Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer

Cooperative multiplayer is a game mode that is featured in Mass Effect 3, and marks the debut of multiplayer in the Mass Effect series. In this mode, up to four players can join together online and customize characters to fight on the front lines of the galaxy-wide war against the Reapers, as well as Cerberus and Geth forces. Progress in co-op earns the player rewards in Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War that can be used to influence the outcome of Mass Effect 3's single-player mode.

Playing the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer mode requires an Online Pass.

Missions
Missions in cooperative multiplayer consist of pitting the player and up to three other allies against eleven waves of enemies, including Cerberus, Reaper, or geth troops on various battlefields throughout the galaxy that can also be seen in the single-player. Players must survive these waves by eliminating the enemy forces, and also accomplish secondary objectives such as retrieving data packets from around the map or defending an ally while they perform a hack on a beacon. On the eleventh wave, all players must retreat to the initial landing site of a map and defend against the enemy for a set time period until an evacuation shuttle arrives. Succeeding will win the match.

Missions have three challenge difficulties, in order from easiest to hardest: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Higher difficulties will feature many more and stronger enemies, as well as difficult enemy types in earlier waves, but will also reward more credits to spend in the Store. In regards to enemy difficulty, Bronze is equivalent to playing the single player on Normal difficulty, Silver is equivalent to Hardcore, while Gold is equivalent to Insanity.

Completing a multiplayer mission while having a readiness rating of 100% grants a 5% boost in experience earned, shortening the amount of time it would take to promote a multiplayer character to the Galaxy at War.

Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War
Playing cooperative multiplayer ties into the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system. Participating in matches can quickly increase the player's Galaxy at War Readiness rating, and multiplayer characters who reach the maximum level can be "promoted" into valuable War Assets for the single-player campaign. Co-op and the Galaxy at War system are entirely optional, however, and are not necessary to achieve the optimal endings in single-player, although the process could be considered significantly more difficult.

Class and Race
When creating a multiplayer character, players can choose from six classes and nine races. Certain races are only available to choose with certain classes. For example, human characters are available for all classes, but the asari are restricted to Adepts and Vanguards because of their biotic strengths.

Each race except for krogan, turians, and batarians possesses a unique evasion maneuver: humans, salarians, and quarians can perform a combat roll; salarians, quarians, and geth also jump to the side; asari can quickly slide using biotic energy; drell can perform acrobatic flips. In addition, krogan and batarians cannot easily switch between pieces of cover as the other races can.

Krogan, asari, geth, and batarians possess heavy melee attacks unique to their respective races: a krogan can charge forward a short distance before swinging its weapon, sending the target flying if the attack connects; asari can unleash a biotic pulse to deal massive damage to all enemies within a certain radius; geth release a series of tech pulses to deal damage to surrounding enemies in a limited radius, but at the cost of shields; and batarians create a gauntlet in their right hand before punching the target, dealing heavy damage and splattering the enemy's head if it's a kill.

Health and shields/barriers also vary in durability between race and class. The default values are:
 * Asari have 500 health and 600 barrier strength.
 * Batarians have 750 health and 750 shield strength.
 * Drell have 500 health and 250 barrier strength.
 * Geth have 250 health and 750 shield strength.
 * Humans have 500 health and 500 shield/barrier strength.
 * Krogan have 750 health and 1000 shield/barrier strength.
 * Quarians have 500 health and 600 shield strength.
 * Salarians have 500 health and 600 shield strength.
 * Turians have 500 health and 750 shield strength.

Players can also create unique names for their multiplayer characters and customize armor coloration. Cosmetic customizations have the same rarity as character they apply to. A character class is unlocked with Primary and Highlight Color options, and another customization is unlocked each successive time that class card is found in packs. The armor of the Battlefield 3 soldier cannot be customized.

1 Bonus multiplayer character unlocked by the Battlefield 3 Pack. 2 Additional multiplayer character unlocked by the Resurgence Pack.

Powers
During gameplay, players can increase the level of their characters to unlock new powers. Cooperative multiplayer character leveling is capped at level 20. All classes start with 1 skill point automatically allocated, and receive 83 additional skill points to distribute as desired by level 20.


 * Adept
 * Human: Warp, Singularity, Shockwave, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Asari: Stasis, Warp, Throw, Asari Justicar, Fitness
 * Drell: Reave, Pull, Cluster Grenade, Drell Assassin, Fitness
 * Asari Justicar:2 Biotic Sphere, Reave, Pull, Asari Justicar, Fitness


 * Soldier
 * Human: Adrenaline Rush, Concussive Shot, Frag Grenade, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Krogan: Carnage, Fortification, Inferno Grenade, Krogan Berserker, Rage
 * Turian: Marksman, Concussive Shot, Proximity Mine, Turian Veteran, Fitness
 * Battlefield 3:1 Adrenaline Rush, Carnage, Frag Grenade, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Batarian:2 Ballistic Blades, Blade Armor, Inferno Grenade, Batarian Enforcer, Fitness


 * Engineer
 * Human: Incinerate, Overload, Combat Drone, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Quarian: Incinerate, Cryo Blast, Sentry Turret, Quarian Defender, Fitness
 * Salarian: Incinerate, Energy Drain, Decoy, Salarian Operative, Fitness
 * Geth:2 Geth Turret, Hunter Mode, Overload, Networked AI, Advanced Hardware


 * Sentinel
 * Human: Throw, Warp, Tech Armor, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Turian: Warp, Overload, Tech Armor, Turian Veteran, Fitness
 * Krogan: Incinerate, Lift Grenade, Tech Armor, Krogan Berserker, Rage
 * Batarian:2 Blade Armor, Shockwave, Submission Net, Batarian Enforcer, Fitness


 * Infiltrator
 * Human: Sticky Grenade, Tactical Cloak, Cryo Blast, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Salarian: Energy Drain, Tactical Cloak, Proximity Mine, Salarian Operative, Fitness
 * Quarian: Sticky Grenade, Tactical Cloak, Sabotage, Quarian Defender, Fitness
 * Geth:2 Tactical Cloak, Proximity Mine, Hunter Mode, Networked AI, Advanced Hardware


 * Vanguard
 * Human: Biotic Charge, Shockwave, Nova, Alliance Training, Fitness
 * Drell: Biotic Charge, Pull, Cluster Grenade, Drell Assassin, Fitness
 * Asari: Biotic Charge, Stasis, Lift Grenade, Asari Justicar, Fitness
 * Krogan Battlemaster:2 Biotic Charge, Carnage, Barrier, Krogan Battlemaster, Rage

1 Bonus multiplayer character unlocked by the Battlefield 3 Pack. 2 Additional multiplayer character unlocked by downloading the Resurgence Pack.

Weapons and Mods
During gameplay, players can unlock weapons and weapon modifications for use on the battlefield. Additional weapons and mods can be obtained through the Store. Only two weapons can be equipped at a time.

The following chart lists each weapon that can be unlocked through the Store and their rarity. Level I versions of the five Common weapons are available upon starting the multiplayer mode for the first time. 1 Unlocked by downloading the promotional Collector Rifle Pack. 2 Unlocked by earning a Commendation Pack from a weekly event. 3 Unlocked by downloading the Resurgence Pack and purchasing regular item packs from the Store.

The following chart lists each weapon mod that can be unlocked through the Store and their rarity. * The Ultralight Materials mod currently only works for the Geth Plasma SMG.

Equipment
Equipment in multiplayer consists of single-use items that can be utilized during gameplay. Additional equipment can be obtained through the Store.

Each of the Ammo, Weapon, and Armor Bonuses have three levels of strength, distributed in next order: Recruit pack contains items of level I with a small chance for higher; Veteran pack contains items of level II with a small chance for level III; Spectre pack only contains items of level III.


 * Ammo Bonuses (Common):
 * Armor-Piercing Rounds - Applies Armor-Piercing Ammo for one mission.
 * Cryo Rounds - Applies Cryo Ammo for one mission.
 * Disruptor Rounds - Applies Disruptor Ammo for one mission.
 * Incendiary Rounds - Applies Incendiary Ammo for one mission.
 * Warp Rounds - Applies Warp Ammo for one mission.


 * Weapon Bonuses (Common):
 * Assault Rifle Rail Amp - Applies an Assault Rifle Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * Pistol Rail Amp - Applies a Heavy Pistol Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * SMG Rail Amp - Applies a SMG Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * Sniper Rifle Rail Amp - Applies a Sniper Rifle Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * Shotgun Rail Amp - Applies a Shotgun Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * Strength Enhancer1 - Applies a Melee Damage Bonus for one mission.


 * Armor Bonuses (Common):
 * Adrenaline Module - Applies a Movement Speed Bonus for one mission.
 * Power Amplifier Module - Applies a Power Damage Bonus for one mission.
 * Power Efficiency Module - Applies a Power Recharge Speed Bonus for one mission.
 * Power Stability Module1 - Applies a Power Duration Bonus for one mission.
 * Cyclonic Modulator - Applies a Shield Strength Bonus for one mission.
 * Shield Power Cells1 - Applies a Shield Recharge Speed Bonus for one mission.
 * Stabilization Module1 - Applies a Weapon Stability Bonus for one mission.
 * Targeting VI1 - Applies a Headshot Damage Bonus for one mission.


 * Supplies (Common):
 * Cobra Missile Launcher - A one-shot missile launcher useful for taking out hardened targets.
 * Thermal Clip Pack - Refills your thermal clips and grenade supply during a mission.
 * Ops Survival Pack - Emergency pack fully restores health and shields during a mission.
 * Medi-Gel - Revive yourself when incapacitated in combat.


 * Miscellaneous (Rare):
 * Cobra Missile Launcher Capacity Upgrade +1 (permanent upgrade to all characters, maximum limit of 10)
 * Thermal Clip Pack Capacity Upgrade +1 (permanent upgrade to all characters, maximum limit of 10)
 * Ops Survival Pack Capacity Upgrade +1 (permanent upgrade to all characters, maximum limit of 10)
 * Medi-Gel Capacity Upgrade +1 (permanent upgrade to all characters, maximum limit of 10)
 * Reset Powers (one use, only drops if less than three stockpiled)

1 Available in Store packs after downloading the Resurgence Pack.

Promote
After obtaining level 20 with a class in multiplayer, you can promote them to the single player galaxy at war. Doing this will reset the promoted class characters to level 1. It will however increase war assets in single player by 75 and add 10 levels to your N7 ranking for multiplayer. Used character slots for that class will be reset to default and have to be remade, but any unlocked characters and any additional appearance customization options for the characters are kept.

N7 Ranking
Each multiplayer user has an associated N7 Ranking. The ranking serves as an indicator of players' overall level of experience with the game, and is calculated by adding together the player's level in each class, plus 10 for each character that player has promoted. (When promoting a character, N7 ranking will NOT go down.)

Store
The Store sells multiplayer item packs for a certain number of credits, BioWare points, or Microsoft Points. Contents of these packs include new weapons, multiplayer characters, experience points, weapon mods, and pieces of Equipment, all of which are of varying quality. Credits to purchase packs from the Store are earned through gameplay. Packs listed with prices can be purchased multiple times.

Weekly Packs
Packs listed here will change from week to week.

Reward Packs
During the weekends from 5:00 pm PST on Friday, to 5:00 am PST the following Monday, BioWare hosts a Community Event. The reward for individual players is a Commendation Pack, and if the community as a whole completes the objectives, everyone will be rewarded with a Victory Pack. Initially, the weekend challenge events were only available on the PC and the Xbox 360 as Sony did not allow such events on the Playstation 3. Beginning with Operation Exorcist on April 27, 2012, BioWare announced that weekend challenge events would be made available across all three platforms from then on.

In order to participate in weekend challenges, ensure that the “Upload Gameplay Feedback” is set to “on” in the online options menu.

The table below shows what are the goals for individual players and the community for each operation:

Below are the pack descriptions:

1 The Resurgence challenge dispenses a Victory Pack instead of Commendation Pack upon completion.

Awards
Depending on how well individual players or the entire squad does, at certain milestones, they will earn awards. The awards are leveled by Bronze, Silver, and Gold with each having their own individual levels.

Individual Awards
Individual Awards are awards earned by each member of the team. They are specific to each character and is not shared with other members of the squad. Each weapon class in addition to tech and biotic kills has its own award for killing enemies with it. There are also awards for assisting other squadmate with kills, reviving downed squadmates, and getting headshots with any weapon.

Individual awards cannot be earned again in the same match. You can only get one of each individual award per match. The Bronze level of an award gives +500 exp, the Silver level gives +1000 exp, and the Gold level gives one of two bonuses. You get +1500 exp for weapon kills, and +2000 exp for anything else.

Squad Awards
Awards are earned by the squad for killstreaks, the outcome of the extraction (at least one squad member must be extracted and the outcome depends on the size of the squad), surviving multiple waves consecutively without a single squad member going down, completing an unknown map, the level of the completed map, completing the map with unknown enemies.

Awards for survival and killstreaks are earned regardless of map completion.

Maps
Multiplayer matches are playable on a variety of different maps. The available maps are:

Enemies

 * Cerberus
 * Assault Trooper
 * Centurion
 * Combat Engineer
 * Nemesis
 * Guardian
 * Phantom
 * Atlas
 * Turret (created by Combat Engineer)


 * Geth
 * Geth Trooper
 * Geth Hunter
 * Geth Rocket Trooper
 * Geth Pyro
 * Geth Prime
 * Combat Drone (created by Geth Prime)
 * Geth Turret (created by Geth Prime)


 * Reaper
 * Husk
 * Cannibal
 * Marauder
 * Ravager
 * Brute
 * Banshee
 * Swarmer (created by Ravager)

Resurgence Pack
The Mass Effect 3: Resurgence Pack is a free DLC pack for Mass Effect 3 that added two new multiplayer maps, six new multiplayer characters, three new weapons, and four new consumable items. The pack was released on April 10, 2012 for Xbox 360 and PC, and April 11, 2012 for PlayStation 3.

Bugs

 * 1) Issues have been reported with already unlocked kits, characters, and items are being locked again, typically after switching kits. This bug has since been remedied and now it is impossible to buy kits from the store while "ready".
 * 2) Another bug occasionally happens by using Charge immediately before getting knocked out. It will cause the player to glitch heavily during movement, float several feet above the ground, before getting stuck either right underneath the map or several hundred feet above the ground.
 * 3) It's reported that host migrations can cause bugs with locking too.
 * 4) Sometimes when grabbing enemies, the grab animation will not occur, and the enemy will appear beside you, invincible. Should this occur, it is advisable to avoid that enemy until they die on their own (usually falling through the map).

Trivia

 * The cancelled first-person shooter game, Mass Effect Team Assault, served as the basis for Mass Effect 3's multiplayer.