Your Favorite Mass Effect Planet: Discussion Thread

I've got two, and they're both from ME1: Amaranthine just because it's pretty, and Eletania because it's got kind of a silly mission with monkey-type creatures, but it also has the additional vision.

I like that one with the red and blue suns in the sky. Forget the name but it's pretty.

Now, if we're going for one that we get real gameplay on, I'd say Rannoch. It's one of the prettiest, largely because the geth don't screw with the environment and everything is largely natural. An extremely close second would be Virmire, pre-nuking the shit out of it.

I don't think it would have been. From what we saw of Illium, it reminded me of Coruscant from the Star Wars franchise, whereas Thessia gave me more of a Crystal Spires and Togas vibe.

For me: I want to vote Virmire as my favourite, due to the thematic contrast: the natural beauty of the environment contrasted with the decision that Shepard is forced to make. Honourable mentions to Sur'kesh and Thessia, for what we see of their environments; and Rannoch, because quarians.

Halestrom because of the cultural significants of it. It is like 200 years from now humans rediscovering a aged and crumbling New York City.

Nepmos

View "wow" factor - I'd go with Lesuss (Ardat-Yakshi Monastery) from ME3, although we only got to look at a view of the planet from the various observation decks of the monastery itself.

The planet with the best interactive environments has to go to Aite (Overlord DLC). It's the one mission planet where there was some variation to the environment on the planet itself (i.e. volcanic areas as well as some lush vegetation with both open fields and mountainous/rocky terrain).  The only shame was that we didn't get to walk around outside (outside of the Hammerhead).

The collection of the six data packets can be just a one-time thing for the Data Hound Achievement... once you've received that, there is no purpose in doing it again... no XP, no minerals... nothing.  Personally, I enjoy mucking about lava jumping and such in the Hammerhead, so I usually spend a little extra time running around the planet anyways... and, regardless, it still doesn't detract from the "aestethically pleasing view(s) nearby" nor the fact that there is at least some variety to those views on one planet.  IMO, the ME1 planets like Amaranthine, which have only one type of terrain over the entire planet area, just don't compare.  I find the design of the environments in both ME2 and ME3 far more interesting.  The only sad thing is that, with a few exceptions, we can only view those designs through windows.

Another couple that I like that I forgot mention are 1) the design of a futuristic Vancouver at the start of ME1 and 2) the design of a war-ravaged London at the end.  It was nice to see actually recognizable landmarks incorporated into their designs.

Illium all the way. Home to such amazing quotes like "I want to say 'I own this room, I own you'". And it had the best renegade options like shooting Conrad in the foot, punching a Salarian in the gut, throwing a merc out a window. We were also introduced to the biotic god and the Krogan poet on Illium.

The one with the pyjaks in ME1! So cool to explore a planet with actual life.