19 replies to this topic

[Triggaaar]

Hi all

 

I just started playing ME. I've read up on it a lot and played a fair bit, and here's where I've got to:

I'm playing as a Vanguard with Singularity (I played a few hours first to unlock Singularity, then started again). I picked up all the party members at the earliest opportunity, so they are involved in the story.

 

I've read that I'll get to about level 50 on the first play through, 60 after a second. Getting to level 60 might? give me a slight boost for ME2.

I'm enjoying ME, but I will want to go onto ME2 & 3, so if I can get enough from ME with just one play through, that's great. To me, getting enough from ME would involve having all the options with the main party members on one play-through - so presumably having a decent (not sure how much) charm level.

 

I've seen some optimum character setups (distribution of points) and they make sense to me, but there's one particular issue I have. I need a least 3 play-throughs to maximise Paragon and Renegade without giving them specific points - while I understand that's necessary to give the strongest possible character, you can't carry your skills to ME2 anyway, so for me I guess there's no need.

 

So...

1) Am I right in thinking that no matter how powerful my character, I will start at the beginning with ME2 (possibly with a slight bonus for getting to level 50 or 60)?

2) Should I just spend some of my points on Charm to get it to a high level (and how high) and accept that I don't have the most powerful character possible?

3) Should I spend any points on Intimidate, or are they pointless for a character that's playing as mostly a Paragon?

 

Many thanks for any help

 

PS - My character is based along these lines:

Pistols 12
Shotguns 0
Assault Training 12
Tactical Armor 7
Throw 12
Lift 12
Warp 6
Barrier 7
Singularity 12
Spectre Training 4

 

I've not yet had an option for Shock Trooper or Nemesis.

[RedCaesar97]

1. Am I right in thinking that no matter how powerful my character, I will start at the beginning with ME2 (possibly with a slight bonus for getting to level 50 or 60)?

2. Should I just spend some of my points on Charm to get it to a high level (and how high) and accept that I don't have the most powerful character possible?

3. Should I spend any points on Intimidate, or are they pointless for a character that's playing as mostly a Paragon?

 

 

4. I've not yet had an option for Shock Trooper or Nemesis.

 

1. Level 50+ imports into ME2 will start your character at level 3 with some credit bonuses. Level 60 import will start you at level 5 and a few more credits. Anything less than level 50 will start you at level 1 or 2 (I forget). You can get additional credit bonuses for getting the Rich achievement in ME1 (get 1 000 000 credits in ME1). 

 

Starting at level 5 (level 60 import from ME1) is better than starting at level 3 (level 50-59 import from ME1), but it is not that critical. You also have to keep in mind that to get to level 60 requires at least two full playthroughs in ME1. If you do everything both times, you will probably spend about 20-40 hours each playthrough, so 40-80 hours for two playthroughs. It can be a slog sometimes, so just using the one playthrough is good enough to get what you want.

 

I would play through twice to get to level 60 to get the Extreme Power Gamer achievement, but that is about it.

 

 

2. Spending points on Charm/Intimidate trees depends on whether you want all persuade options in the game. The highest Charm requirement is 12. The highest Intimidate requirement is 10, unless you happen to miss one specific opportunity with Saren in the middle of the game, and then the final check requires 12 Intimidate (otherwise it would only require 9).

 

Charm/Intimidate are used only for specific dialogues with certain NPCs on quests, typically to get you to avoid a fight or to keep people alive. (Using Charm/Intimidate to avoid a fight will net you the same XP as you would get if you fought.) 

 

You get up to four free Charm/Intimidate points as you play the game: 1 Charm and 1 Intimidate for becoming a Spectre, and 1 point at 10%, 25%, and 75% Charm/intimidate. So to max your skill tree you need to spend 8 points and pick mostly Paragon or Renegade responses most of the game; Charm and Intimidate will get you extra paragon and renegade points, and some actions will give you charm or intimidate points.

 

Maxing Charm/intimidate means you have 8 less points to spend on combat powers, so basically you will not get one or two powers to Master. Not that big of deal really. With Vanguard using Singularity you are already going to have to not max a few powers, but Advanced is not too bad and with Adrenaline Burst you can reset your cooldowns and cast again so it is not too bad anyway.

 

Not maxing Charm/Intimidate means some NPCs will die and they will not be mentioned or appear in ME2 or ME3. Not that big of a deal, but it is kind of neat to see them or hear from them or hear about them.

 

If you play ME1 more than once, you can max Charm/Intimidate with one character and then not put any points into them with another character and see the difference as you play through the trilogy.

 

 

3. Do not put any points into Intimidate if you are playing mostly Paragon. Putting points into both Charm and Intimidate is discouraged unless you do not mind having weaker combat powers. I have done it before, but my combat was sub-optimal, although by the end of the game with good equipment you probably will not notice.

 

 

4. When you reach level 20, the next time you access the galaxy map and travel to a new system, Admiral Hackett will contact you and give you the Rogue VI on Luna mission. (NOTE: sometimes another call will take precedence depending on the system you enter. I recommend going to the Widow Nebula where the Citadel is located, or another system you already visited. You may need to exit the galaxy map and then go back and travel again.)

 

Completing this mission will give you access to your choice of specialization: for the Vanguard your choice is Nemesis or Shock Trooper. Take Shock Trooper.

 

 

 

I also recommend this thread: [Mass Effect 1] Start of the Journey: Single Playthrough Builds by Simbacca. It is a fantastic resource for single playthrough level 50 builds.

[Triggaaar]

Wow, thank you for the detailed response. I'm way passed level 20, I've just dealt with Seren's number 2. I'll head to the moon, thanks.

 

That thread gets to the crux of it: "one thing is always the same:  three-playthrough level 60 Shepard builds.  It's no surprise really, the min-maxer in us all sees a way to get a conversation talent maxed out for free so why not?  I'll tell you why not: 40 hours of your life, or at least your limited gaming time"

 

I don't like the idea of slogging extra play-throughs, but...

I've seen clips of Shep being obnoxious, and it looks really funny, so I wouldn't mind doing that. But if I do, that's not the save I'd take to ME2, so I could end up doing 3 rounds. Decisions decisions.

[RedCaesar97]

Something else you may find of interest: Mass Effect checklists.

 

There is a Mass Effect 1 checklist on that site that shows all the Paragon and Renegade requirements for conversations. It does contain spoilers, so be aware if you plan to use it.

 

The highest Paragon score required in conversation checks is 12, and it is on Feros, so if you want to pass all the persuasion checks just be aware of that one.

[ChronosTachyon]

Wow, thank you for the detailed response. I'm way passed level 20, I've just dealt with Seren's number 2. I'll head to the moon, thanks.

 

That thread gets to the crux of it: "one thing is always the same:  three-playthrough level 60 Shepard builds.  It's no surprise really, the min-maxer in us all sees a way to get a conversation talent maxed out for free so why not?  I'll tell you why not: 40 hours of your life, or at least your limited gaming time"

 

I don't like the idea of slogging extra play-throughs, but...

I've seen clips of Shep being obnoxious, and it looks really funny, so I wouldn't mind doing that. But if I do, that's not the save I'd take to ME2, so I could end up doing 3 rounds. Decisions decisions.

 

FWIW, multiple playthroughs don't have to be a slog.  Playing as a completionist only makes sense for achievement unlocking and for ME2/3 imports.  If you're just experimenting with something, or if you're getting a character to level 50 so you can NG+, you can just blast through the main story missions, which takes about 8 to 10 hours depending on how thorough you are.

[Gourmetrix]

Charm/Intimidate are used only for specific dialogues with certain NPCs on quests, typically to get you to avoid a fight or to keep people alive. (Using Charm/Intimidate to avoid a fight will net you the same XP as you would get if you fought.) 

 

I've been paying attention to XP lately and have been surprised to find that in some cases the game gives you absolutely no XP for peaceful resolutions. Most notably, avoiding the fights associated with Major Kyle, Chairman Burns, and Charn award you with morality points but not XP.

[UpUpAway95]

I've been paying attention to XP lately and have been surprised to find that in some cases the game gives you absolutely no XP for peaceful resolutions. Most notably, avoiding the fights associated with Major Kyle, Chairman Burns, and Charn award you with morality points but not XP.

 

This is also true for not fighting Jax on the Citadel.

[Gourmetrix]

This is also true for not fighting Jax on the Citadel.

 

In that case, you get a tiny bit of extra XP for a happy Chellick. In my test case, I received 2188 xp (level 57) for not fighting vs. 2052 for fighting, though of course the fight itself yielded 1710 xp. So yeah, chasing maximum XP almost always means fighting. I can think of one exception: the optional fight with Saren on the Citadel results in some tier 1 loot (!) but no XP, whereas if you persuade him that he's indoctrinated and avoid the fight, you get the same XP as a thresher maw kill.

[Triggaaar]

Thank you all for the replies.

 

I've just finished my first play through (I can't believe anyone ever trusted the keepers)..

 

I didn't realise the game limited you to level 50 on the first go, I assumed that was just where you'd get to if you did it all. I'd always get out of the mako to fight on foot, to get the extra XP - that was a waste of time, I got stuck at level 50 before going to ilos.

 

I didn't spend any points on charm (I got the 4 free points), but I saved 8 points just in case. I re-loaded and tried the meeting with Saren again, after maxing Charm, just to see what would happen.

 

I had a look at starting a new game, and it started before I could up the difficulty level, and the achievement says you need to do the whole game on that difficulty level. Just to make sure, I then reloaded my first game, upped the difficulty, and did the last battles again. Now when asking to start a new game, it gives me a choice of which level 50 character I want - I can't tell the difference

 

Once I work that out, I start a new career as level 50, and still with my spare 8 points to spend. Not sure what to spend them on though. I was thinking:

 

On Hardcore am I better maxing Warp or Barrier?

 

Taking a save to ME2:

If I reload a game part way through and then finish it but choosing a different outcome, do I then get both finishes available as a starting point for ME2?

 

Thanks

[RedCaesar97]

 

I had a look at starting a new game, and it started before I could up the difficulty level, and the achievement says you need to do the whole game on that difficulty level. Just to make sure, I then reloaded my first game, upped the difficulty, and did the last battles again. Now when asking to start a new game, it gives me a choice of which level 50 character I want - I can't tell the difference 

 

 

 

 

On Hardcore am I better maxing Warp or Barrier?

 

 

 

Taking a save to ME2:

If I reload a game part way through and then finish it but choosing a different outcome, do I then get both finishes available as a starting point for ME2?

 

Thanks

 

1. As long as you set the difficulty before leaving the Normandy (and landing on Eden Prime), you should be good. I have seen some players say you can set/change the difficulty before the first combat encounter or even before activating the Prothean Beacon, but better safe than sorry and set it before leaving the Normandy.

 

2. I prefer Barrier since i think defense is better for surviving long enough to use other powers. Warp is good for dealing with Immunity-spamming enemies (which become more frequent as you increase the difficulty) and for large-health enemies like Thresher Maws and Colossuses (Colossi?). But I think you will get more mileage out of Barrier. It will allow you to run around out of cover for much longer than you would without it, sometimes the entire fight.

 

Warp is useful for reducing the time it takes for killing an enemy since it increases the damage they take, but I do not find it I use it all that much myself. I typically use it on a few Immunity-spamming enemies and big enemies (aforementioned Thresher Maw and Colossus) which are not too frequent.

 

3. Whenever you beat Mass Effect 1, it creates a new unique save file that you can use to import into Mass Effect 2. When you start Mass Effect 2 and choose to import a Mass Effect 1 character, you are given a list of all files created from beating the game. So if you beat the game, then reload an earlier save and beat the game again, you will have two files that you can import into Mass Effect 2. 

 

When importing a Mass Effect 1 character into Mass Effect 2, each character is listed with their name and ending level and their class (although you can change the class when you import it into ME2).

[planehazza]

Question about morality dialogue.  If I'm pure renegade in choices and dialogue to non crew mate NPCs, do attitudes towards me from crew mates change?

[iM3GTR]

Question about morality dialogue. If I'm pure renegade in choices and dialogue to non crew mate NPCs, do attitudes towards me from crew mates change?

Being renegade literally makes Garrus say one extra sentence, so no.

[planehazza]

Being renegade literally makes Garrus say one extra sentence, so no.

 

So unless I'm a dick directly to crew mates, their attitude/dialogue is not really affected by my paragon/renegade levels?

[iM3GTR]

So unless I'm a dick directly to crew mates, their attitude/dialogue is not really affected by my paragon/renegade levels?

Pretty much.

[UpUpAway95]

Thank you all for the replies.

 

I've just finished my first play through (I can't believe anyone ever trusted the keepers)..

 

I didn't realise the game limited you to level 50 on the first go, I assumed that was just where you'd get to if you did it all. I'd always get out of the mako to fight on foot, to get the extra XP - that was a waste of time, I got stuck at level 50 before going to ilos.

 

I didn't spend any points on charm (I got the 4 free points), but I saved 8 points just in case. I re-loaded and tried the meeting with Saren again, after maxing Charm, just to see what would happen.

 

I had a look at starting a new game, and it started before I could up the difficulty level, and the achievement says you need to do the whole game on that difficulty level. Just to make sure, I then reloaded my first game, upped the difficulty, and did the last battles again. Now when asking to start a new game, it gives me a choice of which level 50 character I want - I can't tell the difference

 

Once I work that out, I start a new career as level 50, and still with my spare 8 points to spend. Not sure what to spend them on though. I was thinking:

 

On Hardcore am I better maxing Warp or Barrier?

 

Taking a save to ME2:

If I reload a game part way through and then finish it but choosing a different outcome, do I then get both finishes available as a starting point for ME2?

 

Thanks

 

The strategy of leaving the mako being a "waste of time" depends... 1) if you've played through ME once and then decide to start a new character, that playthrough will NOT be capped at Level 50 - making it possible to get to Level 57 or 58 on one playthrough with that particular Shepard. 2) Also, killing outside the mako is one way to get to Level 50 without doing all the side missions in the game and some people prefer that route.

 

Also, once you have a completely leveled up Shepard equipped with Spectre X gear and some of the same gear for squad mates (and depending on where you've allocated your XP points), it is possible that your team on foot actually deals more damage than the mako... making it quicker in some cases to ditch the mako and kill the enemies on foot (of course, then it doesn't matter because you're no longer collecting XP).

 

As for your last question, yes, you can re-enter your game part way through and change your decisions from that point forward.  That second finishing of the same game will appear as a separate ME2 import option on the list.  However, depending on how early in the game the decision is that you want to change, it may be just as easy to start a new game with that same Level 50 Shepard and bring him up to Level 60 during that second playthrough.  That way, that ME2 import will qualify for the additional import bonuses for higher level characters.

[planehazza]

The strategy of leaving the mako being a "waste of time" depends... 1) if you've played through ME once and then decide to start a new character, that playthrough will NOT be capped at Level 50 - making it possible to get to Level 57 or 58 on one playthrough with that particular Shepard. 2) Also, killing outside the mako is one way to get to Level 50 without doing all the side missions in the game and some people prefer that route.

 

Also, once you have a completely leveled up Shepard equipped with Spectre X gear and some of the same gear for squad mates (and depending on where you've allocated your XP points), it is possible that your team on foot actually deals more damage than the mako... making it quicker in some cases to ditch the mako and kill the enemies on foot.

 

Or do what I did, and change the XP multiplier  I did it simply because this is my 12th or more playthrough and I started a new career and didn't want to do two playthroughs to get to level 60...

[UpUpAway95]

Or do what I did, and change the XP multiplier  I did it simply because this is my 12th or more playthrough and I started a new career and didn't want to do two playthroughs to get to level 60...

 

Only if you play on PC (not an option on the consoles as far as I know).  It would have been really nice if they allowed you to change classes and just reassign the XP points during a re-import of an ME1 Shepard... but they didn't.  Fortunately, importing a Level 51-59 Shepard isn't all that detrimental to getting through ME2.  I keep re-using my Level 60 soldier if I'm just changing role-playing decisions; but to change a class or a build, I pretty much have to start from scratch.

[planehazza]

Only if you play on PC (not an option on the consoles as far as I know).  It would have been really nice if they allowed you to change classes and just reassign the XP points during a re-import of an ME1 Shepard... but they didn't.  Fortunately, importing a Level 51-59 Shepard isn't all that detrimental to getting through ME2.  I keep re-using my Level 60 soldier if I'm just changing role-playing decisions; but to change a class or a build, I pretty much have to start from scratch.

 

I'm confused.  You can change your class when importing ME1 character into ME2, or is that not what you mean?

[UpUpAway95]

I'm confused.  You can change your class when importing ME1 character into ME2, or is that not what you mean?

 

No, I'm talking about importing and ME1 character back into ME1 (NG+ scenario).  I don't know how it's done on PC, but on Xbox, you start a new game and select "existing iD."  However, you can't switch that IDs class at that point, so if you restarting a new game with a Level 50 solider from your first game, you can't change to make him/her a, say, Level 50 Adept.  (Unless I'm really missing something - if so, please tell me.

[Triggaaar]

Wow, there's a big XP gap between level 59 and 60.

 

First play through I got capped at level 50, now on my second (and hopefully final) playthrough, and at level 59 I'm still miles from level 60.

 

I've just convinced Major Kyle to give it up, and been rewarded with high praise and no XP

 

EDIT - Made it - got to level 60 after the last mission, when back at the Citidel