Mass Effect Guide

This page contains a full walkthrough for the main missions of Mass Effect.

On the SSV Normandy
You begin the game as Commander Shepard, Executive Officer aboard the starship SSV Normandy, where you learn that you are traveling to the peaceful planet of Eden Prime for a shakedown run. Nihlus Kryik, an elite 'Spectre' agent working for the Citadel Council, is on board to oversee the mission. After a brief talk with Joker, the pilot, walk to the far end of the ship. On the way you can also talk to Navigator Pressly, Corporal Jenkins, and the ship's medic, Doctor Chakwas.

When you get to the communications room, you meet Nihlus. After a short conversation, Captain Anderson enters the room and informs you of the true nature of the mission, a covert pick-up of a recently-excavated Prothean Beacon. You also learn that you have been named as a candidate to become the first human Spectre, a vital step in humanity's expansion. Nihlus will be evaluating your performance, to make the final recommendation.

 Note:  This is the only point in the game at which you can get crucial dialogue for the Scholar achievement. You must ask Nihlus about the Protheans before leaving the Normandy for Eden Prime.

At this point, Joker alerts Anderson about a transmission that was just received. It is a distress call that shows a human squad on Eden Prime calling for help while coming under attack. After Nihlus leaves the ship alone to scout ahead, yourself and two squad members—Corporal Jenkins and Kaidan Alenko -- touch down on the planet to begin the mission.

Landing Zone and Dig Site
Head down to a small river and turn left (note a container can be found ahead to the right). The Gas Bags can't attack you, but you gain experience if you kill them (though they pop and cause toxic damage if you're too close). After moving forward for a bit, Jenkins is quickly killed by a small group of geth drones (If you are playing through a second time note that any items you equip him with will be lost after he dies). Take cover behind the rocks and pop out to take them down; use this opportunity to familiarise yourself with whatever weapon you're using. After taking the drones down, examine Jenkins' corpse for a short conversation with Kaidan, then continue on; at the top of the hill, some more drones will attack you. Take them down and proceed.

Eventually you will see Ashley Williams trying to escape from geth troopers after they impale a human. After killing the geth, you have a conversation with Ashley. She informs you that the geth ambushed them out of nowhere, she is the only surviving member of her squad, and that the beacon is nearby.

Look around to find a crate containing armor, an upgrade kit containing ammo upgrades, and a medical kit containing medi-gel. Head towards the beacon, where you'll encounter more geth troops. After disposing of them, investigate the dig site. Ashley says that the beacon has been moved and suggests checking the nearby research camp. Before leaving the dig site area, look for a crate containing weapons.

While approaching the camp, a Husk will be released from a dragon's tooth and attack you. Try to keep your distance from the Husks as much as possible, as their electrical attack does significant damage. After killing the Husks, find the upgrade kit containing weapons and armor. At the camp, find the door control and unlock it either with Decryption or omni-gel and enter the shed to meet Dr. Warren and Manuel. Afterwards, look inside the adjacent shed to find a crate containing a weapon, armor, and medi-gel.

Follow the path beside the sheds to trigger the next cutscene, which shows Nihlus unexpectedly encountering Saren, a fellow turian Spectre. The cutscene ends with Saren pointing his pistol at the unsuspecting Nihlus when his back is turned. As the game returns to your squad, you hear a gun shot. Proceed down the path, and you will see a ship taking off, followed by an attack by more Husks. Kill them. Hug the right side of the canyon and unlock the sealed shed. Three farmers will emerge; Cole will speak to you. If you have invested in either Charm or Intimidate, you can 'convince' him to part with some equipment, and perhaps acquire the name of his accomplice at the platform. Proceed forward where you will find the fallen Nihlus.

As you begin to investigate, an unarmed human approaches, initiating a conversation. He introduces himself as Powell and says he saw Nihlus killed by Saren, who left on a cargo train to the next platform, probably headed for the beacon. If you got his name from the farmers, you can confront him about the smuggling ring and Charm or Intimidate him for equipment.

Recover the Beacon
After the dialogue ends, more geth troops attack. Work your way to the train controls (use the map to find the location). Along the way, you will find a medical kit. Once you reach the controls, activate it to take the train to the next platform. You'll watch a cutscene in which Saren instructs a geth to set charges to destroy the colony. He then stands next to the beacon and begins to levitate.

When you reach the platform, you must disarm the four charges in less than five minutes, while being attacked by geth; each charge is marked on your map with a white flag. Look for crates and a locker containing equipment. After disarming the charges, fight your way to the west side of the cargo station and locate the beacon. Take a look over the railing nearby to see the destruction the geth ship wrought, then activate the beacon, which triggers a series of events.

One of your squadmates—Ashley if your character is male, Kaidan if your character is female—will be suddenly pulled towards the beacon, but you'll push him or her away, and end up being drawn in instead. You'll start to levitate, see several flashes of disturbing images, then fall to the ground unconscious as the beacon explodes.

The cutscene continues with Saren aboard his flagship, Sovereign, being informed by an asari matriarch that the colony was saved by a squad from the Normandy. He is also told that a human may have used the beacon, at which point he storms into a fit of anger, demanding this human be eliminated.

Recovery
You are woken by Doctor Chakwas aboard the Normandy. She informs you that you were unconscious for fifteen hours - you're physically unhurt, but she's been detecting strange brain activity, and increased rapid eye movement associated with intense dreaming. You have a chance to reassure or berate your squadmate—Ashley or Kaidan—before Captain Anderson enters and requests to talk with you privately about Saren. You and Anderson agree: you need to prove to the Citadel Council that Saren has gone rogue.

After the conversations end, go to the cockpit and talk to Joker, which initiates a nice cutscene of the Normandy docking at the Citadel. You then see a heated discussion between Ambassador Udina and the Citadel Council about the Eden Prime attack. After the Council ends the conversation, Udina briefly talks with you and Captain Anderson, then instructs your squad to meet him in the Citadel Tower, which you can find by following the arrow on the radar. On the way you can access the Avina terminal to learn more about the Presidium and get some background.

When you arrive, you'll witness an argument between a turian C-Sec agent, Garrus Vakarian, and Executor Pallin, his boss. Garrus will speak to you and explain he can't find any hard evidence against Saren, but he knows Saren is guilty. Proceed forward to the Council chambers, where the hearing is in progress. After a short debate, the Council denies the request to have Saren's Spectre status revoked.

Expose Saren
After the hearing, it is decided that you will have to find evidence to expose Saren and that Garrus, who has now left the Chambers, would be a good person to speak to. There are two leads to find Garrus or get information on Saren: Garrus might be found by speaking to another C-Sec officer named Harkin at Chora's Den in the Lower Wards, or Barla Von, an agent for the Shadow Broker, might know something about Saren's activities. Barla Von runs a business in the Financial District of the Presidium; it is found next to the hanar-run Emporium there. On your way out of the chambers, Ashley points out a salarian named Chorban who appears to be tampering with one of the keepers. If you speak to him you will be given the Citadel: Scan the Keepers assignment.

If you choose to speak to Harkin, make your way to Chora's Den in the Wards, either by using Citadel Rapid Transit or by walking. As you enter the corridor outside this sleazy club, you encounter two hostiles, likely Saren's men. Kill them and proceed into Chora's Den. As you approach Harkin, a short cutscene begins involving Urdnot Wrex and a krogan bouncer, if you have not already spoken to Barla Von. After the cutscene, talk to Harkin. Before he tells you where to find Garrus, he claims that Captain Anderson was the first human Spectre, but was kicked out after a failed mission, in which Anderson accused Saren of setting him up. Harkin then says that Garrus went to the Med Clinic in the Upper Wards to follow up a lead on Saren. On your way there, a reporter named Emily Wong will try to flag you down. If you speak to her you can acquire the Citadel: Reporter's Request assignment.

Proceed to the Med Clinic. As you enter, Dr. Chloe Michel is being threatened by a group of thugs. The thug holding Dr. Michel is distracted by your squad's entrance, giving Garrus an opportunity to shoot him. Your squad kills the rest of the gang. Once that is taken care of, talk to Garrus and Dr. Michel to find out that the thugs work for Fist. They wanted to stop her from telling Garrus about a wounded female quarian who offered to sell information to the Shadow Broker. Fist used to be an agent of the Shadow Broker but is now working for Saren, and is now about to meet the quarian. She has info linking Saren to the geth. You must now confront Fist. You also learn that the Shadow Broker has hired Wrex to take out Fist. At this point, Garrus joins you, and is now a selectable character you can add to your squad. Before leaving the Med Clinic, be sure to use the aid station on the wall if you're low on medi-gel.

Head to the C-Sec Academy, located in the Lower Wards. As you approach Wrex, he'll have a friendly chat with one of the C-Sec officers, then speak to you. A squadmate points out to him that Fist knows he's coming, and that they'd have a better chance working together. At this point, Wrex joins your squad.

If you choose to speak to Barla Von, events occur a bit differently. Barla Von tells you that Fist and Saren both betrayed the Shadow Broker, and so a krogan mercenary - Urdnot Wrex - was hired to eliminate Fist. He says that you can find Wrex at the C-Sec Academy. Head to the academy, and Wrex will tell you about the quarian who recently arrived. He will mention that Garrus was also working on the investigation, and suggest you speak to him as well. He'll tell you that you can find him at the Med Clinic, so head there. The same fight scene will play out, and after Dr. Michel is safe Garrus will join you.

Once you have Garrus and Wrex, head back to Chora's Den to take out Fist. Kill two groups of thugs, handle the warehouse workers as you want (kill them or 'encourage' them to leave) and proceed to Fist's office. Fist has two defence turrets installed: use cover to take them out. After the gunfight, Fist surrenders. He reveals that the quarian wanted to meet with the Shadow Broker, so he set up a trap and told her to meet at the alleyway behind the Upper Markets, where Saren's men would be waiting for her. If he is in the squad, Wrex kills Fist to complete his contract, regardless of whether you let Fist go or not.

Claim the Evidence
You now have four minutes to reach the meeting location and save the quarian. Another group of thugs are now in Chora's Den to slow you down. As you're walking down the alley toward the location, you see the quarian getting suspicious about Fist's absence; her turian contact then signals two salarian assassins. Kill the three assassins and talk to the quarian, whose name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. After the conversation, the squad takes Tali to the safety of Ambassador Udina's office.

Tali reveals her evidence against Saren, an audio recording of Saren discussing Eden Prime, saying the beacon will help him find 'the Conduit'. His asari accomplice can be heard saying it brings them a step closer to the return of the Reapers, a machine race worshipped by the geth. The talk ends with Udina and Anderson leaving for the Citadel Tower, and Tali joining your squad.

Return to the Council Chambers and talk to Captain Anderson. The audio evidence is played for the Council and they officially strip Saren of his Spectre status. The asari councilor says she recognises the other voice in the recording: Matriarch Benezia, a powerful asari biotic. Anderson mentions the Reapers, but the Council thinks this is just a legend Saren is using to manipulate the geth. The decision is made to make you a Spectre and send you after Saren. After the dialogue ends, the Spectre Training ability is unlocked. Ambassador Udina informs you that he will provide you with a ship and crew. Head to the C-Sec Academy and take the elevator to the Alliance Docking Bay to meet him.

Acquiring the Normandy
Once there, you learn that Captain Anderson is stepping down and handing command of the Normandy to you. If asked, he admits that he was a candidate to become the first human Spectre while on a mission with Saren 20 years ago, but that Saren made sure that he failed. Anderson tells you to concentrate on finding the Conduit before Saren does, and gives you several leads. The human colonies of Feros and Noveria have reported geth activity. Ambassador Udina also suggests that you track down Liara T'Soni, the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, who was last seen in the Artemis Tau cluster. After finishing the conversations, enter the Normandy where you'll need to give a rousing speech to your new crew (earning Paragon or Renegade points depending on whether you inspire or browbeat them).

At this point, it is up to you which mission to do next. You have three main choices: Feros, Noveria, or the Artemis Tau cluster. You can also choose to ignore them all and joyride around the galaxy for a while, gaining useful experience and credits.

When you're ready to head out into space, walk up the platform to the Galaxy Map to make your choice of destination. This is your first opportunity to experience the depth of Mass Effect by visiting one of the many worlds available to you. Quite soon you'll start receiving distress calls and requests from Alliance Command for assistance, and your journal will be overflowing with assignments. Several more side quests can be started simply by surveying the planets in the different systems. See Assignments for more information.

Artemis Tau Cluster
If you would like a strong biotic user with your party, and you aren't playing one yourself, this should be the first mission you head for from the Citadel because it unlocks the last squadmate, Liara T'Soni. It doesn't have to be your first mission, however, and you will watch an amusing debrief at the end of it if you complete Noveria, Feros, and Virmire before this.

Find Liara T'Soni - Surface
Liara T'Soni can be found within the Knossos system on the planet Therum. A cutscene will show the Mako airdrop from the Normandy, followed by Joker notifying you of some strange readings a few kilometers south. This serpentine path around the lava is fairly linear, so there are no fears about getting lost. However, be mindful that if you drive off the road onto the lava, you'll be killed instantly (though it is handy if you can knock enemies into it). Soon after you begin down the path, two Geth Armatures will be dropped in front of you by a geth ship. Continue up the road, engaging and destroying geth ground forces as you go. There are also two tunnels to traverse; the first is guarded by a Geth Colossus and several Geth Rocket Troopers. Eventually you'll encounter a gatehouse protected by three turrets. One of your teammates will shout that the enemy has tactical advantage here, and that you should seek an alternate route.

Just before the enemy gatehouse is a small narrow defile, leading off the main road to the right. Turn into this small path and it will lead you around to the side of the first locked gate, bypassing it altogether and feeding directly into the gate compound. It is defended by a single turret and geth infantry. Destroy the turret and drive into the gate compound, engaging enemy infantry as you go. After killing all the open ground enemies, check the Mako's radar screen. Locate the geth hidden inside the buildings. Carefully zoom in with your Mako main gun and fire it through the windows. After a few shots, you can kill all the geth lurking in ambush within the buildings.

Disembark from the Mako, loot the buildings and grounds of any containers, and open the second inner gate to continue your advance. There are intermittent geth forces, mostly more rocket troopers and Geth Armatures. Continue onwards to the end of the path, signaled by a road block with a narrow slit that makes it seem like you'll be forced to walk through it. You have two options here; the second option is highly recommended on higher difficultly levels.

Option 1: Look at the Mako's radar screen to get an idea of how geth forces are placed as your personal radar will be subjected to jamming once you disembark. Alight from the Mako and proceed on foot.

Option 2: Believe it or not, you can actually squeeze the Mako through that narrow slit. Approach the slit slowly, head-on. After the nose of the Mako comes in contact with the walls of the slit, push into it full throttle. After a few minutes of wiggling side-to-side at full throttle, you should be able to squeeze through into the area behind the slit.

You'll find that at the top of the rise are several geth troops. Quickly dispatch them, by hiding behind the rocky outcropping in the centre and shooting from cover. Head to the top of the rise and bear left. Seek cover immediately. Position your team on the right side of the entrance to the next area, whilst you remain on the left. Shoot all the visible geth from cover, whilst watching for the sneaky ones that rush straight at you. Eliminate the sniper opposite - or use AI Hacking to put him on your side and draw fire - and the rocket trooper behind him quickly. Then continue forward. Two geth will appear from up ahead; one is hiding up to the right. Eliminate them and move up the slope on the other side.

Head right up the slope, then head left at the top. This is a good place to save and regroup for the upcoming battle. Head towards the big structure ahead. When you get close enough, a Geth Hopper will bounce out of hiding, followed by the deployment of a Geth Armature with some shock troops thrown in for good measure. Head straight to cover. Dodge any red beams from the hoppers: these are your only warning that a sniper shot is about to massively damage your shields. Take everything down quickly then concentrate on the armature to finish things off. Once they're gone, you can rest, heal and reconfigure as needed, then head up the steps into the mine on the right.

Find Liara T'Soni - Underground
Head through the door, and follow the corridor along. Watch for the geth trooper showing up at the bottom of the corridor. Take him out, and continue towards the end. Take out the several geth that currently inhabit the catwalk below you. Follow the catwalk down to the lift and ride all the way to the bottom. Depart from the lift, and move slowly along the catwalk. Three drones appear from below, ahead of you. Destroy them, and head for the second lift. When the lift fails, jump out onto the platforms below, and continue down until you land on the stable catwalk, where you hear a voice. Look towards the Prothean structure, to see Liara T'Soni herself. Walk towards her to initiate a conversation. Answer as you see fit, and obtain as much information as you need. Ultimately, she is trapped, and needs you to find a way in. She also warns of more geth and a krogan also attempting to reach her.

Once the conversation ends, turn around but stay still. If you have a sniper rifle, take out the geth on the opposite side of the chasm. Two more approach from nearby. Take them all down, then go down the catwalk to the rocky floor. Head to the back of the chasm for a couple of lockers. Once you have what you need, head back to the mining laser controls. Press A to enter the code. The code is A X B Y. (Note: On the PC version, the puzzle is different, requiring you to enter a five step code by the process of elimination. It can easily be cracked with the use of a pencil and a piece of paper.)

The mining laser blasts a hole for you to use in order to access the Prothean structure. Follow the path down and into the centre of the tower. Head up to the button and press A to reach Liara's level. Approach her, answer as you wish, and Liara agrees to accompany you. There is then an earthquake; the ruins are collapsing due to the mining laser's operation. You order Joker to get the Normandy en route, and then the lift rises.

When you reach the top, you find yourself face to face with a krogan battlemaster and his geth escort. No matter what course you take the conversation, you will have to fight him. However, if you first ask what he wants (which should be obvious), you will actually gain experience and credits from the conversation. The ensuing battle can be surprisingly difficult on hardcore and up if you started a new character, though the fight is much easier if your character is at least level 30. The best way to handle it is to blitz the sniper and lay him out with a pistol whip while simultaneously disposing of the geth rocket trooper. You need not worry about the krogan or shock troopers yet, because they will always seek cover during the opening salvos before attacking. Once you have then dealt with the shock troopers, you can concentrate your full attention on the battlemaster, who is more difficult than the rest of them combined. Try to keep an obstacle between you and him at all times, hitting him with all of the abilities and attacks your party can muster when he attempts to pursue you. Once the krogan and geth fall, a cutscene takes over showing you and your team running out of the ruins and towards the outside where the Normandy is waiting for you.

Epilogue
Joker jokes about nearly wrecking the ship. Liara explains about the 'cycle of extinction' and what little she knows about the Conduit. Come the end of the conversation, she will join the crew and your team is complete. You can speak to the Council to give them a report.

Noveria
Noveria is a frozen world owned and operated by corporations doing not-quite-legal research. When the Normandy approaches unexpectedly, you're told to "state your business" as their defense grid is armed and tracking you. On exiting the Normandy at Port Hanshan, your approach is challenged by armed guards. Captain Maeko Matsuo orders Kaira Stirling to secure your weapons. The squad is prepared to fight - your responses earn Paragon or Renegade points.

Whatever your choice, eventually Gianna Parasini - over a loud speaker - will tell Captain Matsuo to stand down: Spectres can carry weapons here. Enter the facility and go up the stairs; when the weapon detector alarms trigger, Parasini will address you from the kiosk at the top. Speak with her to find out that Matriarch Benezia recently arrived, and went to one of the research stations, Peak 15. You'll need a garage pass from Parasini's boss, Administrator Anoleis, to leave Port Hanshan. If you've already done the Liara T'Soni mission and she is not in your party, a squadmate will suggest bringing her along. It doesn't matter if you do or not, as the only difference is a few modified dialogue choices that don't affect gameplay.

Take the elevator up, go left down the stairs, and look for Administrator Anoleis' office. He refuses to give you a garage pass, and claims Peak 15 is currently inaccessible due to bad weather. He can grudgingly tell you a bit more about Saren, Benezia, and Peak 15. On the way out of Anoleis' office, Parasini will whisper that he isn't the only one with a pass to leave Hanshan.

Getting a Garage Pass
Since Port Hanshan is a cesspool of corporate intrigue, there are several ways to acquire a garage pass and continue your mission. If you stopped at the shop before speaking to Anoleis, you were probably asked to smuggle a package for the shopkeeper, Opold. If you accepted his request, you will find the package on the gangway by the Normandy. Depending on your negotiation skills, you can give the package to the shopkeep for up to 500 credits, or to his client, a krogan called Inamorda for up to 750 credits, or turn the package in as criminal evidence to Anoleis for a garage pass, some credits, and possibly keep the upgrade itself. (See Noveria: Smuggling for other details.)

If you have already finished the smuggling assignment or don't want to turn in the shopkeep, you'll have to do a bit more work. On your way out of the administrator's office, Parasini, will tell you about a certain turian, Lorik Qui'in, who could help you. Leave their office, walk across to the other side of the promenade, and take the elevator to the mezzanine level. When you arrive, you have the option of accepting a side quest from an asari, Mallene Calis. Otherwise, turn right and go up to the second floor. Inamorda, the krogan mercenary intending to receive the smuggled package, is also on the walkway just behind the salarian. Further down the walkway is a room with a decrypt terminal to get a message about a scientist in danger within the Newton system, and a console to disable the security system for Synthetic Insights' offices.

Now go back downstairs and talk to Lorik Qui'in, the manager of Synthetic Insights. He'll tell you he has evidence Anoleis is corrupt, but Anoleis turned it around and accused Qui'in of being corrupt himself. Anoleis had Qui'in locked out of his offices, and has been paying some of the Noveria guards behind Captain Matsuo's back; they are now illegally ransacking Synthetic Insights in an attempt to find Qui'in's evidence. Qui'in agrees to give you his garage pass and some credits if you can recover the evidence, so agree to help him.

Leave the mezzanine level; return to the main concourse and make your way towards the garage area immediately next door. Just before going up the garage stairs is the Synthetic Insights elevator. Upon your arrival upstairs, you will be challenged by several guards at the door to state your purpose. Tell them that what they're doing is illegal and convince them to leave, or kill them; your choice will be reflected in either Paragon or Renegade points. The remaining guards however, will attack regardless of this choice.

After battling them, loot any containers, and acquire an assignment from a computer in a back room. Go up to the second floor and towards Qui'in's office (at the end of the long overpass walkway). After gaining the evidence from Qui'in's desk computer, you'll be confronted by Kaira Stirling when you leave. She and her guards will attack you, so you have to kill them all. Go down the elevator, and you'll meet Anoleis's assistant Parasini, who asks to talk to you privately at the hotel bar.

Depending upon whom you want to help, you can either deliver the evidence to Anoleis or go to the bar to speak with Parasini at this point. If you go to the bar, Parasini will tell you that she is an undercover agent for the NDC investigating Anoleis, and ask you to get Qui'in to testify. She can also tell you that Peak 15 sent a Code Omega (containment breach) soon after the Matriarch left. You don't have to get Qui'in to testify to get the garage pass, and can simply give him his evidence. If you do convince him—using Charm or Intimidate for 25 Paragon or Renegade points—go to Anoleis's office, talk to Parasini, and tell her that you got Qui'in to testify. Parasini will give you the garage pass, then leave to arrest Anoleis. You'll see a cutscene with her dragging off Anoleis, him telling you to arrest "that bitch" as he passes you.

If you prefer to give the evidence to Anoleis, simply return to his office and tell him that you have it. You can quickly cut a deal for it, and in exchange for handing it over to him he gives you the garage pass and some credits. If you have a high enough Charm or Intimidate, you can keep the evidence for yourself but you get no credits in this case. This allows you to leave his office and give the evidence to Parasini and watch the administrator get hauled off, right after you blackmailed him. You also get XP for both events.

If you really don't like Anoleis or Parasini, you have another option. Speak to Parasini at the bar to find out that she's investigating the administrator, and then return to Anoleis. Let him know that she's investigating him, and he will ask you to leave while he speaks to her. You'll watch a cutscene where he confronts her, and then hear gunshots from off camera. You'll enter the room to find them both dead, and you can loot a garage pass from Anoleis's body. Immediately after you do security will arrive, and you can answer their questions as you like. Eventually they leave you to your business. If you return to Lorik Qui'in after this, he won't want his evidence anymore as there's no more need for it. You can Charm or Intimidate him to get him to compensate you 250 credits anyway.

 Note:  If you're simply interested in gaining maximum XP, hold onto the smuggling package until you have retrieved the evidence for Qui'in. Inform Opold that you're keeping the package, then return to Anoleis and give it to him. Kill the krogan and his lackeys, then deal with the SI evidence as you like.

Aleutsk Valley
There is little else to do here now. Go to the garage area. The guard at the garage will ask for your pass, and after she confirms it you're free to enter. Inside the garage you'll be ambushed by two Geth Destroyers and some hoppers. You can easily unlock the vehicle next to you (an M29 Grizzly) if you have trouble. It won't move but acts as a turret. The Grizzly's gun is great for killing the destroyers, but is a real chore to use against the hoppers. You may have an easier time of engaging the hoppers on foot after the destroyers have been dealt with. The guards will show up after the battle and Captain Matsuo will wonder how the geth got there, before rushing back to their stations. Loot the containers and board the waiting Mako at the far end of the garage.

You now have a long drive towards Peak 15; watch the edge of the road, as falling off will kill you instantly. The road is also guarded by geth, mostly Geth Shock Troopers and rocket troopers, with an Armature added in. There are also discarded containers (usually next to destroyed vehicles) along the way with useful equipment. You will find rocket turrets as you get nearer to Peak 15. Eventually, you'll reach a building with a partly blocked garaged door. Alight from the Mako and enter the building from the pedestrian entrance just to the left.

Peak 15 and Central Station
As soon as you enter the garage room with the ramp, the door behind you will lock and you will be set upon by geth and krogan. The Geth Juggernaut is very strongly shielded and has ample health points (as well as a repair drone attached to it). Moving while returning fire makes it easier to kill as you can avoid its rockets. The krogan are also dangerously hardy. They're deceptively knocked down after intense fire, only to get back up and charge you when you least expect it; requiring that you to kill them a "second" time. If tactically feasible you can continue to shoot them while they're on the ground to ensure that they don't rise again, or use Warp and Neural Shock. You should quickly dispatch them at a distance because their melee attacks are deadly.

After the garage battle, continue on to the decontamination chamber—noting the inward facing turrets. You will hear automated warnings that main power and the station's virtual intelligence are offline. Ride the elevator up, and you'll eventually enter a large dining facility, guarded by a few geth. After killing the geth, you'll hear ominous noises and see that the geth aren't the only enemies at Peak 15: a moment later you'll be attacked by rachni workers and soldiers. There will be several containers and a few rachni ambushes in the various rooms along the corridor, so mind the vents.

Continue moving forward, up the elevator, and you will enter a room with three doors, Central Station. Eliminate the few rachni workers that will rush at you, or hit the fire containment system next to them. Immediately as you enter this room with three doors, look to the power junction to your left and turn it on. You will not be able to enter any of the doors until you supply power to the VI core. Go to the large circular computer core room in the rear, walk to the back, activate the core entry and drop down into the core.

You can now reinitialize the VI manually, or use 100 units of omni-gel. Manually reinitializing the core begins a mini game (known as the 'Tower of Hanoi'). To complete it you must get all of the blue glowing blocks into either the yellow Y or B column, but a larger blue glowing block cannot be placed into a column, if it already has a blue glowing block in it smaller than itself.

The VI can be manually reinitialized with the following key sequence:
 * X Y, X B, Y B, X Y, B X, B Y, X Y, X B, Y B, Y X, B X, Y B, X Y, X B, Y B
 * PC version: Column 1 to 2, 1 3, 2 3, 1 2, 3 1, 3 2, 1 2, 1 3, 2 3, 2 1, 3 1, 2 3, 1 2, 1 3, 2 3

Once the VI reinitializes, it will introduce itself as Mira. She tells you that Matriarch Benezia is at Rift Station, Peak 15's lab and habitation area. Rift Station is currently inaccessible. Mira gives you a list of three errors that need to be remedied before you can reach it:
 * 1) Reconnecting the landlines on the roof to restore Mira's full functionality,
 * 2) Getting the reactor core back online by fixing the helium-3 fuel lines, and
 * 3) Clearing the tram's decontamination chamber of loose "contaminants".

Exit the core and go through the door directly behind you, up the elevator to the roof. Kill the rachni and reconnect the cables. At this point you can also activate the nearby Mira terminal, and get more information on Rift Station, including the fact that there are survivors there.

Return to Central Station, but be careful: each time you complete a task and pass through this room, a rachni ambush will occur. Next, take the elevator up to the reactor core. Kill the geth here (be careful of a Geth Juggernaut on the level above you when you go through the door on your right) and restore power by reconnecting the helium-3 lines, located at the center of the middle walkway. The second floor of this area has several containers worth exploring. Go back to Central Station, kill another rachni, and finally enter the corridor to the tramway.

There are several rachni in the decontamination chamber. You can activate the plasma purge (this provides the most XP of all options, but requires a high Electronics skill) or activate the Mira terminal nearby to open the door and engage the rachni. Alternatively, you can also decrypt the lock to the chamber and open the door yourself. After passing through decontamination, you'll enter the tramway platform where you'll find the tram to transport you to Rift Station.

Rift Station
Arriving on the Rift Station platform, you will have access to only one area (doors with the bunk symbol), where you will meet a security contingent led by a Captain Ventralis. After a brief conversation, rachni will suddenly rush the room. After you've killed them, you can continue your conversation with the captain. He says that Matriarch Benezia went to the hot labs to fight the rachni, and he assumes she's still there. He will now give you access to the secured elevator that you just passed (door with flaming flask) that will take you down to the hot lab. At this point you can go immediately to the hot labs (see below), or go past the guards into the scientists' quarters and help the trapped science team, which is probably the better option as it allows you access to a merchant and a side quest.

In the main room behind the guards, you'll find several scientists and more guards. An elcor, Petozi, in the middle of this room acts as a merchant. To the left of the medical bay tunnel, is a rude asari scientist, Alestia Iallis. In the back is a salarian scientist, Dr. Palon, suffering from post traumatic stress, and a guard standing in front of a restricted area tunnel and locked door. (If you decrypt this door, all the guards throughout the entire level will immediately become hostile to you.) To the right is another guard in front of a bunkroom with some obtainable supplies. To the left is a tunnel leading to another large room with locked access to the maintenance area and a small lab under quarantine lockdown. In this second large room is Han Olar, a volus scientist who will reveal that Binary Helix, the company working here, found a rachni egg in a drifting, derelict ship and brought it here to hatch it.

In the medical bay, you will find Dr. Zev Cohen, treating fellow scientists who are succumbing to a deadly toxin. He tells you that a cure may be available but that the particular lab has been locked down by the security team. If you talk to Captain Ventralis back at the entrance, he will allow you access into the contaminated lab to try making a cure. Upon entry, search the room first for supplies, then mix the cure by following the research notes.

You'll then be attacked by Alestia Iallis - an undercover asari commando - and her squad of geth. After you kill them, Han Olar will tell you that they came in from the maintenance tunnel. Return to the med bay with the cure, and you can talk Dr Cohen into giving you his access pass to enter the maintenance tunnel. This method allows you access to Benezia without killing any guards. There is a single rachni guarding the tunnel, which eventually leads to a common anteroom before the final room with Benezia. Telling Captain Ventralis that you were attacked by the asari elicits his sympathy but doesn't change anything.

If you prefer a more straightforward path, you can choose to decrypt the door of the restricted area. This will also occur if you entered the lower level area through maintenance (avoiding the confrontation with the guards) and took the other elevator back up. However, thereafter all the guards will attack you, forcing you to kill them all and denying you further access to the merchant or any of the dialogue and assignments here. This restricted area is filled with enemies, but will lead to an elevator that eventually takes you into the same common pre-Benezia anteroom as if you had gone through the maintenance access corridor. If you had entered the restricted labs through maintenance instead but take this elevator back up into the main room, the guards there will now attack you.

However you get there, once you find the containment lab where Benezia is waiting, you cannot return to Rift Station.

Matriarch Benezia
Benezia is standing near a containment pod holding the Rachni Queen, saying the rachni were meant to hunt and slay Saren's enemies. If Liara is in your team, she tries to talk to her mother but Benezia's not listening. After a brief conversation, Benezia will attack you. She gets assistance from geth and asari commandos in three separate waves, and after each wave her power will diminish.

 Note:  The battle against Benezia and the commandos is perhaps the most glitch-infested part of Mass Effect. Due to the physics engine, when Shepard is hit with certain biotic attacks, the commander's limbs may become stuck in crates, walls, or flooring. When this occurs, accessing the pause menu, bumper menus, or participating in combat becomes impossible. Saving before the battle is strongly recommended. However, if your allies are leveled high enough and have good weapons, then you can tell them where to go with the D-Pad, and they might be able to drain Benezia's power. After the cutscene, you are back up and ready to fight the next battle. Another way to prevent this is to avoid being hit by biotic powers which knock you down at all costs, as it may cause this glitch following the next cutscene. Staying on the upper levels for combat is a good location for this.

During the fight, Benezia will stand on the central platform and will not move from there. But she has very powerful biotic attacks and care should be taken to avoid being in her line of fire; she can knock you over or put you into Stasis. She is also armed with a pistol so even if her biotic attacks are knocked out, she can still attack you, and on higher difficulty levels this can kill you very quickly unless you hit her with Damping or Sabotage. If you fight your way into an area shielded from her view (behind the rachni container), she can no longer harm you.

After killing all of her commandos from the second wave, Benezia will falter and you will have another conversation with her; in a moment of lucidity, she tells you about her unwilling indoctrination and gives you the coordinates of the Mu Relay, though she has already transmitted them to Saren. Then as she is no longer able to suppress Saren's influence any further, her demeanor will harden, and she will attack you again, with a final wave of commandos to aid her. However, as she is already severely weakened at this point, you can incapacitate her easily, and then kill any remaining commandos thereafter.

Once Benezia is dead, approach the containment pod, and you will have a conversation - using a dying commando as a 'translator' - with the Rachni Queen. She will reveal to you that her offspring, raised without the benefit of her guidance, have been driven mad by fear and should be destroyed. You're then given a choice: hit the fail-safes to dissolve the Queen in acid, dooming the rachni to extinction, or let her escape with a promise that she will not attack other races again. This gives you Paragon / Renegade points. The back door tunnel which Benezia's summoned commandos appeared from will lead you directly back to the tram platform. You can no longer gain entry into Rift Station.

If you cleared the hot labs before approaching Benezia, you will find Captain Ventralis and his men waiting for you in the central area when you return. He will tell you he has orders from Benezia, and turn hostile. You can fight your way through this room and then the restricted area to reach Benezia. Alternatively you can take the elevator down to quarantine where will see the volus scientist Han Olar held at gunpoint by an asari commando. Kill her and her guards, then talk to Han Olar; he will tell you that Benezia had expected you to be killed down in the hot labs. Behind him is the maintenance tunnel, which can also reach Benezia. Benezia is dealt with the same way after either path.

Since you can't go back, leave the only way possible. You will find yourself in the tram station, unable to reenter the science station labs or barracks.

Hot Labs
 Note:  Completing the hot labs before facing Matriarch Benezia will result in the survivors and guards attacking you as if you had decrypted the Rift Station door.

The events in the hot labs will play out the same way whether you visit before or after facing Benezia. Once you enter, you will be unable to leave until you have completed the events here. When you arrive, you will find a surviving scientist, Yaroslev Tartakovsky. He explains that Binary Helix had found a derelict ship adrift for thousands of years; inside they found rachni eggs in cryogenic suspension. The eggs were brought back with a plan to clone the rachni and mass-produce an army. But Binary Helix found that the first egg they hatched was a queen. After she laid the eggs, they isolated the brood in an attempt to raise the hatchlings to be obedient only to them, but the rachni became uncontrollable. Tartakovsky suggests that they should be euthanized by setting off the lab's neutron purge.

Once you agree to set off the neutron purge, a rachni soldier will appear and kill him. Once you've put it down, retrieve the activation code from his body and go into the room in the back. Speak to Mira and activate the neutron purge. Many rachni will appear on your radar in the main room. Kill them within the allotted time limit or just run past them. Activate the elevator to get out. You'll hear the neutron purge going off below you.

After defeating Benezia, dealing with the Rachni Queen, and activating the neutron purge in the hot labs, board the tram back to the main station. The scene will cut to the comm room aboard the Normandy.

Epilogue
At the debriefing Ashley suggests heading through the Mu Relay, but there's no point: there's no info on where to go from there. You can report back to the Council, who are horrified that there were rachni on Noveria, and discuss what you chose to do with the Rachni Queen.

The Normandy is still in dock at Noveria; if you wish, you can leave the ship for an interesting conversation with Maeko Matsuo, the chance to squeeze a few more credits out of Administrator Anoleis (if you left him in office) and some last-minute shopping.

Feros
Feros is a planet on which a human colony, Zhu's Hope, has been built on the ruins of an ancient Prothean metropolis. The colony, sponsored by ExoGeni Corporation, has been suffering repeated geth attacks.

 Note:  It is inadvisable to attempt this mission around level 35 due to the inability to leave Feros after the mission is fully underway. The rapid experience gain and lack of items from later enemies cause many weapon upgrades from tier VII that drop between levels 37-42 to be missed.

As you exit the Normandy at Zhu's Hope, walk towards David Al Talaqani. After he tells you about the geth attacking, and that the colony leader Fai Dan wants to speak with you, he'll be shot by a squad of geth. Kill them and proceed down the corridor, which triggers a short cutscene showing a Geth Hopper moving around. Dispose of the hoppers and continue up.

Zhu's Hope
You will encounter a group of human colonists. If you wish, you can receive the assignment Investigate Shipments by decrypting the terminal located inside the Borealis (the nearby crashed freighter). Proceed to Fai Dan - marked on your map - and talk to him. During the conversation, the geth interrupt with another attack. Kill them all, and pursue them up the stairs and into their drop point. A Geth Dropship is over the top of the tower, dropping reinforcements; after the first wave it will release drones, then shock troopers and a Geth Destroyer. After you have killed all the geth here and the dropship has left, return to Fai Dan.

At this point you have the opportunity to speak to the colonists and help them out. There are several major problems the colonists need help with: restoring water, finding food, restoring power, and eliminating a geth outpost. You can speak with several colonists to acquire these assignments now, or charge ahead and find them as you go along. Thankfully, all of these are completed in the same area and are fairly quick. If you are pursuing a strictly Renegade path, you will want to assist them now, as you may be unable to complete their assignments later. Even if you're not a Renegade, it's possible that you will be unable to complete some or all of these assignments later, so you should help them now if you plan to. If you don't want to help them, simply climb the tower beyond Fai Dan and take the now active elevator.

If you want to help the colonists, climb the tower past Fai Dan and pass the elevator. Follow the path downwards, killing geth as you go. Before long, you'll see a water valve in a tight geth-filled corridor. Opening the valve will unlock Feros: Water Restoration if you didn't get it from Macha Doyle; you will need to find two more valves in this and the next corridor to restore their water. At the end of the first corridor, you can take a bridge to the other side, or continue on. The bridge leads to the geth outpost. Kill the geth in the entry, and then kill the krogan warriors who come out and attack. Open the upgrade kit behind one of the short walls. Proceed to the transmitter and open the technician kit next to it, then destroy the transmitter. Head back out and clear out the geth in the north end of the tunnels, where you will find the last of the water valves.

At the end of the tunnel, you will find a disturbed colonist named Ian Newstead who keeps screaming and laughing. If you offer to help him, a squad of geth will attack. While down here, you will want to go through the door to the collapsed highway, where you'll be greeted by a pack of varren. When you kill the rabid alpha varren, you'll unlock Feros: Varren Meat if you haven't already received it. Get the equipment and upgrades from the sludge canister and the malfunctioning object. Then remove the power cells from the disabled vehicle, which unlocks Feros: Power Cells. On your way out, the corridors will be restocked with geth for you to kill. Return to the colony, and inform the relevant people that you have completed their tasks. If you met Ian Newstead down in the tunnel, you can ask Fai Dan about Ian and suggest that he be medicated for some Paragon points. When you're done, climb the tower beyond Fai Dan and take the elevator.

The Skyway Hideout and the Geth Base
Ride the elevator up to the garage, destroy a scouting geth drone, then board the Mako. Drive out of the garage down the linear Skyway, eliminating Geth Armatures and smaller geth as they appear. Be careful not to drive over the edge, as you will be treated to a spectacular, but fatal, drop. On the Skyway, you will hear radio transmissions while you drive. The first set of these refers to the under-road chambers that you can explore for more geth or loot boxes. Eventually you will reach an enclosed ramp, and hear transmissions from other colony survivors. You can park the Mako near the ramp to their hiding place, and talk with the survivors if you'd like (one has a side quest), but it isn't necessary.

If you choose to stop at the Skyway hideout, you'll be introduced to the ranking ExoGeni representative, Ethan Jeong, and a concerned ExoGeni employee, Juliana Baynham. During the conversation you'll discover that they have had no contact with Zhu's Hope since the attacks, and that Juliana's daughter Lizbeth went missing during the attack. Lizbeth is likely still within the ExoGeni facility. Juliana will ask you to find her daughter and help her if you can; Ethan's more concerned about ExoGeni property. You can also speak to Gavin Hossle to acquire the Feros: Data Recovery assignment while you are here.

Proceed up the ramp and out onto the next section of the Skyway. You will encounter more geth, and there will be another under-road chamber that you can explore for supplies. Eventually, you will pass through a double set of gates and need to continue on foot. The chamber beyond contains several geth, including more radar jamming Geth Hoppers; you can kill some of them from the safety of the Mako if you fire through the opening. Using the area blast effect of the Mako's main gun, ridding the area of geth is relatively easy. Eliminate them, enter the chamber, and climb the ramp to your left.

From here you will see several pathways. You can hack the door on your right if you'd like to fight a Geth Armature on foot and in close quarters (it will be near a 'malfunctioning object' crate; occasionally killing the Armature first and then opening the object will cause the Armature to revive). The entrance to your left will be blocked by an energy field, and there is no way to disable it from your current location. Lastly, you can drop down a floor into the basement and continue from there. You will be warned by your teammates that it looks like a one way trip, but since there's no other way to advance, hop down when you're ready. Follow the tunnel into another collapsed area, and you'll be shot at by Lizbeth Baynham. She will tell you that the geth ship attached to the building is powering those energy fields. She thinks the geth might be looking for 'the Thorian', and gives you her ExoGeni ID so that you can access the facility. After the conversation, you'll be attacked by varren. Kill them, and enter the door on the far side of the roadway.

Enter and go up the stairs, listening to a krogan trying to intimidate the ExoGeni VI into giving out privileged information. As you turn the final corner the VI will ask the krogan to step aside as a line is forming behind him for the console. The stressed-out krogan will then attack you.

After getting rid of the krogan, speak to the VI. Lizbeth's ID makes the VI address you as 'Lizbeth', allowing you her level of security clearance. It will answer all your question about the Thorian research. You'll learn that the Thorian is a sentient plant with mind control capabilities, living underneath Zhu's Hope. It goes on to say that the colony was used as a test group to watch and study these mind control effects (explaining the colonists' odd behavior). You'll also try to contact Joker to warn him, but the energy fields are interfering.

From here you'll continue to clear the facility. You'll notice that the geth ship simply anchored itself onto the building with extended claws, powering the shields. You will have to deal with the ship to disable the fields, but aren't carrying enough ordnance to damage the claws. You need another option. When you enter the next room, you will be on an elevated walkway. Below you are two geth engaged in something resembling prayer, kneeling before some sort of altar. Engage them from your higher vantage point. Thereafter, you need to drop down into the room, knowing that you won't be able to go back up. You can examine their altar but can't do anything with it.

Continue from here into a larger room with several geth and three exits. In the middle is the forcefield-blocked exit. To the right is a set of stairs that lead up to a narrow room; this contains the data terminal that you need to access if you accepted the Feros: Data Recovery assignment. It is guarded by several krogan mercenaries you must fight in close quarters. To your left is a set of stairs that leads up to a shuttle bay. The shuttle bay will have numerous geth for you to eliminate. After you have done so, climb up to the catwalk on the right side of the room, where there are additional geth. After they're dead, examine the shuttle bay controls on the far side. Apparently, the shuttle bay doors are misbehaving, and can be made to close more strongly than normal.

Select the door pressure by adjusting the controls immediately to the left of the interface. A bar will appear on screen, with arrows indicating the range of pressure you need to stay within. Click on the panels to the left until the cumulative pressure is correct, and then activate the bay doors. One correct PSI combination is 11, 17, and 5.

The doors will slam shut, slicing through one of the ship's claws. The missing claw will initiate a cascade of anchorage point failures and the ship will fall to the city below. As soon as it's done, Joker will contact you, letting you know that the colonists are attacking the ship. Respond as you like, collect all of the items in the area, head back downstairs to the large room, and go through the now-unblocked center pathway. When you reach the end of it, you'll find Lizbeth waiting. After confronting her about what she really knew about the Thorian, she'll join you for the trip back. Get in the Mako, head back towards the survivor hideout, and eliminate the geth reinforcements that block your path. As you get closer, you will hear a distress call from Juliana Baynham. Lizbeth will implore you to "stop the rover"; she'll jump out of the Mako and run down the ramp to the survivors' hideout. Follow her inside.

Another cut scene will show an emotional Juliana being subdued by ExoGeni security as an armed Ethan Jeong argues with her. Lizbeth, upon seeing this, charges forward from the shadows demanding that they release her mother; Ethan commands you and your team step forward. Ethan will state that upon reestablishing contact with ExoGeni (since the forcefields are no longer blocking communications) he was instructed to purge the colony to cover up what they've done. He was hoping the geth would kill you, but now he's starting to panic. If your Charm skill is high enough, you can convince him that the situation can be turned into a brilliant PR event with no need to hurt the colonists. If your Intimidate skill is high enough, you can ask him to calculate the probable outcome of a gunfight between a bean counter like himself and a Spectre, allowing him to realize that he must back down. Finally, you can just kill him. If you do, your squadmates ensure Jeong's security personnel consider their options, and stand down.

After dealing with Ethan Jeong, Juliana and Lizbeth begin worrying about the colonists. They devise a mild nerve gas that can be used in your grenades to render the infected colonists unconscious. You must equip this as your grenade upgrade for it to work. After acquiring the gas, it's time to deal with the colonists directly. You can also complete the data recovery assignment while you're here if you have the data. Otherwise, board the Mako and return to Zhu's Hope, looking out for the Geth Armatures and Geth Juggernauts on the Skyway.

Assault on Zhu's Hope
When you approach the colony, a short cut scene will introduce you to your very first Thorian Creeper. You have to now fight your way back down into the Zhu's Hope colony. You'll get a chance to issue orders to your squad as to whether they're to hurt the colonists or not. If you accepted the Anti-Thorian modification from Juliana Baynham, you can use gas grenades to subdue the colonists. Since the gas mods uses up your available stock of grenades, it may be difficult to save all of the colonists if you haven't been purchasing the grenade stock upgrades. However, it is also possible to knock out colonists in close melee combat without killing them (just run up to each and pistol whip them).

 Note:  the Thorian Creepers will not have names, but all the colonists are named on your HUD. Each colonist that dies will give you 2 Renegade points, each colonist that lives will give you 2 Paragon points. If you kill one of the colonists offering an assignment, you will be unable to complete that assignment if you haven't already done so. You can kill Thorian Creepers without consequence and your squad will fire upon them regardless, but your squad will also fire upon any colonist allowed to close with and attack them. If a colonist begins beating on one of your team members, you have to disable them quickly (gas grenade or melee) or else your team member will defend themselves. Alternatively, you can detail your team to hold in a position where they'll be out of the line of fire, and go it alone if you're able. If you run out of grenades, you can get another supply of five grenades from a tech kit located on the floor exactly in the spot where Fai Dan was standing when you first met him. If you don't collect these grenades during this action, the tech box will disappear later on.

After you killed all the Thorian Creepers and have subdued (or killed) the colonists, activate the crane near the crashed freighter, revealing an underground entrance. An armed Fai Dan will start walking towards you. He resists the Thorian's mental commands for him to shoot you by killing himself instead.

The Thorian
Go down into the underground entrance to the Thorian's lair; once you enter, you cannot leave again. Entering the main atrium you will see a breathtakingly huge plant organism, the Thorian. An Asari Clone will be extruded from the Thorian and speak with you, calling you an invader. It says that Saren made a trade with it for information about "those who are gone", but that now Saren has betrayed it, the Thorian no longer trusts "those that scurry" and will not listen to you.

Hence you cannot avoid fighting the Thorian. The clone, which bears the same biotic skills as her original, will attack you with her biotics or shotgun. After dealing with her and a few nearby Creepers, look carefully at your weapons radar. If you see red enemy targets, position your team in a safe place with a good long field of fire. Then start shooting. The noise will attract any wakened Creepers; wait until they come into range and engage. After clearing out a few of these Creeper squads, advance up a fairly linear path to kill the Thorian Nodes attached to the walls. You'll encounter these targetable Thorian Nodes along the way, with hibernating Creeper squads in attendance. The Creepers cannot be engaged unless they're awake. You can wake them by either shooting at a nearby Thorian Node or at the Thorian itself. After each Node is destroyed the Thorian will extrude additional asari clones that will challenge you at the next Node. Be careful of throwing grenades at Thorian Nodes, as this has been reported to cause a glitch forcing a reload.

There are several techniques for killing Thorian Creepers in this section. Melee attacks will knock them down, as will a shotgun equipped with Sledgehammer Rounds to increase its stopping power. The main danger is when Creepers are encountered with the Asari Clones; their Throw attack will drop you to the ground for several seconds if you're hit, leaving you vulnerable to a Creeper's vomit attack. Also, if you're standing next to a platform edge, her Throw may actually knock you off the platform, killing you instantly - but this works the other way around too, and it's possible to lure the clone and Creepers to the edge of the platform and knock them all off with your own biotics. Singularity also works a treat here. Placed just off the edge of the platform, it will draw all the Creepers toward it and kill them when they fall. To use it most effectively, keep an eye out for Creepers coming down the stairs up ahead of you and use Singularity from across the tower. This technique allows you to avoid fighting them in close quarters.

Advance in a linear path through each of the five Thorian levels. Once the final Thorian Node has been destroyed the Thorian will lose its grip and fall to its death. You will then see Shiala, the asari that the clones were made from, being released from a Thorian pod. Shiala was an acolyte of Matriarch Benezia who was sacrificed to the Thorian in exchange for 'the Cipher'. The Cipher enables one to understand the Protheans' biological instincts and cultural archetypes, allowing imagery from the Prothean Beacons to make sense. Shiala gained the Cipher from the Thorian, then transferred it to Saren's mind, allowing him to understand the Beacon's message. You ask Shiala to do the same for you and the vision replays, showing you disturbing but disjointed images. Thereafter you can decide to either release or kill Shiala; she will volunteer to help the colonists in whatever way she can, or she will calmly kneel down and allow you to execute her with a bullet in the back of her head.

You'll then be returned to the surface at Zhu's Hope. You can talk to the survivors and conduct business with the salarian merchant Ledra (if he wasn't killed in your assault). Conclude any unfinished business and return to the Normandy.

Epilogue
The crew is concerned about you after seeing the Cipher forcibly downloaded into your brain. If present, Liara offers to help make sense of the vision by joining her consciousness to yours. She sees the vision, but large parts are missing. You need the rest of the vision to find the Conduit. You can report to the Council about Feros - after all your hard work, they're a bit disappointed you couldn't capture the Thorian for study.

Insertion
Virmire is a tropical world being investigated by a salarian STG unit, looking for info about Saren. The mission begins with the Mako being dropped onto the shores. Follow the shoreline until you encounter geth, initially drones, later a strong point with barriers, Geth Rocket Troopers and a Geth Juggernaut. Eventually, you'll come to a gatehouse manned by geth. You can use the Mako's cannon to engage them: the Mako's cannon area blast effect is powerful enough so that you can actually take out most of the geth by hitting the walls next to them or the ceiling just above them. Go in on foot to finish off any survivors.

After taking care of the geth defenders, there are a few storage lockers for you to scavenge. A control console will open the gates for the next stretch of shoreline. The number of geth defenders will increase as you go, including more rocket troopers, Geth Armatures and two Geth Colossi. Past the Colossi, you'll run into another geth-occupied gatehouse, housing an antiaircraft battery control and another gate console. Assault the building and disable the AA console; scavenge, open the gate, and move on to the final gatehouse. This final gate will be guarded by multiple assorted troopers. When you defeat the last of them, one of your companions will inform you that the way to the salarian camp is now clear. As you move on down the shoreline, Joker will radio a message to you. Continue until you reach the salarian camp. When you get closer a brief cutscene will lead into a conversation with the salarian Captain Kirrahe.

Kirrahe will brief you on the tactical situation. It seems that Saren has found a cure for the krogan genophage, and is breeding an army at a nearby facility. You and Kirrahe understand that this cure must not be allowed to leave Virmire. However, Wrex will insist that Saren's discovery could save his people, get angry and storm off. Kirrahe asks you to talk to Wrex, triggering a tense stand-off where you must either convince Wrex that destroying the cure is the only way, or be forced to shoot him. See the Virmire: Wrex and the Genophage assignment for additional details. After you've dealt with Wrex, speak to Kirrahe again.

Facility Assault - Exterior
Kirrahe will offer his congratulations or sympathies, depending how you dealt with Wrex. Then he will brief you on his plan to assault the facility. He plans on using an improvised nuclear bomb to destroy Saren's base. Unfortunately the bomb must be placed into a specific area on the other side of the base; the Normandy can get it there, but the base's defences must be taken down first. His men will provide a diversionary attack, while you sneak into the facility and disable the rest of the antiaircraft guns so that the Normandy can bring in the bomb.

Kirrahe will then request that you provide him one of your party (either Ashley or Kaidan) so that his three assault teams can co-ordinate more effectively. Choose whichever you want, bearing in mind they will then be unavailable to help you during the assault. Tell Kirrahe you're ready to go, or ask him to give you time to prepare. If you need supplies, Commander Rentola has several important items for sale (in the first tent off to the left where Tali is standing), including max inventory upgrades for medi-gel and grenades, and two licenses including the rare Armali Council license. Once you choose to start the mission, you'll appear on the other side of the base's perimeter wall and cannot go back.

You start in a narrow canyon with a stream running through it. Take stock of where you are and where you need to go by looking at your overhead map. Follow along this path for a short way until you see a geth checkpoint. Make your way towards the building clearing geth as you go - watch out for snipers. Within are assorted decrypt containers. If you would like to assist Captain Kirrahe's team, on the far end of the second floor is a control panel that can disable the enemy's communications. This is the first of four opportunities to protect the salarian assault teams (earning Paragon points) and each will be pointed out, but doing so is not required.

Afterwards, head back down, then make a right at the fork. This brings you down to another area with a choice of directions. Kill the geth on the left and then head left or right. Either way is guarded by drones, and leads you to another checkpoint. Make your way towards the structure but stop short. There are trooper and a krogan guarding it, so take them down and then shoot the satellite uplink on top of the building to further assist Captain Kirrahe's team if you like.

Head onto the catwalk, move forward until the split and head left to the circular platform. Kill the two geth that approach from behind and then kill the geth and krogan off to the left. Head right towards the re-fuelling platform to help out Kirrahe further by destroying the geth flyers; nailing the fuel tanks will help. Follow the path around to the left and then back towards the main base.

If you don't want to use a direct assault, toward the left, near where the krogan were standing, is a very convenient sniper's nest cut into the cliff with an upgrade kit inside. From here, you can use a sniper rifle to attack the geth and krogan battlemasters at the entrance, or use AI Hacking on the geth and watch the fun.

Facility Assault - Interior
Once you've cleared the entrance, enter through the door to your right. Alternately, you can use Decryption and enter through the sewers on the ground level. Which entrance you choose changes the initial route through the facility and the enemies you're faced with:


 * Sewers: You'll emerge in a small room with two or three hostile salarians on the upper level. You can't leave without using the security console to unlock the door. A squadmate will give you the choice of whether to trigger the facility alarms or turn them off.


 * This is your last chance to assist Kirrahe. If you trigger the alarms, the salarians are forced to deal with krogan while the guards are cleared out for your team. If you switch them off, the salarians' job becomes easier but you'll have to kill the guards yourself. Once you've decided, all the doors are unlocked. Go into the next room, kill the hostile salarians as they come down the stairs, then look around behind the staircase for four crates with some useful gear. Now keep going upstairs until you pass several cells with salarians inside. Only one -- Menos Avot -- will speak to you, and you have the choice of leaving him in his cell (2 Renegade points) or letting him out (against your squadmates' advice). Go down the stairs to a room with an elevator on the left and two doors.


 * Main entrance: Go through the door and find the nearby security console: again, a squadmate will give you the choice of whether to trigger the alarms or turn them off. There are three doors nearby. Proceed through the furthest to enter a warehouse and catch a pair of hostile salarians off guard. Two more will approach from the left. There are also Geth Destroyers nearby along with shock troopers. Head towards the stairs and kill the Geth Juggernaut at the top on the left. Make your way around to the left and go through the door, then go left through the other door and continue forwards across a gantry over some holding cells (you'll hear someone talking as you pass). Go through the door at the end and kill the two salarians inside.

Both routes lead to the room with the elevator. The door in the corner leads down to more holding cells. If you investigate the cells, you'll find more of the missing salarian commandos. Talk to Ganto Imness in the cell on the far left and either tell him you can't trust him (9 Renegade points), or let him out (2 Paragon points). You can also choose to kill the salarians in the next cell to the right (2 Renegade points). Head back up stairs and go up in the elevator.

When you reach the top, kill the krogan doctor and any Husks that come out from stasis. The krogan's assistant is an asari biotic so keep an eye out for her. Go through the door on the left in the middle of the room. This accesses an outer catwalk that leads to another door guarded by geth. Beyond them is the antechamber to Saren's personal laboratory. Hiding there is Rana Thanoptis, an asari neuroscientist who was researching the indoctrination Saren uses on his people. She will freely give you access to Saren's lab, and you can ask her about the research. You have a choice of setting her free or killing her for 9 Renegade points (there are no Paragon points for letting her go). There are a few storage lockers nearby. Go beyond Rana's office and over another walkway in a straight line to the elevator.

Arriving in Saren's lab, you'll see another Prothean Beacon: use it for another vision. As you walk up the catwalk, you'll see a hologram of Sovereign - a Reaper and the true mastermind behind Saren's activities - and you're given the chance to ask it questions. Sovereign holds organics in little regard and says that the Reapers will soon return to wipe out all organic civilisation, perpetuating a cycle that has lasted for "longer than you can fathom."

Once the conversation ends, Joker informs you that Sovereign is coming right for you, fast. Go back the way you came, and kill the geth on the catwalk. Go back through Rana's office and outside. The bridge is now lowering so you can cross it. Kill the three krogan guarding the other side, and keep going in a straight line out onto the walkways around the side of the base near the ocean. Be on your guard but head up the walkway all the way until you see the AA gun. Kill the krogan, Geth Hoppers and rocket drones guarding the area and head towards the gun controls.

Go up the stairs and deactivate the generator. When you switch it off, geth will appear down the stairs and the nearby elevator will start up. When the elevator door opens, there will be three geth inside: kill them all and step in, heading to the bottom. Go the end of the corridor and out through the door. Kill the geth in the water ahead of you and open the massive door at the end. You come out into an open area near the geothermal taps and get a call that the salarians have taken out the other AA gun. The Normandy is coming in to land.

Extraction
A cutscene will now show the Normandy landing and the nuke being offloaded. You receive a message from the team member you sent with Captain Kirrahe, saying they're trapped by the geth at the AA gun. Either Ashley or Kaidan will remain with the bomb, whichever one you did not send with Kirrahe earlier, so you may need to reselect your party. Head to the right through the door but be prepared for a fight: there are more hoppers and krogan warlords at the other end of the chamber. Go into the elevator at the end and head up. Make your way up to the left as a Geth Dropship flies overhead toward the bomb site. There's a message that now both your crew members are in danger but you can only rescue one.

It's decision time between Kaidan or Ashley. If you're looking for romance, it'd be a good idea not to kill the one you want. Otherwise you're free to choose. Once your decision is made, head off to your chosen location (the door to the other will be locked so you can't change your mind).


 * Bomb Site:


 * Go back the way you came down the elevator. Once at the bottom, head back to the main door in front. Open it and pile out with all guns blazing. You will find a Geth Prime and Geth Juggernaut amongst the other troops out there. There are several fuel tanks nearby: use Sabotage or gunfire to blow them up and destroy the geth. Once they're all down, Saren himself will appear and drive you back. Talk with him until he attacks you. Once that happens, hit him with everything you've got. Saren will try to strangle you, but you break free and carry your team mate back to the Normandy as Saren escapes.


 * AA Gun:


 * Keep going through the door ahead, around to the left and down in the elevator. Once it stops, head out in either direction and eliminate the geth. Your task is made easier if there are more salarian survivors, as Captain Kirrahe's team will help you, along with your team mate. Once the geth are dead, Saren will appear and speak to you. Once the conversation ends, fight him off until he tries to throw you off the platform. After you break free, the Normandy arrives to pick you up, and you see a cutscene of the person you left at the bomb site, badly wounded but keeping the geth away from the nuke as the Normandy flies away.

Either way, you see the nuclear explosion from the Normandy's bridge, then there's a debriefing in the comm room.

Epilogue
Console the rescued crew member as you wish. After survivor's guilt has settled a little, Liara T'Soni (if she's on board) will help you understand the complete message from the Prothean Beacon.

Citadel Station - Return
After retrieving Liara T'Soni and completing the missions on Feros, Noveria, and Virmire, you know that you need to head to Ilos. However, the next time you use the Galaxy Map, Joker will give you a message and you're returned to the Citadel. Unfortunately the Council, with Ambassador Udina, have decided that you don't really need to go geth hunting or determine what the Conduit is after all. They think that the Reapers are a lie created by Saren, to distract them from his true goal of attacking the Citadel. They have decided, in fact, to ground both you and the Normandy. If you've been following a romance path, you'll then have a short scene with your love interest before duty calls: Captain Anderson has a plan and asks you to meet him in Flux.

This is your last chance to complete any assignments on the Citadel, but if you speak to Captain Anderson, don't panic as he gives you the option of saying you are not ready to go yet. There are only two new assignments on the Wards: Citadel: Our Own Worst Enemy and Citadel: Negotiator's Request, both of which are very brief. Once you're ready to leave, speak with Captain Anderson. He will offer to help you steal the Normandy and—hopefully—get to Ilos in time to stop Saren.

Captain Anderson has two plans to override the lockdown on the Normandy, both at great personal risk. He can either break into a C-Sec-secured area, or hack Udina's computer. You can choose for him, or give him the choice: Anderson will select the ambassador's computer if you let him choose. Then return to the Normandy to wait: different choices show different cutscenes, but either way the Normandy escapes the Citadel.

After you've taken to the skies, you're again free to choose your destination, and Ilos will now be available. You can no longer return to the Citadel, since you are now a known fugitive and mutineer.

Ilos
Once you head off to Ilos for a shot at stopping Saren and finding the Conduit, whatever it may be, there's a short cutscene. If you have been following the romance subplot then you may have a sexual encounter with your love interest, depending on your wishes. Afterwards you'll be treated to one more cutscene before Joker drops the Mako right in the thick of things.

Upper Ruins
The mission begins with the Mako landing on the surface of Ilos about twenty yards from Saren. Unfortunately you just miss him, and are left facing a massive locked bunker door. Exit the Mako, head up towards the pillars ahead and eliminate the geth that appear. Then run through and kill the geth that are hiding behind shields in the area ahead. Use the pillars for cover if you need to, but be watchful of the Geth Armatures hiding off to the left. You can either kill them or use sneaky AI Hacking to make them fight each other. Alternatively, head over to the right, and follow the small path downwards. Once below, eliminate the geth hoppers in the area straight ahead, then make your way to the right (after eliminating the trooper guarding the area). Once the coast is clear, head to the control panel and shut the armatures down.

Now, head forward and kill the drones in the area to the right. Then go into the area and up the path to the top: you'll now be behind the armatures, if they're still there. When you reach the top, head right, then head left down a path. Look for a small crate in the entrance so you don't miss it. It's easy to get lost in the ruins, so check your map frequently.

The Security Complex
Follow the path all the way around to the left and head towards the small statue; this could be what the Protheans looked like. Go past the statue and around towards the back of another statue, then move up the slope to the right. In the courtyard on the right, and on the ledge further ahead to the left, there are geth troopers and a couple of destroyers thrown in for good measure. Quickly kill everything, and head towards the ledge area to the left of the courtyard. Again, check the map, but you should be heading down a slope, then up the other side.

You'll round a corner at the top of the slope. Kill the geth at the top. Head across this area and into the elevator on the other side. Once you reach the bottom, you'll be facing a tunnel, with a large courtyard ahead. At the far end of the area is a huge geth force that is guarding the security room, including Geth Primes, Geth Rocket Troopers and Geth Destroyers. There are Geth Armature control panels in the room which can be hacked with Decryption, activating armatures that essentially act as friendly turrets. Once everything is dead, head to the far left corner of the room, turn the corner and head up the slope. At the top, head right to the security console.

Once used to unlock the door, an ancient Prothean message will play back with information regarding the Reaper invasion. With the Cipher's help you can understand it, while your squad cannot. After the message ends, head back down to the main courtyard and down the long central tunnel running underneath the security console (it will be flagged on your map). Hop into the elevator at the end and you'll find yourself in the area near the bunker, where you faced the armatures earlier. Head left and go back between the pillars to the Mako. Jump aboard, and then head into the bunker down the slope.

Vigil
Keep driving straight when you reach the bottom. (If you want to listen to your squadmates' conversation, drive slowly as combat interrupts them.) Eventually you'll come to another slope and keep going down. At the end of this second tunnel, you'll encounter a small force of geth. A couple of shots from the Mako takes care of them quickly enough. Continue down the third slope and into the next corridor. Drive right to the end, where the forcefield is blocking your path - another one will drop behind you. You are trapped.

Jump out of the Mako, go through the door on the right of the field and travel down in the elevator. At the bottom, head forward to meet Vigil. The facility and its purpose are explained to you. You can ask as many questions as you like, depending on your hunger for knowledge. In short: the Citadel is a trap the Reapers created. The Citadel is actually a mass relay leading to dark space where the Reapers lie hidden in hibernation.

The Citadel relay opens when Sovereign sends a signal to the keepers, but the last surviving Protheans sabotaged the signal and the Reapers are trapped. Saren needs the Conduit - a prototype mass relay that acts as a 'back door' onto the Citadel - to bypass all the station's defences and the Citadel Fleet; this will allow Sovereign to open the relay manually. Vigil will give you a data file that will give you temporary control of the station and stop Sovereign.

The Conduit
Once the conversation ends, return to the Mako; the force field has gone. Hop in and drive forward down the aqueduct. Go down the slope and kill the geth at the bottom. Turn left and continue down. Follow the path around to the right. Go down the slope and follow it around. You'll face some troops and a Geth Colossus. Now continue along the path until you come across more rocket troopers. Kill them, and drive on. Guarding the last corner before the home straight are more rocket troopers. Once dead, drive straight down the path towards the light - the Conduit. A cutscene ensues showing the geth fleet and Sovereign attacking the Citadel.

Once the cutscene ends, you have 40 seconds to make it to the Conduit in time. It's designed to be a little too close for comfort, so you really have no time to fight - just blitz straight past the Geth Colossi on guard as fast as you can. (Note that in the PC version, no matter how slowly your computer runs the game, the timer is real time. You may want to lower graphics settings before this to ensure you aren't timed out for frame rate issues.) The Conduit will launch you into the relay corridor, and you'll emerge on the now-damaged Presidium, on top of some geth. Ironically, the exit point of the Conduit has been on the Presidium the whole time in the form of the mysterious Relay Monument.

Exhaust Plains
You'll get out of the Mako near some dragon's teeth. Kill the Husks that are freed from them and activate Avina to find out Saren's gone to the Council Chambers. Use the elevator to the tower until Saren locks it down, then proceed on foot over the exterior of the Citadel.

The route is essentially a straight line toward the Citadel Tower, so keep heading towards Sovereign. Down 'corridors', you're faced with a mix of krogan warlords, standard Geth Troopers and Geth Destroyers. Happily, fighting in zero gravity has its advantages. Fighting the geth ground troops is much easier if you have a biotic-strong squad. Once out in the open, a strong Lift talent, or Lift combined with Throw, will launch enemies out into space, resulting in an instant kill.

Eventually you'll come out onto the Citadel exhaust plains where a Geth Dropship is dropping Geth Shock Troopers. There are three Citadel defence turrets nearby: two can be opened, the third can be hacked with Electronics. They will target the dropship, allowing you to focus on the ground troops. Beyond that is a second exhaust plain with defence turrets, geth troopers and indentations you can use for cover. This is a tough area - on higher difficulty settings one rocket can be an instant kill - so use cover as much as you can, Sabotage the turrets before you move, and kill the troopers first.

Alternatively, sneak off to the left for an XP award and a covered 'corridor' away from the turrets. This isn't the soft option because the corridor is full of krogan, but it allows you to focus on moving forward without having to constantly duck and cover. However, be extremely careful to stay within the corridor itself. There is a krogan battlemaster in this corridor who can use Throw and send you flying into the ceiling. If you're in an exposed position, you risk being knocked right off into space.

Either route eventually leads to a maintenance hatch allowing access into the Council Chambers.

Saren
There are a few geth here but nothing too problematic: use the stairways for cover and keep fighting towards the central platform and Saren, until he speaks to you. During your discussion, you have a choice of how to handle him.


 * Telling him you just want to end this will trigger a battle. You first have to fight Saren on his hover craft (rendering biotics like Lift, Throw and Singularity pointless). You can use the sides of the stairs as cover again: by positioning your team by the walls they will be out of the way of his attacks. If you have bullets that penetrate shields like proton, incendiary, or toxic ammunition, these will attack Saren's health rather than his shields. Hiding behind a wall will allow your shields to regenerate, but Saren's will too. Use Overkill, Adrenaline Burst and Immunity, punch through his shields with Overload and use Sabotage on his weaponry.


 * Alternatively, you can use Charm or Intimidate to try and talk Saren around. If you persuade him for long enough, Saren will realize there's a way to redeem himself, and commit suicide instead.

Once Saren has fallen through the glass, activate the main control panel and talk to Joker. You have three choices: use the Fifth Fleet to save the Council, tell them to focus on Sovereign, or specifically give the order to let the Council die. This decision affects the ending of the game and results in a huge Paragon or Renegade score. There will be a short cutscene showing your decision, then another as your team checks Saren is dead before Sovereign decides it's not finished playing yet. You'll be faced with a Husk-like creature which is extremely powerful, agile and fast.

In this form Saren essentially moves like a Geth Hopper. He has high shields, along with rocket and carnage-type attacks - he likes to launch several rockets in quick succession, so be prepared to keep moving when they start flying. He can also overheat your weapons, so be prepared to switch if necessary. Once again ammunition that bypasses shields or provides damage over time will come in handy, since he will be moving around very quickly. This is the time to use any biotic talents, especially Lift and Singularity, since Saren will no longer be able to bounce around the walls and be a 'floating duck'. Warp and Neural Shock will also slow him down.

Once you have damaged Saren enough, the fight will be interrupted by a cutscene showing the space battle outside. After completion of the cutscene, Saren's talents and shields, as well as those of your party, will be fully recharged.

Once Saren is finally dead, the Alliance Fleet focus on taking down Sovereign. The Normandy takes the final shot, which blows Sovereign into drifting debris. One piece of debris collides with the Council Chambers.

Captain Anderson later leads a salvage crew to rescue the party, but only your squadmates can be found. But just as everyone believes you are dead, you rise from the wreckage, unharmed, to rejoin your team.

Epilogue
Finally, the matter of the Council remains. If you chose to abandon the Council, a human chairman will preside over a newly formed Council (a wholly human Council, if you were a Renegade) with a choice between Udina or Anderson as chairman. If you chose to save the Council, humans will be invited to join the Council, again with a choice between Udina or Anderson as representative.

Level Caps and Repeat Careers
Mass Effect ends after the completion of the storyline. Your character is saved and can be carried over to Mass Effect 2. Either way a new game must be started to continue play after the final act. You can then explore the galaxy again, plus you'll have all the plot worlds available again as well. The main character's level, talents, specialization and equipment all carry over, but Paragon / Renegade scales, weapon manufacture licenses, and medi-gel / grenade stock upgrades are reset, as are your Codex entries and assignments. Any combat, biotic or tech achievements will be usable in any new career.

After you beat the game, you can start your character over by going to "Create New Character" and selecting the bottom most option (Select Existing ID). You then restart the story with all of your experience and items intact from the previous game. All items that were equipped on other characters are transferred to you, and you gain doubles of anything you equipped. For your main character, all of your talent points remain spent as they were before. Your party members all begin at the same level as you, but with no talent points spent and only the basic weapons / armor, allowing you to rebuild them as you like.

It is possible to reach level 50 on your first playthrough, but you won't achieve it without completing a number of side assignments. Since you are capped at level 50 for your first time through the game, you cannot reach level 60 until the second playthrough with your original character. If you're looking to reach level 60, it isn't necessary to reach level 50 before your first completion.