2. General Hints and Tips
An Introduction to the Layout of the Guide
Mass Effect 2 allows you to choose your own path for doing things. While you will need to recruit all team members at some point, the order in which you recruit them is largely up to you. I will do them in the order which I feel others are most likely to recruit them but also taking into account the increasing scale of events so some of the more dramatic parts of the game are covered towards the end of the walkthrough rather than when you first have the opportunity to experience them. Not only do I plan to write a guide for the achievements, I also intend to help with the non-essential side quests.
Difficulties
Mass Effect 2 has five difficulties. In ascending difficulty they are
- Casual
- Normal
- Veteran
- Hardcore
- Insanity
Unlike the first Mass Effect, all of the difficulties are open to you from the start. If you haven't played the first game, now is the chance to make an important decision. One of the achievements requires you to complete two playthroughs of the game unless you have loaded a character from the first game. If that is the case you might want to go through on Veteran first time and Insanity second. If you have loaded a character from the previous title and are feeling up to the challenge, feel free to jump straight into Insanity as the game is no less rewarding even when it is punishingly difficult.
Achievements
There are 50 achievements in the game and a further 12 if you buy the DLC.
48 of the original 50 can be achieved in a single playthrough without the DLC and a Mass Effect imported character.
Weapons
Quite controversially, Mass Effect 2 has quite a limited selection of weapons. At the time of writing there are 29 in total and not everyone will have access to all of them, regardless of what class they play as. The weapons fall under 6 main categories. Heavy Pistols, Sub Machine Guns, Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles and Heavy Weapons.
Later in the game, all classes have the opportunity to select a new weapon class for them to learn. People playing as Soldier, Infiltrators or Vanguards will also have the opportunity to unlock the elite weapon for their class, soldiers having access to all three elite weapons.
There are many upgrades for weapons in this game that you can get in almost any order. I'll tell you where all of the mission ones are and the rest can be bought in shops. Soon after completing your first few loyalty missions you'll have the right upgrades for the following achievement. It might come sooner or a little later.
Heavy Pistols
Classes: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Vanguard, Sentinel
M-3 Predator
The first weapon you get in the game. It is well balanced, can be used by all classes and is perfect for getting to grips with the shooting mechanics in game. The weapon is semi automatic and has a twelve round magazine which is enough to drop most enemies when they are exposed without shields, barriers or armour.
Accuracy: Moderate
Recoil: High
Damage: 37.2
Location: Prologue: Awakening
M-5 Phalanx
A DLC weapon that has a unique laser sight that helps you aim. The laser will move to point at an enemies head automatically but it moves far too slow to keep up with moving enemies. This weapon packs a massive punch and stuns smaller enemies due to the force of the impact. Long pause between shots requires that each shot hit the target or else you'll be left exposed. It is semi automatic and has a six round magazine which is capable of killing an enemy, shields and all, even on the hardest difficulties without reloading.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: High
Damage: 109.8
Location: Normandy (Firepower Pack DLC required)
M-6 Carnifex
The replacement to the Predator and it is superior in almost every way. The only reason you shouldn't have this weapon in your inventory is if you have difficulty aiming or personal playing style. It too has a six round magazine but fires more rapidly than the Phalanx but less so than the Predator. Has limited ammo capacity meaning that more damage can be dealt with the Predator over a longer period of time.
Accuracy: Moderate
Recoil: High
Damage: 85.4
Location: Omega: The Professor
Sub Machine Guns
Classes: Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Vanguard, Sentinal
M-4 Shuriken
The first sub machine gun you will get and one of the least powerful weapons in the game. It fires in a three shot burst if you pull or hold the trigger but can be made to fire fully automatic if you pull and release the trigger rapidly. Doing so is only advised at very short range because the gun suffers from dreadful accuracy. The gun has a very large ammo capacity and so can be relied upon as a backup weapon.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 20.5
Location: Prologue: Freedom's Progress
M-9 Tempest
The replacement to the Shuriken and an obviously better weapon. It is more accurate and has a larger clip size of 50 with the only disadvantage being slightly lower damage. This is barely noticable and there is no good reason why you wouldn't want to upgrade to this gun. Its fully automatic ability makes it useful in removing barriers and shields without losing any of your heavier hitting weapons.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 14
Location: Haestrom: The Quarian
M-12 Locust
The locust does not behave in a similar fashion to the other two sub machine guns. As a result you may favour it immensly or dislike it, possibly prefering the more traditional Tempest. The gun has a very limited clip but fires very rapidly and thus requires great accuracy on the player's part and a steady hand. It runs out of ammo faster than any other sub machine gun but is dead accurate and effective against even heavy enemies if used correctly. Although the gun has almost no recoil, the bullets do spread significantly if you hold down the trigger so short bursts are still better than just holding down the trigger.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 25
Location: Bekenstein: The Thief (Kasumi - Stolen Memory DLC required)
Assault Rifles
Classes: Soldiers
M-8 Avenger
Your first assault rifle and it is a very balanced weapon and a good compliment to your more accurate weapons such as the pistols and snipers. The gun isn't overly powerful or accurate but it is better than the alternatives offered to the other classes. You get 40 shots in every magazine but due to the small amount of damage you need to make as many of them connect as possible.
Accuracy: Moderate
Recoil: Low
Damage: 10.8
Location: Prologue: Freedom's Progress
M-96 Mattock
An unusual weapon for the class, it behaves very much the same way as the M-3 Predator only does far greater ammo with a higher damage rating. If you prefer the way pistols work in Mass Effect 2 then this is a great way to combine the stopping power of the Carnifex with the rate of fire of the Predator. Extreme care should be taken as this gun carries very limited ammo so you wont be able to use it much.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 50.4
Location: Normandy (Firepower Pack DLC required)
Collector Assault Rifle
A weapon only available if you have bought the Collector's Edition of the game. It behaves much in the same way as the M-8 Avenger and so you aren't missing out if you don't get it. If you prefer the style of gameplay you get from this gun then perhaps you should choose this over the Avenger but the choice is completely personal as the differences are negligible.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 17.4
Location: Normandy (Collectors' Weapon and Armour DLC required)
M-15 Vindicator
Arguably one of the most powerful weapons in the game and probably the most accurate non-sniper. It fires in a three round burst and does great damage for the class. Even on the harder difficulties, repeated shots to the head is enough to quickly remove a shield and take out an enemy. The only weakness is that you occasionally run out of ammo, more often on Insanity.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 36.8
Location: Omega: Archangel
Geth Pulse Rifle
A weapon that many people miss as you can only get it on Hardcore and Insanity difficulty. It has quite random behaviour and the rate at which it fires speeds up and slows down as you fire with no obvious pattern. That said it is an incredibly powerful weapon and a serious rival to the Vindicator. It has more ammo and has larger damage multipliers against barriers and shields when compared to other Assault Rifles.
Accuracy: Moderate
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 10.8
Location: Haestrom: The Quarian
M-76 Revenant
A rare weapon used by only a handful of enemies. In order to use this weapon you have to be a Soldier and take the Assault Rifle specilisation to use this elite weapon. It has an enormous clip size of 80 and each shot deals tremendous damage. The force at which this weapon hits it's target occasionally stumbles them which allows you to get more shots in without taking any damage.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 21.3
Location: Disabled Collector Ship
Shotguns
Classes: Soldier, Vanguard
M-23 Katana
Your first shotgun, it acts and plays like you would expect. Very low range, poor accuracy, low ammo capacity but heavy damage. Like all shotguns you will need to close the distance in order to deal any damage as the gun is far less effective at anything further away than short range. With only 5 shots a clip, make sure you don't run out in the middle of combat.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 220
Location: Prologue: Freedom's Progress
M-22 Eviscerator
This unusual shotgun has different characteristics to most other shotguns. It has a longer range and continues to deal damage at mid range but the shots travel slower through the air although not to the point where enemies can dodge it. Beware its incredibly low ammo capacity as only 3 shots a clip doesn't leave much room for error.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 294.4
Location: Normandy (Cerberus Weapon and Armour DLC required)
Geth Plasma Shotgun
This unique shotgun has a number of major differences that set it aside from the competition. First off, you can hold the trigger to charge a shot that does tremendous damage. While it isn't accurate it deals damage regardless of the distance making it useful if you can't close the gap and are out of Heavy Pistol ammo. A charged shot from this gun is one of the most powerful weapons in the game.
Accuracy: Moderate
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 556.4 (Charged Shot)
Location: Normandy (Firepower Pack DLC required)
M-27 Scimitar
This more balanced shotgun might be the least powerful of the lot but it fires faster than any of the others allowing it to deal over twice as much damage in the same time frame. It has the largest amount of ammo per clip of any shotgun and also carries more ammunition overall. This shotgun makes up for all this weapon types usual short comings.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 162.7
Location: Illium: The Justicar
M-300 Claymore
This is the Shotgun Elite Weapon usuable only by Sheperd and Grunt. In order for Sheperd to equip this weapon he must take shotguns as his weapon specialisation. It is the heaviest hitting of all shotguns, with the exception of a charged shot from the Geth Plasma Shotgun. Its main weakness is that is only carries a single shot per clip and carries only 10 reserve shots.
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: High
Damage: 400.8
Location: Disabled Collector Ship
Sniper Rifles
Classes: Soldier, Infiltrator
M-92 Mantis
The Mantis is a bolt action sniper that has high accuracy and deals tremendous damage. Like all sniper rifles it has an effective scope which can be used to hit distant targets with pin-point accuracy. Staying in crouch while firing avoids the crosshair moving around on the screen and making it easier to take shots. Beware very low ammo capacity.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: High
Damage: 263.1
Location: Prologue: Freedom's Progress
M-29 Incinsor
This sniper differs from the rest because rather than firing a single shot, it fires in bursts of three. This makes the gun more effective at taking out shields and barriers. One of the advantages for this gun is that if you miss one shot, the next two might connect so its good for shooting moving targets. However, in order to rival that damage done by other snipers, all three shots must connect.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Moderate
Damage: 53.6
Location: Normandy (Aegis Pack DLC required)
M-97 Viper
This sniper is the only semi-automatic one in the game. Unlike the Mantis you can fire multiple shots in quick succession. It doesn't deal as much damage as the other snipers but its very high ammo capacity and the speed at which it can fire means that in many circumstances it will deal more damage faster than the other snipers available.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 81.9
Location: Illium: The Assassin
M-98 Widow
The ultimate sniper, this weapon is available to only Sheperd and Legion. In order to equip the weapon you must specialise in Sniper rifles when the opportunity becomes available in the Disabled Collector Ship. It deals enormous damage and has a slightly higher ammo capacity than the Mantis so there is no reason why you shouldn't upgrade. Some players may still prefer the Viper's characteristics over the Widow.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: High
Damage: 368.3
Location: Disabled Collector Ship
Heavy Weapons
Classes: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Vanguard, Sentinel
Using 5 different Heavy Weapons rewards you with this achievement:
Kill enemies with 5 different heavy weapons during the game
Depending on what DLC you have available, it will unlock earlier
M-100 Grenade Launcher
Your first heavy weapon, this gun remains useful throughout the entire game. It has a very slight homing capability so just aim at them and it will make sure it hits. This weapon is especially effective at taking down heavy targets such as YMIR Mechs. It carries only the ten shots but that is usually enough to take down a single target on most difficulties.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 500
Location: Prologue: Awakening
Arc Projector
This electrical based weapon is especially effective at taking down shields and mechanical units. It has a short charge up before releasing a deadly bolt of lightning. It also fires fairly quickly but the charge up leaves the player open to damage for a crucial second. This gun becomes less effective the higher the difficulty as Sheperd becomes weaker and can't find time to fire.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: None
Damage: 400
Location: Normandy (Cerberus Arc Projector DLC required)
M-490 Blackstorm
Unlike most other Heavy Weapons this one is most effective against multiple weaker targets. It fires a shot that creates a temporary black hole that pulls all unshielded targets into it dealing damage. If they die they are crushed into the centre. After a few seconds the black hole explodes blasting anyone left all over the place and dealing massive damage. This gun is almost useless on Insanity when everyone has shields.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 400
Location: Normandy (Terminus Weapon and Armour DLC required)
ML-77 Missile Launcher
The missile launcher has a much more effective homing feature than the Grenade Launcher alowing it to fire round walls. It deals slightly less damage than most Heavy Weapons but has a high rate of fire. Because of its slightly higher ammo capacity of 15 it is often effective to use this on stronger enemies and not just the bosses.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 350
Location: Normandy (Research required)
Collector Particle Beam
Most effective against shields and barriers, the pinpoint accuracy of the Collector Particle Beam makes it the most effective Heavy Weapon at taking out moving targets. Simply track the target and hold fire to deal continuous damage. The Particle Beam is ineffective against armour so don't waste it on Scions or Blood Pack.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: None
Damage: 20
Location: Horizon
M-622 Avalanche
The Avalanche has the shortest range besides the flamethrower. Rather than travelling in a straight line, the projectile has a short arc making it difficult to shoot targets at distance or moving targets. If it does connect it deals limited damage however a number of shots will lead to the target freezing where they can't attack and are very prone to damage. At this point change back to regular weapons.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 50
Location: Normandy (Research required)
M-451 Firestorm
This flamethrower is most effective against many small enemies and is a brilliant companion to Infiltrators that lack close range weaponry. It has a very short range but deals damage incredibly quickly. Like all flame based attacks it is very good against armour making this gun the bane of all Blood Pack commanders which rely heavily on armour for their troops. Effective on all difficulties.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: None
Damage: 26.4
Location: Zorya (Zaeed - The Price of Revenge DLC required)
M-920 Cain
The most powerful gun in the game, the Cain isn't available until much later on and there is a chance you will miss it altogether if you fail to collect the necessary upgrades. It deals a truly remarkable amount of damage killing most bosses in a single hit. What is often a drawn out battle, with a Cain in your arsenal, it can be over in a matter of seconds.
Accuracy: High
Recoil: Low
Damage: 10000
Location: Normandy (Research required)
Squad Mates
Jacob Taylor
Class: Cerberus Operative
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Shotgun
Powers: Incendiary Ammo, Pull
Loyalty Power: Barrier
Related Achievements:
Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Operative
Wilson
Class: N/A
Weapons: Heavy Pistol
Powers: Overload
Loyalty Power: N/A
Miranda Lawson
Class: Cerberus Officer
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Sub Machine Gun
Powers: Overload, Warp
Loyalty Power: Slam
Related Achievements:
Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Officer
Zaeed Massani
Class: Mercenary Veteran
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle
Powers: Concussive Shot, Disruptor Ammo
Loyalty Power: Inferno Grenade
Related Achievements:
Gain the loyalty of the mercenary
Kasumi Goto
Class: Master Thief
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Sub Machine Gun
Powers: Shadow Strike, Overload
Loyalty Power: Flashbang Grenade
Related Achievements:
Gain the loyalty of the thief
Mordin Solus
Class: Salarian Scientist
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Sub Machine Gun
Powers: Incinerate, Cryo Freeze
Loyalty Power: Neural Shock
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the Professor
Gain the loyalty of the Professor
Garrus Vakarian
Class: Turian Rebel
Powers: Concussive Shot, Overload
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle
Loyalty Power: Armour-Piercing Ammo
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit Archangel
Gain the loyalty of Archangel
Jack
Class: Subject Zero
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Shotgun
Powers: Pull, Shockwave
Loyalty Power: Warp Ammo
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the biotic Convict
Gain the loyalty of the biotic Convict
Grunt
Class: Krogan Berserker
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Shotgun
Powers: Concussive Shot, Incendiary Ammo
Loyalty Power: Fortification
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the krogan
Gain the loyalty of the krogan
Tali'Zorah vas Neema
Class: Quarian Machinist
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Shotgun
Powers: AI Hacking, Combat Drone
Loyalty Power: Energy Drain
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the quarian
Gain the loyalty of the quarian
Samara
Class: Asari Justicar
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Sub Machine Gun
Powers: Throw, Pull
Loyalty Power: Reave
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the Justicar
Help the Justicar resolve her mission
Thane Krios
Class: Drell Assassin
Weapons: Sub Machine Gun, Sniper Rifle
Powers: Throw, Warp
Loyalty Power: Shredder Ammo
Related Achievements:
Successfully recruit the Assassin
Gain the loyalty of the Assassin
Morinth
Class: Ardat-Yakshi
Weapons: Sub Machine Gun, Assault Rifle
Powers: Throw, Pull
Loyalty Power: Dominate
Related Achievements:
Help the Justicar resolve her mission
Legion
Class: Geth Infiltrator
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle
Powers: AI Hacking, Combat Drone
Loyalty Power: Geth Shield Boost
Related Achievements:
Liara T'soni
Class: Asari Scientist
Weapons: Heavy Pistol, Sub Machine Gun
Powers: Singularity, Statis, Warp
Loyalty Power: N/A
Related Achievements:
Defeat the Shadow Broker’s Assassin
Confront the Shadow Broker
Complete the Shadow Broker Mission pack on Hardcore or Insanity
Reminisce with Liara on the Normandy
Amanda Kenson
Class: N/A
Weapons: Heavy Pistol
Power: Incinerate, Overload
Loyalty Power: N/A
The Three Key Powers
If you are on the easier difficulties, I suggest you pick whichever squad mates you like the best. This will give you the most enjoyable experience. However if you are on Insanity, pick the following setup. Overload, Incinerate and Warp are the three key powers in the game. If you can't master them you will struggle with Insanity.
Each power has a specific type of shielding that it is effective against and another it is somewhat effective against. The last of the three it is no use at removing.
Overload is effective against Shields and somewhat effective at Barriers.
Incinerate is effective against Armour and somewhat effective against Shields.
Warp is effective against Barriers and somewhat effective against Armour.
The key squad mate will always be Miranda. She has both Warp and Overload. Her Warp is also effective against Armour. Warp also happens to be the one where there is the least difference between very and slightly effective.
I've listed what kind of protection you can expect the enemies to be using before each mission so choose your team accordingly. They are in order of which is used the most. So if I've written "Shields, Armour, Barriers" then it means that there will be a lot of Shielded enemies with only a couple of enemies using Barriers.
Depending on what kind of armour is going to be used most on a certain mission, choose from the list below.
The following squad mates can assist with these achievements:
Incinerate the armor of 25 enemies
Mordin Solus, Amanda Kenson*
Disrupt the shields of 25 enemies
Wilson*, Miranda Lawson, Kasumi Goto, Garrus Vakarian, Amanda Kenson
Warp the barriers of 25 enemies
Miranda Lawson, Thane Krios, Liara T'soni
*No enemies have either Armour, Shields or Barriers at the time when these squad members are in your team
Downloadable Content
Blood Dragon Armour
Cost: 0M$P (Dragon Age: Origins Bonus)
Normandy Crash Site
Cost: 0M$P (Cerberus Network)
Zaeed - The Price of Revenge
Cost: 0M$P (Cerberus Network)
Umbra Visor
Cost: 0M$P (Dr Pepper Bonus)
Recon Hood
Cost: 0M$P (Dr Pepper Bonus)
Sentry Inferface
Cost: 0M$P (Dr Pepper Bonus)
Terminus Weapon and Armour
Cost: 0M$P (Pre-Order Bonus)
Collectors' Weapon and Armour
Cost: 0M$P (Pre-Order Bonus)
Cerberus Weapon and Armour
Cost: 0M$P (Cerberus Network)
Firewalker Pack
Cost: 0M$P (Cerberus Network)
Alternate Appearance Pack 1 (Garrus, Thane, Jack)
Cost: 160M$P
Kasumi - Stolen Memory
Cost: 560M$P
Cerberus Arc Projector
Cost: 0M$P (Cerberus Network)
Equalizer Pack
Cost: 160M$P
Overlord Pack
Cost: 560M$P
Aegis Pack
Cost: 160M$P
Firepower Pack
Cost: 160M$P
Shadow Broker
Cost: 800M$P
Alternate Appearance Pack 2 (Tali, Grunt, Miranda)
Cost: 160M$P
Arrival
Cost: 560M$P
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