Zaeed build - Mass Effect 2 (ME2)
In this post, I will cover one of the more notorious companions build Zaeed. I will go through weapons, squad points, and tactics that you should use with him.
Zaeem Massani is a mercenary and bounty hunter that has been recruited by Cerberus. He will join Shepard's crew if you will decide to help with his personal mission.
Zaeed Squad points allocation
In this section, I will go through what skills when you should pick with Zaeed. Feel free to adjust the build to your liking.
| Power name | Evolution | Squad Points |
|---|---|---|
 Concussive Shot |
Heavy Concussive Shot | 10 |
 Disruptor Ammo |
Squad Disruptor Ammo | 10 |
 Master Veteran |
Mercenary Warlord | 10 |
 Inferno Grenade |
- | 0 |
Although many builds and discussions recommend Inferno Grenade I am against it. It does not work as well on Insanity and I would rather spam Concussive Shot. Moreover, you cannot get both Squad Disruptor Ammo and Inferno Grenade without skipping Mercenary Warlord.
However, if you tried it and liked it feel free to switch it with Disruptor Ammo.
Level 1-10, early-game
Zaeed can be strong quite early in the game. His strength comes from his passive and equipping the right weapons, so do not neglect reading the Equipment section.
| Number of points | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Concussive Shot |
Although not a particularly strong skill, it knocks out defenseless enemies. It also works against Barriers. |
| 6 | Mercenary Veteran |
Zaeed's passive ability gives an exceptionally large weapon damage boost. Due to this, we try to obtain it as early as possible. |
| 3 | Disruptor Ammo |
Disruptor Ammo will boost Zaeed's damage against enemy shields. Moreover, it will overheat enemy weapons and deal additional damage against synthetics like mechs. |
Level 11 - 20, mid-game
Now, we further improve Zaeed to better support the crew:
| Number of points | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Disruptor Ammo |
Once you maximize the skill get Squad Disruptor Ammo. Now everyone will deal additional damage to shields. This is really important on Insanity as many enemies have Shield bars. |
| 4 | Mercenary Veteran |
Once you maximize this ability, take the Mercenary Warlord upgrade. It will give Zaeed a 50% weapon damage boost, making him one of the strongest companions. With correct weapons, he will tear through enemies. |
Level 21-30, late game
We add some finishing touches to the build at this point:
| Number of points | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Concussive Shot |
Although any upgrade works, I prefer Heavy Concussive Shot, just to deal more damage to a single target. |
With these abilities, the skill allocations are finished and you are ready to move to gear optimization in the next section.
Equipment
Zaeed can use both Sniper Rifles and Assault Rifles.
Sniper Rifles
For Sniper Rifles I suggest M-29 Incisor. It is bugged on Insanity, by not having its damage lowered. Here are some Incisor damage calculations
With this in mind, companions can deal extremely large damage with now drawbacks to fire rate or other stats
| Weapon name | Accuracy | Damage multiplier (armor/shields/barriers) | Base damage | Ammo per clip | Fire Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-29 Incisor | High | x1.25/x1.25/x1.25 | 53.6 per bullet | 15 | 600 RPM |
Another important aspect is that Incisor has a well-rounded multiplier against shields, barriers, and armors of 1.25%. So it works against all enemies equally well
Assault Rifles
Assault Rifles are optional, I suggest only using them with Zaeed if you feel too overpowered. I suggest M-96 Mattock. It is the most well-optimized Assault Rifle.
However, I also recommend Geth Assault Rifle if you are playing on Hard or Insanity difficulty
| Weapon name | Accuracy | Damage multiplier (armor/shields/barriers) | Base damage | Ammo per clip | Fire Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-96 Mattock | High | x1.3/x1.2/x1.2 | 50.4 | 16 | 750 RPM |
| Geth Pulse Rifle | Moderate | x1.15/x1.35/x1.35 | 10.8 | 40 | 1000 RPM |
Geth Pulse Rifle fast fire rate and is effective against shields and Barriers.
Zaeed Tactics
In this section, I will give some tips on Zaeed tactics. Unfortunately, there is not much to say as he is well optimized:
- By having an Incisor sniper rifle, there will be not much to do with him besides leaving him to target appropriate enemies
- Spam Concussive Shot especially on enemies with barriers.
That is all...
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it will help you understand how to build Zeed Massani the famous mercenary in Mass Effect 2
Feel free to leave any feedback below.
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