.2A.06. Engineer

Master the Mass Effect 2 Engineer class! Discover the best builds, power recommendations, and strategies to dominate with drones and tech abilities.

Hey there! So you're diving into Mass Effect 2 and want to know all about the Engineer class? Awesome choice! This class is all about tech and drones, letting you control the battlefield from a distance. While the starting weapons might feel a bit weak, don't worry – with the right build, you'll be a force to be reckoned with, especially against armor, shields, and those pesky synthetic enemies. Let's get you set up!

Recommended Build (Level 30):

• Area Overload (4): This is your go-to for taking down shields and synthetics. Maxing it out gives you a great area-of-effect blast.
• Incineration Blast (4): Perfect for burning through armor and health on organic enemies.
• Attack Drone (4): Your trusty decoy! This little guy can draw enemy fire and give you breathing room. Evolve this one first when you're leveling up.
• Cryo Blast (0): We're skipping this for this build, focusing on other powers.
• AI Hacking (0): Also skipped in this setup, though it can be fun for a different playstyle.
• Demolisher (4): This passive ability boosts your tech power damage and effectiveness.

Advanced Training:

• Heavy Reave (4): Seriously, if you can get Reave, grab it! It's a game-changer, especially against barriers and health. It makes Incinerate almost redundant once you have it. With Reave, the Engineer becomes an offensive powerhouse.

Playstyle Tips:

• Early Game: Focus on evolving your Drone first, then prioritize Overload, your passive ability (Demolisher), and eventually Reave.
• Against Organics: Unless you have Reave early on, your best bet is to send out your Drone to distract enemies while you deal damage.
• With Reave: You transform into an offensive powerhouse, capable of taking down tough enemies quickly.
• Build Variety: Some players like to experiment with Dominate and AI Hacking for a crowd-control build. It's challenging on higher difficulties but can be really fun on lower ones.
• Power Synergy: Remember that Overload handles Shields and Synthetics, while Incinerate or Reave is for Armor and health.
• Ammo: This build doesn't have a dedicated ammo power, so rely on your squadmates to cover that weakness.
• Squadmate Points: Be super careful when spending points on your squadmates! They can't respec like Shepard can. If the computer auto-levels them and picks a power evolution you don't like, you'll have to reload an earlier save to change it. It's best to have a plan and stick to it.
• Specialization is Key: Just like with Shepard, it's better for your squadmates to have a few maxed-out powers than to spread their points thinly across everything. This is because powers share a cooldown, so spamming one or two great skills is more effective.

A Note on Squadmate Builds:

Your squadmates get 30 ability points, with their loyalty skill automatically unlocked. Miranda and Jacob get a bit more. Most characters start with their third skill locked, requiring points in the previous one. When choosing evolutions, I generally go for the area-effect versions for the fourth rank and damage increases over health for passive skills. Squad versions of ammo powers are listed, but single-target ones can also be effective, especially with powers like Incinerate and Warp.