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Geth Primes are heavy geth platforms that serve as command units on the battlefield. Larger and more powerful than any other geth infantry platform, Primes are equipped with heavy armor and shields, specialized abilities and a variety of deadly weapons.

Mass Effect[]

Standing twelve feet high and boasting the deadliest arsenal of any geth infantry, a Geth Prime is a terrifying opponent. They are instantly recognizable by their white armor and huge stature. Primes carry a highly damaging pulse rifle that can also launch rockets, and they are also incredibly resilient, possessing six levels of shielding. They are even capable of boosting the combat prowess of other nearby geth. Primes have no major weaknesses and are resistant to most biotic and tech talents. They are the largest bipedal geth unit, towering over even Geth Juggernauts.

Legendary Edition[]

All larger geth infantry platforms in the Legendary Edition version of Mass Effect have been redesigned along the lines of the Geth Prime's original Mass Effect 3 appearance. Originally they are large, bulky, and have single cyclopean "eyes"; now their flashlight heads sport three smaller eyes, their left shoulder pad has been removed, and they have a slightly leaner build. Primes still retain their white coloration from the original Mass Effect, likely to differentiate them from the red-colored Geth Juggernauts.

Tactics[]

  • The Geth Prime is used as not only a morale booster for other geth in combat, but also as an elite soldier. They are put into action where the geth need extra armor and firepower. Sophisticated command and control units, they possess a Combat VI which boosts the rate of fire, accuracy, and damage of all nearby geth platforms. Consequently it is a good idea to take out or at least disable/distract Geth Primes first before focusing on smaller geth.
  • Geth Primes are immune to Hacking, though they can be distracted by geth who aren't.
  • Primes are one of the few opponents in Mass Effect to possess Damping, which can put the tech and biotic abilities of Shepard and the entire squad on cooldown. This even includes First Aid, so it's easy to get into trouble in fights with Primes and find yourself with no options. The Adrenaline Burst talent can help mitigate the effects of Damping if available.
  • If fighting a Prime on foot outside of the M35 Mako, try to disable it before it uses Damping on your party. The best options for this are with a Damping of your own, or any rank of Lift. Stasis is also an option, and Sabotage will disable all of its weapons for a decent duration. Singularity on the other hand will not work on Primes except at Master rank and even then it won't last long. Throw likewise does not disable a Prime for long but it can be a useful spoiling attack before following up with something stronger; however, it must be at least Advanced Throw to have sufficient force to knock down a Prime.
  • Their Distortion Rockets are extremely dangerous, able to one-shot players and squadmates without adequate protections (Immunity is usually required to survive a hit); however, as with most geth enemies that can fire them, Primes only use Distortion Rockets at longer ranges. Sabotage can prevent rockets from being fired for its duration.

Legendary Edition:

  • Geth Primes no longer use Distortion Rockets. They simply unleash their rapid-fire pulse rifles while plodding straight to their target's position.
  • As they have no melee attacks, Geth Primes maintain a nominal distance between them and their target, closing in or keeping away as needed. Thus, they can be forced to "retreat" by rushing at them on foot. This is practically suicide in the original version since they can still fire off their Distortion Rockets, though in Legendary Edition you may have a chance to deal close-range damage (or just force them to go where you want), provided you have the means to disable their weapons/abilities and have particularly tanky armor (just in case).
  • As there's no more experience penalty for killing enemies with the Mako, the most expedient course would be to simply use the vehicle if the option is available.

Mass Effect 2[]

In Mass Effect 2, Geth Primes are equipped with light machine guns and combat drones. They are one of the most dangerous synthetic foes in the game, next to the Geth Colossus and YMIR Mechs.

Legendary Edition: their head design differs slightly from their appearance in the original Mass Effect 2, with three smaller "eyes" clustered on the head along with the usual brighter "flashlight".

Capabilities[]

Offensive

Geth Primes do not seek cover and will generally attempt to engage at point-blank range. There is an exception on Tali's recruitment mission on Haestrom where a Geth Prime will prefer to stay under the cover of the Geth Recon Drones. They are armed with the M-76 Revenant light machine gun, which they fire in long bursts, and they can melee you with it if you get close. They also have the ability to jam your radar, fire siege pulses and deploy Combat Drones.

Defensive

Geth Primes have high shields, armor and health but do not seek cover. Like other enemies in Mass Effect 2, they're affected by headshots. Their weapon is also vulnerable to the overheating effects of Overload and Disruptor Ammo when unprotected. Flashbang Grenade has no effect on Primes whatsoever other than the damage it deals.

Tactics[]

  • Disruptor Ammo and Armor Piercing Ammo, if available, are very effective against their shields and armor, respectively (both also inflict bonus health damage). Warp Ammo is effective against their armor and health, and the damage is doubled against enemies being affected by biotic powers. Switching squad weapons to those with the greatest penetration power for that particular defense can augment your ability to damage their defenses even further. These can all be important when fighting Primes, as they possess powerful shields and armor.
  • Seeking cover when fighting Primes is wise but be careful as like other taller geth enemies, Primes can easily fire over the top of short cover at close range.
  • The Seige Pulse fired by Primes looks a lot like the Warps fired by enemy biotics and affects you in much the same way, dealing some damage and staggering you. The stagger effect is especially dangerous, as the Prime can quickly follow up a pulse with massive damage from its rifle.
  • Geth Primes tend to close in on Shepard and other squad members, walking around any cover while attacking. They also move quite rapidly despite their size. It is prudent to fight Primes from locations where they can't pursue you.
  • Powers that are useful against their defenses include Overload, Warp, Energy Drain, and Incinerate.
  • Once their defenses have been stripped, Primes are vulnerable to being knocked down by most physics-based powers or frozen just like most other enemies.
  • Tactical Cloak can be used if the player can seek separate cover from their squadmates to "ping-pong" the Prime back and forth.
  • Since Primes can't be hacked until their sizable armor and shield bars have been neutralized, a more effective way to utilize AI Hacking can be to use it on lesser geth troops, causing the Prime to get distracted allowing you to wear it down safely. A hacked Prime can also be very useful as it will quickly eradicate lesser geth units in the area while drawing their fire. The Prime will not use Combat Drone or Morale Boost while under the effects of AI Hacking.
  • Combat Drone works very well at distracting Primes, who are often continuously interrupted by the the drone attacks and unable to attack for an extended period of time. Explosive Drone has the additional advantage of dealing damage to the Prime when it finally does get destroyed.
  • As noted above, Geth Primes will jam your radar, and are one of the only enemies in Mass Effect 2 which do this. An observant player can take advantage of this by interpreting a jammed radar as an early warning that a Prime is nearby, before they've made visual contact.
  • The Geth Prime will always fire off a single shot before unleashing with a long burst from its weapon. Take cover.
  • Geth Primes can have their weapons overheated by Overload and Disruptor Ammo when unprotected (but not Flashbang Grenade); if this happens they tend to use their drone and pulse abilities as often as possible until the effect wears off and they can fire again.

Mass Effect 3[]

The Geth Prime is also an enemy in Mass Effect 3. Geth Primes are command-and-control units that pulverize their enemies with pulse cannons, missile drones, and gun turrets. The Primes have been redesigned from their original Mass Effect appearance to have three "eyes" instead of one, as well as a red color scheme.

Capabilities[]

Offensive

The Geth Prime is arguably more dangerous than before. It can deploy a Combat Drone and up to two Geth Turrets and wields a lethal semi-automatic Pulse Cannon that can drop shields in one or two hits. These cannons also briefly stun you (roughly 1 second), so if you get hit once, you will probably take a second hit. It can also swing the Pulse Cannon at nearby enemies as a melee attack.

Defensive

Primes have had an upgrade to their defenses and are extremely tough to take down without powerful high level weapons due to their damage resistance. Primes possess heavy armour and strong shielding, which will regenerate over time. They are immune to biotic attacks such as Pull and Throw. Their drones and turrets make it difficult to flank them. On their destruction, Primes overload in a violent explosion that damages any friend or foe in the blast zone.

Tactics[]

  • headshots work on the Geth Prime for an additional 40% weapon damage.
  • A Prime's pulse cannon blast will stun all but the sturdiest characters. If hit by the first of the three volleys, it is very likely that the next two will hit.
    • Another very annoying feature of the cannon shots is that they cause significant screen shake when impacting anywhere close to you; this can make aiming, especially through scoped weapons, challenging.
    • While powerful, the Pulse Cannon can't be fired more than three times in a row before needing a brief pause, which is a good time to return fire. Note, however, that summoning a drone or turret resets the counter.
    • The cannon range is nearly limitless, and Primes will keep up a steady barrage whether they have clear line of sight to their targets or not. Be very careful about breaking cover, and sprint or combat roll to lessen the chance of being hit.
  • Geth Primes are particularly deadly if you allow them to get close, so maintaining a medium to long engagement distance is recommended, as is staying in cover. Fortunately, Primes are much slower than they were in Mass Effect 2.
  • The Prime will try to keep its drone out at all times. Deploying another turret takes slightly lower priority.
    • The Combat Drones fire Incinerate bolts every few seconds. This will temporarily stagger almost any character and deal a small amount of damage.
    • A high level Overload evolved for chain hits is very useful when facing Primes, not just for wearing down their shields, but because the second and third hits can destroy any summoned turrets and drones. Primes tend to try and re-summon those as often as possible, and the more time they spend doing this, the less time they have to keep blasting away at you. Taking out the drones and turrets as often as possible is also important as they are significant threats in their own right.
    • Triggering Tech Bursts on Primes is also a very good way of eliminating their drones and turrets, as bursts deal double damage to shields and have the widest area of any Power Combo.
    • At close range, Geth Primes can place their turrets on your flank or even behind you, regardless of cover. Fortunately, their turret-placing animation is very recognizable.
  • It is possible to use Sabotage on a Geth Prime, even at full shields and armor. This gains both a temporary, deadly ally while giving the player the opportunity to focus on other enemies or to wear down the Prime itself. Sabotage may also convert a drone or turret within the area of effect in single-player, though only 1 target can be hacked in multiplayer.
  • The Geth Prime is the only "super elite" enemy in the game not to possess an instant kill melee attack. However, Primes are still very dangerous foes at close range, as their normal melee attack is powerful, delivered quickly, and stuns, and their cannon blasts and drones stun as well. Vanguards should be careful about using Charge against a Prime: if you fail to deliver enough force to stun it, you will likely be stunned by its melee attack in turn. A good technique is to immediately combat roll away.
  • A Scorpion paired with Disruptor Ammo can work wonders against a Geth Prime, both in dealing actual damage and for stunning. The area damage of the projectiles as well as Tech Bursts that can be easily primed will quickly wear down the Prime's shields and eliminate its drones and turrets.
  • Especially on higher difficulties, Primes can be hard to take down by yourself. Try teaming up: the Prime will go down more quickly, and any players who get downed can be revived to re-enter the fight.
    • The Reegar Carbine projects a short-ranged cone of lightning. A whole clip will greatly reduce a Prime's shields within a few seconds, if it doesn't strip them outright. This lends itself to hit-and-run tactics: one character removes the Prime's shields and draws its attention while the others focus fire on it.
  • Most characters in-game are right-handed by default. Exploit tall cover that is on your left by standing close enough that you can shoot around it and the Prime cannot shoot you, avoiding chancing the oddball cover system which makes you easily shootable if you stick your head out of cover to fire (even when not scoping in).
  • Even after it is killed, its body continues to be a solid object that blocks movement, weapons fire, powers, etc. until its death animation fully completes (the Prime explodes). The Prime's death explosion isn't quite as large and powerful as that of the Atlas but it deals hefty damage nonetheless.

Trivia[]

  • Geth Prime units on the Pinnacle Station subterranean survival mode are equipped with a large, bluish-glowing version of the Pulse Rifle, which functions in the same manner as the normal Pulse Rifle.
  • The drone the Geth Prime spawns in Mass Effect 3 originally was supposed to both shoot rockets at protagonists as well as finding allies to replenish their shields. This shield restoration ability was completed[Dead link] but removed very close to the end of development.
  • Aside from Legion/Geth VI, Prime units are the only individual geth platforms ever shown verbally interacting with Shepard or other significant characters in the single-player story; for example, potentially at the conclusion of Priority: Rannoch and potentially at the London Forward Operating Base (FOB).
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