Warp

Warp works by creating rapidly shifting mass effect fields that shred a target apart, similar in function to the disruptor torpedoes used by starships.

Mass Effect

Warp is a biotic talent available to Adepts, Vanguards, the Krogan Battlemaster, and the Asari Scientist. Warp lowers the armor on a target, increasing the damage the enemy takes, as well as dealing damage over time.

Warp is extremely useful on Hardcore and Insanity difficulties against krogan because it helps stop them from regenerating, but is also invaluable against larger enemies like Geth Armatures or Geth Colossi when engaging them on foot. Using Warp gives a better chance of survival without using the Mako's mass accelerator cannon, which increases the amount of XP gained.

Talent Ranks

1. Warp: Inflicts 6 damage every second and lowers damage protection by 50%. Radius: 4 m. Duration: 7 s. Recharge Time: 60 s. Accuracy Cost: 80%.
2. Increases Warp's duration to 8 seconds.
3. Increases Warp's duration to 9 seconds.
4. Increases Warp's duration to 10 seconds. Unlocks Barrier (Vanguard).
5. Increases Warp's duration to 11 seconds.
6. Advanced Warp: Inflicts 8 damage every second and lowers damage protection by 60%. Radius: 5 m. Duration: 13 s. Recharge Time: 50 s. Accuracy Cost: 80%.
7. Increases Warp's duration to 14 seconds. Unlocks Singularity (Adept, Asari Scientist), Throw (Krogan Battlemaster).
8. Increases Warp's duration to 15 seconds.
9. Increases Warp's duration to 16 seconds.
10. Increases Warp's duration to 17 seconds.
11. Increases Warp's duration to 18 seconds.
12. Master Warp: Inflicts 10 damage every second and lowers damage protection by 75%. Radius: 6 m. Duration: 20 s. Recharge Time: 40 s. Accuracy Cost: 80%.

Classes

The following classes can use the Warp talent:

• Adept
• Vanguard
• Krogan Battlemaster
• Asari Scientist

Mass Effect 2

Warp is a biotic power available to Adepts and Sentinels. The power spawns a mass effect field that damages enemy targets and stops health regeneration. It deals double damage to barriers and armor and will detonate any biotic powers affecting the target, such as Pull or Singularity. The detonated target takes double damage from Warp, and all targets within the Detonation Radius receive full damage, regardless of any protection they might have. If they are also being affected by a biotic power, then they also take double damage.

Note: When fired by Shepard, this power travels in the direction of the cross-hair, arcing towards the target. When fired by a squad member, this power will travel in a straight line, instantly hitting the target.

Power Ranks

• Rank 1
  • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
  • Damage: 120.00 points
  • Detonation Radius: 3.00 meters
  • Detonation Force: 400.00 newtons
• Rank 2
  • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
  • Damage: 140.00 points
  • Detonation Radius: 4.00 meters
  • Detonation Force: 550.00 newtons
• Rank 3
  • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
  • Damage: 160.00 points
  • Detonation Radius: 5.00 meters
  • Detonation Force: 700.00 newtons

Rank 4

Choose to evolve the power into one of the following,

Heavy Warp

• Your Warp damage is hugely increased.
  • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
  • Damage: 200.00 points
  • Detonation Radius: 5.00 meters
  • Detonation Force: 700.00 newtons

Unstable Warp

• Increases the blast radius when Warp detonates biotic effects.
  • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (others)
  • Damage: 160.00 points
  • Detonation Radius: 7.00 meters
  • Detonation Force: 700.00 newtons

Availability

• Adept
• Sentinel
• Liara T'Soni
• Miranda Lawson
• Thane Krios

Player Notes

• Warp has a knock back effect when it connects. Enemies who are knocked back have their current attack cancelled. At higher ranks, Warp can even knock back Harbinger and YMIR Mechs. Only the heaviest of enemies, such as the Praetorian, are immune to this knock back effect.
• Only targets affected by biotics take double damage. Targets that are ragdolled by other powers (e.g. frozen or affected by Neural Shock) do not take increased damage from either Warp or Warp explosions. (Physics damage due to being thrown around by an explosion is larger for frozen targets.)
• Unprotected enemies caught within the detonation radius will be knocked down and can be sent flying across rooms and over ledges at higher ranks.
• Warp can be used to destroy breakable objects. This can be used to deprive enemies of cover.

Mass Effect 3

Power Ranks

Rank 1: Warp

Rip your enemy apart at a molecular level.

Stop targeted enemy from regenerating health.
Weaken armor.

• Recharge Speed: 8 sec Shepard, 16 sec others
• Damage: 250
• Duration: 10 sec

Rank 2: Recharge Speed

Increase recharge speed by 25%.

• Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec (Shepard)
• Damage: 250
• Duration: 10 sec

Rank 3: Damage

Increase damage by 20%.

• Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec (Shepard)
• Damage: 300
• Duration: 10 sec

Rank 4: Damage/Detonate

Damage Increase damage by 30%. Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec (Shepard) Damage: 375 Duration: 10 sec

Detonate Increase force, damage, and impact radius of combo detonations by 50%.

Rank 5: Lasting Damage/Expose

Lasting Damage Increase damage by 40%. Increase duration by 60%. Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec (Shepard) Damage: 475 (damage), 400 (detonate) Duration: 16 sec

Expose Increase weapon damage taken by a target by 15%. Increase power damage taken by a target by 15% for 10 seconds. Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec (Shepard) Damage: 375 (damage), 300 (detonate) Duration: 10 sec

Rank 6: Pierce/Recharge Speed

Pierce Increase damage to barriers and armor by 50%. Weaken armored targets by an additional 25%.

Recharge Speed Increase recharge speed by 35%. Recharge Speed: 5 sec (Shepard)

Player Notes

Note: Warp does 1.5x damage against armor, 2x damage against barriers, but only half damage against shields.

Mechanics

• Warp actually does only 75% of its damage up-front, the other 25% is dealt as a damage-over-time effect over 10 seconds.
• The up-front damage of Warp does not benefit from its own rank five Expose evolution, though the damage-over-time effect does.
• The duration component of Warp only affects the various debuffs that Warp can apply, not the damage-over-time aspect of Warp (which is fixed at 10 seconds).
• The rank six Pierce evolution is actually a non-stacking debuff; thus the damage bonus will not affect the initial Warp hit, but it will affect a follow-up use of Warp (if done within the duration of the first Warp). However, the damage-over-time effect of Warp is unaffected by Pierce.
• If Warp is used to detonate a Tech Burst, Fire Explosion, or Cryo Explosion, it still primes the target for detonation by another biotic detonator power.
• As of the latest patch, Warp has a buggy interaction with Incendiary Ammo (which itself has a buggy interaction with itself); both erroneously use the same damage effect, so once Warp interacts with an enemy set aflame by Incendiary Ammo or vice versa, both damage-over-time effects get combined into an overly-damaging 3 second damage-over-time that is still technically considered by the game as "Warp" (the erroneously high damage is due to Incendiary Ammo's buggy damage-stacking, not any Warp/Incendiary Ammo interaction). In addition, Incendiary Ammo will use Warp's damage modifiers, which will let Incendiary Ammo do significant damage to barriers.
• Detonating Warp will not cancel the effects of the Expose and Pierce evolutions.

Strategies

• Warp is less effective against barriers than in Mass Effect 2. Use Overload to rip the barriers and shields and leave Warp for armored enemies.
• Unarmored enemies will stagger upon being hit and most unprotected ones will panic briefly, similarly to when hit by Incinerate. This can give you time to carefully line up a headshot.
• Using Warp on targets affected by other biotic source powers, such as Singularity or Reave, will cause a Biotic Explosion. Warp can also serve as a source power, setting up an explosion that can be detonated with any other biotic detonator.
• Warp is one of only three powers that can both set up and detonate biotic explosions on any enemy at any time. This makes it very useful in a biotics-heavy party.

Availability

• Single Player: Adept, Sentinel, Liara T'Soni, Samara, Miranda Lawson, Jack
• Multiplayer: Asari Adept, Asari Huntress Infiltrator, Asari Valkyrie Sentinel, Batarian Slasher Adept, Human Adept, Human Sentinel, Krogan Shaman Adept, Turian Sentinel