Help to start the game: our advice
Mass Effect Andromeda is not a game to be taken lightly, the title has much to offer and it is easy to get lost without understanding well what is happening. We believe it is therefore necessary to open this solution giving you some basic advice to follow throughout the game, general principles to keep in mind during your space exploration. In this part of the guide there are no particular spoilers, so you can read freely.
The most important advice to always follow is probably the following: don't rush. Mass Effect Andromeda it's a slow game to enjoy minute by minute, take all the time you need to shape your character and immerse yourself in the atmosphere created by the guys at BioWare. This title is able to give the best when there is a total identification, so deepen if possible the history of the universe around you and try to find out as much as possible about planets and characters ... We assure you that facing Mass Effect Andromeda in this way at the end you'll really feel like you've enjoyed the title 100%, hurry to get to the credits makes no sense in a game like this.
The side missions present are intriguing and fascinating, so don't miss out on assignments that would lead you to visit mysterious places or meet terrible enemies. Don't forget that talking with the various npc and deepening the various dialogue options will allow you to access missions otherwise impossible to carry out and, as a result, you can really complete the game. The characters are also well written, so it is really a pleasure to hear what they have to say ... pity for the facial animations not perfect and the lack of dubbing in Italian!
As for the planets to explore we refer you to our video review that will be released in the next few days, for the moment we can certainly recommend you to visit all the visitable and take advantage of it to grow your character: look for minerals to improve your equipment and use the good old Nomad (finally he's back) to hurtle on the surface of huge planets.
Even the search data are very important and to retrieve them you need to make scans on scans: the mechanics, honestly, is not the most fun but it's certainly useful to create a protagonist that is a real war machine... Of course, even in this case you need to take your time to analyze the various areas and to understand how to proceed in the best way. To allow you to understand what we're talking about we enclose a video published by the developers themselves dedicated to exploration (Italian subtitles are available).
Another piece of advice that we think may be useful is the following: if possible try to tackle multiplayer at the same time as single-player. The heart of the game is not the multi, it is quite obvious, but this component is worthy of attention and can give you ideas and experiences that will be very useful in your single-player operations.
The last piece of advice we want to give you, finally, is perhaps the most controversial: in our opinion the best way to deal Mass Effect Andromeda with it is to avoid uncomfortable comparisons with the original trilogy and enjoy the game for what it is. We are talking about a new beginning, a potentially extremely interesting title that introduces a lot of novelties but at the same time partially departs from the formula seen in the previous ME. We are not at all surprised in rheatà: BioWare has changed a lot in the transition from the first to the third Mass Effect and it was certainly fair to expect novelties in Andromeda. So try, if possible, not to constantly think about what could have been and instead it's not: the original trilogy was great, no one doubts it, but it also had undeniable flaws that we hope can be fixed with this new course of work on the franchise (it's still too early to talk).
Creating the character
Players Mass Effect Andromeda have essentially three choices: they can bet on a pre-set female character, a male character, or they can create a fully customized avatar. What they can't change, as in the original trilogy after all, is the name by which the characters will address the protagonist. The character creation editor is unfortunately not very deep, but with a little patience you can create good combinations.
Before starting a game in fact it is advisable, in order to get the maximum possible immediacy, to create a character who can really reflect us and who already has some unlocked skills to our liking. Feel free to try what you want, unfortunately you can't play with an alien but from an aesthetic point of view there are some pretty interesting tattoos and haircuts. Of course you can choose the sex of your character, shape his face and possibly choose the perfect makeup for the occasion. Restricted to aesthetic customizations the game also offers the possibility to customize your brother or twin sister (the available options are exactly the same as those for the main character), while from the narrative point of view you can connect to the original trilogy by selecting the sex of dear old Shepard.
Now let's move on to the highlight of this chapter of the guide: managing your character's initial skills and orientation. The good/bad news (it's up to you) is that you won't have to select a real class that will tie you to certain skills in the game. On the contrary, the game asks you to focus on an orientation that will provide you with some initial skills but potentially you could follow a completely opposite path in-game. To understand this you can safely start as a soldier and close as a biotic this time.
The initial profiles are as follows:
- Security: you will start with specializations in the use of weapons and field tactics
- Biotic: specializing in biotic powers, you can create vortexes, launch enemies and so on.
- Technician: selecting this orientation will give you hacking and manipulation skills
- Leader: perfect orientation for those who like to work with the team by offering support
- Scrapper: orientation designed for those who like to charge with their heads down
- Operator: Perfect for those who like to play in a bit more stealthy way, although of course the game doesn't concede much in this regard.
All orientations go well at the first run, they're easy to use so don't worry about it. Subsequent orientations can be unlocked during the game by investing points in one skill branch rather than another, all the individual skills are upgradeable and, fortunately, every tot time you have the opportunity to go back in your steps and reset everything: BioWare was very good from this point of view.
Guide to the prologue
Before starting the actual adventure on Mass Effect Andromeda it is necessary to face a short prologue. This introductory section allows us to get familiar with the characters, understand the basic commands and try out the various mechanics.
Initially you're in the Hyperion ark and settle in as soon as you wake up: your ship has finally arrived at its destination after a very long journey and the first thing you have to do is to undergo post-criosleep medical checks. Through the first dialogues you can start to set Ryder's personality, but we suggest you to focus more on the environment and on the first information you are given by the various npc. Very soon the situation will get much worse and you will find yourself floating in the absence of gravity, but fortunately dear old Cora will bring you back with her feet to hold you and you can leave the first room (talking to Cora first). If you wish you can complete an optional goal by going to check the condition of your still encapsulated twin, but it is not strictly necessary.
Once you're out, you'll find yourself having to fix a ship's fault. How do I do that? Simple: you have to use the scanner you have supplied (directional cross down) to find and solve the problem. Take advantage of it to get familiar with the tool.
At this point follow Cora to the tram, activate it and go to the next area: here you will meet Captain Dunn together with your father Alec and you can have other interesting conversations that will affect your personality. Whatever your choice, however, you'll find yourself descending to Eden 7, but the situation will soon be over. You will find yourself almost immediately lost, isolated from the rest of the team in a hostile and alien world. Before you leave, however, you can talk a little bit with your teammates to get to know them better and discover new details about your family. When you feel ready, all you have to do is take your helmet out of the locker, say goodbye to your father's lucky stone and read all the datapads. At this point you are finally ready to start the real journey, good luck!
False Hopes: The Dream of Habitat 7
After you've crashed you'll be reunited with Liam, your unfortunate companion: as you can see you're on an absolutely uninhabitable planet, tormented by lightning storms and electric shocks. The initial section of the level is full of the initiative's technologies, so be sure to scan everything to start accumulating research points. Your SAM will be offline, so don't expect any special information, but points are always points and we recommend you also scan particular plants and rocks (you'll find them along the way).
Continuing along the path you will reach a small valley tormented by lightning, in this section you simply have to shoot avoiding electric shocks so you don't get fried so run! At this point scan the gun, pick it up, retrieve the ammunition a little further ahead and start to practice. After shooting some poor target try to get to know Liam a little better listening to what he has to say and continue along the path facing the tutorial about jumps and jetpack shots (it's nothing difficult).
At this point take a look at the huge structure in the background but don't waste too much time! Not far from you Fisher met a very unfriendly alien race: the Kett. Don't be too diplomatic: shoot on sight and kill them as soon as possible. After cleaning up, talk to Fisher (he's not in good shape) and go away to look for the rest of the company (not before scanning everything possible of course!).
Arrived at this point the level opens and you can choose the path you want: going to the right you can try to save Kirkland from the clutches of the Kett while facing a short tutorial on the covers (very useful actually). Following the main road you'll notice several scraps to scan and, very soon, you'll meet other Ketts that you'll inevitably have to deal with. Kill them all, scan and continue to the junction retrieving the flight log and ammunition, be careful because you will meet other Ketts accompanied by a dangerous beast at close range.
After doing so, go to the east side of the structure, follow the radio signal and save Greer from the aliens by avoiding walking in acid. Continue east avoiding a new lightning storm, enter the cave and scan the tree in front of you. At this point head south to the crashed ship and eliminate all Ketts present, then head north and you'll find yourself in front of a huge door. Eliminate the four aliens and continue to join Cora's team (they've launched a flare). Save them by taking out heavy enemies and beasts, the combat is not too difficult but be careful.
After you've done this, go through the big door and reunite with your father, Alec, talk to him and get into battle by following him in everything he does. Very soon, after taking down several Ketts, you will find yourself in a very open area and will need to position your allies so that you are not surrounded. Choose a side (right or left) and defend it by allowing your father to interact with the platform in front of him. There will be several waves and some will not be easy, but you should not have too many problems.
When Alec is finally finished enter the structure and enjoy the various videos.
Discovering the Nexus
The situation has slightly degenerated: your father died and you were officially named pioneers, congratulations. In this particular phase of the game the ark belonging to the human race will reach the Nexus (basically an alternative version of the citadel) and you can devote yourself to the exploration and discovery of new plot details. Initially you won't be welcomed by anyone since most of the station has been deactivated to save energy, but after a short time you'll get in touch with a useless hologram and workers who will take you to the big bosses.
Thanks to your arrival the good Kandros, the military brain of the station, can divert new power to the Nexus making it operational again, but there is still much to do: humanity desperately has an outpost since the arches belonging to the other races are dispersed... Moreover, resources are beginning to be scarce and it's quite difficult to get food when you're in the middle of space.
At this particular stage of the game you don't have to do anything difficult. Go through all the dialogue options to find out more details and accept the side quests present: some of them you can complete only after landing on Eos, so don't worry too much. The quests, however, are not at all complicated and generally require you to go from a point A to a point B performing trivial operations.
Also stop for a moment to talk to Kandros to understand how the assault teams work and don't forget to visit geologists and scientists to unlock the various collection missions (you'll find them near the huge window).
When you're ready to go on, go to Director Tann's office to report, make sure you hear the dialogue option for the missing arks and then head to SAM's operational core: your AI has something interesting for you.
Bullets in the desert
The first planet on which you will be sent after being named pioneers will be Eos, a huge desert apparently colonizable. Before landing, however, you'll have to talk to SAM and unlock the various options related to combat profiles. After going through all the available dialogue options and finding out more about your father, you'll finally be ready to reach the Tempest with Cora, meet Vetra and launch yourself on the torrid expanses of Eos (before, if possible, take a moment to visit the shuttle and take a look at your father's room in the station).
After landing on the planet you'll soon realize that it's a real shit: there are radiation everywhere, violent storms, a crazy heat and as if that weren't enough there are also the Kett. All attempts at colonization have failed miserably, so the various settlements you'll encounter will be almost completely deserted ... The first thing to do, however, is to restore power to the Nav Point is to do so you need a code that is on a datapad in one of the facilities nearby. After opening the door inspect all the containers to retrieve useful items, you'll find a console but you won't be able to activate it right away and you'll have to go to the power station on the south side of the station. Here you'll meet Clancy, a surviving smuggler whose trust you'll have to earn by activating generators and killing Kett (nothing difficult). After doing so, restore power to the station and recover the beautiful Nomad near the Tempest: with this new vehicle you can also explore the radiation infested areas (you have to use the support station, you can also use it to modify equipment and team).
At this point, get on the Nomad, you have to reach the huge pillars and interact with their consoles: the procedure is quite simple, you simply have to do some platforming, scan the glyphs, kill hostile entities and use the console. The last pillar, however, is protected by a Kett ship and to reach it you'll have to disable the shields: doing it is really simple, you just have to make sure to turn off all the generators in the area (they are in plain sight, you can't miss them). In this way that annoying orange bubble will disappear and you can do what you have to, remember to use the scanner in all the pillars because there are some really interesting goodies... A small note: in one of the pillars to find the glyphs needed to activate the console you'll have to use the scanner to find the relevant ducts. In one of the pillars, moreover, you will have to complete a small Sudoku style minigame.
Throughout this process you'll meet two characters who can become part of your crew: an Asari named Peebe and a Krogan known as Drack.
Interacting with all the pillars you'll unlock one last console in a flat area and, as it's easy to guess, at this point you just have to throw yourself into the mysterious structure that will appear with Peebe: jump into the first gravity well and, to start, retrieve and scan everything you can. At this point interact with the console and using the scanner follow the conduit to the breaking point: in this journey you'll meet many Relictum and you'll have to make difficult jumps, so get ready to sweat. Some will have turrets and there will be several gravity wells to cross. Once you reach the rupture point repair it and activate the console to continue in a new section made of pyramids, platforms and plants to be scanned.
In the end, after a large number of jumps into the void and Relictum killed, you'll find yourself in front of the final console but be careful: activating it will unleash a devastating entity and you'll have to escape at maximum speed to avoid a bad end. There are no particular tips for this phase: you just have to run quickly trying to be precise in the jumps! Attention: try to be careful in your journey in the relictum crypt, the scanner will allow you to store a lot of points and there are some really interesting objects including a decryption key.
At this point all you have to do is get out of the crypt, face the Kett, establish the first outpost choosing between military or scientific and enjoy the scene, congratulations!
Multiplayer what a passion
The multiplayer is certainly Mass Effect Andromeda not the most relevant or significant component of the game, but it certainly has its own charm and, fortunately, is integrated with the single player. What does it mean? Simply that by taking on multiplayer missions you will also get benefits in your single player campaign. The technical problems unfortunately there are also here, but this part of the game has a lot to offer and is clearly designed to allow users to spend a few evenings in joy.
The purpose of this part of the guide, as you may have guessed, is to provide you with some basic advice on how best to deal with the multi and to become a real Andromeda slaughterer. The first thing to do is probably to take some time to take a look at the various characters belonging to the different races: don't jump immediately on the one aesthetically more interesting because you may regret it, take some time to read everything you need and to compare the different characteristics. After you've done this you should think about customizing your profile: choose the weapons that inspire you the most, always keeping an eye on the overall weight that, as you know, significantly affects the period of recharge of skills.
Always pay close attention to the evolution of your character and invest in a sensible way the points received level after level: try to create a flexible character since online you will often find yourself having to improvise. Make the most of mods on weapons and armor to get the best out of your equipment and don't be afraid to experiment by changing characters and armor.
When you are directly in-game, however, always keep the following points in mind:
- Always move, ME Andromeda is a vertical game and you must never stand too still in one place.
- locate the ammunition crates immediately and defend them.
- Work as a team by combining various skills to get devastating combos (use of chat is highly recommended).
- Try to learn as much as you can from fighting so you can quickly understand what you're up against and how to deal with it.
