To pass through the Omega 4 relay safely, the Normandy will need a Reaper-designed "Identify Friend / Foe" (IFF) device. One of these Reaper IFFs may be found on a derelict Reaper hulk being investigated by Cerberus.
Acquisition[]
Upon completion of the Collector Ship mission, the Illusive Man will give Shepard the location of a derelict Reaper in order to acquire its IFF. A Cerberus science team had been tasked with investigating it but the team has since stopped reporting in. The Reaper is orbiting the brown dwarf Mnemosyne in the Thorne system in the Hawking Eta cluster.
Preparation[]
Warning: A countdown begins once you complete this mission, with potentially dire consequences for the crew of the Normandy if you delay too long in proceeding through the Omega 4 Relay. If you want to optimize the outcomes for the Normandy's crew, you should strongly consider delaying this mission until all currently available recruitment and loyalty missions are completed.
You will be facing hordes of Husks in this mission, with a sprinkling of Scions and Abominations. In other words, you are primarily dealing with armored opponents (if on Hardcore or above; otherwise the husks have no armor) swarming you in large numbers at close ranges so it's worth thinking about your combat strategy and preparation for this mission a little differently than most missions.
Combat Tips:
- The most important thing to remember is to keep moving and don't let yourself get surrounded. Even a single husk attacks very quickly and each attack interrupts you, but they are fairly clumsy so if you keep moving they will have a hard time cornering you.
- Unprotected Husks are instantly killed by being frozen or getting hit by force-based attacks like many biotic powers or Concussive Shot. Powers like these that can hit a wide area can destroy Husks en masse. Bring a team that possesses these types of abilities with fast recharge times.
- On Hardcore and Insanity where Husks have armor, the major challenge is stripping that armor as efficiently as possible to enable the above instant-kills. Powers like Reave and Incinerate at max level evolved for area damage are effective.
- Grunt is a very effective squad member choice, because in addition to Squad Incendiary Ammo for armor-stripping and Concussive Shot for physics-based insta-kills, his melee charge attack can kill multiple husks at once, regardless of armor. Finally, his health regeneration and Fortification abilities make him very effective at tanking husks and causing them to bunch up in groups around him, making it that much easier to hit them with area of effect powers.
If you want a heavy weapon for general combat on this mission, the M-622 Avalanche is your best bet, though both the M-100 Grenade Launcher and the M-490 Blackstorm can be effective as well. Alternatively, the M-920 Cain can drastically shorten the difficult battle at the end of the mission.
Walkthrough[]
Cerberus Ship[]
Go through the door. On the left, there is a small laboratory with a Wall Safe (+2000 credits) that can be bypassed, an accessible Terminal (+2000 credits), another Wall Safe (+4000 credits) that can be bypassed, and a Work Log. Dr. Chandana is the leader of the Cerberus research team. His log indicates the beginning of Reaper indoctrination of his team. At the end of the hallway are two medical stations with two medi-gels, and another Work Log by a Cerberus scientist, reporting on the examination of specimens inside the Reaper. Dr. Chandana was apparently "listening" to the specimens.
Go through the airlock into the Reaper itself. The Reaper activates its kinetic barriers. Joker radios that the Normandy cannot retrieve them until the barriers come down. EDI advises destroying the mass effect core to remove the barriers. However, the mass effect core also powers the mass effect fields that prevent the Reaper from falling into the brown dwarf.
Reaper Interior[]
Across the catwalk the next work log plays the message:
As soon as you pass by an explosive crate, Husks and an Abomination appear. It is best to backpedal and to blow up the crates when Husks are nearby. Husks only have melee attacks, so it is wise to keep your distance. Also, Abominations do suicide charges and will explode upon death, no matter how they died. Throughout this level in certain areas, Husks spawn by climbing up over the sides of the walkways. There will also be numerous explosive items mainly explosive crates and containers. Use them wisely, because the husks can quickly overwhelm you and your squad. Using Overload on an explosive item produces a larger blast than just shooting it. Try to use Overload on an explosive item only when there is a mass of enemies nearby to maximize the effect.
Once the Husks are down, move up to the next set of crates and be prepared for another fight. There will be more here so the nearby explosive crate is useful. Just make sure that your squadmates are not using the crates for cover. After that group is sent to oblivion, your party comments that this proves that husks must be made from Reaper technology, not geth. There's another work log in this area that plays the message:
Head down the walkway to see and hear gunfire from an unknown party shooting Husks. Your party makes the comments about another person being on the ship. At the end of the walkway to the right are some power cells, a crate of Refined Platinum (+2000 platinum), a Cerberus Rifle that awards a Sniper Rifle Damage upgrade, and a Terminal (+3500 credits).
Turn left into an open area. Take note of the cover, explosive items, and locations of thermal clips before moving too far in. Once you move in waves of Husks and Abominations attack. A Scion is in the final wave. You can retreat back to the walkway if you need a breather or more thermal clips.
Tip: If you are very fast in bypassing and willing to forego the Heavy Skin Weave upgrade, you can go to the right after the first wave, bypass the door, leave the area, and skip the fight. However, any attack on Shepard will interrupt the bypass and you have to start the bypass over. Note that following the bypass there is a brief (several seconds) "airlock procedure" during which you will need to stay alive. Fortunately as long as you take down the first wave of husks before attempting this, the huge hordes that spawn for the last wave won't make it into this passage in time to stop you.
Once you defeat all the enemies, walk to the other end of the room. At the end of the area are a med-kit with medi-gel, and a hackable Research Terminal which awards a Heavy Skin Weave upgrade. Some Dragon's teeth are visible, and if certain squadmates are present, the person will comment upon them. You can earn some morality points based on your dialogue choice. A Work Log in the area will play the message:
“Chandana said the ship was dead. We trusted him. He was right. But even a dead god can dream. A god — a real god — is a verb. Not some old man with magic powers. It's a force. It warps reality just by being there. It doesn't have to want to. It doesn't have to think about it. It just does. That's what Chandana didn't get. Not until it was too late. The god's mind is gone but it still dreams. He knows now. He's tuned in on our dreams. If I close my eyes I can feel him. I can feel every one of us.”
Once done here, head to the airlock and on to the next area.
Reaper Exterior[]
Bypass the door and go through the airlock. A cutscene starts. A geth sniper with bits of N7 armor attached to it snipes several Husks by Shepard's party. The geth recognizes you as "Shepard-Commander", then leaves.
More Husks and an Abomination soon appear; deal with them and then put your squad into cover and walk down the stairs. Once you go past the crate in the center, there will be Husks, an Abomination, and a Scion. You can retreat back upwards to make the stairs as a chokepoint.
Since Husks are melee enemies, it is generally best to stay "on the move" rather than getting in cover—this makes it much less likely you will be trapped by husks, and by moving around you will often confuse them. Obviously as the Scion approaches you will need to either interpose objects between you and it, or move perpendicular to the line of its shockwave. The site of the first battle after you leave the airlock makes a good battlefield-of-last-resort to pull back to—you have room to run around to dodge husks but also the giant tank on the right side to interpose between you and the Scion.
Once the enemies are dealt with, go up the stairs at the other end. To the left will be med-kit with medi-gel and a Terminal (+3000 credits). Advance carefully because moving too far will result in attacks by more Husks and one Abomination. Once they are down, nearby there is another Terminal (+3500 credits). Down the stairs are more Husks, Abominations, and a Scion. Use the stairs as a choke point again and then take them out. Once done, a med-kit with medi-gel is on the staircase. A Cerberus Shotgun with a Shotgun Damage upgrade and some power cells await you at the bottom of the stairs around the corner. Further on, up the ramp, are a bunch of thermal clips and another Terminal (+3500 credits). This area will be crucial in the next fight.
The next battle will be Husks, Abominations, and two Scions. This battle will be tough no matter the difficulty because of the amount of enemies that come at you. The Husks will charge at you. Keep your squadmates, and yourself for that matter, back or you will regret it. Use powers, specialized ammunition, and shotguns for close up damage when you need to.
One way to finish this area easily is to retreat back to the room you just came from, where only three or so husks and the two Scions will approach, since the additional husks only spawn when you get close again. Once the Husks are down, focus on the Scions. The Scions will approach last and are easier to deal with than the Husks; the best thing is to take one yourself and use your squadmates against the other. Once they are down, move on but be careful.
When you reach a left turn, get ready because Husks, Abominations, and two more Scions will come crawling over the railings and from the core. Take them out and do not be afraid to backpedal if necessary.
After they all have fallen, pick up the power cells and a little further down near the doorway is a med-kit with medi-gel. Bypass the door and enter yet another airlock. Inside is the Reaper IFF and a Wall Safe (+2500 credits) that can be bypassed.
Tip: Save your game at this point before the final battle. If you are going to use the M-920 Cain to one-shot the Core, you may want to pull it out before you go into the room.
Mass Effect Core[]
Once you enter, the game auto-saves and a cutscene plays. The geth sniper from before is manipulating some controls. It drops a barrier allowing Shepard and the team inside. However, Husks overcome the geth and knock it out.
The objective of the battle is to destroy the Reaper Core, but an iris often closes to cover it, preventing any damage. The iris is open at the beginning, but closes when attacked or when the initial Husks are dead. It will stay closed for between 45 seconds and a minute. Subsequent closures are between 30 and 45 seconds in length. Meanwhile, waves of Husks and Abominations attack you. They respawn as long as the Core is closed, but they always come from the same areas every time. Use that to your advantage if you start to get overwhelmed.
Cain the Core: As mentioned above, the M-920 Cain can destroy the Core in one direct hit on any difficulty, but be careful as a Cain projectile's trajectory can be affected by Mass Effect 2's aim assist, so any enemies highlighted in the HUD when you fire it can cause the shot to fire off target. The Cain ignores cover and is capable of destroying the Core even if its shutters are closed, so there's no rush—take the time to eliminate the first couple of husks between you and the Core before lining up your shot.
If you choose to destroy the Core without using the Cain, you can only damage it when the iris is open. It will stay open until you have taken its health down by a third, so do not feel pressured into immediately firing into it when it opens up—just take pot shots whenever you're presently safe from husks.
When the Core is open, enemies do not spawn, so it is possible to eliminate them all, then sweep up thermal clips and let powers recharge before shooting up the Core, though this may of course result in the spawning of more total enemies. Squadmates will also revive when the Core is open and all enemies are dead, so it may be best to put off using medi-gel if the Core is going to open soon. The thermal clips around the room will regenerate so there is no lack of ammunition as long as you can get to them.
Tip: It is a good idea to fight this battle while facing away from the Core as much as possible, as having the Core in view will often result in your powers and your squadmates' powers (if you have them on manual cast) hitting the Core instead of what you were trying to target. Likewise, if you're trying to hit the Core with powers, try to avoid having other enemy targets in view that can interfere.
Unlike the rest of the level, there are no handy explosive items. On the lefthand side on a table, there's a Laptop (+1000 credits). It must be taken during battle since there will be no opportunity to walk around the area afterwards.
Every enemy here is effectively a melee opponent, so mobility is key. If you can just avoid being trapped/surrounded by husks you can keep on the move and be fine. Your best position, when possible, is the top of the central bridge from which you have a commanding view of both sides of the room and can throw area effect powers at the masses of husks. Since most enemies will attempt to climb the stairs at the end away from the Reaper Core, standing on the bridge directly beneath the Reaper Core makes a very defensible position with easy escape routes on both sides. If things get too hot on the bridge then flee down to one side or the other where there is more space to dodge around—remember the husks aren't very good at stopping and turning around, and use their lack of maneuverability against them. Prioritize taking out any Abominations to prevent them from detonating on you or your team.
Normandy[]
Once the battle is over, a cutscene plays. The party debate what to do with the fallen geth, but Shepard makes the decision to take it with them. Joker brings the Normandy alongside the falling Reaper. The squad retreats while pursued by hordes of Husks. They take advantage of the microgravity by tossing the geth into the Normandy's airlock and jumping in afterwards.
In the debriefing, Miranda states that the geth is being stored in EDI's AI Core. Jacob and Miranda debate what to do with the recovered geth. Jacob is in favor of tossing it out the airlock. Miranda wishes to give it to Cerberus. If you decide to talk to the geth, it will stay onboard deactivated, waiting for you to talk to it, and you gain 15 Paragon points. You can also hand the geth over to Cerberus for 50,000 credits and 15 Renegade points, but "Legion" is permanently lost as a potential party member.
E-Mail Messages[]
This message is received from the Illusive Man if Legion is activated:
Alternatively, the following e-mail is received in case Legion is handed over to Cerberus:
Mass Effect 3 Consequences[]
If Legion was sold to Cerberus, it will appear as an enemy during Priority: Cerberus Headquarters. If it was sold to Cerberus or if it wasn't activated at all a Geth VI will take its place during the three missions it appears in. If Legion was activated, assuming it survived the suicide mission, it appears in the aforementioned missions and it will be possible to gain both geth and quarian allegiance.
Enemies[]
Mission Summary[]
Reaper IFF successfully retrieved.
Loss of Cerberus team on the Reaper vessel unfortunate but unsurprising. Will use team's health records for comparisons against husks encountered on Reaper for possible insight into indoctrination and husk conversion process.
- Experience reward: 1,000 (1,250)
- Credits: 50,000
- Cerberus Funding: 25,000
- Credits Found: 25,000
- Upgrades:
- Minerals:
- Platinum: 2,000
Trivia[]
- It is possible to see Legion standing at the far end of the room when you turn left after the two husks are dropped by its sniper fire. If you look around in the back of the room the shots came from and zoom your weapon, Legion can be seen standing on the ledge at the back. It will walk away once you enter the room.
- The work log near the Heavy Skin Weave upgrade is most likely a reference to H. P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu. More specifically, it references the couplet "In his house at R'lyeh Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
- After the Core is destroyed and the cutscene where Shepard's team debates what to do with the geth plays, if Tali has been recruited but is not in the squad, Shepard will mention her by name, stating Tali once said no one has ever captured a geth intact before. If Tali has yet to be recruited, Shepard will only refer to her as "a quarian".
- If any husks are still alive after the Core is destroyed they can still continue to swipe harmlessly at your squad during the ensuing cutscene.
Cut Content[]
- Unused text strings appear to depict a voice of indoctrination trying to win Shepard over to the Reapers' side.[1]
- Other unused voicelines show squadmates' reaction to hearing Legion speak.[2]
- At the end of the mission, an option to leave the disabled Legion behind was present during development. If Shepard suggested it, squadmates would ask for confirmation, citing it as a rare opportunity, except for Tali, Jacob and Zaeed who approve leaving it. If Shepard confirmed, then the squad would return to the Normandy without taking Legion.[3]