Reckoning: First Impressions

Just a quick post I want to get out before I do any actual guides. I know I could easily boost my blog views by over 9000 if I posted guides for the new characters, but I'm going to actually learn how to use them before I post anything conclusive.

But first, I'm going to just go ahead and say it: next to the Earth characters, Reckoning's characters are some of the greatest kits that Bioware has created. I mean come on, the powers and the concepts are awesome. The community asked for a playable Geth Prime, Bioware gave us the Juggernaut. We wanted a true melee Krogan with Blood Pack armor and regenerating health, we got it. We wanted gender equality among Turians and poisonous weapons, and we got the Cabal. We wanted EDI bots, and we got that too. I assume that the Talon Mercenary is a tribute to the late Robin Sachs, who voiced Zaeed Massani. Bioware even met the Prothean requests halfway and gave us freaking Awakened Collectors justified by the lore. I mean come on guys, if you're not grateful for this DLC just because you didn't get a new Salarian or female Geth adept or whatever -- Bioware came up with some convoluted story behind the Awakened Collectors just so you could have a chance to play as one.

Retaliation was all about quantity. Reckoning was all about quality. If Bioware wanted to go out with a bang, they did it right.


Characters:
Awakened Collector (ultra rare)
Geth Juggernaut
Talon Mercenary
Krogan Warlord
Alliance Infiltration Unit
Turian Cabal

Weapons:
Geth Spitfire (UR)
ADAS assault rifle
Venom shotgun (UR)
Blood Pack Punisher SMG (UR)
Executioner Pistol
M-7 Lancer assault rifle (UR)
M-11 Suppressor pistol

Gear:
Geth Scanner
Batarian Gauntlets

Weapon Mods:
Assault Rifle ULM
Sniper Rifle ULM
Shotgun ULM
Pistol Power Magnifier
SMG Power Magnifier

P.S. Here are some notable tips about the new content:

The ADAS anti-synthetic rifle does 200% damage to shields and barriers.
The Geth Spitfire does 175% damage to shields and barriers.
The Cain Trip Mine does 150% damage to armor, shields, and barriers.
Siege Pulse does 135% damage to armor, shields, and barriers.
source: Eric Fagnan

I hope to have builds up soon. Until then, stay classy.

-Grun7mas7er

Reckoning DLC Livestream (finished) + Trailer

In case you missed Bioware's livestream preview of the Reckoning DLC, check out Bioware Dev Bryan Johnson's recording of the livestream here.

Here is the official trailer.

Bioware Announces Reckoning DLC

Details here.

Prepare for the Reckoning! Newfound allies join the multiplayer war for survival in Mass Effect 3: Reckoning. The Geth Juggernaut, Female Turian Raptor, Talon Mercenary, Alliance Infiltration Unit, and more take up arms to stop the Reaper threat. Smash your enemies with the Biotic Hammer as you lay waste to the battlefield as the Krogan Warlord.

Wield 7 new weapons for multiplayer, including the Geth Spitfire Assault Rifle, Venom Shotgun, Lancer Assault Rifle, and amplify your arsenal with new equipment and weapon mods featuring the Geth Scanner and Assault Rifle Ultralight Materials.

Mass Effect 3: Reckoning launches on February 27th worldwide on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, at no additional cost.

Pics!!! (Click to biggify)

31 January 2013 Patch Datamined

Greetings everyone. There have long been rumors of a so-called 'Reckoning DLC' coming to ME3 multiplayer, and with the patch yesterday, those rumors have been more or less confirmed. Dataminers peeked into the patch files and found some details that would make an elcor giddy with excitement.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/343/index/15753257/1#15753257.

http://www.clevernoob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2703-datamining-todays-patch-dlc-info-incoming/

The details so far:

• assault rifle, shotgun, and sniper rifle ultralight materials.
• "judging by the number of races in this DLC, there is a very high chance that this will have about the same number of characters as Retaliation if not more"
• "most of the recent single player DLC weapons are getting added to multiplayer"
• Co-op mode: "a multiplayer game mode that pulls your paragon/renegade values, reputation points and updates your plot progress from the single player campaign"
• Challenges for Blood Pack Punisher SMG, Venom Shotgun, ADAS rifle, and Executioner Pistol have been found. 
• A file for Biotic Protector has been found (not known if it's for SP or MP).
• Chakram Launcher found.

My own speculation is that this is Bioware's last DLC, or last major DLC anyway. The game is nearly a year old, so I imagine that they need to move on to ME4. Retaliation was a big DLC, so I would think that this one will be even greater if Bioware wants ME3 to go out with a bang. 

I also suspect that some of the new weapons will be nerfed based on some of the things I've heard, either right out of the gate or soon after. However, as Bioware is now doing balance changes less frequently, who knows what they will or will not balance. 

The description of the co-op mode is a little sketchy, but it sounds interesting. I look forward to seeing how it plays out. And 'Biotic Protector' sounds like the Phantom/Banshee hand of denial. I don't know if it's a power, character, or something else, but that's what it makes me think of.

Finally, I suggest that everyone start saving up credits for the new DLC. 

Thanks for reading. Stay classy.

Omega DLC Trailer

Looks pretty cool. I wonder if and how this will affect the multiplayer side.

Check it out.

Retaliation DLC First Impressions

Hi everyone. I just downloaded the Retaliation DLC. I will continue to update this as I go.

Confirmed Characters:
Adept
- *Volus (Adept): Stasis, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- *Krogan Shaman: Barrier, Shockwave, Warp
- Batarian Slasher: Warp, Cluster Grenade, Lash
Soldier
- *Turian Havoc: Cryo Blast, Havoc Strike, Stimulant Pack
- Geth Trooper: Hunter Mode, Flamer, Fortification
- Quarian Marksman: Marksman, Tactical Scan, Sabotage
Engineer
- *Volus (Engineer): Proximity Mine, Shield Boost, Recon Mine
- Turian Saboteur: Sabotage, Sentry Turret, Homing Grenade
- Vorcha Hunter: Bloodlust, Incinerate, Submission Net
Sentinel
- Volus Mercenary: Decoy, Combat Drone, Shield Boost
- Asari Valkyrie: Tech Armor, Annihilation Field, Warp
Infiltrator
- *Turian Ghost: Overload, Tactical Cloak, Stimulant Pack
- Drell Assassin: Tactical Cloak, Homing Grenade, Recon Mine
- Asari Huntress: Tactical Cloak, Dark Channel, Warp
Vanguard
- Volus Protector: Biotic Charge, Biotic Orbs, Shield Boost
- Batarian Brawler: Biotic Charge, Blade Armor, Lash

*So far, these are available.

Weapons:
Collector Rifle
Collector Sniper Rifle
Collector SMG

October 9 Balance Changes

I will be making a build for the Volus Adept, Volus Engineer, Turian Havoc, and Turian Ghost when I get a chance. Hopefully that will be soon. ETA October 11.

Well, I've had a chance to play the new DLC a little. First off, I really like the new characters. I think that they're the highlight of the Retaliation DLC, and there are even more to come, so we'll see how they turn out.

Unfortunately, the weapons are pretty lackluster. The only real advantage in the case of the sniper rifle and SMG is that they have unlimited ammo. From my limited experience, I think that they will all need buffs to various degrees, but particularly the SMG. It's an ultra-rare, so I'm hoping for an alternate SMG to the Hurricane.

Overall, the game seems a little harder because of the upgrades. I'm still finishing Gold consistently, but I find that I'm using more medigel, probably because of more frequent executions by enemies. I really like the Collectors, but they are probably the most difficult or second most difficult enemies, depending on how you feel about the buffed Geth. I think the different enemies are cool and fun to shoot at and whatnot. Possessed Abominations are a PITA though. They explode like a Cain when you kill them, so watch out for those.

Also, the reskinned maps look cool with various weather and hazards. And Bioware "nerfed" Firebase White and Glacier, which I have mixed feelings about. But in general, I approve.

Overall, it's the most comprehensive DLC to date. It almost feels like an Expansion pack because there's so much. However, I can't help but feel that some of the new features such as challenges kind of complicate the game. It's doesn't make a huge difference, but I couldn't help but feel that I liked the game when it was simpler. Oh well. If it gets more people playing the game, I guess that's fine.

-MACave11i

ME3: Retaliation DLC Announced

Bioware has finally answered our prayers: Retaliation details.

New enemies:
- The Collectors (faction)
- Cerberus "Dragoon"
- New Geth Drones

16 New characters including:
- Turian Havoc Soldier
- Turian Ghost Infiltrator
- Krogan Shaman Adept
- Asari Huntress Infiltrator
- Batarian Brawler Vanguard
- "and more"
[According to Chris Priestly, only 4 of them will be available at launch, the rest will be rolled out over time]

Three New Weapons:
- Collector Assault Rifle
- Collector SMG
- Collector Sniper Rifle

Six maps featuring environmental hazards and traps, including:
- Ghost
- Dagger
- Giant

Three new ammo types:
- explosive rounds
- phasic rounds
- drill rounds

Five new gear items:
- medigel transmitter
- armored compartments
- responder loadout
- survivor loadout
- assault loadout

Coming October 9th




It seems like this will give many people a reason to play ME3 multiplayer again. I know I will.
10/10! 5 stars!!! Save your credits people!

-MACave11i