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Mass Effect 3 |OT| Space Jesus Returns (tag all spoilers)

The Chef

Member
I took quite an extended break from playing. I can barely even remember the last thing I did but I am definitely pretty far into it. I sat down to start it up again and am completely overwhelmed with how many missions I have stacked up. Its getting insane.
How can I tell what missions are storyline and which are sidequests? I just want to beat this stupid game so badly.
 
Major sidequests and priority missions are tagged on the galaxy map even when you don't have the cursor on the system they're in.

The sidequests that aren't given to you by Hackett or character sidequests are probably just "go here get this," and you can pretty much ignore those.
 

The Chef

Member
Major sidequests and priority missions are tagged on the galaxy map even when you don't have the cursor on the system they're in.

The sidequests that aren't given to you by Hackett or character sidequests are probably just "go here get this," and you can pretty much ignore those.

When I am on my Galaxy map there are like 8 locations that are flashing. So how do I tell which is a main storyline?
 

Sai

Member
So I just tried out all of the "unofficially" released weapon mods that were included with Leviathan. All of them seem to work okay, except for the new AR and Sniper Scopes; so I excluded them. And they all add like 50 points onto weight... I circumvented that by adding both the SMG and Pistol Lightweight Material mods to all of my weapons. :D

You can stack the new High-Velocity/Heavy Barrels for all weapons onto the damage/penetration mods already present in the game.

Edit : nvm i know what you mean... if you never do
Grissom Academy before the Citadel attack, that's when she appears as a Phantom.
Correct. Once you get to
the labs of Cerberus HQ, there's a datapad that has audio logs of Jack being experimented on. And once you start fighting enemies where Cerberus is keeping what's left of the Human Reaper, she's that first Phantom that leaps onto the platform—there's dialouge and everything.

Too bad Morinth didn't get similar treatment. But then, it's not like Bioware ever gave you a good reason to choose her over Samara, besides getting her Bonus Power, Dominate, unlocked(and even then, you can revert to an older save, choose Samara, and still keep Dominate).
 

Bladenic

Member
Quick question, if I opt to import my ME2 character to ME3, can I still do a New Game+ with the same character in ME2 later on?
 

Bladenic

Member
Great.

First impressions... why is walking so slow and sluggish this time? ME2 walking was a lot faster. I'm talking when you have your weapon out. So slow.

Otherwise, the opening can't really compare to the second game honestly. Good to see Ashley back though, talk about a big upgrade in looks for her. Who is this James Vega fool though?
 
Great.

First impressions... why is walking so slow and sluggish this time? ME2 walking was a lot faster. I'm talking when you have your weapon out. So slow.

Otherwise, the opening can't really compare to the second game honestly. Good to see Ashley back though, talk about a big upgrade in looks for her. Who is this James Vega fool though?

Hes the result of Freddy Prinze Jr's deal with Satan.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Great.

First impressions... why is walking so slow and sluggish this time? ME2 walking was a lot faster. I'm talking when you have your weapon out. So slow.

Otherwise, the opening can't really compare to the second game honestly. Good to see Ashley back though, talk about a big upgrade in looks for her. Who is this James Vega fool though?

Never felt like walking was slower... then again there is no limit on how long you can run compare to ME2... so it's not really an issue.
 

Bladenic

Member
Holy shit the constant running feels so good.

Fuck, I'm loving this game. Running around the Citadel, recruiting random people, helping people, being a badass. Just.. fuck it's awesome. And this is the best Citadel ever, thank God too since it was lackluster in ME2.

Question about romancing. I haven't met Miranda yet but I'm assuming she is not recruitable. I romanced her in 2, but will it be worth it to keep her in this game? How developed will the romance be if she's not around all the time?
 

Sai

Member
Question about romancing. I haven't met Miranda yet but I'm assuming she is not recruitable. I romanced her in 2, but will it be worth it to keep her in this game? How developed will the romance be if she's not around all the time?
From what I can recall, it doesn't really amount to much. And because of how little is involved, I don't think I can really say anything about it without spoiling it for you.

But honestly, it's pretty stale even for the folks you can romance on your squad; though they are given a slightly bigger role in the EC cutscenes though.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Yeah its better to take one of your ME3 squad for romance since you get an extra cutscene with them near the end of the game that you wouldn't get if you stay loyal to a ME2 character or take someone like Cortez or Traynor that never follow you in combat.
 

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Holy shit the constant running feels so good.

Fuck, I'm loving this game. Running around the Citadel, recruiting random people, helping people, being a badass. Just.. fuck it's awesome. And this is the best Citadel ever, thank God too since it was lackluster in ME2.
=

I loved it to.


Then you have to revisit it a good 16+ times over the course of the game just to see if anything's changed, on every single level. This will take almost an hour of your time, everytime.
 

nel e nel

Member
Correct. Once you get to
the labs of Cerberus HQ, there's a datapad that has audio logs of Jack being experimented on. And once you start fighting enemies where Cerberus is keeping what's left of the Human Reaper, she's that first Phantom that leaps onto the platform—there's dialouge and everything.

Too bad Morinth didn't get similar treatment. But then, it's not like Bioware ever gave you a good reason to choose her over Samara, besides getting her Bonus Power, Dominate, unlocked(and even then, you can revert to an older save, choose Samara, and still keep Dominate).

Actually,
Morinth shows up as a Banshee during the London mission
. Unless you're talking about her also getting audio logs.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I loved it to.


Then you have to revisit it a good 16+ times over the course of the game just to see if anything's changed, on every single level. This will take almost an hour of your time, everytime.

Well, once you've beaten the game, you know you only really need to visit the whole Citadel for new quests on only 2 occasions. The first time you visit it, and after
Cerberus attacks it.

As far as i know, you only go back to the Citadel after these 2 times to complete quests or buy new items for a cheaper price than on the Normandy. There's no point to explore everything each time you visit the Citadel otherwise.
 

Sai

Member
Actually,
Morinth shows up as a Banshee during the London mission
. Unless you're talking about her also getting audio logs.
Well, not necessarily audio logs, but a related mission like Grissom Academy would've been nice... Though, if they chose to go that route she would have likely been a replacement for Samara on the mission to
Lesuss
; and I don't think that would've been well received either.

Apparently, she
sends you a message implying that she was hiding out in a human world/colony—possibly Earth—and that she hopes you don't die before she gets to see you again. And she sends some messages to her sisters(which go unread & deleted) enticing them to leave the monastery.

... Meh. But like I said, it's not like choosing Morinth was ever made out to be a good idea, so it actually seems rather apt.
 

Bladenic

Member
Jesus, the more I play the more I like it. I don't know, I might rank it above 2 so far. Just loving the whole experience. At this point I'm praying the ending does not burn me as it did so many others. I would hate to leave this experience with a sour taste in my mouth.

Currently on the krogan scouts missions where you encounter
Grunt
. Already played 13 hours.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Jesus, the more I play the more I like it. I don't know, I might rank it above 2 so far. Just loving the whole experience. At this point I'm praying the ending does not burn me as it did so many others. I would hate to leave this experience with a sour taste in my mouth.

Currently on the krogan scouts missions where you encounter [spoiler/Grunt[/spoiler]. Already played 13 hours.

Well... the ending is still disappointing no matter what. It's either ok, bad, or "franchise ruining bad" depending on the player. :lol

Just make sure you have the extended cut installed, it makes the whole thing better, even if its still not as good as the rest of the game.
 

Bladenic

Member
Oy... regarding what seems to be a rather important choice:

Should I save the rachni or leave it? I'm really confused, the Paragon choice seems to be leaving her, but I figure releasing it would be useful since it says it will help destroy the machines.

Edit: Never mind, left it. And good thing too.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Oy... regarding what seems to be a rather important choice:

Should I save the rachni or leave it? I'm really confused, the Paragon choice seems to be leaving her, but I figure releasing it would be useful since it says it will help destroy the machines.

It doesn't matter what you choose. Seriously. One of the broken promise of Bioware.

You'll see what i mean later. :(
 

Sajjaja

Member
It doesn't matter what you choose. Seriously. One of the broken promise of Bioware.

You'll see what i mean later. :(

Yeah, was as if they threw it in there just an an attempt to say we did something with it. Seriously, I think they only changed a few lines depending on if (ME1 Spoiler:)
you saved the Rachni Queen in ME1 or not.
 

Sai

Member
They dropped the ball on a lot of stuff like that.

I was thinking during my last run through the game, that the way
Cerberus' attack on the Citadel
played out should've been a worst case scenario, depending on the actions you took in earlier games, maybe how you handled Udina, along with the
Citadel Defense Force
War Assets. The way
Cerberus compromised the Citadel's security so thoroughly in spite of the fact that you were basically bolstering it's defensive measures for half of the game just makes it seem so pointless.

That's what a lot of the stuff you do throughout all three games amounts to in the end, little more than a few extra points on your Total Military Strength, with little to no variance in the actual outcomes in ME3. It's hard for me to get mad about it, 'cause I know a lot of this isn't to be blamed on just silly "dumbed down" decision making, but compromises due to time 'n resources... There was a lot to keep track of, and it may not have been truly possible to create this trilogy of games with so many of these branching story conclusions in a way that would satisfy everyone.

Oy... regarding what seems to be a rather important choice:

Should I save the rachni or leave it? I'm really confused, the Paragon choice seems to be leaving her, but I figure releasing it would be useful since it says it will help destroy the machines.

Edit: Never mind, left it. And good thing too.
If you let the Rachni Queen go in ME, she'll help you in your fight against the Reapers; the workers and Soldiers will help build the Crucible. Choosing to save her will force you to sacrifice the rest of Aralakh Company, and Grunt—depending on whether or not he was loyal to you in ME2... But, even a loyal Grunt and his team will amount to less than what the Rachni can bring to Project Crucible... In terms of War Asset numbers, I mean.

If you let her die, then it'll simply be replaced by a clone or something in ME3(lol)... And if you choose to save it, you still lose out on the rest of Grunt's team, possibly Grunt, and it'll betray you later.
 

Bladenic

Member
About to head to Tachanka's priority mission. I was just wondering what happens to your crew if the characters would have died. Like if Garrus died in 2, would you just not have him? Or Mordin, who is really important at this point.

Also Diana Allers continues to creep me out. Her face is just so weird looking.

idWGAUcaOaz5p.gif
 

rozay

Banned
Yeah, you just wouldn't have them. In the latter's case, he has a replacement character do to the work.

Dead ME2 characters just mean a much smaller squad.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I think Garrus is the only one that doesn't have a replacement, well him and Kasumi and Zaeed, but those 2 guys already have a really minor role compared to all other ME2 characters.

Sure no one replace
Tali as a squad member, but you still got an admiral replacing her during the Rannoch missions i think.
 

Bladenic

Member
Just finished Tuchanka. The mission was amazing. But...

MORDIN DIED NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. He was one of my favorites. Not to mention his death scene really got me. Was there no way to save him? I mean I've gotten nothing but Paragon points, but my L1 paragon option did nothing. Mordin :(
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
You can save him, but
from memory it requires heavily pushing him to be pro-genophage in ME2, and choosing to sabotage the cure in ME3. He'll agree it's the best course of action and survive.

But yes, that scene is amazing. "Would have liked to run tests on seashells."
 

Melchiah

Member
You can save him, but
from memory it requires heavily pushing him to be pro-genophage in ME2, and choosing to sabotage the cure in ME3. He'll agree it's the best course of action and survive.

But yes, that scene is amazing. "Would have liked to run tests on seashells."

What changes if that route is chosen?
Does the Genophage remain uncured, and how does it affect relations with Wrex?
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
What changes if that route is chosen?
Does the Genophage remain uncured, and how does it affect relations with Wrex?

No idea as I haven't done it myself. But I assume
Wrex still finds out about the sabotage and you're forced to confront him on the Citadel. The genophage would remain uncured.
 

Bladenic

Member
Oh so being Renegade and not pushing him morally and causing him a great character development will save him. How lame.

Although given his development, the outcome was pretty perfect.

"I am the very model of a scientist--"

:(
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
As far as i know, the only way for
Mordin to survive is that Wrex died back in ME1 and that Eve died in ME3 since you didn't save Maelon data in ME2. Wreav, which replace Wrex, only wants revenge and since Eve is dead, no one is there to stop him. So Shepard convince Mordin(or his replacement) that Krogans are still too dangerous to cure.
It's one of the few things in ME3 where decisions in both past Mass Effect games actually change something.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Well, that's the cost of development and his choice to make amends.
Only he could cure the genophage, somebody else might have gotten it wrong ;).

As far as i know, the only way for
Mordin to survive is that Wrex died back in ME1 and that Eve died in ME3 since you didn't save Maelon data in ME2.
It's one of the few things in ME3 where decisions in both past Mass Effect game actually change something.

Oh yes, that's right.
You need Wrex to have died in ME1 to convince Mordin, on top of the ME2 push, that under Wreav's rule the Krogan would be uncontrollable.
 

Bladenic

Member
Now I'm scared about what could happen to my other past comrades.

I have to say though, so far the ME2 cast have a terrible case of demoted to extra.
Granted, I haven't met them all yet, but poor Kasumi gets a short mission in which she appears, Thane doesn't even have a mission (yet anyway), and Miranda appears for a scene before leaving. Grunt gets a mission, which was pretty cool, but I wonder if he'll appear again. Jack is part of a cool mission too but she doesn't even get asked to rejoin the crew as a squad member. Mordin is the only one with heavy involvement. Well discounting Garrus anyway.
Of course, they might all still appear later on, so I'll reserve final judgement on how they were handled.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Now I'm scared about what could happen to my other past comrades.

I have to say though, so far the ME2 cast have a terrible case of demoted to extra.
Granted, I haven't met them all yet, but poor Kasumi gets a short mission in which she appears, Thane doesn't even have a mission (yet anyway), and Miranda appears for a scene before leaving. Grunt gets a mission, which was pretty cool, but I wonder if he'll appear again. Jack is part of a cool mission too but she doesn't even get asked to rejoin the crew as a squad member. Mordin is the only one with heavy involvement. Well discounting Garrus anyway.
Of course, they might all still appear later on, so I'll reserve final judgement on how they were handled.

Nah, all ME2 characters only have a minor role in this game. Since they could all die in ME2, their roles couldn't be that big i suppose. The Suicide mission kinda ruined the chance of getting them as ME3 squadmates. Kasumi and Zaeed got the worst treatment though since they're only part of small Citadel sidequests, but i guess that's understandable since they were DLC. Miranda and Thane will show up again, don't worry. :p

Spoiler i guess about one ME2 character you have yet to meet, nothing major though.
Tali will join you just like Garrus. I don't consider them ME2 characters though. :p
 

Bladenic

Member
Yeah I know about said character. Not sure how I feel about the fact that
None of the ME2 cast members are party members.
I guess it makes sense since anyone could have died, but it feels strange nonetheless. I feel like they should have at least been on the Normandy if you get them to help you.

It sucks too because despite her small involvement in 2, I really liked Kasumi. Too bad. And I didn't download Zaeed, he won't appear at all correct?

On the other hand, I am loving the cast in 3. Garrus is the best he's ever been, which is to say he's amazing and easily my favorite. I love the conversations your crew has occasionally. The one between Garrus and Joker had me rolling. Actually Garrus + anyone is great. And while James does feel kind of pointless, I actually don't mind him and even like him a little bit. He's not awful, at least.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Yeah I know about said character. Not sure how I feel about the fact that
None of the ME2 cast members are party members.
I guess it makes sense since anyone could have died, but it feels strange nonetheless. I feel like they should have at least been on the Normandy if you get them to help you.

It sucks too because despite her small involvement in 2, I really liked Kasumi. Too bad. And I didn't download Zaeed, he won't appear at all correct?

On the other hand, I am loving the cast in 3. Garrus is the best he's ever been, which is to say he's amazing and easily my favorite. I love the conversations your crew has occasionally. The one between Garrus and Joker had me rolling. Actually Garrus + anyone is great. And while James does feel kind of pointless, I actually don't mind him and even like him a little bit. He's not awful, at least.

Yeah Zaeed wont show up if you didnt have him in ME2. If you did, he would show up in a Citadel quest involving a kidnapped Volus if you didn't do that one yet. Forgot what happen there without Zaeed.
 

Melchiah

Member
Well, it's good to know, that
saving Mordin's life has other negative consequences.
I would have been annoyed, if it had been somehow a better choice, when it comes to
crew members staying alive
.
 

Bladenic

Member
I just shot Udina dead. Felt great, although I never choose Renegade options. What would have happened if I didn't shoot him?

I didn't get any Renegade points for it, it seems, so it's all good I guess. Felt good to do it though. FINALLY.
 
Finally playing this. I love this series. Even 2, despite the hate it seems to get (the only thing I didn't like was the
giant human reaper
).

Just encountered an annoying glitch, though: trying to do the Hanar diplomat side mission on the Citadel, and the second terminal won't activate. :( Apparently, Bioware hasn't patched this and it's permanently busted. Ugh.
 
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