Flare is a biotic power in Mass Effect 3's single-player mode.
Power Ranks
Rank 1: Flare
Focus and expend all biotic energy to unleash a huge flare that throws enemies within its range, causing massive damage.
- Recharge Speed: 30 sec
- Damage: 400
- Force: 200 N
- Radius: 6 m
Rank 2: Recharge Speed
Increase recharge speed by 25%.
- Recharge Speed: 24 sec
- Damage: 400
- Force: 200 N
- Radius: 6 m
Rank 3: Damage & Force
Increase damage and force by 20%.
- Recharge Speed: 24 sec
- Damage: 480
- Force: 240 N
- Radius: 6 m
Rank 4: Damage & Force/Radius
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Damage & Force Increase damage and force by 30%.
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Radius Increase impact radius by 30%.
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Rank 5: Recharge Speed/Detonate
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Recharge Speed Increase recharge speed by 30%.
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Detonate Increase force, damage, and impact radius of combo detonations by 50%. |
Rank 6: Radius/Improved Damage
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Radius Increase impact radius by 50%.
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Improved Damage Increase the damage done to shields and barriers by 75%. |
Player Notes
- Mechanics
- Flare deals 0.5x damage to armor and 1.5x damage to barriers baseline.
- Flare can detonate Biotic Explosions but can't trigger any other type of power combo.
- Flare is the most destructive biotic power in the game, counterbalanced by a longer than average cooldown.
- Aria's cooldown is 24 (19.35) seconds when using this power; Commander Shepard's recharges in about 5-6 seconds at minimum cooldown times, and up to 40-50 seconds at the heaviest loadout.
- Tactical Cloak and Adrenaline Rush's "Power Use" evolution can bypass the cooldown.
- As with all squadmate powers, when used by Aria, Flare travels in a straight line to enemy targets and impacts instantly; Commander Shepard's version launches a glowing projectile similar to Warp.
- Flare's blast radius is the size of grenades and its destructive power is also comparable. The blast will destroy environmental objects (webbing, generators, shield pylons, spore pods, etc.).
- Like most grenade powers, Flare is not limited in the number of targets hit within its blast radius.
- The blast of Flare penetrates terrain like walls or thin cover, and it will detonate upon striking terrain.
- Flare will stagger most lighter enemies caught in the blast; most unprotected infantry enemies such as Husks and Assault Troopers will be completely knocked down.
- Flare is one of the few biotic powers effective against shielded enemies, especially with the rank 6 Improved Damage evolution.
- Flare, like Stasis in Mass Effect 2, can't be selected as a bonus power when starting a new game. To take it, the player must select it from the med bay aboard the Normandy between missions.
- Flare can be blocked by the defensive abilities of Phantoms, Banshees, Rampart Mechs, and Praetorians (Armax Arsenal Arena only). It also will not damage Guardians or CAT6 Heavies when hitting their shields from the front, but if the Flare detonates behind them they will take damage.
- Strategies
- Flare should be thought of as an unlimited but slow-firing grenade. Despite making a lot of noise, its damage potential should not be overestimated on high difficulties, and its long cooldown means it isn't always the best power to use; however, its combo potential, area of effect, terrain penetration, and effectiveness against shields can make it a very useful situational tool.
- Enemies that try to dodge the attack, like most Cerberus troops, can still be caught in any resulting explosion, but tactics to prevent enemies from dodging Flare should still be used where possible.
- During Attican Traverse: Krogan Team, it can destroy the spore pods and Swarmers in large numbers without risk.
- Getting a biotic detonation against shielded enemies can be difficult, making it advisable to try and detonate an enemy close to the shielded target instead. Reave, Warp, Stasis, and Dark Channel are all capable of priming most shielded targets for biotic combos. Liara's Stasis can be particularly useful against unarmored enemies to prevent them from avoiding the Flare.
- A Flare-based Adept build is feasible on Insanity difficulty. Maxing out Flare, Warp, choosing the Combo Mastery evolution of Biotic Mastery, and using light weapons allows the player to unleash Flares often and perform devastating biotic combos even against armored/shielded targets.
- Using Tactical Cloak or Adrenaline Rush's "Power Use" evolution to bypass the longer cooldown of Flare opens up the option to choose the rank 5 Detonate evolution of Flare, forgoing faster recharge speed; however, squadmate powers would be needed to prime enemies for any biotic combos.
- Even without the Power Use evolution, Tactical Cloak's "proportional cooldown" mechanic can be exploited to use Flare immediately upon cloak deactivation for a cooldown as low as 3 seconds. See the Player Notes section of the Tactical Cloak page for more information.
- Flare's large area of effect and potential extra damage to shields can make it useful when fighting Geth Primes, as it can instantly eliminate the drones and turrets they summon.
- Flare's terrain penetration and large blast makes it useful for taking out enemy positions fortified by shield generators and pylons or Reaper Barrier Engines, even through enemy smoke screens. It is also useful for taking out enemy infantry manning turrets, such as during Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientists or Rannoch: Admiral Koris.
Availability
- Single-player: Aria T'Loak, Commander Shepard (Bonus Power)
- Multiplayer: N/A