Need help with the MAKO

For fighting the Geth gang at that tunnel entrance, I find it's best to fire & duck. Get to a point where the landscape will block their shots, move forward slightly, pick a target, fire & back up. When they shoot missiles at you, try jumping them as they approach.

You might be playing with characters that aren't as helpful. Teammates with techie skills can boost your shields a bit if they've got points in Electronics. And if you've got omni-gel, you can back up & repair the mako.

Yeah, there's little point fighting on foot unless the mako is flashing red, in which case, you can try & hope you can take them out, reboard & repair the damage...

Favourite WORMS weapon: Sheep!

Sorry for not replying earlier; I was preoccupied at work.

I appreciate both of your posts. I used your tactics last night, and I'm happy to say that I managed to get past the roadblock.

I may never enjoy the Mako, but, at least for now, I think that I can deal with it.

Again, my thanks.

Q77

I actually beat the game once or twice before realizing the mako has a feature where you iron sights...

In other words, hit it once you see it from on top, again you see through crosshairs and can aim much better. Hit it again then they zoom in, then again to go back to the third person perspective.

I am not sure what system you're playing on but if you haven't discovered this feature look for it and it will save you a lot of grief.

The mako does suck navigationally...but makes for a good tank once you learn how to fire.

Don't forget the secondary explosive fire either.

"Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the Gun" - Army of Darkness - Ash (Bruce Campbell)

You're obviously a few months past this now, but I thought I'd post anyway... my strategy with the Mako in combat situations was usually to park just behind cover, and drive back and forth to take potshots at the enemies ahead until I'd cleaned them out. This way they couldn't do much damage to me, and I could patiently pick them off. Noveria (the ice world you referred to) was where I adopted this tactic, because I was running into the same hair-tearing difficulties as you, but I really had to perfect it for the "Bring Down the Sky" DLC because of all the massively destructive gun turrets you need to deal with on Terra Nova.

When I played through the game a second (consecutive!) time, I found that driving and fighting with the Mako had become pretty second nature. Except, on my second playthrough, I was trying to achieve a level 60 character, and the XP totals required to do this are SO astronomically high that I ended up doing a lot of my combat on foot, rather than in the Mako. (The XP you earn for defeating enemies with the Mako is literally half of what you get for killing them yourself.) For stronger enemies, like large Geth or even Thresher Maws, I would weaken them to their final bar or two of energy using the Mako, then get out and finish them off on foot. This tactic allowed me to hit level 60 just before my final confrontation with Saren at the end of my second playthrough.

If you're still playing ME1 I thought I'd add- in case you didn't know about it- that if you dismount from the mako and kill targets on foot, you earn more XP so you can reach higher levels faster. And if you really want to squeeze every bit of experience you can out of the game, on worlds with environmental hazards (like the cold on Noveria), you can equip certain suits of armour that protect against those conditions and let you go around normally on foot. I think it's the "Explorer" armour.


I'm an island- peopled by bards, scientists, judges, soldiers, artists, scholars, & warrior-poets.

Just to add in, for anyone still starting out in ME-1...

As someone who is generally rubbish at every game I play, I found the Mako plenty easy to drive, at least on PC.
Assuming you used WASD with space and shift:

On open terrain, just hold down W and go for it. It'll be a little bumpy, but small corrections will keep you going true.
When steering, literally just tap A and D. Small corrections are all you need. Pay attention to where the front wheels are, as these are what steer you. If the wheels leave the ground, you will not be able to steer.

If you go over a big bump or something hold the key to turn the wheels, but be ready to let go the instant you touch down again. Most people have problems because they hold the key down too much and oversteer.

When negotiating insane mountainous teritory, be patient and tap the throttle or use short bursts. Also be more careful not to oversteer here as you'll lose traction and fall down the slopes. Try and ascend at an angle rather than straight up.
Also, pay attention to the terrain surface. You have better grip on patches of green (or that planet's particular variant) than you will on bare rock.

As for targetting - If the enemy is close (or large like a Thresher Maw), use the standard sights.
If they appear as just a red dot on your radar, stop, line up and zoom in as far as you need. The Mako has good range on those sights, so use it.
When moving in open territory, you usually have time to move the turret around a bit before you need to turn back and watch where you're going.

Practice moving the turret and steering the vehicle independently, in a quiet area of a planet.

Remember you're often fighting at a distance, so have time to zoom in, fire a few and then move the vehicle. Use the 'shoot & scoot' techniques described above. You will frequently get the chance to fire first and I suggest opening with an explosive (right click) and then firing one of those every few bursts. A short burst of well-aimed fire does far more damage than spray and pray.

Also, if your machine gun is overheated or close to it, remember to stop that for a second or two and cut loose with the explosive instead. If the MG is already overheated and cooling down it won't fire... but you can still fire an explosive or two in the meantime!




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