Mass Effect 2 Tips
BioWare's latest masterpiece is here, and our review is up if you are curious as to how good it is. The only "spoilers" in this article talk about abilities, upgrades, and powers Shepard and the team will receive, so you can go ahead and read before booting up the game. There are no story-based spoilers here at all.
Importing from ME1
You don't have to import your characters from the first Mass Effect to enjoy this, but hey, if you've got them, then go for it. On the PC version you need to go into ME2's config utility to do it, and you won't get any feedback that it's complete, but jumping into the game should show your saves. Importing games on the 360 is pretty self-explanatory, but if you've had any hard-drive switcheroos, you may find that your games are no longer there. If that's the case, don't worry too much about it - just play.
So what do you get for importing your character, aside from a customized story? You can get extra levels if you were high-level in the first game, maybe some extra cash or minerals, and that's about it. It doesn't make a massive impact, but it's nice to have something. The more important part is the choices you made. Those that don't have real quest-based ramifications will often get you an email at your terminal instead, keeping the continuity going from the first game in small ways.
Overall, importing is nice if you've got it, but you don't have to rush out and get a copy of ME1 to enjoy ME2. But I will say this: if you decide that's what you want to do, then go for it - but do not start playing ME2 first, even for a few minutes. Just go in blind and play and have fun.
Outie or Innie
Shepard can be either male or female, and while there are some exclusive things for each gender, you'll find that the story is generally the same. Both Shepards are equally as tough, and many believe, myself included, that the female version is the better choice. It's not really about gender at all, but instead the quality of the voice work by the actors (Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, if you're curious). The decision is of course yours, but if you're on the fence, you don't have to follow the EA/BioWare marketing. "FemShep" is a fantastic choice.
The Classes
Mass Effect 2 has three basic character types - soldier, biotic, and tech, and the six classes you can choose from are derived from these. This is the same as the first game, but now, each class also has an ability that's unique to that class (and, in some cases, unique to Shepard, too). The Soldier can use every gun in the game, go into slow motion with Adrenaline Rush, and fire rockets with Concussive Shot. The Engineer uses tech powers to specialize in fighting synthetic creatures and has the Combat Drone as a unique power. The Adept only uses pistols, but has powerful biotic abilities including the Singularity for damaging and controlling small groups of enemies.
The other three classes are combinations of the two. Sentinels combine Tech Armor along with biotics to make themselves very tough and quite versatile. Vanguards can use a biotic Charge to get right into the fight (and know how to use a few guns and biotic powers too), and Infiltrators can become invisible to flank the enemy or just snipe from a distance.
When you're choosing your class, think about how you want to approach combat. Want to shoot people a lot? Soldier, Vanguard, and Infiltrator are great choices. Don't want to aim weapons so much? The Adept is the best choice. If you want to get in people's faces, the Vanguard is the best. Want survivability? Sentinel. Stealth? Infiltrator. And if you want to fight from a distance, the Infiltrator and Soldier both do very well. Do keep in mind that at one point in the game, non-Soldiers have the option to start using a new weapon type, so you're not necessarily locked out of guns permanently. (At that point in the game, Soldiers instead get the chance to unlock one of three super-powerful guns that replaces a shotgun, sniper rifle, or assault rifle.) Playing as a Vanguard that can fight with a shotgun at close range and still snipe people at a distance is very handy.
Unified Cooldowns
One new change from ME1 is the unified cooldown system. Now, any ability you use will set all the rest on cooldown, so you won't be able to spam abilities. To counter, they're much more powerful than before, but it does also mean that you should start out by maxing out a well-rounded ability rather than spreading your points all over the place. Why? Well, if you've got the same cooldown for all abilities, you might as well use a top-tier ability as much as possible. Good choices for a well-rounded ability are Concussive Shot, Incinerate, and Warp.
Also, keep in mind that some abilities will still have a longer cooldown than others. If your Sentinel is going to rush out there with Tech Armor on and firing biotics out, make sure to put the first one on ahead of time so that you're not sitting there waiting for the long cooldown.
Paragon/Renegade
If you want to get the most out of Mass Effect 2's story, you should invest early and heavily in Shepard's passive bonus ability which, if you're just starting out, is at the bottom of the list. All six classes have one tree you can drop points into that give bonuses to Paragon and Renegade rewards (amongst other perks), so get in early if you want to have more conversation options.
Heatsinks
The new heatsink system speeds up the action in ME2, but it also takes some getting used to. Each one you pick up adds a small amount of ammo to all of your regular weapons, so you can't just rely on one gun for the whole game. You'll need to use your abilities and switch weapons often based on the type of fight you're going up against. And when fights are over, do make sure to quickly comb the battlefield for heatsinks left by enemy corpses - it's the only loot they drop now, so make sure you've got enough firepower for the next group of enemies around the corner.
Find your Range
It's important to pair up the type of weapon you're using with the range you're fighting at. Sniper rifles work very well against distant enemies, but once you get the rapid-fire one, it can also be used to quickly strip armor and shields off of a really tough target. If you're planning to use Charge with a Vanguard, pull out your shotgun first for maximum punch once you, uh, "arrive" at your target. And don't forget to pop back to your pistol here and there, as it's a pretty solidly accurate weapon at medium ranges. Just make sure to score headshots if you're going to bother.
Cover, cover, cover
There are only a few fights in the game that you shouldn't be doing from behind cover. Not only does cover make it easier to aim, but you won't have to hang your ass out there getting shot repeatedly while you maneuver yourself manually back behind the wall. You can focus on hitting enemies and controlling your NPC companions from behind cover, too.
There are a few enemies that will force you to rethink your strategy, though - Varren, Krogans, and some flying enemies are designed to get around behind you, and if you get overrun, there's often more cover just behind you. If there's a low object you can vault over, don't go around it to find safety, though, as you'll be eating bullets the whole time. Instead, hold the sprint button to run directly towards it, and when Shepard slides in to get cover (on the wrong side of the wall, mind you), then let go of the button and push and hold it again. Shepard should quickly hop over the wall and find safety.
Buddying Up
Shepard has ten NPC companions that eventually become available throughout ME2 - eleven if you count the additional DLC character. Unlike the first game, though, their abilities don't often come from the same six classes that Shepard's limited to. This means that you'll need to study their abilities and figure out what works best together. Biotics and sniper rifles work well at range, but do you need a huge Krogan in your party for up-close action if you're already a Vanguard?
Also keep in mind that the ammo abilities on several characters work very well alongside certain abilities - and if you choose properly when maxing the ability, everyone in the party can use the ammo, too.
Purchases
Most of the vendor terminals in Mass Effect 2 also have a salesman nearby. You can often convince them to give you a discount, either through a quest or through dialog (bring your Paragon and Renegade points!). The discounts you get are significant, so make sure you do this. It's also important to save as much money as you can, because cash is harder to come by in ME2 than minerals are.
Saving
On the PC, quick-saving is easy - and you should do it often, especially before talking to a key character. Some conversations can go quite a few different ways, and you might want to experiment to see how it goes. For that matter, you can save your game far more often than the autosave checkpoints will do, so if you really hate redoing fights, try and save after every battle. The 360 version may present a bit more of a hassle for chronic quick-savers since the option is buried in a menu, but in some cases it's worth the effort.
Scanning and Mining
Some gamers have already expressed disgust at how slow scanning and mining are. I will tell you that there many more resources available on the many planets out there than you'll ever need for upgrades, so I recommend you only do scanning in small doses after a big mission or something.
There are some ways to speed it up. You need to have a system for covering most of the surface of a planet quickly, and so far, what I've found is that on the Xbox 360, you can move the cursor fastest if you go side-to-side. Pulse the scanner by tapping the left trigger slowly, and use the right stick to spin the planet opposite of the direction you're scanning. (If you're going left on the left stick, then go left on the other one as well.) As soon as you see a spike on the scanner, stop and go back to find it. On the PC, you can scan much faster with a high-sensitivity mouse, but you'll also need to pay close attention to the little meter as it's easy to zoom right past a good pile of minerals.
The game determines that planets are "Depleted" when they're mostly stripped of major resource caches. There will still be one or two there, plus trace amounts as well. It's up to you if you want to leave a planet as soon as it's Depleted, whether you want to toss a probe at anything that serves as even a blip. You can also just hit the big stores of minerals and move on as soon as a planet goes to "Poor". Completionists will want to get everything but if you're just looking to get all the upgrades, quickly scanning a planet and only actually firing probes at the big finds will get you enough minerals for all the upgrades the quickest. Don't worry about scanning every square inch - if there's an anomaly that you can land your shuttle on, the game will tell you before you ever start scanning.
Finally, you may want to hold off of any scanning marathons until you upgrade the Normandy's systems for better scanning. There are upgrades from your companions that allow you to carry more fuel and probes, but the biggest one comes from Miranda and it allows the scanning cursor to move much faster.
Doing Research
You won't necessarily need every upgrade unless you're playing on the higher difficulties, but let's face it - it's much more fun if you've got 'em, and some of the upgrades you can get affect the endgame substantially. Make sure to talk to everyone, check every room, every little nook and cranny when you're out adventuring, as you'll often find terminals and tech that get you new squad upgrades. You don't need to go over everything with a fine-tooth comb as the game does highlight interesting finds with a cursor, but just make sure you're opening all doors and checking corners in the big firefight rooms.
Also, remember that some weapon upgrades require you to upgrade the damage first, so if you buy an upgrade at a store, that might unlock the ones that you can't research just yet.
New Abilities
Partway through the game, Shepard is given the option to use a new weapon type. You might want to pick a weapon that complements your abilities, or those of your regular squad if you've got one, but you might also just want to pick a weapon type that you think is fun, too. There are good reasons for a Vanguard to go with Assault Rifles or Heavy Shotguns over Sniper weapons, and that will depend on your style of play and the company you keep.
There's also a point in the game where you'll get to add a new ability to Shepard's list simply by researching it. This is a pretty big deal, and since you can choose cross-class abilities, you might find some really interesting combinations as a result.
Finally, when you beat the game, some abilities may become unlocked for a brand new Shepard depending on what you did with your companions. You'll get to choose one of them, although it helps if it works well with the class you just chose.
Finishing Up
Assuming the final mission went well, ME2 allows you to continue playing your character to catch any missions or planets you missed or just play through DLC packs. You can also end the game there and restart it in "New Game+" style, where you've got all your weapons, experience, and abilities. The decision is permanent, so choose wisely. And if you do decide to start over, try another gender, different choices, and different conversation options. The action will mostly be the same, but the story can be quite different a second time around.
