Old Skinner

Learn how to defeat Old Skinner, Kadara's Architect, in Mass Effect: Andromeda. This guide covers its attacks, weak points, and strategy for victory.

Alright, so you've finished up the main quest on Kadara and helped Christmas Tate get the settlement off the ground. Now, some weird cultists are worshipping a giant machine called "Old Skinner," and Tate wants you to check it out. Sounds like a job for the Pathfinder!

Your first step is to head to Kurinth's Valley, way up in the northwest corner of the map. Hop in the Nomad and follow the mountain trail. You'll pass a poisoned Angaran settlement, so keep an eye out. Once your objective marker turns into a search area, ditch the Nomad and investigate west of the road. You'll find Bishop's Datapad and, uh, Bishop himself. Not a great look for him.

Now, turn north. You'll spot Old Skinner, also known as Kadara's Architect, floating around. Make your way around or through the lake to confront it. When it lands, it'll lower some Remnant platforms, which are perfect for cover. If you've fought an Architect before, on Eos or Voeld, you know the drill. It's got three main attacks: a super-fast laser barrage, a volley of sticky mines, and a big, charged-up laser blast that leaves electricity on the ground. It cycles through these, so you'll need to react. The mines and the big laser mean you'll have to move from cover, while the rapid-fire laser means you need to find some!

Your targets are its conduits: three on its legs and one on its head. Damaging these will eventually lower its shields around one set, leaving the other exposed. So, you'll be focusing on either the head or the legs at any given time. Keep an eye out, though – sometimes it'll shield all its conduits and summon reinforcements. Expect Nullifiers and Breachers to show up when this happens.

When you destroy a leg conduit, the Architect will move to a new spot. The first couple of locations are pretty straightforward, with those Remnant platforms for cover and no real environmental hazards. Just keep dodging its attacks, dealing with any summoned Remnant, and chipping away at those conduits.

The third location is a bit trickier. It'll fly up to higher ground, and you'll need to jump up a series of Remnant platforms to reach it. You can use the highest platform for cover, but it really limits your movement. It's better to head north or northeast off those platforms and find some Remnant barriers on the ground to use for cover instead.

Once you've taken out all four conduits, head to the Architect's downed head, hack it, and grab the loot. Taking down this big guy nets you 400 AVP, +10% Kadara viability, and 530 XP. Inside the chest, you'll find a Remnant Data Core and the Fusion Mod of Battering I.