Mass Effect 3.6: Are you engaging in reproductive behavior with this thread?

[Beowulf DW]

... Okay, I'm going to make it simple for me, because I've got to be missing something and I'm still not sure where the room you're talking about is. 1. Once you spawn at the LZ, do you turn left or right to get to the room you're talking about? 2. Is there a thing of cover smack-dab in the middle of the room, perhaps with a holoscreen on it? 3. Exactly how many outlets does this room have?

The room only has one outlet, it has nothing in the center, and you can go left or right to reach it.

[Landis963]

Oh That room. The one with the windows overlooking the lower 40% of the map. I'd completely forgotten about that room. I do have Misty the lv. 16 Fury, and an unstatted Justicar... A bit more grinding and I might be able to break into the Platinum business.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and you can reach it more readily from the right than the left, but it's more visible if you take the long route.

[SiuiS]

Did I ever tell you that I HATE BANSHEES

I remember taking my female Shepard to the mo... place where you meet the banshees, and thinking "what the hell are these" the whole time. Then came the big wave with 2 of them, andd I tried to heavy melee one. Instead, she was lifted off the ground, I thought "Uhh, that's not a heavy melee" and started mashing B...

Squelch

The only good encounter I ever had with a banshee was during the Thanix missile scene, where I got picked up by a banshee, said "aw, crap", and the banshee took a Reaper laser to the face, saving my life by a half second and six inches.

I woul love to see that. I've got an opposite story - I used biotic charge on a brute on firebase: reactor. Halfway there, I get grabbe by a banshee who walked out of the reactor room, mid charge. I was ever so upset.

Is that the room adjacent to the stairs going to the LZ, or the one at the very bottom of the map with the one stair leading up?

From the LZ, it is diagonally 45° to your left. It is the small central room with control panels, windows overlooking the rear spawn point. Only one door, which leads directly to stairs, leads directly to the big chamber most people fight in.

Placing a warp bubble at the stair head means that by the time you can see it, it's primed for detonation. And for crossfire. The biggest issue is that one cannibal or trooper who throws a grenade directly into the room from all the way in the main hall.

. Hell, even the possibility of using the excuse to re-level my Krogan Battlemaster (which is the class I've had the most fun with by a LOOOONG margin) suddenly looks unappealing if I'm just going to keep get booted out because EA's Origin is a big pile of suck. (Because I'll bet souls to sabres it's an Origin authenticiation issue, not a server load one.)

Ignoring your plight becaus I can't actually help you; oh goodness yes.
Once I got used to how slow the Krogan walks, it was all giggles and smacking. Biotic charge. Shotgun bursts. Smack. Head butt. Charge again. Reload. Maybe carnage because why not? Alread wasted the points. And it was fun. Token barrier so I get some DR, and some fitness so I get berserk after two smacks. An then everything was my plaything. So fun.

Which is good, because every other class is level 1. So I don't have a choice yet >_>

[Psyren]

I find that the Krogan Battlemaster kinda plays like the ME2 Vanguard. Shoot from afar to soften, charge when your shields drop, mop up with shotgun and melee up close, repeat.



In other news - After promoting all my classes for the event, I started the long road back to 20s by releveling my Sentinel class first. In doing so, the N7 Paladin has won its way squarely back into my good graces. With ED to handle shields and barriers, I can stick a Mattock X on him and Snap Freeze everything else that crosses my path. In addition, I'm finally learning how and when to use the omni-shield.

This guy is an absolute house vs. Geth. On a hack mission on Ghost, we were in that little house in the corner of the map with the two doorways, totally surrounded. I planted my omnishield in one door, and held off three pyros simultaneously as they dumped fire all over me (to no avail.) I held the line this way until my teammates could deal with a Prime at the other door and come around to get them off me, clustering behind my shield to avoid the flamethrowers.

(Not that he's a slouch against the other enemy types either though. Snap Freeze turns Reaper armor to paper and is brutal against Cerberus.)

[SiuiS]

I'm trying sentinel as well, because I specifically wanted to get back into biotic explosions. Bad choice on my end, as the output isn't anywhere near where I woul expect it to be. Between techs disrupting my set up and other biotics being numpties (I played with an Asari who cycled through warp and throw, despite me also targeting the same enemy; an whose detonations were much weaker) I could barely make it to wave six with anything. Didn't help that my fallback gun was bad. I didn't realize how much I've come to rely on firepower! The scorpion is now my go-to pistol. Te Carnifex feels like I'm
Missing out on too much if I use te ULM an my paladin isn't high enough level to make that difference irrelevant.

The demolisher though, slap a grenade capacity upgrade on her and even at level 1 she kicks wholesale ass. Not enough, but ether than nothing. Unfortunately, the last hour has een other people NOT playing gold, so I've been soloing it. Poorly.





Random thought; at 108.75 per second, for 8.4 seconds, lift can deal 913 damage to an unexposed enemy. So why not spam lift when explosions would be too intensive? You can incapacitate multiple enemies that are as good as dead, instead of blowing up one or two. I'll have to give that a try some day; using reave once, and then multiple lifts is a great way to remove cannibals and such from the equation without requiring detonation. Not that detonation is bad, of course.

[Aotrs Commander]

Assuming the game understands you did promote them, you'll get the commendation because there's about 11 hours still on the clock.

Hope so. I was late when I did it, so when I tried translating "3 whateveritwas EST" into GMT I may have gone the wrong way or somethin'. (Maybe it was 3 am not pm or something I read.)

Well, that's something, then.

Though, true to form, I bet all I'll actually get is some random guns or something or more "helpful" gear upgrades, rather than, say, one of the Vorchas or somethin'...!

Yes, I'm cynical...

(Of course, as if this dodgy connection issue keeps up at EA's end it may not matter anyway...!)

I find that the Krogan Battlemaster kinda plays like the ME2 Vanguard. Shoot from afar to soften, charge when your shields drop, mop up with shotgun and melee up close, repeat.

Well, I play on Bronze, so the only time I used my shotgun was when I was defending something... It was more like "charge, headbutt, heatbutt, headbutt, charge from pointblank range, headbutt, headbutt,headbutt..."

[SiuiS]

It's fun, but not reliable on Gold. I've got it to level 3 and with the clip mod you get a total of 29 shots. I like it for goofing around on Bronze, but it just can't hold up on Gold. Kind of like the Falcon in that regard. Super awesome and fun on Bronze (if you're host, at least), crumby on Gold.

Man, I remember this. Feel totally different about it now, it a gold staple! Speaking of which...

I opened my mouth and now I've got a paladin III. Which, with my basic math, does 448.6 damage per shot; sounds blegh, but when compared to the scorpion, I realized its actually stronger. Almost a singly black widow shot, that - well about a hundred away, but only a sliver of the weight. with ULM it's +187%, which is just an expendable away from perfect. Couples with gear, I can get a flat +35% on that. That's what, 600 a shot? Yes please.


EDIT: a question. How viable is the following formula for damage on a weapon from rank II to IX?

([Rank X damage] - [Rank I damage]) / 9

Id we remove Rank one, the remaining amount is the total damage above at rank ten, which is a nine rank difference right?

[KillItWithFire]

Why is it I can never find a plat match where the go-to strat isn't just "infinite rockets everything to oblivion!" I really hope that gets patched soon cuz I for one don't like sitting back watching the same explosion kill everyone for 20 minutes.

[Tome]

Why is it I can never find a plat match where the go-to strat isn't just "infinite rockets everything to oblivion!" I really hope that gets patched soon cuz I for one don't like sitting back watching the same explosion kill everyone for 20 minutes.

The missile glitch? I thought they fixed that recently.

[RagingKrikkit]

It is just me, or it that kind of a glitch almost a staple in shooters? Blow up enough explosives in the same spot, and the game keeps the explosions going forever?

[Beowulf DW]

The missile glitch? I thought they fixed that recently.

Nope, I've been through two platinum matches where rockets carried the day.

[Strife Warzeal]

Nope, I've been through two platinum matches where rockets carried the day.

So people still manage it, even with the instant fire ability they put in to stop it?

[Beowulf DW]

So people still manage it, even with the instant fire ability they put in to stop it?

Yes. And I'm ashamed to say that I was okay with it at the time. I just wanted the Premium Spectre Packs, dammit. All I want is a Piranha! Is that so much to ask, RNG!?

[KillItWithFire]

Yes. And I'm ashamed to say that I was okay with it at the time. I just wanted the Premium Spectre Packs, dammit. All I want is a Piranha! Is that so much to ask, RNG!?

To be honest I'm not sure what they were thinking with the whole "trading card" approach. That works better when I can actually trade with people to get what I want. I have half a dozen guns that I'm never going to use and every time I open a pack it's the same thing.

[SiuiS]

Why is it I can never find a plat match where the go-to strat isn't just "infinite rockets everything to oblivion!" I really hope that gets patched soon cuz I for one don't like sitting back watching the same explosion kill everyone for 20 minutes.

Huh. I have not yet seen this actually. The go to strategy in all of my platinum matches is always "cloak and then assassinate", since everyone tends to pick the same target.

Or sometimes it is "everyone uses biotic/electric slash forever".

[Psyren]

Do note that if they catch you playing with cheaters regularly (even if you're not the one actually performing the exploit) they can retroactively remove the ill-gotten gains, i.e. credits and packs. A ban is likely as well.

[Landis963]

Yes. And I'm ashamed to say that I was okay with it at the time. I just wanted the Premium Spectre Packs, dammit. All I want is a Piranha! Is that so much to ask, RNG!?

Speaking of packs, have the Commendation/Victory Packs appeared yet?

[Psyren]

Speaking of packs, have the Commendation/Victory Packs appeared yet?

Those aren't given out until the following Tuesday I think. (So tomorrow.)

[Krade]

Those aren't given out until the following Tuesday I think. (So tomorrow.)

Or sometimes Wednesday...

Or sometimes not until you call EA support because you didn't get it

[Zevox]

To be honest I'm not sure what they were thinking with the whole "trading card" approach. That works better when I can actually trade with people to get what I want. I have half a dozen guns that I'm never going to use and every time I open a pack it's the same thing.

I've been saying that since the demo. Hell, I think I hate the whole booster system for the multiplayer more than the ending. Granted I dislike the ending less than many others, but still, I can honestly say that I'd rather have that system switched out for one where I can just buy what I want than have the ending changed to something actually decent.

Zevox

[Landis963]

I've been saying that since the demo. Hell, I think I hate the whole booster system for the multiplayer more than the ending. Granted I dislike the ending less than many others, but still, I can honestly say that I'd rather have that system switched out for one where I can just buy what I want than have the ending changed to something actually decent.

Zevox

Agreed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't have a trading card system without some place to trade the cards.

[Psyren]

Agreed, boosters are much better if you can trade. I'd gladly trade away my Phoenix Vanguard and Geth Infiltrator for a Phoenix Adept. And I have some Piranha upgrades that I'm sure would fetch a nice price....


I had some fun farming Gold last night, FB White/Geth. Landed with two Justicars and a Fury, and me on my Shadow; none of us were at 20, but two Warping Bubbles and an Annihilation Field in the downstairs room make for a lot of combos! I concentrated on shocking the Hunters into visibility, stripping Pyros/Primes and assassinating Rocket Troopers that didn't want to enter our killzone.

Then a hack mission forced us upstairs, and some bad luck led to a Hunter ambush that nearly wiped us. It cost me a couple of missiles, but I saved the day That was a lot of fun, though part of me wonders if Human Adept or N7 Slayer might be a better choice for a setup like that. Electric Slash is great but the combo potential of the other two options has me really wondering.

Anyone get to try anything like that?

[CreganTur]

I have. I was in a Geth White Basement run as a Fury. There was the n7 with biotic slash (don't have one, so can't keep them straight), a power spec'd sentinel, and a standard adept.

There were so many biotic explosions that my screen wouldn't stop shaking. It was a tremendous amount of fun.

[KillItWithFire]

I've been saying that since the demo. Hell, I think I hate the whole booster system for the multiplayer more than the ending. Granted I dislike the ending less than many others, but still, I can honestly say that I'd rather have that system switched out for one where I can just buy what I want than have the ending changed to something actually decent.

Zevox

I wonder if it's a bandwagon they were trying to get on? Or if the thinking is: this way you have to to play that much longer to get to the thing you like and therefore we have your attention longer? Also I agree with you on the ending. I liked it a lot less when I first saw it but it's grown on me. Plus the Extended Cut took away all of my worst complaints.

[Wraith]

I genuinely hope that the last DLC released for ME3 includes a way to trade cards, even if it is something as simple as each card being assigned a value in credits, and you can trade in as many cards as you want and then make up the difference in credits.

It could be really easy to balance with even just a little thought. A Rank X Avenger might give you 2,000 credits in trade per rank, whereas an Ultra rare like the Crusader might give you 20,000 per rank. Buy a Black Widow I for 200,000, or something, it could work; either sell off all your lesser weapons in one huge mass, or your unwanted classes one or two ranks at a time and get back that one cool weapon that you're been coveting forever.

I'll keep hoping.

[Psyren]

Or if the thinking is: this way you have to to play that much longer to get to the thing you like and therefore we have your attention longer?

A little of this, combined with the fact that saving up to crack packs can get just frustrating enough that you'll be tempted to drop some dough on it. So long as you're not glitch-farming (or even if you are, in some cases), the pace is such that eventually you'll arrive at that economic sweet spot - where you decide your time is more valuable than the few measly dollars it will take to open several PSPs in a row. Thus, you'll make your first purchase. And as any company will tell you, anyone who overcomes that hurdle to make their first microtransaction will be 90% likely to make another.

Just a few packs later and they'll have made more scratch than they ever did selling ME2 DLC, and for a fraction of the work.



Packs also convince you to try classes you might not otherwise try. Say you love shotguns, but after a week of cracking packs you end up with a Widow V. That might be far more incentive to try a sniper class than anything Bioware could do or say to you. And if you don't like it, no loss to Bioware - you've already spent more time than you otherwise would have. But if you DO like it, now you're playing the game even more to take your new toy for a spin.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I think the reason they never allowed training is because they're worried about people trading in weapons that are whole-sale never used (Hornet, Phalanx, etc.) for the 'good' weapons everyone wants to use. Or classes for that matter! When was the last time you saw a turian soldier actually being played?

Or maybe they wanted to do a player based trading where you set up your own trades and prices, then realized it'd quickly grow out of control. 1,000,000,000 credits for a Particle Rifle? I could see someone setting up that 'trade'.

[Zevox]

Or if the thinking is: this way you have to to play that much longer to get to the thing you like and therefore we have your attention longer?

Others have suggested that. If so, it completely backfires with me, as the booster system is the one thing that genuinely undermines my enjoyment of the game, making me have less desire to play, not more. Games with absolutely nothing to unlock hold my attention for longer stretches of time thanks to just being damn fun to play - that's all this one needed, too. And it's not like it isn't fun to play, but the booster system actively makes it less fun than it otherwise would be.

Also I agree with you on the ending. I liked it a lot less when I first saw it but it's grown on me. Plus the Extended Cut took away all of my worst complaints.

That's not really how I feel on the matter. I actually wasn't much bothered by the ending at first, but have grown to dislike it more by discussing it online and seeing the validity of the complaints against it. And the Extended Cut did not fix what I thought were the worst problems of it.

I dislike it less than others, though, in that I don't get worked up about it. Perhaps because I cared much less than others from the start - I can't get emotionally invested in Shepard due to her being a blank-slate character, and the Reapers never made for interesting enough villains for me to get too invested in the fight with them. The things I cared most about in Mass Effect were resolved on Tuchanka and Rannoch, or in smaller side-quests, so I was left pretty darn satisfied in that respect.

Zevox

[Psyren]

I think the reason they never allowed training is because they're worried about people trading in weapons that are whole-sale never used (Hornet, Phalanx, etc.) for the 'good' weapons everyone wants to use. Or classes for that matter! When was the last time you saw a turian soldier actually being played?

I use the Phalanx...
Scope + Melee on a Shadow = long distance teleportation, plus more SS damage; Phalanx X has a better damage/weight ratio than my Carnifex III or Paladin I, and with zero points in my passive I need the lightest kit possible. On my Human Engineer, it doesn't add any weight and I need to fire something between Incinerates for max dps on armor. And unlike the Predator it doesn't shoot rolled up bits of paper.

And I like Turian Soldier too, dammit! But with only a Revenant IV he isn't worth it right now So far my favorite soldiers are Batarian and Destroyer.

Others have suggested that. If so, it completely backfires with me, as the booster system is the one thing that genuinely undermines my enjoyment of the game, making me have less desire to play, not more. Games with absolutely nothing to unlock hold my attention for longer stretches of time thanks to just being damn fun to play - that's all this one needed, too. And it's not like it isn't fun to play, but the booster system actively makes it less fun than it otherwise would be.

It's (for better or worse) a proven business model though. So I would imagine that they decided it was worth a few backfires to implement it this way.

[SiuiS]

Agreed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't have a trading card system without some place to trade the cards.

They aren't tradin cards though. They aren't even necessarily cards - they could just w a stylized stand-in for Gavin chunks of equipment come out of a treasure chest.

I wonder if it's a bandwagon they were trying to get on? Or if the thinking is: this way you have to to play that much longer to get to the thing you like and therefore we have your attention longer? Also I agree with you on the ending. I liked it a lot less when I first saw it but it's grown on me. Plus the Extended Cut took away all of my worst complaints.

Pretty much; I'm only really playing because I want my damn Slayer; I've Been on the vanguard bandwagon since I first read the description in ME1 and decided to use the "Wizard with a Shotgun" and the vanguard has been a point of pride ever since.

There is also, as said, that getting a couple ranks in a solid weapon you don't normally consider might be tempting. I've never really understood the school of thought that doesn't play snipers, so stays away from sniper rifle-class weapons (including the shotgun-style kishock and AR-style raptor, incisor and Indra), and doesn't use sniper classes (like the shotgun infiltrators, melee infiltrators, power based infiltrators, armor-platform sentinels, and power-boosting soldiers).

I think the reason they never allowed training is because they're worried about people trading in weapons that are whole-sale never used (Hornet, Phalanx, etc.) for the 'good' weapons everyone wants to use. Or classes for that matter! When was the last time you saw a turian soldier actually being played?

Or maybe they wanted to do a player based trading where you set up your own trades and prices, then realized it'd quickly grow out of control. 1,000,000,000 credits for a Particle Rifle? I could see someone setting up that 'trade'.

I... Use everything you listed as bad o_O
Turians soldier is best caster soldier. Proxy mine for debuff and bullets in the soft parts tat scream and bleed! Phalanx is solid when coupled with a good SMG, and the hornet





You've got me there. I always see people use the hornet and spirits I hve no idea how or why.
Although I guess now I have to put one on a paladin an figure out that whole guardian schtick.

Others have suggested that. If so, it completely backfires with me, as the booster system is the one thing that genuinely undermines my enjoyment of the game, making me have less desire to play, not more. Games with absolutely nothing to unlock hold my attention for longer stretches of time thanks to just being damn fun to play - that's all this one needed, too. And it's not like it isn't fun to play, but the booster system actively makes it less fun than it otherwise would be.


That's not really how I feel on the matter. I actually wasn't much bothered by the ending at first, but have grown to dislike it more by discussing it online and seeing the validity of the complaints against it. And the Extended Cut did not fix what I thought were the worst problems of it.

I dislike it less than others, though, in that I don't get worked up about it. Perhaps because I cared much less than others from the start - I can't get emotionally invested in Shepard due to her being a blank-slate character, and the Reapers never made for interesting enough villains for me to get too invested in the fight with them. The things I cared most about in Mass Effect were resolved on Tuchanka and Rannoch, or in smaller side-quests, so I was left pretty darn satisfied in that respect.

Zevox

worth investigating. My complaint has almos always been the gameplay unravelling. The bad ending just failed to patch that for me. Rannock, Tuchanka, even Thessia. Those were fine.