Mass Effect Series

[Keveh Kins]

Not a clue I just went with whatever the default thing was I know feck all about this game, my first playthrough will be much akin to when I was a child and experiencing the world for the first time. Which, for me, involved repeatedly burning my hand on things that had burned me before and thumping my head against glass to see if it was still there.

...

This is going to be an arduous game for me

Edit: I have acquired Garrus and a Wrex as squad members. I like the Wrex's voice, it's deep, smooth, sensual....sexy. What Barry White would sound like if he were an interstellar alien lizard with chin skin that resembled a ballsack

 

[Joe]

This is going to be an arduous game for me

You should see the next two.

 

[Lex]

If you're playing on Normal difficulty, literally the only thing you need to worry about is having characters with decryption/ electronics. Mix the rest up for story purposes. Take Liara with you to Noveria, and whoever you like anywhere else.

Kaidan and Tali are the weakest party members in this game. If you're going for all the achievements at some point, do your normal playthrough with those two, your hardcore playthrough with Garrus and Liara, and your Insanity run with Wrex and Ashley.

I would recommend that - unless things go horribly wrong story wise - you play through the whole trilogy then come back and mop up trophies later (assuming you're going for trophies). Doing three semi-completionist runs of Mass Effect 1 in a row in addition to taking upwards of 120 hours will probably kill you (or at least, might put you off the series since 2 and 3 are vastly superior in almost every way). Incidentally, Mass Effect 1 is the most tedious to platinum.

Oh, and if you're playing default, you're playing Soldier. This was a mistake, but it's a mistake that most people make because they feel like the other options are too cray or moving beyond their comfort zone or something. You can get through the game fine, but Soldier is a boring ass class and I would recommend that you choose something different when you start playing Mass Effect 2 (you can change your class, the gameplay completely changes so don't worry about getting used to soldier). I would recommend Vanguard for the record when the time comes, but they all have their merits. They all also have a fun factor, except soldier, which does not. Incidentally, having two soldiers in your party is utterly pointless, so much to the chagrin of everyone here but me, Ashley is now redundant for your entire playthrough.

 

[Joker]

I was on board that entire post until that very last part of it

That said, everything Mr. Lex has just said is true, though I would recommend taking an Adept for your first time through ME2 (mostly because they're harder to play on higher difficulties), though Vanguard is a shitload of fun and definitely worth playing at least once (and definitely for ME3!).

 

[Joe]

though I would recommend taking an Adept for your first time through ME2 (mostly because they're harder to play on higher difficulties),

Pshhh, Adept was my Insanity playthrough.

Adept for life.

 

[null]

Worth mentioning: you can build your squad fast by killing all enemies on foot instead of using the Mako. You'll get vastly more experience that way, especially from big enemies. You can use the Mako to wear them down and then disembark for the killing shot. (But this strategy is risky, please make sure to save your game often, null is not liable for insta-kills from thresher maws.)

I actually liked playing as a Soldier in ME1. Master Overkill + Spectre assault rifle is a blast. You can Schwarzenegger all day long and never overheat. Soldier blows in the sequel though.

 

[Joker]

Actually, you should save your game often period - the autosaves in the first game are shit-tier.

Joe: yeah but the extra level of protection makes ragdolling people around harder, and they have no answer to shields without a bonus power. Their kit is harder to use - doesn't mean they can't dominate Insanity (my Vanguard always has to take Reave to deal with armor, but I can imagine Warp/Stasis being an aaaaaawesome combo for super brutality).

 

[Keveh Kins]

Actually, you should save your game often period - the autosaves in the first game are shit-tier.

I've noticed There's also some load times in the Citadel that just feel kinda jarring. Totally understand why they're there, the Citadel's feckin' huge, but it's irksome to walk through a door only for the game to freeze for a minute whilst it loads.

@Lex: Ashley has become super useless, the Squad's Soldier stat is already sky high from Shepard. Dagnabbit ¬_¬

 

[Kuja9001]

Pshhh, Adept was my Insanity playthrough.

Adept for life.

Same for me

Adepts are extremely useful on insanity.

 

[Carlie]

Infiltrators, always Infiltrators for me.

 

[Lex]

Adepts are a bit more squishy than vanguards, but they can do the whole biotic explosion thing on their own. The class of choice for the insanity speedrun in ME3 is either Vanguard or Adept, I've seen both being used.

I like Adept, but Vanguard is like my home class, I just love it <3. Damn if biotic charge isn't one of the best powers in the series. Thinking about biotic charge makes me want to replay the trilogy (starting with 2 for obvious reasons).

 

[Keveh Kins]

Quasar is going to become a very serious addiction problem for me. I still don't really understand the mathematics behind it. But I press buttons and lights blink and sometimes I win. Good enough, says I

 

[Joe]

Joe: yeah but the extra level of protection makes ragdolling people around harder, and they have no answer to shields without a bonus power. Their kit is harder to use - doesn't mean they can't dominate Insanity (my Vanguard always has to take Reave to deal with armor, but I can imagine Warp/Stasis being an aaaaaawesome combo for super brutality).

In ME2, singularity actually holds enemies in place regardless of protection. Without protection they ragdol but with it they can't move away from the singularity. It makes bottlenecking a piece of cake and setting up combos is a doddle.

 

[Lex]

Singularity + Throw/Biotic Charge/Any detonator = Most OP combo in ME3, it is known

 

[Ami]

I actually liked playing as a Soldier in ME1. Master Overkill + Spectre assault rifle is a blast. You can Schwarzenegger all day long and never overheat. Soldier blows in the sequel though.

I've always liked playing as a Soldier in all the games, despite the criticism.

 

[Lex]

I've always liked playing as a Soldier in all the games, despite the criticism.

Let's not go down this path again.

Wait until the person who is new to Mass Effect actually experiences real classes in the second game before polluting their head with statements like this and leading them astray.

Disclaimer: I played as a soldier on my first run through the trilogy. It isn't awful - unless you compare it to the other classes. DON'T DO IT KEVEH

 

[Keveh Kins]

I've been debating restarting my save as something else in light of the total lack of soldier enthusiasm I'm still pretty early on so it wouldn't be a massive loss

 

[Lex]

Nah don't bother with that either honestly. The gameplay completely changes in Mass Effect 2 (and you get to change your class anyway) and none of them are quite as fun in ME1 so you're honestly not missing anything. Just soldier on for now

EDIT: I should point out that you're locked in to whatever you choose at the start of ME2 until the end of the trilogy though, if you plan to import your character (which you should) you can't change it again after choosing in ME2 (vanguard, choose vanguard)

 

[Ami]

I'm not going down any road, I'm merely stating my opinion and I'll always prefer that class to the others, but each to their own.

 

[Joe]

Spoiler: Adepts only

 

[Joker]

Idk. Vanguards are amazing, but so are Infiltrators.

And, in ME2, so are Sentinels... <_<

 

[Keveh Kins]

Spoiler: I am now a Spectre

 

[Joe]

Sentinel was actually my first play through and experience with the series. It's a great class, but I feel it doesn't offer the same excitement as Infiltrator, Adept & Vanguard.

Also grats Keveh!

 

[Joker]

It's less fun in the third game, where the other three get better.

But let's be honest, Nova is the most ridiculous power of all.

Except Lash. ahahahahahahahaha lash

too bad engineer is so boring I want those hours of my life back

 

[Carlie]

I've always liked playing as a Soldier in all the games, despite the criticism.

You also died a lot in multiplayer with us playing as a Soldier.