Lancer Build

Lancer Build - Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA)

By zanuffas
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Lancer Build

The build is inspired by cavalry riders that used long Lances to charge directly into enemies. Unfortunately, we do not have this thing in Andromeda, but we have a strong alternative - Lance skill. It is one of few abilities that can be used without cooldown as long as you have shields.

lancer build combat mass effect andromeda

To get close to the enemies we will use the Charge ability (fits perfectly the theme, eh?). It allows covering long distances and more importantly, restoring the shields for Lance usage.

The build has been tested on Insanity difficulty

However, you would think that Lance skill by itself is weak, and you are right. However, we will pair it together with Annihilation to create huge biotic explosions around Ryder. Each Lance use will create Biotic Combo dealing large amounts of damage

If this sounds like your playstyle, let's take a look

Skills allocation

This section covers how skill points should be allocated for the end game on the Lance build

Check this post on how to reset Ryder skill points and start using this build

Combat Skills

lancer build combat skills mass effect andromeda

Power name Upgrades Choices Description
shotguns skill icon mass effect andromedaShotguns
  1. Weight
  2. Any
  3. Damage & Force
Generally, any weapon works, it's my personal preference to use a shotgun as I have always been close to enemies. If you are using Scattershot take Reload for a level 5 upgrade
combat fitness mass effect andromedaCombat Fitness
  1. Regeneration
  2. Heavy Lifting
  3. Hold the Line
Provides various stat boosts - max health, shields, weight capacity, weapon damage, etc. The level 6 upgrade, is especially good as it gives 200 damage resistance when HP is low.

There is another option that I would like to recommend.

Biotic Skills

lancer build biotic skills mass effect andromeda

Power name Upgrades Choices Description
charge mass effect andromedaCharge
  1. Damage & Force
  2. Power Synergy
  3. Shock Trooper
This ability will play the main role of charging into a group of opponents. Moreover, it will restore shields that can be used for Lance's ability. I prefer Shock Trooper as you get plenty of bonuses from other abilities for bonus shield restoration and it reaches 100% easily.
annihilation mass effect andromedaAnnihilation
  1. Radius
  2. Damage Attractor
  3. Draining Field
This ability allows us to prime all enemies around for Biotic Combos. It also decreases enemy damage resistance allowing for more damage. Moreover, the last upgrade gives 30 shield restoration after each kill, giving opportunities for more Lance uses.
lance mass effect andromedaLance
  1. Damage & Force
  2. Anti-Shield
  3. Shield-Powered
This is the main damage ability of the Lancer build. You can use it as long as you have shields. Moreover, after each enemy is killed you will restore part of the shields from other skills, to continue using this skill. Otherwise, you can just use Charge.
barrier mass effect 3Barrier
  1. Unyielding Barrier
  2. Biotic Alacrity
  3. Saving Barrier
Provides improvements to shields and gives instant shield restore when health is low
offensive biotics mass effect andromedaOffensive Biotics
  1. Alacrity
  2. Exploitation
  3. Biotic Warrior
The ability gives bonus biotic power damage and recharge speed. Moreover, it will weaken enemies when a biotic effect is active (Annihilation) and gives bonus damage after each biotic skill use.
containment mass effect andromedaContainment
  1. Radius
  2. Shield Detonation
  3. Event Horizon
This ability is a low priority. It gives bonus duration and effect radius for biotic skills.

Tech Skills

lancer build tech skills mass effect andromeda

Power name Upgrades Choices Description
team suport mass effect andromedaTeam Support
  1. Support
  2. Team Recovery
  3. Defense Grid
To unlock this ability get any skill to level 4 in the Tech skill tree. Team Support gives a bonus to defenses and damage resistance with the last upgrade.

Profile

You will need to spend 232 skill points in the biotic skill tree to unlock the level 6 Adept profile
Profile Description
adept profile mass effect andromedaAdept I think this profile fits perfectly the build (although Vanguard can also be an option). The Adept profile provides various boosts to biotic skills. However, the most important is Biotic echoes, which create smaller combos after combo detonation, creating havoc on the battlefield.

Skills Progression

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

The early build might be difficult as your abilities will have long cooldowns. As you level up and put more points into biotics this will get much better.

Order Skill Description
1 lance mass effect andromedaLance Lv 4 These are the core abilities for the build. Get Radius upgrade for Annihilation

Note: early in the game being close to enemies may mean certain death. You can switch Annihilation with something like Singularity up until level 20~
2 charge mass effect andromedaCharge Lv 3
3 annihilation mass effect andromedaAnnihilation Lv 4
4 offensive biotics mass effect andromedaOffensive Biotics Lv 3 The passive will improve recharge rates and pick Bastion upgrade for Charge skill to drastically decrease cooldown times
5 charge mass effect andromedaCharge Lv 6
6 barrier mass effect 3Barrier Lv 3 Gives improved shields
7 lance mass effect andromedaLance Lv 6 Unlock Shield-Powered, to make the skill work without cooldown.
8 annihilation mass effect andromedaAnnihilation Lv 6 Maximizing these skills will give huge bonuses to biotic damage and allows restoring shields after each kill
11 offensive biotics mass effect andromedaOffensive Biotics Lv 6
12 barrier mass effect 3Barrier Lv 6
13 shotguns skill icon mass effect andromedaShotgun Lv 4 Any weapon skill works, shotguns are just my preferred option
14 combat fitness mass effect andromedaCombat Fitness Lv 6 The most important part is an increase in the health regeneration threshold and bonus damage resistance when HP is low.
15 containment mass effect andromedaContainment Lv 6 Gives boosts to biotic skill radius, force, and shield restoration
16 Any tech skill lv 4 To unlock Team Support, we need to spend 9 skill points in Tech tree
17 team suport mass effect andromedaTeam Support Lv 6
18 shotguns skill icon mass effect andromedaShotguns Lv 6 Maximize the weapon skill

Now, put the rest of the points into any biotic tree skills. You will need them to reach the level 6 Adept profile, for improved combo damage.

Tactics

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

Get in Close and Personal

The build only shines when you are close to enemies. Why is that? Our goal for this build is to create biotic explosions. For that, you need to prime enemies, and the only way to do that is either with companions or Annihilation skills.

Annihilation only works in close range, so once you are close, an enemy that you attack with Lance, will create Biotic Combo. Thanks to Adept's unique perk - Biotic Echoes, this will create even more small explosions. Generally, any normal or shielded enemies will be taken out with a few hits

When fighting Armored enemies, use Evasion

However, it is a bit different when you fight Fiends, Hydras, Destroyers, etc. Here your goal is to be close, but also to avoid their finisher attack - usually grab animation will indicate this. So when charging, I recommend using evasion and keeping a 2-4 meter distance from them.

lancer build fiend combat mass effect andromeda

In this distance, you can freely unleash Lance skill to create some Biotic combos from the Annihilation field effect. Whenever you use all of your shields, use Charge to restore them.

Main combat rotation

The combat is fairly simple with this build, your goal is to get close to enemies via Charge skill. In turn, this will prime all enemies for the Biotic combo, which you can exploit with Lance.

Use Lance as much as you can before your shields are depleted. This can take some time, as you will restore protection after each kill from Annihilation and some other passive skills

Once that happens, use Charge to restore them and spam Lance again. The Charge should have a very low cooldown allowing it to be used almost any time. Generally, this all there is to the build combat once you reach low enough cooldown times

Companions

Here I would like to mention a few companions that are above the others specifically for this build. You can check all the squad builds recommendations

Drack

drack skills mass effect andromeda

The Krogan companion is a perfect match for the build. He will also go into close combat, providing damage resistance from the Defense Grid upgrade on the Team Support skill. Moreover, he will draw some enemy attention making the combat easier.

The last thing is that he will be able to activate Fire combos via Incendiary ammo that you unlock after his loyalty mission.

Cora

cora skills mass effect andromeda

She is an extremely valuable companion. First, she has Shield Boost, which restores shields and HP. This will allow using Lance even more. Second, she has abilities that take her up close to the enemy, which will activate Team Support's Defense Grid. Third, she can prime enemies with Biotic and Cryo combos from Nova and Cryo Ammo.

Generally, she is a very versatile companion to have

Equipment

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

Weapons

Name Mods Augmentations
n7 piranha mass effect andromedaN7 Piranha
  • Shotgun Barrel
  • Shotgun Receiver
dhan mass effect andromedaDhan
  • Shotgun Barrel
  • Shotgun Receiver

There is also a more defensive option. It will restore shields after you clear the clip, so generally, you will use 1 shot. Sadly, you will also sacrifice Power Booster

Name Mods Augmentations
scattershot mass effect andromedaScattershot
  • Shotgun Barrel
  • Shotgun Receiver

Melee Weapons

Name Augmentations Description
asari sword mass effect andromedaAsari Sword Has 4 augmentation slots, the most out of all melee weapons. The damage boost is better as you only have one skill with recharge times, which is already fairly short.

Armors

Armor piece Stats Augmentation options
heleus icon helmet mass effect andromedaHeleus Helmet +7%-25% Power Damage
+2%-8% Weapon Damage
n7 chest mass effect andromedaN7 Chest +4%-15% Max Shields
+4%-13% Biotic Power Damage
+5%-20% Biotic Recharge Speed 
n7 legs armor mass effect andromedaN7 Legs +2%-12% Max Shields
+3%-12% Biotic Power Damage 
n7 arms armor mass effect andromedaN7 Arms +2%-12% Max Shields
+3%-12% Biotic Power Damage 

Fusion Mods

Name Description
fusion mod of biotic mastery mass effect andromedaFusion Mod of Biotic Mastery By sacrificing all of the other damage, Ryder get's bonus of 30% biotic damage. This is a worthy sacrifice as we only use biotic skills for damage.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the best Lance build in Mass Effect Andromeda. I covered recommended abilities and their progression, best equipment, and tactics.

Feel free to leave a comment below!

Discussion

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Post author zanuffas avatar zanuffas
Gamestegy Founder. I have been writing game guides and builds for 4 years. I like to push myself to create something wonderful for the readers!