[Matt D]

Originally Posted by cimt

Spoiler: 

Did any of you actually save the Council? If you did then Humanity is much more respected than if you didn't.

It's the decision I made on ME1 on my last playthrough and you actually get to talk to them in this one, instead of being ignored.

I saved & sacrificed them on all my playthroughs (re-load council chamber save near the end > different choice > end).

For my first ME2 playthrough, I used my most recent ME1 game (playthrough 3, Level 60, Paragon, saved the council, spared the rachni Queen, spared the asari on Feros & Virmire, Wrex lived, Kaiden got nuked).

For my current (second) ME2 playthrough (started on Monday I think), I used my 2nd ME1 game (playthrough 2, level 59, Renegade, saved the council, killed the rachni & asari, Wrex lived, Kaiden got nuked). I couldn't find the save from sacrificing the council on that playthrough

Spoiler: 

I did at least do the Renegade thing though when meeting the council in ME2 on this playthrough.

When they offered to let me have my Spectre status back, I replied "You can shove your offer up your ass! I didn't need your help with Saren & Sovereign, & I don't need it now!", and then mouthed off at Udina too.

Originally Posted by Damien

It's gonna be interesting to see how the choices we made in ME2 translate to ME3. I think this game handles the idea of being a trilogy/multi-part series better than anything. The way the choices carry over and the excellent ending to ME2 which give a sense of closure but also set up the next game.

COMPLETED GAME SPOILERS:

Yup. I can think of at least three choices from ME2 which I think will have an affect on ME3:

Spoiler: 

1) Did you keep or destroy the data on the Genophage cure?

2) Did you destroy the Heretic geth or reprogram them?

and of course... 3) Did you keep the Collector Base, or destroy it?

There are also things from ME1 which run into ME2, & I think will then also run into ME3:

Spoiler: 

e.g. Did you spare or kill the rachni Queen? If spared, she contacts you in ME2, via an asari, & promises her help.

When it gets to ME3, I think that potentially...

Spoiler: 

...you could have a rather unlikely group of allies on your side, races which the Council races wouldn't be too keen on!

- geth (maybe only if you reprogrammed the Heretics, maybe either way)

- krogan (Wrex unites Tuchanka, & the Genophage gets cured with the data you (may have) saved

- rachni (if the Queen survived no.1)

Re. the end of no.2, I do wonder...

Spoiler: 

...just how they will deal with the Collector Base variable. It seems too big to me. Maybe it won't make much difference either way, like how the council choice didn't make much difference either way. Or maybe it will radically change how your game plays out.

____________________________________________

Regarding starting a second game of ME2, I have this advice (IMO):

Don't bother importing your ME2 game back into ME2, not unless you somehow failed to reach level 30 on your first playthrough. The level cap for ME2 is set at 30 (unlike ME1, which was set at 50, which when reached then unlocked the true cap of 60). If you import an ME2 character back into ME2, you start off at the level you were on the imported game... which if a level 30 or close is a bit of a waste of experience IMO, as you can't get any higher. Importing an ME1 game into ME1 made sense (& I did it twice), as you could keep levelling up (I ended my first game a level 49, my second a level 59, & my third a level 60), but you can't do that in ME2 (unless you didn't end on level 30). Only reason I can see for importing an ME2 game back into ME2 is maybe if you want to do an Insanity run & want to start off at a high level.

Better IMO to just re-import your ME1 game into ME2 if you want to have a second playthrough. That way you can re-class your character if desired (I changed my Vanguard to an Adept for my 2nd run, & am thinking of being an Infiltrator on my 3rd) & level up again.



Whether you start a fresh game for another playthrough, or import an ME1 game for another playthrough, or import an ME2 game for another playthrough, you will receive bonuses either way:

- 25% XP bonus due to having completed the game (e.g. so when you finish a mission, you get 1250 XP instead of 1000).

- Credit bonus due to having completed the game (200k I think).

I'm sure there was something else too... maybe some of the tech & heavy weapon research.

If importing an ME1 game, you also receive (in addition to the above, & whether the ME1 import is for your 1st ME2 run, or a subsequent ME2 run) a credit bonus if your ME1 character was "rich", and an XP bonus depending on your ME1 level (my level 60 ME1 character started ME2 at level 5, my level 59 ME1 character started at level 3).