ME1 Legendary Edition: Best Insanity Difficulty Tips

Whether you are a returning fan looking to relive the trilogy or a newcomer to the acclaimed franchise, the Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition is where it all begins. This is the starting point of Commander Shepard and one of the best science-fiction stories ever told.

While you can always choose a lower-difficulty setting to breeze through the storyline, Insanity is where ME1 really shines. With tougher enemies, limited resources, and higher stakes, every decision you make will determine how far your crew can go. That includes deciding between weapon and ammo types, bringing the most compatible companions on missions, or just where to dump your skill points. Beating Mass Effect 1 on Insanity is no small feat, so naturally, you need all the tips you can get.

Insanity is unlocked by default in the Legendary Edition. You do not have to beat
ME1
on Hardcore for the final difficulty level, which was a requirement with the original game.

For achievement/trophy hunters out there, note that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition requires you to beat all three games on Insanity for the ultimate (and highly elusive) Insanity III achievement/trophy. The following guide will arm you with all the essential tips to help you survive Mass Effect 1 on the hardest difficulty level. Use them to beat the game on your first attempt, even if you are a newcomer.

ME1’s the Easiest Installment in the Trilogy

First things first. Do not overwhelm yourself by thinking that an Insanity playthrough requires you to have the perfect build or tremendous skills. Mass Effect 1 is actually the easiest installment in the trilogy to beat on Insanity difficulty. This is primarily because of its design and how the overall difficulty curve was nerfed in the Legendary Edition.

Sure, enemies have more health, and you receive a lot more damage, but it takes only a couple of planets worth of grind before figuring out how to outsmart the enemy AI. Just remember to keep the best weapons and armor for you and your squad.

Choose Your Starting Class Carefully

When starting a new playthrough, choose the customer character selection screen to select your class. This is important for several reasons. Firstly, you cannot change classes in Mass Effect 1. The only way to change your class is to start a whole new playthrough, which is going to take you longer than necessary to beat the game.

The
Long Service Medal
achievement/trophy requires you to beat the entire trilogy with the same character. However, you can change your class when importing your original character. Just wait for the cutscene to end.

Secondly, and most importantly, some classes are more effective than others, which can significantly impact your Insanity run. Biotics are pretty much broken, making Adept one of the best classes in ME1. While Biotics do fall off in ME2, there are still ways to play around that curve.

You can also choose the default and highly popular Soldier class, which can use all weapon types and is the only class that allows you to wear heavy armor. Make sure to have a Biotic squad member to incapacitate enemies.

Choose Companions That Matter

You can bring two companions to every mission. Instead of choosing them based on their appearances or emotional value, choose the ones that best fit your build. This is often to bridge a gap because you will never have access to every skill or ability. Hence, a balanced squad means spreading important skills across all three characters.

For example, Wrex is a talented biotic with abilities like Warp and Throw who can also use heavy armor. Tali, on the other hand, provides ample tech skills. She, as well as Garrus, are excellent squad members to get access to Decryption/Electronics to open every crate in sight.

As a rule of thumb, always have a Biotic member in the squad if you are running a class like Soldier that does not have access to Biotics.

Spend Your Skill Points Wisely

You cannot respec or reset your skill points in Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition. Hence, refrain from spending your skill points randomly or spreading them around on different skills. Focus on your core skills or abilities to scale optimally.

If you are running Soldier, max out your Assault Rifle. If Adept, max out your Pistol instead. Additionally, do not forget about Fitness or other skills that maximize your defense. Check your companions’ primary attributes and help them excel likewise.

Remember to disable Auto Level-Up from Options, or else the game will automatically spend your skill points.

Invest in Charm/Intimidate

Speaking of investing skill points wisely, do not be afraid to max out Charm or Intimidate early on. This opens up bonus dialogue options to earn additional experience points, rewards, etc. Paragon/Renegade also sometimes makes it easier to complete missions without jumping through hoops.

Switch Ammo Types for Every Mission

In addition to equipping weapons that do the most damage, you must have the most appropriate ammo types (and mods). This is one Insanity tip most players new to Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition tend to ignore. The ammo types equipped for each weapon determine your overall damage output. Once you confirm the enemy type, open your equipment screen and switch ammo types for you and your squad accordingly.

Here are the best ones you should always aim for:

• Tungsten: Does bonus damage to Synthetics.
• Shredder: Does bonus damage to Organics.

Issue Battlefield Orders for Strategic Advantage

You generally want to close our fights as quickly as possible. This is where issuing commands to your squad members becomes critical. Position them behind cover before the start of a skirmish. Stacking them to lock down choke points is equally beneficial. Additionally, you do not want to forget about their abilities.

Your companions’ weapons do not heat up.

Check what abilities are ready and use them to turn the tide in your favor. Hack AI bots to turn against each other. Overheat enemy weapons in an area. Throw/Lift enemies to get a clear shot. Incapacitate the strongest enemy before focusing on the squishy ones.

Think of it this way. You are not only controlling Shepard but also two other AI players who have their own abilities to spam.

Always Use Cover

It does not matter what weapons you have, how much damage you are dishing out, or even how strong your shields are. Standing in the open will get you killed when playing Mass Effect on Insanity difficulty. There will always be environmental objects that can be used as cover. Get behind them and match the enemies’ firing patterns before peeking around corners to return fire. Never make the mistake of going Rambo just because you found a new weapon.

Commander Shepard is right-handed, so you will always have a better chance of spotting enemies from the right of the screen.

Since
ME1: Legendary Edition
does not allow you to switch weapon shoulders, take this as an important survival tip to only peek left if you are in cover. Otherwise, enemies will fire at you before you can even spot them.