What class are you playing as? A lot of people apparently think Mass Effect 2 = Mass Effect 1 and start up vanguards and adepts expecting them to rickroll only to find that they blow chunks at higher difficulties. That biotics except for warp will not affect barrier/shield/armor makes it near useless on higher difficulties when even husks are rocking armor.
Sentinel is definitely the best class this time around with great powers and extreme survivability. You've got overload for synthetic enemies and warp for armor/barrier wielding enemies. Bundle that with godly tech armor which doubles your shields, reduces your power cooldown, and gives you a knockback stun on it's destruction and you are rocking. Ammo is never a problem with me as using a gun on some fights is simply optional. Naturally I pick the assault rifle for my second weapon choice and armor piercing ammo for my bonus power. Warp power seems better, but I've found that barrier enemies are relatively rare, more importantly that the bonus damage to biotic affected enemies is rarely utilized because 1) pull is useless on insanity and 2) you don't want to be out of cover to take extra potshots and risk your shields going down. Lots of simply armored enemies though.
My preferred build is as follows.
Squad Armor Piercing Ammo 4
Guardian 4
Power Armor 4
Improved Warp 4
Overload 3
Throw 2
Basically on insanity, your squad is a big help and more than just a simple meat shield than on lower difficulties and the best team unfortunately doesn't come with their own ammo powers. I prefer using Miranda and Mordin for their powers and passive bonuses. Mordin is fairly resilient for his shield bonus and the squad damage bonus and warp/overload combo from Miranda cannot be dismissed. Not to mention both are packing SMG's which is a godly weapon (shotguns suck, which is why I never using anyone with simply a shotgun and pistol. I'm looking at you here Jack, Jacob, and Tali). Grunt and Legion may seem impressive with their tons of shielding/armor but their skills are definitely lacking. Not to mention I've found that companions rarely die later on on their own unless they do something stupid like get out of cover and when that happens the extra life won't protect them. I've found Garrus and Zaeed also useful since Garrus has Overload (pair him with Miranda on synthetic heavy missions for triple overload) and Zaeed has that nifty Grenade. Naturally both pack assault rifles.
Guardian for the slight bonus in HP and cool down reduction outweigh the bonus damage you get from Raider. Power Armor not only gives you an extra 25% shields but more importantly even more cool down reduction. Much better than assault armor as I generally tend to avoid having the tech armor go down as the cool down on recast takes too long.
I generally favor Heavy Warp over unstable Warp for your primary because of two things. One, unlike the squad version they have the same cool down (6 seconds) and two, the enemy is smart enough to spread out and I only occasionally catch more than one target per warp despite it's 5 meter radius. For squad mates with the power, unstable is the way to go for the 9 second instead of 12 cool down timer which compensates for the less damage and as a bonus you get a 7 meter radius.
Overload I leave at 3, even though I would love to take to 4 simply because Warp is a more useful power against a broader array of enemies. The problem is that you could take it to 4 if not for the annoying fact that you need Throw at 2 before you can take any points in Warp.
Throw I've found fairly situational in it's use and on some maps you can shove people off of bridges to their deaths. Mostly though I use it for one purpose and one purpose only, killing husks. The 3 second cool down combined with all your bonus reductions mean you can spam this skill quickly as soon as it hits. I've found that the husk armor goes down fairly quickly to direct fire, incinerate, and warp but their life takes more bullets to shave off than their armor. Throw is effective because the husks are so light and go flying and when fighting husk swarms my strategy is to have team mates use their skills and attacks to take down the armor only and then throw them. It's more efficient and saves ammo.
For weapon choices, I generally go with the vindicator battle rifle, carnifex hand cannon, and tempest smg. The battle rifle is superior to both the bonus collector assault rifle and geth pulse rifle in damage. If you look at the coalescedini file on the PC you can find the actual stats of the weapons that they don't show and the battle rifle does more than 3x the damage per bullet than the avenger assault rifle. The collectors rifle and geth pulse rifle do somewhere in between. Admittedly you get more ammo, but on insanity you want to spend as little time exposed out of cover as possible and want to maximize your damage during that time which makes the vindicator the best choice really at mid distances when you can pop off a 3 round burst head shot and get behind cover while your powers recharge. The tempest SMG as I mentioned earlier is godly and has surprisingly good accuracy fired in bursts. More importantly though, it does 40% more damage per bullet than the Avenger assault rifle and has a bigger clip. Also on my play throughs, it tends to be the first weapon I can maximally upgrade while the others are only at 3/5 upgrade condition. At close range, your weapons deal 2x damage than normal to enemies and it is a life saver when you are being swarmed by husks when you can just unload on them regardless of accuracy. The Carnifex hand cannon does around 80 damage per shot from what I can remember, the problem is that unfortunately it's ammo capacity is way reduced from what it should be. The total damage of bullets is actually less than the original heavy pistol which can be a problem in long fire fights. However, since you are mainly relying on your powers and other weapons, this isn't as much of a problem and the heavy damage per bullet and good accuracy lets it function as an ersatz sniper rifle and gives you more time to remain in cover.
Heh that reply went longer than I had anticipated. It probably deserves to be it's own topic.
Sentinel is definitely the best class this time around with great powers and extreme survivability. You've got overload for synthetic enemies and warp for armor/barrier wielding enemies. Bundle that with godly tech armor which doubles your shields, reduces your power cooldown, and gives you a knockback stun on it's destruction and you are rocking. Ammo is never a problem with me as using a gun on some fights is simply optional. Naturally I pick the assault rifle for my second weapon choice and armor piercing ammo for my bonus power. Warp power seems better, but I've found that barrier enemies are relatively rare, more importantly that the bonus damage to biotic affected enemies is rarely utilized because 1) pull is useless on insanity and 2) you don't want to be out of cover to take extra potshots and risk your shields going down. Lots of simply armored enemies though.
My preferred build is as follows.
Squad Armor Piercing Ammo 4
Guardian 4
Power Armor 4
Improved Warp 4
Overload 3
Throw 2
Basically on insanity, your squad is a big help and more than just a simple meat shield than on lower difficulties and the best team unfortunately doesn't come with their own ammo powers. I prefer using Miranda and Mordin for their powers and passive bonuses. Mordin is fairly resilient for his shield bonus and the squad damage bonus and warp/overload combo from Miranda cannot be dismissed. Not to mention both are packing SMG's which is a godly weapon (shotguns suck, which is why I never using anyone with simply a shotgun and pistol. I'm looking at you here Jack, Jacob, and Tali). Grunt and Legion may seem impressive with their tons of shielding/armor but their skills are definitely lacking. Not to mention I've found that companions rarely die later on on their own unless they do something stupid like get out of cover and when that happens the extra life won't protect them. I've found Garrus and Zaeed also useful since Garrus has Overload (pair him with Miranda on synthetic heavy missions for triple overload) and Zaeed has that nifty Grenade. Naturally both pack assault rifles.
Guardian for the slight bonus in HP and cool down reduction outweigh the bonus damage you get from Raider. Power Armor not only gives you an extra 25% shields but more importantly even more cool down reduction. Much better than assault armor as I generally tend to avoid having the tech armor go down as the cool down on recast takes too long.
I generally favor Heavy Warp over unstable Warp for your primary because of two things. One, unlike the squad version they have the same cool down (6 seconds) and two, the enemy is smart enough to spread out and I only occasionally catch more than one target per warp despite it's 5 meter radius. For squad mates with the power, unstable is the way to go for the 9 second instead of 12 cool down timer which compensates for the less damage and as a bonus you get a 7 meter radius.
Overload I leave at 3, even though I would love to take to 4 simply because Warp is a more useful power against a broader array of enemies. The problem is that you could take it to 4 if not for the annoying fact that you need Throw at 2 before you can take any points in Warp.
Throw I've found fairly situational in it's use and on some maps you can shove people off of bridges to their deaths. Mostly though I use it for one purpose and one purpose only, killing husks. The 3 second cool down combined with all your bonus reductions mean you can spam this skill quickly as soon as it hits. I've found that the husk armor goes down fairly quickly to direct fire, incinerate, and warp but their life takes more bullets to shave off than their armor. Throw is effective because the husks are so light and go flying and when fighting husk swarms my strategy is to have team mates use their skills and attacks to take down the armor only and then throw them. It's more efficient and saves ammo.
For weapon choices, I generally go with the vindicator battle rifle, carnifex hand cannon, and tempest smg. The battle rifle is superior to both the bonus collector assault rifle and geth pulse rifle in damage. If you look at the coalescedini file on the PC you can find the actual stats of the weapons that they don't show and the battle rifle does more than 3x the damage per bullet than the avenger assault rifle. The collectors rifle and geth pulse rifle do somewhere in between. Admittedly you get more ammo, but on insanity you want to spend as little time exposed out of cover as possible and want to maximize your damage during that time which makes the vindicator the best choice really at mid distances when you can pop off a 3 round burst head shot and get behind cover while your powers recharge. The tempest SMG as I mentioned earlier is godly and has surprisingly good accuracy fired in bursts. More importantly though, it does 40% more damage per bullet than the Avenger assault rifle and has a bigger clip. Also on my play throughs, it tends to be the first weapon I can maximally upgrade while the others are only at 3/5 upgrade condition. At close range, your weapons deal 2x damage than normal to enemies and it is a life saver when you are being swarmed by husks when you can just unload on them regardless of accuracy. The Carnifex hand cannon does around 80 damage per shot from what I can remember, the problem is that unfortunately it's ammo capacity is way reduced from what it should be. The total damage of bullets is actually less than the original heavy pistol which can be a problem in long fire fights. However, since you are mainly relying on your powers and other weapons, this isn't as much of a problem and the heavy damage per bullet and good accuracy lets it function as an ersatz sniper rifle and gives you more time to remain in cover.
Heh that reply went longer than I had anticipated. It probably deserves to be it's own topic.
Why not? Let's have a Mass Effect thread.
02/02/2010 05:02:32 PM
- 3617 Views
Character discussion: Mordin Solus
02/02/2010 06:28:41 PM
- 1854 Views
Mordin Solus is great
02/02/2010 08:21:26 PM
- 1280 Views
Actually, that's what happened to me too.
02/02/2010 08:33:22 PM
- 1411 Views
The Illusive man
02/02/2010 08:34:09 PM
- 1480 Views
I didn't even realize that's who he was.
02/02/2010 08:44:07 PM
- 1408 Views
"I'm having trouble hearing you. I'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line." *NM*
02/02/2010 09:34:53 PM
- 691 Views
Who is sharing your bed?
02/02/2010 09:42:09 PM
- 1407 Views
Tali for my male Shepherd
04/02/2010 03:52:03 PM
- 1292 Views
Does she take the helmet off? *NM*
04/02/2010 07:57:18 PM
- 718 Views
I went simple - Miranda.
07/02/2010 06:32:25 AM
- 1208 Views
Which reminds me that I always wondered...
07/02/2010 11:54:14 AM
- 1325 Views
You probably wouldn't be able to woo anyone by being a total dick. *NM*
07/02/2010 03:32:41 PM
- 691 Views
I was lucky enough to meet the game's producer... (No spoilers)
02/02/2010 10:58:59 PM
- 1442 Views
No spoilers here either, as per my rules. Regarding the ammo:
03/02/2010 04:51:54 AM
- 1264 Views
I just want to be part of this....that said, Best Buy is no longer selling ME:1
02/02/2010 11:16:51 PM
- 1406 Views
Could well be.
03/02/2010 04:52:49 AM
- 1160 Views
Glad the PC version was $50, at the risk of sounding like a snob.
03/02/2010 04:01:52 PM
- 1202 Views
Mass Effect 1 vs 2: RPG-shooter vs Shooter-rpg (This is for you, Cymbaline!) (No spoilers)
02/02/2010 11:28:24 PM
- 1376 Views
The "Holy crap that was awesome" moments. SPOILERS
03/02/2010 11:27:55 PM
- 1338 Views
Re: The "Holy crap that was awesome" moments. SPOILERS
04/02/2010 04:59:54 AM
- 1235 Views
Re: The "Holy crap that was awesome" moments. SPOILERS
04/02/2010 06:16:29 AM
- 1340 Views
Well. . .somewhat, I guess.
04/02/2010 06:43:02 AM
- 1358 Views
Re: Well. . .somewhat, I guess.
04/02/2010 03:32:26 PM
- 1296 Views
You know what? I'll actually buy that. I appreciate the explanation.
04/02/2010 06:30:37 PM
- 1117 Views
A couple of more things......
16/02/2010 12:41:19 AM
- 1355 Views
Game was too easy, primary plotline too short
04/02/2010 09:03:52 PM
- 1286 Views
Nice. I'm playing through on Insanity now, and I think it's a good challenge.
05/02/2010 02:17:02 AM
- 1193 Views
Whats your character build?
05/02/2010 02:45:31 PM
- 1451 Views
Ok, so male or female Shepherd?
05/02/2010 01:50:23 AM
- 1218 Views
Hm. This brings up a thought.
05/02/2010 01:52:37 AM
- 1159 Views
Male for my first playthrough, female for my second.
05/02/2010 02:28:24 AM
- 1317 Views
Male so far. I plan on playing the female Shepard next playthrough. *NM*
05/02/2010 03:25:00 AM
- 739 Views
Your Teams, and Your Deaths.
07/02/2010 06:30:25 AM
- 1142 Views
Re: Your Teams, and Your Deaths.
07/02/2010 09:07:17 AM
- 1327 Views
Do you know...
07/02/2010 03:46:59 PM
- 1146 Views
Re: Do you know...
07/02/2010 04:31:29 PM
- 1227 Views
Awesome. Thanks! *NM*
07/02/2010 04:40:59 PM
- 720 Views
Yeah, that's what I did.
07/02/2010 06:37:50 PM
- 1096 Views
Hmmm...
09/02/2010 03:48:48 PM
- 1175 Views
Strange.
09/02/2010 04:19:04 PM
- 1226 Views
me too
13/02/2010 03:01:05 PM
- 1216 Views
Did you do Legion's loyalty mission?
15/02/2010 05:52:36 AM
- 1314 Views
I did, for what it's worth.
15/02/2010 07:26:38 AM
- 1242 Views
Gah. Then I wonder if loyalty of the rest of the crew has something to do with it.
15/02/2010 04:20:13 PM
- 1207 Views
I have come across a big problem.
07/02/2010 06:53:36 PM
- 1254 Views
Want FREE Mass Effect 2 DLC? ME 2! (har, har) Bioware bonus goodies detailed inside.
09/02/2010 07:03:23 PM
- 1373 Views
Now if only the DLC armors didn't have helmets.
09/02/2010 07:26:47 PM
- 1158 Views
Of course, the Shotgun is released AFTER I beat my Vanguard *sigh*
09/02/2010 11:31:13 PM
- 1235 Views
It's nice, but you don't miss much if you already had the Claymore shotty w/ an ammo upgrade. *NM*
10/02/2010 05:16:00 AM
- 668 Views
Anyone find anything interesting about Zaeed Massani?
11/02/2010 09:08:16 PM
- 1250 Views
I enjoy Zaeed.
11/02/2010 09:22:39 PM
- 1207 Views
I'm near your spot in the story and completely agree. One-sided conversations, but worthwhile. *NM*
11/02/2010 10:20:47 PM
- 599 Views
Yeah, I've listened to him alot but it's the same stuff every time.
12/02/2010 03:14:11 PM
- 1162 Views
Who, what, where? *NM*
22/02/2010 08:18:31 PM
- 629 Views
If you bought a new copy of the game, it came with a code for the "Cerberus Network"
22/02/2010 08:22:18 PM
- 1164 Views
Is there a way to install the game on the Xbox, so you don't have to switch discs?
12/02/2010 01:39:07 AM
- 1193 Views
Good ones have two discs, of course. DVDs can only hold so much. *NM*
12/02/2010 02:46:39 AM
- 628 Views
This is the first I've ever seen. *NM*
12/02/2010 02:51:34 AM
- 659 Views
I've never understood why people are unhappy with the multiple discs.
12/02/2010 04:18:42 AM
- 1199 Views
So far, so great!
12/02/2010 08:35:00 AM
- 1173 Views
Re: So far, so great!
12/02/2010 02:31:43 PM
- 1279 Views
Re: So far, so great!
16/02/2010 10:17:12 PM
- 1228 Views
Nope, I was referring to honest-to-goodness cheating. lol
16/02/2010 11:03:53 PM
- 1272 Views
Ahh, I just figured you were on console as I am, so.....the grind will continue I guess *NM*
17/02/2010 06:41:59 PM
- 712 Views
I love the detail put into this game.
12/02/2010 02:58:35 PM
- 1153 Views
"Our amino acids aren't even compatable so there's no risk if we go natural."
12/02/2010 03:15:50 PM
- 1207 Views
Re: "Our amino acids aren't even compatable so there's no risk if we go natural."
12/02/2010 07:16:21 PM
- 1134 Views
"Technically we don't even have sex drives... oh, she is rather flexible...." *NM*
12/02/2010 07:20:53 PM
- 656 Views
Female Turians....
12/02/2010 09:05:39 PM
- 1132 Views
Nope. Don't exist in-game.
14/02/2010 01:47:23 AM
- 1100 Views
I believe a krogan female is shown once.
14/02/2010 02:03:27 AM
- 1185 Views
No I don't think that's right.
14/02/2010 08:54:32 AM
- 1114 Views
Asari
15/02/2010 06:51:10 AM
- 1241 Views
Not really.
15/02/2010 10:41:54 PM
- 1163 Views
Though it is fun seeing the asari coupled with basically every race under the sun.
15/02/2010 10:54:41 PM
- 1188 Views
The final verdict
22/02/2010 08:06:12 PM
- 1201 Views
By the way, my game was surprisingly buggy
23/02/2010 08:49:28 AM
- 1297 Views
A complaint about the Morality system. (Or, how Mass Effect semi-killed roleplaying).
27/02/2010 06:40:35 AM
- 1293 Views
Re: A complaint about the Morality system. (Or, how Mass Effect semi-killed roleplaying).
27/02/2010 12:28:29 PM
- 1128 Views
Re: A complaint about the Morality system. (Or, how Mass Effect semi-killed roleplaying).
27/02/2010 04:57:43 PM
- 1183 Views
Re: A complaint about the Morality system. (Or, how Mass Effect semi-killed roleplaying).
28/02/2010 12:34:31 AM
- 1234 Views
A vital part of role-playing is forcing the player to deal with the consequences of their actions
27/02/2010 11:53:56 PM
- 1461 Views
Admittedly, my post was somewhat stream-of-consciousness.
28/02/2010 03:28:02 AM
- 1160 Views