Grunt

Grunt is a genetically engineered krogan super soldier. Bred and educated in a tank, he was intended to exemplify the best traits of the krogan, and help reinvigorate his species. In the meantime, he fights along Commander Shepard to satisfy his natural desire for violence.

Grunt is voiced by Steve Blum.

Weapon Proficiencies

 * Shotguns
 * Assault Rifles

Krogan Berserker

 * Rank 1
 * Health: +20.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +5.00%
 * Health Regeneration: 20.00 points per second


 * Rank 2
 * Health: +30.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +10.00%
 * Health Regeneration: 30.00 points per second


 * Rank 3
 * Health: +40.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +15.00%
 * Health Regeneration: 40.00 points per second


 * Rank 4 Unlocks choice between Krogan Pureblood or Krogan Warlord
 * Krogan Pureblood: Grunt's mastery of his blood rage increases his already fantastic regeneration rate, letting him survive wounds that would kill other krogan.
 * Health: +50.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +15.00%
 * Health Regeneration: 55.00 points per second
 * Krogan Warlord: Grunt can go berserk without losing his lethal focus, increasing his weapon damage.
 * Health: +50.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +25.00%
 * Health Regeneration: 40.00 points per second

Dossier
Grunt was created on Korlus by the krogan warlord Okeer, who was originally investigating the genophage. However, Okeer gradually became obsessed with his work and realised that surviving the genophage had become the only benchmark for a good krogan, which was weakening the species as a whole. He decided to produce a genetically pure, superior krogan, a super soldier, and poured all his efforts into his experiments, even seeking help from the Collectors. After rejecting thousands of specimens as unworthy, Okeer had finally produced a prototype when he was killed by Jedore, a Blue Suns mercenary. Commander Shepard, who had come to Korlus hoping to recruit Okeer, recovered the super soldier's tank and took it aboard the Normandy SR-2.

After the super soldier was freed from his tank (though Shepard can simply leave him inside), the newly-freed krogan pinned Shepard to a nearby wall and declared his intention to kill the Commander, though he desired a name before doing so. He chose "Grunt", the last word in Okeer's final message; Grunt considered it to be short and simple, though descriptive of both his training and purpose. Shepard either persuades Grunt to join the mission against the Collectors, as it will be a good fight, or shoots Grunt multiple times to subdue him. (However, even if no shots are fired, it turns out that Shepard was actually holding a gun on Grunt the whole time.)

Lacking a krogan upbringing or a sense of honour, Grunt is both violent and highly unpredictable. He often charges recklessly into the midst of his foes, unlike more disciplined krogan fighter like Wrex, without Shepard's orders. Despite his unpredictable and violent attitude, he is nonetheless considered a great asset to the mission thanks to his unsurpassed physical strength and fighting prowess. Grunt also harbors personal doubt due to his genetic upbringing, considering himself weak for being given strength compared to the thousands of failures that "at least tried" to become strong on their own.

Outside of battle, Grunt often appears childlike and enthusiastic (particularly about violence and combat) in conversations with Shepard. He often seeks guidance from Shepard due to a combination of his youth, lack of krogan guidance and his inexperience about the galaxy, having been educated solely by imprints from Okeer's tank. It takes a while for him to understand the images Okeer used to educate him with, but Grunt soon sees the funny side of killing turians and salarians, and is pleased with himself when he compiles his first list of enemies. Despite his violent nature, he respects Shepard's leadership, partly because Shepard faces great battles and has powerful enemies. If Grunt becomes loyal, he calls Shepard his battlemaster, as the Commander "has no match".

If he survives the assault on the Collector base and Shepard saves the base for Cerberus, Grunt will disagree with that decision, believing that keeping the base and giving it to the Illusive Man is a "weak" decision, as he doesn't trust anyone that hides in the shadows. On the other hand, destroying the base pleases Grunt: he considers Shepard betraying Cerberus to be the true climax to a great fight, though he thoughtfully wonders that if he and Shepard destroy every worthy foe, they will be all that it left.

Loyalty: Rite of Passage
After Grunt has been free of his tank for a while, EDI or Kelly Chambers alerts Shepard that Grunt has become anxious and is behaving irrationally. Upon talking to him, Grunt will reveal his emotions are in turmoil, describing it as similar to krogan blood frenzy and being confused about how to handle it. EDI suggests visiting Tuchanka and consulting the Clan Leader there. The Clan Leader (Wrex, if he wasn't killed in the first game) explains that Grunt is undergoing puberty. He must take part in the Rite of Passage, with Shepard at his side, to prove himself as a krogan and join a clan, or die.

Trivia

 * Unlike other krogan, Grunt has blue eyes and his crest is a series of small bony ridges rather than a single, large, coloured plate. This was intentional by the Mass Effect 2 art team, to show the difference between him and other, naturally bred, krogan.
 * Grunt is unaffected by direct sunlight when on Haestrom, unlike other party members, as he does not have a shield or a barrier, instead using armor. However if he dies leading the second fire team in the final mission he remarks having lost his shields (however this could be a simple error since every character who dies in this position says something similar).
 * There exists a bug where even after completing Grunt's loyalty mission, Grunt may be unable to use his Fortification power, and be classed as not loyal despite having the red loyalty ring around him in squad selection. Reloading the game from an earlier save point has been suggested as a remedy for this.
 * As with the other squad members, Grunt will often have humorous dialogue which can be heard in various instances.
 * Grunt's age has changed at least twice, as the cinematic trailer listed him as being "300+", his trailer on the Mass Effect website listed him as being 22, and in the final game, it's strongly suggested that he is less than a month old, as the other krogan are about a week old, and Grunt, being the 'perfect' iteration, was most likely the most recent, and is not conscious until Shepard wakes him.