Just Got Mass Effect (No spoilers please!)

[DiscipleofBob]

With a combination of various gift cards I got the Mass Effect trilogy on PSN. Granted I can only download one of the games at a time due to space constraints for now.

I LITERALLY haven't even finished downloading the game, so no spoilers please, but I do have one question.

I remember playing KOTOR and having to meticulously plan out my character's skills so that I a) could do what the game required of me, b) avoided any skills that were basically useless after a certain point in the game, c) was able to do the majority of the side areas.

I don't want to miss out on any side characters or good side missions. Any recommendations for character build(s) and spoiler-free things to look out for so I don't miss anything important?

[Zorg]

In ME2 & 3 it won't matter as skills only come into play during combat. You can also re-spec your builds at some points of the later games.
As an example I never put points into Concussive Shot until I've got nothing else, but it doesn't matter one bit, nor does maxing out my class skill early on (story wise).

For ME1 you will want to have on your team a high decryption skill somewhere. It can either be Shepard if she's of the right class, or a squaddie like Kaidan or Tali. Skills still only come into play during combat, so aside from the odd bit of quest specific looting (some containers need a tech skill at a certain level to open, but you can always come back after swapping team mates) and maybe one or two unique puzzle solutions it doesn't matter.

There are two unique Shepard-only skills that do give you bonuses to paragade points and some other things, but they're no-brainers to max out anyway.


The main thing is your Paragon or Renegade score, which if you go too "wishy washy" by either going middle of the road or alternating too much can in some rare instances block off a few choices in the dialogue in all three games. To get all the quests it's a lot of keep talking to people after every mission and at every opportunity for hub worlds.
One thing to keep in mind is that ME1 uses a very different system to 2 & 3, which are both more streamlined with skills.

[Psyren]

The main thing is your Paragon or Renegade score, which if you go too "wishy washy" by either going middle of the road or alternating too much can in some rare instances block off a few choices in the dialogue in all three games. To get all the quests it's a lot of keep talking to people after every mission and at every opportunity for hub worlds.

This is the main thing for ME1 - prioritize your "charisma score" above everything else, including your powers and gun skills. The worst feeling is when you're missing a charm or intimidate option that could net you great rewards or save lives. It's a shooter, so you should have no problem in combat even with low gun/power skills if you're good with the genre. (And if you're terrible at shooters, just turn the difficulty down and you'll be fine.)

[Dhavaer]

spoiler-free things to look out for so I don't miss anything important?

While most of the collection sub-quests are pointless, Matriach Dilinaga's Writings become very slightly important later on.

[Psyren]

While most of the collection sub-quests are pointless, Matriach Dilinaga's Writings become very slightly important later on.

They are? I finished it on one Shep but not another and didn't notice anything.

[Dhavaer]

They are? I finished it on one Shep but not another and didn't notice anything.

They increase the war assets from Conrad Verner's doctoral thesis.

[Psyren]

They increase the war assets from Conrad Verner's doctoral thesis.

"very slightly" indeed :smalltongue:

[DiscipleofBob]

Just started. I ended up going Infiltrator because being able to personally hack things sounds useful compared to someone else doing it, the techie stuff looks good, and I get a sniper rifle.

I think I saved on the wrong profile though. I didn't get far so I may start over.

[Reynard]

Vanguard all the way baby. Though they're not quite as good in ME1 as they are later in the series, it's still fun to fight like a Krogan, running at things, slapping them in the face, then shotgunning them in the gut/face/area of choice.

[KillianHawkeye]

Just started. I ended up going Infiltrator because being able to personally hack things sounds useful compared to someone else doing it, the techie stuff looks good, and I get a sniper rifle.

I think I saved on the wrong profile though. I didn't get far so I may start over.

I played as an Infiltrator as well. The tech skills are pretty good, particularly Overload and Sabotage. Sniping is really useful as well. You'll lose a lot of the tech skills in the changeover from ME to ME2, but you'll gain invisibility and you won't have to worry about the "sway" when aiming your sniper rifle, so I'd call it a net gain considering the changes to the basic game engine.

Also, I'd decide now if you're going to go Paragon or Renegade, as it's not really necessary to max out both the Persuade and Intimidate skills and you'll save skill points for other things by just doing one of them.

As for keeping up with Electronics and Decryption, it's a bit of a drain on your skill points, but it means that you can have two cool squadmates in your party rather than somebody boring like Tali. Wrex FTW! :smallcool::smallbiggrin:

EDIT: One last thing. If you're planning on doing multiple playthoughs of the first game, I suggest doing them all before moving on the ME2. There are a lot of changes between the first and second games, and ME2 is such a great game that you won't want to go back to the first one after you've played it.

[Psyren]

As for keeping up with Electronics and Decryption, it's a bit of a drain on your skill points, but it means that you can have two cool squadmates in your party rather than somebody boring like Tali. Wrex FTW! :smallcool::smallbiggrin:

Garrus is the most popular squadmate in all three games IIRC; he can do both electronics and decryption as well, so if you want a cool "thief" you can take him.

OP: I recommend you actually take someone techy with you (Garrus or Kaidan, or even Liara who gets Electronics in ME1) even if you are techy yourself. This will allow you to pour your points into Decryption and their points into Electronics until you can both hack any Hard lock as quickly as possible. Being able to get into anything will get you great loot and sidequests that you otherwise might have to revisit old areas to access. (For instance, there is a Hard electronics on Feros with a quest in it, inside a Geth terminal.) Note also that Electronics boosts your shields for added survivability.



EDIT: One last thing. If you're planning on doing multiple playthoughs of the first game, I suggest doing them all before moving on the ME2. There are a lot of changes between the first and second games, and ME2 is such a great game that you won't want to go back to the first one after you've played it.

Definitely agree here - you should do at least two, possibly even four playthroughs of ME1, both so you don't have to go back once you move on and so you get to experience the paragon and renegade content to the fullest. Meer hadn't quite hit his stride in ME1, but Hale does a great job of changing her acting/emoting between both the two alignments.

Also - if you want to do a FailShep, you can certainly go through ME1 but I feel that the Genesis comic gets you close enough.

[DiscipleofBob]

Well, I like multiple playthroughs, and there's only six classes, so why not? I'll try all 6 of them.

Question: do the background choices you make during character creation have ANY effect whatsoever other than some dialogue bits through the games?

[Rake21]

Well, I like multiple playthroughs, and there's only six classes, so why not? I'll try all 6 of them.

Question: do the background choices you make during character creation have ANY effect whatsoever other than some dialogue bits through the games?

Yes, but mostly in the first game.

If I'm not mistaken, each of the childhood options leads to a unique side quest and the military options change the dialogue in some of the bigger side quests.

Additionally, characters will bring up Shepard's past in conversation when discussing personal matters.

[Jasdoif]

Question: do the background choices you make during character creation have ANY effect whatsoever other than some dialogue bits through the games?Yes. They give a bonus to paragon or renegade points, although I believe it's negligible in the long run; and Spacer/Colonist/Earthborn each have a sidequest only available to Shepards of that background.

[Ailurus]

This is the main thing for ME1 - prioritize your "charisma score" above everything else, including your powers and gun skills. The worst feeling is when you're missing a charm or intimidate option that could net you great rewards or save lives. It's a shooter, so you should have no problem in combat even with low gun/power skills if you're good with the genre. (And if you're terrible at shooters, just turn the difficulty down and you'll be fine.)

Assuming you want a level 60 character to import into ME2, I could not disagree more. Getting to level 60 will require at least one (I think two) newgame+ runs. And each run you get several free points in both charm and intimidate. On your 'final' playthrough, put a few points in to max out the one you want to use (if needed), but you can get most of the way there using the free points.

[Psyren]

Assuming you want a level 60 character to import into ME2, I could not disagree more. Getting to level 60 will require at least one (I think two) newgame+ runs. And each run you get several free points in both charm and intimidate.

I love Mass Effect, but nobody should play ME1 that much :smalltongue:

[Philistine]

Assuming you want a level 60 character to import into ME2, I could not disagree more. Getting to level 60 will require at least one (I think two) newgame+ runs. And each run you get several free points in both charm and intimidate. On your 'final' playthrough, put a few points in to max out the one you want to use (if needed), but you can get most of the way there using the free points.

Only one. It's perfectly possible to hit 50 on the initial playthrough, and go from there to 60 in the repeat.

And just so you know, some people still like ME1 better than the sequels.

[Reynard]

Except for the very occasionally lucky batch of loot (that sprung up just as often in easier locks as the harder ones) I found most of my looting experiences in Mass Effect to be a waste of the time it took to get them/go through my inventory and reduce all of it to it's base component.

Saving money from quests to just buy new gear tended to be the way to go for me. You always have more cash than you need past the midgame, and so much of what you find is such utter trash it's not even worth selling.

[Psyren]

Well, I like multiple playthroughs, and there's only six classes, so why not? I'll try all 6 of them.

You certainly can, but keep in mind that the classes aren't as differentiated in ME1. For example, an Adept with a Shotgun in ME1 is not very different from a Vanguard at all; if you play as a Soldier first, you can unlock all the guns for use on other characters and play a "Vanguard" that way. The playstyles are so similar you run the risk of getting bored.

[Impnemo]

And just so you know, some people still like ME1 better than the sequels.

/analretentiveon

There are no sequels to ME1. There are merely two dull derivatives which share the same name.

/analretentiveoff

:smalltongue:

[Psyren]

/analretentiveon

There are no sequels to ME1. There are merely two dull derivatives which share the same name.

/analretentiveoff

:smalltongue:

You mean ME1 is the exciting one? :smalltongue:

[Philistine]

You mean ME1 is the exciting one? :smalltongue:

Exactly. Though like so many of the truths that we cling to, it depends greatly on our own point of view.

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that ME2&3 aren't better shooters than ME1. (As indeed they ought to be, since BioWare made it abundantly clear after the first game that Building A Better Shooter was their #1 priority by far in crafting the sequels.) Opinions differ on whether or not that was worth the cost in terms of crapping on the first game's gameplay and lore, or indeed whether Building A Better Shooter is even necessarily worth bothering with in the first place. I personally dislike (NOTE: Not a Value Statement) shooters, and so the increased focus on that style of gameplay as the series went on means that as far as I'm concerned, Yes, ME1 is the exciting one.

[Aotrs Commander]

Just started. I ended up going Infiltrator because being able to personally hack things sounds useful compared to someone else doing it, the techie stuff looks good, and I get a sniper rifle.

I think I saved on the wrong profile though. I didn't get far so I may start over.

I can strongly recommend that. I played as inflitrator myself twice...



Worth noting: you get more XP for defeating enemies on foot as opposed to the vehicle sections. So be prepared to spam that Sniper rifle. If you are careful and patient, and find the right spot (trial and error!), (and are prepared to run around in circles against one big outdoor enemy that doesn't activate until you get close), you can kill every vehicle or turret enemy in the game with your sniper rifle, which gives you that much more XP! (First playthrough is limited to level 50, but you can reach at least the mid-fifites, if not 60 in one playthrough with a new character if you try hard enough. I forget what my last completionist playthrough finished at, since I literally completed that playthrough the day before ME2 arrived through door on it's release!)

(The aforementioned static enemy you can't snipe from a distance is worth the most XP of any enemy type; but you basically have to kite around it so it's ranged attack doesnt kill you (put it this way, you tend to have to kite it with your vehicle!) so it's a little harder. That said, I am really CRAP at shoot-y style games - I mean, I'm really bad! - so unless you happen to be worse than me (and I find it difficult to believe...!) you should be able to manage fairly easily after you flub the first couple of attempts while you get your eye in.)

Once you've done x kills with your Sniper Rifle (assuming it works the same as on PC) it unlocks the ability to take snaiper rifles for any subsequent characters (this is true of other weapons too, of course), and I think given the above, it's often worth it!



In the later games, without such big, open maps, sniper rifles are not as useful, but in ME1, they are fantastically useful.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

ME1 is the better RPG with the better story, imho. ME2 I was extremely disappointed story-wise. ME3 I haven't played yet.

Also, re: Paragon/Renegade, don't bother maxing one or other, decide on a personality for your character and do what your character would do. It's a less gamey, more immersive RPG approach to the games, and my default for any RPG with a morality system. Often it will mean a sub-optimal character, but certainly a more interesting character rather than I-did-all-of-the-Renegade-ones-because-its-the-best-way-to-play character.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

As an addendum to everything AOTRS said: The best way to kill certain enemies while on foot is not sniping. Instead, ram them with the vehicle and then park it right on top of them. Get off, pump them full of space-bullets with your weapon of choice at point blank while they struggle to their feet and get a good chuckle or six. If you can't kill them before they get back up, hop back into the vehicle and run over them again. Wrinse, repeat. :smallbiggrin:

I miss the Mako. Armature punting was the best thing.


Also, Vanguard is the class*, IMO. Ain't nothing quite like performing a 60-foot psionic tackle through two walls, punching the dude you just tackled and then finishing with a shotgun to the face. Then you do it all over again, roughly two seconds later. And then once more for every remaining bad guy in the room, bouncing around the battlefield like some demented, shotgun-wielding Sonic the Hedgehog.

*Except in ME1. Your mileage may vary. Ask your doctor if Vanguard is right for you.

[darksolitaire]

Also, Vanguard is the class*, IMO. Ain't nothing quite like performing a 60-foot psionic tackle through two walls, punching the dude you just tackled and then finishing with a shotgun to the face. Then you do it all over again, roughly two seconds later. And then once more for every remaining bad guy in the room, bouncing around the battlefield like some demented, shotgun-wielding Sonic the Hedgehog.

*Except in ME1. Your mileage may vary. Ask your doctor if Vanguard is right for you.

I disliked Vanguard in ME2, as I couldn't play it as proper Vanguard in insanity, but as watered down Soldier. Infiltrator is wonderful class to play insanity with, as is Sentinel.

But then again, Vanguard has space boost.

[Zevox]

ME1 is the better RPG with the better story, imho. ME2 I was extremely disappointed story-wise. ME3 I haven't played yet.
I would say quite the reverse - that ME2 and 3 are better games in every way than ME1. Better gameplay, better stories, better characters. ME1 is good but has a lot of flaws. ME2 and 3 and great with just a few flaws (albeit one big one each - planet scanning in 2, the ending in 3. Both of those are still better than the Mako in 1 though).

[thethird]

The main thing is your Paragon or Renegade score, which if you go too "wishy washy" by either going middle of the road or alternating too much can in some rare instances block off a few choices in the dialogue in all three games. To get all the quests it's a lot of keep talking to people after every mission and at every opportunity for hub worlds.

This, so much this.

Focus on either paragon or renegade and go for it.

[warty goblin]

Do not, whatever you do, try to visit all the planets. Do them until such time as they get boring, then go back to the interesting parts of the game. There's a crapton of planets, and they get fairly dull after a while.

This is coming from a guy who actually liked the Mako. Sure it handled funny, and the heightmaps for the planets were sadistic, but it felt like proper sci-fi exploring. Plus it was something to do besides bad third person cover-shooting and talking.

[tensai_oni]

For me, ME1 feels the most like an episodic "space adventure!" type of a story. Okay, a pretty gritty and grim space adventure at times, but one nevertheless, with a large scale but also a smaller focus on individual incidents.
ME2, in comparison, is more of a personal game - it focuses on stories and problems of your party members as you assemble and work with your team.
ME3 is the epic conclusion where every action you made in the past bears fruit in one way or another, and everyone gathers for the final showdown.

As for picking your class, in Mass Effect 1 it makes little difference actually. At least as far as combat goes - this is because everyone can wield the most broken weapon, the basic, trusty pistol. I kid you not. Buy the Marksman skill and kill everyone all day. Unless you're a Sentinel.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

I also recommend maxing Paragon or Renegade, just because all the very best endgame conversation options require a maxed score on either end of the morality meter. There are enough ways to get the paragade points that you don't have to feel forced into picking the same path in every single conversation and sidequest you get, but you definitely have to make a point of being consistent for every big moral choice you make in the main quest.


Do not, whatever you do, try to visit all the planets. Do them until such time as they get boring, then go back to the interesting parts of the game. There's a crapton of planets, and they get fairly dull after a while.

Seconding this really hard. I loved the Mako but boy can it can it feel grindy if you fall into the completionist madness of trying to explore every planet available to you before doing each main leg of the main quest. Those planets don't go anywhere, so there's no obligation to visit each and every one of them as soon as possible.

[Psyren]

Exactly. Though like so many of the truths that we cling to, it depends greatly on our own point of view.

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that ME2&3 aren't better shooters than ME1. (As indeed they ought to be, since BioWare made it abundantly clear after the first game that Building A Better Shooter was their #1 priority by far in crafting the sequels.) Opinions differ on whether or not that was worth the cost in terms of crapping on the first game's gameplay and lore, or indeed whether Building A Better Shooter is even necessarily worth bothering with in the first place. I personally dislike (NOTE: Not a Value Statement) shooters, and so the increased focus on that style of gameplay as the series went on means that as far as I'm concerned, Yes, ME1 is the exciting one.

For me, "exciting" refers more to the gameplay than anything else. ME1 was the most engrossing, the most immersive, the most story-driven of the trilogy - I completely agree there. But compared to ME2 and especially ME3, the combat was a total snooze-fest. So while I can think of many positive adjectives for ME1 - combining what I just said with interminable elevator rides and featureless (if beautiful) Mako off-roading means that "exciting" is unlikely to be one of them.

[Aotrs Commander]

As an addendum to everything AOTRS said: The best way to kill certain enemies while on foot is not sniping. Instead, ram them with the vehicle and then park it right on top of them. Get off, pump them full of space-bullets with your weapon of choice at point blank while they struggle to their feet and get a good chuckle or six. If you can't kill them before they get back up, hop back into the vehicle and run over them again. Wrinse, repeat. :smallbiggrin:

I miss the Mako. Armature punting was the best thing.

I was thinking more of certain underground creatures, rather than those (since I sniped every last one of them from complete safety in my last playthroughs... Our underground friends are more difficult, because you can't snipe them, aside from snap-shots as you kite around them...)


Seconding this really hard. I loved the Mako but boy can it can it feel grindy if you fall into the completionist madness of trying to explore every planet available to you before doing each main leg of the main quest. Those planets don't go anywhere, so there's no obligation to visit each and every one of them as soon as possible.

On the other hand, I did all the available non-plot planets before I did the available plot ones... Mind you, I do have a certain level of sheer bloody-mindedness, so...

[Impnemo]

For me, "exciting" refers more to the gameplay than anything else. ME1 was the most engrossing, the most immersive, the most story-driven of the trilogy - I completely agree there. But compared to ME2 and especially ME3, the combat was a total snooze-fest. So while I can think of many positive adjectives for ME1 - combining what I just said with interminable elevator rides and featureless (if beautiful) Mako off-roading means that "exciting" is unlikely to be one of them.

See, I'm the screwball that enjoyed the elevator rides on the citadel, and the mess of worlds to optionally explore in the mako. Something about, you know, role playing in the RPG genre. I must be crazy.


Ill admit though, the moon bounce driving physics in ragged terrain is on my "Why I went bald" list.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Oh god the elevators are RIDICULOUS I hated'em so much.

[Pronounceable]

Unfortunately, the best way to enjoy ME1 is to enable cheats right at the start and give yourself best equipment, then never ever bother with the stupid inventory system again. It'll give you cancer.

[warty goblin]

For me, "exciting" refers more to the gameplay than anything else. ME1 was the most engrossing, the most immersive, the most story-driven of the trilogy - I completely agree there. But compared to ME2 and especially ME3, the combat was a total snooze-fest. So while I can think of many positive adjectives for ME1 - combining what I just said with interminable elevator rides and featureless (if beautiful) Mako off-roading means that "exciting" is unlikely to be one of them.

The thing is I still didn't find ME 2 to be that good of a shooter. Better than ME 1 certainly, but that doesn't really mean very much. It's certainly no Rainbow 6: Vegas (aka how third person shooters should be), or, for a closer comparison, Binary Domain. In part I suspect this was due to some fairly corridor-tastic and literally flat level design. A bit of verticality goes a long ways.

[Philistine]

For me, "exciting" refers more to the gameplay than anything else. ME1 was the most engrossing, the most immersive, the most story-driven of the trilogy - I completely agree there. But compared to ME2 and especially ME3, the combat was a total snooze-fest. So while I can think of many positive adjectives for ME1 - combining what I just said with interminable elevator rides and featureless (if beautiful) Mako off-roading means that "exciting" is unlikely to be one of them.

Yes, the sequels align better with your personal tastes, however please see above in re: I don't like shooters. Never have.

ME1 was the best of the series, for my tastes, because I didn't have to pay too much attention to the "shooty crap;" as the series went on the games demanded that I devote increasingly more time and focus to something which I personally find inherently uninteresting. Not just dull, but aggressively dull; a tedious chore to be slogged through, all the while wondering why BioWare found it necessary to stuff up a good (or at least "less bad") thing. This is why I have logged about twice as many complete playthroughs of ME1 as ME2 since ME2 was released; my overall number of ME1 completions is at least (I lost count when I had to rebuild my PC in late '09) twice that again.

[Psyren]

Yes, the sequels align better with your personal tastes, however please see above in re: I don't like shooters. Never have.

ME1 was the best of the series, for my tastes, because I didn't have to pay too much attention to the "shooty crap;" as the series went on the games demanded that I devote increasingly more time and focus to something which I personally find inherently uninteresting. Not just dull, but aggressively dull; a tedious chore to be slogged through, all the while wondering why BioWare found it necessary to stuff up a good (or at least "less bad") thing. This is why I have logged about twice as many complete playthroughs of ME1 as ME2 since ME2 was released; my overall number of ME1 completions is at least (I lost count when I had to rebuild my PC in late '09) twice that again.

No need to italicize, I know you were referring to your tastes. Whose else would you be?


The thing is I still didn't find ME 2 to be that good of a shooter. Better than ME 1 certainly, but that doesn't really mean very much. It's certainly no Rainbow 6: Vegas (aka how third person shooters should be), or, for a closer comparison, Binary Domain. In part I suspect this was due to some fairly corridor-tastic and literally flat level design. A bit of verticality goes a long ways.

I actually agree - ME2 was only a good shooter in comparison to ME1. It was still considerably behind other shooters at the time - no blind fire, no mobile cover, no turrets, no vehicle sections (hammerhead doesn't count, you never have the option of fighting something either on foot or from your vehicle) they removed grenades, arbitrary sprint limit, no rolling/sliding etc. All of these were in the Gears of War series, which used the same engine, so all of these were possible - but they didn't do them.

But it was still a step forward. And most of the improvements above made it into ME3, which is why I consider it the best one. If there were no multiplayer in ME3, I would be on my 8th playthrough by now.

[Philistine]

No need to italicize, I know you were referring to your tastes. Whose else would you be?

I could have been trying to claim that my subjective preferences are objective standards of quality. As much as I've railed against that behavior, I'd hate to even appear to be engaging in it myself.

On the subject of ME3 specifically, since it's been brought up - there's zero chance of it overtaking ME1 on my all-time playlist, as it's managed the unprecedented feat of putting me off the entire franchise. Others have said it's hard to go back and replay the first game now, and I agree with that conclusion… but for diametrically opposite reasons.

[Psyren]

I never really saw the hangup in doing that. If I say "X isn't exciting," it's implied that that's my opinion, because it's a subjective statement and I said it.

That said, I do have objective points of comparison among the three installments, such as the shooter features I listed in my previous post. The subjectivity comes in when you individually determine how important solid shooter elements are to your concept of good gameplay.

[Seerow]

Oh god the elevators are RIDICULOUS I hated'em so much.


Hah! Before I bought ME2, I actually went out of my way to ask someone who had finished the series whether the Mako and Elevators were making a comeback in later games. If the answer had been "yes" I never would have bought ME2 or 3. Seriously whoever thought either of those was a good idea should be working for fast food, not on a major video game.

Edit: As for ME2 being more shooter focused, my experience was actually the opposite. In ME1 I felt like the only way to kill people was with guns. I haven't replayed it since my first playthrough, so I'm not sure if I was just doing it wrong, or if it really was as bad as I remember. The one high point I remember is having good armor + high tech skill giving me so much shields I could pretty much stand out in the open and not worry about dying. I missed that a lot when I started the later games.

In ME2, Powers became much more generally useful and easier to use. I made my way through ME2 and 3 barely firing more than a clip or two of bullets throughout the entire campaign, instead preferring to spam my Engineer powers which auto locked on, went around cover, etc. It felt much more like a typical RPG than a shooter to me at that point. A gun may have been more effective, but alternating hiding behind cover and popping up to throw out a power generally got me through the game.

[Psyren]

Seerow, I'm not sure how you played ME1 but powers (especially biotics) were absolutely broken in that game. Lifting Colossi, Pushing fully-shielded Krogan and Destroyers across the room, Stasis on Thresher Maws, Hacking Armatures, instantly refilling your shields with Barrier, you name it. At high levels, you could Lift an entire roomful of baddies and just pick them off with your pistol while they dangled helplessly. ME2 was the low point in the series for mages; Adepts ended up being a real pain to play because of all the shielding and armor issues while engineers had lots of trouble with barriers. The cooldowns were longer until high levels, but even so, one cast was typically all you needed to clear a room or at least deal with its biggest threat.

[Erloas]

You realize the elevators in ME1 were to cover up loading times right? It was either an elevator or a loading screen. As such, on the PC I didn't really notice anything that bad about the elevator times because I have a reasonable good PC.
They did get better at the loading times in the later games too, but they just went with the standard loading screen.

I kind of liked the Mako. It was kind of fun bouncing around, it was fun being what it was because I wasn't expecting, nor wanting, it to handle like a real vehicle. I also thought the use of it made the worlds seem more realistic and the world more alive compared to what you get in the later games. It would have been even better if the 360 didn't limit what they were able to do with the random small encounters they could do on random planets.
The scanning mechanisms in the second game was kind of annoying because it was very clearly just a time sync, and in the 3rd game its a "mini-game" without any actual game to it, just a way to waste 20 seconds per planet.

And being most of the way through ME3, I still miss the weapon design from the first game a lot more then the standard ammo in the later two. I thought it fit the setting a lot more and while I don't remember specifically in the second game, the 3rd goes from a few places where you run out of ammo really easily to most places where you would have to try to actively avoid picking up clips to not be constantly full on ammo, making the extra ammo capacity practically meaningless.

[Psyren]

You realize the elevators in ME1 were to cover up loading times right? It was either an elevator or a loading screen. As such, on the PC I didn't really notice anything that bad about the elevator times because I have a reasonable good PC.

Obviously we know that. But they also extended the sequences so they could insert the dialogue snippets; look how much faster the load times were in ME2 and 3, and those had nearly double the content. Or perhaps they just optimized those games better - I don't know the reason nor do I really care.

Granted, the dialogue was very funny, but after awhile you heard all the news reports and squad interaction there was (especially if there was a given squad you liked to stick with.) Not to mention that outside of the Citadel, you typically got nothing at all - like the elevator in the Normandy or the ones on Ilos and Feros. Compare to ME2 where, they had the news and squad dialogue pop in automatically when you walked into certain areas or looked at certain hotspots.


And being most of the way through ME3, I still miss the weapon design from the first game a lot more then the standard ammo in the later two. I thought it fit the setting a lot more and while I don't remember specifically in the second game, the 3rd goes from a few places where you run out of ammo really easily to most places where you would have to try to actively avoid picking up clips to not be constantly full on ammo, making the extra ammo capacity practically meaningless.

Well, at least in the third game you can use the Particle Rifle and get some of the ME1 feel of recharging guns. I would have liked more, or a hybrid system, but I've come to be okay with thermal clips.

[Seerow]

Seerow, I'm not sure how you played ME1 but powers (especially biotics) were absolutely broken in that game. Lifting Colossi, Pushing fully-shielded Krogan and Destroyers across the room, Stasis on Thresher Maws, Hacking Armatures, instantly refilling your shields with Barrier, you name it. At high levels, you could Lift an entire roomful of baddies and just pick them off with your pistol while they dangled helplessly. ME2 was the low point in the series for mages; Adepts ended up being a real pain to play because of all the shielding and armor issues while engineers had lots of trouble with barriers. The cooldowns were longer until high levels, but even so, one cast was typically all you needed to clear a room or at least deal with its biggest threat.

I played through as an engineer all 3 games. So the majority of what you mentioned doesn't really apply. The addition of Incinerate and being able to have it hotbuttoned and spammed every 3-4 seconds really made the difference for me.

[Flickerdart]

I dunno, personally I miss the elevators (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNtFeKprtMM).

[Aotrs Commander]

I think, on balance, I preferred the elevators. Neither solution was very good - and to be fair, I don't think there is a good solution - but as annoying as the lifts could be, I think the loading screens were more anti-immersive. That was something ME 1 did better than the later games, more immersion (I think ME 2 was the least immersive out of the three). Though ME 3 was the lesser offender on the loading screen issues.

But each part of the trilogy had it's fair share of problems: ME 1's was the inventory system being so unpleasant, and the general banality of the non-mission planets, and fairly mediocre combat engine, ME 2's was that horrid planet scanning mini-game, the complete lack of any exploration (and map screens), aside from on a couple of DLC (where it nearly hit the right balance) and the division of combat and non-combat areas (which ME 3 suffered from, too), low immersion (because of those loading screens were awful - at least in ME 2 they weren't quite so dreadful) and probably the most damning thing, a complete lack of weapon stats in game1 and lack of inventory; ME 3's was the migitation of most of the side quests to a dull mini-game (to be fair, some of ME 2's side quests had a certain atmosphere to them, even if they were either non-combat or combat by turns), several of the flaws of ME 2, if not quite as glaring - and of course, the ending...!

Much as I disliked the change of combat engine between 1 and 2, I grudgingly have to admit that after playing 3, going back to one highlighted the formers problems in that area. Though I haven't played 2 since the first time, so I can't speak to how that looks.

(Though I really did dislike the change to thermal clips and the ridiculous and immersion-killing reasons behind it, as well as the loss of something more unique. It would have been better to have used aspects of both, for the appropriate reasons (because seriously, what idiot wants a rapid-fire sniper rifle? Because - rapid-fire versions aside, where that's the point - I'm pretty sure my Javelin didn't fire any faster than my Spectre X in the end...) Bringing in weapons that acted similar was a good idea on ME 3's part, I think.)



1Any game in which I have to exit/switch out of the game and find the stats for online to even have vague idea of what the difference between weapons is asking for a Magical Space-Lich-empowered beat-down with a rocket launcher. That is not how you do that!

[warty goblin]

(Though I really did dislike the change to thermal clips and the ridiculous and immersion-killing reasons behind it, as well as the loss of something more unique. It would have been better to have used aspects of both, for the appropriate reasons (because seriously, what idiot wants a rapid-fire sniper rifle? Because - rapid-fire versions aside, where that's the point - I'm pretty sure my Javelin didn't fire any faster than my Spectre X in the end...) Bringing in weapons that acted similar was a good idea on ME 3's part, I think.)


The irony being that they could have switched to the thermal clip system, not said anything, and like thirteen people would have cared.

[Psyren]

I played through as an engineer all 3 games. So the majority of what you mentioned doesn't really apply. The addition of Incinerate and being able to have it hotbuttoned and spammed every 3-4 seconds really made the difference for me.

Well, you said "powers," not "tech powers." Engineers were designed to be weaker in ME1 because they were half-rogues - if they were as powerful as Adepts then there'd be no reason to be an Adept, because they'd be uber casters and be able to hack and heal too.

However, Engineers were pretty OP as well - again, hacking could be done through shields in ME1, and you could even hack multiple enemies. With most of the ME1 enemies being Geth, you could easily create chaos, and decimate rooms without firing a shot. You then had Neural Shock to deal with organics like Rachni and Creepers, and Sabotage actually kept some enemies from doing anything at all with their guns disabled.


The irony being that they could have switched to the thermal clip system, not said anything, and like thirteen people would have cared.

And miss out on Conrad's epic lampshade-hanging rant? I think not! :smalltongue:

[Erloas]

But they also extended the sequences so they could insert the dialogue snippets; look how much faster the load times were in ME2 and 3, and those had nearly double the content. Or perhaps they just optimized those games better - I don't know the reason nor do I really care
Actually I think the biggest change wasn't optimization of the code, but change in level design. The explorable areas of the Citadel in ME1 is huge, but the areas you can get to in ME3 are almost nothing. I bet one area of the Citadel in ME1 is larger then the entire Citadel in ME3, and I can't specifically remember ME2 to say how it compares.
Most of the larger quest area were fairly linear so once you passed a certain point you would never go back to the first areas and they could be unloaded and upcoming areas could be loaded in. You get the feel of a more seamless world and less loading screens with a more linear world where they know where you will and won't be again any time soon.


As for the weapon changes, I wish it was more clear in ME3 how the weapons really felt. It was too long between chances to change weapons to play with each of the weapons and see how it actually felt. Short of spending a lot of time in the shooting range, which still doesn't give a good feel for what a gun really does. As such I didn't end up trying out a lot of the different weapons in any given type because the little information they actually give you (the little bars) made some seem clearly inferior which was probably made up for with intangible aspects of the weapons. I did really like the charge up shotguns though.

[Zevox]

Seerow, I'm not sure how you played ME1 but powers (especially biotics) were absolutely broken in that game. Lifting Colossi, Pushing fully-shielded Krogan and Destroyers across the room, Stasis on Thresher Maws, Hacking Armatures, instantly refilling your shields with Barrier, you name it. At high levels, you could Lift an entire roomful of baddies and just pick them off with your pistol while they dangled helplessly. ME2 was the low point in the series for mages; Adepts ended up being a real pain to play because of all the shielding and armor issues while engineers had lots of trouble with barriers. The cooldowns were longer until high levels, but even so, one cast was typically all you needed to clear a room or at least deal with its biggest threat.
Something you might notice about all of that - those powers play a support role in ME1. Few of them do actual damage. The tech powers do, but not a lot (although overload does strip shields nicely, but only shields), and the only biotic power that did was warp, which was frankly rather weak in ME1. Powers were very potent in ME1, but to actually kill things you still needed to shoot them, whereas in ME2 and 3 you got a nice array of direct-damage powers, like Warp and Incinerate, which you could rely on if you preferred to.

[Aotrs Commander]

The irony being that they could have switched to the thermal clip system, not said anything, and like thirteen people would have cared.

Of which I would have been one. Though, yes, had they not addressed it such a silly manner (they could have come up with a better excuse, really1), I might have been marginally more inclined to chalk it up to bad gameplay decisions (from my perspective as a person for whom ME 2/3 is as close to a shooter as I'm willing to get.)



1Off the top of my head, it would have been better to have talked about requiring improved round velocity (i.e. damage) because of a wave of improvements to shields/barriers - which could have been explained away as "more damage" and would have been more credible, since we have no obvious comparison between what the damage numbers of the weapons verses hit points actually mean between ME 1 and 2 - different game mechanics - than siomething as obviously quantifiable as RoF, which is NOT markedly better in ME 2 and 3 over the first one, especially with the low RoF weapons...

[Math_Mage]

I rather concur with the sentiment that me1 placed more emphasis on shooting. In me2 I spent most of my time managing biotic powers that would kill things,or tech powers that opened up enemies to biotic powers; in me1, playing what I thought was a caster, I spent most of my time using the pistol with marksman on.

[Psyren]

Something you might notice about all of that - those powers play a support role in ME1. Few of them do actual damage. The tech powers do, but not a lot (although overload does strip shields nicely, but only shields), and the only biotic power that did was warp, which was frankly rather weak in ME1. Powers were very potent in ME1, but to actually kill things you still needed to shoot them, whereas in ME2 and 3 you got a nice array of direct-damage powers, like Warp and Incinerate, which you could rely on if you preferred to.

See, I get what you're saying - but I never saw my D&D wizard as being somehow less of a caster because he had to follow up a successful casting of Sleep or Color Spray by breaking out the scythe to finish up. Nor do I see a beguiler that does the same thing being less of a caster than a blasty warlock. The magic still did the lion's share of the work there; my ME1 pistol was less of a weapon and more of a CDG machine.

And the casting in ME2 was terrible in retrospect. Quite apart from the hosing handed to Adepts and Engineers by the defense system, it was hard feeling like much of a caster unless you found enough of the bloody upgrades to finally lower your cooldowns. This was even more pronounced on NG+, when you were capped at level 30 but needed to go find your cooldown upgrades all over again while the soldiers are running around the Matrix shredding everything with their Revenant/Mattock.

ME3 was the first installment where I truly felt pure casting worked - it wasn't tedious like ME2 nor gamebreaking like ME1. Unlike ME1, enemy defenses mattered, but did so without being the binary win/lose game they were in ME2.

[warty goblin]

I've never really gotten the appeal of casting in a game like ME. Partly because I spent most of the game trying to pretend biotics didn't exist, and partly because when I did play as a engineer, it didn't really feel any different from playing a soldier. The distinction between pointing my reticule at a dude and pressing the fire button, and pressing the use power button never felt particularly large.

[Seerow]

I've never really gotten the appeal of casting in a game like ME. Partly because I spent most of the game trying to pretend biotics didn't exist, and partly because when I did play as a engineer, it didn't really feel any different from playing a soldier. The distinction between pointing my reticule at a dude and pressing the fire button, and pressing the use power button never felt particularly large.


The main difference is the powers are guided. I am absolutely terrible at shooters. I avoid them whenever possible. I'm honestly not sure how I got through the first game despite playing on the easiest difficulty. I could aim at the broad side of a barn and miss.

The powers? You just scroll over the general area, and it locks on. You hit the button, and it goes straight to them. It makes it feel more like an RPG and less like a FPS.

[Kish]

Partly because I spent most of the game trying to pretend biotics didn't exist,
Speaking of "never gotten the appeal of"...

[Zevox]

See, I get what you're saying - but I never saw my D&D wizard as being somehow less of a caster because he had to follow up a successful casting of Sleep or Color Spray by breaking out the scythe to finish up. Nor do I see a beguiler that does the same thing being less of a caster than a blasty warlock. The magic still did the lion's share of the work there; my ME1 pistol was less of a weapon and more of a CDG machine.
I guess I see what you mean, but personally, when I play a caster, especially in a video game, I don't want to have to use a conventional weapon at all if I don't feel like it. I want my spells to be able to do all the work, not just most of it. And in ME1, they basically can't - you could theoretically try to rely on warp or the tech burst powers for kills while locking enemies down with other powers, but with cooldowns in ME1 and the amount of damage they do you'd be spending an absurd amount of time per encounter doing it.

In that respect, powers are stronger even in ME2 - each caster class has powers suited to stripping at least two of the three major protections away (Adepts have warp vs armor and barriers, Engineers have incinerate vs armor and overload vs shields, Sentinels have warp and overload and thus cover all three), and can of course destroy anything without those protections with ease. Biotic classes even gained biotic combos, though they weren't that great yet since you couldn't prime them on anything with protections, and cooldown times made doing them solo a touch impractical.

[warty goblin]

The main difference is the powers are guided. I am absolutely terrible at shooters. I avoid them whenever possible. I'm honestly not sure how I got through the first game despite playing on the easiest difficulty. I could aim at the broad side of a barn and miss.

The powers? You just scroll over the general area, and it locks on. You hit the button, and it goes straight to them. It makes it feel more like an RPG and less like a FPS.
I never felt, at least with ME 1, that it was a game that particularly benefited from being proficient at shooters. For most of the game the guns are just too inaccurate for one thing. The lack of ammo limits also very much encouraged a blaze away approach. Most third person shooters make sure you have ammo for something, but quite probably not the gun you want, unless you are really careful. I still remember nursing eighteen rounds of sniper ammo across multiple maps in Gears. The level designs tend towards the forgiving. Cover tended to be pretty easy to come by, and the levels didn't have a lot of opportunities to flank, or for enemies to shoot down at you.

Really the only enemies that took very much shootering skill were those goddamned one-hit kill rocket drones.


Speaking of "never gotten the appeal of"...
Although I like playing a badass in space, and I like pretending to be a wizard, I don't care much for the intersection. Well, maybe in a more fanciful sword and planet style game, but those don't really seem to exist for some reason.

[Closet_Skeleton]

As a Vanguard I never used powers in ME1 and used them a lot more in 2 and 3. On my second play through of ME1 I went Adept and worked out I'd just run into linear warriors/quadratic wizards on my first try.


Well, maybe in a more fanciful sword and planet style game, but those don't really seem to exist for some reason.

Apart from Star Wars. Or JRPGs like Star Ocean or Phantasy Star.

[warty goblin]

Apart from Star Wars. Or JRPGs like Star Ocean or Phantasy Star.

To me at least, sword and planet tends to fall closer to Leigh Brackett Book of Skaith sorts of stuff; closer to sword and sorcery than standard sci-fi with energy swords.

[Kish]

To me at least, sword and planet tends to fall closer to Leigh Brackett Book of Skaith sorts of stuff; closer to sword and sorcery than standard sci-fi with energy swords.
The really incomprehensible thing about this is that you're apparently expecting universal agreement that Star Wars is "standard sci-fi with energy swords," rather than "classic fantasy in space." Also that you're saying games of the type you're complaining about the existence of and trying to ignore the existence of...don't exist.

Regardless, though.
I've never really gotten the appeal of casting in a game like ME. Partly because I spent most of the game trying to pretend biotics didn't exist,
is circular. You tried to pretend biotics don't exist presumably because you prefer your it-looks-like-sci-fi without magic, so of course you don't see the appeal of playing a caster.

[warty goblin]

The really incomprehensible thing about this is that you're apparently expecting universal agreement that Star Wars is "standard sci-fi with energy swords," rather than "classic fantasy in space." Also that you're saying games of the type you're complaining about the existence of and trying to ignore the existence of...don't exist.

I don't recall complaining about the existence of any type of game here.

Sword and planet/planetary romance (which is probably the term I should have used from the get-go) is very much an established thing, and fairly distinct from both standard science fiction and classic fantasy. While the original Star Wars movies could maybe fit into this mold, I haven't seen any of the games really go that route.


Regardless, though.
is circular. You tried to pretend biotics don't exist presumably because you prefer your it-looks-like-sci-fi without magic, so of course you don't see the appeal of playing a caster.
I said this was based on the gameplay experience of playing an engineer, which most people seem to consider a caster. Its the part you deleted, right after the comma. If you have to ignore parts of an argument to criticize it, the problem is probably on your end.

[DiscipleofBob]

So...

Thresher Worms...

F*** them.

My wife encounters one first on her character. She just stands still and blasts it to pieces.

Takes me six tries to kill one. Nothing I did worked. It did more damage to me than I could blast it with. I tried moving around the battlefield and the thing would emerge from under me and one-shot the whole vehicle. Repairing is useless to do mid-fight. Finally just had to wait until it was a good distant away and not going back underground and blast it from there while moving just enough to dodge the acid projectiles, and even then it was a matter of whether the game had decided that "forward" arbitrarily meant "turn in a random direction" and apparently Reverse isn't a thing in the Mass Effect universe.

Dealing with anything else in the Mako is cake, but goddamn Thresher worms...

Trying to get to Charm 9 before I go back to Citadel for the first time so I can pass the Admiral's inspection with flying colors. It's a real pain.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I found the trick with Thresher Maws is to move constantly. The fight will take longer since you can't aim as well, but it's the only away to avoid both acid and death from below (and even then you might get unlucky).

It's also easier to tell how the Mako is going to move if it's already moving.

Also I miss the Mako.

[ArlEammon]

With a combination of various gift cards I got the Mass Effect trilogy on PSN. Granted I can only download one of the games at a time due to space constraints for now.

I LITERALLY haven't even finished downloading the game, so no spoilers please, but I do have one question.

I remember playing KOTOR and having to meticulously plan out my character's skills so that I a) could do what the game required of me, b) avoided any skills that were basically useless after a certain point in the game, c) was able to do the majority of the side areas.

I don't want to miss out on any side characters or good side missions. Any recommendations for character build(s) and spoiler-free things to look out for so I don't miss anything important?

Ah, I just got this too!:)

[DiscipleofBob]

I found the trick with Thresher Maws is to move constantly. The fight will take longer since you can't aim as well, but it's the only away to avoid both acid and death from below (and even then you might get unlucky).

It's also easier to tell how the Mako is going to move if it's already moving.

Also I miss the Mako.

I tried that. The worm would pop up DIRECTLY UNDER the Mako and one-shot me. I tried constantly moving, it would pop up right where I was moving without warning. I tried standing still, it popped up right under me anyway.

Only thing I tried that seemed to work was to hover near the anomaly I was investigating since I figured it couldn't spawn too close without messing things up and just try to dodge the acid.

[Landis963]

I tried that. The worm would pop up DIRECTLY UNDER the Mako and one-shot me. I tried constantly moving, it would pop up right where I was moving without warning. I tried standing still, it popped up right under me anyway.

Only thing I tried that seemed to work was to hover near the anomaly I was investigating since I figured it couldn't spawn too close without messing things up and just try to dodge the acid.

Protip: They can't one-shot you through non-flat ground. If you find a single divot or hill to park the Mako on, it's safe. You can then get out of the Mako and use it as cover.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, this is probably what your wife did.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Once I got the hang of the constant-movement I was able to get them all the time without getting any hull damage. Curve constantly, and there's only a few places the worm'll pop up.

[Anteros]

I tried that. The worm would pop up DIRECTLY UNDER the Mako and one-shot me. I tried constantly moving, it would pop up right where I was moving without warning. I tried standing still, it popped up right under me anyway.

Only thing I tried that seemed to work was to hover near the anomaly I was investigating since I figured it couldn't spawn too close without messing things up and just try to dodge the acid.

Yeah, moving constantly is the way to go, unless you want to cheese it like someone earlier suggested. Sometimes you'll just get unlucky and they'll pop up and one shot you anyway, but the majority of the time it's the safest strategy.

[Aotrs Commander]

Threshers were what I as talking about earlier. It is quite possible to take them on foot. You basically just have to wait till they pop up, leap out of the Mako, and strafe sideways (and a little bit foward), and they can't hit you with their deadly spitty-thing. Then you just have to whittle them away, preferablly with a few shots of your Sniper Rifle power. (If you get the good version of stasis, it's even easier.) Forget about your squadmates, they'll go down (and occasionally get back up); your job is just to keep moving and picking away at it.

Loads of XP. (It also can't be that difficult, as I managed it, and I am really crap at this sort of thing! No really, I am that bad... I still bounce off the walls running around in Pokemon, fer cryin' out loud, and I've only played every single main game since Generation III...!) Mind you, I only play on normal difficulty of course.

Taking them out with the Mako is basically the same, except you keep circling around the area of activity around them with the Mako, and if it hits you (aside from the occasional reload when it kills you by popping out underneath you), you run out of the area and repair, before having another crack.

Foot gets you more XP, and I don't think in the end, it's any more tedious (since when you're on foot it tend to stay up and spit rather than burrow like in the Mako.)

[Psyren]

For Maws - I get them down to a sliver with the Mako, then jump out and finish them on foot. Exactly as much exp as fighting them on foot the whole time.

If they wreck your Mako though, don't get back in it - just call Joker for a pickup.


I guess I see what you mean, but personally, when I play a caster, especially in a video game, I don't want to have to use a conventional weapon at all if I don't feel like it. I want my spells to be able to do all the work, not just most of it. And in ME1, they basically can't - you could theoretically try to rely on warp or the tech burst powers for kills while locking enemies down with other powers, but with cooldowns in ME1 and the amount of damage they do you'd be spending an absurd amount of time per encounter doing it.

Well, if you want to get technical you could disable all the enemies with powers and let your squadmates finish them off. If the AI was better this would actually work well for a "pure caster"; as it is, this can work but takes a long time even when they follow your orders.

And for what it's worth I'm the same way - I do double spells in Skyrim, used no weapons at all in Morrowind and Oblivion, relied on magic styles + Spirit Thief in Jade Empire etc. But I was okay with the pistol in ME1 because I really saw it as a caster weapon - following the logic that the combat classes would never use a pistol if they could help it simply because they didn't have to.



In that respect, powers are stronger even in ME2 - each caster class has powers suited to stripping at least two of the three major protections away (Adepts have warp vs armor and barriers, Engineers have incinerate vs armor and overload vs shields, Sentinels have warp and overload and thus cover all three), and can of course destroy anything without those protections with ease. Biotic classes even gained biotic combos, though they weren't that great yet since you couldn't prime them on anything with protections, and cooldown times made doing them solo a touch impractical.

Powers may do more damage in ME2, but I simply don't equate that to strength. Not when I'm capable of flinging charging Krogan across the room or flipping Armatures upside down.


I said this was based on the gameplay experience of playing an engineer, which most people seem to consider a caster.

In ME1 they're more like rogue-cleric hybrids. Their "magic" is weaker because they have added utility regarding locks and such. Their abilities also allow them to rely on their squadmates (and even the Mako) more.

In addition to the lockpicking, they also have better healing (with the first aid ability) and increase squad defense (your shields are based in part on the aggregate total of your squad's Electronics score.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

Oh yeah, you have to move in a curve. The vehicle version of circle-strafing, really. And you can watch your radar to see where they're going to pop up next and make a hard left/right if you need to.

It's difficult, but possible to get the hang of.

I can't really contribute to the class discussion, though, because Infiltrator for the win. I am considering doing a Renegade run as an Adept, though...and maybe after I can afford all the DLC doing one final trilogy run-through as a Sentinel or Vanguard.

[DiscipleofBob]

My initial game as an Infiltrator got scrapped due to saving on the wrong profile, so I've started over as a Soldier in one game and an Engineer in the other. I'm also getting some experience with the Adept from when my wife passes me the controller and tells me to kill something for her.

I'm farthest with the Engineer. I'm very squishy compared to the other two classes I've tried, but that's probably because I don't have any points in Armor though. My shields are through the roof thanks to maxxed Electronics.

I don't have a single point in Pistols but I can kill things just fine. Love toxic rounds in that thing.

So far I've maxed Decryption, Electronics, Charm (as high as it will go anyway) and I'm working on Hacking.

Liara's probably my favorite teammate so far. Just because bad guys start charging me, leap into the air, stay suspended in the air, and then just kind of dissolve.

[Yora]

I think I played the entire first playthrough without realizing the other characters are not using their powers automatically. And rarely told them to manually.
As Soldier...

Definately have the option for Squad-Power-Use on "On" or at least "Defensive only" if you want to direct everything personally.

[RagingKrikkit]

Heh, I'm playing back through ME1 after beating the other two a few times, and it's been pretty fun, except for one mission. Noveria.

I

@#%^ING

HATE

NOVERIA

Don't get me wrong, Noveria is very well done, with so many different ways to handle the two main parts of it, but it's also the most glitched to hell part of the game. Let's see, what have I run into?

Elevators that don't work
Elevators that are only halfway in the door, keeping me from getting in them
Going into a cutscene affected by biotics, and remaining paralyzed afterwards
Stretching glitch that comes from not reseting after getting the above
Being dumped outside of playable area by biotics
And my personal favorite: somehow replacing the HUD with the pause menu with the game still running and Shepard still controlable, but unable to determine anything without using the map in the real pause menu.

I have run into AT LEAST one of these in every run through Noveria, and they are all game breaking. And with the already bad autosave system at its worst here, my non-spoilery advice is to save before and after EVERY firefight, EVERY elevator, and whenever you get the feeling that something important is about to happen.

[Anteros]

Heh, I'm playing back through ME1 after beating the other two a few times, and it's been pretty fun, except for one mission. Noveria.

I

@#%^ING

HATE

NOVERIA

Don't get me wrong, Noveria is very well done, with so many different ways to handle the two main parts of it, but it's also the most glitched to hell part of the game. Let's see, what have I run into?

Elevators that don't work
Elevators that are only halfway in the door, keeping me from getting in them
Going into a cutscene affected by biotics, and remaining paralyzed afterwards
Stretching glitch that comes from not reseting after getting the above
Being dumped outside of playable area by biotics
And my personal favorite: somehow replacing the HUD with the pause menu with the game still running and Shepard still controlable, but unable to determine anything without using the map in the real pause menu.

I have run into AT LEAST one of these in every run through Noveria, and they are all game breaking. And with the already bad autosave system at its worst here, my non-spoilery advice is to save before and after EVERY firefight, EVERY elevator, and whenever you get the feeling that something important is about to happen.

Man, I've never ran into any of those. Are you on the PC version or something?

[RagingKrikkit]

No, I'm on X360, but apparently most of them are also on PC.

[Impnemo]

I've only once run into an issue on noveria, I got stuck on an elevator. Literally stuck, characters loaded onto the elevator and I couldnt move them off, but they would run in place. I dont even want to guess how many times I've played through it. PC version.

[Zevox]

No, I'm on X360, but apparently most of them are also on PC.
Huh. I have the game on the 360, and have never encountered any of those bugs myself, through six play-throughs. Just bad luck on your part I guess.

[Psyren]

I've only had one of those bugs (getting ragdolled outside the map by Benezia.) Other than that, Noveria is more boring than buggy.

[Androgeus]

What annoys me about Noveria is that a large number of people don't know how to
complete a simple Tower of Hanoi puzzle.

[Impnemo]

Which explains why it winds up in every game bioware ever makes.

[RagingKrikkit]

What annoys me about Noveria is that a large number of people don't know how to
complete a simple Tower of Hanoi puzzle.

Took me a few minutes to figure that out the first time, but now I've got it down pat.

[warty goblin]

What annoys me about Noveria is that a large number of people don't know how to
complete a simple Tower of Hanoi puzzle.

What was more annoying was it's presence in the first place. If you do know how to do it, it's tedious. If you don't, it's frustrating. Then you figure it out and it's tedious.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Yeah definitely glad they moved away from stock puzzles in 2 to just shooting everything and occasionally doing a switch puzzle. And the memory/match games for bypass and hacking, of course, but those aren't so bad.