New to the Mass Effect series starting with Mass Effect 3 is multiplayer. Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode consists of Ala Gears of War Horde Mode. If you’ve never heard or read about Horde mode, it’s a simple wave mode where you and your team must cooperatively destroy waves of attacking enemies. Mass Effect 3 multiplayer is a combination of wave mode, snatch and grab, terminal hacking, and extraction point holding all within a ten wave match. It’s not that bad actually. But it’s not going to be the reason you buy Mass Effect 3 either. You bought Mass Effect 3 for its one campaign (I shouldn’t have to remind you of everything). The multiplayer is simply a sideshow to the main attraction. It’s fun, challenging, and diverse enough to definitely warrant some of your time when you decide to take a break from the story campaign.

Classes: When you first log into Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, you are immediately enlisted as a member of N7’s special ops team. As for the classes, just like the single player campaign, you have 6 classes to choose from including: Adept, Soldier, Engineer, Sentinel, Infiltrator, and Vanguard. For my class, I chose the Vanguard because I already beat Mass Effect 2 on its most challenging difficulty as a Vanguard. I like the up close and personal approach even if I get killed a couple of times. Not only that, but I anticipated that everyone else would either be Adepts, Soldiers, or Engineers, which ended up being the case. In every match I’ve played, no one picked Vanguard, which made my decision more important as the classes in the teams should have variety as this is strictly co-op multiplayer.

Mass Effect 3 multiplayer characters are divided between classes. Each class has one human (male) and one (female) who have the exact same default biotics and weapons for each class. There are also two assigned aliens per class that come equipped with different biotics and weapons by default. Unlocking Aliens takes XP or can be purchased with in-game credits through special packs in the Shop (if you’re lucky). Alien characters, as I said, differ by class and include: Krogan, Quarian, Drell, Tourian, Salarian, and Asari. For my character I stuck with my custom Human Male (Vanguard). I had already unlocked some of the Alien characters. The average gamer shouldn’t take that long to do so.

Customizing your character for matches comes after you choose your class and character. You can change its Primary Color, Highlight Color, Secondary Color, Pattern, Pattern Color, and Highlights. Some of the above options are locked when you start playing and unlock as you level up. The customization is deep enough that you can make sure your character doesn’t look exactly like everyone else’s. My Vanguard turned into a greenish type of gold color. He looked pretty good actually. I was basically mixing and matching the colors of my suit.

Character – This menu is divided into Powers, Weapons, Appearance, Equipment, and Shop. You know what the Appearance section is all about. The Weapons section allows you to add mods and set your preferred weapons in the slots. The weapons you have depend on the class and whether or not you unlocked them. The Equipment section of the Character section keeps track of all your perks and equipment. They are called Supplies and my Vanguard had after two matches: Cobra Missile Launcher, Thermal Clip Pack, Ops Survival Pack and Medi-Gel. There are also bonus slots for the following: ammo bonus, weapon bonus, and armor bonus. Consider the latest perks that you can activate once in a match.

Maps: Ontaram: Firebase Dagger, Benning: Firebase Chost Tuchanko, Firebase Grant, Cyone: Firebase Reactor, Sanctum: Firebase Glacier, Novevia: Firebase White. And just like with any multiplayer, some maps are good and some are not. I’m sure the DLC was created before the release of Mass Effect 3, so we’ll most likely get new DLC maps in the coming months. The maps have a basic setup and don’t differ so much in layout, but more in setup.

Be sure to visit the store first so you can get your Starter Pack (for free). They also sell the Recruit Pack (5,000 credits), Veteran Pack (20,000 credits), and the Specter Pack (60,000 credits). You can make at least 10,000 credits in each match (I did). Packs are completely randomized with respect to the items, perks, and weapon mods you receive. The more expensive the package, the better gift you’ll get no matter what. The free pack got me a heat clip pack (pistol), Medi-Gel, Ops survival pack, a spare sniper rifle heat clip, and an Asari Vanguard (unlocked). Keep in mind that all packs are random and you never know what you’ll receive, but 9 times out of 10 it’s something you and your team will benefit from as you play. The items and perks you receive can be assigned to your D-pad (Dual Shock 3).

In short, my matches have been fun, challenging and diverse. Diversity in Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode comes in the form of different objectives WHILE facing off against waves of enemies. At this point I will say that the targets are random, to the best of my knowledge, for the most part. The objectives that the team of 4 men/women must complete range from hacking terminals (4) and are scattered throughout the base. Holding pull points (usually wave 10). Your team must fend off attack from Geth, Reaper, or Cerburus until extraction arrives. However, the regular waves are your bread and butter and where you rank up your XP. Make sure to stay with your team throughout the match and revive them as needed. Stay close to the ammo boxes that are scattered around each base. Know where they are at the start of every match.

Mass Effect 3 multiplayer is supposed to affect the ending of the single player story campaign. I hope it’s a small impact if anything, but I have no real idea as I’m still playing the campaign. The presentation is good for the multiplayer mode of this game. However, there are some connection issues and stutters, but no disconnections or crashes to report. Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter. Using your biotics and weapons while shooting is fun. I’m still surprised that bioware has added multiplayer to an RPG like Mass Effect 3. That being said, the multiplayer is decent. It’s not the reason you buy Mass Effect 3. It’s a sideshow to the main attraction and that’s it. The main attraction is the single player story campaign. Thank you for reading.