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Is it worth going straight to Insanity difficulty or waiting for a second playthrough?


MrZmurkz

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Title.

 

I haven't done a Mass Effect game since the first on 360 years ago, so wondering if going straight to insanity is a viable option? Or does the game just become way too hard? On ME1 you could make some pretty broken characters, does the same apply here?

 

Thanks for any help.

Edited by MrZmurkz
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I have the plats on the entire trilogy, it was pretty do-able.

But Andromeda kicked my ass hard! so after about 20 hours or so I switched to easy.
Finished that run with 100% yesterday.
And I have since started a new game+ insanity run. Having all my items, skills etc really helps. Insanity is a breeze now!
Plus, I'll just steamroll through the story missions (there's not too many) and get the job done much faster than I ever could on my first attempt.

So I'd say, play on narrative/easy/normal first. Get a feel for the game. Enjoy it as much as possible. Maybe this can be your 100% run that you'll take to Andromeda 2, who knows.
And then play a quick insanity run with all your perks intact.

That's my opinion.

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1 minute ago, Crispy_Oglop said:

I was completely the opposite, my first playthrough was on Insanity and I had virtually no trouble with it. So Mass Effect 2 still retains it's title as the trickiest for me.

 

On Andromeda? Wow - everything I've heard is that Andromeda's combat is much harder than, say, ME2. 

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Never had any trouble in 2, Horizon was the biggest pain in that one for me xD
Still Andromeda is a big open world. Doing an easier run for fun will speed up your second run. Because you know what you can and can't do. Where to go, what to skip etc.
And doing a close to 100% run will really outlevel you for any challenge. Having 200+ skill points for insanity really made a difference.
 

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2 hours ago, MrZmurkz said:

Title.

 

I haven't done a Mass Effect game since the first on 360 years ago, so wondering if going straight to insanity is a viable option? Or does the game just become way too hard? On ME1 you could make some pretty broken characters, does the same apply here?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

I tried it on insanity, got about halfway through the first mission and then decided I actually wanted to try and have fun instead of camping out behind a rock for 60 hours.

 

Turns out it was a good decision, because I got the gold trophy in multiplayer with complete randoms in like 1 hour (with a level 20 character). We didn't even have mics.

Edited by ShadowReplicant
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I found Andromeda Insanity worked best if you approached each encounter carefully, used cover strategically and used power/tech combos efficiently. Run and gun pretty much makes it suicide. I rolled with a pure Soldier build, initially speccing in one specific weapon, Concussive shot and the one that increases fire rate and damage etc (can't remember the name). Speccing pure combat also upped my overall profile rank which gives you huge bonuses to specific stats related to whether you specced in Combat, Tech & Biotics. I played around with profiles alot, but personally found Soldier to be the most survivable just based on the overall profile rank bonuses.

 

Also - Always ALWAYS go into missions and the field with Incendiary, Cryo and Electric ammo. I couldn't kill anything without it. It's also important to keep up with gear and weapons that are in line with your level to boost your playstyle. For example - using incendiary ammo and then hitting the target with a Concussive shot when they are on fire creates a Tech combo which really turns the tables - it makes things alot easier.

 

I also made sure I did as many non-combat side quests that were available to increase XP gain to level up more and to have more points to spend before hitting combat scenarios.

 

I totally get what everyone says with their experiences though. I don't think it really matters though upon consideration how you start, go with what will help you see the most of the story without any negative impacts :) because next to the combat, I really loved the characters (apart from Liam) the setting and the story.

Edited by Crispy_Oglop
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16 hours ago, MrZmurkz said:

Title.

 

I haven't done a Mass Effect game since the first on 360 years ago, so wondering if going straight to insanity is a viable option? Or does the game just become way too hard? On ME1 you could make some pretty broken characters, does the same apply here?

 

Thanks for any help.

I played straight through on Insanity from the get go because I'm insane. The first Ascendant I encountered (guy with the shield and floating orb) kicked my ass hard, but I was a low level. Leveled up a bit, came back and repaid the favor to him. The remnant architect was really the only truly challenging enemy I encountered where even leveling up didn't help much. I did beat the one on Voeld, though. I really don't recommend taking them on when playing on Insanity unless you have the equipment and know how to face them.

 

Aside from the architects (who can destroy you through cover), my strategy, as it was with the original trilogy, was to go sniper and use tactical cloak. I'd snipe from a distance, when the enemy would close ranks, I'd cloak and run like a bitch to the other side of the map. Best part was level 6 cloak allows you to heal even when cloaked, something the original trilogy didn't allow. I still had my fair share of deaths, but I wasn't pulling my hair out like I probably would have been otherwise. Beat it on Insanity on the first try without lowering difficulty.

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On 09/04/2017 at 0:44 AM, Jeff-Andrew-NL said:

You're welcome.
So, what did you decide on?

I decided on an insanity playthrough, if I really struggle I will drop it down and do a double playthrough.

 

That being said, I've been playing a lot of the multiplayer recently, so I might just be able to do the 4 gold missions. We will see.

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After you get your bearings and hit level 20 or so its pretty alright. The first planet area is absolutely brutal though at the start.

 

Build your team around defence. Make sure you level up all skills involving shields. Also anything that increases damage resist is a must, I also chose to increase damage resist on while reviving.

 

I forget how i did it but this is what I go with:

 

Cora (For shield boost)

Drack (for general non wimpiness)

 

I use a shotgun and sniper rifle primarily

 

Skills are: Remnant VI / Tactical Cloak / Charge

 

Basically, I will let the remnant and friends take out shields and then: Charge ---> Melee ---> shotgun in the face to death. Anytime I charge it fills my shields full, and melee attacks also give shields as I am a Vanguard.

 

If I'm getting screwed, I use cloak, and reposition myself, collect ammo/health, or revive.

 

Keep Shield boosters handy for emergencies.

 

And generally speaking, always remember to Swear and ragequit during the hard parts.

Edited by phoenix_shade
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