Mass Effect: The Complete Play Through (SPOILERS)

fatcat

With the last DLC for Mass Effect 3 recently being released (Citadel. GET IT. BEST DLC YET. Seriously. I've got 7+ hours so far out of it. Total fanfare, laughed many times) I decided to create a canon play through of Mass Effect 1-3. I own all the DLC's for each game. I sat down and built what I feel is the "proper order of events" for the series with notes on key areas. While each of us has their own opinion of how to play, I thought I'd share my experience.

Female Shepard
Love Interest: Liara all 3 games

ME1: Nemesis Adept with Assault Rifle bonus.
Wrex (shotgun) and Garrus (sniper) as squad mates.
EXCEPTION: Liara in place of Wrex on Noveria and Ilos. Trust me.

ME2: Nemesis Adept with Energy Drain bonus. Gift from Tali. And don't give me the "Adepts can't have Tech powers." Bullshit they can't, I have an omni-tool
Legion/Tali/Miranda(she has the squad bonus) and Garrus as Squad mates.
EXCEPTION: Loyalty missions. Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC (Liara/Garrus). Overlord DLC. See notes.

ME3: Adept (Pull/Throw explosions!) with Energy Drain or Dark Channel bonus power
Garrus/Tali and Liara as squad mates
EXCEPTION: Javik and Liara on Thessia is a must. Wrex and Garrus in Citadel DLC is hilarious.

fatcat

And here is what I feel is the best order to play through the series:

ME1: YOU NEED THIS: http://masseffect.shockfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/mechecklist2-6_Teryx.pdf

(There are many more missions than what I have listed. What I have listed are missions that have continuity in ME2/ME3)

-Citadel: Asari Consort (get trinket for important artifact later in game)
-Citadel: The Fan (he helps you big time in ME3 in the most unthinkable way)
-Citadel: Reporter's Request
-Citadel: Fist (Do not bring Wrex if you want to have Fist in ME2)
-Become a Spectre
-Citadel: The Fan 2
-Citadel: Doctor Michael (don't miss this. important in ME3 if Doctor Chakwas dies in ME2)
-Therum
-UNC: Missing Marines (begins the Cerberus story for all 3 games)
-As soon as you hit level 20 – Rogue VI (if you somehow miss it, this is the beginning of EDI)
-Citadel: A Person of Interest/UNC: Hostile Takeover (impact in ME2)
-Citadel: Fourth Estate (even I couldn't resist punching her, in ALL 3 games)
-Citadel: The Fan 3
-Background Assignment (Spacer/Colonist/Earthborn)
-Citadel: Asari Diplomacy (has impact in ME2 when recruiting Thane)
-Citadel: Plant a bug (the reporter we actually like)
-Bring Down the Sky (DLC) (impact on ME3)
-Noveria (Rachni decision) BRING LIARA*
-Garrus/Wrex loyalty missions as soon as you get them (can have huge effect on Virmire and ME2/ME3)
-UNC: Cerberus (you really start to hate these guys)
-UNC: Hades Dogs (important to developing Cerberus)
-Pinnacle Station (DLC)
-Feros (Shiala Decision) (impact on ME2)
-Geth Incursion (After Completing talk to Tali immediately for her loyalty mission)
-Alignment Assignment (After reaching 80% Paragon/Renegade)
-Virmire: (Wrex Decision)
-Virmire: Assisting Kirrahe's Team (HOLD THE LINE!)
Available: During the Virmire plot mission
Found: Automatically triggered
Notes: If you choose to assist Kirrahe's team, there are four parts to this assignment
Part 1: Disable the Triangulation Tower
Part 2: Destroy the Satellite Uplink
Part 3: Destroy All Five Geth Flyers
Part 4: Use the Security Console to Draw Fire to Yourself
-Decide who dies. (If I’m playing Femshep I let Ashley die. And if playing MaleShep I let Kaidan die. These options allow more dialogue/romance in ME3)
-Ilos (Vigil and some serious lore)
-Defeat Saren

fatcat

ME2:
-Recruit Zaeed
-Recruit Mordin (Unlocks Upgrade Lab)
-Recruit Garrus (Use Zaeed for extra Blue Suns dialogue)(you can get Grunt also before then for his dialogue with Garm)
-Recruit Kasumi
-Normandy Crash site
-Get the Hammerhead
-Recruit Zero
-Recruit and unlock Grunt
-Horizon
-Recruit Tali (Shepard wouldn't wait to get Tali)
-Project Overlord (bring Jacob/Garrus and Miranda -- always select Miranda/female squad mate first in the squad selection screen, otherwise she will be dragging Cerberus personnel corpses instead of reading the data pad-- it just makes more sense for a male character to be doing the heavy lifting)
-Talk to Liara, and hack the terminals for her. Give her the data, but do not do the Observer mission yet
-Recruit Thane
-Do the Observer mission, but do not talk to Liara after she calls in Nyxerus
-Recruit Samara
-Talk to Liara, then leave Illium
-Jacob's/Kasumi's loyalty mission (as they give you weapons that you'll want)
-Tuchunka's loyalty and sub missions
-Do some of the Hammerhead missions
-Zaeed's loyalty mission
-Tali's loyalty mission (as it gives you the most paragon/renegade points)
Derelict Ship mission(?)
-Citadel missions
-Garrus/Thane's loyalty missions (bring Thane on Garrus's mission, so that the two can snipe mercs, highly entertaining)
-Jack's loyalty mission (heavy renegade/paragon points)
-Samara's loyalty mission (heavy renegade/paragon points)
-Finish Hammerhead quests
Derelict Reaper.
-Activate Legion automatically, speak to him initially, then speak to him again right away to activate a game glitch/loyalty mission! Legion's loyalty mission to come online, stopping the Reaper IFF from activating, and the glitch will allow you to perform Liara's LOTSB then Legion's mission without activating the crew abduction.
So,
-Activate Legion and immediately talk to him after his first "waking up" conversation to make his loyalty mission available.
-Immediately go to Illium, talk to Liara about her fight with Nyxerus and her search for the Shadow Broker
-Give Liara data about Shadow Broker. Liara will go off to her apartment giving you time to...
-Complete MIranda's loyalty quest
-Go to Liara's apartment and activate Lair of the Shadow Broker (DLC).
-Take out the Shadow Broker (Do Not invite Liara to the Normandy yet if she is you Love Interest, wait until after Arrival DLC. If she is not your LI, invite whenever)
-Defuse the Miranda/Jack argument
By this time you should have the paragon/renegade points to deal with those awful crew argument missions that will take place. That's why I play in this order, particularly keeping in mind that Miranda and Jack's missions fight will require me to have high levels of morality to keep them both loyal, points that can only be gained by doing loyalty missions.
-Complete Legion's loyalty mission
(by this point you should have 100% of either Paragon/Renegade depending on how you've played, if you haven't chosen the neutral decisions)
-Defuse the Tali/Legion argument
-The Reaper IFF WILL have activated
-Complete the game
-Do Arrival (DLC)
-Invite Liara to Normandy if she is your Love Interest (Dialogue fits best between Arrival and ME3)

fatcat

ME3:
-Prologue: Earth
-Mars
-Citadel
-Palavan
- From Ashes (DLC) (Priority: Eden Prime): (The earliest to make Javik's introduction count and get all of his dialogue. Obvious choice to place here.)
-Grissiom Academy
-N7: Cerberus Labs
-Shrike Abyssal: Prothean Obelist
-Surkesh
-Tuchunka: Turian Platoon
-Tuchunka: Bomb
-Citadel: Barla Von
-Attican Traverse: Krogan Team
-N7: Cerberus Abductions
-N7: Cerberus Attack
-Tuchanka
-Irune: Book of Plenix
-N7: Cerberus Fighter Base
-Citadel: Part 2
-Citadel: Cerberus Automated Schematics
-Citadel: Medi-gel Sabotage
-Citadel: Volus Amassador
-Omega (DLC): (This is a nice break in the main story to do this. Though it is irrelevant to the Reaper plot, it makes sense to put it here since the last mission was to clear out Cerberus from places they shouldn't be.)
-Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery
-Athena Nebula: Hesperia Period Statue
-Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientist
-Perseus Veil
-Geth Dreadnought
-Rannoch: Admiral Koris
-Rannoch: Geth Fighter base
-Citadel: Kakliosaur Fossil
-N7: Fuel Reactor
-Priority: Rannoch
-Hades Nexus: Obelisk of Karza
-Hades Nexus: Prothean Sphere
-Silean Nebula: Rings of Alune
-Citadel Conspiracy (Citadel DLC): (Do not talk to the Asari Councilor. DO NOT DO THE AFTER PARTY. This is another break in the story that could really use this as a bridge. You just beat a Reaper and (probably) brokered peace. Your feels are skyrocketing. There isn't much of a mission to do right now. Shep gets a little shore leave. However, not all is well, of course. This DLC not only preludes Cerberus making their comeback on Thessia with Ms. Brooks, but the Conspiracy actually shows that the one enemy greater than a Reaper to Shepard is himself. The story fits right into the themes of the ending (if they are viewed that way), and that Shepard is truly molded by his friends. They are what make him tick. Fits right into choosing Destroy later. Do Citadel meet-ups like any of the other meet-ups. Don't do the party.)
-The Citadel part 3 (Asari Councilor)
- Thessia
-N7: Communications Hub
- Horizon
- Leviathan: (There is really no other place to put this whopping drama bomb. This is a big reveal, and one that is dramatically set up to introduce the Catalyst. I really can't explain this one further. Doing it here makes everyone NOT look like idiots the rest of the game, lol. Also, it has a very penultimate feeling to it.)
- Possible Mellow Party (If you do mellow party you can't do crazy party): Final get together feeling, but a calm before the storm.
- Endgame (Cerberus Headquarters – Earth – Star Child)
- Crazy Party, Get Wasted!! : (Literally load your game right after credits and play the crazy party. Shep, EDI, and Geth lived. Catalyst was wrong, didn't account for illogical conclusions that organics love to create. Throw wild epilogue party. Literally ignore all of TWO lines about the Reaper war in the final cutscene and party.)


Anytime Missions
Apien Crest: Banner of the First Regiment
Aria: Eclipse
Aria: Blood Pack
Aria: Blue Suns
Kites Nest: Pillars of Strength
Ismar Frontier: Prototype Components
Citadel: Medical Supplies
Citadel: Baterian Codes
Citadel: Cerberus Retribution
Citadel: CX-12 Thermal Pipe
Citadel: Hanar Diplomat
Nimbus Cluster: Liberty of Asha
Citadel: Wounded Batarian
Citidel: Inspirational Stories
Dekuuna: Code of the Ancients
Dekuuna: Elcor Extraction
Valhallan Threshold: Prothean Data Drives

Needs another mission to complete
Citadel: Asari Widow - Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery
Citadel: Improved Power Grid - N7: Cerberus Attack
Eden Prime: Resistance Movement - Priority: Eden Prime
Benning: Evidence - N7: Cerberus Abductions
Citadel: alien medigel formula - N7: Cerberus Lab Mission
Citadel: Biotic Amp Interfaces - GRISSOM ACADEMY: EMERGENCY EVACUATION
Citadel: Cerberus Turian Poison - Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientists
Citadel: Chemical Treatment - N7: Fuel Reactor
Citadel: Reaper Code Fragments - Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons
Citadel: Target Jamming Technology - Rannoch: Admiral Koris
Citadel: Heating Unit Stabilizers - N7: Cerberus Fighter Base
Cerberus Ciphers - N7: Communications Hub
Citadel: Krogan Dying Message - Attican Traverse: Krogan Team


Hope this useful if any of you do a complete play through of this amazing series.

NiGHTS

I mean, ...I don't know what to say man - pretty legit guide right here.

Chooch

I love the Mass Effect series. I still need to get all of the DLC.

fatcat

Church4252 said:

I love the Mass Effect series. I still need to get all of the DLC.

The MUST HAVE DLC list:

ME2: Kasumi: Great Banter in ME2 and mission in ME3
Lair of the Shadow Broker: 2nd best DLC for series. Fills in story. Must have if Liara is love interest
Arrival: Fills in story from ME2 to ME3. Whatever you do, do not play it until you have done suicide mission (end game) in ME2

ME3: From Ashes: So much lore and another squad mate
Leviathan: Again, lore. Especially dealing with before there were Reapers
Citadel: Best DLC period. All of your squad. More laughs in this DLC than the rest of the game. Real closure.

SHOULD HAVE DLC list:

ME1: Bring Down the Sky (get to choose an item that is really good for your level). You have to make a really tough decision at the end that does have effects in ME3.
ME2: Overlord: Unique area. Has NPC's that show up in ME3. Kinda linear. Fun if you bring Legion
ME3: Omega: If you like Aria you'll want this. Introduces female Turian and new squad mate. But Aria just shows back up on the citadel after completing so you don't miss anything.

DON'T BOTHER:

ME1: Pinnacle station. It's just any area to test your skills and if you get all the achievements, Shepard gets his own apartment. Doesn't carry anything over to ME2/ME3. Is free though
ME2: Zaeed. I found him pretty useless with all the other squad mates in ME2. Does show up in ME3 so if you want a compete package you'll want it. I'm pretty sure it's included with ME2 now anyways
ME2: Firewalker. Boring. No conversations. Has nothing to do with anything. Free

fatcat

MODS I highly recommend:

Mass Effect 1
HD textures http://social.bioware.com/project/5275/#details makes this old game look soo much better
ME3 default FemShep face http://social.bioware.com/project/8265/ So your FemShep looks like the FemShep in ME3
(Freckles, makeup, eyes)
Example:




Mass Effect 2
HD Textures 2k and 4k http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/128/index/5314761
ME3 default FemShep face http://social.bioware.com/project/8265/ So your FemShep looks like the FemShep in ME3 (Freckles, makeup, eyes)

Mass Effect 3
4k UltraHD Textures http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/368/index/9735492 this looks hella awesome but be careful how many you use. It will suck all of your RAM up. I try to keep my ME3 to only use about 8GB of RAM at a time.
Example:



All of these mods require TexMod

Chooch

Thanks for the list. I will get it once I have funds to get it.

Canti

I hope that in a year or two, maybe over the next summer but not likely, I'll have the time to sit down and replay all 3 games plus DLC. The next time I see @Fatcat after that playthrough I plan to have too many drinks and have super nerd debates about the entire series. @Thrax @UPSLynx you want in?

Also this.

Blasto is best Spectre

fatcat

Canti said:

I hope that in a year or two, maybe over the next summer but not likely, I'll have the time to sit down and replay all 3 games plus DLC. The next time I see @Fatcat after that playthrough I plan to have too many drinks and have super nerd debates about the entire series. @Thrax @UPSLynx you want in?

I should go.



Also. Hamster best spectre

fatcat

Thrax

Liara is, like, one of my least favorite companions.

But that 18% femshep number is a tragedy.

fatcat

Thrax said:

But that 18% femshep number is a tragedy.

agreed. along with the 43.7% Soldier and 64% letting Wrex die

NiGHTS

I feel like I'm the only one on earth that not only chose Kaiden over Ashley, but used him 70% of the time, too.

fatcat

NiGHTS said:

I feel like I'm the only one on earth that not only chose Kaiden over Ashley, but used him 70% of the time, too.

Kaidan is useful in ME3 (Reave, Overload) but wasn't so much in ME1, which I feel is where most let him die.

fatcat

I'm curious which love interest you all picked if any. Here are the options:

Ashley
Kaidan
Liara
Miranda
Tali
Garrus
Samara (does not give achievement in ME2 or ME3)
Morinth (does not give achievement in ME2)
Kelly (does not give achievement in ME2. does in ME3)
Jack
Thane (does not give achievement in ME3)
Jacob (does not give achievement in ME3)
Samantha (does not give achievement in ME3)
James (does not give achievement in ME3)
Javik (does not give achievement in ME3)
Steve
Diana (does not give achievement in ME3)

NiGHTS

Maleshep: Liara, Miranda

Canti

Lol Kaiden's survival rate compared to others. So many male paragon soldiers. How very boring. I'm in the 3.8% that shot Mordin and 8% that didn't cure the Genophage.

I'M A SUCH A MONSTER!

Rachael Shepard

Terror of the galaxy

fatcat

Canti said:

Lol Kaiden's survival rate compared to others. So many male paragon soldiers. How very boring. I'm in the 3.8% that shot Mordin and 8% that didn't cure the Genophage

but....but you miss bar stories with Joker and Wrex...

Basil

Oh fuck Kaiden, far too Carth-y, him vs Ashley was probably the fastest choice I made in ME1.

I've yet to get around to playing ME3 but vaguely remember making a perfect femshep savegame to import (Spoiler: got Jack killed to death in the collector base)

Canti

Ashley was a more interesting character in ME1 and I think that's the main reason everyone let Kaiden explode. Ashley was xenophobic toward alien races and that made a lot of interesting interactions with other characters. Kaiden was...a guy? I don't actually remember much of anything other than that. Hell, even Jacob was more interesting than Kaiden and there was almost nothing to Jacob other than his repressed daddy issues and him being butthurt over his failed relationship with Miranda. (That's mostly made up.) I feel like Jacob was a lot more developed in his small part of ME3 which is nice. There wasn't much to him but at least he wasn't Generic FPS Tough Guy 34 whose real name I don't even remember right now because he spent the entirety of ME3 alone in the cargo bay after the scene where he wants to fight Shepard and says something like, "I'm ready to do what ever the FUCK it takes to win this war." Yeah...well, whatever the fuck it takes involves standing over here in the corner and not being a part of this game bro.

Pacifisto

FYI (and Error was the one to clue me in on this), as far as I'm concerned, there's only one true first name for Shepard.

Commander

Canti

fatcat said:

but....but you miss bar stories with Joker and Wrex...

Wrex..........who.....OH RIGHT!

THAT KROGAN I SHOT IN THE FACE LIKE 6 TIMES BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T LISTEN TO REASON.

I remember now.

MiracleManS

The only correct love interest answer is Tali. @UPSLynx agrees.

Thrax

Femshep: Liara, Kelly Chambers

NiGHTS

While I don't necessarily feel that one was developed any more over the other, I chose Kaiden for the exact reason Canti states above. To me, saving the human race and proving our mettle in the universe wasn't a goal. It didn't matter what race I was, all I knew was that from the point of view of a Spectre I needed to get shit done. Having something like a xenophobic human on board my vessel wasn't going to help, so I made the (incredibly difficult) decision to have her die the hero. She fought more to prove her family name, than anything else, IMO. In the end I consoled myself by saying I 'released' her from that demon. That having been said, I think I took pity on Kaiden for what humanity put him through, as well.

fatcat

If I look at Virmire from a complete RP standpoint, Ashley would die everytime. Kaidan is a senior officer and biotic, Ashley is just cannonfodder for the Alliance.

btw it's Kaidan, not Kaiden everyone

NiGHTS

fatcat said:

Kaidan is a senior officer and biotic, Ashley is just cannonfodder for the Alliance.

This also played a part of it, now that you mention it.

Chooch

http://biowarestore.com/accessories/n7-ambassador-watch.html

WANT!!!! *looks at wallet* NOOOOOOOO~!!!!!