Mass Effect Introduction Mass Effect is arguably the most anticipated RPG since Bioware's last foray into the genre. The first game of a massive three game trilogy slated to be released over the next few years, Mass Effect provides gamers with choices that have become Bioware's special touch on their titles. Will you play as a good character -- a Paragon - - or a bad character, known as Renegades? Or better yet, will you play as a mixture of both? Will you be a Spacer, a Colonist, or an Earthborn? A Sole Survivor, a War Hero, or Ruthless? A Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel, or Vanguard? You get the idea. And those are all choices you'll make in the first five minutes of the game! Just imagine the hundreds and hundreds of choices you'll end up making when the chips are actually on the table. If you're confused, don't worry. Lots of gamers out there are. That's where IGN Guides comes into play. We outline what everything above means and a whole lot more. Our detailed Basics section breaks down the controls, combat system, and a whole lot more. Our Walkthrough covers the game in its entirety. And our Equipment and Codex appendices will blow your mind with their attention to detail. Everything you could possibly want to know about Mass Effect will be encompassed in this very guide. So fear not, human. As you delve into space via the complex array of mass relays, just remember: IGN has your back. In this Mass Effect strategy guide, you'll find: BASICS // Tons of info on in-game mechanics. WALKTHROUGH // Our complete walkthrough. SIDEQUESTS // What's an RPG without options? EQUIPMENT // Information galore. CODEX // All the game's knowledge in one place. Basics, Walkthrough and Side Quests by: Colin Moriarty | Equipment and Codex by: Samuel Claiborn © 2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. May not be sold, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, in whole or part, without IGN’s express permission. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. All rights reserved. © 2007 IGN Entertainment, I... 1 Mass Effect Basics The Paragon & Classes & Fundamentals Renegade Character Types Mass Effect seems like a complex game, and in many ways it is. Alternatively, though, Mass Effect is actually an easy- to-understand title that waters down many of its components so that the overall product is easily accessible. Melding two polar opposite genres -- the shooter and the RPG -- Mass Effect is a story-driven experience that requires a lot of know- how and experience to play. But it's not only for RPG enthusiasts or shooter-crazy gamers. It's for everyone . Playing through Mass Effect first requires you to create your character. Your character will be named Commander Shepard no matter what combinations you choose. Your character could be male or female, of any class and type, and look however you want him or her to look, but the character will play the same and have the same name. There are deeper aspects to the game, of course. Will you play as a Paragon, a Renegade, or a mixture of both? How will you fight? Which weapons will you choose? Which skills will you hone? This extensive Basics section of the guide aims to answer all of the questions gamers could possibly have about the game before they've even begun playing. Our Paragon & Renegade section describes both character types, and how to achieve both during gameplay. Classes & Character Types touch on the various combinations you can create with all of your options during character creation, and the character creation process in general. At the heart of any RPG are two things -- story and combat -- and the latter is covered in-depth in the Combat & Survival section. And finally, the Ten Tips section will give you ten hints on playing Mass Effect successfully. So what are you waiting for? Get reading! © 2007 IGN Entertainment, I... 2 The Paragon & Classes & Fundamentals Renegade Character Types The dichotomy present in this game is inherently important to how things play out. Gamers familiar with other BioWare titles like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) will be just as familiar with what BioWare throws at them this time in Mass Effect. In KOTOR, gamers could be good or evil, and the game would play out accordingly, along with the development of skills catered towards your allegiance. In Mass Effect, you're encouraged to play as Paragon (good) or Renegade (bad), but you can strike a balance between the two. Also, you'll want to notice with the screens below that only the main character has to worry about Paragon or Renegade. All of the other characters are decidedly neutral, though they will react to which way you're leaning as the game progresses. The game, and the story within the game, is so deep that NPCs will react to you depending on how Paragon or Renegade you are. Certain things will be available to you only if you are leaning one way or another, but unlike KOTOR, you don't have to be all the way good or evil to truly affect the experience. This means that, in the end, there are many more combinations and layers to the Mass Effect experience than there was in KOTOR that necessitates at least two worthwhile play -through experiences. While the story remains identical, the way the story plays out can be very different depending on the choices you make in the game. And as you will quickly learn in Mass Effect, the choices you make mean everything . © 2007 IGN Entertainment, I... 3 Playing Paragon In many ways, playing as the good guy is a lot more difficult than playing as a bad guy. It's not necessarily that the Paragon experience provides the gamer with a more difficult play-through in the literal sense. Rather, playing as a Paragon forces you to take the high road with people. Instead of being the cause of trouble, you must often be the rectifier of trouble. A great example is near the beginning of the game on the Citadel. A character who is preaching about "God" is being warned to get off of governmental space, and to get a permit for his preaching activities. Here, your choices are very clear, and there is considerable deviation in them. While the Renegade might give the preacher a hard time and side with the government simply to get a rise out of the evangelist, the Paragon will act as intermediary between the governmental agent and the preacher, working out a resolution that means you, as Paragon, will have to spend your own hard-earned money to buy the preacher a permit and make sure no more trouble comes from his activities. This may seem lame, but it's all in a day's work for the underappreciated, good-natured, kind-hearted Paragon. Playing Renegade Playing Renegade is a lot easier than playing Paragon, simply because the choices you make will necessitate a lot more fighting and action than decisive problem solving. Indeed, those playing as Renegades will let their guns do the talking, pushing people around and having a general lack of respect for everything and everyone around them. There is a great difference in playing as a Renegade as opposed to the Paragon as a result of his gung-ho, careless attitude, but that's how a Renegade character is supposed to act -- by dangerous and ill-planned reaction. One needn't look any further than Commander Shepard's interaction with his or her very own superiors. While talking to various characters who outrank you, you're given clear choices. You can either have respect for them and what they say, or you can completely disrespect them and disregard their opinions and feelings by blowing them off and acting rudely. Sometimes, this even results in altercations and fights that would otherwise have been completely avoided simply by showing due respect to your superiors. But due respect isn't what playing as a Renegade is all about. Renegades are the exact opposite of Paragons for a reason. They worry about themselves and what benefits them. Nothing else matters. Remember that if and when you choose to play as a Renegade. Striking A Balance In the end, the game isn't about the extremes. As mentioned earlier, games like 2003's KOTOR encouraged gamers not to strike a balance, but to go one way or another and stick with those choices. But the Milky Way galaxy in Mass Effect and the Galaxy Far Far Away in Star Wars are two different beasts entirely. In the galaxy of Star Wars, there is good and bad. There is the Jedi and the Sith. Powers are drawn from the light and dark energies, so the system in KOTOR made sense to a degree. In Mass Effect, powers are drawn by your character class and type -- choices made simply effect the outcome of conversations, events, and the game as a whole. So making a good choice here and a bad choice there -- striking a balance, as it were -- is a great way to play the game exactly how you envision it being played. This guide's dual walkthroughs provide gamers with the "True Paragon" and "True Renegade" experiences, but don't think you're pigeonholed into doing just one or the other. The beauty of Mass Effect is in the plethora of choices you must make, and the overall, sometimes unpredictable affect these choices will have on the gaming experience as a whole.