The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition collection is launching on May 14, 2021, and fans can’t wait to play as Commander Shepard again. Just like the original games, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will have several classes available to players, with each one possessing different abilities. Character creation in Mass Effect will be more streamlined than ever with the new unified character creator, which will allow players to easily retain their version of Commander Shepard throughout the trilogy. Gamers will have options for a variety of preferred combat styles, but the Sentinel could be a great fit for players who favor jack-of-all-trades-style gameplay.
In the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition collection, BioWare has tweaked gameplay for all three games. The first Mass Effect is getting a significant combat overhaul, which sounds like making it more in line with the second and third games to create a unified gameplay experience. Across the remastered trilogy, players can expect to see improved squadmate AI, less restricted weapon usage, and even rebalanced resource availability, all welcome changes by Mass Effect veterans. With the May 14 release date right around the corner, some gamers are naturally planning out what class to play, and Sentinel might be a perfect fit for some.
Sentinel Has Access to Biotic and Tech Abilities
Players are undoubtedly planning their characters to journey through the Mass Effect trilogy again. One of the most varied classes that will be available to players is the Sentinel. The Sentinel allows players to use biotic abilities, skills that allow characters to push, pull and throw enemies, akin to psychic abilities. Sentinels will also be able to utilize Tech abilities, which enable players to generate additional shielding, turrets, and attack enemy fortifications. Overall, the Sentinel is a versatile class throughout the whole trilogy.
While Sentinels lack the focus of the pure biotic class Adept, and the distinct tech mastery of the Engineer class, the Sentinel’s mix of abilities can be potent on the battlefield. Sentinels can generate additional armor for themselves, and go offensive in combat using biotic abilities. While focusing on offense, Sentinels can even forego the use of cover to dish out some serious damage to enemies, thanks to additional shielding. Biotic abilities throw and lift enemies, damaging and disabling them momentarily, creating an advantage for Shepard and his team. Similarly, Sentinels can also rely on the Overload ability to do big damage to synthetic enemies and shields.
Sentinels In a Support Role
While Mass Effect’s Sentinel is more than capable of strong offense, the class can equally take on a more defensive and supportive role. Abilities such as Cryo Blast are helpful during encounters where an element of crowd control is necessary. Cryo Blast will freeze unshielded enemies, making them more susceptible to damage and immobilizing them for a short period. Overload is another useful tech ability, which can devastate enemy shields and open them up to extra damage from Commander Shepard and the team.
In Mass Effect 1 in particular, Sentinels are more suited to a supportive role. While they do have access to some offensive abilities, they have more skills focused on healing the squad. keeping them alive and disabling enemies with moves like Stasis. Mass Effect 1 has undergone big changes for the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition collection, so it remains to be seen if the class will be just as it was in the original game.
Gunplay Will Be Even More Viable for Sentinels
Several combat changes are coming to Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Melee attacks will be mapped to a specific button, weapon handling has been rebalanced, and crucially, class-based weapon restrictions have been removed. This means that Sentinels will be able to use any type of gun they wish without incurring any penalties. This won’t have too much bearing on the remastered version of Mass Effect 3, but it could fundamentally change the gameplay for Sentinels in Mass Effect 1 and 2.
In the original version of Mass Effect 1, Sentinels were limited to using only pistols. In Mass Effect 2, Sentinels could use heavy pistols and submachine guns. Now that the class-based restrictions are being lifted, Sentinels will be even more viable for players who wish to focus on gunplay while using the class. A weapons-focused Sentinel in the Legendary Edition could potentially the most powerful version of the Sentinel yet. While the abolishment of weapon restrictions won’t change much for the likes of the close-range Vanguard, this change could make Sentinels more lethal than ever.
Sentinels Can Allow for More Experimentation with Squadmates
With the versatility of a Sentinel Commander Shepard, players could arguably be freer to experiment with different squad configurations compared to other classes. Mass Effect is filled with valuable squad members, meaning a finely balanced group is paramount to success. Because of the Sentinel’s biotic and tech abilities, and soon to be improved weapon capabilities, players might find themselves with more freedom to change around their squad.
While it’s in a limited capacity, the version of the Sentinel coming in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will have all the basic areas of combat covered. This could give players a chance to use underutilized team members without having to worry about team balance too much.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has gone gold, and it seems as though it’s ready for the May 14 launch date. Gamers won’t have to wait much longer to return to the role of Commander Shepard, and with that, class choice is important for players’ experiences. While each class has its own discernible strengths and weaknesses, the versatility and soon-to-be-enhanced weapon capabilities of the Sentinel could be a great choice for some. The Sentinel could be perfect for those who wish to adapt to different combat situations and get a taste of each tenant of battle.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is set for release on May 14, 2021, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
