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So, my predicament is that I'm at Noveria with my current save on the PC with Mass Effect 1 with the character I would like to transfer over.

Should I finish that game and transfer the character? Or should I just start a new one so I can jump right into the second game? Is there any real difference beyond the "having a continuing character" gimmick? Also, would the game be better played at a current level (~50 for the transferred save, if I finish) or starting all the way at level one, as I assume you would with a new character?

Decisions, decisions.

It is highly recommended that you complete ME1 and make note of some of the important decisions you made.

I have heard from multiple sources that ME2 portrays these critical decisions in a very meaningful way.

You only get one chance to experience a game for the first time. Make the most of it.

:2 cents

Yes, but those important decisions can't be chosen when you start a new characer? Are they chosen at random?

The current save I want to transfer is my third or fourth time going through the game, so I already know (generally) all the important bits.

Well, I started a new game to see what the beginning was like, and I think I'm going to blitz through and finish my ME1 save, since there were an number of decisions that were immediately apparent. And starting a new game picked the opposite ones that I generally did in the first game.

Yeah, having imported my ME1 Shepard, I can't imagine playing 2 with a new character. You can tell right off the bat that the game is meant to be personalized, even if it can cater to new players.That brings me to my disappointment in finding out that one of my two Shepards has yet to hit Virmire, so I will also be backtracking to make sure it's all as I want it.

Any difference level and skill-wise by importing?
Do achievement unlocked skills transfer over?

You gain certain bonuses based on benchmarks you hit in the first game. I believe if you had something like 100,000 credits or whatever earned you a good chunk of cash to start with in the second game. You also start at level 5, are given a percentage of various resources to start with (which is moderately helpful, but not overly so). It's really not that hard to make money or mine resources quickly.

Bonus talents are stripped from the character. I think my original Infiltrator had something like thirteen skill tree branches, and now she has about half that. However, I notice that you can use resources to unlock a way to get your Shepard to learn new bonus talents from their squadmates.

In all... I think the perks are nice, but the personalized game play is a far better reason to import an ME1 character.

Aqua-chan wrote:
In all... I think the perks are nice, but the personalized game play is a far better reason to import an ME1 character.

Which is exactly what I quickly discovered when I started a new game.

Spoilers

Spoiler

The fact that, five minutes in, the game starts with you having let the Council die in the previous game and with Ashley alive. As I can't stand Ashley, the decision to go back to my ME1 save is necessary.

Aqua-chan wrote:<snip>
In all... I think the perks are nice, but the personalized game play is a far better reason to import an ME1 character.

Guess I'll have to suffer a game of ME1 to get a save game before delving too far into ME2 then ....
And yes, noticed the intro as well which is different then what I did in ME1

Xandax wrote:Guess I'll have to suffer a game of ME1 to get a save game before delving too far into ME2 then ....
And yes, noticed the intro as well which is different then what I did in ME1

If you don't mind using someone else's save game it is easy enough to download a save from here Mass Effect Saves for PC .

I would consider it as you gat to pick from a variety of endings and outcomes. You can pick whatever class you want regardless of what class was used in the save. For people like me who lost my original save games, it is a godsend. Appearance and class can be changed, but not the name the other person gave it. Who cares though, everyone just calls you "commander" or "Shepard" anyway.

I just imported my Infiltrator from the first ME and was presented with the option to choose my class after several cinematic. Has anyone experienced anything different when choosing the character's original class versus a different class?

You can choose a new class and redo your face even if you're importing an old Shepard. It's normal. Although I don't get how, say, a soldier can all of a sudden develop biotic powers.

Who knows. Jacob did say that you had a few extra parts in you.

Do you know if you gain any more abilities during the course of the game? So far, it seems that there are half the number as before, though I have to say that I like the fact that you can evolve abilities.

Crenshinibon wrote:Who knows. Jacob did say that you had a few extra parts in you.

Do you know if you gain any more abilities during the course of the game? So far, it seems that there are half the number as before, though I have to say that I like the fact that you can evolve abilities.

You can gain some new ones, yes.
But the abilities are simplified outside that.

Thanks for your responses.

Is there a list yet of the choices that are carried over and possibly how they each effect ME2 gameplay?

Thanks.


Edit: I see there is a new list at the Save Game site linked in the thread.

I'm not entirely sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but if you have completed at least one playthrough of ME1 and are part way through another, when you import that character it will take the decisions of the last playthrough you completed. So if you are on your 4th time but aren't done yet, ME2 will use the decisions from your 3rd playthrough.

Salidin54 wrote:I'm not entirely sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but if you have completed at least one playthrough of ME1 and are part way through another, when you import that character it will take the decisions of the last playthrough you completed. So if you are on your 4th time but aren't done yet, ME2 will use the decisions from your 3rd playthrough.

As far as I know - you can only import "end" save games, hence why it seems like it takes the decisions from "previous" playthrough.

Xandax wrote:As far as I know - you can only import "end" save games, hence why it seems like it takes the decisions from "previous" playthrough.

that's what I meant, thanks for clarifying