Garrus Vakarian

Garrus Vakarian is a turian, formerly part of C-Sec's Investigation Division. Like most turians, Garrus had his military training at fifteen, but later followed in his father's footsteps to become a C-Sec officer. He was responsible for the investigation of Saren Arterius, the Council's top Spectre, after the Alliance claimed Saren had gone rogue. Although Garrus was told that the investigation was over, he decided to defy the Executor's order and pursue another lead on his own. Eventually, Garrus joined Commander Shepard's team to help defeat Saren and the geth.

Dossier
Garrus was put in charge of investigating Saren after Ambassador Udina complained to the Council, claiming that Saren had gone rogue and attacked a human colony. Garrus, however, found himself hampered at every turn: As a Spectre, most of Saren's activities were classified, and it was nearly impossible to get any solid evidence. He appealed to Executor Pallin for more time, but Pallin, seeing only that Garrus had not found any evidence of Saren's guilt, ordered the investigation closed and reported that there was nothing to support a charge of treason. However, Garrus had one lead and only needed more time to look into it. Regardless of Pallin's orders, he decided to pursue it on his own.

During the investigation to find out whether Saren had gone rogue, Commander Shepard can learn from Harkin that Garrus has gone to the Med Clinic in the Wards. If Shepard follows this lead, the Commander arrives to find Dr. Chloe Michel being threatened by a group of thugs, not realizing that Garrus is lying low nearby. Shepard's arrival distracts the thugs, allowing Garrus to take one of them out with a single well-placed head-shot. After the ensuing firefight, Garrus tells Shepard that he is leaving C-Sec: He knows Saren is guilty, but regulations and his position mean that his hands are tied. Now, however, he is determined to take Saren down. Shepard agrees to let him come along and become part of the Normandy's crew.

If Shepard recruits Wrex first, Garrus will come to Shepard requesting to join the team later, but the Med Clinic encounter will still be available. It is possible for Shepard to refuse Garrus's request and complete the journey without ever recruiting him.

Garrus is very courteous to Shepard, calm and reassuring to victims like Dr. Michel, but ruthless when fighting. He is also very impressed with the SSV Normandy, saying she is proof of what races can accomplish when they work together. He is eager to see what she can do in a fight, because the stealth system offers an entirely new angle on space combat.

Although Ashley is suspicious of Garrus (despite the fact he's a C-Sec officer), he tends to get along well with the rest of the crew, enjoying the chance to get off the Citadel and see how things are done outside C-Sec. He is surprised by Wrex, stating that he thought all krogan were savage thugs, prompting Wrex to retort: "What, using the genophage was more bearable when all krogan were savage thugs? You'd better head back to the ship, kid – any longer out here in the real world and you just might have to learn something."

Little is known of Garrus's past, other than the fact he grew up on Palaven—he says Virmire reminds him of home, and if talked to on Therum's surface, he says that he "thought Palaven was hot." He has a very "by-the-book" father, a well-known C-Sec investigator whose mantra was "Do things right or don't do them at all."

Shepard is surprised to hear that Garrus was targeted as a potential Spectre candidate, but Garrus claims that he was only one of close to a thousand potentials picked from the turian military. He could have received special training to prepare, but his father blocked his candidacy, despising Spectres for their extralegal freedoms. Garrus doesn't appear to have any regrets over losing his chance, but he is very interested to see how Spectres do their job, and wants to learn from Shepard.

He has no qualms about hunting Saren, a fellow turian—in fact, that is one of the reasons for Garrus's hatred of Saren. According to Garrus, Saren is not only a threat, but a disgrace to their species.

Harkin describes Garrus as a hothead who "still thinks he can change the world", saying he is always arguing with the Executor. Pallin himself respects Garrus as an investigator, but claims that as a C-Sec officer he should have more consideration for the law; he may see Garrus as doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Garrus's main objection to C-Sec is the abundance of restrictions and regulations: He believes it doesn't matter how you do it—just get it done. Garrus and Shepard can debate this while aboard the Normandy.

Garrus is particularly frustrated when regulations mean that a suspect goes free. He does mention to Shepard that he is concerned about their apprehension of Saren: If they arrest the ex-Spectre and bring him back to the Citadel, there's too much risk of him escaping, or being exonerated and protected by the Council in order to prevent a scandal. Garrus suggests that it might be better in the long run if they just kill Saren, rather than strictly going by-the-book. Shepard can offer an opinion on this.

Eventually, Garrus thanks Shepard for bringing him aboard the Normandy and letting him be part of the team. He says that he's learned a lot and that he doesn't want to let those lessons go to waste. Depending on what Shepard has said to him, and the Commander's behavior throughout the mission, Garrus states that he is going to reapply for Spectre candidacy, with or without reapplying for C-Sec in the process.

Personal assignment
Garrus has a personal mission to track down a criminal who got away from him. When asked about his views on C-Sec and some of his old cases, Garrus mentions a particularly gruesome case involving a salarian doctor, Dr. Saleon, who escaped the Citadel with hostages because the authorities wouldn't fire on his vessel, despite Garrus telling them that the doctor would only use the hostages as test subjects. This incident caused him to start losing faith in C-Sec policy.

Shepard can offer to track Saleon down as an assignment—the experience gives Garrus some food for thought. If Shepard doesn't take Garrus as a party member for that assignment, Garrus later regrets missing the opportunity to take down Dr. Saleon.

Acquire as a team member
SPOILERS - Do not read if you want to "figure" it out yourself. It's not hard anyway if you do quests.

1. Go to the Citadel Tower. Once you arrive on the Citadel, you begin at the Embassy Suites. The Citadel Tower is located to the northwest of the Embassy Suites. You can check your map by pausing the game and scrolling to the "map" option.

2. Speak to Garrus. You'll find Garrus in the lobby of the tower. You exchange some dialogue pertaining to the case against Saren.

3. Talk to the Council. After speaking to Garrus, present yourself to the council, located just beyond the Tower's lobby.

4. Speak to Captain Anderson about Harkin. Anderson mentions that Harkin may have information on the whereabouts of Garrus.

5. Leave the Citadel Tower and head down to the Lower Wards. There is an elevator to the Wards located at the north-most point of the Presidium map. The elevator first takes you to a mid-level section, which consists of a long hallway with rooms on each side. Walk the length of the hallway to the second elevator. The second elevator takes you down to the Lower Wards.

6. Go to Chora's Den. After stepping off the elevator from the mid-section to the Lower Wards, walk down the hall until you find a door on the right. Follow the path to Chora's Den. The first time you go to Chora's Den you will be attacked by mercenaries. Prepare yourself for combat before you go.

7. Speak to Harkin. Harkin is located on the left side of the club. He will mention that Garrus has been investigating a case involving a doctor named Michel who runs a medical clinic in the Wards.

8. Travel to the medical clinic. You can get to the clinic by heading east and then south to the stairs that lead to the Upper Wards. Once in the Upper Wards head east again. The clinic is the furthest room to the east on the map. At the clinic, you will encounter another group of enemies.

9. Speak to Dr. Michel and Garrus. After some dialogue about the situation, Garrus will offer his assistance to you. He will join your squad regardless of the dialogue choices you make.

Mass Effect: Homeworlds
After the Battle of the Citadel, Garrus is disappointed when the public accepts the official line that the threat posed by Sovereign and the geth has ended and goes back to living as if the tragedy never happened. Frustrated with C-Sec's red tape, Garrus quits and goes after a local drug smuggler on his own. The smuggler reveals that his supplier is on Omega. Garrus heads there, where he thinks he can actually make a difference.

Upon arrival at the station, Garrus stops a vorcha from mugging an elderly human couple, who thank him and call him a "real-life angel". At Afterlife, Garrus meets Sidonis and the two agree to form a squad to combat Omega's criminals. Garrus assumes the moniker of "Archangel" and spreads the word of what he's doing by going after thugs personally.

Before long, Garrus' squad expands to twelve members, including himself, Sidonis, a salarian explosives expert, a batarian tech expert, and various former mercs, security consultants, and C-Sec agents. Together, they declare war on Omega's criminals but are careful to avoid civilian casualties. Even when the gangs unite against Garrus' squad, they are unable to stop them.

Eventually, the squad's success earns them a surplus of credits. Some members want to settle down and live comfortably, but Garrus pushes them to use their funds to hit parts of the station that were previously out of reach. Instead of listening to his squad, Garrus pushes them to their limits, hoping to completely purge Omega of crime.

At some point, Sidonis is captured by the Blue Suns and forced to trick Garrus into leaving the squad's hideout to strike an alleged Blood Pack gun running operation in the Kenzo District. Garrus finds no trace of the operation, and returns to the hideout just as the gangs bomb it and gun down the rest of his squad. Garrus remembers his arguments with his father and decides that he was mistaken to ignore what his father tried so hard to teach him, that he had to be strong enough to do the right thing even when it was difficult.

Resigned to his fate as the gangs move in to kill him, Garrus contacts his father and apologizes. His father, realizing Garrus' situation, tells him to forget about that and to finish up his "target practice" then head back to Palaven so they can sort everything out. Through his rifle's scope, Garrus spots a familiar emblem on one individual's armor, and tells his father that he'll return home when he can because "the odds just got a lot better."

Weapon proficiencies

 * Assault Rifles
 * Sniper Rifles

Dossier
Shepard is advised to recruit a tactical genius and infiltrator known as Archangel, who is currently operating out of Omega.

Apparently, over the past few months, Archangel has developed a reputation of being nothing short of a menace to Omega's crime empires; arriving with his team of twelve operatives, Archangel caused an impressive amount of trouble for three of the Terminus Systems' most powerful and successful mercenary groups (Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse).

The impact on the mercenary groups' operations was so devastating that it drove all three into forming a temporary alliance with one another, intending to use all their available manpower and resources to eliminate Archangel. Seeing Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack work together was unprecedented; as Aria T'Loak explained, unless a war broke out, the three were almost never seen together.

The mercs corner Archangel at his base in Kima District, keeping him stuck on one side of a bridge. Shepard's team arrives at the mercs' nearby encampment, initially pretending to be recruited freelancers then rushing to the beleaguered turian's aid after making it to his base. Archangel removes his helmet upon their arrival, revealing himself to be none other than Garrus Vakarian.

After the Battle of the Citadel and Shepard's death, Garrus reveals that he followed Shepard's example and created his own squad to enforce their own version of justice on Omega, leading to his current predicament. After Garrus explains the situation to Shepard, Shepard's team assists in taking out the rest of the mercenaries. During the battle, Garrus is attacked by a Blue Suns gunship and suffers multiple wounds to his face and upper torso. Following the battle, he is rushed back to the Normandy SR-2 to receive medical treatment.

After being treated by Dr. Chakwas, Garrus greets Shepard in the comm room, showing the damage he sustained in the gunship attack. A quarter of his face on the right side has been badly damaged, replaced by a bandage/artificial graft; Jacob Taylor mentions that some cybernetics were also needed to keep Garrus alive. There are various degrees of damage to Garrus' armor, and a chunk of the armor's collar has been blasted off.

It soon becomes clear that, in the previous two years, Garrus had lost his way in life. Sometime after the Battle of the Citadel and Sovereign's defeat, Garrus returned to the Citadel either to begin Spectre training or to rejoin C-Sec, depending on his conversations with Shepard in 2183. However, Garrus grew increasingly disgusted with the bureaucracy of the Citadel, a situation likely exacerbated by the Citadel Council downplaying and dismissing the Reaper threat as nothing more than a rumor.

To know of the Reapers and be unable to do anything about it was frustrating enough. After hearing of Shepard's death and the Normandy's destruction, Garrus could no longer tolerate the Council's unwillingness to act. He abandoned either his Spectre training or C-Sec and headed to Omega, determined to make a difference there.

After beginning to strike back at Omega's mercenary and criminal elements on his own, he eventually gathered a team of eleven specialists to aid him in his vigilante activities. As Joker describes Garrus' change, the turian had "worked that stick out of his butt", only to start "trying to beat guys to death with it." When one member of his team betrayed the others, an act that lead to their deaths, Garrus became overwhelmed by anger and guilt, making him increasingly violent.

Garrus half-jokes that he doesn't think he's a very good turian since he lacks the discipline expected of him. He feels that, in the face of the Reapers and the galactic extinction they bring, it is simply not worth blindly following bad orders.

Loyalty
Shepard has an opportunity to ask Garrus about past events when catching up. The turian recounts the story of his team's deaths: one of his crew, Sidonis, requested his help on a job that turned out to be bogus. Garrus returned to his base only to find out that the rest of the team were massacred. All but two of the squad were dead when he reached them, and they didn't last long afterward.

Garrus learned that Sidonis cleared out his accounts and booked transport off Omega just before the attack. Eventually he finds out that Sidonis was spotted on the Citadel, in the company of a professional forger named Fade. Garrus has every intention of enforcing the human maxim "an eye for an eye" in collecting the blood debt from Sidonis and requests Shepard's help if time permits.

After interrogating Fade, who turns out to be the former C-Sec cop Harkin, Shepard has the choice to either let Garrus shoot Harkin in the kneecap or stop him. If stopped from shooting Harkin, Garrus headbutts him instead.

Shepard can choose to aid Garrus' assassination attempt on Sidonis or attempt to warn him, though either choice secures Garrus' loyalty. If Shepard stops Garrus from killing Sidonis, a news report made later on by Emily Wong will inform Shepard that Sidonis has turned himself in for the murder of 10 people, but C-Sec can't really take action against him since there is no government on Omega to extradite Sidonis to.

Romance
In 2185, Garrus becomes a potential romance for a female Shepard. The option becomes available after completing Garrus' loyalty mission. Throughout the romance, Garrus' demeanor is somewhat awkward; nevertheless, if Shepard asks Garrus whether his behavior suggests that he is uncomfortable with the idea, Garrus says he is just nervous, and that Shepard never has to worry about making him uncomfortable. In these more vulnerable moments, Garrus admits he feels very alone in the galaxy, considering Shepard is the only friend he has left.

Garrus confesses he wants "something to go right" (he mentions Sidonis and his work with C-Sec as times where he failed, implying his departure from C-Sec may not have been entirely his choice) after which Shepard—who slowly approaches him while he talks—touches his face, stroking the scar he gained during his recruitment mission. The two of them touch foreheads affectionately, followed by Garrus reaching up as though to touch Shepard's shoulder.

When Mordin notices Shepard's attraction to Garrus, Shepard can ask him for advice regarding the turian, to which Mordin will warn Shepard about "chafing". He advises her not to ingest turian tissue, as it is based on dextro-amino acids, and can cause an allergic reaction in Shepard's body. He then suggests that she return later for a painkiller and forwards information packets regarding turian physiology and positions comfortable for both species to Shepard's room.

Lair of the Shadow Broker
After defeating the Shadow Broker, Shepard may invite Liara aboard the Normandy to catch up. She asks Shepard what she's fighting for, and if it's a chance to give Garrus peace. The Commander responds that Garrus has been hurt and betrayed and that she would like to offer him something better.

Shepard also notes that she never expected to find happiness in the arms of a turian. Liara remarks that it is by no means uncommon for a human to be attracted to an alien, given the widespread obsession with asari, and wishes them both happiness.

Weapon proficiencies

 * Sniper Rifles
 * Assault Rifles

Dossier
Garrus returns to fight the Reapers, provided he survived Shepard's attack on the Collector base. If Garrus did not survive the suicide mission, his name will appear on the memorial wall aboard the Normandy.

After the suicide run on the Collector Base, Garrus realized what little time the galaxy had before the Reapers arrived. With the Council still unwilling to listen, Garrus went to his father, the last thing he thought he'd do, relaying all the events that had started from the Eden Prime War. As unbelievable as his story was, his father, having been C-Sec, put all the pieces together and believed him. Though Primarch Fedorian was a friend of his father's, the former wasn't easy to convince. Eventually, Garrus managed to gain his own "Reaper task force" as a token resource to improve turian defenses, which he hopes has bought Palaven a limited amount of time when the Reapers invaded.

Shepard encounters Garrus on Menae, one of Palaven's moons, acting as a military consultant given his experience against Reaper forces. Shepard had arrived on Menae in search of Primarch Fedorian, but the turian leader has already been killed by the Reapers.

Garrus assists Shepard in seeking out the next primarch, General Adrien Victus, before rejoining the Normandy. He once again takes up residence in the Normandy's main battery. When not in the main battery calibrating the guns, Garrus can often be found on the port observation lounge after missions. He spends time with Ensign Copeland, Javik, and Liara on occasions.

Immediately after Palaven, the Normandy experiences technical problems due to EDI's interface process with the synthetic recovered from Mars. If Shepard heads to the main battery before going to investigate the AI core, they find Garrus on the intercom with Joker, who jokingly suggests that Garrus may have miscalibrated something. Garrus quite seriously reminds him about his proficiency in that field, and Joker laughs and clarifies he was just checking.

Upon Javik's revival and recruitment into the team, Garrus is amused at all the crazy things he has seen while with Shepard: a talking Reaper, a talking plant (or geth, if he never experienced that), and now a real, live, talking Prothean. Garrus reflects on how Javik must be feeling: a sense of loss and a desire for revenge.

He jokingly speculates on what Javik might eat, unwilling to sacrifice himself for the team if Javik does indeed eat "boiled asari" or "fried turian". Garrus also quips that if the war is lost, Shepard can be frozen for 50,000 years, which will turn them from "merely famous" to "legendary."

When Shepard visits the Citadel after rescuing the Primarch from Palaven, they find Garrus at the refugee docks coordinating housing and supplies for the turian refugees. Garrus quietly reports that the turian frontline squads are getting slaughtered platoons at a time.

If Shepard asks if the wounded can still fight, Garrus replies that ammunition is in short supply and weapons should be given only to those still capable of bearing them. If Shepard suggests focus on caring for the wounded, Garrus isn't optimistic on their recovery. Some may get back on their feet, but sympathy is the only thing they can offer for the rest.

Garrus also asks how Shepard is handling the war. Regardless of the Commander's reply, the turian advises Shepard to take a breather every now and then.

Once the evacuation of Grissom Academy is completed, and if Garrus is part of the shore party with Jack being present, aboard the Normandy he claims life wouldn't have been complete if he didn't see her one more time. Jack saw through Cerberus in 2185 and he might even have taken her seriously back then, but her tattoos gave him a headache every time he saw her.

Garrus has a few thoughts about the concluded mission if pressed. Going on a tangent related to children, he gets introspective on their lot and reactions about the war. Normally, kids grow up learning hardships here and there but overall finding the galaxy a decent place. The Reaper invasion teaches them that there are things in the dark that want to destroy everyone they cared about. Garrus muses that at the end of the war, there will be a lot of angry orphans looking for answers.

Garrus also wonders what the Illusive Man would do to his lieutenants for failing: if he simply fires them, or if he lines them up against a wall to be executed. Later, he also wishes there was a Grissom Academy for turians when he was growing up: Garrus always wanted to learn how to paint. Painting walls with Reaper blood isn't exactly the same, he claims, but it's still a living.

Garrus admires Eve for her tenacity and courage at having to endure the genophage after the retrieval mission on Sur'Kesh. He hopes that he and Shepard can measure up to her courage in the difficult times ahead. He also jokingly asks if the krogan-turian alliance can be sealed with his arranged marriage with Eve owing to female krogan's liking for scars. He admits he has never seen a female krogan before and suggests that the females might be the real brains on Tuchanka.

After ascertaining the fate of the Urdnot leader's missing krogan team on Utukku, Garrus is in the port observation lounge sharing his rachni experiences with Ensign Copeland. Garrus rebuffs Copeland's flattering compliments, saying most of the time he was trying to get out of a mess, only to land into another one.

If the mission to rescue Victus' stranded turian platoon was done before dealing with the genophage, Garrus shares a drink with Liara in one of the lounge's couches, reminiscing about his sojourn on Omega as Archangel. In response to Liara's amused question of whether or not he killed three Blue Suns mercenaries with one bullet, Garrus calmly states that the third guy had a heart attack and it wouldn't be fair to count him. He also tells Shepard that he is worried about the bomb on Tuchanka and says that he is surprised that he was kept in the dark about it.

After the bomb on Tuchanka has been disabled, Garrus is contacted over comms by the Urdnot leader (if he is present aboard the Normandy at that time).

If Wrex is present, he menaces Garrus if he knew anything about the bomb on Tuchanka. Garrus sincerely replies that he was in the dark as much as Wrex was. Wrex laughs and admits he was just trying to see Garrus squirm: the turian replies he's be more than happy to give the krogan lessons on relaxing provided he is given the chance. Off the comm, he recommends to Shepard that Wrex be kept away from the intercom.

If Wreav is present instead, Garrus presistently tries to shove the issue under the rug. Present-day turians didn't plant the bomb anyway, and he advises the Urdnot leader to stop chasing old ghosts for the sake of the krogan-turian alliance. Off the comm, he confides to Shepard his dislike for Wreav.

Garrus is also contacted by Javik who commends the turian decision years ago to implement a fail-safe plan on Tuchanka. Javik considers the turians apt for integration as a "subservient race" given their cunning and brutal efficiency. Garrus takes offense at the compliment and coats his objections in sarcasm. Javik continues on, saying that the turians should have detonated the bomb outright or used it as leverage.

When an annoyed Garrus asserts that peace was the objective back then, Javik defines peace as a static mode of existence which doesn't prosper change. Garrus smoothly cuts the comm, having had enough, but not before quipping that at least they all get to live another day.

Moments after the mission on Tuchanka to cure the genophage, Garrus advises Shepard to take some rest; they both know there's no room for mistakes in the war. In the interim, he has taken up the job of coordinating several dry-dock ships from the Hierarchy for helping in the Crucible's construction.

Garrus can be found later in the cockpit trading jokes with Joker. When Shepard arrives, they reminisce at some length about Mordin (if he was present during the mission). Garrus always thought he was a crazy but useful salarian: and still, he was part of the team.

Walking away from Joker and conversing with Shepard further, Garrus asks Shepard how they feel at krogan praising their name for curing the genophage. If Shepard only claims to have done it for the war effort, Garrus promises to make sure the turian fleets will be there for Earth when the time comes. Otherwise, Garrus shows some satisfaction at being able to pull off a krogan-turian alliance and a cure for the genophage.

He hopes the krogan leader continues to uphold his end of the bargain, expressing dislike at the idea of ending another war if Wreav is the leader or joking about hiring a food taster for Wrex to ensure his survival if otherwise. Garrus imagines the carnage if some other hotheaded krogan took over from Wrex.

Despite the alliance, Garrus still has some reservations, doubting he could've gone with it if it wasn't Palaven that needed krogan help. He would've looked for an alternative, or considered the salarian deal if Shepard publicly divulged it earlier.

If Shepard is sincere in curing the genophage (or lies about doing so), Garrus admires the Commander's restraint. If Shepard reveals the salarian deal just then, even Garrus finds the underhanded action distateful. If Shepard expresses doubts on the krogan as well, Garrus affirms the assessment but opines the krogan better remember that Shepard didn't choose to let their race die.

If Shepard did sabotage the cure (and regardless of whether they confide to Garrus about it), Garrus detects some of Shepard's disquiet and repeatedly asks how they're doing. Ultimately, he concludes their salarian doctor would not have gone with Shepard's position.

After the foiled Cerberus coup, Garrus can be found staring at the memorial wall. When Shepard joins him, he reflects on the events of the day. If the Virmire survivor was killed during the attack, Garrus is disquieted, hoping that s/he has found peace. If the Virmire survivor survived again, Garrus comments on the tense situation the Commander was placed in, asking the Commander if they could've pulled the trigger on a friend willingly.

If the ex-Cerberus scientists have been rescued from Gellix, Garrus can be found loitering in the Mess Hall after the mission, competing with James Vega over who has done more amazing things. Garrus mentions busting a batarian spy ring trying to assassinate a councilor, stopping Saren with Shepard or just helping to stop Saren from the sidelines (depending on whether Shepard recruited him way back or not), and his time as Archangel on Omega. Things continue on a swaggering vein until they both settle for taking credit on recent major events that have transpired prior to their faceoff.

After the destruction of the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery on Lesuss, Garrus is once again in the lounge conversing with Javik and Ensign Copeland about wars past and present and the nature of its participants. If Samara was present and survived the events on Lesuss, Garrus is glad to have such a relentless ally in the war. Otherwise, he curses at the loss of an important asset.

After the mission to disable a geth dreadnought, Garrus expresses doubts at his abilities as a leader, since Primarch Victus gave him the responsibility to coordinate all turian fleet activities. He finds it difficult to take certain decisions, knowing that the lives of millions of people hinge on them.

If Shepard considers him a good leader, Garrus muses that a perpetual outsider's point of view is ill-suited to the challenges once he's on the inside. Shepard assures him that what he's doing is no different from his C-Sec days: doing the best you can with what you know. If Shepard advises him not to show his doubts, Garrus reminds the Commander why he isn't a good turian: he can't follow bad orders, but he's the one giving out orders. Shepard counters that at every decision some die while others live.

Whatever Shepard's opinion, Garrus begins to realize the Commander's point and the necessity for leaders who don't give a damn about consequences. If the ruthless calculus of war dictates that ten billion die so that twenty billion can live, Garrus asks if they are prepared for such sacrifice.

Following the rescue mission of Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib, Garrus establishes a connection to his father still stranded on Palaven, trying to get to the escape shuttles. Garrus's sister, Solana, broke her leg but the injury isn't life-threatening. However, the connection dies before Garrus could talk more. He silently mutters a prayer to the turian spirits, wishing to see his family again.

After the mission on Thessia, Garrus learns that his family has successfully fled from Palaven. It is immediately followed by bad news, however, as Garrus has just advised Primarch Victus to issue a full retreat against the Reapers and to hold back their ships until the Crucible's completion. He has now gambled everything on the Crucible and "ruthless calculus."

If Shepard went through with curing the genophage, Garrus shifts his concerns toward Shepard's well-being. Whether Shepard admits to weariness of the war or stubborn rejection of fatigue, Garrus attempts to cheer the Commander up in his capacity as a friend regardless of response.

If Shepard decided to sabotage the cure on Tuchanka, Garrus takes notice on how the salarians had chosen to commit resources to the war despite the genophage "cure" and wonders how the Commander had managed that, additionally asking if Wrex jumping Shepard at the Citadel had anything to do with it (if that happened). At this point Shepard can either come clean or avoid the questioning.

If the Commander decides to come clean with this, Garrus assures Shepard that he would have done the same to save Palaven under the same desperate circumstances.

Garrus inquires whether the salarian scientist willingly went along with Shepard's plan. If the scientist did not, Shepard doesn't reply, to which Garrus swears at the war. If they did, however, Garrus is astounded. If Mordin was the scientist, Garrus calls him a devious salarian before realizing the implication. With Wiks, Garrus just jumps to the implication of tricking Wreav.

If Wrex was once a member of Shepard's team before dying on Virmire, Garrus remarks that the krogan might've figured it out but his replacement brother Wreav is just too stupid. Otherwise, he states that Wreav scares him. In any case, Garrus opines that he can't tell the Urdnot leader what he thinks. Garrus compliments Shepard for playing both sides and asks that he be reminded to never play poker with Shepard.

If Shepard still kept the truth from Garrus, either by mentioning "a disagreement about strategy" with Wrex or "careful negotiation about strategy" with the salarians otherwise, Garrus states that he won't be one to judge if that "strategy" involved paying a price to save Earth.

Garrus has a few more things to say after the topic on ruthless calculus. He tries to point out Thessia's fall wasn't the Commander's fault: the world was already gone by the time they arrived. He doesn't care the Illusive Man won this fight: the turian lost a few fights in his time, but he always made sure the next one belonged to him. He advises restraint against anger and frustration, keeping it bottled up then letting it loose to rearrange every molecule in Kai Leng's body when Shepard gets the chance.

During one of the calmer moments in the war, Garrus invites Shepard to meet him in the D24 docking bay of the Citadel. Garrus wants to partake in one last entertaining activity with Shepard before the final battle with the Reapers on Earth. The two travel to the top of the Presidium, shoot beverage cans with sniper rifles, and reminisce about working together. If Shepard misses the second shot on purpose, Garrus is unable to contain himself and he happily proclaims: "I'm Garrus Vakarian, and this is now my favorite spot on the Citadel." If Shepard doesn't miss, Garrus snarks about upping the difficulty by throwing in a herd of rampaging klixen next time, to "separate the rookies from the pros."

After the mission to Horizon, Garrus is disquieted at seeing the horrible experiments performed on the refugees. He vows to take his revenge by carving the names of the turian refugees who died at Sanctuary into the Illusive Man's skull.

During the Battle for Earth, Shepard can speak to Garrus, reflecting on how far they have come as comrades. Garrus is quite optimistic about their chances at victory and even jokes about retirement plans. Shepard can agree with him or just say that civilian life is not suitable for them. Before saying goodbye, Garrus tells Shepard to go out there and give the Reapers hell: the Commander was born for this. Shepard then bids him goodbye, saying that if they don't make it and he does, they will be looking down and always have his back.

If Shepard chooses to activate the Crucible, Garrus, along with Joker, Cortez, and any surviving squad members, can be seen paying their respects to Shepard, placing the Commander's name above Anderson's on the Memorial Wall aboard the Normandy.

If Garrus is in the squad at the final push towards the Conduit, he dies in Harbinger's onslaught if Shepard failed to gather enough of the galaxy's military forces.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel
If Garrus is in a romantic relationship with Shepard, then he will come to her aid when Shepard is ambushed by mercenaries while on shore leave. Garrus contacts Shepard asking if she is ok, having been filled in on the situation by Joker. Garrus meets Shepard at the Cision Motors skycar lot where Joker extracts them with a shuttle. If they're not in a relationship then Garrus will soon join the squad at the Personal Apartment to help the Commander.

Sometime after the clone is defeated, Garrus sends a message to Shepard asking to meet at the bar of the Silver Coast Casino. If Garrus is being romanced, the two roleplay a first date but Garrus runs out of banter ideas. He spontaneously pulls a reluctant Shepard onto the dance floor and the two proceed to tango. Alternatively, if Shepard is not romancing Garrus, they can direct him to talk with a female turian. Garrus is clearly uncomfortable and his attempts to talk are clumsy, but with the Commander's help (and beer), Garrus steels himself and starts again, making a more positive impression.

Garrus speaks at Thane's funeral if Shepard accepts Kolyat's request to hold a memorial service. Garrus says he would not label Thane as an assassin, since how they both always covered each other in firefights, which made them partners.

Garrus is an optional invite to Shepard's big party. At the beginning, he loiters with Liara and Traynor by the kitchen. In a quiet setting, he complains about the lack of hard drinks, though in an energetic setting he dares Shepard to partake in the swill being served. He finds the apartment a good place to retire, its features appealing to his sniper sensibilities. If Shepard's his girlfriend, Liara calls the pad the "Shepard-Vakarian love nest" when he announces his thoughts, though if Shepard's involved with someone else (Tali, Liara, or Traynor) Garrus himself calls attention to the pair's "love nest" and teases about not interrupting anything they might've been "planning".

By the second phase of the party, he's hanging out with different groups of people. At an energetic party, Garrus helps Steve goad Joker over the latter's lack of proper sidearm training at the bar, claiming that "[a] weapon [he] can't get to is no weapon at all." In a quiet setting, Garrus discusses beefing up the apartment's defenses with Zaeed at the balcony, if the merc is around.

By the last leg of the party, in an energetic setting Garrus is dancing with Steve, Traynor and some other invited guests on the improvised dance floor between the kitchen and the conference room. On seeing Shepard dance, he suggests recording and broadcasting it to the Reapers as he sees three things that may happen: they'll run away, melt down, or fall in love. If Shepard's his girlfriend, not even their relationship can stop him from wondering what she's doing with her arms, utterly unable to keep a straight turian face at Shepard's (lack of) talent.

If someone in the group starts reciting from the periodic table of the elements, he sarcastically comments how turian parties almost never end up with something like that happening. At the mention of "element 69", the humans in the group snigger while Garrus takes the time to remind them it's thulium.

In a quiet setting, Garrus makes good on some of his (and Zaeed's) plans for the apartment's "security", inspecting the glass by the apartment's door, collaborating with Zaeed over comms if he's around, and initially feigning innocence when Shepard comes checking by. When questioned, Garrus enthusiastically launches into an explanation of micro-filaments - tiny explosives laid across the glass in a grid that shred intruders to pieces upon flipping a switch. He gets to name a proposed coffeemaker booby trap "caffeine rush" later when the brainstorming turns to Shepard's kitchen appliances.

Garrus poses at the back of the group photo Shepard assembles the whole gang for if they're just friends, or sits next to her if they're in a relationship. The morning after the party, Garrus and Shepard wake up beside each other if they're lovers. If not, or afterward, Garrus can be seen sitting at the one of the upper floor's couches opposite of Liara, promising to cut down on the calibrations jokes but only if Liara stops saying "by the goddess" herself.

Romance
Garrus is an available romance option in 2186, provided he was previously romanced in 2185. Shepard runs into Garrus while he is stationed on the moon Menae, attacking the Reapers. Not much is said about their relationship while they are fighting the Reapers, but once Garrus is aboard the Normandy, Shepard can visit him in the main battery. It is here where Garrus asks where they stand and if she still has feelings for him, jokingly recalling that she had an attraction towards scarred men and that he is more than willing to get more if it will improve his chances. Shepard has the option to either end things with Garrus here, or to continue the relationship by kissing his scar and confessing that she missed him.

During the course of the journey, Shepard can provide emotional support for Garrus, who is worried about his family on Palaven and about being asked for advice by the Primarch, something he is not used to. Garrus, in turn, tries to help cheer Shepard up when the pressure of the war begins to be too much for her to bear.

On the Citadel, Garrus asks to meet up with Shepard and they ride off to the Presidium in a skycar. It is here where Garrus asks her if she is ready to commit to a relationship and "ready to be a one turian kind of woman." If pursued, Shepard will say that "the only thing that made leaving Earth bearable was knowing [he was] out there" and that she loves him and the two kiss. Afterwards, Garrus challenges her to a bottle shooting round with sniper rifles similar to the regular encounter, except that if Shepard misses the shot, Garrus will say, "There, there, it's okay. I know there are other things you're good at" after declaring the spot his "favorite spot on the Citadel."

Before heading to the Illusive Man's base, Garrus meets Shepard in her quarters and offers to keep her company. After Shepard wakes up from another dream and admits that she's worried she hasn't done enough, Garrus reassures her that they could have died at any moment before, but they are still alive now and have faced dangerous risks before.

After attacking Cerberus Headquarters, Shepard can find Tali and Garrus talking in the main battery. When she thanks the two for believing her since the beginning, Garrus will reply that "[she] gave [him] some incentive."

Back on Earth, Garrus jokes about retiring with Shepard to "somewhere warm and tropical" and "find[ing] out what a turian-human baby looks like," though Shepard may opt to say that adoption is likely a better option due to their incompatible biology to which Garrus replies there will be a lot of little krogan around soon, or that they probably wouldn't make very good parents anyway, to which Garrus asks whether Shepard is scared that "Daddy's rifle collection might scare junior." Shepard is jokingly concerned that instead he might like it, and that having two expert killers in the family was more than enough. Garrus then says that if everything goes bad, to meet her at the bar in heaven. Before parting, Garrus gives her an order to come back alive before they kiss. If the Commander chooses to comfort Garrus further, Shepard says that if she dies and he doesn't, she will always be watching over him, and he will never be alone.

During the charge to the beam, Garrus may be wounded by an exploding vehicle, along with another squad mate. Shepard calls in the Normandy in and carries Garrus to the Normandy, where she tells the Normandy crew to take him and go. Garrus refuses to leave Shepard, but she insists that he doesn't argue and that she will always love him, holding his face. After a brief silence, Garrus will say that he also loves Shepard just before she sprints for the beam and the Normandy departs.

If Shepard chooses to activate the Crucible, Garrus will be the last person Shepard sees before ending the Reaper threat.

If Shepard chooses to control the Reapers or merge organic and synthetic life, Garrus will be seen placing Shepard's name on the Memorial Wall, or, if Shepard chooses to destroy the Reapers and enough of the galaxy's forces have been mustered, he will smile and refrain from placing the plaque, and the Normandy is seen flying off.

If Shepard chose to merge organic and synthetic life, Garrus will place the Commander's name on the memorial wall. After that, he will share a hug with EDI.

If neither Garrus nor Tali'Zorah vas Normandy are romanced in 2185, they enter a romantic relationship with each other and Shepard may walk in on them embracing each other in the Main Battery. Caught in the act, they both make a hasty excuse that one of Garrus's mandibles may have gotten hooked on Tali's helmet, and that Tali asked for him to check for a rupture. Shepard can tell them that they are happy for the two of them, and the two thank the Commander. Garrus says that it helps knowing that there is something to go back to, to which Tali replies that the relationship is a fling and she is "using [him] for [his] body." Garrus responds by saying "You're so mean... and I'm okay with that."

Trivia

 * Along with Ashley, Garrus is one of the "poster" characters for Mass Effect and appears on most of the promotional art and demo footage.
 * During the Xbox 360 demo, a conversation with Garrus was used to demonstrate the dialogue system, where Shepard interrupted Garrus' complaint about endangering the mission to rescue civilians, and ordered the turian to fall in line.
 * There is currently a bug on the PC version of Mass Effect where even on Ultra-High detail, Garrus' face is remarkably low textured. This is known by the developers of the game, who have said that a patch is not currently in the works and most likely never will be, since due to the way the game is made, it would require a multi-gigabyte patch to fix.
 * Garrus' trademark visor is explained to be a custom targeting visor based on the turian version of the Kuwashii Visor. It holds great personal significance to him, as he is never seen without it, even during his romance subplot. He also has the names of his former Omega team members carved into the frame, removing Sidonis' after his betrayal.
 * Early promotional screenshots for the first Mass Effect show Garrus would originally be able to wear heavy turian armor; however, this was scrapped later during development. As of Mass Effect 2, heavy turian armor is his default outfit.
 * Shepard and Garrus' relationship is, to a degree, one of mentor and protegé, respectively, as Garrus usually seeks out Shepard's advice and opinions regarding missions and always follows Shepard's example.
 * As observed in the E3 2006 and X06 demos, Garrus underwent many revisions, including changes to his visor, turian insignia markings, and armor.
 * Writer Patrick Weekes pegs Garrus Vakarian's age at 2-4 years younger than Shepard.


 * As with all squad members, Garrus has unique dialogue that can be heard at various locations, during missions or assignments, or if a specific squad member is in the selected team.
 * The Shadow Broker has files on Garrus which can be accessed aboard his ship.