My second playthrough thoughts (blitz)

[JanePhoenix]

I have completed my second playthrough a while back, and promised another post. Unlike my completionist playthrough, this time I only completed the essential priority missions. Never even visited Elaaden or H-047c, and Voeld only for the Moshae. For comparison to the completionist playthrough where Ryder achieved level 73, a mere 8 additional levels were gained during this blitz. Besides romance, the only other non-critical thing that I did though was to complete the majority of optional content on Havarl, in order to get the extra augment slot from cryo pod points for crafted equipment.

I also managed to get the final 2 Origin achievements that I was still missing for the game, so now I have the complete set. I thought I would have to do a 3rd playthrough for Matchmaker, but apparently the fling with a certain Asari during my first playthrough also counted towards this achievement.

While for my first playthrough I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do, this time I felt that there was just way too little. A lot of the optional content at least make the overall storyline feel a bit more compelling. So for a third playthrough I will try to find some balance between primary and optional missions to give the best possible experience.

This will have to wait for a bit however, as I've decided to put this game down for the moment, while I focus on some other games.

@EA_Ataashi Soldier is next, and although I won't be playing for a while, neither will I keep you hanging too long. I did do some fooling around after finishing, researching some nice equipment up to rank X, and believe I have a fairly solid soldier build figured out. I will share it soon for your consideration.

[EA_Ataashi]

I'm definitely not in a hurry, take your time @JanePhoenix 

Mass Effect Andromeda is not a short game and I think 3 playthroughs in a row would be too much even for me 

And congrats on getting all the achievements!

/Ataashi

[ThandalNLyman]

@JanePhoenix (and @EA_Ataashi);  Ok, I'm also a completionist, (single-player only, three full, Ryder is Level 132) and I gotta ask... What platform?

'Cuz I can't figure any way to obtain the "Hang Time" badge on PC. 

[Arasteele]

My first few playthroughs were nearly identical to yours, doing most of the extra tasks and side missions, all of the loyalty missions, etc, followed by a more bare-bones run. Although I didn't pare it down quite as much as you did. I've also mixed it up with the character builds, went with a soldier/infiltrator femRyder for my first character, followed by a near-pure biotic male Ryder. My latest playthrough is now a pure tech build, and so far the most powerful of the lot, although the biotic was pretty fun to play. Huge combo explosions. 

Now I'm just relaxing with it, doing the quests I feel like doing, and leaving some of the main quest parts until later. I do seem to like getting all the vaults up and working first though, and all or most of the outposts established as well, before getting into all of the other near endless 'stuff' there is to do.

Won't be long now, though, that I move on from this game. The replayability is there, but only insofar as you don't get bored of the repetitive "go here, fetch this, kill bad guys" rinse and repeat. The story tries hard but sadly the writing just isn't strong enough to support the 20+ playthroughs I put into ME 1, 2, and 3 (each). But for now, there's still a few things in Andromeda I haven't tried yet.

[JanePhoenix]

@ThandalNLyman On PC! Although... I believe Hang Time is impossible to achieve with a keyboard & mouse. I plugged in my USB gamepad to get this one. Of course there is only one rock in the game where this can be done, and I'm going to avoid naming it (I suspect you know which one).

Here's how to get the achievement. First find a bit of an incline from which to launch (doesn't have to be the highest peak or anything like that), but the ground should preferably decline behind that point. A huge chasm works too! Just accelerate only to launch off the incline (no boost). Once airborne the left analog stick on the gamepad can be pulled down to tilt the nose of the nomad upwards. Thus tilted (keep holding down that analog stick), and keep accelerating, while TAP alternating between jump & boost, giving mini boosts to elevation while going forward, it's possible to get hang time even well in excess of the required 35 seconds.

[EA_Ataashi]

@ThandalNLyman

Yeah, I have to agree with @JanePhoenix when it comes to the Hang Time achievement. Unfortunately, you need a gamepad to obtain it on PC

/Ataashi

[ThandalNLyman]

@JanePhoenix;  Ahhh... Then as someone who doesn't own, and has never used, a "gamepad", I don't feel (quite) so bad. Only cheated. 

While it doesn't bother me (as much) that there are MP-only achievements, this one feels different.  I won't embarrass myself by saying how long I've spent on a certain rock trying to squeeze out another few seconds, but it's not much comfort to learn that I wasn't ever going to be able to manage it simply because the devs "forgot" to include an equivalent control for kb+m players.  Another example of the lack of fit-and-finish checks in ME:A, I guess.

Oh well, zipping around on that rock can still be pretty fun. 

[JanePhoenix]

@ThandalNLyman I think it's only one achievement that is MP-only, the one related to the tutorial there.

I know gamepads are often frowned at by PC gamers, especially players who like shooters. But I'm rather fond of it. Granted, I prefer not actually playing shooters with it. But perhaps because gaming for me started with a gamepad (in the late 80s, Nintendo), it feels familiar and relaxing. It works great for racing, sports, platforming (in fact anything where you don't need the ability to point with great precision). Even Mass Effect Andromeda I did the greatest portion of my first 2 playthroughs with the gamepad, since I think only the soldier class is really that dependent on having the best possible aim (depending on your playstyle I guess).

[holger1405]

Looks like @MADrag0n figured it out:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/Hang-Time-Achievement-on-the-PC/td-p/5981600