Mass Effect - Spoilers

[Xavier]

Your next playthrough should put you at level 59, and then your entire 3rd playthrough should bring you up to level 60.

Are you sure thats accurate if I'm starting 5K from 55, not 50, with all the XP bonuses from achievements?

[Exoduso]

59-60 takes 80% of a playthrough or so, including side quests. (200k)... MAYBE if you leave the mako at all times to kill stuff you'll level just enough to hit 60 in your 2nd, but it's hard to imagine.

I went with the caps though, stayed with the same char for my first 3 playthroughs so I did 1-50, 1-58(close to 59), and then 58-60 on my 3rd.

[Maxxthepenguin]

So, exo, you start KOTOR yet? I just played through the game again and it has aged quite well. The selkath model actually still looks really damn good >_>

[Exoduso]

It's the first game on my gamefly list currently, waiting for them to ship it.

[Maxxthepenguin]

Beautiful :D You'll love it.

[Brill Weave]

So, exo, you start KOTOR yet? I just played through the game again and it has aged quite well. The selkath model actually still looks really damn good >_>

I just started playing this again as well. Bought that and #2. Still trying to track down another copy of Jade Empire though. I was very impressed with how well KOTOR still looks after all this time. I would still plow Bastilla.

[Maxxthepenguin]

The gamestop I'm near had tons of copies of Jade Empire lol. It was really fun, IMO better than Mass Effect but worse than KOTOR. The characters are absolutely awesome though.

[Xavier]

Somehow I imagine KOTOR being Mass Effect set in the Star Wars universe, replacing your characters guns with light sabers and your biotics with the force. Is that fairly accurate? I may pick the game up, I know it was supposed to be good but I never gave it a look, and seeing how I love Mass Effect I'm kinda interested.

[Maxxthepenguin]

Somehow I imagine KOTOR being Mass Effect set in the Star Wars universe, replacing your characters guns with light sabers and your biotics with the force. Is that fairly accurate? I may pick the game up, I know it was supposed to be good but I never gave it a look, and seeing how I love Mass Effect I'm kinda interested.

Jesus christ, you guys are missing out so much :/

It has a lot of the same structure, though the battle system is quite different and, in general, it is based on the d20 system. There are also a lot more alternate solutions. For example, in most of the areas you have to infiltrate and attack there are power conduits, cameras, and computers. You can use your computer skills to hack the computer to check the cameras and overload the power conduits to explode and kill enemies near it and this isn't just a rare occasion. You constantly can do this to avoid combat and not waste valuable grenades, medpacks, and stimulants. The plot is also much, much better IMO. The sidequests tend to be more like the ones you found in the Citadel but with a lot more choosing sides and more ramifications based on your alignment choices. Levels are far more meaningful and not handed out like candy. You will likely hit 18-20 in a normal 30h playthrough. And, as a little spoilerish thing, here are the planets: Taris which is the main City planet, Dantooine which is where the Jedi Enclave is, Tatooine which is Tatoo-freaking-ine, Kashyyyk which is the Wookie homeworld, Manaan which is a vastly undersea world, and Korriban which houses the Sith Academy. There are also a few starships that you're on and the hub is the Ebon Hawk which serves a similar purpose to the Normandy.

Seriously, look at the people who said Mass Effect is good but not great and those who said OMGBESTEVAR. The difference seems to be whether they played KOTOR

[Ehran]

Battle mechanics aside, Mass Effect and KOTOR are different in their story lines for good and evil. Keep in mind, I play for the story more than anything else.

In Mass Effect, if you go renegade you're just a cold hearted bad-ass. In KOTOR, and even in Jade Empire, I would be so wrapped up in the story that I literally couldn't bring myself to complete the game with the dark side / closed fist endings. Its evil and wrong. I refuse to socialize with anyone who says they enjoyed those two endings. Mass Effect, while it was beautiful and fun, just didn't have the same effect on me. I could play through the game as a renegade without feeling icky.

[Xavier]

Battle mechanics aside, Mass Effect and KOTOR are different in their story lines for good and evil. Keep in mind, I play for the story more than anything else.

In Mass Effect, if you go renegade you're just a cold hearted bad-ass. In KOTOR, and even in Jade Empire, I would be so wrapped up in the story that I literally couldn't bring myself to complete the game with the dark side / closed fist endings. Its evil and wrong. I refuse to socialize with anyone who says they enjoyed those two endings. Mass Effect, while it was beautiful and fun, just didn't have the same effect on me. I could play through the game as a renegade without feeling icky.

The only time I ever really felt like a dick playing the renegade was at the end, with the decision about the Council and your fleet.

Watching their crew's faces light up as they saw the alliance and then the utter WTF at the comm link being shut off was terrible, haha.

[Exoduso]

I thought it was pretty funny lol... (spoilers..)

I only did it twice though, to get the storylines out of the way (once I let the council die and choose Udina as the new coucil leader, and the 2nd time I tell them to concentrate on Sovereign which does the same thing essentially and choose Anderson as the leader.)

[Xavier]

Spoilers

Yeah, its interesting. When you let the Council die and pick Anderson as the human representative, Udina seems to agree thats a good decision. If you save the Council and pick Anderson as the human representative, Udina gets pissed off.

[Ehran]

I thought it was pretty funny lol... (spoilers..)

I only did it twice though, to get the storylines out of the way (once I let the council die and choose Udina as the new coucil leader, and the 2nd time I tell them to concentrate on Sovereign which does the same thing essentially and choose Anderson as the leader.)

No matter what you choice you make, and even if you go Paragon, you can sit back, get into the game and say "Hell yeah! Bruce Willis would have done the same damn thing!"

With the KOTOR and Jade Empire the evil is a lot more potent, and ultimately, I think its a bonus for Mass Effect since it adds to the replay value for anyone who isn't morally bankrupt.

[Xavier]

Even in Mass Effect I had a really hard time ever really choosing full renegade, which is a uh, good sign I guess.

[Maxxthepenguin]

You will never survive the dark side then.

You know, the side that blew up Alderaan to intimidate Leia

[Brill Weave]

I made the dumbass choice to begin playing KOTOR as a Smuggler class. Completely forgot how much more difficult it is. Your guy takes like three hits and dies. Mission and Zanzibar(or whatever the hell he's called) are close to useless. The only person I have that's worth anything is Carth. And he's a spineless emo bitch.

[Maxxthepenguin]

I made the dumbass choice to begin playing KOTOR as a Smuggler class. Completely forgot how much more difficult it is. Your guy takes like three hits and dies. Mission and Zanzibar(or whatever the hell he's called) are close to useless. The only person I have that's worth anything is Carth. And he's a spineless emo bitch.

wtf

Zaalbar is sure as hell not useless, he owns face harder than Carth and has loads of VP. He's a motherfucking Wookie, man. Mission is useless if you're a scoundrel yourself, of course. Try using Critical Strike as a scoundrel, if the enemy is stunned then your hits count as Sneak Attacks so you do loads of extra damage. Make sure to stack up your AC, scoundrels have low VP but can get massive AC. Also, use Computers and Repaired Droids as much as possible. Scoundrel + Zaalbar + Carth should work well.

[Brill Weave]

I was just stuck in the awkward sections where your main is too weak to really contribute much to the overall damage of the group and nobody else is really blowing any doors off anything either(was still doing the Taris missions.)

My main problem is that I'm whiffing waaaaaaaaay too much with my main character now. I completely miss most Flurries and my hit rate on Critical Strikes isn't all that much better. The god damn Mandalorians on Kashyykk give me a run for my money every time I bring them out. My party setup is Jolee and Bastila at the moment.

I've resorted to planting mines in solo mode and then luring them back through them

[Xavier]

Yay, finally got my lvl 60 and insane achievements. I only had to beat the game twice on my second char to get 60, like I mentioned earlier, the first play through with it got me to 54.8ish, and it was cake to get 60 before the second play ended.

How much does playing the tech class suck? Those achievements and Liara (fked up my first playthrough, didn't know any better and picked up Liara too late, then proceeded to use her) are all I have left.