Things you feel "Mass Effect: Andromeda" does well

The whole system was designed to be classless, so just slapping filters on top of it might not have the desired results.  A character's "build" is a combination of the skills purchased plus profiles unlocked.  They also tucked some of the passives beneficial to every build into specific trees - for example, the combat tree hosts all of the enhancements to weapon use along with unlocking the additional weapon slots and bumping weight capacity.

I suppose they could have included the passives from all trees in that soft limit filter, though.

Right, I have no idea what would be required for a system like it.  I just know it would have been more my personal style if I was more limited to specific skills, not that I would expect it work exactly like the prior Mass Effect games.  Just that maybe not be able to use things like Annihilation field if I picked Engineer.

I did a pistols-only run. The thing is, I mostly hate pistols, so I used the Hornet, Talon and Phalanx "pistols". The first plays like an AR, and the second like a shotgun. This was before the fire-rate augmentations came into play. I'd be curious to revisit the Talon with a burst-fire augmentation.

I strongly prefer the classless system. I like it as a gameplay feature and as more true-to-life. It always annoyed me that my "Adept" couldn't master X simply because he's an Adept. Some people really do master skills more easily, with "training time", resources, or whatever being less of a factor. I often do play a single build for an entire game. The thing is, it's my choice, and the build might be a previously unavailable combination of Tech/Combat, Biotic/Combat or whatever. The only build option I nearly always use at some point in every PT is my Architect-killer Profile: Soldier (Invasion/TacticalCloak/Turbocharge). If I don't use it as needed, the Architects fall a bit more slowly.

For those looking to play a single class, I'd point out that you can level only passive skills in the "other trees". I know it's not what you're wanting and sounds like I'm missing the point. I'm not. I just wanted to point out a compromise for MEA. Some of the passives are gated, but not all of them. You can start leveling an ungated one, and then proceed as desired. This is what I generally do for the first 50-65 levels. After that, I start evolving disparate "Favorites". My current Ryder is a TacCloak Soldier, but I've finally started evolving Annihilation, my first Biotic active skill, at level 68. It won't be used during this PT, but I'll have it ready as an option if I import him/her into a NG+.

I think whether you view continued leveling as useless depends upon if and how you use the Favorites feature. If you use multiple skill-packages, even if they're staying within a theme, it stays relevant throughout the game. Using my current PT again has an example, I have multiple Combat/Tech Favorites. The two that I regularly use are Soldier (Assault Turret/TacCloak/Turbocharge) and Soldier (Invasion/TC/Turbocharge). I built an incredibly OP gun and recently decided to remove Turbocharge from my main build, so I've been experimenting with Soldier (X/Tactical Cloak/Invasion), where X has been a variety of Tech and Combat skills. She feels like the same character using different tools and tricks. The three-power limit doesn't bother me, as I never liked the pause-and-play feature and I'm on a console.

The other thing that keeps leveling relevant is that total points invested in a tree continues to improve every passive. Yes, it's easy to stomp Insanity from level-10 onward. Still, I find it satisfying to feel my character becoming more and more effective. My playstyle does adapt as my character becomes increasingly deadly and resilient.

As for me, I guess I'm still out on the Classless system. On the one hand, I'm with Alanc9 - I like the limitation put on by having classes.

However, I like the idea that they're trying something new. There's potential in this I think, and I know it was suggested already, but yes perhaps having an option to choose going classless or not might not be a bad idea going forward?

Again though, kudos to them for giving this a try, and I think if refined a bit, it could work.

Well said.  To me, having the ability to make "mix and match" choices myself is what adds a lot of replay value to the game plus it adds a lot of variability within individual playthroughs.

- Combat with each new installment in the series the combat improves and Andromeda did a good job in that department.
- Nomad feels and moves like a well made vehicle and not a bouncy castle tank
- Tempest like the design and more party banter
- Drack a older more grumpy version of Wrex
- Vetra awesome to finally have a female turian companion
- Jetpack makes things easier to climb and another option in combat
- Tom taylorson performance for Ryder

I feel like everything has a catch, but I'll try to list the ones that are hard to find a downside to me:

*Visuals (not that is that important, but it still is).
*Loyalty missions.
*Combat although it's a bit hit and miss imo, still it's good.
*Sense of scale. Being this the massive maps, although hit and miss again, due to emptiness, etc.
*Galaxy map, I'd say is the best in the series, very detailed. Can get tiresome with the unskipable "move around" camera animations.
*Audio. And this is hard because you forget about it, but audio is really good in general.

Things I felt MEA did right:

-Liam

-Combat

-Nomad

-Tom Taylorson

-Clancy Brown/Ryder dad

That is all.

I did really enjoy Kadara and thought Reyes was one of the better, more fleshed out characters, I just wish I could find a compelling reason to side with Sloane.  Not even when I'm playing a more logical, pragmatic character can I see a benefit to supporting her continued rule.

Yeah I could see how that would help but I am not inclined to read a book for context in a video game. I expect the context to be presented in game. I guess I’m stubborn.

Same.  Reading Nexus Uprising didn't help.  She was too selfish and stupid.  Could have helped a LOT if her judgment wasn't so piss poor.  Then, by the time she and the exiles left Nexus, she had already turned violent against anyone who challenged her - and this is while still in space.

Right, that's the in-game explanation. Some of us had wondered what they'd do for thermal clips, since having them strewn around alien worlds wouldn't have made much sense. It's still a very gamey mechanic.


Yeah, that sentence was a little ambiguous. What I meant was
- No medi-gel. In MET, we carried medi-gel supplies into battle, could dispense it anywhere/anytime, and there were refills along the way. In MEA, you need to find the appropriate box and get to it in order to have health restored. That, or go to a forward station.
- Ammo types as consumables. ME1 had ammo types as weapon mods, ME2 & ME3 had them as talents with full squad available. You could set ammo type for the squad at the beginning of a mission, and use it throughout. I believe the ammo consumables in MEA last for 3 thermal clip refills.  They are in limited supply, and you have to set them up at load-out in order to have them available.  Because they are so limited and a bit of a pain to use, I don't use them at all.  Consumables work well as an MP mechanic, because they take up space in the MP packs players purchase.  For SP, I'd prefer to have ammo types as talents, weapon mods, or augments.