Mass Effect series discussion

[LivewiresXe]

With a Reegar 10 you don't need to melee, you just melt everything in front of you.

Anyway Leviathan is out! I'll just quickly go downloa-

HOLY BALLS IT'S 1.65GB'S!!!

Wow. I'm pretty sure this is the biggest file I've ever seen for 800MS points.

That's uh...actually surprisingly less than I thought it would be as I figured it was 1.8 gigs for some reason, lol.

 

[Pluvia]

Xbox have a limit of 2Gb's, so this is pretty big. Similar to LotSB in size, Kasumi and her mission was only like 500-850Mb if I remember correctly.

 

[LivewiresXe]

Xbox have a limit of 2Gb's, so this is pretty big. Similar to LotSB in size, Kasumi and her mission was only like 500-850Mb if I remember correctly.

Oh, okay. I never really saw how big the LoTSB and Kasumi stuff was because it came with the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2.

 

[Pluvia]

Yeah this is the biggest, or second biggest depending on LotSB, DLC that Mass Effect has done. Anyway balance changes and OH ****! NO NERFS!

Also, buffs on things that are actually helpful!

Spoiler

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 28, 2012
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gold and Platinum Difficulties
- Enemy shield/barrier damage gates on weapon damage reduced from 90% to 75%, which means
25% of the remaining weapon damage will pass through to health.

Medigel maximum capacity increased from 5 to 6 due to the success of Operation Alloy

Falcon Assault Rifle
- Encumbrance decreased from [2.0-1.4] to [1.75-1]

Geth Pulse Rifle
- Damage increased from [24.1-30.1] to [27.4-34.2]

Hawk Missile Launcher Power
- Rank 3 damage bonus increased from 20% to 30%
- Evolve 1 shield penalty reduction increased from 15% to 25%
- Evolve 2 damage bonus increased from 30% to 40%
- Evolve 3 missile refire time reduction increased from 25% to 35%
- Evolve 5 damage of split missiles increased from 50% to 75%
- Evolve 6 damage bonus increased from 100% to 150%

 

[LivewiresXe]

Looks to me like someone's just happy about the Missile Launcher power buffs.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

I'm too lazy to calculate, but is the Destroyer missile skill viable yet?

 

[Pluvia]

Actually the GPR got a 13% (or 25% one of those) buff, which should make it useful on the GE I guess. And that 25% thing should make snipers actually useful now.

As for the ML? With every power damage on it it does:

31.5% of a Cerberus Troopers health.
28.7% of a Geth Troopers health.
26.3% of a Cannibals health.

Decent I guess, seeing as though it now fires every 2.2 seconds. If you lower the shield penalty though it only does 28% on a CT, but still, that's decent. Could be better though.

Edit:

Actually:

45.5% of a Cerberus Troopers health.
41.4% of a Geth Troopers health.
38% of a Cannibals health.

If all 3 Hydra missiles hit.

 

[O D I N]

It seems like they finally heard your cries for buffs on the missiles Pluvia.

So is it really viable now?

It seems like it... I just dunno. I'd at least be willing to fiddle with it.

 

[Pluvia]

Nah in a match it's still not worth it, it's been promoted from "useless" to "bad".

If they increase the base damage to 175 then a fully powered Cobra Missile will do 621.25 damage, which is much better (36.8% of a Cerb Trooper).

I mean you pretty much have to give up full fitness or MF's for this, it should at least be worth it.

 

[O D I N]

I saw someone on Reddit (I can't remember the EXACT build) suggest something that basically said you take enough points in missile to cause stagger.

:shrug:

 

[Pluvia]

No point, all the enemies dodge anyway which is more useful than stagger. Those that don't get hit (most of the time anyway).

 

[Master Xanthan]

I finished the Leviathan dlc......it was ok.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

Think you can give us a nice analysis without spoiling anything? lol.

 

[Master Xanthan]

Think you can give us a nice analysis without spoiling anything? lol.

The story for the dlc is definitely interesting. The dlc should last an hour or 2. You also get the AT-12 raider and Argus assault rifle and some weapon mods that were originally only in multiplayer.

 

[LivewiresXe]

The story for the dlc is definitely interesting. The dlc should last an hour or 2. You also get the AT-12 raider and Argus assault rifle and some weapon mods that were originally only in multiplayer.

I will say the DLC gives some interesting backstory on a couple of things and answers a few questions that were left about things but I don't want to go too far into detail on it. I don't mind paying for it, but think it should've been $5 since Shadow Broker in 2 just felt more...complete. Admittedly though, when it comes to the weapons I'm not sure if I'll be using the Raider as I only use Shotguns when I'm Vanguard, and I remember reading the Harrier is better than the Argus. Haven't used the Argus, but the Harrier is good.

 

[Master Xanthan]

I will say the DLC gives some interesting backstory on a couple of things and answers a few questions that were left about things but I don't want to go too far into detail on it. I don't mind paying for it, but think it should've been $5 since Shadow Broker in 2 just felt more...complete. Admittedly though, when it comes to the weapons I'm not sure if I'll be using the Raider as I only use Shotguns when I'm Vanguard, and I remember reading the Harrier is better than the Argus. Haven't used the Argus, but the Harrier is good.

I've only tried the Argus in the Citadel shooting range. The argus has a lot of recoil so I'd probably go with the Harrier. Though you need the Firefight pack dlc to get the Harrier. Also the Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle is awesome! I breezed through insanity difficulty with that gun. The Blood Pack Punisher is also amazing.

 

[LivewiresXe]

I've only tried the Argus in the Citadel shooting range. The argus has a lot of recoil so I'd probably go with the Harrier. Though you need the Firefight pack dlc to get the Harrier. Also the Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle is awesome! I breezed through insanity difficulty with that gun. The Blood Pack Punisher is also amazing.

Oh, I have the Firefight pack, but haven't tried the Adas. Care to give a little explanation how it works? Though I will admit the Punisher is awesome for squaddies and if you're a class that uses pistols primarily.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

You guys all probably have ME3, but: http://store.origin.com/store/ea/en_US/html/pbPage.holiday-deals-2011?sourceid=Origin_SOC_OS153

Game will be $20 for some amount of time.

 

[LivewiresXe]

Oh right, Labour Day weekend sale stuff. Why does that stuff always come up either when I have little to no money, or when I REALLY shouldn't be spending money?

 

[Master Xanthan]

Oh, I have the Firefight pack, but haven't tried the Adas. Care to give a little explanation how it works? Though I will admit the Punisher is awesome for squaddies and if you're a class that uses pistols primarily.

The Adas is a fully auto assault rifle. Its just that it fires electrical rounds. Even though its called "anti-synthtic" the gun is so good I think of it as the Adas Anti-Everything Rifle. The only downside to the Adas is that like the Harrier, it has low ammo. Luckily in single player there are lot of bonuses you can get to fix that problem somewhat. Put Incendiary rounds on it and you're good to go. Also the punisher isn't just good for squaddies, it was a great secondary weapon for my soldier.

 

[LivewiresXe]

The Adas is a fully auto assault rifle. Its just that it fires electrical rounds. Even though its called "anti-synthtic" the gun is so good I think of it as the Adas Anti-Everything Rifle. The only downside to the Adas is that like the Harrier, it has low ammo. Luckily in single player there are lot of bonuses you can get to fix that problem somewhat. Put Incendiary rounds on it and you're good to go. Also the punisher isn't just good for squaddies, it was a great secondary weapon for my soldier.

True. I think it might also be light enough to put on an Adept or Vanguard too unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Pluvia]

So I've not gotten to Leviathan yet (waiting to play it just before/after Thessia) but I got to the second dream, just after Tuchanka, and I got the fright of my life.

Clear voices in the dream. Ashley, whose dead on this playthrough, speaking the lines she did before she died on Virmire, and Mordin speaking too. I've always heard whispers and vague voices, but these were incredibly clear and I could make out every word, they were even much louder than the whipsers.

Then afterwards, instead of going "I miss Ashley" Shepard says he misses some friends that he lost during the war, and Liara asks me if I'm thinking of anyone in particular. I've only got a choice between "I miss Ashley" or "I'll let them rest", I need to replay this on a playthrough with other squaddies dead because right now I'm doing a perfect playthrough.

I assume this was added in with the EC, it's kinda cool.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

yo guys, can you tell me how I should approach with Kroguard?

Like with Barrier? Should I be bursting it? And attack patterns?

 

[Pluvia]

So I completed Leviathan and it was good, felt like I should've played it slightly earlier in the story though, but it was good to see they brought back the squaddies voice actors for it. Was nice hearing Javik commenting away during it.

yo guys, can you tell me how I should approach with Kroguard?

Like with Barrier? Should I be bursting it? And attack patterns?

Use this.

Charge, Reegar 10 whilst walking backwards from anything that can Sync (it takes about 2/3 seconds of Reegaring to remove an Atlas' shield, and nothing will sync kill you because of stagger), Charge, Reegar 10 whilst walking backwards, rinse and repeat.

You can melee if you want to kill things slower and/or get sync killed. You should never drop your Barrier unless you think giving up 30% power damage, immunity to staggers, and 30% damage reduction is a good idea (hint: It never is).

 

[mood4food77]

the only time to drop your shield is when you're about to revive someone, the shockwave from the burst creates a good amount of stagger, enough to allow you to revive your squaddie

other than that, it stays up

 

[sakuraZaKi]

Sounds tasty. Thanks

 

[NatP]

So I just recently finished the Mass Effect trilogy and I gotta say... It was truly an experience unlike any other. Some really amazing games.

Also, I just started playing multiplayer which is surprisingly fun. But I have a question about it: how can you unlock new races? Is it by simply defeating some of the harder challenges? Sorry if this is really obvious.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

Oh, no biggie. You have to purchase them via the "Store" packs which are bought by "credits" you win during each game.

 

[NatP]

Oh, no biggie. You have to purchase them via the "Store" packs which are bought by "credits" you win during each game.

Ahh, I see. I thought you could only get weapons from those. But in that case, I got to start saving up for the best packs, so I can get a Krogan Soldier, or Vanguard or sentinel or whatever... I just want a Krogan. xD Or a Drell.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

Generally, you want to aim for the Spectre or Premium Spectre packs.

If you want a Krogan, go for the Vanguard, lol. The thing is a beast. I tried that build you linked, Pluvia. on Gold, this guy is almost invincible, I love it.

What I still need is Reegar X. Only have IV.

 

[Master Xanthan]

Also, the packs are completely random. So it may or may not take a while for you to get a Krogan soldier. If you want Krogans its best to buy Spectre packs since they the krogans are rares.

 

[sakuraZaKi]

^This,.

If you're comfortable with Gold difficulty, I personally complete one round, buy a SP(Spectre Pack), then I do a second round, buy a SP, then a 3rd round, then buy a PREMIUM SP.

So it's like this: Match->SP->Match->SP->Match->PSP

Tbh, you can do whatever you want (like save up a ton and buy all PSPs), but I like to keep my money low. And usually, the SPs I get usually net me the same things a PSP gets.

PSP does get you more rares though. Since you're starting out and have only little amount of characters, I think I would go PSPs.

 

[Pluvia]

Don't bother doing Golds, you'll get kicked because you're too low a level and your weapons will suck, stick to Silvers and Bronzes for a while. If you're on Xbox you can give one of us a shout though, we wont mind carrying you through a few Golds.

And good to see you used my build Sak, once Rage gets fixed I might adjust it a bit but right now it's perfect.

 

[Pluvia]

Balance changes:

Spoiler

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 4, 2012
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Biotic Charge Power (all kits excluding the Krogan)
- Base force increased from 600 to 650

Submission Net Power
- Base cooldown reduced from 8 to 6 seconds
- Base damage increased from 350 to 600
- Rank 3 damage and duration bonuses increased from 20% to 30%
- Evolve 1 damage bonus increased from 30% to 40%
- Evolve 3 damage bonus increased from 30% to 40%
- Evolve 4 cooldown bonus increased from 35% to 45%
- Evolve 6 electric pulse frequency increased from 1.5 to 1 second
- Evolve 6 electric pulse base damage increased from 100 to 150

Turian Sentinel
- Starting encumbrance capacity increased from 40% to 50%

Turian Soldier
- Starting encumbrance capacity increased from 55% to 65%

Turian & Batarian Fitness Powers
- Base health/shield bonus increased from 15% to 25%
- Rank 2 health/shield bonus increased from 10% to 15%
- Evolve 2 health/shield bonus increased from 15% to 20%
- Evolve 6 health/shield bonus increased from 25% to 30%

All buffs again. I was doing some calculations and the Turian's might be viable on Gold now, think I'll give them a go.

Also apparently the Asari Vanguard, despite being able to wield 8 grenades (with grenade capacity) that can set off combos and do just short of 2000 damage, got another buff.

 

[LivewiresXe]

Not too bad, I say. And I was playing multiplayer tonight with a couple of guys and one of them was yelling/complaining/freaking out at this one guy during the game who was using a Reegar, talking about how awful and overpowered it is, and how there's no challenge with it and that they "should've kicked the guy so he couldn't steal my kills". All the while that guy had saved his butt 6 times. Plus, part of why the guy was freaking out was because he refused to believe the entire Squad got the same XP at the end of the game. Ugh.

Times like this, it makes me think: "You people are the ones making it so Multiplayer's so hard you complain about dying all the time".

 

[Pluvia]

Not too bad, I say. And I was playing multiplayer tonight with a couple of guys and one of them was yelling/complaining/freaking out at this one guy during the game who was using a Reegar, talking about how awful and overpowered it is, and how there's no challenge with it and that they "should've kicked the guy so he couldn't steal my kills". All the while that guy had saved his butt 6 times. Plus, part of why the guy was freaking out was because he refused to believe the entire Squad got the same XP at the end of the game. Ugh.

Times like this, it makes me think: "You people are the ones making it so Multiplayer's so hard you complain about dying all the time".

The Reegar only does 50% of it's damage against armour, so while it can strip shields it's distinctly below average against any armour. You NEED to use consumable to make it worth while and/or have teammates helping you. Plus it had a low clip and short range, so there's a reason you more or less only ever see it on the Kroguard or people that don't have a Piranha.

 

[LivewiresXe]

The Reegar only does 50% of it's damage against armour, so while it can strip shields it's distinctly below average against any armour. You NEED to use consumable to make it worth while and/or have teammates helping you. Plus it had a low clip and short range, so there's a reason you more or less only ever see it on the Kroguard or people that don't have a Piranha.

Ironically enough the guy using it WAS using the Murdertrain. They gave me a bit of flak later for using the Reegar with my Vorcha Soldier (that Reegar + Flamer combo is sooo nice), but I was busy telling the one guy to stop trying to do some freaking "slide glitch" as he called it on Reactor during the Objective waves instead of, you know...trying to help us.

 

[Pluvia]

Haven't heard of any slide glitch before. Just sounds like a noob, the Reegar is powerful but not broken, it's like the 3rd best shotgun, and Vorcha are quite average on Gold too.

Anyway I played with a bunch of speedrunners, we completed Platinum (Reapers or Cerberus, can't remember) in 12:25. All the matches we played were under 15 minutes, except for a 17 minute Platinum Reapers when we were all Drell, and a 24 minute Gold FB Reactor against Reapers when we were all Batarian Sentinels using only the harpoon gun.

 

[LivewiresXe]

12:25? The hell? My best on Gold was 17:50. But I haven't played the multiplayer before last night in weeks. Though, at least I finally got the Male Quarian Infiltrator. I went 6/6/6/4/4 with him, but I admittedly have no idea if that's the right build or not since I didn't look for one.

 

[Pluvia]

I just skip fitness on the MQI.

Anyway I broke down the Destroyers (Hawk) Missile Launcher to its stats and made an incredibly detailed thread on its current power and how it could be made better. Basically it boiled down to buffing the base damage to 180 and increase the Cobra buff to 250%, that'd make it take 3 shots to kill the normal Troopers but still pack a punch.

Anyway Eric, the guy that does the balance changes, actually got back to me.

"Honestly we would like to make this power better, but the N7 Destroyer is already the most played kit in the game and very powerful, so we're reluctant to push it too far."

So today I learned that the Destroyer is more used than the Geth Infiltrator.