Biotic powers will generally do extra damage when used against biotic barriers, while tech powers will generally do extra damage against shields. Most damage powers are capable of doing bonus damage against various types of enemy protection (i.e. In Mass Effect 2, many powers now do large amounts of damage and can be used as an ammo-saving alternative to weapons for defeating enemies even on higher difficulties. The category a power belongs to will determine which upgrades apply to it. Powers in Mass Effect 2 are divided into four categories: biotic, combat, tech, and newly introduced ammo powers that can modify weapon damage (for more on ammo powers, see the Weapons page).
