46 réponses à ce sujet

[Randy1012]

Fascinating read. I'm doing my next series run sometime this summer and I think I might follow suit.

 

Question though: do you run through LOTSB after the ending at least? You pointed out that you feel Arrival kind of messes with ME2's "beautiful ending", but that's "supposed" to be played afterward as well.

Nope, I do LotSB before, too. Usually right after Miranda's loyalty mission, since that gives Shepard an excuse to go back to Illium. I just pretend that he doesn't get the Shadow Broker intel until after he and Miranda rescue Oriana. But when I do the epilogue, with Liara coming aboard the Normandy, depends on whether or not I'm romancing her. If I'm not romancing her I'll invite her aboard right away. If I am romancing her, I'll wait until I've done everything before the Reaper IFF, because at that point as far as Shepard knows he's about to set off on what might be a suicide mission, and this will be his last chance to see Liara before doing so.

[JeffZero]

Heh. Also makes sense. Yep, methinks I'm gonna follow that cue next time. It's nifty that you can keep going after the Suicide Mission but I think I'm with you. Does feel like it diminishes things somewhat.

[N0rke]

When I played Arrival after the main campaign there were several points where it felt like it was supposed to be happening during the main campaign. To me it feels much more appropriate to stop the Reaper invasion half way through the campaign so you have a bigger time gap between the DLC and the actual invasion, otherwise the DLC feels kind of insignificant.

[NekkidNones]

One line from Hackett clearly argues for doing Arrival post-SM, which is that the Normandy is not really a Cerberus ship anymore, but you only get that line if you destroy the Collector Base. If you keep the Collector base you don't get that line.

Are you sure about that? I get the line "I'm not sure if this is a Cerberus vessel anymore" all the time, and I do SM last. If that line changes, I would be inclined to believe that it is influenced by another factor. Perhaps choosing to upload Cerberus data to the alliance, rather than keeping it, or handing it to Tim.

[FlyingSquirrel]

I don't do Arrival for all of my Shepards, but for the ones where I do include it, I usually put it after the suicide mission because the narrative just feels out of whack otherwise. The "imminent Reaper invasion" of Arrival is a larger threat than the Collectors, so it feels strange to have a story focused on a mid-level threat, with a break in the middle to defeat the larger threat. The "I'll turn myself in when the mission is over" line does sound odd, but it's easy enough to rationalize - e.g. Shepard is still checking some sectors of the galaxy to see if the Collectors had any reserve bases on this side of the O-4 Relay or something.

[Jukaga]

So I just did an early Arrival last night, still have 5 loyalty missions to go and a bunch of N7 missions and well it just doesn't feel right. The dialog changes are fine but the reality is that the Reapers HAVE ARRIVED in the galaxy. They're here. Now, and starting the journey to the next relay. We've got 6 months on the outside before they smash into galactic civilization. But I, as Shepard shrugs and goes on to fight more random mercs for whatever, help out personal problems like Jacob's daddy and of course deal with Reaper stooges. After I'm done, despite the clear and present danger from thousands of adamantine cthulus pouring into the galaxy agree to an all expenses paid staycation in Vancouver until high command gets their collective head out of their butts.

 

It's not like there is some nebulous maybe the reapers will be here, they're here. And I, the council, the alliance and everyone is doing NOTHING. Arrival, as it's presented doesn't work, even if done after the SM. There is just too big a disconnect between the reality of the Reaper's arrival and the *shrug whatever* attitude everyone takes on it.

 

I won't go so far as to say it's ruined this playthough, but I'm having to do some head canon gymnastics to justify it in the scope of my Shepard's story. (on a side note, while the power of the pure Soldier is impressive, I'm finding the constant Adrenaline Rush + Shoot to be a bit tiresome. I kinda want to start a renegade maleshep Adept Mirandamancer game now.)

[Jukaga]

quoted when i wanted to edit

[Jukaga]

oops dbl post

[cap and gown]

(on a side note, while the power of the pure Soldier is impressive, I'm finding the constant Adrenaline Rush + Shoot to be a bit tiresome. I kinda want to start a renegade maleshep Adept Mirandamancer game now.)

 

Yeah, Soldier can be quite repetitive. I found Adepts to be a lot of fun on Veteran. Haven't tried on Insanity.

 

Do Ashley, then Miri. Nothing says renegade like two-timing. Besides, Ash deserves it after the way she treats you on Horizon.

[Jukaga]

Yeah, Soldier can be quite repetitive. I found Adepts to be a lot of fun on Veteran. Haven't tried on Insanity.

 

Do Ashley, then Miri. Nothing says renegade like two-timing. Besides, Ash deserves it after the way she treats you on Horizon.

Oh yes, definitely will be ditching Ash for Miri in that playthru. The encounter in the hospital in ME3 is fun when she bitches about you ditching her for Cerberus' former 2nd in command.

[Randy1012]

So I just did an early Arrival last night, still have 5 loyalty missions to go and a bunch of N7 missions and well it just doesn't feel right. The dialog changes are fine but the reality is that the Reapers HAVE ARRIVED in the galaxy. They're here. Now, and starting the journey to the next relay. We've got 6 months on the outside before they smash into galactic civilization. But I, as Shepard shrugs and goes on to fight more random mercs for whatever, help out personal problems like Jacob's daddy and of course deal with Reaper stooges. After I'm done, despite the clear and present danger from thousands of adamantine cthulus pouring into the galaxy agree to an all expenses paid staycation in Vancouver until high command gets their collective head out of their butts.
 
It's not like there is some nebulous maybe the reapers will be here, they're here. And I, the council, the alliance and everyone is doing NOTHING. Arrival, as it's presented doesn't work, even if done after the SM. There is just too big a disconnect between the reality of the Reaper's arrival and the *shrug whatever* attitude everyone takes on it.

I get where you're coming from, but to be fair, we never actually see the Reapers arrive in Arrival. Sure, Kenson says they'll reach the Alpha Relay in two days and then they'll be able to invade the galaxy. But Shepard slammed the asteroid into the Alpha Relay with literally moments to spare. Where were the Reapers? We should have seen some hint of their presence by then. And if they were that close to the Alpha Relay when it was destroyed, how did they survive? The relay took the entire Bahak system with it in its explosion; I doubt even Reapers could have survived an explosion of that magnitude.

We know that the Reapers have at least one mass relay out in dark space. It's how they get from there to the Citadel. Perhaps they could also use the same relay, or maybe a different one (we have no way of knowing exactly how many they might have had out there) to reach the Alpha Relay. But with the Alpha Relay gone, they then would have to return to the galaxy via conventional FTL, explaining the months-long gap between ME2 and ME3.

But, fair enough, you didn't like it that way and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why BioWare wrote the story in such a manner that it could fit either before or after completing the game's main plot.

[SwobyJ]

For Arrival, if my Shepard is especially close to the Alliance (or rather has higher respect for its leadership, aka Hackett), I do it either asap or in the middle of the Loyalty missions.

Otherwise (and for my MainShep), it's done as the last thing of ME2, after the Suicide Mission.

I guess if I make a Shepard who is as detached (emotionally) to the Alliance as the trilogy will allow, I may even skip it, but I don't think that makes sense with that whole Reaper connection being there. He'd be more of a DerpShep.

 

For LOTSB, if my Shepard is at least fairly close to Liara (and especially if he's romanced her), I do it either asap or in the middle of Loyalty missions.

If my Shepard isn't close to her at all, then it's done right after the Suicide Mission.

If I get my RacistShep who is as apart from Liara as possible, I may even skip it.

[Kingthlayer]

IMO Arrival is best done as the last thing in Mass Effect 2.  But on recent replays I've done it whenever I felt like it, as with all the other DLC, I just throw them in sometime in between Horizon and Suicide Mission.  Mainly because I like to finish the SM and then throw Mass Effect 3 in, don't want to sit through 90 minutes of Batarians with two eyed helmets.

[Randy1012]

IMO Arrival is best done as the last thing in Mass Effect 2.  But on recent replays I've done it whenever I felt like it, as with all the other DLC, I just throw them in sometime in between Horizon and Suicide Mission.  Mainly because I like to finish the SM and then throw Mass Effect 3 in, don't want to sit through 90 minutes of Batarians with two eyed helmets.

Ha! Yeah, that bugs the crap out of me, too. Would it really have been that hard to design proper helmets for the batarians? The asari, too, for that matter. Liara wore human-shaped helmets throughout ME1. That couldn't have been very comfortable for the ends of her head tentacles.

[Jukaga]

Ha! Yeah, that bugs the crap out of me, too. Would it really have been that hard to design proper helmets for the batarians? The asari, too, for that matter. Liara wore human-shaped helmets throughout ME1. That couldn't have been very comfortable for the ends of her head tentacles.

Oh god I can't tell you how much that bugged me. It was just a lazy reskin of Eclipse mercs and Shadowbroker troops, how did that get past even a single tester. 'Uh guys, Batarians have four eyes.' Don't get me started on Liara/Miranda/Jacob and the other breath mask idiocy. It is especially bad on the derelict reaper, the cholrine gas planet and of course Mars. I really, really hope that everyone gets proper helmets in ME:N. I'd have no problem with classic fish bowl helmets for the Asari to accommodate their tentacles.

[Selene Moonsong]

Personally, I do LOTSB during the time given to deal with the loyalty missions before LOTSB and save Arrival until somewhere just before the IFF mission. In that way, all of the dialogue makes sense, including Shepard's response of making it a priority when Shepard states that she (or he) will make it (the rescue) a priority. After completing the final mission, I then tie up other loose ends of unfinished side missions left over from exploration.

 

Shep's primary objective throughout ME 2 is to stop the Collectors on his/her terms (despite Cerberus) and that means his top priority is to gather and build his/her team in order to successfully accomplish the primary objective.  Note that I also primarily play Shep as Paragon.

 

 

BTW: This topic is not about  preferences for helmets vs face masks so let's not derail  the discussion with off-topic discussion, please. Thanks.

[themikefest]

No, it is clear the Alliance is outclassed not that they are doing nothing. Hackett mentions losing some ships to the Collectors and how Alliance ships are unable to deal with the Collectors. He also mentions evacuating smaller colonies and stationing ships around the larger ones.

I don't recall ever hearing that. Was that during the chat with Hackett in Arrival?

[Jukaga]

I don't recall ever hearing that. Was that during the chat with Hackett in Arrival?

 

He says that in the Normandy med bay scene if you complete Arrival before the SM.

[themikefest]

He says that in the Normandy med bay scene if you complete Arrival before the SM.

Any idea why he wouldn't say that after you finsih the suicide mission. I know the collectors are gone, but still curious why he wouldn't bring that up.

[cap and gown]

Any idea why he wouldn't say that after you finsih the suicide mission. I know the collectors are gone, but still curious why he wouldn't bring that up.

 

If you do Arrival before the SM, then one of your investigate options is "Collectors." You don't get that investigate option if you do Arrival after the SM, you get something else. (don't remember what.)

[Jukaga]

Any idea why he wouldn't say that after you finsih the suicide mission. I know the collectors are gone, but still curious why he wouldn't bring that up.

He's too busy 'strongly suggesting' you surrender to the Alliance? Not sure really.

 

tangent

 

This is one of the things that ME3 got so wrong, instead of being shoe-horned back into the Alliance, we should have been free agents with Alliance and Cerberus offering competing objectives for missions, leading to a Control or Destroy scenario. Most of my Sheps at least sympathize with the ideals of Cerberus if not the Illusive Man but to not even have the opportunity... Bah.

[shepskisaac]

At the end of SM Reapers are show to be still thousands of light years away from the Galaxy, therefore it makes no sense for them to be entering it in just 2 days in Arrival. From the continuity POV, it happens after SM canonically