10 Commandments for Mass Effect 3 Online Multiplayer

As a ME3 Multiplayer regular, I think the whole game experience would be better if everyone followed these 10 simple etiquette rules:

1.  Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

If your N7 ranking is still in the single or even double digits, stick to Bronze and Silver matches.  Any decent player will kick you from their Gold or Platinum match, and if they don’t, I’m willing to bet you guys will all lose in the end anyway.

I don’t care how “good” a player you think you are – the fact is, until you’ve played enough matches and bought enough Spectre packs, your characters will suck and your weapons will suck.  No one is EVER going to win a Platinum match with a Phalanx 1!

2.  Play nicely with others.

Don’t be the only adept in a match with 3 other tech characters.  This only generally applies to Gold and Platinum matches – Bronze and Silver are so easy you can be whatever you want.  Combo attacks like biotic explosions, tech bursts, and fire explosions do way more damage than your powers on their own.  For a list of the easiest ways to create combos, click [here].

3.  Don’t be a medi-gel/missile hoarder.

Nothing is more annoying in a match than when someone dies and refuses to get themselves up, preferring instead to bleed out or get perma-killed by the enemy.  Especially when that someone runs off on their own, making it very difficult for their teammates to get to them.

Also, if there are two or more high level enemies (ie. Banshees, Primes, Atlases) all up in your face, it may be time for a rocket.

4.  Don’t quit a match after Wave 5.

First of all, Wave 6 is a money round – you don’t want to leave your teammates hanging.  Second of all, it’s much more unlikely that a random will spawn in your place when you leave, which makes your team one man short for the hardest waves.  Don’t be a douche.

5.  Don’t glitch in a public match.

Ok, so you looked up on Youtube how to make everything you shoot a missile, or how to leap off the map, or how to become invincible.  If you want to glitch, find some friends and do it on a private match.  Doing it on public ruins the game for many people looking to play and also increases your chances of getting reported and banned.

6.  Don’t shoot your friends.

No, you can’t damage your teammates’ health, but shooting them makes it harder for them to aim at the bad guys.

7.  Don’t be the lone ranger.

You might think you can take on that Prime on the other side of the map all by yourself, but if you die, your teammates have to come get you or play one man down the rest of the wave.  Players die fairly often trying to revive someone who has fallen, so don’t be that guy.

8.  Don’t play as a Vanguard on Gold or Platinum.

The Vanguard class is not a Gold or Platinum level class!!!  I don’t care how good you think you are with it.  The biotic charge power is super glitchy, meaning that you won’t be able to use it when you need it most.  The other powers don’t do enough damage to Gold/Platinum enemies to make them worthwhile, no matter what race you play as.  I’m not saying that you won’t survive – if your teammates are good enough, they can carry you through a match.  But, you will be completely useless to them as a fourth player.  Do you really want to be the dead weight?

9.  Always equip Gear.

Gear can be used infinitely, so I don’t understand why there are people out there who don’t equip Gear.  You should consider it the same as equipping a weapon or a weapon mod.

10.  Turn off your mic unless you’re talking to the team.

I can’t stand it when I hear babies crying over my game from someone’s mic, or their terrible music, or their racist/sexist/homophobic profanities, or the sound effects from their game transposed over mine.  Unless you’re directly addressing everyone you’re playing with, be a good teammate and STFU.

Got more commandments?  Please comment or email them to me!