Cerberus

Of the three opposing forces, Cerberus is the most tactically minded.

Their soldiers act with some sense of self-preservation, moving from cover to cover, attempting to flank the players as much as possible, using the jump-jets on their suits to take up elevated positions on their victims.

They will use smoke and frag grenades to deceive and destroy careless players, while their stealthy Phantoms sneak past and kill the unsuspecting from behind.

Their Atlas heavy mech is slow but is also a massive gamechanger, able to stomp through all but the heaviest fire (or one or two well-placed Cobra missiles) while laying down withering cannon fire or dropping unshielded squadmates with homing rockets.

Assault Trooper

The most basic of all Cerberus infantry, Assault Troopers frequently use frag grenades to force stubborn players out of cover, and they coordinate their fire with other units.

They have decent footspeed, allowing them to flank a squad, or reach a downed player to execute them before help arrives.

At range, the Assault Troopers make extensive use of the M-25 Hornet Submachine Gun, which can tear down shields and health with surprising speed.

Their biggest weakness is their lack of shielding, making them easy marks for any class.

Their lack of protection makes them especially vulnerable to Tech and Biotic combo explosions that can hurt or kill their fellows.

On higher difficulties, it’s almost welcome to see these guys hanging out too close to more important units.

Centurion

A step up in every regard from the Assault Trooper, Centurions come with kinetic shields and the dangerous M-96 Augmented Mattock Assault Rifle.

While their increased resilience and damage potential is an obvious threat, what makes them especially dangerous is their use of Smoke Grenades.

Centurions will often use these to hide the approach of other units, and unless you’ve got the mods or bonus equipment to target through the smoke, very unpleasant things could be sneaking around behind it without your knowledge.

Guardian

Guardians are essentially Assault Troopers with heavy ballistic shields.

Alone, annoying, but in pairs or more, Guardians can easily fluster and kill less disciplined players with their ability to soak up so much incoming fire.

Up close, Guardians use their shields as melee weapons, and during their slow march toward players, they fire powerful shots from their M-358 Talon Pistols.

Biotics with Pull or Singularity can remove their shields, allowing them to be taken down with greater ease.

Skilled snipers can fire right through the view slit on the shields for headshots, but this can be rather difficult in spite of the slow speed at which Guardians travel.

Armor Piercing Ammo, as well as guns with penetration mods, can allow you to shoot through their thin shields.

Powerful direct hits to the shield can also stagger a Guardian, leaving them more vulnerable to incoming fire from in front.

Squads can also coordinate flanking maneuvers on a Guardian to get at their exposed backs.

Combat Engineer and Turrets

Combat Engineers join the fray with kinetic shields and an M-5 Phalanx Pistol. What makes them really dangerous are the Sentry Turrets they can deploy.

Turrets can lock down whole areas with their blistering fire, forcing players to stay in cover while trying to deal with it and the other Cerberus troops advancing under its protection.

As soon as you spot an Engineer, do not give it the opportunity to deploy a Turret. Worse still, Engineers will attempt to repair any active Turrets or Atlases in their vicinity.

It is possible to snipe the Turret on the back of a Combat Engineer with a high-powered sniper rifle before they deploy it for an instant kill—a goal to aim for.

Turrets can also be sabotaged with the right powers and turned on their masters.

Nemesis

These ladies of long-range combat can drop an unassuming player from across entire maps with their M-13 Raptor Sniper Rifles, if they’ve got a line of sight on them.

They make a distinctive vocalization that lets you know they are on the field. However, despite their obvious lethality at range, they are far from the worst Cerberus has to offer.

If anything, they are almost like pests, running away when players draw near. In Assassination mode, their mobility and foot speed prove to be huge annoyances.

Cryo Blast can slow them down, even if they are shielded, and any teammate with that ability should tag a Nemesis with it.

Phantom

Phantoms are the assassins for Cerberus, and despite their lithe builds, they are among the deadliest foes you face.

They can instantly kill a player from in front or behind with their swords, they come with a powerful Biotic barrier for protection, they can absorb incoming Techs or Biotics with a wave of their hand, they are extremely agile, and on top of all this, they can cloak. Do not take Phantoms lightly under any circumstances.

Do whatever it takes to stay outside of melee range with them unless you’re approaching from behind or they are preoccupied with something else.

Even when their barrier is down, they can still use the sword to shrug off incoming fire.

Get that away from them by shooting it when it isn’t at the ready, but good luck doing that when the Phantoms are moving.

Like the Nemesis, a Phantom has a distinct vocalization that lets you know when one, or several, are on the prowl.

Atlas

The largest thing Cerberus will send your way in multiplayer is the Atlas heavy mech. Unlike ones found in single-player, these cannot be hijacked.

They retain their high-damage cannon, homing missiles, and incredible resistance to incoming fire. If there’s anything that deserves a Cobra rocket, it’s these guys.

Despite their size and slow speed, Atlases can find their way into places you would not expect to see them, taking up whole passageways with their girth.

Getting close to one is also a bad idea, as in addition to their standard melee swipes, they do have an instant-kill grab and smash move.

Shots directly to the cockpit do more damage, but that typically also means you’re inside its firing arcs. A safer target would be the thrusters on its back.