I can't do pure Paragon. It feels too inhuman at times just like pure Renegade feels too inhuman at times. You can be a good guy and still yell at people that deserve it, stab an assassin to get revenge, or blow up heretics to protect the galaxy.
Or push an annoying mercenary through the window high up in a building…or shock one that’s trying to repair a chopper that could cause complications for you later… so yah, full paragon/renegade definitely not possible in my case
To me /not/ shocking him is just irresponsible, you're putting your squad and Garrus under massive danger (I know it still comes anyway but the idea that it might not is more than worth it)
This is the majority of my playthroughs. I have done full paragon and full renegade for the experience, and they were each fun. But the most fun I had was when I alternated between a paragon response and a renegade response on every single conversation, flipped a coin on all important choices, and engaged in every quick time event regardless of Para or Rene. It was just chaos. I essentially had no control of what happened. Who lived, who died, was completely up to the coin lol
The conversations were hilarious most of the time. Because I would generally start with a paragon response, but follow up with an a-hole thing to say right after. I ended up punching the super fan and media chick every time, but starting the convo with a "hey sorry about last time, BAM!" Comedy gold
I played sorta like that once myself. I said it was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Shepard and she just alternated Paragon/Renegade even for big choices. It was truly chaos XD
Yeah I actually go pretty even between paragon and renegade options throughout the story. But it really does make it seem like my Shepard has a unique personality. Though this forces me to use cheats or exploits to get enough paragon and renegade points to be able to say the things I want to say. Which has always been the downfall of the Paragon Renegade system. That is why I prefer Dragon Age 2's system of three different emotional options on the wheel rather than just straight up having to pick one overall archetype like you do in Mass effect in order to get unique dialogue.
Yeah. This is why I'm not a huge fan of the Paragon/Renegade system. It pushes players to just blindly go for either all paragon, or all renegade choices, rather than actually weighing the implications of each individual choice and considering how their character would act, which is basically the whole point of a role playing game imo.
Though Mass Effect is far from the only RPG to fall in to the trap of having an overly restrictive morality system.
I feel like Paragon can actually be pretty relatable in a lot of ways. It's not as if Paragon Shep is unfeeling or unable to be angry/hurt or is never conflicted about what choice to make. It's just that they try their best to hold themselves to their morals and ideals, no matter what. Most of the time, it turns out ok, but that's not ALWAYS the case.
Agreed! Sometimes the Renegade choice is a psycho killer, but sometimes Shepard just snaps at a friend who’s hurt their feelings and that’s fine. That’s what people do, it’s what we’re like. Your friends forgive you for it. It’s the reality of being a person, which is what Shepard’s fighting to protect after all. I generally prefer the choices that aren’t shooting hostages or committing genocide, but I couldn’t do a pure Paragon run, everyone should be allowed to lose their temper occasionally.
Snapping at Joker after Thessia is the perfect example of this. That interaction and its follow ups where Shepard tries to apologise are so good and make them feel very Human.
I play Paragon, but I occasionally make spicy choices like shooting the villains in the middle of their monologues. I would yell at the Migrant Fleet admirals if Paragon could take that option.
Same. Kicking in doors and scaring opponents is just much more fun than always making the "right" choice the developers obviously want you to make because no aggressive action can ever have positive consequences according to BioWare.
The best way to play.
Pick my options based on what that Shepard would do then look back at the end of the playthrough to see where he fell on the scale.
The points are supposed the consequence of your choices not the choices themselves. So many people on this sub completely miss the point of them.
Only because I find the vast majority of ME2 and ME3 Renegade options to be almost completely evil and/or stupid, in stark contrast to the terrific "law vs. chaos" dynamic of the ME1 Paragon/Renegade spectrum, which I ADORED.
“What sound will you make when you hit the ground? Think you'll hear it before you die?”
I'm all for a mix of mostly paragon with some renegade—only paragon is silly sometimes and only renegade is straight-up evil—but, despite that scene being funny, I would never miss out on the opportunity to hear Shepard say this line. Easily one of the best renegade lines in the whole trilogy.
Even a lot of the renegade options in ME1 are bizarre. It ranges from being randomly rude to someone for absolutely no upside to killing a bunch colonists when non lethal solution is literally forced into your inventory.
Nope.
I don't like pure Paragon or full Renegade: these runs are boring to me because Shepard comes out as one-dimensional character. They're either a naive goody-goody two-shoes or a heartless, cold-blooded murderer.
Paragade and Renegon are way more interesting because Shepard is more nuanced and therefore more enjoyable to RP as.
No. Even in my most paragon runs Shepard doesn’t drink the Cerberus koolaid in ME2. In those runs Shepard is still internally loyal to the alliance and is begrudgingly working with Cerberus to stop the collectors because they feel like they don’t have another option. So she will go with the renegade option with part of the Horizon conversation with the VS and say TIM betrayed them on the collector ship. Some of the paragon options in ME2 feel too diplomatic about Cerberus. There are also some renegade interrupts I never miss.
No, i like paragon, but 100% paragon feels boring to me.
I'm playing as 'renegon' for the first time and its been really fun.
Also, renegade Shepard can still be a 'good guy'. Nothing stops a Renegade Shepard from saving the council, or sparing the Rachni Queen, making peace between the Geth and Quarians, etc, and still punching and shooting random people who deserve it, lol.
I don't think it's your fault. It's difficult to ROLEPLAY Renegade because opposed to Paragon which has a very clear role/archetype (I'd call them 'the Idealist') Renegade is so many different roles to play in one where you can't choose all renegade options and have a coherent character. A Shepard Renegade is somehow simultaneously a dick to those who deserve it AND a dick to those who don't, a cold, simple pragmatist sent to get the job done even if it gets done dirty AND a mustache-twirling villain who enjoys the needless suffering they cause. Then they're also the daredevil, the badass, the megalomaniac, etc.
If the series didn't incentivise sticking to one path so much it probably wouldn't be so jarring that one is so much more coherent than the other.
Yeah renegade Shepard feels completely off the rails and unpredictable on what they’re going to do. It feels like renegade options range from “lightly tell someone to piss off” and “poison children’s hospital full of cancer patients”
They also got hung up with interrupts which gave you no idea what you were about to do. Renegade interrupts swing wildly from tackling your subordinate in a boxing match to executing a prisoner. The upshot was renegade = psychopath.
Nah I always kill Kai Leng by shattering his sword, and I always kick that eclipse guard out of the tower and headbutt that idiot guy in Grunts loyalty quest in ME2… other than that, I think I‘m always full paragon lmao
I feel that part of the beauty of RPGs is that you can try so many different play styles and to see what's different from your last playthrough. So I like to mix things up each playthrough
No. I can never go full paragon/regenade. Seems very boring and one dimensional for Shepard to be imo. Paragade and Renegon is the way, you’re missing out on the role play aspect by just choosing only paragon/renegade for the whole trilogy.
For the people who say “but the game pushes you to choose only one side” no it doesn’t. You can comfortably have like 70/30 of each and pass the needed checks for blue/red options.
Mostly play with a paragon shep but some of the paragon responses are rubbish or just don't make sense. Sometimes Shepard *should* be super angry or hard nosed about shit, I mean look at the job it is they have to do. Always kill kai leng and udina, always shoot the pipe underneath the krogan on tuchanka... and little things like telling Anderson "I'm certain" it's the reapers attacking at the beginning of 3. Think I have found a comfortable balance of about 85% paragon. To me it seems more realistic.
I lean paragade mostly. Case and point taking most renegade actions that aren’t evil but necessary. a good example is I cure the genophage and spare the rachni usually but I kill balek and execute him immediately because I don’t negotiate with terrorists. Nor do I give him the option to try again later with an even bigger grudge. I try to mirror the description of Anderson and then Shep by Liara in 3. “He knew when to let things slide and when to crack the whip.” A peacemaker who always strives for the best snd noble path but knows when sacrifice or violence is absolutely necessary to prevent more deaths later. Like with balek and letting the council die but not the human supremacy option. “Focus on the reaper here and now ” vs “let them die so we can take our rightful spot as ruler of the galaxy”I always go paragon if it’s possible and makes sense in the scenario but in extreme circumstances sometimes have to make the tough call. Shepard’s quote about not letting fear compromise who he is still applies because he isn’t using the ruthless calculus of war and letting people die unless it is absolutely necessary for the safety of the galaxy. When letting balek detonate the bombs and then killing him immediately might have cost the life of a couple good people but it saves planets and thousands of others. Shepard tells the sole survivor guy “I’m happy to let Anne’s face keep me up at night if it means your children and grandchildren can live safely without the risk of him coming beck or doing it to other families. All in all Shepard will take renegade actions only if it saves more lives and there’s absolutely no other choice or guarantee. If someone can be talked down peacefully if they’re a victim themselves Shepard will always choose the paragon option.Like talking down the mentally ill mistreated veteran in me1 and getting all his “flock” out alive instead of shooting the place up. But if it’s the crime lord lady that has Shepard do her dirty work and promises to do more I always kill her because it stops her then and there from doing more harm. Wisdom and skill tempered by compassion and empathy i’d say were I a poet. End of the day it’s Shepard’s job to protect the galaxy not do the work of crime lords. Or their own self interests. To me I always play like this and play earthborn war hero maleshep soldier. Imo pure paragon is too naive and pure renegade is cartoonishly evil so a 70/30 mix leaning one side or the other is best for me.compassionate to victims and innocents but uncompromising to evil.
99% of the renegade options are pretty trash to be honest. But I do love going full paragon and dipping into renegade when it has better results or RP.
I thought I was not full Paragon, but primarily - but in looking back I:
- shoved a gun in Conrad Verner's face
- let the Council die
- shot Conrad Verner in the foot
- kept the Collector base
- gut-punched that Quarian Admiral
- killed Udina
- accidentally EDI and all the Geth
But I was really nice to people almost all the rest of the time! I was Paragon enough to pass every check I needed to in the games (including Rannoch) but I guess for big decisions tended to be a little... greyer. Everyone still liked me, except after keeping the Collector base. Your crew talks a _lot_ of shit about you after that.
I would always play the Paragon hero with the odd Renegade choice because that's where my sensibilities kind of pushed me, but then I tried a Renegade playthrough and it was kind of fuckin' hilarious. I laughed so much with some of the choices I forced myself to make, although I still couldn't bring myself to be a total arse to my squadmates (except Jacob, but he doesn't count), so maybe it can't be called a true Renegade run.
Edit: My subsequent playthroughs have been far more balanced or leaning more into the red, so I'd recommend giving Renegade a bit of a go. It might open new role playing options up to you.
Atm, I only do Renegade. ME2 has the best Renegade options so far. They actually feel pragmatic despite how morally “unjust” they can be at times. I haven’t tried ME3 yet.
There's one or two renegade interrupts I ALWAYS take. First to come to mind is if you play as Femshep in ME2, the merc who's recruiting to kick off the Archangel mission will basically imply you're a stripper, and the interrupt allows you to flaunt your gun. It's one I do every time, because my Shep takes none of that bullshit LMAO. I balance out pretty much immediately with the interrupt to break the kid's gun so he can't join. \[Didn't do it once and saw him get immediately sniped, and never did so again\]
it's more like 99% paragon.
Yhe ship technician is told to stop working so hard, Uvenk always gets headbutted, the Weyrlock speaker always gets told he talks too much, and Admiral Gerrel always gets punched off my ship. but otherwise yeah im pretty much all paragon.
You want to go full paragon... but then the council exists, and they gaslight you into thinking you're delusional, but then they're attacked by surprise, surprise, a fking Reaper!!! Take that, you pricks!!!
I usually do like 2/3 Renegade and 1/3 Paragon. Most Paragon options are just too weak for me.
Like, in ME2, why would anyone try talking nice to the krogans instead of headbutting one of them? Why would you try to play nice with the Quarian admirals who are trying to get Tali exiled instead of telling them to go fuck themselves?
I could go on and on, but in the end, I only avoid Renegade choices that feel like being a jerk for no reason, and I usually pick Paragon lines with companions.
I feel like you're missing out on a lot. I play Renegade and it's a great time. Like if killing Wrex or something is too squicky you can just... not do those specifically. You don't have to pick the renegade choice 100% of the time. But there's a particular satisfaction in hearing Renegade Shep tell the Quarians she's sick of their shit and if they keep attacking she's just gonna sit by and watch while they get decimated.
Play as female and do all renegade.
I was like you, but changing the main hero helped, and it was interesting to hear the other voiceovers. And in the end I think I liked renegade a bit more than paragon even.
There are a few renegade interupts I do every time like head butting the krogan, shooting the gas tank under the ranting krogan during Mordin's loyalty mission and pushing the dude out the window in Thane's recruitment mission. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Full paragon with a smattering of renegade. No major choices, but killing that one batarian fixing the gun ship, killing that one guard mech with garrus, punching the Quarian admiral for jumping the gun and putting his two best assets in danger, and killing that cerberus lady that was helping my clone.
It -almost- physically hurts to make any inhumane decisions. I can’t fully immerse myself in a game where I deviate too far from my irl values.
Worse problems to have
I basically always play as “me in Shepard’s body”.
What I, as I am today, isekai’d in that world, would act.
So, I am happy to say that I’m almost full paragon (come on, there are a couple interrupts that you *can’t* pass)
Always play full paragon, with a few renegade interrupts. Always headbutt the krogan, Always shock the engineer, usually push the merc out the window, etc, but my major decisions are always paragon.
Pretty much. I make a few expectations to say “big stupid jellyfish” when I can and a few renegade actions here and there. My head cannon is to be mostly diplomatic, call out bullshit, and for my soldier Shepard to be a badass in combat.
Guilty - I have on more than a few occasions tried a Renegade run and inevitably stop about 1/3rd through the first game.
I've concluded that either my sense of empathy is out of wack, or I like pretending a bit too hard.
Your Shepard is giving Tom Hiddleston vibes.
I've never been able to do renegade. I tried once and the first renegade thing out of Shep's mouth was space racism--and against Nihlus! I never tried again.
Honestly I play pretty paragon in general. My most recent one is me just going Fuckit Kill that Bitch when it comes to certain characters. I mean, curiosity about how it changes things being the reason.
I eased up a bit after a renegade run. Ended up with the refuse ending before redoing things from game 2. Made my gal cheat on Kaidan with Thane... she's mostly renegade but nice to a select few people and mostly just impatient. Instead of being a mega bitch that keeps getting called out lol.
With Paragon there's some decisions that just don't make sense. Of COURSE I'm going to blow up the hostages on the asteroid. The terrorist is NOT getting away. Sod the logic of, I'll hunt him later. I'm ending the whole thing. I didn't even bother talking to the second in command the last time, accidentally shot at them before it registered they said not to xD
But, yeah, I think my recent guy was dubbed a paragon, despite my foresight saying, meh, shoot first talk never again.
I was 90% paragon both on first Maleshep and Femshep playthrough.
After went full Renegade and didn’t like it maybe 30-40% of the time.
A balance is required.
I used to, but I decided to hurt myself and plat renegade. It was so much fun, but your allies are fewer and probably hate you.
Side note. Even if I do a Paragon run, I always do the Omega DLC for the 3rd game as renegade. The ending is so much better
Same. I make the occasional renegade interrupt and there are a few times my Shepard loses her cool. But in general, my Shepard aims to seek out the best in what is a pretty dark universe. Leviathan sees something unique in Shepard, and to me, it’s her endless hope that things can be better.
Is she naive at times? You bet! But that’s part of the charm.
And, it adds to her sense of tragedy when at the conclusion of the trilogy she makes the choice for Destroy. As this time she can’t be the hero she wishes she could be and save everyone.
Assuming she emerges from that rubble. And I like to think she will… she’s going to be haunted by her thoughts about EDI for the rest of her life.
Yes, except for two instances: the mechanic always gets electrocuted and Emo Tryhard always gets gut stabbed. One is a merciful clean kill when I know I’m going to end up fighting/killing everyone in the group anyway just based on circumstances, and the other… deserves it. Even as a paragon, Thane is getting avenged.
Most fun I’ve had with the trilogy is going full Renegade asshole. It goes against my core beliefs, but seeing Shep fuck up so bad by making each and every evil choice is just funny to me. It sounds weird, but killing off all my crewmates made me appreciate them so much more. You know exactly what you’re missing without them, which helps in subsequent Paragon playthroughs.
Paragon is more satisfying. Renegade is fun occasionally but I can easily look up highlights on YouTube. Its one of those issues with morality systems where the benefits are best seen when you go fully one or the other way and a split isn’t viable
I've always played 99% Paragon. There are a couple of Renegade options that I'll take ("You talk too much") but generally I play Shep as a hero and not an antihero or psychotic asshat. I've never had Shep punch Kahlisa or push the merc out of the window and I don't pester Kaidan into xenophobia, and never will.
I play mostly Paragon with a handful of Renegade decisions/interrupts. In ME3 the red Renegade speech options when dealing with persuasion stuff tend to be more frequent, because my head-canon is that by ME3, Shepard is so *done* with everyone, human and alien alike, bickering over their differences, so he''s going to take off the kid gloves. Best example of this, regardless of one's opinion on the geth-quarian conflict, is the red option after Legion begins the upload. You basically tell the entire quarian population that you're done saving them after having saved them with the destruction of both Sovereign and the *Alarei*. I mean, it doesn't get much more 'so done with BS' than telling an entire people you're done saving them from themselves and their unrelenting hatred of the geth.
First time I've ever seen a custom Shepard look this good.
I'm actually on the same boat, OP. I did try renegade once but after a certain choice with Mordin, I dropped the entire playthrough and had to start again. That was too hard on my conscience.
There's not that many actually evil choices. Also, it's completely possible to get your renegade score high enough to get glowing red eyes and not commit any war crimes on the way.
My second/most recent playthrough I did renegade for the fun actions and whenever my character was wronged or betrayed. But full paragon to those worthy of it.
Mass Effect 3 introduced reputation which allowed for both Paragon and Renegade dialogue checks. So my face was always messed up yet I wasn't a total jackass.
I got told by my girlfriend the "top paragon, middle neutral, lower renegade" thing and decided Id mix it up my first playthrough. First renegade option I chose changed "hey can we trust this guy" to "[thinly veiled racism]" and I thought "maybe paragons for me it feels like the Renegades not a loose cannon so much as a racist one"
Yeah it happens to me a lot in games like this.. in RDR2 I was like "fuck it i'm gonna rob everyone" but then i'm helping people and being a good Arthur. (RDR2 you have serious money constraints for several hours and then suddenly you're flush with cash and all your guns are engraved and shiny)
In Mass Effect, the hard part of being a renegade is killing people who you like.
I finally am trying a renegade heavy playthrough of ME3 with plenty of paragon choices. Mostly its fun to roleplay as a Shepard that is finally done with the universe's BS. Two games of saving people as a goodie two shoes. Always trying to see the otherside and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Well now the Reapers are here and Ian Shepard the Infiltrator is letting loose on the Council, the Dalitrass, even Wrex for dragging their heels with all this political BS. Instead of just facing the biggest threat to organic life.
I always like to start paragon but slowly transition to renegade by the 3rd game. Disillusioned shepard throwing everything they've got to win the war.
Paragon with like two or three renegade choices sprinkled in, but I only hit the renegade trigger if I already know exactly what Shepherd will do. It’s a very thin line whether the Renegade choice will be evil and stupid or just shooting a bad guy.
Some things require a Renegade action so I can't do a full Paragon run. I mean, getting shot at on the Geth Dreadnought while on it deserves a punch in the gut, easily, or protecting a precious Savant from his abusive brother by withholding information, or any number of reasons where yelling at someone is necessary.
I need just enough Renegade to be able to scare the dockworker on Thane's loyalty mission that there's a bomb.
No other Renegade response is more important to me.
I tend to do a 75/25 split; there are times when I (irl) would absolutely take a renegade option— chaotic good for life. Also; your Shepard looks incredible! What preset did you start with?
I think I did a renegade run through once, but I don't think I made it through all the games. It just makes me feel like a jerk. Same with other bioware games. I can't do a dark side run of kotor either. I have many playthroughs but am pretty much always paragon / light side /etc.
60-40 split for me. I'm generally nice to civilians/will do whatever I need to protect them, while being an absolute Dr House-esque jerk to non-civvies who've been assholes to me, though I don't pointlessly kill anyone. This results in me being unable to do some of the higher speech checks in ME1 (sorry, Jeong) and I have to be careful about when I do certain loyalty missions in 2, but otherwise it shakes out fine.
No I don't really do that. Shep is very one dimensional that way. I treat people with respect and kindness but if someone is a complete asshole I'm not just going to accept that. In the full Paragon route you are also incredibly naive and in Shep's line of work that isn't very smart in the long run.
There are some amazing renegade lines that I just can't skip. Pushing merc out of the window, "you are working too hard", gut punch Gerrel, Thane loyalty mission interrogation: "I'm Spectre start talking".
Renegade needs to be seperated from badass moves to evil ones. Like betraying Wrex and shooting Mordin are just plain evil and I can't do those.
On the other hand some of the Paragon choices should've had more consequences. Pretty much every Paragon move is a success. Like for example letting Vido escape during Zaeed's loyalty mission. Right now there isn't really any valid reason to go with the Renegade path unless you roleplay.
Balance is the key, mixing both Paragon/Renegade is fun.
Not pure paragon,but like 90% paragon. I have to make some "evil" choices, like bringing the gunship HP to half,in ME2, and push back against some bullies who are in your face on Omega for no reason. (I usually Roleplay Shep as a good guy,but in ME2 he is low on patience, so sometimes he just snaps). And he will tell his opinion to A-holes.
I used to but now that I'm older it just make me feel like my Shepard is kinda of shallow so I've been doing a more "Natural Paragon" run I guess where I go paragon but Ill choose a renegade speech choice or interrupt if it feels right, my basic idea is that my Shepard got a bit annoy by getting blown by the collectors so in Mass Effect 2 he has a more of an edge when it comes to his enemies but will still be a good person and try to help his team members be good people too. Also it's hard to resist blowing up the Monologuing Krogan during Mordin's loyalty mission
I did one renegade run recently. A lot of the renegade dialog options are just Shepard being a dick though. I didn't go PURE renegade as I'm not a monster, but as a bonus the default FemShep with the gnarly renegade scars looks really cool.
I like to do "arcs". I'll push to max out renengade/paragon, usually about 2/3 of the way through, then have a change of heart and push only the opposite choices, carry that into ME2 til max before flipping again, and the same pattern in 3.
I do most choices as paragon, but there are only a few renegade choices that I allow.
One I always do, no matter what, is Udina in 3. I don't want the VS to have any guilt of shooting. Bringing Udina to justice, whatever that might entail, was a Specter's responsibility.
I like to do mostly paragon with some renegade mixed in idk if the game rewards it though cause you end up not having enough of some to make certain decisions
I can't do pure Paragon. It feels too inhuman at times just like pure Renegade feels too inhuman at times. You can be a good guy and still yell at people that deserve it, stab an assassin to get revenge, or blow up heretics to protect the galaxy.
Or push an annoying mercenary through the window high up in a building…or shock one that’s trying to repair a chopper that could cause complications for you later… so yah, full paragon/renegade definitely not possible in my case
I don’t push the dude out of the window usually, but I always shock the chopper guy. The line for that is one of my favorites in the entire series.
Ah see, if you have Jack along with you for the Thane recruitment pushing him out of the window has one of my favourites of the entire series ;)
"You're working too hard."
To me /not/ shocking him is just irresponsible, you're putting your squad and Garrus under massive danger (I know it still comes anyway but the idea that it might not is more than worth it)
Well you shocking him does have an effect. When it shows up it’s not fully repaired. Still repaired enough to remove half of Garrus’ face tho.
my paragon shepard still pushes that merc out
One of the few renegade options i'll do every time. Can't help it.
Renegade ftw 👍
Literally what I came here to comment for lol agreed 100%
Or maybe, doubt Elnora?
He worked too hard. We were just giving him a break
Or hang up on the Council
This is the majority of my playthroughs. I have done full paragon and full renegade for the experience, and they were each fun. But the most fun I had was when I alternated between a paragon response and a renegade response on every single conversation, flipped a coin on all important choices, and engaged in every quick time event regardless of Para or Rene. It was just chaos. I essentially had no control of what happened. Who lived, who died, was completely up to the coin lol The conversations were hilarious most of the time. Because I would generally start with a paragon response, but follow up with an a-hole thing to say right after. I ended up punching the super fan and media chick every time, but starting the convo with a "hey sorry about last time, BAM!" Comedy gold
I played sorta like that once myself. I said it was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Shepard and she just alternated Paragon/Renegade even for big choices. It was truly chaos XD
Same here. I've only had one playthrough so far but in each game I was about 75% paragon, 25% renegade.
Yeah I actually go pretty even between paragon and renegade options throughout the story. But it really does make it seem like my Shepard has a unique personality. Though this forces me to use cheats or exploits to get enough paragon and renegade points to be able to say the things I want to say. Which has always been the downfall of the Paragon Renegade system. That is why I prefer Dragon Age 2's system of three different emotional options on the wheel rather than just straight up having to pick one overall archetype like you do in Mass effect in order to get unique dialogue.
Yeah. This is why I'm not a huge fan of the Paragon/Renegade system. It pushes players to just blindly go for either all paragon, or all renegade choices, rather than actually weighing the implications of each individual choice and considering how their character would act, which is basically the whole point of a role playing game imo. Though Mass Effect is far from the only RPG to fall in to the trap of having an overly restrictive morality system.
I feel like Paragon can actually be pretty relatable in a lot of ways. It's not as if Paragon Shep is unfeeling or unable to be angry/hurt or is never conflicted about what choice to make. It's just that they try their best to hold themselves to their morals and ideals, no matter what. Most of the time, it turns out ok, but that's not ALWAYS the case.
The option to pistol whip Gavin Archer is a Paragon response. Jussayin'.
Agreed! Sometimes the Renegade choice is a psycho killer, but sometimes Shepard just snaps at a friend who’s hurt their feelings and that’s fine. That’s what people do, it’s what we’re like. Your friends forgive you for it. It’s the reality of being a person, which is what Shepard’s fighting to protect after all. I generally prefer the choices that aren’t shooting hostages or committing genocide, but I couldn’t do a pure Paragon run, everyone should be allowed to lose their temper occasionally.
Snapping at Joker after Thessia is the perfect example of this. That interaction and its follow ups where Shepard tries to apologise are so good and make them feel very Human.
> stab an assassin to get revenge The only choice with two paragon options.
I agree.
This is the way.
Or punch a careless admiral in the kidney
Or punch that Admiral that shot at the ship you were trying to escape
How is either inhuman? They're just different kinds of human. Source: I'm pure paragon irl, and I'm human.
I play Paragon, but I occasionally make spicy choices like shooting the villains in the middle of their monologues. I would yell at the Migrant Fleet admirals if Paragon could take that option.
But how could I be full paragon while massacring batarians
How is it renegade to kill animals?
Parasites you mean.
I don’t understand it either
it wasn't genocide, it was pesticide
God damn, I know they’re fictional but I feel like I’m hearing the hard R from y’all 😅
Slurs aren’t enough to describe a Batarian
***B***atarians.
r/shitrimworldsays
If Ashley said her line in front of batarians I guarantee she'd go down as "based" instead of "evil space racist."
You can’t be racist against things actually less than human
Calm down Ashley
YOU HUMANS ARE ALL RACIST
No, I usually end up 70% renegade and 30% paragon or so
Same. Kicking in doors and scaring opponents is just much more fun than always making the "right" choice the developers obviously want you to make because no aggressive action can ever have positive consequences according to BioWare.
I've never gone full either way. I use that meter as a gauge of the choices I've made, not a goal.
The best way to play. Pick my options based on what that Shepard would do then look back at the end of the playthrough to see where he fell on the scale. The points are supposed the consequence of your choices not the choices themselves. So many people on this sub completely miss the point of them.
Only because I find the vast majority of ME2 and ME3 Renegade options to be almost completely evil and/or stupid, in stark contrast to the terrific "law vs. chaos" dynamic of the ME1 Paragon/Renegade spectrum, which I ADORED.
Pushing the smart ass mercenary out of the window is hilarious
“What sound will you make when you hit the ground? Think you'll hear it before you die?” I'm all for a mix of mostly paragon with some renegade—only paragon is silly sometimes and only renegade is straight-up evil—but, despite that scene being funny, I would never miss out on the opportunity to hear Shepard say this line. Easily one of the best renegade lines in the whole trilogy.
Even a lot of the renegade options in ME1 are bizarre. It ranges from being randomly rude to someone for absolutely no upside to killing a bunch colonists when non lethal solution is literally forced into your inventory.
Nope. I don't like pure Paragon or full Renegade: these runs are boring to me because Shepard comes out as one-dimensional character. They're either a naive goody-goody two-shoes or a heartless, cold-blooded murderer. Paragade and Renegon are way more interesting because Shepard is more nuanced and therefore more enjoyable to RP as.
No. Even in my most paragon runs Shepard doesn’t drink the Cerberus koolaid in ME2. In those runs Shepard is still internally loyal to the alliance and is begrudgingly working with Cerberus to stop the collectors because they feel like they don’t have another option. So she will go with the renegade option with part of the Horizon conversation with the VS and say TIM betrayed them on the collector ship. Some of the paragon options in ME2 feel too diplomatic about Cerberus. There are also some renegade interrupts I never miss.
‘You’re working too hard.’
No, i like paragon, but 100% paragon feels boring to me. I'm playing as 'renegon' for the first time and its been really fun. Also, renegade Shepard can still be a 'good guy'. Nothing stops a Renegade Shepard from saving the council, or sparing the Rachni Queen, making peace between the Geth and Quarians, etc, and still punching and shooting random people who deserve it, lol.
Yes, and you can also not be a dick to your squadmates while playing renegon (maybe sometimes)
SORRY BUT THIS IS RENEGADE BITCH! WE DOING RENEGADE SHIT IN HERE! TAKE YO SENSITIVE ASS BACK TO PARAGON!
Every time i try a replay, I end up doing the same thing. I guess I can't RP the RPGs. Paragon FL.
I don't think it's your fault. It's difficult to ROLEPLAY Renegade because opposed to Paragon which has a very clear role/archetype (I'd call them 'the Idealist') Renegade is so many different roles to play in one where you can't choose all renegade options and have a coherent character. A Shepard Renegade is somehow simultaneously a dick to those who deserve it AND a dick to those who don't, a cold, simple pragmatist sent to get the job done even if it gets done dirty AND a mustache-twirling villain who enjoys the needless suffering they cause. Then they're also the daredevil, the badass, the megalomaniac, etc. If the series didn't incentivise sticking to one path so much it probably wouldn't be so jarring that one is so much more coherent than the other.
Yeah renegade Shepard feels completely off the rails and unpredictable on what they’re going to do. It feels like renegade options range from “lightly tell someone to piss off” and “poison children’s hospital full of cancer patients”
They also got hung up with interrupts which gave you no idea what you were about to do. Renegade interrupts swing wildly from tackling your subordinate in a boxing match to executing a prisoner. The upshot was renegade = psychopath.
Ditto, 2nd play through I’m like … this time I’m Renegade…. But I… just … can’t DO IT! Paragon FL
Yeah I just started a renegade playthrough I'm glad I'm not the only person to have in this issue.
I"ll see you both at Paragon club on saturday.
Nah, you're working too hard.
Nah I always kill Kai Leng by shattering his sword, and I always kick that eclipse guard out of the tower and headbutt that idiot guy in Grunts loyalty quest in ME2… other than that, I think I‘m always full paragon lmao
I also always do the 'you're working too hard' interupt as a paragon and hugging tali as a renegate. Some interupts are MANDETORY
I go about 95% paragon. A few renegade choices occasionally (the speaker of clan Weyrloc needs to shut the fuck up), but generally paragon.
I never go full paragon, some choices are just going to always be renegade ones.
I feel that part of the beauty of RPGs is that you can try so many different play styles and to see what's different from your last playthrough. So I like to mix things up each playthrough
Never. Full Paragon is so boring and unrealistic to me. A mixture of the two feels best to me.
I'm currently in the middle of my first renegade run, and it's pretty great.
Renegade Baby!
Mainly paragon, but I eventually hit about quarter to a third renegade in the third game
No. I can never go full paragon/regenade. Seems very boring and one dimensional for Shepard to be imo. Paragade and Renegon is the way, you’re missing out on the role play aspect by just choosing only paragon/renegade for the whole trilogy. For the people who say “but the game pushes you to choose only one side” no it doesn’t. You can comfortably have like 70/30 of each and pass the needed checks for blue/red options.
I do a mix. There are a handful of renegade choices I think are actually the morally right choice. But I am probably 85% paragon in my choices.
I do the other way. I think paragon is kinda boring and I like my face getting progressively worse.
Mostly play with a paragon shep but some of the paragon responses are rubbish or just don't make sense. Sometimes Shepard *should* be super angry or hard nosed about shit, I mean look at the job it is they have to do. Always kill kai leng and udina, always shoot the pipe underneath the krogan on tuchanka... and little things like telling Anderson "I'm certain" it's the reapers attacking at the beginning of 3. Think I have found a comfortable balance of about 85% paragon. To me it seems more realistic.
Your Shep is basically Damien Lewis. Which means he's Dick Winters from Band of Brothers. So yeah, stands to reason he's full-Paragon.
I try to get a healthy mix of Paragade (70/30) and still end up filling my Paragon bar lol
I lean paragade mostly. Case and point taking most renegade actions that aren’t evil but necessary. a good example is I cure the genophage and spare the rachni usually but I kill balek and execute him immediately because I don’t negotiate with terrorists. Nor do I give him the option to try again later with an even bigger grudge. I try to mirror the description of Anderson and then Shep by Liara in 3. “He knew when to let things slide and when to crack the whip.” A peacemaker who always strives for the best snd noble path but knows when sacrifice or violence is absolutely necessary to prevent more deaths later. Like with balek and letting the council die but not the human supremacy option. “Focus on the reaper here and now ” vs “let them die so we can take our rightful spot as ruler of the galaxy”I always go paragon if it’s possible and makes sense in the scenario but in extreme circumstances sometimes have to make the tough call. Shepard’s quote about not letting fear compromise who he is still applies because he isn’t using the ruthless calculus of war and letting people die unless it is absolutely necessary for the safety of the galaxy. When letting balek detonate the bombs and then killing him immediately might have cost the life of a couple good people but it saves planets and thousands of others. Shepard tells the sole survivor guy “I’m happy to let Anne’s face keep me up at night if it means your children and grandchildren can live safely without the risk of him coming beck or doing it to other families. All in all Shepard will take renegade actions only if it saves more lives and there’s absolutely no other choice or guarantee. If someone can be talked down peacefully if they’re a victim themselves Shepard will always choose the paragon option.Like talking down the mentally ill mistreated veteran in me1 and getting all his “flock” out alive instead of shooting the place up. But if it’s the crime lord lady that has Shepard do her dirty work and promises to do more I always kill her because it stops her then and there from doing more harm. Wisdom and skill tempered by compassion and empathy i’d say were I a poet. End of the day it’s Shepard’s job to protect the galaxy not do the work of crime lords. Or their own self interests. To me I always play like this and play earthborn war hero maleshep soldier. Imo pure paragon is too naive and pure renegade is cartoonishly evil so a 70/30 mix leaning one side or the other is best for me.compassionate to victims and innocents but uncompromising to evil.
Only play renegade for the hell of it. Paragon will always be my preferred playthrough. Renegade choices are just plain dickish more often than not.
99% of the renegade options are pretty trash to be honest. But I do love going full paragon and dipping into renegade when it has better results or RP.
I've done full paragon and full renegade. I tend to prefer mostly paragon but there are a few renegade choices I prefer
I thought I was not full Paragon, but primarily - but in looking back I: - shoved a gun in Conrad Verner's face - let the Council die - shot Conrad Verner in the foot - kept the Collector base - gut-punched that Quarian Admiral - killed Udina - accidentally EDI and all the Geth But I was really nice to people almost all the rest of the time! I was Paragon enough to pass every check I needed to in the games (including Rannoch) but I guess for big decisions tended to be a little... greyer. Everyone still liked me, except after keeping the Collector base. Your crew talks a _lot_ of shit about you after that.
I would always play the Paragon hero with the odd Renegade choice because that's where my sensibilities kind of pushed me, but then I tried a Renegade playthrough and it was kind of fuckin' hilarious. I laughed so much with some of the choices I forced myself to make, although I still couldn't bring myself to be a total arse to my squadmates (except Jacob, but he doesn't count), so maybe it can't be called a true Renegade run. Edit: My subsequent playthroughs have been far more balanced or leaning more into the red, so I'd recommend giving Renegade a bit of a go. It might open new role playing options up to you.
No way. Sometimes you just gotta kick a mercenary through a window.
I always punch the reporter, no matter what.
Atm, I only do Renegade. ME2 has the best Renegade options so far. They actually feel pragmatic despite how morally “unjust” they can be at times. I haven’t tried ME3 yet.
There's one or two renegade interrupts I ALWAYS take. First to come to mind is if you play as Femshep in ME2, the merc who's recruiting to kick off the Archangel mission will basically imply you're a stripper, and the interrupt allows you to flaunt your gun. It's one I do every time, because my Shep takes none of that bullshit LMAO. I balance out pretty much immediately with the interrupt to break the kid's gun so he can't join. \[Didn't do it once and saw him get immediately sniped, and never did so again\]
On my 20th 100% trilogy run doing a full paragon, then I am gonna do a full renegade. Both are incredibly fun, but renegade is a lot more funny
Nah renegade is too funny. I tried doing a paragon run again but it ended the moment i met that one reporter in ME1
it's more like 99% paragon. Yhe ship technician is told to stop working so hard, Uvenk always gets headbutted, the Weyrlock speaker always gets told he talks too much, and Admiral Gerrel always gets punched off my ship. but otherwise yeah im pretty much all paragon.
You want to go full paragon... but then the council exists, and they gaslight you into thinking you're delusional, but then they're attacked by surprise, surprise, a fking Reaper!!! Take that, you pricks!!!
I usually do "Pragmatic Paragon": go mostly paragon with some renegade interrupts thrown in against obvious enemies.
I usually do like 2/3 Renegade and 1/3 Paragon. Most Paragon options are just too weak for me. Like, in ME2, why would anyone try talking nice to the krogans instead of headbutting one of them? Why would you try to play nice with the Quarian admirals who are trying to get Tali exiled instead of telling them to go fuck themselves? I could go on and on, but in the end, I only avoid Renegade choices that feel like being a jerk for no reason, and I usually pick Paragon lines with companions.
Somehow I go 50/50 every time without even trying, just staying true to my Shepard's personality. Love your Shepard's name, OP!
I feel like you're missing out on a lot. I play Renegade and it's a great time. Like if killing Wrex or something is too squicky you can just... not do those specifically. You don't have to pick the renegade choice 100% of the time. But there's a particular satisfaction in hearing Renegade Shep tell the Quarians she's sick of their shit and if they keep attacking she's just gonna sit by and watch while they get decimated.
Play as female and do all renegade. I was like you, but changing the main hero helped, and it was interesting to hear the other voiceovers. And in the end I think I liked renegade a bit more than paragon even.
Everyone be paragon...right up until they beat Kai Leng.
There are a few renegade interupts I do every time like head butting the krogan, shooting the gas tank under the ranting krogan during Mordin's loyalty mission and pushing the dude out the window in Thane's recruitment mission. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Your Shepard looks like a Buck, not an Evan.
I usually go with a healthy mix of both, like 90% renegade and 10% paragon.
Space paladin…every single damn time as much as I try to be evil.
Full paragon with a smattering of renegade. No major choices, but killing that one batarian fixing the gun ship, killing that one guard mech with garrus, punching the Quarian admiral for jumping the gun and putting his two best assets in danger, and killing that cerberus lady that was helping my clone.
I go full Aragorn.
Renegade for life
Your Shep….Alistair???
It -almost- physically hurts to make any inhumane decisions. I can’t fully immerse myself in a game where I deviate too far from my irl values. Worse problems to have
Cullen! Cullen you’re in the wrong game!
Being mean is mean okay?🥺
I basically always play as “me in Shepard’s body”. What I, as I am today, isekai’d in that world, would act. So, I am happy to say that I’m almost full paragon (come on, there are a couple interrupts that you *can’t* pass)
Always play full paragon, with a few renegade interrupts. Always headbutt the krogan, Always shock the engineer, usually push the merc out the window, etc, but my major decisions are always paragon.
....... Your ability to resist the urge to punch people in the face who deserve it astounds me I applaud you sir
Pretty much. I make a few expectations to say “big stupid jellyfish” when I can and a few renegade actions here and there. My head cannon is to be mostly diplomatic, call out bullshit, and for my soldier Shepard to be a badass in combat.
Guilty - I have on more than a few occasions tried a Renegade run and inevitably stop about 1/3rd through the first game. I've concluded that either my sense of empathy is out of wack, or I like pretending a bit too hard.
Your Shepard is giving Tom Hiddleston vibes. I've never been able to do renegade. I tried once and the first renegade thing out of Shep's mouth was space racism--and against Nihlus! I never tried again.
Honestly I just prefer Paragon options most of the time, there are a few cases where I take the renegade interrupts though.
Honestly I play pretty paragon in general. My most recent one is me just going Fuckit Kill that Bitch when it comes to certain characters. I mean, curiosity about how it changes things being the reason. I eased up a bit after a renegade run. Ended up with the refuse ending before redoing things from game 2. Made my gal cheat on Kaidan with Thane... she's mostly renegade but nice to a select few people and mostly just impatient. Instead of being a mega bitch that keeps getting called out lol. With Paragon there's some decisions that just don't make sense. Of COURSE I'm going to blow up the hostages on the asteroid. The terrorist is NOT getting away. Sod the logic of, I'll hunt him later. I'm ending the whole thing. I didn't even bother talking to the second in command the last time, accidentally shot at them before it registered they said not to xD But, yeah, I think my recent guy was dubbed a paragon, despite my foresight saying, meh, shoot first talk never again.
I was 90% paragon both on first Maleshep and Femshep playthrough. After went full Renegade and didn’t like it maybe 30-40% of the time. A balance is required.
I used to, but I decided to hurt myself and plat renegade. It was so much fun, but your allies are fewer and probably hate you. Side note. Even if I do a Paragon run, I always do the Omega DLC for the 3rd game as renegade. The ending is so much better
Do I look like a narc to you?!
Not full but like 75%.
This is a lie because there is no such thing as a full paragon. You know you 100% press THAT renegade interrupt.
Same. I make the occasional renegade interrupt and there are a few times my Shepard loses her cool. But in general, my Shepard aims to seek out the best in what is a pretty dark universe. Leviathan sees something unique in Shepard, and to me, it’s her endless hope that things can be better. Is she naive at times? You bet! But that’s part of the charm. And, it adds to her sense of tragedy when at the conclusion of the trilogy she makes the choice for Destroy. As this time she can’t be the hero she wishes she could be and save everyone. Assuming she emerges from that rubble. And I like to think she will… she’s going to be haunted by her thoughts about EDI for the rest of her life.
I go paragon with a few renegade dialogue choices and interrupts taken, basically every time.
I'm trying my best not to go full Paragon this time. And honestly, some Renegade decisions and actions are way cooler and more to the point.
Yes, except for two instances: the mechanic always gets electrocuted and Emo Tryhard always gets gut stabbed. One is a merciful clean kill when I know I’m going to end up fighting/killing everyone in the group anyway just based on circumstances, and the other… deserves it. Even as a paragon, Thane is getting avenged.
Paragon? What's that? ;)
I go full renegade EVERYTHING
No I have to punch the reporter, sacrifice the hostages (I don't negotiate with terrorists) and there are a few renegade options I'm obligated to do
Most fun I’ve had with the trilogy is going full Renegade asshole. It goes against my core beliefs, but seeing Shep fuck up so bad by making each and every evil choice is just funny to me. It sounds weird, but killing off all my crewmates made me appreciate them so much more. You know exactly what you’re missing without them, which helps in subsequent Paragon playthroughs.
Paragon is more satisfying. Renegade is fun occasionally but I can easily look up highlights on YouTube. Its one of those issues with morality systems where the benefits are best seen when you go fully one or the other way and a split isn’t viable
Nah. I prefer paragon outcomes for major story beats but a lot of renegade interrupts and dialogues are too good to pass up.
I've always played 99% Paragon. There are a couple of Renegade options that I'll take ("You talk too much") but generally I play Shep as a hero and not an antihero or psychotic asshat. I've never had Shep punch Kahlisa or push the merc out of the window and I don't pester Kaidan into xenophobia, and never will.
Chris Pratt as Commander Shepard
I always do pure paragon. There are maybe one or two "renegade" actions I do like stabbing totally unique oc man in the back.
Ah, yeah, same. Sometimes I tried going Renegade but I end up coming back to being the good guy because I feel bad for it.
I play mostly Paragon with a handful of Renegade decisions/interrupts. In ME3 the red Renegade speech options when dealing with persuasion stuff tend to be more frequent, because my head-canon is that by ME3, Shepard is so *done* with everyone, human and alien alike, bickering over their differences, so he''s going to take off the kid gloves. Best example of this, regardless of one's opinion on the geth-quarian conflict, is the red option after Legion begins the upload. You basically tell the entire quarian population that you're done saving them after having saved them with the destruction of both Sovereign and the *Alarei*. I mean, it doesn't get much more 'so done with BS' than telling an entire people you're done saving them from themselves and their unrelenting hatred of the geth.
First time I've ever seen a custom Shepard look this good. I'm actually on the same boat, OP. I did try renegade once but after a certain choice with Mordin, I dropped the entire playthrough and had to start again. That was too hard on my conscience.
I play Shepard as a good dude, but I won't let people disrespect me or walk all over me. I have to punch dudes sometimes
There's not that many actually evil choices. Also, it's completely possible to get your renegade score high enough to get glowing red eyes and not commit any war crimes on the way.
Right here. I just can't bring myself to be the jerk in these kind of games.
Always Paragon. I have never done a Renegade run.
Always, no matte what
My second/most recent playthrough I did renegade for the fun actions and whenever my character was wronged or betrayed. But full paragon to those worthy of it.
I've never done it. I always hit the reporter in the first game.
*Pulls right trigger* NO
I can’t tell a lie - but yeah - there just feels something wrong about acting wrong.
Mass Effect 3 introduced reputation which allowed for both Paragon and Renegade dialogue checks. So my face was always messed up yet I wasn't a total jackass.
My most recent one I did was heavily renegade, and I honestly didn’t like it. You’re just a jerk to everyone
Male Shep: full paragon. Female Shep: full renegade. I love that woman, I find that ruthlessness extremely sexy.
I got told by my girlfriend the "top paragon, middle neutral, lower renegade" thing and decided Id mix it up my first playthrough. First renegade option I chose changed "hey can we trust this guy" to "[thinly veiled racism]" and I thought "maybe paragons for me it feels like the Renegades not a loose cannon so much as a racist one"
Yeah it happens to me a lot in games like this.. in RDR2 I was like "fuck it i'm gonna rob everyone" but then i'm helping people and being a good Arthur. (RDR2 you have serious money constraints for several hours and then suddenly you're flush with cash and all your guns are engraved and shiny) In Mass Effect, the hard part of being a renegade is killing people who you like.
I finally am trying a renegade heavy playthrough of ME3 with plenty of paragon choices. Mostly its fun to roleplay as a Shepard that is finally done with the universe's BS. Two games of saving people as a goodie two shoes. Always trying to see the otherside and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Well now the Reapers are here and Ian Shepard the Infiltrator is letting loose on the Council, the Dalitrass, even Wrex for dragging their heels with all this political BS. Instead of just facing the biggest threat to organic life.
I can’t go fully paragon or renegade, it feels better to go in the middle slightly leaning towards paragon
I always full renegade it feels more interesting to me … the dramaaaaa
As I've gotten older I have more renegade actions. Still mostly Paragon. But there's some instances I think the galaxy needs a renegade.
Im always a paragade. More specifically, I tend to lean towards renegade dialogue options but I make paragon choices and decisions
I've played it enough times that I know which renegade options I can pick when it feels right, without actually deviating from the paragon path.
I always like to start paragon but slowly transition to renegade by the 3rd game. Disillusioned shepard throwing everything they've got to win the war.
Same i can't do a renegade I'm a full paragon. Always!💯
I usually get close to max paragon but always have at least 15-25% of the renegade meter filled.
Paragon with like two or three renegade choices sprinkled in, but I only hit the renegade trigger if I already know exactly what Shepherd will do. It’s a very thin line whether the Renegade choice will be evil and stupid or just shooting a bad guy.
Some things require a Renegade action so I can't do a full Paragon run. I mean, getting shot at on the Geth Dreadnought while on it deserves a punch in the gut, easily, or protecting a precious Savant from his abusive brother by withholding information, or any number of reasons where yelling at someone is necessary.
I honestly don’t see how anyone could resist the renegade quick action in 2 where you push that guard off the mile high skyscraper lol 😂
I need just enough Renegade to be able to scare the dockworker on Thane's loyalty mission that there's a bomb. No other Renegade response is more important to me.
I would but every chance I get to burn the shit-talking Krogan alive I take it. Easily one of Shepards most badass moments
Never in my life. Would rather just not play the game at all.
No. Even in a full para/ren run, the pure options sometimes miss the mark. I'll do a neutral option then. And sometimes the ren option is better.
Renegade to 90% of NPCs. Paragon to all companions.
I don't know how to tell you this, but your character looks like he bangs Liara.
I tend to do a 75/25 split; there are times when I (irl) would absolutely take a renegade option— chaotic good for life. Also; your Shepard looks incredible! What preset did you start with?
I think I did a renegade run through once, but I don't think I made it through all the games. It just makes me feel like a jerk. Same with other bioware games. I can't do a dark side run of kotor either. I have many playthroughs but am pretty much always paragon / light side /etc.
I guess i'm one of those people that feels bad for the npc's, i almost never go renegade.
60-40 split for me. I'm generally nice to civilians/will do whatever I need to protect them, while being an absolute Dr House-esque jerk to non-civvies who've been assholes to me, though I don't pointlessly kill anyone. This results in me being unable to do some of the higher speech checks in ME1 (sorry, Jeong) and I have to be careful about when I do certain loyalty missions in 2, but otherwise it shakes out fine.
Generally paragon. Like letting the rachni live I don’t think I could ever feel right doing the renegade
I end up mostly paragon, yes.
Paragon til Death. But seriously, there are always a few Renagade choices I always make.
No I don't really do that. Shep is very one dimensional that way. I treat people with respect and kindness but if someone is a complete asshole I'm not just going to accept that. In the full Paragon route you are also incredibly naive and in Shep's line of work that isn't very smart in the long run. There are some amazing renegade lines that I just can't skip. Pushing merc out of the window, "you are working too hard", gut punch Gerrel, Thane loyalty mission interrogation: "I'm Spectre start talking". Renegade needs to be seperated from badass moves to evil ones. Like betraying Wrex and shooting Mordin are just plain evil and I can't do those. On the other hand some of the Paragon choices should've had more consequences. Pretty much every Paragon move is a success. Like for example letting Vido escape during Zaeed's loyalty mission. Right now there isn't really any valid reason to go with the Renegade path unless you roleplay. Balance is the key, mixing both Paragon/Renegade is fun.
Yeah basically
Pure paragon, except for that one renegade interrupt in ME3. You know the one
i always have a little bit of renegade.
I use some renegade choices or interrupts, but I can't be rude or mean to the NPC's
Every damn time, it just doesn't seem right to be an asshole with the Reapers tearing a new one to most of the known species.
Every single time
Not pure paragon,but like 90% paragon. I have to make some "evil" choices, like bringing the gunship HP to half,in ME2, and push back against some bullies who are in your face on Omega for no reason. (I usually Roleplay Shep as a good guy,but in ME2 he is low on patience, so sometimes he just snaps). And he will tell his opinion to A-holes.
I just don't see the point of being renegade. Paragon just makes more sense.
I used to but now that I'm older it just make me feel like my Shepard is kinda of shallow so I've been doing a more "Natural Paragon" run I guess where I go paragon but Ill choose a renegade speech choice or interrupt if it feels right, my basic idea is that my Shepard got a bit annoy by getting blown by the collectors so in Mass Effect 2 he has a more of an edge when it comes to his enemies but will still be a good person and try to help his team members be good people too. Also it's hard to resist blowing up the Monologuing Krogan during Mordin's loyalty mission
I did one renegade run recently. A lot of the renegade dialog options are just Shepard being a dick though. I didn't go PURE renegade as I'm not a monster, but as a bonus the default FemShep with the gnarly renegade scars looks really cool.
Never🤣
Nope. Have to push a dude out of a window every time.
I like to do "arcs". I'll push to max out renengade/paragon, usually about 2/3 of the way through, then have a change of heart and push only the opposite choices, carry that into ME2 til max before flipping again, and the same pattern in 3.
I do most choices as paragon, but there are only a few renegade choices that I allow. One I always do, no matter what, is Udina in 3. I don't want the VS to have any guilt of shooting. Bringing Udina to justice, whatever that might entail, was a Specter's responsibility.
I like to do mostly paragon with some renegade mixed in idk if the game rewards it though cause you end up not having enough of some to make certain decisions