I bought Mass Effect 2. Tell me about it.

Like I said in that other topic, I'm now interested in the ME Series and squandered up some cash for the second game for PS3.

I'm planning on doing two 'canon' runs that I will export to ME3 and then maybe some other runs for fun. Here's the plan:

Paragon Shepard - Be the best and brightest soldier the Alliance has to offer.
Character: Female Sentinel
ME1 Choices: Romance Liara - Save Rachni Queen - Save Wrex - Kill Kaiden - Save Council - Elect Anderson
Difficulty: Normal
Romance Plan: Be a lesbian. I romanced Liara in ME1 but kept Ashley alive for ME3. For this game, fool around with Kelly and try it on with Samara, but then reaffirm the relationship with Liara in the Shadow Broker DLC.
Suicide Mission: Everyone survives (even the crew). Maybe kill Grunt.

Renegade Shepard - Fucking kill everything and everyone.
Character: Male Vanguard
ME1 Choices: Romance Ashley - Kill Rachni Queen - Kill Wrex - Kill Ashley - Kill Council - Elect Udina
Difficulty: Insanity
Romance Plan: Romance Miranda, Tali, Jack and anyone else I can and then kill them all.
Suicide Mission: Kill pretty much everyone. I haven't decided yet which two characters I want to survive the suicide mission. I guess it would probably be best if I saved Tali and Garrus.

So I've got that all worked out (though if you've got better ideas I'll hear them). I made this topic because I've got some questions about ME2:

So I started the Paragon Shepard playthrough and I've just recruited Garrus on Omega. I also have Mordin, Zaeed and Kasumi - though I know the latter are DLC characters. I've done a lot of side quests on Omega; possibly the all but I'm not 100%.

Here's some questions/thoughts:
- What's the deal with the planet mining? It's a lot succinct in ME3, right now I'm not sure what I get out of it. I know I need it to upgrade my ship so I can survive the Omega 4 relay scene, but does it come into play for anything other than upgrades?
- What's the deal with Element Zero? I have lots of the other resources but not a lot of that.
- Speaking of mining, what does the percentage on each galaxy mean? It sometimes reaches 100% even though I haven't mined all the planets in the system to depleted yet.
- Combat (mostly because of the lack of both a heavy melee and combat rolls) seems kind of dull and always seems like a chore. Does it get better?
- Why does everyone always have a go at Jacob? He seems fine to me.
- What accent is Miranda supposed to have anyway? It seems to ricochet between English and Australian and never quite settles on one. "Commahn-dir".
- My paragon bar seems is only like 1/8 full, is that normal or...? I always have the charm options available in conversations.

Good choice, Mass Effect 2 is possibly my favourite game. It's a good thing Neo told me to buy it last year.

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- What's the deal with the planet mining? It's a lot succinct in ME3, right now I'm not sure what I get out of it. I know I need it to upgrade my ship so I can survive the Omega 4 relay scene, but does it come into play for anything other than upgrades?

You also upgrade Shep's weapons, abilities and armour as well as unlock new heavy weapons.

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- What's the deal with Element Zero? I have lots of the other resources but not a lot of that.

Element Zero is rarer than the other elements, but you also use less of it. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head are biotics upgrading and skill respecing.

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- Speaking of mining, what does the percentage on each galaxy mean? It sometimes reaches 100% even though I haven't mined all the planets in the system to depleted yet.

The percentage is just how many of the planets of the given galaxy you've discovered (ie: been in orbit of), it isn't related to mining or side quests at all. Speaking of sidequests you can discover them through probing, like mining. The computer will tell you it's picking up a signal, that's your cue to look for it with probes.

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- Combat (mostly because of the lack of both a heavy melee and combat rolls) seems kind of dull and always seems like a chore. Does it get better?

The combat was one of my favourite things about it, I take this to mean it gets better in the third game. Alternatively it could mean playing as a Sentinel is rather boring, I wouldn't know I haven't played as one. It can't be too bad though, you have access to quite a few biotics. Though obviously it'll get more fun once you unlock more of them if you're a low level. It is notably more fun when playing as a Vanguard though, charging all over the place ripping into motherfuckers with your shotgun is very empowering.

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- Why does everyone always have a go at Jacob? He seems fine to me.

I thought the same thing at first, however the other characters grow on you far more than he does, and the fact that he doesn't is sort of his downfall. He's just no where near as memorable as Garrus, Grunt, Mordin etc.

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- What accent is Miranda supposed to have anyway? It seems to ricochet between English and Australian and never quite settles on one. "Commahn-dir".

I think she sounds more like an Australian trying to tone down her accent a bit, which is probably what the voice actor is trying to do.

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- My paragon bar seems is only like 1/8 full, is that normal or...? I always have the charm options available in conversations.

It'll fill more as you keep being a bro to everyone and stuff. Some (maybe all) classes have an end class skill that gives you a boost to it. Which for the record should be a priority for maxing asap. It's the last skill in your tree.

Good taste, Sir. Mass Effect is definitely my favourite game of the last few years, which means it's very likely my favourite game ever.

A few suggestions - if you're going to roleplay a soldier, play as the Soldier class. That way you get access to every class of gun, every specialised ammo type (bar one, which is later unlockable) and you get Adrenaline Rush, which is basically bullet time with the added bonus of ridiculous increases to your damage output and (when maxed) a three second cooldown. If you want Shepard to feel like the Alpha of the group, there are only two real classes to do it with, this being one.

Sentinel is more about keeping yourself at a distance, specialising in sniping and SMGs. Yes, you get bonuses for attacking whilst cloaked, but cloak has a longer cooldown than Soldier's Adrenaline Rush, and the class cannot tank like a soldier either. You can still have fun, but you'll be doing it at the rear of the battlefield rather than in the heart of it.

Of course, Vanguard is absolutely the best class in the game. It's almost a cliche by now, but the learning curve for the class is pretty steep, but once you've got the hang of it it's far and away the quickest, most damaging, most visceral and most satisfying class to play. Not to mention, it really makes Shepard feel like he (or she!) is one of the strongest combatants in the universe - even your own elite team are relegated to mopping up the fodder.

How much class-specific info was changed in ME3, obviously I don't yet know though there was a hell of a change from ME1 to ME2.

Ehh, Sentinel is the most boring class imo. I suppose it gets better if you choose shotguns and play this way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zv1dtXXL18 (Archangel mission spoilers)

SimianWonder wrote:

Of course, Vanguard is absolutely the best class in the game. It's almost a cliche by now, but the learning curve for the class is pretty steep,

No it isn't. Vanguard just sucks until you have leveled up the charge and the class skill. Then it becomes the most overpowered and easiest class. When I played as a Vanguard on Insanity, I felt like I was doing a speed run. I don't recommend that class for your first insanity run though. You should play as Soldier as it is a very straightforward and efficient class until you get used to difficulty.

Blair Waldorf wrote:

No it isn't. Vanguard just sucks until you have leveled up the charge and the class skill. Then it becomes the most overpowered and easiest class. When I played as a Vanguard on Insanity, I felt like I was doing a speed run. I don't recommend that class for your first insanity run though. You should play as Soldier as it is a very straightforward and efficient class until you get used to difficulty.

Vanguard is a learning curve because it asks that you ignore the urge, drummed into you and essential in every other class, to seek constant cover. Once sufficuently powered up, you're essentially doing something at odds with what feels natural in the game.

SimianWonder wrote:

Vanguard is a learning curve because it asks that you ignore the urge, drummed into you and essential in every other class, to seek constant cover. Once sufficuently powered up, you're essentially doing something at odds with what feels natural in the game.

That's true... until you realise that you're practically invincible; you can fully recharge your shields faster than any enemy can break them, even on Insanity. By charging at the other side of the rooms you also prevent most of the enemies from spawning at all.
Once you have gotten both Champion and Heavy Charge, the most effective strategy is to simply spam triangle + R1 which got boring fast for me.

Vanguard is by no means the easiest class in the game, that title goes to Soldier or, in fact, the Sentinel as Tech Armor is powerful enough to let you take rockets to the face and still have defenses up, it's boring as shit to play as though.
Also while a remotely well played Vanguard will be nigh invincible on normal or even hardcore it's simply not the case for insanity, a lot of enemies can shred you in less time than it takes charge to cool down. You always have to kill groups from the outside in, targeting stragglers, or you risk getting stunlocked and/or killed by enemies from every direction.

Blair Waldorf wrote:

Once you have gotten both Champion and Heavy Charge, the most effective strategy is to simply spam triangle + R1 which got boring fast for me.

The most effective strategy, unless you're using the reload trick with the Claymore, is actually using the Scimitar to strip defenses faster and make liberal use of pull+warp combos. It also happens to be a lot more fun than simply spamming charge and shooting.

Casa wrote:

Kill Wrex

Nope.

SimianWonder wrote:

Sentinel is more about keeping yourself at a distance, specialising in sniping and SMGs. Yes, you get bonuses for attacking whilst cloaked, but cloak has a longer cooldown than Soldier's Adrenaline Rush, and the class cannot tank like a soldier either. You can still have fun, but you'll be doing it at the rear of the battlefield rather than in the heart of it.

That sounds like you're describing the Infiltrator class more than Sentinel.

Blair Waldorf wrote:

SimianWonder wrote:

Vanguard is a learning curve because it asks that you ignore the urge, drummed into you and essential in every other class, to seek constant cover. Once sufficuently powered up, you're essentially doing something at odds with what feels natural in the game.

That's true... until you realise that you're practically invincible; you can fully recharge your shields faster than any enemy can break them, even on Insanity. By charging at the other side of the rooms you also prevent most of the enemies from spawning at all.
Once you have gotten both Champion and Heavy Charge, the most effective strategy is to simply spam triangle + R1 which got boring fast for me.

Well you still have to pick your targets properly on Insanity. You can die incredibly quickly if you fuck up and charge to the wrong place.

All this talk is itching me to do my Insanity/Renegade run.

SimianWonder wrote:

Sentinel is more about keeping yourself at a distance, specialising in sniping and SMGs.

I think you're thinking of the Infiltrator. Sentinel is the one with Tech Armor.

I chose the Sentinel because a. I hear Tech Armor is pretty much God Armor at higher levels and b. it has Overload, which is brokenly powerful in 3. The problem is I didn't know the weapons each class could use was restricted. Being stuck with a handgun and SMG is kind of annoying since both lack any kind of punch (even the Carnifex.) Each encounter is a war of attrition.

But I never want to play Soldier because I'd like to avoid cover-based shooting as much as possible since that's the boring part. Adrenaline Rush is great but y'know, boring.

Vanguard's a no brainer since I've always envisioned a Renegade Shepard as a Vanguard. I have a lot of experience with it since i's my go-to class in ME3 Multiplayer. Mainly because you can just wreck shit once you get the "Charge -> Shotgun Blast -> Heavy Melee -> Repeat" pattern down.

Skip wrote:

Casa wrote:

Kill Wrex

Nope.

Gotta do it man. I'll need the Krogan support in ME3 even though I'll betray them. You can't do that with Wrex.

Yes, I was thinking of infiltrator. In fact, I wasn't thinking of infiltrator, I'd have sworn blind the post even said infiltrator. That being the case, Sentinel is a bit dull. Can take a ton of damage, but not as good at dealing it back, and you end up simply chipping away at your foes rather than decimating them from the off.

If you've already got ME3 Vanguard experience under your belt, then all the better.

Just play through to the collector ship and unlock Shotguns if you have the Kasumi DLC or Assault Rifles if not, your damage problems will be solved.

Blair Waldorf wrote:

[That's true... until you realise that you're practically invincible; you can fully recharge your shields faster than any enemy can break them, even on Insanity.

This is true to a point, though you're only painting half the picture.

If you're good at the class, then yes you feel virtually invincible. Which is, let's face it, part of the huge appeal - Shepard should feel like an utter badass - however, playing a good vanguard requires a lot more skill than just spamming charge / shot / melee at the nearest foe. If you do that on insanity, you'll die quickly. One-on-one, Vanguard Shep can easily best even the toughest Krogan, but charging into a group of three or four is still near suicide, and enemies do tend to appear in groups. To be a good vanguard, you need to be selective in when you charge and who you charge at. This kind of threat prioritising isn't something that the other classes necessarily require.

tl;dr

Played well, Vanguard is nigh-invincible. Played badly, you're still going to die a lot.

Ahem.

Anyway, let's not derail the topic with debates about how good Vanguard is or isn't.

So for the Suicide Mission, what would be the best way to ensure that only Tali and Garrus survive, but to make sure that Shepard is the lone survivor of the group that fought the Human Reaper?

I was thinking of sending one back to protect the crew, but then I realized that protecting the crew isn't a very renegade thing to do. Looks like I have to make sure they - and only they - survive holding the line. I hear Garrus is a beast at that part, but Tali isn't.

Any thoughts?

Specifically this: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/1165725/27#2643363

danke

Horizon on Insanity can fuck off.

Horizon is one of two or three notorious sticking points. I assume you've got through the majority of the level ok, and are now in the final courtyard?

Started Insanity Paragon Vanguard run. My body can not be ready.

Yeah it gets pretty infuriating you really have to pick your targets properly. As a Vanguard you pretty much have to be constantly charging to something so you sort of have to pick your targets 2 at a time so you know where you're going next and can do it right away.

Problem is, though, at least not, there are usually four enemies, and some cover and perhaps stairs or something between me and the enemies. I'm not good enough to get all four of them at the same time, even with crazy well coordinated biotic support from Miranda and Jacob (soon to be replaced by Garrus).

I meant for Horizon. There are times, like the one you outlined, where it's better not to charge. Try stripping down shields/armour and hit them with a warp explosion. Then charge in and finish them off.

SimianWonder wrote:

Horizon is one of two or three notorious sticking points. I assume you've got through the majority of the level ok, and are now in the final courtyard?

I had just beaten the final courtyard when I posted. It took me about two hours, an hour of which was devoted entirely to trying to kill the fucking Praetorian. I have made it my policy to skip every single fight I can by using Charge to rush through the levels. Combat on Insanity is just bad.

Everything that is wrong with the combat in ME2 is highlighted in Insanity; specifically, the finicky nature of cover. The most frustrating thing is when I try and sprint past a piece of cover and instead suddenly latch on to it and promptly die because my soft, vulnerable body is exposed to the enemies I was trying to run away from. Actually, thinking about it: everything about the cover in this game is terrible. I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to sidle along a piece of cover and instead just randomly stood up and got killed in two seconds.

I don't know why people would choose to play Insanity outside of trying to get the trophy. It's not 'fun difficult', it's 'dumb difficult' where the difficulty is derived from exploiting the gameplay's flaws to fuck over the player. To shoot at an enemy you need to expose yourself, but exposing yourself for longer than a few seconds will leave you dead - so every encounter is a complete slog of peeking out from cover to chip away at a mook's health before returning to cover to recharge your shields because the short time you were in the open put you in the red.

Don't get me started on the fact that some enemies can can severely wound you in the time it takes for you to lean out from cover, meaning you're already on death's door by the time you can start shooting. Uncharted on Crushing has the same problem: the optimal way to fight is to stand behind a tall piece of cover and shoot through the corner of it, rather than actually playing the game the way it's supposed to be played.

rage.

Casa wrote:

SimianWonder wrote:

Horizon is one of two or three notorious sticking points. I assume you've got through the majority of the level ok, and are now in the final courtyard?

I had just beaten the final courtyard when I posted. It took me about two hours, an hour of which was devoted entirely to trying to kill the fucking Praetorian. I have made it my policy to skip every single fight I can by using Charge to rush through the levels. Combat on Insanity is just bad.

Everything that is wrong with the combat in ME2 is highlighted in Insanity; specifically, the finicky nature of cover. The most frustrating thing is when I try and sprint past a piece of cover and instead suddenly latch on to it and promptly die because my soft, vulnerable body is exposed to the enemies I was trying to run away from. Actually, thinking about it: everything about the cover in this game is terrible. I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to sidle along a piece of cover and instead just randomly stood up and got killed in two seconds.

I don't know why people would choose to play Insanity outside of trying to get the trophy. It's not 'fun difficult', it's 'dumb difficult' where the difficulty is derived from exploiting the gameplay's flaws to fuck over the player. To shoot at an enemy you need to expose yourself, but exposing yourself for longer than a few seconds will leave you dead - so every encounter is a complete slog of peeking out from cover to chip away at a mook's health before returning to cover to recharge your shields because the short time you were in the open put you in the red.

Don't get me started on the fact that some enemies can can severely wound you in the time it takes for you to lean out from cover, meaning you're already on death's door by the time you can start shooting. Uncharted on Crushing has the same problem: the optimal way to fight is to stand behind a tall piece of cover and shoot through the corner of it, rather than actually playing the game the way it's supposed to be played.

rage.

You can Charge away from battle? Hell yeah!

I mostly agree with what you're saying, but notas strongly. Haven't gotten to Horizon yet, though. Also, is it just me, or is the shotgun damage really finnicky? Sometimes I'll fire one shot, do some damage, fire again, don't do any damage, even though I hit, and the fire the last shot to do some damage.