A Guide On How To Complete Solo Matches On ME3 MP (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum) - Part 1 of 2

Welcome to my second guide for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, while I'm still not quite fully rested from writing my very lengthy A Beginners Guide To Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer earlier this year XD, I've decided to create this article to help those that are contemplating doing solo runs. Despite being called a "Beginners Guide", there's lots of information in that other article, which I acquired many months after I started playing, so seasoned veteran or not, I think it'll be worth checking out before continuing with this guide. I personally don't find solo matches all that fun to be honest and the only reason I made an effort to complete them, was so that I could check off the 'Solo Mastery' section in the MP Challenges list. I don't think the default version of the banner is the greatest looking one available (though the Fem-Shep alternative is pretty decent) but some people do view it as the ultimate achievement in MP, unless of course you achieved the 'Best of the Best' banner as a result of completing it. Like all the MP Challenges, the 'Lone Wolf' banner is something that can eventually be achieved if you spend enough time playing the game, how much time you need to spend playing, will of course depend on your level of ability. If you're reading this article, the chances are you're here because you need Solo Mastery in order to obtain the BotB banner or like me, you just wanted to complete the ultimate test of your Mass Effect 3 multiplayer skills. Well, whatever the reason you're here, I hope this article provides you with the advice and guidance that you're searching for :)

I firmly believe that anyone can successfully complete a solo match on difficulties Gold and below, Platinum might be a bridge too far for some but still not impossible to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all beginners can fire up the game and start knocking off solo matches from day one, I just mean that you don't need to be a "pro". The key to success is through planning and preparation, on top of this you'll need to be patient and maybe have a bit of luck on your side. For the most part, the way you tackle any solo match is the same, regardless of the difficulty you've selected. The methods that I'll be proposing are just one way you can approach completing solo matches but I feel it's one of the easier game plans and has served me well enough to successfully do a solo Platinum on Glacier. Playing solo matches feels distinctly different to playing with a full team, you've got no-one to watch your back or help you out when you get into trouble but at the same time you have no obligation to assist others and can play the game however you want to. If you've ever had to complete "hero" rounds i.e. everyone but you is dead, you'll have already had a taste of what's to come in solo matches, it's basically 10 waves of that. There are eight main points that I'll be discussing in this guide, these will be spread across two posts and will cover the following:

Contents

---------------------------------- [ In Part 1 ] ----------------------------------
1) Enemy Faction
2) Map Choice
3) Class & Character Kit
4) Weapon Selection
5) Gear & Equipment
---------------------------------- [ In Part 2 ] ----------------------------------
6) Game Tactics
- 6A) Survival Waves
- 6B) Objective Waves
- 6C) Extraction Wave
7) Other Minor Topics
- 7A) Recommended Reading
- 7B) Write Down Your Game Plan
- 7C) Pre-Match Preparations and Warm Up
- 7D) Two Birds, One Stone [Bird = Challenges, Stone = Match]
8) Suggestions for Character Kits
- 8A) Kits Anyone Can Use
- 8B) High Risk, High Reward Kits
9) Summary

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1) Enemy Faction

As I'm sure you're aware by now, certain factions are easier to fight than others, you might not have sensed this to be the case if you're constantly playing with a good crew but I'm positive that if you've played with less than capable public players, you'll have definitely noticed that some factions are less of a headache to beat when you're picking up the extra slack. In my opinion the easiest faction is Reapers, closely followed by the Geth, then Cerberus, with the Collectors being the toughest. Arguably the Geth can be the easiest faction to beat if you're using certain kits and playing on certain maps but generally speaking, I stick by the ranking that I put forward. So my suggestion for enemy faction when doing solo matches, is to go with either the Reapers or Geth, I would strongly advise against playing Cerberus or Collectors.

Cerberus have a lot of fast moving troops and most of them can attack just as well at range as they can in CQC, these factors can be particularly problematic when you're trying to complete objective waves. There's few situations as frustrating as being rushed by a group of Dragoons, who are in turn being escorted by a pair of Phantoms, while Nemesises and Atlases are taking pot shots at you. The Collectors are inherently a bad choice if you're playing on PS3 because if you haven't heard by now, there's an unknown issue that can cause your console to hard freeze when playing against them, not only is that likely to be damaging to the console, it would also mean you just wasted however long playing. Even if you're not on PS3, I still think the Collectors are the worst faction to play against, the seeker swarms seriously hinder your power usage and the sheer ferocity of all their units, means only the brave and experienced should tackle them in solo matches. Both these factions also have units capable of sync kills and they're quite prevalent in their attacking, so it's just another reason why you'd be better off with one of the other two remaining factions.

The Geth faction pre-Retaliation DLC were a push over but ever since the new units (Geth Bombers), abilities (Geth Prime Combat Drone) and defences (no more over cover grabs on Geth Pyros) were introduced, they're probably the most annoying faction to fight against. The lack of sync kill units might make them seem appealing for a solo run but make no mistake, in terms of troop numbers, the Geth go to war with much more units that any of the other factions. They're main tactic is to try and swarm you, overwhelming your defences all the while stun-locking your offensive capabilities and if you don't escape in time, the Bombers and Geth Primes will make short work of what little health you have left. You've probably already witnessed entire teams get backed into a tight spot and promptly slaughtered, imagine what they could do when you're the only person that's on their radar?

So this leaves the Reapers, I think that apart from the Banshees, every other unit can be easily dealt with and if you use the right tactics, won't pose even the slightest bit of a threat. Husks are easy to kill and only have close range melee attacks, so as long as you don't have one jump on you, they shouldn't be too much of a concern. Cannibals might have the most health of any of the basic troops but they're slow and not very agile (they can't even dodge powers), so again should be easy enough to deal with. Marauders are probably the units that I fear most when facing the Reaper faction, no joke, they're highly mobile and can attack in groups, couple this with the fact they can take out your shields at an alarming rate and they can be absolute nightmare when you're caught in open spaces (or by surprise). Brutes and Ravagers are big and generally slow moving, all you need to do is lead them through tight spaces and you will have neutralised their main attacks. Then of course there's Banshees, ironically if you take away their sync kill capability, they're actually not that lethal (as I discovered when reviewing the Geth Juggernaut), so keep your distance and it should be all good.

Selecting a faction for Platinum is a slightly differently prospect, due to the fact that every match will feature some units from each of the other factions. The exception to the rule is Collectors, their units won't appear if you pick Cerberus, Geth or Reapers but if you decide to play against the Collectors initially, all the other factions will make an appearance in their games. Some people think that as a result of this, all factions bar the Collectors are more or less on an equal level of difficulty, well in my experience I think that this is incorrect. While it's true that all the bosses from the other factions will eventually show up, regardless of the enemy that you chose to start out with, it's worth noting that not all the other units will turn up and this is the thing that can make some factions a bit easier than others. For the same reasons that I outlined above for selecting an enemy faction for Gold, I believe the order of difficulty is exactly the same for Platinum, that is to say the hardest are Collector, then Cerberus, then Geth, with the Reapers being marginally easier. The main reason I picked the Reapers for my solo effort was because I knew I wouldn't have to face Geth Bombers or Cerberus Dragoons and these are two very annoying foes that I'm more than happy to avoid (especially since I was playing on Glacier). But that's just me, perhaps you don't mind facing these guys or maybe you really hate some other enemy units, it might be a good idea to do couple test runs (say, up to wave 4) to see which faction seems ideal for the map you're playing on and the kit you're planning to use.

You might be wondering to yourself, how I know this information? Well during my preparation for solo Platinum, I decided to investigate the actual enemy compositions for each wave and as luck would have it, there was thread created by BSN member Cyonan, which lists the exact numbers and re-spawn limits of all units per wave, in an easy to read excel spreadsheet. This helped me to plan how I'd tackle each wave during my Platinum solo i.e. which enemies to prioritise in order to eat through the wave budget quickly and the enemies that I know I can take out easily. [I discuss the match plan in more detail in section 6) Game Tactics]

2) Map Choice

I think picking the right map is a very important decision, like factions, some maps are much easier to handle than others. Assuming you're not fresh to multiplayer, the chances are you've already beat every single map at least a few times and will have acquired some useful knowledge on how to play them successfully. Things that you might've picked up are, inklings as to where enemies might spawn in relation to your presence and that of your teammates, as well as where objectives are likely to appear and the best way to traverse to them quickly and safely, while attracting the least amount of enemy attention as possible. It's crucial that you make use of this information and play on a map that you're very comfortable with, there's no point racking up all that experience and not using it when it counts most. Knowing what map you're going to be playing on means you can plan how you're going to tackle it i.e. where will you do most of your fighting? What's going to happen if you need to fall back? Which is the quickest route for getting from A to B? What's the safest path to get from C to D? Do you know where all the ammo boxes are? You just got objective X, how will you deal with it? If you can answer all these questions for any given map, you're half way towards picking a winner.

The other factor when deciding on a map, is the ease at which you can control the flow of enemies as they make their way towards you. The biggest difference between playing solo and with a full team is the amount of fire power you can dish out at any given moment, one gun firing usually won't be enough to deal with entire crowds of enemies (especially at higher difficulties), so you need to play smart. You might've heard the term "kiting" bandied about, this is when you get enemies to chase you and then you purposely lead them on a particular route, one where you'll eventually use the map terrain to your advantage and effectively ambush them. It's a tactic commonly used by players in many games, Call Of Duty Zombies being one example. In most games, I think bigger maps allow you to carry out this tactic more easily but any map that is designed like a circuit works just as well (regardless of it's size). In light of this, my personal recommendations are Firebase Glacier, Firebase Giant, Firebase Vancouver and Firebase Rio. Glacier might not seem like an obvious choice but I actually completed my Platinum solo run on it, the satest looking one available (thoand there's lots of corners to block incoming fire and slow down enemy units, to cap it off the map also has a nice circular route you can use. Having said this, it can be one of the tougher maps to tackle alone, the pressure is practically always on as you'll never be too far away from the enemy and so this can make all of the objective waves particularly tough to complete.

Giant is a popular map for soloing, since it's nice and big with a clear circular route to follow, in addition to this the main killzone is located at the EZ, which conveniently has an ammo box on hand. However, objectives are this maps biggest downfall, if you get lumbered with the hack, smack bang in the middle of the open area, it can be a nightmare to complete. Equally tricky to deal with, if not more so, are the drone escort and object recovery that will often take you right through this open area, if luck isn't on your side, you can get into some serious trouble. Vancouver is a very good option, I did both my Gold solos on it and for the most part it was all straight forward, the map is one of the bigger ones and also has a simple circular path to follow. Again objective waves can be your biggest issue when playing this map but in fairness apart from the cross map drone escort and object recovery, the others are fairly standard. Rio is a split decision, on the one hand it's the biggest map you can play on, so there's lots of room to manoeuvre when it comes to escaping enemies and there's also more ammo boxes on that map, than a full team could ever need. The thing that can make the map a pain in the ass are the two "walkways of death" (my unofficial name for them lol), trying to complete a cross map drone escort or recovery on your own, using these paths, generally never ends well. There's not a great deal of cover and enemies will take full advantage of that fact, I remember trying to use it for my Platinum solo, I still have nightmares about the Phantom squads sniping and downing me from halfway across the map *shudders*.

I might've only mentioned four candidates but if there is a map that you've played tons of matches on and know like the back of your hand, that might be a better option. Everyone has their own preferred style of play and so the chances are you'll have your own favourite maps, which may or may not be one of the ones that I mentioned. I probably don't need to say this but for the sake of being thorough, it should be pretty obvious that when it comes to selecting a map, it should be one that is suited to the character kit and weapon loadout that you intend to use. I mean it doesn't make sense to play as a kit that excels in CQC i.e. a Biotic, on a big open map and conversely it would be equally silly to use a character rocking a single shot sniper, on a tiny map. I'm not saying you can't do these things if you wanted to and yes I'm guilty of having sniped on maps like Glacier but that was in public games with a full team, things are very different when you're the only one being shot at and so you might need to adjust your tactics accordingly.


3) Class and Character Kit

Any kit played well enough, can handle any enemy faction on Bronze difficulty and I reckon the same can probably also be said for Silver games. There's about a dozen or so kits that I'd happily take into a Gold solo match but it does depend heavily on the faction that I'd be playing against, for Platinum games there's maybe a handful of character kits that I'd be willing to use. But that's just me, in theory you could solo Platinum with any kit but I'd hate to think how carefully you'd have to play and how much time you'd have to spend kiting enemies. In general, I'd personally suggest using an Infiltrator when attempting solo matches because Tactical Cloak will make your life a little bit easier. The damage boost from TC is very useful for killing enemies quickly and the cloaking will let you complete some objectives unhindered, as well as helping you escape from sticky situations. If you're not a fan of Infiltrators, then any class with a character that will help you survive in another way is equally good, for example many kits have damage reduction abilities through powers like Tech Armour/Reave etc and others can fully regenerate their shields on demand, through powers like Stim Packs/Biotic Charge etc. You just need to pick someone that suits your playstyle, a kit that you're very comfortable with and know that you can do well with, play to your strengths and you'll find that your performance will reflect.

For difficulties Gold and below, where you'll only be facing one of the enemy factions, it's important to think about which of the enemy units you find most problematic and select a character kit that will help you overcome these hurdles. Both Cerberus and Geth have many units that have shields, so a kit with Overload, Energy Drain or Arc Grenades is a good idea, conversely Reapers and Collectors have quite a lot of armour in their defences, so a kit with Incinerate, Flamer or Inferno Grenades would be useful. These are just a few suggestions of course, there are loads of powers that are handy for several reasons and it's only by testing them out in normal matches, will you know which ones are the best for whatever job. It's not just offensive and defensive powers that you have to consider when selecting a kit, a characters passive abilities shouldn't be neglected, some have larger bonuses for power damage while others will have better bonuses for your weapon/s etc. For example all Geth kits have a slight damage bonus when using their own weapons, Krogans have their Rage to boost melee attacks, Drell kits have some of the highest power damage bonuses and all Turian kits have inherent bonus weapon stability. Depending on how you're planning to play most of the match i.e. power spamming, meleeing everything (not advised on Gold+ solos) or shooting until you run dry, these passives can make a big difference to your damage output and so you should take the time to investigate if another kit might be more beneficial to use.

Another thing to consider when choosing a character is that whoever you end up using, they need to be able to deal with the objective waves just as well as they can tackle the killing waves (if not better). Some kits have access to additional benefits either through their powers or default character abilities and if you take advantage of these, they can help you complete objectives that bit quicker and with less complications (check out the article I've linked further down). In my experience objective waves are the make or break situations that will ultimately lead to you succeeding/failing a solo attempt (or any match for that matter) and so they should not be glossed over when it comes to pre-match planning. I think the two objectives that can be hardest to tackle alone are the Drone Escort and Object Recovery, there's nothing worse than having to trek cross map at a restricted pace, while being chased and shot at by enemy forces intent on killing you. When it comes to escorts, a tanky kit will be handy or one that can self generate health/shields, someone that can afford to take a few hits while the slow ass drone moves into an area, where there's viable cover for you to use. For object recoveries you'll appreciate someone who moves fast by default, like all Drell units or one that can boost their speed by activating a power, like a Biotic using Annihilation Field with the bonus movement speed evolution. Additionally there are several characters that can use certain tricks to help them traverse faster while carrying these objects, I actually wrote a separate article which includes discussion of the subject and so you can learn more about these tricks there: Essential Tips On How To Quickly Complete Objectives .


4) Weapon Selection

Like selecting the right kit to help you deal with certain enemy units and handle objectives more easily, it's essential that you pack weapons that will further help you take out any threats as quickly as possible. The further you move up the difficulty ladder the more bosses you will encounter and with them comes the increased threat of being sync-killed by one of them. It's because of this that I feel higher difficulties are much better approached with a gun based kit, that is to say, a character that will help you put as much damage down range as possible ce Geth Bombers or Cerberus Dragkits, there's only a handful of weapons that I'd feel happy enough with to take into a Platinum solo but for Bronze/Silver I reckon most weapons with an amp and bonus ammo would operate fine. Gold really depends on the kit and your skills as a player but generally speaking there are still quite a lot of weapons that will perform well across the board, if you slap on high level ammo and amps. Before I continue, I just want to say that I understand that not everyone will have a full selection of weapons to choose from (let alone level X versions), so I will try and outline substitutes that I think might also be up to the job. I'll discuss each category of weapon in turn and highlight those that I think are most worthy of being used in solo matches in difficulties Gold and Platinum.

First up are sniper rifles, personally I don't think they're a good choice for soloing because I don't believe that you can kill groups of enemies quickly enough, not to mention they'll suffer from the shield gate mechanic (especially on Gold+). While they're not exactly versatile for all the situations you're likely to come across, if you're adamant on using one, the only two that I would consider are the Javelin, even though it's the trickiest of the single shot snipers to handle and the Black Widow. At max level the Javelin deals the most damage per single bullet of any of the available weapons and the Black Widow does a big chunk of damage per bullet while being a bit more forgiving if you miss a shot. If you don't have either at a high enough level, you could use a level X Widow as a substitute for the Javelin but I don't think there are any other semi-auto snipers that come close to matching what the Black Widow has to offer (some people like the Valiant but I think it's too weak on Gold let alone Platinum). Next up are SMGs, there is only one contender in this category and that is of course the Hurricane, even at level one it easily out classes any of it's peers. If you don't have it, I don't have a substitute that I think can work even half as well as the Hurricane, so you'll probably be better off taking a weapon from another category.

Shotguns have a few good options and if you're not planning on using one as your primary weapon, I'd highly suggest taking one as a back up but only if you're not already carrying a sniper rifle. If you like getting one hit kills in CQC as opposed to cross map with a sniper rifle, the Claymore should be right up your alley and if you manage to land every single pellet with a max level Claymore, it will actually do more damage than a level X Javelin(!) I personally don't like the Wraith because it's rate of fire is too slow, so even though it does a lot of damage per shot at max level, I'd say go with something else but by all means if you can use it, then great. Both the Raider and Piranha can do a lot of damage over a short period of time and at point blank range, they're probably two of the best weapons in the game, it's when you're shooting at targets more than a few metres away, that they start to suffer from a serious lack of accuracy (the smart choke can help but only slightly). Then of course there's the Reegar Carbine, within melee range this weapon is the undisputed killing machine of multiplayer, it can melt most enemies within seconds and even has the added bonus of destroying shields/barriers, so can be used to soften up bosses. Due to it's limiting range and thus the ever present risk of getting sync-killed, it might not be the ideal primary weapon but as far as back ups go, when you're not concerned about weight, it's quite possibly the best. Remember that most shotguns can bypass the shield gate mechanic because each shot is comprised of multiple pellets, which can therefore break shields and continue to do damage to health/armour.

Next up are heavy pistols, while I personally wouldn't use one as a primary during solo matches, there are a couple very good choices in the category. The Talon is more or less a shotgun but in pistol form, while it's rate of fire isn't great, the damage per shot is greater than that of a Piranha (at equal ranks), it's also much more accurate over range and benefits from being fired in cover (i.e. tighter pellet spread). Not forgetting the fact that it does bonus damage to shields/barrier, so if you're looking for a shottie as a back up weapon but don't fancy carrying one of the heavier true shotguns, be sure to check it out. The M-11 Suppressor has a great rate of fire, decent damage per shot and is very accurate, so if you can consistently land head shots, you can kill most enemies pretty quickly. The problem is that it does run out of ammo incredibly fast and the fact it's a semi-auto might make it impractical for solo matches, as they can drag on for some time (especially Platinum), which will result in a tired trigger finger and thus less damage output. The Scorpion is another popular back up weapon, while it's rate of fire and damage per shot aren't exactly mesmerising on Gold+, the fact that it can reliably stagger most enemies (including Phantoms), means it can help you out in certain situations. Then of course there is the Acolyte, when cooldown times matter, this little beauty is probably the most useful back up weapon you can carry into battle. I don't like the charge up mechanic but the fact that it can obliterate the shields/barriers of enemies, makes it a comparatively small hurdle for me to overcome. I carry it on practically every kit that doesn't have natural shield/barrier destroying abilities and use it when I come up against bosses. Most units don't require more than 1-3 shots to deplete their first layer of defence, with top tier bosses maybe needing 4-6, once they're exposed, you simply switch back to your primary and keep shooting until they're dead.

And finally we move onto assault rifles, for most of my solo efforts I picked an AR as my primary weapon and even when I didn't, I carried one as a back up. Of course there's one clear stand out from the pack and that is the Cerberus Harrier, even at rank one it's easily the best assault rifle in the game but it does have it's drawbacks. The biggest issue with using the CH is ammo, at low levels you carry a pitiful amount of reserve ammo and even at max rank, it's not that much better. However this restraint is somewhat lessened in solos because you'll be the only one using the ammo boxes, so if you make an effort to visit every one you come across, there should be enough to keep on shooting. If you're missing the CH, the Mattock is basically a semi-auto version of it but for the same reasons as the M-11 Suppressor, I can't recommend using it as a primary because your rate of fire will eventually diminish. I wasn't a fan of the Prothean Particle Rifle (PPR) when I first unlocked it but I soon learned that using the magazine upgrade mod gave me more of the post ramp up damage and that was when my feelings for it changed. The PPR doesn't require ammo boxes, so it can be really good in solo matches but the range cap and lengthy ramp up period, can make it tricky to use on some maps. Some people swear by the Typhoon but it's hit and miss in my book, weak damage per shot and stupidly inaccurate over long ranges, not to mention a ramp up rate of fire, make it very unappealing. But on some kits it can shine, if you control the recoil and fire from cover, it can be surprisingly accurate and the damage output isn't too bad, though still not a patch on the CH. I'm hesitant to mention the Lancer and Collector AR but if you still need an assault rifle, these two can generate OK damage and are pretty accurate, additionally the Lancer doesn't need ammo boxes and the CAR has a fast reload.

The final weapon category I want to discuss are Grenades, OK, technically they're not weapons but if you spam them all match long, you can generate a lot of damage, damage which is actually capable of hitting multiple enemy units at any one time. All grenades have an area of effect but some have a much larger blast radius than others and these are the ones that are best when you're planning on some good old 'nade spam. In addition to larger impact radius's, these grenades often have an evolution for a damage over time effect, these can quite often be detonated for a power combo. Most grenades can be used as detonators for power combos but they're not all equally reliable and as a result I'd much rather use grenades as primers rather than detonators. Things like Inferno and Arc grenades are great for setting up Fire Explosions and Tech Bursts (respectively), while Sticky and Cluster grenades are more suited to being detonators. If you're planning to do power combos all match long, it's important you select a kit that has grenades suited to the enemy faction that you'll be facing and has a power that will work well as a detonator. Everyone knows Arc grenades are fantastic against the Geth and using them to set up TBs is a truly efficient method of killing them quickly, similarly Inferno grenades and FEs are highly effective against armour defences, so using them against Reapers is a good idea. It's worth noting that ammo boxes regenerate ammo at a slower rate the higher up the difficulty you go and some actually have a reduced number of grenades per box. But as long as you're constantly traversing the map and visiting every ammo box on the way, you should always have at least one to toss out, just make sure that you don't waste them when you do.

5) Gear and Equipment

There are four items that you can select before starting any match, Ammo Bonus, Weapon Amp, Armour Amp and Bonus Gear, choosing what type of each you should use, is a decision that is primarily based around your chosen character kit, the weapon mods you're using and your personal skill level. If you're good player and rocking a decent character kit with some high level weapons, you can probably get away without using anything for Bronze and Silver matches. But just because you can, it doesn't mean you have to, even if it's level one stuff, it's still better than nothing and if you want/need to go with higher levels, then so be it. For Gold and Platinum solo matches I always recommend using equipment and generally I'd say use your best stuff, I was personally fine with using level three items for my Gold runs but for Platinum, even my level four gear felt lacking (lol). Ultimately slapping on some equipment will make the game go a bit easier, whether it's keeping you alive during a particularly tricky objective wave or enabling you to kill enemies that bit faster, solo games is definitely not the time to be stingy with your good gear. Before I continue, I want to recommend another thread created by BSN member Cyonan, that lists all the equipment items and what benefits they provide, something else that I stumbled across during my preparation for my Platinum solo. Until I read the spreadsheet (linked in the thread), I never realised that most of the in game descriptions are very vague, especially where ammo bonuses are concerned, the spreadsheet details all of their properties in depth including the actual damage bonus values (trust me, it's a must read).

First up is Ammo Bonus, I personally think the two best ones are Armour Piercing and Warp because they have the largest extra damage boosts, level four AP gives +50% damage and level four Warp gives +60% damage. Armour Piercing ammo negates a lot of an armoured units defences and allows you to shoot through a lot of surfaces, while Warp ammo can weaken armour and does extra damage to barriers therefore both are very useful when it comes to taking down bosses. For kits that will be doing a lot of shooting, the above two are the ones that I'd recommend but if you're planning to detonate power combos all match long, you might be better off with one of the others. Disruptor ammo is highly effective against enemy shields/barriers and of course can be used to set up Tech Bursts, probably the best ammo when you're going up against the Geth. Incendiary ammo works slightly different to other ammo bonuses, instead of applying an automatic damage boost to each bullet fired, it adds it as damage over time, this effect can of course be detonated for Fire Explosions, a useful feature when fighting Reapers. Something not a lot of people know is that, this damage over time only kicks in once you've stopped shooting at the target, so if you're always killing the enemy outright, you're not actually getting the most out of it. I like Drill and Phasic Rounds in normal games because I can shoot through thick surfaces and take down enemy shields in moments, respectively but they only really excel when used on certain maps and/or against certain enemy units, not forgetting they only go up to level three, so possibly not ideal for Platinum solos. I don't think Cryo ammo is a good idea for solo matches because it offers no additional damage to your weapon, even if you're planning to spam your powers a lot, you're still going to be shooting from time to time, which means you'll be better off with one of the others. Freezing enemies is more novel than useful at higher levels, most enemies (should) get dead before they turn solid and fall over and as for the armour weakening, well Warp ammo can also do that but it's other benefits are much better. Oh and er, Explosive Rounds are useless, solo match or not.

Next up is Weapon Amps, well obviously you should use the amp that correlates to the primary weapon you've selected. If you're planning on using a melee centric kit, you might benefit from using the Strength Enhancer but to be honest, I think overall you'll still be better off with a weapon amp because as I've already mentioned, slapping bosses capable of sync-kills is not a good idea. Some people like the Targeting VI amp but this might be impractical for certain weapons i.e. shotguns and in any case, I'd much rather increase my overall damage rather than only when I land a head shot. Additionally a level three weapon amp gives a +30% damage bonus, no matter where the bullets land, while a level three Targeting VI gives a +35% damage bonus only to head shots, so not really worth it in my opinion. Moving onto Armour Amps, this one isn't so clean cut and you'll have to decide for yourself, which one your character kit will get the most use out of and whether or not you can live without one of the others. Some players don't mind playing with their default shield values (regardless of difficulty) and thus might opt for additional power damage via a Power Amplifier Module, while others will prefer to have as much shielding as possible to improve their chances of survival, so will go with one of the Cyclonic Modulators. In general I think all kits will benefit from having extra shields, especially on the higher difficulties but only a few power based kits will gain from the extra power damage. If you're planning on spamming grenades or detonating power combos all match, the Power Amplifier Module is a great option but if you can't stay alive long enough to get the most out of it, there's not really much point in using it. I can't see why you'd pick the Adrenaline Module, Shield Power Cells or the Stabilisation Module because they're probably the least useful out of the bunch but each to their own.

Finally we have the Bonus Gear, there's almost something here for every situation and every kit, it's just a matter of finding the one that you'll benefit from most. These days I've maxed all my Rare items, so I always use one of the dual purpose equipment as opposed to the single purpose Uncommon variants but if you're missing some of these, a max level Uncommon item will often work just as well. If you're playing with a gun based kit, you could increase the weapons damage to drop enemies faster or opt to carry additional ammo in order to keep shooting for longer. Those who will be spamming grenades all game, may wish to take the Grenade Capacity gear, this allows you to carry up to an extra +5 grenades but unless you'll be using Thermal Clip packs to replenish your supply, it might be unnecessary, seeing as you're not going to be competing with anyone for the ammo boxes. Then of course there's gear that can increase your grenade capacity and boost your weapon damage, the Shock Trooper Upgrade and Warfighter Package are two of my more commonly used gear items. Another of my popular uses is the Stronghold Package, this increases your shield value slightly as well as reducing the time at which they return after being depleted, probably a bit over kill if you're using a level four Cyclonic Modulator but if you want to be as tanky as possible, it might just be perfect for you. If I'm playing a melee based kit, I'll always take the Juggernaut Shield, this boosts my melee damage and provides some extra shielding, perfect for those CQC engagements. Some people like to use the Armoured Compartments gear, this allows you carry more reserve ammo and extra Cobra Missiles, if you can live without one of the other items, then this is what you should be taking. Like I said there's lots to choose from and so you might want to experiment in normal games before making a final decision for your solo match.

Remember that gear and equipment should be used to bolster your character kit and weapon loadout, especially if there are vulnerabilities that you think need addressing within a setup, such as low shield values or weakness against certain defence types etc. The main thing I think about when selecting gear and equipment items is, what mods have I put on my weapons? For example if I'm already using an armour piercing mod or if my weapon already has some innate piercing properties, I won't take Armour Piercing ammo because to me that seems excessive. Another example is that if a certain weapon requires the magazine upgrade mod to excel, I'll usually take the extended barrel as my second mod and end up equipping AP ammo to make sure I'm not going to be disadvantaged when coming up against armoured units. These are only minor things to contemplate but by making these small improvements, you will find that you have an easier time in matches.

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