In the original Mass Effect version, players must prioritize investing points into Charm or Intimidate to buff their Paragon or Renegade score. These unlock special dialogue options. Higher Charm Scores provide bonuses to First Aid and Potency Cooldown, while higher Intimidate scores increase weapon potency and damage.
In Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, players must prioritize maximizing Operational / Operational Mastery capacity. In Mass Effect 2, it provides bonus overall health and weapon damage, reduces potency cooldown, and provides a significant bonus to Paragon or Renegade points when making a decision. It also allows Shepard to choose a specialization between Agent and Assassin. Agent reduces Potency cooldown, adds additional bonuses to Paragon / Renegade scores, increases health, and increases potency duration. This is especially useful for the tactical cape. Assassin increases weapon damage and potency, and provides greater sniper slowing when aiming. In Mass Effect 3, Operational Mastery dramatically increases weapon damage and potency, snipers time dilation, reputation, and load capacity immediately.
How to select undercover gear and teammates in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
While players can use any weapon they want in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Infiltrators usually do their best with sniper rifles and pistols or SMGs. Some players prefer to take a more Vanguard-class construction approach, playing an infiltrator, getting close to enemies while using the tactical cloak, and then dealing massive damage with shotguns. Ultimately, it depends on the player’s preference. In Mass Effect 3, players should be weight conscious and not choose more than one heavy weapon and one light weapon in their loadout to avoid increasing the cooldown of abilities.
Infiltrators will have access to the best sniper rifle in the game, the M-98 Widow, which is exclusive to an Infiltrator or Shepard Trooper. This can be achieved during the Collector’s ship mission in Mass Effect 2 or during Priority: Thessie in Mass Effect 3. It has the power to kill many enemies in the game with one hit.
Shepard should purchase or research armor upgrades that improve headshot damage, increase ammo carrying abilities and storm speed, and improve shields or health. Good options include:
- Ammo pack in free hand
- Kuwashii visor
- Kassa manufacturing breastplate
- Rosenkov material breastplate
- Armax Arsenal shoulder plates
- Stimulator leads
- Kestrel armor set
- Collectible armor set
- Blood dragon armor set
Additionally, an undercover Shepard will want to bring in teammates who can replace some of their weaker points, especially when it comes to clearing enemy barriers. Biotics specialists like Kaidan, Miranda, Jack, Samara, and Liara will be invaluable in combat as an infiltrator. Additionally, a Sniper Rifle Infiltrator will need teammates who can keep up with them in firepower, so other teammates who are good with Sniper Rifles, like Garrus and Legion, may be beneficial to bring along. Thane is often a good choice for his ability to follow a Shepard infiltrator into battle and break down barriers using biotics.
Mass Effect: legendary edition launches May 14, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with backward compatibility for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S.
Mass Effect infiltration class explained
There are six unique classes in Mass Effect games. The Infiltrator specializes in a combination of technological skill and combat ability.
Like many RPGs, Mass Effect classifies player characters into distinct classes. The original trilogy divides various weapon skills and combat abilities into six distinct classes: Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, and Infiltrator. Three of the classes specialize in biotics, combat, or tech, while the other three combine two for varying playstyles. The Infiltrator class is the one that has two specialties, using a Tech and Combat build in Mass Effect to crush enemies.
In the original Mass Effect trilogy, infiltrators master the use of sniper rifles, sometimes granting the player slow time to better line up a shot. An infiltrator’s abilities are often used to gain a perspective on enemies or to create conditions that make enemies easier to damage or prevent them from dealing damage.
Just as games have evolved over the course of the trilogy, so has the Infiltrator class. The first Mass Effect, since it was heavily loaded with RPG mechanics, has a significantly different infiltrator class than the second and third games. The classes also determined which weapons were even usable in combat in Mass Effect 1, a frequently criticized feature changing in the game’s Legendary Edition.
Evolution of the Infiltrator class in the Mass Effect trilogy
While the basics of the Infiltrator class remain largely the same in Mass Effect 2 and 3, the class’s abilities have changed a lot. The most notable addition to an infiltrator’s arsenal in Mass Effect 2 is the tactical cloak power. Activating the Tactical Cloak makes the user invisible for a short time and increases damage. It goes well with the infiltrator’s affinity for a sniper rifle, as heights can be moved around and devastating fire aligned before enemies know where to shoot.
The Infiltrator’s arsenal is also expanded throughout the trilogy. Mass Effect 2 gave the class proficiency in submachine guns and heavy weapons in addition to heavy pistols and sniper rifles. The second game also gave the Infiltrator the ability to use special ammo types. Conversely, an infiltration ability that disappeared in Mass Effect 2 resurfaces in 3. In the original Mass Effect, using a Tech ability would result in the placement of a Technological Proximity Mine. These don’t return in exactly the same form in Mass Effect 3, but Sticky Grenade is similar and can be upgraded to have additional effects beyond pure damage.
Most of Infiltrator’s other abilities revolve around controlling the battlefield in one way or another, including hacking synthetics. The infiltrator’s passive abilities will often improve their combat prowess, granting additional health and damage to weapons, or increasing the duration of a sniper rifle’s time dilation. The Infiltrator is just one of six unique classes and could be a compelling choice for new players to Mass Effect who want to control combat from a distance.
