I am SO excited that Garrus has now joined our squad! Please remember that this is a blind playthrough and I WILL miss things and my journey through this game may be different than yours as I'm experiencing this for the first time. Also, please no spoilers - so no mentions of potential future squad mates or plot lines or missions!
My rule of thumb is generally to do all interrupt prompts always. Earning points is always better than earning nothing because you skipped it. And the Paragon/Renegade points they give are a big boost. The scenes are always fun, too.
I’m with you, I like Zaeed a lot. I know there’s a lot who don’t, and I can understand why; he’s gruff, he’s unrefined, given the choice between gunplay or talking it out he’ll choose gunplay every time, and all his stories involve violence and gory untimely demises, that’s part of why I like him; Stories are just so off-the-wall they frequently come across as hilarious.
Gosh, that Thanix Cannon upgrade looks awfully useful and/or important. I would really hate to disappoint Garrus by not taking it, wouldn't you? As for Mordin, his story is cooking. Stay tuned.
The normally evolved reproduction strategy of the Krogan is to have TONS (up to 1000) of babies at a time in the hope that a few survive natural predation to adulthood. It's actually a very common reproductive strategy on Earth among invertebrates, amphibians, and fish (It's also how Salarians reproduce albeit with a LOT of ritual and bureaucracy). Coupled with a long natural lifespan (upwards of 1000 years) and "modern" medicine, and overpopulation is a very real possibility that ended up being reality on Tuchanka long before the Krogan were discovered by the Salarians. In effect, the Genophage is an attempt to correct Krogan birth rates to something approaching a mathematical progression rather than an exponential one. I have more thoughts to add to the discussion, but I'll save those for later.
Mass Effect is a game that greatly rewards people who take their time and go through all the dialogue options and the voice acting in this game is one of the best I've ever seen. The "investigate" option on the left side of the wheel doesn't end the conversation. I know you're already very thorough but I'd still encourage you to click on it at every chance you get, because it opens options and sometimes paths that wouldn't be accessible otherwise. Also bear in mind that some conversations are one time only, especially with your squadmates after a mission. If you miss them or blitz through, you won't have another chance. Don't be afraid of renegade interrupts, they won't decrease your paragon points. They're sometimes necessary and tons of fun. Taking out Cathka (the renegade interrupt you didn't choose) would've prevented him to repair the gunship and made destroying it much easier. Really enjoying your playthrough.
Fun fact. A Mass Effect IOS mobile game existed, called Mass Effect Galaxy, where Jacob was the main protagonist. The batarian attack on the Council using a biological weapon is what took place at that game.
There is not a right or wrong way to play Mass Effect. That's what I love about this trilogy. Your interactions with the crew are immersive and brings a smile on my face. As topics goes, things are not always black or white. The Genophage in particular is thought provoking when you know the whole story and know the whys and hows. Same as Geths and Quarians or even Humans and Turians. Those decisions seem like short term moments but there are everlasting consequences. And it shows through the trilogy. Really looking forward to this! Keep it up.
Chatting with Zaeed while you dump trash into space is quite relaxing break, and it helps the Normandy cleaning crew, who you never see. Zaeed's a good choice for the Archangel Mission but only if you get to talk with the Blue Suns leaders, which you seemed to have missed? There are 2 types of renegade interrupts: one that precedes a subsequent paragon interrupt, so you should let it pass if you want to build up your paragon status; one that is the only interrupt option. The second kind are perfectly fine for a paragon Shepard to do without really breaking her character, because they are normally directed to people who are enemies anyway who you are either going to kill, would like to kill or want to take down a peg or two.
@@_shhenanigans_ If you do Zaeed's personal mission in this playthrough before doing Bro Shep you'll understand why it's narratively more interesting to do Zaeed's mission before Archangel.
A protip regarding Paragon / Renagade options, there will be times when NPCs will be upset, angry, or have beef with choices you made. Choosing a Paragon or Renagade option will ALWAYS resolve the conflict to your advantage. Without being aware of how this works you could run into a "Focus on Sovereign" moment where you leave your choice up to the game. It usually doesnt end in your favor. Also when you say you like Hellraiser, Doug Bradley or Jamie Clayton?
Doug Bradley! Hellraiser 3 is my absolute favorite! Not knocking the newest one, which I think was great but 1-3 will always be my faves. And for sure! I learned my lesson on BroShep Virmire when you don’t select the paragon/renegade options. I was a sobbing mess.
Gaining renegade points is not a bad thing. Your paragon and renegade meters are completely separate. Gaining renegade does not make your paragon lower. I would encourage you not to worry about it so much and just focus on having fun. The only thing to worry about is that if you choose renegade dialogue when you had paragon choices, you missed a chance to earn paragon points.
Damn and now I gotta wait another number of days for the next episode. Just kidding. Really enjoying how you explain your mental process when making decisions - it's nice to see someone so engaged with the game.
Do not think about the paragon/renegade interrupts too much. It's not about being good or evil. Shepard is a heroine no matter what. Besides, some renegade interrupts are really fun and some even helpful.
Agreed with everyone else who said that you are really missing out on a lot of dialogue options bu not hitting the left side dialogue. Also, everyone has some upgrade ideas that will be very useful. As for romance...do what you feel is natural. There are a lot more options in ME2 than in 1. For example Tali is a male Shepard option now. Keep an eye on your squad mate's powers too. Mordian has an incinerate power that devours yellow armor, just as overload eats through blue sheilds.
I'm surprised the Blue Suns don't recognise Zaeed and have a serious problem with his presence, considering his backstory! And Turian, Sniper, wearing BLUE. The clues add up don't they...?
Glad you got to meet Ken and Gabby in this episode, in addition to Archangel 🙂they also have some ambient voice lines that are fun to listen in on whenever you're down on that deck! How are you feeling about your new squad and crew mates so far? Do you have any early favourites/least favourites? Edit: glad to see someone loves Dr Chakwas as much as I do! She's so lovely.
My faves are of course the OG Garrus! And then Zaeed and Kasumi despite them not being full companions. I'm iffy on Miranda and Jacob because of their Cerberus connection and admittedly my love for Wrex is probably why I'm iffy on Mordin too. Also, YES so much love for Dr. Chakwas!
I really want to romance Doc Chakwas too 😄 Those first missions can be pretty tough but once you start getting more upgrades for the weapons and armor it’ll get a bit easier. Garrus’ mission is actually one of the harder ones in the game.
Hi Shen!! I like you get curious about everything in this game. It's very rewarding as you go forward. Jacob always sounded like a good Pro to me, but he's lacking in some areas...?
Mods: I know you're happy to use mods, so you might be interested in the following (can't remember the names now, but I can check if you can't find them): 1. Since you don't seem to like the mini-games (hacking etc), you might want to look into the mod that makes planet-scanning easier. Essentially you can acquire all the resources a planet has to offer with just one probe. Maybe just something to bear in mind for now, but if you do start to find scanning a chore, it saves a lot of time and frustration. 2. If you want to wear the full-set armours (e.g. the Collector Chitin armour you were looking at), but also want to see Shepard's face, there are mods which remove the helmet.
You missed A LOT of important dialog by not choosing all of the left options with mordin at the end. I would strongly recommend watching this convo in another playthrough so you don't miss it. Also recommend always choosing the left options first.
Miranda is a pretty goated character honestly. I like how the game makes you think she’s just another bitch by having all other characters think so, but she’s got her own story…which funnily enough also makes her super smart and kinda naïve at the same time
Yeah, as others have said, don't be scared of the Renegade interrupts. Some of them in ME2 are seriously badass. The Renegade side of Shepard is probably at it's best in ME2 as well. Renegade Shep as a whole though is rather inconsistent across the three games. And yep, everyone loves Garrus. For male Sheps he's like your best bro and for Fem Sheps... A little tip when using ammo types. Disruptor is good against synthetics and Mechs as well as enemies shields and Incendiary for organic targets and to burn through enemy armour.
I want to share a fun tidbit about your reunion with Garrus. Garrus has been fighting these mercs off by himself for hours if not days without sleep. If he falls asleep he dies. So by the time you reach him, he is so tired and sleep deprived. Notice how he had to use his rifle to pick himself up. Now the actor for Garrus, Brandon Keener, wanted this to sound as authentic as possible. So he stayed up All night the day before recording this segment of the game to make sure he was as exhausted as he could be when voicing Garrus.
I love that fun fact! I think I was so excited to see a friendly face, that I completely missed him being so exhausted. That’s quite the commitment from the VA!
Mordin is complex. But then the whole Genophage is complex. A krogan population increase would deliver as many Garms as it did Wrexs. Not that they're alone in that, there are plenty of renegades and paragons in each race. The krogan came in for harsh treatment because of what they did, and might do, but they hardly went out of their way to show a better side. That story has plenty more to it, including Mordin's part.
Don't be so afraid of renegade options lol. Especially the one you passed on in this one. You're almost certainly going to be killing him later, he's fixing on a gunship you're almost certainly going to be fighting. Don't be afraid.
It’s so hard because I really try to consider and make choices based on what my character would do, but because I’m going in blind I don’t know the consequences of the interrupt 🤣
You need to look around yourself more - you missed an entire corridor AND the room where you could talk to the Blue Suns leader. Did you forget there were three groups? And sometimes the renegade option is GOOD in the circumstances - like the option you skipped (to deal with the Blue Suns Mechanic). Also, swapping weapons is a good idea sometimes. For example, a pistol or sniper rifle would have been better than the basic rifle to one-shot the robots and mercs from up there, or a heavy weapon against the gunship.
I think “good” in these cases is subjective. I base my decisions off of what I think the character I’m playing would choose, not if it’s the best/good/right choice. I try to stay true to the character. Also, it’s my first time playing and I’m not using a guide so things are going to be missed. If that’s upsetting, there are plenty of walkthrough playthroughs out there. Thanks for all the advice tho!
@@_shhenanigans_ no worries, and sorry if it came across bad, I wasn't trying to be an arse, just give some advice...😟 As to 'good', yeah it's relative, what I meant was that in that situation, the Merc is an enemy and working to fix a gunship that will be used to attack you in a few minutes - wouldn't an N7 operative take him out regardless of Para/Ren alignment?
It's too bad you didn't do the whole conversation with Mordin when he fessed up about the genophage modification project. Perhaps you were too shocked to realise there was a lot more you could have talked about.
I panicked reading this and was like “wait, see what?!” Thinking I had done something silly/embarrassing in the video (outside of the normal silly/embarrassing things I do in this game) 🤣😅
It IS funny AF: to me Kaiden was just Carth Onassi 2.0..and not because I don't like Rapahael Sbarge...just the character...Garrus was always a bro....
I am SO excited that Garrus has now joined our squad! Please remember that this is a blind playthrough and I WILL miss things and my journey through this game may be different than yours as I'm experiencing this for the first time. Also, please no spoilers - so no mentions of potential future squad mates or plot lines or missions!
47:45 do not fear the renegade interrupts.
I was so confused as to why she's upset over shooting a robot lmao
My rule of thumb is generally to do all interrupt prompts always. Earning points is always better than earning nothing because you skipped it. And the Paragon/Renegade points they give are a big boost. The scenes are always fun, too.
The dlc companions (kasumi, zaeed) do not have regular interactions. They will add their own dialog as the game progresses.
So unfortunate as I really like their characters!
I knew you’d be pleased when you met Archangel. Plenty more surprises incoming:)
I’m sure plenty of others put it together sooner, but when they said archangel was a Turian I was all 🙏😭🥰
@@_shhenanigans_ it surprised me all those years ago. 😁
I’m with you, I like Zaeed a lot. I know there’s a lot who don’t, and I can understand why; he’s gruff, he’s unrefined, given the choice between gunplay or talking it out he’ll choose gunplay every time, and all his stories involve violence and gory untimely demises, that’s part of why I like him; Stories are just so off-the-wall they frequently come across as hilarious.
I could listen to his stories all day. They are awful and hilarious
Gosh, that Thanix Cannon upgrade looks awfully useful and/or important. I would really hate to disappoint Garrus by not taking it, wouldn't you?
As for Mordin, his story is cooking. Stay tuned.
I’d never want to disappoint Garrus 😭
The normally evolved reproduction strategy of the Krogan is to have TONS (up to 1000) of babies at a time in the hope that a few survive natural predation to adulthood. It's actually a very common reproductive strategy on Earth among invertebrates, amphibians, and fish (It's also how Salarians reproduce albeit with a LOT of ritual and bureaucracy). Coupled with a long natural lifespan (upwards of 1000 years) and "modern" medicine, and overpopulation is a very real possibility that ended up being reality on Tuchanka long before the Krogan were discovered by the Salarians.
In effect, the Genophage is an attempt to correct Krogan birth rates to something approaching a mathematical progression rather than an exponential one. I have more thoughts to add to the discussion, but I'll save those for later.
@ 01:05:25 ... indeed this was a shocking moment .. but he is back .. 🙂✨
Mass Effect is a game that greatly rewards people who take their time and go through all the dialogue options and the voice acting in this game is one of the best I've ever seen.
The "investigate" option on the left side of the wheel doesn't end the conversation. I know you're already very thorough but I'd still encourage you to click on it at every chance you get, because it opens options and sometimes paths that wouldn't be accessible otherwise. Also bear in mind that some conversations are one time only, especially with your squadmates after a mission. If you miss them or blitz through, you won't have another chance.
Don't be afraid of renegade interrupts, they won't decrease your paragon points. They're sometimes necessary and tons of fun. Taking out Cathka (the renegade interrupt you didn't choose) would've prevented him to repair the gunship and made destroying it much easier.
Really enjoying your playthrough.
Yea, that gunship fight was intense! Really wish I had hit that interupt! But, there is always next run with my BroShep!
@@_shhenanigans_ You're doing great and your reactions are truly wholesome.
This trilogy will change your gaming experience forever.
Fun fact. A Mass Effect IOS mobile game existed, called Mass Effect Galaxy, where Jacob was the main protagonist. The batarian attack on the Council using a biological weapon is what took place at that game.
Really?! That is so cool
There is not a right or wrong way to play Mass Effect. That's what I love about this trilogy.
Your interactions with the crew are immersive and brings a smile on my face.
As topics goes, things are not always black or white. The Genophage in particular is thought provoking when you know the whole story and know the whys and hows. Same as Geths and Quarians or even Humans and Turians. Those decisions seem like short term moments but there are everlasting consequences. And it shows through the trilogy.
Really looking forward to this! Keep it up.
Aw, I’m glad it made you smile! I love these characters and this game so much 🥰
Chatting with Zaeed while you dump trash into space is quite relaxing break, and it helps the Normandy cleaning crew, who you never see. Zaeed's a good choice for the Archangel Mission but only if you get to talk with the Blue Suns leaders, which you seemed to have missed?
There are 2 types of renegade interrupts: one that precedes a subsequent paragon interrupt, so you should let it pass if you want to build up your paragon status; one that is the only interrupt option. The second kind are perfectly fine for a paragon Shepard to do without really breaking her character, because they are normally directed to people who are enemies anyway who you are either going to kill, would like to kill or want to take down a peg or two.
I apparently missed a door which would have triggered the blue suns interaction. Hopefully on BroShep!
@@_shhenanigans_ If you do Zaeed's personal mission in this playthrough before doing Bro Shep you'll understand why it's narratively more interesting to do Zaeed's mission before Archangel.
A protip regarding Paragon / Renagade options, there will be times when NPCs will be upset, angry, or have beef with choices you made. Choosing a Paragon or Renagade option will ALWAYS resolve the conflict to your advantage. Without being aware of how this works you could run into a "Focus on Sovereign" moment where you leave your choice up to the game. It usually doesnt end in your favor.
Also when you say you like Hellraiser, Doug Bradley or Jamie Clayton?
Doug Bradley! Hellraiser 3 is my absolute favorite! Not knocking the newest one, which I think was great but 1-3 will always be my faves.
And for sure! I learned my lesson on BroShep Virmire when you don’t select the paragon/renegade options. I was a sobbing mess.
Gaining renegade points is not a bad thing. Your paragon and renegade meters are completely separate. Gaining renegade does not make your paragon lower. I would encourage you not to worry about it so much and just focus on having fun. The only thing to worry about is that if you choose renegade dialogue when you had paragon choices, you missed a chance to earn paragon points.
Damn and now I gotta wait another number of days for the next episode.
Just kidding. Really enjoying how you explain your mental process when making decisions - it's nice to see someone so engaged with the game.
Thank you so much 🥰! I agonize over some of those decisions 😭
Do not think about the paragon/renegade interrupts too much. It's not about being good or evil. Shepard is a heroine no matter what. Besides, some renegade interrupts are really fun and some even helpful.
Agreed with everyone else who said that you are really missing out on a lot of dialogue options bu not hitting the left side dialogue. Also, everyone has some upgrade ideas that will be very useful.
As for romance...do what you feel is natural. There are a lot more options in ME2 than in 1. For example Tali is a male Shepard option now.
Keep an eye on your squad mate's powers too. Mordian has an incinerate power that devours yellow armor, just as overload eats through blue sheilds.
I'm surprised the Blue Suns don't recognise Zaeed and have a serious problem with his presence, considering his backstory!
And Turian, Sniper, wearing BLUE. The clues add up don't they...?
This is one of the best series ever made.
Glad you got to meet Ken and Gabby in this episode, in addition to Archangel 🙂they also have some ambient voice lines that are fun to listen in on whenever you're down on that deck! How are you feeling about your new squad and crew mates so far? Do you have any early favourites/least favourites? Edit: glad to see someone loves Dr Chakwas as much as I do! She's so lovely.
My faves are of course the OG Garrus! And then Zaeed and Kasumi despite them not being full companions. I'm iffy on Miranda and Jacob because of their Cerberus connection and admittedly my love for Wrex is probably why I'm iffy on Mordin too. Also, YES so much love for Dr. Chakwas!
I really want to romance Doc Chakwas too 😄
Those first missions can be pretty tough but once you start getting more upgrades for the weapons and armor it’ll get a bit easier. Garrus’ mission is actually one of the harder ones in the game.
Saving Garrus was so hard! Those two shuttle doors 💀
Hi Shen!! I like you get curious about everything in this game. It's very rewarding as you go forward. Jacob always sounded like a good Pro to me, but he's lacking in some areas...?
Mods: I know you're happy to use mods, so you might be interested in the following (can't remember the names now, but I can check if you can't find them):
1. Since you don't seem to like the mini-games (hacking etc), you might want to look into the mod that makes planet-scanning easier. Essentially you can acquire all the resources a planet has to offer with just one probe. Maybe just something to bear in mind for now, but if you do start to find scanning a chore, it saves a lot of time and frustration.
2. If you want to wear the full-set armours (e.g. the Collector Chitin armour you were looking at), but also want to see Shepard's face, there are mods which remove the helmet.
Omg, I didn’t even realize I could wear that!! My jaw dropped reading this 🤣
You missed A LOT of important dialog by not choosing all of the left options with mordin at the end. I would strongly recommend watching this convo in another playthrough so you don't miss it. Also recommend always choosing the left options first.
Well, that’s unfortunate 😞 Maybe I’ll see it in my BroShep playthrough!
Miranda is a pretty goated character honestly. I like how the game makes you think she’s just another bitch by having all other characters think so, but she’s got her own story…which funnily enough also makes her super smart and kinda naïve at the same time
Yeah, as others have said, don't be scared of the Renegade interrupts. Some of them in ME2 are seriously badass. The Renegade side of Shepard is probably at it's best in ME2 as well.
Renegade Shep as a whole though is rather inconsistent across the three games.
And yep, everyone loves Garrus. For male Sheps he's like your best bro and for Fem Sheps...
A little tip when using ammo types. Disruptor is good against synthetics and Mechs as well as enemies shields and Incendiary for organic targets and to burn through enemy armour.
I want to share a fun tidbit about your reunion with Garrus. Garrus has been fighting these mercs off by himself for hours if not days without sleep. If he falls asleep he dies. So by the time you reach him, he is so tired and sleep deprived. Notice how he had to use his rifle to pick himself up. Now the actor for Garrus, Brandon Keener, wanted this to sound as authentic as possible. So he stayed up All night the day before recording this segment of the game to make sure he was as exhausted as he could be when voicing Garrus.
I love that fun fact! I think I was so excited to see a friendly face, that I completely missed him being so exhausted. That’s quite the commitment from the VA!
Just a joy to watch this playthrough !!!!! Agree about Doc Chakwas , would romance her all the way through xo
When you visit Kasumi you can mix Red and blue drink, I recommend you try 😉
Mordin is complex. But then the whole Genophage is complex. A krogan population increase would deliver as many Garms as it did Wrexs. Not that they're alone in that, there are plenty of renegades and paragons in each race. The krogan came in for harsh treatment because of what they did, and might do, but they hardly went out of their way to show a better side. That story has plenty more to it, including Mordin's part.
I love Wrex so much, so admittedly I have blinders on when it comes to him/Krogan 😅. I’m gonna give Mordin a chance and hear him out!
16:24 oh just wait a bit, one of the nicknames of this part is "Daddy issues: the game"😁
STOP 🤣🤣🤣. That is so funny!
Beat me to it, but I was going to mention that Normandy's nickname is SSV Daddy Issues.
Hi Shen, Keep flirting with Kelly and eventually she will feed your fish!! (When you buy some!)
Daddy issues? In Mass Effect? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Don't be so afraid of renegade options lol. Especially the one you passed on in this one. You're almost certainly going to be killing him later, he's fixing on a gunship you're almost certainly going to be fighting. Don't be afraid.
It’s so hard because I really try to consider and make choices based on what my character would do, but because I’m going in blind I don’t know the consequences of the interrupt 🤣
You need to look around yourself more - you missed an entire corridor AND the room where you could talk to the Blue Suns leader. Did you forget there were three groups?
And sometimes the renegade option is GOOD in the circumstances - like the option you skipped (to deal with the Blue Suns Mechanic).
Also, swapping weapons is a good idea sometimes. For example, a pistol or sniper rifle would have been better than the basic rifle to one-shot the robots and mercs from up there, or a heavy weapon against the gunship.
I think “good” in these cases is subjective. I base my decisions off of what I think the character I’m playing would choose, not if it’s the best/good/right choice. I try to stay true to the character. Also, it’s my first time playing and I’m not using a guide so things are going to be missed. If that’s upsetting, there are plenty of walkthrough playthroughs out there. Thanks for all the advice tho!
@@_shhenanigans_ no worries, and sorry if it came across bad, I wasn't trying to be an arse, just give some advice...😟
As to 'good', yeah it's relative, what I meant was that in that situation, the Merc is an enemy and working to fix a gunship that will be used to attack you in a few minutes - wouldn't an N7 operative take him out regardless of Para/Ren alignment?
It's too bad you didn't do the whole conversation with Mordin when he fessed up about the genophage modification project. Perhaps you were too shocked to realise there was a lot more you could have talked about.
Ok I finally realized who your Shepard looks like. Google Alaina Huffman Stargate. You can tell me if I'm cooked.
OMG she does!!!
Kaidan? Forget it... 🤣
DO visit Ken and Gabby from time to time!
So the question is do YOU find facial scars attractive?
All signs point to yes!
Doc Chak 💯!
Right?!? Love her
hahha i am third one to see it first
I panicked reading this and was like “wait, see what?!” Thinking I had done something silly/embarrassing in the video (outside of the normal silly/embarrassing things I do in this game) 🤣😅
It IS funny AF: to me Kaiden was just Carth Onassi 2.0..and not because I don't like Rapahael Sbarge...just the character...Garrus was always a bro....
I had to look that up, I’ve never played any Star Wars! Maybe one day!