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This article is about the combat mechanics of Mass Effect 2. For other uses, see Combat (disambiguation). |
Just like in the first Mass Effect game, combat in Mass Effect 2 typically involves a squad consisting of the player character and two non-player character ("NPC") allies using weapons in tandem with biotic, tech, and other abilities to defeat enemies and complete missions in order to level, further increase their combat prowess, and advance the story.
Mass Effect 2 features major differences in gameplay compared to the previous game, one of the biggest being a vastly increased emphasis on using cover. Another major difference is that standard weapons no longer use a heat generation system and instead use thermal clips to dissipate heat, a mechanic which effectively functions as ammunition. Also, grenades are not a standard part of combat in Mass Effect 2.
The player and allies are protected in battle by recharging health and shields and can wear armor for additional protection. Various types of other equipment can be found or purchased, including upgrades and research that can be used to modify weapons or armor.
Legendary Edition: Some of the gameplay mechanics in Mass Effect 2 work differently in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. On gameplay-oriented pages, Legendary Edition changes will usually be marked with an orange notation.
Combat Controls[]
Mass Effect 2 Controls[]
Use the D-pad (X360, PS3) or the keyboard buttons Q, E, and C (PC) to issue the following squad orders in the battlefield:
- Press UP on the D-pad (X360, PS3) or Q and E in quick succession (PC) to send the squad to the location your crosshairs are pointing. If you target an enemy and push this button, the squad members will attack the designated enemy.
- Press DOWN on the D-pad (X360, PS3) or C (PC) to order the squad to regroup on Shepard.
- Press RIGHT on the D-pad (X360, PS3) or E (PC) to order the squad member pictured on the bottom right to the location your crosshairs are pointing. If you target an enemy and push this button the squad member will use their pre-programmed power from the power wheel on the target. On the PC, this method lets the squad member use a power that fits the situation best.
- Press LEFT on the D-pad (X360, PS3) or Q (PC) to order the squad member pictured on the bottom left to the location your crosshairs are pointing. If you target an enemy and push this button the squad member will use their pre-programmed power from the Power Wheel on the target. On the PC, this method lets the squad member use a power that fits the situation best.
Power Wheel[]
The Power Wheel allows you to focus specific powers on different enemies. Enemies are targeted by moving the camera around, in a manner similar to aiming a gun. When the Wheel is brought up, the images of your squadmates appear in the left and right sections. Powers may also be mapped to the LB and RB buttons on the X360 (L2 and R2 on the PS3) for quicker use during combat. In the PC version, the player's and squadmates' powers may be assigned to the various hotkeys (see the upper-left corner of the HUD) for the same purpose. Sometimes, a power's button might be colored red instead of orange. This means that the power would be ineffective against the target in question. It does not mean that the power cannot be used. Hurling an Incinerate at a shielded enemy will still do damage to the shields, just not as much as Overload would, or against armor. Only grayed out icons cannot be used.
HUD Screen[]
The Heads-Up Display, or HUD, shows all the vital information needed during combat. The HUD shows the targeting reticule, which gun you are using, how much ammunition you have left (in the clip and in reserve), and your quickslots. It also shows which teammates are in your present squad while indicating their status (by means of colors), and the status of Shepard's shields or health. Moreover, when Shepard uses a power, a small pair of faint-white semicircles will begin moving from the left and right toward the center of the screen (see the HUD screenshot). When these semicircles meet at the center, Shepard's powers have cooled down, indicating that the player can use a power again.
If an enemy is within a certain range and in Shepard's present field of vision, a special display will appear showing you the type of enemy and indicating the relative strength of this enemy's protections and health. Once an enemy becomes "highlighted" in the HUD in this way, it is treated as "locked on" for the purposes of hitting with powers; projectile powers will track the target that was highlighted, though it isn't necessarily required for a target to be highlighted for this to occur—having the targeting reticule directly over even a distant enemy can allow powers of all types to hit home. Also, the maximum range at which enemies can be "highlighted" happens to be about the same range at which enemies will start attacking the player in return.
Powers[]
- Main article: Powers
The combat abilities used by the player, squadmates, and enemies in Mass Effect 2 are called powers, analogous to the talents from the first game, though powers are a notably simpler and less labyrinthine system to understand. Another major difference from the first game is that both player and squadmate power pools operate on a shared cooldown system as opposed to each individual ability having its own separate recharge timer, meaning that characters can only use one of their powers at a time as opposed to the "spamming" that was common in Mass Effect.
Weapons[]
- Main article: Weapons#Mass Effect 2
In addition to the four standard types of weapons featured in the first game (heavy pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns), Mass Effect 2 introduces a fifth type, submachine guns. The different player and squadmate classes are restricted to being able to equip only certain weapon types. Weapons in Mass Effect 2 also now have limited ammunition and must be reloaded in combat (see below).
Headshots[]
Most enemies with a head (or body structure analogous to a head) are vulnerable to headshots from most standard "bullet-firing" guns in Mass Effect 2. Headshots can cause anywhere from 30-70% more damage than shots to other parts of the body depending on the weapon used.
Headshot bonus damage applies regardless of the enemy protection type hit, and therefore headshots should almost always be attempted where possible for maximum damage. Certain enemy types have different or additional "weak points" that suffer extra weapon damage, but the previous rules still apply. Different types of weapons, notably pistols and sniper rifles, can do different levels of bonus damage to heads and other "weak points", which can be further enhanced by certain research projects. There are subtle sound effects that can be heard in many cases when causing headshot, "weak point", or other "critical" damage to most organic (non-robotic) enemy types.
Squad members will sometimes have verbal reactions to headshot kills by the player. They also do not deliberately attempt to score headshots on opponents with their own shooting.
Note: Though counterintuitive, hitting the "flashlight" on most geth opponents will not count as a headshot; their true headshot area is positioned higher than the actual light.
Heavy Weapons[]
- Main article: Heavy Weapons
Mass Effect 2 introduces a new, special class of weapon that can only be carried by the player, not squadmates (though certain enemy types can also carry their own versions of a few heavy weapons). Heavy weapons cannot deal headshot or critical damage; use their own ammunition system (see below); and, as their name implies, are usually both more cumbersome and more powerful than standard weapons.
Weapons Heat and Thermal Clips[]
- See also: Thermal Clips, Weapons#Mass Effect 2
Thermal clips serve as the ammunition for all standard firearms. Each weapon type has a "clip" (also referred to as a "magazine" for less confusion) with a particular capacity; after the clip/magazine has depleted (i.e. the thermal clip is now saturated with heat and can absorb no more) it must be ejected and another thermal clip inserted before the weapon can fire again. A single clip may represent dozens of shots for a submachine gun or assault rifle, but only a handful of shots for a shotgun, pistol, or sniper rifle.
While on missions, thermal clips can often found already lying around the environment; they are also dropped by defeated enemies, with the probability of this going up the closer the player is to being depleted with a particular weapon. Clips that are already lying around usually restore more ammo than clips dropped by enemies, and most will also respawn in the same spot after a brief time. Squad members and enemies have unlimited ammunition, although they must reload after depleting a clip.
Picking up a thermal clip will simultaneously add ammunition to all weapons currently not at maximum ammunition, with no penalty to the amount restored if multiple weapons need refilling. Ammunition cannot be transferred between weapons. The amount of ammunition restored to SMGs and Shotguns increases proportionately after the upgrades that increase their spare ammunition reserves are obtained.
Legendary Edition: The amount of ammunition restored by thermal clips has been greatly increased for all weapons. The rate at which thermal clips drop from enemies has also been increased, especially when using sniper rifles.
Weapons with no remaining ammunition cannot be fired, and trying to do so will automatically force the player to switch to a non-depleted weapon. When thermal clips are picked up, only the spare carried ammo will be refilled, not the ammo loaded in the weapon's magazine. If all weapons have full spare ammo but are not fully loaded, you will not be able to pick up thermal clips. During a break in fighting, it is usually a good idea to reload all weapons before picking up a clip to "top off" so as to ensure the maximum amount of ammo is picked up. Weapons that are entirely emptied should be topped off in stages (first refill magazines) so as not to waste thermal clip pickups when they are scarce.
Example: The M-29 Incisor is a good example to illustrate why weapons should be topped off as it's relatively inefficient in terms of ammo usage in the original version of the game. It only picks up 2-4 shots per clip and fires 3 shots with each pull of the trigger. Fully loaded and with full spare ammo, the weapon has 15 pulls of the trigger. If the weapon was drained beforehand, and not topped off, it will only have 10 pulls of the trigger when it's full.
Legendary Edition: It is no longer necessary to "top off" weapons as described above. It is possible to pick up thermal clips to refill weapons with depleted magazines that are already at maximum spare ammunition; the weapon must still be reloaded to refill the magazine, but the picked up ammunition is added as a temporary bonus to spare ammunition that can even exceed its normal maximum capacity until a reload is performed. This is the same ammunition refill behavior followed by weapons in Mass Effect 3.
Power Cells[]
Instead of thermal clips, heavy weapons use power cells, which are often found before intense combat sequences occur. If you pick up a box of power cells when already at maximum heavy weapon ammo, you will instead receive 100 credits. In all cases, picking up power cells grants a large amount of ammunition replenishment to all other weapons as well.
Melee Combat[]
Melee combat is a larger part of gameplay in Mass Effect 2 than it is in Mass Effect. In the original version of Mass Effect (not Legendary Edition), Shepard automatically performs a melee attack on an enemy if they are close enough. However, in Mass Effect 2 there is a specific button for melee attacks and only pressing that button will cause a melee attack: defaults are the B button on the X360, circle on the PS3, and F on the PC.
Melee hits are able to stagger or stun most light infantry enemies but can't knock them to the ground as they could in the first game. Medium and heavy enemy types are less susceptible to being stunned. The attack is always a punch delivered with the right hand. This can make a difference, as it is possible to stand around corners with cover to the left of the player and hit enemies with melees as they round the corner to the right without being exposed.
Melee attacks while Shepard is holding a light weapon (submachine gun or heavy pistol) have a notably quicker attack speed, allowing enemies to be more effectively stun-locked. Melee attacks cannot be launched while Shepard is performing another action such as clinging to cover, vaulting over cover, switching weapons, or sprinting (storming); trying to melee will either cancel the current action or only launch after the current action animation completes. A minor exception to this is if a melee or power use is performed during a weapon reload, where precisely timed actions can be used to cut short the more lengthy reload animations of certain weapons without preventing the reload from completing.
Unlike in the original Mass Effect, no squadmate (with the notable exception of Grunt) is able to perform spontaneous melee attacks against enemies in close proximity. Only a few enemy types possess melee attacks of their own in Mass Effect 2.
Damage Potential[]
Shepard's base melee attack does 125 points of damage, improved by researching upgrades, equipping armor components or using class-specific abilities that boost damage (e.g Tactical Cloak). Melee attacks do the same amount of damage to all types of protection and health (see next section).
The total attainable bonus damage to melee attacks from Armor Customization and Research is +50% with the basic version of the game and +70% if the Aegis Pack DLC is installed (included with Legendary Edition), for all classes.
- Mass Effect 2: Heavy Muscle Weave, and Strength Boost Pads.
- Aegis Pack: Heavy Muscle Weave, Kestrel Torso Sheath, Strength Boost Pads and Kestrel Arm Sheathing.
Health, Armour, Shields and Barriers[]
- See also: Medi-gel
Shepard and NPC squad members are protected by health and shields. The health and shields of Shepard and squadmates automatically regenerate after a short delay if Shepard takes no damage, though Tactical Cloak and a few rare special enemy attacks can forestall this. The default delay before shields and health start to recover is 6 seconds (Legendary Edition: about 4.5 seconds); full recovery can take up to about 3 more seconds depending on how damaged Shepard is. When health is nearly depleted, there are visual and auditory effects that warn the player of Shepard's impending death, such as a "heartbeat" sound and a bloody miasma that obscures vision; Shepard often declares when their shields are downed, and makes increasingly pained grunts when nearing death.
The use of the Unity power revives fallen squad members at the cost of medi-gel and also restores Shepard's health. After being upgraded, Unity will also fully restore health and shields of Shepard and all squad members whenever it is used. Whenever health and shields are restored through either normal regeneration or by using medi-gel, both health and shields separately and simultaneously refill to maximum (i.e. health does not refill followed by shields). Downed squad members also usually revive automatically once no enemies remain in the immediate vicinity.
On all difficulty settings, when the shields of Shepard or Shepard's squadmates get knocked completely down, there is a brief period of time during which they are effectively immune to further damage before incoming damage starts to affect their health. This is fairly easy to test in practice, and can be exploited by experienced players. This shield "wall" can also block the excess damage of very powerful single hits or attacks from enemies (with two notable exceptions) from going past shields to damage health, even when shields are weakened or nearly depleted. As the shield restoration from upgraded medi-gel is gradual rather than instantaneous, this can enable multiple exploitations of the above mechanic while the heal effect persists if under heavy attack.
Shepard and all squad members start with a default health of 200 and default shields of 250. The only exceptions are: Grunt, who has default health and armour of 300; Legion, who has a default "Geth Shield" of 350; Liara (Lair of the Shadow Broker only), who has a default barrier of 350; and a Soldier Shepard, who has default health of 250. Note that an Adept or Vanguard Shepard as well as some biotic squad members will nominally (i.e., as labeled in the squad information menu) have a biotic barrier rather than shields, but there appears to be no difference in function. For example, the Adept's barrier will be quickly depleted by direct sunlight on Haestrom just like the shields of anyone else. Note that the measure of Shepard's barrier on the HUD is purple rather than blue.
Wearable Armor[]
- Main article: Armor#Mass Effect 2
As in the first game, Commander Shepard can wear specialized combat hardsuits, also called armor, during combat missions for extra protection. However, the armor system for players and squadmates is very different from the original Mass Effect. NPC squad members' armor no longer has any gameplay effect at all and is purely cosmetic. The player can customize Shepard's wearable armor on the Normandy SR-2 and certain other locations between missions.
Enemies[]
All enemies have one or more of the following layers of protection: health (red), armor (yellow), and either shields (blue) or barriers (purple). On lower difficulties, most standard enemies tend to have health only. These four types of protection have varying resistances against weapons, damage powers, and crowd control status effects. Most powers with a force component, or ability to apply a crippling status effect, including AI Hacking, Neural Shock, Concussive Shot, Cryo Blast, or Pull are largely ineffective unless used against enemies with only health remaining, and will otherwise only deal a portion of their damage while not applying their status effect. Certain more powerful enemies (e.g. Harbinger, Geth Colossus) do not have a health bar and can never be affected by such powers.
There is a subtle sound effect that can be heard when enemy protection layers "break" or become completely depleted. This can also be accompanied by a visual effect similar to the one Shepard and allies suffer when shields are downed. Enemies can also be very briefly stunned by the breaking of their protections. These effects can be used by observant players to know when enemies have become vulnerable to disabling effects.
Health[]
As stated above, most enemies with only a (red) health bar are vulnerable to the disabling or secondary effects of powers. Some organic enemies, notably krogan and vorcha, are able to regenerate their health quickly over time even while under fire. Most fire-based or incendiary attacks, the Warp and Reave biotic powers, and Neural Shock can permanently disable enemy health regeneration. Freezing attacks from powers such as Cryo Blast will pause enemy regeneration while they are fully frozen solid. Enemies that lack health bars are typically not vulnerable to disabling effects, though there are a few exceptions. The health of synthetic enemies such as the geth is highly resistant to fire damage, as is the health of klixen.
Armor[]
Armor (yellow) is found on most tougher enemies such as krogan, YMIR Mechs, and "boss" type characters, who often have the armor as an intermediate protection layer (i.e., armor beneath a primary layer of shields/barriers and above their health bar). In some cases enemies lack a health bar entirely with armor being the base protection layer (e.g. Gunships and Scions). On Hardcore and Insanity difficulty, armor is also possessed by the more common LOKI and FENRIS Mechs, and melee creatures like husks and varren. Armor is typically not regenerated by enemies, though some vorcha enemies can on higher difficulties.
Armor is vulnerable to Incendiary Ammo, Incinerate, Warp, Reave and similar damage powers, and to weapon types with a low rate of fire. Sniper rifles and heavy pistols are notable for their excellent penetration power against armor. Assault rifles are moderately effective against armor. SMGs are not as effective against armor as they lack the penetration power of the other weapon classes, though the M-12 Locust is an exception and does possess a damage bonus against armor.
Shields[]
Shields (blue) are the most common defensive layer and can be found on mercenaries, geth, and YMIR mechs. Shields are vulnerable to Disruptor Ammo and also tend to be most vulnerable to tech powers like Overload, Energy Drain, and Combat Drones. Assault rifles, submachine guns, and Shotguns work best against shields, the latter two especially after obtaining their respective shield piercing research upgrades. In contrast to the shields of Shepard and the squad, enemy shields do not automatically regenerate if not damaged for a period of time. Rather, some enemies are able to fully restore their shields if they possess an ability that allows them to do so, notably many geth enemies with Geth Shield Boost or enemies that possess Tech Armor. Biotic attacks like Reave and Warp are generally not as effective against shields, and other powers like Pull are completely ineffective until shields are removed.
Barriers[]
Biotic barriers (purple) tend to be the rarest layer, and are used by elite Eclipse mercs with biotics, some "boss" type characters, and Collector enemies. Barriers tend to be vulnerable to rapid-fire weapons (damage multipliers versus barriers are generally identical to multipliers against shields on most weapons) and many biotic damage powers, namely Reave, Warp, and Warp Ammo. Barriers are also vulnerable to Concussive Shot especially on lower difficulties. Enemies with Tech Armor can regenerate their barriers, which otherwise do not recharge.
Squad[]
- Main article: Squad
- See also: Squad Members Guide (Mass Effect 2)
A squad is the group of team members which the player can select to accompany Commander Shepard on field missions, or while visiting one of the main civilized centers such as a station or planet. A squad is typically made of three members: Shepard and two squadmates. For some specific missions, such as loyalty missions, a specific team member is required. For some missions or assignments, the squad can be limited to two members, or even to Shepard alone. When selecting a squad, Shepard can review what powers a particular team member has available for use. Squadmates can be left to their own devices depending on game settings where they will use any and all powers automatically, though limitations in their AI behavior generally makes it advisable to give them specific orders at least occasionally to ensure their survival and combat effectiveness.
Choosing a Squad[]
In Mass Effect 2, the tech/biotic/combat "meter" from the first game is done away with. While the basic trichotomy still exists, it has been de-emphasized somewhat in favor of an emphasis on stripping enemy defense layers before disabling and finally killing them. There are also many more possible squadmates, however, unlike in Mass Effect where most squadmates are available early on, in Mass Effect 2 only a few are available early with more becoming available gradually as the story progresses. There is a smaller pool of available abilities per squadmate; each squadmate has only 2-3 active powers and only one can be used at a time due to Mass Effect 2's shared cooldown system. There are a few other factors that need to be considered:
- Which weapons and powers Shepard will have access to and which are lacking. Shepard's class and level largely determine this, as do how many different weapons have been unlocked by finding them on missions.
- What enemies will be encountered and what defenses they will have. For example, fighting the geth means tech powers to strip shields are more important, while fighting the Collectors means biotic abilities to counter barriers are more useful.
- Weapon Upgrades from Mass Effect have been done away with in favor of ammo powers, which can be evolved to be shared with the entire squad, and which play a significant role in optimizing the weapon damage of the party. Most parties in most missions will benefit greatly from having at least one member with an ammo power that can be shared.
Combat Difficulty[]
Casual[]
- Intended for players who have difficulty with or are disinterested in combat
- Shepard and all teammates receive a boost in "power" (shield recharge delay is shorter, and weapon damage reduction penalties for squadmates are reduced)
- Aim assist offers more guidance to a player's shots
- Enemies usually have one life bar
- Enemies are the least aggressive and accurate
Normal[]
- Described as the "baseline" experience
- Enemies usually only have one life bar
- Enemies are not generally as aggressive or accurate
Veteran[]
- Enemies are more aggressive and more accurate
- Enemies use their inherent powers more often
- Common enemies still usually have only one life bar
Hardcore[]
- The Geth Pulse Rifle will be available for pickup
- Almost all enemies have at least one protection layer, usually weak
- Powers (tech, biotic and ammo) are used more often by the enemy
- All enemies do more damage and have more health
Insanity[]
- The Geth Pulse Rifle will be available for pickup
- Almost all enemies have at least one extra bar of protection that is stronger than on Hardcore
- Enemies are deadly accurate and extremely aggressive, demonstrating teamwork and coordination
- Enemies use tech, biotics and ammo powers very frequently
Game Options[]
Auto Level-Up
- Off: Points must be manually assigned using the Squad screen each time Shepard or any other squad member gains a level.
- Squad Only: Points automatically assigned to appropriate talents each time a squad member gains a level. Points must be manually assigned using the Squad screen whenever Shepard gains a level.
- Squad and Player: Points automatically assigned to appropriate talents each time Shepard or any squad member gains a level.
Squad Power Usage
- Yes: Squad members will automatically use their most effective powers in combat.
- No: Squad Members will only use defensive and ammo powers automatically. All offensive powers must be manually ordered.
Bugs[]
- If you are using cover to fire your weapon, and if an enemy is under the effects of Pull and heading towards you, do not collide with the enemy or you may become immobile.
- On some computers (most notably those running NVIDIA graphics cards), the game can crash to desktop if you fire your weapon immediately after releasing the pause button.
- If you enter into a cutscene with a shotgun equipped, you may start getting the shotgun recoil for all other weapons after the cutscene is done, making accurate fire difficult. This can be fixed by saving and reloading your game. (PS3)