Best Infiltrator Build guide - Mass Effect 2 (ME2)

This post will cover the best Infiltrator Build guide for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 2 Legendary Edition.

This class relies on cloaking itself from enemies. This allows Infiltrator to avoid enemy fire. Moreover, once they are ready they can release a devastating shot for maximum damage.

They are effective with multiple weapons, but the most iconic one is Sniper Rifle.

Shepard Infiltrator Build - Deadeye Assassin

With this build, we will try to maximize the damage of the Infiltrator build. Generally, the aim of this build is to be able to one-shot normal enemies with their protections on. Due to this, you will see this idea repeated throughout the build.

However, there is nothing more satisfying in this game than using M-98 Widow Sniper rifle and shredding enemies one by one. In the end, companions will play more of a support role and draw enemy's attention.

Squad Point Allocation

This section will cover the end-game build squad point allocation for the Infiltrator build. This is a quick overview

Power name	Evolution	Level (Squad Points)
Disruptor Ammo	-	-
Cryo Ammo	-	-
Tactical Cloak	Assassination Cloak	4 (10)
Incinerate	Both upgrades are good	4 (10)
AI Hacking	-	-
Operative	Assassin	4 (10)
Warp Ammo (Bonus power)	Both upgrades are great based on party composition	4 (10)

This is my preferred point allocation. Feel free to test them out and respec at the research station on Normandy. Here are some alternatives, I recommend:

Disruptor Ammo

It is a great ability early in the game when enemies like Blue Suns Mercenaries have Shield protection and you have no weapon upgrades.

Cryo Ammo

I suggest trying this out and taking the Squad Cryo Ammo upgrade. With it after you take down enemy shields they will be frozen thanks to your companions.

Reave - as a bonus power

This is another powerful biotic ability. With it, you can tear down enemy protection. This way companions can create some openings with Biotic abilities while Infiltrator snipes them down. The ability also allows Infiltrator to detonate Biotic Explosions

Ability Progression

If you are able to take bonus power at the start of the game, get Warp Ammo as it will be effective against enemies with armor. Then get it level 2 as early as you can.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Tactical Cloak Lv 2	This is the signature ability of Infiltrator. It allows becoming invisible for a short period of time. Moreover, at the second level, you will gain a bonus of 20% damage for the first shot after leaving stealth.
2	Incinerate Lv 2	This ability will allow setting enemies on fire. Moreover, it is very effective against the enemy's armors. The downside is that it has a long cooldown which could result in death as you will not be able to use Tactical Cloak
3	Operative Lv 4	Passive Class Power of Infiltrator. Get Assassin upgrade. We want to get this to level 4 as soon as possible. It provides an important mechanic for Sniper users - slowing time. This way the Infiltrator build can precisely target enemies giving a few seconds advantage while aiming down sights.
4	Warp Ammo Lv 2	This is the bonus power that you should be getting for Infiltrator. You can obtain it through Advanced training in the research lab after Jack's loyalty mission. This will significantly boost damage against barriers and armors. Moreover, now you will have more chances to one-shot enemies with precise headshots
5	Tactical Cloak Lv 4	Maximize this ability and get an Assassination upgrade. This will provide 75% bonus damage. Thanks to this you should have no problems taking out even the strongest enemies and hiding in critical situations.
6	Incinerate Lv 3	Further, improve the ability to increase the damage.
7	Warp Ammo Lv 4	I suggest getting Heavy Warp Ammo, upgrade. It will provide a 50% damage boost to armors and biotics. With this ability, you will have no problems taking out enemies with barriers in one shot.
8	Incinerate Lv 4	Maximize the ability and take any upgrade based on your preference. This will not change how you play Infiltrator build the majority of the time. However, it is a good option to have in case you need to shred enemies like Scions or Harbingers

With all of these abilities, you will still have 10 points to distribute if you reach the maximum level. Feel free to take one of the Ammo options of Infiltrator Class

Equipment

This section will cover recommended equipment for the Infiltrator Build in Mass Effect 2.

Sniper Rifles

Here are the Sniper Rifles that I recommend. Before obtaining M-98 Widow I recommend other options below.

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
M-98 Widow	Armor	This is a direct upgrade for M-92 Mantis. It is the strongest weapon (excluding Heavy weapons) in the game. It will ensure that you can surely one-shot normal enemies with headshots and listed squad abilities.
M-92 Mantis	Armor	This is the starting life that you get for Infiltrator. It deals a decent amount of damage. However, for Insanity difficulty, it won't be enough to surely kill all enemies with a single shot
M-97 Viper	Armor Barriers Shields	A fast-shooting Sniper rifle. I suggest giving it a shot and seeing if it fits your playstyle. I personally enjoy high-damage sniper rifles, hence this is recommended as the last one

Submachine Guns

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
M-9 Tempest	Shields Barriers	This is my go-to option against Shields and Barriers. It has a 1.5x multiplier against them, making it very effective against multiple enemies in the game.
M-12 Locust	Armor Shields Barrier	Another SMG option. It has lower multipliers. However, each of its shots deals more damage compared to the above option.

Heavy Pistol

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
M-5 Phalanx	Armors	This is my favorite pistol. It provides laser sight for 100% accuracy while aiming down sights. It is also very effective against armors and I use it once I am out of Sniper ammo.
M-6 Carnifex	Armors	This one has high damage and is obtainable early in the game.

Heavy Weapons

Generally, any weapon works here. However, my favorite ones are below:

Weapon Name	Effective against	Description
Collector Particle Beam	Shields Barrier	I enjoy using this weapon in tight situations. It also is very good in the late game against Collectors.
Arc Projector	Armor Shields Barrier	This weapon is very effective against a group of enemies. It can easily strip their defenses.

Armors

This section will cover what armors I recommend for Shepard Infiltrator Build.

Type	Armor	Description
Helmet	Kuwashii Visor	Increases headshot damage by 10%
Helmet	Kestrel Helmet	Increases headshot damage by 5% Increases weapon damage by 3% Increases shields by 3%
Chest	Kestrel Torso Sheath	Increases melee damage by 10% Increases weapon damage by 5% Increases shield strength by 3%
Chest	N7 Chestplate	Increases power damage by 3%.
Shoulders	N7 Shoulder Guards	Increases weapon damage by 3%.
Arms	Stabilization Gauntlets	Increases weapon damage by 5%.
Legs	Stimulator Conduits	Increases storm speed by 10%.

Tactics and Squad

In this section, I would like to go through some tips on how to best utilize the Infiltrator Build in Mass Effect 2.

Using Tactical Cloak

This is one of the main abilities of the Infiltrator. It allows becoming invisible for a short period of time and dealing bonus damage while shooting from stealth.

This opens two possible uses:

• Hiding from enemies when you are overrun. Moreover, this will stop enemies for a few seconds. After that, they will target your companions.
• The second option is to maximize the damage.

The power becomes extremely useful against strong enemies like Geth Colossus or YMIR Mechs who can take out Shepard with a few shots. Thanks to Tactical Cloak you can easily hide from them. After this change your position and avoid being flanked by enemies.

The short cooldown makes this ability very helpful in almost any combat situation.

Slow Time with Sniper Rifle

This is another important gameplay aspect of Infiltrator. After you get to level 4 with operative you unlock a passive ability that allows slowing time. This activates when aiming down sights with a Sniper Rifle.

This is a very helpful ability, that allows you to target enemies very precisely. For me, this greatly improved my headshot count which in turn made fights much easier.

Using melee

This is a strange tip but I still think it is useful. Especially early in the game, you will have scarce ammo. Use any chance when an enemy is nearby to activate Tactical Cloak and hit them with a melee attack. This will deal a ton of damage and conserve ammo.

Companions

Each player has a very different taste regarding what companions they take. However, here are my general recommendations:

• Miranda is extremely helpful almost in any party composition. She boosts squad weapon damage and health. Moreover, she has Overload against shields and Warp for armors and Biotic Explosion detonation
• Other companions that could be useful are Legion, Grunt, and Jacob. They are tanky characters that can soak a lot of enemy bullets. This can synergize well with the Tactical Cloak activated. Once you use it, have them activate their Barrier.
• Having companions like Garrus or Zaeed can be very helpful on missions with a lot of Geth or enemies having Shield Protection. This usually includes Blue Suns Mercenaries.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this Infiltrator build guide post in Mass Effect 2. I hope you enjoyed it and now better understand how to use this stealth class correctly.

Feel free to leave a comment below!