What is the Mass Effect (ME) multiplayer in a nutshell?
ME's multiplayer is a cooperative tactical shooter, with some classes and abilities thrown in. The class you use will have a tremendous impact on how you play the game. Each class-and variations within the class-dictates which enemies are hard and which are easy.
Is there any Player vs Player, i.e. "Deathmatch"?
No, and as of yet Bioware has announced no intentions of making such for ME3.
Say I played the demo. Will my experience and items carry into the full game?
As of the current date (Feb 19), no. Everyone will be on level ground when release comes around the bend.
What are the basics?
The mode thus far has been 10 stages of "clear the area," with a few stages being objective based (kill specific enemies, hold an area, etc.) after which you head to the extraction point. There is a short break (10 seconds or so) between stages for you to heal, reposition, and resupply. A good time estimate for a match is 20-30 minutes.
Oh noes, I got dropped! What happens now?!
Relax, your teammates can get you up again.
Oh noes, I got dropped and my character either bled out or got executed! What happens now?!
Relax, you'll revive at the end of the round. Assuming your teammates survive.
Tell me about the guns.
There are 5 classes of weapons for multiplayer. You will be able to bring 2 weapons with you in multiplayer. There are no restrictions other than you cannot carry two weapons of the same class. You can opt to only carry one if you want, but you cannot enter combat unarmed.
Assault Rifles (AR) -This class as a whole is the jack-of-all trades class. As a whole, they are the most reliable and versatile weapons-based DPS, and are well-suited to any class if you are a beginner. Range is good, rate of fire is good, almost everything is good-but not the best. The only downside is their weight is considerable compared to some of the other classes.
Sniper Rifles - This class consists of very long range weapons. Most of them fire slowly and hit hard. They are also the only class equipped with scopes by default. Their weight is pretty hefty and depending on how you play, they can either be excellent or too situational to be useful.
Submachine guns- This class as a whole tends be be similar to the ARs but with less weight and less range. They are one of the "low weight" weapon groups.
WARNING: The starter SMG, the Shuriken, is laughably terrible. The ones you acquire later are much more formidable.
Shotguns- This class is the short range specialist. They, like the Sniper, can be very powerful if used correctly-and absolutely useless if they are not. Slow and powerful spread shots can annihilate enemies at short range. And amuse enemies at longer ranges.
Pistols-This is the second "low weight" group. Based on what we've seen so far, their range is moderate and their shots are relatively slow and strong, and range isn't bad at all. However, you aren't going to get too much DPS out of them.
What the hell is this "weight" you've been ranting about?
Weight affects your ability cooldowns. The more you carry, the less often you'll be able to use your often potent abilities.
What's the deal with abilities?
Abilities are one of the major make-or-break points. Unlike weapons, you are assigned a set of abilities depending on the class and race you choose and are stuck with them from day 1. They do get more powerful as your character levels and you can choose which ones get tougher and which ones don't. You only start with one and have to unlock the others as you level.
What do these abilities do?
Why, all sorts of fun stuff! Some do damage, some buff you, some make your enemies helpless, etc etc. The variety is pretty big in this field.
Can I change the set of abilites I have?
No. They are specific to the class and race you choose.
If I don't like the abilities that I chose, can I reset?
In the full version, yes. In the demo, no.
Tell me about classes.
There are six classes to choose from, and each with specific strengths and weaknesses. No, this is not the WoW-esque "you can only use class X this way" crap, but some limitations remain regardless of what you do. Here is a description of the classes and what they do. Note that the starting ability is the one you start with and not necessarily the one you should use the most.
Soldier
Difficulty: Easy
Starting Ability: Adrenaline Rush
The soldier is the simple, direct shoot 'em up class. As he performs in a similar way to many shooters base character, he may be the easiest class for newcomers to learn. His base ability increases damage output and as you upgrade it may have other effects as well. Load up on the big guns, he's the one made for them.
Sentinel
Difficulty: Easy
Starting: Tech Armor
The Sentinel is very, very tough with the tech armor ability, which may make him a bit more forgiving of your mistakes. The Sentinel also has both biotic and tech abilities to use, though not as specialized as the Adept or Engineer. Whether you go heavy or focus on abilities is your pick, both work reasonably well with this class.
Adept
Difficulty: Moderate
Starting Ability: Singularity
The Adept is a very ability-dependant class.
As such, Adepts tend to favor the low-weight weapons (SMGs and pistols) so that those abilities can be used the most often. Many of the Adept's Biotic abilities do damage, but the Adepts strength is in limiting the enemy, and can often make enemies very vulnerable to the Adept or allied players.
Engineer
Difficulty: Moderate
Starting Ability: Combat Drone
The Engineer is another very ability-dependant class. The Engineer's tech powers tend to be more direct and unit-specific than the Adept's are, and are particularly well suited for robotic enemies. Combat drones are useful for distracting, diverting, and exposing enemies, and can do considerable damage at higher levels.
Infiltrator
Difficulty: Moderate
Starting Ability: Tactical Cloak
This class is designed with Snipers in mind. Tactical Cloak renders the user "invisible" for a short time (Enemies will still shoot at you, but will not be nearly as accurate or as frequent in doing so) Attacking from Cloak deals bonus damage.
Vanguard
Difficulty: Hard
Starting Ability: Charge
This class is designed for shotgun enthusiasts. Charge makes you move very quickly, closing the distance with a targeted enemy and stunning, staggering, or knocking them down on contact.
Why is this class listed as "hard"?
1.) Your shields are very fragile compared to those of other classes. This is partially compensated for by Charage as it does restore some shield strength, but they are still weak..
2.) Knowing when to charge and when not to charge has a bit of a learning curve.
3.) If you charge into a bad spot, odds are you will not be able to charge out of it, and if you fall your teammates may not be able to reach you in time to get you up again.
4.) While some may tell you otherwise, Vanguard always had a much larger "dumb luck" element than other classes.
Tell me about the races.
For each class there are four character choices: human male, human female, and two alien characters. Only the Humans are availible by default, all others most be unlocked. The alternative races for the class have a different ability set, and therefore a different playstyle. Most other differences are rather minor. They are some other differences that one should take note of:
Krogan
Their base move speed is a tad slower, but tough and their melee is brutal. Getting kills in a row is benifcial.
classes: Soldier, Sentinel
Turian
Cannot roll. Tougher shield.
classes: Sentinel, Soldier
Quarian
Side roll is a bit less effective than other races.
classes: Engineer, Infiltrator
Drell
Roundhouse kick.
classes: Adept, Vanguard
Asari
Heavy Melee is an AoE attack. "Roll" is particularly fast.
classes: Adept, Vanguard
Salarian
Have not observed any differences.
classes: Engineer, Inflitrator
Is there any difference between human male and human female?
Other than aesthetic, no.
Combat: The Basic of the basic- There are several threads about advanced tactics.
You should:
-Try to focus on one enemy at a time if at all possible.
-Vary up your weapon selection until you find something that suits you.
-Use abilities very liberally. They will save your butt and your teammate's butts.
-Use your ammo very liberally. There are bins all over both of the maps we've seen, and reaching one isn't an issue 95% of the time. The confrontations generally don't last long enough for you to run out.
-Use Roll and Sprint often, both are very useful.
-Get the hell away from enemy grenades. Don't count on living through them.
You shouldn't:
-Wander off by yourself. Getting spread out makes losing much, much easier. The only reason to seperate is to "clean up" what's left of the opposition towards the end of the round. Even then, be cautious.
-Randomly walk out into the open. Even on the lower difficulties, it's really easy to get dropped this way. Stay in cover unless you got a good reason to move.
-Run far away from the LZ during while wating for extraction. You and your teammates lose a noteworthy bonus if not everyone is in the area and on their feet. On higher difficulties you may need to take cover nearby (both that we've seen are pretty exposed areas) but be close enough that you can be at the landing site within a few seconds.
-Play on anything other than Bronze if you're new. You'll get slaughtered without some experience and a higher level character.
How do I acquire new weapons and characters?
As of now, the only way is to purchase "packs." Each pack, regardless of type contains 5 items, some temporary, some permanent. You are given one pack to help you get started.
What's in these packs?
-Character unlocks/xp bonuses/visual customization unlocks
They're all on one card. If you already have the character, you get more options with visuals (uniform colors etc.). If you already have all the visuals, you get just get some extra Xp. You get the experience regardless.
-Weapon Unlocks
If you already have the weapon, it is upgraded, up to level 10.
-Equipment
Equipment items are consumables that give potent and useful effects. They can be divided into two categories:
In-Mission Equipped
So far we've seen 4 of these. You may only carry and use two charges per mission, and not using them conserves them.
-Rocket Launcher: Shoots one powerful round with AoE. Most useful againt large, tough enemies, such as the Atlas.
-Ammo Pack: Restores the ammo to full capacity for all weapons you are carrying.
-Medi-gel Pack: Heals you as if another player revived you if you have fallen. NOTE: Cannot be used if you have been executed or you bled out.
-Survival Kit: Restores health and shields to full capacity.
Preparation Equipped
These last the entire mission, and are gone when it ends. They are equipped via before the game begins in the start screen. They are 3 types
-Ammo Powers: Makes your shots do more damage and have "extra" effects.
-Weapon Equipment: Can make you more effective with a specific class of weapon.
-Armor Equipment: Various. Faster cooldown, run faster, and so forh.
-Weapon Mods
Mods are permanent items that alter a weapons performance. All that we've seen so far are very direct in nature (extra damage, bigger clip, scopes, etc.) Like the weapons themselves, they can be upgraded. Mods are weapon class specific; you cannot use a shotgun mod on your sniper rifle.
Any issues or recommendations
PM me. If you whine about the difficulty rating of your favorite class, I'm going to throw you on a Cerberus grenade.
Modifié par Volus Warlord, 22 février 2012 - 02:52 .
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Thanks for doing this.
