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Mass Effect 2 |OT2| The Den Of Xenophiles

I've always kicked myself for buying Arrival

The Arrival is complete crap, but it did have some nice character moments (my purely Paragon Shepard
shot the lead scientist
and then chose to
willingly go on the run
.) Plus, I talked with the guy that designed it at SDCC and he said that it does indeed affect ME3, so we'll see.
 

AEREC

Member
Im currently going through ME2 to get ready for ME3 next year. Ive already played Mass Effect 2 on the 360 when it released but lost all my saves at some point so I replayed ME1 a year and a half ago and now Im replaying ME2.

Ive never played any of the DLC and Im wondering which order I should play it in?

I always assumed I should beat Vanilla ME2 then go to Shadow Broker then Arrival...but I heard thats not the case. So which order should I play the base game and DLC's for the story to make the most sense (no DLC spoilers please)?
 
I always assumed I should beat Vanilla ME2 then go to Shadow Broker then Arrival...but I heard thats not the case. So which order should I play the base game and DLC's for the story to make the most sense (no DLC spoilers please)?
There's only one that really needs to be played in "order."


I would recommend just playing any of the DLC whenever you like, but save "The Arrival" for the very last either before the final run of ME2 or after you beat the game (I'd say post-game).

You might consider waiting until you reach Illium and do some more stuff before doing "The Lair of the Shadow Broker." It really won't matter much, but it will feel a bit more natural going into it. Everything else is free game, though.
 
One of the big disappointments I've had with BioWare DLC is that you can do them anytime. It worked for DA:O, but not at all for ME2.

Whoever decided that Arrival could be played at any time during the main campaign is a moron.
 
One of the big disappointments I've had with BioWare DLC is that you can do them anytime. It worked for DA:O, but not at all for ME2.

Whoever decided that Arrival could be played at any time during the main campaign is a moron.

No actually it's not. If you do it before the Collector ship (or whatever mission you figure out that Reaper are controlling Collectors you don't see the
Reaper
at the end but a Collector
 
No actually it's not. If you do it before the Collector ship (or whatever mission you figure out that Reaper are controlling Collectors you don't see the
Reaper
at the end but a Collector

I know that, but the entire mission in itself, if played before the end of the game, trivializes the entire point of the suicide mission and the Collectors.
 

Jarmel

Banned
I know that, but the entire mission in itself, if played before the end of the game, trivializes the entire point of the suicide mission and the Collectors.

No it doesn't. It reduces it but the suicide mission had to be done. They explain this in ME3 that you would have had to assault the base sooner or later.
 

AEREC

Member
There's only one that really needs to be played in "order."


I would recommend just playing any of the DLC whenever you like, but save "The Arrival" for the very last either before the final run of ME2 or after you beat the game (I'd say post-game).

You might consider waiting until you reach Illium and do some more stuff before doing "The Lair of the Shadow Broker." It really won't matter much, but it will feel a bit more natural going into it. Everything else is free game, though.

Thanks for the reply...I guess I will just play it normal up until Illium and then do Shadow Broker and possibly overlord after that.

One of the big disappointments I've had with BioWare DLC is that you can do them anytime. It worked for DA:O, but not at all for ME2.

Whoever decided that Arrival could be played at any time during the main campaign is a moron.


Hmm..thinking about deleting the Arrival DLC until after I beat the game now anyways...I just finsihed getting off the cerberus base and am on my way to meet the illusive man for the first time.
 
Hmm..thinking about deleting the Arrival DLC until after I beat the game now anyways...I just finsihed getting off the cerberus base and am on my way to meet the illusive man for the first time.

Just don't do it, is all. Save it. No need to delete it if you already have it installed.
 

Rokam

Member
Wish I would've known beforehand to instantly use the Omega 4 instead of finishing up sidequests.
Now people are dead and I don't have a save to get back to before it was activated sigh.
Looks like I'll have to do another playthrough before 3 because I'm a perfectionist :/.
 
Wish I would've known beforehand to instantly use the Omega 4 instead of finishing up sidequests.
Now people are dead and I don't have a save to get back to before it was activated sigh.
Looks like I'll have to do another playthrough before 3 because I'm a perfectionist :/.

Pro Tip : do everything BEFORE going for the IFF.
 

Rokam

Member
Question, say I want to do New Game+ in ME2, if I import the character I just complete 2 with, which was an import from ME1, do all my decisions from ME1 carry over?
 

LogicStep

Member
Hey guys, I'm playing the game for the first time to completion and I'm hooked on it. So far I only need to help out Mordin, Grunt, and Thane to be done with the character specific missions. I had some trouble with the Paragon stuff, once with Jack and now with Tali. After helping Jack she was arguing with Miranda and I had to take sides, I couldn't use either of the Paragon or Renegade dialogue options. Same thing happened with Tali's trial. How do I get full on Paragon status? I have been doing all the right dialogue choices for that but I guess I haven't done enough? I have barely put any points in my skill that raises the Paragon status thinking it would be better to hold off on it for a while to get the most out of it but maybe I should have done it from the start?

Also, how does NG+ work? Do I keep my Paragon level or is that reset? I keep my character level and weapons right? What else do I keep? What would be the best option for me now if I want to beat the game full paragon and keep everyone alive at the end? I still haven't done the IFF mission but I know Jack will be dying by the end of my game...
 
If you're super worried about paragon/renegade things, try to do the more minor missions first. There are some that can help boost your levels a little bit, but the best way to have higher levels is just importing a ME1 from the start.

Even if you couldn't choose something like Tali's paragon option during her mission, if you just keep choosing the more "paragon" side, you'll keep building towards that.


If you're someone really concerned about dialogue options, yes, you should have been building in those options earlier on. You never know when you'll run into another option that you might have wanted to boosted your stats up to.

You do keep your paragon and renegade levels in NG+, so if things don't go just how you want it, never fear. Also, be sure to make a save before going on your final run. Report back to us after you beat the game, keep track of what choices you make, and tell us what's up. There might be a chance you could redo it and cover your bases, depending on what things are like in that save.

Pretty sure you keep money, weapons/armor, paragon/renegade, level/experience, and I think you keep your minerals/stuff from planet harvesting. I might be wrong, but fairly certain that's what it is.
 

Dany

Banned
Question, say I want to do New Game+ in ME2, if I import the character I just complete 2 with, which was an import from ME1, do all my decisions from ME1 carry over?

Yep, they sill recognize the decisions and the world state as you left it in ME1

Hey guys, I'm playing the game for the first time to completion and I'm hooked on it. So far I only need to help out Mordin, Grunt, and Thane to be done with the character specific missions. I had some trouble with the Paragon stuff, once with Jack and now with Tali. After helping Jack she was arguing with Miranda and I had to take sides, I couldn't use either of the Paragon or Renegade dialogue options. Same thing happened with Tali's trial. How do I get full on Paragon status? I have been doing all the right dialogue choices for that but I guess I haven't done enough? I have barely put any points in my skill that raises the Paragon status thinking it would be better to hold off on it for a while to get the most out of it but maybe I should have done it from the start?

Also, how does NG+ work? Do I keep my Paragon level or is that reset? I keep my character level and weapons right? What else do I keep? What would be the best option for me now if I want to beat the game full paragon and keep everyone alive at the end? I still haven't done the IFF mission but I know Jack will be dying by the end of my game...

You always have to be paragon and those confrontations between Miranda/Jack are best done in the late game where you'd have enough paragon points spent. You may be able to talk to Jack if you had enough paragon points down in the lower level, unless she told you to fuck off.

I don't think you keep paragon level, you keep character level but not weapons. You get a bonus in resources, I remember that. Finish all the loyalty/requirements and research your ship before IFF. I know there are ways to keep Mordin alive if he isn't loyal but IDK about jack.

If you feel prepared for the IFF/Omega relay then go do it, the game does a good job showing how to keep folks alive if you are aware.
 

LogicStep

Member
If you're super worried about paragon/renegade things, try to do the more minor missions first. There are some that can help boost your levels a little bit, but the best way to have higher levels is just importing a ME1 from the start.

Even if you couldn't choose something like Tali's paragon option during her mission, if you just keep choosing the more "paragon" side, you'll keep building towards that.


If you're someone really concerned about dialogue options, yes, you should have been building in those options earlier on. You never know when you'll run into another option that you might have wanted to boosted your stats up to.

You do keep your paragon and renegade levels in NG+, so if things don't go just how you want it, never fear. Also, be sure to make a save before going on your final run. Report back to us after you beat the game, keep track of what choices you make, and tell us what's up. There might be a chance you could redo it and cover your bases, depending on what things are like in that save.

Pretty sure you keep money, weapons/armor, paragon/renegade, level/experience, and I think you keep your minerals/stuff from planet harvesting. I might be wrong, but fairly certain that's what it is.
So if people die, it won't matter in a NG+? I asked about my Paragon level because if I can get it all perfect on a NG+ then I'll just beat it and do that. If I can't then I would just restart right now.
 
Hey guys, I'm playing the game for the first time to completion and I'm hooked on it. So far I only need to help out Mordin, Grunt, and Thane to be done with the character specific missions. I had some trouble with the Paragon stuff, once with Jack and now with Tali. After helping Jack she was arguing with Miranda and I had to take sides, I couldn't use either of the Paragon or Renegade dialogue options. Same thing happened with Tali's trial. How do I get full on Paragon status? I have been doing all the right dialogue choices for that but I guess I haven't done enough? I have barely put any points in my skill that raises the Paragon status thinking it would be better to hold off on it for a while to get the most out of it but maybe I should have done it from the start?

Success is based off of a percentage - but not the percentage you think it is or even the bar they show on the screen. It's a percentage of every possible choice available in the game up to that point. So if you've got 10 total choices and did 4 paragon, 2 neutral, 2 renegade and never saw two of them, then your percent is 40%. That's one of the hardest conversations in the game to succeed at.

The whole thing is explained over at the bioware forum.
 

LogicStep

Member
Success is based off of a percentage - but not the percentage you think it is or even the bar they show on the screen. It's a percentage of every possible choice available in the game up to that point. So if you've got 10 total choices and did 4 paragon, 2 neutral, 2 renegade and never saw two of them, then your percent is 40%. That's one of the hardest conversations in the game to succeed at.

The whole thing is explained over at the bioware forum.

So if I keep my paragon and renegade levels on a NG+ that means I'm screwed? I have to restart and make sure I do everything paragon?
 

Rokam

Member
Biowares robotic companions tend to be more badass and interesting than any other characters..why is this? Legion's entrance was pretty awesome. Also, speaking of which was it ever stated why he's wearing a piece of Shepard's armor?
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Still no idea what the best mod for 360 pad support is? Or is joy2key my best bet? Not that I don't want to play with kb but still.
 

LogicStep

Member
Man what an amazing game! I just beat it. I just bought the DLC and it's downloading, can't wait to play again through the game and the DLC. Going to beat it two more times, one for perfect Paragon and one for Renegade.
 

Rokam

Member
Well decided to start a replay of 1 and 2, yeah I just got done yesterday on my first run through so what! Bitch Shepard is go...
 

LogicStep

Member
So I saw somewhere the supposedly Miranda is sidelined in ME3, is that right? I was considering going with Tali for the romance option for the ME3 import character. Wonder if romance options affect anything...
 

LogicStep

Member
I have a question, if anyone could answer I'd appreciate it.

So I finished the game and I chose to keep playing since I haven't finished the DLC missions, after I'm done with the DLC (shadowbroker and arrival) I can just save and all of that will carry over to ME3 or am I supposed to do the DLC before going to the final mission for it to work on ME3?
 
I have a question, if anyone could answer I'd appreciate it.

So I finished the game and I chose to keep playing since I haven't finished the DLC missions, after I'm done with the DLC (shadowbroker and arrival) I can just save and all of that will carry over to ME3 or am I supposed to do the DLC before going to the final mission for it to work on ME3?

No idea, I know that Dragon Age has had this problem. Not sure if Mass Effect does or not.
 

Patryn

Member
I have a question, if anyone could answer I'd appreciate it.

So I finished the game and I chose to keep playing since I haven't finished the DLC missions, after I'm done with the DLC (shadowbroker and arrival) I can just save and all of that will carry over to ME3 or am I supposed to do the DLC before going to the final mission for it to work on ME3?

You can do it after. It's been said that the game doesn't do a "status" save when you win. Rather, you'll simply load any save from a game where you have completed the Suicide Mission.
 

AEREC

Member
Finally finished my insanity run in preparation for ME3...now just gotta do Overlord, LotSB, and Arrival (in that order). Insanity wasnt too bad with my Engineer, the only part that gave me trouble was the collector ship and the first fight on the moving platforms, but I think thats mainly due to who I had in my squad at the time (Miranda and Samara). Later in the end game I used Miranda and Thane with squad shredder ammo and tore through collectors very quickly.

Does doing Overlord after the suicide mission have any inconsistencies if you went the paragon route and
defied the illusive man and quit cerberus, since it is a cerberus mission and you are not working for them anymore
?
 

Complistic

Member
Biowares robotic companions tend to be more badass and interesting than any other characters..why is this? Legion's entrance was pretty awesome. Also, speaking of which was it ever stated why he's wearing a piece of Shepard's armor?

probably because they all move and talk like robots anyways.
 

Patryn

Member
Finally finished my insanity run in preparation for ME3...now just gotta do Overlord, LotSB, and Arrival (in that order). Insanity wasnt too bad with my Engineer, the only part that gave me trouble was the collector ship and the first fight on the moving platforms, but I think thats mainly due to who I had in my squad at the time (Miranda and Samara). Later in the end game I used Miranda and Thane with squad shredder ammo and tore through collectors very quickly.

Does doing Overlord after the suicide mission have any inconsistencies if you went the paragon route and
defied the illusive man and quit cerberus, since it is a cerberus mission and you are not working for them anymore
?

No more than recruiting Kasumi and Zaeed for the Suicide Mission after you've already done it.

Basically, the game won't acknowledge that it makes no sense.
 

AEREC

Member
probably because they all move and talk like robots anyways.

hmm..Legion isnt as cool or funny as HK-47, but maybe thats because you get him pretty much at the end of the game.

Hopefully ME3 will flesh him out more if he lived in your game.

Actually has Bioware said how they will handle characters like that? Given the fact that most characters can die, it's seems liek it would be a lot of work for them if they had any substantial role in ME3.

Im guessing they are going to wipe the squad slate clean again...but I would love to see Thane, Garrus, Tali and Legion have a significant role in ME3.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
hmm..Legion isnt as cool or funny as HK-47, but maybe thats because you get him pretty much at the end of the game.

Hopefully ME3 will flesh him out more if he lived in your game.

Actually has Bioware said how they will handle characters like that? Given the fact that most characters can die, it's seems liek it would be a lot of work for them if they had any substantial role in ME3.

Im guessing they are going to wipe the squad slate clean again...but I would love to see Thane, Garrus, Tali and Legion have a significant role in ME3.

Bioware introduced way too many new characters in ME2, its going to be impossible to please everyone who had characters they love. They will probably have no choice to make their role minimal if they're going to put them all in. People will shit on Bioware yet again thanks to that.
 

Patryn

Member
hmm..Legion isnt as cool or funny as HK-47, but maybe thats because you get him pretty much at the end of the game.

Hopefully ME3 will flesh him out more if he lived in your game.

Actually has Bioware said how they will handle characters like that? Given the fact that most characters can die, it's seems liek it would be a lot of work for them if they had any substantial role in ME3.

Im guessing they are going to wipe the squad slate clean again...but I would love to see Thane, Garrus, Tali and Legion have a significant role in ME3.

From what's been shown and said, it sounds like the core of your main squad is the ME1 squad, while the ME2 squad will either be cameos or supporting roles.

However, it's entirely possible that they may have larger roles, but there's been no indication of that.
 
From what's been shown and said, it sounds like the core of your main squad is the ME1 squad, while the ME2 squad will either be cameos or supporting roles.

However, it's entirely possible that they may have larger roles, but there's been no indication of that.

And it is a shame. that make the entirety of ME2 pointless
 
Bioware introduced way too many new characters in ME2, its going to be impossible to please everyone who had characters they love. They will probably have no choice to make their role minimal if they're going to put them all in. People will shit on Bioware yet again thanks to that.
And rightly so. If you don't have good forethought for handling your actors, don't give them leading roles on stage.


Yeah, most likely, if they do let you have a lot of returning members, they'll be very much like they are in the DLC episodes: standing in the background not saying anything while Shepard does everything.

Or they'll send you an email.
 

AEREC

Member
One of the big disappointments I've had with BioWare DLC is that you can do them anytime. It worked for DA:O, but not at all for ME2.

Whoever decided that Arrival could be played at any time during the main campaign is a moron.

After having just finished The Arrival (which was pretty good...but maybe thats because I was expecting crap based on all the bad reviews), I dont see why it couldnt be played before the suicide mission. The ending of it made it sound like
you delayed the invasion
so you are free to finish destroying the collectors.

I played Overlord, LotSB, and Arrival after the suicide mission and each time I finished one, I realized they each fit in the story better when they come before the Suicide Mission.
 

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
After having just finished The Arrival (which was pretty good...but maybe thats because I was expecting crap based on all the bad reviews), I dont see why it couldnt be played before the suicide mission. The ending of it made it sound like
you delayed the invasion
so you are free to finish destroying the collectors.

I played Overlord, LotSB, and Arrival after the suicide mission and each time I finished one, I realized they each fit in the story better when they come before the Suicide Mission.

Well you could play it before, it's just that based on what you learn in Arrival, you could probably avoid the suicide mission altogether if you just
destroy the mass relay that leads there
. I played all the DLC after beating the game, and honestly none of them is so directly tied into the main narrative that it affects the flow of the story at all. The only exception is LotSB, which I think works better after you finish the game since its ending seems to lead towards some huge ramifications for ME3.

My favorite DLC though is Overlord. That choice you have to make at the end, when you discover the "plot," gave me shivers. I mean I was playing Renegade Shepard and it was REALLY hard for me not to go the Paragon route...
 
After having just finished The Arrival (which was pretty good...but maybe thats because I was expecting crap based on all the bad reviews), I dont see why it couldnt be played before the suicide mission. The ending of it made it sound like
you delayed the invasion
so you are free to finish destroying the collectors.
The reason Arrival doesn't work as well BEFORE finishing the game is- (some very light ME3 spoilers too)
when you speak to the bad guy hologram at the end, it will be the head Collector guy instead of Haribinger. It just feels weird that he's the one issuing the "You're all gonna die because we're super evil!" threat instead of the actual Harbinger. Plus, the deaths of all of the batarians is supposedly the immediate leaping-off point for the plot in ME3, so it would be curious that you were free to skip about through space doing whatever you pleased only to be summoned to court much later.
 
First time playing Mass Effect. So I just started a new game. I'm wondering if I can play a character archetype and be rewarded appropriately for playing that type of archetype. In Alpha Protocol, the different stats boosts you get from conversations related to your answers and playstyle.

I choose Vanguard and want to play a fairly aggressive style on the battlefield and in conversations. Will I have to bend my character to answer "correctly" in certain situations else I won't be rewarded?
 

rozay

Banned
Who do you guys think are going to be the worst 2 characters to keep alive for ME2? Currently attempting to keep only Zaeed and Morinth alive through the suicide mission (along with killing anyone else possible in the previous game and this one) for my newest playthrough.

First time playing Mass Effect. So I just started a new game. I'm wondering if I can play a character archetype and be rewarded appropriately for playing that type of archetype. In Alpha Protocol, the different stats boosts you get from conversations related to your answers and playstyle.

I choose Vanguard and want to play a fairly aggressive style on the battlefield and in conversations. Will I have to bend my character to answer "correctly" in certain situations else I won't be rewarded?
Sadly ME2 did a terrible job with this-if you want to be able to use certain paragon or renagade conversation options (the red and blue colored ones), the game keeps track of the points you have in each path along with the total amount of points you could have got so far, so you're punished if you play the game by switching between paragon and renegade responses since you won't have enough points in either path to be able to use the important red/blue responses. If your definition of aggressive is tending towards the renegade responses and actions, you'll be fine.

(to clarify, generally the top of the dialog circle are paragon choices and the bottom ones are renegade)
 
Sadly ME2 did a terrible job with this-if you want to be able to use certain paragon or renagade conversation options (the red and blue colored ones), the game keeps track of the points you have in each path along with the total amount of points you could have got so far, so you're punished if you play the game by switching between paragon and renegade responses since you won't have enough points in either path to be able to use the important red/blue responses. If your definition of aggressive is tending towards the renegade responses and actions, you'll be fine.

(to clarify, generally the top of the dialog circle are paragon choices and the bottom ones are renegade)
Sounds like a fairly binary decision. Too bad, I hope ME3 does a better job allowing your actions and decision to flow more easily like Alpha Protocol.
 

Sai

Member
Who do you guys think are going to be the worst 2 characters to keep alive for ME2? Currently attempting to keep only Zaeed and Morinth alive through the suicide mission (along with killing anyone else possible in the previous game and this one) for my newest playthrough.


Sadly ME2 did a terrible job with this-if you want to be able to use certain paragon or renagade conversation options (the red and blue colored ones), the game keeps track of the points you have in each path along with the total amount of points you could have got so far, so you're punished if you play the game by switching between paragon and renegade responses since you won't have enough points in either path to be able to use the important red/blue responses. If your definition of aggressive is tending towards the renegade responses and actions, you'll be fine.

(to clarify, generally the top of the dialog circle are paragon choices and the bottom ones are renegade)
There's something of a little meta-game you can do with all the morality choices throughout the game that'll allow you to choose the higher-end Paragon and Renegade choices. Saw a thread at the Bioware forums that went in detail about it, but I've never tried it personally. From what I got out of it, it won't allow you to make every choice you'd normally like to in between, and you probably won't be able to do missions and assignments in your usual order either...

Personally, the morality point exploits sound more appealing. :p
 
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