Mass Effect 3 Notes

Controls

Left analogue stick        Movement of character.
Right Analogue stick        Movement of camera.
Left trigger            Sight down weapon.
Right trigger            Shoot
Left bumper            weapons wheel
Right bumper            Powers wheel
Y                Default power
X                Reload           
B                Melee
A                Run / Jump / Get into cover.           
dpad        Right        Commands to 2nds squad-mate.
        Left        commands to 1st squad-mate.
        Up       
        Down        Squad return to you.   
Start                Main menu   
Back                Auto-save
Clicking right stick        Waypoint guide
Clicking left stick

First thing to be done is sign into EA servers and activate the online pass. I don't mind the online passes at all, I do mind the EA server nonsense, especially since their servers have been implicated in the hacking of Xbox live accounts.
After a few seconds of checking and verifying I am presented with the games menu.
I choose a new game and am asked if I want to import my Mass Effect 2 character, which I do. The graphics engine has obviously been changed as the character is automatically changed to suit the new engine and is reasonably close to the way I had customized my character.

A cut scene shows Earth getting ready for an attack from an unidentified force approaching from deep space. Anderson can be heard asking if it the force that Shepherd warned them of.
We see a child playing with a toy spaceship in a garden, the view then Switches to Shepherd watching the child out of the window.
A soldier comes into Shepherd's room and tells her that the defense council wants to speak with her.
Anderson meets her in the corridor and they go to the meeting. Anderson reminds us of the story so far regarding the reapers. We are told that Shepherd has been grounded after what she did and only her knowledge of the Reapers saved her from court marshal.
We meet Ashley, who if I recall from the previous games wasn't on the best of terms with my particular version of the story.
The council meet with Shepherd, she confirms that the Reapers are here and gloats that her warnings weren't heeded. The council asks if there is something they can do.
By the time we are finished speaking the Reapers have arrived, scenes of Reapers landing and attacking are coming in from around the world.
Anderson suggests that they head for the Normandy. The Reapers arrive outside the window and starts blowing the city too bits. An explosion rocks the room and Anderson and Shepherd are the only survivors. The reapers can be seen outside the window shooting indiscriminately.
We get control for the first time, we have to follow Anderson to the spaceport.
We have moved out the window and are moving along narrow beams. Reaper fire is tearing the place up and small ships can be seen dog-fighting with smaller Reaper vehicles.
I am shown how to get in and jump over cover. Some husks can be seen and we have to shoot them. We then have to use melee as we have no ammo left.
I find a medkit.
we have to use heavy melee, by holding B to kill a husk blocking a doorway.
A small child can be seen in a vent, we go over to him and ask him to come with us. The boy refuses, saying that we can't help, he disappears into the vent.
Anderson wants to go to the council and ask for their help. He is realistic about the chances of Earth against the Reapers.
We come out onto the roofs again and watch as a large Earth ship is blown up by the Reaper. We come to some injured men and find some enemies to fight. They are ugly bulbous looking things.
We speak to the soldiers, they are what is left of a gunship that has been shot down. We ask about their radio and help a trapped man get free. We are now heading to the radio.
We have to fight a bunch of the ugly beasties then get to the radio.
Anderson talks on the radio and then gets a pickup for the men. We are attacked again and have to hold the position until the Normandy arrives to save the day.
As we get aboard, Anderson tells us that he is going to stay. We have to argue with him, he orders us to go and reinstates us as Commander.
We leave and watch as people come in to pick up the wounded men and the little boy from earlier. The Reaper swats their ships out of their like flies.
The Normandy leaves Earth heading out into space.

Mission 2
On board the Normandy the soldier from earlier is in Shepherds face about leaving, We have to show him who is boss.
A message from admiral Hackett tells us to go to Mars before heading to the citadel. Seemingly there were scientists studying the Prothean archives, which may have some information for us.
We gear up and head for the Mars base, there is no sign of Reaper activity. A storm is heading towards the base.
We find a dead soldier, seems that all is not well. We find Cerberus troops executing Alliance soldiers in the distance.
We fight the soldiers then head towards the base and fight some more. In the airlock of the base Ashley confronts us about working for Cerberus in the previous game, she thinks we still are. Shepherd tries to convince her otherwise.
We move into the base and find Liara under attack by Cerberus agents. She doesn't need our help and is killing them all by herself. She tells us of a Prothean device which may help in the fight. Liara tells us of a Prothean device which they had designed but didn't have time to build before they were wiped out. She thinks that if we can get the blueprints we may be able to build the device. Cerberus also know about it and are after it.
We have to fight some soldiers and then climb up on a lift to a higher level.
we come to a security office and find video of a woman who seems to be a Cerberus agent. The way is blocked, we have to go out onto the roof.
We move through the roof area and then inside a cafeteria area. The air has been vented and all the people killed.
We reach a security area and find a video of the doctor shooting guards and venting the room, this was the way the Cerberus troops entered the facility.
we move on and come to a long corridor where we fight some troops.
We find an area where sterilization procedures have been activated with scientists in the room.
There is a small puzzle here in that we can control the sterilization beam and have to make it stop so that we can progress.
We come to a turret and are shown advanced cover moving techniques.
The tram is blocked and we need to work out a way to override.
Ashley looks at a dead Cerberus solider, he has been heavily augmented and looks like a husk.Ashley again takes a swipe at Shepherd for being involved with Cerberus.
We trick the Cerberus people using their own radio to send the tram back to us.
Killing the soldiers we take the tram. It is a trap, the tram line has been sabotaged and we are left stranded, another tram comes by loaded with enemies. Once they are dealt with we move into the tram station and fight our way through.
Inside is the Prothean archive. The illusive man appears on a holographic communication device. He scolds the Alliance for not taking more notice of the archive. Shepherd scolds him for turning his men into husks.
The Illusive man tells Shepherd that he wants to control the Reapers, harness their power for his own ends.
We tell him that he is deluded. He is in the process of taking the Prothean data. The Dr from earlier is found by Ashley at the controls. We have to catch her.
This is a breakneck chase sequence, where we basically have to run after Dr. Eva as she flees. Cerberus soldiers shoot from a ship and eventually Eva manages to get aboard it. James flies in on our dropship and rams her. Bringing her crashing down in a fireball. James's dropship crashes also.
Liara fears the data to be lost in the explosion. Dr Eva isn't dead and bursts from the wreck terminator style, her body is burnt to reveal electronics and implants.
She grabs Ashley and asks for orders from the Illusive man. He tells her to finish her.
Ashley is bashed around by Eva, who leaves her for dead and then runs at shepherd.
We have to shoot her down.
The Normandy arrives, Shepherd grabs Ashley, James grabs the robot Eva. The gang are evacuated.

Mission 3
On the Normandy, Ashley needs medical attention, the best option is the citadel.
Hackett calls, the Prothean weapon is discussed and he takes a copy of the data.
We are to go to the citadel and get them to assist in the fight.
The Normandy arrives at the citadel.
There is a long lingering shot of a part of the citadel, which seemed extraneous at the time.
Ashley is taken to the hospital.
A Commander Bailey comes to take us to the council.
we have the option to go and see Ashley first or go straight to the council.
I am left to my own devices on the citadel.
A reporter wants to be allowed to come aboard the Normandy to cover the war. I agree.
I head to the hospital via a lift and find Ashley, she is still unconscious.
Back at the lift the only other option is to go to the citadel embassies.
At the embassy I enter the Earth office and am taken to the Council.
The council as usual is more interested in it's own member races than the humans and the Reapers. The Reapers are attacking elsewhere in the Galaxy as well as Earth. The plan is discussed, the Prothean weapon. The council asks why the Protheans didn't succeed, it seems that they never actually finished building the weapon.
The council, will only save themselves, then maybe if they do that, they might help Earth.
Udina, the human councilor is angered.
The Turian councilor comes to Shepherd and asks that we help a Primarch Fedorian, who can sway the Turian's into helping Earth. We have to go to a planet named Paladin and save him.
Shepherd's spectre status is reinstated.
I find a spectre info room, and shooting range.
In Bailey's office a reporter is giving him hassle.
There doesn't  seem to be much else to do here, so I go back in the lift.
The way seems to be pointing back to the Normandy.

On the Normandy, Shepherd has a dream where she is chasing the little boy she seen killed. He bursts into flames, she wakes disturbed. Liara helps, then a woman named Trainor arrives and tells us about changes to the Normandy.
Admiral Hackett speaks to shepherd, basically, what needs to be done is to build alliances and get help to build the weapon. Once built, the weapon needs a huge force to get it to where it needs to be.
I am now free to explore the Normandy, which is much as it was before, some rooms have been reassigned to new tasks.
I speak with Liara and an given a chance to continue my Shepherd's interracial lesbian romance with her.
I go to the shuttle bay and meet the procurement and shuttle pilot Cortez. Then have a sparring match with James, who seems to have issue with Shepherd, due to the fact that he didn't save civilians to go after Intel on the collectors. Since Shepherd finished the collector threat, he needn't have sacrificed the colonists. He holds a grudge, by the end of the match he is coming onto Shepherd, quite a turnaround.
On the galaxy map we can see systems that have active Reaper battles in progress.
The system where the Turian is to be rescued is under Reaper attack.
I take the ship to the place we need to be.

Mission 4
James and Liara are the only crew available for our party.
A cut scene shows the Turian homeworld Paladin being attacked. The Turian fleet in space is having no effect on the Reapers. The ground forces are being swarmed by husks. As we land in the shuttle the landing zone is under attack. We have to shoot from the shuttle as it flies in low and take out husks. Once down we have more husks to fight.
I find the commander of the Turians and report to him.
Corinthus is expecting us, the Primarch's shuttle was shot down trying to leave the moon. To find out who the new Primarch is we have to get a communications tower working.
I move out of the barricades into the fighting and have to work my way to the tower. At the tower someone has to climb it and get it working. I get to choose who goes. I then have to survive waves of husks while the tower is repaired. Then once done we help the Turians against more waves. The Turian leader calls and asks us to come back to him.
He is confused about who the new leader is. Garrus turns up and we have a happy reunion.
The new primarch is named, he is Victus, an unconventional leader, Garrus thinks he will be and interesting choice.
The Normandy calls, systems are malfunctioning, seems maybe the Illusive man has left his mark on the ship. Liara is sent back to take a look. A Reaper device is dropped in and we go to fight it. There are husks and enemies named Marauders that could be converted Turians.
I have to fight them off, a few waves.
Back at the main barricade there is a heavy attack going on, we go back to help and are guided to an emplaced gun on the barricade.
After taking out a lot of husk a large brute appears, we are knocked off the barricade and have to take it out ourselves. Husks run interference.
Once this is over there is still no location on Victus, Shepherd asks Garrus to take her to the last known location of the Primarch.
We progress through landscape, this is a talky bit and while we walk through featureless barren landscape there is discussion about the efficacy of the plan.
I reach the area where Victus is supposed to be and have to fight some maurauders and cannibals.
Two brutes arrive and I have to fight them along with marauder interference.
I find Victus, he is shocked to learn he is in charge. Victus decides to come with us.
Garrus also pledges to come with us.
Victus asks that we get the krogan on board before he can begin to think about taking any of the Turian fleet away from Paladin to help us.
We return to the Normandy, the Asari are not willing to join in the summit.
Hackett talks to us, we tell him we have the Turian Primarch and about the Asari reluctance. We tell him that we need the Krogan to come to the table also.

On board the Normandy, something takes EDI offline, EDI is the a.i. of the ship.
The corpse of Dr. Eva was in the a.i. core room, it seems that EDI has taken over the body.
Though the question might be has Dr. Eva taken over the ship.
The new EDI suggests that it might be able to help us in combat.

I speak to Traynor, she has intercepted a distress call from Grissom academy, they have apparently been evacuated by a Turian ship, however, Traynor has noticed that the signals seem faked. She thinks Cerberus have kept Grissom academy isolated for their own ends. We are to investigate.

Mission 5
I go back to the star map and head to the system where the students are.
I land on Grissom academy which is a space station.
Edi and Garrus are now choices in my party.
I am then asked to insert disc 2, which seems a bit premature.
Cerberus are here in force, they are attacking the facility.Joker diverts the ships away, and Shepherd drops in on a shuttle.
We enter an airlock and fight some Cerberus soldiers. Then meet Sanders, who is in command. There are around twenty students left in the facility.
The students are powerful biotics.
We move on through the halls and corridors, fighting as we go, two students are there to be saved. Eventually we meet up with the main body of students and find Jack with them.
A large mech and several soldiers must be killed. Then we have a reunion with Jack. She hits Shepherd for trusting Cerberus. She is in charge of the biotics.
The Cerberus ship is coming back, they have to get off the ship another way.
A laptop must be found that is being used to jam Sander's access. The laptop is in the room, once deactivated she can find a way forward.
We move into a new area, the biotics help from an upper level and we have a lot of enemies and a large mech to take down.
and another room, the enemies are putting down mechanized turrets.
This is quite a hard fight, there are soldiers with shields that flank you and the room has little cover that can't be flanked.
we move on through the facility after clearing the soldiers. I come to two students holding a shield, they don't trust our word. I contact  Sanders and she talks them down.
We now come to a mech that the pilot is out of standing by the machine. I snipe him and am amazed that we can actually drive the thing. We now have a large open area with lots of soldiers to blow to bits, then another mech to duel. Once done we leave on a shuttle and get picked up by the Normandy.

Back on the ship we have a chat with Anderson.
Then I find Edi and Joker on the bridge, Edi wants to modify herself, but wants to know that her modifications are ok. She asks Shepherd if she will help. I agree to help.
I find the reporter Allers and agree to let her have access to the Earth feed.
I tinker with guns and armor, adding stuff that I have picked up to my armor and upgrading weapons for a price.

Mission 6
I go to a planet called Sanctum, where a Cerberus lab is known to be located.
There is allegedly a Reaper artifact in the lab.
I enter the lab and have to fight Cerberus soldiers, there is a Reaper artifact behind a force field that we hack and then grab. I have to take it back to the ship. Then go back for another. In stunningly bad design we can see the other Reaper artifacts but can't pick them up. When I go back to the ship more troops are spawned. All they had to do was close a door on them so that I couldn't see the artifacts.
After picking up the second artifact the shuttle has to leave as it  is under attack. I am left until it can make a second run for us to fend off lots of soldiers.
Admiral Hacker is given the Reaper tech to examine.

The next mission seems to be the meet with diplomats one, which sounds like great fun.
I dock with a diplomatic ship and the diplomats come aboard.
Wrex is the Krogan diplomat, he wants a cure for the genophage which has kept the Krogan under control for a thousand year.
In the previous game there was a scientist who experimented on a cure. The Salarians like things the way they are and have covered up the cure.
I side with Wrex and the Salarian diplomat is forced to reveal the location of the female Krogan's that were experimented on.
We head to the base.

Mission 7
We land at the base and nearly get into a fight. A diplomatic incident is avoided narrowly and we are shown around by a Salarian named Wiks.
I talk with Wrex and meet Major Kirrahe, who was present in earlier games. He pledges his support even if the Salarian government does not.
Wiks tells us that he is working on uplifting certain species. A nod to David Brin's uplift series of books.
We are told to head to the elevator when we are ready. At the elevator an alarm sounds, troops begin to mass and ships take off. There is some activity at the base perimeter. We go into the lift anyway.
We are told that only one Krogan female survived, she is immune to the genophage.
As we meet her, Cerberus troops begin to attack the base.
We are to escape with the female.
I am told to go back to the lift to the surface, as it comes down a bomb has been planted in it. It goes off wrecking the lift. We must find an alternative way out.
I run through the lab and up a ladder emergency exit. Wiks is taking the Krogan female out in a mobile pod type apparatus. We have to help him at certain points by opening gates and pressing buttons.
Basically reasons for us to fight through the corridors of the facility.
I have to make a power relay reconnect before the next checkpoint, then move the Krogan female onwards.
One more checkpoint to fight past and then we start the release and loading procedure for the Krogan pod.
A atlas mech is dropped into the room and we have to fight it.
Once done the Krogan female is released and Wrex flies in to extract us.

Back on the Normandy we explain what has been going on to Hackett and he tells us that the weapon production has begun, it is called project crucible.
We see a cut scene of the gigantic weapon beginning to take shape.
Wrex wants the cure, not just the female before giving troops to the Turians.
Wiks is tasked with making the cure.
We are now given two more jobs to do by Victus and Wrex. A bunch of Turians are lost and Wrex believes the Rachni are back.

Mission 8
I move the ship to the location of the missing Krogan scouts.
I land on the planet Uttuku.
The Rachni queen is still alive so the chance of rachni activity is likely.
We meet Grunt, a Krogan who is in charge of the Krogan squad.
They think they have found what may be a nest and are going to investigate.
We enter a derelict cabin, which falls down the side of a cliff with us in it.
The neatly separates us from Grunt and his squad.
We now progress through the caves, we find a dead Krogan scout and take his flame weapon, which comes in instantly handy to burn through some webbing. Some small flying creatures are seen as well as spore pods.
We are attacked by husks and something sac like and mechanical. It seems that the Reapers have been using the Rachni for some purpose.
The Krogan scouts have sacrificed themselves to bring weapons down into the caves, so that the next team have a better chance of killing the Rachni.
after much pod and spider bug destroying we meet up with Grunt and his team.
They will hold off the Rachni while we find the central chamber.
We quickly find the central chamber, Reaper barriers cut off our escape, a large creature of mechanical looking origin can be seen in the middle of the chamber.
We have to shoot three reaper nodes which brings down barriers allowing progress and releasing waves of enemies.
Once done we find the queen Rachni. It seems that the Reapers have taken over her breeding processes and made rachni that even she doesn't love.
She will help us fight in the war, we are given the choice of saving the Krogan or the Rachni. I choose to save the Rachni queen. The last node is shot and we escape. Grunt and his men hold off the Rachni. Grunt manages to escape.
Wrex is fairly happy with the outcome, though he has some reservations about what will happen if the Rachni go rogue again.
Wix has managed to make the cure, though we need a way to deploy it. The original subtle way that it was introduced to the Krogan atmosphere is the best way, we need to go to the Krogan homeworld to deploy the cure.

Mission 9
Seems time to set a course for the Krogan homeworld.
I enter orbit of Tuchanka and find that there are three missions awaiting me here.
I choose to extract the Turian surviors first.
We go in by shuttle and find that Reaper scouts are involved. Victus's son is one of the Turians. We ask him to fire a flare so we can find him.
I move through the battle damaged landscape and fight some husks and cannibals.
Then a large harvester bird like enemy which is attacking a Turian escape pod.
We have to drive it away with fire and save the Turians.
We do this another time, then come to a battle with the harvester, then another. We now meet the Turians. Victus's son is being given a hard time for failing in the mission.
We find that they were trying to defuse a Cerberus bomb on the Krogan home world.
Victus's son asks for our assistance. This seems to be a separate mission.
Back on the Normandy we speak to Victus senior and ask what is really going on, he won't say.
A conversation with Anderson reveals the situation on Earth to be grim.
Liara sends an email asking to meet us in our quarters. She wants to show us a recording device she has made, like a time capsule, with all the details of the Reapers and the galaxy as it is. In case the Reapers succeed and wipe everyone out. It can be found and maybe help future races. This is a romantic and tender moment, asking about how Shepherd wants her entry to be made.
I find Eve and Wiks in the labs, Wrex pops in for a chat also.

Time for another mission, I still have three choices on Tuchanka.

I choose to carry on with the bomb mission along with the Turians.
On the way Victus' son tells us that the bomb isn't Cerberus' it is actually a Turian safeguard. Only problem is that Cerberus have found it and want to detonate it to shatter Turian/Krogan relations.
I fight through some more ruined city against Cerberus troops. Eventually finding the bomb, which is huge, Cerberus have dug it up.
At the bomb Victus' son is trying to disarm it. He needs time to hack past firewalls. we have to stop Cerberus from shooting at him while he does so. An atlas mech is the last attempt and once done a cut scene starts. We see Victus trigger the bomb after getting past the firewall he has to go up on the bomb and stop it manually. He falls to his death doing so. The bomb is deactivated and we return to the Normandy.

Wrex and Victus are at each other's throats, I try and calm the situation.

Mission 10
Back down to Tuchanka to take out the Cerberus attack
Cerberus are landing at an abandoned space cannon, which hasn't been used since the Krogan rebellion. As we land they seem to have got the cannons working.
It seems that a large Cerberus ship is coming in towards Tuchnaka. We have to get to the controls of the space gun. As we do the power is deactivated. we now need to go and reactivate the power.There are two latches that need to be shot off of boxes. I was stuck for a while as you have to actually shoot the very specific latches, I was using grenades and all my powers on the boxes and doing no damage. They should just make the Earth ships out of the material they use for these boxes  it's impregnable.
Hey, what do you know back across the yard filled with enemies again. Third time.
Once done we change the target of the space gun and use it on the Cerberus ship.

Mission 11
Cure the Genophage
As we arrive at the tower we will use to disperser the cure the Krogan, a new form of Reaper appears beside the tower, as if they know what we are about to do.
Shepherd calls a meeting, the Turian fleet is asked to attack the Reaper alongside the Krogan ground forces distracting it long enough for the cure to be released.
Eve and Wix will have to come with us and do work on the cure actually at the tower itself.
Just before we leave on the mission the Salarian Dalatriss contacts us. She knows what we are about to do. She proposes a lie that will help us in this time of need. She wants us to sabotage the cure, make it appear to work. Though not actually cure the genophage. She will give us the Salarian scientists and war machine for our use in the Reaper war in return.
By the time the Krogan's realize this the Reaper war will be over one way or another.
It is of course a strong moral test. If we don't get the Salarian aid we may lose. If the Krogans think they are cured they will still help. If we choose to be moral we lose the Salarian support. Which may lose the war. I think the whole point of being the Shepherd is to do the right thing, even if it makes life harder.
I choose to ignore the Dalatriss.
On the shuttle we are given the chance to tell the others about the Dalatriss. I do and an explosion rocks the ship distracting us.
I land the ship and have to fight some husks, we then meet some Krogran leaders and there is nearly a fight because Wix is with us. The female Eve gives a rousing speech and saves the day.
In the transport I am given a second chance, after Wrex and Eve talk about filling ten planets with Krogan, just what the Dalatriss feared. I still give them the news that she tried to betray them.
The road is out, delaying our attack. The Turian approach is too close to stop. We see them start their attack alone.
One of the Turian ships is shot down and crashes onto the convoy. We now have to find an alternate way forward. We end up going into ancient city catacomb. we find Krogan art.
We have to move through the darkened tunnels using flashlights. A Thresher Maw is supposed to live here. We can feel it moving about, it causes earthquakes.
I fight some Rachni reapers. We see the huge thresher maw chasing the convoy with Wrex and Eve in it.
We eventually meet up with Wrex, now there is only one truck left of the convoy.
We see the Reaper in the distance, there seems to be no way past it to the tower.
Eve hits upon the idea of making the Thresher maw fight the reaper. we have to activate some beacons which will attract the thresher maw.
We come to a boss battle of sorts, we have to take out around four brutes at a time, avoiding the reapers claw which smashes down from above. Every time I kill the brutes the Reaper claw always comes down and instantly kills me, maddeningly you can't save before this even thought there are no enemies.
It is fairly random, and there seem to be no way to predict the movements.
I eventually manage it and ring the bells which bring the thresher maw in to fight the Reaper.
The Thresher maw makes quick work of the Reaper, dragging it down under the Earth.
Wix ends up taking a one way ride to the top of the tower, which is likely to explode.
We see him fight his way up through the fires and fix the systems so that the cure is deployed.
we see the cure deploy and the tower explode.
Wrex and Eve thank us.
The Salarians will not help.
The Turians pledge their help in the battle and to help build the crucible
Shepherd has another dream about the child, chasing him through the forest
The Salarian council member contacts us and tells us that the human councilor, Udina is taking money. We agree to meet him on the citadel and investigate.
It seems that Kirrahe may be making trouble for the Dalatriss and giving help to the alliance anyway.

Mission 12 (side)
Cerberus fighter base
We go to Noveria to investigate Cerberus activity.
We are dropped into the facility, hoping to bring down defenses so that a proper frontal assault can be made more safely.
We have to go in, clear the small base out, then hold while the defenses are hacked. We have to assign a squad member to hack and then survive the swarms. Finally an atlas mech to defeat and the missions is over.

Mission 13 (side)
I go to Acturus station system, a planet called Benning, to investigate some Cerberus abductions.
In a human city there are Cerberus troops shooting and kidnapping people. I intervene and have to shoot my quota of troops.
Once done some civilians we save are extracted.
Cerberus are denying responsibility for this, despite it being their troops involved.

It looks like it's finally time to return to the citadel, I set a course.
When we approach to dock there is no reply from the traffic control. It seems Cerberus are attacking. We land a shuttle as close to citadel security as we can.

Mission 14
We find fighting going on at  C-sec, Bailey is hit, though alive.
He takes us inside his office and hacks into the feeds that Cerberus have hacked  from him.
We find out that there is an executor meeting with the Salarian council member in his office. We have to rescue them. We find that c-sec personnel have been shot in the back of the head, seemingly by people they trusted, suggesting sleeper agents.
I move through C-sec fighting all the way, until coming to the office of the executor, he is dead and two Salarian bodyguards are dead on the floor also.
Out of the window we see the Salarian councilor, they have been cloaked, an assassin appears and is about to kill the councilor. Shepherd jumps out of the window and draws her gun on the assassin. our squad also come up and have him in their sights. He shoots, but Kirrahe has been cloaked in front of the councilor and takes the shot for them. The assassin gets away, Kirrahe dies. We go after the assassin in a vehicle.
He jumps from one vehicle to ours and breaks the engine, we go down in flames. We now have to pursue on foot. We meet heavy resistance on the way. Eventually we get to an elevator, we see the assassin heading up in the elevator, we get into another lift on top of it, and Bailey sends it up after the assassin's. We have to fight some soldiers on the top of the lift. Eventually we jump onto the council lift. Ashley is with them. We come out onto a walkway, the escape shuttle has been blown up.
The council are surprised to see us. Udina tells them that we are with Cerberus. Ashley is torn, yet she trusts Shepherd. Udina sees things aren't going his way and tries to let the Cerberus assassin in. The Asari councilor tries to speak with him and he pushed her away and goes to shoot her. I intervene with a renegade choice and shoot him.
The doors burst open and it is Bailey instead of the assassin.
Bailey vouches for Shepherd and tells the council that the assassin was right behind them, and have run since the full weight of c-sec was also on his tail.

I am left loose on the Citadel, I find Jack in a bar called Purgatory, Shepherd takes her up for a dance.
Edi can't do a thing with her hair.
Joker wants to date Edi?!?!
I meet an Asari named Aria who is involved with Bloodpack, Blue sun and Eclipse mercenary groups.
I enter the main presidium of the citadel, a collection of shops and cafes.
There are various small disputes going on amongst the civilians, we can intervene on one side or the other by clicking on the side of the argument we approve of.
I find the Aria's friend who wants us to intervene in negotiations. He wants us to act as his prisoner, a sweetener for the deal, he is to hand us over. The deal is a ruse and one of the aliens who arrive is working for Aria. We kill the other two and the mole is now in charge.
I find a Batarian, who is pegged as a terrorist, he is wounded, the story seems confused, he seems to be angry about previous actions that Shepherd has taken. I let him live.
I find Darner Vosque, one of Aria's friends. He wants a Turian general killed. It doesn't seem to be a thing I should actually be doing, as an alliance soldier. Shepherd calls Aria and it appears that we are to speak to the general and ask him nicely. Someone else will kill him if we fail. We are being given a chance to save him.
Conrad Verner, appears, he is preaching about the benefits of joining Cerberus.
It seems he was a distraction while Cerberus agents were sabotaging the medi gel dispensers. Verner helps us with some ancient Prothean texts.
I meet a Salarian called Voss who wants to film the cramped circumstances on the docks refugee camp. He asks us to film for him, as he isn't being allowed in. I have to go inside and at certain points there are markers for photo opportunities.
I find General Oraka, he tells us that blue sun are stealing c-sec weapons. I tell him we may be able to get weapons in another way.
I need to speak to Bailey to get a woman released that Aria wants out of prison.
Sidaris can be spoken to via communication link from c-sec on the presidium, after speaking with Bailey in his office. I decide it would be silly to let her out, she is dangerous and a criminal.
I go to the spectre office in the embassy area and find I can buy some stabilizer that a Salarian needed. Also I can activate some codes, so that I can search consoles for specific codes used by a Batarian terrorist.
I fix all the medi-gel dispensers in the docks. I speak to the doctor and Conrad Verner, congratulates me on fixing the dispensers. As he does he notices his Cerberus contact, likely the person who did sabotage the dispensers. The Cerberus agent tries to shoot us and Verner jumps in the way to save us. The gun goes off, and Shepherd punches the agent. Verner isn't dead, a girl who we helped in Mass Effect 2 appears and tells us that she sabotaged the gun. Verner and the girl go off together happily.
I find the solution to the Sedaris problem lying around, a Salarian named Syan is her deputy. I persuade him to run Eclipse and deal with Aria instead of Sedaris. He agrees and it seems that we have done the mission without releasing a killer.
I find the last console, a Batarian appears and holds a gun to our head. I persuade him to join the alliance and he pledges the Batarian fleet to help.
It seems I need to go and get some artifacts to make a Salarian dealer give c-sec access to his best weapons. I head back to the Normandy.
Ashley meets us in the airlock and talks about the Udina incident. We are given the opportunity to recruit her, I do.
Hackett and Anderson talk with us about the incident on the Citadel. Anderson seems to know the assassin, Kai-Leng. Asari and Salarians are both giving help to the crucible project now. The crucible is discussed, it is thought that the weapon will release energy in a huge wave. The key is to what form the energy will take. The machine needs to be targeted at the reapers and leave everything else unharmed.
Liara tells us of an Asari distress signal, she wants us to help.
Traynor tells us of a group of Cerberus scientists who have apparently defected.
I am given the chance to get Traynor into bed, after inviting her to play chess in my cabin. I offer her a shower, then join her in it.
Allers also comes by the cabin of love for an interview. I give her the interview, despite some flirting, she doesn't come to bed as well.
I look at the galaxy map, handily enough a "find artifacts" pointer is given. I go to a planet and scan it for artifacts, sending a probe down to pick up the artifacts.
I go back to the citadel, hopefully this will complete the Aria set of missions.
I give the artifacts to Kannik and then have to speak with the general.
Oraka is happy now, time to go back to Aria. Aria has her control, and we have a new war asset.

Time to get back to the main missions side of things.
I head for the defecting Cerberus scientists.

Mission 15
As we arrive at the scientists location, we find they are under attack by Cerberus forces.
As we land the scientists are pinned down at the doors of the facility. We have to clear the soldiers then speak to a wounded man named Jacob. The doors are opened and we go inside.
Inside we meet the scientists, they have all been growing increasingly uneasy with the terrible human rights breeches and criminal acts of Cerberus. They all got together  and left. The Illusive man wants them dead.
There are 43 scientists, including families.
We have to get anti air guns online to cover the escape.
We move out onto the roofs and fight some enemies. Turning the aa gun switch on does not work, we have to go up and manually turn them on. One gun needs fixed and we have to defend a squad member while they do so.
We go back inside and launch the shuttles. Cerberus mount a final invasion of the facility and we have to fight our way out.
After taking out some soldiers and an atlas we get extracted.
Jacob and the scientists pledge to help with the crucible.
I have a bonding moment with Garrus, where he takes us shooting at a high point in the citadel. I miss on purpose to boost his confidence.
One second Liara is all over me, then she gets cold, she seems to have found out about Traynor, does everyone talk on the ship?

Misson 16
I go to the Quarian embassy ship, it seems they have troubles of their own. The Quarian were ousted from their home-world by the Geth, a.i. that they built. It appears that in the middle of the Reaper invasion they have decided to mount their own offensive against the Geth, they were winning until a Reaper signal came from a Geth Dreadnought and organized the Geth much more effectively. It seems that we need to disable this Reaper control of the Geth. I come down on the side of not exterminating the Geth, despite the Reaper control, they are not warlike on their own.
Tali joins us and is happy to see Shepherd again.
We jump into the middle of the battle in stealth mode and dock with the Geth dreadnought.
The docking tube is damaged, and we have to move through the wrecked tube using magnetic boots. The tube gives way and this leaves Shepherd alone in the Geth ship, looking for a way to let the other members of the team inside.
I move to the next bay along and find another airlock, I have to open it, it seems too easy. Ashley and Tali arrive and we progress.
We have to fight our way through corridors and machine rooms filled with Geth troops.
We come to the command centre and find that the Reaper signal can't be shut off from there, we need to get to the drive core, bulkheads have been put up in the way.
Tali fakes a fire emergency which opens the bulkheads. Geth come pouring back into the control centre, we must kill them and move on.
We move out into a system of long tunnels near the main guns, shockwaves from the gun firing move along the corridor regularly and we have to fight along the corridors avoiding the shockwaves as well.
Eventually we come to a lift and go up it, a little cut scene shows Shepherd nearly falling and being saved by Tali.
We move into a large control room and find some Reaper technology. The machine opens and we find Legion, the Geth who helped us in the last game. He is a prisoner of the machine and asks for our help. Legion reveals that the Geth sided with the Reapers out of desperation at the Quarian attack. We have to remove some blocks which are holding Legion in place. Once done he is freed. We now have to repel some Geth attackers.
As we are fighting the Quarian leaders have a stand up argument about what to do with the Geth. They start firing on the ship, even though their saviors are still aboard. We get to legion and save him, then the ship starts falling apart around us as the Quarians fire. we have to escape to a fighter bay and take a fighter. This is a run through the breaking up exploding ship. We get to the shuttle and watch as the Geth destroyer explodes.
On the Normandy we confront the admiral who fired on us. I play it safe so that we have the Quarians in the war.
The Quarians want to dissect legion, I prevent them.
I invite Tali to catch up in the captains quarters. She is sad about what has happened and feels the pressure of her new job of admiral.
There are two new jobs in the Quarian system. Saving an admiral who crashed his ship into a Geth heavy planetary gun and shutting down a geth Server which is targeting the Quarian ships.

Mission 17
I go to save the Quarian leader Admiral Koris, who can reunite various factions among the Quarians.
Geth AA guns stop us approaching a jamming tower, we go in on foot.
We move through some countryside fighting Geth, then have to disable the AA gun, again a squad member must do so, while we fight of waves of Geth. Now on to the next AA gun.
we meet a wounded Quarian, he dies, not before giving us validation for saving Koris.
We have to repeat this process for another two AA guns, then send up a flare. Cortez brings the shuttle in and blow us the jamming tower. We can now speak to Koris. He want us to save  civilians instead of him. I do so and the admiral dies fighting a horde of Geth.
we now have to protect the civilians from the shuttle doors using an emplaced gun, then pick them up.

I am asked to choose between the reckless admiral Gerral and admiral Ran. He wants the patrol fleet to break a flanking attempt by the Geth. I am unsure, though it seems that Gerrel is right. I choose to side with him.

Mission 18
On Rannoch we are attacking a Geth Server, Legion asks that we enter the Geth consensus, i.e. enter a virtual world. Cerberus made the interface technology, Legion thinks our organic thought processes will aid him by thinking differently than the Geth do.
Legion drops from the shuttle without a parachute, he takes out the guards at the server building. We enter and link up to the Geth consensus.
The aim is to server the links that the Geth a.i. have with their physical bodies inside the server. These particular Geth are fighter pilots in the real world and are about to attack the civilian Quarian fleet.
Inside the Geth computer world we find a virtual representation of their raw data. A world made of cubes and rectangles. There are large orange tentacles of Reaper code snaking around. The way opens up for us and we move through. It reminds me a lot of Assassins creed Animus levels in Revelations.
We get to shoot away the Reaper code as it intersects with our pathway.
we have to free up data nodes and then get a little bit about the history of the Geth from these nodes. We see scenes of Geth being built, being badly treated, then eventually rebelling.
We are also shown scenes of Quarians who defended the Geth in the early days of the purge. Some are shown being hurt and killed.
We are shown that the Geth spared the Quarian fleet as it fled Rannoch.
Finally we are shown the meeting between Shepherd and Legion. significant because it was the first times since war with their creators that any organic life had negotiated.
Back in the real world the Geth ships break off their attack on the Quarian life ships.
Legion has been keeping something from Shepherd, part of this mission was to persuade the Geth to join with him using Reaper code as a basis. He has managed to get the rest of the Geth to come to his way of thinking. The Geth are now on our side, well the ones on that specific server.

Anderson tells us that the Reapers appear to be massing in London, also not to underestimate Kai Leng.

Mission 18
We now have to destroy a Reaper base on Rannoch.
We have to storm the base from outside. Then climb up the base to get inside from an upper levels.
A large blast shield is brought down over the Reaper machine. We have to go inside and use a console which allows legion in to hack. We now have to open the blast doors manually with a console then get up in a lift to a higher level. Lots of Geth Primes block our way.
we are now free to paint the target of the Reaper machine for the Normandy to hit.
As we do we find that this is actually a real Reaper, it rises from it's burrow and comes after us. We get away in a hover car driven by legion.
Shepherd stops to face the reaper, which is going to catch them anyway. We have to use a laser to guide an orbital beam weapon to hit the Reaper as it tries to fire on us. Only when it's eye is open to shoot it appears to be vulnerable.
Instant deaths and long loading times make for a frustrating experience, not a good way to highlight your flaws Bioware.
Once you have hit the Reaper three times it appears that everything slows down, there are noises as if something is happening, though we don't know what.
The Quarians start bombarding the Reaper as well and it goes down.
Before it appears to die it speaks to Shepherd.
It tells us that it represents order and organics represent chaos, someone has obviously been watching too much Babylon 5 now, this is exactly the dilemma that the Vorlons and Shadows fought over. It tells Shepherd that in order to bring about order from chaos the organics must be harvested in a never ending cycle. The reaper claims that without their interventions all organic life is doomed. Shepherd tells the reaper that the cycle isn't needed, the organics and synthetics can co-exist. The reaper brings up the Geth/Quarian war that is happening all around them as evidence that this can't be the case.
The Reaper claims we cannot understand why the cycle is needed. Shepherd tells the Reaper that she cannot allow the Reaper to kill everyone to save them, it doesn't make sense.
The Reaper shuts down.
Tali and Legion appear, Legion wants to upload his Reaper/Geth hybrid consciousness to all Geth. Tali tells us that we can't do this, the Geth will kill the Quarians with this new upgrade to their consciousness. Again we have a choice, though this one feels bottlenecked now, I have sided with the Geth so much and the Reaper basically just told us that the cycle is brought about by these types of conflicts. I side with the Geth.
Tali asks the Quarians to cease fire, they don't. The Geth fight back, in a much more organized way, the Quarian fleet is destroyed totally.
Tali commits suicide, the Geth pledge to help, Legion has sacrificed himself to upload the code. Well that was pretty bleak, I get the feeling I didn't do that entirely the right way, I was hoping the Geth and Quarians would kiss and make up. Though maybe the point was to illustrate that Organics and synthetics can't get along, just as the Reaper suggested.

On the Normandy, the Asari councilor asks to meet us at the citadel.
Allers wants another interview about the Geth in our cabin.

Mission 19
Time to go do what the Asari need to get their help in the war.
A joint Turian/Krogan fuel depot has gone offline, we go down to investigate.
In the depot we find a crane that we need to use to move boxes to progress. Then we start a fuel rod sequence. Husks and Marauders pour in after we start it.
We then have to seal two tanks, then restart the reactor.
Another wave of husks and marauders, the we have to choose which of our allies to send to save the other squads who are here. We lose contact with this squad member. I have to fight a brute and a marauder then restart the reactor.
Edi is alive and well when we reach the extraction point.

Mission 20
Investigate and Asari colony.
There is a distress signal coming from an Asari monastery, The Asarai have congenitally mutants named Ardat Yakshi, they kill when they mate with someone, so are kept locked away as they can be extremely psychotic. It seems that one may have got loose at the monastery. The Asari have sent troops in to destroy the monastery but they have lost contact with them. Inside we climb down a lift shaft, we find reaper soldier bodies and dead Asari commando. The purge it seems was started.
We find a Justicar named Samara, who we met in the last game. In a large open area we fight a banshee, which looked like a corrupted demonic Asari. Then some cannibals.
We find one of Samara's children, an Ardat Yakshi. The reapers are taking the Asari and turning them into banshees. We have to help the remaining Asari, Sammara will aid us.
We come to a large area and have to fight some banshees and cannibals.
We find more Asari bodies then go up in an elevator.
Sammara has two daughters, one of them appears unconscious beside the bomb the Asari commandos brought to destroy the monastery. The daughter who has been attacked by the reaper cannibals tries to kill the other daughter and is knocked unconscious. More Reaper forces arrive and we have to take care of them.
Once we have taken care of them, the contaminated Asari sacrifices herself to save us, blowing up the many banshee that come.
Sammara follows the justicar code to the letter, which means that she should now kill her daughter. She would rather shoot herself than do this. I stop her, and her daughter tells her that she will stay at the monastery of her own free will. Sammara is ok with this, we get the chance to ask her to join us, I do, I am running out of friends and the Normandy is feeling empty.

Now we have to go back to the citadel to meet with the Asari council member.
I find her  in Udina's office, she knows about an artifact which is kept on Thessia, the Asari home-world. It seems that this artifact may be connected with the crucible weapon.

The Elcor ambassador asks us to help evacuate his people.

Mission 21
I head for Thessia to find the artifact, the planet is under Reaper attack as we arrive.
Liara's mother had something to do with the artifact, her mother was indoctrinated by the Reapers.
We land and help Asari hold a bridge that is under heavy attack. She won't help us until we tell her about the crucible and it's importance.
We are given time, by the sacrifice of the Asari troops to find our artifact.
we now move into the area of the temple, fighting through the cracked and bombed streets.
We aid a sniper and get a new sniper rifle. we call in air support, which is essentially a suicide mission for the dropships. Then have to fight our way into the temple.
A force field is closing off the door, we have to disable it.
Inside the temple we find many artifacts, a central statue is missing and two scientists are dead beside it. Shepherd feels a sensation she has felt before, she knows it is a Prothean device. It seems the Asari have been sitting on a cache of Prothean knowledge all along, it explains why their technology is so advanced.
We find connections that Shepherd can activate and have to check all the artifacts to activate the beacon.
Once it activates a Prothean a.i. appears and interacts with us.
It tell us that we can't ever stop the cycle, the cycle is part of a greater pattern, the Reapers do not control the cycles, they are as much a part of it as we are. The crucible has never been successfully deployed by any race. It is not a Protean design it dates back for many many cycles. The Prothean will help us and will interface with our tech and go to help build the crucible. It warns that indoctrinated organics have always found ways to disrupt the building of the crucible in every cycle. We now know that the illusive man is the manifestation of this in this cycle. He is obviously on the Reaper side.
Kai Leng shows up on cue and delivers a holographic of the illusive man. He tries to persuade us that the Reapers can be controlled.
Kai Leng attacks and we have to fight him, once he is defeated a cut scene kicks in and he uses a dropship to bomb the temple. Shepherd is knocked down a hole in the floor, Kai Leng takes the data from the Prothean archive and leaves in the dropship before we can get back up to fight him again. We see more Reapers arriving.

Shepherd is understandably down about this, the urge to hit Cerberus hard is now first and foremost. Traynor has a theory about where Cerberus might have their main base. We are going to investigate.

Mission 22
I go and investigate a communication hub.
Cerberus have attacked the communication hub, a civilian has survived and will help us as we retake the base.
We have an area in which there are three Cerberus hacking devices which must be disabled in order. Waves of Cerberus troops try and stop us.

Mission 23
I go to a planet called Horizon, here many refugees from other Reaper hit worlds have been congregating. A facility named Sanctuary has went offline. We here a garbled distress call from Miranda's sister Orianna.
We find the facility has been under attack, it seems that Reapers may have been fighting with Cerberus, which seems at odd with the idea that Cerberus are under Reaper control.
We enter the facility, which is huge, it seems that the immigrants have been being processed and given housing here. Though all may not be as it seems. It looks like the facility has been gathering people for Cerberus' own ends.
We find a water pump which drains a huge pool, revealing a secret base.
Reaper tech is found here, we see videos in a control room showing the refugees being turned into husks.
We find another monitor which shows that Orianna is disrupting the Illusive man's plans, Kai Leng is also here, after some more research data.
we fight some husks, then fight some Reaper forces.
They have a Reaper banshee trapped in a room.
It seems that the creation of husks has all been in the name of understanding the Reaper science. By replicating the process the Illusive man now knows an awful lot about how Reaper technology functions. The control of the husks he has developed can also be applied to Reaper forces. He now has a way of taking control of their armies. We see logs from Miranda's father talking about the next step being taking control of the Reapers themselves.
We Then see Kai Leng taking the data, trying to cover up the Cerberus atrocities.
It seems possible that the illusive man may still actually be human, that his desire to control the Reapers may be real.
We fight our way through heavy enemy presence to the elevator to the tower.
We find that Kai Leng has escaped with the data. Orianna's father has her hostage, I do a deal his data and Orianna for his life. I am given the chance to shoot him anyway, I don't take it.

We have managed to find the location of the Illusive man from the data recovered.

We are given the chance to back out of the mission. I go to my cabin and Traynor comes for another shower. Shepherd has the dream again, of chasing down the boy in the woods, with the ghostly black smoke figures. She sees herself go up in flames with the boy this time.
We are put out straight into the mission.

Mission 24
Edi wants to come with us, she says her knowledge of Cerberus will help, is this a trap, we aren't given any choice, which is strange.
A change to disc one again.
We fly into the battle and crash land in a hangar deck of the space station.
We fight the forces in the bay then have to get to a console to prevent them venting the bay. More enemies arrive, we are now trapped in the bay, all inner doors are sealed off. We rotate a fighter so that it is facing the rear of the bay and launch it. This makes a hole in the wall. An atlas comes through for us to fight.
We fight some more and then come to a data terminal. Edi suggest that the data might be interesting. We see past excerpts of our revival from the dead in Mass Effect 2.
Another set of fights, then into another room with more video logs, this one is some revelations about EDI, we find she was actually the rogue vi we incapacitated on the moon in the first game. We then see the illusive man and Kai Leng talking about past events.
we move into a large area and find that the human form Reaper from the end of Mass Effect 2 has been brought to the Illusive man's base as well.
We have to fight some heavy forces here. We then move up into a long sloping corridor and into the Illusive man's huge office. We are joined by the Illusive man,of course via hologram. As usual he is smug and tells us that he is done helping us and our goals have never matched. He wants to control the Reapers and thinks destroying them is a huge mistake. Edi managed to free the Prothean VI and the illusive man leaves.
The Prothean tell us that the citadel is the catalyst, the final part needed of the crucible. It uses the Mass relays to do it's work. The citadel was built by the Reapers, and the crucible uses it against them.
The Reapers have taken the citadel to Earth and are guarding it against us ever getting the crucible and citadel/catalyst together.
we now have a boss fight with Kai Leng. He is basically like a phantom with more health. When we wear him down he uses floor areas to recharge and heal. Once he is worn down he dies in cut scene. We speak to Anderson who has just witnessed the Citadel arrive in earth Orbit.

Back on the Normandy

Mission 25
I set the fleet on it's way to Earth for the final battle.
Admiral Hackett comes aboard and gives a speech to the massed fleets.
The plan is to keep the Reapers occupied in space with the fleets and land on the ground in London. There is a beam that takes harvested humans up to the citadel there. The idea is to use this beam to get up to the Citadel, open the arms and then the fleets will punch a hole in the Reapers long enough to dock the citadel and crucible. Once done the crucible can be activated.
We see the huge fleet head for Earth and engage the Reapers in space, it isn't pretty. The Reapers are clearly going to win. The Normandy slips through the carnage and down to London. On the way to the beam we are stopped by an anti aircraft gun, we need to land and take it out.
I have a hard fight on the streets up to the roof where a crashed shuttle has a heavy weapon we can use. We then target the reaper controlled AA gun and hit it. we then have to survive on the roof until a shuttle comes and extracts us.
We meet up with Anderson and self congratulate each other. we see the fight on the streets and it is heavy. We move through a staging area and meet Garrus and say goodbye. Same with Liara after shooting some husks with an emplaced gun. Liara gives us a vision of the galaxy from afar as a parting gift. Then we meet Wrex and finally, the Geth and Edi. We then talk to Anderson.
There are a lot of speeches and then finally on to the last mission.

Mission 26
This is essentially just a long trek through the London Street, with waves of every enemy type in large numbers.
A cut scene shows a Reaper taking out lots of our forces.
We come to a bunch of missile trucks and have to use the Normandy to aid targeting of the Reaper. We have to defend the Missile battery until it is ready to fire. Lots and lots of enemies come our way. Once done wee fire the missiles, however they miss.
We now have to do it again, which is feeling like cheap game lengthening by now.
More and more waves then finally we are told to fire the missiles. a cut scene shows the missiles taking down the reaper.

In cut scene we meet up with Anderson and start heading to the uplift beam.
The crucible is sent in towards the citadel.
We start running down a long slope towards the beam, a huge Reaper lands and starts shooting. We appear to get hit just as we get close. Now we are staggering towards the beam badly hurt. We have to shoot a few husks and a marauder before stepping into the beam.
Shepherd comes to in a room filled with lots of dead bodies and the citadel Keepers.
Anderson can be heard on the radio, he is also up here with us, though he has arrived in a different room.
I find Anderson in a gigantic control room. He appears to be struggling to move. The illusive man appears and seems to be exerting control over both of them. Shepherd aims her gun at Anderson against her will.
The Illusive man is now looking more cybernetic, with lines all over his face.
He continues his rant about controlling the reapers. I am given the chance to shoot the Illusive man and I take it. Anderson is badly injured.
We see the Crucible docking with the citadel.
Anderson dies sitting beside Shepherd. Shepherd is also badly injured.
Hackett comes over the radio and tells us that nothing is happening.
Shepherd seems to be bleeding to death, she crawls to a panel and is lifted higher into the mechanism of the crucible.
A translucent version of the child from her dreams appears to her. She asks what it is as it tells her that it is the crucible. The citadel is it's body. It tells her that the Reapers are it's solution to chaos. Synthetic life always rebels against organic life and destroys it utterly. To prevent this the reapers were made, they are made from the essence of higher life forms. This is a form of ascension, preserving the life form in a new Reaper form. Lower forms of life are left to prosper and rise, the example given is that humanity was spared in the last cycle, though is now a high enough form of life that harvesting and Reaper creation is needed. What happens to the synthetic life isn't mentioned, do the Geth for example get destroyed by the Reapers after each cycle?
The child gives us options, it tells us that we are the first to get this far and turn the citadel into this type of weapon.
I get two choices, to take control of the Reapers, though it will be posthumously. The second choice is to destroy all synthetic life including the Geth. I decide to destroy artificial life, both options seem wrong. Killing all artificial life after fighting for Geth rights throughout the game seems wrong. I sacrificed the Quarians for them after all. The second choice of controlling the Reapers seems to be heading down the road of the Illusive man. Would the reapers truly be under human control, or open to any race? Would the power that the Reapers infer not corrupt humanity into something dangerous?
The child created the Reapers, he kept the cycle going for many years, at the first sign of trouble he might restart the cycle. Killing synthetics also kills the child and it seems responsible for an awful lot of trouble in the name of keeping order.
An artificial version of survival of the fittest. This way at least if organics make new synthetic life and it ends up killing them all, then they did it their way. Organic life always evolves from random chemicals anyway, it would find a way.

The credits roll.

After the credits we see a scene of an alien world, a wintery forest with an alien sky.
A boy and a man are walking in the middle distance. The man has been telling stories of the Shepherd, the boy wants to hear another.

36 hrs
590 Achievements