Each character in Mass Effect: Andromeda Multiplayer features different skills, looks, and motives for fighting. The human variants of the Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, and Vanguard are unlocked at the beginning of the game. All other characters must be drawn from packs.
Each character has two level types:
XP Level: A character’s XP level can only be raised by playing as that character while performing missions. Leveling XP is the best and most reliable way to gain skill points that, in turn, level up your character’s powers and skills.
Card Level: Upon receiving a character card for the first time, that character is unlocked as Rank I (1). This information is displayed as a Roman numeral I following the character name.
Each duplicate card received upgrades your character to a max of Level X (10). With every level comes a reward.
Character Card Level Bonus
Building an APEX Team
Building a great APEX team requires diversity. This means you don’t want all players to have the same damage types, play styles, or roles when setting up a match.
These groups are broken down by their main damage type, which determines the general play style of that character.
Biotic Characters
Biotic characters are strong against single, unshielded, and unarmored enemies. They rely on quickly traversing the map from cover to cover, while using the environment and their biotic powers to kill and slow enemies.
Most biotic powers have a short range, meaning you need to keep yourself within a reasonable distance of your enemies to make the most of them.
Constantly moving around the map wreaks havoc on the enemy, forcing them to spawn alone in different sections and taking focus away from any teammates holding out in a safe position.
This play style sets you up perfectly for completing different objectives. Use your powers and movement to tie up enemies. Gain enough distance from them to grant you time to quickly complete or start an objective while the rest of your team moves into position to assist.
Biotic characters rely more on their powers than weapons, so equipping just one weapon cuts down on your encumbrance and increases the speed at which your powers recharge. All biotic powers only have recharge speeds—no need to visit an ammo crate unless you run out of ammo for your weapons!
Combat Characters
Combat characters focus on dealing out damage with their weapons and powers. They can also take a fair amount of damage! Combat characters are the easiest to play because of their survivability and weapon damage bonuses gained from their passive abilities. Focus on using weapons, leaving powers like the grenade for groups of enemies or a heavy enemy who threatens your position. Use an incendiary booster to make short work of armored enemies.
A combat player doesn’t initially focus on priming and detonating. Your main goal is dealing out constant damage to enemies as they appear. Combat characters should carry a mid-range weapon, like an assault rifle, and then choose either a sniper rifle for long-range encounters or a shotgun for holding down a room or engaging in a more “in your face” approach.
Take advantage of your enemy’s weak points. Landing hits on weak points deals out more damage per hit, which means fewer attacks and time spent on a kill. This allows you to stay in cover for as long as possible and leaves you with (hopefully) enough ammo to last until the safety of the round intermission.
When holding down a strategic position with a group, place yourself on the front line; your passive abilities let you take more damage than your teammates, assuming they’re from other skill focus groups.
Tech Characters
Tech characters are a little fragile compared to other classes, featuring less armor and shields than their counterparts. They make up for this weakness with their ability to stun, prime, and detonate numerous enemies.
Some tech characters can use support equipment, like the assault turret, which draws enemy fire away from your group and allows you to attack an enemy’s flank more easily. This is an excellent tactic to use against enemies like the Hydra, which features a weak point on its back. Enemies aren’t drawn to support equipment once you begin to deal higher amounts of damage, so deal your damage in bursts, allowing them to return their attention to the support equipment before they close in on you!
Remember that an enemy with a shield cannot be primed until the shield is completely depleted.
The core responsibilities of a tech player include keeping enemies primed and performing combo detonations when possible. These tasks place tech characters in more of a support role. While a tech player may not be able to withstand damage like a standard combat player, the tech passives can increase the recharge rate of your shield and health after a period of taking no damage. This allows for quick regeneration between bursts of evasion.
The quick regenerations come in handy when priming enemies with a skill like the Cryo Beam. When using the beam, you’re left open to attack, which can rapidly drain your shield. After detonating your primed target, there should be enough of a break in combat for you to completely regenerate your shields and begin regaining health.