Gaming Mass Effect Series

Got around to hitting level 30 with my vanguard in ME2, and I'm finding that I'm still really not using Charge much. Maybe I'm just used to the ungodly nigh-invincible destructive capacity I had with that class in ME3 and I find using Charge in ME2 to be too much risk for the reward. I did however use it to get myself out of a total mess in one N7 mission - Zaeed and Samara had both been taken down and I was getting swarmed by Eclipse mercs. Managed to pick off most of them from cover, then used charge to stagger their engineer commander and just plain beat the crap out of him - shields, armor, health.

On the other hand, usually I have a Geth Plasma Shotgun, a Locust, a Phalanx, and a Viper for my weapons loadout, which means going to point-blank range doesn't gain much in a firefight. Having Heavy Reave as a bonus power also favors fighting from longer range.

 

I never used Charge a great deal either, I think ME2 isn't really set-up for using it effectively most of the time.

 

I loved using Charge in ME2. I only got frustrated with a glitch in my game where I could charge through objects or across chasms, but often it wouldn't let me charge someone directly in front of me with nothing in between.

 

Charge in ME2 is really only suited for picking off a handful of weak enemies or going toe-to-toe with a single higher-level opponent. Anything more and odds are good you'll be torn to pieces. This playthrough it's been something of a clutch power; shockwave, reave, and pull have been the ones seeing use in every mission.

 

I just finished a run-through of 2 again, this time with an Adept and with Stasis as my bonus power. That was awesome! With even just a point in Stasis, you can OHK just about anything that hovers and anything on a moving platform. Along with Singularity, Thrown, and Warp, and you can toss opponents all over the place.

One more comment about the Vanguard. I loved using him in ME 3. My favorite combo was Pull + Charge as it sent enemies flying. Also there wasn't that stupid, "Can't reach the target," glitch."

 

Charge + Nova in ME2 would have been very helpful.

In other news, an EDI costume is now available. It doesn't look too bad

 

Mass Effect 1 on the xbox is on sale at the moment, for those that don't have it. Quite the bargain at £4.49 to download.

 

I got my PC copy of ME1 for about US $14, so that sounds about right. ME2 I picked up in some store for $20.

Finished ME2 with my vanguard (did have some fun with charge during Arrival, although the most fun was had getting to the comm tower and using a wimpy rank 1 pull to fling all eight guards off the asteroid, one by one) and started ME3. Definitely a change of pace - now I'm spamming charge and nova through Mars and it's gloriously effective, even at a mere level 32. Then again I also have Ash as the VS with her Typhoon - I was looking to use pull on the first two Guardians as a prelude to shotgunning them, and before I could select the power the Boomstick Gal Swiss-cheesed both of them right through their riot shields.

 

Right, I've got ME3 for a tenner.

Stuff remaining on ME2

Overlord DLC
Reaper IFF
Legion Loyalty mission
Final mission
Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC
Arrival DLC

So be a while before I start, but of the various DLCs, all of which still cost 80% minimum of what paid for the full game or more, of the various ones are there any you would classify as truly essential? That really add to the game substantively and should not be missed?

 

Lair of the Shadow Broker is the best DLC available for ME 2. Thoroughly worth a play before the final mission and gives extra gear and credits, not to mention if you missed Liara throughout ME 2 this is pretty much your only chance to get her in your bedroom

Arrival DLC (IMHO) works well after the final ME 2 mission, but again it's extra bang for your booms to do it before the final mission. Overlord DLC is a nice story hidden behind an annoying set of missions. For absolute best results on the suicide mission, do it Reaper IFF, Legion Loyalty, Final Mission one after the other.

 

Sorry, should have mentioned it's my 2nd time around on ME2 and already own those DLC.

What I was asking for recommendations on was Mass Effect 3 DLCs!

 

In that case, From Ashes just adds so much it's criminal it was a DLC. Thoroughly recommended. Leviathan DLC at least adds something to the story, so if you've got the spare time and bucks, get it. About the only other thing I'd suggest on improving your play is the Weapon Pack that has the Typhoon. For a soldier, it's just a death machine. Once I picked it up there just wasn't any other weapon I could be bothered using, bearing in mind I played it on Soldier and always favoured dakka over anything else. Forget Omega DLC, it's a ripoff.

 

Great, thanks.

Time to do Overlord and duel that frakking Geth Cannon once again.

 

Oh, I almost forgot: I've not played it, but the Citadel DLC comes very highly recommended from most people around here. Some people headcanon it as the mission that follows the end mission because ... well, you'll see for yourself.

 

Cheers. It's kind of mad that the DLC picks, even sticking just to what you've recommended is going to cost me around 3 times what I paid for the full game!

Did Overlord and that cannon was every bit as infuriating as before. Final bit was also sodding irritating. Still done now. On future play-throughs, with a different Shepherd I'll probably say screw it.

That or:

 

The easiest way to deal with that cannon on Overlord is to let it do most of the work for you. Park the Hammerhead behind a shield generator, aim for a clear escape route (no obstacles), and wait for it to target you. Then hit the boost and don't stop until you're clear of the blast. The cannon should remove the shield from the generator. Do the same on the remaining generators, and then repeat so the shots take out the generators themselves. The result is the Geth cannon takes down its own shield without you having to fire a shot. Then it's the standard Hammerhead strafing run; if you give yourself a quick escape route you should be able to take the gun down in short order.

For the VI core, the best bet is to use whatever weapon you feel suits the bill (SMG for most classes, maybe a pistol for soldier if you want to conserve AR ammo) to knock out those VI nodes. There's a decent cover spot behind a pillar with a thermal clip next to it; it'll shield you from the occasional Geth and has a line of sight on all the VI nodes. Then when there's an opening in the shield, switch to a hard-hitting rapid-fire heavy weapon (the M-100 grenade launcher is my pick; it's also very useful in the two parts when Geth come up an elevator) and unload. Generally 2 or 3 go-arounds on Normal are enough to end it.

As far as ME3 DLC, From Ashes and Citadel are must-haves. Leviathan is okay but optional; it might be worth it simply for the addition of the SMG recoil damper and pistol ultralight materials mods. Likewise, the Firefight and Groundside Resistance packs are optional, but if you like gunplay they're worth the $2 apiece. Omega I picked up, but in terms of adding to the story and loot bag it's something you can miss.

 

What did From Ashes add, other than an extra character? My impression of it was that they did From Ashes to add the character that was cut when they made changes after the epic leak of everything.

Omega is half price on the 360 until tomorrow.

 

That extra character is totally worth it, and why I said it was criminal he was a DLC. He adds another dimension to just about every mission in the game. Put it this way, he was the dude I had a "last bro" moment with when the Normandy evac'ed my squad on the last mission -- I used him that much. He saves the Thessia mission.

 

Javik is awesome, he's not quite Garrus but he's pretty cool. He does add something to certain missions given the history and knowledge he possesses.
I think From Ashes & Leviathan add much more to the game story to make it better, enough to justify playing it more often even with the problematic endings. I liked Omega but I get why people say it's not worth it given the price, it is really just running about shooting things for no major benefit (aside from the option to obtain Aria's biotic abilities which are awesome).

Citadel is lots of fun and really adds depth, both for characters who you only got introduced to in ME3 and those who have been with you since the start. But it does work better if you play it before the final Earth mission instead of after the main story is finished.

 

I thought it was more or less established that Javik was an original part of the game but was then turned into Day One DLC because, well, EA wanted an additional $10 bucks outta you on launch day. It IS criminal he was Day One DLC and I've never forgiven EA for that. And yes, the Thessia mission is uterly senseless without him deflating Liara's preconceptions at every turn.

I'll be honest when I'm amazed at finding so much love and enthusiasm for this series on this thread even now. ME3 really ****** me up since I have nothing but disdain if not outright hate for the series now. I'm a terrible person, I know.

 

Well... Who is?

 

Oh, I get the theory - in practice, however, it's a different matter!

 

That's not my understanding. I took that he was made day one DLC because of the leak and he was replaced with something else. After he had been replaced in the game they still had all the assets for him and wanted to get him out there, so they came up with the mission to introduce him and released it as DLC. I don't know about you but the DLC came free with my copy of the game. Might have been a Collector's Edition thing though. Although, I still think the best thing about the Collector's Edition is the N7 hoodie for Commander Sheperd while on board the Normandy!

The series does a lot right. It has a deep story with choices that have consequences. Even if you don't like the ending to ME3 there are a lot of great missions in the trilogy and some amazing characters. They also had one of the strongest female characters ever with Fem!Shep, which is amazing considering it wasn't intentional.

 

Javik was "free" with the collector's edition. Those that couldn't or wouldn't splurge on that limited item had to pay for him as paid Day One DLC. Whatever the truth of the matter, it was a pretty crap move by BEAware nonetheless.

And it's BroShep.

 

After having played through it probably about 9 or 10 times (separate playthroughs, I'm not counting the early instances when I screwed up and died), it's pretty easy. The trick is to work your way around in a nice, efficient circle over open ground; no need to jump over things. One early time I tried running towards the cannon and wound up stuck in a gulch - boom.

I picked up the Digital Deluxe Edition of ME3 when I got it a year ago; pretty much splurged on it entirely for the extra guns. The N7 Eagle, N7 Hurricane, and N7 Valiant are faves even after the DLC packs.