


The key to Mass Effect 2 on higher difficulties is knowing what mix of enemies you'll encounter in each mission and which squadmates to bring to counter their defenses. So you'll certainly have a challenge that will require you to plan your squad configuration and have a grasp of what abilities you should be using against what enemies, but it shouldn't be too This is excellent advice. You'll also be more resilient than you would be on insane. You're still going to be seeing lots of defenses on hardcore, but not quite as much as insane. With each higher difficulty you'll be seeing more layers of defenses on enemies, to the point where on insane pretty much every enemy has at least one layer of defense. the different types of defenses (barrier, shields, and armor). The core dynamic of the combat is the rock/paper/scissors mechanics centered around the different types of tech and biotic powers vs. Hardcore is still pretty challenging, but is manageable for a competent player on a first playthrough. Insane is pretty difficult and should really only be attempted when you have full understanding of the game and its combat mechanics and some foreknowledge of the encounters and enemy makeup for each mission. Hardcore (second from the highest) is what I'd recommend.
