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Mass Effect 3 Legendary Edition

Best Javik Builds

By
Matt Chard

This page will show you some of the best builds for your squad mate Javik in Mass Effect 3 Legendary Edition. Here, you’ll find details on the best abilities to pick, the best weapons to equip, and the best Outfit to wear.

Javik Overview

Javik is the only known survivor of the ancient Prothean race due to being in stasis for 50,000 years. Protheans embodied a single virtue, and Javik’s was Vengeance. He was born into an already lost war with the Reapers, and war is all he’s ever known. He was put into stasis by the Protheans to be a leader to approximately 1,000,0000 warriors who was also put into stasis so that they could fight the Reapers. His mission was to survive the invasion and then mount a counter-attack in 50,000 years. Unfortunately the Reapers indoctrinated some of their ranks, and they turned unknowing traitors which ended up with the location of the bunker housing the Protheans which ended up with them being slaughtered. Shepard and Liara find his unopened pod on Eden Prime whilst monitoring Cerberus’ activities.

When do you get Javik

Javik was originally added with the From Ashes DLC in Mass Effect 3. The Legendary Edition allows you to recruit him after completing the Mission Priority: Eden Prime.

Dark Channel Build

This build revolves around maxing out Javik’s Dark Channel power, this is an incredibly strong power that damages enemies over time and then transfers to another enemy should it die from it. He also has some great crowd control in the form of Pull and Lift Grenade, which is why we max them out next. Finally, we max out his passive skill line for some Weapon and Power Damage. The only negative with Javik is that he has trouble against shielded enemies, for this reason, bringing along a squad mate capable of dealing with that like Garrus.

Power Upgrade Path
Dark Channel Duration > Recharge Speed > Damage
Lift Grenade Radius > Max Grenades > Damage & Radius
Pull Radius > Expose > Double Pull
Slam Leave at Level 3
Vengeful Ancient Power Damage > Weapon Damage > Squad Bonus (shield recharge)

Powers

This section will go into more detail on why the Powers are chosen for this particular build.

Dark Channel

Dark Channel plagues the enemy with a persistent, damaging biotic field, dealing damage over time. If an enemy dies with this effect on them, they’ll transfer it to the nearest enemy. Duration is an important upgrade pick for obvious reasons, as is Recharge Speed. The final upgrades are both good, but we opt for the 50% damage increase.

Lift Grenade

Lift Grenades are great for crowd control, with good damage to boot. They act like an area of effect Pull, when they hit unprotected enemies, lifting them in the air to float around helplessly. They can also detonate all four types of Power Combos, providing that the enemy has no protection on them.

Pull

Pull is great to deal with the Guardian enemies’, these have physical shields that protect their whole body from gunfire, and can be quite a nuisance. Pull will fling their shield away from them, leaving them exposed. It’s also great against enemies who are hiding behind cover providing they have no shields, just aim above them with the reticle still targeting the enemy, and the projectile will go above the barricade and thrash down, lifting the enemy into the air. Pull is also a primer for Biotic Combos. The reasoning behind the upgrade path is to keep the enemies in the air longer with Double Pull allowing you to hit an extra enemy giving you more crowd control, finally we choose Expose to increase the damage an extra 25% to enemies affected by Pull.

Slam

Slam will lift an enemy off the ground, then slam them down into the ground. The damage is calculated on the force applied when it hits the ground, which is why it’s best used when the enemy is at its highest point, normally after a Pull or a Lift Grenade. Slam only works effectively against unprotected enemies. We leave this at Level 3 purely because the other powers are better.

Vengeful Ancient

Vengeful Ancient is Javik’s passive skill line which’ll increase his Health, Shields, Weapon Damage, and Power Damage. The final upgrade will give the squad a 20% bonus to shield-recharge speed.

Best Outfit

In Mass Effect 3, each outfit gives squad mates different bonuses. For Javik, choose his alternate Outfit to increase his Power Recharge Speed a further 25%.

Best Weapons

This section will talk about what weapons are best for this particular build. This build relies mainly on using your powers, so you’ll want to keep your weight as low as possible. Doing this will keep your cooldowns low, allowing you to use powers more often.

Heavy Pistol

Weapon Base Damage Clip Size Reserve Ammunition Capacity Rate of Fire Accuracy
M-77 Paladin Medium 4 16 Low Low High

The M-77 Paladin is acquired from the Spectre Requisitions Store which can be accessed at the Citadel or via the terminal in the Shuttle Bay of Normandy.

With this build you’ll want to be focusing on using your Powers, but if you have to make use of your Pistol, then the Paladin is a great option due to the large damage output. It’s also great against armored enemies.

Assault Rifle

Weapon Base Damage Clip Size Reserve Ammunition Capacity Rate of Fire Accuracy
Particle Rifle Low 100 High High Medium

The Particle Rifle is obtained after completing the mission Priority: Eden Prime.

What makes the Particle Rifle great is its high fire rate and large clip size, with decent accuracy as well. It doesn’t use conventional ammo and instead uses a cooldown system where it can overheat, due to this, it has infinite ammo. On top of all that, enemies killed by it will disintegrate, which leaves no corpses for the Cannibal enemy type to absorb buffs from.

Or

Weapon Base Damage Clip Size Reserve Ammunition Capacity Rate of Fire Accuracy
N7 Typhoon Low 100 400 High High Low

The N7 Typhoon was originally a DLC weapon in Mass Effect 3. In the Legendary Edition, it can be purchased at the Spectre Requisitions terminal in the Citadel Embassies for 150,000 credits.

The N7 Typhoon works great against shielded enemies, which is one of the main weakness of Javik, this helps him out with it.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Electronic Arts
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS3, Wii U, XB 360
  • Genre
    Action RPG, Third-person shooter
  • Guide Release
    14 May 2021
  • Last Updated
    15 June 2022
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Andrew Mills, Claire Farnworth

Share this free guide:

For years, a lone soldier has told tales of the Reapers, of their return, of these sentient machines reaching out across the vastness of space, to harvest all sentient life. But the warnings were all for nothing. Until now. The Reapers have at last come to Earth and these warnings can no longer be ignored. You are Commander Shepard, the first human spectre and elite soldier of the Alliance, tasked with uniting the galaxy in the fight to stop the Reapers destroying everything you hold dear. In your hands lies the fate of the entire Milky Way but luckily, this time, you are no longer alone.

  • All side missions completed containing the included DLC.
  • Find every single weapon mod tucked away in the game.
  • In-depth look at the major choices and consequences of each.
  • Full details on all possible Romances.
  • Class builds to get the most out of your chosen class.
  • All Biotic Combos and Tech Bursts explained.
  • Details on every Power.
  • Builds for all squad mates.
  • Trophy/Achievement guide.

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