What Did You Do Today in Andromeda

Curious Crow , PAW is pretty meh. Creating your own, better PAW out of a Valkyrie or Hornet is the way to go. Autofire and Beam Emitter augmentations are the most essential ingredients.

I’m still bummed by my corrupted save. I wasn’t finished with MEA, but I really don’t feel like replaying the first half of the game. Ugh. At times like this, I wish ME were a more expansive IP. TTRPG (like DA got), more novels, etc... Something to help me scratch the ME itch in different ways.

Edit: I am reviewing my screen grabs. I got some beautiful pics from this PT. I’ll definitely use this Sara again. I took pics of every variable, just in case she didn’t export properly.

Do you actually have a PC at all EZ? If so how hard is it to get your screenshots onto a USB?

So I built the Hornet with the Beam Emitter and The Bioconverter its pretty brutal. I just got the option for another augmentation slot so will build another one using auto-fire I had assumed it already was but I have to release the trigger. Melted all opposition rescuing The Moshae, but I need to improve my aim the Cardinals Orb gave me some grief and I had to reduce range for the Hornet. I still think I prefer the Valkyrie for its sound and feel though. 

Well at some stage it'd be great to see some of your shots 

EDIT: Just thinking if you can transfer your screenshots on PS4 to a USB can you not then access the internet on the PS4 and use something like Imgur to upload them from the USB? 

Thank you dazk and Element Zero
Loaded up Scotty boy and got the statuette. Also let the squid cats out of their cages and shot the local technology.
Then went to the Tempest to make a Valkyrie to ride. Due to some bad decisions in where the spend Milky Way research points (like seriously, can cats and toast be used for infinite power generation?) I could only make him a level 2 Valkyrie, whereas his other stuff is in the 8 range, so the result was not that mind blowing when testing it out on Eos, but again, huge difference in levels. So will keep it in mind once he starts scanning the stuff from home.
But wasn't much in the mood for him at the moment.

So Ollie got a go. Decided to try the hornet with her, she had the research but lacked material. But there is copper on Voeld and that where she was headed. Kett camps were bountiful so didn't dare to leave until Ollie had all the goodies.
Hornet was too good and crashed the game. But second time was the charm. Not too thrilled with the Bio converter, but it was okay. But did kinda check out during the goodie collection, so calling it a day for now.

I forgot about having an active tech skill. Been using Concussive shot, singularity and Shockwave so will sub ZAP in if its a Tech skill or find a different tech skill to what I have used before.

I didn't notice my health going down hardly at all using the BC, I think maybe 10% in the final battle rescuing the Moshae.

dazk
So, if Sara isn't going to romance Liam, who's the lucky one going to be?

Liam, Jaal, Cora and PeeBee feature well developed content. The others don't seem to have as much substance. I get bored with Suvi after the faith conversation, as she has nothing else to say for the next 60% of the game. The pacing was pretty good for the four I mentioned, with believable, gradual changes in the relationship throughout the game.

I've been restlessly weighing my gaming options today. The thought of restarting MEA post-bug is a bit disheartening. It would be like arriving on Horizon in ME2, emcountering a bug, and having to restart from the beginning of ME1. (If I had mods to alter my experience, I'd jump on that.) I'm not yet ready for HZD. I've thought about AC Unity, but I'm not sure. I'd love to play the MET again, but I've not unboxed my Xbox 360 since the move, and I'm in no hurry to do so. I hate cluttering up an area with multiple consoles. I'm feeling the gaming malaise I felt before HZD and MEA released.

If I choose to play MEA yet again, I'll have to impose some limitations to eliminate the sameness of it. I'd do no DLC armor, using what I scavenge or build, which means no huge XP bonus from the start. I'd go with a build I've not used in recent PTs. I'd likely go with BrewisRyder, since I pay less attention to my protagonist and focus 100% on the story this way. Starting with another Level-1 character so soon after my last one has its unappealing side. Squaddies are much better when maxed, since they prime and combo independently of Ryder. Ryder has flashier abilities, too, at higher levels. Meh. I'm still on the malaise-fence.

I have tried to do the Jaal romance twice and both times backed out, it is just ewwww.  I wish Cora was a Bi romance, as I would like to have had Sara romance her once and there's mod to allow it but it has some issues I believe so that's out. I liked the Liam romance but it was a one time for me, it was good but I hate the fade to black romances. I also don't normally do the male romance options, as a guy it just feels weird for me.

You are right re the Suvi romance but I don't mind it and have done it twice so didn't want to do it again. So that pretty much leaves PeeBee unless I change my mind about doing the Liam romance!!!!

I know the feeling re the gaming malaise thing but I was glad to be able to get back to playing MEA after MET. I'd fill in time playing The Division if I had nothing to do but after about 20hrs the grinding was waring thin and I needed to do the new areas which you need to do in Co-Op and I only have one friend who I'd play with and he's in a different time zone which made it too hard.

I will play Crysis 1, 2 and 3 after this, I only prioritised MET cause I wanted to play all 4 ME games in a row. Crysis is a fun FP shooter, OK story, cool concept and the first was hailed but even after it was enhanced it still causes me grief at the end which I usually now just skip. Crysis 2 the stealth is OP'd but it's fun just stealth killing soldiers and aliens, I like the story advancement as well. Crysis 3 was panned but I really enjoyed the gameplay. 

For me Reyes is just too much of an unknown and again the fade to black thing annoys me!!!!! 

LOL oh yeah definitely!!!!! 

I made the mistake of watching it online   

melbella , we’re on the same page with the icky Jaal romance. I approve of its pacing and logical development. I’m grossed out by where it goes, and non-Asari aliens in general. We also agree about Sara. If not for enjoying the CC process, I’d never play as Sara.

dazk , I’m glad you tried the Hornet. Whenever I hear people talking about struggling with the game, I think “, “I could reset your skills and build you some stuff to fix that.” 😆 This game is easy, and made super easy with minimal optimizing. I’m still trying to think of new builds for a new game, but I’m not ready to play again after the game-breaking bug. Too annoying to contemplate.

On a related note, I saw some “optimization videos” on YouTube earlier. The MEA vids are crap. These guys suck at CharOp. Every single one of my characters is better optimized and super versatile. Don’t let YouTube optimize your Ryder!

dmc1001 , I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets annoyed with Keri. “No, I don’t have a moment. I got your email. I’ll find you if and when I wish to talk!”

EDIT: I'm thinking about a Sentinel (Lance/Singularity/Energy Drain) primary. It's effective without being top-tier, so to speak. Singularity primes everything in its AoE and is just fun. Lance is an at-will detonator and sniping power. Energy Drain is both primer and detonator, and triggers the awesome Tech passives. Slap a customized weapon on that character and see what happens.

I don't feel like hearing a shotgun, or I'd just switch Singularity for Annihilation. One has to use a shotgun on an Annihilation build, though. It is known. Maybe a Beam Emitter, Autofire Hesh? I can't recall whether the BE removes the loud sound, but I think it does. Maybe I'll confirm and try it out for a while.

I logged in and did some testing this afternoon. I found a build with which I had a lot of fun.

Biotic Bomber? BioTech Commando? (I’m not sure what I’d call it. )

Sentinel (Lance/Shockwave/Energy Drain)

Sentinel is the ideal Profile for this. It grants +40% Combo Damage. It reduces the cost of Lance by 45%. It improves the effectiveness of Energy Drain and your Tech Passives by 45%. It even adds a bit of extra durability via Tech Armor.

Still, maybe you’re worn out using Sentinel, or really like other Profiles. Explorer is pretty solid, and one I barely ever use. It can’t compete with Sentinel, but it gives a few useful perks. It boosts weapon damage by 15%, which helps pretty much anyone. It gives 15 Damage Resistance. Cool. It improves Energy Drain and Tech Passives by 40%. Not bad. It’s far less ideal than Sentinel, but it works. If you’re looking to do less optimization, like I have been doing, this is a lesser alternative that’s still fun.

* Lance is a pretty good direct damage power, which is a rare thing, but that’s not its best feature. It is a detonator with no cooldown. You can throw as many as you like. Yes, it uses barrier, but that doesn’t matter for the following reasons: You have Energy Drain. You have Team Support 6B (Life Support). You have Auxiliary Systems 6A (Shield Feedback). You have a Shield Oscillator in all of your assorted Chest Pieces. Basically, you always have barrier to burn, meaning you can hurl as many Lances as you wish.

An okay alternative to Lance would be Concussive Shot or Throw. They are not going to put out great damage, and are not going to dovetail beautifully with Energy Drain, Sentinel and your Tech Passives. Still, they’re functional. I didn’t find them nearly as fun, effective or flavorful, though, to be honest.

* Shockwave: I initially had Singularity here, since it is somewhat “better”. I found that I wasn’t using Singularity as often as I could, though. It regens constantly with FMoA, but still felt like a “slow” power. Shockwave is less useful versus heavies and bosses, but it’s a rapid-release primer/detonator that lifts. It’s a solid power that fits nicely into this rotation. It’s also fun in that I’ve pretty much never used it since it was introduced back in ME2.

* Energy Drain: Alongside Tactical Cloak, this is arguably the king of active skills. It primes, it detonates, it restores your barrier! Not only that, but it constantly triggers your awesome Tech Passives. It’s the ultimate “Invincibility Skill” in MEA, and it can be yours for three easy payments of $29.99 a handful of skill points.

Equipment:

* Valkyrie FABE/bio: You can use whatever you want for this. I like my face-melting Beam Rifle with infinite ammo. It’s quiet, accurate and OP.

* Melee: You can use an Asari Sword or Remnant Cryogauntlet loaded with 5 Reaction Optimizers for an additional +15% Combo Damage. Alternatively, load it with Kinetic Coils for +15% weapon damage if you’d prefer.

* Pathfinder Armor (Combo Damage): The base perks of the Pathfinder armor set make it an excellent base from which to start. Damage Resistance is always useful. You will mix in a fair bit of shooting, I imagine, so weapon accuracy is likewise great. It’s especially good for weapons with lots of muzzle climb, like the Valkyrie, Hornet, Hurricane and so on. The +40% Power Restoration & Defense is awesome, since it makes Energy Drain and your Tech Passives 40% better at what they do. This is my favorite armor both mechanically and aesthetically. That practically never happens.

Remnant Heritage Armor could excel here, too. It boosts Health and Shield Recovery really well. It also has a huge Regen Delay reduction. Very good.

This is the rare build for which an argument could be made for the N7 Armor. I’m not a fan of its looks, its stats or its R&D costs. That said, + Power Damage actually does help Lance. (It’s not as good or important as +Combo Damage, but that’s why we use augmentations.) The +Shields perk is also helpful, since we convert barriers to offense via Lance. The recharge perk is useless.

Whichever you choose, the customization is simple. Aside from the Shield Oscillator in the chest and the Shield Disruptor/Heat Inducer/CryoCondenser in the legs (adds elemental damage to leaping melee), every augmentation applied is a Reaction Optimizer for Combo Damage. Simple.


I think this might be enough to pull me back into the game. As much as I’d like to put some of my unused Saras into play, I’ve had enough Sara/Fryda for a while. I’ll use BrewisRyder or my lastest custom Scott.

EDIT: Added some alternative options.