Mass Effect 2 Strategies - No Spoilers!

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#1

I realized something about my gameplay that I wanted to share. It is quite simple, but I also wanted to start a discussion regarding people’s techniques, strategies and approaches to the game. I am very interested to hear the party members you usually choose given your class and other pieces of advice you may have.

My one strategy is this: When wandering around and following the objective arrow I consistently find treasure troves if I simply GO THE OTHER WAY. That is right, 9 times out of 10 if there are two paths to choose from or a giant open field where the objective arrow says go left, go right. That’s it. I learned this technique in the first one and see that it is still true. Sure, you could blaze through the game ignoring the goodies they have laid out, but why? They once again reward those who are willing to take a second to go off the beaten path and explore.

Trust me on this. If you want to earn some cash, tech and minerals quickly, turn around.

#2

Well duh duder, that’s a staple of videogames!

#3

I learned this from my days of playing pokemon religious on the ol gameboy.
When youre walking thru a cave or silph co, sure, you can just find the quickest route, but if you explore every room, boy oh boy.
Its stuck with me into ME & ME2
I try every door, every path.

#4

I probably get too obsessed with this type of thing. I cover all the ground to make sure I don’t miss anything; be it for upgrades, money, ammo or just worried that I may miss something that could help me out later in the game. That is why it took me 70 hrs to finish and I had 100’s of thousands extra minerals.

More tips are:

Shoot for the head :stuck_out_tongue:

Learn your abilities and use them (I think many people who do shooters get used to relying on their weapon and forget the advantage of Biotics or Tech)

Mine as you go (only send out a few probes on each “Rich” planet you should be set for the game)

Try to get discounts before buying stuff (most shops will give you the opportunity to earn a discount, so try before you buy)

Always check back with character so you don’t miss out on any dialog.

Lets not forget what Chuck and Sean said so long ago. Think of the dialog options as what you are thinking, not what you want your character to say.

#5

Party composition is important, especially on the higher difficulty levels. Think twice about bringing someone along just because they are your favorite. Choosing teammates with abilities that compliment your own can go a long way towards balancing challenging encounters. Not to mention the dialogue you miss.

I hope this isnt too spoilery, but Ill put it in tags anyway:
[spoiler]
When Harbinger assumes direct control of one of the Collectors he has two primary attacks. 1) A fast moving white/yellow energy ball that burns up shields and 2) a slow moving yellow energy ball with black tendrils that does significant damage and can knock you from low cover. The best position for the second attack is behind tall cover, but if you dont have any you can trick the energy ball into flying past you instead of colliding with your cover by moving from side to side. Its going left you move right, its moving right you move left. Wish I had video, but its simple enough if you try it a few times.[/spoiler]

As a Vanguard, since your primary abilities are biotic in nature, I usually went with Miranda and Grunt. Miri has overload and warp and Grunt is a meat shield, especially after you research Krogan Vitality, very useful for when you need a distraction.
As an Infiltrator I varied it a lot more by mission, usually taking Miranda/Garrus and Mordin/Thane.

Cant really think of anything else at the moment that isnt related to specific encounters and thus too spoilery.

#6

Oh the crap I could post here, but I think I’m the only one who plays with a disability on this forum.

If you have trouble bypassing security and you’re playing on the PC, lower the screen resolution to 800x600 and window the game, do the bypass, then put the resolution and screen like you had it.

Ditto what Uchiha Daisuke said about using abilities. Many of them are one-hit and the enemy is dead on easier difficulties.

When it comes to 4th level power evolutions, I like to choose squad sharing for ammo, and the stronger, single enemy killing versions. In my play throughs, enemies tend to be too far spread out for the multiple hit versions to be worthwhile. Incinerate and Singularity may be the exceptions to that rule however.

If you’re going for max Paragon/Renegade, max out that class specific ability first. Sure, your Shepard may not kick much ass for the first 5 levels, but your squad mates can pick up the slack early on.

#7

Any single upgrade doesn’t look like much. Cumulatively upgrades drastically lower difficulty. Don’t hoard credits, shop often. Armor mods are the most modest upgrades but try combining pieces that grant the same bonus type, shields or health or weapon damage.

If having trouble resourcing, treat yourself first and buy friends gifts later. Your squaddies have mad imba aim anyway. They can make do with stock weapons for a while.

Make good use of advanced training and retrain powers research prototypes. This is prohibitively expensive in a first playthrough. On subsequent playthroughs it no longer matters, what else you gonna spend all that eezo on? Don’t be afraid to rebalance skill levels and alternate your bonus power from mission to mission if needed. A pitcher with same old pitch isn’t a good pitcher. That said, it’s better to have one level four skill than a balance of skills without any level four skill. Always have a best pitch.

Split your squad against heavy opposition. Enemies have exploitable targeting priorities. If no one else is nearer, SHOOT AT SHEPARD! Do not leave forward squaddies alone when they are in trouble. Order them back to the rear to replenish health and shields. Same goes for you. AI hacking, Dominate and Combat Drones can be just as effective as splitting. Plant a temporary traitor in the enemy’s midst and enjoy open season while they are distracted.

Each class has some special flanking ability. Learn to use it as second nature. These include less obvious tools like drones, incinerate, cryo, fortification and neural shock. Whatever it takes to get around an enemy’s crate. Flank or be flanked.

The M-9 Tempest Submachine Gun is a biotics and techies best friend. Get it asap for your non-soldier self and Miranda and Mordin.

#8

Just wanted to add, when gathering resources, try to find rich planets in the same system as the gate. So, many credits can be spent on fuel that you may find yourself short just before endgame. This may not always be possible admittedly.

Also, only buy probes when you have > 5 to buy. Spending 100 credits on 1 to 4 probes isn’t economical. The game still takes the same amount regardless. 100 credits may not sound like much, but they add up over time.