When you arrive at the camp after fending off the husks from the comms tower, General Corinthus will inform you that he has located the next Primarch. His name is Victus, and he has a reputation for being a fiery leader. Garrus will interrupt the conversation and introduce himself to your squad. He has been hired on as the turian’s Reaper expert, and is in charge of advising the flailing armies. He will agree to accompany you to find Victus, while Liara will have to go back to the Normandy to check on some technical troubles with the ship.
Pause the game and level Garrus up before heading out of the camp through the southeastern barricade. As your conversation with the General finishes, you will see a large Reaper Harvester fly overhead and begin to attack the area of the camp that you must go through. The turians will begin to run towards the airfield to give backup. Follow them through the door and take cover on the rocks on the other side. This will be your first encounter with the Marauders, turians who have been turned to the Reaper’s side. This can be a long and protracted battle depending on your class and difficulty setting.
Position your squad-mates to cover your sides. If you are playing a Vanguard, you can simply charge into the fray on the lower level using a Shotgun combined with Incendiary Ammo or Cryo Ammo, and your Biotic Charge and Nova Biotics to clear out the enemies around you. Call James in to assist you if you choose to take this brash approach, and have him cover your sides with Grenades while Garrus covers you from afar with his Sniper Rifle.
If you are not playing a Vanguard, this battle will take a slightly more thoughtful approach. Positioning Garrus on one of the upper ledges can still be advantageous; look up on the highest ridge to find a chest high wall that works great as a sniper’s cover. Send James over to the cover bordering the lower floor, and take out an Assault Rifle or Submachine Gun if you have one and attack from mid-range. This way, Garrus will attack from afar, James will get the enemies closer to the battlefield, and you can cover those in the middle.
If you are playing as an Infiltrator, you can activate your cloak ability and wander the midsection of the battlefield pulling off Tactical Cloak kills for an instant death. This can be helpful at higher difficulties to escape the sights of the enemies, too. If you are playing as a more Biotics-oriented class, it is best to take a back seat and let your teammates do the fighting while you whittle down the enemy’s defenses. Some of the Marauders can be pretty strong, especially on higher difficulty settings, and you may find it best to use Singularity, Warp, and Cryo Blast on the enemies from afar, allowing James and Garrus to finish them off. If you take this approach, make Garrus switch to his alternate weapon and take the middle of the battlefield, as you want as much firepower as you can get between you and the first level of the battlefield.
After the battle is over, head to the center of the area to find the Assault Rifle Magazine Upgrade 1 sitting on the ground. You can also grab some credits from the Salvage on top of the crates to the right. You should get a call from the General any second now. He will be panicked, warning you that the turian’s camp is about to be overrun by husks. Turn around and high tail it back to the barricade door that you left from to return to the camp. Run all the way to the back of the camp, where the ladder up to the ramparts has now been lowered. Climb up the ladder and enter the turret at the top.
You will have to reload this turret pretty frequently, and although the ammo is unlimited, reloading takes a while and provides ample opportunity for the husks to scale the cliffs to the left and right and swarm your position on the ramparts. The turret also takes a while to heat up every time you let off the trigger. Try to lead your shots. Anticipate where the husks are going to go, aim there, heat up the gun, and by the time the husks are in your sights you should be good to go. Swivel back and forth to catch the enemies as they try to flank you. They will come from both sides, and there are many waves coming from both directions. Zoom out temporarily to gain faster looking speed before zooming in again for added accuracy. If you miss a few, Garrus and James will head off to the right and left to help you out.
After you finish, a cutscene will play. A new enemy type will ram the wall, and Shepard will fall off into the arena below. Garrus and James will be quick to jump down and help as the Reaper Brute attacks. Use an Assault Rifle to attack the Brute while keeping your distance. You are largely free to unload on the hulking enemy until you have to reload, but the Brute’s massive Armor bar will ensure that this remains a lengthy battle. When you see the beast rearing up for a charge, get ready to roll out of the way immediately. If the Brute hits you with its charge attack, not only will you be temporarily stunned, but you will also lose your entire shield in one hit.
This can be especially damaging because of the stray husks wandering around on the battlefield. If you find yourself caught in a cycle of being stunned by the Brute, then struck by numerous husks, you can find yourself staring at a Game Over screen before you knew what hit you. Use your Biotics for crowd control; Singularity works especially well for keeping the husks off your back while you focus on the Brute. Order your squad to focus on the Brute as well. The beast should fall quickly enough, leaving you free to mop up the remaining husks before moving on to the next part of the level.
