other mid-level targets on the spot. Enemies caught in singularity are also easy to shoot with a sniper rifle. Warp and disruptor ammo help strip barrier defenses.
Finally, her singularity can remove shields from those annoying guardians, and the recharge time for this ability can be made quite short, allowing Liara to use warp on enemies inside, which inflicts additional damage. Using singularity on clusters of unshielded enemies and throwing a sticky grenade at one can also deal significant damage.
It’s nice to have characters who wield overload, such as Garrus, Kaiden Alenko, and EDI. In addition to stripping shields (which gives you the chance to pick off an enemy with a single sniper shot), overload often stuns organic enemies for several seconds, offering them up to your fire. Cryo blast, also possessed by Kaiden, will also freeze unshielded enemies, allowing the sniper to quickly tear them apart.
In the game, there are missions where you need to take a specific companion, so you'll be able to evaluate everyone's battle performance. For me, the optimal combination was Kaiden-Liara.
For other playstyles, characters with assault rifles (Ashley Williams, Garrus, Javik, James Vega, and Kaiden) will be invaluable, especially with a penetrator mod to knock enemies out from behind cover. "From Ashes" also adds a prothean rifle, which is perfect for focused fire.
If you have the "From Ashes" DLC, Javik is a very reliable option and can even effectively fill in for Liara. Javik’s abilities are quite similar to Liara’s powers if developed in the right direction (meaning giving his “Charge” ability a chance to work on groups of targets). Javik also recharges both aforementioned abilities quickly, allowing him to effectively bombard enemies with them.
Thanks for editing - Soth