Mass Effect 2 Squad Bio: Garrus Vakarian

March 21, 2010 in Mass Effect 2 Leave a reply

This week’s character is the man known only as Archangel.

All the genius and power on the Normandy would be useless without a tactician. Looking to fill that role, Shepard heads to Omega in search of the enigmatic Archangel. Archangel showed up on Omega with his team and started cleaning up the center of all criminal activity in the galaxy. While this was no small task, Archangel quickly started making a dent in the mercenary bands operating out of the space station. Before long the galaxy’s three largest mercenary bands, the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse were forced to band together, perhaps for the first time in recorded history, in order to take down the threat to their business.

While Archangel and his team were a threat to the three bands separately, as a combined force they proved far more formidable. Before long, the entire team was taken out, leaving only Archangel alone against the mercenaries. Archangel dug in to a highly-defensible position, taking over an abandoned apartment building, with the only way in being a single bridge. As long as his supplies held out, Archangel could hold the position indefinitely. Then again, he is only one person. Eventually, the mercenaries would come up with a plan.

Archangel had to be rescued, and this gave Shepard his way in. The mercs were recruiting freelancers to use as cannon fodder. Shepard and his crew signed on, figuring it would be their best chance to get to Archangel and get him out safely. Upon reaching the apartment building, everyone is treated to a surprise. Archangel recognizes Shepard. He removes his helmet to reveal his true identity, the Turian Rebel Garrus Vakarian.

Garrus served under Shepard on the first Normandy in the fight against Saren and Sovereign. His investigation into Saren while with Citadel Security was stonewalled at every attempt, and he jumped at the chance to work outside the system to take him down. Garrus started off as a bit ruthless, willing to do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Garrus would either support Shepards Renegade decisions, or mellow out a bit and learn that violence is not necessarily always the best course of action. Either way, Shepard earned his support and loyalty.

While Archangel would have been a valuable member of the crew, Garrus and Shepard working together again are a force of nature. They take on all three mercenary squads, taking down their Captains one-by-one. Though the Blue Suns cheated, calling in a gunship to take down two people. The resulting battle ended up with the gunship going down in flames and Garrus taking a hit, blowing half his face off and critically injuring the Turian.

Back on the Normandy, Garrus is treated for his injuries, earning a few cybernetic implants. He explains that after the destruction of the first Normandy, he tried to fit back in. Unfortunately, Garrus was never very good at fitting in before joining up with Shepard. Unable to work in the political climate of the Citadel, Garrus took a page out of Shepard’s book. He went renegade, forming his own team of specialists to right wrongs in the galaxy. When dealing with the worst of the worst, decisions are never easy. Regardless of how Shepard treated him in the first game, Garrus has become a hard person. To quote Joker, “It’s great that Garrus finally managed to work that stick out of his ass, but now he’s trying to beat poeple to death with it.”

When Shepard asks why his mission failed and his squad was killed, Garrus reveals that they were betrayed by one of their own. Sidonis sold them out to the mercenaries, leaving only Garrus alive while Sidonis himself disappeared. This leads to Garrus’ loyalty mission, “Eye for an Eye,” where Garrus learns that Sidonis has been hiding on the Citadel. The mission starts with Garrus tracking down the master forger that provided Sidonis with his new identity, the enigmatic Fade. The investigation reveals that Fade is none other than Harkin, Garrus’ former associate at C-Sec. After some… persuasion… Harkin arranges a meeting with Sidonis.

Garrus can see this meeting ending only one way, with a sniper shot between Sidonis’ eyes. If Shepard gives him the chance, though, Sidonis confesses everything. He regrets selling out Garrus and the team, but he did it to save his own life. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t second-guess his decision. Now, he wishes he had died instead. Seeing that Sidonis is already dead inside, Garrus takes pity on him and spares his life. Sidonis swears to make it right and turns himself in for the murder of the squad. Either way, justice is served and Garrus can move on.

With Garrus being arguably the coolest member of the Normandy crew, he is obviously a romantic interest for Shepard. Through conversation, Garrus opens up and displays his vulnerability, admitting to being alone. If Shepard chooses to fill that void, Garrus promises to make something go right in his life now that Shepard is a part of it. Just be sure to visit Mordin first. The doctor can recommend ways to avoid chafing, and advises against… ingestion.

In the first game, Garrus was a great squad member, bringing a combination of combat and tech abilities to the table. This time around, he keeps a bit of his tech background with the Overload ability. Where he really shines, though, is his sniping skills. Manually switch Garrus to the Mantis Sniper Rifle, never let him use the Viper. With amazing accuracy and no need to worry about ammo, Garrus will provide headshot after headshot. All sniper characters are powerful in Mass Effect 2, but Garrus offers more to the squad than Legion or Zaeed with his final ability, Armor-Piercing Ammo. The higher you go in difficulty, the more useful this ability is, as almost every enemy on Insanity has Armor, in addition to other defenses. Alongside Miranda and Grunt, Garrus is a top-tier choice for your squad.

Garrus has long been a fan-favorite with his cocky attitude and general badass disposition. The decision to include him again wasn’t just based on fan reaction, though. He fills a vital role in the Normandy’s mission against the Collectors. He’s someone Shepard can trust, someone outside of Cerberus’ influence. Knowing what Shepard can do from firsthand experience, he is the most confident in the mission’s success.

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