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Disambiguous This article is about skills in Mass Effect: Andromeda. For talents in Mass Effect, see Talents. For powers in Mass Effect 2, see Powers. For powers in Mass Effect 3, see Powers (Mass Effect 3).

Skills are abilities in Mass Effect: Andromeda's single-player and multiplayer modes that are equivalent to talents or powers in prior Mass Effect games.

Because Skills, Training, and Profiles are all intertwined in Mass effect: Andromeda, this article covers all three together as a combined subject.

Single Player Overview[]

Mass Effect: Andromeda introduced large changes to the abilities characters can choose:

  • A single skillset is no longer chosen at the beginning of the game and be locked in as before.
  • Initially a skill type called Training is available but the skillset is able to be further expanded using the distribution of points into Skills.
  • Skill points are earned during gameplay by completing activities and missions.
  • There are no restrictions on which skills can be chosen.
  • There is no level cap, so in time, potentially everything can be unlocked.
  • Many more options are available and fine-tuning a character to a preferred playstyle is now possible.

If the preference is to play like the previous class choices in prior Mass Effect games, characters can be designed to be a Soldier, or Vanguard, or whatever previous playstyles by choosing skills related to that class.

  • Choosing abilities primarily in the Combat skillset, for example, will constitute gameplay more in line with that of a Soldier or Infiltrator whereas choosing more skills in Biotics may give the character a more Adept or Vanguard feel.

Loadouts and Favorite Menu[]

Disambiguous This article is about loadouts and the favorites menu. For the Loadout Terminal for customizing gear, see Loadout.

As skills are unlocked, the creation of combinations of skills called loadouts can be used during gameplay. With the new skill system, there are a mind-boggling 54,834 loadout possibilities.

MEA Skill Loadout
  • Each loadout can hold 3 active abilities.
  • Loadouts can be changed at any time.
  • Loadouts can be saved as a Favorite preset and storage of up to four Favorites is possible in the Favorites Menu.
  • Preset Favorite loadouts can be swapped both in and out of combat. Swapping a loadout will cause the active abilities to go on a brief cooldown before they can be used.


MEA Favorites Menu

Multiplayer Overview[]

Main article: Multiplayer Skills

Mass Effect: Andromeda's Multiplayer mode uses the class system of previous Mass Effect games. Skill sets are fixed to the specific character and consist of 3 active skills and 2 passive skills. Skill sets consist of a mix of the standard 36 skills available from single-player gameplay as well as multiplayer only skills.

Training[]

Creating a character in Mass Effect: Andromeda will always begin with the selection of a Training.

  • Choosing a Training will determine the initial abilities of that character and which skills will be available early in the game.
  • Choosing a default Scott or Sara Ryder will have Security as their default.
  • Creating a custom character will allow access to all six Trainings.
  • If the desire is to create a default Ryder but not a default Training, create a custom character and simply leave the appearance and name as default.

Security[]

MEA Security Training

During your Alliance military service, you focused on learning everything you could about weapons and tactics.

Biotic[]

MEA Biotic Training

You were effectively 'designated biotic' during your Alliance military tenure, assisting your cohorts with your ability to control mass effect fields.

Technician[]

MEA Technician Training

As a technician in the Systems Alliance military, you learned to operate drones and hack enemy systems.

Leader[]

MEA Leader Training

You were a team player and a natural leader in the Alliance military, working closely with your cohorts for their safety and the safety of others.

Scrapper[]

MEA Scrapper Training

When a fight broke out, you were always the first soldier in the thick of it - mostly according to Alliance military protocol and occasionally not.

Operative[]

MEA Operative Training

In the Alliance Military, you studied covert operations and the tech used by special forces - knowledge you rarely found a use for until the Andromeda Initiative.

Profiles[]

Main article: Profiles

Both single-player and multiplayer characters have access to profiles. Profiles are the equivalent of the six classes seen previously in Mass Effect games, with the addition of a new seventh profile called the Explorer.

Profiles are unlocked when a certain amount of points has been invested into a specific skill type, be it Combat, Tech, or Biotics. Investing highly into Combat skills is more likely to unlock the Soldier profile before unlocking the Sentinel profile.

Profiles can be viewed from the main menu.

Skill Types[]

The skill system in Mass Effect: Andromeda will feel similar to previous Mass Effect games, in that the same types of abilities are used.

Skill types break down into three main color coded categories: Combat (Red), Tech (Orange), and Biotics (Violet). Each category type has its own set of active (MEA Active Generic Skill Icon) and passive (MEA Passive Generic Skill Icon) skills.

Combat Tech Biotics
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Omni Grenade MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Overload MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Pull
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Concussive Shot MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Incinerate MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Throw
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Barricade MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Assault Turret MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Charge
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Turbocharge MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Cryo Beam MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Nova
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Trip Mine MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Energy Drain MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Shockwave
MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Flak Cannon MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Tactical Cloak MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Annihilation
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Pistols MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Flamethrower MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Backlash
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Assault Rifles MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Unknown (Remnant VI) MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Singularity
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Shotguns MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Invasion MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Lance
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Sniper Rifles MEA Passive Tech Skill Icon Team Support MEA Passive Biotic Skill Icon Barrier
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Combat Fitness MEA Passive Tech Skill Icon Offensive Tech MEA Passive Biotic Skill Icon Offensive Biotics
MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Combat Tools MEA Passive Tech Skill Icon Auxiliary Systems MEA Passive Biotic Skill Icon Containment

Skill Points[]

Each skill has a skill tree that can be unlocked using skill points, allowing the skill to become more effective.

  • There are a total of six ranks in a skill tree. The first three are pre-determined while the last three will have two options.
  • Each skill rank costs skill points to upgrade. Rank 1 costs one skill point, Rank 2 costs two skill points, and so on up to Rank 6. 21 total skill points are required to completely fill a skill tree.
  • 756 skill points are required to completely fill all skill trees.
  • At Level 133, 758 skill points will have been accumulated which is enough to completely fill all skill trees. (Level 133 is the level cap without any bonus skill points being acquired. This number is lowered if bonus skill points are found during gameplay.)
  • Bonus skill points can be acquired during gameplay from:
Level(s) Skill Points
Per Level
Cumulative Skill Points
1 1 1 (Level 1)
2 - 3 3 7 (Level 3)
4 - 10 4 35 (Level 10)
11 - 25 5 110 (Level 25)
26+ 6 758 (Level 133)
  • Above level 81 (where all Rank X items become available), gaining skill points is the only benefit of continuing to raise levels. It should be noted though that as Ryder increases in level, enemies scale with Ryder. See: Experience Guide

Squadmate Skills[]

Squadmate skill sets are fixed, character-specific, and consist of 3 active and 2 passive skills using a mix of the standard 36 skills available from single-player gameplay as well as multiplayer only skills. (See: Multiplayer Skills)

Squadmate skill types break down into three main color coded categories: Combat (Red), Tech (Orange), and Biotics (Violet). Each category type has its own set of active (MEA Active Generic Skill Icon) and passive (MEA Passive Generic Skill Icon) skills.

Squadmate Skill 1 Skill 2 Skill 3 Skill 4 Skill 5
Cora Harper MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Charge MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Nova MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Shield Boost MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Asari Commando MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Defensive Training
Jaal Ama Darav MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Energy Drain MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Sticky Grenade MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Avenger Strike MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Rebel Soldier MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Resilience
Liam Kosta MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Frag Grenade MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Havoc Strike MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Overload MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Military Training MEA Passive Tech Skill Icon Defense
Nakmor Drack MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Blood Rage MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Incinerate MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Flak Cannon MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Krogan Warrior MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Grizzled Veteran
Pelessaria B'Sayle MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Invasion MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Pull MEA Active Biotic Skill Icon Shockwave MEA Passive Biotic Skill Icon Duelist MEA Passive Biotic Skill Icon Survivalist
Vetra Nyx MEA Active Tech Skill Icon Power Armor MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Concussive Shot MEA Active Combat Skill Icon Turbocharge MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Turian Smuggler MEA Passive Combat Skill Icon Defensive Expert

Resetting Skill Points[]

Main article: Respec Station

Skill points spent in skill trees for Ryder and squadmates can be reset by using the Respec Station terminal in the Med Bay onboard the Tempest. Resetting skill points costs Credits.

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