Ilos: Find the Conduit

Saren and his troops have disappeared into a sealed bunker beneath the surface of Ilos, sealing the doors behind them.

Acquisition
This mission is acquired as part of the Race Against Time mission and after Shepard frees the SSV Normandy from lockdown on the Citadel.

Walkthrough
Before heading to Ilos this is a final call on any and all outstanding assignments. Also take this time to do any final shopping on Noveria and Feros.

Normandy
When you go to the Galaxy Map and begin the travel to Ilos, if you pursued any relationship with Kaiden, Ashley, or Liara then they visit Shepard in the Captain’s Quarters.

As the Normandy approaches the Mu Relay, Joker calls Shepard up to the bridge. As The Normandy passes through the Relay and then Ilos comes up. There are quite a few Geth Dropships in orbit. The scene shifts to the Bridge as Joker points out the problem. Whichever squadmate wasn’t killed on Virmire stresses that they will be spotted. However with the stealth systems engaged they can’t be seen unless someone looks out a window.

Navigator Pressly is picking up some strange reading from the surface and Shepard orders Joker to drop the squad on top of Saren. However Pressly says that the nearest landing zone is two clicks away, too far to get to Saren in time. Shepard orders a Mako drop however again Pressly points out a problem is that there are only twenty meters near Saren, and the Mako needs 100 meters for a drop like that.

As the squad points out that isn’t enough however after an order to find another landing zone, Pressly says that there isn’t one. Joker interrupts however and says the can do it. Shepard orders the squad into the Mako in preparation for a hard landing. Now all you have to do is select your squad.

Select your squad carefully as this is the squad you will have for the remainder of the game. You will be fighting krogan and geth so a balanced squad is recommended.

Ilos: Upper Ruins
The scene shifts to Ilos’ surface and Saren walking into a large structure surrounded by geth. However a noise attracts his attention and he sees the Normandy screaming down from the upper atmosphere. Joker is hunched over the controls, and Saren recognizing the danger, yells at the geth to get inside so he can seal the doors. At the last second Joker pulls the Normandy out of the dive as the Mako roars out of the cargo bay, lands, and rolls to stop just outside the doors as they close.

Shepard and the squad exit the Mako and make comments that they aren’t getting through the doors without heavy weapons. So find the way that Saren opened them and use it to get to him.

When you regain control turn around and head back into the ruins. When you start walking for just a few feet you encounter some Geth Troopers so make sure they don’t get to give the warm welcome that they intended to. Use the cover and you reach a very open plaza like area with little cover. Just watch your left and right because there are plenty of geth here. Coming up from the stairs to the right are Troopers, Geth Shock Troopers, and Geth Rocket Troopers. To your left are two Geth Armatures. Use the limited cover to take out the foot soldiers first before focusing on the walking tanks.

There is more cover when dealing with the Armatures so use it and only step out to shoot or use powers. Keep your squadmates in cover as well as these two have a habit of going for the easiest target, Shepard or the squad, so make it hard for them to pick. By now you can survive a direct hit, however don’t tempt fate and stay in cover. Use overload, warp, throw, and any other powers to keep them off balance and from shooting back. When the Armatures are down head to the staircase to your right, but grab the crate near the door before moving on.

There is a console on the lower level that can disable the Armatures however it is hard to get to and you will lose out on the exp that these two give.

When you head down the stairs you may encounter a geth or two that didn’t come up to the previous battle so take them out. When you reach the Lower Ruins, there is a large room off to your left that has some pesky Geth Hoppers in it. Take down the Hoppers however because there is little cover he as well it is even more difficult than the battle with the Armatures. When you finally have the Hoppers down, grab the crate that is in the room and head our and keep going along the trench.

In the trench is an Armature control station that could have disabled the Armatures upstairs. You can still hack the console for some exp however if you diable the Armatures, you will lose the exp they give up. Keep heading along the trench and climb the ramps at the end to head deeper into the complex. When you head deeper into the complex grab the crate and eventually you come across a corner where you can proceed forward or follow the path to the left. This gives you a good sniping point on the enemies below in the courtyard, however if you go too far then you will drop into the courtyard where there is little cover.

The Courtyard
No matter your choices it is better to snipe first because it can take down the Geth Destroyer and its escorting Shock Troopers before they can overwhelm you. Will at least then you can fight them from cover as they come up and around from the path. If you have the AI Hacking skill, then use it on the Destroyer because it makes short work of the Shock Troopers. Also even if they escape and attack, then you have cover in order to deal with them. When they have been dealt with head down the path, DO NOT drop down into the courtyard.

As you round the corner at the end of the path there are two more Shock Troopers on an elevated platform. Use the little cover to take them out however it really isn’t needed because they are pushovers. When then are down head into the courtyard and head left into an elevator that takes you up to where the Shock Troopers were. DO NOT do this if there are other geth in the courtyard because they have a habit of going under the platform and are waiting when you come out to overwhelm you. Before heading back down grab the crate on the platform and then head back down and across the courtyard to grab that one. Take cover near the walls of the courtwayrd heading south because there are more geth.

In the mess of pillars that lies to the south of the courtyard are four Geth Hoppers. Use the cover to shoot them full of holes however there are places what they can shoot you that you can’t shoot back. The key here is to stay in cover and have patience when taking out these attackers. When they are down head around and before heading into the elevator, grab the crate that is off to the left. Head into the elevator and prepare for a fight.

Security Station
As you head down, one of your squadmates comments that the place must have its own power because the elevator is still working. When you reach the bottom, move out slowly because inside are Geth Juggernauts or Destroyers (difficulty dependent), Troopers, Rocket Troopers, Shock Troopers, and a Geth Prime.

When you can, dart up the ramps on either side to get to an upper platform that gives you a lot of cover and a great firing position. When you get up there you will notice that there are four Armatures around the exterior of the room, however they will not attack and if the consoles next to them are hacked then they will aid you. However getting to them is hard, and on higher levels it is suicide because you can’t make it to all four before Shepard is dead, even on level 60. So stay in cover and take out the geth, when the fall you can still hack the terminals for exp points. If you do manage to get one up you still get the exp for the kills just not for when the Armatures die.

When the geth are down, hack the terminals, if you haven’t already and when you reach the other end there is a crate off to the left in an alcove that is easy to miss. Head up the ramps here and you reach a console. Activate it to unlock the doors to the archives. However as the squad turns to leave a badly distorted hologram comes up and speaks. You squadmates can’t understand it however the Cipher must have transferred some knowledge of the Prothean language into Shepard’s mind because it is clear to Shepard. The communication is bacially a warning against the Reapers and Shepard explains that it came too late. The communication changes to a more serious tone that becomes completely scrabbled and untranslatable.

Head back down the stairs and up the other elevator. When you exit at the plaza there is a crate next the elevator, grab it if you didn’t before, and head back to the Mako. When you get close one of your squadmates comments “Who votes we take the vehicle into the creepy underground bunker.” The other replies “Good idea, the firepower will come in handy.”

Get in the Mako to continue on, the next area is very long so take it.

The mission continues: Ilos: Trench Run

Enemies

 * Geth Trooper
 * Geth Rocket Trooper
 * Geth Shock Trooper
 * Geth Hopper
 * Geth Destroyer
 * Geth Juggernaut
 * Geth Prime
 * Geth Armature