Recruit Tali

Recruit Tali

Having seen what Tali can do in combat, the Illusive Man and Cerberus are willing to pull out all the stops to get her on your team. She is currently investigating the history of the quarians on their former planet, Haestrom. It was taken over by the geth and the quarians forced out. The intense solar activity of the system’s star has made living and working on the planet impossible, and you should be aware that staying in the sunlight will drain your shield in seconds. First, however, you have to get there.

From the Mass Relay enter the Far Rim system and land at Haestrom.

Squad Selection: As a geth outpost, you will want someone with Overload to take down enemy shields, and a Soldier class with Disruptor Ammo. Any other classes are secondary, though Biotics are always useful.

Haestrom

Locate Tali
Upon landing it will become clear that the Geth are still all over Haestrom, as it functions as a staging and training post for the aliens. The sunlight is the first problem you must counter, however. The opening ramps are bathed in potentially lethal rays, clearly distinguishable from shadows (you will also hear a frying sound if you emerge into the light and see a warning message). You should run across these to minimise exposure.

Run through the sun.

At the bottom of the ramp, enter the door to the right. A log entry will play, stating the importance of finding Tali and the data she has unearthed. Salvage some credits from the Damaged Geth and take the Med Kit, before accessing the gate controls.

Once through the gate you will have to deal with an onslaught of geth soldiers. Most are the unshielded Geth Troopers, but some do have this method of protection. Remember too that the right hand side of this area is covered in sunlight and so should be avoided while enemies are in the area. Stick to the left and move up.

Once you get to the middle of the area, more geth will come from the bay ahead. Snipe as many as you can if you have the option, otherwise wait for them to come to you and engage close up. With the geth taken care of, move down the ramp and to the right. You will have to pass through the sunlight to do this, so sprint. In this area to the right you will find a weapon to scan for a Heavy Pistol Damage upgrade. There is also a Medical Station at the top of the ramp nearby.

Turn right at the top and proceed until you come out into the sun. Take cover to allow your shields to recover before moving down the ramp and back into the shade. More geth may engage you at this point, but you may have eliminated them in the wave earlier. Pick up the Refined Iridium that is visible straight ahead of your ramp and head towards the red bay door that the geth appeared to be coming from. In fact, they were coming from the right, so proceed through the opening, dealing with the geth en route.

Fight your way towards the quarians.

Around the next corner you will find some geth with their attention elsewhere. Eliminate them and salvage credits from the Damaged Geth Hunter. You should also be sure to pick up the Tempest SMG in this area - a great addition to your armoury.

There is also a Quarian Radio on the floor, which you can use to establish contact with Tali’s team and see what’s going on. Inform the squad leader about the fate of his squad and ask any questions you see fit to ascertain the situation of Tali and the other quarians. Apparently Tali is in a secure bunker while her security team are trying to hold off the geth. We should get there as quickly as possible to lend a hand.

Reach Tali

Unfortunately, a dropship has come in and destroyed a pillar, blocking the door to Tali in a suspiciously neat way. You need to find two sets of charges to destroy the obstacle.

Once the cutscene ends you will have to contend with some Geth Hunters – these tricky enemies are shielded and can cloak (though you can see their shimmering outline and blue light). As you move down towards the pillar you can pick up some Refined Iridium before being attacked by more geth.

Head for the underground chamber.

You will have another two Hunters to deal with as you move into the underground bay. Clear the room. Play Tali’s Journal and pick up the Demolition Charges. There is also a Med Kit behind the table and a Medical Station on the way upstairs. On your way back out a Geth Prime will drop in. This formidable foe has shields, armour and health. Once outside, turn left and move towards the lower area. Geth Troopers and a Geth Destroyer will block your way forward.

When you have dealt with them, go up to the bridge across this lower area and play Tali’s Journal up here. Across the other side is a Medical Station. Back down below (the way you came) there is some more Refined Iridium to nab. To the right is a room sunken into the ground where the second lot of demolition charges are. There are also some Power Cells to recharge your heavy weaponry in here, as well as a Medical Station.

As usual, back outside more geth will drop in. Watch out in particular for the Geth Rocket Troopers on the bridge we found the journal on. These enemies have rockets to bombard your position. They make this section especially troublesome, so be sure to drop back into the previous room if things get too hairy. Be aware of the Geth Destroyer, who will use his flamethrower to take your health down in seconds.

Once you get back to the pillar, plant the charges and retreat to safety before the eight second timer expires.

Destroy the pillar.

With the way clear, proceed through the pair of doors in your way. Finish off the geth soldier crawling on the floor and explore the room. There are two Damaged Geths, an Ancient Wall Safe, another instalment of Tali’s Journal, a Disassembled Geth Rifle providing an Assault Rifle Damage Upgrade, a Weapons Locker, and most importantly, a Communications Console with which to contact Tali.

Seek information from Tali and get her to open the door in this room. Through this door is a Medical Station, before a ramp leads downwards. Take cover against the wall before the doorway ahead. In the next area Geth Recon Drones are introduced. These pesky machines can gang up on you and really cause some damage, and are tough to hit accurately. Concentrate on getting rid of them as soon as possible. As well as all the Drones in this area you will have a couple of Geth Primes to deal with – if the drones are targeting you at the same time, death is almost inevitable.

Move through the area, using the right hand side to flank the Primes if necessary, but don’t forget about the sunlight. Your ammo will probably be wasted on the Drones, so be sure to pick up any you find as you move through. Eventually you will come to a door, leading to a security room.

Not far to Tali now.

There is an Ancient Wall Safe in this room, and a panel to lift the security lockdown. Access this to open up the shutters and view a Geth Colossus up ahead. Get away from the windows and go through the now-unlocked door. Descend the slopes and you will come across a Med Kit and Tali’s friend Reegar. He is the leader of her security team, but his team mates have been eliminated.

You can get Reegar’s assessment of the battlefield, which can be helpful. He’ll tell you where the Colossus will have the least effect on you though here the Geth soldiers have a good angle on you. You can also ask for his help (he has a hole in his suit so any activity in the sunlight is a risky business), or tell him to stay in cover. If you want the latter, you need to use a Paragon interrupt. If he gets killed, Tali will be upset, though he may have taken down the Colossus’s shields, and Renegade Points are your reward.

The route I recommend is on the left hand side. Here you are shielded from the Colossus until the last minute. You can still get shots on it and reduce its shield, but when it goes into regeneration mode you will not be able to get to it and take down its armour. It is therefore prudent to save your ammo until up close, and then let him have it with a barrage of heavy weaponry.

The Geth Colossus is a tough opponent.

Before that, however, there will be an army of geth blocking your way. First, you will need to expose yourself in the middle area to move up the ramp to the left hand side. Push through the ranks of geth, collecting the Refined Iridium not far in. You may be able to get shots on the Geth Colossus from here, so look out for its legs sticking out from cover to get shots on it without risking its own powerful weaponry. You will need to push closer to be able to destroy it completely, however, as it ducks out of range to recover its shields.

On the level below the Colossus you can pick up some Refined Iridium. As you get closer the geth threat will intensify until you round the corner and are looking straight at the Colossus. On the pillar of this corner you will find some Power Cells, perfect for recharging an expended heavy weapon. Cover behind this pillar, and move out of the Colossus’s line of sight when it charges its weapon (otherwise it can dislodge you from cover).

As you deal damage to it more geth will arrive to attempt to stop you. Prioritise the Colossus but make sure Geth Destroyers do not get too close or they will flamethrower you. Once you start eating away at the Colossus’s armour you can use Warp to further decrease its HP. Once it falls, mop up any surviving geth and explore the rest of the area for additional supplies.

Take down the Geth Colossus.

There are more Power Cells on the opposite side of this level of the area, some more Refined Iridium, again in the opposite location to the first batch (that’s on the right hand side of the middle area from where we first entered this large room) and a Med Kit up on the gangway on the left (again, in terms of where we entered). You can drop down from here using the gap in the railings to get to Tali more easily. Open her door.

In here you can salvage a Damaged Geth, but the main objective is to talk to Tali. With that conversation, the mission is over. Find out what she has been up to, and ask if she’ll join your brigade.

Normandy

Back on board the Normandy, Tali and Jacob have a little argument about Cerberus and its history with quarians, but that will be for you to disarm later. For now, catch up with the crew, Yeoman Chambers and the rest. To continue the main story, speak to the Illusive Man for your next quest. That concludes this section of the Mass Effect 2 guide.