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Nos Astra Spaceport police station

Samara is a justicar, a rare member of an asari monastic group trained in enhanced combat biotics alongside standard weapons. Samara was recently sighted on Illium, outside normal asari space.

Acquisition[]

Prerequisite: Horizon (mission)

After the mission on Horizon, the Illusive Man provides a second batch of team-building dossiers. This is one of them.

Justicar Samara


- Biotics strength near that of an asari matriarch
- Extensive weapons training

Samara is a justicar, a rare member of an asari monastic group trained in enhanced combat biotics alongside standard weapons. Samara was recently sighted on Illium, outside normal asari space.

Preparation[]

You will be facing a lot of barriers with a tasty side-helping of armor in this mission. Warp, Reave, and Warp Ammo are highly effective against either defense. You will find groups of mechs intermixed with mercenaries throughout the mission, so AI Hacking can be put to plenty of use as well. You'll also be facing both biotic and rocket launcher-toting enemies; the powers Flashbang Grenade and Combat Drone respectively, and the squad members who use them, can come in handy here.

You will have several opportunities to change weapons during the mission, particularly before big fights, so worrying about "optimal" counters becomes less of a concern.

Walkthrough[]

On your first visit to Illium, an asari concierge named Careena, accompanied by two LOKI Mechs, greets Shepard upon arrival. She informs you that Liara T'Soni has paid for the Normandy's docking and administrative fees and that Liara would like to speak with Shepard. After the chat with Careena EDI advises Shepard that Liara may have information on Samara's location.

Liara can be found in the admin office overlooking the trading floor. Go there and speak to her. As this is a reunion with your former squadmate you may have to discuss a few matters first before you can proceed to the business of progressing this mission. Those other matters can be tabled for later. As an information broker Liara can point you to the relevant people for recruiting Thane Krios or Samara, so ask about the latter.

Speak with Officer Dara at the transport hub to set you on Samara's trail

Liara tells Shepard that Samara arrived recently and registered with Tracking Officer Dara. Officer Dara can be found at the transportation hub, at the bottom part of the map. The officer tells Shepard that Samara is at the commercial spaceport. You can hail a cab to the spaceport by either a dialogue option with Officer Dara or by walking to a console at the center of the hub. Should you inquire further, Officer Dara tells Shepard that justicars are like Spectres, but no government oversees them. Justicars are only bound by their code.

Going to the spaceport is a one-way trip; once at the spaceport, you cannot return to the rest of Nos Astra without first completing the mission. You will be given a chance to reselect your squadmates and/or weapons on hailing a cab.

Spaceport[]

Detective Anaya denies Pitne For clearance to leave

Once at the spaceport, there is a cutscene in which Detective Anaya is talking to the volus merchant Pitne For, discussing the recent murder of Pitne For's business partner, Dakni Kur. A justicar is also investigating the murder.

When you regain control you can talk to several people in the area: Pitne For, a turian worker, and an asari spaceport official. To the north is an area "sealed" by holotape (you can pass through it), but two guards are there blocking the way. Nope, you can't squeeze through them or shoot your way out of this, speak with Anaya inside the police station for permission to go through.

Shepard learns from Anaya that Samara is at the crime scene. Anaya is anxious to have Samara leave as soon as possible. Her superiors have ordered her to detain Samara, but doing so would probably result in the detective's death. You can advise Anaya that she has the right to refuse such a suicidal and stupid order. If you do, both squad members will make snarky comments about Shepard's own tendency to send them on deadly missions.

So where are the equivalent of asari donuts and coffee mugs

Eventually you'll ask for directions. Anaya obliges and gives Shepard permission to enter the crime scene, but warns that Eclipse mercenaries are probably involved in the murder and control the back alleys. There is a Weapons Locker in the police station in case anyone needs to change weapons and a medical station with medi-gel.

Crime Scene[]

The two aforementioned police guards have moved to the sides after your chat with Anaya and warn you about the dangers ahead. Soon after you cross the police tape, there is a console on the right with shipping details that will start the assignment Illium: The Justicar: Stolen Goods Found. After the second police tape you automatically draw weapons, though there are no hostiles yet. At the end of the corridor there are two stairs, one going up and one going down. Down the stairs is some salvageable Circuit Boards (+3000 credits).

Looks like the color scheme of the hour is blue and yellow, with some white

Shepard overhears Eclipse mercenaries deploying a squad to hunt down the justicar when moving to the upwards staircase. Up the stairs and around the corner are an Eclipse Vanguard, three LOKI Mechs, and a Sisterhood Initiate. The enemies are fairly close together and unaware of your presence at first, so take advantage of this to hit them with some good area-of-effect powers to soften up their defenses quickly. There is plenty of cover but be careful of being hit by the Vanguard's biotics as this will stagger you and expose you to additional fire.

Overall Combat Strategy: There is no need to make the battles in this mission harder than they need to be. Place your squadmates into cover well behind Shepard on staircases, in hallways, or in prior rooms to the section you are trying to complete. You can then move forward carefully, peeking around corners and doorways while using weapons and powers to gradually wear enemies down, retreating if you come under heavy pressure. Vanguards and LOKI mechs will both attempt to close with you but there is enough space in most areas to allow you to give ground while chipping away at them until they fall. The biggest danger is being hit by biotics or rockets which can stun you with potentially fatal results depending on how much other incoming fire there is.

Samara demands answers from an Eclipse Lieutenant

At the other end of the corridor with the first fight is a door sealed with more police tape. Open the door to start a cutscene. An asari Eclipse mercenary is seen flying through the air, splatting right next to the door you came in. The last one standing is the leader and sole survivor of a band of mercs that had been fighting the justicar Samara. Samara is interrogating this Eclipse Lieutenant about the name of a ship that recently departed carrying someone Samara is hunting. The Eclipse Lieutenant refuses to answer, so Samara defenestrates her with biotics. She biotically flies down to the Lieutenant and asks again, but is again rebuffed. Samara then breaks the hapless mercenary's neck.

Sensing Shepard's approach, Samara turns and introduces herself while politely asking to know the Commander's intentions. Shepard asks Samara to join in the mission against the Collectors. Samara respectfully declines because her own mission tracking a dangerous fugitive comes first. Detective Anaya arrives, telling Samara she wishes the justicar would join Shepard as otherwise Anaya will be forced to detain her on the orders of Anaya's superiors. Samara says the Justicar Code allows her to submit to detention for only one day, after which she must continue her investigation, implying that she will fight her way out of custody and kill anyone in her path, including Anaya. Shepard offers to find the name of the ship carrying Samara's target, which would allow Samara to leave Illium and join your mission, thus satisfying the Justicar Code and avoiding any violence. Samara suggests questioning Pitne For for more information.

Up to 8 Paragon points or 2 Renegade points may be earned in this entire conversation. Ending the conversation returns Shepard to the spaceport. You can't go back to the crime scene as the two guards will resume blocking the way in.

Spaceport, Part 2[]

Samara and Anaya reach a temporary truce

You must question Pitne For to get a lead on how to obtain the ship name Samara needs. He can now be found by the pile of boxes closer to the crime scene barrier. If you had already talked to Pitne before entering the crime scene, there is a dialogue option to accuse him of lying to you. Either way, an optional but easily missed Renegade interrupt can be used for 5 Renegade points. Pitne For reveals that he was smuggling an illegal biotics-enhancing chemical named Minagen X3 and selling it to Eclipse. However, Minagen X3 can also cause death, which is why Eclipse now wants him dead.

The volus gives Shepard a pass card allowing access to the Eclipse base. The pass card is used on the elevator next to the police station; taking it advances to the next stage of the mission. Before taking the elevator, you can talk to Samara and Anaya inside the police station or use the weapons locker inside. Samara is not in a cell or restrained in any way; talking to Anaya will reveal why.

Eclipse Hideout[]

An autosave is generated when the next level is loaded. For the next three floors you'll be navigating around a single docking bay. You'll be ascending some stairs, seeing the same docked freighter, and encountering enemies, with some variations in topography. The enemy composition is generally Eclipse Vanguards, Sisterhood Initiates, and LOKIs in varying numbers. You can't snipe enemies in different levels though, because they only spawn when you're in the same level.

They enter the battlefield in waves

On the first floor, immediately outside the elevator when you arrive will be a single undeployed LOKI Mech. Take it out while it's still unpacking itself. Past the door is an Eclipse Vanguard and two LOKI Mechs, who soon will be reinforced by two more Eclipse Vanguards and a Sisterhood Initiate, then three more Initiates. The first Vanguard immediately deploys a warp field to bust open a Minagen X3 canister, and if your Shepard is exposed EDI comms in to confirm its toxic characteristics.

Take cover on the right side of the doorway once you've opened it and take out the mercs before proceeding into the room. The LOKI Mechs tend to remain in their starting location and won't close the distance to your location. Be very careful about advancing into this area nonetheless, as additional enemies will enter from the far door and you don't want to be caught away from cover or flanked at the wrong moment.

Be careful about strolling through this gas

Warning: From this point onward are toxic canisters containing Minagen X3. If destroyed, the toxic canisters will emit a red cloud that sometimes is opaque enough to obscure your line of sight to enemies. The cloud does not dissipate (except for the one that came out of the crate destroyed by the first Vanguard) but can become more translucent. Saving then loading will remove the clouds and restore destroyed canisters. EDI tells Shepard that the toxic cloud will enhance biotic abilities but concentrated amounts are harmful. Being in the vicinity of the cloud will trigger a toxicity level meter. At full toxicity, Shepard will start taking damage to shields and eventually to health. Depending on how biotics are evolved, the Minagen X3 exposure either increases the damage or range of effect of Shepard's biotics. Squadmates and enemies are not harmed by the clouds and can remain inside them indefinitely.

The next room has a weapons locker and the M-27 Scimitar Assault Shotgun. This may be a good opportunity to switch heavy weapons to something good at taking out a heavily armored, mobile target such as the Missile Launcher or the Particle Beam.

Elnora taking her chances against Shepard's squad

When you pass the door before the stairs you'll hear someone cowering for their life on the other side. If you open the door you'll meet Elnora, a recently initiated Eclipse mercenary. Using the Renegade interrupt will kill Elnora and garner 5 Renegade points. Alternately, you can question Elnora and learn about the Ardat-Yakshi, after which you let Elnora go and then gain 5 Paragon points. If you skip past Elnora's room to come back later (once you find the evidence against her), she will be gone, depriving you of any Renegade or Paragon points. In the same room as Elnora are power cells and you can Download Results from Sample 634 Analysis for a Biotic Damage (Hyper-Amp) upgrade. As you open the door upstairs to the next floor an autosave is generated.

On the second floor you'll encounter more Eclipse Vanguards, Sisterhood Initiates, LOKI Mechs, and toxic canisters. Initially there are 3 Initiates, 2 LOKIs, and 1 Vanguard, though they will soon be joined by 0-1 Vanguard and and/or 1-3 Initiates from the room opposite your entrance when some of them die. Use cover and weapons to destroy the mechs and mercenaries and try to conserve ammo. The Vanguards are dangerous in close quarters with their shotguns. There is also a medical station with medi-gel and a hackable Eclipse Terminal (+3000 credits).

Minagen apparently doesn't affect enemies or their biotics

On the third floor is the usual assortment of enemies, now supplemented with an Eclipse Heavy. Fortunately there's an explosive canister near her initial position, and potentially the other mercs may clump near her as well. The others are 3 LOKIs, an Initiate, and a Vanguard. Two of the LOKIs are in inaccessible locations at the far side, so you'll have to take them out at range though any thermal clips they may drop will also be inaccessible. They aren't reinforced by any troops this time. There will be another medical station with medi-gel and another Eclipse Terminal (+6000 credits).

Past more stairs and a door that also functions as an autosave point is a docking bay with more Eclipse. Nearest from your entrance are two Vanguards and a Heavy. The first Vanguard will appear suddenly and you'll need to grab cover. There's a Minagen and explosive canister combo near her, make it go boom. In the alcove on the left from your entrance is the second Vanguard's initial position, along with a crate of refined platinum (+2000 platinum). The Heavy may retreat to the back after taking a shot. At the far distance you may see an A-61 Mantis Gunship. Approaching it will cause it to fly away, and so does shooting at it.

It's only a maze if you think it's a maze

Past the spot with the Vanguards, the docking bay widens out. The aforementioned Heavy may retreat to the stairs there, partnering up with a LOKI. The usual Eclipse enemies will enter the battlefield from your destination across the room; Initiates, Heavies, and Vanguards. The raised platform/bridge where the first Heavy and LOKI were is a sniper's cover position from the incoming reinforcements, you can clearly see their movements there except when obscured by the central support columns. You can whittle them down from there but you won't be able to see their health/barrier bars at that distance, unless you're wielding a sniper rifle. For shorter-range weapons you may have to advance while seeking cover on the provided crates if you're not willing to wait for the enemy to come to you.

In the office following the docking bay is another power cells and another medical station with medi-gel. If you didn't collect the M-27 Scimitar Assault Shotgun before, this is the second location one is available for pick-up. There is a Data File you can listen to with audio from Elnora in which she admits to killing the volus, which can be later given to Detective Anaya. Your squadmates make a point of chiming in to remind you of it.

Walking thermal clip reserves (and a power cell box for later)

The exit door is another autosave point. After a short corridor and corner turn your team emerges at another docking bay with a trio of LOKI Mechs and power cells directly ahead. Once the mechs are down, the way forward is a hackable door on the far side of the area reachable only by crossing a bridge. However, the gunship from earlier will return to do battle with Shepard when you are halfway across the bridge. The door is also inaccessible unless you defeat the gunship, and your squadmates will remind you of the pressing priority if you examine the door. So don't cross until you're ready to take the gunship on.

This gunship behaves more or less like other gunships, alternating between volleys of rockets and its mass accelerator cannon, both of which should be avoided. It flies back and forth around the area, occasionally flying away from the docking bay, then returning to hover in the air close to the ground. While hovering, it will periodically drop several FENRIS Mechs at a time which will try to attack you while you focus on the gunship.

Combat Tips:

By now you shouldn't be surprised Shepard has a knack for taking on much larger enemies and winning
  • Retreating back to where you came from immediately upon the appearance of the gunship is the safest course of action as it's the only location with adequate cover. Move far enough back into the room and it will put you out of reach of the gunship's weapons entirely. From this position the only real threats are the the FENRIS mechs the gunship will drop. You can move out to use weapons and powers at the gunship and return to the safety of the entrance to quickly deal with the FENRIS Mechs when they arrive. It's advisable to position your squadmates in cover well out of view of the gunship so they can focus on the mechs and not get overwhelmed.
  • Unless you have critical need, leave the power cells where they are for now, since grabbing them during or after the fight with the gunship will restock the ammo of all your other weapons.
  • The many fragile crates in the docking area can interfere with targeting powers, so consider destroying a few of them prior to triggering the gunship.
  • The hackable door to leave the area could theoretically be used to skip the fight with the gunship entirely; however, in practice there's no way to hack the door fast enough to avoid getting interrupted by the gunship's attacks.
  • The M-920 Cain can take out the gunship in a single shot or at least heavily damage it, but you can be exposed to the gunship's fire while charging it up and getting hit by rockets will interrupt charging (as will dying). A well placed M-920 Cain shot can take it down by aiming high and to the left of the open space where the gunshup can first be targeted, or shoot it from cover when it comes to a hovering stop.

After the battle with the gunship, grab the power cells if you hadn't already done so, then cross the bridge. There are several thermal clips scattered around the docking area, as well as a med-kit with medi-gel to the right of the hackable door. Bypass the door to continue after you've picked up everything you need.

Inside the room will be a Shipping Manifest that confirms that Pitne For was smuggling Minagen X3 and red sand for the Eclipse, which initiates the Illium: The Justicar: Smuggling Evidence assignment. There is also an Eclipse Terminal (+6000 credits).

An ill wind shall blow upon all who ignore biotic gods

Accessing the door to the next room triggers the final pre-combat autosave for the mission. At the end of the corridor there is an addled volus named Niftu Cal, who is a captured employee of Pitne For. The Eclipse apparently injected many drugs into him. He is amusingly delusional and believes he is a biotic god. You can encourage him to attack the local Eclipse commander in the next room for Renegade points or, using a Paragon interrupt, knock him out for Paragon points. Ignoring him entirely leads to no further consequences.

Moving forward into the corridor, there will be a weapons locker, a medical station with medi-gel, and the third and final chance to pick up the M-27 Scimitar if you still have not picked it up.

Save your game before proceeding through the final door to the last battle.

Captain Wasea[]

Captain Wasea, angry at having her coffee break interrupted

The next area is a boss fight. If you enabled Niftu Cal's delusion you'll see him waddle in and attack first, ineffectively. Captain Wasea then responds with a military-grade biotic smackdown that sends him flying away into irrelevance before engaging your team. She briefly complains about her problems before biotically hurling a Minagen container at your location, starting the fight.

Captain Wasea's office is full of waist-high barriers and toxic containers, conducive to any playstyle from aggressive to cover-hugging, long-range or close-range (be extremely wary of Wasea's M-300 Claymore up close, however, as that packs a punch). Four central columns can impede your sight lines to the opposite end of the room, but only marginally. Wasea often attempts to throw those Minagen containers at your position, so to mitigate the threat destroy them where they are before she could use them against you. If your Shepard's biotic, take advantage of the Minagen cloud power boost while keeping an eye on your toxicity levels and remaining cover positions should they be compromised by the gas. Note: Unlike prior Minagen containers, some of them do dissipate after destruction over the course of the battle.

Wasea goes to battle with three Eclipse flunkies, a Heavy and two Initiates, and when any of them fall down reinforcements arrive via two doors to the left and right of her desk. There are also some free thermal clips lying around, note their positions if you run low on gun cooling.

It's a cool second boss fight area and all, but mechanically speaking there's no benefit to stretching out the fight as you don't gain experience per kill

If Wasea's still alive after a certain period of time, she biotically lifts the heavy cargo containers behind her desk and retreats to the room behind it, along with her goons. The second room's layout has a clear center area and no columns to impede vision compared to the first room, also full of waist-high cover positions, and it's also full of Minagen containers that Wasea will hurl at you. She can only throw those as far as her desk, so you should be safe if you're still in the first room nowhere near. Reinforcements arrive from a single door at the far end of the room, to the right. Note: If Captain Wasea is killed quickly, the heavy containers won't get moved, and the area will remain closed to you. There are no credits or other items available in that area (aside from free thermal clips) so there is nothing important to be missed if you skip exploring this area.

Combat Strategy: The best strategy is to focus on taking down Captain Wasea as fast as possible rather than killing the weaker mercs first, as the reinforcements are unlimited as long as Wasea's standing. Hitting Wasea immediately with Stasis (if you have it) will stun her long enough for you to unload a lot of damage and possibly take her out right away. Heavy weapons such as the M-622 Avalanche or Arc Projector can be effective at neutralizing the other mercs in the area. The Avalanche is particularly effective as it will freeze but not kill the other mercs, preventing new enemies from spawning while you deal with Wasea. Alternatively, firing the M-920 Cain at Captain Wasea the moment the battle starts will instantly obliterate her and any other mercs present, but be careful as getting hit by biotics or rockets will interrupt charging the shot.

After the battle is over one of your squadmates helpfully indicates there must be some record you can consult, since Wasea isn't in any position to speak. Her desk has the datapad she was holding in the pre-fight cutscene, access it. Afterward you can either return to the spaceport or look around for loot. If you opt to remain you can exit the room and return to the spaceport via the door you initially arrived in.

Aside from thermal clips, the only lootable in the office is a nearby hackable Eclipse Terminal (+3000 credits).

Spaceport, Part 3[]

Returning to the spaceport creates the final autosave for the mission.

Pitne For is standing outside the police station. If you talk to him, he will ask if you found a shipping manifest. You can give it to him to finish the Smuggling Evidence assignment for 9,000 credits and 5 Renegade points, or hold on to it. If you saved Niftu Cal earlier in the mission, then he will be present as well and you can talk with him.

Two law enforcement agents lounge about while you do the hard work

Go inside the police station and tell Samara that the person she is hunting for left on the AML Demeter. Samara's impressed and then agrees to join you. She swears service to Shepard for the length of the mission, overriding whatever the Code may dictate, flaring up her biotics while kneeling in affirmation. You can be respectful of Samara's oath for Paragon points or slyly ask if she will do anything Shepard orders for Renegade points and a not-so-veiled threat.

After the oathtaking Samara asks if you should return to the ship. You can do so and end the mission immediately, claim you still have business with Detective Anaya to immediately speak with her afterward, or decline and look around in general. If you want to speak with Anaya, you will always open with information about the recent murder of a volus if you obtained Elnora's audio statement, or otherwise Anaya just thanks you for getting Samara off her district. How you respond to her colors her opinion of you for the rest of your short time in the level. If you tell her that Elnora killed the volus, doing so nets no experience, credits, or morality points. The detective claims the evidence is inadmissible, but Samara will vouch for Shepard, forcing Anaya to concur with the justicar.

If you still have the datapad copy related to Pitne For's smuggling activities, it can be given to Anaya for 4,200 credits and 5 Paragon points, which also finishes the assignment.

Talk to either Anaya or Samara to leave the area and return to the Normandy. You will be unable to return to the spaceport afterwards.

Normandy[]

Jacob greets Samara

When you return to the Normandy, Jacob welcomes Samara to the crew. You can make some comments about her abilities and that they need them for some Renegade points. After that Samara requests a room with a view of space. Shepard tells Jacob to put her in the Starboard Observation Deck on the Crew Quarters Deck. Samara retires there to meditate on recent events.

Following completion of the mission, a news report can be overheard on Illium about Detective Anaya, Pitne For, and the Eclipse mercenaries. Henceforth when you visit Illium and talk to Officer Dara, she'll tell you how envious she is that you have a justicar in your crew. If you bring Samara along, Officer Dara will note the justicar's presence, to which Samara will reply in a very business-like manner.

Datapads[]

There's a justicar here! Probably looking for the one we sent off on the AML Demeter. I was happy to see her go; she chilled me to the bone. I just hope this justicar doesn't mess up my operation.

Email[]

After the mission, Detective Anaya from the Spaceport sends Shepard this email, entitled "Still alive.":

From: Detective Anaya


Greetings, Commander--

I'm not completely sure this will get to you, but thanks again for helping me deal with Samara. The Eclipse mercs have gotten real quiet around here, and my superiors have backed off, too. No idea if the two are related, but hopefully the next time I meet a justicar, I can give her the respect she deserves.

I still can't believe I worked a case with one of them. You're a lucky human. If I find any more data on her target, I'll pass it along.

Thanks,

Detective Anaya

Illium Law Enforcement

Enemies[]

Mission Summary[]

Recruited Samara for the team.

  • Experience reward: 1,000 (1,250)
  • Credits: 55,200 or 60,000
    • Cerberus Funding 30,000
    • Credits Found: 25,200 (if datapad given to Detective Anaya) or 30,000 (if datapad given to Pitne For)
  • Minerals:
    • Platinum: 2,000
  • Weapons:
  • Research:

Bugs[]

  • If you do not pick up the M-27 Scimitar at any of the three points, then you will receive an erroneous popup message about receiving an M-15 Vindicator after talking with Samara in the Police Station. No Vindicator is awarded; the M-27 Scimitar is the actual reward and this will be noted correctly in the mission summary.
  • The terminal that is used to start the missions to acquire Thane and Samara if Liara has already left her desk (due to informing her of the information received on the Shadow Broker from the DLC) is bugged. If the Thane mission is completed first, there is no way to acquire Samara. The only current solution to this bug is to start the missions from Liara before she leaves her desk, or do Samara's mission from the terminal before Thane's.[1]

References[]

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