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This article is about the delivery system for several tech abilities in the first Mass Effect game. For other similarly-named abilities in other games and other uses of the term "mine" generally, see Mine (disambiguation). |
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| Sabotage mine | Overload mine | Damping mine |
Tech proximity mines are a unique delivery system for the tech abilities Sabotage, Overload, or Damping. They are the closest your squadmates come to using grenades, but while proximity mines are not as powerful, there is effectively an unlimited supply once they have recharged. The damage, explosion radius, and recharge time of a character's tech mine abilities can be improved from higher levels of Decryption, Damping, and Hacking, respectively.
Proximity mines will usually explode instantly if you are using tech talents specifically on an enemy. When enemies are approaching or about to appear, using one of these talents (say on a wall or nearby obstacle) allows you to effectively put a minefield in their path which will detonate once they get close enough. The effects and damage of tech proximity mines can hit enemies through intervening terrain and obstructions. Proximity mines, unlike grenades, do not have a timed fuse, but they usually vanish once the combat session is over or if no enemies appear for an extended period.
Tech proximity mines can be used to hit enemies hiding behind cover, but the mines themselves can't be launched through terrain or cover with one exception: if a squadmate is manually ordered to use Sabotage, Overload, or Damping, the mine is deployed at any location to which you have line-of-sight, even if the squadmate does not (all manually-ordered squadmate abilities obey similar rules). Squadmates can't automatically deploy mines in this way; when allowed to use their offensive abilities spontaneously, they have the unfortunate tendency to launch tech proximity mines into nearby terrain instead of waiting for clear lines of attack, wasting their abilities in the process.
Proximity mines do not have to be planted on a surface, but will hang in the air at the limit of their range. An interesting aspect of tech proximity mine detonations is that even though the damage is relatively low, it bypasses the protections afforded by shields; however, this is only true for the mine detonation damage, not for any of the actual abilities the mine is delivering.
Enemies that possess Sabotage, Overload, and Damping also may deploy them through launching tech proximity mines (though not always; e.g. Geth Hoppers fire a special beam attack). Enemy aim is usually so accurate that the detonations are instant and the mines are rarely seen. However, enemy AI, much like squadmate AI, doesn't take into account any obstructions to their line of sight when firing their abilities, so this can be exploited to avoid being hit.