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[The Lamonster]

Spoiler

No. There is a confrontation in the game, similar to Miranda and Jack.

Thanks! I was able to mediate that one just fine and I'm confident my Paragon is high enough to do the same in this situation.

 

[Myomoto]

Really enjoyed Zaeed's

Spoiler

loyalty mission

. If the DLC is anything like that, I will gladly purchase.


On an unrelated note, are the planets the same, as far as materials is concerned? Or does the strategy guide show where to find the best metals? I need platinum! Lots and lots of platinum!

Planets aren't the same for sure. I know that dwarf planets found in asteroid belts are pretty rich on Element Zero. Don't really know how the other materials fit in.

 

[Agnates]

Just finished my first playthrough. It was much better than the first Mass Effect. I really liked it. It still needs more creative combat and bosses/challenges though.

 

[careful]

I watched the documentary videos that came with the Deluxe edition and they were demonstrating/touting the ability to curve your biotic powers behind corners and shit. I have done this myself a few times, but I don't know how I did it. In the video, it looked like the player just aimed at the target until the HUD would highlight it, then he'd aim to the right/left of it (taking the HUD highlight indicator off of the enemy in the process) and launching a biotic. It then curved around the cover point and pulled him away from it. When I try this, it doesn't work and just shoots whatever direction I'm aiming instead of homing in on the target.

I've had a blast throwing / warping ever since I found out how to throw curves. You have to aim away from the target in the direction you want the curve, but make sure the enemy still has the "target box" around it. It's incredibly fun.

 

[The Lamonster]

I've had a blast throwing / warping ever since I found out how to throw curves. You have to aim away from the target in the direction you want the curve, but make sure the enemy still has the "target box" around it. It's incredibly fun.

Is it possible to launch Reave around a corner or does it not work like that?

 

[EatChildren]

I wonder if ME3 or DLC will dig deeper into the mystery of Preying Mouth;

"A hydrogen-helium gas giant, Preying Mouth is a ship-killing enigma - the Bermuda Triangle of the Terminus Systems. There are many theories why ships never return from there: undetectable space debris: old disruptor torpedoes and magnetic mines from a long-forgotten war; even miniature black holes. But what is clear is that too many ships have been lost there for it to be happenstance.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: Due to the large number of ships lost when attempting to discharge their drive cores in Preying Mouth, the Relic system highly recommends using First Land's complimentary discharge stations instead."

 

[The Lamonster]

Damn, I love ARs and it sucks that they made an awesome one for the game but I can't ever have it. Wish they would've printed more Collector's Editions

I'm willing to gift some MS points to someone for working Collector's Edition codes.

PM if interested.

 

[JayDubya]

How pleasant.

There's a planet where abolishing the minimum wage is referred to as an "ugly violation of sapient rights" and equivalent to slavery.

Oh, Canadians. And I was having such a fun time with the game, before that silliness. Oh well, one planet out of who knows how many with flavor text I almost never read. :lol I wonder if there's any other gems like that.

I'll probably find them as I go planet hunting for that L30 achievement. I wonder if it's even possible in your first playthrough, if you were L60 in ME.

 

[Coxswain]

And I was having such a fun time with the game, before that silliness.

I really, really, really hope you're not just saying that and that it totally ruined the game for you, because that would be hilarious

 

[Doytch]

How pleasant.

There's a planet where abolishing the minimum wage is referred to as an "ugly violation of sapient rights" and equivalent to slavery.

Oh, Canadians. And I was having such a fun time with the game, before that silliness. Oh well, one planet out of who knows how many with flavor text I almost never read. :lol I wonder if there's any other gems like that.

I'll probably find them as I go planet hunting for that L30 achievement. I wonder if it's even possible in your first playthrough, if you were L60 in ME.

Srsly? Canada? Yeah, I guess Jack Ambramoff is still totally regarded as a cool guy in the States.

Clarifying before this goes anywhere: You're entitled to your politics, but don't act like the rest of the world or even America shares them.

 

[ili0926]

Oh, Canadians. And I was having such a fun time with the game, before that silliness. Oh well, one planet out of who knows how many with flavor text I almost never read. :lol I wonder if there's any other gems like that.

It should be noted that Bioware is located in Alberta, Canada's most conservative province. Plus the Doctors attended the Ivey School of Business and Queen's School of Business, two of Canada's most prestigious business schools, so I'm sure they fully understood the inefficiencies of price floors.

...though I guess they probably didn't write that bit. Just saying.

 

[JayDubya]

I really, really, really hope you're not just saying that and that it totally ruined the game for you, because that would be hilarious

Well, I stopped playing long enough to sulk and post on GAF about it. :'( That's not ruining the game, but it is just silly, and fortunately relegated to a planet text.

But that won't stop me from lining Bioware's coffers with more collector's edition luchre, like I've been doing since BG2. I'll even support The Old Republic when it comes out, and that's coming from somewhere I hold in even less regard than Canada: Austin! (shudder)


Come to think, they handle similar topics in a more morally nuanced, interesting way on Ilium.

 

[HooCares]

Game arrives tomorrow.

I played and beat Mass Effect 1 - unfortunately I don't have the save anymore so I'll be starting fresh, playing ME2 on Veteran. I was a Vanguard that game and basically shotgunned people in the face. It was fun, though the new class system seems to have made each more distinct which is nice.

For ME2, what class? Interested in Soldier, Vanguard, and Infiltrator.

Soldier - is the bullet time ability fun? Can you use it in boss fights? How are assault rifles? Are they fun to use? Too powerful? It looks like all classes can use a sub-machinegun now. Does this make Assault rifles redundant somewhat?

Vanguard - is the main strategy just warping around and shotgunning people in the face?

Infiltrator - Never sniped in ME1. Is it viable to defeat bosses or just normal enemies? Is the cloak gimmicky or really helpful in some situations?

Any opinions advice welcomed. Thank you.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Thanks but I've already passed that section. I'm at the very end where I have to face the Praetorian boss.

I guess I'll just take a break and see if I can beat it tomorrow, i need to get some shut eye.. It's only 5:54 in the morning.

Man this game can really hook you for hours...

This is what I did:

Spoiler

I noticed that the boss only targeted me, so I found an area with cover and just kept it between he and I the entire time. Basically going in a circle so he wouldn't get a clear shot at me. Every now and then I would shoot a few shots at him and hit him with some biotics, but I let my squadmates do most of the damage. At the end I got out and ended him, when his armor was nothing and his health was really low.

 

[EatChildren]

Infiltrator - Never sniped in ME1. Is it viable to defeat bosses or just normal enemies? Is the cloak gimmicky or really helpful in some situations?

Sniper is amazing for everything. The Infiltrator is just as good here as it was in the original. Cloaking can be used to escape, but since combat is so full on and usually in smallish areas there's nowhere to get away to. For me it just functions the same as the Assassination skill in the original; activate it and you can deal a huge amount of extra damage. Cloak + Widowmaker sniper rifle rips through everything.

You also get access to the machine pistol/sub machinegun class, as well as the heavy pistol. You've got Disrupter and Cryo rounds too, so you're set for neary every situation. Incinerate seemed useless but I never bothered to max it out.

 

[JayDubya]

Soldier - is the bullet time ability fun? Can you use it in boss fights? How are assault rifles? Are they fun to use? Too powerful? It looks like all classes can use a sub-machinegun now. Does this make Assault rifles redundant somewhat?

Respectively...

Yes, and yes. Slowing down time is immensely helpful. If you upgrade it all the way, it also becomes a damage reduction power, though if you'd rather be a sniper, you can increase slow-down instead. It's very helpful against bosses, either way.

Assault rifles are wonderful, especially if you get the bigass one in the first major Disc 2 mission. Very fun. I don't know about TOO powerful, but I've been playing on Insanity, and since getting that gun, I'm no longer hurting for ammo or needing to switch guns very often.

I also use Inferno Ammo L4 with it, and have all the upgrades, so yeah, Shepard can pile the hurt on with a good assault rifle.

Assault rifles are strictly better than SMG in almost every category; SMG are still useful if that's all you have. If the flavor text is to be believed, SMG may be better than AR at stripping Shield / Barrier, but then, there's also two AR's that are built around that (Geth Pulse, Collector's).

Vanguard - is the main strategy just warping around and shotgunning people in the face?

Yup! Pretty fun. Haven't tried it on Insanity yet. Don't think it'd work nearly as well.

Infiltrator - Never sniped in ME1. Is it viable to defeat bosses or just normal enemies?

Sniping is quite viable in killing many humanoid bosses, though sniper rifles are not particularly good at dealing with Shields or Barriers. That's situational, though - a good headshot with enough SR upgrades can frequently compensate for the damage you'd lose - you just have to punch through that first layer.

Many bosses will have three healthbars: Shields or Barrier, then Armor, then Health. You'd want to AR or SMG the shields or barrier away, while also using your allies' Warp / Overload.

Actually, on Insanity, the SR was a godsend on the boss fight to get Grunt.

Spoiler

You have to kill her, and fast, or you will get wiped. YMIR mechs are quite nasty on Insanity, as are infinitely spawning krogans.

 

[Killthee]

I'll probably find them as I go planet hunting for that L30 achievement. I wonder if it's even possible in your first playthrough, if you were L60 in ME.

It's possible.

 

[Ephemeris]

Finally finished! Spoiler tags are finally safe. 60hours, damn. What a ride.

 

[Revelations]

I'll probably find them as I go planet hunting for that L30 achievement. I wonder if it's even possible in your first playthrough, if you were L60 in ME.

Its even possible with a lvl 50 import.

 

[JayDubya]

Its even possible with a lvl 50 import.

Oh good. It was looking like I was running out of content. :lol They really nickle and dime you on the side quest xp. 125 for most of them.

 

[Warnen]

EA finally got around to fixing my CE problem. To bad I finished my 1st play thru on monday :lol

Could have used the armor and gun, oh well.

 

[The Lamonster]

EA finally got around to fixing my CE problem. To bad I finished my 1st play thru on monday :lol

Could have used the armor and gun, oh well.

Did you already use up the code or do you want to trade me for some MS points?

Is it possible to launch Reave around a corner or does it not work like that?

anyone?

 

[Socreges]

Shephard's voice actor is horrible. He sounds forever disinterested, inauthentic, and not remotely unique. And what I don't understand is that if the other voices are at least competent, why wouldn't they just have those people voice Shephard?

Is the beginning sequence the only part of the game that is this packed with story and dialog? I feel like I spend a few seconds shooting, several seconds running, and then minutes talking to other people. If it's meant to introduce the story and does change later on, then I understand and think it makes perfect sense. But it's got me concerned.

I don't have anything positive to say yet since I just haven't played very much. I'm sure it'll grab me soon, so I won't comment on the game otherwise yet. I just wanted to gripe about the dialog.

(No, I've never played the first Mass Effect.)

 

[JayDubya]

It's funny, I had all that hub-bub about getting all the items, and then I find I don't use any of them. Well, the Collector's Rifle was nice on shaving off shields, so I usually gave that to Garrus or Grunt.

I bet the Incisor Rifle is really useful, though. A SR that targets shields would be a godsend against Blue Suns or Geth.

 

[EatChildren]

Shephard's voice actor is horrible. He sounds forever disinterested, inauthentic, and not remotely unique. And what I don't understand is that if the other voices are at least competent, why wouldn't they just have those people voice Shephard?

Is the beginning sequence the only part of the game that is this packed with story and dialog? I feel like I spend a few seconds shooting, several seconds running, and then minutes talking to other people. If it's meant to introduce the story and does change later on, then I understand and think it makes perfect sense. But it's got me concerned.

I don't have anything positive to say yet since I just haven't played very much. I'm sure it'll grab me soon, so I won't comment on the game otherwise yet. I just wanted to gripe about the dialog.

(No, I've never played the first Mass Effect.)

Its an extremely heavy dialogue/story game so you better get used to it.

Should have picked Fem Shep. Hale does a better job with the voice work.

I bet the Incisor Rifle is really useful, though. A SR that targets shields would be a godsend against Blue Suns or Geth.

Apparently its pretty crap. Chews through ammo too quickly without dealing enough damage. Seems to be better than the basic rifle, but surpassed by the other two.

 

[Lakitu]

Shephard's voice actor is horrible. He sounds forever disinterested, inauthentic, and not remotely unique. And what I don't understand is that if the other voices are at least competent, why wouldn't they just have those people voice Shephard?

Is the beginning sequence the only part of the game that is this packed with story and dialog? I feel like I spend a few seconds shooting, several seconds running, and then minutes talking to other people. If it's meant to introduce the story and does change later on, then I understand and think it makes perfect sense. But it's got me concerned.

I don't have anything positive to say yet since I just haven't played very much. I'm sure it'll grab me soon, so I won't comment on the game otherwise yet. I just wanted to gripe about the dialog.

(No, I've never played the first Mass Effect.)

The game is all about those scenes, the dialogue. If you can't accept that then unfortunately it isn't for you.

 

[JayDubya]

Apparently its pretty crap. Chews through ammo too quickly without dealing enough damage. Seems to be better than the basic rifle, but surpassed by the other two.

Well good, that'll kill my grass-is-greener impulse.

 

[Lifejumper]

I hope that there will be more ME games after the trilogy.
There are so many possiblilities to further explore the universe of Mass Effect.

 

[HooCares]

EatChildren and JayDubya,

Thank you for the impressions. Looks like I'm down to Infiltrator or Soldier.

Hhhmmm.... Assaults or Snipers - Bullet Time or Cloaking....

May have to be a gametime decision when I first boot it up.

I plan to play a badass, get's the job done, no nonsense character (ie. probably more renegade) - does that impact combat abilities or your class very much?

Thanks again for your detailed posts.

 

[Jinjo]

Finished this today. Awesome, awesome game.

Spoiler

Everyone survived too. Fuck yeah.

So when this game came out people were saying the facejam when getting hit is story-related. However upon finishing it I did not encounter any explanation. Can anyone explain or am I just remembering wrong?

 

[Patryn]

Shephard's voice actor is horrible. He sounds forever disinterested, inauthentic, and not remotely unique. And what I don't understand is that if the other voices are at least competent, why wouldn't they just have those people voice Shephard?

Is the beginning sequence the only part of the game that is this packed with story and dialog? I feel like I spend a few seconds shooting, several seconds running, and then minutes talking to other people. If it's meant to introduce the story and does change later on, then I understand and think it makes perfect sense. But it's got me concerned.

I don't have anything positive to say yet since I just haven't played very much. I'm sure it'll grab me soon, so I won't comment on the game otherwise yet. I just wanted to gripe about the dialog.

(No, I've never played the first Mass Effect.)

If you're not that far along, restart and try a FemShep. See if that changes your opinion. (FemShep > MaleShep by a country mile)

 

[The Lamonster]

So when this game came out people were saying the facejam when getting hit is story-related. However upon finishing it I did not encounter any explanation. Can anyone explain or am I just remembering wrong?

No explanation. It's stupid.

 

[Shake Appeal]

How pleasant.

There's a planet where abolishing the minimum wage is referred to as an "ugly violation of sapient rights" and equivalent to slavery.

Oh, Canadians. And I was having such a fun time with the game, before that silliness. Oh well, one planet out of who knows how many with flavor text I almost never read. :lol I wonder if there's any other gems like that.

I laughed mockingly at this post.

 

[EatChildren]

EatChildren and JayDubya,

Thank you for the impressions. Looks like I'm down to Infiltrator or Soldier.

Hhhmmm.... Assaults or Snipers - Bullet Time or Cloaking....

May have to be a gametime decision when I first boot it up.

I plan to play a badass, get's the job done, no nonsense character (ie. probably more renegade) - does that impact combat abilities or your class very much?

Thanks again for your detailed posts.

Soldier can still use sniper rifles, you know. I dont think he gets the brief slow-down when you zoom in with the scope though.

Just think about the style you'd like to play. Soldiers are all about being...well, a soldier. You can handle pretty much every gun, and your powers are about ammo and shooting. The bullet-time is there for you to deal as much damage as possible with your guns. Soldiers are in the thick of it.

Infiltrators are about being careful with your shots. Capable of taking most everybody down, but making sure you use the right weapons and powers in the right situations. Heavy pistols and snipers dont hold a whole lot of ammo (except for the semi-auto sniper) so you always make sure you're dealing maximum damage.

 

[dofry]

Aaaargh. I thought I did not have the ME1 save games as the importer did not show them in the game. Just noticed yesterday that I do have them and could import them through the ME2 launcher configuration utility. The problem is that I already player about 15-20 hours in.
It's going to be a chore to plow through the beginning, again.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I'm actually really glad that Mass Effect shies away from the horrible RPG trend of making "choice" boil down to "this or this polar opposite thing".

What.

No, really...

Did I play a different Mass Effect 2?

 

[Jinjo]

No explanation. It's stupid.

I was hoping for some intricate plottwist or even just an explanation, but yeah, now it's just stupid. Then again, it would've been stupid even if there was an explanation.

 

[JayDubya]

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, no. In a first-person game, it could make sense, but would still be annoying. Here, our overhead camera guy is just getting veiny for good reason.

 

[The Lamonster]

Here, our overhead camera guy is just getting veiny for good reason.

That's what she said?


edit: I'm so sorry.

 

[JayDubya]

That's what she said?

What is this I don't even

 

[Arde5643]

EatChildren and JayDubya,

Thank you for the impressions. Looks like I'm down to Infiltrator or Soldier.

Hhhmmm.... Assaults or Snipers - Bullet Time or Cloaking....

May have to be a gametime decision when I first boot it up.

I plan to play a badass, get's the job done, no nonsense character (ie. probably more renegade) - does that impact combat abilities or your class very much?

Thanks again for your detailed posts.

infiltrator stuffs here:

Cloak makes all enemies stop attacking you although you might still get hurt from random fire or explosions.
Assassin cloak + assassin specialization + the right ammo type = 200% damage on your sniper shot.
Other than that, infiltrators also get a time slowdown ability whenever they aim with the sniper rifle.
And, the final sniper rifle, the widow, obliterates any type of enemy defenses (shield, barrier, armor).

If you like sniping, the infiltrator is the only class for you. Just be aware of the low ammo count with the sniper rifles.

If you prefer versatility with your shooting, the soldier's the one to choose.

 

[Dyno]

Assault rifles are wonderful, especially if you get the bigass one in the first major Disc 2 mission. Very fun. I don't know about TOO powerful, but I've been playing on Insanity, and since getting that gun, I'm no longer hurting for ammo or needing to switch guns very often.

Once I found the Revenant AR my need to use the other weapons went down quite a bit. It's like an M249 LMG: a bit inaccurate but destructive as hell with a big magazine and lots of spare ammo too boot. Once you upgrade with an accuracy buff and some more damage you have a thing that hates all life.

With a fully upgraded Disruption Ammo path you have an unholy weapon that kills Geth and shielded mercs faster than the health bar appears.

What are people's favourite special weapon? I'm building them all just because. I want to like the Nuke Cannon but it takes a while find enough ammo to fire it and then the enemy usually isn't worthy of all that destruction.

So far the only one that really agrees with me is the Collector Particle Cannon. It's a beast with a lot of ammo, bascially a weapon in line with the Revenant AR.

 

[The Lamonster]

Once I found the Revenant AR my need to use the other weapons went down quite a bit. It's like an M249 LMG: a bit inaccurate but destructive as hell with a big magazine and lots of spare ammo too boot. Once you upgrade with an accuracy buff and some more damage you have a thing that hates all life.

With a fully upgraded Disruption Ammo path you have an unholy weapon that kills Geth and shielded mercs faster than the health bar appears.

What are people's favourite special weapon? I'm building them all just because. I want to like the Nuke Cannon but it takes a while find enough ammo to fire it and then the enemy usually isn't worthy of all that destruction.

So far the only one that really agrees with me is the Collector Particle Cannon. It's a beast with a lot of ammo, bascially a weapon in line with the Revenant AR.

I'm a soldier too. Completely agree with this post. My two main weapons are the Rev AR and the Particle Cannon. I alternate between fully maxed inferno ammo and fully maxed disruptor ammo, hotlinked to each bumper button. I only pull out the heavy weapon when I'm scared for my life.

It's pretty awesome how addictive the shooting is in this game, considering it's an RPG.

 

[Arde5643]

Once I found the Revenant AR my need to use the other weapons went down quite a bit. It's like an M249 LMG: a bit inaccurate but destructive as hell with a big magazine and lots of spare ammo too boot. Once you upgrade with an accuracy buff and some more damage you have a thing that hates all life.

With a fully upgraded Disruption Ammo path you have an unholy weapon that kills Geth and shielded mercs faster than the health bar appears.

What are people's favourite special weapon? I'm building them all just because. I want to like the Nuke Cannon but it takes a while find enough ammo to fire it and then the enemy usually isn't worthy of all that destruction.

So far the only one that really agrees with me is the Collector Particle Cannon. It's a beast with a lot of ammo, bascially a weapon in line with the Revenant AR.

Once my infil started using the widowmaker, I don't really use any of the heavy weapons anymore besides having the flamethrower handy for charging enemies.

Cloat + widow + right ammo >>>>>>>>> any heavy weapon

 

[Arde5643]

I'm a soldier too. Completely agree with this post. My two main weapons are the Rev AR and the Particle Cannon. I alternate between fully maxed inferno ammo and fully maxed disruptor ammo, hotlinked to each bumper button. I only pull out the heavy weapon when I'm scared for my life.

It's pretty awesome how addictive the shooting is in this game, considering it's an RPG.

A Pinnacle station DLC will be tits for ME2.

 

[Socreges]

The game is all about those scenes, the dialogue. If you can't accept that then unfortunately it isn't for you.

I honestly don't think I can accept that. I'm interested in the story/universe, but ultimately I'd much more like to play the game and fuck up some robots/aliens than listen to some dudes drone on about backstory -at such a proportion, I mean-.

To begin with, I'll switch to the female Shep. Then I'll play a bit deeper in and see if it lightens up any. But what you're all telling me is that the beginning of the game (going through the space station, meeting Jacob, chick killing Wilson) is fully representative of how story-intensive the rest of the game is? Maybe I could just ask the questions that get me out of the dialog the fastest, but it does sort of bother me to be skipping information that the game sort of meant for me to know. Though it is optional for a reason. (thinking aloud here, but hoping that someone does provide some insight or an opinion!)

 

[Jrmint]

The AR you guys are referring to, is that the one you get on

Spoiler

the collector ship

as a Soldier? First playthrough was Infiltrator for me and it gave me a godly sniper, so I am assuming that is the equivalent AR?

 

[The Lamonster]

A Pinnacle station DLC will be tits for ME2.

True, yet some fans complained about Pinnacle Station so that means Bioware will just end up scrapping it for ME2

The AR you guys are referring to, is that the one you get on

Spoiler

the collector ship

as a Soldier? First playthrough was Infiltrator for me and it gave me a godly sniper, so I am assuming that is the equivalent AR?

Correct. I want to know if that is the final AR you will get? In one of the trailers, Shep was using an AR that fired blue bullets...

 

[Arde5643]

The AR you guys are referring to, is that the one you get on

Spoiler

the collector ship

as a Soldier? First playthrough was Infiltrator for me and it gave me a godly sniper, so I am assuming that is the equivalent AR?

I think only soldiers can get the revenant LMG - all other classes just get the regular AR.

So yes, but only for soldiers.

True, yet some fans complained about Pinnacle Station so that means Bioware will just end up scrapping it for ME2

That's simply because combat in ME1 is more akin to an alien anal probe (long, painful, tedious, boring, lots of waiting).

 

[zero margin]

So I guess I will wait for DLC to play through it again.