Engineer Build: The Saboteur

[Karaokelove]

So after some pretty extensive research and planning, I think I've finally put together a respectable Engineer build. The build is based primarily on information provided here, with that information edited to fit my playstyle. You can view the build here, as well as check out the level progression below: http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/nollann8686/TheSaboteur.jpg

 

Most of the choices are self-explanatory, with a few notable exceptions.

 

I wasn't really keen on investing points into Vitality Serum because I can't imagine an extra 4% of a Sniper's hp is going to be a significant increase. Since I needed to put in 2 points to get to the higher skills, it was between that or Vital Regulator, which I figured I could just ignore via medpacks.

 

Because I wasn't keen on the Vitality Serum points, I decided to hold off and use that as my opportunity to get in my Marksman tree skills. That way I could go ahead and start taking advantage of the awesome Ballistic Dampers skill as early as possible.

 

When it came time to decided between Cover Screen and Marksman, I decided on Cover Screen because I wanted to max out the defensive possibilities of the build, but it really could have gone either way.

 

Once my Marksman skills were out of the way it was time to get back to pumping up those Engineering skills. I knew I was going to eventually take all 3 levels of Lethality, and I decided to do this during levels 33-35, right before taking Experimental Explosives. This allowed me to get the most effect out of Experiment Explosives when I was finally able to take it at 36. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have taken Lethality until level 47, which would have limited my damage output significantly.

 

I was only in the final weekend of beta, so all of my choices were based almost solely on info I was able to find on these forums and in the above-posted blog. If you know something that I don't, or have any helpful suggestions or criticisms, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading!

Edited January 5, 2012 by Karaokelove

[StealthNerf]

The reason I like vital regulators over vitality serum is that the regulators proc on the main energy regen ability which has its cooldown reset by one of the main DPS skills.

 

Going to be using that skill anyway, so may as well get some healing from it.

Edited December 15, 2011 by StealthNerf

[Karaokelove]

The reason I like vital regulators over vitality serum is that the regulators proc on the main energy regen ability which has its cooldown reset by one of the main DPS skills.

 

Going to be using that skill anyway, so may as well get some healing from it.

 

That's a really good point. I'm waiting to make a final judgement call until I can find out approximately how much HP a Sniper will have. I can't imagine a 4% boost will be worth it, though, so there is a very good chance I will change my mind and take Vital Regulators instead.

[BojanglesLol]

Hey i read the leveling guide real nice thanks man

[miketallica]

Awesome breakdown, I'm going to be using this. Thanks for posting!

[Karaokelove]

The reason I like vital regulators over vitality serum is that the regulators proc on the main energy regen ability which has its cooldown reset by one of the main DPS skills.

 

Going to be using that skill anyway, so may as well get some healing from it.

 

I think you have swayed my opinion. When you think about it, an extra 4% hp is only going to make a difference when you get knocked down to below 4% hp, and the odds of surviving such an encounter aren't going to be great. The healing, on the other hand, can be used multiple times (when you are able to reset the counter on the droid) for 6% at least twice in a match. I don't know how I didn't see what an obvious choice it was before, but now there is no question that I'm taking Vital Regulators over Vitality Serum. Thanks for helping me come to that decision!

[Olliewilldie]

Nice build! Very helpful. I was thinking of doing an engineering build too.... all depends how useful it will be for PVP!

[StealthNerf]

I think you have swayed my opinion. When you think about it, an extra 4% hp is only going to make a difference when you get knocked down to below 4% hp, and the odds of surviving such an encounter aren't going to be great. The healing, on the other hand, can be used multiple times (when you are able to reset the counter on the droid) for 6% at least twice in a match. I don't know how I didn't see what an obvious choice it was before, but now there is no question that I'm taking Vital Regulators over Vitality Serum. Thanks for helping me come to that decision!

 

Yeah it's good hey. 6% doesn't seem like much, but then you consider you're using it twice a minute. Time it right and it's a 12% heal over 6 seconds.

 

Not amazing, but you've gotta put the points somewhere.

Edited December 16, 2011 by StealthNerf

[archifikoss]

Pretty much what I was considering mate.

 

I was wondering though if Augmented Shields is indeed worth the points? Would you benefit more from a reduced CD for Flashbang and Frag grenade, or maybe even a quick snipe after leaving cover? Just asking, I haven't tried it out yet and would like to be educated on this

 

I'm also heavily torn between Engineering and Marksmanship... I loved my Infiltrator and Engineer the same in Mass Effect, can't decide!

[Karaokelove]

Pretty much what I was considering mate.

 

I was wondering though if Augmented Shields is indeed worth the points? Would you benefit more from a reduced CD for Flashbang and Frag grenade, or maybe even a quick snipe after leaving cover? Just asking, I haven't tried it out yet and would like to be educated on this

 

I'm also heavily torn between Engineering and Marksmanship... I loved my Infiltrator and Engineer the same in Mass Effect, can't decide!

 

Good question. Really it comes down to personal preference, but I can tell you my reasons for ignoring Engineer's Toolbelt and Calculated Pursuit in favor of Augmented Shields.

 

First off, from what I have read, Frag Grenade is a pretty inefficient ability. It's fine if you are able to hit all 5 targets, but other than that, your energy is best spent elsewhere. You are mainly going to be using it to start a fight or end one, so its cooldown really isn't that important. Flash Bang is definitely useful, but even with a maxed out Engineer's Toolbelt you're still looking at a 45-second recharge. Sure, that extra 15 seconds could save your life on occasion, but it's very situational. For a strictly PVP build, it could be a good choice.

 

As for the Calculated Pursuit, Cover is practically an instant ability, so when I need to Snipe I can just pop into cover real quick and get the Snipe off. No point in spending points on a skill that literally saves me 1 or 2 seconds in a battle. If I was going to invest points in a Snipe ability, I would have to say Stroke of Genius would be a better buy, but honestly if you're going Engineering build there are better things you could be spending your points on (in my opinion).

 

As far as the Augmented Shields go, one of the goals of my build was survivability. I wanted to be as hard to kill as possible, mainly because the Engineer is an energy-intensive tree by nature, and you need time to be able to regen that energy and cool down those abilities. The way I see it, Augmented Shields + Ballisitic Dampers + Deployed Shields + Vital Regulators = a very hard to kill Engineer. The best part is you can re-initiate Ballistic Dampers by exiting and re-entering cover, maintaining your 20% bonus to defense via Cover Screen. You can also re-initiate your Shield and Adrenaline Probes via EMP Discharge, meaning you should be able to maintain an exceptionally high level of defense throughout the course of a fight.

 

Hope that answers your questions. Thanks for the input!

[bigprimo]

see post below Edited December 16, 2011 by bigprimo

[bigprimo]

oops fixed...

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#400bcMZbIMbRRbRrsZh.1

[archifikoss]

Good question. Really it comes down to personal preference, but I can tell you my reasons for ignoring Engineer's Toolbelt and Calculated Pursuit in favor of Augmented Shields.

 

First off, from what I have read, Frag Grenade is a pretty inefficient ability. It's fine if you are able to hit all 5 targets, but other than that, your energy is best spent elsewhere. You are mainly going to be using it to start a fight or end one, so its cooldown really isn't that important. Flash Bang is definitely useful, but even with a maxed out Engineer's Toolbelt you're still looking at a 45-second recharge. Sure, that extra 15 seconds could save your life on occasion, but it's very situational. For a strictly PVP build, it could be a good choice.

 

As for the Calculated Pursuit, Cover is practically an instant ability, so when I need to Snipe I can just pop into cover real quick and get the Snipe off. No point in spending points on a skill that literally saves me 1 or 2 seconds in a battle. If I was going to invest points in a Snipe ability, I would have to say Stroke of Genius would be a better buy, but honestly if you're going Engineering build there are better things you could be spending your points on (in my opinion).

 

As far as the Augmented Shields go, one of the goals of my build was survivability. I wanted to be as hard to kill as possible, mainly because the Engineer is an energy-intensive tree by nature, and you need time to be able to regen that energy and cool down those abilities. The way I see it, Augmented Shields + Ballisitic Dampers + Deployed Shields + Vital Regulators = a very hard to kill Engineer. The best part is you can re-initiate Ballistic Dampers by exiting and re-entering cover, maintaining your 20% bonus to defense via Cover Screen. You can also re-initiate your Shield and Adrenaline Probes via EMP Discharge, meaning you should be able to maintain an exceptionally high level of defense throughout the course of a fight.

 

Hope that answers your questions. Thanks for the input!

 

It does indeed, thanks for the feedback mate! If frag grenade is indeed inefficient for an Engineer later on, yeah I think it won't be worth the points.

 

Maybe both these talents would be better for a Marksman then - Calculated Pursuit to even further bolster Snipe, and Engineer's Toolbelt to slightly improve Marksman AoE DPS due to the halved (I think?) CD on FG.

[Olliewilldie]

Awesome posts Karaokelove! Really helpful man. Keep it up!!!!

[Karaokelove]

It does indeed, thanks for the feedback mate! If frag grenade is indeed inefficient for an Engineer later on, yeah I think it won't be worth the points.

 

Maybe both these talents would be better for a Marksman then - Calculated Pursuit to even further bolster Snipe, and Engineer's Toolbelt to slightly improve Marksman AoE DPS due to the halved (I think?) CD on FG.

 

It would certainly be worth a try. If you do give it a shot, I hope you won't mind sharing your results with the rest of us.

 

And by no means do I mean to say that you shouldn't be using Frag Grenade. Though not energy-efficient, it still provides a nice burst of AoE damage that, when coupled with Explosive Engineering, should put a dent in any group defenses you might come across. All I'm saying is that, because it's not as energy-efficient as other damage skills, you probably don't want to be slinging one out every 3 seconds, which would be the only purpose of taking the Tool Belt, with the exception of the extra Flash Bang cooldown. I definitely plan on making good use of my Frags, I just don't plan on spamming them or I will quickly have no energy left to do anything else.

[Aviem]

Karaokelove, thanks for all of your input so far. I had a few questions for you. I am currently level 22 and have been going Marksmanship from the start. I haven't had any issues with it, however I am intrigued by the engineering tree. The majority of quests involve killing multiple mobs at a time which leads me to believe the engineering tree would be more efficient for leveling. I am also very interested in PVP and have been having fun thus far as Marksmanship, although some added survivability wouldn't hurt assuming the damage output was similar. Do you think it would be a bad idea to respec at this point? Also, what is your typical pve/pvp rotation. I am also curious if you have your bars set up in a unique way. Thanks!

[Karaokelove]

Karaokelove, thanks for all of your input so far. I had a few questions for you. I am currently level 22 and have been going Marksmanship from the start. I haven't had any issues with it, however I am intrigued by the engineering tree. The majority of quests involve killing multiple mobs at a time which leads me to believe the engineering tree would be more efficient for leveling. I am also very interested in PVP and have been having fun thus far as Marksmanship, although some added survivability wouldn't hurt assuming the damage output was similar. Do you think it would be a bad idea to respec at this point? Also, what is your typical pve/pvp rotation. I am also curious if you have your bars set up in a unique way. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the questions! First off, I don't really have any experience with respecing, so I'm not familiar with the long-term costs associated with such a choice. Since a lot of the early MM skills are useful to an Engineer build, you might just start building up your Engineer tree by building on what you've already invested into your MM tree, no respec needed. I find myself using Snipe and Ambush just as much (if not more) and my other abilities, so I don't think you would be gimping yourself.

 

My typical rotation is pretty standard, I would assume. I start a fight by dropping into cover and activating Laze Target. I recently learned that you can cast Snipe and right before the charge fills up you can cast Explosive Probe and they will both go off a the same time for a nice little burst of opening damage. At that point, if I'm fighting a group I'll toss out a Frag. If I'm tying to take down a stronger opponent, I'll go ahead and lay a Corrosive Dart on them and follow that with Ambush. If they try to get on me I'll Debilitate, Shiv, and then either Snipe or pop on another Corrosive Dart for good measure. At that point it's just a mix of Snipe and Ambush (and Shiv if they are close enough) and trying to maintain Corrosive Dart DoT. I try not to let my energy level drop below 3. If it starts to get low I might drop a Flash Bang and Adrenaline Probe.

 

One other tactic I use is if I'm up against a group but I want to make sure I take out a specific target first. Usually I'll frag the main target so the others take some nice AoE damage, and follow it up immediately with a Flash Bang. I can then Explosive Probe -> Ambush -> Corrosive Dart the primary target. That also means that by the time the group come out of stun, I've got another Frag ready to go.

 

As far as my layout goes, I've been experimenting with a few different ones. Here's what I've got posted on another thread:

 

Thanks for all the good advice! I think I'm finally working out a system that isn't too complicated. I've just turned off the Cover Bar, since I currently have more than enough room on my skill bars without it. I'm still working out the kinks, but this is basically my set-up:

 

wasd: movement

E: standard attack

F: Frag

R: Corrosive Dart

Q: Power Shot (I'm trying to decide between "Q" and "V" on this one)

C: Disorient

Space Bar: Cover (I basically don't jump, and cover is so important I figured it should get the space bar. Jump has been mapped to "B" so I can still hit it with my thumb)

 

Since I don't (can't) really move while in cover, I mapped my cover-only abilities with the Shift key modifier, so:

 

(S)Q: Ambush

(S)W: Drone

(S)E: Snipe (since Snipe is basically your crouching standard attack)

(S)R: Ambush

(S)C: Escape

(S)+Space Bar: Crouching Cover

 

And that's the jist of it. I mapped my 2 melee skills to "1" and "2" and a few other "secondary" skills (such as Flash Bang and Adrenaline Droid) to 3-7. I have "Q" mapped, but I can't remember to what.

 

Any non-combat skills (like Fast Travel and Sprint) I mapped to the right tool bar with no hotkeys, since I can just click on them when I need them.

 

I have the Skills set up in my bars so be easy to see, so I can gauge cooldowns during a battle.

 

Anyway, it's taking some getting used to, but I pretty much don't have to move my hand to get to any skills that I need, and my mobile skills are usable while still being able to easily navigate my wasd keys.

 

Hope that answers your questions!

Edited December 19, 2011 by Karaokelove

[Optech]

Great write-up. Very helpful, for sure.

[Obsivus]

Great builds! Added to my sticky thread! Thumbs up! Edited December 21, 2011 by Obsivus

[Karaokelove]

Just a quick update:

 

I just hit 26, and I've been following my plan to the letter. So far it's working really great. One thing I hadn't counted on was the Suppressive Fire ability. Since it is an AoE attack, it benefits from Explosive Engineering and gains the 15% damage. This has been huge, as I can singlehandedly take down entire groups of mobs with nothing but Frags and Suppressive Fire, and they both do so much damage that I don't have to expend too much energy in the process.

 

Ballistic Shields has to be the best skill in the game. I've mapped my Cover button to be the space bar, so during a fight I can just tap "w" (to inch forward) and "space bar" in rapid succession to instantly gain another 3 charges of Ballistic Shields. This means that, in effect, my Engineer constantly ignores 30% of all damage at all times. Groups of enemies are able to get attacks in between the 1.5 second recharge, but when facing Elites and Champions 1 on 1, they pretty much aren't able to get out attacks fast enough to get around the Ballistic Shields. I've actually successfully pulled agro from a severely wounded tank, and held that agro long enough for the tank to be healed back up to fighting form. Not too shabby for a ranged dps build... What's really awesome is that the Suppressive Fire does so much damage that it generates a ton of threat, allowing me to be purposeful about pulling threat off of the tank when needed.

 

And I don't know if you guys have seen the thread on this trick yet, but if you cast Snipe and then cast Explosive Probe just before Snipe fully charges, they will both hit at the same time, allowing the Snipe to ignite the Explosive Probe in 1 glorious burst of damage. Well, between Steady Shots and Explosive Engineering, that burst of damage can be quite extreme. I've nearly 1-shotted "Strong" opponents of equal level more than a few times. One of my favorite tactics is to Flash Bang a group of enemies and then use that Snipe/Probe combo on any "Strong", "Elite", or "Champion" mobs, then toss out a Frag to damage the whole group, and then top it all off with Cover Fire. Typically by that point, the regular mobs are dead and the stronger enemy is severely injured, hopefully low enough for a Takedown.

 

I'll continue to let you guys know who the build fleshes out. So far I am very happy with it. It was a little rough before I got Ballistic Shields, but now I'm straight up ****** everything I come across. Also also just put my 2nd point into Vital Regulators, and it's already saved my *** from a few botched attacks. Considering it regens 6% of my health when I cast Adrenaline Probe, and I can use Advanced Recon to instantly gain another use of Adrenaline Probe, I can quickly come back from the brink of defeat. That's like having 12% more health and an entire 2nd bar of energy!!! Anyway, glad you guys like the build and as always I look forward to reading your questions and comments!

 

[edit] One last note: I've been spending a lot of my time in combat fairly close to the enemy. Don't underestimate the cheap but effective Debilitate-Shiv 1-2 combo. It's been my saving grace for many a battle, and is easily followed up with the Snipe/Probe combo.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Karaokelove

[Atlantean]

I've been leveling as Engineer spec since the get go and I can say it's been very fun. Your ability to aoe is incredible, combine with the knock back of Frag Grenades and Explosive Probes you can even keep a group of standard melee enemies knocked down and at a distance.

 

One thing we're sorta weak at is single target Boss fights. It takes a long time to set up probes and debuffs. I find that Kaliyo is under half health by the time I get everything set up. Then I'm spamming Ambush and Snipe (skills we're not spec'd into) while waiting for explosive to cooldown and getting ready to pop evasion/Shield probe if Kaliyo dies.

 

Overall I'm pretty happy with Engineering, but I'm tempted to try Marksmanship.

[Karaokelove]

I've been leveling as Engineer spec since the get go and I can say it's been very fun. Your ability to aoe is incredible, combine with the knock back of Frag Grenades and Explosive Probes you can even keep a group of standard melee enemies knocked down and at a distance.

 

One thing we're sorta weak at is single target Boss fights. It takes a long time to set up probes and debuffs. I find that Kaliyo is under half health by the time I get everything set up. Then I'm spamming Ambush and Snipe (skills we're not spec'd into) while waiting for explosive to cooldown and getting ready to pop evasion/Shield probe if Kaliyo dies.

 

Overall I'm pretty happy with Engineering, but I'm tempted to try Marksmanship.

 

I despise Kaliyo... Other than that, though, I find Engineer to be just as effective at single-target combat. Because I'm so durable, I have no qualms with getting into an Elite's face to Debilitate and Shiv him, in addition to the bread-and-butter Snipes, Probes, and Ambushes. If you ever need a breather while Explosive Probe recharges, Flash Bang always comes in handy. And by making sure you always have a Corrosive Dart chipping away at your opponents' health, you're saving yourself a ton of energy while still getting in your damage. The only thing I'm really having an issue with right now is energy management, but I can usually fall back on Adrenaline Probe when I start to run low, which is nice because it also heals me for 6%.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Karaokelove

[Atlantean]

I despise Kaliyo... Other than that, though, I find Engineer to be just as effective at single-target combat. Because I'm so durable, I have no qualms with getting into an Elite's face to Debilitate and Shiv him, in addition to the bread-and-butter Snipes, Probes, and Ambushes. If you ever need a breather while Explosive Probe recharges, Flash Bang always comes in handy. And by making sure you always have a Corrosive Dart chipping away at your opponents' health, you're saving yourself a ton of energy while still getting in your damage. The only thing I'm really having an issue with right now is energy management, but I can usually fall back on Adrenaline Probe when I start to run low, which is nice because it also heals me for 6%.

 

Once you get Interrogation Probe and the EMP discharge ability, it resets the CD on Adrenaline Probe and Shield Probe which is pretty nice for healing back energy/health and protection.

[Karaokelove]

Once you get Interrogation Probe and the EMP discharge ability, it resets the CD on Adrenaline Probe and Shield Probe which is pretty nice for healing back energy/health and protection.

 

Oh wow, I didn't even think about that! So between that and Advanced Recon, you could use 3 Adrenaline Probes in a single fight. And with 2 points in Vital Regulators, that's 18% health regen. Damn!

[Aviem]

Have you guys tried PVPing at all with Engineering?