Best Tali Build - Must try companion - Mass Effect 2 (ME2)

In this post, I will go through how you should build Tali in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 2 Legendary Edition. She returns from the first entry with interesting skill choices.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is a quarian who returns in Mass Effect 2. She is skilled in engineer and will help maintain Normandy engines. You can expect Tali to be extremely effective against synthetic enemies like mechs and Geth.

Tali Build - Quarian Engineer

Squad points allocation

In this section, I will go through the recommended skills that you should pick for Tali and when.

Power name	Evolution	Level (Squad Points)
Combat Drone	Attack Drone	4 (10)
AI Hacking	-	-
Quarian Machinist	Quarian Mechanic	4 (10)
Energy Drain	Heavy Energy Drain	4 (10)

Unfortunately, I skip AI Hacking. Although the skill seems useful, it only works on synthetic enemies. Moreover, after the effect wears off I would forget to attack the enemy and it would just damage my companions unnecessarily.

Talents - detailed progression

Tali is unlocked fairly late in the game. Due to this get the abilities in the order below. The first two will be the most effective:

Point Progression	Skill	Description
10	Combat Drone	This will be Tali's main ability. Upgrade it to an Attack Drone. It will work against all enemies and deals decent damage. Moreover, it can be a lifesaver, especially on Insanity as the drone attracts enemy attention. Sadly it has a large cooldown of 30 seconds

Here is the drone in action:

The rest of the squad points should go into these abilities:

Point Progression	Skill	Description
10	Quarian Machinist	Because Tali will have a large cooldown with the Drone, we want her to deal as much damage as possible, For this, you should take Quarian Mechanic upgrade at ability level 4. It will give 25% weapon damage
10	Energy Drain	Take Heavy Energy Drain upgrade. I recommend having this if Tali is getting heavily attacked. She has low HP and this ability can be a lifesaver in tight situations. However, Explosive Drone may be better at attracting attention

As I mentioned I do not take AI Hacking as I find it lackluster on Insanity difficulty. Moreover, it usually stops the momentum. What do I mean by it? I have to wait till the effect wears off to finish killing enemies

Equipment

In this section, I will cover what weapons should Tali equip during the missions.

Shotguns

Unfortunately, the stronger weapon that tali can use is a Shotgun. It is not an ideal weapon for a character with low HP. However, there is an alternative

In this situation, the best shotgun you can equip is Geth Plasma Shotgun. It is fairly effective at longer ranges, has a faster firing rate. This makes it perfect to be used by Tali

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
Geth Plasma Shotgun	Shields Barriers	It is moderately accurate from longer distances. Moreover, it deals large amounts of damage to enemy shields. So it covers the main weakness of Jacob – low damage against shields.

Heavy Pistols

In case you will fight many armored enemies, a Heavy pistol is your choice. I recommend equipping Tali with the one below:

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
M-5 Phalanx	Armors	Phalanx is a very effective pistol, that has extremely high accuracy. Due to this, I recommend equipping it to Miranda. It also has the highest effectiveness against armors.

Tactics

Here is what Tali tactics revolve around mainly:

• Keep her undercover, use position commands for that. The Geth Plasma Shotgun should allow her to be efficient at long ranges.
• Do not spam Combat Drone. I suggest using it when you are getting overwhelmed as it is good to use as an attention distractor. Sadly it has really long cooldown, so be careful.
• If Tali is the only one under suppressive fire, use Energy Drain. It has a short cooldown, deals damage, and restores Tali's shields. It works well against synthetic enemies, barriers, and shields.

For squad composition here is what I recommend:

• Take a chunky character like Shepard Solider, Grunt, or Jacob. They will be able to soak a lot of bullets. Moreover, Tali can draw enemy attention with a Combat Drone.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed reading this build guide for Tali in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 2 Legendary Edition. Feel free to leave a comment or feedback in the comments.