How ME 2 Will Interact With Your ME Saves

ME = Mass Effect

" When BioWare first announced the Mass Effect trilogy, they trumpeted the fact that you would to able to import your save file from one game to the next, allowing your character, Commander Shepard, to remain persistent throughout the series. However, the developers never fully explained how that process would work. They dropped hints that the choices you made in one game would have repercussions in the sequels. But would you also retain Shepard's stats, weapons, armor, and companions?

With the impending release of Mass Effect 2 this January, I asked BioWare Co-Founder Dr. Ray Muzyka at a preview event held Tuesday night in San Francisco if he could explain what the transfer process will entail:

Obviously, you're playing as Commander Shepard, but you're playing in a different kind of scenario than you might expect. Some pretty shocking stuff happens at the beginning of the game that puts everything else in context.

But certainly the choices you made in the first game are translated over if you import a saved game from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2. The companions you met, what happened to them, did they live or die, the end-game scene in terms of what happened to the Council, a lot of the bigger choices you make -- even the smaller characters you meet along the way are reflected in Mass Effect 2.

Translation: Your skills, weapons, and other effects won't carry over. But your actions will.

To illustrate this point, Muzyka showed us a scene from Mass Effect 2 that can play out in two very different ways depending on how you handled a pivotal moment in Mass Effect 1 with party member Wrex.

One last important note to those of you itching to import your saves into Mass Effect 2: You'll have to finish Mass Effect 1 first. Mass Effect 2 accesses a specific save file from the ME1 end-game, so if you haven't beaten the game yet, you better hurry up and do it before Mass Effect 2's January 26 release date. "

ViaBitMob

hmmmm very interesting.

I can understand why they did not want to import skills and stats, yet at the same time I think it would be cool if they let you, for example, start ME2 at level 15.

Those that did not have a character saved could choose their skills appropriate for level 15.

I think that would make more sense, because in ME2 you continue as Shepard, yet you will start all over at level 1. Unless they do some corny plot twist (amnesia...ugh) to make it make sense that you're level 1, I believe it sort of ruins the immersion.

ME2 seems like a direct continuation of the first game from what Ive read, yet character progression is getting rerolled.

One of the Neverwinter Nights expansions did that (boosted you to level 15 or 20 or something from the start) and it worked really well.

Pretty disappointing to know that your stats won't carry over. chandu83

yea, as I said, they should just let you start at level 20

ME1: level 1-20
ME2: level 20-40
ME3: level 40-60

*BEGINNING GAME SPOILERS*

In the beginning of ME2, the Normandy is attacked and destroyed, your whole crew escapes, but you actually die. The pro-human corporation, Cerberus, finds your lifeless body drifting in space and puts you on ice for the next two years until they have the means to revive you, hence the reason for your stats/level resetting.

Translation: Your skills, weapons, and other effects won't carry over.

NoctisCaelum52

this is expected; without the realms, Bioware's creativity is shown to be very dry. they don't have a complete (ordinary to mythical) monster gallery for any of their post BG2 games. I think in ME2 you'll be mostly fighting the same enemies as in ME, along with expected boss fights and some, but very limited, new creatures. that is, you'll have to start from lvl1, otherwise, most fights will be too cake for lvl 20+ party or the battle is to be scaled and thus rendered meaningless.

Pretty disappointing to know that your stats won't carry over. chandu83

*BEGINNING GAME SPOILERS*

In the beginning of ME2, the Normandy is attacked and destroyed, your whole crew escapes, but you actually die. The pro-human corporation, Cerberus, finds your lifeless body drifting in space and puts you on ice for the next two years until they have the means to revive you, hence the reason for your stats/level resetting.

Brilliance88

ok that makes sense I suppose.