In Mass Effect 3, players are able to hijack an Atlas and use it to decimate enemies. However, removing the pilot while preserving the health of the Atlas can be tricky. Many Atlas' will have only a sliver of health or blow up as soon as gamers can interact with them.
There are a few things people can do to increase their chances of getting a healthy Atlas that can be used for a few minutes.
Aim For The Pilot
The only way to use a mech in game is to kill the pilot before the Atlas is destroyed. Before attempting to take out the pilot, the Atlas' shields will need to be down. People can take down the shields in a variety of ways, and limiting damage to the Atlas is essential. Next, players will need to focus their fire at the character inside of the vehicle's cockpit. Aiming for the head will kill them faster, but body shots are sufficient.
While gamers can hijack a mech using any weapon, accuracy and damage per shot are key. For that reason, snipers and heavy weapons are often the best choice when shooting at pilots through the small glass pane. Pilots have a very large health pool, especially on higher difficulties, so it will take a number of rounds to kill the pilot. If the pilot is dead, the mech will open up and gamers will be able to hop right in. Hopefully, the Atlas will be in good shape and can be used for the remainder of the mission.
Prevent the Atlas From Blowing Up
This has been a recurring issue since the original game was released years ago. A lot of players are unable to kill the pilot without destroying the entire Atlas. It is also possible for the Atlas to spontaneously implode despite having about 50% health. There are a variety of reasons why these unfortunate explosions are happening, and gamers have a few options if they are struggling. First, it should be noted that the first Atlas that players come across cannot be hijacked. For whatever reason, this is the case in the remastered version of the game as well.
A lot of people have found that if one of the enemies in the area is kept alive, the Atlas will usually remain intact after the pilot is killed. This tactic is not foolproof but will work the majority of the time. One of the biggest mistakes gamers make is forgetting to account for their teammates' fire. Shepard's companions will be dealing damage to the mech if they are close, so setting them far away is a potential solution. If those tactics fail, there is one final way everyone can hop in an Atlas and get the achievement, which is mentioned in the following section. BioWare is not trolling the player base, and hijacking an Atlas is 100% possible. Gamers will have a higher chance of success in the two locations below.
- Hijackable Atlas': Grissom Academy and Citadel
- Solution 1: Leave one enemy in the area alive
- Solution 2: Make sure companions are not damaging the Atlas
Grissom Academy Empty Atlas
Near the end of the Grissom Academy mission, there will be an enemy next to an empty Atlas. Kill the enemy and the 100% health Atlas is yours. It may not be as fun as getting the Atlas early in the mission, but at least people will be able to experience using it and collect the Atlas achievement. Anyone that fails on the first two mechs during the mission will always have this one as a backup.
Atlas Attacks
While in the Atlas, people can use the high caliber rifle, as well as the rocket launcher. Each Atlas has a powerful melee attack as well. Disappointingly, most of the hijackable mechs can only be used for a short period. It is common for the health bar to be extremely low, and at a certain point, the Atlas will not be able to fit through areas of the maps. Despite how challenging and frustrating the achievement is, everyone will want to put in the time to wreak havoc in the Atlas.