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Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!

Byers2142 posted:

I got into a group last night with a very "helpful" teammate. I was running a Human Adept and was going weapons-lite, powers-heavy for the biotic explosions. His advice was that I switch my pistol out for a shotgun and a sniper rifle because "biotic powers are weak, anyway, and you want to be able to hit both near and far." How the hell he managed to get over 1000+ N7 score believing that I'll never know.

To be fair even as a level 20 Adept with a build specially tuned for biotic explosions and common/uncommon weapons I'm still total dogshit compared to a douchebag of any level wielding a Reegar and Black Widow. He has probably just forgotten what it's like to not have finger of death guns.

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Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...

Coolguye posted:

To be fair even as a level 20 Adept with a build specially tuned for biotic explosions and common/uncommon weapons I'm still total dogshit compared to a douchebag of any level wielding a Reegar and Black Widow. He has probably just forgotten what it's like to not have finger of death guns.

He was carrying a Krysae and... I forget what the pistol was. Both were upgraded a few times, but I wasn't terribly impresssed with his effectiveness with them.

Lagomorphic
Apr 21, 2008

AKA: Orthonormal
I've been away from this game for a few weeks, glad to see pubbies haven't gotten any better while I was gone. Hopefully there's an operation this weekend so I have an excuse to start playing again.

Houdini
Sep 13, 2007


Official terrible game purchaser of the SomethingAwful forums.
Operation please play this and not the games you got for Christmas.

Lynx
Nov 4, 2009

Byers2142 posted:

Unlocked the Male Quarian Engineer last night; looking at his powers, am I an idiot if I'm thinking I spec Tac Scan for duration and run a heavier weapon loadout? It doesn't seem like recharge rate's a top priority for this guy.

Duration is fine (the other choice at rank 6 is a 10% damage boost, which isn't much compared to an extra 20 second debuff). You can run him with a heavier loadout, but don't go too crazy. I like to keep the cooldown for Incinerate low, since it combos really well with Arc Grenades and ammo powers, but that's the only thing you have to worry about (Tac Scan has a really short cooldown). Normally I just take a Hurricane, but a shotgun or AR would be fine. The bulk of your damage output will probably be from Tech Bursts/Fire Explosions, so keep that in mind.

highmodulus
Feb 16, 2011

Let's go crazy Broadway style!

Houdini posted:

Operation please play this and not the games you got for Christmas.

Note, this Operation has been surprising effective (according to my time played stat). Clearly not a Cerberus Op.

EightDeer
Dec 2, 2011

Paracelsus posted:

From what I understand, the way they coded the addition of the new packs to the store requires your machine to re-cache the images for the new packs with each pack purchased. Because it wouldn't be Bioware without a ridiculous and poorly-planned/coded implementation somewhere in the mix.

Well that sucks.

Byers2142
May 5, 2011

Imagine I said something deep here...

Lynx posted:

Duration is fine (the other choice at rank 6 is a 10% damage boost, which isn't much compared to an extra 20 second debuff). You can run him with a heavier loadout, but don't go too crazy. I like to keep the cooldown for Incinerate low, since it combos really well with Arc Grenades and ammo powers, but that's the only thing you have to worry about (Tac Scan has a really short cooldown). Normally I just take a Hurricane, but a shotgun or AR would be fine. The bulk of your damage output will probably be from Tech Bursts/Fire Explosions, so keep that in mind.

I didn't know Arc Grenades burst; good to know. I'll probably run a light AR until I unlock a good pistol or SMG, then. Thanks for the feedback!

TheDK
Jun 5, 2009

Lynx posted:

Duration is fine (the other choice at rank 6 is a 10% damage boost, which isn't much compared to an extra 20 second debuff). You can run him with a heavier loadout, but don't go too crazy. I like to keep the cooldown for Incinerate low, since it combos really well with Arc Grenades and ammo powers, but that's the only thing you have to worry about (Tac Scan has a really short cooldown). Normally I just take a Hurricane, but a shotgun or AR would be fine. The bulk of your damage output will probably be from Tech Bursts/Fire Explosions, so keep that in mind.
I run without Tac Scan after some friendly good here suggested it. Running with all the other powers maxed out is just sick nasty :sicknasty:.

Vietnamwees
May 8, 2008

by Fluffdaddy
So....something interesting happened to me while I was playing last night.

I think I shot a Praetorian in the face with a missile while it was in the middle of sync-killing me.

I had my missile out already, The killfeed afterward showed that I killed it with a missile, I was the last one left alive, and I remember actually pressing the fire button.

I'm gonna try to replicate this situation and see what happens, will report again soon.

I wasn't host though, so maybe it was a lag/desync thing with the game.

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Sometimes you actually can fire while grabbed by a Praetorian. I don't know what causes it or how to replicate it, but it has saved me a few times.

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
On PS3 anyway, I can confirm that sometimes Praetorians just drop dead for no reason. One time I one-shotted one from full health with something ridiculous like a single Carnifex shot.

Basically Collectors are buggy as poo poo.

Serpentis
May 31, 2011

Well, if I really HAVE to shoot you in the bollocks to shut you up, then I guess I'll need to, post-haste, for everyone else's sake.

precision posted:

Basically Collectors are buggy as poo poo.

No pun intended, I see.

So, on the topic of Carnifexes, about what level does the Paladin supersede it as a sniper-handcannon? I've got the Paladin 2 right now which still has a better damage output, but it's heavier than half of the back-up weapons I usually use (Disciple, UL SMG's, Eviscerator etc.). Does it get any noticeably lighter relatively, or is it going to be a strictly non-power reliant class weapon as I get its cards?

Cowcaster
Aug 7, 2002



Serpentis posted:

No pun intended, I see.

So, on the topic of Carnifexes, about what level does the Paladin supersede it as a sniper-handcannon? I've got the Paladin 2 right now which still has a better damage output, but it's heavier than half of the back-up weapons I usually use (Disciple, UL SMG's, Eviscerator etc.). Does it get any noticeably lighter relatively, or is it going to be a strictly non-power reliant class weapon as I get its cards?

Once you get pistol ultra-light materials, there's basically no reason to use the carnifex over it. But seeing as they're extremely rare, that could be a while.

Talky
Mar 26, 2010

Byers2142 posted:


Unlocked the Male Quarian Engineer last night; looking at his powers, am I an idiot if I'm thinking I spec Tac Scan for duration and run a heavier weapon loadout? It doesn't seem like recharge rate's a top priority for this guy.

The way I build him you actually want low cooldowns because he is a fantastic combo class. Incinerate, With light weapons, incinerate has a very fast recharge. This is great because it primes things for fire explosions, which you can set off with arc grenades, and also detonates the tech explosions that a properly speced arc grenade sets up. So with a low enough cooldown you can prime a fire explosion or two, detonate those with the arc grenade, and then trigger one or two tech bursts with incinerate. It just gets even crazier when you use priming ammo powers of course.

Tactical scan is awesome too and is just gravy on top of everything else.

Talky fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Jan 10, 2013

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames

Cowcaster posted:

Once you get pistol ultra-light materials, there's basically no reason to use the carnifex over it. But seeing as they're extremely rare, that could be a while.

Wait, what? I maxed out Pistol ULM way before I maxed out things like Shotgun Omni-Blade and most of the other new weapon mods.

Felinoid
Mar 8, 2009

Marginally better than Shepard's dancing. 2/10

precision posted:

Wait, what? I maxed out Pistol ULM way before I maxed out things like Shotgun Omni-Blade and most of the other new weapon mods.

He might be referring to the Paladin (pistol) with that second bit.

DoctorStrangelove
Jun 7, 2012

IT WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT MEIN FUHRER!

On the subject of mods, is it weird that I still haven't gotten the regular shotgun bayonet? I've maxed out most of the common mods and a few uncommon ones, but still no shotgun bayonet.

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames

DoctorStrangelove posted:

On the subject of mods, is it weird that I still haven't gotten the regular shotgun bayonet? I've maxed out most of the common mods and a few uncommon ones, but still no shotgun bayonet.

When did you start playing? Sometime several months ago, Uncommon stuff became Ultra Rare, and also there's a lot more of it now so the pool is diluted.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde
I keep buying Arsenal packs and getting character cards. :shepicide:

alchahest
Dec 28, 2004
Universal Solvent
So I don't really play gold or platinum, and my moneymaking is slow on silver, but I have fun. every three games or so I get a PSP, arsenal, or reserves pack. Last night I got an arsenal pack with the Piranha I and Harrier I.

:getin:

Edward IV
Jan 15, 2006

SubponticatePoster posted:

I keep buying Arsenal packs and getting character cards. :shepicide:

:bioware:

Well, at least they don't cost more than PSPs.

Cowcaster
Aug 7, 2002



precision posted:

Wait, what? I maxed out Pistol ULM way before I maxed out things like Shotgun Omni-Blade and most of the other new weapon mods.

I... I only have one pistol ultra-light materials... Bioware :negative:

balistafreak
Oct 30, 2012
Randomed into a Firebase Glacier, Geth, Gold game. Normally I'd leave because these games tend to be full of farmers and the games get super boring, but I'd been trying to get in a game for ten minutes unsuccessfully.

The game ends up being one of the most awful ones I've played in a long time. Two of our four players were literally playing a singleplayer game. They stayed camped in a corner with the Demolisher's pylon and a Salarian Infiltrator, refusing to move from it in the slightest - not even down one corner of the hallway where me and the other teammate would be downed by the occasional horde, getting executed a mere stone's throw away. Even after me and the other random realized just what the hell our other teammates were doing, we were executed round after round with literally no support from them because they wouldn't move from their drat corner.

The thing is, between the pylon, the cover their corner provided, the ammo box nearby, and the two high-dps classes, they were able to survive there alone with copious use of medkits, rockets, and medigel. I could practically feel their smugness - "we don't need you", "we got this".

Okay, sure, I'm impressed that you basically duo'd Glacier/Geth/Gold. But watching them shoot enemies over my downed body only to simply sit in their cover and watch me bleed out was just plain aggravating. It's a bloody team game! I played a Vanguard knowing that I would get downed in crazy situations sometime, because I knew that there were three other people in the lobby to pick me back up if it happened!

And it's not like they didn't go down. When I was still alive, I fell back from my combat to pick them up at least half a dozen times. But could they be bothered to do the same thing for me? Absolutely not! There's not an enemy in sight of their little nest, I'm bleeding out in a safespot, and they can't run over and pick me up. Nope. Can't do it.

... pubbies.

zxqv8
Oct 21, 2010

Did somebody call about a Ravager problem?
Always be ready to play solo.

If they won't play ball, just let them do their thing and start playing like you have no teammates.

It's good practice.

Moose12
Dec 8, 2007

shit YEAH
I pretty much expect pubbies to be selfish at all times. It's just the nature of the beast. Pretty much every online game ever you can expect like 99% of the player base to be selfish pricks. You'd think it'd be different in a co-op experience but they never change.

Speaking of change, does bioware plan on addressing the collectors balance issues at all? I hate them, a lot, for all manner of reasons.

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Most of the Collectors changes will probably have to wait until the next content patch / DLC, like their units taking 33% less damage from biotic explosions. They've made minor adjustments such as reducing how many Praetorians can appear at once and toning down Scion damage. The only super bullshit thing about them now IMHO is how fast Possessed Scions can shoot those loving grenades.

A 50S RAYGUN
Aug 22, 2011
I'm pretty sure there's a point where you can fire during all sync kills, I've launched missiles while being synced by Banshees and Brutes at least. I think they flew off into the distance. I think it's the same issue where you can Ops pack and still just get dropped immediately.

Also, I find people are willing to help you approximately as much as you help them. If I burn a missile saving a guy from getting Brute/Banshee clusterfucked, or run cross-map (I'm almost always a Volus so this isn't as dangerous as it sounds) to get him up and shield boost him immediately, people are a lot more likely to do the same for you. You still get some people (and yes these people are usually demolishers/snipe infiltrators) who will basically sit in their perch regardless, but they've saved my rear end enough times with fire support that I basically call it a net even.

A 50S RAYGUN fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Jan 10, 2013

Lynx
Nov 4, 2009
Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Casualties and battle fatigue have worn down some of our best units. We are cycling out soldiers whose tours of duty have been hyperextended and substituting fresh troops from human colonies. Experienced commanders are expected to stay on duty, maintain unit cohesion, and hold new recruits to N7 standards.

Individual Goal: Extract twice, once as a base male human and once as a base female human (Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, or Vanguard classes) on any map at any difficulty.

Reward: Commendation Pack

consensual poster
Sep 1, 2009

exquisite tea posted:

The only super bullshit thing about them now IMHO is how fast Possessed Scions can shoot those loving grenades.

Seeker swarms are super bullshit. They seem to have intermittent resistance to damage and/or far too many hitpoints. I wonder if it's the same bug that also causes powers and damage to not get applied to Geth Bombers sometimes.

TheDK
Jun 5, 2009

SUPER NEAT TOY posted:

Also, I find people are willing to help you approximately as much as you help them. If I burn a missile saving a guy from getting Brute/Banshee clusterfucked, or run cross-map (I'm almost always a Volus so this isn't as dangerous as it sounds) to get him up and shield boost him immediately, people are a lot more likely to do the same for you. You still get some people (and yes these people are usually demolishers/snipe infiltrators) who will basically sit in their perch regardless, but they've saved my rear end enough times with fire support that I basically call it a net even.
Here's another thing you can try (on PC) when you find yourself stuck with some assholes (disregard if you don't have a microphone):

1) Press and hold TAB
2) Ask for assistance or ask person to stop being a dick

In my experience this is enough to right the pubbie-ship. Whats really amusing is when you are on Rio and someone just insists they try to hold the middle office area while the other 3/4 of the group are hanging out in the crates at the end of the map. After a couple deaths I say something over voice chat to the effect of 'group up with the rest of us so you don't die every few minutes'. In most cases this solves the immediate problem, but some people need to be reminded how to play the game effectively every couple of waves.

Kaizer88
Feb 16, 2011

Lynx posted:

Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Casualties and battle fatigue have worn down some of our best units. We are cycling out soldiers whose tours of duty have been hyperextended and substituting fresh troops from human colonies. Experienced commanders are expected to stay on duty, maintain unit cohesion, and hold new recruits to N7 standards.

Individual Goal: Extract twice, once as a base male human and once as a base female human (Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, or Vanguard classes) on any map at any difficulty.

Reward: Commendation Pack

Awww yiss. Time to put on some Phil Collins and rock out with the human soldier AR recharge claymore.

Fight Club Sandwich
Apr 29, 2006

you want a piece of me???

Lynx posted:

Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Casualties and battle fatigue have worn down some of our best units. We are cycling out soldiers whose tours of duty have been hyperextended and substituting fresh troops from human colonies. Experienced commanders are expected to stay on duty, maintain unit cohesion, and hold new recruits to N7 standards.

Individual Goal: Extract twice, once as a base male human and once as a base female human (Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, or Vanguard classes) on any map at any difficulty.

Reward: Commendation Pack

Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Genesis does what Nintendon't

Individual Goal: Color your volus vanguard blue and name him sonic. Zip around the map at super speed and roll a lot. You may also color a Volus red and waddle everywhere like Dr. Robotnik.

Reward: a batarian that looks like knuckles

Cheap Vodka
Nov 4, 2008

COMPLETE. GLOBAL. CALIBRATION.

Fight Club Sandwich posted:

Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Genesis does what Nintendon't

Individual Goal: Color your volus vanguard blue and name him sonic. Zip around the map at super speed and roll a lot. You may also color a Volus red and waddle everywhere like Dr. Robotnik.

Reward: a batarian that looks like knuckles

A Geth named BLAST PROCESSING is also acceptable.

Paracelsus
Apr 6, 2009

bless this post ~kya
E: f,b. That'll teach me to leave the window open before hitting post.

Comrade Blyatlov
Aug 4, 2007


should have picked four fingers





Lynx posted:

Operation GENESIS (Jan 11th-13th)

Event Description: Casualties and battle fatigue have worn down some of our best units. We are cycling out soldiers whose tours of duty have been hyperextended and substituting fresh troops from human colonies. Experienced commanders are expected to stay on duty, maintain unit cohesion, and hold new recruits to N7 standards.

Individual Goal: Extract twice, once as a base male human and once as a base female human (Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, Soldier, or Vanguard classes) on any map at any difficulty.

Reward: Commendation Pack

Human Vanguard (female) Human Adept (male), done.

zxqv8
Oct 21, 2010

Did somebody call about a Ravager problem?
I need some pro assistance getting this after it starts. I'll need two fast ones because my hands are seizing up into claws from too much of this.

MJeff
Jun 2, 2011

THE LIAR

Two Finger posted:

Human Vanguard (female) Human Adept (male), done.

I'd do Engie and Adept first, honestly. I've never been able to make Novaguard work on Gold, especially since everything got buffed to poo poo.

Engie and Adapt are just really fuckin' good, though.

zxqv8
Oct 21, 2010

Did somebody call about a Ravager problem?
Oh hey, also.

The speed demos people are going to be playing Mass Effect soon. A speedrun of Mass Effect.

That will be loving looong. They're playing Dark Souls now, if you're into that.

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Unclouded
Jul 14, 2012

zxqv8 posted:

Oh hey, also.

The speed demos people are going to be playing Mass Effect soon. A speedrun of Mass Effect.

That will be loving looong. They're playing Dark Souls now, if you're into that.

It's going to be a New Game +. They'll probably only do the main story missions, too. Their ETA is just over two hours. All depends on what difficulty they do it on I suppose.

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