Slam

Slam is a biotic power in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3's single-player mode.

The power lifts a target and slams them to the ground inflicting damage. It travels instantly to the target and has no projectile.

Mass Effect 2

A biotic body-slam that inflicts massive damage.

Power Ranks

• Rank 1 - Biotically lifts the target and slams them to the ground, inflicting massive damage.
  • Recharge Time: 9.00 seconds (3.00 seconds for Shepard)
  • Lift Duration: 0.90 seconds
  • Slam Force: 400.00 newtons

• Rank 2 - Biotically lifts the target and slams them to the ground, inflicting massive damage.
  • Recharge Time: 9.00 seconds (3.00 seconds for Shepard)
  • Lift Duration: 1.10 seconds
  • Slam Force: 500.00 newtons

• Rank 3 - Biotically lifts the target and slams them to the ground, inflicting massive damage.
  • Recharge Time: 9.00 seconds (3.00 seconds for Shepard)
  • Lift Duration: 1.30 seconds
  • Slam Force: 600.00 newtons

Rank 4

Evolves Slam into one of the following options:

Heavy Slam

• Your slam's force is prodigious and causes grievous bodily harm.
  • Recharge Time: 9.00 seconds (3.00 seconds for Shepard)
  • Lift Duration: 1.50 seconds
  • Slam Force: 800.00 newtons

Crippling Slam

• You forego brute force and instead slam the target on its most vulnerable points, incapacitating the opponent for some time after impact.
  • Recharge Time: 9.00 seconds (3.00 seconds for Shepard)
  • Lift Duration: 1.30 seconds
  • Slam Force: 600.00 newtons
  • Cripple Duration: 8.00 seconds

Player Notes

Mechanics

• Targets are instantly ragdolled and take double weapon damage until they start to get up. This also applies during the cripple duration.
• Slam hits targets instantly regardless of range; it has no projectile like Throw, Pull, or Singularity.
• The damage caused by Slam's force can be very inconsistent; sometimes targets are damaged during the lift portion of the power, sometimes during the actual slam to the ground, sometimes both, and sometimes neither (and no damage is done at all). See Talk page.
• Though many biotic powers and other abilities with a force component such as Concussive Shot have no effect on enemies in the process of freezing, Slam is somewhat of an exception to this as the lift portion of Slam will usually work even against freezing/thawing enemies. The damage does not usually seem to apply except against fully frozen targets.
• Slam can be detonated by Warp if it lands during the lift duration. The small size of this window requires use of squad powers to exploit, however.
• Slam can be much more effective when used on a target that has already been lifted by another biotic power such as Pull or Singularity. The target will not rise further into the air but instead will be immediately smashed into the ground. This inflicts heavy damage on most unprotected enemies, and it is often enough to kill lesser enemies outright, even on Insanity difficulty.

Strategies

• Because Shepard's Slam recharges extremely fast and is instant, it is effective for instantly killing many unprotected husks in quick succession; the force of the slam usually detonates glowing Abominations. It's also effective as a general disabling ability against most enemy types, especially fast enemies like varren or FENRIS Mechs that can dodge projectile powers. Slam can provide most of these benefits even at Rank 1, saving squad points to allocate to other powers.
• While in the Collectors' Ship and Base, a well timed Slam can instantly kill a Collector riding on the mobile platforms to attack you. Simply hit them with Slam and the platform will move out from under them, precipitating them falling into the abyss below. The same applies to missions/assignments with certain low-gravity exterior segments, like Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival, where the use of Slam can instantly kill enemies by elevating them high enough to be caught by slipstream, ejecting them from the battlefield.
• During Legion's loyalty mission, the low gravity means Slammed enemies almost invariably bounce. Thus, as well as causing major damage, Slam will render the enemies helpless and easily picked-off.

Availability

• Shepard via Advanced Training
• Miranda Lawson (Loyalty Power)

Mass Effect 3

Power Ranks

Rank 1: Slam

Deal massive damage with a biotic body slam.

• Recharge Speed: 4 sec
• Force: 900 N

Rank 2: Recharge Speed

Increase recharge speed by 25%.

• Recharge Speed: 3.20 sec
• Force: 900 N

Rank 3: Force

Increase force by 30%.

• Recharge Speed: 3.20 sec
• Force: 1170 N

Rank 4: Force/Radius

Force Increase force by 40%. Recharge Speed: 3.20 sec Force: 1530 N

Radius Increase impact radius by 2 meters.

Rank 5: Detonate/Force

Detonate Increase damage and force of biotic detonation by 50%.

Force Increase force by 50%. Recharge Speed: 3.20 sec Force: 1980 N (Force), 1620 N (Radius)

Rank 6: Stun/Recharge Speed

Stun Incapacitate a slammed target for 5 seconds.

Recharge Speed Increase recharge speed by 50%. Recharge Speed: 2.29 sec Force: 1530 N (Force), 1170 N (Radius) [Detonate], 1980 N (Force), 1620 N (Radius) [Force]

Player Notes

• As with most other physics-based biotic powers that lift or suspend enemies in mid-air, Slam only has this effect against most unprotected (red bar) targets with no shields, barriers, or armor.
  • The Rank 4 Radius evolution enables Slam to lift multiple unprotected targets
  • Just as in Mass Effect 2, all unprotected targets are primed for Biotic Explosions during the lift portion of Slam only.
  • Also like in the previous game, Slam has no projectile and impacts targets instantly. This is useful as it can't be dodged by enemies; however, it can't be arced around cover.
• Against protected targets such as those with shields or armor, Slam will do a negligible amount of damage but have no other effect, not even a brief stun.
• Slam does not dislodge the shields of Cerberus Guardians.
• Slam can be used to detonate all four types of Power Combos; the detonation occurs at the height of lift right at the moment the downward slam triggers. This may limit the damage of the detonations to only the primary target plus any other enemies in the vicinity that were also lifted either by the Slam or other biotic powers such as Pull or Lift Grenade. Oddly, combo detonations can still result even if the primary target dies before the downward "slam" effect triggers.
• Slam used on a frozen target sometimes has less lift, and therefore the target will suffer less damage from the force of the downward slam, though a Cryo Explosion should result as long as the target was fully frozen, and the reduced lift height can mean more enemies are caught in the freezing effect of the combo.

Availability

• Single-player: Javik, Commander Shepard (Bonus Power)
• Multiplayer: N/A