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

[quote name='shrike4242']As soon as I became a Spectre, I maxed out my Spectre Training immediately with every single point I earned, for the accuracy increases and to get Unity up to the Master level, in case I had downed squad mates.

The next point dumping I did was into Charm, as there a few instances of dialogue options I couldn't get to unless I had very high or maxed out Charm. Saved my ass more than a couple of times from firefights, as I read after the fact.

Increasing Nemesis training will boost up Warp and Lift specs at a couple of points, so I'd finish that off as well. I maxed out my Shock Trooper points as soon as they were available, as they gave me benefits to Barrier and Adrenaline Boost.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I've got one charm point left til max, so I'll probably do that at some point. I know you have to have it maxed out for a couple situations before the end of the game, or so I've heard.
 
In other news, finished off Feros between yesterday and today, and the associated side missions. At Level 46, if I remember correctly. On to the next planet.

And I'd think I have to be at 150% or 175% Paragon, though the damn meter seems to stop at 125%. :whistle2:s

[quote name='Tybee']Yeah, I've got one charm point left til max, so I'll probably do that at some point. I know you have to have it maxed out for a couple situations before the end of the game, or so I've heard.[/QUOTE]Yes, that's correct. You run into situations earlier than the end game that you need max Charm to have available for you for some outcomes.
 
That was pretty cool, both Turian Ally and Asari Ally unlocked as I finished Ahern's survival mission in the Pinnacle Station DLC. Before that I had only done Feros, Noveria, and around 25 sidequests. I'm surprised that Liara didn't take longer since she missed out on the Citadel missions that Garrus was around for, as well as Therum of course. I guess just Feros and Noveria are enough if you do the right sidequests.

With that, I guess I'm finished with ME1 for a while. Got to 855/1200, I'm a little peeved that First Aid Specialist never unlocked after three playthroughs, even after basically farming medi-gel uses in the third play because I just wanted to get it over with. It would be cool to have the remaining two ally achievements, but Kaidan and Tali are annoying so I don't feel too bad. Maybe I'll try and bang 'em out someday but it's time for a break.
 
[quote name='Denbo32']Too many goodie goodies out there, you need to tap your evil side.[/QUOTE]If you ask me: I strongly believe that ME2 greatly benefits from a ME1 Paragon playthrough, especially when compared to a Renegade playthrough.

But, you didn't ask me so...:whistle2:\"
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']If you ask me: I strongly believe that ME2 greatly benefits from a ME1 Paragon playthrough, especially when compared to a Renegade playthrough.

But, you didn't ask me so...:whistle2:\"[/QUOTE]I'll find that out in the next couple of weeks when I get done with ME1 and move on to ME2.

From what I've seen with the dialogue trees and the actions of some characters to Paragon actions over how I think they'd react with Renegade actions, it seems like the game is scripted much more towards Paragaon over Renegade.

That, and I think that Bioware has a preference in what your "preferred" romance partner should be in the dialogue that I've seen so far.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']
From what I've seen with the dialogue trees and the actions of some characters to Paragon actions over how I think they'd react with Renegade actions, it seems like the game is scripted much more towards Paragaon over Renegade.
[/QUOTE]

I'm not so sure on that. If you start an ME2 game from scratch (don't import and ME1 character, it assumes you made the renegade decisions based on the plot, characters who are or aren't around etc.
 
It does seem like in many cases, quest givers only give you their quest if you use Paragon responses, at least initially. If you went full-on Renegade with everyone you spoke to, you'd miss a lot of content.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm not so sure on that. If you start an ME2 game from scratch (don't import and ME1 character, it assumes you made the renegade decisions based on the plot, characters who are or aren't around etc.[/QUOTE]
That may be how the default character goes, but the default character/an imported renegade feels to me like it's kinda... gimped in ME2. A paragon will get all these references to their past exploits that a renegade won't get, because everyone else involved will be dead.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']That may be how the default character goes, but the default character/an imported renegade feels to me like it's kinda... gimped in ME2. A paragon will get all these references to their past exploits that a renegade won't get, because everyone else involved will be dead.[/QUOTE]

LOL, true. I haven't played as a renegade in ME2, but I can imagine how much stuff would not be referenced.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']That may be how the default character goes, but the default character/an imported renegade feels to me like it's kinda... gimped in ME2. A paragon will get all these references to their past exploits that a renegade won't get, because everyone else involved will be dead.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. My ME1 playthrough was paragon, and I enjoyed that in ME2 much more than my renegade playthrough (started from scratch as I never did one in ME1).
 
Damnit you guys are making me rethink not going renegade for my 4th play through so I can finish up my last 2 achievements in ME1.
 
Just finished Virmire last night. Wow. I think it was the best so far, with everything they put into that planet. Lots of good combat, good characters, and generally a well-done, well-rounded experience.

I can certainly see why you'd go you'd do the order of Therum, Noverria, Feros and Virmire in that order, since the story seems to build in that direction. IMO, I think the story gets better with that progression, from the writing.

Now I just have to find which damn planets have light metals I didn't catch the first time around to finish off that damned mineral hunt task. :wall:
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Just finished Virmire last night. Wow. I think it was the best so far, with everything they put into that planet. Lots of good combat, good characters, and generally a well-done, well-rounded experience.[/QUOTE]
Well...? :)

Who lived and who died?

Also, I'd probably put Feros before Noveria in terms of an ideal order to do the planets. Feros seems like more of a side story with less relevance to the main plot, I think it might seem anti-climactic right after the big showdown with Benezia. I can't imagine not doing Virmire last, though the game will let you if you want, right?
 
Feros before Noveria is definitely the way to go. Not only does it feel more "urgent" (Geth attacking! vs "yeah, what's-her-name is poking around this place...") but for storyline purposes, I prefer
getting the cipher before the mu relay coordinates.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Well...? :)

Who lived and who died?

Also, I'd probably put Feros before Noveria in terms of an ideal order to do the planets. Feros seems like more of a side story with less relevance to the main plot, I think it might seem anti-climactic right after the big showdown with Benezia. I can't imagine not doing Virmire last, though the game will let you if you want, right?[/QUOTE]I saved
Ashley, who guarded the bomb
and
Kaiden, who went with Captain Kirrahe
died. I did that because
it made more sense to send someone with more command experience to help with the commanding the troops on the assault, so Kaiden went off that way, plus when it's a matter of making sure the bomb goes off versus knocking out the other AA gun, the bomb took precedence for me, which involved saving Ashley. Though, I think she snapped out of her martyr complex from her grandfather's past mistake when she realized Kaiden died saving her life.

In how I did the four planets, it made sense for the following reasons:

Therum:
You pick up Liara, who gives you background and inisight on Benezia, so it gives some "help" in a sense to figure out why Benezia is on Noveria and why she's doing what she's doing.
Noveria:
It was a much better end-scene with Benezia having Liara in the party, since I'm sure it's a different dialogue without her being there in the fight. So, it make sense to do Noveria after Therum, to me. Plus it gives you the background on the Rachni and some of the lengths Saren is going to try and save the galaxy in his mad way. Plus, gives you a kick to run to go elsewhere to figure out how to learn where the Mu Relay is.
Feros:
It may seem more side story than main plot, though brings up the idea of the Thorian and it being older than the Protheans. Plus, it shows the levels Saren is willing to go through to try and bring out his vision of the galaxy. Getting The Cipher here clears up the mystery of the Mu Relay coordinates, as picking that up before the Mu Relay info puts some mystery on where the Mu Relay is.
Virmire:
Doing this one last seems like the right way to do it, since it sets up working towards the end-game in finding Saren, since you've dealt with the Rachni issue on Noveria and the Thorian on Feros, so you're whittling away Saren's plans one planet at a time. I could see this one going earlier, though it works better at the end when you've had some time to level up more and pick up better items with some of the combat at the end. Plus, finishing this off gives you the drive to go right after Saren and Soverign when you're done there, fueled by the death of your squad member. Having somewhere else to go after there with Feros or Noveria seems like a bad break in the narrative they seem to have for the game.

[quote name='The Crotch']Feros before Noveria is definitely the way to go. Not only does it feel more "urgent" (Geth attacking! vs "yeah, what's-her-name is poking around this place...") but for storyline purposes, I prefer
getting the cipher before the mu relay coordinates.
[/QUOTE]I can understand both those points, though I liked more to
figure out what you need to decipher the Mu Relay coordinates, though if you do Noveria before Feros, you investigate one main antagonist you know you have to deal with, rather than stumble across one you don't know about with the Thorian. Seems more logical to me in that progression.
 
Well done Strike. I followed the same game plan fueled by the same logic behind it (that and Noveria is my favorite planet) though after a reasonable amount of play-throughs on harder difficulties I made Feros a priority after recruiting Liara because of its obscene amount of tedium. Great planet (after all it introduced me to Shiala) but man did it drag on at times. I just wanted to get it done ASAP.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Well done Shrike. I followed the same game plan fueled by the same logic behind it (that and Noveria is my favorite planet) though after a reasonable amount of play-throughs on harder difficulties I made Feros a priority after recruiting Liara because of its obscene amount of tedium. Great planet (after all it introduced me to Shiala) but man did it drag on at times.[/QUOTE]Feros did have some tedium, though I ended up doing three of the side missions by accident in the process of moving through the main storyline, so it didn't seem to be that much to me. It might be on higher difficulties, since I'm just going through on the default difficulty, though I'll keep that in mind for any future playthroughs.

Some of the side quests not tied to specific planets or areas did seem more tedious than the items on Feros, though that's just my perception on it.
 
Major reasoning on Feros before Noveria:

I often have a lot of trouble reconciling the whole "we must stop the Reapers/kill the Archdemon/stop the Sith/whater" with the "okay, now for two hours of sidequests" that is so common in RPGs (yet one more reason why I love the fucking tits off of Planescape Torment). Mass Effect 1 was particularly bad for that, as Shephard was very big on... y'know, yelling "We're all fucked!" to anyone that wouldn't listen.

So, what's that got to do with it?
Feros gets you the cipher, but no idea where to use it. It moves you forward, but leaves you with no idea where to go. Story-wise, it's a natural point at which to break for sidequests. Noveria gets you a stronger objective: find the planet. There is far less wiggle-room after that. And after Virmire, there's no real in-character justification - yeah, I do shit in character as much as I can - after talking to Sovereign for Shephard to do anything but focus on the main quest.

And I still wonder if Shephard feels like a dick for showing up a couple minutes after Saren reached the conduit. If he had just mined slightly fewer "rare earths", he woulda been able to avert the entire attack on the Citadel.
 
If we didn't go save the entire galaxy one side quest at a time before the big cataclysmic fight at the end, people would complain that the game is too short and they didn't get their money's worth. :lol:

Can't please everyone all of the time.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']
And I still wonder if Shephard feels like a dick for showing up a couple minutes after Saren reached the conduit. If he had just mined slightly fewer "rare earths", he woulda been able to avert the entire attack on the Citadel.[/spoiler][/QUOTE]

With how long I took on some planets, I'm surprised the whole universe wasn't already fucked before I even landed on Virmire much less the Conduit.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']If we didn't go save the entire galaxy one side quest at a time before the big cataclysmic fight at the end, people would complain that the game is too short and they didn't get their money's worth. :lol:

Can't please everyone all of the time.[/QUOTE]
Oh, absolutely. I'd much rather have things as they stand then have sidequests cut out. And at least it ain't nearly as bad as gates-to-hell-are-opening-everywhere-but-fuck-it-I'ma-go-kill-some-fish Oblivion.

Having said that, now that I think about it, Black Isle/Obsidian are very good about dealing with that. KotOR 2 and Torment avoided the problem out-right, and Fallout 1 and 2... well, it just fucking worked there. In those games, the time you wasted playing chess with scorpions and and what-not instead of actually completing your quest could be viewed as a commentary on the corrupting influence of society on otherwise "pure" individuals.

...

 
[quote name='The Crotch']Oh, absolutely. I'd much rather have things as they stand then have sidequests cut out. And at least it ain't nearly as bad as gates-to-hell-are-opening-everywhere-but-fuck-it-I'ma-go-kill-some-fish Oblivion.

Having said that, now that I think about it, Black Isle/Obsidian are very good about dealing with that. KotOR 2 and Torment avoided the problem out-right, and Fallout 1 and 2... well, it just fucking worked there. In those games, the time you wasted playing chess with scorpions and and what-not instead of actually completing your quest could be viewed as a commentary on the corrupting influence of society on otherwise "pure" individuals.

...

[/QUOTE]Out of all the sidequests I've done, and I think I've covered all of them with the exception of finding a couple of mineral deposits :bomb:, I didn't think that there were many that didn't advance the plot/expand the universe in some way. Their pacing and place in the timeline of when you'd do them, maybe that might be a bit skewed, though not as bad as some other games I've run into.

Obviously not hitting ME2 yet like you have and other haves, I'd like to think they retooled it a bit more to make it a more natural flow of events than running off to bumblefuck planet here and there doing things that seems out of place and pointless when the universe is hurtling towards doom and gloom in a few minutes' time.

In looking over the time I've spent on the game, which is 34-36 hours from what I remember from last night's last save, cutting out the sidequests for a "pure" story would cut that time down to 12-14 for the main plot points without side quests. I'd feel a lot better about spending $70 on ME1 CE with 34-36 hours under my belt so far and a few more to go than 12-14 hours spent with a few more to go.
 
There's so many things for me to quote and respond to that I'll just leave out the huge quote boxes to make this post somewhat smaller.

-------------------------------------------------

Regarding Tybee's revised skill tree:
I didn't forget about you :lol: here's another look at how I'd finish up your Vanguard Nemesis (and why):
lvl 35 - 2 points into Nemesis
lvl 36 - 1 point into Nemesis
lvl 37 - 1 point into Nemesis
lvl 38 - 1 point into Nemesis
lvl 39 - 1 point into Nemesis
lvl 40 - 1 point into Nemesis
lvl 41 - 1 point into Spectre Training
lvl 42 - 1 point into Spectre Training
lvl 43 - 1 point into Spectre Training
lvl 44 - 1 point into Spectre Training
lvl 45 - 1 point into Charm (unless it takes care of itself, then put a point into Pistols or Shotguns instead)
lvl 46 - 1 point into Lift
lvl 47 - 1 point into Lift
lvl 48 - 1 point into Lift
lvl 49 - 1 point into Lift
lvl 50 - 1 point into Assault Training

I think it's important to at least have all the biotic abilities at their Advanced stage for a Vanguard Nemesis, which is why I said to put the points into Lift. Your abilities' power and damage are being jacked up thanks to Spectre Training and Nemesis, which is why I advise you to take care of those ASAP.


Regarding the "order" of main story missions:
Therum > Noveria > Feros > Virmire is the way to go.

Of course there's no correct way to go about the game, but I think it's the best way in terms of how the story unfolds. Aside from what others have already mentioned, putting Noveria off until third seems like a waste when you consider that you're picking up Liara mostly for her connection to Matriarch Benezia. Once you pick Liara up, the Normandy now has two urgent needs to get to Noveria (which outweighs Feros' importance).

Though, to be a dick, I saved Therum for last (just once) to see Liara's reaction - and it was worth it :)


Regarding Shrike's decisions:
I'm glad you
let Kaidan suck on the nuke
on Virmire, don't ever let anyone tell you that you made the wrong decision there. However, I do have some questions for you - specifically, what did you regarding these specific situations:

Noveria -
How did you handle the situation regarding Gianna Parasini, Lorik Qui'in, and Adminstrator Anoleis? What did you decide to do with the Rachni Queen?
Feros -
How did you handle Ethan Jeong? How many colonists survived (out of 16) the assault on Zhu's Hope? What became of Shiala?
Virmire -
How did you handle the confrontation with Wrex? Did Captain Kirrahe and his men survive? Did you come across any of his former men in the facility? If so, what became of them?

I know you're pretty much doing a Paragon playthrough, but I just want to see how Paragon you really are - just a nice guy or a saint :)
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Regarding Shrike's decisions:
I'm glad you
let Kaidan suck on the nuke
on Virmire, don't ever let anyone tell you that you made the wrong decision there.[/QUOTE]You saw my rationale for making the two decisions with all of that mess, so you can draw your own inferences on that. ;) Regardless of how it went down, I give Bioware props from tossing it in there. Bravo to them.

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']However, I do have some questions for you - specifically, what did you regarding these specific situations:

Noveria:
How did you handle the situation regarding Gianna Parasini, Lorik Qui'in, and Adminstrator Anoleis? What did you decide to do with the Rachni Queen?
[/QUOTE]

Here's how it went down for me on Noveria:
Gianna Parasini - I helped her get the goods on Anoleis and get him arrested.

Lorik Qui'in - I had him give me the info to get into his office, picked up all the info he asked for and Charmed him into testifying against Anoleis.

Administrator Anoleis - I did tell him about the smuggled package and worked to get him to trade it for a garage pass, though I never gave it to him. Ended up Charming Inoles to get me 500 credits for it instead of 250 he originally offered for it, though still gave it over to Inoles. Happily screwed over Anoleis to get him arrested.

Rachni Queen - I let her go without killing her.

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Feros -
How did you handle Ethan Jeong? How many colonists survived (out of 16) the assault on Zhu's Hope? What became of Shiala?
[/QUOTE]

Here's how it went down for me on Feros:
Ethan Jeong - Charmed him into the "Feros coming back is an amazing PR move" situation without a shot fired.

Infected colonists - All 16 survived with some accurate grenade work. Never had to get close enough to melee any of them. Plus, I don't use grenades as much as I should, so I had a bunch of them on-hand, plus the ones picked up in the plaza.

Shiala - I let her go. She was a pawn in the whole thing, so no need to kill her.

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Virmire -
How did you handle the confrontation with Wrex? Did Captain Kirrahe and his men survive? Did you come across any of his former men in the facility? If so, what became of them?
[/QUOTE]

Here's how it went down for me on Virmire:
Confrontation with Wrex - I had already done his loyalty quest with his family's armor, so he was already partway to working through the mess without a gunshot. I went through all the Paragon responses and he backed down without a shot being fired by anyone.

Captian Kirrahe and his men - Kirrahe didn't survive, as Kaiden chimed in that he was dead, which I wasn't sure because I was taking my time through the work-up to the big decision, or picking Kaiden to go with him. It wasn't clear how I could have saved him, though as I think about it, I may have missed a couple of options in my work towards Saren's base. I did kill the comm link and turn off the alarms, though I don't think I killed the satellite uplink. I know in my progress to make it to the bomb site, Kaiden mentioned Kirrahe being killed before I made it there. Not sure I could save him in what I did, so any insight in that possibility would be helpful.

Kirrahe's former men - I did free the men captured under the base in the cells, including the salarian lieutenant and his associates. They were in the cargo bay area on the Normandy when I left Virmire, as well as Commander Rentola.

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I know you're pretty much doing a Paragon playthrough, but I just want to see how Paragon you really are - just a nice guy or a saint :)[/QUOTE]I think it would be a saint, since the only Renegade points I have are for:

2 points for Intimitading Clerk Bosker to get back Nirali Bathia's body, mainly because I didn't have my Charm high enough at that point, since I did it pre-Spectre.
4 points for accidentally running over one of those damn monkeys on the "lost module" mission, where the monkey jumped in front of the Mako as I was putting it to a stop. :bomb:

Everything I've done has been Paragon choices save the two items above, so I would suspect the damn gauge would be at 200% or more if it didn't stop at 125%. I know it max'd out a while back, around the end of Noveria, so I know I've been picking up a number of points after the 125% point.

So, yes, I'm a bit saintly in this playthrough. Second one would be Renegade all the way. :D
 
When it comes to armor, what do you guys prefer: more damage protection or shields? I'm thinking that I lean more towards shields.

What weapons do you use the most? I'm on the new game + of my vanguard shepard and I've mainly been using shotguns. An X level Specter shotgun with frictionless materials X, scram rail X, and high explosive rounds X is pretty powerful.
​
 
You can always augment both shields and damage protection with upgrades on your armor to help out what you're lacking in. Plus, you can always put your shields back up with Shield Boost.

I'll second that combo for knock-down capacity for the shotgun. Works well on Geth armatures and other high-end Geth.

In other news, at 37 hours and some minutes into the game:

Made the run to the Citadel and dealt with the lockdown. Had Anderson hack Udina's computer to get released.

Finished up my remaining fetch quests with the minerals, the Prothean data discs and the League medallions. All of them are done.

Picked up the Paramour achievement with Liara on the trip to Ilos.

Skulking around Ilos and about to step into a mess of trouble.
 
Completed almost all of the sidequests (including all collection assignments...and then some), Feros, and Bring Down the Sky this weekend, in that order. I made exactly the same decisions as Shrike, oddly enough. Really enjoyed those missions.

Krogan ally and completionist cheezmints unlocked halfway through Feros. Hit level 50 on X57 and unlocked Quarian ally. My money's maxed out. Need something to spend it on!

Thanks for the talent point guidance, X. I'm very happy with the way my Vanguard has turned out. To be honest, I barely used my biotics up until I became a Nemesis, but since leveling them up and forcing myself to use Throw, Lift, and Warp more, I've really gotten to enjoy that aspect of the gameplay. There's something deeply, deeply satisfying about scattering a wall of enemies with Throw or Lifting guys up into the air like Macy's parade balloons and taking pot shots.

Shrike: I'd be curious as to what decisions you made in BDTS, though I think I can guess. But that last one is tough.
I let the hostages die at first, but then I got killed, and reconsidered and let them live. I'm sure that'll come back to haunt me in ME2.
Also, what item did you choose at the end? I went with
a new omni-tool for Tali, but feel kind of gypped because it was only a teeny bit better than the one she was already using.

So I guess I'll do Pinnacle Station and the last one or two assignments before heading to Virmire. Do you get a chance to mess around after Virmire, or is it more or less straight on to Ilos?
 
When leaving Virmire, it's a straight shot to the Citadel, but once you leave there, you can go anywhere else still except back on Citadel. Once you go to Ilos though, it's a straight shot to the end game.
 
Well, I finished it up last night. I didn't run and do Pinnacle Station, though I can go back through some old gamesaves and jump into it before my Ilos runs. I decided I didn't want to slog through it at the moment and wanted to get my endgame done.

Tybee, to answer your question on BTDS:
I saved the hostages, without dying in the process. If they died, it meant that Balak won in some way even though he died. Even if he escapes, preventing the asteroid hitting the planet and saving he hostages, he loses. In retrospect, I should have picked up the quarian armor as my bonus at the end, instead of the onmi-tool, since I pretty much never saw quarian armor anywhere I went, so Tali was stuck with her initial armor item.

At the end, I hit level 50 on Ilos, and at the end, picked up the Quarian alley achievement and Tactician achievement.

For the endgame choices:
I convinced Saren to shoot himself.

I saved the Council.

I suggested Captain Anderson get appointed to the council.

So, it looks like it's time for ME2.
 
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Yeah,
Quarian armor
is indeed rare. But I found a really nice set at one of the merchants at some point and picked it up, so didn't need that.

In retrospect, money was not nearly the issue in this game that I thought it would be, but then again, I've milked just about every resource the game offers. There's not a mineral deposit or crate in the universe that I haven't tapped. ;) I'd been conditioned to hold onto my pennies for the Rich achievement and Spectre Master gear, but I got the former easily, and I didn't realize the latter only applied to weapons. Still, I've got my team very nicely outfitted. Focusing on two backup characters (in pursuit of the ally achievements) makes it easy to save money. I imagine it'll be more spendy in ME2 having to keep all of my folks outfitted (though the whole inventory/equipment system is different, so maybe not).

Hoping to finish the game up by next weekend if I'm not too busy. Wife has a lot of spring cleaning projects lined up for me. :roll: After that, I may wait a bit before taking on ME2, even though I do very much want to play it. But I'll probably knock out a couple XBLA games and then do something like Brutal Legend or Arkham Asylum. Don't want to blow throw all of my Mass Effect too quickly. Also, I'm thinking I might want to track down the Collector's Edition. That's how badly this game got its hooks into me. ;)
 
By the time I was done with the game, money was never an issue for me either. I only picked up a few Spectre Master items, and I knew I had more than a few items I could sell to get more money. By about Level 40 and up, it was hard to get killed unless I did something ridiculously stupid such as stepping in front of a Geth Prime or Geth Colossus without fighting back.

I think I'm going to jump into ME2 ASAP, since I have everything still fresh in my mind about what happened in ME1.
 
[quote name='Tybee']Thanks for the talent point guidance, X. I'm very happy with the way my Vanguard has turned out. To be honest, I barely used my biotics up until I became a Nemesis, but since leveling them up and forcing myself to use Throw, Lift, and Warp more, I've really gotten to enjoy that aspect of the gameplay. There's something deeply, deeply satisfying about scattering a wall of enemies with Throw or Lifting guys up into the air like Macy's parade balloons and taking pot shots.[/QUOTE]No problem! I like checking out character builds and trying to figure out the best course of action for anyone trying to get the most out of their game.

It took my 3rd playthrough for me to realize how awesome Biotics were, so you're definitely ahead of the curve in that respect :). The only way to have more fun with the Vanguard is to give him Singularity, along with all the other biotic talents he has. But, as you said, nothing beats walking into a large room and having everyone sent into the air within a few seconds.

[quote name='shrike4242']Well, I finished it up last night. I didn't run and do Pinnacle Station, though I can go back through some old gamesaves and jump into it before my Ilos runs. I decided I didn't want to slog through it at the moment and wanted to get my endgame done.

At the end, I hit level 50 on Ilos, and at the end, picked up the Quarian alley achievement and Tactician achievement.

For the endgame choices:
I convinced Saren to shoot himself.

I saved the Council.

I suggested Captain Anderson get appointed to the council.

So, it looks like it's time for ME2.[/QUOTE]Nice! You're very lucky to be able to roll right into ME2 after finishing off ME1, the wait between games was very detrimental to a lot of people's health (including my own) :lol:.

Question time:

Thoughts on the game overall? High points, low points, and things that you hope to experience again?

Are you going to go back through ME1 at some later point for a Renegade playthrough or to change classes?

Do you already have ME2?
 
Yea, money hasn't been a problem for me either. I'm on my second run through with this vanguard. I've maxed out money and onmi gel. My entire crew is using specter gear. I just need to find the best armor for my characters. From what I've heard, the Colossus and Predator armors are among the best. I have a good armor for Tali, but don't think I have the best. Everyone has medical exoskeleton X and kinetic exoskeleton X for the armor upgrades.

By the way, can you stack the effects of upgrades if you use two of the same?

I've gotten all the all the side quests done. I just need to do Virmire and on. I just wonder if I should get the DLC? I'm just really cheap and would have to find a deal on some ms points.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Nice! You're very lucky to be able to roll right into ME2 after finishing off ME1, the wait between games was very detrimental to a lot of people's health (including my own) :lol:.

Question time:

Thoughts on the game overall? High points, low points, and things that you hope to experience again?

Are you going to go back through ME1 at some later point for a Renegade playthrough or to change classes?

Do you already have ME2?[/QUOTE]I already have ME2, as I pre-ordered the CE the day it was available.

I'll probably run though ME1 again with another class on an all-Renegade run and see how it works out going with the dark side of the Force. That might be a femShep that would be another class. Probably that and run through it a second time with my existing Paragon Vanguard to get up to level 60, which seems like it'll take quite a while, so that might wait for a bit. I might do a quick side run though Pinnacle Station to achievement whore that DLC out, since I have some saves pre-Ilos.

High points:
Storyline and characters: I thought all of them were well done and fit together nicely. From what I've seen about the ME2 banter, that's going to be even more so in ME2.
Length seemed good for the game, not counting the side quests. Adding in those put it at almost 40 hours for me, with BDTS and not with Pinnacle Station (which I didn't do yet).
I liked the diverse characters throughout the game and that it wasn't just the same bunch over and over again.

Low points:
Some of the fetch quests were a bit annoying from a completionist perspective, though as there was about 10-20% of over saturation of needed items, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Graphics could have been better for some of the minor/side characters and some of the other environments, though as I know it's a 2007-era 360 title, and it's quite better in ME2, plus the PC version is better graphically.
The Mako on the side missions had some trying times, though I attribute that to more the terrain than the missions themselves. For the main missions, it wasn't much of an issue.
Repeat of environments got a little obvious sometimes, though I know they fixed that with ME2.

Overall, I loved the game and was happy that picking up ME2 kicked me in the backside to do ME1. Wish I had done it earlier, so I could have done the multiple playthroughs before ME2.
 
[quote name='erehwon']I've gotten all the all the side quests done. I just need to do Virmire and on. I just wonder if I should get the DLC? I'm just really cheap and would have to find a deal on some ms points.[/QUOTE]

Bring Down the Sky is a must-play, IMO. The awesome scenery alone was worth the price of admission for me (although I did get it on sale plus the EA rebate, both now expired). Plus there's a really fun shootout toward the end that differs from most locations in the game. Also, you're rewarded with your choice of a primo item.

Haven't done Pinnacle Station yet, so I can't vouch for it, but from what I understand, it's less a conventional mission and more just various fight scenarios. Useful for getting the weapons and biotics achievements or leveling up, plus a couple of built-in achievements.
 
You guys really spent 40 hours on ME1? I've been through a couple of times, picking up Completionist/Ally achievements (so, 75+% of possible quests supposedly), and it's taken me around 16-18 hours to get through the game. Do the collection assignments really add on that much time? I totally skipped those.
 
[quote name='Tybee']Bring Down the Sky is a must-play, IMO. The awesome scenery alone was worth the price of admission for me (although I did get it on sale plus the EA rebate, both now expired). Plus there's a really fun shootout toward the end that differs from most locations in the game. Also, you're rewarded with your choice of a primo item.

Haven't done Pinnacle Station yet, so I can't vouch for it, but from what I understand, it's less a conventional mission and more just various fight scenarios. Useful for getting the weapons and biotics achievements or leveling up, plus a couple of built-in achievements.[/QUOTE]I'd have to agree about BDTS being a must-play. I enjoyed it immensely.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I already have ME2, as I pre-ordered the CE the day it was available.

I'll probably run though ME1 again with another class on an all-Renegade run and see how it works out going with the dark side of the Force. That might be a femShep that would be another class. Probably that and run through it a second time with my existing Paragon Vanguard to get up to level 60, which seems like it'll take quite a while, so that might wait for a bit. I might do a quick side run though Pinnacle Station to achievement whore that DLC out, since I have some saves pre-Ilos.

High points:
Storyline and characters: I thought all of them were well done and fit together nicely. From what I've seen about the ME2 banter, that's going to be even more so in ME2.
Length seemed good for the game, not counting the side quests. Adding in those put it at almost 40 hours for me, with BDTS and not with Pinnacle Station (which I didn't do yet).
I liked the diverse characters throughout the game and that it wasn't just the same bunch over and over again.

Low points:
Some of the fetch quests were a bit annoying from a completionist perspective, though as there was about 10-20% of over saturation of needed items, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Graphics could have been better for some of the minor/side characters and some of the other environments, though as I know it's a 2007-era 360 title, and it's quite better in ME2, plus the PC version is better graphically.
The Mako on the side missions had some trying times, though I attribute that to more the terrain than the missions themselves. For the main missions, it wasn't much of an issue.
Repeat of environments got a little obvious sometimes, though I know they fixed that with ME2.

Overall, I loved the game and was happy that picking up ME2 kicked me in the backside to do ME1. Wish I had done it earlier, so I could have done the multiple playthroughs before ME2.[/QUOTE]From what you've posted, I have a feeling that you're really going to enjoy ME2. It seems like the changes in ME2 are more suited to what you're looking for (though there's no way I'm going to declare that you'll like ME2 more - that debate gets a little messy :)). It's good to see that you're wasting absolutely no time and jumping right into ME2 immediately - I would, too. I look forward to answering any questions you may have or helping out with builds/lore/anything else involving Mass Effect 2 :cool:.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']You guys really spent 40 hours on ME1? I've been through a couple of times, picking up Completionist/Ally achievements (so, 75+% of possible quests supposedly), and it's taken me around 16-18 hours to get through the game. Do the collection assignments really add on that much time? I totally skipped those.[/QUOTE]
First playthroughs always last longer.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']You guys really spent 40 hours on ME1? I've been through a couple of times, picking up Completionist/Ally achievements (so, 75+% of possible quests supposedly), and it's taken me around 16-18 hours to get through the game. Do the collection assignments really add on that much time? I totally skipped those.[/QUOTE]Yes, they do. A number of them are multi-part missions, where you go to one, and it makes a second (and third and fourth, in some cases) mission to follow-up on for the side missions. The collection assignments aren't that time-intensive, when it's just a "scan-the-planet" collection, though finding minerals on a planet can add 5-10 minutes of time driving over to it, surveying it, and moving back on to the "main" point of the planet you're on.

I'd say that maybe 2-3 hours might be some backtracking, inventory swapping/selling/etc., so I'd say 35 hours of true gameplay won't be an odd thought for the entire thing, with BDTS (2 hours worth) figured into the mix. Certainly 30+ hours to get every damned thing done in the "main" game without the DLC.

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']From what you've posted, I have a feeling that you're really going to enjoy ME2. It seems like the changes in ME2 are more suited to what you're looking for (though there's no way I'm going to declare that you'll like ME2 more - that debate gets a little messy :)). It's good to see that you're wasting absolutely no time and jumping right into ME2 immediately - I would, too. I look forward to answering any questions you may have or helping out with builds/lore/anything else involving Mass Effect 2 :cool:.[/QUOTE]Since ME1 as I see it is RPG with some shooter elements tossed into the mix, ME2 being a shooter with some RPG elements tossed into the mix will be a bit of a change for certain.

The fact that they expanded out a lot of the character dialogue and added additional characters to the mix is certainly a nice change with ME2. Streamlining the inventory process wouldn't be something I'd have much issue with either.

And yes, I had planned on picking your brain on ME2 when the time comes up. ;)
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Since ME1 as I see it is RPG with some shooter elements tossed into the mix, ME2 being a shooter with some RPG elements tossed into the mix will be a bit of a change for certain.

The fact that they expanded out a lot of the character dialogue and added additional characters to the mix is certainly a nice change with ME2. Streamlining the inventory process wouldn't be something I'd have much issue with either.

And yes, I had planned on picking your brain on ME2 when the time comes up. ;)[/QUOTE]Pick away.

When the time comes, all I need to know is what class you plan on being and how you want to play the game and I can give you some tips on how to accomplish it all. I have 300+ responses in that thread alone and there's always someone else who chimes in with a different view on the same topic, so you're usually getting more than one look at just about anything you can think of. Many people have posted character builds (especially for the Vanguard), teammate options, various strategies, etc. throughout the thread - but don't bother trying to search through 60+ pages for them, as people there do not mind answering a question they've seen before (personally, I love it - it's like we're gaining a new member to our exclusive ME2 club each time a new person starts posting there :cool:).
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Pick away.

When the time comes, all I need to know is what class you plan on being and how you want to play the game and I can give you some tips on how to accomplish it all. I have 300+ responses in that thread alone and there's always someone else who chimes in with a different view on the same topic, so you're usually getting more than one look at just about anything you can think of. Many people have posted character builds (especially for the Vanguard), teammate options, various strategies, etc. throughout the thread - but don't bother trying to search through 60+ pages for them, as people there do not mind answering a question they've seen before (personally, I love it - it's like we're gaining a new member to our exclusive ME2 club each time a new person starts posting there :cool:).[/QUOTE]I think I was likely going to stay Vanguard again for ME2, since it seemed to work well enough on ME1.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I think I was likely going to stay Vanguard again for ME2, since it seemed to work well enough on ME1.[/QUOTE]Excellent. I'll prepare a quick Mass Effect 2 Vanguard Tips dossier for you, if you wish. No spoilers, of course, just some gameplay tips and things you need to look out for when making the switch from the ME1 Vanguard to the ME2 Vanguard (which are worlds apart). I can PM it to you or post it in the ME2 thread.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I think I was likely going to stay Vanguard again for ME2, since it seemed to work well enough on ME1.[/QUOTE]

That's what I did. It's fine in ME2, but I'm eager to try a different class on my 2nd playthrough. Biotics, at least the ones the Vanguard has access to, just seem so weak compared to ME1.

It mostly is a problem of your enemies having shields or armor, against which the Vanguard's biotics are worthless. The only option to use biotics comes when the shields or armor have been completely depleted, and by that time it feels like you've nearly taken out the enemy already.

So, in essence, don't be afraid to switch classes if you've got the urge to. Vanguard is fine, and I'm enjoying my playthrough immensely, I just think I'll enjoy another class even more in ME2.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Excellent. I'll prepare a quick Mass Effect 2 Vanguard Tips dossier for you, if you wish. No spoilers, of course, just some gameplay tips and things you need to look out for when making the switch from the ME1 Vanguard to the ME2 Vanguard (which are worlds apart). I can PM it to you or post it in the ME2 thread.[/QUOTE]

I've also been thinking about if I should continue with being a vanguard? I've heard that it's quite different. I've pretty much been playing as a biotic soldier. I'm just wondering how well the ME2 vanguard will work for me?

I just used a promo code that I had on amazon to get some points. I ended up getting both Bring down the sky and Pinnacle station. I thought I'd get them since I won't be going back to ME1 for awhile after this play through.
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']It mostly is a problem of your enemies having shields or armor, against which the Vanguard's biotics are worthless. The only option to use biotics comes when the shields or armor have been completely depleted, and by that time it feels like you've nearly taken out the enemy already.[/QUOTE]
Agree about the biotics not being as useful as they could be. I decided on a soldier for my second playthrough, because I realized that apart from using Charge once in a blue moon, I basically played as a soldier anyway. Plus, sniper headshots with Adrenaline Rush own everything. :)

There is an amazing video series on YouTube called "Adepting through Insanity" though, the guy walks you through Horizon on Insanity just using Warp and Singularity on all of the enemies.
 
[quote name='erehwon']I've also been thinking about if I should continue with being a vanguard? I've heard that it's quite different. I've pretty much been playing as a biotic soldier. I'm just wondering how well the ME2 vanguard will work for me?

I just used a promo code that I had on amazon to get some points. I ended up getting both Bring down the sky and Pinnacle station. I thought I'd get them since I won't be going back to ME1 for awhile after this play through.[/QUOTE]While the core idea of the Vanguard is still intact in ME2 (close combat) the ways in which you approach combat is very different. In ME2, the Vanguard class is the proverbial "high risk, high reward" style of play where you're going to be in a lot of tense situations. As a Biotic soldier in ME1, you're able to walk into a room and instantly send enemies into the air and have Shepard and company completely wipe people out. In ME2, it's not that simple. Tactics come into play, forcing the Vanguard to become somewhat of a general on the battlefield - picking and choosing when/where to attack and gain the flank on a group of enemies. It's probably the toughest class to "master".
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']
It mostly is a problem of your enemies having shields or armor, against which the Vanguard's biotics are worthless. The only option to use biotics comes when the shields or armor have been completely depleted, and by that time it feels like you've nearly taken out the enemy already.[/QUOTE]
I disagree.

Except on Insanity. There, you're completely right, as everyone has shields/barriers/armour. But on anything else, biotics seem plenty powerful.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']I disagree.

Except on Insanity. There, you're completely right, as everyone has shields/barriers/armour. But on anything else, biotics seem plenty powerful.[/QUOTE]

I guess I'm not sure about different difficulty levels. I play on Hardcore (one level down from Insanity), and it seems like virtually every enemy I encounter has shields/barrier/armor. Against those defenses, the Vanguard's biotic powers are pretty much worthless. Only after the defenses are taken down can the biotics do anything.

Maybe it doesn't matter as much with Normal difficulty, if it is rare for enemies to have shields/barriers/armor.
 
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