X360 - New Mass effect Screenshots

[Soygen]

Originally Posted by Zaniel

Once you get a slightly better sniper weapon and some points in the skill and put on some stabilisation mods the sniper rifle becomes a seriously uber weapon. It doesn't kick around anywhere as much as at the start. You can kill Geth Armatures with it and one shot almost everything else if you're using the right ammo.

I played Infiltrator and I thought in the early parts that I had gimped myself due to the weapon choices but then I discovered maxxed out tech skills and all was well. I think all the classes are powerful, though pure biotics suffer from the problem of being shut down, they make up for it through mad destruction once they get going. Tech skills certainly helps with the money, being able to unlock every container from the start onwards.

That's good to know. I'm only level 10 at the moment.

[Sean]

Yeah, once you build up the Sniper Rifle skill and such you can pretty much one shot nearly anything. Well, until you're playing on Hardcore.

[Blank]

Originally Posted by Sean

Yeah, once you build up the Sniper Rifle skill and such you can pretty much one shot nearly anything. Well, until you're playing on Hardcore.

Question in spoilers!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

did you use the sniper on the end boss (mutant Saren/Husk/leaper form) ? Cause I imagine that would be a pain in the fucking ass considering how fast his shields recharge and how mobile he is.

[Sean]

Yeah, I did. He stops momentarily and if you're good with the Rifle you can line up shots as fast as you can zoom and pull the trigger.

[Nakilos]

I'm struck by how well balanced this game actually is, and I think part of my enjoyment will be trying out different classes and builds. I've really tried to avoid reading up on the game in terms of gameplay spoilers i.e. what builds/weapons are "best" and really they all seem pretty even. Even pistols, I ended up doing Noveria and the last fight I ended up cornered with 2 people dead and my cooldowns used, I used Marksman and just decimated her and that was slightly satisfactory that pistols really aren't gimp.

The only thing that seems slightly off is Tech skills seem way more powerful overall compared to Biotics. Warp doesn't do damage quick enough before shit just dies (debuff is nice though), Throw and Lift are really just temporary CC, Stasis I haven't found terribly useful in most situations, but Barrier is a great oh shit button. I haven't used the characters with Singularity and Neural Shock much so I can't comment on those really. Compared to the tech skills which all just make each skill better + decent damage, though not nearly as useful on the purely organic enemies which I guess is the balance. Maybe Biotics are more relevant on harder difficulties, I guess I'll try like an Adept or something on my next playthrough.

I'm just glad its not like KOTOR knight's speed + flurry = win every single fight in the games dictating playstyle. There really are a lot of viable options here.

[Sean]

Btw, Sledgehammer rounds are ridiculously useful at post 50 on Hardcore.

[Zerai]

I maxed singularity on Liara and I used her on every mission. It was awesome. I played a Vanguard and frankly, I barely used bionics at all. I just pistoled everything to death. If shit charged, Liara fired a singularity and everything that got caught in it just floats around in the air and you just shoot it down. It was the best anti-charge thing ever.

The only time I ever used barrier or shield recharge was on the last boss, and I used it more out of laziness. I got sick of strafing so I just hit them both up, hit up marksman and opened fire. When they went down, used adrenaline rush and did it all over again.

In fact it was really only the last boss that I used most of my abilities. I was pretty mean to my crew. I just sent them in as decoys and killed shit with my pistol. When they died, I used Unity, healed them to full, and by that point nothing was alive. Playing Hardcore now so I'm prob going to have to work on my skills a bit =P

I finished the main campaign at 27 hours, 56 mins. I believe I did every quest. Instead of continuing at 50, I rerolled as an inflitrator because I'm not happy with Vanguard.

[The Noble Savage]

Originally Posted by Sean

You're not very good at using the Sniper Rifle if you feel that it is a total waste.

12/12 in Sniper points and I'm certainly glad I took it.

I'm playing a soldier and my elite training is commando. I have sniper rifles maxed out, Assault maxed out, Commando maxed, specter maxed and 1/2 through rifle. No points in pistol or shotgun. Yes, I one shot anything with the sniper rifle, but you know what? I one shot anything with the shotgun, I three shot anything with the pistol and I can clear an entire room with the rifle before overkill runs down.

Again, that's with no points in either pistol or shotgun, but I'm doing so much damage with just the bonuses from commando/assault/specter points that I just mow through everything. Veteran difficulty level 46.

When I try to use the sniper rifle in closed buildings I get one free kill before combat starts. Once combat is initiated I either get rushed, in which case the high heat per shot of the sniper rifle gets me swarmed. Or, if I hang back and try to pick them off, they hide until I pass a certain point then I get swarmed.

Open areas, yes I can pick everything off, but no matter how far I am my position is under constant 100% accuracy fire from rockets etc. It's just silly.

I'm not saying the sniper rifle sucks, or doesn't do damage. The A.I. just makes it silly. Why waste the time with maxed out sniper (the master specter gear), when I can just mow everything down with the shotgun or even the pistol that I have no points.

I didn't realize how ineffective the sniper rifle was until I started trying to get the other weapon achievements. I got the assault rifle achievement, then once sniper rifle was unlocked I started using that. Once I got that achievement I started with the shotgun and pistol. Was shocked when I realized I could three shot Asari Commandos with my pistol.

[Sean]

I never had a problem with picking stuff off with the Sniper Rifle in enclosed areas. It is important to put anti-heat stuff on it though.

Currently using Combat Optics X, Frictionless Materials X, and Sledgehammer Rounds X on my HMWP X Pistol and HMWSR X Sniper Rifle.

I haven't used the Assault Rifle or Shotgun much on my Operative spec'd Infiltrator though as I have absolutely no bonuses to them and they're highly ineffective. I use the Pistol on the Thorian Creepers, Husks, and Rachni - but anything else I far prefer the Sniper Rifle on. The A.I. only makes it "silly" if you're bad at being an effective Sniper.

[Zerai]

Oh and in case anyone was a newb like me. I didn't realize the Mako had a cannon until like..halfway through the game =x You don't have to put up with that piece of shit useless chaingun. It's RB

[The Noble Savage]

Originally Posted by Sean

I never had a problem with picking stuff off with the Sniper Rifle in enclosed areas. It is important to put anti-heat stuff on it though.

Currently using Combat Optics X, Frictionless Materials X, and Sledgehammer Rounds X on my HMWP X Pistol and HMWSR X Sniper Rifle.

I haven't used the Assault Rifle or Shotgun much on my Operative spec'd

Infiltrator though as I have absolutely no bonuses to them and they're highly ineffective. I use the Pistol on the Thorian Creepers, Husks, and Rachni - but anything else I far prefer the Sniper Rifle on. The A.I. only makes it "silly" if you're bad at being an effective Sniper.

Obviously my class choice has a major effect on it, since I get a ton of extra damage bonuses from the other skills for all weapons. So maybe my main gripe is the damage curve. I do so much with weapons I have no skill in that the sniper rifle is just overkill.

Now about the AI are you saying, for example, on open zone maps you're not constantly being shot from your position by pinpoint accuracy with folks with shotguns/rockets and pistols?

I'm not saying the sniper rifle is a piece of crap. It does good damage, and I prefer it than just charging in. I'm sure as an operative given a choice between sniper rifle and pistol, I'd go sniper since I don't get the damage bonuses. Then just send Wrex charging in and snipe away.

Closed quarters scenarios are so close combat that yes it would be better to whip out an assault rifle or shotgun because your enemies are 20-30 feet away max. I've cleared many maps with the sniper rifle. But I'll be honest. I die much more because some biotics user charged me and warped me then shot me with a shotgun while I was zoomed in than if I just go in guns blazing with overkill on my assault rifle.

But I have a problem where the effectiveness for different ranged weapons is accuracy, which seems to only affect your character because the AI never misses. It doesn't make any sense that I am sniping enemies who I can barely see zoomed in with my sniper rifle, but I am getting hit by their pistol fire.

True story, on the mission "UNC: Gith Incursion", I placed myself way up on top of this mountain to snipe clear the camp. Of course the AI already knew I was there, so before I even fire a shot rockets are blowing up just over the ridge I am using as cover. I pop out and snipe one geth, then I duck back into cover and I sprint about 30 yards down the mountain to snipe again. Just as I pop out to fire again, I am hit in the face by one of those plasma charges from the armature and killed. The magical AI tracked my movement from one spot to another without seeing me and tagged me pinpoint in the face from a distance that I could barely see them while zoomed in.

I was trying to get the sniper achievement at that time, but after that I got annoyed so I reloaded and just drove over in the mako and cleared the base with the shotgun instead while keeping the armature out of service with Biotics and tech skills.

[Blank]

few things:

Tech seems better than Bionics. I was an engineer, but I had Wrex and his bionic abilities and I fooled around with the other guy with lift/throw a bit on my second playthrough. No one with singularity though...

Lift/Throw are okay but when you compare it too Dampening, Overload, and Sabotage... their not so great :| The damage on those 3 powers are decent and they have a good amount of secondary effects. Dampening is probably worth it alone. Stuns on normal enemies and stops bionic abilities long enough for me to kill them. AI hacking is also pretty underrated. At max, you can control any geth except (I think, never tried) the colossus... including an Armature thing. And considering you pretty much fight geth 85% of the time, it's pretty damn good. The AI seems to *hate* anything that gets hacked too so you barely get shot at.

Neural Shock I didn't max since it's single target only and only works on Bionics (which are pretty rare). It honestly didn't seem all that great, but it does cause knockdown + poison. I basically used it when Wrex's throw was on cooldown and some melee guy got close to me. It (combined with dampening) also made

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

that Asari chick who works with Saren

stupid easy.

What does combat optics do? I forgot. I can't remember what I used for my pistol... I want to say rail extensions (whatever the "advanced" versions were called). But honestly, I rarely used my pistol and when I did, shit died in 3 hits.



BTW, the dev's posted a hints log that has some nifty info in it... a lot of mundane bull crap, but some useful shit. It's insanely long so I'm spoiler tagging it.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

1. Phoenix armour regenerates health.
2. Armour made by Devlon Industries can protect you from harsh environments.
3. The rover can jump over incoming rockets.
4. Make sure to check the lockers for your party members between missions to make sure everyone has the best gear.
5. Uncharted worlds can have points of interest other than the ones marked on their map; drive around and explore.
6. Pause combat by using the bumpers - this allows look around and assess the situation.
7. Use combinations of powers of tougher enemies.
8. Crouch to increase stability (especially with Sniper Rifle).
9. Consult your Journal often.
10. Your Dog needs to go for a walk. The Universe will wait.
11. Save often.
12. Call your Mom.
13. Watch for explosive canisters, they can make combat much easier.
14. You can change combat difficulty by accessing the options gameplay menu.
15. Your Codex provides interesting information about the Mass Effect Universe.
16. Get into the Mako to revive party members.
17. Peanut Butter and Celery makes a great snack.
18. Remember to recycle.
19. The Thresher Maw needs flat land to travel so beware when driving over flat open areas.
20. For better accuracy with the sniper rifle, crouch and wait in between shots until the sight stops moving.
21. Sometimes rushing into a fight can provide you with better cover than that on the outskirts.
22. You get one level for becoming a Spectre. Try to level up just before.
23. Have a henchman use first aid to allow you to focus on other skills
24. Have two henchmen use first aid in case one is unusable for a time.
25. You can rifle-butt some enemies to knock them out (specifically this is part of the quest to knock out colonists in zhu's hope on Feros, you're supposed to use gas grenades but people might have used them all so we put in the option to rifle-butt/pistol-whip people to knock them out as well, but I don't think we have mentioned that anywhere in the game).
26. If you use lift and then use throw while your target is in the air, he will go fairly far.
27. Use singularity to gather multiple enemies together and then blow them up with grenades.
28. Charm and intimidate are important so make sure to level them up.
29. The maximum charm and intimidate possible is linked to how much of a paragon or renegade your character is.
30. Putting points into the sniper rifle ability reduces the amount of crosshair movement when you are zoomed.
31. Use the mako's jump jets to avoid enemy rockets
32. If you are a soldier use immunity to avoid taking much damage (it is quite a powerful ability)
33. Use the unity ability to revive your followers during combat.
34. Some kinds of armor have hidden abilities (such as the devlon armor providing immunity to environmental effects).
35. Use cover
36. Make sure to choose party members that supplement your Shepard's abilities. The right team combinations have no weaknesses.
37. Choose a skill and stick with it. A specialist will be more help later on than a Jack of All Trades.
38. Work on one of at least charm or intimidate. There are opportunities to exercise them right from the beginning of the game. It can really alter the completion of quests.
39. Take advantage of becoming a spectre as soon as possible (as opposed to doing too many sidequests beforehand in the citadel) as it increases the maximum you can take charm and intimidate to.
40. When entering a new system, take a moment to look at all the planets and asteroid belts without moving the map for a few moments. Sometimes, the Normandy's sensors will pick something up, and a brief flash will appear on the map. Scan that flash, and you won't regret a thing." -this leads to Minerals, collection quests, and an entire UNC, in one case.
41. Crowd control is key, in some cases. Use an adept to full advantage by merely allowing them to take some of your enemies off your hands for a while.
42. Tech beacons may seem limited in their application. But keep in mind that while their effects might be limited in scope, the damage they do is universal. Even if the Geth can't be stopped by a damping beacon, they can still be hurt by one…
43. One of the biggest traps to fall into is to spread yourself too thin… Focus on single skillsets that complement each other, instead of multiple ones that conflict.
44. Your biggest asset in this game is your party. Followers can be whatever you want: flanking buddies, straight-on attackers, your waiting ambush, bait, or, if you fell especially mean, cannon-fodder to show you where the snipers are. Play around with your party, or even give them free reign. Sometimes having less control over them is more beneficial to micro-managing.
45. When possible, engage enemies on foot. There is more experience to be gained while on foot than there is sitting inside the Mako and picking off enemies from a distance. More fun and strategy, too.
46. Not every world in the universe was meant to keep humans alive. If you're going to a world where the hazards are just too much for you to handle, keep an eye out for Devlon armor. It only takes one team member to be equipped to save yourself from dying of exposure on some remote planet.
47. Krogans are tenacious and frightening, but they are also NOT team-oriented. If you come across a few Krogans, try and lure one away from the pack and take them one mano-a-mano. Otherwise you could wind up in the middle of a Krogan sandwich. You get to be ground soylent green (…it's made of people!).
48. Your followers had lives before they met you. Talk to them, ask them about those lives, and they might just surprise you with info about their home life, or in some cases, they will allow you to help with some 'unfinished business.' At the very least, you will learn something new about your space-faring friends.
49. If you are worried that you might be missing some of the story by taking a different path, don't worry, you are. There is no way to play through all of the storylines in this game without playing through at least 5 times, and that is being generous. In all honesty, you could play this game for the next six months and never get the entire experience. This is coming from a tester who just a few weeks ago finally noticed a new branch, after playing for 8 months. Don't be afraid to start a new game, and don't be afraid to try a new character/difficulty/follower team-up. The game has a way of surprising you in ways you would not expect.
50. If you see a terminal that you can decrypt, then by all means, do it! At the very least, you will learn something new about the universe, but sometimes there will be some tidbit of information there that will let you explore another region of space. Sometimes those floating balls of rock have something on them, and someone in the galaxy put that info into a terminal for you to find.
51. Not every crazy person you meet in the world is actually crazy. Sometimes, if you can get them to talk to you, you can hear their story. And sometimes, that story will make so much sense that you might think you're a little crazy, too. Try to get every person you can to talk to you as much as possible. If you don't then you might only see what 'they' want you to see….
52. Adepts and Biotics start slow. There is no denying this. It may seem frustrating, but if you work at it, it is beneficial to play a character who can constantly juggle any enemy. No one, not even a high-class soldier, can touch a master adept.
53. Sometimes, the order that planets are done in makes them more difficult for certain classes. Ie: a biotic-heavy world is hard for a fledgling biotic, while a tech/combat-heavy world is tough for a new soldier. Try to keep a save file located on the Normandy pre-landing, so if you need to, you can just go back to it later. You have 10 save slots. Use them!
54. The galaxy will ALWAYS need saving. How long it takes you to do that is completely up to you, but keep in mind that if you save the big picture, then you lose many of the small ones. Don't be in such a rush to confront the big bad if you have the opportunity to help (or make some cash…)along the way.
55. Omni-gel is your friend. Keep at least 30-40 of the stuff around. You never know when you'll screw up on that decryption for some fantastic armor, and you'll be glad to have it.
56. Being a Renegade doesn't mean you have to be mean. It just means that you have the power to BE the law, not just enforce it. Depending on the situation, that might just be more satisfying….
57. Try as you might, you can't control some people. If there are those in your party that aren't used to following orders, don't be surprised if they say or do something that you really wish they hadn't. Explaining justice to a krogan bounty hunter can be….interesting.
58. In an elevator, people let their guard down. The same is true for your followers. Try taking some of the elevators in the citadel with different followers, and hear what they're really thinking about. For example, why does Tali wear that faceguard? Garrus wants to know, too.
59. Second playthroughs aren't just for the extra story you will most definitely have missed the first time around. If you have certain achievements, then you can try out some custom classes. An adept with a sniper rifle? Perhaps a soldier with AI hacking? A sentinel with a shotgun? Experiment. See what feels best for you.
60. Achievements aren't just for gamerscore. Unlocking them gives the player access to special training that allows you to become an even better Spectre. Some manipulate game mechanics to allow the player to have better skills, some allow for more skills. At the very least, they give you something to shoot for.
61. Mods are just that. Modifications to your specific equipment. If it feels right for your style of play, then that is the right mod.
62. Each new class is completely different from the others. They require that you re-vamp your playstyle, because if you don't, you will end up critically failing more missions than you critically succeed.
63. Stores tie their supplies to your level, so if you find that you aren't getting the equipment you want, leave, find some new worlds to explore, or quests to complete, and then come back to see the new shipment. You'll be glad that you did, especially on the Citadel.
64. The citadel is the hub of the galaxy, so there's always something new to see/find. Come back often to see what you may have missed. It might be a large place, but exploring it again is well worth the time.
65. Choosing your background in the beginning of the game may seem trivial, but it really isn't. Characters interact with you differently, and even some missions are tied to your past.
66. Don't ignore Charm or Intimidate. Just don't.
67. Sniper Rifles are very tough to use at the start. You have to up your skill points a bit and get better rifles before they get very user-friendly (though some more advance gamers might enjoy the increased difficulty of using them from the start). Once you are good with them, though, they more than make up for it. So if you want to be one-shotting Geth with headshots, you've just gotta be patient. An alternative, though, is to have Garrus in your party. With the Sniper Rifle equipped, you can hit right on the D-pad for an "Attack" command, and you'll hear that signature "Bow-ooom" of the Rifle from behind you. If you're powerful enough, you'll usually see the enemy drop in one shot. This is especially on open terrain like in Virmire.
68. On certain Uncharted Worlds that have high environment hazards, equip the "protection from toxins" armor upgrade for yourself and your squad. It will allow you all to stay outside the Mako for a longer period of time.
69. Spend points in your Charm or Intimidate persuade Talents before you get to Virmire. You'll need them to sway Wrex.
70. The easiest, least frustrating way to "solve" the AI signal puzzle on the Citadel is to shoot the power source. Trust me. This is what you bought the game for, isn't it? So you can shoot stuff?
71. Remember to use the R-stick zooming mechanism in turret view when you're in the Mako. It will zoom up to 400 meters and make it easier to hit smaller targets like geth rocket troopers.
72. If you're playing this game in your office, try not to scream like a girl. It disturbs people's work environment.

[Sean]

I never had a problem with being rushed by Biotics since I can lock out their skills. The Rachni are far more dangerous to my character than anything else. And 20-30 feet is not close combat imo.

[The Noble Savage]

Originally Posted by Sean

And 20-30 feet is not close combat imo.

Well, not close as in hand to hand or whatever but close for ranged weapons. It's close enough for pistols and shotguns to still be effective and certainly for assault rifles. And probably too close for a long range sniper rifle.


blank

Combat Optics makes it so the Geth can't jam your radar and the higher quality ones provide an accuracy bonus.

Tech skills are really good, and they stack well imo. Something bionics doesn't seem to do. Having one bionics character seems more than enough.

[Menion]

Originally Posted by Zerai

Oh and in case anyone was a newb like me. I didn't realize the Mako had a cannon until like..halfway through the game =x You don't have to put up with that piece of shit useless chaingun. It's RB

Don't feel bad it took me a mission or two with the Mako to realize you can double zoom by pushing the right stick.