I think it's safe to say that Mass Effect 2 isn't the most difficult game out there if you're playing anything below Insanity- enemies just get general buffs but that's about it. However, Insanity provides more than a measly achievement. It gives you a challenge that's fun, rewarding, and at times frustrating. Not as bad as Mass Effect 1 Insanity (BENEZIA) but I digress.
This tier lists each squadmate in terms of utility, power selection, power allocation, and weapon loadout. Sure, it's easy to say that you can go into each mission with anyone you want- it's an RPG after all- but screw that, we're here to gauge each companion's utility. Even though someone might think Garrus is the best because he's a bro or that Tali's viable because she's kawai uguu, if they're going into a Collector mission like that, they're screwed. So without further ado:
MASS EFFECT 2 COMPANION TIER LIST INSANITY VERSION
S TIER
Miranda Lawson- I'm going to get flack for this but here I go: Miranda is so goddamn essential to your team, more so than anyone else at your disposal. Her team-wide damage buff is often the difference between life or death and gives more aggressive playstyles enough room for error to make them viable. Warp and Overload lets her strip down every defense in the game and the allocation of Miranda's powers lets her max out Warp, Overload, and her passive ability. Nobody else in this game can claim such utility as Miranda. All in all, Miranda is easily in the top three of best characters in the game.
Kasumi Goto- While Miranda is essential, Kasumi is friggin' broken. Improved Flashbang Grenades and Rapid Shadow Strike are just too good and... that's about it. She also has Overload for situations you don't bring Miranda but for Pete's sake, when you have someone who probably thinks to herself, "Now how should I destroy the enemy squad this time? Hmm, decisions decisions", then you know you've got someone insanely powerful. Like, I'm going to stop right here just because everyone should already know how good... never mind I'll move on.
Zaeed Massani- Zaeed isn't as ridiculous as Miranda or Kasumi but the bottom line is that his potential weapon damage is the highest in the game. He has the best possible weapon loadout combined with fantastic power choices and unlike the admittedly frail Miranda/Kasumi, Zaeed excels on his own. He also has total coverage over the three protections like Miranda, although not nearly to as intense of an extent. And with that insane damage boost, you're not going to cap all three powers anyway. You can pretty much just give Zaeed a perch then let him go to town with little or no direction from Shepard. On missions such as Horizon, this is a godsend. While some may disagree with me, Zaeed's durability and unparalleled damage output make him the best pure combat squadmate in the game.
A TIER:
Thane Krios- Thane is literally a hair away from being as good as Zaeed but falls short for one reason; packing a sub machine gun over an assault rifle hurts more than you think. Not to mention that Thane only covers two out of the three protections unlike the above three (Kasumi technically counts because of... you know...). In addition, Thane has to consider where to put his points. If Warp was his first power, Thane would be as good as anyone in S Tier but he has to spend points in Throw, which is... okay, but not Warp. Heavy Throw has its uses but it doesn't let Thane have access to Unstable Warp. As a result, Thane has some questionable power allocation and the worst bonus power in the game, possibly worst power period. Although he gets a lot of points for having a stupidly huge damage increase and good protection coverage.
Grunt- Allow me to be a bit condescending toward those who apply; Grunt never dies and if he does then you did something very wrong. Of course, that only applies to after Grunt gets Improved Fortification. Fortification combined with his health regeneration and assault rifles make him a good combat squadmate. However, he has issues dealing with any foe that requires finesse and his crappy power allocation means he can't have Squad Incendiary Ammo and Improved Fortification. Even though he isn't in S Tier, he's still a go-to squadmate that many people have rightfully used.
Garrus Vakarian- Garrus is actually a good counterpart to Zaeed because all of them have total protection coverage but due to how the power allocation works out, they can only max two of their powers (In case you need a pointer, Disruptor Ammo/Inferno Grenade for Zaeed and Concussive Shot/Armor-Piercing Ammo for Garrus). The ammo powers can be exchanged freely and both work well under cover. However, the fact remains that Zaeed just flat-out out-damages Garrus. Like Miranda, Garrus is at his best while working with someone who compliments his abilities. If you want him on his own merits, there is literally no practical reason to choose him over Zaeed.
B TIER:
Mordin Solus- I like this guy more than every other boring as hell squadmate (And most of them are) but I'm going to say it anyway: Mordin is THE most situational character in the game, bar none. Sure, he has his uses early on for when Collectors are beating your arse in and Miranda/Shepard warp spam isn't enough. Fun fact, Cryo Blast actually does the second most damage against barriers other than Warp. Oh, right. Against krogan and vorcha, Mordin is Jackie Chan in a ladder/rope/table/chair factory with a baby in his hand, a love interest suspended above a shark tank, a recently deceased master, and a comedic black cop buddy. And he doesn't want any trouble. Incinerate takes away armor, stops regen, detonates flamethrower tanks, induces frenzies, turns water to wine, cures cancer, and tells you the meaning of life. Neural Shock is also good after a well-timed Incineration Blast. Seriously, on Blood Pack or unprotected enemy missions, Mordin is as good as the S-listers. However, if he isn't facing vorcha or krogan, he's helpless. He's a man of extremes and if he isn't up against foes he dominates against, he's more vulnerable than a particularly loose 16 year old sophomore student with daddy issues.
Tali'Zorah Vas Neema- Before she got the Geth Shotgun, I'd have put her under Legion. However, the new shotgun buffs Tali considerably and combined with the sheer utility of Attack Done and Area Drone, she was almost an A-lister. The big one holding her back is that Tali is super situational. When she does work, she's attacking with powers and not weapons- being further away and peppering enemies with Area Drain and drone support. However, if the opponents don't have shields, she's more or less there for the drone and the drone isn't worth an entire combat slot when they're more like a lesser Grunt anyway.
Samara- In terms of powers, Samara is what Thane should be if he were perfect. Samara gets Heavy Throw and Area Reave which, combined with her weapon loadout, compliments her biotics well. However, she's helpless against shields because she has no way of stripping them quickly. For classes with no good way to deal with barriers, Samara is... not the best choice, but a damn good one and easily justifiable. Is she the best at anything? Not really. Is she the worst at anything? Not really. Does she need to be either? Not really.
Legion- Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you evidence number one of how power allocation can royally tear you a new one. If you want to spend all his points, you'll need to spend at least two in... AI Hacking? Why? It's goddamn worthless on Insanity because synthetic enemies are already so easy to take out with all the other more useful abilities. It's only good for three points because then you get access to drones, but then you can't max that out. Geth Shield Boost, however, is absolutely fantastic. As is the drone but due to horrible allocation, Legion can't get the best of both worlds. He's okay in terms of power but Tali is now much better, even with Legion's superior weapon loadout.
C TIER-
Jacob Taylor- I can imagine he's good at spilling drinks considering his screwed-up mouth is the most fascinating thing about him but in combat, Mr. Taylor is a middle man. He rarely flips situations in your favor but he's good at paving the way to victory. Incendiary Ammo can be squad-wide and Pull gives some good crowd control wen used with Unstable Warp. Jacob benefits Adepts the most but even then, there are several better options available.
Jack- If you haven't figured out what Jack is supposed to do in combat... okay, I won't be condescending this time but Jack can hide behind cover now due to Geth Shotgun like Tali but be closer to the frontline tossing out shockwaves that ravage unprotected foes. Warp Ammo is also fantastic with the squad upgrade and her exclusive biotic boost gives her Shockwave attacks 20% more damage than anyone else's. Remember those annoying Husks? No? Right, because Jack slapped their sh*t with Mordin dropping some mad beats. Horizon? These two will be dropping bombs on that place, ignoring that it already looks bombed. That said, Jack is really a one-trick pony and needs help to get the trick into place. After Husk's armor are gone, there's a metric ton of things you can do with other squadmates. Yeah, she's good for Husks, but she's not so good that you can't have Garrus Concussive Shot or... pick them off one by one.
Morinth- Morinth has some good aspects. A damn shame none of them compliment each other at all. Dominate is nice but defenses need to be gone first and she can't do that alone. She also has throw and pull but neither of those are fantastic by themselves. Every other squadmate has something that makes them functional by themselves but Morinth is the only one that NEEDS help from her squad. Some of you may be wondering why Morinth is down here while Samara is... slightly higher up. Well, Samara gets access to Reave. Need I say more?
