Jacob Taylor

Jacob Taylor: Combat Biotic & Tactical Asset

Jacob Taylor is a versatile squadmate, combining biotic abilities with solid combat prowess. As a former Alliance marine and current Cerberus operative, he brings a unique blend of offensive and defensive capabilities to your team. He's an excellent choice for players who need a reliable damage dealer with crowd control options, especially early in the game.

Jacob's Core Abilities & Tactical Applications

Jacob's ability set is straightforward yet effective, making him a strong companion against several enemy types. Understanding how to best use his powers is key to maximizing his potential.

• Pull: This biotic ability lifts unshielded or unarmored enemies into the air, rendering them helpless and vulnerable to attack.
  • Tactical Use:
    • Crowd Control: Excellent for isolating dangerous enemies or thinning out groups. Pull a charging Krogan Battlemaster or a flanking Varren to negate their threat.
    • Environmental Kills: On maps with ledges or open spaces, Pull can instantly kill enemies by sending them flying off the map.
    • Setting Up Combos: Lift an enemy with Pull, then follow up with a powerful weapon shot or another squadmate's ability for a quick kill.
  • Evolution Choices:
    • Heavy Pull: Increases damage and force. Good for single-target elimination.
    • Area Pull: Affects multiple targets within a radius. Ideal for crowd control against groups of weaker enemies like Husks or Collectors.
  • Best Against: Unshielded organics (e.g., Husks, Collectors, Vorcha, Blood Pack Troopers) and unarmored synthetics (e.g., Geth Troopers). Less effective against shielded or armored foes until their defenses are stripped.
• Incendiary Ammo: Loads Jacob's weapon with incendiary rounds, causing targets to burn and take damage over time. It also has a chance to panic organic enemies.
  • Tactical Use:
    • Armor Shredding: Highly effective against armored enemies, such as Krogan, YMIR Mechs, and armored Collectors. The damage-over-time effect bypasses armor damage reduction.
    • Organic Panic: Can cause organic enemies to flail around, making them easier targets and temporarily taking them out of the fight.
    • Persistent Damage: Useful for softening up tough enemies or finishing off weakened foes as they seek cover.
  • Evolution Choices:
    • Heavy Incendiary Ammo: Increases damage per shot and burn damage.
    • Squad Incendiary Ammo: Allows Jacob to apply Incendiary Ammo to the entire squad, significantly boosting overall team damage against armored and organic targets. This is often the preferred evolution for its team-wide utility.
  • Best Against: Armored enemies (e.g., Krogan, YMIR Mechs, Armored Collectors, Geth Destroyers) and all organic enemies. Less effective against shielded synthetics until shields are down.
• Barrier: A defensive biotic ability that creates a temporary shield around Jacob, absorbing incoming damage.
  • Tactical Use:
    • Increased Durability: Makes Jacob significantly tougher, allowing him to draw fire or push objectives more aggressively.
    • Emergency Defense: Activate when Jacob is under heavy fire or about to be flanked to prevent him from going down.
  • Evolution Choices:
    • Heavy Barrier: Increases the amount of damage the barrier can absorb.
    • Improved Barrier: Increases both barrier strength and duration.
  • Best Used: Proactively before engaging tough enemies or reactively when Jacob's shields are depleted.
• Jacob's Loyalty Power - Flashbang Grenade: A thrown explosive that stuns and disorients enemies in an area.
  • Tactical Use:
    • Area Denial/Stun: Excellent for temporarily neutralizing groups of enemies, buying time for your squad to reposition or focus fire.
    • Interrupting Abilities: Can interrupt enemy attacks or biotic charges.
  • Evolution Choices:
    • Heavy Flashbang Grenade: Increases damage and stun duration.
    • Area Flashbang Grenade: Increases the radius of the explosion, affecting more targets.
  • Best Against: Groups of unshielded/unarmored enemies, or to stun dangerous foes like Husks or Collectors.

Jacob's Unique Squad Bonus

Upon completing Jacob's loyalty mission, "Jacob: The Gift of Greatness," and evolving his loyalty power, he grants a unique bonus to Commander Shepard:

• Squad Incendiary Ammo (if evolved): If you choose to evolve Jacob's Incendiary Ammo into Squad Incendiary Ammo, Shepard gains access to this powerful ability, allowing you to equip it on yourself and your other squadmate. This is an excellent choice for boosting overall team damage, especially against armored enemies.
• Heavy Barrier (if evolved): If you choose to evolve Jacob's Barrier into Heavy Barrier, Shepard gains access to this defensive power, providing a significant boost to your own survivability.

The choice here depends on your playstyle and class. Most players find Squad Incendiary Ammo to be the more impactful bonus, as it dramatically increases the team's offensive capabilities against common enemy types.

Recommended Ability Evolutions for Jacob

For a balanced and highly effective Jacob, consider these evolutions:

• Pull: Area Pull (for superior crowd control)
• Incendiary Ammo: Squad Incendiary Ammo (for team-wide damage boost against armor and organics)
• Barrier: Heavy Barrier (to maximize his personal survivability)
• Flashbang Grenade: Area Flashbang Grenade (for maximum crowd control and utility)

Weapons & Gear

Jacob is proficient with Shotguns and Heavy Pistols. He also has access to Assault Rifles if you choose to unlock the Assault Rifle training for him during his loyalty mission.

• Shotgun: His primary weapon for close-quarters combat. The M-23 Katana or M-27 Scimitar are good early-game choices. The M-300 Claymore (if unlocked) makes him a devastating force at close range.
• Heavy Pistol: A reliable secondary weapon for mid-range engagements. The M-5 Phalanx or M-6 Carnifex are excellent choices.
• Assault Rifle (Optional): If you grant him Assault Rifle training, the M-8 Avenger or M-15 Vindicator can make him more versatile at longer ranges, especially when paired with Incendiary Ammo.

Focus on weapon upgrades that increase damage, accuracy, or clip size to maximize his combat effectiveness.

Synergies with Shepard & Other Squadmates

Jacob pairs well with several Shepard classes and other squadmates:

• Shepard (Adept/Vanguard): Jacob's Incendiary Ammo complements biotic explosions. Use Pull to lift enemies, then detonate with Shepard's biotics.
• Shepard (Soldier/Infiltrator): Jacob's Incendiary Ammo and Pull provide excellent support, allowing Shepard to focus on weapon damage or sniping.
• Miranda Lawson: Miranda's Warp and Overload can strip shields and armor, setting up Jacob's Pull or Incendiary Ammo for maximum effect.
• Garrus Vakarian: Garrus's Overload and Concussive Shot provide additional shield stripping and crowd control, allowing Jacob to focus on armored targets.
• Mordin Solus: Mordin's Incinerate and Cryo Blast are fantastic for stripping armor and freezing enemies, making them vulnerable to Jacob's attacks.

Common Pitfalls & Tips for Jacob

• Don't waste Pull on shielded/armored enemies: Until their defenses are down, Pull will have little to no effect. Focus on stripping defenses first.
• Positioning is key for Shotguns: If Jacob is using a shotgun, try to position him aggressively but safely to maximize his damage output.
• Prioritize Squad Incendiary Ammo: For most playthroughs, the team-wide damage boost from Squad Incendiary Ammo is more valuable than personal Barrier strength for Shepard.
• use Flashbang Grenade: Don't forget his loyalty power! It's a powerful tool for stunning groups and interrupting dangerous enemies.

By understanding Jacob's strengths and weaknesses, and strategically evolving his abilities, you can turn him into a formidable and indispensable member of your squad, capable of handling many combat scenarios.