War Assets

War Assets in Mass Effect 3 are the people, weapons, armies and fleets that Commander Shepard can accumulate throughout the game.

War Assets are assigned a point value, indicating Total Military Strength, which is then multiplied by a Readiness Rating to produce the galaxy's Effective Military Strength, which determines success in the final battle against the Reapers. They are earned in direct tie to what occurs in the game, whether it be events happening in the background or the missions which the player actively participates in. War Assets may also be obtained by scanning planets in systems controlled by the Reapers on the Galaxy Map but it poses the threat of being detected and terminated by the machines.

War Assets
War Assets and its total military strength can be inspected using the War Terminal located in the War Room on the second deck of the Normandy.


 * Alien
 * Alliance
 * Asari
 * Crucible
 * Ex-Cerberus
 * Geth
 * Krogan
 * Quarian
 * Salarian
 * Turian

Readiness Rating
The readiness rating is presented as a percentage of the collected war assets that contribute to the galaxy's Total Military Strength. War Asset's true value is attributed to the Total Military Strength, but is then multiplied by the Readiness Rating percentage, resulting in the Effective Military Strength. The readiness rating is increased by participation in the Galaxy at War system, which includes:
 * Multiplayer
 * Mass Effect: Infiltrator
 * Mass Effect 3: Datapad

Participation in Galaxy at War is encouraged to achieve the maximize the Military Strength given by each War Asset. According to data found within the game, the total War Assets score is 8370. However, this number is unattainable in the game as obtaining the War Assets needed will require impossible feats such as both Kaidan and Ashley surviving, or both saving and sacrificing the Council. Currently the highest obtainable War Assets is above 7700, half of which is clearly far from the needed 3100 EMS to unlock all possible endings. This may change in the future as more DLC which may contribute War Assets, is released.

In the multiplayer of Mass Effect 3, completing matches adds to the player's overall readiness rating. While the player may choose the map they wish to play, this only puts readiness points towards the zone that map is associated with. Typically, if a specific map is chosen, 8-9% readiness is added to that zone, while if "Unknown Location" is chosen, aside from the XP Bonus, 3-4% readiness is added overall. The readiness rating is averaged from the ratings of all the zones, meaning if "Unknown Location" is chosen, all zones will receive a 3-4% boost. If a multiplayer mission fails in the second half of the match (after Wave 5), 2% will be allotted to the player.

Readiness will not fall as long as the PC/console is kept offline.

Sword, Shield, and Hammer
When the mission Priority: Earth is started, all gathered War Assets combine into three different groups, codenamed Sword, Shield and Hammer. Sword and Shield consist of all allied fleets and starships, and Hammer consists of all ground forces. When Sword attacks the Reaper fleet above Earth, it acts as a distraction to allow Hammer to land on Earth and engage the Reapers on the ground to aid Admiral Anderson's resistance forces. Meanwhile, Shield is held in reserve to escort the Crucible into position to dock with the Citadel.

Depending on the number of War Assets gathered and their combined military effectiveness rating, Sword and Hammer will either begin taking heavy losses quickly or be able to hold their own until the end of the mission. The survival and continued defense of Sword and Hammer are pivotal to the success of the final mission. For example, high EMS results enough suppressive fire for the Normandy to quickly land and extract squad members to safety, as well as allowing the Crucible to dock with little to no damage taken.