Tali Returns in Mass Effect 3 Due to the "Talimancer" Demand

Chris Priestly of BioWare said during the Mass Effect Marathon that Tali was not to return as a party member for Mass Effect 3. However, the BioWare team decided to make Tali a party member because the Talimancers demanded on the BioWare Social Network for her to return.

11:25 EviLChrisPriestly: Hmm.. should I reveal a minor Tali game secret? For a donation?

11:27 EviLChrisPriestly: Cool, but doesn't impact gameplay

11:29 EviLChrisPriestly: This really doesn't spoil ME3 at all. Casey would kill me

11:29 EviLChrisPriestly: Ok. Minor thing that I think is cool.

11:30 EviLChrisPriestly: Tali was not going to be a party character until the COmmunity (yes, including teh Talimancers) demanded her. She becmae a party member.

11:31 EviLChrisPriestly: I thought so. The COmmunity wanted it, so they got it. :)

11:32 EviLChrisPriestly: Well let me tell you about teh quarians. They... oh, hello Casey. *signoff*

(source)

(source)

ME1 Assault rifle vs. Pistol

As shown in a previous post, the Pistol with Master Marksman has a higher damage per second (DPS) rate than the assault rifle (AR).

The soldier and infiltrator's commando specialization, Medical Exoskeleton X armor mods and the Pistol Expert achievement will all help reduce the Master Marksman's cooldown to the point that you can keep master marksman activated at all times. Thus, the pistol is the soldier and infiltrator's overall best weapon.

However, even though pistols have a higher potential DPS, it does not mean the AR has no use. The Advanced Marksman and basic Marksman ability last less longer than Master Marksman, and it's not possible to reduce the cooldown short enough to keep the Advanced Marksman or the basic Marksman active at all times. Meaning that in order for pistols to be good, you must invest the entire 12 points into the pistol talent to unlock the Master Marksman ability.

On the other hand, the AR is still useful when you do not want to invest a full 12 points into a weapon talent. In truth, you never want to put more than 11 points into the AR weapon skill. The final 12th point only unlocks the final level of the overkill ability which reduces heat production, but heat isn't a problem at high levels. Unlike the Pistol, the AR does well with only 6-11 points invested into its talent.

ME1 Weapon Comparison

The “damage” stat on the weapons in the first Mass Effect game is actually the damage per second (DPS) stat.

Therefore, we can compare all the weapons types in terms of their base DPS. The following is the DPS on the highest rank of Spectre weapons:

HMWA X (Assault rifle): 384 DPS

HMWSG X (Shotgun): 378 DPS

HMWSR X (Sniper rifle): 336 DPS

HMWP X (Pistol): 294 DPS

With no skills, the assault rifle (AR) has the highest DPS. But, the pistol's marksman ability (unlocked through the pistol talent) increases the rate of fire of the pistol for its duration. Master Marksman (12 points in pistol talent) increases the rate of fire by 2 rounds per sec. Without marksman, pistols fire at about a rate of 4 rounds per second.

Thus, the DPS of the pistol with Master Marksman is,  294 * 6/4 = 441 DPS. This is higher than the AR's DPS. If you can keep Master Marksman activated 100% of the time, it will certainly do more damage over time than the AR. 

Therefore, including marksman the DPS chart becomes:

HMWP X (Pistol) with Master Marksman: 441 DPS

HMWP X (Pistol) with Advanced Marksman: 404 DPS

HMWA X (Assault rifle): 384 DPS

HMWSG X(Shotgun): 378 DPS

HMWP X (Pistol) with Marksman: 368 DPS

HMWSR X (Sniper rifle): 336 DPS

HMWP X (Pistol): 294 DPS

Keep in mind that the sniper rifle and shotgun can do more damage on their first shots with the Assassination and Carnage abilities. Depending how long you fire, they may have a higher DPS than the AR or pistol.

Mass Effect Movie will be a New Story

If you were expecting the Mass Effect movie to be part of the game canon or even a adaptation of the games, you are going to be disappointed. Contradicting earlier statements, Legendary Entertainment has revealed on their blog that the Mass Effect film will not be an adaptation of the games. It will be a completely new story that focuses on Shepard.

There are two kinds of people. Those that wanted the film to be an adaptation of the games, and those that wanted the film to be a part of the game canon, but of a new story without Shepard. Neither groups will be happy with the film. Now, the best we can hope is that the movie adaptation will at least use the same themes of the games.

Kaidan as a Same Sex Romance Option in Mass Effect 3?

On the BioWare Social Network, there is a rumor going around that Kaidan has been confirmed to be available to romance for a male Shepard in Mass Effect 3. The source of this rumor is the podcaster, Talk Nerdy to Me, who reported that Raphael Sbarge confirmed that Kaidan will be a same sex option at a panel Albuquerque Comic Expo.

Additionally, MarqueAZ on the BioWare Social Network, gave a more detailed paraphrase of what Raphael  Sbarge had said at the Expo:

A podcaster (I forgot their name, but you all tracked down who it was!) introduced himself and asked Raphael “Let’s say I played a Male Shepard. In Mass Effect 3, would I be able to romance/engage a romance with you/Kaidan?” The audience chuckled a bit, and Raphael started to respond, then thought for a moment, then nodded a few times and said (paraphrasing). “You know! I think so! They mentioned it. I believe they’re still working on the writing.” Some people in the audience looked confused/amused, so he asserted: “Now, I’m all for it. I think it’s great."

How to Turn Ashley Paragon

In a similar process to turning Kaidan renegade, Ashley can be changed to be "paragon" in the first Mass Effect game. However, she will change for the better by becoming less xenophobic and more open minding about aliens.

If you want to change Ashley, you must play as male Shepard and romance her. As usual, talk to her after every main mission and be kind to her.

Eventually, Ashley will offer to have a drink with her and tell the story about her grandfather surrendering at Shanxi. During this conversation, listen for when Ashley says, “But hey, maybe once we saved the galaxy the Alliance will get its act together. Start acting like an actual government.” Respond to this by picking the “Alliance is all right” (top right) option on the dialog wheel. On the following dialog wheel, you can pick any of the three options. After going through these two dialog wheels, charm and renegade options will open up. Pick the charm to turn Ashley paragon.

All that is left is to do is to take the romance to completion. When Ashley comes to Shepard's cabin to spend the night with him, she should make a comment, “I couldn't blame the Council for calling us reckless or aggressive”. This confirms that you have successfully changed Ashley.

How to Turn Kaidan Renegade

If you want to turn Kaidan "renegade" (make him xenophobic) in the first Mass Effect game, you must play as female Shepard. The reason being is that he can only be turned renegade during the romance path.

Romancing Kaidan is pretty simple. Talk to him after completing every main mission. Be kind to him, and be sure to tell him you're interested in him. If the topic of Liara comes up, do not tell him that you're romantically interested in her.

Also, keep in mind that you will need 5 points in charm or intimidate to ultimately be able to turn Kaidan.

Kaidan will eventually give a conversation which reveals that he killed Vyrnnus at Jump Zero. In this conversation, he will say, "So yeah, I hated that turian. But he wasn't a turian to me. He was Vrynnus." You need to respond to this with the "turians are all the same" (bottom right) dialog option. On the following dialog wheel, you want to pick "I'm not so sure" (bottom right). Picking these two bottom right options should open up charm and intimidate options (left side). You can pick either of these charm or intimidate options to successfully turn Kaidan renegade.

After completing another main mission, Kaidan will have a new conversation, and he should express an anti-alien view. Encourage him by picking bottom right dialog options. Do not pick any charm or intimidate options in this conversation if you see them because these will only undo the changes in Kaidan. 

You will know that you've successfully changed Kaidan when he rants about those "damned aliens" before the love cut scene.