Which NPC's romance each other?

Question

I didn't romance any character in the first two parts but romanced Liara in the last part.

Now, I found Garrus and Tali kissing in the main gun calibration room and I was wondering, are there any other romancing scenes between teammates? For example, if I had romanced Tali instead, would Garrus be with Liara or if I would have been a femshep and romance Garrus, would Tali be with Liara.

I'm not interested only in this trio, but curious in general: which teammates romance each other in Mass Effect?

Asked by mindnoise

Answer

No, this is one of only two visible romances on board, other than your own. The other is Ken and Gabby, as per @ERazER's comment. I personally haven't seen that one. While it may be implied that other relationships may happen, there isn't a scene to walk in on for them. In any case, they don't involve your squad mates, except Joker and EDI. Can't see them making out either.

Answered by MBraedley

Check more discussion of this question.

Which teams romance each other?

Question

I didn't romance any character in the first two parts but romanced Liara in the last part.

Now, I found Garrus and Tali kissing in the main gun calibration room and I was wondering, are there any other romancing scenes between teammates? For example, if I had romanced Tali instead, would Garrus be with Liara or if I would have been a femshep and romance Garrus, would Tali be with Liara.

I'm not interested only in this trio, but curious in general: which teammates romance each other in Mass Effect?

Asked by mindnoise

Answer

No, this is one of only two visible romances on board, other than your own. The other is Ken and Gabby, as per @ERazER's comment. I personally haven't seen that one. While it may be implied that other relationships may happen, there isn't a scene to walk in on for them. In any case, they don't involve your squad mates, except Joker and EDI. Can't see them making out either.

Answered by MBraedley

Check more discussion of this question.

What level is advised to play Mass Effect's Bring Down The Sky DLC?

Question

Mass Effect's free DLC (on the PC at least) Bring Down the Sky, adds a new system right by the Citadel, Local System and the starter planets of Feros and Noverria.

Is it possible/realistic to play this DLC straight away as a starter character, or should I wait until I've levelled up a bit? If so, what level will it still be a challenge at? I don't want to come back to it at level 50 and find that I can just stroll through it without a challenge.

Is there a rough range of levels where this is possible but still a fun (rather than frustrating) challenge?

Asked by GAThrawn

Answer

It is possible but inadvisable to play Bring Down the Sky from the very beginning. While certainly doable (I've done it myself) you're probably going to end up reloading a dozen times or more over the course of the mission.

The Batarians are no pushoevers, and you've got the always "lovable" varren to deal with, who have a nasty tendency to sneak up behind you and eat you through shields. There is also the issue of one of the torch bunkers spawning rocket drones nigh-continuosly until you take out all the batarian engineers - and everyone knows what sorts of naughty things close-quarter rockets due to Shepard, shielded or not.

I would recommend a level of about 25-30 -- the goal is that you have enough abilities by that point to survive a little longer than you might otherwise. But, level alone isn't the best indicator of difficulty in this game; if you've already beaten the game once, you should have the VII spectre master weapons available as soon as you can afford them, and a good gun and good knowledge of cover will serve you better than the extra 100 health successive levels will give you.

Answered by Raven Dreamer

Check more discussion of this question.

Teammates romancing each other

Question

I didn't romance any character in the first two parts but romanced Liara in the last part. Now, I found Garrus and Tali kissing in the main gun calibration room and I was wondering, are there any other romancing scenes between teammates? For example, if I had romanced Tali instead, would Garrus be with Liara or if I would have been a femshep and romance Garrus, would Tali be with Liara. I'm not interested only in this trio, but curious in general, which teammates romance each other in Mass Effect?

Asked by mindnoise

Answer

No, this is the only visible romance on board, other than your own. It's implied that others may happen, but there isn't a scene to walk in on for them. In any case, they don't involve your squad mates, except Joker and EDI. Can't see them making out either.

Answered by MBraedley

Check more discussion of this question.

Where is “Major Kyle”?

Question

On the "Major Kyle" assignment, I successfully landed on Presrop and found a building in which I had a conversation with a guard over intercom. After using my "Charm" skill, I was able to enter the building and nobody attacked me.

When I look at the map, I see an orange symbol in the upper left room,I checked both rooms (on each level) and Major Kyle is not there nor anything that may help me to finish this assignment.

Is that a Bug or the Major is hiding elsewhere?

Asked by DavRob60

Answer

The Major is hiding elsewhere. There is actually a second building nearby where you find Major Kyle and end the mission.

This video walkthrough will help you find where he's hiding. (The relevant portion is around 5:20 in)

Answered by A. Still

Check more discussion of this question.

Mass Effect - custom character creation

Question

Just starting Mass Effect. Given how much I've read about 'John Shepard', I'm wondering if it is worth creating a custom character (which I would normally do), or if it is best to go with the standard male character?

Asked by Durathor

Answer

Shepard is your character's name, if you don't really care about how he looks, then you don't really have to customize him at all.

Most of the story and interactions have little to do with your character origin. There are a few lines here and there that refer to your past, but nothing game changing in the grand scheme of the plot.

What does change the story are driven by the choices you make throughout the game.

Answered by Sorean

Check more discussion of this question.

Do I need to have played Mass Effect to enjoy Mass Effect 2?

Question

I have never played Mass Effect, but I hear that Mass Effect 2 is great.

Do I need to play the first to understand the second? Will I be lost?

Asked by Vaccano

Answer

They do a pretty good job of introducing the world and story in ME2, if you have not played ME1. That being said, I feel that picking up ME1 for $20 is well worth it and will definitely enhance your ME2 experience.

For example. certain characters will not appear in ME2 if you did not play ME1. Make sure you get ME1 and ME2 on the same platform too. You can't transfer saves from different platforms.

Answered by Elpezmuerto

Check more discussion of this question.

In ME1 how do you skip a conversation, but not choose an answer?

Question

I read the subtitles a whole lot faster than the people talk in Mass Effect 1, and I've played the game through once already.

So I'm looking for a way to skip a cutscene without accidentally choosing an answer.

Currently, I'm using Spacebar to skip the dialog; however, since spacebar also selects the dialog option, pressing spacebar one time too many can result in random dialog choices.

Asked by Stuart Pegg

Answer

No way to do it. The only way is to slowly move the mouse into the neutral part of the wheel. This way most of the time you can skip it without much consequences.

Answered by Krogan

Check more discussion of this question.

Are there story elements in Mass Effect 3 which are directly influenced by actions in the first game?

Question

Since ME1 never came out on the PS3, the PS3 version of ME2 made up for the inability to import ME1 saves by including an interactive comic DLC (Mass Effect: Genesis) that makes up for the "missing" game by letting you make decisions that will affect the second game.

I assume an imported save from ME2 which had that DLC will take these key decisions effective in the third game as well, but I was wondering - are there are some actions available in the first game which I'm missing out their direct meaningful influence on the third game because I don't have a save with these actions performed? If so, is there a direct gameplay disadvantage (for example, missing characters, galactic readiness, etc).

Asked by JohnoBoy

Answer

You miss out on a few things, I'd only consider the interactions with Wrex as major:

1. BDTS DLC for the first one allows you to have some war assets if you took the paragon path.
2. Venrad Connor needs to have survived in both the first and second to show up as a war asset in the third.
3. You have to have saved the Rachni queen in the first to gain her as an asset in the third. (The fake rachni queen that's subsituted will betray you).
4. You will miss out on Wrex in general as he's now dead.

There are more but most of them are simply war assets etc.

Answered by yx.

Check more discussion of this question.

How do I tell if crew members have more dialogue available?

Question

In Mass Effect 3, how do I tell if crew members have more dialogue options available after I get back on the Normandy? It would be really nice if I didn't have to go around the ship and talk to everyone to see if there are more conversation options to go through.

Asked by darth happyface

Answer

I'm sorry to say there isn't. You'll just have to talk to everyone, look at a walkthrough, or use your best judgement.

Answered by Persian_Xerxes

Check more discussion of this question.

Can I get a save for PS3 that alters Mass Effect 1 decisions?

Question

As I can't seem to find Mass Effect 1 on PS3 and have been informed that it was made for 360 only, is there any way to get a save for PS3 to make the changes in ME3 based on decisions made in it, or do I just have to miss it and forget about it and just play ME3 with the save I have for Mass Effect 2?

And if it is possible to get ME1 decision save for the PS3 can anybody tell me where and how it needs to be done? And how much of an impact it will actually have?

Asked by Cem22lp

Answer

Since there was no release of Mass Effect for the PS3, Bioware released an interactive comic as DLC, which allows you to make some of the decisions from ME1 that impact the ME2 (and ME3) story. They later made this available on other platforms.

The only downside to this is that you'll have to have downloaded, installed, and used this DLC prior to starting your run on ME2 - otherwise, you're starting from the "default" no-save-imported state in ME2, and those default choices will carry over into ME3.

Answered by agent86

Check more discussion of this question.

Will playing Mass Effect 3 first spoil the previous games in the series?

Question

I haven't played Mass Effect 1 or 2 yet, am I going to ruin the previous games' stories by playing Mass Effect 3 first?

I know the games let you continue the plot basically between games but I'm wondering if the major surprises/plot points are ruined if I play Mass Effect 3 first.

Asked by Ben Brocka

Answer

I'd say yes. The story evolves over the course of the previous two games, and there's really no way to watch/play even the introduction sequence of this game without spoiling some of the major plot reveals of the first.

Things that Shepard discovers in the first and second games are pretty much widely known at the beginning of the third, so the plot twists and turns of those games will be completely lost as people are going to be conversing about them at length even early on.

Some of the returning characters played major roles or were scarred by events in the previous game ("the Virmire survivor" comes to mind as being key), so attempting to talk to them without getting spoiled about the events of previous games is virtually impossible.

That's not to say that starting here will utterly ruin your taste for either of the previous games. I believe Bioware has tried to make this chapter accessible for newcomers, and the plot of the first two is nuanced and complex enough that you'd still gain from going back and playing the first two if you get engrossed in this game's universe.

However, if you're the type that values not being spoiled, starting with ME3 is going to really reveal a ton about the plot of the first two games.

Answered by agent86

Check more discussion of this question.

How long would it take to beat Mass Effect 1 & 2

Question

I am trying to get ready for ME 3, assuming I played to win, and not for completion, but I have never played them before/have no strategy guide. How long would it reasonably take to complete the two games and be ready for ME 3.

Asked by Pyrodante

Answer

How Long To Beat has cross-platform averages for Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, shown below (although I would I consider these to be a bit high, it's all very dependant on the player, obviously):

                Main        Main Plus    Completionist
Mass Effect     17:11:56    30:44:28     48:26:54
Mass Effect 2   26:09:34    36:48:34     47:19:13

Main is the barebones main quests, no side missions etc, so is what you're asking for.

However, Main Plus includes additional side missions, etc, so if you just play "normally" instead of speeding through (and you should, a lot of ME1 and ME2 side mission results are carried forward to influence the later games so if your aim is to play the series it'd be a waste to skip these) then this is probably more representative of what you need.

Answered by DMA57361

Check more discussion of this question.

How does Electronics work for repairing the Mako if more than one person has it?

Question

I currently have 2 members in my party with the Electronics skill (Garrus and Liara), which, in addition to its other functions, also serves as the baseline for hull repair of the Mako. Every point in Electronics increases the amount of hull repaired by 200.

If I have both of them in my party, whose skill is used? Will the game automatically choose the highest Electronics skill in my party? Will (and I highly doubt this, but I'm wondering for completion's sake) the amount repaired stack?

Asked by FallenAngelEyes

Answer

Apparently, the skills stack. This post is about medical gel, but if you scroll down you'll see someone who looks like they've actually done the leg works to do the research and states that

Electronics repair bonuses stack as well.

Answered by Ktash

Check more discussion of this question.

How do I get Tali's companion quest?

Question

I have the personal assignments from Garrus and Wrex, which activated through extended conversations with them. However, I've explored the whole conversation tree with Tali, and I still have not received her quest.

What do I need to do to acquire Tali's personal quest? Is there a certain sidequest I need to do? I've skipped over many of them because I'm only on my first playthrough and I'm saving most of them for my completionist run to get to level 60.

Asked by FallenAngelEyes

Answer

The wiki tells you all (but beware of spoilers). Tali's quest is much more subtle than that for Garrus and Wrex. On Virmire or Feros, you can find information about Geth incursions in the Armstrong Nebula (as a side note, I can't say I've ever found the info on Feros, but that could be because of my low decryption skill for most of my playthroughs). As is typical, simply traveling to the Armstrong Nebula will prompt Admiral Hackett to tell you about it as well. It's during this mission that you'll find important information on the Geth that could be useful to the Migrant Fleet, and would do well to serve as a Pilgrimage Gift. Talk to Tali after completing Geth Incursions to also complete her side quest.

Answered by MBraedley

Check more discussion of this question.

What's required to save Captain Kirrahe on Virmire?

Question

I was reading the ME3 entry in the Mass Effect Wiki when I read that Captain Kirrahe would return in some fashion if he survived the assault on Saren's base on Virmire. Now maybe I missed something the first two times around, but I know for certain that I didn't save him the third time I played the game.

I'm aware that without disabling some stuff before reaching the base, Kirrahe will almost certainly die, however, I'd like to know if there's a time component, or other specific actions that will effect this outcome. Of special interest is whether choosing to aid the team at the AA guns or return to the bomb site has any effect.

Asked by MBraedley

Answer

Kirrahe will survive if you take out the geth fliers by disabling the landing strips on your way into the compound.

If you don't, he will die to an air assault.

How much of his team survives depends on what Shepherd does with the Alarms when entering the facility - the renegade option means less will survive, but "how much" of his team survived doesn't get carried over.

The wiki has a little more.

Answered by Raven Dreamer

Check more discussion of this question.

Can I change class/stats between playthroughs in Mass Effect 1?

Question

I was wondering if I start a new game and carry over my Shepard from my first playthrough, can I switch up stats and my class? This isn't moving from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2, strictly in Mass Effect 1.

Asked by Foxvog

Answer

You cannot change your stats or class in a new game plus. Your class and stats and gear remain from the prior playthrough.

Your followers' stats reset and can be allocated differently.

Answered by David B

Check more discussion of this question.

Finished Mass Effect 1. Now how can I play the BDtS DLC?

Question

The most recent Mass Effect saves I got are from within the Citadel (attacked @ end game). I'm losing 2 hours of gameplay if I load the last save where I was in control of the Normandy. You lose the Normandy once you land on Ilos.

So the question is... how the hell can I play the DLC and have it reflect in Mass Effect 2 without re-playing all the game ending?

If this is not possible, I think I will use the Mass Effect savegames website, although I would feel like I'm cheating. However, maybe this is the only way now that I finished the game already without playing the DLC?

Asked by Axonn

Answer

Simply put: This is not possible.

Like I mentioned in your other question - once you're on Illos, there's no going back. If you'd like to carry over your results from Bring Down the Sky, you'll have to complete the mission before Illos.

Answered by Raven Dreamer

Check more discussion of this question.

How to beat Matriarch Benezia with little health?

Question

I just beat the first wave of commandos Benezia sends after you in Mass Effect. The game automatically saved and after the conversation ends and I am meant to kill her, I have little health, no medpacks and my team also has little health.

My team consists of Ashley and Benezia's daughter (whose name I forget), one of which gets put in stasis mode every single time.

There doesn't seem to be anywhere I can run to seek cover.

The closest I came was using the marksman ability and telling my team-members to attack Benezia and getting her down to a sliver of health before a commando killed me.

Suggestions?

edit: I am playing as an infiltrator.

Asked by m3tron0me

Answer

I had this problem when running through on Insanity. I ended up doing the following after many, many tries.

I ran away from Benezia, back toward where you come into the room. I also made sure that my squad was following me. There were some commandos there, and took them out using powers and the squads guns, and then made the left to that platform.

From there, I personally used my best long-ranged weapon and took out all enemies that could see me from there. Benezia was not one of them. Once I slowly and carefully picked off all enemies, allowing armor to regenerate between each, I then had my entire squad attack Benezia.

I also had the Unity power for all of this, but I don't think I used it at all during this battle once I figured out this tactic.

I think that the best thing you can do is try something other than take her on right away. Bide your time and take care of minions first. Use talents liberally (Shield Boost, etc.)

Answered by APrough

Check more discussion of this question.

Are any of the Mass Effect 1 DLCs relevant to the story in Mass Effect 2?

Question

I'm asking here because I don't want spoilers. Just yes or no answers. In case of "yes", please, tell me what DLC should I play and in what order.

Asked by Axonn

Answer

Mass Effect 1's "Bring Down the Sky" has an effect in Mass Effect 2. The other available DLC, "Pinnacle Station", does not.

You've asked to avoid spoilers, so I'll simply say that the default canon is that Bring Down the Sky ends with the Renegade ending. If you play it personally, you can alter this.

Answered by Raven Dreamer

Check more discussion of this question.