Mass Effect Walkthrough

If you are a soldier, you are more than capable of handling most enemies that come your way, making it the easiest class to play. The biggest downside to playing as a soldier is the lack of other abilities, so consider bringing along tech and biotic characters for balance.

One of the big advantages to playing as an engineer is in the non-combat abilities like Decryption and Electronics, which can allow you to access new assignments or hidden information. They aren’t helpless in combat, however, and have the ability to disrupt enemy shields, abilities, and weapons.

Adepts are among the weakest classes when it comes to direct combat. To offset this, you may want to upgrade your talents in as broad a spectrum as possible. The more abilities you have available, the more likely you’ll have one when you need it.

2. Balance
Though it would seem to make sense that the more combat users you have in your squad the more formidable you would be, balance in your squad selection can go a long way–if you know how to best utilize the abilities of your followers.

If you need to face a geth armature on foot for example, heavy weapons fire will certainly do the trick, but you will always have to worry about the armature’s weapons–which can easily eliminate you or any of your teammates in a single strike. If you have a biotic user with you however, you can use abilities like Lift to disable the beast’s weapons temporarily. Likewise, with a tech user you can disable its shields or overheat the weapons of any support troops

There are also non-combat bonuses, like being able to hack into more difficult storage devices when playing as a soldier.

3. Know your enemy
The strengths and weaknesses of your enemy are important to know. Tech powers that eliminate shields and overheat weapons won’t be much use against the rachni, but can be a life saver against the geth. If you aren’t sure what you’re waling in to, a balanced squad is the way to go. But if you do know what you’re going to face on a given planet, consider brining along a character suited to dealing with that specific enemy type.
4. Using cover
Pressing your back against a wall is the safest thing you can do in combat. It provides you protection, and allows you the ability to only fire when it is safe to do so. However, there are some disadvantages, and it’s important to be aware of them.

Not all enemies have ranged weapons, and even some of those who do will charge at you anyway. More than a few times will you see krogan and geth destroyers running full speed up a hallway to try to engage you at close range. In these cases the best bet is to backpedal away, as staying in cover severely limits your mobility and opens you up to melee attacks.

You also want to stay mobile when you’re facing a large number of enemies. Sometimes big groups will try to surround you, in which case staying in one place isn’t a good idea. Your cover won’t help you if it’s not between you and your enemy.

There’s also an additional concern when facing biotics, as they can lift light cover and take away your hiding place. In these cases, try to find immobile cover like corners or heavy objects.
5. Using your squad
This is certain to vary depending on your class, but a few general ideas apply when it comes to using your squad in combat.

First, you should always know what abilities each of your squad members has and how best to use them. Depending on your settings, your squad may use all their abilities on their own, which can usually take the pressure off of inexperienced players to make those kinds of tactical decisions. As you go along however, it’s a good idea to get familiar with using all the abilities available to your squad. The more experience you have using abilities, the more natural they become, meaning in a pinch you’ll know exactly what to do.

More subtle is the ability for you to use your squad for fire and maneuver tactics. Sending your squad out front to take up a position near the enemy (but still in cover) is a good general rule at the start of most fights. Enemies tend to focus their attention on whoever is closest to them, so having your squad protected but also drawing fire from the enemy frees you to flank and finish them. This is also a good technique for infiltrators and soldiers that are focused on sniper-rifle combat. Sending your squad up ahead can draw enemies out into the open, where you can deal with them from a distance.
6. Improving your odds
On the higher difficulty levels some of the more aggressive tactics break down. It becomes less of a good idea to run out into open areas, or to fight enemies in places where they can surround you. To make up for this, you can revert to the classic RPG tactic of scouting ahead to locate a few enemies, then retreating to a safe place where you can easily destroy them when they follow you. This is especially effective in narrow corridors where you can funnel enemies into a tight field of fire.

7. Make good use of your equipment
Throughout Mass Effect you’re going to collect an absurd amount of loot in the form of weapons, armor, and upgrades (especially upgrades). Make sure you’re outfitting yourself and your team with the best possible equipment at all times to keep your competitive edge.

Remember that armors and weapons vary significantly by manufacturer, so the sophistication level of the equipment doesn’t tell the whole story. Be sure to look at the stats of each item before you equip it to make sure you’re trading up.

A very important and often overlooked component of Mass Effect is the ability to upgrade your weapons. You’re likely to find more upgrades than anything else, and you should put them to good use. Though armor and weapon upgrades can provide general advantages to your gear, the ammunition upgrades can make a big difference depending on who (or what) you’re fighting. You can swap these out at any time, so be sure to keep a few different types of ammunition on hand. As the situation dictates, you’ll be able to deal extra damage to organics, or bypass shields, for example.

Unused items go to waste and take up valuable space in your inventory. Any equipment and upgrades you aren’t using should be sold or turned into omni- gel. The latter is good for a variety of decryption and electronics purposes, but selling items can allow you to buy new and better equipment.

Some weapons and armor can only be found by purchasing them, so be sure to pick up any licenses you come across to increase the range of items your requisition officer can carry.

8. Miscellaneous tips
Explosives are your friend. There are a number of them placed in each area, and it’s a shame to let them go to waste. If an enemy is nearby, shoot the explosive to deal massive damage.

Save often. It’s never fun to have to start a planet over because you didn’t reach a checkpoint. Save after every major battle to be safe if you don’t know what you’re walking in to. Along the same vein, don’t be afraid to retreat and regroup if you have to.

TIP – Sonny Nilsson: “Everything can be killed on foot, and by using the Mako you cut the exp by 3 times, so everything is worth more exp on foot.”

SUB-BOSS STRATEGIES ——————-

1. Armatures
Fighting armatures and colossi in the Mako is considerably different from fighting them on foot. In the Mako simply keep your distance enough to avoid their attacks by using the jump jets while you whittle down their defenses with the machine gun and cannon. On foot you’ll want to take cover, as a single blast can be lethal. Using your squad as a distraction is also a good idea, as the armatures tend to focus on the threat that is closest to them. This will allow you to attack them without worrying about being hit. Biotics to disable armatures and tech powers to lower shields are also very useful.

2. Asari Commandos
The biggest concern when facing the asari commandos is their biotic abilities. In a group they are particularly deadly because they can disable you and take you out while you don’t have a chance to fight back. Moreover they can lift light objects to take away your cover. They also have the defensive barrier power. Upgrades that bypass shields are a good idea, since biotic and tech powers aren’t particularly effective.
3. Geth Heavy Soldiers
The destroyer, juggernaut, and prime are some of the most dangerous geth enemies you can face on foot. Unlike the armatures which tend to stay in one place, these soldiers will often charge directly at you, firing heavy weapons and rockets in your direction. Keep your distance and don’t stay behind cover if they’re going to reach you before you can kill them. Like most geth, they are susceptible to biotic powers, so use these to disable them before they can do too much damage.

4. Krogan
Saren’s heavily armed krogan troops can be formidable opponents. Keep your distance as some will tend to charge to engage you from close range. They also have the ability to regenerate health, and have a resistance to most powers. The best way to deal with them is heavy and concentrated firepower. Have your squad target the nearest krogan and deal with it before any other enemies.
5. Rachni Brood Warriors
Only encountered on one mission in the uncharted worlds, these fearsome rachni are a great deal larger than the soldiers and even more deadly. Like all rachni, equipping upgrades that increase your resistance to toxins should help, but it’s most important to keep your distance and avoid melee stacks. When dealing with rachni, using biotic powers can also help to disable enemies and keep them from attacking you.

BOSS STRATEGIES —————

1. Fist
The weakest of the bosses, Fist can be challenging because of the turrets guarding him, and the nature of the combat space. Though there is cover in Fist’s office, it’s difficult to get your squad in a good (and safe) position to deal with him. You can go straight for Fist if you want, or play it safe and try to disable his turrets first. The turrets are susceptible to tech powers, as is Fist himself, though biotics work just as well on the latter. If you added Wrex to your squad for this fight he can make it easier on you, since he can take considerable damage.
2. Matriarch Benezia
There are two portions to this fight. The first simply involves her summoning asari commandos and geth to help her, while the second requires you to fight her directly. The biggest challenge when facing Benezia head-on is that you are in such close proximity to her at the start, and taking cover is pointless because she is a biotic, and she has more biotic commandos coming in to flank you. Being a biotic, she can’t easily be harmed by biotics of your own, and–since she has no weapon–some tech powers are useless. Your best bet is to concentrate as much direct fire on her as possible from all your squad members. If you can take her out before she or her commandos can use their biotics on you, you’re likely to have a much easier time.

3. Saren
Saren has no weaknesses. Using some tech powers won’t hurt, but biotics have no effect whatsoever. It’s best to stay in cover as much as possible, use your squad to try and draw his fire, and gradually whittle him down. Use ammunition that does extra damage to organics to help you out.
4. Saren Reborn
The monster Saren is turned into by Sovereign is a different beast in many ways. He is now a synthetic, so you’ll need to adjust your upgrades accordingly. He also has the addition of a number of tech abilities, so he will try to overheat your weapons and take down your shields. Because he is so fast you will need help from your squad to have any chance of hitting him. It’s also worth a try to use any biotic or tech powers you have, since these can be done while paused at the power wheel. Any way you can disable or damage his abilities will make this fight that much easier.

TIP – Sonny Nilsson: “Biotics are very effective on him…Lift is what you want to use, easiest by far was when I had Liara and Wrex with me. Also keep a constant fire on him so he won’t regen his shields.”

5. Thresher Maws
The only way to defeat a thresher is in the Mako. If you’re lucky, it’s possible to find a spot where it won’t go back underground, but won’t be able to hit you either. This can be a tough feat at times though, and because its attacks are so deadly it’s often better just to keep moving. To improve your accuracy, zoom in with the turret and slow down or stop when firing the cannon. To have any chance you will need to avoid its attacks at all costs.

TIP – Sonny Nilsson: “These can be defeted on foot, and I actually recomend doing so. Keep the distance to around where the skill target starts to appear, then just side step and shoot. This usually also keeps them from going down into the ground. With the Immunity skill they cannot kill you, but if they land a ‘melee’ hit you die instantly.”