Best Adept Biotic Builds - Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA)

Adept Build - Biotic Detonator

This build relies on creating biotic fields and lifting enemies via two main skills - Singularity and Throw. One of them is a vortex that sucks in enemies, damages, and constantly primes biotics even if the enemy is protected. If you manage to catch multiple enemies this is even scarier as you can create some crazy explosions

Second, Throw can either detonate those fields OR create its own biotic combos. This is the most versatile skill in our arsenal and comes with a very small recharge time. It will be your bread and butter.

This leaves a third skill, it decides how aggressive you will be with this build let's take a look in the next section

Skills allocation

This section covers how Squad points should be allocated for the end game on the Adept Build.

Biotic Skills

First, I would like to cover important decisions that you will have to make with the build. Two abilities do similar things - Lance and Charge. Both of them are biotic combo detonators. However, they provide different combat approach

Power name	Upgrades Choices	Description
Lance	Damage & Force Anti-Shield Knockdown	A perfect early in the game, it allows shooting biotic arrows from a distance and favors long-range combat. Of course, you can also use it all the time instead of going for Charge. Overall the ability will be used to strip enemies of shields and detonate them once they are set up for combos with Throw or Singularity
Charge	Damage & Force Power Synergy Shock Trooper	Charge into an enemy from a distance and instantly restore 50% of Ryder's shields. Unfortunately, the skill will usually leave you open to enemy damage. For this reason, we take Shock Trooper upgrade, to reduce recharge speeds and be able to use Charge as soon as possible. Moreover, it can detonate combos, allowing for much greater damage.

Generally, I would recommend Lance skill in the early-mid game, after that (once you start having shorter cooldowns from skills and gear) try out Charge and see if it works for you. Now these are the rest of the abilities that you will need for Adept build

Power name	Upgrades Choices	Description
Throw	Damage & Force Duration Swift Detonation	This skill is a beast. It deals damage (although moderate), primes enemies for the Biotic combo if they are unprotected (Duration upgrade), and also detonates combos. Moreover, with Swift Detonation you will greatly improve the recharge rates, allowing for some crazy fast combat
Singularity	Radius Recharge Speed Exploding Singularity	The ability plays a major role when fighting shielded and armored enemies. It both damages and primes biotic combos. Moreover, once you detonate the combat, it is primed again as long as the Singularity field is active. This means that strong enemies can be detonated with multiple explosions allowing for some big damage.
Barrier	Unyielding Barrier Biotic Link Saving Barrier	This skill provides strong improvements to shields for Adept build, it is necessary as the Saving Barrier upgrade is very powerful and increases your survivability chances drastically
Offensive Biotics	Amplitude Detonation Biotic Expert	By taking Amplitude upgrade we improve the damage that we do with all Biotic skills. I think we already have skills that provide decent recharge times so getting more damage is critical.
Containment	Radius Shield Detonation Event Horizon	The skill gives general improvements to biotic skills like radius, force, and detonators

Because you need a lot of skill points invested in this tree, take other biotic abilities once these are maximized.

Combat Skills

The big drawback of Adept is its survivability, it is fairly easy to die. For this reason, I recommend improving your health and damage resistance via the Combat skill tree

Power name	Upgrades Choices	Description
Any Weapon skill	Damage related upgrades	Take any weapon skill that you use. For example, I prefer Shotguns or Assault Rifles
Combat Fitness	Regeneration Any Hold the Line	I think this skill is extremely important. It will increase the base HP regeneration threshold to 50%. Moreover, with the level 6 upgrade Hold the Line Ryder gets a 200 damage resistance boost when HP is low.

Profile

Profile	Description
Adept	The profile provides bonuses to biotic powers - force, area damage, radius, and additional explosions on combo detonations. Unfortunately, the Adept profile does not give any bonuses to power recharge times.

Ability Progression

This section covers detailed ability progression for Adept Build. This is just a suggested progression, feel free to adjust it based on your needs.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Lance Lv 2	We get all the main active abilities early on. I also recommend Lance at first, until you get bonus biotic skill cooldowns. Later try out Charge.
2	Throw Lv 2
3	Singularity Lv 2
4	Throw Lv 5	Get Damage & Force and Duration upgrades. The latter will allow Throw to prime biotics and detonate combos
5	Singularity lv 5	Get Radius and Recharge Speed upgrades. The latter will greatly boost how often you can use Singularity
6	Lance Lv 4	Additional upgrades for more damage
7	Offensive Biotics Lv 4	improves biotic skills recharge times and damage. Get Amplitude upgrade
8	Throw Lv 6	The most important upgrade Swift Detonation for this biotic skill
9	Barrier Lv 4	Some shield improvements.
10	Charge Lv 6 OR Lance Lv 6	This is a perfect time to pick Charge and see if it fits your playstyle. Pick Damage & Force, Synergy, and Shock Trooper upgrades. Otherwise, go for Lance level 6 and take the Knockdown upgrade.
11	Containment Lv 4	Improvements to biotic effects, take Radius upgrade
12	Singularity lv 6	Upgrade to the last level and get Exploding Singularity.
13	Offensive Biotics Lv 6	Finish off the biotic tree passives by maximizing them and getting the sweet upgrades.
14	Barrier Lv 6
15	Containment Lv 6
16	Preferred Weapon Skill Lv 6	Getting Combat Fitness will give bonus health regeneration and also increase damage resistance while health is low. This is especially helpful in Insanity difficulty
17	Combat Fitness Lv 6

Now you can invest more into the biotics tree to get Adept profile upgrades for more stat bonuses.

Tactics

This section will cover playing the best Adept build in Mass Effect Andromeda.

Choosing between Lance and Charge

This is the main choice of this build and it changes your combat approach. I generally preferred Charge as it has much faster cooldown times. Moreover, it instantly restores shields and provides invincibility frames. I prefer a more aggressive play

Of course, Lance is good as you can use covers effectively with it. It does not open you to enemy shots as Charge does. Overall it comes to your preference, but I suggest trying Charge.

Main Combat Rotation

Here, I would like to talk about how I approach the combat. Generally, you will be fighting enemy groups that have two or three protected enemies (not large armored like Hydra or Elroch) and the rest are unprotected. Here are my steps

1. Find the one that is protected and use Singularity
2. Once you Singularity close to them, you can use Charge to hit them and detonate the first Biotic Combo
3. Now, you can hit again the enemy that you targeted with Throw and they should become unprotected or die
4. Now you can shoot a few shots until Charge becomes available and then use it.
5. In case there were any unprotected enemies they usually get blasted away and now you can just prime them with Throw and use Charge. Rinse and Repeat

However, if there is a stronger enemy like Einroch or Hydra, first concentrate on weaker, unprotected enemies, and only then engage with the strong one. They will take a while to kill, and fighting them one on one is easier.

Moreover, you should use Singularity on them, and keep it in its radius. This ensures that you can make combos nonstop. I think the rest you will learn by playing the profile

Continue using Weapons

Although the Adept build is mainly about using Biotic skills and creating combos, weapons still play an important role. Until you get a decent Biotic power recharge rate, there will be periods where you cannot use any skills, and just standing still without doing anything will lose you DPS

So, check the equipment section for weapon recommendations and use them to be a little bit more versatile Adept. Moreover, I recommend getting a relevant Combat skill upgrade to improve the damage and weapon handling.

Adept Build - Annihilation Detonator

The build here is much riskier as your main combo primer only works close to enemies (3-5 meter range). However, here we can play much more aggressively as long as we can sustain our shields. The main detonator will be Lance. Moreover, Charge plays two roles - detonator and shield restoration for Lance usage.

Skills allocation

This section covers how Squad points should be allocated for the end game on the Adept Build.

Biotic Skills

Power name	Upgrades Choices	Description
Charge	Damage & Force Power Synergy Bastion	This is the main ability that will restore Adept shields to 100%. Moreover, with the last upgrade, it will boost damage resistance
Lance	Damage & Force Anti-Shield Shield-Powered	This ability plays a major role in this build. Once we obtain Shield-Powered, Lance can be used multiple times as long as you have shields. Of course, this depletes them, and that is the reason you need Charge to instantly restore them. Lance is also a detonator and to prime enemies we will use the next skill in Ryder's arsenal
Annihilation	Radius Damage Attractor Draining Field	This is the cornerstone of this build and what makes it extremely risky. The idea is that Annihilation constantly damages and primes enemies for Biotic combos. It only works in a short 3-5 meter distance. This requires you to always be close to an enemy. The Radius upgrade is very important in my opinion. It makes it easier to prime nearby enemies and gives some breathing room when in close combat
Barrier	Recuperative Barrier Biotic Alacrity Saving Barrier	A passive defensive skill improves this build by allowing it to sustain more damage. The Saving Barrier upgrade is very powerful and gives full shields when HP is very low. You can use them for more Lance or hide yourself.
Offensive Biotics	Alacrity Detonation Biotic Expert	We go for Alarity to get an additional Biotic Recharge rate. The main reason is that we need to compensate for Annihilation cooldown penalties.
Containment	Radius Shield Detonation Event Horizon	Provides general biotic skills improvements like force, radius, etc.

Combat Skills

The big drawback of Adept is its survivability, it is fairly easy to die. For this reason, I recommend improving your health and damage resistance via the Combat skill tree

Power name	Upgrades Choices	Description
Any Weapon skill	Damage related upgrades	Take any weapon skill that you use. For example, I prefer Shotguns or Assault Rifles
Combat Fitness	Regeneration Any Hold the Line	I think this skill is extremely important. It will increase the base HP regeneration threshold to 50%. Moreover, with the level 6 upgrade Hold the Line Ryder gets a 200 damage resistance boost when HP is low.

Profile

Profile	Description
Adept	The profile provides bonuses to biotic powers - force, area damage, radius, and additional explosions on combo detonations. Unfortunately, the Adept profile does not give any bonuses to power recharge times.

Ability Progression

This section covers detailed ability progression for Adept Build. This is just a suggested progression, feel free to adjust it based on your needs.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Lance Lv 4	We obtain the core skills of the build
2	Charge Lv 3
3	Annihilation Lv 3
4	Offensive Biotics Lv 4	Get the sweet boost to Recharge Speed with an Alacrity upgrade
5	Annihilation Lv 4	The Radius upgrade improves the reach of Annihilation
6	Charge Lv 6	Our goal is Bastion upgrade for 100% shield recharge.
7	Lance Lv 5	Get Lance to a higher level for effectiveness against shields
8	Barrier Lv 5	To improve Lance we need the Biotic Alacrity upgrade for the -10% shield power cost.
9	Lance Lv 6	Get a Shield-Powered upgrade, so that Lance would use shields. Now use Charge to restore Ryder's protection.
10	Annihilation Lv 6	Maximize these skills with recommended upgrades
11	Offensive Biotics Lv 6
12	Barrier Lv 6
13	Containment Lv 6	Upgrade to improve biotic skill effects

Tactics

Here are some tips on how to use the build in combat

Using Weapons

This is important. Especially in the mid-game, your abilities might leave time when they are still under cooldown. Exploit this by using your weapon to release a few volleys, this will maximize your DPS and if you decide to take something like Scattershot (check the equipment section), you can instantly restore part of your shields.

Staying agile in combat

This is a very important aspect of this build. You constantly have to move, change positions, use skills, and avoid enemy fire. The build maximizes its effectiveness by constantly being in enemies' faces so that Annihilation would prime them for combos.

At first, it may be hard, and you will die often. However, once you learn how to correctly use Charge, Lance, and check your shields, the combat becomes immensely enjoyable. The Charge is an absolute beast, and it allows you to damage opponents, restore shields, and change positions.

Don't forget to use jump jets, to instantly get behind the cover or to avoid enemy fire.

All of these tips will contribute to making Ryder an agile Adept.

Do not forget to activate Annihilation

This happened too often for me, after I got out of my Mako, I jumped straight into combat. I would see that biotic combos are not detonating = I did not activate Annihilation

Used a scanner on some crates and went to the next room for combat. No biotic combos activate - forgot to activate Annihilation

Yeah, this happens often, so be sure to always activate it.

Be mindful of Ryder's shields

There are numerous times when I ran out of shields, by using Lance too much or getting in enemy fire. If Charge is under cooldown you will not be able to restore shields and just die

So as you can see, you should evaluate the number of enemies, and how much damage you are getting. In situations like these your jets are a life saviour.

Combat Rotation

The main combat points are fairly easy to understand. Here is how I approach it:

1. Find a group of enemies or the ones that are protected (Einroch or other stronger monsters should be left the last)
2. Use Charge to get into, and wait half a second for Annihilation to apply
3. Release a shot or two of Lance, and be mindful of your shield
4. If you are getting shot, dodge a few times until the charge resets
5. If nobody is shooting, you can release the third Lance for another combo or just more damage.
6. Find another target and either move to it by walking or wait for Charge to reset

Rinse and repeat. The combat is enjoyable with this build and very fast. The good thing is that you can spam Lance as long as the enemy is affected by Annihilation and this will create constant Biotic Combos. Moreover, as you progress you will learn enemy attack patterns, and picking the one to take out first will be easy.

Bitoic Recharge vs Damage

The big question for these builds is how much should you invest into equipment and abilities that improve recharge times. You always want to reuse skills as fast as possible. At first, I would dedicate everything to Biotic Recharge times. However, the returns are diminishing and the more you add the less you get

Another big thing, I sav that I would need multiple detonations to even kill a normal enemy. For this reason, I started investing more in Biotic damage. So my recommendation is to evaluate these points in combat:

• Do you often die and cannot reuse Charge? Probably need more Biotic Recharge
• Simple enemies don't die from two biotic hits and single combo detonation - invest more Biotic damage
• Would you be okay sacrificing some recharge times, or adding more gunshots between cooldowns? Go for more Biotic Damage

These considerations apply in the mid-late game. Early in the game, everything will be lacking.

Companions

Okay, so now let's take a look at how best we can support the Adept build. I think you can guess by now what we need. Generally, I recommend two things:

• Tech and Biotic effects
• HP regeneration

Generally, all of the companions work, and you will have no problems with any of them Check the squad builds recommendations

Cora

She is very useful for this build and fills all the roles we need. With her Nova, she can prime enemies for Biotic combos. Moreover, she has Shield Boost ability. This instantly restores shields, the provides a bonus shield regeneration. That is not all, this also gives HP regeneration that you may need

More or less she ensures that you would not die in most of the encounters that would be too risky.

Jaal

He is a great addition to the party. Jaal has two skills that can prime enemies for Tech Combos. This gives some variety to the type of damage you do with detonations. However, for Avenger Strike, you will need to finish his loyalty mission

Drack

Drack is a beast. He has one active ability Incinerate that primes enemies for Fire Combos. In addition, his Krogan Warrior level 6 upgrade allows him to shoot fire bullets, ensuring even more burning and combos. That is not all, he is extremely sturdy and his AI makes him run into enemies. This is perfect as it ensures you can avoid some of the enemy's attention

Peebee

Her biotic abilities are top-notch. With Pull and Shockwave, she can prime enemies for Biotic Combos. Be sure to be on the lookout if you see a floating enemy and exploit this with either Charge or Lance. Generally, she should greatly improve the number of combos you detonate with Ryder.

Vetra

Has two abilities that can create Tech Combos - Power Armor and Turian Smuggler. However, both of them need a level upgrade, which can only be obtained once you finish her loyalty mission.

Equipment

This section will cover what equipment you should be using with Adept Build.

Weapons

Choosing a good weapon can make the early game much easier with Adept. Later on, as your abilities improve you start to rely more and more on them. Here are some options that are powerful and easily allow taking on strong enemies like Architects.

Name	Mods	Augmentations
N7 Valkyrie	AR Light Stock AR Heavy Magazine AR Barrel AR Scope	Automatic Fire System - turns the weapon into automatic Power Booster - gives bonus power damage when the clip is full Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic damage
N7 Piranha	Shotgun Barrel Shotgun Receiver	Power Booster - gives bonus power damage when the clip is full Seeking Plasma System - projectiles track enemies. Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic damage

However, there is one option that allows you to instantly restore shields by 25% with each shot. Sounds crazy? But that is true. This option is perfect for the second build

Name	Mods	Augmentations
Scattershot	Shotgun Light Melee - our goal is to decrease clip size to 1, for instant reloads	Plasma Charge System - reduces the clip and releases explosive pellets Shield Oscillator - restore shields after reload Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic damage

Early in the game, assault rifles and shotguns may increase your weight over the limit reducing the power recharge times. For this reason, you can take Hornet. It is extremely powerful and can even take you through the whole game

Name	Mods	Augmentations
M25 Hornet	Pistol Heavy Scope Pistol Barrel Pistol Light Magazine Pistol Receiver	Automatic Fire System - turns the weapon into automatic Power Booster - gives bonus power damage when the clip is full Double Mod Extension - allows two mods Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic damage

Melee Weapons

Having a good melee weapon is important for the Adept build. The main reason is that the augmentations that you choose apply all the time. So go for the one that has the most slots (these are Ultra Rare)

Name	Augmentations	Description
Asari Sword	Biotic Recharge Module - faster biotic skill cooldown	Has 4 augmentation slots, the most out of all melee weapons. However, it also has a unique effect that makes the wielder invulnerable during its use. I prefer adding 4 Biotic Recharge Module to have a good recharge time

Armors

Here are what Armor pieces I recommend for the Adept.

Armor piece	Stats	Augmentation options
Heleus Helmet	+7%-25% Power Damage +2%-8% Weapon Damage	Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic power damage
N7 Chest	+4%-15% Max Shields +4%-13% Biotic Power Damage +5%-20% Biotic Recharge Speed	Shield Oscillator - provide shield restoration on kill Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic power damage
N7 Legs	+2%-12% Max Shields +3%-12% Biotic Power Damage	Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic power damage
N7 Arms	+2%-12% Max Shields +3%-12% Biotic Power Damage	Biotic Damage Booster - increases biotic power damage Aerial Stabilizer - gives 35% bonus biotic damage while hovering

Fusion Mods

Name	Description
Fusion Mod of Rapid Deployment	I do not think this mod is necessary, however, you should try it. This mod gives 50% power recharge speed and decreases weapon damage by 30%. For me this gives enough safeguards, to freely use Charge whenever I want to restore shields
Fusion Mod of Biotic Mastery	This baby gives 30% more biotic damage at the cost of -20% to all other damage. I recommend this one, if you are okay with missing the 50% recharge rate from Fusion Mod of Rapid Deployment

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the best Adept Biotic build in Mass Effect Andromeda. I covered recommended abilities and their progression, best equipment, and tactics. If you are interested in creating Blue explosions covering the battlefield, this post is for you!

Feel free to leave a comment below!