Mass Effect Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Mass Effect Wiki
Disambiguous This article is about the enemy unit. For the page about Husks in general, see Husk.

Husks are the basic footsoldiers of geth, Collector, and ultimately the Reaper armies.

Mass Effect[]

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

Description[]

After the geth secure a location, they round up and impale dead and living bodies on mechanical spikes. The spikes rapidly transform these victims into withered husks, extracting water and trace minerals and replacing them with cybernetics.

The cybernetics re-animate the lifeless flesh and tissue, transforming the bodies into mindless killing machines. Some Alliance soldiers refer to the husk-generating spikes as Dragon's Teeth, a reference to the mythological berserkers who sprang up from the earth wherever the teeth of the dragon Ares were planted.

Dragon's Teeth and husks bear little resemblance to other pieces of geth technology. No one is sure why a synthetic race would bother to drain the miniscule amount of recoverable resources from organic corpses, though the value of reusing them as shock troops is obvious.

Tactics[]

  • Although they appear robotic, Husks count as organic enemies as they are reanimated corpses. Therefore Hacking does not work against them but Neural Shock does.
  • While not nearly as resistant to damage as Thorian Creepers, Husks are still fairly resilient. They also possess shields, so Overload is a good ability to use against groups of Husks due to its large area of effect and damage vulnerability debuff.
  • Tesla Pulse: Husks are very dangerous enemies at close range due to their explosive electrical overload attack. After getting in range, the Husk will stop, briefly charge up, and then release an explosion of energy that deals heavy damage in a wide area. The explosion also penetrates cover.
    • The overload explosion is a tech attack. It deals about 3x damage to shields compared to health. It also ignores all damage protection stats that reduce most types of damage against health by a set percentage. The Immunity talent, Armor Upgrades such as the Energized Plating mod, and the top stat bar of wearable armors have no effect on the damage done by the Husk explosion. However, the preceding will reduce the damage of Husk melee attacks which can be fairly damaging too.
    • Tech resistance/hardening stats from talents like Tactical Armor, the bottom stat bar of most wearable armors, and armor upgrades that improve tech resistance such as the Combat Exoskeleton can reduce the damage from Husk explosions against both health and shields. Light armors therefore afford the best protection against the explosions (though less protection against melees).
    • Husks can be knocked down or otherwise disabled during the brief charge-up time of their explosions, preventing them from going off.
    • If you are cornered by Husks, sprinting past them before they start charging their attacks will usually get you safely out of range in time to avoid taking damage (Legendary Edition: sprint speed is slower making this tactic less viable). It's also possible to "kite" Husks by getting close enough for them to trigger their explosions and then quickly backing off out of range.
    • Damping can briefly stop Husks in their tracks and also delay the explosion as it is a tech attack; however, even a max level Damping won't delay it for more than a few seconds as the recharge time is short.
  • The best way to reduce damage from Husks is to simply not take it at all. Use biotics, grenades, and Weapon Upgrades that cause knockdowns to keep them off their feet and away from you at all costs.
  • Like Thorian Creepers, the unarmored bodies of Husks are vulnerable to melee 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. However, keep in mind that engaging husks in melee is high-risk high-reward as its own swipes are very damaging. It's usually best to avoid engaging Husks at close range if possible.
  • Husk melee attacks have a knockdown chance, which is very dangerous if there are many of them because even if you somehow survive their successive electric attacks the repeated knockdowns will deprive you of the chance to use medi-gel until you die.
  • In outdoors environments, simply attempting to run husks down with the Mako is an effective tactic, with a properly aimed impact usually propelling the unfortunate husk off into the distance and to its doom. Alternatively, simply use the Mako's cannon to blast them to bits.
  • Husks on Eden Prime only have two bars of shielding, whereas all husks encountered after will have three.
  • If squadmates are not equipped to resist husk attacks, they have a tendency to be easily overwhelmed as they will only retreat out of range if manually ordered to. Legendary Edition: the squad recall/rally command is a very convenient way to continuously get your squad to keep backing up in the face of advancing husks.

Mass Effect 2[]

Husks appear in Shepard's travels during 2185, either as Collector cannon fodder or as enemies in close proximity to Reaper technology. 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[]

General
  • 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.
  • Always keep moving and don't let yourself get surrounded. Even a single husk attacks very quickly and each attack interrupts you, but as stated above they are fairly clumsy so if you keep moving they will have a hard time cornering you.
  • 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 can make them stumble; this can also result in killing a Husk by severing it in half. Generally, this seems to occur if its health is already halfway depleted.
  • Unprotected (red bar) Husks are instantly killed by powers and weapons with a force component that knock most other enemies off their feet. On Hardcore and Insanity difficulty, Husks have armor that protects them from physics-based attacks, complicating this tactic.
  • Freezing attacks from the M-622 Avalanche, Cryo Blast and Cryo Ammo will cause unprotected Husks with no armor to shatter, killing them instantly on any difficulty. Certain weapons such as most shotguns, most heavy pistols, and the M-96 Mattock are highly effective with Cryo Ammo.
  • The M-5 Phalanx heavy pistol if fully upgraded is able to one-shot a Husk's armor even on Insanity if used in tandem with an ammo power maximized for bonus damage to armor, along with damage buffs from other sources like armor pieces. Most shotguns can also one-shot Husk armor at close range.
  • The M-300 Claymore specced for maximum damage with an anti-armor ammo power like Inferno Ammo can one-shot even a fully-armored Husk on Insanity, but the shot must be a direct hit at point-blank range, aimed at the midsection.
Effective Powers
  • Powers like Concussive Shot, Pull or Shockwave instantly kill unprotected Husks as can Flashbang Grenade and Inferno 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, Pull, Neural Shock, and Slam can likewise all kill a Husk in a single hit. Such powers that can be evolved to affect an area are even more effective.
    • Slam is an effective bonus power for player classes that lack any other powers that can cause force kills such as the Infiltrator. It requires only 1 point to be effective at killing unprotected Husks on a 3 second cooldown.
    • Because they are killed immediately by such powers, Husks cannot be Warp-detonated as the target is already dead, although there is a lingering visual effect on the body. However, if such a detonation can be created on another nearby enemy such as an Abomination, the resulting force will deal heavy damage to armored Husks and instantly kill unarmored ones.
  • Singularity can be effective if used on a group of Husks, especially near a choke point. Even if they are armored, the Husks will still be slowed and staggered for a few seconds, causing them to group up more and leaving them easy prey for other area-of-effect powers and/or weapons.
  • 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. Abomination explosions (mind-controlled or not) can instantly kill unprotected Husks in a small area.
  • Armor Piercing Ammo and Incendiary Ammo are effective against Husk armor protection.
  • Incinerate and Reave are very effective at stripping the armor from groups of Husks if fully upgraded and evolved for area of effect, usually able to one-shot the armor even on Insanity. However, because of how power damage scales with character level, Samara's Area Reave will not quite one-shot the armor on Insanity if she is level 30.
  • Stasis will instantly kill Husks when it wears off.
Heavy Weapons
  • As noted, the M-622 Avalanche can freeze unprotected enemies in a very wide area, making it devastating against Husk swarms. It can easily strip their armor protections with 1-2 extra shots on higher difficulties as well.
  • The Collector Particle Beam can be effective against Husks, quickly destroying their armor and tearing their bodies apart especially when aimed at their lower half.
  • The ML-77 Missile Launcher one-shots both Husks and Abominations on all difficulties except for Insanity.
  • The M-100 Grenade Launcher can annihilate Husks on any difficulty as the powerful force component of its shots can break through even armor protections to instantly kill them in groups. However, the grenades can deal damage to self and allies so use at close range is inadvisable.
  • The Arc Projector is relatively ineffective versus Husks as it deals less damage to health than other weapons and the number of targets it can chain to is limited to only five (Husks can sometimes appear in much larger groups). Husks are also immune to the more severe stun effects that the Arc Projector can induce in other organic enemies and are only briefly slowed down. Also, the Arc Projector requires a 2 second charge-up period before firing that can be interrupted by Husk attacks.
  • The M-490 Blackstorm's shots have all the effectiveness of Singularity described above, just turned up to 11, as the vortex will last a long time while dealing severe damage to even armored Husks while instantly sucking in and killing any unprotected Husks in the large area of effect until detonation occurs dealing even more damage. The only disadvantage of the Blackstorm in combat with Husks is that it requires several seconds to charge up before releasing a shot, which can be interrupted by melee hits.
Melee
  • Melee attacks are a viable tactic for fighting Husks (but not Abominations for obvious reasons). This is because melee attacks always inflict the same damage against all defense types (armor, health, etc.), possess a high attack speed, and can stunlock enemies with repeated blows. They also require no cooldown, reload time or ammunition usage. Care must be taken to avoid taking on too many Husks at once, however, as Husk melees can in turn stunlock you and they attack quickly especially once you become cornered and unable to move.
  • The maximum attainable melee bonus damage from armor and upgrades is +70% if you possess the Aegis Pack (Heavy Muscle Weave (+25%), Kestrel Torso Sheath (+10%), Strength Boost Pads (+25%) and Kestrel Arm Sheathing (+10%)).
  • The Soldier is particularly effective in melee combat with Husks during Adrenaline Rush as melee attack speed is unaffected during the time dilation, though each hit still does the same amount of damage (the hidden damage bonus only benefits conventional weapons). The time dilation also lets you run circles around the already clumsy Husks and easily avoid their attacks.
  • Melee attacks are able to two-shot the armor on Insanity if damage is boosted sufficiently from armor pieces and research.
Classes and Squadmates
  • Sentinels may effectively deal with groups of Husks by collecting them into a tight group and then allowing them to detonate 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.
  • Grunt is an extremely effective teammate when facing down Husks. His high health and armor values, unlockable Fortification power, inherent regenerative abilities, and his powerful melee "charge" attack enable him to mow down the creatures with almost ridiculous ease.
  • Jack is effective against unprotected Husks as her Shockwave power will allow her to clear out entire hordes of Husks with a single application of the power.
  • Mordin is effective against Husks: his Incinerate is able to one-shot their armor protections on higher difficulties with his omni-tool upgrade, and his fast-recharging Cryo Blast when maxed out and upgraded for area effect can freeze and shatter them in clumps.
  • If you have Zaeed he can be a useful squadmate to bring especially if his passive trait has been upgraded to Mercenary Warlord granting him 50% bonus weapon damage. His Inferno Grenade can quickly whittle down armor on multiple husks and instantly kill unarmored husks in the initial blast area. Concussive Shot upgraded for area of effect can also be used for physics kills on grouped husks.
  • Samara or Thane can be useful to bring as they both have biotic abilities that can be used to instantly kill groups of husks if properly evolved. Thane can have high weapon damage with his upgraded passive ability while Samara is particularly useful as her Area Reave can strip armor from groups of husks and her passive ability Asari Justicar grants her faster ability recharge than most other squadmates especially if fully upgraded.
  • Kasumi's Flashbang Grenade can instantly kill unprotected husks in a very wide area especially if upgraded for area of effect, and it can even kill armored husks if their armor bars are nearly depleted.

Mass Effect 3[]

Husks return en masse during the Reaper invasion of 2186 and make up the bulk of the Reapers' ground forces. They are first encountered during the invasion of Earth.

Description[]

Husks are the aggressive, mindless foot soldiers of the Reaper armies. They are created by impaling either living or dead humans on mechanical spikes that rapidly extract water and trace minerals and replace them with cybernetics. These cybernetics reanimate the lifeless flesh and tissue, transforming the bodies into horrifying killing machines.

The Reapers use large groups of husks to overwhelm the enemy. The husks' inability to feel pain, as well as their tendency to attack in groups, makes them particularly deadly adversaries.

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. Doing so causes your character to wrestle off the husk, lift it over their head with one arm, and throw it to the ground and stomp on their head, instantly killing them. Failing to break free causes you to be thrown to the grown, taking additional damage. They have no other attacks other than a fairly weak melee swipe.

Defensive

In general, husks are less resilient in Mass Effect 3 than in Mass Effect 2 due to their lower health and lack of an armor bar even on the highest difficulties. However, they are commonly deployed with Barrier Generators nearby, and they are no longer instantly killed merely by being frozen or hit by powers/weapons with a force component such as biotics or Concussive Shot. They can also receive armored plating from Marauders, which negates all damage from weapons striking the plated areas unless one is using a weapon that fires piercing or explosive rounds. Their erratic movement makes them difficult to land headshots on. Like Abominations, Husks are immune to the electrocution stuns caused by many tech powers such as Overload and Energy Drain, though almost any offensive power will still stagger them briefly.

Husks are also able to climb up or down certain short vertical walls to reach areas of different elevation without the use of ladders.

Tactics[]

  • Husks have no form of shielding, 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.
  • The biggest danger from Husks is their grab:
    • Though easy to break out of, its main function is to pin you down while other enemies deal more serious damage.
    • Husk grabs can be fairly reliably avoided as long as you keep moving. Executing combat rolls and sprinting are effective, as is standing on an area of different elevation from Husks. However, simply moving away at normal speed from Husks trying to swipe at you is usually enough to prevent them from latching on.
    • In either single-player or multiplayer, it is possible to dislodge a husk that has grabbed an ally by killing it or knocking it off with a forceful hit from a weapon or a power such as Throw.
  • Weapons that fire explosive rounds such as the M-37 Falcon, Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, Scorpion, and Striker Assault Rifle are especially useful against swarming Husks as they can damage and stun multiple targets with each shot.
  • 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 on 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.
  • Husks typically serve as first wave cannon fodder, buying time for slower-moving but harder-hitting enemies to get into combat range, or serving to flush targets out of cover. Either wipe them out quickly, or use disabling powers to buy you time to deal with them.
  • If playing as a Vanguard, it is a viable strategy to use Nova on Husks that get too close provided there are no enemies in the vicinity that can kill you quickly without your barriers. The heavy melees of the Vanguard and the Adept have force components that can blast Husks off their feet and send them flying.
  • In multiplayer mode, Husks will take their first few steps, then stop inexplicably and stand straight up. This is an excellent opportunity to pick them off at range, so they wont have to be dealt with later when you could be under fire from other enemies.
Advertisement