Hey there bishop999 ! Thxs for sharing YOUR Shepard stories ! It was very interesting reading the details of and justifications for your Shepards choices ! Especially the thoughts behind your third Shepards (female vanguard paragade) choices, had a certain “philosophical grandeur” to it ! Serves to prove why ME series is the greatest games ever made and among the greatest Sci-Fi stories ever !!! The ability to “tailormake YOUR own hero or heorine and mold the story into what you want ! Just hope there will NEVER be a ME movie ! It will spoil everything !Right now I am on a second playthrough with the series (3/4 quarters through ME2), partly in anticipation and “warm-up” for ME Andromeda, and partly to record all of my Shepards adventures into movies with a nifty little screencapture application I bought some time ago ! Takes up a whooping 100 gigabyte for ME and about twice that for ME2 !!! So many choices to be made !

I’m sadly a creature of habit, but I do admire your distinct characters’ personalities! I’m usually pretty good about doing different classes in each play through but I’m terrible at making different choices in the story :) Thanks for sharing!

My first time through the series was as the sickeningly straight Paragon War Hero Soldier most of us have probably played at some point, not very imaginative but I was experiencing everything for the first time. I was also young and vulnerable and liked to have my ego stroked.

The second playthrough was as a “Paragade” Sole Survivor Infiltrator who was big on professionalism, honesty, tough love and mission efficiency, but who often took the morally cautious route when dealing with more complicated choices with far-reaching consequences. He let the Rachni go, didn’t dare sacrifice the Council, blew up the Collector base and froze up and tried to reject all the Catalyst’s suggestions in the end. He simply didn’t trust himself to know right from wrong on those levels, went with the most obviously moral options out of insecurity, and so lacked the conviction to make the truly hard decisions when it mattered.

My third Shepard, the one I just finished with, was pretty much the polar opposite of my second one. Also a “Paragade” Vanguard who wanted to fight to help people and treat them with kindness and sensitivity whenever she could – within reason. Her strong moral core allowed her to take responsibility for killing the last Rachni because she didn’t have the right to risk the entire galaxy all over again for a single life, and sacrifice the Council because no three politicians could possibly be more important than putting Sovereign down before it was too late, and if it wasn’t their own lives in danger they would certainly have agreed with that. She went behind Wrex’ back and sabotaged the cure because while she trusted Wrex to be honorable in his intentions she simply couldn’t trust the next generation of Krogan leadership to feel the same way, much less the next hundred. Same with the Geth, and eventually all A.I. everywhere via the Destruction ending, all in the name of the greater good, because sometimes you can’t just be the nice guy and hope it’s enough. I think this was my favorite playthrough, even if I normally don’t play women in games.

I think the important thing is to come up with completely separate and distinct Shepards that you find compelling on their own merits from the very beginning, and maybe mixing them up with radically different classes and gameplay to make sure you don’t fall back on old habits.

I played ME throughout the whole series many times (5 or 6, forgot to count). I played every available career and always set my game to the highest difficulty. My favorite career is infiltrator class. Other classes also have their unique ability and fun.

In the game, I always made choices so that the outcomes are as good as possible. I prefer the paragon path, but I don’t bother trying with the renegade options, or even mixing them to see how really fun the games are. But there are choices in the game that I can’t help making decision rightaway:

Wrex was my favorite squadmate in ME1, he always presented in my squad unless I tried collecting achievements. He might be a badass but he was really loyal and strong characteristic. I never kill Wrex in any of my playthrough and he always followed me through the end of the series. What a pity that he didn’t return in ME2 and ME3 as a squadmate (a brief come back in ME3 DLC didn’t satisfy me enough).

Cure the genophage. Maybe my Shepard was not a Messiah, but if that’s the best for the galaxy, I will do it. What was better when the genophage was cured and peace among the races was established once again?

The rachni queen: I never kill the queen, even if I played a renegade path. If we are planning to preserve endangered species on the Earth, so why can’t we do the same for the galaxy?

Destroy the Collector Base: I once tried to see how things changed if I preserved that cursing base, and I was disappointed. Nothing really changed significantly in ME3 consequences regardless the choice I made, so why do i even bother to change my routine of destroying it as I used to?

There are decisions that I’ve made to test how the story altered:
Save or kill the council: I really hate the Council. In ME1, it was shown that they are stubborn, indecisive, conservative in any opinions. Even in ME3 they showed the same characteristic, regardless the Reapers are whacking their ass! What good they could do for my Shepard was promoting him/her to the first human Spectre.

The final choice in ME3: This is the most disappointing ending and choice throughout the series, and I’m sure many people agree with this point. The Extended Cut’s shows how the Epilogue changed according to my final choice. It was entertaining somehow, but still not enough to offset the harms done by the first ending I’ve experienced.

The tough call is:
Saving Kaidan or Ashley. I should call it’s a tough call. I love them both. They are interesting characters and I didn’t want to lose any of them. But ironically, losing one of them was a significance element to make the Mass Effect game/story, a tragic one. Even if If I was planning on romance one of those two, then although it was already decided, I still felt hard abandoning the other squadmate to sacrifice on Virmire.

All the other choice: Each of my new playthroughs, I changed decisions to see how the story altered, and it was really fun, that makes me come back to ME series again and again.

I can’t watch renegade or paragade play troughs, I’m entirely paragon pretty much, I am never vindictive, and I make some tough decisions for what I think is right and that(save one or two tough calls) is always Paragon.

Also I’m a small flamingly gay boy in real life and you shush about gay Shep and Kaiden, want to feel like a booty call in video games? Play a gay guy. I’m allowed my lasting, loving epic, tragic romance too. That being said I’m not romancing Kaided this run because I heard good things about the plot for Esteban and I want to give something different a shot for once. This drastic change in hair color wasn’t for nothing!(I say that now but I haven’t done anything to reject Kaiden yet) Feel free to think of it as a different version of the timeline, like the Multiverse theory, that’s what helps me sleep at night knowing some people play Shep as a different person XD.

I have to save the Rachni even if sometimes I don’t want to. I won’t be responsible for genocide, I agree with that. though my current play through I hit the wrong option and now I’m not particularly willing to start again. Ill just have to live with it for now, it was a Mistake.

9. Save the Council. Ugh I want to be vindictive sometimes I just don’t have it in me.

8. I cried really hard When Mordin died but he was right. It had to be him, and I couldn’t let it go uncured.

7. Destroy. No brainier, information is not as important to me.

6. This sort of thing is always the hardest for me, who lives and who dies? I don’t agree with everything Wrex does but in the end I always save him.
5. Zaeed is badass, I love him, I save the factory workers. They don’t deserve to die because I feel a connection to a character.
4. oh Diana Allers. I don’t like her, but I don’t have to. I’ve met worse reporters in real life.

3. I would never cheat! *gasps in horror* this is easy for me not to do because I always play all the way through with Kaiden.

2.First I tries Synthesisze, but in the end Control is always my option. The catalyst was misguided but not corrupt, I don’t think my Shep would be either.
1.I save Kaiden. That’s not even a hard choice.
“Ashley, you’re terrible and we hate you.” ~ Everyone
I agree with this, she was always so annoying to me.

as for now –

a) jennifer hale just exorbitantly rules as the femshep voice actress. i only bother to play as a male shepard when i feel
like dating ash or – more likely – tali.

b) paragon may be more addressing my personal attitude but that’s not the point of playing video games that give you the option of being someone else as well as pursuing subjectively more familiar ways to handle the issue.

since trying to be both is unfavourable for the story and your speech options – paragon may feel better inside, but renegade is so much more fun to play.

c) soldier. seriously? do it once to become familiar with the gameplay, but if it generally seems the best class to pick, you should consider playing call of duty and its respectives. imo which class you eventually pick, depends on which part you’re playing: i’d advise me1 sentinel, me2 vanguard, me3 adept (biotics are so much fun!).

but that’s just me. even the most boring option is still worth playing this wonderful saga.

now for your list:

10. no-brainer. that mistake has been made before by the council and i won’t make it again. killed her once but although i prefer a renegade playthrough, i didn’t feel comfortable with it at all.

9. save them.

they’re a pain in the ass, but an only-human council sounds neither seems to work in favour of your reputation amongst any person throughout known space nor can i assume it being any clever when you are dealing with, depending on and fighting for all the races in the galaxy.

and as a side effect, the attitude towards humanity in the rest of the trilogy doesn’t make up for the satisfaction of letting them fry.

the turian shop clerk on the citadel in me2 insulting you is pretty hilarious though.

8. the krogan characters wrex and grunt may be likeable or even highly respectable, but i detest the krogans as a race, so imo they deserve the genophage. they had it absolutely coming. reliable birth control of a bloodthirsty, warmongering is the only real choice for the greater good if the krogan’s total extinction is the alternative.

the council may seem to have made the basic mistake back in the days by bringing the krogan to a level of scientific progress they couldn’t handle, but did they have a choice aside total extinction of the council races? that’s by no means an apology for brutally taking over the galaxy just because of this “we are so many and we need room” bullshit. remotly sounds like the “eastern living space” plans by the nazis. so just let’s not get romantic over this.

7. although it doesn’t make a difference to the outcome of the game, i stick with my real-life scientific background and preserve it. its highly advanced technology is far too valuable to let it go to waste. if i destroy it once in a while, it’s only to score off the illusive jerk.

6. of course i a l w a y s let wrex live. until me3 was released and i figured out a way to save mordin. mordin and his skills and assets as a squadmate seem to me of much more use than wrex. not mentioning his entertaining talents…

5. depends on the mood i am in and how much my morality bar is filled to preserve zaeed’s loyalty despite having to let vido escape.

4. neither does she really affect me nor do i despise her. i somehow figured she earned her place on board and she doesn’t give you any kind of disadvantage.
long story short: i don’t care.

3. never. (well, i have to admit once i unintentionally did so by flirting with kelly chambers although already having romanced tali. didn’t know this was even possible and suddenly had her dancing in my cabin. enjoyed it though)

2. haven’t introduced that pathetic katalyst brat to my little friend called carnifex yet, but it appeals to be a very satisfying moment despite the catastrophic consequences for the end (the rest sucks anyway).

control seemed a fulfilling option at first, but on second thought it made the whole “finding a way to destroy the damn fuckers once and for all” quest seem pointless to me. also, shepard is just a individual, and an individual’s mind can become corrupted. like trying to play god. to me this a selfish and overall dangerous choice.

destroy also seemed reasonable since that’s what i was working towards to in 150 hours. but… no. first, i appreciate joker and his deep affection for edi (love her sense of humour). second, the geth simply cannot be revoked the right to live, since they are sapient beings. non-organic, but still sapient. it was sad enough to see legion die. third, i have destroyed enough things coming my way so far. this cannot be all there is.

so i let myself go for a sensible, peaceful and also most logical decision that gives every race in the galaxy their appropriate respect, no matter if you have played as everybody’s darling or the ruthless badass. give the ultimate sacrifice for the good of anyone else. a bit spockesque (“star trek – wrath of khan”) if i may say so.

therefore i usually go with synthesis.

1. depends on the class i’m playing and hence who is more worthwile saving. imo you cannot and should never rule personal sympathy over the logical, analystic option in decisions like this. shepard is fighting a war, not playing video games.

the hardest decision ever i had to make isn’t even in the list. as long as i played me3 without having a clue about the “points-algorithm” to save the day for both sides, it was almost impossible to decide whether the geth or the quarians should live.

especially the first time, when on one hand tali was my love interest and on the other hand, the geth so far cleared their file for being ruthless jerks – thanks to legion! that decision was emotionally cruel for me and i felt uncomfortable with it, no matter how i chose.

unlike on virmire, the rannoch mission didn’t offer you any logical approach towards this call. so one time the quarians lived, the next time the geth lived. but nowadays i’m glad i know a way to save’em both!

thanks for your thoughts and insights on your way of playing and therefore giving me the opportunity to do so as well!

p.s.: would have loved to see a batarian on my squad. they cannot all be evil slavers and thugs and i would have liked
to know a lot more about this fascinating (no valuation) race. a vorcha would’ve been fun, too. particularly because of the level of the conversations… :D