Mass Effect 3 Insanity Difficulty Singleplayer Guide: Curing the Genophage
Background
The krogans want the genopahge cured before they will help the turians who in turn will then help with the war. Shepard is to help mordin deploy the cure. The only problem is that there is a reaper in the way. You have the option to sabotage the cure which means that you gain the salarians support as well as the turians and krogans. It is the best option in terms of war assets, but it is sad to see the thankfulness of the krogans when you haven’t really helped them.
I play as an adept. I chose Liara and EDI as my squad for this mission.
Mass Effect 3 Insanity Difficulty Singleplayer Guide: Recovering Reaper Tech from Secret Cerberus Lab
Background
The alliance has been wondering how Cerberus and the Reapers are connected. The secret Cerberus lab in Sigurd’s Cradle, Decoris on Sanctum might provide these answers. Along the way you will kill countless Cerberus troops and hinder Cerberus research into reaper technology.
Important Information
This mission, despite being very short, is difficult. It took me around 5 tries to get it done on insanity. I died to turrets, falling off the map and an assault trooper I couldn’t charge.
I am doing this guide as a vanguard. I have written a comprehensive article which details what the best way to setup a vanguard is here.
Landing
This mission is very unforgiving, especially if you charge around a lot and never have a shield. If you don’t charge immediately after you are done with nova and there are 3 or more enemies around you you are going to be in a world of trouble. Whenever I am done charging I look around for the next enemy whilst spamming the charge key.
In this first wave I only saw assault troopers and a couple of centurions. You shouldn’t have any trouble with them, but be sure to treat them with care because they will down you within 2 seconds if you are standing in the open.
Recovering the First bit of Reaper Technology
There is loot to be had. More spawns as the missions progresses, but here is what you can get now. Be sure to pick it all up before you recover the first bit of reaper technology:
- Medical Station. Look away from shuttle in the drop zone and go up the stairs to the left. Just behind the door is a small room to the left of the main room with the medical station in it.
- Journal entry (rewarding with experience for reading it). Go back out into the main room and go to the left behind the consoles.
- Failed Medi-Gel Experiment (useful later on the citadel). In a side room along the stairs leading to the drop zone near the first reaper technology.
After you have recover these loot deactivate security, take the reaper technology and bring it back to the shuttle. No enemies spawn, at least the didn’t for me. I took the most direct route possible.
Recovering the Second Piece of Reaper Technology
I found that this fight was the hardest of the mission. Here is were I died 4 of the 5 times. The main problem was that, by the time I had cleared the surrounding area, the place that has the reaper technology in it had 2 turrets and many more enemies in it. In that fraction of a second between nova and charge they got me downed over and over.
The best way to kill them all is to run straight down to the reaper technology. If you go there as fast as possible the engineers won’t have time to deploy the turrets, making that fight very easy. Before you take the reaper technology some more loot has spawned in and now is the best time to grab it. Look around for credits which you can usually find on the consoles. There is also a sniper rifle upgrade near the stairs down the the shuttle landing point. Later the whole place is full of enemies.
- Only engage guardians if that is the only enemy you are facing.
- Don’t charge into a turret.
- Don’t bother with reviving teammates unless there are no enemies within sight.
- Change position a lot so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
After you have killed everything the shuttle will be ready to extract you. If you haven’t already look around for more loot.
Mass Effect 3 Insanity Difficulty Singleplayer Guide: Rescuing the Turian Primarch in Apien Crest on Menae
Background
The Turians are being overrun by the Reapers. They set up a strategic outpost on Menae, the moon of Palaven which is the Turians homeworld, to try and flank the Reapers. This strategy isn’t working out though because the Reapers are far too powerful. In this mission you get the Turian Primarch to come off planet for the war summit. You also meet an old teammate, Garrus, that helps you along with the mission and comes on the Normandy afterwards to help fight the Reapers.
Be sure to read my guide to finishing Mass Effect 3 on Insanity the easiest here. It explains combat techniques, class choices and power tips.
Landing Zone
You can shoot the Husks climbing up the mountain side, but the pistol I used didn’t do very much damage so I didn’t end up killing anything. As soon as I could I charged right into the Husks and killed them easily using nova. You can use the same technique up to the camp. Remember to level any powers up, I found that James’s Carnage is very useful especially later. Don’t worry about Liara T’Soni as much as she leaves you soon after the mission begins.
First Turian Camp
There is a bit of stuff lying about. I found:
- 3x Data Pad
- 2x Med Kit
- 1 Upgrade
Look around the place especially on the platforms that don’t have anyone standing on it.
Getting Communications Back Up
You have to choose who is to go up and fix the communications tower. It doesn’t really matter who as you only face Husks whilst the communication tower is fixed. I chose Liara T’Soni to go up because James has better offensive powers against Husks. They are easy to take out with the charge/nova combination. Be sure to use Carnage when it is ready, especially into the groups of Husks that come out of the comets. It will usually kill all of them instantly.
After the communication tower is back up you have to kill a few more Husks and then return to the first Turian base. Here you meet Garrus and Liara is sent back to the Normandy to make sure that it is ready for extraction. Be sure to level up Garrus’s powers. I used concussive shot and overload. Remember to put them into your quick bar.
Killing What the ‘Thing’ Dropped
There are two objects of interests here:
- Supplies
- An assault rifle upgrade
This is actually a more difficult fight, especially if you aren’t playing as a vanguard. There are some Marauders to kill who have shield. Be sure to use overload on them, it makes them as easy as Husks. Be sure to use overload and carnage as much as possible, they both stun weaker enemies and take off some health. Concussive shot even renders them defenseless for a few seconds.
Defending the First Turian Base
If you didn’t know there is a mounted gun on top of the wall. It does use thermal clips, but they are unlimited.
Husks spawn all over the place. Be sure to kill the ones closest to the wall first. They can climb either side of the wall up the cliff so be sure to keep checking both sides. Remember to reload when the grounds are clear.
Eventually a brute will knock you off the wall. Be sure to use carnage as soon as you can as it is on a very long cool down (~10 seconds). I don’t believe that the brutes can kill you instantly, it didn’t happen during any fights I have had with them. There are a few Husks around the place, but they got killed along the brute with nova. Area damage is very powerful.
After the fight you go off to find the Turian Primarch on foot. Along the way you meet a few Husks which are easy to kill. There are a few interesting things lying near the soldiers you meet on the way.
Clearing the Second Turian Camp
This is the last fight of this mission. You have to kill Husks, Cannibals, Marauders and Brutes. After a charge and nova I usually spam the charge button and look around for new enemies to kill. If some have shot me I align the damage direction indicator with the top of my screen whilst spamming the charge button. If the enemy I am charging has a shield I press the overload button as I am charging them. The overload sometimes happens before you get there and sometimes after, but it helps either way. I focused on the brutes as much as possible, but directed the nova so that it would hit the most enemies possible. After the brutes were all dead there was little left to kill.
The only way you will die is that sometimes an enemy will shoot you but you can’t actually charge it. You have to react quickly to move so that you can charge, otherwise you will be dead. If you die you have to do the fight again.
Work your way through the conversation options focusing on choosing renegade or paragon depending on what you want to level quickly. Be sure to check my guide to maximizing your renegade or paragon here.
Other Singleplayer Guides
- Index of all the mission guides
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- Next mission: Rescuing Students from Grissom Academy
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