User:Cattlesquat/sandbox/Mass Effect Guide

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

On the Normandy
You begin the game as Commander Shepard, the 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. 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 Shepard's name has been put forward 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.

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, you and two squad members — Corporal Jenkins and Kaidan Alenko — touch down on the planet to begin the mission.

Eden Prime Surface
When you regain control on Eden Prime, head along the path to the left and after a cutscene where Jenkins is killed by a trio of Geth Recon Drones, examine his body and you can earn some morality points. Move along using the cover and eventually you will trigger another cutscene where a soldier called Ashley Williams is running from more geth drones. After the cutscene is over, move up and assist her in taking out the attacking geth. When the geth are down, talk to her; you can earn some morality points in the process. She joins you, saying that the beacon isn't far. Keep moving up until you reach the dig site dealing with some of the geth along the way.

When you reach the site, the beacon is gone and Ashley suggests that it might have been moved to the spaceport. When you are done, Nihlus will come over the comm saying that he will be investigating a small spaceport up ahead and he will meet up with you there. Move up the hills to the left and head out. When you reach the camp, another cutscene plays where some creatures are shown impaled on spikes, and the spikes suddenly descend. Take out the husks and then head to the hut on the far side of the camp. Get the goodies from the left hand room of the hut, then use Decryption to open the room on the right, and talk to the remaining scientists who will tell you that the beacon was moved to the starport. Leave the hut and head around to trigger yet another cutscene.

The Spaceport
This cutscene will show Nihlus at the spaceport and after swinging out from behind cover recognize another turian, Saren. After some talking, Saren pulls out a pistol and the scene shifts back to Shepard, and a loud gunshot is heard. Round the corner and you see more geth and husks. If you are quick enough, there is an explosive container on the platform that you can shoot to take out the Geth Troopers. Then just shoot the husks before they get too close. When you have dealt with them, head over to the hut, and again use Decryption to unlock the door in order to talk with Cole and his friends. You can use persuasion options to get him to give up some smuggled goods and give up his contact, Powell, if you have enough Charm or Intimidation points. If you don't, the dialogue options will be greyed out.

Head up to the platform and when you check Nihlus' body, Powell comes out from behind a stack of crates. After talking with him, if you got his name from Cole, then he can give up some goods and an upgrade, he tells you that the other turian shot Nihlus and then headed to the other platform. Follow Saren and head down to the cargo train on the level below, defeating the geth along the way. When you get onto the train, watch the Geth Destroyer that just loves to charge the squad. Activate the train to continue. A cutscene will play showing that Saren intends to destroy the colony and tells the geth to arm some explosives.

When you regain control, you have 5 minutes to disarm the four explosives that are set up around the platform. Disarm them as you take out the geth along the way. After disarming the last explosive, head down to the platform and take out the final two geth and husks. Before you activate the beacon, grab the crates that are around and then activate the beacon to trigger the final cutscene. One of Shepard's companions approaches the beacon and starts being pulled in. Shepard runs and throws them aside and then is raised into the air. Then the beacon explodes sending Shepard flying.

The scene shifts to the Normandy where Shepard was carried to the ship by the other two squadmates. Doctor Chakwas gives Shepard a clean bill of health and Anderson walks in and asks the room be cleared. After talking with Anderson, he tells you to head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring the ship into dock at the Citadel. Before you head up to the bridge, talk to the various members of the crew and when you are ready talk to Joker to end the mission.

Getting Information
When you arrive at the Citadel you see a heated discussion between Ambassador Udina and the Citadel Council about the attack on Eden Prime. After the Council ends the conversation, Udina briefly talks with you and Captain Anderson, then instructs you to meet him in the Citadel Tower. On the way you can access the Avina terminal to learn more about the Presidium and get some background on the history of the galaxy.

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.

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.

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. After the cutscene, talk to Harkin and he says that Garrus went to the Med Clinic in the Upper Wards to follow up a lead on Saren. 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. Then assist Garrus in taking out the rest of the attackers. After talking for a few minutes, Dr. Michel tells you that Fist used to be an agent of the Shadow Broker but is now working for Saren, and is now about to meet the quarian, who has info linking Saren to the geth. 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.

If you choose to speak to Barla Von, he tells you that Fist and Saren both betrayed the Shadow Broker, and so the Shadow Broker hired a krogan mercenary, Urdnot Wrex, 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.

If you haven’t recruited the other squadmates then do so because you can always use the extra firepower.

Getting Results
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 if you have enough Paragon points) and proceed to Fist's office. Fist has two Defensive Turrets installed, so use cover to take them out. After the gunfight, he surrenders, and 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.

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. When you get close to the meeting site, the quarian getting suspicious about Fist's absence, however her turian contact tells her to relax. Then she tells him the deal’s off and the turian signals two salarian Assassins. Kill the three assassins and talk to the quarian, and after the conversation, the squad takes the quarian to the safety of Ambassador Udina's office.

Udina isn’t happy about all the damage Shepard did but when the quarian introduces herself as Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and then produces an audio recording of Saren discussing Eden Prime, saying the beacon will help him find the Conduit. That’s just the evidence you needed however there is another voice that says that it also brings them a step closer to the return of the Reapers. 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 recognizes the other voice in the recording as 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 Shepard a Spectre and then to send you after Saren. 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.

When you arrive, you learn that Captain Anderson is stepping down and handing command of the Normandy to you. Anderson and Udina give you several leads, the planets of Feros and Noveria have reported geth activity. 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: head to 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 via side missions.

Therum 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.

When you reach a gatehouse, there is a small narrow defile to the right. The exterior is defended by three Geth Turrets. Take them out, then turn into the small path, which is defended by a single turret. After you have destroyed the turret, drive into the gate compound, engaging enemy infantry as you go. After killing all the enemies, check the Mako's radar screen to locate the geth hidden inside the buildings. Disembark from the Mako in order to loot the buildings and grounds of any containers, and open the two gates to continue your advance. There are intermittent geth forces, mostly more Geth Rocket Troopers and Geth Armatures. Continue onwards to the end of the path, signaled by a roadblock 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.

After you head through the slit, at the top of the rise are several geth troops. Quickly dispatch them, by hiding behind the rocky outcroppings in the centre and shooting from cover. Head to the top of the rise and bear left and get into cover immediately. Shoot all the visible geth from cover, whilst watching for the sneaky ones that rush straight at you. Eliminate the sniper in the tower and then focus on the rocket troopers. 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, and when you get close enough, a cutscene will play showing a Geth Hopper bouncing out of hiding, followed by the deployment of a Geth Armature with some shock troops. Head straight to cover, while dodging any targeting beams from the hoppers. Take everything down quickly then concentrate on the armature to finish things off. Once they're gone head up the ramp into the mine on the right.

Prothean Ruins
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. Continue following the catwalk and down to the lift 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 then 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 and head down the ramps to take out the geth on the opposite side of the chasm. 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. After you enter the code, 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. Travel up the elevator to Liara’s level and approach her to talk to 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.

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 you will actually gain experience and credits from the conversation. 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.

Port Hanshan
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 and your responses earn a few Paragon or Renegade points. Whatever your choice, eventually Gianna Parasini will tell Captain Matsuo to stand down because 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. So 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.

There are a few ways of getting out of Hanshan, 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. You can get some credits from the hanar, turn it in to his contact, or turn it into Anoleis for a pass.

If you have already finished the smuggling assignment or don't want to turn in the shopkeeper, 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. Otherwise, turn right and go up to the second floor. Further down the walkway on the upper level is a room with a console to disable the security system for Synthetic Insights' offices. 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 has been paying some of the Noveria guards behind Captain Matsuo's back who are now illegally ransacking Synthetic Insights in an attempt to find the evidence. Qui'in agrees to give you his garage pass and some credits if you can recover the evidence.

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. Go up to the second floor and towards Qui'in's office and insert the OSD to get the evidence. 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. You don't have to get Qui'in to testify to get the garage pass because you can simply give him his evidence. If you do convince him go to Anoleis's office and talk to Parasini to tell her that you got Qui'in to testify. Parasini will give you the garage pass, then leave to arrest Anoleis. 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 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.

Go to the garage area and the guard at the door will say that 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 if you have trouble. The guards will show up after the battle and Captain Matsuo will wonder how the geth got there, before rushing back to their stations. Then 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 here and there. There are also discarded containers 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 garage door. Exit the Mako and enter the building from the pedestrian entrance just to the left.

Peak 15
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 and there is a Geth Repair drone floating around as well. You should quickly dispatch them at a distance because their melee attacks are deadly. After the garage battle, 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 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 to get the core online. Once the VI reinitializes, it will introduce itself as Mira. She tells you that Matriarch Benezia is at Rift Station, which is currently inaccessible. Mira gives you a list of three errors that need to be remedied before you can reach it:
 * Reconnecting the landlines on the roof to restore Mira's full functionality,
 * Getting the reactor core back online by fixing the helium-3 fuel lines, and
 * 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 you can get some 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. Take the elevator down to the main reactor core and kill the geth here and restore power by reconnecting the helium-3 lines, located at the center of the middle walkway. When you are finished, 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, 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 where you will meet a security contingent led by Captain Ventralis. After a brief conversation, several rachni will 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 that will take you down to the hot lab. At this point you can go immediately to the hot labs, 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 Petozi, an elcor merchant.

In the main room behind the guards, you'll find several scientists and more guards. To the left of the medical bay tunnel, is a rude asari scientist, Alestia Iallis. In the back are some drones hovering next to a locked door, which if you decrypt will turn everyone hostile. Take the elevator down to the scientists’ quarters to talk to 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. When you're finished, you'll then be attacked by Alestia Iallis, who is actually an undercover asari commando. 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.

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 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.

Benezia is standing near a containment pod holding a 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.

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.

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, with the Rachni Queen through one of the dead commandos. She will reveal to you that her offspring were raised without the benefit of her guidance and have been driven mad by fear and need to be destroyed. Now 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.

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. Either way, 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.

The Hot Labs
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 goes through the history of the rachni experiment and eventually 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. You have 120 seconds to get out, so either run across shooting or take them out. When you are done board the train to end the mission.

Zhu’s Hope
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 leaping across the walls. Dispose of the hoppers and continue up.

You will encounter a group of human colonists. Proceed to Fai Dan 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. If you are pursuing a strictly Paragon path, you will want to assist them now, as you may be unable to complete their assignments later. Even if you're not a Paragon, but want the XP from these assignments, 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.

Ride the elevator up to the garage, destroy a scouting geth drone, and 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. 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, but it isn't necessary.

If you choose to stop, 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 and is likely still within the ExoGeni facility. Juliana will ask you to find her daughter and help her if you can. You can also speak to Gavin Hossle to acquire the Feros: Data Recovery assignment while you are here.

ExoGeni Headquarters
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. 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. The entrance to your left will be blocked by an energy field, and there is no way to disable it from your current location. So you have to drop down a floor into the basement and continue from there, hop down when you're ready. Follow the tunnel into another collapsed area, and you'll be shot at accidentally by an impulsive 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 of your question about the Thorian research. It goes on to say that the colony was used as a test group to watch and study these mind control effects. 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. 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.

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. 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 the pressure can be altered to make them close with more power than normal.

Assault on Zhu’s Hope
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 Normandy. 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, 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. You can either charm or intimidate your way out of this situation, or you can just shoot Jeong. If you do, your squadmates ensure Jeong's security personnel consider their options, and stand down.

After Jeong is dealt with, 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. Don't forget to complete the data recovery assignment by speaking with the appropriate person before leaving, if you have the disc. Afterward, board the Mako and return to Zhu's Hope, looking out for the Geth Armatures and Geth Juggernauts on the Skyway.

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 by meleeing them.

The Thorian Creepers will not have names, but all the colonists are named on your HUD. Each colonist that dies will give you two Renegade points, each colonist that lives will give you 2 Paragon points.

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, 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.

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.

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 control 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. 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. After you've dealt with Wrex, speak to Kirrahe again.

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 and the Normandy can get it there, but the base's defenses 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 so that his three assault teams can co-ordinate more effectively. Choose whoever 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. Once you choose to start the mission, you'll appear on the other side of the base's perimeter wall and cannot go back.

Base Assault – Exterior
You start in a narrow canyon with a stream running through it. 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. 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 help the salarian assault teams 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 troopers 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.

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. 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.


 * 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, or let him out. You can also choose to kill the salarians in the next cell to the right. When you are done, 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. 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, activate it for another vision. As you walk up the catwalk, you'll see a hologram of Sovereign and it gives 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 civilization, perpetuating a cycle that has lasted for "longer than you can fathom."

Base Assault – Interior
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.

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 bombsite. There's a message that now both your crewmembers 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.


 * 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 teammate back to the Normandy as Saren escapes. It should be noted that Kirrahe and his team will survive and escape aboard the Normandy even if this option is chosen (assuming they survived up to this point), but the squadmate that was left on the AA tower will still be dead (apparently sacrificing oneself to cover salarians' team's escape).


 * 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 teammate. 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 bombsite, 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.

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
This is a last call on any outstanding assignments and any last minute shopping. Once you go to Ilos, there is no going back.

Pre Mission
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 will have an 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 be sneaky and use 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. 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.

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.

The Security Complex
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, however 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. Hop into the elevator at the end and you'll find yourself in the area near the bunker. Head left and go back between the pillars to the Mako. Jump aboard, and then head into the bunker down the slope.

The Archives
Keep driving straight when you reach the bottom. 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 and 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 Prothean VI will explain 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, which is a prototype mass relay that acts as a 'back door' onto the Citadel, to bypass all the station's defenses 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.

Trench Run
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. The Conduit will launch you into the relay corridor, and now you have to stop Saren before it’s too late.

Presidium
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.

Exhaust Plains
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 defense 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. If you want some exp, then don’t open the turrets and after about 20 or so Shock Troopers the Dropship will fly away. Beyond that is a second exhaust plain with defense turrets, geth troopers and indentations you can use for cover. This is a tough area, especially on higher difficulty settings because 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 that 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.

Council Chambers
There are a few geth here but nothing that will really slow you down, 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 hovercraft (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. 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.
 * This will also result in Paragon or Renegade score bonus, depending on your choice of the last phrase in the dialogue, right after Saren says that "Sovereign is too strong". Only the last phrase matters; you can initiate this dialogue branch with Charm option but receive Renegade bonus if you end the conversation with the Intimidate option.

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 Ascension (and the Council), tell them to focus on Sovereign (resulting in Ascension being destroyed), or specifically give the order to let the Council die (which will result in a different ending than the middle option). 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. However, just as everyone believes Shepard is dead, Shepard comes running across the wreckage, with what appears to be a broken or injured arm.

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. Alternatively, you can disclaim interest in politics and politicians.

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 majority of the 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 in your first completion.