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Mass Effect 2 - Insanity Walkthrough & Strategy Guide


Lord Maim

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Mass Effect 2 Insanity Walkthrough & Strategy Guide by Lord Maim

 

Insanity difficulty is aptly named. Though not impossible, it is challenging even with a fully powered up character. To minimize the frustration that you are bound to face, I've compiled an indepth walkthrough of all the major missions and some supplementary tips and details that can make your life simpler. As always, your best weapon on the battlefield will always be information.

 

Tackling Insanity on the PS3 is a bit of a different prospect than it is on the PC and the Xbox 360. Insanity difficulty doesn't require you to finish the game on a lower difficulty setting on the PS3. While you can leap right into it however, I don't recommend that you do.

 

Finishing the game once on a lower difficulty setting and earning the Loyalty of all recruits, will unlock bonus powers that you can take into your second game. These powerful abilities can round out the basic character classes and have a dramatic effect on your survivability on Insanity. Also, if you've unlocked the Long Service Medal trophy, you will start the game with an additional 200,000 Credits, 50,000 units of all resources, and a 25% bonus to your experience.

 

In addition to the tangible benefits of the prior game on a lower difficulty, you'll gain a feel for the game, learning the best powers and weapons to bring to bear against the various enemies in the game. Even though the enemies will be stronger on Insanity, you will face an identical number of enemies deployed in the same formations, giving you valuable experience on what to expect and where. This is crucial to offset the additional challenges that you'll face on Insanity, such as:

 

  • All enemies have some form of protection (shields, barrier, armor) even if they normally would not.
  • All enemies are stronger and take less damage.
  • Enemy statistics are scaled relative to the player's level, significantly in the case of Bosses.
  • Bosses have higher resistance to certain powers.
  • Enemies tend to be more aggressive, charging and flanking more frequently.
  • Enemies are more accurate, and do significantly more damage.

The difficulty increase creates such a different experience that your prior knowledge of the game will be invaluable for your survival. Once you've completed the game on a lower difficulty, you have two options on how to attack your Insanity playthrough.

 

STARTING YOUR INSANITY RUN:

 

Method 1: IMPORTED CHARACTER

After completing the game once, an imported character from Mass Effect 2 is supposed to start the game again with their current levels and abilities, in addition to all of the regular or heavy weapons that you had collected and researched throughout the game. Unfortunately, a bug is currently preventing this from occurring despite the pop-up when you restart confirming the bonus. This is a significant knock against this method.

PROS:

 

  • You will begin the game with a levelled up character that has access to their full range of abilities, which can be critical on Insanity when you have to deal with multiple types of protection on virtually every enemy.

CONS:

 

  • Enemy levels scale to your level, so while your character may be of high level so will all the enemies.

  • You will not carry over any of the upgrades that you'd purchased or found in the first game, resulting in a distinct disadvantage.

  • While the "New Game +" bug is unresolved, the lack of more powerful weapons and equipment leave you at a greater deficiency than Insanity has been balanced for, resulting in an even more disproportionate experience.

Method 2: NEW CHARACTER (RECOMMENDED)

I had originally scoffed at this option until I became aware of the "New Game +" bug causing with imported characters not receiving their bonuses from the first game. Now the advantages of this method are clear, and for the time being I have no choice to recommend this as your best choice.

PROS:

  • Enemies scale to your level, and since the game is balanced for not having powerful weapons, the greater difficulty is offset by the underpowered enemies. Anyone with any shooter experience can exploit this inequity easily.

CONS:

 

  • The first half of the game can be challenging since you will not have access to a full range of powers appropriate for dealing with the various enemy protections in the game.

 

Once you have decided how you'd like to approach your playthrough, start your game with either a New or Imported character. At the beginning of the game when creating/accepting your character, you are given the opportunity to select the difficulty setting. Set it to Insanity and do not change it throughout the game. If you do, the trophy will not unlock and you will have to either start a new game or restore a previous save to become eligible for it again.

 

GLITCHED TROPHY NOTES: For safety's sake, set the difficulty to Insanity from the main menu prior to starting your new game or importing your character. Once you have started your playthrough on Insanity difficulty, do not load any previous saves that have a lower difficulty setting. The game will interpret this as changing your difficulty and will not award you the trophy. This is due to the difficulty being saved in your profile as a global value rather than being stored in your individual game save. A fix is in the works at BioWare.

 

 

I would suggest choosing Soldier as the easiest class to complete Insanity difficulty with, especially with the Squad Powers that you'll earn on your first playthrough to complement your combat capability. Squad members die very easily on Insanity difficulty, so choosing a combat capable class that can survive without support is important. Consult the recruiting and Loyalty mission descriptions for tested strategies for Insanity difficulty. Also see the Tips section for additional strategies.

 

 

MISSION STRUCTURE:

 

On your Insanity playthrough, if you've already gotten all other trophies and prefer to take the shortest possible route to complete the campaign, you can skip all Loyalty missions, and recruit Kasumi and Zaeed instead of two other crew members to avoid lengthy recruiting missions.

PART ONE: HORIZON

 

  • Tutorial and Freedom's Progress

  • Recruit "The Master Thief"

  • Recruit "The Mercenary"

  • Recruit "The Professor"

  • Recruit "The Krogan"

  • Recruit "The Convict"

  • Recruit "Archangel"

  • Horizon

 

PART TWO: GHOST SHIP

 

  • Additional recruits are not necessary, so you can skip all additional recruiting missions.

  • Collector Ship: After Horizon, the mission to the Collector Ship will trigger automatically after 5 additional missions have been completed. Recruiting, Loyalty, and side missions all count towards this total. Either complete short missions for speed, or choose missions that have valuable upgrades as completion rewards.

 

PART THREE: FRIEND OR FOE

 

  • Reaper IFF mission.

 

PART FOUR: SUICIDE MISSION

 

  • You require 8 recruits to begin the suicide mission.

  • Enter the Omega 4 Relay, and defeat the final boss. Survival is not required.

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TIPS:

 

  • Press :l2: or :r2: to bring up your radar and see enemy positions. This is crucial to avoid being flanked, and useful to locate enemy stragglers that need to be eliminated before being able to save.

 

  • Cheat the Corner. Anytime that you have cover that is as tall as you are, rather than going into cover with the :cross: button, approach the right side of the cover and press your face right against it. You will be able to shoot around the corner even though you are actually entirely in cover. See the video for a demonstration.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGlbFpNuI40]Cheating the Corner[/ame]

 

  • Your health and shields regenerate, but some ammo and biotic effects can block regeneration. Conversely, remember that Krogan and Vorcha regenerate, Engineers can restore their shields, and biotics replenish their barriers, either use powers to block their regeneration, or don't let up until they're dead.
     
    http://i.imgur.com/JqST9eK.jpg


 

  • Use squad members, powers and weapons appropriate to your enemies. Each ability useful against a different enemy, and may require you to switch in mid-combat depending on your target. Some squad members are more suited for certain missions than others, with abilities to deal with with barriers, shields, armor, mechs, etc.

 

  • Power Cells provide ammo for your Heavy Weapon. They also provide a large amount of conventional ammo for your other weapons. This is of particular importance on Insanity difficulty where ammunition actually becomes a consideration.

 

  • The M-920 Cain is an incredibly powerful Heavy Weapon. It can be researched after you've unlocked three Heavy Weapon Ammo upgrades, and will kill most enemies (including bosses) in a single shot. Make it count though, because you can only fire it once (twice with sufficient ammo upgrades). Thanks to BaldWombat for the tip.

 

  • Never be afraid to back up and let your enemy come to you. This is especially important with groups of Husks, especially when supported by Scions. Usually you can set your squad in an ambush position and lure the enemy to a choke point rather than dealing with them in a disadvantageous position.

 

  • Once you've picked your squad, make sure you make use of them. That means not only using their abilities, but choosing their targets, moving them to better positions, or using them to suppress or flank your enemies. Sometimes using one of them as a distraction can divide your enemy's attention, or open them up to a killing blow.

 

  • Make use of your environment. Explosive containers or crates are frequently present in the levels, but there are also occasionally overhead targets that can be caused to fall on enemies, flammable tanks that will spray them with flame when pierced, capacitors that can be caused to discharge, etc. Usually a few bullets will do a lot more damage over a larger area if they are put in an explosive container instead of the enemy proper. This is especially critical on Insanity when ammunition can sometimes be in short supply.

 

  • Make use of your enemies! Pyros, Geth Destroyers, Abominations, Klixen, YMIR, all explode. If you can time it right,you can use that explosion to your advantage to damage any enemies in the area. Again, on Insanity every little bit helps.

 

  • Use Advanced Training to supplement your chosen class. There's a number of useful skills to choose from, so pick one that complements your class's natural abilities.

 

  • Complete the Lair of the Shadow Broker missions to gain:
    • Access to a steady supply of bonus resources and extra weapon upgrades.
    • The ability to re-spec your squad's powers in case you regret the way you've spent their points.
    • A method to identify planets that are Rich in particular resources. This is very helpful when you're short on a specific element.

     

 

  • Mining is boring, but take the time to gather the resources to research upgrades as soon as they are available. This is critical on Insanity, because each Upgrade improves the survivability of you and your squad. Ship upgrades should be saved until last, completed just before undertaking the Reaper IFF mission. If you play as an Engineer, you will get a 25% discount on the cost of research projects. If you're missing a particular element, click here for a list of mineral rich planets by type.

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PARAGON / RENEGADE SCORES:

 

When in conversation, the dialogue choices that you make can sometimes earn you Paragon or Renegade points. Paragon points are awarded for positive or friendly responses, while Renegade points are awarded for negative or hostile dialogue responses.

 

 

  • The option to earn Paragon points is typically the selection to the upper right.
  • The option to earn Renegade points is typically the selection to the lower right.
  • The middle option on the right is a neutral choice that does not award points.

 

As a general rule, the choices on the Dialogue Wheel correspond to the following pattern:

 

http://i.imgur.com/S3N4zmh.jpg

 

There are also Paragon or Renegade interrupts that can appear flashing at the bottom of the screen along side a button graphic. When the Paragon logo flashes during a conversation, press the :l2: button to take a positive action. When the Renegade logo flashes during a conversation, press the :r2: button to take a negative action. These interrupts will be available no matter what your current score is, and will always award points for the option you chose.

 

These Paragon and Renegade points unlock special conversation options. If you have enough points these will appear in the upper left in blue (Paragon) or the lower left in red (Renegade), this indicates an option that you would not be able to choose if your score was too low. Choosing one of these options usually has special results and always results in an award of additional points of the same type. If those options appear in gray and cannot be selected, that represents an optional Paragon or Renegade dialogue choice that you do not have the points to activate. It seems simple, but there is a catch.

 

Targets for Paragon / Renegade conversation options are based on your percentage of the total potential points available to you up to that point in the game.

 

For example a person who has 5 points out of a possible 5 choices will have a much better chance of getting Paragon/Renegade conversation options than a person who has 50 points out of a possible 100.

 

What this means is that if you divide your responses between Paragon or Renegade choices, or take neutral choices that award no points at all, it is possible to fall behind and never be able to earn enough points. This can affect your access to important dialogue choices affecting Loyalty missions and resolving conflicts in the crew, and therefore cause you to miss trophies.

 

Because there are a finite number of points available, and using a Charm or Intimidate response results in additional points of the appropriate type being awarded, once you're behind it becomes a self perpetuating cycle that is difficult to recover from. However, all is not lost. There are some things you can do to turn the tide:

 

  • Be Consistent: Don't spread your points between both scores. Most situation will have options to resolve them with either a high Paragon or Renegade score, so by concentrating on only one you won't be missing out on options.

 

  • Class Mastery: Each class has a "Mastery" skill that gives a bonus to your Paragon / Renegade points. This bonus counts towards your actual score, but has no affect on the potential score up to that point in the game. So with Class mastery it is possible to have 10 points out of a possible 5, for example.

 

  • Equipment Bonuses: Apparently, any equipment that provides bonuses to negotiation can also influence a Paragon / Renegade check. The extra few percentage points might tip the balance.

 

  • Speak to Your Squad Early: Speak to all squad members after every mission until you exhaust their dialogue options. There are possible Paragon or Renegade points that will still count against your potential if you don't take advantage of them.

 

  • Don't Visit Planets Until You Need To: Just showing up on a major planet adds to the potential number of Paragon or Renegade points available to you. Unless you're planning on completing every mission on the planet before moving on, you'll automatically be at a points deficit.

 

If you really don't want to leave it to chance, click here to see the points for every conversation in the game.

 

EXPLOIT: Before leaving Morinth's apartment there is a glitch in Samara's dialgoue when she asks you if you're ready to leave. Choose "Are you okay?" and then "Not yet" to exit the conversation. Repeat for 2 Paragon points each time. Credit to Qu1ck57r1k3 for pointing this out.

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PART ONE: HORIZON

DOSSIER: THE PROFESSOR

 

[spoiler=ME2-6]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP007.png

 

 

Omega / Sahrabarik System / Omega. Recruiting Mordin Solus should be your first priority after Freedom's Progress, as it will grant the use of Normandy's Tech Lab, and the ability to research upgrades to the ship, weapons, armor, and more. It also doesn't hurt that he's awesome. Solus is currently trapped in a quarantined area of Omega's slums that has had an outbreak of a mysterious plague. Talk to Aria T'Loak at Afterlife to get permission to enter, which will prevent her guards from attacking you, but you will not be able to leave once you enter so be sure you're ready. Past the initial blockade, you'll run into the Blue Suns first, and then a firefight between then and the Blood Pack. In both cases, there is an upper level that you can shoot from, giving you the best protection and line of sight. When entering the second firefight, make sure to ignore the two Blue Suns directly below you. Support them by attacking only the Blood Pack Vorcha at the other end of the area, and they'll ignore you for the most part until the Blood Pack take them down. Until then they're like two extra squad members on the field, not exactly crack shots but at least they draw fire. While the Vorcha are content to hang back, keep an eye out for Varren and two Krogan Warriors who will charge your position, both of which will soak a lot of damage before going down. Otherwise, the area is linear and leads directly to Mordin's clinic.

 

Once you meet up with the good doctor, he will give you a cure for the plague to release into the environmental control center. There will be one major firefight immediately after you leave the clinic, with a ton of Vorcha and two Krogan Warriors. After completing this fight, you'll go down a hallway and find two doors across from each other. Through the south door is Mordin's assistant Daniel that he wanted you to find. Past the north door are a couple of Vorcha guarding a stairway down leading to a nasty firefight. On the catwalk opposite you will be the Blood Pack "Boom-Squad", basically a ton of Vorcha with rocket launchers. The level you're on will also overlook a lower level where other Vorcha will emerge from the Ventilation Control Room. It is in your best interest to stay on this upper level until all the Vorcha are dead. Stick to cover and pop out with your sniper rifle as the shots present themselves. Again, use the explosive containers to soften them up, then finish them with sniper fire. Once in environmental control, fight to the console through Boom-Squad and Troopers. Insert the cure, and the doors to the East and West Fan Array will open. This will also trigger another wave of Troopers to attack, including two Boom-Squad on a balcony on the far end of the central platform. A group of Troopers and Pyros will come out of each fan room, use the Pyros to thin their numbers while they're all grouped together by shooting their tanks. Activating the first will trigger a wave of about eight to ten Troopers, so have your squad dig in before flipping the switch. Once both fans are activated, you will automatically return to Mordin's clinic and recruit the Salarian specialist to your cause.

 

 

DOSSIER: THE WARLORD

 

[spoiler=ME2-4]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP005.png

 

Korlus / Imir System / Eagle Nebula. The Warlord Okeer is found working in a Blue Suns compound, creating Krogan clones to act as shock troops for the mercenaries. You'll have to fight through several waves of Blue Suns as well as Krogan berserkers before you reach Okeer. From the start, you'll encounter four waves of Blue Suns, usually attacking from raised positions. In the middle of the last wave you'll see a Tank Grown Krogan firing at the Blue Suns, which you should avoid shooting. Speak to him to have him open a passage to the next area. Coming down the ramp, you'll run into two Blue Suns mercs and no cover to speak of, so be prepared to back up behind the entrance when you hear them. A Krogan Berserker will also be in the area usually just around the corner. Stay behind the L shaped cover at the bottom of the ramp with your squad and take it out, then lure six more to your position to kill them as well. The Krogans don't seem to advance past the edge of the next corridor, making it much easier to deal with them than it is on the ramps where most of the cover is destructible. When fighting Krogans, remember their prodigious regenerative ability and don't let up until they're dead. You can also use Warp to prevent them from healing while affected. In the next section, you'll be back to fighting Blue Suns, usually with Heavies and Legionnaires. Hang back and eliminate them at range.

 

Once you reach Okeer, he will reveal the true purpose of his experiments and agree to join your crew, but not before the Blue Suns leader Jedore releases toxic gas into the compound. You will have to fight Jedore, a YMIR mech, and a stream of Krogan clones. Go down the stairs, but set your squad to wait at the top of the landing. Open the door to Jedore's chamber, and trigger the Krogan. Let one into the stairwell each time, and kill them. After four they should stop coming. You can then fight the YMIR from the doorway, using biotics or heavy weapons, leaving only Jedore. I've found that if you can position yourself behind the angled metal strip at the bottom of the pillar at the far side of the area, her rockets can't hit you and you can snipe her with impunity. Once Jedore is dead, return to the lab to find Okeer poisoned, but a recorded message begs you to take his perfect clone with you. After a short cinematic, the Krogan will be installed in the Port Cargo Hold on Deck 4. Open the tank, and convince Grunt that you are worthy to lead him. Choose forceful or aggressive responses, ideally the Charm or Intimidate responses, but avoid killing him (obviously).

 

 

DOSSIER: THE CONVICT

 

[spoiler=ME2-3]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP004.png

 

 

Prison Ship Purgatory / Osun System / Hourglass Nebula. A simple prisoner transfer turns complicated as Jack arranges for her own early release, leaving you to follow her trail of carnage. The mission is fairly simple, culminating in a showdown with Warden Kuril himself. As soon as you open the door in outprocessing, send your squad to cover and snipe the Blue Suns as they enter the room. Watch for FENRIS mechs who will charge your position, better if you can kill them with sniper fire from a distance. Once you leave the room, four more mercs will start moving towards you. Back up into the room and take care of them from your original position.

 

Once you release Jack, go down the ramp and through the passage into three large connected rooms. In the first room ignore the prisoners and focus on the YMIR, saving the Blue Suns in the room for the end unless they take notice of you early. In the second room, hang back and snipe Troopers as they come under the bridge. Once the room is cleared, approaching the area near the back of the room will cause the YMIR on the back ramp to activate. Have your squad hang back and maneuver around under the bridge to avoid it. With your squad dividing its attention, you can easily whittle it down with minimal danger.

 

Entering the third room will begin the finaly battle with Kuril. Immediately go left and onto the upper level. From there quickly blast the glowing center section of the three shield towers. This will make Kuril vulnerable, as well as put a stop to the continuously spawning Blue Suns. Clean up the mercs, then finish off the Warden sniper fire. Once Kuril is dead, you will catch up with Jack and recruit her.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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DOSSIER: ARCHANGEL

 

[spoiler=ME2-5]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP006.png

 

 

Omega / Sahrabarik System / Omega. The triumphant return of Garrus Vakarian, and cooler than ever. Naturally he's pissing off every criminal on Omega, and now they're after his head. Sign up with the mercenary recruiter in Afterlife to scam a free ride out to the front lines. There you'll find members of the Blue Suns, Eclipse and the Blood Pack working together, planning the next stage of their assault on Archangel's position. Wandering among the wounded and angry mercenaries, there are a few things you can do to make your life easier. First, sabotage the YMIR mech outside the room with the Eclipse leaders. This will cause the YMIR to malfunction when the Eclipse attack, making it turn on them when it is deployed. Second, near the end of your talk with Sgt Cathka, you will get a Renegade interrupt that will cause you to electrocute him, preventing him from repairing the Blue Suns' gunship. In the upcoming fight When the gunship appears, it will be at half strength.

 

After dealing with Cathka, you will be sent in to attack Archangel, along with a handful of freelancers. They will ignore you until you turn on them, allowing you to choose your moment. Join up with Garrus on the second floor, and get ready for the assault. After the initial group of mechs, there will be a wave of Eclipse mercs and the reprogrammed YMIR. It will turn on them and start cutting them down. Use the opportunity to weaken the YMIR down to low armor, because eventually it will return to its former programming and come after you. Once they're dealt with, Garrus will inform you that the Blood Pack are infiltrating through the basement. Leave one of your squad with Garrus to back him up, and close the three shutters in the basement. Take special care with the left passage marked Utility, just around the first corner will usually be a Vorcha Pyro that can cut you down in short order, especially on Insanity difficulty. In the Garage watch for Varren to charge you while you're being supressed by a large number of Vorcha, and one Warrior. There will be additional Blood Pack mercs upstairs once you've completed, including a number of Varren and the leader of the Blood Pack, Garm. Finally, you'll deal with the Blue Suns. The gunship will drop off a number of troops including Jentha, a lieutenant with shields and armor, then a second group will be deployed downstairs. Once the second wave has been dealt with, the gunship will fire through the windows, and drop off troopers at regular intervals. Have your squad deal with any Blue Suns in the room while you concentrate on attacking the gunship. Use heavy weapons against the gunship, or sniper fire (preferably with warp ammo) to whittle it down. Once the gunship is destroyed and the room cleared, the mission will be over.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXKpBlaPz-E]Archangel (Part 1 - Eclipse)[/ame]

 

Parts 2 & 3 coming "soon".

 

Once the dossiers for the Professor, the Warlord, the Convict, and Archangel are completed, the mission to Horizon will begin automatically. In order to improve your chances on Horizon, it is advisable to gather as many upgrades as possible prior to completing the fourth dossier.

 

Dossiers for recruiting the Master Thief and the Mercenary do not contribute to triggering the mission on Horizon.

 

 

 

HORIZON

 

[spoiler=ME2-10]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP011.png

 

 

The Collectors are abducting the population of Horizon, and it's up to you to intervene. The opening areas are straightforward, but watch for Collector Assassins armed with particle beams that can cut through your shields in moments. They should be your priority target whenever they appear. After you drop into the second section, the Collectors will be joined by some Husks which will charge your position. Take cover to the right behind the pre-fab house and weather the charge, then clean up the Collectors before proceeding. In the next area, don't open fire on the Drone on the left right away, instead sprint for the house. If you are undetected you can kill the Assassin in front of the house right away before they take cover, then clean up the rest. After you find the frozen colonists, there will be a cinematic and the first appearance of a Harbinger. As soon as you have control again, get to cover and take it out. There are five or six more Collectors in the area, so be sure your radar is clear before advancing.

 

After meeting the mechanic, you'll find yourself in another large firefight. You'll be charged by Husks again so be ready. In addition to Collectors and at least one Harbinger posession, there'll be an Assassin, and the first appearance of a Scion with it's dangerous blast attack. If it hits you, it will instantly drop your shields and interfere with your regeneration. If that's not enough, it does track you slightly, and goes over/through any cover you might have. If you're lucky you can clean up the area before it gets into range to be dangerous, but keep an eye out for it's bulbous mass just in case. One thing to keep in mind is that the Scion will not attack you if it cannot see you. Stay behind tall cover and cheat the corner to take them down, or deal with them at range. Once everything in the area is dead, scour the surrounding buildings for ammo before opening the large gate that leads to the final area.

 

When you approach the transmitter, you'll trigger two Scions to appear, and ten Husks to charge you in turns while the Scions wail on you with their blast attack. This is easily one of the more challenging fights in the game. Charge around the outside of the area to avoid the Scion's blast, then pull a 'Crazy Ivan' to deal with the Husks following you. Once they're dealt with, it will be an easy matter to stay ahead of the slow moving Scions and deal with them at range. Once that's done with, you have to activate the transmitter which you then have to defend against three increasingly deadly waves of Collectors. So make sure you stock up on ammo from the area before flipping the switch.

 

The first wave is some Drones, Guardians, an Assassin, and two Husks, with random Harbingers dropping in. Take cover on the north side of the area, on the small platform with stairs on either side. You should be able to hold out there with no trouble. At the end of the wave, EDI will report her progress and one of your squad will probably have something to say. Take these few seconds to find additional ammunition before the second wave happens. In this wave, there will be more husks, but otherwise pretty much the same. Nothing you can't handle.

 

The final wave is the massive Praetorian, and it's a pain in the ass. It will alternately attack with a dual particle beam, then slam to the ground and erect a biotic barrier against your attack. The Praetorian cannot be damaged during the barrier animation, so wait for its life bar to reappear before resuming the attack. Also about three seconds after it lands it will scream and send out a shockwave that does a lot of damage, and can hit you even if you're behind cover. The second it touches down, make sure to back out of range of the scream before resuming the attack. The Collector Particle Beam is great for dropping the barrier quickly, then you can go back to work on its armor with your regular weapon. You will only have a few seconds before it raises its barrier again, so make the most of it each time. It will take a severe pounding before it dies, so keep to cover as much as possible and attack it by cheating the corners of a tall obstacle like the tire pile or the curved wall near the transmitter console. The Praetorian will always target you leaving your squad free to pound on it from afar. Just make sure they're taking cover out of the range of the shockwave. Once the Praetorian has been killed, you will get an end of mission cinematic and the trophy.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzsVtbKpgbQ]Horizon (Part 1)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK38alEtSTg]Horizon (Part 2)[/ame]

Edited by Lord Maim
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PART TWO: GHOST SHIP

 

After completing Horizon, the mission to the Collector Ship will be automatically triggered after 5 additional missions are completed. These missions can be of any type, be they Recruitment missions, Side missions, or Loyalty missions.

 

Loyalty missions start to become available after Horizon, beginning with the original four recruits and opening for the other characters as they are recruited. You do not have to speak to the character or maintain a relationship with them to cause the mission to unlock. Yeoman Chambers will inform you when your crew members wish to speak to you, indicating that their Loyalty mission is available. Go to speak with the character to activate the mission on the Galaxy map.

 

DOSSIER: TALI

 

[spoiler=ME2-7]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP008.png

 

 

Haestrom / Dholen System / Far Rim. Shockingly not a first round draft pick, the sultry voiced Tali'Zorah vas Neema will finally become available to join your team in the second batch of dossiers handed out by the Illusive Man. To recruit her, you'll have to travel to Haestrom, which suffers from two major problems. First, it's star has become unstable, bathing Haestrom in dangerous levels of radiation. While in direct sunlight, your shields will steadily take damage and will not regenerate until you are back in shadow. Firefights while in sunlight are therefore not recommended. Which brings us to the second problem; the area is crawling with Geth. Outfit your squad with disruptor / warp ammo, or bring someone with Overload like Garrus or Miranda.

 

Fight through the Geth until you make contact with Kal'Reegar. You'll see a short cinematic where a the Quarians' bunker is blocked by a collapsing pillar, prompting you to find two demolition charges to progress. One will be in the garage to the West, directly across from the bunker, and the other will be North past the bridge at the far side of the area. Both areas will be defended by Geth, including two very dangerous varieties: Geth Hunters who are able to cloak, and the dangerous Geth Prime. When approaching the West garage, you'll encounter a seemingly endless stream of Geth. If you rush, you will find yourself quickly overwhelmed so find some cover and pick them off as targets present themselves. Use biotics to take care of their shields before you attack or you'll find yourself running low on ammo before the area is cleared. There will be about a dozen Geth Troopers and a couple Hunters when all is said and done. After securing the area, the area will be littered with ammo which you're probably desperately in need of by now, as well as two medi-gels. Make sure to pick it all up and have your squad set up positions before you take the charge, because you will also have to fight your way out of the enclosed garage. Once they're in position, grab the charge approach the exit to trigger their appearance. A couple of Troopers and a Prime will drop from a transport and immediately start firing, so duck and cover and order your squad to focus on the Prime.

 

After dispatching the Prime, there will be a steady stream of five or six Troopers which will come from the North one at a time. For safety, pick them off from the garage before advancing. Once you approach the North, you'll trigger another wave of Troopers supported by a Geth Destroyer who carries an arc thrower. Shoot the tanks on its back like you would a Pyro's to set off a chain reaction. Once all resistance to the north is cleared out don't relax, just as you get close two more Troopers will pop out for a last ditch defense. Clean them up and move in for the demo charge. As before, after grabbing the charge and trying to advance, Geth will again drop in to ruin your day. Five or six Troopers will rush you, Rocket Troopers will appear on the bridge ahead, and they'll be backed up by a Destroyer. You can either fall back to the room to the North, or take the door to the East and go up the ramp to flank the Rocket Troopers on the bridge. Wipe them out before returning to the rubble to plant the charges.

 

Entering the bunker, you'll get a message that Tali is cornered by Geth and their position is under fire. Tali will open the door for you into the last area, and a ridiculous number of Geth. The Geth will be be supplemented by flying Recon Drones, which can be dangerous in large numbers, and interfere with your shield's regeneration while in cover. There will also be another Geth Prime near the start of the area, which should be taken out as quickly as possible, followed by a second near the end of the area. But wait, there's more. After raising the security shutters you'll see just how badly you're screwed. The geth assault is incredible, and a massive Geth Colossus is providing fire support for the attack. You can get Kal'Reegar to cover you with rockets, but be warned that it will incur Renegade points and will result in his death.

 

At the start, order your squad to hunker down and deal with the waves of Troopers that will attack you. You'll be well defended against Geth ahead of you, but watch for any that approach from the right, as they can hit you from certain angles even while in cover. Once you've thinned them out, circle around to the right, using your sniper rifle to attack targets of opportunity as they approach from the front. Cover from the sun is limited on the raised area, so be careful when advancing from cover to cover. While flanking, you can also use one of your squad members to supress the Colossus and draw its fire. Lay into it with heavy weapons to do as much damage as fast as possible. If you delay, the Geth will enter a repair cycle during which it will be invincible. Once the Colossus is destroyed, destroy the remaining Geth and enter the observatory to finally meet up with Tali.

 

A tip from Carmilla31:

At the part where you can choose to either have the guy fight with you or stand down make him stand down. Then when one of your allies dies you can talk to him to automatically revive your dead teamates. Just keep choosing for him to stand down.

 

Doing this you can stand all the way back and have your teamates kill everyone while you hide. It takes a while for the enemies to stop spawning, as there is A LOT of them, but when its done you can just run up to the colossus and kill him by himself.

 

 

 

DOSSIER: THE JUSTICAR

 

[spoiler=ME2-8]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP009.png

 

 

Ilium / Tasale System / Crescent Nebula. After speaking to Liara, talk to Officer Dara in the tracking office to gain access to the spaceport area. Once there, you'll see a brief exchange between a detective and a Volus trader named Pitne For whose business partner has just been murdered. Talking to Pitne will reveal that Samara is in the sealed off alley where the crime occurred. Enter the police station and speak to Detective Anaya to gain access to the alley. It's a small area, with a few Eclipse mercs and some LOKI mechs. Shortly after dispatching them, you'll encounter Samara questioning one of the vanguards. She seems amenable to your cause, but cannot join you due to her current mission hunting a dangerous fugitive. Through a convoluted series of twists, Detective Anaya takes Samara into custody for a day, leaving you to find the information the Justicar needs and possibly solve a murder at the same time. Return to the main concourse and lean on Pitne For again. Convince him to help you and he will provide you with a passcard to use the elevator to the Eclipse base.

 

For the most part, the Eclipse mercs aren't challenging as long as you're equipped to deal with their biotic barriers with warp ammo/biotics. Just be careful of the many drug filled canisters in the area. If hit, they will release clouds of toxic gas that can overwhelm you if you don't clear the cloud quickly. Near the end of the area you'll encounter a gunship that will fly away, but before you enter the area you can usually kill four or five Eclipse mercs with your sniper long before they're aware of your presence.

 

In the next hallway, you'll learn the identity of the murderer of Pitne For's partner by hacking a terminal. Right after this is the Gunship attack. Run immediately to the West side of the platform. Stick to cover and hit it with heavy weapons when safe. Eventually it will swoop overhead, peppering the area with missiles. Turn around and hide behind the left pillar by the stairs and keep hitting it, but watch for FENRIS mechs that will charge your position via the bridge. Two will appear each time the Gunship is on the East side of the platform. When the Gunship goes back to the West, move to the other side of the platform and continue attacking. Two passes back and forth and you should be able to destroy it, even on Insanity.

 

Shortly after dealing with the gunship, you'll encounter a Volus biotic named Niftu Cal who fills in some of the blanks about the Eclipse leader Wasea, who you will encounter immediately after. Wasea is a powerful biotic, who will be backed up by Sisterhood Initiates, Vanguards and Heavies. It isn't a very difficult fight, but you may have some trouble seeing Wasea when she starts throwing the canisters of Red Dust around. Maneuver to get a clear line of fire and press the attack. After wiping them all out, grab Wasea's datapad from her desk to find the name of the ship that Samara wanted. Leaving the room or selecting the option after finding the datapad, you'll be transported back to the spaceport. Enter the police station, give Samara the information and she will join you.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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DOSSIER: THE ASSASSIN

 

[spoiler=ME2-9]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP010.png

 

 

Ilium / Tasale System / Crescent Nebula. After speaking to Liara, seek out Seryna in the shipping department. After some convincing, she agrees to take you to Dantius Towers where Thane Krios is currently working a contract. While in the towers you will encounter LOKI and FENRIS mechs, as well as Eclipse troops, so be prepared to deal with synthetics as well as biotic barriers. Overall, the battles on the first floor are not terribly challenging as long as you make use of the abundant cover in the area and watch for any rushing FENRIS mechs.

 

The strategy is the same on the second floor, just be sure to hang back until each wave breaks on your defenses, then advance slowly to prevent from being overrun. When you come to the elevator, make sure to keep going around the area to find a Viper Sniper Rifle at the end of a long corridor, against the right wall. The corridor will be to the left of the locked room with the Salarian workers. When calling for the elevator, make sure to find suitable cover to assault the Eclipse troops that come down in the car. There will be a Krogan bounty hunter and two Eclipse Engineers. You may want to draw them back the way you came, where there's better cover. Once up the elevator, you'll encounter a Eclipse merc reporting in. You'll have the change to do a Renegade interrupt, but if you hold back you can avoid a firefight by letting him go after questioning him.

 

Pass into the next area and you'll have a chance to get the drop on a group of mercs and inactive LOKI mechs. Work your way around and up the ramp, quickly taking out two LOKIs and a Vanguard at the top of the ramp. If you can make your way to the pillars on the West side of the area, you'll notice they have a solid lower section, and a middle section made of two flat pieces with a gap in the middle you can shoot through. The lower section is exactly the right height that you can snipe over it through the flat sides of the pillar while still remaining in almost complete cover. Wipe them out, and move on.

 

Eventually you'll make your way to the bridge between towers, and encounter an abundance of Eclipse Commandos, Troopers, and Vanguards, as well as LOKI mechs. This is a great opportunity to work on the Merciless trophy by using Throw to knock enemies off the bridge. Advance slowly, making smart use of the cover and keep an eye out for the turrets at the far side of the bridge who will begin firing rockets if you get into range. Instead, kill them with heavy weapons or sniper fire from outside their range, but sniping is difficult while being buffeted by the winds. Watch out for the Eclipse Commando that will appear at the raised area at the end of the bridge, having both a barrier and armor. Fight your way into the building, and you'll meet up with Thane during the cinematic that follows.

 

 

COLLECTOR SHIP

 

[spoiler=ME2-22]

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Once you have (semi)successfully defended Horizon, the mission to the Collector ship will trigger after 5 additional missions have been completed. All mission types count towards this total, be they recruitment missions, loyalty mission, or side missions, after the fifth one has been completed the mission to the Collector ship will be triggered. You will receive a call from the Illusive Man and will not be able to access the Galaxy Map to maneuver. After the briefing you will start the mission automatically. Once inside the Collector ship, you will not face any enemies until you reach the control panel in the central chamber. Once the uplink to the Normandy is established, floating hexagonal platforms carrying Collectors will attach to your platform and you will be swarmed with enemies.

 

This will be a tough fight. The first platform contains two Collector Drones and a Guardian. Shortly after connecting to your platform one of the three will be taken over by a Harbinger. If you work fast and direct your squad properly, you can kill the two Drones forcing the Harbinger to take over the Guardian so it will stop putting up shields. During this initial exchange, the second platform will connect to the right of the Collector's platform, containing a Scion. For the time being they're out of range, so concentrate on the Collectors.

 

A third platform will appear and connect to the left of the Collector's platform containing three Drones and a second Scion who will fire on you from their slightly raised position. Hopefully you've cleaned out the first batch of Collectors by now. While attacking the third platform, the second platform containing the first Scion will detach and start to float about behind the others, still out of range to do any damage unless you advance. The Drones will advance slowly, and likely one will be taken over by a Harbinger again. Eliminate all the Drones first then the Harbinger afterward, to prevent another Harbinger from spawning. Finally turn your fire on the Scions, starting with the one on the moving platform since it occasionally drifts into range to clip you. Once that is eliminated, turn to the other Scion and take it down as well.

 

Work quickly, because a fourth platform appears right away containing five or six Drones and an Assassin. A Harbinger will spawn in almost immediately as it's connecting. Concentrate your fire to take out Drones as quickly as possible, dealing with the Harbinger only if it advances onto your platform. If too much time elapses after you've killed it, and there's still drones left, another Harbinger will posess one of the remaining Drones. Kill as many as possible before dealing with the Harbinger and you'll have better luck. This is a rough fight, but once the last platform is cleared, you'll be able to proceed. Make sure to restock on ammo, and check out the last platform for Heavy Weapon ammo before you activate the console a second time.

 

Travel down the corridor and to the bottom of the ramp. Where it widens out into a room, you will be ambushed by Collectors again. Stand on the left side of the door frame against the wall, and fire over the angled section cheating the corner. There will be a number of Drones and a Harbinger will no doubt appear right away. Once you clean out this group and proceed down the ramp, another group of Drones and Guardians will appear. Stick to the left side to cheat the corner. Try not to advance until all the Collectors are dead to prevent the Abominations from spawning until you are ready. There will be more Power Cells at the end of this section, just before a drop off that you can't backtrack over, so you might as well grab them now.

 

Drop down onto the raised platform on the side of a very large room. There will be two ramps leading down into the room and a door that EDI opens on the far side. A Praetorian will fly into the room, along with some Husks. Take out the Husks from cover, then send your squad to cover on the far left side of the room, away from the ramp. They will attack the Praetorian and random Drones that appear while you run around the ramps holding the Praetorian's attention and returning fire when safe. The geometry of the ramps make the encounter much safer than the first Praetorian battle. Just be careful that your squad is taking care of Drones that come in so you're not caught by surprise.

 

Approaching the door will cause it to close, forcing EDI to find you an alternate route. Pass through the door, grab the Tech Damage upgrade and advance into the next room to trigger another Collector attack. Watch out for the Abominations that will rush you, then take out the Assassin and the remainder of the Drones. Go up the ramp on the right slowly, causing another Drone and Guardian to appear. And more Drones and a Scion when you reach the top of the ramp. In all cases, the best strategy is to trigger the Collectors then back up down the ramp. Usually you can use the ramp's geometry to your advantage but if they start to advance, back up to cover.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, when you enter the next corridor, be ready to be attacked by a crapload of Husks. You can try to stand and fight them, but if you're on Insanity difficulty don't risk it. Just run. Not far past them is the shuttle, and as long as you don't get surrounded you can make it before being overrun.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfkntxfaDY]Insanity Walkthrough - Ghost Ship (Part 1)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKXT9elarM8]Insanity Walkthrough - Ghost Ship (Part 2)[/ame]

Edited by Lord Maim
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PART THREE: FRIEND OR FOE

 

After the Collector's ship, you will receive the Reaper IFF mission. Once you have completed this mission, an event will occur that will place your crew in jeopardy. After this event the final mission will become available, and the amount of time that elapses between the event and starting the next mission will have a direct affect on the fate of your crew. If this is important to you, you should ensure that all the missions you intend to complete before the end of the game are completed before beginning the Reaper IFF mission, especially Loyalty missions.

 

 

MIRANDA: THE PRODIGAL

 

[spoiler=ME2-11]

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Ilium / Tasale System / Crescent Nebula. Talk to Lanteia in Eternity to start the mission and Miranda will fly you to the shipping area to rendezvous with her contact. Of course things don't go according to plan, but when confronted with the Eclipse mercs at the start of the mission, a Renegade interrupt will thin their ranks for the upcoming firefight. What a twist!

 

Troopers will be backed up by Engineers, so watch out for their Incinerate ability and combat drones. Clear out the area and move on to the elevator. In the next area, go through the shipping container and take cover by the crates just outside. Edge forward to trigger the attack and take them out at range. Either hang back in the container and snipe, or stand by the left wall at the edge of the cargo conveyor and cheat the corner to get in close. There are a couple of Engineers and a lot of Troopers, but they'll stay on their side of the conveyor so there's no rush.

 

Advancing through the next shipping container, you'll encounter four LOKIs in the narrow passage beyond. Be careful you're not caught without cover. Take them out and move on into the next area where more Eclipse Engineers and Troopers will shoot at you across the cargo conveyor. There's still plenty of cover, so again no rush. They will be supported by Heavies too, so watch when you pop out. Once the area has been cleared, don't be in a hurry to head south because it will trigger two Heavies to come around the corner at virtually point blank range. At the end of the passage to the south you'll also run into a pair of Troopers and a LOKI that will unleash fire on you the moment you round the corner, leading into yet another cross conveyor fight.

 

Later, EDI will let you know that the elevators are disabled, announcing the next to last fight in the area. A small number of Eclipse troops will emerge from the elevator, but don't be fooled into rushing because the elevator will continue to disgorge Engineers, Vanguards and Heavies. Only move when you hear an intercepted message from Enyala. You'll be able to enter the elevator and after the cinematic, you'll fight Enyala to complete the mission. Unlike every other firefight in this mission, the Eclipse troops will actually rush your position in this fight, so be prepared to force them back. In addition to the standard troops you've seen so far, Enyala will also have an Operative on the field, who is tough to take down. Otherwise, there'll be a stream of Troopers until Enyala goes down, so focus your attacks on her when you're not being charged. Miranda will probably take her out alone, but it doesn't help to sick your whole squad on her while you watch for flankers. After taking her down, enter the elevator and watch the cinematic to end the mission.

 

 

 

JACOB: THE GIFT OF GREATNESS

 

[spoiler=ME2-12]

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2175 Aeia / Alpha Draconis System / Rosetta Nebula. A very straightforward and easy mission, as long as you don't get overwhelmed. Right after you meet the first survivor, you'll be attacked by eight Feral Hunters. Weak alone, but in numbers can quickly perforate you. Right after the camp will be group of three LOKI guarding a barricade that blocks off a narrow canyon leading further inland. The canyon will lead to a large clearing with even more LOKIs, and I mean a lot more. They'll only come out a few at a time, but everytime you try to advance more will appear. When you get to the end of the area, six will attack at once. Going down the long straight path by the water will trigger six more.

 

At the end of the path is another large clearing with lots of cover. You'll be set upon by four Brainwashed Guards and a YMIR mech. If you stand near the metal wall at the opening of the area, it will walk straight towards you and stop, letting you cheat the corner and kill it without any trouble. Clean up any guards that are left and confront Acting Captain Taylor to end the mission.

 

 

 

JACK: SUBJECT ZERO

 

[spoiler=ME2-13]

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Pragia / Dakka System / Nubian Expanse. The Cerberus facility that Jack expects to find abandoned actually has some Blood Pack scavengers crawling through its depths. There isn't a great deal of fighting and what there is, isn't terribly challenging.

 

Halfway through the first large room, you'll hear growling followed by a pack of four Varren. Backpedal and kill them off. After you go down the staircase into the second expansive room, you'll be attacked by a number of Blood Pack Troopers, a Pyro and a Warrior. Take out the Pyro first by shooting its tanks, hopefully it will take out some of the nearby enemies. After that kill the Krogan then clean up the Vorcha. Just as you kill all the enemies in front of you, the glass to the left will shatter and you'll be under fire again. Shift to the right to get behind cover and take care of them.

 

When Jack starts talking about how strange it is to be back at Pragia, be ready for an ambush as you head down the stairs. There will be two Vorcha on a balcony over the stairwell you're descending. Take them out before you proceed, because just ahead is another pack of Varren that will charge you. Down the corridor and into the next area, you'll enter Jack's cell block and a fight with Kureck a Krogan leading a group of Blood Pack, namely a couple of Troopers, Warriors and a Pyro. This is the last fight of the mission, and isn't very tough, just keep an eye on the Krogan Warriors who have a tendency to try to flank you using the paths around the edge of the area.

 

And that's pretty much it. Talk to Aresh, reminisce a little with Jack about her childhood, then take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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GRUNT: RITE OF PASSAGE

 

[spoiler=ME2-14]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP015.png

 

 

Tuchanka / Aralakh System / Krogan DMZ. When Grunt begins to go a little stir crazy in the hold, you will be prompted to visit Tuchanka to talk to the leader of clan Urdnot about what may be wrong with him. It turns out that Grunt is becoming a man, and has to undergo the Rite of Passage to be accepted into a clan. This is a combat test involving three waves of increasingly dangerous creatures native to the hostile surface of Tuchanka. Once you talk to the Shaman and indicate you are ready, you'll be transported out to the Keystone, a Krogan arena of sorts that teaches the wisdom of battle. Hit the button when you're ready to start the trials.

 

The first wave will be Varren. They've been bad enough alone or in pairs so far, but now you have to fight an entire pack. I strongly recommend that you use an assault rifle with Incendiary ammo for this stage, preferably the Revenant if you have it. It may be inaccurate at range, but close in it does a ton of damage and has a higher ammo count. Just what you need for this challenge. Check your radar frequently to ensure you're not going to get flanked, and stick with your squad. I found it easier to stay on the North side of the arena, and shoot the Varren as they came off the East side. If you stand a little forward of the stairs, you can shoot the Varren directly ahead of you, and the ones that spawn on the other end of the arena usually come around in front of you rather than from behind. There are about two dozen Varren total, so be careful. Once the last of them has been killed, you'll be prompted to trigger the Keystone again.

 

The second wave will be Klixen, giant bugs that attack in pairs. They take a heck of a pounding, spit fire, and explode when they die, so be sure to keep them at range. They're fairly slow moving though, so you shouldn't have too much trouble as long as you've upgraded your weapons between missions. Keep on the move, because they spawn faster as the wave goes on. If you have Cryo ammo, use it. Your life will be much easier. Once all the Klixen are dead, hit the Keystone again and get ready for a fight.

 

For the third wave, you will fight a massive Thresher Maw. Technically all you have to do is survive for five minutes, however if you're going for Big Game Hunter trophy you actually have to kill the Thresher Maw before your time expires. Heavy weapon attacks are the name of the game. There are power cells on either side of the arena if you run out, and you probably will need them. Once you run out of heavy weapon ammo, switch to whatever you have left. Use Incendiary or Warp ammo for added damage. Stay behind cover when the Thresher Maw spits acid, cheating the corner if you can to whittle it down from safety. Be warned that the square metal cover on either side of the arena can and will be destroyed by a few hits from the Thresher Maw's spit attack, but the pillars at the front of the platform won't be, making them the preferred cover to use. Once the Thresher Maw has been defeated or five mintues expires, you will be confronted by Uvenk and after a brief conversation be thrust back into battle.

 

Take cover and immediately deal with the Krogan that is nearest to you to eliminate the immediate threat of being flanked and/or charged. After that, you can settle in and pick off the remainder of the Krogan in relative safety. There are two more Warriors nearby who will attempt to close with you, but you'll be able to bring them down before they reach you. This should prompt the last Warrior and Uvenk himself to rush you. Kill the Warrior to get it out of the way, then take down Uvenk. Use Warp to interfere with his regeneration. Once the remainder of Uvenk's krantt is decimated, you will return to the Urdnot Ruins for Grunt's acceptance into Clan Urdnot. You will gain Grunt's loyalty, and access to his Fortification ability.

 

 

 

GARRUS: EYE FOR AN EYE

 

[spoiler=ME2-15]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP016.png

 

 

 

Citadel. Speak to Bailey at C-Sec to learn about Fade. He directs you to the warehouse on Level 26 where you meat a Volus and his two Krogan bodyguards. You can perform a Renegade interrupt to kill the bodyguards, but if you wait Shepard will only draw his gun to scare them off. The Volus will tell you that Fade is none other than former C-Sec officer Harkin, and that he can be found in the Factory district. Use rapid transit to travel there and you'll surprise Harkin at his front door. Of course he runs, leaving the two Blue Suns mercs to be cut down by your Assault Rifle. Through the door, you'll shortly encounter a platoon of LOKI mechs in small groups, backed up by a couple Blue Suns Troopers.

 

Moving through into the next section, you'll hear Garrus say that he can smell Harkin. As you move past a stack of huge popes, you'll be attacked by some Troopers. Be careful how your proceed however, as you circle around the truck ahead of you, a large cargo container will be deposited to the right of you and open up to reveal a pair of LOKI mechs. Cargo haulers overhead will also deposit LOKIs at inopportune moments and can turn the tide of a firefight depending on your luck. As you advance, you'll run across small groups of Blue Suns and mechs. Hit the controls at the end to lower the bridge, and shortly after attack another wave of six Troopers and a Commander. Don't advance past the open shipping container until they've been dealt with, because doing so will trigger a cargo hauler to drop a YMIR fairly close to your position. Move up to trigger it, then back off and hide behind the wall to the left to attack it. Cheat the corner on the container and keep shooting till it drops.

 

Go through the door at the end, loot the office, then use the controls to open the window. Go through the East door, grab the Sniper Rifle Damage upgrade, then go through into the warehouse. EDI draws your attention to the explosive crates being shuttled about by the cargo haulers overhead, which you should definitely use to your advantage in the upcoming fights. A Trooper, a Heavy, and a Commander will appear in sniping positions, shooting from cover behind the crates in the distance. Take out the Heavy first, then the rest. Work quickly because you'll also have to deal with three LOKIs shuttled in by cargo haulers that will continue to drop every few minutes until the snipers are dead. Advance to the tiered platforms and make your way to the top, heading north. When you drop down, two YMIRs will land in front of you and start the attack. Climb back up to the higher platform and back up to better cover. Concentrate fire on one YMIR at a time, and spread your squad around so you can divide its attention between you. If possible keep them lined up one behind the other, causing the back YMIR to tag the one in front with any missiles it fires. Once both YMIR are down, Harkin will mess with the platforms ahead and send a pair of LOKI out to attack. Swat them, then climb up the left side to confront Harkin. Harkin will lead you to Sidonis, and put you in a position where you can either let Garrus avenge his team, or talk some sense into him by saving Sidonis' life. Based on if you want to get Paragon or Renegade points, watch for the Paragon interrupt to block Garrus' shot and convince him to let Sidonis live. If you elect to do nothing, or voluntarily move out of the way, Garrus will kill Sidonis. Either way, you will earn Garrus' loyalty for helping him.

 

 

 

THANE: THE SINS OF THE FATHER

 

[spoiler=ME2-19]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP020.png

 

 

Citadel. Speak to Bailey at C-Sec about Kolyat to learn that he was seen talking to Mouse, a duct rat who frequents the Dark Star. Go up to level 28 and you'll find him outside the doors between Dark Star and Rodham Expeditions. Talk to Mouse for more information. There will be both a Renegade and Paragon interrupt to speed along the conversation. Eventually you'll get the name Elias Kelham. Return to Bailey to get Kelham brought in for questioning. You and Thane will play Good Cop / Bad Cop. Choose whichever suits your Paragon or Renegade tendencies best. You'll get a few interrupts throughout the conversation and some additional points for your chosen alignment. You'll eventually get the name Joram Talid out of Kelham, and Bailey will arrange a car to take you to the 800 blocks where Talid is campaigning. You will have to follow Talid as he makes his rounds, keeping him in sight from the catwalks above. There will be a Pistol Damage upgrade right at the start of the area that you can grab before Talid starts to move. Thane will require frequent updates on Talid requiring you to focus on him below you, so keep up. You'll have 30 seconds to update Thane, and if you cannot get a direct visual by that point the mission will fail. Once you reach Talid's apartment, you'll arrive just in time to stop Kolyat from killing him. C-Sec will be right behind you, provoking a standoff. Use the Paragon interrupt to disarm Kolyat and bring him into custody, or the Renegade interrupt to kill Talid yourself. Either resolution will earn Thane's loyalty.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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MORDIN: OLD BLOOD

 

[spoiler=ME2-16]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP017.png

 

 

Tuchanka / Aralakh System / Krogan DMZ. Ah, another fun foray into the ruins of scenic Tuchanka. Talk to the Chief Scout to gain access to a truck that will take you to the Clan Weyrloc base. You'll pull up a ways outside it, and emerge into a Krogan version of the DC Wasteland. Almost immediately you'll be set upon by Klixen, which will again fall quickly to Cryo ammo, and also some wild Varren to deal with as well. That's when the real fun starts and the Boom-Squad comes out to play. Two rocket troopers behind cover will pepper you as soon as you poke your head out. More Vorcha and Krogan on the highway, so take your time and make sure to kill everything before they regenerate. After the first group will be a Warrior with a couple Varren who will rush you, weaving around the cover in the area. Try not to get surrounded or you'll leave yourself open for the Krogan's shotgun. At the end of the highway section, don't go rushing for the Refined Iridium at the end before you deal with the two Pyros that will come up the ramp to your left, or you might find yourself being flanked. Similarly when you go down that ramp, listen for the Vorcha. Two more Pyros will emerge just in time to BBQ anyone who charges ahead recklessly. Just before you enter the Weyrloc Base, you'll run into a bunch of Vorcha guarding the door. Also in this area is the Combustion Manifold for the mechanic back at the Urdnot camp.

 

Once inside, you'll soon meet up with the Weyrloc Clanspeaker just before another firefight. Even the odds slightly with a Renegade action, then be ready to clean up the remaining Warriors. You will have to act quickly, as most of the Krogans on the catwalk will circle to the right and come down the ramp towards your position. Move left of your starting position, and around the pillar there so you can have cover from both the ramp and the catwalk. You'll move through several rooms with pickups and upgrades, with Mordin commenting on his work on the Genophage. Right across from the missing scout will be the door leading to the next firefight. Not far now.

 

There will be two elevated walkways connected by bridges in this area. Eliminate the two Vorcha on the other side before they notice you, then start on the Krogan on the far side. Supplement your squad's firepower with the explosive containers in the area to speed things along. Once across the bridge, be ready for a pair of Varren and a Warrior to charge you. Don't relax yet! Just down the stairs, a pair of Warriors will open fire on you and three or four more with their Varren will emerge from a door on the far side and stream across the bridge towards you. Deal with the Varren rush quickly then drive back the Krogan as best as you can. Use Mordin's Cryo Blast to slow them down. The last to emerge will be Chief Weyrloc Guld himself, with barriers and shields. Once everything else is dead, pour on the fire until he's toast. Speak to Maelon and watch the final conversation to end the mission.

 

 

 

TALI: TREASON

 

[spoiler=ME2-17]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP018.png

 

 

Migrant Fleet / Raheel-Leyya System / Valhallan Threshold. A message from the Migrant Fleet reveals that Tali has been summoned to stand trial before the Admiralty Board on charges of Treason. Stunned, Tali asks for your help to clear her name. Arriving on the Rayya, you learn that Tali has been accused of bringing active Geth technology into the fleet and as her Captain it falls to you to clear her name. Use Charm or Intimidate responses to present your case, and uncover the fact that one of the ships in the Migrant Fleet has been overrun with Geth, and Tali's father is aboard! It falls to you to liberate the Alarei and search it for evidence that will clear Tali's name. After arriving on the Alarei, you'll encounter a substatnial Geth ambush in the first room. Eight Troopers and a pair of Hunters will swarm into the room, and a good portion of them will attempt to rush you. Take down the Geth's shields then use Tali's AI Hacking ability as much as possible to even the odds. If you can hack a Hunter, its shotgun will be devastating to the Geth in the area and draw their attention away from you. Once the room is clear, move on into the corridor to continue.

 

Loot the side rooms for information and a Geth Shield Boost, then continue to the door at the end of the corridor. Through the door will be a lone Geth Hunter, backpedal if it gets too close with its shotgun. Once you proceed up the stairs, you will touch off a proper firefight with ten Troopers and four Hunters. Almost all of them will rush your position, making AI Hacking an even more important strategy to prevent yourself from being overrun. This fight can get hairy, so be prepared to withdraw and regroup if necessary. Once you've cleared and looted the room, proceed into the next hallway to find another log. The door to the north opens into another close quarters firefight, but luckily you've got an elevated position to shoot down at them. Just make sure that no Geth make it to the top of the ramp and you should be fine. Of course that's easier said than done, considering there's even more Geth than the previous two firefights. I've found that a good strategy is to place Tali behind cover to the left, your other squad member behind the box at the top right of the stairs, and to sit behind cover to the right of the stairs shooting down. Directly across from this position is a Geth in a walled off section of the upper level that you can continuously hack to provide cover for you. When Geth come up the stairs, they tend to focus on you and ignore your squad, giving you enough time to wipe them out or hack them. I lost count of the Troopers but there was at least four Hunters in there as well. Once the coast is clear, loot the lower level and go the door to the North to find Rael'Zorah.

 

After listening to his message, go up the stairs to start the last fight. This will be a close quarters fight with a Hunter, two Troopers, and worst of all a Geth Prime. Why is it never easy? Well, actually it is. Unfortunately for the Prime, there's a bloody great wall that you can hide behind and cheat the corner of, making this the easiest fight of the mission. Kill the Hunter right away, then the two Troopers, then focus your fire on the Prime. If it's coming after you backpedal, if after a member of your squad, follow it. Either way, with the huge wall to circle around, you can cheat the corner and bring it down in no time. Recover Rael'Zorah's data and you'll automatically return to the Rayya. You will return to find that they've begun the trial again in your absence, and you arrive just in time to change their decision.

 

IMPORTANT: Do NOT present Rael'Zorah's data from the Alarei as evidence in the trial. You must use a Charm or Persuade action to gain Tali's Loyalty and complete the mission successfully. If you deliver Rael'Zorah's data as evidence in Tali's trial, you will alienate Tali and miss the trophy.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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PART THREE: FRIEND OR FOE (CONTINUED)

SAMARA: THE ARDAT-YAKSHI

 

[spoiler=ME2-18]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP019.png

 

 

Omega / Sahrabarik System / Omega. Return to Afterlife to speak with Aria T'Loak about the Ardat-Yakshi. She will tell you about Nef, a recent victim and direct you to the apartments to speak to Nef's mother, Diana. She will tell you that Ardat-Yakshi's name is Morinth and that she frequents the Afterlife VIP Club, then allow you to investigate Nef's room for clues. On the bed is a diary with three entries. The oldest will tell you that dropping the name Jaruut will give you access to the VIP room, the middle entry will give you Morinth's drug of choice Hallex, and the newest entry the name of her favorite vid "Vaenia". Behind the bed, you'll find a note from Morinth talking about her favorite elcor artist Forta. Samara will share with you her plan to draw out Morinth using you as bait, and the information you've gathered will help but you'll need more before you'll convince Morinth to bite. Go to the Afterlife VIP club and give the bouncer Jaruut's name. Just inside the door will be a man named Vij looking for tickets to a sensory band Expel 10, saying that they're the favorite band of an Asari that fits Morinth's description. Enter the bar proper and begin to set the trap by talking to various people around the bar. In the center of the bar, you will find a Turian named Meln harassing one of the dancers. Intervene on her behalf. A little ways from Meln on the dancefloor is Waera. Use Charm on her. If you don't have a high enough score, do not boast about your dancing ability, just leave. To your left as you enter will be Hoftrin, who will tell you to say the key words "terminal" and "eternity" to the crime boss Florit to warn his reporter friend Moirall that she's been made. Florit is on the other side of the bar at a table; say "terminal" then "eternity", and Moriall will leave after giving you a significant look. Past Hoftrin is a Turian named Vertin. Use Intimidation on him to provoke a fight, or tell him that you want him gone and offer him the credits to pay off his boss. Telling him no muggings tonight or ending the conversation will cause him to ignore you in future. At the back of the room at the bar will be Verf. Use the Intimidate action to cause him to back down. Trying to insult him otherwise is useless. Behind the bar is Edwin. Use the Charm action or offer to buy a round for everyone, but do not suggest that he give free drinks. After two successful interactions Morinth will approach you, however if you fail three times she will leave and you will fail the mission. When sitting with Morinth in the club, avoid the conversation choices "Justicar" and "Family", for obvious reasons. When talking about "Art", respond by talking about Forta, then Vaenia. When talking about "Music" mention Expel 10, then Hallex. Discuss "Travel", mention you like the danger and that power is its own reward. Make different choices in the conversation and you run the risk of her losing interest in you, and you will fail the mission. Choose correctly though, and she will invite you back to her apartment.

Scan the rifle on the wall to get an Assault Rifle Damage upgrade, then talk to Morinth. As she tries to dominate you Samara will enter the apartment and confront her daughter. They will fight and Samara will kill her daughter, ending her quest. If you have a high enough Renegade score however, you can intervene in the fight and let Morinth kill Samara, allowing Morinth to replace her on your team! Either way, the Justicar's mission will be over.

 

 

 

KASUMI: STOLEN MEMORY

 

[spoiler=ME2-30]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP052.png

 

 

Beckenstein / Boltzmann System / Serpent Nebula. Unlike every other mission, there will be just you and Kasumi for this one. Hopefully your character is a Soldier or one of the hybrid classes that can survive a prolonged gunfight or this mission could be challenging for you. You're infiltrating the home of Donovan Hock to recover a graybox, a datastore of memories and knowledge from Kasumi's deceased lover Keiji. To recover it, you'll have to smuggle in your guns and armor in a statue of your old friend Saren Arterius. Just like the original, this Saren is cold on the outside and filled to the brim with violence. Upon entering the house, go to the back of the area and down the stairs into the lower level to find the vault door. Kasumi will appear and fill you in on what you'll need to breach security: cut the power to the kinetic barrier, get a sample of Hock's DNA, a voiceprint sample, and the password. Once you have all four, you can proceed.

 

First, just outside the door to the right is the trunk for the power cable. Examine it, then follow the cable using your omni-tool to find a place behind the bookcase that you can short it out. Next you need the password and voiceprint. Sneak into the security office to get the password, PERUGGIA. After that, talk to Hock and use a Charm or Intimidate choice to get a sample of Hock's unique accent. (What is that? Russian-Irish? It would certianly irritate Archer, whatever it is.) Finally, you need DNA from Hock's private quarters. Either you can sneak in via the balcony, or if you don't want to chance the firefight without your weapons and armor, go to the left side of the balcony to find a datapad that identifies the Chief of Security as Chief Roe. Use this information to convince the guard outside Hock's room to allow you entry. Once inside, check the wineglass, the sword displayed on the wall and the datapad. Between the three samples, you'll have enough to simulate Hock's DNA. Return to the vault and bypass the vault security. Once the doors are open, you'll change back into your armor and head down into the vault.

 

Follow the tracker to the Graybox but before you pick it up, make sure to grab the Kassa Locust on the same pedestal. Now that you have what you've come for, a brief exchange with Hock will lead naturally into a fight with his Eclipse security forces. Most of the troops won't be a problem, but they're supported by Chief Roe herself, whose Engineer abilities are problematic. Clear out the rest of the troops before turning your attention on her. Once you've cleared the area, go out the east door, and into the next section but be prepared to drop to cover immediately upon entering. The garage doors on the opposite side of the room will open and a few Troopers will enter with a YMIR close behind them. Kill the Troopers, then cheat the corner on the garage door to deal with the YMIR. Once it's down, don't bother advancing into the tunnel, get back behind the cover in the garage and pick off the Troopers and Engineers with sniper fire until the area is clear.

 

Advance and go up the stairs to the right. Through the door into the next section, you'll again have to dive to cover immediately on entering the other tunnel. Straight ahead, two Troopers and a Heavy will pop up in the back of the truck and start firing at you. Additional troopers will swarm in from the right. They won't rush you, but there will be a withering amount of fire. Choose your moments wisely. Advancing to the truck will trigger a group of Troopers and LOKIs to emerge from a door across the tunnel from you. Put them down, then go up the ramp to the left to fire the Mass Accelerator Cannon at the wall to make an exit. Through the hole you'll find more Troopers and another YMIR. It can't seem to maneuver around the boxes in the tunnel, so hide behind the flaming wreckage in the middle of the tunnel and unload on it. Towards the end of the tunnel you'll be attacked by a truckload of Eclipse Troopers and a Vanguard. When you go around the corner towards the door, make sure to search the dead merc for a Tech Damage upgrade. Through the door will be a loading dock and of course another firefight. They don't rush you and they have at least two Heavies, so stay in cover and take your time picking them off. Once you advance about halfway down, you'll trigger a second wave of Troopers and Heavies. Once you go through the door at the far end, you'll emerge into the final fight with Hock.

 

Unfortunately, he brought a Gunship to the fight so cover will be your friend for this fight. You won't be able to kill it directly, because once you take down its shields the Gunship withdraws and returns will shields back to full. This gives Kasumi an idea, but to pull it off you first need to thin the herd a little. Concentrate on wiping out the enemies and not getting caught in the Gunship's fire. For the first wave, stay behind cover near the beginning of the area. Then when the coast is clear, move up to stand in front of the truck next to the raised platform. For all subsequent waves, you can move back and forth from the front of the truck and the top of the platform due East, cheating the corner of the tall crate to kill any Troopers that move that way. Soon enough Kasumi will leap to the Gunship and disable its shields. You'll be back at the start of the level, but now you'll be concentrating on Hock. You'll probably want to clean out the initial area then move back to the truck and attack Hock with your Heavy Weapons as quickly as possible. Once the Gunship is destroyed, board the shuttle, watch the cinematic at the end and Kasumi's Loyalty is yours.

 

Edited by Lord Maim
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ZAEED: THE PRICE OF REVENGE

 

[spoiler=ME2-29]

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Zorya / Faia System / Ismar Frontier. If you'd noticed the Blue Suns logo tatooed on Zaeed's neck, you're about to find out why. Turns out this will be the closest thing to a family reunion that a ruthless mercenary can have. You'll have your first firefight with Blue Suns mercs once you pass under the pipeline. Sniper fire will make short work of them, just take care of the Heavy on the catwalk early. When you approach the exit to the area, reinforcements arrive including some Troopers, a Pyro, a Heavy and a FENRIS mech. Clean them up, and head for the bridge where Zaeed will fill you in on his history with Vido. Follow the path to the gate and enter for another cinematic and Zaeed to demonstrate his brand of percussive maintenance. After the cinematic, the gate will open and two Blue Suns will present themself for brutal execution. Follow the path to the next door and you'll have a choice: save the refinery workers or go after Vido. Obviously you will get Paragon or Renegade points depending on which choice you make, but there are unforseen benefits of taking each path. If you take the Renegade path, you'll be able to loot an extra Assault Rifle Damage upgrade that isn't available on the Paragon route through the refinery. On the other hand, if you take the Paragon path, you'll be able to loot a Heavy Weapon Ammo upgrade that isn't available on the Renegade path. You will also require a very high Renegade or Paragon score to gain Zaeed's loyalty if you take the Paragon path, so if your score isn't that great you're better off on the Renegade path.

 

Depending on which path you take, you'll blow through a couple waves of basic Troopers and some Pyros. Eventually both paths will rejoin, just in time to dump you into a serious firefight in a large room with containers containing flammable materials being carried above you. There are a lot of Blue Suns in this room, so advance carefully. If you put a hole in one of the overhead containers, it will spray fire all over the ground beneath it as it goes back and forth across the area, potentially making things easier on you. With the strange geometry of the paths through this room, be sure to keep track of where they Pyros are. It is very easy to be flanked by one and burned to the ground before you can react. All told there will be about 20 Blue Suns mercs, mostly Troopers with some Pyros thrown in. When you've killed all the mercs, a YMIR will activate and come after you. Drop a tank on his head if you can, otherwise just mow it down.

 

After this, all that remains is to confront Vido. If you've chosen the Paragon path, you won't be able to catch him and you'll have to convince Zaeed to be Loyal to you by a Charm or Intimidate choice. If you've chosen the Renegade path, his Loyalty is automatic. Zaeed will have a brief chat with Vido before proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's a badass.

 

 

 

REAPER IFF

 

[spoiler=ME2-9x]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP021-1.png

 

 

Derelict Reaper / Thorne System / Hawking Eta. If you were expecting trouble, you guessed correctly. Gear up to deal with a horde of Husks, Abominations, and Scions inside, bringing team members who will survive a prolonged fight in close quarters. Shortly after entering you will be attacked by husks climbing over the railing of the catwalk. Use the explosive crates to your advantage, saving them for large groups of enemies in close proximity. There will be plenty of thermal clips to pick up as you go, so keep your ammo topped up. This is a perfect opportunity to get the Brawler trophy if you haven't already, but remember that Abominations explode when they get close so be sure to eliminate them at range. Advance slowly to deal with each wave of Husks one at a time, shooting for the head for quick takedowns. It is very easy to become overwhelmed, so be sure to use biotics if available to help with crowd control, and don't be afraid to fall back and regroup. Keep an eye on your squadmates as they have a tendency to get separated from the group, making them easy prey. Finally, search every corner. There are several upgrades to be had in the Reaper, as well as heavy weapon ammo and a lot of credits. If any member of your squad goes down, heal them with Unity immediately. In most cases, waiting for combat to end for them to revive on their own has fatal results.

 

After entering the Reaper interior, you'll be attacked almost immediately after turning right at the T-junction, and regularly thereafter. You will always hear the Husks before they appear, which is your queue to stop and deal with them as they come, backpedaling if necessary. Area affect powers are very effective here, but you can get by without them. Once they're dealt with you can proceed around the corner to the left. There will be several more waves of Husks and a Scion. You'll want to back up to stay out of the Scion's range to deal with the Husks that charge you, then come back to kill the Scion on its own.

 

Towards the end of the area you will pass a number of tall tanks with the Cerberus logo. Shortly after this you'll encounter a wave of Husks with two Scions on ramps at the far end of the area. Their ranged attack will do severe damage to anyone it hits and both tend to focus on the same target. It is better to fall back past the previous ramp and let the faster Husks come to you. Once they've been dealt with, advance again to deal with the Scions. They've usually advanced to the point where you can weaken them with the exploding crates, making your job a little easier. Once you've dealt with them, at the end of this exterior section you'll be assaulted by another two swarms of Husks followed by another two Scions in close quarters. Again, fall back and deal with the Husks before going after the Scions. Right after this fight will be the door leading to the mass effect core of the Reaper. Take the IFF on your way by, then enter the core for the final battle.

 

This is a prolonged and hairy fight, that is best fought if you move to one of the side platforms to prevent yourself from being flanked. There will be an initial wave of Husks and Abominations, after which you can attack the Reaper's core. After it drops to about 2/3 life, the core's shielding will engage and a second wave of Husks will attack. Part way through the attack the shielding will retract allowing you to shoot it again, but wait until you deal with the wave before going after the core. When it drops to 1/3 life, the shielding will close again and a third wave will be triggered. After this wave is eliminated destroy the core to end the mission.

 

If you are running out of room, sometimes going up or down the stairs closest to the core can fool the Husk's pathfinding, causing them to run around the long way to reach you. This is particularly useful when your squad is down and you have no support. Conversely, if your squad is still alive, going up/down the stairs may cause the Husks to go after them instead of you.

 

After the cinematic where you escape the Reaper with the IFF, you will have a discussion with Jacob and Miranda about what to do with the Geth that you brought back. Choose to activate the Geth rather than hand it over to Cerberus and you will get the trophy. If you tell Miranda to give it to Cerberus, you will miss out on the trophy and having Legion in your party.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K3bjXdtlvs]Insanity Walkthrough - Friend or Foe (Part 1)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyVZVoMTleI]Insanity Walkthrough - Friend or Foe (Part 2)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbCWnvVQUEg]Insanity Walkthrough - Friend or Foe (Part 3)[/ame]

Edited by Lord Maim
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PART FOUR: NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

 

LEGION: A HOUSE DIVIDED

 

[spoiler=ME2-20]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP022.png

 

 

Heretic Station / The Sea of Storms System / The Phoenix Massing. Immediately after activation, you can speak to Legion to learn of a virus that the Geth heretics are developing to convert all Geth to worship the “Old Machines” and thus hostile to organic life. Legion wishes to infiltrate the heretic's station to stop the virus before it can be released, preserving the true Geth's free will. It is advised that you receive and undertake this mission as soon as you activate Legion to ensure his loyalty when the time sensitive plot missions are triggered.

 

Once aboard the station, you'll notice that some Geth will be standing around hubs and will remain inactive until acted upon. Take the opportunity to get the drop on them, either by attacking a priority target or by blowing up the hub itself and damaging all three. Avoid stepping over the glowing green data streams on the floor to prevent the local alarm from triggering before you're ready. Each wave of Geth will usually be accompanied by at least one Hunter, so it is easier to eliminate them before they're activated if possible, otherwise their optical camoflage and shotgun can be problematic. When available, make good use of the rocket drones that you come across for some heavy fire support. In the hallway after the second room with Geth hubs there will be an ambush, and once up the ramp another ambush in the hallway above, four Troopers total.

 

When you reach the terminal where Legion can delete the virus, you will have to defend the area from attack from below while the program runs. There will be a number of rocket turrets that you can activate, but save them for the later waves when Rocket Troopers and Hunters appear. You can only activate two at a time, and they will self destruct after 30 seconds, so choose your time accordingly. Ideally you'll want to prevent the Geth from reaching the upper platform, otherwise it is easy to be flanked as they come up the ramps on both sides of you. Be prepared to fall back from the edge of the platform and find cover if this happens to prevent from being caught in the crossfire. AI Hacking is invaluable in this mission, as a hacked Geth will usually disrupt their advance as they focus on it. After four waves of Geth, Legion will activate the virus to either purge or rewrite the heretics at your discretion, and you will have three minutes to exit the station. Luckily you'll have a more direct route available to exit, down a short corridor to the south, but it is heavily defended by a number of Troopers and a Prime.

 

 

In order to begin the final "Suicide Mission", you must have at least 8 recruits. If you are attempting the No One Left Behind trophy, ensure that you have the appropriate ship upgrades and the loyalty of your entire crew before entering the Omega 4 relay.

 

 

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

 

[spoiler=ME2-25]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP028.png

 

 

During the ventilation shaft sequence, you will face a number of Collector Drones while your Tech Specialist crawls through the vents. The initial battle has no time limit, but once you approach the first valve, your Tech will announce that the heat is building up and they can't advance till you trigger the heat exchanger at the terminal. Once you activate the first one, you have to advance to the next terminal within two minutes or your Tech will die. There are eight valves total, including the first. Don't rush to trigger each valve, instead put the two minutes to good use. Clear out the enemies ahead of you as much as you can before opening each valve, because once the Tech reaches the next valve the timer will start running again. With the limited time available to complete the missions, you can't afford to waste any of it. This is especially important before hitting valves 4 and 6, because there is a substantial Collector ambush just around the next corner. Go past it without triggering the valve and thin out the Collectors, then come back and hit it before your Tech cooks. The exception is the final valve, which triggers a cinematic to end that section of the mission.

 

Next you'll face the seeker swarms. The biotic you choose will stop three times and wait for you to complete the firefight. At the first stop, your first instinct might be to attack the Drones before the Harbinger, but the Harbinger will charge your position so you don't have much time. Kill as many as possible to limit their numbers, then turn to the Harbinger when it gets too close. You likely will have to face two Harbingers, but you should be able to eliminate all the Drones before a third appears. Just before the second stop, you'll be charged by Abominations, then have to deal with a Collector ambush before advancing again. Stick by the tall cover at the front left side of the biotic barrier and again watch for the Harbinger to charge you. On the third stop is the real trouble: Husks, Abominations, and a Scion. On Insanity, this fight is incredibly tough. The Scion and Husks appear at extremely close range, and you can't back up beyond the bubble. Try to kill Abominations where their explosion can catch the Scion or another group of Husks. The only other strategy is careful squad management, and lots of luck. After survivng that fight, the remainder of this stage will be a running firefight with some random Husks that crawl up next to you. Keep on your toes, but the worst is past.

 

All that's left is the final section that leads to the boss fight. You'll travel over a number of floating platforms with Drones and Harbingers on them, nothing you can't handle at this point. The last platform has three Abominations and two Scions on it, but the geometry of the platforms prevents the Abominations from rushing you directly, and the Scions don't move, so use the terrain to your advantage and you'll be fine. The real danger in this section is running out of ammo, so keep your eye out for any thermal clips that drop and grab them as soon as you can. Once you reach the last platform, activate the console to travel to the boss fight.

 

The end boss is... well, big. In the first stage of the fight, it will be inactive. You'll contend with a wave of Collectors before you can attack it, at which point you have to shoot the four glass tubes pumping genetic material into the Reaper. If you're fast enough you can do all four in a single run, but most likely it will take you two. Once they close up, you'll have another round of collectors before they'll be vulnerable again. Once all four are destroyed, the Reaper will drop and the galaxy is saved! Hooray... sort of. You'll have a chat with the Illusive Man who will try to convice you that the Collectors' technology can be used for good instead of evil. No matter what you answer, you'll still have a nasty surprise waiting for you in the form of the still very alive and now active Reaper. It will maneuver around your platform, shooting huge blasts of energy at various parts, making no one position safe for the entire fight. Worse yet, there will be Collectors continuously attacking you from various directions. With the irregular configuration of the platforms, it is very easy to be flanked, especially while keeping track of the Reaper above and around you. A new point in your favor however, is the fact that every time you kill a Harbinger in this fight, it will drop a Power Cell which recharges your Heavy Weapons and your regular ammo as well. Small comfort, but more ammo is never a bad thing. Shoot for the Reaper's eyes or the chest and eventually you will be triumphant. Be aware though, that if you take too long, the Reaper will begin destroying the outer platforms with it's spine/tail, potentially sending you plummeting to your death.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWR9EmvxGE]Insanity Walkthrough - No One Left Behind (Part 1)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE9SChsqVpA]Insanity Walkthrough - No One Left Behind (Part 2)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIg3yBhnihk]Insanity Walkthrough - No One Left Behind (Part 3)[/ame]

 

Click here for the Defensive Line Calculator to determine your best choices for the line.

Edited by Lord Maim
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OTHER MISSIONS

LAIR OF THE SHADOW BROKER

 

[spoiler=ME2-32]

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/LordMaim/TROP051.png

 

 

Talk to Liara at her office and give her the information about the Shadow Broker. Volunteering your services, you agree to meet at her apartment later to go over the plan. When you arrive however, it appears that someone got there first. Someone tried to kill Liara, and she is nowhere to be found. Upstairs, look at the picture of the Normandy to uncover your first clue, then look at the Prothean relic to the right of the staircase on the first floor. You'll find a data disc that reveals that she is going to the Dracon Trade Center. You and your new friend rush there only to witness a massive explosion! Shepard will rush inside, anxious to find his friend. Entering Baria Frontiers, you'll run smack into Agents of the Shadow Broker, armed with assault rifles and flashbangs. Towards the back of the first floor, you'll also encounter a Heavy and a Vanguard. Still, nothing unusual so far. As you progress you'll run into more Heavies and Vanguards mixed in with the standard Agents. At the end of the first floor, use the maintenance console to extinguish the jet of flames and go upstairs. A few more dead agents and you'll rendezvous with Liara and discover that you've been had.

 

Take the express train to the ground and you'll be back in another firefight. Eliminate all the enemies in the room, then follow Liara's trail down to the lobby. Two Heavies and a steady stream of Agents will stream through the door. Towards the end of the wave, Engineers will also join the fray. After they're all dead, you'll have to choose which of your squad to take with you since Liara is joining the party. You'll give chase to Vasir, playing the most exciting vehicle section in the game. Make sure to use the boost button, and avoid proximity mines and you should have no trouble. Once you force Vasir down, you'll land near her wreckage and be jumped by her Shadow Broker reinforcements. Trucks will land regularly around the parking lot you're in, each one carrying five troops. Usually one or two on each truck is an Engineer. After six trucks land, one will crash into the side of the building opening the way for you to follow Vasir.

 

When you catch her, start by wearing down her Barrier with Warp and gunfire. She will dash around the area using her biotics, and sometimes charge up a rush ability which knocks you back and does damage. Keep to cover as much as possible and pour on the fire. When her Barrier is low, she will dash to the top of a nearby building and Shadow Broker forces supported by rocket turrets will arrive to kill you. She will return to the fight once they're all dead. This will repeat when her Barrier goes down and when she's down to half armor. Once her armor is gone and she's vulnerable to Slam and Singularity, the fight is pretty much over. After the fight, you will speak to Liara and be automatically taken to the Shadow Broker's ship. You will be able to choose a new squad member if the one you had on Illium isn't suited for a heavy firefight. Garrus or Thane would be a good choice, but then again they always are.

 

You'll start on the exterior of the ship and move towards the solar panels at it's rear. The ship is very large, so its going to be a running firefight along the hull for quite some time. Make use of the capacitors that Liara points out along the hull as much as possible to save ammo, as they recharge and usually hit multiple enemies. Just make sure to keep your distance when setting them off. If you find yourself in a dead end, try to vault over raised obstacles. After the first set of capacitors, you'll be attacked by LOKI mechs. Liara's Singularity power is good for crowd control. Follow the path around, battling Agents and LOKI, using Rod Controls to open passages to advance. There is always plenty of cover, so there won't be any difficult fights until much later when you finally reach the door to the interior. Once Liara starts the hack on the door controls, you will have to weather five waves of troops five to seven at a time. Wave 1 will come from the East, wave 2 from the West, both waves consisting of Agents, Vanguards, and Engineers. Also watch for Heavies that occasionally perch on the upper level behind the doorway. There are two capacitors on each side, one above and one on the same level. Use these to damage enemies, and hold them in place while you attack them. Wave 3 will come from the South, consisting of Rocket Drones flying over the ship. Careful that you're not caught on the wrong side of cover when they appear. Wave 4 will be from the East again, followed by Wave 5 from the West again. Wave 5 will be a large wave with 10+ enemies plus a flight of Rocket Drones as well. Keep shooting the capacitors as much as possible both to damage and immobilize the enemy. The hatch will unlock after the battle, letting you into the base.

 

As soon as you enter, you'll engage in a running firefight with the Shadow Broker's agents. Be careful when flashbangs go off near you, because they can stagger you, causing you to stumble out of cover. If you're blind and have no cover, you're an easy shot even for hired goons. There are a few more guards outside the prison block where Feron is being held, supported by an Engineer and a Vanguard. After you talk to Feron, you'll be rushed by three Agents and a Vanguard as you're coming out of the prison block. Follow the next corridor around until you see the stairs leading up to a door at the end. If you're quick, you can snipe the Agent waiting to ambush you before he can react. One short corridor later, and you'll come face to navel with the Shadow Broker!

 

This fight is actually quite simple. Run behind one of the large pillars that surround the circular room, and cheat the corner. Keep firing until he puts up a kinetic barrier, then go punch in him in the face with the :circle: button. You'll start the next phase of the fight, and this time he's got an energy shield to block fire with. Unfortunately the shield is on his left arm, making your normal cheating the corner trick somewhat more difficult. Have Liara use Singularity on him to knock him off balance, then wail on him before he can get his shield up. If you're at range, you can also snipe the Shadow Broker in the edge of the head that pokes out from behind the shield. Once you've dropped his shields and armor again, you'll get a prompt to melee him for the second time, but you're not able to beat him yet. Liara has an idea though, all you have to do is drop his shields and armor yet again.

Use the same strategy, and this time when he raises his kinetic barrier, Liara is able to BBQ him in his own power. Ironic Victory.

 

 

OVERLORD:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Iei6YfRGE]Mass Effect 2: Data Hound[/ame]

Edited by Lord Maim
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Sorry iam from czech and i dont speak english very well, i dont understand missable and not missable?????? The game have chapter select or what? why this trophies isnt missable? collect all, make this and this...??

 

"Missable" means that if you've not met the requirements for a trophy, you will have to start a new game to have a chance to get them again. For example, the Loyalty missions that require a high enough Paragon or Renegade score before they can be completed successfully. If your score is too low at the time the mission is taken, and you can't improve your score before the mission is required, you would have to begin a new game in order to try again.

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I would make a note that The Quarian, The Justicar, and The Assassin are not required to recruit at any point in the game. You can do side missions at that point instead of recruiting them and progress the main story that way.

 

For Friend or Foe you need to decide to keep him on board and go to the AI Core to activate him.

 

For Insanity I would add 2 things. The first is that Infiltrator/Soldier make the early part of the game easier. On Horizon their sniper rifles allow you to take out both Scions at the end of the level before you enter the stage. You can zoom in and see them standing behind the center pillar. The second thing I would add would be to get the Cain Heavy Weapon research done before Horizon if you can and to use it on Horizon and the Collector Ship to OHKO the Pretorian.

 

For Tactician, Overload Specialist, Warp Specialist, and Incinerate Specialist you have to activate the ability and remove it on that hit. If using squad mates for these turn off the ability for them to use their own powers so you can trigger them to get it to count.

 

For Brawler, the Wrecked Merchant Freighter misson at Eagle Nebula - Amun - Neith is a great place to do this as well as their is an endless stream of weak mechs.

 

For Power Gamer, note that after you beat the game the first time you get a small experience boost. If you save side missions till after you beat the game you should be able to reach level 30 or you can go from 1 to 20 easily on a second playthru.

 

I posted most of this in the other guide thread as well. I did delete the No One Left Behind stuff though as you got all of the info in there. Although you could add:

 

Hold the Line


  •  
  • Grunt, Garrus, and Zeed have a defense of 3
  • Thane, Legion, Samara/Morinth, Jacob, and Miranda have a defense of 1
  • Jack, Kasumi, Tali, and Legion have a defense of 0
  • Add 1 point to defense if loyal
  • If average of defense at the line (Total defense stat divided by number of people holding the line) is at 2.0 or better they will all live
  • If under 2.0 a member will die and then it will recaculate until above 2.0 or all dead
  • Non-loyal members will die before loyal members
  • Team will die in order of: Mordin, Tali, Kasumi, Jack, Miranda, Jacob, Garrus, Samara/Morinth, Legion, Thane, Zaeed, and Grunt

 

This would allow people to make sure they don't make a mistake, or do a Xenophobia run like did on the 360 :p

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Example - No One Left Behind

Why this trophy isnt Missable, mayby you say that, sorry 15 years Czech man :)

 

I suppose it should be considered missable, since the possibility exists that a failed loyalty mission (one of the missable ones) could prevent this trophy from being possible. Good point. I'll adjust the listing.

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Lots of good info. A couple points.

 

I would make a note that The Quarian, The Justicar, and The Assassin are not required to recruit at any point in the game. You can do side missions at that point instead of recruiting them and progress the main story that way.

 

On the second playthrough that is true, and would potentially save you some time since you'd already have completed the character trophies and No One Left Behind on your first playthrough as well. I'll keep that in mind as I'm editing.

 

For Friend or Foe you need to decide to keep him on board and go to the AI Core to activate him.

 

Fair point. I've clarified what I mean by "choose to activate" so that people don't assume the trophy unlocks during the discussion, rather than when you actually do activate him.

 

For Insanity I would add 2 things. The first is that Infiltrator/Soldier make the early part of the game easier. On Horizon their sniper rifles allow you to take out both Scions at the end of the level before you enter the stage. You can zoom in and see them standing behind the center pillar. The second thing I would add would be to get the Cain Heavy Weapon research done before Horizon if you can and to use it on Horizon and the Collector Ship to OHKO the Pretorian.

 

I'm rearranging things so that I have more room to expand on some of the trophies without eating it up in mission strategies, so I'll be fleshing out the tips and enemy listings.

 

Horizon Scions from outside the area? I have to check out my saves to see if opening the door triggers a cinematic, or if you can shoot in without entering like you could with Jedore. If it works I really wish I'd thought of that, that fight was a bitch.

 

Funny story, I never used the Cain on my insanity playthrough even though I know a lot of people swear by it. Still you're right, worth including. If I'd known I could take care of Scions on Horizon with a sniper, I might have chanced the single use Cain.

 

For Tactician, Overload Specialist, Warp Specialist, and Incinerate Specialist you have to activate the ability and remove it on that hit. If using squad mates for these turn off the ability for them to use their own powers so you can trigger them to get it to count.

 

The description says that the affected protection needs to be destroyed by the power. Let me know if you think it needs clarification.

 

The last part of your statement, to clarify you mean turn off the AI's use of powers to ensure you can activate it manually?

 

For Brawler, the Wrecked Merchant Freighter misson at Eagle Nebula - Amun - Neith is a great place to do this as well as their is an endless stream of weak mechs.

 

I prefer Husks since they have no ranged capability and are weak, while LOKI usually have shields or armor in addition to guns. To each his own though.

 

For Power Gamer, note that after you beat the game the first time you get a small experience boost. If you save side missions till after you beat the game you should be able to reach level 30 or you can go from 1 to 20 easily on a second playthru.

 

I mentioned the experience boost for the Long Service Medal in the Road Map, but not again in Power Gamer. Space is at a premium. ;)

 

I posted most of this in the other guide thread as well. I did delete the No One Left Behind stuff though as you got all of the info in there. Although you could add:

 

Hold the Line

  • Grunt, Garrus, and Zeed have a defense of 3
  • Thane, Legion, Samara/Morinth, Jacob, and Miranda have a defense of 1
  • Jack, Kasumi, Tali, and Legion have a defense of 0
  • Add 1 point to defense if loyal
  • If average of defense at the line (Total defense stat divided by number of people holding the line) is at 2.0 or better they will all live
  • If under 2.0 a member will die and then it will recaculate until above 2.0 or all dead
  • Non-loyal members will die before loyal members
  • Team will die in order of: Mordin, Tali, Kasumi, Jack, Miranda, Jacob, Garrus, Samara/Morinth, Legion, Thane, Zaeed, and Grunt

 

This would allow people to make sure they don't make a mistake, or do a Xenophobia run like did on the 360

 

I was aware of the calculation, but again I was out of space. I'd already identified the strongest and weakest members on the line in the description. Do you think it will be helpful for people to have the exact numerical calculation. I've already gotten the feeling that I've dumped too much information on people when trying to format the guide, so I don't want to overwhelm anyone. :p

 

Thanks BaldWombat, I'll be sure to credit you on the strategies you suggested.

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The last part of your statement, to clarify you mean turn off the AI's use of powers to ensure you can activate it manually?

 

Thanks BaldWombat, I'll be sure to credit you on the strategies you suggested.

 

That is what I meant with regards to AI powers. You won't get credit if they computer does it and you didn't tell it to and thanks.

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That is what I meant with regards to AI powers. You won't get credit if they computer does it and you didn't tell it to and thanks.

 

That's what I figured. That's something I'll have to clarify.

 

EDIT: Also, I forgot to mention that you do need at least 8 squad recruits in order to launch the Omega 4 mission. If you like Kelly, you'll have to do some of the recruiting before you do the IFF mission in order to save her.

Edited by Lord Maim
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