While most enemies in the game operate in a similar fashion, the Reaper soldiers are different. While most enemies will vary in having shields or some abilities, they very consistently carry some sort of ranged weapon and rush at you. Reaper troops are far more varied with fast moving light and heavy enemies as well as heavy and light ranged enemies. Thankfully, their diversity means that it is easier to find and prioritize your enemies. Until you get to Banshees at least...
| Cannibals |
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| Reapers took Batarians and mutated them into Cannibals. Cannibals aren't particularly different from a normal soldier. They move relatively slowly, shooting at a slower pace than most ranged combatants and throw grenades. The grenades can be dangerous since it can force you out of a position that is easily defendable against both Husks and Cannibals. However, it's usually more prudent to deal with most other enemies first and to clean up the Cannibals last since their grenade range seems to be somewhat limited. Also watch out for feasting Cannibals. They can eat the corpses of Husks and other Cannibals to provide a health boost. Cannibals have similar vulnerabilities as Husks and should be dealt with in a similar fashion (except for the singularity choke point). |
| Ravagers |
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| Ravagers are the mutated bodies of Rachni Soldiers. They are similar to vehicles in that they don't have health but armor. When the armor is destroyed, they die. They sport a dangerous rocket attack and can spawn little swarmers. The swarmers deal small amounts of damage over time, preventing your shields from recharging and can even be fatal in large numbers. The rockets on the other hand aren't particularly dangerous on their own since you will see a blue aiming beam before they are fired. They are more dangerous when you are engaged with other enemies. In a normal Reaper encounter, I frequently set my squad up to focus their attacks on Ravagers which will bring them down quickly while I focus my squads powers with my own to keep other enemies, like Husks, away. Warp and (particularly) high caliber weapons work very well on Ravagers. |
| Brutes |
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| Brutes can be quite dangerous because of their high armor rating. When you destroy their armor, they will die and the plates on their body can be shot off so that they take more damage. When they get within a certain range, they will charge you which will frequently remove your shields. If they are close (including, but not limited to, after a charge), they will execute a melee attack that has the ability to kill you in one hit. If you have a lot of room to move around and dodge attacks, they can actually be quite easy. Other enemies can cause problems by limiting the amount of space for you to freely run around. In these cases, you must balance the amount of space you have against the dangers of the other enemies. Like most armored enemies, high caliber weapons, fire, and warp/warp ammo, can do good amounts of damage to them. I highly recommend switching weapons and setting your squad mates to focus on the brute. |
| Banshee |
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| The Banshee is quite a tough enemy. She's got some heavy barrier defenses that you need to strip and then a thick layer of armor underneath. Use Overload and Warp as well as rapid fire weapons to take down the barrier and then unleash Warp and heavy weapons on her until she goes down. She has a rush attack similar to a Vanguard that goes short distances. She has an AoE scream attack that will strip shields and a red projectile attack that does heavy damage and damage over time after it lands. This last attack can be dodged if you're careful. It's usually wise to draw a Banshee away from a crowd (since they travel so fast) and then focus the attention of your entire squad on it. The Banshee has a rather vicious instant kill melee attack. It's got a moderate amount of range but where you see it used most is as it rounds a corner. It will take one last leap up to the corner of your cover and then perform this move. While you may be agile enough to escape with ease, make sure to watch for your squad members who also fall victim to this attack frequently. It is possible to use a Vanguard rush to avoid the effects of the AoE scream attack but this would put you right up against the Banshee, allowing for her to execute her instant kill melee. It is possible to use your Rush and then immediately roll out of the way avoiding the attack. While this is dangerous and not generally advised, once she executes her scream attack, she will be incapable of jumping any more so causing her to do this can be beneficial. |
| Harvester |
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| The Harvester is a Reaper air creature. It comes with rockets but frequently doesn't attack you unless it lands. Once it lands, it stays completely still except for turning and firing animations. They have no shields and can be taken down fairly quickly when the squad uses the right weapons and focuses on it. Most of the time, if you don't kill one quickly enough, it will simply fly off anyway. Do watch out for Barrier Engines though because they have a significant amount of armor and a Barrier would double that and the barriers would regenerate making them very hard to kill. |
