Husk (enemy)

Mass Effect
Husks are encountered by Shepard's team on numerous worlds. They are usually encountered packs, and/or will be supported by the geth.

Tactics

 * While not as resistant to damage as Thorian Creepers, Husks are still quite resilient. If they get close enough on foot, their electrical blast carries over a large area. This damages the entire squad and overloads their shields, and if there is a large group of Husks, this can be lethal.


 * Husks are vulnerable to Warp and Neural Shock (although they appear robotic, they count as organic enemies as they are corpses, and Hacking does not work). Tech abilities like Damping or Sabotage can also slow them down. Otherwise, if they haven't used their electrical attack, it's safer to keep them at a distance and pick them off, using Throw if they get too close.


 * Husks on Eden Prime only have two bars of shielding, whereas all husks encountered after will have three. This might be because the quick arrival of Shepard interrupted the conversion process for husks on Eden Prime and prevented the formation of advanced shields. In either case, Overload is a good ability to use against them, being particularly effective against groups due to its AoE.


 * Like Thorian Creepers, the unarmored bodies of Husks are vulnerable to mêlée strikes. The Husk tends to pause for a brief period after using its electrical attack, allowing ample time to perform a melee attack. This tends to inflict light to moderate damage and is virtually guaranteed to knock the Husk down. Keep in mind that Husk's own melee is very damaging; it only take a couple of blows to kill low-level character.

Mass Effect 2
Husks make their appearance again in Mass Effect 2, they have some new defenses but lack their shield discharge ability from two years previous.

Capabilities
Offensive

Husks usually charge at Shepard and the squad to enter close combat. Their melee attacks have a knockback effect so try to avoid getting surrounded by three or more Husks.

Defensive

Husks only have moderate health, but get light armor on higher difficulties.

Tactics

 * Unlike their Mass Effect counterparts, Husks no longer use an electrical attack at melee range in Mass Effect 2. Instead, Husks now attack by charging at Shepard or the team and attempting to maul them. Once they start rushing, they can be sidestepped easily, causing them to helplessly dash past you. You can also stop them by shooting their legs out from under them, ideally using a submachine gun or an assault rifle; generally, this can result in killing a Husk if its health is already halfway depleted.
 * Armor Piercing Ammo and Shredder Ammo are particularly effective.
 * Husks are instantly killed by Powers that knock them off their feet, hence Powers like Concussive Shot or Shockwave are very useful against groups of Husks as are Inferno Grenade or Flashbang Grenade. Shockwave is especially good when a long line of Husks are emerging from cover to charge towards your team one after another; a single well placed Shockwave can destroy half a dozen or more. Charge, Throw and Pull can kill a Husk in a single hit, and if the powers are evolved to affect an area, it can be effective on tight groups.
 * Slam is very effective, usually killing them instantly.
 * The Collector Particle Beam is also very effective against Husks, quickly destroying their armor and tearing their bodies apart. The M-622 Avalanche, Cryo Blast and Cryo Ammo will cause Husks to shatter, killing them instantly on any difficulty (once their armor is removed on higher difficulties).
 * Singularity can be effective if used on a group of Husks, especially near a choke point.
 * Dominate used on a group of Husks will destroy them rather than control them, however it will control an Abomination like it would regular organic enemies.
 * Husks are vulnerable to headshots like any other enemy, but their jerky movements make them hard to target, and body hits inflict less damage. Instead, aim for their legs, as a strong enough shot (like a shotgun or assault rifle) can sever a Husk in half, killing it instantly.
 * Melee attacks are another viable tactic when fighting Husks, but isn't recommended against abominations. This is because melee attacks always inflict the same damage against defenses (armor, etc.) as they do health, possess a high attack speed and a brief daze effect that can keep an enemy stunlocked with repeated blows. It also requires no cooldown, reload time or ammunition usage. Using Heavy Muscle Weave, Strength Boost Pads and Heightened Adrenaline Rush will provide a +190% melee damage bonus and 70% time dilation. Hardened Adrenaline Rush will provide a nice health damage resistance bonus to melee attacks combined with Heavy Bone Weave but only a +150% melee damage bonus and 50% time dilation so it's a good idea to use the N7 Breather Helmet, Aegis Vest, Strength Boost Pads, N7 Gauntlets and Life Support Webbing for a +23% health bonus and +25% melee damage bonus on missions with a lot of Husks. Tactical Cloak with the Heavy Muscle Weave and Strength Boost Pads will provide a 90-125% melee damage bonus. The main drawbacks of these tactics are Husk melee attacks can also stunlock Shepard as well, and it's only viable with Soldiers and Infiltrators on higher difficulties due to their damage boosting abilities. You can counter being mobbed by the Husks through use of the M-622 Avalanche fired at Shepard's feet (doesn't inflict any type of splash damage on Shepard or the squad), and by keeping a krogan by Shepard's side through use of squad commands so the charge attack can clear a hole. Do not use excessive melee damage bonuses if trying to earn the Brawler Achievement on low difficulty settings as it can make the required action more difficult to successfully perform.
 * The maximum attainable melee bonus damage is +210% if you possess the Aegis Pack. Heavy Muscle Weave (+25%), Heightened Adrenaline Rush (+140%), Kestrel Torso Sheath (+10%), Strength Boost Pads (+25%) and Kestrel Arm Sheathing (+10%). This is plenty to bash Husks and other enemies into pulp on almost any difficulty.
 * On Hardcore and Insanity difficulty, Husks have armor that protects them from physics-based biotic attacks, complicating standard crowd control tactics. However, this armor is relatively weak and even a Rank 1 Incinerate will destroy it, rendering the Husk vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
 * Shotguns will make an effective countermeasure against Husks. Using these weapons on groups of Husks like during the Horizon, the Collector Ship, Reaper IFF, and Collector Base: The Long Walk missions, is extremely effective at countering said groups.
 * Sentinels may effectively deal with groups of Husks by collecting them into a tight group and then allowing them to detonate Shepard's tech armor. This is not recommended on Hardcore or Insanity, as the armor of Husks will prevent them from being disintegrated by the explosion, and will likely result in Shepard simply being stunned until the player's eventual death.

Mass Effect 3
Husks return in Mass Effect 3 and make up the bulk of the Reapers' ground forces. They are first encountered during the Reaper invasion of Earth.

Capabilities
Offensive

Husks can grab you if they get close, draining health at a steady rate. You can escape by pressing the melee button rapidly.

As in Mass Effect 2, Husks do not possess the electrical attack or post-death electrical burst.

Defensive

Husks are less resilient in Mass Effect 3, due to their lower health and lack of an armor bar even on the highest difficulty. However, they are commonly deployed with Barrier Generators nearby, and powers no longer instantly kill them.

Tactics

 * Husks tend to have no shielding or barriers on lower difficulties, therefore any power that can knock an enemy off their feet, or lift them off the ground (like Singularity, or Throw) will leave them completely vulnerable. As mentioned above, this no longer kills them on its own, except on particularly high levels of these powers.
 * In large groups, husks can very quickly overwhelm you, using weapons or powers that deal damage across an area would help kill groups off quickly.
 * Since Husks can only attack up close, a shotgun with a moderate or high capacity would prove very useful, as Husks are quite frail and are easily killed. This effectively allows you to rip right through Husks within seconds.
 * Try baiting your squadmates to take on husks. James Vega is very useful as bait as he has the fortification ability.
 * The increased Melee ability and the natural speed of Husks makes them a threat on "turret moments" where operating a turret to repel a Reaper strike team is your goal. This is particularly true of Thessia, where the Husks are attacking a biotic barrier that is just barely in the firing radius of the turret. Take them out before they get close, or you may have to hit what you are protecting to kill them.
 * In battles with multiple variants of Husks present, human Husks typically serve as first wave cannon fodder, buying time for slower moving - and harder-hitting - enemies to get into combat range, thus you either have to wipe them out quickly, or use powers that would lift them off the ground to buy you time to deal with them (applies to Marauder and Cannibal); but if facing the likes of Brute and Banshee, you'd need to fight a mobile battle to focus on them first; against far less mobile variants with heavy firepower (like the Harvester and Ravager) stick to cover, let the human Husks come to you and deal with them only when they get close enough to melee you.
 * Though a Husk grab is easy to break out of, its main function is to delay you long enough for other troops (like Cannibals and Brutes) to deal more serious damage. Thus, be mindful of greater threats when engaging Husks.