Mass Effect 3 and DLC's

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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I'm about halfway through the game right now. Eh...I managed to spoil the ending for myself with youtube clips a while ago...

Any tips? I played ME2 as a vanguard and am doing the same. It's kind of lost the amazing novelty of ME2, and so the improvements in the game are sorta...there, but not a big leap that ME2 was to ME1. But yeah, any classes more interesting this time around?

Also, I played ME2 on steam and then on the PS3, and now ME3 on the PC. There's absolutely no record of my previous save of ME2. So some decisions I made simply aren't there.

So, how essential is the Leviathan DLC? It's annoying how the DLC costs as much as the entire game.
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
27,730
8
0
I'm about halfway through the game right now. Eh...I managed to spoil the ending for myself with youtube clips a while ago...

Any tips? I played ME2 as a vanguard and am doing the same. It's kind of lost the amazing novelty of ME2, and so the improvements in the game are sorta...there, but not a big leap that ME2 was to ME1. But yeah, any classes more interesting this time around?

Also, I played ME2 on steam and then on the PS3, and now ME3 on the PC. There's absolutely no record of my previous save of ME2. So some decisions I made simply aren't there.

So, how essential is the Leviathan DLC? It's annoying how the DLC costs as much as the entire game.

ME1 was the highest evolution of the ME series, but classes have been nearly irrelevant in all ME games.

Only some decisions imported from ME1 to ME2 to ME3, and all are rendered pointless in the conclusion to ME3. Unfortunately.

So far I as I know, The Citadel DLC for ME3 is the only DLC for ME3 that seems to be worth while.
 

Ampersand38

Member
Dec 8, 2012
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0
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Play the coop multi player. It's very solid, still well populated, and far more challenging than insanity difficulty.

You may need to use the configurator exe to manually point it to your me2 save.

If charge and nova are getting repetitive, try using your teammates more with power combos.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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ME1 was the highest evolution of the ME series, but classes have been nearly irrelevant in all ME games.

Only some decisions imported from ME1 to ME2 to ME3, and all are rendered pointless in the conclusion to ME3. Unfortunately.

So far I as I know, The Citadel DLC for ME3 is the only DLC for ME3 that seems to be worth while.

Have to disagree heartily here. Weapon mods are back which I find just annoying because there's like no drawback to them at all, so you just like click whatever is up, and even then, frankly, you can just adjust teh difficulty so there's no point on the weapons mods.

Also, ME1 was the first game...so I'd hardly call that an evolution.

And there was no Biotic charge.
 

Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
3,266
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I'm about halfway through the game right now. Eh...I managed to spoil the ending for myself with youtube clips a while ago...

Any tips? I played ME2 as a vanguard and am doing the same. It's kind of lost the amazing novelty of ME2, and so the improvements in the game are sorta...there, but not a big leap that ME2 was to ME1. But yeah, any classes more interesting this time around?

Also, I played ME2 on steam and then on the PS3, and now ME3 on the PC. There's absolutely no record of my previous save of ME2. So some decisions I made simply aren't there.

So, how essential is the Leviathan DLC? It's annoying how the DLC costs as much as the entire game.

Charge + Nova is a Vanguard's best friend. Put some points into them and chain them together to become an unstoppable powerhouse.

The change from ME2 to ME3 isn't as radical as it was in ME1, but I liked the refinements. The upgrade system is improved, combat controls are better with the ability to roll, special melee and jump across gaps, you can revive individual party members, the leveling up system has more depth, etc.

There's no record of your previous save? Odd. Did you keep your ME2 saves in their original location? (My Documents/Bioware/Mass Effect 2/Save) There should be a way of importing your saves from ME2 to ME3. It doesn't seem to involve the config utility though; it's been a while since I've done it.

As for the Leviathan DLC, it has some pretty important foreshadowing of the ending. I actually think that's sort of a bad thing, as they should have included it in the original game. It's fine on its own, but "Citadel" is much more enjoyable and you get more for your money's worth.

ME1 was the highest evolution of the ME series, but classes have been nearly irrelevant in all ME games.

Only some decisions imported from ME1 to ME2 to ME3, and all are rendered pointless in the conclusion to ME3. Unfortunately.

So far I as I know, The Citadel DLC for ME3 is the only DLC for ME3 that seems to be worth while.

It seems to me that classes became more important and differentiated in ME2 and ME3 than they were in ME1. They got unique abilities like the Soldier's bullet time ability, Infiltrator's cloak, Vanguard's biotic charge, etc.

And the decisions were rendered kind of pointless by the original ending of ME3, but the Extended Cut did a lot to fix that.
Your previous decisions can influence if you can make peace between the quarians and the geth, if you can get full support from the salarians and the krogan, if you can talk Mordin out of sacrificing himself, if the rachni stay allied with you, if you can save the salarian councilor, etc.

Have to disagree heartily here. Weapon mods are back which I find just annoying because there's like no drawback to them at all, so you just like click whatever is up, and even then, frankly, you can just adjust teh difficulty so there's no point on the weapons mods.

Also, ME1 was the first game...so I'd hardly call that an evolution.

And there was no Biotic charge.

I guess there's no "drawback", but you have only two upgrade slots per weapon (and some upgrades can only go on a particular slot) so by using one upgrade you're passing up on another. The effects of the upgrades feel more tangible than they were in ME1; in ME1 all upgrades really did was change a few stats about your weapon, like the damage rate, overheating rate, accuracy, etc. In ME3, if you put a scope on your weapon you actually use a scope, armor piercing mods actually help penetrate cover and enemy armor, etc. And they don't clog up your inventory like they did in ME1.

I think ME3's system is a great middle ground between the needlessly overcomplex upgrades in ME1 and the rather barebones system in ME2.
 
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Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
27,730
8
0
Also, ME1 was the first game...so I'd hardly call that an evolution.

It was the only one that could by rights be called and RPG, 2 and 3 are better described as 3rd person shooters.

It seems to me that classes became more important and differentiated in ME2 and ME3 than they were in ME1. They got unique abilities like the Soldier's bullet time ability, Infiltrator's cloak, Vanguard's biotic charge, etc.

Except you don't need those special abilities at all, even on higher difficulties. You can play through the entire game to completion without taking a single upgrade or level up. In later playthroughs of ME2, I forgot to take level ups several times. ME 2 and 3 were very much 3rd person shoots with a thin veneer of RPG elements.


And the decisions were rendered kind of pointless by the original ending of ME3, but the Extended Cut did a lot to fix that.
Your previous decisions can influence if you can make peace between the quarians and the geth, if you can get full support from the salarians and the krogan, if you can talk Mordin out of sacrificing himself, if the rachni stay allied with you, if you can save the salarian councilor, etc.

The details you list there are true, but rendered irrelevant because of the ending. An ending you get regardless of decisions made, paths taken, characters taken, etc. The extended cut didn't do jack to improve it either.


Edit - Do we need to use spoiler tags? ME3 has been out for a year. :p
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,271
323
126
None of the DLC are essential.

None of them are essential to the story, but it's also a game that doesn't feel complete without the DLC. I would say Citadel is the one that's really worth owning though.

ME1 was the highest evolution of the ME series, but classes have been nearly irrelevant in all ME games.

The ME1 nostalgia is strong, I recently bought it on the $5 Steam sale to replay it (I originally played it on the 360, sold it).

It's exactly as I remembered it. Repeating maps, constantly crashing with no autosave (had to go through the Mako driving through the snow Noveria map like 10 times because of no autosave it and kept crashing), also the graphics were really poor for an Unreal Engine 3 PC game, it was a cheap port.

I got through half the game and quit. Just couldn't go through it again. The side missions were just so poor empty and repetitive compared to ME2 and ME3s.
 
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Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
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It was the only one that could by rights be called and RPG, 2 and 3 are better described as 3rd person shooters.

There is nothing that makes ME1 an RPG that ME2 and ME3 don't have as well.

Except you don't need those special abilities at all, even on higher difficulties. You can play through the entire game to completion without taking a single upgrade or level up. In later playthroughs of ME2, I forgot to take level ups several times. ME 2 and 3 were very much 3rd person shoots with a thin veneer of RPG elements.

Strictly speaking, you don't need to level up in ME1 either. There's nothing stopping you from completing the game if you don't. If you forgot to level up, that's on you; it doesn't change the fact that classes are more differentiated and the gameplay changes more depending on your class and how you level up in ME2 and ME3 than it did in ME1. And you are treating simple leveling up mechanics as the only thing that makes a game an RPG, when much more than that goes to make the whole Mass Effect trilogy an RPG series.

The details you list there are true, but rendered irrelevant because of the ending. An ending you get regardless of decisions made, paths taken, characters taken, etc. The extended cut didn't do jack to improve it either.

How do you mean "rendered irrelevant"? If you mean
the mass relays get destroyed and render your choices irrelevant
, that doesn't happen in the Extended Cut. Strictly speaking, they are irrelevant to the options you get for the final choice in ME3, and that's a shortcoming of the game. But they are not pointless in the grand scheme of the plot of the game. So what if
curing the genophage
doesn't directly impact the final choice? It still happens, and the galaxy is different in the end because of it. This is demonstrated in the ending montage for the Extended Cut.

Edit - Do we need to use spoiler tags? ME3 has been out for a year. :p

Well the OP hasn't finished ME3, so I'm being considerate and trying not to spoil the major plot points from the game. ():)
 
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dust

Golden Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,339
2
71
None of them are essential to the story, but it's also a game that doesn't feel complete without the DLC. I would say Citadel is the one that's really worth owning though.



The ME1 nostalgia is strong, I recently bought it on the $5 Steam sale to replay it (I originally played it on the 360, sold it).

It's exactly as I remembered it. Repeating maps, constantly crashing with no autosave (had to go through the Mako driving through the snow Noveria map like 10 times because of no autosave it and kept crashing), also the graphics were really poor for an Unreal Engine 3 PC game, it was a cheap port.

I got through half the game and quit. Just couldn't go through it again. The side missions were just so poor empty and repetitive compared to ME2 and ME3s.

That's true! I played it for the first time recently, and, while I consider it a solid game, especially considering when it was released, I wanted it finished asap. I hated that damn rover, took me forever to explore all the corners of the maps. I liked some major mission, especially Peak 15, or Virmire, but the rest was more or less crap.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
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I kind of have a different definition of "roleplaying" than most.

most people think that stat-building is roleplaying. That's not the case at all.

roleplaying is just that: inhabiting a character and playing the role of that person in teh world.
 

Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
3,266
169
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I kind of have a different definition of "roleplaying" than most.

most people think that stat-building is roleplaying. That's not the case at all.

roleplaying is just that: inhabiting a character and playing the role of that person in teh world.

That's a fairly loose definition. Arguably it can be applied to any game with a main character.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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So, uh, what did you guys choose on the Genophage?

I chose to keep the Genophage. Ended up killing Mordin in the process. Was never really attached to him, and the Genophage seems like a no-brainer.
 

Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
3,266
169
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So, uh, what did you guys choose on the Genophage?

I chose to keep the Genophage. Ended up killing Mordin in the process. Was never really attached to him, and the Genophage seems like a no-brainer.

You heartless bastard. D:
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
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So, uh, what did you guys choose on the Genophage?

I chose to keep the Genophage. Ended up killing Mordin in the process. Was never really attached to him, and the Genophage seems like a no-brainer.

Objectively keeping the Genophage is the best option for War Assets, *assuming* you killed Wrex in Mass Effect 1, as his brother is easily fooled.
 

dust

Golden Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,339
2
71
Mordin was the best ME2 character. I"m visiting him regularly :)

"Perhaps later. Trying to determine how scale-itch got onto Normandy. Sexually-transmitted disease. Only carried by varren. Implications unpleasant."

Chambers is right! He's like a hamster on coffee:D
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
Javik's DLC is very short in itself, but as a character he is very well integrated throughout the game in terms of dialogue and story. Javik's greatest benefit is playing with Liara imo as it reveals a lot about Prothean (and some Asari) history. But the missions to obtain him are pretty unremarkable; it's probably worth it if you care about the lore aspect of things but as far as gameplay goes it doesn't have much.

Leviathan's missions take you to some pretty cool environments. The mining operation was genuinely eerie, and some of the faux tribal history/art is cool. The water planet with all the downed ships and just the atmosphere of the whole DLC is very good. Plus finally meeting the Leviathans was pretty awesome imo. I really liked it. But I don't think the story elements it reveals are nearly as crucial as some players claim.

Omega I think is kind of forgettable. I remember the story, and I didn't mind playing it but ultimately I don't remember anything particular great about it. Female turians?

Citadel is a little bit of a circlejerk lol, but ultimately it delivers a lot of 'warm' moments and dialogue between Shep and the crew. The mission story is completely independent of 'Reapers' but actually manages to be pretty intriguing. Much of the interesting content for it comes after the story actually as you gain access to new levels of the Citadel with a new apartment and this serves as the hub for your numerous interactions with pretty much every significant member of your crew. I like it, it doesn't hold the nearly same gravity as your 'good bye/good luck' meetings with your crew in the core game, but seeing the 'other side' of them is enjoyable (and hilarious at times), even if a bit contrived/forced.

I'd definitely get Leviathan and Citadel imo. Into Ashes if you're interest in game lore/history is high enough, and Omega if you really really like Aria or are a completionist.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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Quarians vs the Geth.

Ideally, Quarians get their homeworld back and the Geth go off someplace. Kind of trade places.

But, when it comes down to it, Quarians are more important.
 

PhatoseAlpha

Platinum Member
Apr 10, 2005
2,131
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You know you can make peace and have both races keep their homeworld, right?

Plus, to be thematically consistent, the Quarians should die - they put Tali in charge, and she always gets everyone under her killed.
 

Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
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Quarians vs the Geth.

Ideally, Quarians get their homeworld back and the Geth go off someplace. Kind of trade places.

But, when it comes down to it, Quarians are more important.

Ideally you can get them to live together, actually. But even the ability to reconcile the two hinges on your decisions in ME2.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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Ideally you can get them to live together, actually. But even the ability to reconcile the two hinges on your decisions in ME2.

Ack. And that save is lost forever.

I reformatted my computer in between the games. But I thought that the ME2 save would have been on EA's online service somehow.

Eh, whatever. The game is actually better when you have someone lose and someone win, as opposed to everyone winning. Like, my first playthrough of ME2, like 3-4 people died in the final mission, and it was better that way.

It seems like the only interesting classes are the Adept and the Vanguard. But even the Adept basically feels like guns, only you're throwing out balls of energy instead of bullets. If there were PVP in the game, things would be different, no doubt. MP is...ehhh, feels more like a grind than anything fun.
 

Red Hawk

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2011
3,266
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Ack. And that save is lost forever.

I reformatted my computer in between the games. But I thought that the ME2 save would have been on EA's online service somehow.

Eh, whatever. The game is actually better when you have someone lose and someone win, as opposed to everyone winning. Like, my first playthrough of ME2, like 3-4 people died in the final mission, and it was better that way.

It seems like the only interesting classes are the Adept and the Vanguard. But even the Adept basically feels like guns, only you're throwing out balls of energy instead of bullets. If there were PVP in the game, things would be different, no doubt. MP is...ehhh, feels more like a grind than anything fun.

I think Origin supports cloud saves in Mass Effect 2, but only if you have it specifically installed through Origin. It didn't support cloud saves initially, and you still have to specifically enable it in settings because it wasn't an original feature.

With the Adept you can do stuff like make enemies float in the air, cause explosive detonations, freeze them in stasis, etc. The more tech-focused classes have you do stuff like freeze enemies solid, cloak & snipe, hack synthetic enemies, etc. MP is a grind, but it's a fast-paced, fun grind IMO. More fun with friends you can strategize with.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
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and I should try to hit at least like 4000 readiness, right? I have something like 3800 * 0.9 readiness right now.

Looks like I'm nearing the end.

I'm...sick of the series by now. Kind of feel pressure from myself to just beat the game already. The constant perfection in everyone gets annoying after a while, no? Like, every single person is like barbie-doll perfect.

And then there's like the stupid sappy moments. Then I realized that for mass market games like this, they have to appeal to fans of Creed and Nickelback. Ugh.
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
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I never understood why multi-player is required for the best ending :(