Acquisition[]
You acquire this mission automatically at the beginning of the game.
Walkthrough[]
After customizing your character and a series of cutscenes and dialogue with opportunities for morality points, you enter the training stage of the prologue.
Anderson will give you an M-3 Predator.
Follow Anderson across the rooftops and obey the on-screen prompts. Note that not following the prompts as stated may result in subsequent events not triggering, so treat this mission like the tutorial that it is.
Some Oculi are flying overhead and make short work of Alliance fighters. Eventually, you reach a point where you see husks climbing up a far wall. Look to their right and you'll notice a child running towards the shelter of a building. Anderson shoots at the husks and he suggests you do the same. Obey him or not, your choice: he'll run out of ammo eventually and climb down the ladder to the right. At this point in the game, Anderson does no damage whatsoever even if it looks like he's shooting. Also, until you go down the ladder, you'll have infinite ammo, so use as many rounds as needed to get your aim straight.
Follow him down, and jump to the next building. Here, you will need to fight the husks in melee and/or with offensive powers if you have them. You'll lose ammo regardless of whether you fired your pistol or not. Once you have killed the last husk, the Reaper that looms above you during your escapade will fire its laser at the building directly adjacent to you.
You can walk into the destroyed building after the ensuing short cutscene. Open the med kit (+300 XP) in the first room before you continue.
The next door holds a surprise (a stuck but grabby husk) and a cutscene with a chance for morality points. It's the boy from earlier, and whatever you decide for him, he'll be gone while you're distracted by Anderson's voice.
Reload your weapon after another lengthy cutscene, and continue along until you get to two Alliance soldiers. Along the way, you see an Alliance vessel getting obliterated by a Reaper and hear radio chatter from either Ashley or Kaidan about it. The shockwaves from its destruction will shake up the terrain, bringing you directly within range of the soldiers and preventing you from backtracking. They will tell you to be wary of enemies further ahead.
This will be your first engagement against Cannibals. Unlike in subsequent engagements with these creatures, they won't use grenades against you. Note that Anderson can deal damage now, and you can allocate any available squad points to his various abilities. Be sure to do this, it will make the coming fights easier. Take to cover and kill all hostiles before talking to the soldiers once more.
Cross the bridge to salvage a second med kit (+150 XP). An Alliance gunship will fly over ahead, being chased by a Harvester. Fortunately, the Harvester will ignore you. Fight off the next wave of Cannibals around the corner. There's lots of cover here, so use it wisely. Continue ahead and pick up the M-8 Avenger right in front of the radio you were seeking. Activate the radio and fight off a third wave of Cannibals. After you run out of ammo or kill all the waves, the Normandy SR-2 will arrive and take out the remaining Cannibals.
Say goodbye to Anderson and then witness the boy you met earlier get killed as the Kodiak he boards to evacuate is shot down by a Destroyer. The Normandy leaves Vancouver behind and ascends, passing the burning remnants of once mighty human fleets, as you embark on your journey to save the galaxy.
Aboard the Normandy, James Vega is incredulous when he finds out you intend to follow Anderson's orders and leave Earth to seek aid from the Citadel Council. Respond to him however you choose, which can include a Paragon or Renegade interrupt to cut off his protests. Admiral Hackett then contacts you and gives you your next mission.
Enemies[]
Trivia[]
- After kicking around several cities about where Mass Effect 3 should open, Vancouver was eventually chosen because it is a Canadian city, BioWare is a Canadian company and it had just finished the 2010 Winter Olympics. The style of the city was designed to reflect hope and included several major known Vancouver Landmarks.[1]
- During the mission, Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko can be heard over the radio commenting on the imminent destruction of an Alliance dreadnought as it confronts a Reaper. The ship's destruction is witnessed by the player, but the model of ship shown is actually an Alliance cruiser. According to BioWare, by the time the mistake was realized, it was too late to re-record Ashley and Kaidan's dialogue or replace the ship in the scene.[2]
- The discrepancy is noted in the SolComms reports, in which Emily Wong is confused at the report, since dreadnoughts cannot enter the atmosphere.
References[]
Mission Index | Next Mission → | |
---|---|---|
Missions | Priority: Mars |