Mass Effect General Discussion (spoilers)

I don't really like computer games. I was raised on consoles and using a keyboard and mouse just doesn't feel right. I have a program that lets me use a gamepad for almost all PC games but even still, the interfaces can be a bit screwy.

I've been thinking about trying the Neverwinter Nights games but I dunno. Basically my "plan" right now is to at least replay ME 2. That is definitely gonna happen. ME 1 and 3 might happen also.

Just killing time until next month wheN i can get Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

Okai then. Well, I'll just hold off CRPG recommendations until one day when you get bored enough to want to try them out

Hey, Nikkolas. Be a Vanguard. You won't regret it.

Vanguard is best Shepard.

All other classes' unique skills are available to squadmates, except the Vanguard's.

Vanguard is always my go-to class, because I am a sucker for the Magic Knight archetype. There is such a visceral satisfaction from suddenly slamming into an anemy from across the field and shooting them at point-blank range.

Damn near impossible to play one on higher difficulties though.

edited 25th Mar '15 2:18:39 PM by GutstheBerserker

Nova-cancelling, son. You're fucked on 2 though.

I'm trying this Vanguard build in Mass Effect 3 where you use a defensive bonus power like Barrier(maxed out 30% damage reduction) and combine it with the 50% damage reduction for 4 seconds after every Biotic Charge for a maximum of 80% damage resistance every Charge. It's pretty nice and it can work on Insanity. You just need to keep Charge's recharge speed at 4 seconds or less and you can just shotgun blast guys while taking little damage until your next Charge.

...I just upgraded Nova and Charge to their highest levels, tossed on some Cerberus Inferno Armor, grabbed a Wraith (and only a Wraith), and spammed the shit outta everything.

So I've been reading and some people don't like Harbinger.

What up with that?

Everything about him was awesome I thought. In fact, his lack of importance in 3 is one of its greatest failings.

Because he barely has an actual place in the story (other than the end I can't remember him having any lines besides "Assuming Direct Control"), and really only affects combat by swapping in a stronger enemy.

...he's the leader of the Reapers and the one controlling the Collectors against you for all of 2.

Also I can name a bajillion of his lines because they are all awesome. I think my favorite might be "I am the Harbinger of your perfection!"

Also "Sentient beings need never fear pain."

Harbinger added an almost benevolent approach to the Reapers, or at least a more alien one. He's still immensely egotistical but, unlike Sovereign, he isn't just interested in killing everyone because....everyone sucks?

edited 25th Mar '15 11:41:34 PM by Nikkolas

I think its mainly because they were nostalgic for Sovereign. That or they thought he talked too much. I personally liked his hamminess

Harbinger was supposed to feel like the Collector general, and it being a Reaper was supposed to be somewhat of a twist...

Still, yeah, a bit of a waste in 3, but the reapers there were plainly a force of nature that were already there, wrecking stuff, so dialogue being beneath them would be quite in character anyway.

Harbinger going kaboom would be a good climax for 3 tho.

Also, now 3 refuses to launch, despite working just fine 3 days ago. Goddammit Origin...

EDIT: So basically I had to check "do not use Origin in game" to launch it, then uncheck it as it loads so it doesn't close...

God fucking dammit Origin.

edited 26th Mar '15 1:22:55 AM by Eriorguez

Also, whenever I get around to doing my new run of the ME games, I'll play Vanguard.

Okay...the Saga of Nikkolas Shepard has begun.

In ME 2. I thought about replaying ME 1 and then I remembered playing ME 1 and realized that wasn't going to happen. Let the Mako burn in eternal hellfire.

Gonna try it on Normal. I beat that one mission on Hardcore my last run! And I've beaten the game once already so I figured I was ready for Normal.

Let's see - Vanguard, Colonist Sole Survivor. This is the build a buddy of mine said I should have gone with because he thought it matched my old Shepard best ie. it justified some of my Fem Shep's crazier decisions. PTSD ya know? But yeah, trying to do everything different was why I chose it. It's very different from Earthborn Ruthless. I contemplated the War Hero thing since I'm going for Paragon Run but it still sounds cheesy and lame and so I rejected it.

The little comic thing was interesting. Still, since I'm doing everything different, I had to pick other things. Didn't romance Liara or Ash, Wrex is dead, saved Ash instead of Kaidan, let the Council die and....uh....oh yeah! Anderson is on the Council now instead of Udina.

A neat surprise was that apparently my achievements let me unlock a special power at the start of the game. I honestly wasn't sure which one to choose.... I settled on Reave. People online say it's a good power for a Vanguard.

Not really sure how I'm gonna RP this Shep.... I don't want to be some damned boy scout. I read this discussion in this thread earlier on - Paragon is only a boy scout in ME 1 and all that. I just want my Shep to feel....less that he's some "I'm her to save the day!!!" guy and more just a simple man doing what he feels is right, in his own small way. I also want him to have his own issues bogging him down. Gonna help me relate t Jack, who I might romance. Her or Miranda. It's a tough call.

Does pursuing one romance lock you out of another? I am curious because, there will be one majorly OOC thing I do and that is taking Morinth instead of Samara. Again, for the purpose of just making things different and seeing another side of the story. But I was curious if I could romance Miranda or Jack but still get the fucked up ending with Morinth.

edited 26th Mar '15 8:08:47 AM by Nikkolas

Funny thing in ME 2 is that you can romance and dumb everyone in row :P So yeah, romance doesn't lock you on a path, but if you happened to hit triggers on everyone you can romance, its annoying when you try to talk to them and they are like "Yeaaah, this isn't going to work out if you are dating someone else" (Morinth thing can be done regardless of whether you have romance going on or not)

(And note that you could still play through ME 1 eventually just so you will get Conrad events. If nothing else, then by putting difficulty on casual and using new game plus Shep :p Though I guess that doesn't solve Mako's annoyance... Well, on that I can say only that it helps if you avoid mountains)

edited 26th Mar '15 8:15:43 AM by SpookyMask

Well won't I still get Conrad in this game? I didn't import a save where he died so I figure the default situation for 2 would be him alive.

He's supposed to be at the one club, not Aria's club, but Eternity. I forget where it is but I'd find it easily enough when it comes time.

I just didn't much like ME 1 in general...I think the writing was really weak compared to the next two games.

edited 26th Mar '15 8:18:27 AM by Nikkolas

Actually, defaults in ME 2 assume you didn't do any of the sidequests in previous games unfortunately. Thats why I pondered about loading saves.

Find a good save to load online, or just abuse the hell out of the save editor to simulate having played it. 1 is decent but loses replayability the quickest, due to not so well defined classes, need of having certain squadmates to be able to open every computer and vault, and Mako shenanigans.

As for backstories, Spacer War Hero makes the more beliveable pure Paragon: Idealistic by upbringing and by merits. Just like Earthborn Ruthless makes for a very good Renegade, and Colonist Sole Survivor makes a good PTSD soldier who can engage in unpredictable behaviour.

Also, do not let Wrex die if playing paragon. Renegade choices then Paragon in the consequences tend to be the worst outcome possible (case in point: the Rachni: Full Paragon gives you the Rachni as assets in 3, full Renegade gives you a boost to Aralakh Company, but Renegade then Paragon gives you no assets AND a penalty to the alliance engineers).

You don't want the Krogan led by Wreav if you are going to solve them the Paragon way. Specially if you don't save Eve.

edited 26th Mar '15 9:34:33 AM by Eriorguez

Perhaps I should amend it to Paragrade instead of Paragon. As I said, my main interest is in doing things differently and since most of my choices last time were Renegade, most of my choices this tie will be Paragon. But in the cases I made the Paragon Choice last time, I'll make the Renegade choice this time. For example, I probably won't save the genophage data from ME 2.

Also I just realized something. See, I was thinking about how the Reapers are presented as this OH MY GOD POWERFUL race ya know. They're way better than everyone else. So I wanted to think "who is second best?"

And of course the obvious answer is the Leviathans. But I wasn't sure about their status as of ME 3. How many of them are left? Because, now Shepard has gotten them to actually do stuff again, say the Reapers are defeated. Are the Leviathans going to try and re-establis their old empire? Nobody could fucking stop them if they did.

The "saving Eve" conditions have always felt to me as the most "unfair" consequence of a previous decision in the games. Because it is determined by a secondary decision in a secondary mission - the main focus on the mission is Mordin dealing with the consequences of his actions, and seeing how Maelon was affected. Then you are presented with a two-part "save or delete" decision - where renegade and paragon switch between the two parts (iirc, first saving the dataé is renegade, then after Mordin talks it becomes paragon).

Then this thing becomes instrumental in solving peacefully an entire race in 3. It's consistent, sure, but it is rather easy to miss.

Compare to Tali's LM where her being found innocent or guilty is the main focus of the action. Imagine if the peace between Geth and Quarians was only possible depending on Shepard's final words to the board ("Good luck in the war"/"Don't go to war"): it's pretty much what happens with Eve's survival.

We saw three Leviathan deal with one Reaper, but that's it. Their numbers are probably extremely low, and their spheres are then used on troops, not on Reaper ships. If the entire galaxy banded against the Leviathans, they would be exterminated in short order.

edited 26th Mar '15 10:36:21 AM by Julep

I played my main Fem Shep as a Paragon Ruthless Colonist. Way I played it out is that she harbors a deep hatred of the batarians, and was completely willing to throw her squad in Torfan through the meat grinder just so she can perform a massacre against the slavers, double-tapping everyone with a shot through the limbs, then one through the chest to let them die slowly, even the ones who tried to surrender.

Cue to after the events of Torfan that she learns that revenge failed to even quiet the voices in her nightmares; if anything, Torfan added to them. She regrets her actions, not because her nightmares have worsened, but because of all the lives she wasted on that bloody place. So she strives to be a better leader, even with the title "Butcher of Torfan" following her around. Which is why she tries to take the least bloody paths whenever involved with her squad, like not shooting Saleon on sight, killing Wrex, and everything else.

it makes sense for the options to be switched, though. Renegade is (supposed to be) defined as a pragmatic, practical leader, while Paragon is the idealistic side. Even then, it should come to no surprise that the data would play an important role in the sequel. I had a feeling the data would play into the third game, so it was one of the few renegade choices I went with. It makes sense that the data is already closer than anything the salarians or Mordin would have, since the idea of a cure isn't even on their minds until Mordin had that change of heart between ME 2 and 3.

edited 26th Mar '15 11:48:46 AM by ITNW1989

I've got a fanfic where I have an Earthborn Sole Survivor Paragade. He was born an orphan and joined the Reds at young age where he learned to basically be a confidence trickster. After as-yet-undisclosed incident where he burned ties with the Reds, he joined the Alliance for protection.

He's basically always looking for a family within the people he fights with. Which made Akuze pretty bad for him.

Well, level 59, 7535 total war assets, ready to go Citadel, then some mutiplayer before tackling the endseries...

Been a good rerun this one.

I'm a boring Paragon except for the most satisfying Renegade interrupts, like shoving that merc out the window.