Mass Effect News!

After a pretty easy challenge last weekend, get ready to dig deep…

OPERATION: LODESTAR (Mar 5th-10th)

[i]Individual Goal: This challenge is tiered:
Participation (extracting on any difficulty) earns the 1st-tier reward.
Extracting against all four enemy factions on Silver difficulty or higher earns the 2nd-tier reward.
Extracting against all four every enemy factions on Platinum difficulty earns the 3rd-tier reward.

Rewards:
1st tier – Commendation Pack.
2nd tier – A second bonus Commendation Pack and a banner, (“Stood Fast, Stood Strong, Stood Together”)
3rd tier – A third bonus Commendation Pack.[/i]

Lock and load gang.

AmmoWagon: Deploying the pylon.
JusticarJane: A precaution warranted but unnecessary. Should the Commander become belligerent I will subdue him myself.
Commander: Hi guys. I’ve decided the Platinum orders are too risky to follow. Let’s pack up and pull out.
JusticarJane: This concern for your troops is admirable.
Commander: Well, there’s that, but I’m not wasting all of the consumables on a pointless exercise either. Besides! We have two this week. What’s in the first one?
Vorchey: BETTER EAGLE.
AmmoWagon: Not such a bad gun… I mean… at point blank range… aiming at, uh, big things…
Commander: Fine. What is in the other box?
Vorchey: I WILL NOT TELL YOU!
AmmoWagon: Hurric-
RefrigeratorN7: Look out!
Vorchey: DON’T TOUCH ME, I WILL BURN YOU!
JusticarJane: Bring me the Reegar at once! Temporary incapacitation by electric shock is an appropriate measured response.
RefrigeratorN7: Back off soldier, devastator mode engaged!

Going for the extraction against all the enemy types on Silver for operation LodeStar. So far so good.

Yeah, three quick PUGs last night, three silver extractions. All good so far as well.

ThPrime – I haven’t actually laughed out loud at a forum post in a long time. Brilliant.

I actually had a blast doing them. Lots of new faces with, ahem, interesting loadouts. Some Bronze players daring silver. Things were more unpredictable than usual. Everybody really pulled together to make sure all extracted. Was proud to be a PUGger last night. Usually players are so conservative over politically correct loadouts and can be unforgivingly stingy with reviving teammates past a few token times. Bioware missed an opportunity to specify any Gold reward to encourage Silver to dare Gold.

Humor born of frustration. Excepting the two recent Gift Packs (Thanks Bioware) four of the last five Commendation packs, i.e. five relentless weeks, were Hurricane upgrades. Got the ultralight shotgun material though. With that in hand, it’s now on the plate for receiving random upgrades. Claymores for everybody.

Is this the ending people wished for?

Just started playing the Citadel DLC last night, and it is Amazing! This is what I wished Omega would have been. Sad to see the last of the Mass Effect 3 content, but I actually glad I have bought this one. Can’t wait to upgrade my luxury apartment.

Grinding tonight. Grinding tonight. Song is 2007’s Polite Dance Song by The Bird and the Bee if it gets stuck in your head. Well choreographed by tittons!

//youtu.be/JBpIDWbQJsc

Origin sale until Tuesday, March 12. ME1, ME2, ME3, ME3 CE, Trilogy (1+2+3) are all 50% off. Sorry, PC download only. These are the lowest prices to date for ME3 vanilla and collector edition, $10 and $15. A ploy to boost never-on-sale DLC sales me thinks. :slight_smile:

ADD: And many buy. And there were many N7< 50. And the Avenger Mk 1 was as a blade of grass in the field, for it was many. And it was good… Host Player Has Left. Restarting Current Wave. Are you rage quitting? Are you rage quitting? There’s no rage quitting. There’s no rage quitting in Mass Effect.

//youtu.be/6M8szlSa-8o

ONe of the news items on the Mass Effect Multiplayer site mentioned something about an online petition to get more Multiplayer DLC released, including links to a couple of proposed kits, weapons and maps. The link at ME3 Multiplayer is HERE.

Gotta say I’d love knowing that there was more MP DLC in the pipeline… so I signed the petition. I’m pretty sure nothing will come of it, but just in case:

http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/bioware-make-more-multi-player-dlc-for-mass-effect-3-2

Following the Reckoning DLC, this round of balance changes was bound to be a doozy. With the exception of the nerf to EDI units, some love for the new kits and weapons, including a ton of love for the Talon Merc. N7 weapons are now available as URs as well!

Forum post on the BioWare Social Network can be found HERE

[i]---------------------------------------------------------------------
March 12, 2013

Commendation Pack Weapons

  • The following weapons have been added to the ultra rare pool of cards
    • N7 Valkyrie Assault Rifle
    • N7 Eagle Pistol
    • N7 Crusader Shotgun
    • N7 Hurricane SMG**
    • N7 Valiant Sniper Rifle

**Note: Alliance Quartermasters have earmarked N7 Hurricane SMG requisitions for Commander ThPrime. All other commanders should complete form AQM-OMG-LOL rev.1 to backorder this weapon.

Spectre Mastery

  • Fixed an issue where medals earned could become stuck on completion

Squad Elite

  • Added a new challenge to complete 25 matches on ‘unknown enemy’
  • Added a new challenge to complete 25 matches on ‘unknown map’

Talon Omni-Bow Mechanics

  • Base number of arrows fired increased from 3 to 5
  • Omni-Bow max charge length decreased from 3 seconds to 0.35 seconds, so holding the heavy melee
    button will cause the attack to release almost instantly

Elite Mercenary Passive Power

  • Base charge regeneration cooldown decreased from 90 to 60 seconds
  • Evolution 5 charge regeneration bonus increased from 50% to 100%

Omni-Bow Mastery Passive Power

  • Base Omni-Bow damage bonus increased from 10% to 15%
  • Rank 3 Omni-Bow damage bonus increased from 20% to 25%
  • Evolution 1 Omni-Bow damage bonus increased from 30% to 35%
  • Evolution 3 Omni-Bow killing spree damage bonus decreased from 50% to 25% but duration increased
    from 8 seconds to 30 seconds
  • Evolution 5 Omni-Bow damage bonus increased from 40% to 50%

Concussive Arrows Power

  • Base number of arrows fired increased from 4 to 5 when you have this power active

Armor-Piercing Arrows Power

  • Number of charges loaded per grenade increased from 2 to 3, so for each grenade used
    you can fire 3 charges of Armor-Piercing arrows before going back to normal arrows
  • Base damage reduced from 100 to 75
  • Base number of arrows fired increased from 4 to 5 when you have this power active

Ancient Warrior Passive Power (Collector)

  • Base Ascension Stance duration increased from 30 to 45 seconds
  • Base Ascension Stance damage taken penalty reduced from 20% to 15%
  • Evolution 5 Ascension Stance damage taken penalty reduced from 20% to 10%

Repair Matrix Power

  • Base duration decreased from 15 to 8 seconds
  • Base number of shields restored per second reduced from 150 to 75
  • Evolution 1 damage reduction bonus decreased from 10% to 5%
  • Evolution 6 damage reduction bonus decreased from 15% to 10%

Alliance Infiltration Unit

  • Base melee damage reduced from 400 to 350
  • Base heavy melee damage reduced from 750 to 650

Biotic Focus Power

  • Evolution 6 damage reduction bonus increased from 15% to 20%
  • Evolution 6 melee damage bonus increased from 20% to 30%

Poison Strike Power

  • Base poison damage per second increased from 60 to 75

Adas Anti-Synthetic Assault Rifle

  • Base damage increased from [161.9-202.4] to [178.1-222.6]

Geth Spitfire Assault Rifle

  • Base damage increased from [56.5-70.6] to [62.2-77.8]

Venom Shotgun

  • Damage multiplier when fully charged increased from 10% to 25%

Blood Pack Punisher SMG

  • Base damage increased from [38.2-47.75] to [40.1-50.1]

Hex Shield Power

  • Fixed a bug where enemy Geth Prime siege pulse projectiles could pass through the shield[/i]

As such, I recommend regular consumption of Premium Spectre Packs. If uncommon mods and gear aren’t all maxed out, even plain Spectre packs will add crucial permanent upgrades to your manifest. Bad shopping choices can and will unintentionally cap your damage output and lower your survivability through lack of good gear, skill considerations aside. I’ve been hammering Arsenal and Reserves packs for weeks at the heavy price of ignoring PSP almost entirely. What did that oversight get me; a few new UR characters, a few UR guns at higher levels, more customization options for UR characters.

What I don’t have because I fixated on getting new stuff. Basic core items like upgraded ultralight materials and upgraded heavy barrels. I was taken aback when I realized both my SMG and Pistol ultralight mods were still at Mark 1. SMG ultralight is uncommon. Now that I have dispensed with the “higher chance” nonsense of the A/R packs, pistol ultralight is up to 3 in one week.

Heavy barrels only begin to offer higher damage than maximized normal extended barrels typically at their last two levels. Until then they are unwanted weight that you will never use. I consider Pistol Heavy Barrel V one of the most valuable burst damage assets in my manifest.

tl;dr Don’t neglect the middle of your manifest by fixating on what you don’t have at the end of it.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

"Hey guys - so yes the servers and challenge systems will keep running as long as we can keep them up but there will no longer be any organized weekend events. - NPlewes, Bioware, posting today

Commander: Shooting at the walls of heartache…
HiddenHuntress: An Earth song but likely not from this century?
ShieldedCrab: CUT IT OUT!
Commander: BANG! BANG!
Vorchey: NO MORE GETH PRIMES! TOO MANY!
Commander: I am the warrior. Well, I am the warrior.
ChinFirst: Warrior with a Cobra Missile Launcher no doubt?
Commander: And heart to heart you’ll win. If you survive the warrior, the warrior.
HiddenHuntress: Justicar, I believe this… vocal performance… is in reference to the Geth Mastery challenge completion.
JusticarJane: Agreed. The Commander’s enthusiasm is not entirely inappropriate, however, regimental discipline is fast becoming a distant memory.
Drellinator: The spry grace of that dancer is evocative of Infiltrator training, Drell Assassin training, of course.
ChinFirst: Oh, please…
Vorchey: NICE CLAWS!

//youtu.be/dIDaBF8LILk

I think it’s finally happened…

I’ve been putting off playing the Citadel DLC as I was pretty sure that once I had a chance to say goodbye to the crew, I’d be ready to move on. Friday night I threw a party, lots of good friends showed up, someone left me a voice recording that made me smile while making me a bit sad at the same time. Then I popped the disk out of the PS3 and uninstalled the crappy Datapad app from my phone.

Amazon exclusive: lowest price to date on Mass Effect 3 Standard or Deluxe digital downloads for the PC, 70% off for $6/$9.

Update: Part of Amazon’s Digital Games Mayhem sale until May 31st. 100+ titles with a few free retail game giveaways buried in there. Best Sellers in PC Game Downloads: ME3 digital deluxe #4, ME3 standard #11. Best Sellers Adventure: #1, #3. Selling neck and neck with buyers who still don’t have Battlefield 3.

Another wave of PC gamers incoming. The still new can now become the old and call the newer new newbies. Every PUG match below gold remains in chaos.

Too many Jugg PUGs getting you down? TECH ARMOR! Rediscovered. Here’s the original: YouTube: Everything’s Coming Up Tech Armor!

For exemplary courage in the face of amateur voice acting: the golden face palm award. It’s so nerdy it’s riveting. How many times does a gamer try to put into a pratice a written build order, a tactic, any such advice and it just does no work as advertised. Then they are told their failure is due to lack of skill. But that is nowhere near the whole truth of it. This video addresses the problem. A day in the life of an Adept.

//youtu.be/smzIjuN_QzY

Drat and tarnation I forgot to post a heads up. Hope anyone so inclined got a few rounds in (on all ME3 MP platforms) with the seldom seen these days Tags Of Gold. Bioware devs played all afternoon yesterday.

//youtu.be/eOaC7WzlfKc

Bioware Blog: Happy N7 Day!

Devs are returned to Mass Effect 4 development, but the N7 swag remains on sale in the Bioware store. I am not into collectibles but I have to admit the N7 Day 2013 Reversible Tee is priced affordably so you can, like, actually wear it and even rag it out without qualm.

Lol, jumped on late on the 7th and played a few quick Bronze PUGs. Good times, and great to see all the teasers posted online for ME4.

Commander: Christmas is coming a little early this year folks.
SueVasNormandy: You bring good news Spectre?
Vorchey: CHICKEN NOT TURKEY?
Commander: Effectively immediately the Cereberus Harrier is now available to all squads. Requisition slot 14 in the assault rifle arsenal.
Fembot: I’ve just returned from the range. While it is a powerful weapon, the ammo demands alone are cause for concern. Pending further analysis, I deem them… excessive.
Commander: Right. We’re starting with Mark 1. The gun’s capabilities will steadily improve with upgrades. For now, I recommend the Barrage Upgrade or something similar with which to compensate.
AmmoWagon: I’ve never had to equip that before.
Commander: Yes, but this is the Harrier. Concessions must be made.
KrustyKrab: Wasn’t this what you were whining about last year? Wouldn’t that be a late Christmas then?
ChinFirst: Who is the Krogan?
Commander: He’s our newest Vanguard.
KrustyKrab: They told me about your… obsession.
AmmoWagon: I’ve never had the need before.
Commander: All right. Fine. While I do acknowledge all of your concerns, this is the Harrier.
SueVasNormandy: Can I just stay with my shotgun?
Commander: For now, I’d like everyone to try it. This is the Harrier. Carry both if you must.
SueVasNormandy: It’s really heavy.
AmmoWagon: We’ll be slaved to ammo boxes like chained dogs. I grow weary of my support pylon. I want to fly free like a kite.
JusticarJane: I pulled the trigger. I thought it had jammed. The clip was empty.
Fembot: The rate of consumption is highest among all rifles in the arsenal.
Vorchey: BECAUSE WE JUST HAD TURKEY. SO… CHICKEN?
AmmoWagon: I WANT TO SOAR… TO ROAM…
Commander: I want each and everyone of you to know you are willfully ruining my Harrier Happy Time.
Drellinator: Be careful what you wish for.