How To Play Mass Effect — Start With ME2

With the impending release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, a bunch of people are replaying or starting the Shepard trilogy. But the series has had changes, controversies, and a whole pile of confusing DLC. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to catch up on — so here are my recommendations.

If you want to get into the Mass Effect series, you should probably skip Mass Effect 1 — at least for a bit —unless you’ve got a really high tolerance for janky older role-playing games and shooters — or if you really love space opera like Star Trek or Babylon 5 and actively dislike darker thrillers like Battlestar Galactica.

That’s not an easy thing for me to write. After all, I believe all three games are of roughly equal quality, and the series is famous for choices made in one game transferring into the next and the next after that. Also I personally got into the series via Mass Effect 1, and the reasons for that remain valid: the feeling of a wide galaxy to explore, the nods at some of my favorite science fiction, and that dazzling initial set of quests on the Citadel.

More than the other two games in the trilogy, Mass Effect 1 is about the possibility space. Everything cool in a space RPG seems possible in ME1, and that’s what gives it its power. My recommendation to start with Mass Effect 2 doesn’t take that potential power away — it’s still a damn special game if it hits you right.

But, well…the nice way to put this is that Mass Effect 1 is experimental, so it might not hit you right. Certainly action/RPGs had been done before, and even shooters/RPGs like the classic Deus Ex. But Mass Effect 1 tried to do more than both, serving as a fully functional role-playing game as well as being a fully-formed shooter. Add in that it was a relatively early Xbox 360 game, designed for that console before developers really figured out how to make shooters for it, and Mass Effect 1 can’t quite swing it.

The shooting part of the game is the main issue. There’s nothing especially good about it. Coming just a year after Gears of War essentially invented the modern cover shooter — far too late for Bioware to redesign the game — Mass Effect 1’s snap-to-cover just doesn’t come close to getting that mechanic right in the way the later Mass Effect games in the series do. Weapons don’t really feel distinct either; every different shotgun in ME2/3 has a different weight, for example, but in ME1 the differences are just numbers on the equipment screen.

Even those things might be forgivable but for one huge problem for any modern player who’s new to the series: enemies will one-shot your Shepard all the time. Rocket drone? One hit, you’re dead. Thresher Maw? One hit, you’re dead. Part of this is the Bioware trend going back to Baldur’s Gate where if your main character gets knocked out, it’s instant game over. This makes sense given how strongly you’re supposed to identify with Shepard — but only if the game is well-balanced. And the game is pretty poorly balanced.

I mean, all the Mass Effect games are a lot easier at the end than the beginning, but ME1 takes it to extremes. Once you hit the usual Bioware structure where you get past the first main zone (in this case, the Citadel), you get the chance to pick which of three hubs to go first. At any difficulty setting except the very lowest, chances are you’ll run into a Geth who’ll blow you up, over and over and over. That’s an incredibly poor introduction to the series, and the kind of frustration that games have gotten way better at avoiding in the past decade or so since ME1’s release.

[UPDATE: A Twitter friend of mine has a recommendation that could really work well here, actually: borrow a friend’s New Game+ save and play through it as a straightforward adventure.]

And even if you play at the easier difficulties there are still frustrations. The leveling up systems are just a pile of different skills thrown at players. The inventory systems are just a pile of different weapons and mods. While they’re relatively easy to grasp once you’ve played for a little while, there’s nothing particularly appealing about them. And while Mass Effect 2 might have oversimplified these things in the other direction, that just helps focus the game on what it’s best at.

Also, there’s the Mako. Now, I came to love that crappy little jeep, but hoo boy, if you don’t, this gets rougher than climbing up 75 degree inclined hills.

So my advice for any new player is this: start with Mass Effect 2. Once you fall in love with the setting — and this should happen relatively quickly, as the game starts strong — then go back and start Mass Effect 1. And if you don’t fall in love with the setting? Then I wouldn’t worry about it.

Here’s some more specific advice for getting into each game:

Mass Effect 1

• Play as a female Shepard. Jennifer Hale’s voice acting is arguably the best performance in video games. Yes, ever. Not that Marc Meer as BroShep is awful or anything, but Hale chews each word off like it’s her last.
• Unless you’re playing on the easiest difficulty, pick the Soldier or Vanguard class. These have high hit points and the ability to use heavy armor, so they’ll be more likely to survive those rocket blasts. Playing an Infiltrator — the sniper class — is also plausible. If you want to play a different class in later Mass Effects you’ll get the chance to change at the start of ME2.
• Feros is usually considered the easiest of the initial three hub options after the Citadel.
• As you explore planets and star systems, you’ll find a few “collect-these-things” quests that push you to explore more and more. The final rewards are not so significant they’re worth focusing on but they can be a good early cash infusion.
• The DLC expansion packs are, depending on your platform, either already included with the game or difficult to find. I wouldn’t worry about them either way. They’re fine but inessential.

Mass Effect 2

• As I said above, you’ll have the chance to remake Shepard at the start of ME2. (The import initially says your original class, but you’ll have the chance to change it a few minutes after starting.) All classes are worthwhile. My favorite is Vanguard, dashing across the map blasting fools with shotguns. But you really can’t go wrong.
• If you’re at all interested in combat, I recommend playing on higher difficulties. At the default and below, Mass Effect 2/3 are too easy for the combat to be more than a distraction. But the cover system and different weapons/skills for breaking down shields and armor? That works damn well at higher difficulties.
• The tutorial mission is a little dull, yes. But when you get to Omega immediately after? That might be the game at its best. If you don’t find anything to like there, well, it might not be for you.

• Yes, scanning planets sucks. Try to avoid doing it out of completionism. A good amount of scanning will give you all the upgrade materials you need by the game’s halfway point.
• There is a lot of DLC for this game. One piece is mandatory: “Lair of the Shadow Broker.” In addition to tying up one of the most interesting loose ends from the first two games, and bringing back a well-liked character, it also has some of the best level design in the series. Two other mission packs are pretty good but optional: “Overlord” and “Firewalker.”
• One mission pack is, well, pretty bad: “Arrival.” It does help set up Mass Effect 3, so it’s worth maybe watching the plot on YouTube, but it’s a Mass Effect story where Shepard is the only character. Really doesn’t work.
• Two companions are added in DLC, Kasumi and Zaaed. They’re both pretty cool, but definitely feel detached from the main game. The rest are either additional weapons, information, or cosmetic options. Mostly nice stuff, but the very definition of optional.

Mass Effect 3

• ME3 is largely similar to ME2 in engine, with some notable changes and improvements. Basically if you’re comfy with the second, the third game will be fine. The combat system is even better-tuned, so again, I recommend playing on higher difficulties if that appeals to you.
• Several quests on the Citadel are progress-related. If you’re worried about missing something, clear out most of your side quests before the next major plot mission.
• The game spends a lot of time focusing on your Galactic Readiness stat. Don’t worry about it. The main thing it affects is giving you more bad options for the crappy ending. It’s also very easy after patches to achieve the amount required if you’re doing side quests with any kind of consistency.
• It wants to push you to try multiplayer. I think the multiplayer is great, but, chances are you may not find fellow players, years on. But if you do, play it for fun, not obligation.

• Bioware has a better sense of DLC/expansions in Mass Effect 3. That’s nice if you’ve got ’em, but can get pricey, because it’s basically all worthwhile. Both “Omega” and “From Ashes” are pretty good and flesh out or tie up loose ends in the game world. There are also a handful of weapons and outfits, but totally optional.
• You may have heard that there are problems with the ending of ME3. I don’t disagree with that, but three pieces of DLC help. The one that’s supposed to do the most — and is free and automatic — is the “Extended Cut.” It’s not bad but not actually the most important.
• If you want to avoid the ending problems entirely, turn the game off after the line “Best seats in the house.” I know you won’t listen or do this, because why would you when it seems like something interesting is about to happen? But you really should. I promise.
• The other two expansions are essential. “Leviathan” is a relatively conventional DLC — a few missions scattered throughout the game. It’s got some fantastic level design, a clever plot that arguably should have been the main story of ME3, and also helps mitigate the damage of the ending by spreading the exposition bomb throughout the game.
• But the jewel of the crown is “Citadel,” the last of Commander Shepard’s stories and the proper goodbye to her and her companions that ME3’s original ending failed to provide. If you care about these characters, it’s absolutely essential. “Citadel” is divided into two main sections: the first is a fairly conventional adventure that can be done at any time. The second is a party for all of your characters, and it is fantastic. Near the end of Mass Effect 3, you’ll get the chance to make a point-of-no-return save. Upon finishing the game, it’ll automatically be your reload point. From there, go trigger the party for “Citadel.” It is the best possible aftertaste for the Mass Effect trilogy.