Neural Shock

This article is about the power in Mass Effect 2. For the unlockable ability in Mass Effect, see Medicine. For the power evolution in Mass Effect 3, see Overload.

Neural Shock is a tech power in Mass Effect 2. It paralyzes organic enemies for a brief amount of time.

Cripple an organic enemy with pain.

Power Ranks

• Rank 1 - Delivers a shock to the opponent's nerves, briefly incapacitating one organic enemy at a time.
  • Recharge Time: 3.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (Mordin)
  • Duration: 5.00 seconds

• Rank 2 - You incapacitate your opponent for a longer time, and deliver so much nerve damage his accuracy is permanently impaired.
  • Recharge Time: 3.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (Mordin)
  • Duration: 7.00 seconds

• Rank 3 - The pain you deliver incapacitates your opponent even longer, as well as permanently impairing his accuracy.
  • Recharge Time: 3.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (Mordin)
  • Duration: 9.00 seconds

Rank 4

Evolves Neural Shock into one of the following options:

Heavy Neural Shock

• Your shock strength on a single target is so severe that multiple shocks can be chained together to deny an enemy any chance of action.
  • Recharge Time: 3.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (Mordin)
  • Duration: 12.00 seconds

Neural Shockwave

• Your shocker's capacitors are greatly increased, allowing a wide area of effect to hit multiple targets.
  • Recharge Time: 3.00 seconds (Shepard); 9.00 seconds (Mordin)
  • Duration: 9.00 seconds
  • Impact Radius: 3.00 meters

Player Notes

Mechanics

• Neural Shock fires in a straight line with no projectile, instantly hitting the target locked in the HUD or under the crosshairs (similar to Overload).
• Only works on unprotected (red bar) organic targets and has no effect on synthetics like mechs or geth.
• Bipedal organic targets will first stand up spasming for one or two seconds and then fall over. If the target takes damage before falling over, Neural Shock often gets canceled. The duration of Neural Shock can also get cut short if the target is hit by force powers such as Throw while knocked out.
• As with freeze effects, hitting a knocked out target repeatedly with Neural Shock does not refresh/reset the duration of the knockout—the target will recover based on when it was first paralyzed. In most cases a target must fully recover before it can be disabled with Neural Shock again.
• Targets take double weapon damage after falling over until they start to get up (ragdoll damage bonus).
• The health regeneration of enemies like krogan and vorcha is permanently stopped (certain vorcha enemies can still regenerate their armor which is a separate ability).
• Enemies in the process of recovering (e.g. after falling over from a previous disabling effect such as biotics or being frozen) are immune.
• Neural Shock will instantly kill unarmored Husks. Abominations will be stunned like other organics.
• Neural Shock is a tech power and benefits from the cooldown and duration upgrades for tech powers.
• As with other "hitscan" powers like Overload and Reave that fire no projectile (i.e. when Shepard uses them), Neural Shock can penetrate the circular shields deployed by Collector Guardians. Guardians have personal barriers (purple bar) that protect them from Neural Shock's effects, but if the barrier has been destroyed they will be stunned like any other organic, and their yellow shield will immediately collapse as well.
• It does no damage to health (red bar) but does do a very small amount of damage to protections (armor, barriers, shields).
• Neural Shock can't be used to destroy or detonate objects such as crates or explosive tanks.

Strategies

• Neural Shock is a great "panic" disabling ability for Shepard due to its instant effect (whereas most abilities are projectiles that have a travel time) and fast recharge time of three seconds.
• Used by Shepard, Neural Shock's disabling duration is greater than its cooldown even at level 1, making it a useful "one point wonder" bonus power if Shepard is a class that doesn't already have an immediate disable or knockdown ability such as the Infiltrator.
• As with most disables that aren't lifting biotics, Neural Shock can cause enemies to drop out of sight behind cover making it impossible to hit them until they recover.

Availability

• Shepard via Advanced Training
• Mordin Solus (Loyalty Power)