Mass Effect 2 Discussion - Fight for the Lost

Since we're doin' that, here are my two endgames:

Imported Level 50 Male Soldier
Finished at level... 27? 28?
All squad lived.
All loyalty missions done.
Lost half my crew 'cause I fucked up and didn't activate Legion before getting on the shuttle.
Boned Tali, and no one else.
Didn't destroy the base, but did say fuck you to the Illusive Man.
Took the widow rifle over the revenant machine gun. Probably a bad choice, especially since I'm New Game+ing with this character, but fuck it, the widow is beautiful. I did more damage to the final boss with that thing than I did with my heavy weapons.
Had a cuntload of extra minerals.
Destroyed the heretic geth.
Let Sidonis die.
Let Miranda kill what's-his-name.
Left Jacob's dad to die.
Lost Miranda's loyalty during her argument with Jack, but kept Tali and Legion.

Imported Level 60 Female Adept that I got from http://www.masseffectsaves.com/
Finished at level 30.
All crew saved.
All loyalty missions done.
Mordin died.
Sexy business with Garrus.
Took assault rifle training.
Obliterated fucking everything with warp, shockwave, and pull field.
Again, saved the station but was hostile to the Illusive Man.
Reprogrammed the geth on Legion's loyalty.
Saved Sidonis.
Tried to save Miranda's friend.
Left Jacob's dad to die.

EDIT: Veteran difficulty both times.
 
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The only thing I wasn't pleased with during my initial normal mode playthrough was my crew dying, since I didn't know the Reaper IFF mission triggered a timer of sorts. My entire squad survived, though. I'm doing a Hardcore playthrough now for future DLC that will be nearly identical to my Insanity playthrough.

Insanity playthrough:
-Imported level 60 Insanity Infiltrator, level 30 in ME2.
-Full Paragon, about half a square of Renegade.
-Did the deed with Tali since I couldn't in ME1... sorry Liara. Really interested to see how Bioware handles "unfaithful" Shepards in ME3.
-Entire crew and squad survived.
-Everyone but Zaeed was loyal. Was barely underneath what I believe was the requirement to charm him in his loyalty mission. He still survived, though.
-Mostly everything upgraded, save for I think the last level of Biotic damage.
-Rewrote the Geth Heretics, killed Morinth, saved Tali from exile, kept the Genophage data for Mordin, let Garrus kill Sidonis, let Miranda speak to her sister, killed the Thresher Maw, let Jacob's father answer to the Alliance, got Thane's son working for Bailey (although I'm not sure if there's another outcome for that or not), saved the workers during Zaeed's mission, and spared Aresh on Jack's mission, although he's probably dead regardless after the bomb goes off.
-Destroyed the Collector base.
 
I may as well join in:

-imported level 60 soldier femshep, played soldier again, normal difficulty
-finished at level 28, all loyalty quests complete as well as most side missions
-straddled the renegade/paragon line for a while, finished mostly paragon
-no romance this time, sexed up Kaiden in my imported save
-crew and squad lived, despite Miranda not being loyal (not enough points to break up her fight with Jack)
-switched squadmates often, though favoring Grunt, Garrus, and Jack

Adrenaline Rush is a cool skill, but I'm really looking forward to playing with other classes, something I didn't do with the first game.
 
[quote name='Goodeye']Well your not forced to go to the collector ship that can always wait till everything else is done.[/QUOTE]

Um, no, you are forced to go there. I couldn't use the map to do anything else - had to go talk to the Illusive Man and had no option to put it off. Maybe you are thinking of the IFF or final missions?

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']The only Shockwaves that feel glitched are the ones on the Collector Ship. I have a feeling that they designed Scion Shockwaves to punish you for peeking out of cover too much (or simply being out of cover) and to force you into keeping your head down whenever there was a remote chance of getting hit by them. If that was their intent, to keep you in cover with the Shockwaves longer so that you get flanked, then it's acceptable to me. I have no idea how they'd be able to explain to someone that "Scion Shockwaves can't knock people out of cover, but human Shockwaves can", but in terms of gameplay it works. The BioWare apologetic in me wants to say that the Scion Shockwave not being able to touch you in cover is too big a thing for them to overlook, if they really did intend for it to knock you out of cover 100% of the time.

Side note: this whole entire time we've been discussing "I had a hard time here" and "Oh? Well I had a hard time here", I completely forgot to mention the fact that I may have even been more fucked on the Collector Ship part because of the increase in difficulty whenever you do a New Game +. Essentially (for those who don't know), whenever you import your ME2 save to go for your Insanity run, you're really doing an Insanity + run.

Good job on sticking with it :cool:

In my eyes, you've cleared the hardest part of the game. The rest of the game, at least for me, was easy after that. The
Reaper Human larvae
at the end takes 10 years to kill, but it's a pretty straight forward fight with no real tricks. Just kill Harbingers to pick up Power Cells when you run out of Collector Particle Beam blasts and ammo.[/QUOTE]

I think they changed the Shockwaves on the Collector ship because otherwise it would be impossible. I noticed they nailed me in cover on Horizon but not on the Collector ship so I'm assuming that was intentional. I couldn't imagine doing that part if they could get you behind cover ;).

So, wait, my Insanity run is a NG+ from my Normal playthrough of ME2? So you are saying it is even harder now than it would have been if I re-imported my ME1 save? WTF!? I guess you get the squad upgrade points so that somewhat evens it out, but this isn't like most RPGs - you don't have a ton more health and attack power with your increased level - just those scant sqaud points and some unlocked weapons (but no upgrades for them). But now I wish I had restarted my earlier Paragon ME1 save since I wanted to do that anyway for eventual import to ME3. Now I'll have to do yet another run. Though this time I think I'll use the Adept just for a change of pace. I've been playing Vanguard exclusively through ME1 and ME2.

[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']
I'm going to have a field day with my Vanguard when I get there. 100% close quarter fully upgraded shotty combat and charge spam all day long. I can't wait to see how long I last before clips run dry or I have to switch weapons.
[/QUOTE]

Heh, once again I find this funny. Like I said I've been playing Vanguard exclusively but I think I've used charge like twice in this game, and almost never use shotguns since they only work at close range. Charge is the one attribute I didn't upgrade very far (along with Pull). For me it's all about Shockwave, squad Incendiary Ammo, and Reave (bonus power). Plus I picked up the Assualt Rifle ability last playthrough and use that almost exclusively so I guess I'm more of a biotic soldier type.

Anyway, it does appear the final fight will be a pain (long and drawn out anyway). I did not know the Harbingers dropped power cells. I'm not sure I'll have time to pick them up though. So I guess I'll do more recruitment/loyalty missions for a few more upgrades to make it a bit easier.
 
[quote name='io']I think they changed the Shockwaves on the Collector ship because otherwise it would be impossible. I noticed they nailed me in cover on Horizon but not on the Collector ship so I'm assuming that was intentional. I couldn't imagine doing that part if they could get you behind cover ;).

So, wait, my Insanity run is a NG+ from my Normal playthrough of ME2? So you are saying it is even harder now than it would have been if I re-imported my ME1 save? WTF!? I guess you get the squad upgrade points so that somewhat evens it out, but this isn't like most RPGs - you don't have a ton more health and attack power with your increased level - just those scant sqaud points and some unlocked weapons (but no upgrades for them). But now I wish I had restarted my earlier Paragon ME1 save since I wanted to do that anyway for eventual import to ME3. Now I'll have to do yet another run. Though this time I think I'll use the Adept just for a change of pace. I've been playing Vanguard exclusively through ME1 and ME2.[/QUOTE]Anytime you play a NG+, it bumps up w/e difficulty you are on, also. Basically: "New Game +" = "[selected difficulty] +"

The difference is noticeable, I think, when you use an ME1 Import for an Insanity run.
 
[quote name='io']Um, no, you are forced to go there. I couldn't use the map to do anything else - had to go talk to the Illusive Man and had no option to put it off. Maybe you are thinking of the IFF or final missions?
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, must be the IFF or final mission.

I tried to skip that ship mission on my current (2nd) playthrough and couldn't. Try to use the map and Joker just says the Illusive Man is waiting to speak to you.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, must be the IFF or final mission.

I tried to skip that ship mission on my current (2nd) playthrough and couldn't. Try to use the map and Joker just says the Illusive Man is waiting to speak to you.[/QUOTE]

IFF is definitely optional (when to start it that is). You get that available right after the Collector ship, so if I wanted to I could go right through that and to the end. I'm tempted, just to get this over with and get my 1015 ;).

And as I said before, it is the "point of no return" (at least if you want all the crew to survive). So for those wanting to do everything before the end, make sure to hold off on that IFF mission until you've done all the recruitments (save one that happens on than mission) and loyalty missions, researched all the upgrades, and done whatever sidequests you want to complete.
 
To the two Tali heads - So, starting from a level 60 character makes it possible to get level 30 in your first play through? Hows that so?

Also, when I started my evil soldier chick (my second playthrough on insanity - she was level 51 in ME1), she started with 300k and 50k each resource. That seems like more than my first playthrough with my level 50. What is the deal with that?
 
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I know this is the wrong spot to post this- sorry! (I am doing it anyway so the people that this may interest can see it, who otherwise might not see it).

I have a Mass Effect 2 Terminus Armor + Gun code for trade. PM me and we can work something out!
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']To the two Tali heads - So, starting from a level 60 character makes it possible to get level 30 in your first play through? Hows that so?

Also, when I started my evil soldier chick (my second playthrough on insanity - she was level 51 in ME1), she started with 300k and 50k each resource. That seems like more than my first playthrough with my level 50. What is the deal with that?[/QUOTE]
You're able to reach 30 in your first playthrough because of the headstart importing a 60 character gives you. I hit 30 midway through the last mission.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']To the two Tali heads - So, starting from a level 60 character makes it possible to get level 30 in your first play through? Hows that so? [/QUOTE]

I count three Tali heads. :lol:

Yes, I hit 30 on my first playthrough with my imported level 60. I did everything possible as far as I know. I hit 30
taking out the injection tubes on the Human Reaper or in the final battle against it... don't remember which.
 
FWIW, I was about 500 points short of level 30 with my imported level 59 character (from my second run through ME1). I think I did pretty much everything too, though it is possible I missed one or two little city side missions (that only give you 156 exp anyway). I hit level 30 on the very opening part of my Insanity run on NG+ ;).
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']To the two Tali heads - So, starting from a level 60 character makes it possible to get level 30 in your first play through? Hows that so?[/quote]As others have said, it's absolutely necessary to start with a level 60 ME1 character.

Also, when I started my evil soldier chick (my second playthrough on insanity - she was level 51 in ME1), she started with 300k and 50k each resource. That seems like more than my first playthrough with my level 50. What is the deal with that?
Click to expand...
You get an extra bonus on top of the usual bonuses for completing ME2.

[quote name='Arikado']I count three Tali heads. :lol:[/QUOTE]You don't count.
 
So did anyone actually go back and redo the end of the game to alter who lived/died? I'm just curious because I haven't really considered it even though I had a couple people die in my ending that I would've preferred were still alive. To me if I would go back and redo the end it wouldn't feel authentic, it would just feel fake. I would rather stick with my original ending even if I lost a few team members.

Also a quick question, do the decisions you make in a NG+ run through still effect your save that will be exported to Mass Effect 3? I didn't do a NG+ run in the first game because of this, I'm assuming it's the same in ME 2? If it is indeed the same I will just make a brand new character if I want to play thru ME 2 again, a renegade that plays completely differently than my "canon" Shepard.
 
[quote name='cgarb84']So did anyone actually go back and redo the end of the game to alter who lived/died? I'm just curious because I haven't really considered it even though I had a couple people die in my ending that I would've preferred were still alive. To me if I would go back and redo the end it wouldn't feel authentic, it would just feel fake. I would rather stick with my original ending even if I lost a few team members.

Also a quick question, do the decisions you make in a NG+ run through still effect your save that will be exported to Mass Effect 3? I didn't do a NG+ run in the first game because of this, I'm assuming it's the same in ME 2? If it is indeed the same I will just make a brand new character if I want to play thru ME 2 again, a renegade that plays completely differently than my "canon" Shepard.[/QUOTE]

In ME1, when you finish the game it makes a save of all your stats and decisions that you can't delete. Even if you did a new game+ with that character and finished the game again, the save from your first completed game is still there, along with another end game save from your new game+. When you import to ME2 you can choose any of these saves. So if you didn't like the decisions you made in your NG+ you can just import your first save. I assume it will work the same way when you import ME2 saves into ME3.
 
[quote name='bs000']In ME1, when you finish the game it makes a save of all your stats and decisions that you can't delete. Even if you did a new game+ with that character and finished the game again, the save from your first completed game is still there, along with another end game save from your new game+. When you import to ME2 you can choose any of these saves. So if you didn't like the decisions you made in your NG+ you can just import your first save. I assume it will work the same way when you import ME2 saves into ME3.[/QUOTE]

Ok cool thx for the info. Maybe I will think more strongly about doing a NG+ run sometime in the future if it doesn't screw up my "canon" playthrough.
 
First: Yes, yes you should.

Second: Cocks. God damn fucking cocks. After struggling through - and completing on my second try - the first two rounds of the "hold the defense cannon" thing, the game crashed. Buncha... buncha fuckin' cocks!
 
I got my 360 back from being repaired last week. I've been really enjoying my first run though. I didn't have a level 60 ME1 save, but I didn't want to wait. I was a paragon completely through that game and I'm doing the same on this playthrough.

I have a couple questions:

1. What gets you renegade points? I've played strictly paragon so far and I still have a little bit of renegade. Does shooting the explosive containers or certain powers contribute to renegade?

2. Are there any negatives to having a few renegade points, like preventing you from getting the paragon bar filled completely? I have a little over 2 pieces of the paragon bar filled so far.

3. Is the downloadable character zaeed worth going after?

Right now I'm on Illium. I did Miranda's mission and the assassin's mission. After I get Samara, I'll go to the Citadel and then get Tail. I'm just trying to decide if I want to do that assignment for Liara, my ME1 love interest.
 
[quote name='erehwon']I have a couple questions:

1. What gets you renegade points? I've played strictly paragon so far and I still have a little bit of renegade. Does shooting the explosive containers or certain powers contribute to renegade?

2. Are there any negatives to having a few renegade points, like preventing you from getting the paragon bar filled completely? I have a little over 2 pieces of the paragon bar filled so far.

3. Is the downloadable character zaeed worth going after?[/QUOTE]1. Renegade points are, more often than not, acquired by picking the lower right option on the dialog wheel, the red option (if available), or by hitting the RT during a conversation interrupt. You will only receive Renegade points when the notification pops up to the side. No power in the game contributes to Renegade or Paragon points.

2. There is nothing wrong with having a small portion of your Renegade bar filled while attempting to be Paragon. When you start making the bigger decisions (acts that gain you 17 Paragon/Renegade points and more), you will probably want to shy away from making the Renegade decisions there. Telling the occasional person to eat shit or performing one or two Renegade interrupts won't be the end of the world.

3. Although Zaeed is not much to look at, he can be a powerhouse and a very formidable squadmate to have with you in certain parts of the game. His access to Disruptor Ammo (especially Squad Disruptor Ammo) is very handy to go along with the possible 50% weapon damage increase from his passive ability. If you were able to grab the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace mishap a few weeks ago, then load him up with that and watch him tear through shields and just about any enemy.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']1. Renegade points are, more often than not, acquired by picking the lower right option on the dialog wheel, the red option (if available), or by hitting the RT during a conversation interrupt. You will only receive Renegade points when the notification pops up to the side. No power in the game contributes to Renegade or Paragon points.

2. There is nothing wrong with having a small portion of your Renegade bar filled while attempting to be Paragon. When you start making the bigger decisions (acts that gain you 17 Paragon/Renegade points and more), you will probably want to shy away from making the Renegade decisions there. Telling the occasional person to eat shit or performing one or two Renegade interrupts won't be the end of the world.

3. Although Zaeed is not much to look at, he can be a powerhouse and a very formidable squadmate to have with you in certain parts of the game. His access to Disruptor Ammo (especially Squad Disruptor Ammo) is very handy to go along with the possible 50% weapon damage increase from his passive ability. If you were able to grab the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace mishap a few weeks ago, then load him up with that and watch him tear through shields and just about any enemy.[/QUOTE]
So far, I haven't done any of the lower right options, the red options, or the Renegade interrupts. I've been playing a very good character so far.

I should have mentioned that I'm a soldier for this play through. I already have the disrupter ammo and have it maxed with the evolved power that allows the whole team to get the effect. That does take away from the need for Zaeed. I did get those items from the LIVE Marketplace mishap. Maybe I'll try him on my next play through.

I'm trying to decide on what team I like the best. I've mostly been using Miranda and Mordin. I also like Miranda and Garrus, since they both have overload. I'm thinking of switching my preferred team up to Tali and I'm not sure. For some reason, I liked Tali from the first game. I'm leaning towards Miranda or Somara.
 
Well this sucks, I was watching my gf play and we get to:
Tali's loyalty mission and she goes into the room where the trial is going to be held and that main Quarian lady is in the hallway... and when she talks to her it triggers the conversation AFTER the trial and everyone is bugged and she can't do the trial. But, she can go through the door into the geth overan ship... has this bug ever been heard before? Real bummer she misses a lot of dialogue.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Well this sucks, I was watching my gf play and we get to:
Tali's loyalty mission and she goes into the room where the trial is going to be held and that main Quarian lady is in the hallway... and when she talks to her it triggers the conversation AFTER the trial and everyone is bugged and she can't do the trial. But, she can go through the door into the geth overan ship... has this bug ever been heard before? Real bummer she misses a lot of dialogue.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, same mission same bug...I had the Guide with me luckily, figured I was missing something and just reloaded the previous save...Should be a restart button as well.
 
Yea it kept doing it. I found that if I just run by instead of talking it works... big ass bug.

Also, for the crazy quarian fans here a question:
Wasn't Veetor (the nervous sounding quarian) the one that was on Haestrom that you pulled down from shooting the rocket?? And he says he was shot. But, when you get into the Flotilla you talk to Adam Baldwins character and he says HE was the one that was shot and was fighting on Haestrom. And Veetor does not mention it... was it a mix up with script? Or am I confused?

I'm pretty sure Veetor was the one that was shot...

*added* Nevermind... it was Adam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HYGycPqgds

But WHY do I remember Veetor instead on my playthrough? Was Veetor there? Bah my bad memory.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']You don't count.[/QUOTE]

I'll kill you.

[quote name='DarkNessBear']Well this sucks, I was watching my gf play and we get to:
Tali's loyalty mission and she goes into the room where the trial is going to be held and that main Quarian lady is in the hallway... and when she talks to her it triggers the conversation AFTER the trial and everyone is bugged and she can't do the trial. But, she can go through the door into the geth overan ship... has this bug ever been heard before? Real bummer she misses a lot of dialogue.
[/QUOTE]

I've read a few other instances of this over on Bioware's forums. Shame, too... you miss a lot of good dialog and back story. Did she try reloading the mission and seeing if it happens again?
I wonder if the bug has something to do with speaking to the captain again after the cutscene where you board the ship. Just speculation on my part, though. No idea what would trigger it.

[quote name='DarkNessBear']
But WHY do I remember Veetor instead on my playthrough? Was Veetor there? Bah my bad memory.
[/QUOTE]

The only times you'll see Veetor are on Freedom's Progress and again on the Migrant Fleet for Tali's loyalty mission. Quarian males look pretty similar, maybe you just got them mixed up? Although they do sound completely different. :lol:
 
Speaking of bugs, I encountered a strange one today.

At the very end of Tali's recruitment mission, when you're fighting the Geth Colossus... I took the left route to the end hallway where the Colossus is, then I took cover behind a wall there so I could peek out and shoot the giant thing. Anyway, somehow I got stuck in cover against the wall or something, and all the buttons stopped working except LB, RB, and the right joystick. When I entered the weapon wheel with LB, all my weapons were greyed out like it does for your teammates when they're dead. It was really strange. Everyone else was moving fine and Samara eventually managed to finish off the Colossus by herself, but I still couldn't move away from the wall so I had to turn my 360 off.
 
[quote name='Arikado']
The only times you'll see Veetor are on Freedom's Progress and again on the Migrant Fleet for Tali's loyalty mission. Quarian males look pretty similar, maybe you just got them mixed up? Although they do sound completely different. :lol:
[/QUOTE]

Ohh k,
I forgot you see him on freedoms progress. I've been jumping around so much in this game that I'm getting things mixed up. And Veetors character was much more memorable than Adam Baldwins char.
 
[quote name='kimbaka']Speaking of bugs, I encountered a strange one today.[/QUOTE]
Exact same thing happened to me during the Wasea fight in Samara's recruitment mission. Only time I've needed to restart the game so far.

What's with all these Tali fans? :) Is no one else romancing Jack? Before I started playing I was all planning to cheat on Ashley with Miranda, but Jack completely won my heart with her intro line to Shepard.
"Shit. You sound like a pussy."

One more question: Are Normandy upgrades missable? I talked to Jacob about his upgrade, and he responded with something like, "Upgrading the ship further is beyond my expertise," instead of unlocking it. It almost sounded like I had already bought his upgrade but I'm pretty sure the only one I had was Garrus'. Now I don't even get the upgrade dialog option anymore when I talk to him. Did I mess something up? Or is it possible to buy Jacob's upgrade before actually speaking to him about it?
 
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If he says that upgrading the ship further is beyond his expertise, you've already got the upgrade.

Also I was VERY close to picking Jack for my girl, her edgey no nonsense personality was fucking hilarious and very endearing!

But Tali's sweet nature won me over. She's just too adorable for me to not want to be with her.
 
Hmm. I guess I can check my upgrade list to make sure I already have it, but I'm almost 100% certain I never talked to Jacob about upgrades before that one time. I really want to make sure everybody lives!

It makes me wonder who the party members in ME3 will be if it's possible to kill off almost everyone. Liara and [one of Ash or Kaidan] are pretty much the only existing characters that are guaranteed to be alive.

I am so looking forward to Ash's reaction when she finds out about Jack. Don't think those two will get along so well. :)
 
As you unlock and complete missions throughout the game it will provide access to ship upgrades regardless of personal inquires. So like Das said if a particular character told you they have nothing more to give then you've already done their upgrade.
 
I'm not entirely sure about this but I'm guessing that once you complete their Loyalty mission the upgrade becomes available for purchase under your Ship Upgrade menu, even if you never asked them about it.

I'm guessing this because on my first playthrough I never talked to anyone other than Miranada about ship upgrades yet I ended up getting them all and everyone lived. They just became available to purchase in that menu as I progressed.

Just my observations, nothing concrete so far.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']What's with all these Tali fans? :) Is no one else romancing Jack? Before I started playing I was all planning to cheat on Ashley with Miranda, but Jack completely won my heart with her intro line to Shepard.
"Shit. You sound like a pussy."
[/QUOTE]You really can't go wrong with any Male Shepard romances. It really is just a matter of preference of character/story.

For Jack:
You spend the entire game slowly wearing down her defenses until she finally has nothing left and you see her break down. You can notice this trend simply in her remarks after you say "I need to go". They go from "..yep" to "Okay, maybe talk later. Maybe not." all the way up to her showing up at your door with tears running down her face. It's actually the sweetest of the romances.

For Miranda:

It's another case of breaking her down, but in a different sense. She comes in with the mindset that she's simply a great asset to Cerberus and that she always produces results. You spend a good portion of the game making her realize that she's a person and that she actually has a place in the world, transforming the Ice Queen into a person. The highlight of it all is when she finally
cuts her ties to Cerberus and sides with you
(Paragon)

For Tali:
It's all about the damsel in distress style of romance. You saved her ass from Fist, you saved Veetor and helped her out on Freedom's Progress, you saved her and (hopefully) Reegar on Haestrom, you stood with her while she was on trail for treason, you were there when she found out the fate of her father and comforted her (if you didn't hit that Paragon interrupt, shame on you), and you spoke out against the Admiralty Board for her so that her honor (and more importantly, her father's honor) was protected. As Kelly says in one of your chats, you get subtle hints that Tali grows more and more fond of you the more you do for her - from her initial reaction on Freedom's Progress, to the "I wish Shepard were here" line in one of the audio logs on Haestrom, to the hug on her father's ship, to the dialog post-trail, etc. You get all that along with funny dialog and, what I consider one of the best aspects of the romance subplot, the mystery of what she looks like underneath her envirosuit.
 
You know, Horizon wasn't that bad. Contrary to what someone warned me, there was ample time for me to line up shots with the widow. Only in a few cases did I have to break out the shotgun for up-close work.

The only actual trouble (aside from a rapid dash when Harbinger spawned four metres away from me) was, of course, the Praetorian. It was a painful Catch 22. Lacking any effective weapons against its barriers (best I could do was whittle it down with the battle rifle), I needed my squadmates to get them down in a timely manner. But once they were down (and I most certainly did not need their help on the armour; the widow was more than enough for that), the AI caught a case of the stupids, and would forget my orders if we were ever separated by a distance > half the map. This, of course, brought them right up to the Praetorian, allowing him to recharge his barriers.

Still, I got him on the... third? try.

EDIT: Also, took the Cain in. Didn't use it.
EDIT2: Fun fact. You know how the opening fight of the final area is
two scions and a bunch of husks? Yeah, you can see one of the scions off in the distance before you enter the room and trigger the fight. You can't see his head, though, so it takes four widow shots and two clips of both pistol and assault rifle to bring him down. But there's spare ammo lying around you at that point, so it doesn't really matter. Free kill on a very dangerous enemy.
 
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[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']As you unlock and complete missions throughout the game it will provide access to ship upgrades regardless of personal inquires. So like Das said if a particular character told you they have nothing more to give then you've already done their upgrade.[/QUOTE]

Shit balls. Did not realize individual characters had their own ship upgrades. I figured giving the [UPGRADES] dialogue choice for every character was just for convenience..

That might explain why I have so much goddamn material even after buying 95% of the other upgrades available to me.
 
[quote name='A Happy Panda']Shit balls. Did not realize individual characters had their own ship upgrades. I figured giving the [UPGRADES] dialogue choice for every character was just for convenience..

That might explain why I have so much goddamn material even after buying 95% of the other upgrades available to me.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but most of the ship upgrades aren't huge amounts of minerals. You may have done like I did on my first play through and just did way more mining than you needed too. I did all the ship upgrades and every other upgrade I could find and had a shit ton of minerals left over 60K+ Element Zero, 300-400K of the other 3.
 
Damn I'm trying to find the episode of iCarly (iCook) where the voice actress for Jack is a judge on the show. I found one but it had messed up audio. Was pretty funny though...
 
Charge (Area or Heavy) + Improved Cryo Ammo + Scimitar Assault Shotgun = Dead People.

Guaranteed. You have everything you need to clear out a room with minimal effort in seconds if your aim is true. ICA supported by the Scimitar's monstrous clip and fire rate can drastically reduce your reliance on positioning yourself within reach of viable cover before lining up a Charge. In most cases whatever you haven't frozen or already killed in less than three shots is a second away from being another Charge victim and/or their protection is being worked over by your team. Not bad. Slap on any ranged squad debuff power you like and now you've compensated for the most obvious weaknesses of the class while fortifying its main strengths.

I still prefer the brute strength, time freeze, full shield regen, no holds barred brand of rape only Heavy can bring to the table, but Area has done well to please the tactician in me. It'll be a while before I dedicate another complete low level Insanity play-through to it though because I lack both the interest and patience necessary in tweaking party member abilities to support it and constantly set up opportunities for its intended purposes. The shotgun maniac in me is only interested in surviving long enough to kill everything within eye shot fast up close and personal like with big ass guns and minimal biotic use when I'm a Vanguard. Case closed.

Unfortunately while on the prowl for more victims to test AC's effectiveness I was reminded of the poor level of quality pertaining to side quests in comparison to the original. After completing them all there still wasn't much depth, reward or enough allure to any of them for me to bother searching them out again in the future. Now only the storyline and occasionally screwing around with combos in Insanity are the only reasons I'm still playing this game... meh. If there is any word of mineral or exp bonuses offered in ME3 for doing them then I guess I might change my tune.
 
Any recommendations for which squad members work well with a Vanguard?

I was thinking of sticking with Miranda, as I figure her Overload/Warp and the buffs I get from Cerberus Officer would work well for me.
 
[quote name='yukine']Any recommendations for which squad members work well with a Vanguard?

I was thinking of sticking with Miranda, as I figure her Overload/Warp and the buffs I get from Cerberus Officer would work well for me.[/QUOTE]1. What's your build? For instance:

Incendiary Ammo [ ? ]
Cryo Ammo [ ? ]
Charge [ ? ]
Shockwave [ ? ]
Pull [ ? ]
Assault Mastery [ ? ]

2. Were you able to grab the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from the Xbox LIVE mishap a few weeks ago?

3. Judging by your gamerscore for the game, I'm guessing you're not far in the game right now. Which teammates do you have?
 
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[quote name='erehwon']So far, I haven't done any of the lower right options, the red options, or the Renegade interrupts. I've been playing a very good character so far.

I should have mentioned that I'm a soldier for this play through. I already have the disrupter ammo and have it maxed with the evolved power that allows the whole team to get the effect. That does take away from the need for Zaeed. I did get those items from the LIVE Marketplace mishap. Maybe I'll try him on my next play through.

I'm trying to decide on what team I like the best. I've mostly been using Miranda and Mordin. I also like Miranda and Garrus, since they both have overload. I'm thinking of switching my preferred team up to Tali and I'm not sure. For some reason, I liked Tali from the first game. I'm leaning towards Miranda or Somara.[/QUOTE]That does somewhat get rid of the need for Zaeed. However, if you decide to use Garrus or anyone with sniping, make sure to give them that M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle. Teammates do as much damage with that rifle as you do, which is different than any other gun in the game (teammates usually do ~55% the amount of damage you can do).

What's the current build on your Soldier? That would help with choosing squadmates.
 
I just finished the Loyalty missions for Grunt and Mordin. Unfortunately, the Illusive Man wants to talk after I get back to the Normandy. I was wondering if you have to answer him right then. I still have a recruitment mission and another things to do.
I'm not sure if I want to got to the collector ship just yet. I heard the crew gets abducted during this. I also heard they start dying if you don't get to them soon enough.
I'm trying to get through this without anyone dying.
 
So I've been breezing through my Insanity playthrough as an Adept...until I got to the collector ship mission. Most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

Every time I start up the moving platform section, my squad mates die within 5 seconds and the Harbinger just walks up to me and kills me while I'm behind cover. It's hard to even get shots at him cause he keeps spamming his BS.

I'm not looking forward to playing that again, ugh. Any tips from someone who played through it using Adept?
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']1. What's your build? For instance:

Incendiary Ammo [ ? ]
Cryo Ammo [ ? ]
Charge [ ? ]
Shockwave [ ? ]
Pull [ ? ]
Assault Mastery [ ? ]

2. Were you able to grab the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from the Xbox LIVE mishap a few weeks ago?

3. Judging by your gamerscore for the game, I'm guessing you're not far in the game right now. Which teammates do you have?[/QUOTE]

What he said not to mention what armor pieces you have lying around, current level and whether you're going for a Charge oriented or a more balanced Vanguard experience. IHMO regardless of play style Miranda is a party staple for any class on any difficulty. Overload and Warp are useful in their own right but when combined with her passive class squad based boosts you can't go wrong. A well balanced support figure whether or not she's still breathing on the battlefield.

[quote name='kimbaka']So I've been breezing through my Insanity playthrough as an Adept...until I got to the collector ship mission. Most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

Every time I start up the moving platform section, my squad mates die within 5 seconds and the Harbinger just walks up to me and kills me while I'm behind cover. It's hard to even get shots at him cause he keeps spamming his BS. I'm not looking forward to playing that again, ugh.

Any tips from someone who played through it using Adept?[/QUOTE]

I abused Heavy Singularity and Heavy Warp by spamming them both whenever humanly possible focusing in on Harbinger spawns while in cover. Singularity will usually stop one in its tracks long enough for your entire team to molest with Heavy Warp if you've been rolling with Thane and Miranda. In addition to the damage increase allotted by Singularity when Warp hits it, I also laid into them with Heavy Warp Ammo which helped tremendously. Just zone in on the Harbingers with Singularity whenever you can to buy you some time until Warp is up and hit em hard. You could also shift focus to throwing or Shockwaving Collectors off the platforms before they have a chance to spawn as Harbingers.
 
[quote name='erehwon']I just finished the Loyalty missions for Grunt and Mordin. Unfortunately, the Illusive Man wants to talk after I get back to the Normandy. I was wondering if you have to answer him right then. I still have a recruitment mission and another things to do.
I'm not sure if I want to got to the collector ship just yet. I heard the crew gets abducted during this. I also heard they start dying if you don't get to them soon enough.
I'm trying to get through this without anyone dying.[/QUOTE]
You heard wrong. That happens on a later mission, and you get to choose when you do that.

Also, Grunt is... a little different, I think.

gruntp.jpg
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']1. What's your build? For instance:

Incendiary Ammo [ ? ]
Cryo Ammo [ ? ]
Charge [ ? ]
Shockwave [ ? ]
Pull [ ? ]
Assault Mastery [ ? ]

2. Were you able to grab the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from the Xbox LIVE mishap a few weeks ago?

3. Judging by your gamerscore for the game, I'm guessing you're not far in the game right now. Which teammates do you have?[/QUOTE]
I'm only level 8 I think, and I have been following your build you posted a few pages back. I believe I'm at Incendiary Ammo [2], Charge [2], Assault Mastery [3] right now.

I missed out on the Incisor.

I only have Mordin, Zaeed, Jacob, Miranda, and soon Garrus. I'm mostly asking for future reference on who has skills that work well for a Vanguard. I was thinking Miranda would be good for Overload/Warp for shields, armor, etc. and maybe an Adept would be good to make up for my lack of biotics.

[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']What he said not to mention what armor pieces you have lying around, current level and whether you're going for a Charge oriented or a more balanced Vanguard experience. IHMO regardless of play style Miranda is a party staple for any class on any difficulty. Overload and Warp are useful in their own right but when combined with her passive class squad based boosts you can't go wrong. A well balanced support figure whether or not she's still breathing on the battlefield.[/QUOTE]

I only have what you start with, so all stock.
 
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[quote name='Ink.So.Well.'] I abused Heavy Singularity and Heavy Warp by spamming them both whenever humanly possible focusing in on Harbinger spawns while in cover. Singularity will usually stop one in its tracks long enough for your entire team to molest with Heavy Warp if you've been rolling with Thane and Miranda. In addition to the damage increase allotted by Singularity when Warp hits it, I also laid into them with Heavy Warp Ammo which helped tremendously. Just zone in on the Harbingers with Singularity whenever you can to buy you some time until Warp is up and hit em hard. You could also shift focus to throwing or Shockwaving Collectors off the platforms before they have a chance to spawn as Harbingers.[/QUOTE]

Alright, thanks. I'll give this a shot later tonight. Hopefully my squad mates will stay alive long enough to actually contribute this time. I was using Thane and Mordin so I guess I'll put Miranda in Mordin's place and see how she does.
 
[quote name='yukine']I'm only level 8 I think, and I have been following your build you posted a few pages back. I believe I'm at Incendiary Ammo [2], Charge [2], Assault Mastery [3] right now.

I missed out on the Incisor.

I only have Mordin, Zaeed, Jacob, Miranda, and soon Garrus. I'm mostly asking for future reference on who has skills that work well for a Vanguard.[/QUOTE]Following my build = :cool: :cool: :cool:

I forgot to ask what difficulty you were playing on :)dunce:), but I'll go ahead and assume it's not Hardcore or Insanity*. You can honestly get away with any combination that involves you and Miranda, right now. You won't see an abundance of Shields, so it's not necessary to take Garrus with you yet (unless you like him). Your Incendiary Ammo should be burning through anyone with Armor or less and Miranda has your back with Warp.

Jacob's only main ability is Pull, which is nice to have except...
Jack has access to the major "pulling enemies out of cover" abilities with Shockwave and Pull (two things you won't be leveling up much if you choose to keep following my path, at least not Shockwave for a while). Also, it's fun to hear her dialog during battle.
Grunt doesn't help much either with Incendiary and Concussive Shot.
Mordin is a very nice squadmate to have with you at this point, for one specific reason: Cryo Blast. You'll eventually work your way there with Cryo Ammo, but with the Vanguard there's never enough frozen people to Charge into. His Incinerate ability comes in handy a lot, too.

My advice is to stick with Miranda and Mordin until...well...until you get the option to recruit more people. When that time comes, I still don't think you'll find a combination that's necessarily better than that, but you could end up liking a certain character more than Mordin (like Tali w/ AI Hacking and a Combat Drone, or Thane w/ another Warp, or Samara w/ Pull and - eventually - Reave, etc.).


* If you are playing on Hardcore or Insanity, let me know. My advice would be totally different, if so.
 
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