Geth Armature

From Mass Effect Wiki

The Geth Armature is a mobile anti-vehicle and anti-personnel unit employed in high-risk areas, oftentimes dropped directly from a Geth Dropship. The unit consists of a quadruped "tank" or "walker" and is usually accompanied by Geth Rocket Troopers. Armed with superior firepower and a Siege Pulse assault cannon, this geth is easily a match for the armored vehicles of other races. Its main armament is deadly but slow to recharge, but the Geth Armature compensates by knocking down infantry with a smaller secondary weapon, which, while not as powerful as the Mako's, fires more rapidly, making it very dangerous to engage an Armature up close.

Armatures are not vehicles, but sentient, synthetic lifeforms capable of independent thought and learning, and act of their own accord, without an operator. When inactive, Armatures fold into a compact state, allowing them to be packed into containers, or cram themselves into small spaces. This feature, combined with their armaments, makes Armatures perfect for garrison forces or an ambush.

There is a similar geth called the Geth Colossus, which varies from the armature in terms of armament and size, and is used in areas that need heavier defenses than an Armature can provide.

[edit] Tactics

Most Armatures are encountered in the Mako. The Siege Pulse can kill you in one shot if you get hit outside the Mako, so duck when you see the Armature charging for the shot (it takes several seconds to recharge). It also depletes the Mako's shields quite fast but it is slow and easy to avoid with the propulsion jets.

A good tactic is to dodge the Siege Pulse and then ram the Armature. This will knock it down briefly, allowing the Mako to back up and pound it with the cannon. Several shots from the cannon will take out the Armature's shields leaving it vulnerable to the machine gun, but the shields will regenerate over time if you don't keep hitting it. Therefore if the Armature has smaller geth troops around it, take those out first and then concentrate on the Geth Armature itself.

On foot, the best tactic is to Lift the Armature - which will leave it helpless and disable it for several seconds when it lands - then hit it with tech skills like Sabotage and Overload. Only Master Throw is capable of knocking down an Armature. Shooting the Armature with Tungsten Ammunition, especially combined with Assassination, will cause huge damage very quickly.

If you prefer using a sniper rifle against Armatures, find high ground in a position where you're safe from its Siege Pulse before using Assassination. AI Hacking is also effective especially if other geth are around, but it has to be high level to work on Armatures. If the Armature is very close, use Barrier or ensure your shields stay charged, make sure the other team members take cover, and keep moving to avoid the Siege Pulse or one blast can wipe out your entire team.

Additionally, you can combine the two tactics. Ram the Armature and park the Mako on top of the stunned geth, preventing it from recovering. Exit the Mako and kill it with small arms fire. Check your target, as the Mako is vulnerable to friendly fire.

If for some reason during the struggle you should find yourself overwhelmed, or if there are two armatures, use Stasis. Stasis will get the Armature out of the fight and give you time to plan, or if there are two Armatures, putting one in Stasis allows you to concentrate firepower on the other. It is also possible to kill an Armature by using the environment; ramming it into lava or over the edge of the Prothean Skyway will kill it instantly.

[edit] Trivia

• Geth Armatures debuted in the X06 demo, during the battle on Caleston; Shepard commented that the geth wouldn't deploy an Armature just to kill a few trapped miners, and its presence piqued the commander's interest.
• On almost all official screenshots of the Geth Armature, the mass accelerator cannon is clearly visible just below the Armature's 'flashlight'. In-game it has been removed, possibly to aid the Armature's 360-degree targeting.

Spoiler warning: plot and / or ending details follow.

• There are several Geth Armature recharge stations on Ilos. If you have a high Decryption skill these can be hacked, activating friendly Armatures who will fire Siege Pulses at the other geth for you.