Mass Effect - Gen. Discussion & Info - Pinnacle Station DLC Now Available 400pts

Sorry to detract from the conversation about the DLC, but I am on my first play through. Is this game, insanely, ball breakingly difficult? I'm dying constantly. Currently, I'm fighting
Benezia
on Noveria. I'm not going to pretend I know what the hell is happening - the fight starts, I'm generally on the ground in 5 seconds, and dead in 10. What's more, this 30 second attempt follows a five minute bit of dialogue, which is pissing me off to no end. Did I skip the learning curve, or is this pretty much the standard Mass Effect experience? I've enjoyed the mythology so far, but I also need this desk, controller, etc, and I've already put a crack in both.

Edit: Okay, X skips dialogue. Now My experience is pure fail.
 
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Yeah the game does get pretty tough I would recommend staying away from the main quest and doing some side missions to get your character up. I am on my second playthrough at level 50 and just beat Noveria again. I actually died on the boss, partly due to my game glitching up though.
 
[quote name='saunderscowie']Yeah the game does get pretty tough I would recommend staying away from the main quest and doing some side missions to get your character up. I am on my second playthrough at level 50 and just beat Noveria again. I actually died on the boss, partly due to my game glitching up though.[/QUOTE]

im on my first play through, and im really enjoying this game, i actually just finished noveria myself last night :D. anyway, what is a good level to try and tackle the "bring down the sky" content?
 
[quote name='CokeCola']Sorry to detract from the conversation about the DLC, but I am on my first play through. Is this game, insanely, ball breakingly difficult? I'm dying constantly. Currently, I'm fighting
Benezia
on Noveria. I'm not going to pretend I know what the hell is happening - the fight starts, I'm generally on the ground in 5 seconds, and dead in 10. What's more, this 30 second attempt follows a five minute bit of dialogue, which is pissing me off to no end. Did I skip the learning curve, or is this pretty much the standard Mass Effect experience? I've enjoyed the mythology so far, but I also need this desk, controller, etc, and I've already put a crack in both.

Edit: Okay, X skips dialogue. Now My experience is pure fail.[/QUOTE]

The Benezia boss fight is one of the hardest in the game for the new players. You aren't the only one who wanted to punch someone in the face afterward. Adequately leveled or otherwise on any difficulty though I've heard it is particularly nasty on Hardcore and Insanity. The trick to that boss fight is to temporarily IGNORE her once the battles starts and focus entirely on reigning pure hell on her geek squad. Reason why is because the fight is broken up into the two phases - "You know I'm your f*cking ruler" Invincible Dominatrix Benezia & "I promise I won't do it again..." Domestic Violence Victimized Benezia.

Now in the first phase she uses her health/biotic bar to summon about four waves of minions hence why you don't need to actually attack her, but temporarily avoid her biotic temper tantrum until you've killed them all. She'll do the job for you and the second phase will kick in. Always take cover whenever possible, use whatever biotics available to you (Lift is particularly helpful), prioritize the asari commandos then the Geth and STAY ON THE MOVE WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON HER.

Remember - you won't get very far if you try to attack or completely ignore her. I'd suggest after you've defeated a wave to remain in cover to heal or regain your stamina before making a mad dash to the next side to help aid in avoiding her wrath. It may take a few attempts but once you get the hang of it you're golden.

The second phase is a league more dangerous because while you've obviously closed the gap you're basically trapped in there with her and her minions. Not to mention the fact killing her doesn't immediately finish the boss fight so once again you're stuck with clean up duty. Since Queen B has proven herself a much greater threat than a disgruntled army of her associates completely ignore the commandos if you can afford to and hammer on her with everything you've got before all hell breaks loose. She's got decent shields backed by a huge health bar so you cannot afford to let her dig in at close range. She'll absolutely DESTROY her team in the blink of an eye if you allow it.

Once she has been put to sleep you'll have a little more leg room to get your wits about you and deal with the leftovers. Good luck. If you still feel you're a tad bit under leveled you can either backtrack or explore the forbidden parts of the complex effectively turning ALL remaining soldiers hostile to you. You won't take a gain or loss to your respective Paragon and Renegade bars for killing them so go crazy.

I hope this helps. Again I can't recall anyone who didn't have trouble with that boss fight on their initial play through so you aren't alone.
 
I had no issue with this boss my first time but I also had the game on the lowest setting and had an issue with I guess you could say a mid boss. The issue I had was on Therum.
 
[quote name='CokeCola']Sorry to detract from the conversation about the DLC, but I am on my first play through. Is this game, insanely, ball breakingly difficult? I'm dying constantly. [/QUOTE]

It was pretty tough for the first 10 hours or so (assuming your trying to do all the sidequests you find), but after that I seldom died.

It gets easier once you get leveled up, get better weapons and armor and get them upgraded, have more powerful squad members. I played as a soldier and kept a tech person and a magic person (biotic or whatever they are called--been a long time since I played ME).
 
My 15 month old son "bought" the DLC for me .
The trouble is, I don't own this game .

I think I would have been better off with the Lightsaber .
 
[quote name='Richlough']My 15 month old son "bought" the DLC for me .
The trouble is, I don't own this game .

I think I would have been better off with the Lightsaber .[/QUOTE]
Good time to buy the game then. It's well worth the $20 that it sells for new.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']
The Benezia boss fight is one of the hardest in the game for the new players. You aren't the only one who wanted to punch someone in the face afterward. Adequately leveled or otherwise on any difficulty though I've heard it is particularly nasty on Hardcore and Insanity. The trick to that boss fight is to temporarily IGNORE her once the battles starts and focus entirely on reigning pure hell on her geek squad. Reason why is because the fight is broken up into the two phases - "You know I'm your f*cking ruler" Invincible Dominatrix Benezia & "I promise I won't do it again..." Domestic Violence Victimized Benezia.

Now in the first phase she uses her health/biotic bar to summon about four waves of minions hence why you don't need to actually attack her, but temporarily avoid her biotic temper tantrum until you've killed them all. She'll do the job for you and the second phase will kick in. Always take cover whenever possible, use whatever biotics available to you (Lift is particularly helpful), prioritize the asari commandos then the Geth and STAY ON THE MOVE WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON HER.

Remember - you won't get very far if you try to attack or completely ignore her. I'd suggest after you've defeated a wave to remain in cover to heal or regain your stamina before making a mad dash to the next side to help aid in avoiding her wrath. It may take a few attempts but once you get the hang of it you're golden.

The second phase is a league more dangerous because while you've obviously closed the gap you're basically trapped in there with her and her minions. Not to mention the fact killing her doesn't immediately finish the boss fight so once again you're stuck with clean up duty. Since Queen B has proven herself a much greater threat than a disgruntled army of her associates completely ignore the commandos if you can afford to and hammer on her with everything you've got before all hell breaks loose. She's got decent shields backed by a huge health bar so you cannot afford to let her dig in at close range. She'll absolutely DESTROY her team in the blink of an eye if you allow it.

Once she has been put to sleep you'll have a little more leg room to get your wits about you and deal with the leftovers. Good luck. If you still feel you're a tad bit under leveled you can either backtrack or explore the forbidden parts of the complex effectively turning ALL remaining soldiers hostile to you. You won't take a gain or loss to your respective Paragon and Renegade bars for killing them so go crazy.

I hope this helps. Again I can't recall anyone who didn't have trouble with that boss fight on their initial play through so you aren't alone.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I did beat her a bit after posting, using exactly that strategy. Unfortunately I invented it using trial and error before reading your post, but it would have been helpful.

The next hardest thing I've done so far was the Moon mission, what with the flying missile launchers.

But so far I've avoided more of the main plot, and the game is more enjoyable.

I wish they had modeled the planets' orbit views - the descriptions of them are really interesting, and several of them mention features I'd actually like to see.
 
[quote name='crzyjoeguy']im on my first play through, and im really enjoying this game, i actually just finished noveria myself last night :D. anyway, what is a good level to try and tackle the "bring down the sky" content?[/QUOTE]
I am not sure what a good level is, but I just finished my first play through and completed this mission as the second to last. I think I was level 51 and it was fun.

I would agree with what others have said that leveling up and getting better equipment helps. Up until level 25 I died occasionally and there were a few really tough spots. After that I maybe had to use 1 med pack and had to revive a squad member twice. I was a soldier class and had Wrex and Tali in my squad.

I waited to do noveria later, around level 35-40, and it ended up being one of my favorite levels. The mission I had the most trouble with was the hostage with all biotics, at least when I was a lower level. I decided to go back later and while still a challenge, was not as bad.
 
i just finished this game 10 minutes ago, and it was a great game, i cant wait for mass effect 2. this game will be getting another play-through from me. just curious
in the scene where you kill wrex, is it possible for him to live? i re-loaded like two or three times to try and get him to live, and i just gave up and let him die.
 
[quote name='crzyjoeguy']i just finished this game 10 minutes ago, and it was a great game, i cant wait for mass effect 2. this game will be getting another play-through from me. just curious
in the scene where you kill wrex, is it possible for him to live? i re-loaded like two or three times to try and get him to live, and i just gave up and let him die.
[/QUOTE]

Yea it depends on your stats with Charm and Intimidate.

I've played through this game 4 complete times and I'm on my on and off 5th time.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Yea it depends on your stats with Charm and Intimidate.

I've played through this game 4 complete times and I'm on my on and off 5th time.[/QUOTE]

nice, ill have to check that out next time. thanks
 
[quote name='crzyjoeguy']nice, ill have to check that out next time. thanks[/QUOTE]
It also works if you do the special quest because of trust.
 
If you're talking about the new DLC then at this moment there isn't a fix for it. At least I couldn't find one on Bioware's forum other than being forced to re-buy the previous DLC since the PH version conflicts with Pinnacle. To my knowledge we're stuck waiting for Microsoft to release a fix since apparently the problem is either on their end or out of Bioware's capabilities.

What's worse is those who have already started or finished Bring Down The Sky apparently can't use their saves after the DLC has been deleted so in order to play Pinnacle they'd have to start a new game.

Ugh. I'm pretty irked my fifth ME run is put on hold until this is fixed. The extra XP could potentially save me from having to start side quests I can't stand just to tweak the build I'm using.
 
Just Finished Mass Effect, WOW what a great game, the story was awesome! This is the first RPG or RPG like game I have ever played. Going to be doing "Bringing down the sky" and a second run through to level cap the character for when ME2 comes out next year. Kinda wish I had gone renegade so on my second go through i could be Paragon to level cap and be ready for ME2 with a Paragon level cap....
 
Just remember to use a different character profile with the renegade path, that way you can import two characters into ME2 with the corresponding Paragon or Renegade choices/character personality intact. Don't save over your first character, you'll kick yourself in the ass for doing that (I had a few friends who did).
 
[quote name='crzyjoeguy']i just finished this game 10 minutes ago, and it was a great game, i cant wait for mass effect 2. this game will be getting another play-through from me. just curious
in the scene where you kill wrex, is it possible for him to live? i re-loaded like two or three times to try and get him to live, and i just gave up and let him die.
[/QUOTE]

Yep. I did it with
my charm maxed out, and Wrex lived to the end of the game. Got an achievement out of it, too.

[quote name='Spybreak8']Just remember to use a different character profile with the renegade path, that way you can import two characters into ME2 with the corresponding Paragon or Renegade choices/character personality intact. Don't save over your first character, you'll kick yourself in the ass for doing that (I had a few friends who did).[/QUOTE]

I just did my first play in May and June. I'm not ready to replay the game yet, but when I do I think it'll be time for a female Renegade instead of a male Paragon. I might switch up the classes, too. I really liked my Adept, but because I got some of the achievements for using the powers it may not matter so much which class I pick.
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']
I just did my first play in May and June. I'm not ready to replay the game yet, but when I do I think it'll be time for a female Renegade instead of a male Paragon. I might switch up the classes, too. I really liked my Adept, but because I got some of the achievements for using the powers it may not matter so much which class I pick.[/QUOTE]

Lol I have the exact same thing except I think both are soldiers, I know my first one was soldier but yea it is hilarious to have a bitch in the game.:lol:
 
I wouldn't kill yourself trying to create multiple profiles for importing into Mass Effect 2. The developers will have a clear vision for the game as they did with the first one and I wouldn't expect any drastic changes from the choices you made in the first game. I'm thinking back to Baldur's Gate 1&2, KOTORs, and NWNs.
 
[quote name='munch'] Mass Effect
[/QUOTE]
[quote name='YodaEXE']Yes. Yes it is. Very good.[/QUOTE]

lol is that a hidden bump?

Ok so I still haven't picked up Pinnacle Station, recommend?!
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Ok so I still haven't picked up Pinnacle Station, recommend?![/QUOTE]I posted a small list of impressions when it came out:
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']DLC opinions:

I had fun with the Pinnacle Station DLC. As someone else already mentioned, it consists of four different combat simulators, each with its own objective.

The positives:
Loads of XP
The choice of a really good Assault Rifle/Pistol/Sniper/Shotgun
Access to an apartment where you can pay 5000 credits and get access to special equipment (Note: you only get one item per 5000 credits; sort of a "roll of the dice" option)
Fairly easy (at least for a class with some combat skill)
150 achievement points (if you're into that)

The negatives:
It is fairly short (I think it took me two - two and a half hours, simply because I had to retry one or two missions a few times)
It can be frustrating if you are using a character who is not combat efficient, or if you don't choose a well-balanced team


Overall, I'm fine paying 400 Microsoft Points for this DLC. Since I played it first with a fairly low level character, the large amount of XP I received - as well as the awesome gun - really put me a little ahead of the game in terms of where I figured I would be so far. Out of a ten rating, I'd give it a six and a half or seven.
[/QUOTE]
 
Despite the poor reviews, I picked up Pinnacle Station the other day. I decided to finally get around to starting a new play through and going for some of the achievements, so I figured $5 for some more content wasn't terrible.
 
I love the game and it's great, but this pinnacle station dlc is a major rip off and a waste of $. Probably 1 of the worst dlc i've ever purchased in my life. This should have been included in the game so you can train and get the hang of it before doing the campaign/story mode. Do not buy this for 400 points trust me.
 
I just read some great news concerning Pinnacle Station straight from Bioware forums. The fix has finally past certification and is set to go live on Sept. 21 unless we get shafted once again. Here's a little insight as to why we've had to wait so damn long:

[quote name='09/18/09 01:38 (GMT) by Jack Lamden']

Our contact at Microsoft actually explained the lengthy time for certification to me and reminded me of something that actually slipped my mind.

This is their busiest time of year for certifications due to all the titles trying to make it through in time for the holiday season.

An unfortunate result of that is that there's very little manpower for additional, unplanned, certification work such as this fix.

This is one reason why certifications during this time of year are very stressful. No one wants to resubmit or have an unplanned submission since there's the very real possibility of missing some very important scheduled dates.

A 3 week cert is much longer than I'd have preferred, but it's not a freakishly long period of time for something to go from initial submission to final certification.[/quote]

I'm hoping they (Bioware or MS) plan to somehow reimburse those of you who have had their saves ruined or bought BDtS for a second time. A public apology at the very least would be appropriate. I just pray this 'fix' doesn't stir up a whole new mess of glitches in its wake.
 
i had 400 points saved up for this, but i gave up and bought 400 more to get mothership zeta, i am no long interested in pinacle station.....
 
PS seems like a good idea that went terribly, terribly wrong, because zero effort went into it. BioWare basically spit in the faces of everyone that loved this game and who, like me, were going to buy it no matter what, just because we love Mass Effect.
 
It's clear they just shoved this out the door so they could get it out of the way so they could finish ME2.

Let's hope they make it up to fans by making some pinnacle station stuff carry through into ME2 when it reads your save file. If they don't give you something good, then that's a real slap in the face and a teabagging too.

However, say that if you finished pinnacle station with good scores and got the final rewards and such, you can visit the station in ME2 where the combat is better you get some nice rewards, that would make up for it a bit.
 
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I'd really hesitate to say that zero effort went into the Pinnacle Station DLC, and that they "owe" the people who bought it by making it carry over into the next game. Bioware from the get-go said that this DLC was an experiment - that they wanted to try some new things that didn't make it into the full game - and that's what we got: a combat simulator (to introduce some type of competitive mode that may be used in ME2), housing for Shepard (which could be used to incorporate awesome things down the line), and a new way of obtaining good equipment (via the computer in the apartment). All of these things, though not the best that they could be, are very nice additions and I think are worthy of a minuscule 400 point price tag. If this DLC was 800 MS points or more, then I could understand this feeling of "they ripped me off", but the kind of hate this thing is getting is a little absurd.
 
I have yet to play this but if it was an "experiment" then I think it should have just been a free update. However for 400 points it isn't to bad. I plan on getting this in a week or so after I get more points.
 
Finally got out of the Citadel Station, then proceeded to play it for the next ten hours.

Love the game now that i'm out of the damn intro.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I'd really hesitate to say that zero effort went into the Pinnacle Station DLC, and that they "owe" the people who bought it by making it carry over into the next game. Bioware from the get-go said that this DLC was an experiment - that they wanted to try some new things that didn't make it into the full game - and that's what we got: a combat simulator (to introduce some type of competitive mode that may be used in ME2), housing for Shepard (which could be used to incorporate awesome things down the line), and a new way of obtaining good equipment (via the computer in the apartment). All of these things, though not the best that they could be, are very nice additions and I think are worthy of a minuscule 400 point price tag. If this DLC was 800 MS points or more, then I could understand this feeling of "they ripped me off", but the kind of hate this thing is getting is a little absurd.[/QUOTE]

I definitely wouldn't say I was ripped off. I didn't buy this DLC the moment it was released, and I knew going in that the content had received bad reviews. Even if someone did make a blind buy of it, there's definitely a buck or two of enjoyment in there, so it's not a big deal. Nonetheless, it was still pretty weak, even for $5. "Experiment" or not, you can tell very, very little effort was put in.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I'd really hesitate to say that zero effort went into the Pinnacle Station DLC, and that they "owe" the people who bought it by making it carry over into the next game. Bioware from the get-go said that this DLC was an experiment - that they wanted to try some new things that didn't make it into the full game - and that's what we got: a combat simulator (to introduce some type of competitive mode that may be used in ME2), housing for Shepard (which could be used to incorporate awesome things down the line), and a new way of obtaining good equipment (via the computer in the apartment). All of these things, though not the best that they could be, are very nice additions and I think are worthy of a minuscule 400 point price tag. If this DLC was 800 MS points or more, then I could understand this feeling of "they ripped me off", but the kind of hate this thing is getting is a little absurd.[/QUOTE]

I wish you'd swing over to Bioware's forums with that kind of attitude. IMHO a large majority of them (though well spoken and intelligent) are starting to take 'obsession' to a whole other level over analyzing just about anything if a 10 page off-topic debate might spawn from it.

Honestly for $5 worth of optional content I see no reason to complain or feel "betrayed" for them falling short on a few promises. God forbid those working at the helm are actual fallible humans capable of mistakes! :roll: Ugh. In the short time I've been lurking there I guess I've grown tired of the nauseating assumptions and ridiculous fan entitlement attitude running rampant there. It's a miracle the dev's just let most of the common bs that happens there roll off their backs.
 
I just started the game not too long ago, I got 3+hrs of gameplay...and I don't know, there's something about it that's not drawing me in. The second hour into the game it was all dialogue and trying to find my way around looking for the club, the infirmary, and the academy. That shit took forever since I had no idea where to go, finally got some action after wards and it felt great...but I'm still a bit hesitant on the game. Does it get easier to understand as you go on? Are you supposed to feel completely lost in the beginning?
 
Have you gotten out of the Citadel? I think we all pretty much agree that the beginning is the weakest part of the game. Once you get control of the Normandy, though, it's a lot better. If you have gotten that far and still aren't into it, might not be your bag.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']I just started the game not too long ago, I got 3+hrs of gameplay...and I don't know, there's something about it that's not drawing me in. The second hour into the game it was all dialogue and trying to find my way around looking for the club, the infirmary, and the academy. That shit took forever since I had no idea where to go, finally got some action after wards and it felt great...but I'm still a bit hesitant on the game. Does it get easier to understand as you go on? Are you supposed to feel completely lost in the beginning?[/QUOTE]

yes it gets easier as you go along, or atleast it did for me. there is quite a learning curve or whatever you want to call it. but after a while i got used to what to do and the game just picked up from there. however the game does have alot of dialogue, that is why alot of people i know dont like it, they are all cod/halo shooter heavy, and just want to shoot stuff and could care less about the story. but if you enjoy a good story, you should stick with it. i really enjoyed this game.
 
I've noticed for new players the Citadel is usually the deal sealer or breaking point which is sad for such a important location. Regardless it is intimidating at first so my suggestion to you is to just get the initial required quests to progress in the main story done asap so you can delve into the more combat oriented main story missions. Your first should give you a good sense of whether or not the game is for you. I'd suggest using the fast travel transit pods to get around easier (the only catch is you can only FT to locations you've already visited).

After you've gotten your feet wet the game does become easier to grasp, but the inventory system is beyond atrocious. It took me multiple runs before I became semi-competent on how to tame that annoying beast so beware. There's no sort options and all weapons, armor, mods and ammo are categorized in numerical order. Did I forget to mention they use a roman numeral system? Or a 150 item limit? Or the fact that despite this it isn't uncommon to end up coming close to filling said limit after most battles? I swear... whatever genius came up with that gem of an idea deserves a savage shin kicking. Learn from my past mistakes I beg of you and save yourself the trouble of hording excess gear by only storing up your current party. Once you've decided on a permanent set up you'll thank me later because there is no word of ME1 inventory being transferred to ME2. I haven't heard of any bonuses for it either as of late.

I'd also warn you about the Mako... buuuuuuutttt... I feel like it is sort of a right of passage for all new players to experience it on their own.
 
Question:

I bought the PH version and "installed" the DLC.
Where is it installed to? Looked on my HDD and only the game is listed it. Does it get combined with the disc install?
 
Wow, so many Pinnacle Station haters. I actually really enjoyed it. Of course it was light on story, but if you read the description, you know that it's pretty much ONLY a combat simulator.
 
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