Mass Effect Andromeda Character Skills and Abilities Guide

Mass Effect Andromeda Character Skills and Abilities Guide to help you learn everything you need to know about all the skills in the game, their upgrades, effects, and the best skills to unlock.

Character Skills in Mass Effect Andromeda are categorized into three categories i.e. Combat Skills, Biotics Skills, and Tech Skills. Each of these skill trees offer plenty of skills that provide various benefits.

However, it’s important to note that Pathfinder Ryder can only have three skills equipped at any given time. Keeping this in mind, it’s a good idea to spend some time and choose what you think will benefit you the most.

For more help on Mass Effect Andromeda, check out our Character Creation Guide and Characters Guide.

Mass Effect Andromeda Character Skills and Abilities

Mass Effect Andromeda doesn’t restrict you to one class. In this iteration, you’re free to choose any skill tree and get any skill as long as you’re meeting the basic requirements. However, one important concept that you should be familiar with is Profiles.

Depending on where you’re putting your skill points, you can unlock a Profile that will grant you several boosts and bonuses. Moreover, you’ve the complete freedom of respec-ing and reassigning your available skill points on the Tempest.

Best Starting Skills

This section of the guide details some of our recommended skills that should benefit you:

Overload
This allows you to deplete shields and stun enemies for a short duration of time.

Backlash
This grants a barrier which deflects melee attacks, reduces damage from enemies, and reflects projectiles.

Incinerate
This allows you to set your enemies ablaze and corrode their armor.

Concussive Shot
This allows you to knock down your enemies.

Barricade
This allows you to generate cover wherever you go. You can also invest some points into it to enhance regeneration.

Combat Fitness
This passive skill allows you to increase Pathfinder Ryder’s HP, shields, and weapons.

Shockwave
This allows you to throw explosives that pass through solid objects and then detonate to deal a massive amount of damage.

Combat

These skills basically allow you to improve your weapon damage and accuracy. In addition to this, you also gain access to grenades, cannons, mines, and more.

Omni Grenade
You can tap the button to throw a grenade that causes massive area damage after a 2 second fuse. You can also hold the button to shorten the grenade’s fuse timer before throwing, however, the grenade will explode if held too long. Do note that the activation requires one power cell from Omni Grenade’s limited power cell supply.

Level 1 – Omni Grenade
Level 2 – Grenade Capacity
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Sticky Grenade or Frag Grenade
Level 5 – Grenade Capacity or Shrapnel
Level 6 – Anti-Armor or Anti-Shield

Concussive Shot
Fires a target-seeking high-impact round that knocks down unarmored, unshielded, normal-sized enemies and detonates combo primers.

Level 1 – Concussive Shot
Level 2 – Force
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Recharge Speed or Repeat Concussion
Level 5 – Radius or Damage & Force
Level 6 – Anti-Armor or Anti-Shield

Barricade
Deploys a temporary energy barricade that will boost shield regeneration for everyone who takes cover behind it. Upgraded versions provide additional combat bonuses for allies. Do note that the activation requires one power cell from Barricade’s limited power cell supply.

Level 1 – Barricade
Level 2 – Power Cells
Level 3 – Duration
Level 4 – Duration or Power Cells
Level 5 – Weapon Feedback or Power Feedback
Level 6 – Regeneration or Electric Defense

Turbocharge
Temporarily vents weapon heat via armor to improve thermal clip efficiency and boost weapon firing rates.

Level 1 – Turbocharge
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Recharge Speed or Duration
Level 5 – Damage & Force or Accuracy & Stability
Level 6 – Supercharge or Dump Heat

Trip Mine
Deploys an explosive mine that triggers when an enemy comes within proximity of or crosses a sensor laser. Enemies suffer more damage the closer they are to the mine. Do note that the activation requires one power cell from Trip Mine’s limited power cell supply. The maximum number of active mines equals the current number of maximum power cells.

Level 1 – Trip Mine
Level 2 – Power Cells
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Sensor Range or Power Cells
Level 5 – Damage & Force or Blast Radius
Level 6 – Detonator or EMP

Flak Cannon
Fires krogan-designed shells that burst into shrapnel upon impact. Shrapnel damage is reduced against armored enemies. Do note that the activation requires one power cell from Flak Cannon’s limited power cell supply.

Level 1 – Flak Cannon
Level 2 – Power Cells
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Power Cells
Level 5 – Anti-Armor or Stunning
Level 6 – Flak or Shredder

Pistols Skill
Improves sidearm training for pistols including submachine guns. Pistols are designed largely for short to mid-range combat and shooting on the move.

Level 1 – Pistols
Level 2 – Accuracy
Level 3 – Mobility
Level 4 – Weight or Spare Ammo
Level 5 – Reload or Clip Size
Level 6 – Unassisted Targeting or Augmented Targeting Assistance

Assault Rifles Skill
Advanced training improves facility with assault rifles for dedicated combatants. Assault rifles offer moderate accuracy, range, and stopping power.

Level 1 – Assault Rifles
Level 2 – Accuracy
Level 3 – Stability
Level 4 – Weight or Spare Ammo
Level 5 – Reload or Clip Size
Level 6 – Shatter Defenses or Critical Hits

Shotguns Skill
Specialized training for close-quarters combatants. Shotguns deal high damage at short range at the expense of poor accuracy at long distances.

Level 1 – Shotguns
Level 2 – Stability
Level 3 – Precision
Level 4 – Weight or Spare Ammo
Level 5 – Reload or Clip Size
Level 6 – Damage & Force or Melee Synergy

Sniper Rifles Skill
Improves specialist sniper training for long-range combatants. Sniper rifles deal high damage at a distance at the cost of slow firing rates and capacities.

Level 1 – Sniper Rifles
Level 2 – Accuracy
Level 3 – Headshots
Level 4 – Weight or Spare Ammo
Level 5 – Reload or Clip Size
Level 6 – Damage & Force or Killing Spree

Combat Fitness
Intense physical and survival training designed to improve a combatant’s stamina and versatility in battle. Improves Max Health and shields by a set percentage.

Level 1 – Health
Level 2 – Shields
Level 3 – Extra Holster
Level 4 – Consumables or Regeneration
Level 5 – Extra Holster or Heavy Lifting
Level 6 – Hold the Line or in the Trenches

Combat Tools
Increases combat power damage with each skill point invested in the Combat Skill Group.

Level 1 – Power Damage
Level 2 – Melee
Level 3 – Detonators
Level 4 – Hover or Evasion
Level 5 – Arial Melee or Detonators
Level 6 – Arial Combat or Martial Arts

Biotic Skills

These skills are basically designed to control the field. Using these skills, you can use enemies as shields or weapons.

Pull
You can tap the button to lift an unshielded, unarmored enemy helplessly in the air and prime the target for combo detonations. Alternatively, you can also hold the button to drag the target enemy or object along with the user. Lastly, it can also be combined with the Throw power to hurl a held target.

Level 1 – Pull
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Duration
Level 4 – Duration or Radius
Level 5 – Crushing Grip or Expose
Level 6 – Anti-Shields or Biotic Drain

Throw
Hurls a gravity field projectile to throw unshielded and unarmored targets away and detonate combo primers. You can also combine with Pull to hurl held targets.

Level 1 – Throw
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Radius
Level 5 – Duration or Recharge Speed
Level 6 – Double Throw or Swift Detonation

Charge
Alters the biotic’s mass, launching the user at an opponent. Restores some shield strength at the charge’s end. Charge detonates combo primers on targets. This skill requires 9 Skill Points invested in Biotics.

Level 1 – Charge
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Radius
Level 5 – Weapons & Melee or Power Synergy
Level 6 – Shock Trooper or Bastion

Nova
Channels energy into a point-blank, high-damage explosion around the user.

Level 1 – Nova
Level 2 – Radius
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Radius
Level 5 – Anti-Armor or Anti-Shield
Level 6 – Seismic Nova or Shield-Powered

Shockwave
Blasts enemies with a line of explosions that proceeds through walls and other solid objects. Shockwave detonates combo primers.

Level 1 – Shockwave
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Radius
Level 5 – Recharge Speed or Reach
Level 6 – Anti-Armor or Lifting Shockwave

Annihilation
Weaves rapidly shifting mass effect fields to slowly damage nearby enemies. Enemies caught are primed for combo detonations. Other powers activated while Annihilation is in use suffer reduced recharge speed. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Biotics.

Level 1 – Annihilation
Level 2 – Recharge Penalty
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Radius or Recharge Penalty
Level 5 – Damage Attractor or Biotic Wind
Level 6 – Draining Field or Vortex

Backlash
You can hold the button to generate a frontal biotic aegis barrier that reflects most projectiles and reduces the damage of other enemy attacks. A well-timed initial activation interrupts melee attacks.

Level 1 – Backlash
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Durability
Level 4 – Durability or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Durability or Reflection
Level 6 – Shield Resurgence or Damage Aftermath

Singularity
You can tap the button to deploy a gravity well that lifts and damages unshielded and unarmored enemies. Primes enemies for combo detonations. The effect can be ended early by double-tapping the button. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Biotics.

Level 1 – Singularity
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Duration or Radius
Level 5 – Anti-Shield or Recharge Speed
Level 6 – Exploding Singularity or Expanding Singularity

Lance
Devastates a small area with a swiftly thrown shaft of energy. Inflicts bonus damage against enemy weak points i.e. heads and detonates combo primers.

Level 1 – Lance
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage & Force
Level 4 – Damage & Force or Radius
Level 5 – Focused Blast or Anti-Shield
Level 6 – Knockdown or Shield-Powered

Barrier
Maximum Shield strength scales with each skill point invested in the Biotic Skill Group. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Biotics.

Level 1 – Barrier
Level 2 – Barrier Speed
Level 3 – Barrier Regeneration
Level 4 – Unyielding Barrier or Recuperative Barrier
Level 5 – Biotic Link or Biotic Alacrity
Level 6 – Active Barrier or Saving Barrier

Offensive Biotics
Increases biotic power damage and force with each skill point invested in the Biotic Skill Group.

Level 1 – Offensive Biotics
Level 2 – Speed
Level 3 – Detonators
Level 4 – Amplitude or Alacrity
Level 5 – Exploitation or Detonation
Level 6 – Biotic Expert or Biotic Warrior

Containment
Increases the duration of biotic power effects with each skill point invested in the Biotic Skill Group.

Level 1 – Containment
Level 2 – Effectiveness
Level 3 – Anti-Shield
Level 4 – Radius or Duration
Level 5 – Shield Detonation or Concussive Detonation
Level 6 – Manifold Duration or Event Horizon

Tech Skills

These skills basically allow you to equip your Pathfinder with experimental weapons and allows you to get strategic improvements for you and your squadmates.

Assault Turret
Deploys an automated assault turret that counts as a tech construct. You can tap the button to direct the turret to attack a particular target. You can also hold it to detonate the turret, damaging nearby enemies. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Tech.

Level 1 – Assault Turret
Level 2 – Durability
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Durability or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Damage or Omni-Link
Level 6 – Cryo Ammo or Flamethrower

Auxiliary Systems
Improves the effectiveness of tech powers and constructs in a variety of ways, thanks to customized omni-tool and hardsuit subsystems.

Level 1 – Duration
Level 2 – Force
Level 3 – Constructs
Level 4 – Weapon Mass Reduction or Priming
Level 5 – Enduring Tech or Impact Dilation
Level 6 – Shield Feedback or Omni-Vents

Cryo Beam
You can hold the button to direct a continuous stream of super-cooled particles that freezes targets, priming them for combo detonations. Freezing disables unarmored enemies and weakens enemy armor, but has no effect on shielded foes.

Level 1 – Cryo Beam
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Damage or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Brittle Freeze or Radius
Level 6 – Snap Freeze or Cryo Trap

Energy Drain
Restores Shields by sapping electromagnetic energy around a target. Causes bonus damage to shields and synthetic enemies, and detonates combo primers on all primed enemies.

Level 1 – Energy Drain
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Effectiveness
Level 4 – Effectiveness or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Extended Drain or Auxiliary Drain
Level 6 – Damage or Team Drain

Flamethrower
You can hold the button to unleashes a short-range jet of flame that causes bonus damage to armor and ongoing burn damage. Unshielded enemies caught in the jet catch fire priming them for combo detonations.

Level 1 – Flamethrower
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Damage or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Reach or Lingering Burn
Level 6 – Anti-Armor or Blinding Heat

Incinerate
Fires a plasma projectile that does bonus damage to armor and inflicts ongoing burning damage to unshielded foes. Burning enemies are primed for combo detonations.

Level 1 – Incinerate
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Radius or Burning
Level 5 – Impact or Anti-Armor
Level 6 – Detonator or Double Incinerate

Invasion
Infects opponents with an invasive VI controlled machine swarm that weakens defenses and spreads itself to nearby enemies.

Level 1 – Invasion
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Duration
Level 4 – Recharge Speed or Outbreak
Level 5 – Epidemic or Weaken
Level 6 – Virulence or Sabotage

Offensive Tech
Maximizes the offensive capability of tech powers through specialized omni-tool software and hardware.

Level 1 – Damage
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Detonators
Level 4 – Anti-Armor or Anti-Shield
Level 5 – Detonators or Anti-Synthetic
Level 6 – Elemental Tech or Technical Rounds

Overload
You can tap the button to unleash an electrostatic discharge upon a target. High damage to shields and synthetic enemies. Detonates Combo Powers. Alternatively, holding the button charges Overload causing it to ‘chain’ to two additional targets.

Level 1 – Overload
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Damage
Level 4 – Damage or Recharge Speed
Level 5 – Charged Overload or Anti-Shield
Level 6 – Maximum Charge or EMP

Remnant VI
Deploys a retrofitted Remnant Observer that repairs itself over time, cloaks when critically damaged, and counts as a tech construct.

Tactical Cloak
Employs light-bending technology to render the user invisible at the cost of shield and health regeneration. Guns, powers, and melee attacks used from cloak gain a damage bonus but break the cloaking effect. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Tech.

Level 1 – Tactical Cloak
Level 2 – Recharge Speed
Level 3 – Duration
Level 4 – Recharge Speed or Damage Bonus
Level 5 – Duration or Speed
Level 6 – Escape Artist or Combat Cloak

Team Support
Improves defenses and support for the whole squad through kinetic barrier generator and hardsuit enhancements. This skill requires 9 skill points invested in Tech.

Level 1 – Shields
Level 2 – Shield Recovery
Level 3 – Support
Level 4 – Squad Offensive or Support
Level 5 – Team Recovery or Tactical Revive
Level 6 – Defense Grid or Life Support