Morality



Morality is measured in Mass Effect by Paragon points and Renegade points. Unlike many games, such as Bioware's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, that represent morality as a sliding scale of good/evil, Mass Effect keeps track of the Paragon and Renegade points on separate scales. A good action will not make up for an evil one; therefore, being nice occasionally will not stop people from fearing a killer or remove the reputation of an unsympathetic heel, but nor will the occasional brutal action damage the reputation of an otherwise upstanding soldier. This also means there is no gameplay-driven motivation for avoiding a particular type of point.

It is also notable that Charm and Intimidate points unlocked through story actions will carry over to additional playthroughs, making it technically possible, though difficult and requiring at least three playthroughs, to max out these skills without spending a single skill point. Each playthrough can gain four points of each at maximum; one of each for becoming a Spectre and three from the "free points" at 10%, 25%, and 75% of each alignment.

Paragon points
Paragon points are gained for compassionate and heroic actions. The Paragon measurement is colored blue. Points are often gained when asking about feelings and motivations of characters. You start the game with 3 open Charm ranks. The Paragon scale affects Charm and more as defined below:
 * 10% - Opens 3 Charm ranks, gives 1 free Charm point.
 * 25% - Opens 2 Charm ranks, gives 1 Charm point, 10% shorter First Aid cooldown.
 * 50% - 10% Bonus health.
 * 75% - Achievement, opens 2 Charm ranks, gives 1 free Charm point and 5% reduction in cooldown on all powers.

Oftentimes, Charm decisions in dialog trees lead to people being more open and friendly with you, and can sometimes avert entire battles that would otherwise be triggered.

After reaching 80% Paragon points, Admiral Hackett will give you the UNC: Besieged Base assignment.

Renegade points
Renegade points are gained for apathetic and ruthless actions. The Renegade measurement is colored red. Many sarcastic and joking remarks are assigned Renegade points. You start with 3 open Intimidate ranks. The Renegade scale affects Intimidate and more as defined below:
 * 10% - Opens 3 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point.
 * 25% - Opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point, 10% reduction in weapon powers cooldown.
 * 50% - 1 health regeneration per second.
 * 75% -Achievement, opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point, 5% increase in damage/duration on all weapons and powers

Generally, Intimidate decisions lead to people disliking and even fearing you, and occasionally "encourage" people to tell or give you more than they otherwise would. Like with Charm, you can sometimes avert entire battles that would otherwise be triggered.

After reaching 80% Renegade points, Admiral Hackett will give you the UNC: The Negotiation assignment.

Spectre points

 * You receive 1 Charm and 1 Intimidate point upon becoming a Spectre.

Endings
The closing shot of Mass Effect always shows Shepard, but varies according to morality choices. If the commander is a Paragon, Shepard is standing empty-handed against a blue-hued planet with an unknown space station in orbit. This is likely to be the space station where Shepard meets the Illusive Man as seen in If Renegade, Shepard is against a silhouetted planet in a red nebula, holding an assault rifle.

Infinite Points
It is possible to max out Paragon and Renegade points while on Noveria. You are given a sidequest leading you to speak to Lorik Qui'in, a turian, at the bar. Depending on how you progress through the quest you can encourage him to testify in a court case. You can choose from either a Paragon or Renegade dialogue option if you have at least 5 points in charm and/or intimidate. Choosing either of these options will give you a reward of 25 Paragon or Renegade points respectively. The conversation will end but you can talk to him again. Ask about a different topic (i.e. Matriarch Benezia), then choose "Another question". The option to convince him to testify will reappear. Repeat this for infinite Paragon and/or Renegade points. This bug appears to also work for the PC version of the game; a test on the 1.02 English/German PC version allowed full Renegade points to be achievable.

It is also possible to get an infinite amount of Paragon points during the UNC: Lost Module quest on Eletania, using the space monkeys. After finding and searching the monkey holding the data module and then saving the game, reload, and again search the monkey. This will result in the Paragon point reward being reissued to the player, despite it already being claimed before the reload. You do not need to save/reload the game between searches after the first save/reload. Keep in mind that you are only awarded Paragon points if you are able to retrieve the data module without killing any of the monkeys. If you continue to push the "A" button (360) during your search of the monkey, your Paragon points will just continue to climb until you stop pushing the button. You don't have to save and reload every time, just after the initial search.