Husk

Husks are biomechanical zombie-like creatures created by the Reapers from other species in order to serve as foot soldiers, as well as an instrument of psychological warfare against other species the Husks once belonged to.

Creation
Husks are created by impaling a sentient victim on a device nicknamed "Dragon's Teeth." Gradually, the skin, organs and fluids of the victim are converted into cybernetic materials. While Husks typically display behaviour and intelligence compared to that of Zombies, others are heavily modified to gain new abilities the original species is not capable of.

History
Husks represent the ground infantry forces of the Reapers, former organic lifeforms converted into mindless cybernetic monsters. Husks were likely to have been present during the Reapers' previous galactic harvests, aiding them in eradicating other sapient species they were once part of. Many Protheans indoctrinated by the Reapers gradually deteriorated physically and mentally, necessitating considerable cybernetic modification by the Reapers to prolong their usefulness. These modified Protheans, now known as Collectors, could be argued to be a form of Husk.

The first officially recorded encounter with Husks took place during the first contact war between Humans and Turians. After becoming indoctrinated by Reaper technology, Dominus Arterius turned several of his fellow Turians into Husks he referred to as "Meta-Turians" which he claimed was the next stage of Turian evolution. He and his creations were killed by his brother Saren, with the aid of a Human mercenary.

When the Reaper known as Sovereign attacked the Human colony of Eden Prime with an army of Geth, numerous Dragon's Teeth devices were deployed, converting many of the colonists into Husks. Despite their attempts to destroy the colony and the evidence of their involvement, Husks and Geth alike were destroyed by Commander Shepard. During Shepard's mission to track down Saren Arterius, Human-derived Husks were encountered near sites of Reaper technology or Cerberus' bioweapon experiments. These Husks were also deployed by Sovereign on the Citadel with the Geth Heretics in a failed attempt to eliminate Shepard.

During their mass abductions of Human colonies, the Collectors fielded Human-derived Husks to support their ground forces in defending their operations, including Abominations, Scions and even Praetorians. When Shepard fought the Collectors on Horizon, the presence of the Husks was considered proof of the Collectors' allegiance to the Reapers. Husks were also encountered aboard the Collector Cruiser and Collector Base, presumably converted from some of the Humans they abducted for the construction of the Human-Reaper. They were all wiped out when Shepard either destroyed the Collector Base or purged its occupants for Cerberus.

Throughout the course of the Reaper War, the Reapers made extensive use of Husks as their armies, supported by Collectors, controlled Geth and indoctrinated Humans from Cerberus. The fall of Kar'shan and Earth supplied the Reapers with a huge surplus of Human and Batarian-derived Husks (the latter of which are known as Cannibals). When the Reapers attacked Palaven, numerous Turians were processed into Husks. During this time, the Reapers captured/cloned a Rachni queen in order to produce Rachni-Husks known as Ravagers, while also splicing Turian and Krogan bodies to create Brutes. Afterwards, the Reapers attacked an Asari monastery, converting the Ardakt-Yakshi within into Husks known as Banshees. During their experiments with Reaper tech, Cerberus created Husk-like bioweapons known as Adjutants, which they unleashed on the Omega space station.

Ultimately, the fate of the Husks is tied to the fate of the Reapers. If Shepard chooses for the Crucible to destroy the Reapers, all synthetic life in the galaxy is eradicated, including the Husks. If Shepard chooses to control the Reapers, the Husks cease all hostilities and retreats to the Reapers. If Shepard chooses synthesis, the Husks become docile and harmless as all organic and synthetic life is merged, creating the possibility of peaceful coexistence with the Reapers.

Variants

 * Husk: Former Humans converted for use by the Reapers, the standard Husk will mindlessly run towards hostiles and attempt to maul them. Due to the apparent ease in killing them, Husks are reliant on numbers as their primary advantage.
 * Abomination: Similar to standard Human Husks, albeit with red colouration, Abominations will self-destruct as their primary form of attack.
 * Cannibal: Husks created from converted Batarians, Cannibals serve as front line troops and are armed with an automatic arm cannon. Cannibals are named for their ability to rapidly heal and grow chitinous armour by consuming the remains of dead Husks.
 * Marauder: Husks converted from Turians, Marauders serve as field commanders for Reaper forces. Equipped with personal energy shields and modified Turian weaponry, Marauders are also capable of projecting chitinous armour onto nearby Husks and Cannibals.
 * Banshee: Husks derived from Asari, Banshees make extensive use of biotic powers to inflict devastating damage on the Reapers' enemies. This biotic aptitude may be factored towards by the Reapers only converting Ardakt-Yakshi, Asari with enhanced biotic powers as a side effect of a rare neurological disorder.
 * Brute: A unique variant of Husk, Brutes are an amalgamation of Turian and Krogan, fused and maintained by Reaper technology. Brutes are heavily armoured, highly aggressive and can inflict extreme damage at melee range.
 * Ravager: Husks converted from Rachni, Ravagers serve as living artillery turrets. Although they can inflict major damage at long range, Ravagers are vulnerable to damage towards the sacs on their undersides. However, bursting these sacs will release Swarmers in retaliation.
 * Scion: A fusion of three Human Husks, Scions are heavily armoured and armed with an arm cannon.
 * Praetorian: A construct made from thirty Husks, Praetorians are heavily armoured, shielded and armed with particle beams, a "death choir" area-of-effect attack and claws. As evident by the design of its armour, the Praetorian is designed and utilised by the Collectors.
 * Harvester: A Husk made from a large winged creature of the same name, Harvesters are heavily armoured, armed with head-mounted cannons and serves as an aerial troop transport for ground-based Husks.
 * Adjutant: A biological weapon created by Cerberus using Reaper technology, Adjutants function as pack hunters in service to the terrorist organisation during their occupation of Omega. Distracting their targets with whispers before ambushing them with unstable mass effect fields, and infecting them to convert them into new Adjutants. Some xenobiologists have theorised the Adjutant virus was derived from a long-extinct species wiped out by the Reapers.

Appearances

 * Mass Effect (2007)
 * Mass Effect 2 (2010)
 * Mass Effect 3 (2012)