12995 réponses à ce sujet

[birefringent]

But all my doctors, just call me "crazy".

 

Felt like doing something slightly silly today 

[fraggle]

How much harder is Mass Effect 1's platinum/perfect gamerscore compared to the others? I'm assuming the best option for the difficulty and level 60 trophies/achievements is to do a new game plus, but I don't know what would be the easiest class for it

 

If it's any consolation, I thought ME2 was much harder on Insanity than ME1. At least judging from my dying rate

I did ME1 Hardcore with an Engineer and Insanity with Adept (haven't tried out the other classes yet), and as others pointed out, Adept really is a good way to go because Singularity and Lift is a lot of fun! I defeated Saren with Liara and Kaidan without him getting a real shot, haha. I had some trouble through some sections (Therum, Matriarch Benezia on Noveria), but it gets easier when you progress further and do all side missions. Also for most of the geth missions Tali might come in handy

And there are some points where you can retreat to and rest, even your squadmates will be revived automatically if you get away far enough from the enemies.

[Ashii6]

I got bored by all those N7 mission so I thought... I'll write a fragment from Aeryn Shepard's personal log. I've never written anything like it, but I hope it looks alright. I wanted to show that Shepard is a human, too. With feelings. Fear, anger etc. Anyway, sorry for my potato english, but I think it's readable

Aeryn Shepard's personal log after Thessia:

... SH!T! *Shepard punches the desk with her fist* We were so close... so damn close to acquire the Catalyst. But then that damn son of a b!tch Kai Leng showed up with Cerberus troopers and a gunship. Javik and Liara were trying to keep'em off me, while I was dealing with Leng, but...
*There is a long pause before Shepard continues*
I don't know what happened, my biotic didn't work. I tried to charge at Leng, but... *She shakes her head* nothing happened. I tried to use shockwave and still NOTHING. I have no idea what the hell is going on with me. It's never happened before. My biotics never failed me... until now. *She takes a deep breathe*
We tried to call Joker, but we couldn't reach him. We needed a backup. We needed it.
In the end we were defeated. He ran with the Catalyst and we barely got out of there alive. Earth is burning, Palaven is burning and now... Thessia. *She shakes her head again* Just... f*ck.
At least Samantha tracked down that bastard. We're heading there now, to Horizon. I just hope it's not too late. Without the Catalyst... No, I don't even wanna think about it. We have to get it back. *Shepard looks at her hands and there's another long pause before she continues*
I've been having some... weird dreams. I'm chasing a kid in them, through a dark forest. I also see some dark figures. They're all around me, talking to me. Whispering to me. I don't know what, I can't understand them. I... I hear those whispers at the back of my skull. *She clenches her fists* What if... what if I'm indoctrinated at some point? This is how it all begins. Subtle whispers and... *She exhales* Maybe I'm just exaggerating. We constantly see and do weird stuff in our dreams. It's probably just the stress. Maybe because of it, my biotic didn't work. Yeah, I'm sure it's just stress. God, I need a drink. *Screen goes black*

I intend to write two more. Right before retaking Earth and right after destroying the Reapers, because I like happy endings. Sue me!
 

[Cameron Star]

My femshep went to the casino with Brooks and Wrex (he said he "looks ridiculous") and left her boyfriend Garrus "in the closet".

Spirits and credit chits were lightened that night.

[RedCaesar97]

How much harder is Mass Effect 1's platinum/perfect gamerscore compared to the others? I'm assuming the best option for the difficulty and level 60 trophies/achievements is to do a new game plus, but I don't know what would be the easiest class for it

 

If you go for the Insanity achievement and level 60 achievement at the same time with NG+, then it is easy with every class, since you start with all the equipment you finished with in the first playthrough.

 

You cannot hit level 60 in one playthrough.

 

If you go for the Insanity achievement starting from level 1, then it can be difficult until you start hitting level 25-35. That is when you start getting better equipment and your powers are at a decent level. That is when the game starts to get easy. 

 

 

If starting from level 1, Soldier might be toughest early game, since you do not have any good powers at the start (*cough* no Immunity *cough*) and your weapons suck. The other classes have an easier time since most of their starting powers are crowd-control powers so it makes the early going a little easier. I think Sentinel can start with the most abilities in the game, since you start with two powers and have three starting points to spend on three powers. I think the Vanguard has access to Adrenaline Burst early so it helps to cast more powers out. 

 

Rant time: Overkill is probably the worst or maybe second-worst power in the game, depending on how you feel about non-Bastion Stasis. Level I-III Assault rifles have no accuracy. And once you have a decent assault rifle, Overkill becomes pointless.

[BraveVesperia]

Shepard went to clean up Cerberus’ mess. He may have cut ties with them, but he doesn’t want TIM’s ‘projects’ causing trouble. Given what he found on Pragia, he had a bad feeling going in. Turns out, that was very much justified, since a ‘VI’ has apparently taken control of the entire Overlord project. 

 

Shepard headed through the station with his geth-killing team: Tali and Legion. Even though it doesn’t achieve anything, every camera was shot out along the way. It is just far too creepy having those things around, following his movements.   The fact I can understand the words of the ‘VI’ ("PLEASE MAKE IT STOP") actually makes it a lot more unnerving than my first PT, where I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

 

Up near the satellite dish, there was an excellent moment where Shepard stipped a Prime down to its armour, just as Legion hacked a flamethrower-geth. Flamey blasted the Prime, who died like a fool. Beautiful.  I love it when things work in sync like that.

 

The team met up with Gavin Archer, who explained the Overlord project to them. Looks like Shep was 100% correct about Cerberus being idiots again. Interface an organic mind with the geth network? Who comes up with these ideas?? Even EDI found it overwhelming, and she’s a synthetic too!

 

Shepard hit Prometheus station first, since that bit with the geth cannon can be bothersome. I never actually have trouble with it, but it just… bothers me for some reason.  Then they made their way through the geth ship, ignoring all the immobile geth. It would save time to shoot them all along the way, but knowing Shep’s luck, they’d all come to life at once and kill him.

 

The distorted lift/elevator music does not relieve workplace stress. Shep had stress coming out the wazoo on the way back through the ship. They encountered another Prime at the exit, and Shepard bunkered down on the walkways. Instead of the usual tactic of concentrating on the Prime and leaving the squadmates to deal with the geth mooks, Shep ignored the Prime entirely. It’s not going anywhere, meanwhile the mooks keep coming upstairs. To Shepard’s great surprise, while he and Tali were dealing with them, Legion took out the Prime alone. 

 

Then it was onto Vulcan station, using the tried-and-tested method of bouncy car to deal with the gun turrets.  Shep just parks the car in one spot, behind a wall or something. Bounce the car up: shoot shoot shoot. Car drops back down. Rinse and repeat! Tali was feeling distinctly queasy at he end of it all. It’s almost worse than the Mako.

 

Once both stations were unlocked, they went through Atlas station, and Shepard got… hacked. With those glowy green eyes and various nonsense, I’m getting Synthesis flashbacks. Hmm, does that mean this weird glowing world would be what Synthesis looks like? Freaky. 

 

Shepard learned the truth about project Overlord now, and all his sympathy for the people here suddenly evaporated. Shep is not a forgiving soul: everyone here got what they deserved. He punched through David’s protections until he could finally free the poor man. Gavin Archer turned up at that point. Never has pistol-whipping someone felt so good! David got sent off to Grissom.

TIM sent an email saying that Shep’s choice has set back humanity’s efforts to understand the geth. We have a geth right here! On the Normandy! You go play with your robots and breaches of human rights. Shep will be down in the AI core chatting about Dyson Spheres. 

[justafan]

Zapp Shepard

Vanguard/failshep/ME3!!!

 

So for the past few months Zapp has been sitting in a prison cell.  Something about joining a terrorist organization, executing hostages on the citadel, aiding and abetting an unshackled AI, physical assault on a member of the press, impersonating an officer of the court on the Migrant Fleet, and animal negligence (RIP Normandy fish) just to name a few of the charges.  Luckily impending galactic genocide has gotten Zapp off the hook and he is reinstated as an alliance soldier.

 

So it looks like the Alliance has goofed up the Normandy.  While the new coat of blue does complement the exterior well, the interior design choices are, shall we say, less than optimal.  Everything is dark and gloomy, they just left crates lying around everywhere, and I think all of that exposed wiring is not OSHA compliant.  But this is no time to redecorate and it's off to Mars.

 

Turns out Zapp's old Cerberus buddies beat him there.  Unfortunately, they are somewhat less cooperative than they used to be and are after the archives.  Liara pops out of nowhere with similarly out of nowhere plans for a deus ex machina weapon.  One fembot chase, shuttle crash, and crushed Kaiden cranium later, it's back on the road to the citadel.

[Ashii6]

Aeryn Shepard's personal log right before retaking Earth.

This is... this is probably my last log. *Shepard looks somehow scared, nervous* We're on the way to meet up with Hackett and the rest of the fleet. This is it. We're retaking Earth. Catalyst... Catalyst is not what we thought it was. Catalyst is the Citadel itself and it has been moved to Earth. *She exhales* Everyone is nervous, I am too. I can't even look into Samantha's eyes and tell her that everything will be alright. That... that we will win this. I'm avoiding her since we came back from Cerberus HQ. Why did I have to meet her when everything is falling? Why when we can die at any moment...?
I don't know what to do. *She shakes her head* My God, I'm scared. Everyone is looking at me like I'm some kind of Messiah, like everything depends on me. I never wanted this. Everytime when I open my eyes after sleep I'm hoping that I'm waking up in my own bed in my apartment before the whole mess with Saren ever happened. I just... I just wish I could wake up from this nightmare.
Heh... *On Shepard's lips appears a pale smile* I'll bet everyone wants to wake up from this nightmare. I know I sound selfish, but I don't know how long I can keep this up. This fight. I'm tired.
I never wanted to be a soldier, actually. *She looks away* But I also couldn't refuse when my whole family expected this from me. Military lineage, huh? *She shakes her head* But it doesn't matter now, does it?
If we won't stop the Reapers my carrier choice will be the least of my problems.
One way or another it ends today. *Shepard gets up and walks away* No rest for the wicked. *After that screen goes black*

And the last one. Even after EC I still don't like the endings. Can't help it. I expected something better from BioWare. Well, either way, good thing that headcanons exist.

The war is over. *Shepard has some cuts on her face and scratches* We won. *She shakes her head while lying in the hospital bed* I'm not sure if I believe it. It all happened so fast... One minute we were running to the beam and the second I was lying on the ground. My whole body was in pain and most of the armor was burned. Harbinger's beam hit me or... so I think. I wouldn't survive the direct hit anyway. *She exhales* I don't remember everything. I remember being on the Citadel after I reached the beam and then... then I saw Anderson with the Illusive man near the control panel. Goddamn bastard was indoctrinated and had been for some time. He didn't even know. *She massages her bandaged arm*
Anyway... He still tried to take control of the Reapers. I... I raised my arm against my will and shot Anderson. I couldn't stop it, but after that... I killed the Illusive Man. I killed him in the end. I somehow avenged my team from Akuze. *She takes a deep breath* After that, everything is a blur. I also remember sitting with Anderson. We watched as Citadel was opening, but then Anderson lost consciousness. Hackett was saying that Crucible is powering up. After that? I don't remember. I must've lost consciousness, too, because Ash told me she found me with Anderson. He's alive, thank God. *She looks relieved*
I'll bet Kahlee is with him now. *She laughed quietly*
Uh... anyway. Reapers corpses are everywhere. It'll take some time to bring everything back to order. There's still chaos out there. Hackett offered me a promotion, but I refused. I've done my part. The rest is up to them. I'll stay with the Alliance a little longer, though. I want to help them rebuild, but after that... I'm done.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. *Traynor showed up in the room* But don't even think about going anywhere now, darling. You should be resting."
I am. *Shepard replied* I just... I need to finish something first. *She turned her eyes at the screen again* For the first time... I feel free. *She smiled* It's... it's been one hell of a ride, but I can finally move on with my life with that one, important person. *Shepard looked at Traynor and back at the monitor. One last time with a smile*
... Shepard out. *Screen goes black*

And now I feel that my Fem!Shep finally recieved some good closure and a happy ending. Sigh. My DudeShep is also alive and happy with Ashley.
If anyone deserved a happy ending, it's Shepard imo. Not everyone wants that for their character, but it's good to at least have a choice in the matter.
Anyway, I won't spam you anymore. Just wanted to share with this stuff.

[MrGDL87]

Renegade  John Shepard on insanity...

 

Shepard met the Quarians and his warmongering encouragement at the Tali trial seems to have worked because they're in battle with the Geth. Tali is a newly appointed Admiral but Shepard didn't want to engage in any friendly banter as he is solely focused on getting the Quarian ships for the Reaper War. Therefore, Tali didn't have a conversation with him on the Normandy as there was a serious matter involving a dreadnought to tend to. EDI came along to provide a synthetic insight to the War. Tali thought it was a good idea to show Shepard a gun prototype that is effective against synthetics in front of EDI . Equipped the gun and EDI would probably need to keep her wits about her due to Shepard's trigger happy demeanour.

Even though Tali and Shepard aren't on the best of terms, she still saved his life on an elevator. They found a Geth that can talk and it's a virtual construct of the Geth that was passed on to Cerberus. Shepard wasn't going to fully trust a machine and had a practical attitude of "if it's lying, we can shoot it!". The Geth VI was unshackled to stop the Reaper code signal and everyone managed to escape the exploding dreadnought. Shepard didn't appreciate the Quarian forces shooting the dreadnought while he was on-board. He punched Gerrel (I probably would've chosen this even if it wasn't a pure renegade playthrough) and told Xen she can experiment on the Geth hologram. There was a distress call coming through but Shepard chose to ignore it as Raan was only a few feet away doing nothing anyway! 

 

Shepard decided to shut down a Geth server and he needed to enter the Geth consensus (hoping it goes better than David's experience). Shepard left the consensus with a better understanding of Geth/Quarian history and a couple of Geth Primes renounced the Old Machines. The Geth VI omitted to disclose it's intention and Shepard didn't approve. Koris was in trouble as well but Shepard believes he can fend for himself (he is an Admiral and can probably wait until after the Reaper Base)

 

The Reaper Base was found so it was the most urgent matter to deal with. Shepard left Raan and Gerrel arguing in the War Room since Quarian matters can be dealt with their high command. The Geth VI still has a problem telling the truth as it has kept the Reaper code a secret and Shepard expressed his disappointment once more. Landed on Rannoch and Tali got sentimental as her feet are touching her homeworld. Shepard handed her an invisible rock which could symbolise false hope and foreshadowing of what's to come...

Then it was the skirmish with the trio of Geth Primes. Shepard had one grenade, one medi-gel and one gun and he died 7 times . After a hard fought victory, Shepard has a new found appreciation of Geth power. He thought the worst was behind him but he had a face-to-face encounter with a Reaper. Shepard died 7 times against the Reaper laser . Shepard was beginning to question whether the alliance is worth it and he should've stayed in the Geth vehicle and fled. Eventually, the Reaper was stopped and it said that organics represent chaos. Shepard was happy to prove this theory correct by giving it another laser shot. Geth VI want to use the Reaper code to apply an upgrade. Shepard decided to support the Geth VI which resulted in the Quarian's destruction (I chose the Geth because I haven't experienced it before). Quarian wreckage was raining down on Rannoch and Tali couldn't cope with this decision and she committed suicide .

 

Shepard finished the day by landing on Noveria, which brings back stressful memories of Port Hanshan .          

[MrFob]

Right, you asked for it. Good idea about the spoiler tags though.

 

Spoiler

Nathan Shepard took a deep breath as he slipped the helmet from his head and stored i in his locker. The scratches on the right side would serve as vivid reminders of how closely they just escaped death.

Three Hours earlier the Normandy had just blinked back into existence, spat out into space near the edge of the Hercules system by the Attican Beta relay. Joker was about to take the ship into FTL flight on a course to Feros when the computer indicated a priority one message for Shepard had been received after logging back into the com buoy network. Admiral Hackett, the man in charge of the fifth fleet and responsible for Alliance operations in the Attican Traverse, informed them about a surveillance drone, that had been shot down by the geth in the Hercules system. That was the last thing they needed. Shepard was in a hurry to get to Feros, a human colony in the neighboring Theseus system. Of all the leads, Udina and Anderson had provided, this seemed the most urgent one to investigate. Apparently contact with the colony had broken off and it was very likely that the people there were under attack. If it was an all out assault by Saren's forces, it was unlikely, the Normandy would make it in time to find survivors but they had to try and if nothing else, Shepard needed to know why Saren attacked there in the first place. So they had no time to loose.

However, the surveillance drone was supposed to give them a heads-up on geth activity in the region and without it's data, they would fly in blind and possibly head straight into an ambush. The Normandy had stealth systems but they would be useless, once the ship hit the planet's atmosphere. If the geth had a fleet waiting there, they would be an easy target and once they got shot down, they wouldn't be much help to anyone. No, they needed the data from that drone, which had apparently crashed on the planet Eletania.

Shepard decided, that this was the perfect opportunity to evaluate the latest addition to their team, Tali with the complicated "last name". He was a decent mechanic himself but his training had focused more on using his engineering skills in combat and since this was a salvage operation, the quarian's talents might come in handy. Besides, she had experience, dealing with the geth and there was a good chance of encountering them here.

Chief Williams would provide them with tactical support in case they ran into resistance on the planet.

Once deployed in the Mako, it didn't take them long to find the probe but the data module had been carried off by some indigenous creature. While the recovery was tedious and lead them into an old abandoned mining complex, the real problems started on their way back.

The geth had waited until they were deep underground to lay the perfect ambush. As Shepard exited the side tunnel in which they had fund the module, he was greeted by a barrage of of mass accelerated rounds, ripping his shields to shreds and gracing his helmet. It was fast reflexes and a good measure of luck that saved his life, as he dove for cover behind some nearby crates. Ash sprinted out of the tunnel behind him, assault rifle already drawn and returning fire. Shepard unfolded his own rifle and added his firepower to hers, piercing the geth trooper with bullets until it sunk in on itself with a fading stuttering sound.

But the battle had just begun. More troopers came into view from the far side of the chamber, plus two massive Destroyers, which slowly but with relentless determination advanced on their precarious position. With their armored bodies and superior kinetic barriers, they didn't worry about damage or cover, their aim was to get close and flush out Shepard and his team. Where the hell was that quarian? Just as Shepard opened his mouth to bark an order into the microphone of his helmet radio, a bright flash seemed to explode in the middle of the group of enemies and his enhanced reality systems told him that the geth's shields were gone. Tali slammed into cover right next to him and typed more commands into her omni tool. It was clear, that this was her main weapon. Shepard and Ash now took turns, popping in and out of cover, taking down the weakened synthetics but the destroyers kept coming. A few more seconds and their position would be compromised. "We got to move!" Shepard shouted and darted to a group of boxes to the right. Immediately he turned to provide cover for Tali and Ash, firing long bursts at the ever closing Destroyers. When Ash started to move, Shepard recognized a dim red light in the corner his eye. A laser sight! Again he yelled in his radio: "Sniper!" The split second it had taken him to realize what was going on proofed too long however. Ashley was hit by one massive bullet, accelerated so fast that it seemed to burn the air between the sniper's gun and her chest. Her weakened shields couldn't repel this immense force and the slug tore through her armor plating into her body. Shepard heard her gasp through the radio as the shock and the pain of the impact robbed her of consciousness. Before the sniper could crouch back into cover, Shepard spun around and unloaded his rifle. The barrage of bullets made short work of the lightly armored geth but when Shepard turned his head again, he stared right into the chest plate of one of the Destroyers, looming over him, raising its massive arm for a devastating physical attack. Suddenly, everything seemed to stop, the geth didn't move for a second, which to Shepard seemed to last for an eternity. Then the giant robot-like figure turned and began to pound down on the second Destroyer that was standing right behind. The two geth were suddenly embroiled in what looked like a duel of giants, ripping and beating at each other. Not entirely realizing what was going on, Shepard fell back on his instincts, honed by years of training and experience. He jerked his assault rifle up and squeezed the trigger. At this point blank range, he didn't need to line up a shot, he just fired wildly at the Destroyer that had been about to seal his fate just moments before and that was now ripping external tubing and armor plates from its counterpart.

As the first destroyer fell, the deafening thunder of a shotgun blast echoed through the cavern. Shepard ducked away to shield himself from a spray of metal shards and shrapnel. When he raised his head again, the left side of the second Destroyer's abdomen was gone, torn to pieces with wiring and support struts sticking out into empty air like loose threads of ripped cloth. The defunct metal husk fell to the side, revealing Tali, standing behind it, shotgun in hand, the last lines of a hacking routine still visible on the holographic screen of her omni tool and for the second time, Shepard could have sworn he saw a coy smile on the shadow of her face behind the mask. Maybe, it was time to remember her full name after all, Shepard thought.

 

All the "artistic license" I took in this description aside, Fighting the geth ambush on Eletania with a level 10 engineer is actually quite the challenge.

[Kurt M.]

Today I tasted a bit of Asari Diplomacy on Reapers/White/Gold with an Asari Adept teammate. In Wave 11 we single-handely stopped waves and waves of Brutes and Banshees inside the compound while the rest of the team was camping at the EZ outside. She Warped things up and I detonated them with Smash or Charge (plus some well-placed Talon shots here and there).

 

Ahhh, teamwork is so nice (when it's avaliable....).

[Vazgen]

Right, you asked for it. Good idea about the spoiler tags though.

 

Spoiler

Nathan Shepard took a deep breath as he slipped the helmet from his head and stored i in his locker. The scratches on the right side would serve as vivid reminders of how closely they just escaped death.

Three Hours earlier the Normandy had just blinked back into existence, spat out into space near the edge of the Hercules system by the Attican Beta relay. Joker was about to take the ship into FTL flight on a course to Feros when the computer indicated a priority one message for Shepard had been received after logging back into the com buoy network. Admiral Hackett, the man in charge of the fifth fleet and responsible for Alliance operations in the Attican Traverse, informed them about a surveillance drone, that had been shot down by the geth in the Hercules system. That was the last thing they needed. Shepard was in a hurry to get to Feros, a human colony in the neighboring Theseus system. Of all the leads, Udina and Anderson had provided, this seemed the most urgent one to investigate. Apparently contact with the colony had broken off and it was very likely that the people there were under attack. If it was an all out assault by Saren's forces, it was unlikely, the Normandy would make it in time to find survivors but they had to try and if nothing else, Shepard needed to know why Saren attacked there in the first place. So they had no time to loose.

However, the surveillance drone was supposed to give them a heads-up on geth activity in the region and without it's data, they would fly in blind and possibly head straight into an ambush. The Normandy had stealth systems but they would be useless, once the ship hit the planet's atmosphere. If the geth had a fleet waiting there, they would be an easy target and once they got shot down, they wouldn't be much help to anyone. No, they needed the data from that drone, which had apparently crashed on the planet Eletania.

Shepard decided, that this was the perfect opportunity to evaluate the latest addition to their team, Tali with the complicated "last name". He was a decent mechanic himself but his training had focused more on using his engineering skills in combat and since this was a salvage operation, the quarian's talents might come in handy. Besides, she had experience, dealing with the geth and there was a good chance of encountering them here.

Sgt. Williams would provide them with tactical support in case they ran into resistance on the planet.

Once deployed in the Mako, it didn't take them long to find the probe but the data module had been carried off by some indigenous creature. While the recovery was tedious and lead them into an old abandoned mining complex, the real problems started on their way back.

The geth had waited until they were deep underground to lay the perfect ambush. As Shepard exited the side tunnel in which they had fund the module, he was greeted by a barrage of of mass accelerated rounds, ripping his shields to shreds and gracing his helmet. It was fast reflexes and a good measure of luck that saved his life, as he dove for cover behind some nearby crates. Ash sprinted out of the tunnel behind him, assault rifle already drawn and returning fire. Shepard unfolded his own rifle and added his firepower to hers, piercing the geth trooper with bullets until it sunk in on itself with a fading stuttering sound.

But the battle had just begun. More troopers came into view from the far side of the chamber, plus two massive Destroyers, which slowly but with relentless determination advanced on their precarious position. With their armored bodies and superior kinetic barriers, they didn't worry about damage or cover, their aim was to get close and flush them out. Where the hell was that quarian? Just as Shepard opened his mouth to bark an order into the microphone of his helmet radio, a bright flash seemed to explode in the middle of the group of enemies and his enhanced reality systems told him that the geth's shields were gone. Tali slammed into cover right next to him and typed more commands into her omni tool. It was clear, that this was her main weapon. Shepard and Ash now took turns, popping in and out of cover, taking down the weakened synthetics but the destroyers kept coming. A few more seconds and their position would be compromised. "We got to move!" Shepard shouted and darted to a group of boxes to the right. Immediately he turned to provide cover for Tali and Ash, firing long bursts at the ever closing Destroyers. When Ash started to move, Shepard recognized a dim red light in the corner his eye. A laser sight! Again he yelled in his radio: "Sniper!" The split second it had taken him to realize what was going on proofed too long however. Ashley was hit by one massive bullet, accelerated so fast that it seemed to burn the air between the sniper's gun and her chest. Her weakened shields couldn't repel this immense force and the slug tore through her armor plating into her body. Shepard heard her gasp through the radio as the shock and the pain of the impact robbed her of consciousness. Before the sniper could crouch back into cover, Shepard spun around and unloaded his rifle. The barrage of bullets made short work of the lightly armored geth but when Shepard turned his head again, he stared right into the chest plate of one of the Destroyers, looming over him, raising its massive arm for a devastating physical attack. Suddenly, everything seemed to stop, the geth didn't move for a second, which to Shepard seemed to last for an eternity. Then the giant robot-like figure turned and began to pound down on the second Destroyer that was standing right behind. The two geth were suddenly embroiled in what looked like a duel of giants, ripping and beating at each other. Not entirely realizing what was going on, Shepard fell back on his instincts, honed by years of training and experience. He jerked his assault rifle up and squeezed the trigger. At this point blank range, he didn't need to line up a shot, he just fired wildly at the Destroyer that had been about to seal his fate just moments before, while it now ripped external tubing and armor plates from its counterpart.

As the first destroyer fell, the deafening thunder of a shotgun blast echoed through the cavern. Shepard ducked away to shield himself from a spray of metal shards and shrapnel. When he raised his head again, the left side of the second Destroyer's chest area was gone, torn to pieces with wiring and support struts sticking out into empty air like loose threads of ripped cloth. The defunct metal husk fell to the side, revealing Tali, standing behind it, shotgun in hand, the last lines of a hacking routine still visible on the holographic screen of her omni tool and for the second time, Shepard could have sworn he saw a coy smile on the shadow of her face behind the mask. Maybe, it was time to remember her full name after all, Shepard thought.

 

All the "artistic license" I took in this description aside, Fighting the geth ambush on Eletania with a level 10 engineer is actually quite the challenge.

Awesome! Keep'em coming! I'm guessing Sgt. Williams (why Sgt.?) is not going to participate in rescuing efforts on Feros?

[Vazgen]

Today Naomi Shepard disabled long range Reaper signal on a geth flagship. The transmitter - a unique geth platform, was imprisoned and brought to the Normandy for interrogation, despite admiral Han'Gerrel's best efforts to kill them. He's lucky Naomi needs his fleet.

Spoiler

The platform already proved that it is not to be trusted. First, it disabled the dreadnought barriers and weapons, making them a perfect target. Second, it claimed that the geth transmit intelligence via remote signal and do not use escape pods.

Spoiler

[MrFob]

Awesome! Keep'em coming! I'm guessing Sgt. Williams (why Sgt.?) is not going to participate in rescuing efforts on Feros?

Oh crap! How did I get to Sgt.? Must have had a blackout. Correcting this now. Thanks!

And yea, she will probably be spending some time with Dr. Chakwas.

[geth47]

Lilian Shepard just obtained the collector base. TIM was so pleased. All her squad-mates are loyal except for thane and mordin. Now it´s time to try the missed side-missions by scanning planets and all the dlc. I have already imported my save to ME3 however, since I want to try a play without the me2 dlcs imported, as well as mordin and thane without their loyalty missions done.



But I still want to do all the things possible with a sentinel class shepard in this trilogy run.



So far, I have loved it. This sentinel, Lilian, uses only humans as squad-mates at her side (unless when it´s mandatory to have an alien). I was surprised by the versatility of the sentinel in ME2. I mostly paired Miranda and Kasumi against synthetics spaming overload, and I also used Jack or Jacob to pull enemies with Miranda detonating them with with Warp. By timing the reset power cool-down by re-casting the tech-armor I was able to do 2 biotic explosions in a row when facing unprotected targets.



I was also much more daring with the sentinel. Usually I´m very conservative when it comes to shields and health. I like to proceed slowly, and favor long range combat a lot more than close encounters. Even when I´m playing soldier I have a natural inclination to snipe, only using shotguns as a vanguard. But with the sentinel, I was glad to run towards the enemies with my collector assault rifle firing and having my armor exploding and then being replaced when my shields were down.



And to make things better, I used dominate as my bonus power. My enemies were defeated quickly. They simply could not withstand being attacked by one of their allies (usually the one farther to me, so they would be surrounded), four power attacks in a row plus my submachine-gun (replaced by assault rifle after the collector ship). I was very expedient in recruiting the four initial characters, zaed and kasumi, plus one more so I could trigger the collector ship mission as soon as possible in order to use the assault rifle. I also did Kasumi´s mission soon so I could have the kassa locust smg. What a delicious piece of cake!



I only used a super weapon against the terminator at the end. I think I actually did some of my fights faster than using an entire biotic team. Reseting the powers immediately after a combo and then activating another combo, created sometimes the illusion that I had 4 biotic squad-mates with me. A six-member team if we consider the more than occasional dominated opponent. This was definitely my most aggressive run, both by having hyperactive squad-mates and also by facing foes head-on and attacking them from close range. Confronting the praetorians and the geth colossus was a lot less complicated because I was allowed to take more hits.



Once I complete the remaining dlc and pending side-quests I will resume Lilian´s ME3 story. So far, the sentinel has been a pleasant surprise. In ME1, using singularity as a bonus power and being assisted all the time by Kaidan and Ashley (and later Tali), the only problem was being equipped with a pistol. I considered using another weapon, but having both Bastion Stasis and singularity is a good way to disable enemies. I kinda liked the approach of being a little of everything but the best at nothing.

[Massa FX]

Over the last few days I had the oddest strangest thing happen to me. Something that no-one should ever have to experience... I'll start at the beginning.

 

Hackett ordered me to take The Normandy to dry-dock at the Citadel for maintenance.  At the same time Anderson wanted me to go see his place in the wards. We'd been running @ 200% for so long, I knew my crew needed the shore leave and even EDI admitted she needed some maintenance. We broke off tracking down war assets and rescuing refugees in Reaper occupied systems and headed to the Citadel.

 

As soon as we landed, a crew of engineers hustled us out the airlock. Javik was the most reluctant to leave. His quarters had the special wash area that he needed and he didn't believe me when I assured him I'd found suitable accommodations for him in Zakera wards. The only personnel allowed to stay on-board was Traynor.  Kaidan and I headed out together and had a drink at Purgatory before splitting up for the day. He had Spectre interviews to do at the Embassy and I headed to Anderson's place.

 

Let me just say, I've never seen an apartment this large.  Anderson must have cashed out his pension to afford it! Surprise surprise. He's giving me his place. I didn't accept it at first but he insisted. After all this is over, I'll give it back.  

 

Joker invited me to lunch at the hottest Sushi place on the Citadel. I arrived and was waved past the long line waiting to get in and led to a posh table overlooking the restaurant.  

 

Spoiler

 

Before we could order, this odd woman came screaming up to the table. She tried to shock me by saying someone was trying to kill me. Seriously? When has there ever been a time that my life wasn't in danger? 

 

Suddenly, the restaurant was overrun with big gun carrying loons ... trying to kill me. To escape, I fell through the floor and slid down a few floors. In my dress. Ruined it! Argh!

 

Spoiler

 

Out of ammo and nothing but my biotics and omni-tool, I fought ("killed") my way through to a landing pad. Kaidan met me there and Wrex put in an appearance... in his own special way.

 

Back at my new place, the entire gang met up to discuss this new threat. You know... I love each and every one of these guys. 

 

Spoiler

 

Of course James ordered a pizza... and I had to pay for it. After storing the pizza away, we headed out.

 

Spoiler

 

All hands on deck.

 

Spoiler

 

So... then the real villain made her appearance. A clone. A Shepard clone. I'm furious! TIM is such an arse! Unfortunately for the clone, I'm not easily defeated. But its interesting to meet oneself. It was even better to fight alongside my friends. Kinda like recess when I was a kid. Lots of laughs, explosions and well... bad guy death. (I grew up on the streets of Earth)

 

Spoiler

 

That Brooks! She hacked EDI! Separated her from her body. She'll pay.

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Too bad the fun had to end for my clone. She choose death and I gladly took out Brooks who had betrayed me and then betrayed my clone. Unforgivable.

 

Spoiler

 

Job well done guys! Lets go get a drink!

 

Spoiler

 

Joker proposed I throw a party. Well ok. But not right away. James came over and showed off his new Tat. Then I beat his record in consecutive pull ups. Feel the burn. Hah. Beat his "record". I have to admit, it was tough.

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Miranda wanted to see the place and we hung out for awhile. She's not all that bad. I like her. <hard to admit, but I really care for her. she's more human than she gives herself credit for>

 

Spoiler

 

Mr. Hotness came over. Made me dinner (I must really love him because GAWD it was awful but I still ate it).

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

I love my little kick arse biotic boyfriend! We had a very good time last night. Tomorrow, I'll check out the sights, food, combat sims, arcade etc... etc... 

 

 

 

 

 

[cap and gown]

 

Spoiler

 

 

Very nice dress. I like the way it covers the shoulders as opposed to the default formal wear.

[Antmarch456]

The temptation to play Mass Effect again is strong...I think I'm being indoctrina-*ASSUMING CONTROL*

[fraggle]

We left the garage, took down some more Collectors and proceeded to the starport. We were overrun by husks and two scions right away, and after the first big wave we approached to the transmitter to bring the towers online. EDI however told us that this needs some time. More Collectors were incoming and we moved for cover, taking them down one by one with combined forces. Another big thing, a Praetorian, came for us and while I ordered Miranda and Mordin to stay in cover, I drew its attention to me luring it around a truck, firing at it whenever we could. Finally it was down and the towers hit the Collector ship. They retreated and we were safe, but they took all those colonists... we were too late. Delan came out and then Kaidan actually showed up too, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was reliefed he was alright and we hugged. A familiar warmth spread through my body. It was awkward though, I couldn't find the right words and Kaidan reacted immediately, asking why I act like nothing happened. Why I haven't contacted him, let him know I was alive. I became defensive, I was in a coma! What does he want me to say? I think we would need a bit more privacy for this to resolve, a luxury we can't afford right now. Of course me revealing that the rumour of working with Cerberus are true, even though only a necessity, doesn't help one bit. It makes it worse actually. After questioning my loyalty and my own reasons for joining them, he said goodbye and just left me there. I radioed Joker to get us out of there.

Back on the Normandy I learned I have the Illusive Man to thank for spreading the rumours about me and Cerberus. It makes me mad, and I look forward to the day I can cut ties to this bastard.

Jacob is in a weird mood, mentioning how we might not make it back alive from the Omega-4 relay, and that he and others of the crew might want to take care of some loose ends before this. I wish I could, too... but it is what it is and I push back my thoughts about Kaidan.

I read some e-mails and retreated to my cabin to take a call from Hackett. He wants me to take care of something for him. What, now I'm good enough to do work for you? Where were you when I needed you the most? This whole mess I'm in, maybe it could've been avoided if the Alliance would've just put their faith in me. Taking me back and going after the Reapers together! Ugh, I'm just frustrated right now, but I kept my face straight. I said if I have time I'll check it out, but other threats are more imminent right now.

As I have a moment of peace in my cabin, reflecting on the day, I can't fight back some tears. What Kaidan and I had was... good, healing some of my wounds, but maybe we're better off this way in the end. Virmire still lingers. I'm not saying I wouldn't have chosen him over Ash anyway, but I should have done so without my feelings interfering. Well, can't change it now, and I guess this is over anyway. I got my answer.

After calming down a bit I went to see Jacob and Miranda and agreed we'll try to get their personal affairs out of the way before heading for the Omega-4 relay.

I also talked to Jack and it seems she's opening up to me slowly, revealing more of her past. I hope she learns she can trust me.

 

 

Luckily, I got through a lot better than expected Last time I lost count of how many times I died during the starport section, now it was twice in the first wave, and one time while fighting the Praetorian, and that was a bid of bad luck. I was taking cover but somehow he still got me

[Kurt M.]

The temptation to play Mass Effect again is strong...I think I'm being indoctrina-*ASSUMING CONTROL*

 

Not for me. I'm that bored as to consider another ME3 run, and my brain still kinda automatically refuses to do it.

[fraggle]

Right, you asked for it.

 

That was AMAZING!

 

I did Tali's quest, but I wonder if I should refuse her the data.

 

It occurs to me now I didn't get to do Tali's quest in my last ME1 run...uh