Here is a build I put together today. It clears Ruthless and is good for people who are either looking for a different play style from classic sniper rifles, or for people who like the class but honestly don't like sniper rifles/scoped weapons... 

Bolt Carbine: Do NOT use Marksman models. Stick to the bottom line of the perk tree.

Bolt Pistol: Go high ammo for your model. Stick to the bottom line of the perk tree.  

Combat Knife: Fencing blades. Once again, stick to the bottom line of the perk tree. Shoulder Bash is crucial. 

Core Perks: Melee Mastery, High Capacity, Dexterous Hands
Team Perk: Squad Renewal 

Gear Perks: Renewal, Guardian Protocol, Lingering Concealment 

Signature Perk: Emergency Override 

Play Style: Done right this will have you cloaked in combat 90 percent of the time. Cloak, spray into the mob at head level, marvel at how quick you get your charge back. You will really feel the benefit from Lingering Concealment. 2 seconds doesn't sound like a lot but it can be a real game changer. 

Using the Carbine means sticking closer to your teammates. You will be invaluable when someone goes down and being closer means getting them up quicker. If you can, use stealth BEFORE you help them as Guardian Protocol doesn't kick in until after you finish getting them up. You are a prime class to be the Gene Seed carrier. Having so much stealth time minimizes the possibility of things going sideways. Use stealth defensively in this duty.

Master running in with a Melta Bomb, dropping it, and detonating it without stopping. If you are sprinting and don't stop you have plenty of time to clear the blast radius if you immediately start holding the detonate button. Don't hit stealth too early. You want to give yourself enough time to place the bomb exactly where you need it without being interrupted.

Finally, mastering the perfect parry/dodge system and parrying and dodging in general will make you an S tier operator with this build. Shoulder Bash is crucial and mastering its nuances while running and dodging will have you making short work of Majoris+ enemies. 

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my build. Have a powerful day...

This is probably one of the more exciting builds for any of the classes. Unfortunately, you'll be forced to play as a full fledged sniper until you've almost maxed out the class skills. I've Just reached level 21 on my sniper and it has been a drag the entire way... The class is almost unplayable with it's starting skills being so weak. Now that I've finally unlocked Squad Renewal (which is a must-have for this class) I can at least experiment with this build, which I've been dying to try from the get-go. What sucks the most though is that I have to level up a whole new weapon, pushing me back down to average or substantial difficulty until I get at least a tier 3 carbine.

Thanks for sharing the build, and sorry for all the negativity in my post. It's just that I hate sniper rifles and really wanted to play the sniper class as you suggested from the start, but it's just not feasible until the class skills are all unlocked. 

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The_Ironclad_Lad wrote:

This is probably one of the more exciting builds for any of the classes. Unfortunately, you'll be forced to play as a full fledged sniper until you've almost maxed out the class skills. I've Just reached level 21 on my sniper and it has been a drag the entire way... The class is almost unplayable with it's starting skills being so weak. Now that I've finally unlocked Squad Renewal (which is a must-have for this class) I can at least experiment with this build, which I've been dying to try from the get-go. What sucks the most though is that I have to level up a whole new weapon, pushing me back down to average or substantial difficulty until I get at least a tier 3 carbine.

Thanks for sharing the build, and sorry for all the negativity in my post. It's just that I hate sniper rifles and really wanted to play the sniper class as you suggested from the start, but it's just not feasible until the class skills are all unlocked. 

No worries, thanks for the full read. My suggestion for people struggling is to just slow grind the xp on Average. As you said, Squad Renewal is what you are really gunning for. The struggle should help build crucial foundation skills. It's easy to use stealth as a crutch once it becomes so easily obtainable. Once again thanks for the feedback!

You, Sir/Madam/Something In-Between, are a champion and a scholar. I have been hugely disappointed by the Vanguard, not because I don't enjoy playing it (I adore it, probably my favourite of the 6), but because I really wanted it to feel like a Reiver and not an Incursor. This build might just be the ticket to my Phobos Dreams.

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Totusgnarus wrote:

You, Sir/Madam/Something In-Between, are a champion and a scholar. I have been hugely disappointed by the Vanguard, not because I don't enjoy playing it (I adore it, probably my favourite of the 6), but because I really wanted it to feel like a Reiver and not an Incursor. This build might just be the ticket to my Phobos Dreams.

Thank you, I appreciate that. I hope this build works well for you!