Oh look, Sonic Origins doesn’t have the Michael Jackson music. Again. My ability to care has diminished, and all I can wonder is if Sega was too cheap to pay royalties to the Jackson family.
AHH, the Mass Effect Trilogy! Those of ye who have read my blog (Btw, thank you) will no doubt be aware (and sick of knowing) that I ride this series’s nuts so hard, the Belmont family is cursed with envy. I’ve talked a great deal about Mass Effect for so long, but only ever as examples for other games to live by. Rarely have I ever used it for subject matter, but usually that honor is reserved for games that anger me. Which is why we’re focusing on Mass Effect 2 in particular.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is yet another game I purchased a while back, but never got around to thanks to yet another unreasonable 100gig requirement. Odd considering the collection I have on PS3 averaged out to about 10 gigs or more in total, and generally confused me on how the LE could possibly be that large. As it turns out, the install size is roughly 68gigs, so all I can assume is that EA didn’t include all of the noted DLC for each game.
Having played through every game again, the guys who updated the trilogy really did their damndest to ensure it’s been improved to nigh perfection. Unfortunately, they forgot to scrub all the bugs out of the games. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten stuck in certain spots in the first game. Better loading times and frame rate have made the experience much smoother than before, and the addition of all the DLC content (so far) has made the LE worth the money, showing that the devs certainly had more love and care for Mass Effect than they did for Sonic Colors Ultimate (also hahahaha).
Unfortunately, while I love this series, it also reminds me of how trash it truly is. While the series is one that practically markets itself based on the dynamics of choice in how it changes the course of the story, I begin to feel that people gave Dragon Age 2 more shit than it deserves as that game… honestly makes a laughing stock of the decision making aspect of the ME trilogy as a whole. Mass Effect 1’s decisions barely have any effect on the latter 2 games, and same for 2 going into 3. Even more, the personality of Shepard isn’t really reflected all that well through your decisions. One of the things I noticed in my multiple playthroughs of Dragon Age 2 is that your character’s responses to certain questions and decisions is dependent upon how you originally responded to things throughout the beginning, making a more positive, negative, or sarcastic character for the rest of the game (and impacts how your party responds to you for the rest of the game), which is a helluva lot more than I can say for 2 and 3 as both games lean heavily towards Renegade and Paragon sides respectively with little to no regard for player choice or immersion.
And there’s still the matter of that ffffffffucking ending, but you’ve all heard enough of that, so I won’t bore you with details. It is the first time I’ve gotten to experience the “Refuse” ending which, if I’m being perfectly honest, feels more appropriate given that the Starbrat’s options all feel like inconclusive faustian bargains that make all of your decisions throughout the trilogy meaningless. What’s the point of saving the Geth and having them make peace with the Quarians if the only option is to kill em off? The Refuse ending actually offers closure, gives a definitive end, and doesn’t leave players in the dark like the other bullshit endings, nor does it require you to do fucking everything in all three games to achieve some arbitrary 7800 point total, just to have your vague happy ending. Yeah it was probably put in the game as a giant middle finger by Bioware and EA for people who hated the “vision” of the color coded endings (and is likely what contributed more so to the largely unwarranted hatred of Andromeda), and continues the line of thought in regards to Fatalism, but it’s refreshing to see people aren’t a bunch of mindless sycophants who accept that interpretation without question, instead championing the Refusal as the true Paragon ending, regardless of how little sense that makes. I’d be more concerned with how and why the Reapers randomly show up in the beginning of 3 rather than what the ending proposes. Didn’t it take Saren a whole ass trip to Ilos and a Conduit to bring the Reapers from Dark Space? That Arrival shit from ME2 makes even less sense. If all you needed was one damn relay, all the shit you did in ME1 to stop the Conduit was meaningless.
And… that’s one of the biggest problems with the Trilogy. It’s inconsistent as fuck. Primarily because things that were established in the first game are, for whatever reason, largely ignored for the rest of the series.
Not sure why it took the “Legendary Edition” for people to realize that Mass Effect 1 was the number 1 best game if people are willing to push through mechanical problems of games like “The Witcher 3” in order to enjoy the game, but people are weird like that. Instead of looking at Mass Effect as an action RPG, they strictly looked at the game as just another turd person shooter, thus the combat comes off as “janky” to them. Having played through all 3 games again, I’m inclined to say that the combat of the first game trounces the other 2, mainly because the fire fights don’t last several minutes at a time with waves of enemies like a traditional turd person shooter. Strategic positioning, weapon proficiencies for more unique classes, individual cool down rates for skills, unlimited ammo, and more variety in enemy strategies outside of “what moves do I need to beat this colored health bar over that other health bar“. ME2 and ME3 are the most repetitive goddamn games in the whole series. The combat gets old fast, and it’s not particularly fun having to camp in one spot just to avoid damage. Plus, the level of customization in the first game shits all over the combat in 2 and 3 combined. You don’t have to rely so much on your squadmates to compensate for a lack of abilities as much as you do in the latter games. Don’t have Overload but don’t want to use Tech characters? Cryo Rounds, bitch! ME1 has loads of options that can make combat a breeze while not being too easy… if that makes sense. Not to mention the areas you visit in the game are nowhere near as linear as the latter 2 games, which translates to level design. Because it wasn’t designed as a typical TPS, you have plenty of areas to take cover in, meaning you don’t have to hold up in one particular spot. You’ve got plenty of walls to shield yourself from gunfire, plus they make good targets for grenades and tech attacks when enemies decide to stay in cover for too long. Sure beats having to get the “correct angle” in the latter games for certain moves, otherwise you’ll be coming up with new swear words for every skill you’ve wasted because you didn’t get that damn angle. Combat in ME1 rewards experimentation, positioning, and a little bit of cleverness whereas 2&3 limits you to set in stone strategies whereby you are forced to lean on certain skills and squadmates for the entire game, leading to burnout of having to use the same shit over and over again. Superior combat my ass, I’ll take the “jank” any day over that shit.
But we all know the real reason people play Mass Effect. The story. The content. The real meat of the series. As I’ve mentioned a million times over the course of this blog’s lifespan, Mass Effect is a game that gives players the power to chart their own course that their personal stories take. Each and every player will have their own unique experiences based on their own actions throughout an entire trilogy of games. OR… at least that WAS the idea. This was the idea in the first Mass Effect game. The latter 2 installments, no doubt as a result of EA’s machinations, turned the element of choice into a cheap system of rewards and punishments, clearly favoring certain decisions over others by the time you reach the end of the series where the quote “best ending” occurs based on your actions. ME1 is truly the only game in the series that does not punish you for the choices you make, especially since you’re not given much of an option in regards to a certain Virmire survivor.
ME2, much like any secondary installment in a series, is regarded as the best game in the entire trilogy, which makes one wonder if bad taste is as contagious as it is persistent. There could be a number of reasons for this perspective, mostly coming from bandwagoning, or people that generally don’t like RPGs. ME1 was originally relegated to the PC iirc while ME2 is the first console release (or PS3 release, idk), being taylor made for an environment where console shooters reigned supreme for a while, and being the one game in the series that took a drastic tonal shift towards something akin to Shadow the Hedgehog or Jak 2 in the most unnecessary fashion you could think of, appealing to the base instincts of gamers everywhere. The irony of this is that ME2 is what people think of when they say “Edgelord”, yet it gets a free pass for reasons that baffle me.
Recently with LE (with a certain level of Catharsis, I might add), Mass Effect 2 has become rather polarizing with people finding that the first game is (indeed) the best of the bunch while 2 feels shallow and out of place in the entire trilogy. Something I could’ve told anyone, but as always, time heals more than reason. Others still cling to the idea that ME2 is the greatest (mainly because of first impressions and not a secondary playthrough), and sure, whatever floats your boat. The problem with ME2 is that, compared to the rest of the series (and yes, that includes Andromeda), it is the least “Mass Effect” game. It sounds weird to say given that it’s only the second game, but imo, games in a series should adhere, somewhat, to the gameplay, tone, music, atmosphere, and content of the original. Failure to do so leads to the next game feeling disconnected from the rest of the series, like an oddball, the black sheep. Something that taints an otherwise decent series. Mass Effect 2 fits the bill on all fronts, and few wish to accept it.
In short, lets put it this way. Mass Effect 1 and Andromeda both feel like Videogame versions of Star Trek, Lost in Space, or any other scifi space exploration media you can think of. Mass Effect 2 is Suicide Squad in Space, with a bunch of comic book superhero caricatures taking the place of military squadmates, scientists, engineers, and battlemasters. It breaks any real semblance of connectivity the games could have with one another, instead thrusting you into a world without regard for the genuine, grounded world of the first game, and exchanging it all for a caricature of the original’s lore that’s more cartoonish and “DC Comics” than it is Mass Effect. Subtle and intricate story beats that contributed to the story of the original are now side stories that are pratically compulsory to the completion of the series (this is the fault of ME3 more so than 2, admittedly). You’re constantly assaulted with the feeling that nothing actually matters in the game, and you’re playing a glorified side story that you’re required to finish before getting to a better, or worsely written, 3rd installment.
The tonal shift towards a darker and edgier atmosphere feels less appropriate than it ever did in Shadow the Hedgehog. It comes off more as the developers trying to prove a point rather than make a legitimate world. ME1 was dark enough with it’s foreboding music in certain areas, and the often foreshadowing nature of it’s sidequests that go deep into the realms of Cosmic Horror such as Indoctrination, Husks, and Rachni. It did not need to go the route of vulgar mercenaries, conceited space pirates, juvenile prison psychics, criminal underworld in practically every mission you go into, Animu styled Battle Ceremonies, Courtroom dramas, addictive drugs or Blue Skinned Wonder Woman knockoffs. I get the game is based in the Terminus Systems, and that most of your enemies come from the 3 mercenary groups, but what I don’t get is why the Citadel itself presents the same kind of atmosphere seeing as it’s not in the damn Terminus Systems. The atmosphere is exaggerated to be more comical or grim depending on the environment, and it’s achieved in the most juvenile of ways. There’s an unnecessary level of profanity which… feels weird to complain about, I admit, but it feels like an attempt to make the game seem more “edgy” than it really is. Hell, if Shadow can get shit for saying “Damn” all the time, so should Mass Effect 2 s’all I’m saying.
It’s also rather unrealistic that every planet, even some within Citadel Space, always has mercenary presence on it, with the Blue Suns being over exposed. Which is a detail that bugs me. One of the areas in the game is a place called Omega, an Asteroid modeled to be the opposite of the Citadel, ruled by a notorious space pirate named Aria T’Loak. Aria, for all intents and purposes, controls the Mercenary Groups. Blue Suns, Blood Pack, and Eclipse, you name it. With Aria being the de-facto leader of the Terminus Systems, the merc groups are representatives. The council on the Citadel will not do anything to enter the Terminus Systems out of fear of all out war. Yet groups from the Terminus Systems are allowed to roam freely throughout citadel space and do crimes that interfere with ordinary every day life. The Terminus Systems don’t give a damn about intersteller war with Citadel Space so much that they can send tainted eezo and Red Sand all over the place without fear of repercussion. Either they think/know that the Council is that spineless, or the Council is corrupt, which is implied in ME3 when Aria sneaks into the Citadel and is able to get processed into refugee status via the Asari Councilor without going through the proper channels. Either way, this relationship is one-sided as fuck, and shows why it’s never a good idea to keep the council alive in the first game.
Even worse, it feels like your character’s personality was being dictated for you to be more “renegade”. The Okeer mission has your character enjoying scaring someone, the voice direction (at least for Hale) being more aggressive and angry sounding outside of Renegade Options, the increased galling presence of autodialog without the wheel, the character having a threatening tone in said autodialog, it often feels like you have less control over your character’s persona than you did in the first game where practically every response was yours to dictate. “Assuming Control” indeed, because I feel as though it’s been stripped away from me! I knew something was wrong when the loading screens had a tip saying “Become the biggest badass in the Galaxy by choosing Renegade Options”. The game is essentially dictating to you what path you choose. Not merely by the tips screen (yes I know they mention Paragon Options), but the way the game’s tone carries itself, and the autodialog having your character revel in renegade actions, it makes yourself feel jarring and inconsistent with what the game wants. You’re… “encouraged” to be renegade regardless of what you want. It doesn’t help that some of your squadmates and other npcs will have less respect for you if you choose Paragon responses. The game even goes out of it’s way to insult you if you go Paragon on certain things, what the fuck, EA?
Better yet, certain NPCs will automatically treat you as if you were Renegade by default. For instance, Conrad Verner, a fanboy of Shepard’s from the first game, will actually talk about wanting to become a Spectre. Now in ME1, you have the option of convincing him NOT to do anything either by telling him to stay home and be a family man, or be a total dick and stick a gun in his face. Since I’m not one to be an asshole to fans, I basically convince him that his wife needs him more than the spectres do, questioning his military background and all. That’s all I did. But in ME2, he says I was a jerk to him! The fuck!? I met you halfway, asshole! So nice to know choices like that don’t matter at all! Why did Mac Walters make assumptions about my choices?
Speaking of Squadmates, I absolutely DESPISE them all! With the exception of Tali and Thane (because I hate the change to Garrus’s personality, sue me), every squadmate in the game is arrogant and abrassive to the core. Everyone is so high on their own shit that you’d have to go cold turkey on conversations because everyone is so goddamn smug. Unfortunately, because EA doesn’t understand the concept of “choice” from the first game, you don’t have the option of avoiding them (or at the very least, 2 of them) as their survival is needed for you to get a decent ending. So it is compulsory to do their loyalty missions. Fortunately enough, they get humbled during their own daddy issues quest, but after first impressions, I’m inclined to not care about any of them. Suffering through more hours of ME2 is not something I want to do, but again, you have no real choice in the matter.
That’s another thing that bothers me about ME2. It’s tedious as fuck! ME2 is nothing but mindless work as you have to complete loyalty missions, farm for materials by scanning planets over and over again, using said materials to build ship defenses so you don’t lose squadmates early on, and then go online to find a goddamn flow chart so that when you DO start the suicide mission, you don’t end up killing certain teammates by putting the “wrong” people on certain jobs because even if you complete their loyalty missions, they’re not guaranteed to survive if you give them the wrong task, making all your loyalty mission work absolutely pointless, and forcing you to restart the whole damn thing if you wanted to ensure that everyone survives, fucking hell. It goes without saying that simply traveling to different planets and star systems have been made 100% worse by having to manually fly to each system which consumes fuel, forcing you to buy more each time you come across a fuel depot as well as Probes for materials and landing zones on each planet. How anyone can like this game over 1 is beyond me, but I guess people care so much about Mordin that everything else is just automatically gold (you literally will not hear praise for anyone else BUT Mordin Solis, I shit you not. People think he IS the damn game!)
Oh and stupidly enough, doing everyone’s loyalty mission guarantees a fight breaks out between 2 of them, and for some stupid reason, if you DON’T have enough Paradon/Renegade points, you’re forced to take one side of the argument, costing you the loyalty of the other person, thus rendering your efforts pointless!? Then you have to spend more time kissing that person’s ass just to get it back!? Who the fuck thought this was a good idea!? Worse yet, because Paragon and Renegade scoring on ME2 is so ass, you are practically REQUIRED to import a character from ME1 just to have a snowball’s chance at any dialog choices beyond the default options that often always come with the worst outcomes, or *shudders* replay the game on NG+ just to maintain and boost your Morality scores.
Mass Effect 2 was an overall painful experience that bordered on insanity, and begs the question of why people rated it so highly in the past. But nothing could compare to how dull, lifeless, and unfulfilling ME2’s story is. Your character dies at the beginning for trailer bait, I’d assume, and is immediately resurrected via the Lazarus Project. 2 years afterward, you’re FORCED… to work for Cerberus, a bunch of terrorists that were once relegated to sidequests in the first game, in order to hunt “collectors”, random aliens that people just “know” about without any real indication of how. The collectors are harvesting Human colonies in specific for the most retarded of reasons. Thus, you have to venture out into the Terminus Systems to recruit 12 of the “most badass mercenaries ever assembled” to take on a mission so perilous, it’s considered Suicide! Not to mention having to upgrade the Normandy SR2, the rebuilt ship that was destroyed in the intro of the game… why!? I mean… if you rebuilt the Normandy, you’d think it would come prepackaged with the necessary upgrades to deal with the Collectors advanced weapons. Or did the Lazarus Project fuck up your budget that much that I have to go do more bitch work in planet hopping?
By the end of the game, you find that the Collectors are kidnapping humans to make (I shit you not)… a “human reaper” that looks like the Terminator-800 model, only jumbo sized, and coming equipped with a giant metal cock that destroys platforms. This game is stupid. Nevermind how much Sovereign belittled Organics as being “nothing”, yet here, they’re important enough that Reapers cant proliferate without harvesting them!? Even the lore gets fucked by ME2, and no one cares because Mordin Solis feels guilty over the Genophage, and we all know the Genophage is the only thing that matters in Mass Effect. Why? Because we all like Wrex and assume every Krogan is as benevolent and innocent like him… even though the Krogan prove time and again that they got what they deserved. They willingly NUKE their own world just to maintain a “Strong will Survive” culture amongst themselves, OR because population control, take your pick. ME2 is more lifesim than it is scifi adventure rpg akin to Star Trek. But a big problem is that the main plot of the collectors takes a backseat to everyone’s personal problems. Sure we can expand upon the universe, see more than one Quarian, discover Krogan Culture, see the criminal side of the Asari, and have the Drell as a new species, but at what expense!? The story’s a mess, you are robbed of any real control of your character’s personality and choices, less customization in terms of skill trees and weapons, too many compulsory sidequests, and farming fetch quests!
I fucking HATE Mass Effect 2!
But like most games in the world, this could be improved in so many ways. And… I might have a few suggestions here and there. Because Mass Effect is complex in it’s lore, I might screw up a few details, but hell. So much of the series lore was broken by the second game, and no one cared so long as they got to feel morally superior in thinking the Genophage was wrong.
Aside from scaling back on the planet hopping aspects, here’s how I would do the main story.
Game starts off in Aratoht of the Bahak System of Viper Nebula. Shepard and the Virmire Survivor (Referred to as “Kash”) are on a mission to rescue an associate of Admiral Hackett’s. Dr. Amanda Kenson, a deep cover operative who had found proof of an imminent Reaper invasion. When they find her and escape on shuttle, she explains to Shepard and Kash that everything they’ve heard in regards to a potential Reaper invasion. Though Shepard questions how the reapers could have another means of entering the milky way, Kenson explains that the Mass Relays were created by the Reapers, meaning they could possess more than one Gateway into their Galaxy. Thus, the Alpha Relay is the target of a desperate operation. They head to Asteroid X57 and decide to use it’s propulson system to destroy the Alpha Relay before it is activated. However, Kenson and her team is immediately attacked by Balak, the terrorist Batarian who originally tried to use X57 to destroy Earth. He had caught wind of Kenson’s plan and wished to stop her in order to save the Batarian home system, seeing this attempt as retaliation against him. His Batarians and Varren swarm the Asteroid, killing Kenson and her Science team, leaving Shepard and Kash in a race against time to destroy the Relay.
After killing the Batarians and Balak, they find the Propulson system. “Kaiden” will be hesitant to activate it as he doesn’t want to kill innocent lives in the area, leaving Shepard with the decision. “Ashley” will have no qualms about doing so, seeing the Batarians as the self-proclaimed enemies of humanity, and activates the system without mercy. Shepard can choose to warn the Batarians to evacuate their homeworlds afterward. Doing so will grant Paragon Points, but barely any Batarians will survive regardless.
The Alpha Relay activates, however, and one Reaper manages to get through, that being Harbinger. The Asteroid then destroys the Relay, giving Shepard and Kash little time to escape the ensuing explosion. The Relay blows up the entire Bahak system, and Harbinger escapes.
The Batarians that do survive demand blood for what has happened, and the Alliance has no desire to get involved in a war with them. The Batarians also plan to declare war against the Council and all of Citadel Space for this. Whether or not you chose to save the council, Shepard will be stripped of his Spectre status, arrested, and given a death penalty. Kash will be spared, judged only as being under the orders of a spectre to blow up the relay. “Ashley” will try to claim responsibility for it as she is the one who activates X57, but you can do a Paragon interrupt to silence her. The end result is that Shepard is now imprisoned, and is awaiting his death sentence. Shepard’s only concern is that one Reaper who managed to escape. Despite his many pleas and warnings to take the new Reaper threat seriously, the Alliance and Council repeatidly ignore him, seeing him as politically inconvenient now.
Speaking of escape, a Cerberus operative named “Paul Grayson”, breaks into the Alliance Prison to help Shepard escape. In a stealth mission of sorts, Paul creates diversions to help Shepard sneak past guards. Once outside, a shuttle arrives on the scene with either Captain Anderson (If the Council survives OR if Anderson was made Counciler) or Miranda Lawson of Cerberus. The truth is they both believe that the Reaper threat is real, and they cannot have the backroom politics of the Council or Alliance get in the way of such threat.
There are multiple choices here. Anderson gives Shepard the option of reinstating his Spectre status, seeing as the Council’s own rules would permit the destruction of the Alpha Relay, OR suggest that he joins Cerberus as they’re not bound to the rules of the Council OR the Alliance Military. Spectre status or Cerberus status would give Shepard access to different weapons, armors, and general equipment. Joining or refusing Cerberus would also determine the Squadmates and romance options you can obtain. In specific-
:Non-Cerberus: (Normandy Crew)
Ashley/Kaiden
Tali
Liara
Samara
Legion
Feron
Kal-Reeger
:Cerberus: (Fenrir Crew)
Miranda
Jacob
Jack
Grunt
Zaeed
Kai Leng
Morinth
Brooks
:Interchangable:
Garrus
Mordin
Thane
Kasumi
If you imported a “Paragon” Shepard AND have completed at least 1 Cerberus related sidequest, you will be LOCKED OUT of joining Cerberus. Importing a “Renegade” Shepard will still give you the option of joining them regardless if you’ve completed any Cerberus related missions. Saving the Council, however, WILL lock you out of Cerberus as well with Miranda’s reasoning being that “Cerberus cannot trust Shepard to do what’s in the best interest of humanity.”
You can also be locked out of joining Cerberus if you chose the Sole Survivor Psyche Profile as that Profile related to a Cerberus attack on Akuze, all of this regardless if you were Paragon or Renegade. In other words, you’ll have to be purely Renegade, kill the council, and have a profile that doesn’t relate to Cerberus in any way. Earthborn/Ruthless Background with Renegade is preferable.
Despite this, Miranda and Jacob will at least join you for the Freedom’s Progress mission even if you didn’t join them, seeing as that’s their destination. And it gets them away from the Alliance and the Citadel.
Freedom’s Progress was a human colony that was recently attacked by what was considered an “Unidentified flying object”. Traveling there, they find many of the residents were turned into Husks, and that many of the drones were reprogrammed to kill any survivors. They do meet the Quarians and Tali, mostly under Tali’s request. Seeing as she survived the encounter with Sovereign, she was worried that another Reaper would do even more damage than before. The Quarians seem to be more concerned about the threat of a reaper than the rest of the galaxy. Most of this chapter proceeds more or less the same. The difference here is the footage of the attack shows that of Marauders while also showing the Reaper Harbinger leaving the area. Recognizing that the Marauders were wearing Blue Suns armor, Miranda and Jacob deduce that mercenary groups from Omega may have become indoctrinated servants of Harbinger, and if so, could initiate a war between the Terminus Systems and Citadel Space, allowing Harbinger to wreak havoc across the Milky Way while the Galaxy is too divided to notice.
Fortunately for the group, Paul Grayson was already in Omega, discussing certain matters with it’s ruler, Aria T’Loak. Unfortunately, however, he seemed to have been captured by Blue Suns mercs. Shepard, out of gratitude, decides to head for Omega to save him.
Once there, if the Council was killed, Zaeed would be present and eager to join Cerberus if only to get some “payback” against the Blue Suns Leader, Vido. NOTE: There are NO loyalty missions in this game. Certain Loyalty missions will be integrated into the main story, but the vast majority will be excluded. Mainly because… they suck.
Shepard and crew gain intel that Grayson was last seen in the Gozu district, Blue Suns territory, and investigate. There, they find that many of the residents and Mercs were indoctrinated, and were killing people in the area. Aria, for some reason, turned a blind eye, and referred to the area as an epicenter of a plague, putting the Blue Suns in charge of restoring order. Those that weren’t affected by the Indoctrination fled to a clinic headed by Mordin Solus. They go there to find him, seeing that he is an STG agent undercover as he had found “disturbing news” of increased Krogan Activity on Omega, particularly concerning Blood Pack mercenaries. The 3 ask if they’ve seen Grayson, to which Mordin replies no. At the same time, however, Mordin sees that the group in question are there for a specific reason, and sees an opportunity to gain their aid. For the promise of finding the cause of the “plague”, Shepard and party will have a new ally. Shepard goes to find the source of the “plague”, finding a “Reaper Seed”, a device that emits EM waves that indoctrinate those in the surrounding area. Where it came from, no one knows. Shepard resists it’s indoctrination and manages to destroy the seed with minimal trouble. Afterward, Mordin joins your party.
Afterward, the group confronts Aria T’Loak. The meeting goes about the same as before, but with the difference of demanding answers on why Aria ignored what was going on in the Gozu district. Snapping back by declaring that Omega is hers to do as she pleases, Aria then explains that she’s been busy trying to rid her station of a “pest problem”. The Terminus’s primary Mercenary faction, the Blue Suns, is owned by her, mainly as a result of Vido’s past dealings, a fact that angers Zaeed. The pest in question is undermining the Blue Suns ability to get their jobs done, which in turn undermines Aria’s influence, making people question her ability and leadership, which could lead to potential mutinies. Shepard and crew explains that mutinies are even more likely after the situation in Gozu, explaining that Reaper technology was used to turn the residents against each other. At first, she’s in disbelief that the Reapers would be interested in her at all, but then affirms it by suggesting that her infamy proceeds her more than Shepard. Aria then proposes a deal. She’ll “try to do her job better” if, and ONLY if, Shepard and crew take care of the pest problem in question. A Turian Vigilante known as the “Archangel” was hiding out in the Kima District while dealing with the bulk of the Blue Suns. At the same time, he came to “capture” a man named Paul Grayson, peaking everyone’s attention, with Aria requesting that they retrieve him… “alive”. Asking her what Grayson means to her, Aria will simply tell you to “fuck off and deal with that problem. She’s not a patient woman.”
So begins the next mission to find Garrus. Eclipse is excluded from the line up. The Blood Pack will ONLY be present if Wrex is alive, with Mordin being concerned with their presence. Garm, the leader, claims he’s there to aid the Blue Suns in riding the galaxy of yet another Turian, despite the fact that the Blue Suns have plenty of Turian membership. As for Tarak, well… that meeting is about the same. The actual mission itself remains the same for the most part, but the difference here is that Garrus is on Omega for completely different reasons than before. Grayson was also present. After playing 20 questions, it turns out that Grayson was on Omega because he was in a relationship with Aria’s daughter, but ONLY as a ruse to get close to Aria. Cerberus was interested in taking over Omega as an FOB for the Terminus Systems, not to mention it’s plethora of resources, with Aria being the stubborn wedge that refuses to let go of the station. As for Garrus, he was tipped off by a reporter who was investing corruption on the Citadel. If you helped Emily Wong on ME1, Shepard will quickly deduce that she was Garrus’s source. What and why of the current situation would have to wait, however, as the Blue Suns were already prepped to pour into their hideout. The mission goes about the same as usual, but the key difference here is that Aria actually joins in the fight. Before she could do anything, however, the Blue Suns IMMEDIATELY turn on her and try to kill her in the area. As well, the Blood Pack would also join in the attack. This gives Shepard’s party the perfect chance to escape. Using the cover of the gunfight, the large group races through Omega’s underbelly, trying to find escape shuttles. Unfortunately, they run into Kandross and her security team who block off the exits. A gun fight ensues that results in Grayson’s death.
Depending on whether or not you joined Cerberus, Miranda, Jacob, and Zaeed will either continue to help you escape, or abandon you, Garrus, and Mordin outright. The latter being excused as “no longer having an ace in the hole” or “having any more Cerberus staff on Omega worth saving.” On the other hand, they will immediately call for evac, with a new ship known as “Fenrir”, and the missions ends. Otherwise, the mission continues with Shepard, Garrus, and Mordin who have to find another way off the station. Unfortunately, they get ambushed and knocked out by a Blue Suns Wardin, Kyrill, and transported to the prison ship, Purgatory.
While in their box cells, or aboard the Fenrir, Garrus discusses Wong’s intel, tracing members of the Council to Omega’s criminal activities. Asari Counciler Tesos had made a deal with Aria that, in exchange for any Prothean Artifacts found in the Terminus Systems, the Blue Suns would be allowed to operate in Citadel Space, along with smaller criminals like Fist and Fade. At the same time, there would be a mutual agreement of non-violence between Citadel Space and the Terminus Systems so long as the agreement was maintained. No Citadel Fleets in Terminus, no hostile takeovers of Citadel Space by Omega. However, Aria started “getting greedy”. Seeing that Sovereign made a mess of the Citadel, many of Aria’s people were killed in the attack, so she demanded some form of compensation. That compensation came in the form of Reaper Salvage, something she believed would give Omega and the Terminus Systems far more power than before. This was one of the many reasons Grayson operated on Omega. Anderson/Udina, being new to this information, would try to curb this if the Council was sacrificed in the first game. Otherwise, it would continue unabated.
It was this level of corruption that Garrus couldn’t stand for, and got out as soon as he did, thinking that he could put an end to this permanently.
If aboard the Fenrir, if you encouraged Garrus to be more Renegade than Paragon, he will join your party with Cerberus. Otherwise, he’ll demand to be dropped off at the Citadel. At this point, you’ll be free to explore some planets, or even the Citadel itself. But you WON’T be able to go to the Presidium. You’ll also have to avoid C-Sec officers, or a chase sequence will occur, forcing you to find a way off the station.
But if you’re on Purgatory, you’ll have to complete an additional mission first, escaping Purgatory itself. Which is easy considering that everyone in the complex starts going crazy. As it turns out, even Wardin Kyrill had Reaper Tech on the station, hoping it could be used to turn the inmates into his own private army. Unfortunately, the Mercs and Inmates all became indoctrinated, and started killing each other. The cell doors all unlock, seemingly at random, and the inmates initiate a full scale riot. Shepard, Garrus, and Mordin take advantage of the confusion to try and find another escape shuttle. While there, Mordin finds some terminals with information regarding the Blood Pack’s unannounced presence on Omega, and the real reason they might’ve been there was for the dissappearance of The Krogan Warlord Okeer. They face off with Kyrill who managed to resist indoctrination, and then continue their escape. Fortunately for them, they are rescued by their unlikely allies.
Kash and Liara both appear and start blasting any enemies that get in their way as they retrieve the trio, escaping onto the Normandy and getting out of the area. Kash, Liara, Joker, and the rest of the Normandy crew explain that they were authorized, by the Council, to scour the galaxy in search of Geth strongholds. A convenient lie to find and assist Shepard in his search of Harbinger.
Cerberus side, on the other hand, purposefully went there to retrieve “Subject Zero” (Jack), one of Cerberus’s little side projects who’s L5x implant was made with Reaper tech to boost her biotic abilities on par with an Asari Matriarch. Since the station was already in a riot, Shepard’s squad could get in, find Jack, and hopefully get out with minor injuries. The confrontation and hostility with Miranda remains the same.
Afterward, both the Normandy and/or Fenrir crews will know 2 things. Harbinger is loose somewhere in the galaxy, and that the remains of Sovereign were spread through out the Terminus Systems, with the latter causing widespread incidents of indoctrination. Both are equally a threat, but without a clue as to find Harbinger, all they can really do is race around the galaxy and shut down all the “Reaper Seeds” across Terminus. Mordin, however, proposes an idea. They find any Reaper tech they come across, and then Mordin can reverse engineer it to create a tracking signal that would help them pinpoint the location of Harbinger. The Normandy crew expresses doubt of the plan, knowing just how easy it is to indoctrinate people with just one Reaper Fragment, though Mordin assures them that he won’t fall prey to it’s influence. As part of the Fenrir crew, Miranda suggests using Jack as her implant carries Reaper Tech, but she threatens to kill Mordin and especially Miranda if they start experimenting on her.
So the only lead they have is what Mordin found on Purgatory in regards to the Warlord Okeer. They head for Korlus where one of the Blue Suns leaders, Jedore, was holding Okeer prisoner. Okeer had managed to replicate Saren’s experiments on Virmire, specifically that of cloned Krogan. He had also raided a Blue Suns transport in the traverse at an unknown point and time. They head through Korlus, battle through Blue Suns and Krogan Clones, and make their way to Okeer himself. The conversation goes the same way as before, the difference being that Grunt would not be “pure Krogan”. Instead, Okeer wanted to create a “Super Krogan”. A Krogan combined with Reaper Tech to become the ultimate Bioweapon, to which everyone thinks is insane. Jedore kills Okeer the same way as before, forcing the group to confront and kill her as well. Seeing as Okeer is dead and gone, they now come into possession of Grunt.
The Normandy Crew will keep Grunt in his tank, fearing that he could tear the whole ship apart. They’re also wary of it being combined with Reaper Tech, fearing that they could be affected by him. That said, Mordin wouldn’t be able to get a sample of said Reaper Tech in order to transfix a proper signal. Thus, the group is back to square one.
Fenrir Crew, on the other hand, lets him out to become a Squadmate, and so that Mordin can get to work. Grunt attacks Mordin, being “programmed” to hate Salarians, but is saved by Jack, surprisingly. After a short, albeit intense argument, Grunt calms down, seeing Jack as a “worthy foe” to fight against as well as alongside. Thus begins a strange bond between the 2 (not in the way you guys might be thinking). With that in mind, Mordin is able to get a sample of Grunt’s Reaper tech.
However, before either party can get a plan going, they receive reports that Horizon is under attack by Harbinger, and immediately rush to the scene. There, they find that Harbinger had planted Dragon Teeth and indoctrinated many of the residents, forcing others to become husks. The Normandy Crew will try to avoid casualties while the Fenrir Crew will shoot anyone on sight. Paragon and Renegade scores will be given depending on whether you choose to kill the enemies here. The goal is the same, activating the AA Defense Towers so as to find some way to chase Harbinger off of Horizon. Though they are successful, Harbinger manifests itself as a VI on a terminal, introducing itself and… generally talking shit about how Shepard and Co. fumble in ignorance, having no clue as to what Harbinger is planning, how it’s beyond his comprehension, et all. Afterward, it leaves Horizon completely with the gang proclaiming that “they will stop him” and such.
For the Normandy Crew, Mordin decides the best way to deal with the Grunt situation is by taking Grunt to Tuchanka, and opening the tank there so that there is less collateral damage. Everyone is against the idea seeing as the Krogan or themselves could be indoctrinated. But eventually, Shepard agrees it’s the only other option they have. Thus, they head for Tuchanka.
There, if Wrex is alive, they all have a nice little reunion, same as before, and then they talk business about unleashing Grunt. Wrex realizes that Grunt’s tank belonged to Okeer, and assumes the Blood Pack was successful in retrieving him. However, they inform him that Okeer is dead, and that Grunt is all that’s left of his legacy. The group also informs him that Grunt is fixed with Reaper Tech, making him too dangerous to let loose. Wrex, however, wants to take that risk Given that Okeer copied Saren’s experiments, Wrex feels obligated to personally dispose of Grunt with his own hands… UNLESS they can find a way to remove the Reaper parts.
However, a rival Clan, Weyrloc, ambushes the Urdnot camp, and steals Grunt by force. Shepard and crew chase after them to the Weyrloc territories and find that Weyrloc Guld sees Grunt as an abomination. Another Bioweapon giftwrapped to them by Mordin Solus, “A butcher of Krogan”. When questioned about what they mean, Guld reveals that Mordin worked on a modified version of the Genophage, prolonging the suffering of the Krogan race. While the group is stunned by this, they still have to retrieve Grunt’s tank… by force. They demolish Clan Weyrloc and retrieve the tank. The area they’re in seemed to be the perfect place to open the Tank. So… they do. There, Grunt is aggressive at first, but immediately calms down. Mordin deduces that Grunt’s chestpiece is a Reaper Fragment, and takes a big risk in removing it. Grunt is uncharacteristically calm about the ordeal.
Eitherway, Mordin successfully removes to fragment, and places it into an air tight case where it can’t affect anyone.
With that out of the way, Mordin confirms that yes, he DID work on modifying the Genophage, and knows that such work goes against the group’s own ideals. Thus, he gives Shepard the option of leaving him on Tuchanka so that he can atone for his sins (in which the Krogan slaughter him). You can do so, or you can keep Mordin around, affirming that they need his help fighting Harbinger. Lets assume you choose the latter since everyone loves Mordin.
After that, with Grunt no longer at risk of being indoctrinated, or putting the rest of Tuchanka at risk, Wrex demands that Grunt stay with Clan Urdnot so that he may learn what it means to be a Krogan… as well as how to change that way of life for the better.
HOWEVER… if Wrex is dead, then Wreav is in control of Clan Urdnot, having absorbed Weyrloc by force. There will be no mission to rescue Grunt. You will just be allowed to open the tank and work normally. Mordin won’t be ousted either. However, Wreav will also demand that Grunt stay with them to learn what it takes to be a Krogan. Unfortunately, this also means that Grunt will be killed by Uvenk, a Krogan purist.
The Fenrir Crew WON’T have to do this, however, since Cerberus had no qualms about opening Grunt’s tank. They instead go to Aite for Project Overlord. The Illusive man… wishes to experiment with the Reaper Fragment before doing anything else. Particularly, he wants to discover the secrets of “Indoctrination” as a means of being able to control the Reapers. However, when they get to Aite, of course something goes wrong, and Shepard’s crew have to get to the bottom of it. As it turns out, the experiment involved a human VI interface in one of the most gruesome experiments ever known. An autistic man named David Archer was “grafted” onto a large machine platform in order to replicate a VI, but at the cost of being mutilated. In an effort to escape his torment, he caused most of the security systems in the complex to go haywire, essentially daring someone to venture into his chamber and put an end to his suffering. After getting through the complex and finding David, you have 3 choices. To set David free, continue with the Reaper VI experiment, or to kill him, putting him out of his misery. Choosing the first or last options will force TIM to instead utilize EDI for a Reaper Scanner, but will put the Fenrir crew at potential risk of Indoctrination. Choosing the Neutral Option will coincide with future plans that TIM has in mind.
As for the Normandy Crew, Mordin has to construct a scanner by hand. If Mordin was left behind, you would have to return to the Citadel and find the Salarian named “Chorbin”. Whether you helped him in ME1 with the Keeper Scanning or not, he will assist you here. The difference being whether or not he requires you to do a certain job. If you helped him before, he’ll help to build you a scanner for free. If you didn’t, you’ll have to help him get his scanner back from C-Sec. It’s also an opportunity to find and recruit Kasumi if you’ve saved the Council, making this mission easier. Even if you DIDN’T leave Mordin behind, you’ll still have the option of returning to the Citadel to find Kasumi.
For the Normandy crew, after making a scanner, they trace a Reaper signal in Haestrom. They make their way there to find that Harbinger was draining the Sun in the Dholen system of it’s solar energy, which would speed up it’s process to becoming a Red Dwarf. As the Normandy crew begins to fight it, they receive a distress signal from Haestrom, from Tali Noriyah Vas Neema. Her and a Quarian Team went to Haestrom for their own reasons, steering clear of the Geth that controlled the planet. However, those Quarians started attacking and wiping out Geth Outposts, causing many of them to run to Harbinger for aid. With that, the Quarians are now trapped in a gunfight for their lives. Shepard begrudgingly leaves Harbinger to touch down on Haestrom and retrieve the Quarians. However, Harbinger also attacks the planet in a bid to kill Shepard, seeing him/her as a potential threat to the Reapers.
The Haestrom Mission plays out the same with the difference of a time limit, certain Geth being possessed by Harbinger, and the appearance of Legion. Legion actually tries fighting against the Geth, referring to them as “Heretics of the Old Machines” which confuses the crew. The mission proceeds about the same as in the original game, but this time with Legion assisting from afar with a sniper rifle. Saving Kal-Reeger is also important here as he can become a Squadmate. After destroying the Geth Armature at the end of the mission, the structure the crew are on begins to crumble. Tali is flung onto a falling platform as it tilts toward a cliff. As she falls, Legion jumps to the platform and saves her. Shepard then slides down to retrieve Tali and get her to safety, but is nearly knocked off balance as the platform tilts more. Tali takes Shepard’s and tries to pull him up. However, Legion loses it’s grip and starts to fall. There is a Paragon interrupt where Shepard can save Legion, but it will have a few consequences for the next area and Reeger.
Afterward, Shepard (And Legion) are pulled to safety and soon picked up by the Normandy Crew (plus Kal-Reeger). Harbinger then starts attacking the Normandy as it exits Haestrom. Joker manages to outpace the demonic Reaper until it hacks into the Reaper Tech onboard of the Ship, using it to shut off all systems and leaving the Normandy vulnerable to destruction. Harbinger mocks Shepard for being helpless against the might of the Reapers… until the Flotilla arrives, using heavy fire from their Dreadnoughts to repel it. Harbinger mocks their efforts in trying to damage it, but leaves anyway, feeling that he has enough energy from Haestrom’s sun that he need not waste more time dealing with the humans.
Aboard the flotilla, 2 things can happen. Either the Normandy crew is allowed to have a nice rest, OR, if you saved Legion, you’ll be detained. Shepard will remark that he’s been captured 3 times in one game. Then a trial commences regarding why Tali in particular brought an active Geth aboard the Flotilla. You basically have a modified version of Tali’s loyalty mission, except there’s no additional mission to retrieve evidence from a science ship. Just questions and answers. Answering everything well (or simply having a high Paragon/Renegade score) will ensure that Tali does not become exiled. In this instance, if Tali is not exiled, she will still be allowed to travel with Shepard in the future, along with Legion. However, Kal-Reeger will REFUSE to join the Normandy Crew because of it. If Tali IS exiled, Reeger will “be concerned” for Tali’s safety and will request to come aboard if only to keep her safe from the Geth. In this way, you get 3 new Squadmates instead of 2.
If you didn’t save Legion, no trial happens at all, and Reeger will join if you let him. Instead, the Quarians will discuss the Geth they found on Haestrom, and their relation to Harbinger. Tali had salvaged a portion of the Geth Armature’s memory core, as she usually does, and finds that Harbinger drained the sun’s energy not for it’s energy itself, but for a piece of Reaper Tech. Haestrom’s was changing rapidly due to dark energy signatures given off by this Reaper component. How and why it was located in the sun is unknown to the team, but they assume that the Reapers are far more capable of cosmic feats that organic life has yet to comprehend.
If Tali was exiled and forced off the Flotilla, this information is relayed to the group by Legion instead. Tali is far too distrusting of Legion for… obvious reasons, and has a bitch fit against Shepard and crew for allowing it aboard. Kal (if he’s there) would concur. You can choose to assauge their concerns or blow them off. Eitherway, they’re with you until the end.
In either case, the component that was in Haestrom’s Sun was recorded in the memory banks of the Geth. Using the Geth Memory Core OR Legion, Mordin will be able to reconfigure the scanner to track those components. They then trace another component to Illium, gateway to the Terminus Systems.
The Fenrir crew does NOT go to Haestrom, however, choosing to watch from afar as Harbinger wipes out the Dholen System completely. It should be noted that Tali, Reeger, and Legion, all die if you were a part of the Fenrir Crew. Instead, they head straight for Illium after detecting a strong Reaper signature in it’s air space.
When they arrive, they find Kai-Leng who was already scouting the city for clues. They trace the signature to a complex owned by Nassana Dantius, and infiltrate. Killing several Eclipse Mercs along, they reach Nassana and immediately question her connection to the Reapers. However, she’ll only explain in exchange for protection from an assassin. You have a choice here to agree to protect her, or demand intel first. The latter choice proceeds to have Thane kill her, granting you a new potential squadmate, or kill him for costing you intel. If you agree to protect Dantius, you will be forced to fight Thane and kill him anyway.
The Normandy Crew, on the other hand, traces the signature in the same way, and proceed to Dantius Towers as well. However, in the end, Thane would have already killed Nassana Dantius before they arrive. As they don’t have any quarrel with Thane, there is no fight between them. Instead, Thane assumes they were there for Nassana and freely gives them any relevant information that Nassana might’ve had. You can also recruit him if you wish.
Both Crews lead you to the same destination. Both Dantius and Thane relay that another Asari arrived on Illium. A justicar in fact. Having a Justicar on Illium is trouble since their complex code compels to kill the wicked and protect the pure. They go to the district where the Justicar is, and find her killing Eclipse Mercs who were, originally, working under Dantius to find and track down any potential killers that would be after her.
If you are on Team Normandy, the Justicar Samara will question what business you have in the area. A conversation will lead to her mentioning her search for her daughter, Morinth, an Ardat Yakshi or “Demon of the Night Winds”, who was spotted on world, and had come to kill her. While the group is repulsed by the notion of murdering your own child, Samara reaffirms her stance that Morinth must die. She will only agree to leave if she can find and kill Morinth, though because of Illium’s laws, she has agreed to remain in custody unless Shepard and company can find Morinth.
If you are on Team Fenrir, Samara will instead see that you are a part of Cerberus. A wicked organization, and attempt to kill you. You’ll either have to knock her out, or persuade her to stand down without violence via Paragon/Renegade choices. The latter will have her accepting custody as before with the request of finding Morinth.
In either case, after the meeting with Samara, you go into the other district to find Morinth instead of Wasea. During this confrontation, Morinth admits to being an Ardat Yakshi, but then she lies and tells the group that in reality, Samara was working under orders from the Shadow Broker to kill her, primarily because Morinth has the location of the Shadow Broker’s base of operations, and could leak it throughout the Milky Way. However, she had planned to use it as a means of blackmail in order to get favors from the Broker. Thus, the Shadow Broker wants to end Morinth immediately. Both groups figure that the Shadow Broker might have useful information on where the Reaper parts were sold off to.
Again, 2 things can happen. If Normandy, you will either decide to capture Morinth for Samara, or kill her outright, as the Normandy Crew cares more about the people of the port and Officer Anaya than Morinth. Both options force you into a confrontation that ends up getting her killed. Capturing her just has Samara killing her outright while she’s in bondage. Either option gives you the option of recruiting Samara to your side
On the Fenrir side, you can either capture her to be killed by Samara (leads to a fight with Morinth), or you let her join Cerberus temporarly in exchange for the Broker’s Base. After that, they leave.
On the Normandy Side, since they didn’t get Morinth’s location data for the Broker’s base (as the info died with her), Anaya suggests heading for Morinth’s apartment and seeing if the location data was on one of her computers. So… they do. When they reach Morinth’s apartment, they find the entire building on fire. The group races inside, hoping to find the apartment. In doing so, they scour the area. They then find several computers with OSDs plugged in, and they grab all of them. Before they could leave, however, they’re suddenly attacked by the strange arrival of the Blue Suns!
Aria T’Loak had a small unit with her as they attacked the apartment complexes. Why she was doing this was unknown, but the only thing that was clear was that they needed to escape as quickly as possible! They do so manage to escape without coming face to face with Aria herself, which makes her furious.
Back on the Normandy, Tali and Legion go through the OSDs while having some banter on the side, and uncover the location of the Shadow Broker’s lair on a giant airship above Illium. That’s their next destination.
The Fenrir Crew, on the other hand, won’t have to go to apartments if Morinth is on the team. Otherwise, they’ll go there and be met with Tela Vasir, a Spectre. Instead of the Blue Suns, they would have to deal with Eclipse Mercs. Tela Vasir would also not be an agent for the Shadow Broker, instead she will be more interested in trying to stop Cerberus, all the while mocking Shepard for being unfit to be a Spectre since he or she joined terrorists. After a series a of gunfights and a boss fight against Vasir, she’ll reaffirm her stance that Shepard had lost his way. Being a hero to the Citadel and the Human Race. But then he threw it all away to join Cerberus, equating him to Saren when he sided with the Geth. You have the option to spare her life or kill her. Sparing her will have her reappear in the 3rd game, hopefully under better circumstances.
Back on the Fenrir, Miranda and Mordin will decrypt the OSDs, finding the Shadow Broker’s Lair all the same.
Both crews storm the Shadow Broker’s Lair, with the only difference being on Fenrir’s side. If you recruited Morinth, Samara will have tracked you down to the Lair, and will attempt to kill you. After the fighting, you will have the option of sparing her or killing her outright, similarly to Tela Vasir. HOWEVER, if you take Morinth with you to the Lair, she will kill Samara automatically.
The fight against the Shadow Broker itself will play out similarly, with the difference being that Liara will NOT assume the role of Shadow Broker. They still find Feron here, and it is HE who assumes the role. That is if you allow it. Feron can be convinced to join the Normandy Crew instead, becoming a new squadmate (and possibly create some love triangle between Shepard and Liara if you care). Such an option is not present for the Fenrir Crew as Cerberus aggressively takes over the Airship, killing EVERYONE on board. Feron’s first initial action is to take over as Shadow Broker, thus he is eliminated. Shepard can try to advocate for Feron’s survival, but Ceberus will kill him anyway, citing that Feron knew too much already.
Afterward, both crews go through the Broker’s archives and find disturbing intel regarding the Reapers. As it turns out, Sovereign’s remains on the Citadel caused a few people to become indoctrinated, which was dangerous as the Citadel was in the middle of repairs after the attack. Thus, it was “convenient” that Aria became greedy. She did NOT, infact, demand Sovereigns wrecked parts, but it was instead offered to her, to which she agreed. The Council manipulated information to deny their intent, saved or otherwise. Anderson would be the only one to dissent to the choice, being one of the main factors of him resigning his council seat to Udina. As a result, however, people within the Terminus Systems became indoctrinated as well, being influenced to be more aggressive and willing to do anything for the Reaper’s return. Since much of the Terminus had a high population of Batarians, they were the main culprits behind the Alpha Relay incident. Using some of Sovereign’s parts, they were able to track Dark Energy readings from “Dark Space”, and programmed the Alpha Relay to link to it. In other words, Sovereign’s goal lived on in his thralls, to open a portal into Dark Space and unleash the Cycle of Genocide once more. However, only Harbinger broke through, but that’s all they needed.
That wasn’t all. As it turns out, several Eclipse Mercs were sleeper agents working from within STG, and information within STG uncovered something massive about Omega itself. That it was actually a massive Reaper Brain hidden within an Asteroid belt. This would explain why it is sometimes known as “the heart of evil”, and why so many are influenced to do evil within Omega Space. The fact that it’s a Reaper Brain was unknown to Aria, but her fierce protection of it had nothing to do with it’s resources, but rather incredibly subtle Indoctrination. The influx of Reaper Tech shipped to Omega worsened this, and turned most of the sleeper STG agents against one another. This is information that was already well known by The Illusive Man, and was why he was so interested in Omega. A Reaper Brain would be a strong signal booster to other Reapers, being a viable use of control. This was where Project Overlord comes in (if you didn’t save or kill David) or EDI. Using Omega, EDI or David could create a signal that would give Cerberus complete control of the Reapers if given the chance. The FENRIR crew would confront TIM about this info when the mission is completed.
Furthermore, the Broker had information about Haestrom and Horizon. The Sun on Haestrom had a hidden piece of Reaper Tech within the core, which is why Harbinger was draining the Sun. Horizon ALSO had Reaper Tech in the area. That is because these 2 particular pieces were connected to the Reaper Brain Omega, one acting as a control center (or chip) from the Sun, and another having the “correct” coordinates to Dark Space itself. By using Omega as it’s own signal booster, it can link into every Mass Relay in the Milky Way. Since the Mass Relays are Reaper Tech, they can be controlled remotely by Reapers to go to and from Dark Space, but are less powerful than the Citadel if trying to link to Dark Space. Harbinger likely hopes that by turning on every Relay to link to Dark Space, they would have enough power to pull in Reapers from every single direction, covering the entire Galaxy within seconds. Both crews wonder why Harbinger wouldn’t just try to retake the Citadel again, and theorize that the Citadel will be more heavily defended than before, and that Harbinger was wary of Sovereign’s destruction, thinking it best to try another solution than to risk it’s own demise. The Omega approach is easier as the Terminus Systems aren’t as united or as organized as Citadel Space, and it’s denizens would be none the wiser. They also find out that there is one more piece of Omega Reaper Tech to be found. An IFF that would allow only Reapers to have control of Omega, which can be found on Aeia in the Alpha Draconis System. A fact that Jacob isn’t fond of.
The Normandy crew would TRY to leave the Air Ship. However, they’re immediately attacked by the Blue Suns led by Aria and Vido. After the attack, the Normandy Crew is captured and taken to Zorya.
The Fenrir crew leaves the Airship, blows it up, and confronts TIM about his knowledge of Omega. He admits that he withheld this information as it might prompt some resistance in the team if they knew Omega was a Reaper Brain, mainly concerning Shepard and Jacob. Miranda demanded to know if Grayson knew about Omega before he died. It’s there that TIM reveals that Grayson actually faked his death. Working with a Turian, Nyreen Kandros, she worked with Cerberus in the hopes of removing Aria from power, as she sees Aria as nothing but a Tyrant who is heavy handed in her control, but unwilling to protect the civilians when they’re in danger. By aiding Grayson in faking his death, Aria could turn a blind eye and leave Omega exposed while she goes off chasing traitors and enemies, leaving incompetent captains in charge. That way, Grayson and Nyreen can take over Omega when Aria isn’t looking, securing all major ports for Cerberus. NOTE: Grayson ONLY survives in the Fenrir side. He’ll be dead on the Normandy Side. But with all of that in mind, the Fenrir group heads to Aeia to retrieve the IFF.
Once there, Jacob is uneasy about the place as it is the last known location of his Father’s ship, the Hugo Gernsback. It disappeared without a trace, and he assumed he had died. Jacob wanted to believe otherwise, but he never had the stomach to confirm his death. They do indeed find the Gernsback, and within, they discover logs from the crew that indicate that they found remnants of a large, metallic cuttlefish. Once there, many of the crew started acting weird. Acting violently to each other. Ronald Taylor, the Captain, abandoned the crew to their fate. As they head through the area, they have to deal with the Gernsback Crew as they’re fiercely protective of an area near the cost. As they head there, they find Ronald Taylor himself who managed to resist Indoctrination, but allowed his crew to kill themselves. Jacob confronts him, having a fierce argument about loyalty and whatnot, but Fenrir squadmates remind him that they have a mission to complete, and have no time for family drama. The cavern they were protecting housed Dragon Teeth and Husks. Deeper within, they find the Reaper IFF. Without this, Harbinger has no way of preventing other beings from utilizing Omega. Instead, Cerberus could use it to keep Harbinger and other enemies of Cerberus from being able to use Omega. After this, TIM decides that they have to immediately return to Omega and deal with this problem before Harbinger succeeds. What you do with Ronald Taylor is up to you. The choices are the same from the original.
As for the Normandy Crew, they’re trapped on Zorya, the world in which the Blue Suns were formed. There, Aria questions them, aggressively, and fueled by rage. How you respond to Aria will determine if she is an enemy or an ally for the final mission, but the idea is to relay to her exactly what Omega is. Aria is more concerned/pissed over the fact that Cerberus took over Omega after the indoctrinated mercs tried to kill her, and chased her off world. After explaining that the station itself was responsible for the betrayal, being a Reaper Brain and all, she doesn’t believe them. Paragon/Renegade dialog choices are the only way to get her to set you free, as they’re more about telling her that they are enemies of Cerberus and have no reason to side with them, or taunting her about how easily she lost Omega and is wasting time dealing with lowly small fries when she could be the “biggest badass” she claims to be and handle her business. Otherwise, you’ll have to fight your way out of Zorya, tearing a path through Blue Suns Mercs, and finding a shuttle back onto the Normandy.
There, Joker reports that Harbinger was already on Aeia, and it’s as good as confirmed that it has the IFF. The only thing the crew can do is rush to Omega.
So comes the final mission, that being Omega itself. Think the Omega DLC from ME3. Multiple differences are here.
For the Normandy Side, they are fighting primarily against Cerberus Troops. If you convinced Aria to join you, the Blue Suns will be there to fight alongside you. If not, you will have to fight both Cerberus AND Blue Suns. If Wrex is alive, he will have heard about this fight, and sends the Blood Pack to aid you. Grunt will also be present, hoping to enjoy the fight and prove his worth as a Krogan… or something.
On the Fenrir side, they’re fighting against all 3 Merc Groups in a bid to take over the station. Grayson leads you lead through most of the station, which also leads into finding Aria’s daughter, Liselle, who holds them all at gunpoint. Liselle had learned that Grayson was only with her to sabotage her mother, and claim Omega for Cerberus. Liselle also can’t believe that Nyreen would betray her. You have both a Paragon and Renegade interrupt where you can either shoot her, or prevent your squadmate from shooting her, allowing Liselle and Grayson to talk it out. You also get dialog options to convince Liselle that Omega is a Reaper brain, and must be controlled/destroyed. Liselle calms down and decides to help Grayson. Having Liselle around lets you scurt around Blue Suns areas and find an underground passage that leads to the Talon’s hideout, where you can meet Nyreen again. Liselle has a pissing contest with her, but eventually calms down when Nyreen mentions the safety of the citizens. That being said, she threatens Shepard and Grayson with execution if they double cross her and try to take control of Omega for Cerberus.
Otherwise, killing Liselle with take you through more Blue Suns.
Eventually, you reach Afterlife, and find an elevator leading up to the central control hub for Omega (similar to the Citadel Tower), and fight against Aria herself. If Liselle is dead, Nyreen will break off from helping Cerberus and join Aria for the fight, feeling that killing Aria’s daughter was a horrible thing to do, and will gladly aid Aria in her revenge. If Liselle is alive, Nyreen stays to the shadows. Liselle argues with Aria about the potential danger of Omega, being a Reaper Brain and all. Liselle talks about her concerns for how Omega was ran, how there was high crime and death every day, and that it being indoctrination likely had something to do with it. However, Aria argues that Omega is about freedom, and with freedom comes the need for power. If the people aren’t strong enough to survive, they deserve what’s coming to them. Liselle, horrified by what she hears, allows Shepard and Grayson to deal with her. After the fight, you have the choice of sparing Aria for the sake of Liselle. However, doing so only allows Nyreen to jump down and shoot her in the head, suggesting that it was the hardest thing for her to do. But for her, the people of Omega come first. Liselle tries to shoot Nyreen, but Grayson holds her back, explaining it was the only way. Nyreen then proposes to take over Omega and turn it around. However, after explaining that Omega is a Reaper Brain which endangers the citizenry, Nyreen then changes her mind. She notes that there is a self-destruct mechanism in central control that will give everyone at least 10 minutes to escape before detenation. However, TIM contacts the group and tells them that they can use the gathered components, and EDI/David to ensure that Omega doesn’t have to be destroyed. Nyreen can keep her Civilians safe without having to relocate so many of them. Omega can still prosper et all. Shepard and Grayson both knew that Cerberus would maintain control, but TIM “promises” that Nyreen will share governing power so long as Cerberus has overall control of the Reapers when that time comes. So, similar to the Suicide Mission, you have [Destroy] or [Save] as options. The former choice infuriates TIM, and gives you Ten minutes for the final battle, while Nyreen and Liselle organize a mass evacuation of the station. The latter doesn’t give you a timer, and makes the final boss easier. The final boss in question is the sudden appearance of Harbinger!
Harbinger latches onto the bottom of the station, similarly to how Sovereign latched onto Citadel Tower. In it’s position, Harbinger tries to take control of the entire station. One of Omega’s hackers manages to save the AA Turrets from being dominated, but they have to operated manually at different points. Having to take control of 15 AA cannons, you have to use them to target Harbinger’s eyes. You will have to constantly shoot red points on Harbinger to stop it from using it’s lasers, or else you start losing turrets. If you lose all 15 turrets, you fail the mission automatically.
The Normandy Side is more simplistic. Since Harbinger had already made it to Omega, it’s only a matter of time before Omega is firmly in it’s control. You won’t meet Liselle or Nyreen on this side. The difference is this time, KASH will take the place of Grayson when joining for the final battle in the Central Control Hub. There, they find the Reaper IFF, placed there by an indoctrinated person, and destroy it. This gives them access to Omega’s controls. But before they can do anything, Aria arrives and DEMANDS they get away from her controls. You can refuse to do so, initiating a fight that ends with Aria being dead, or you can freely give it up with a cheeky comment of not expecting gratitude. If you convinced Aria to side with you, she assumes control (pun intended) without question. Just then, TIM pops in, exposing Shepard’s plan to destroy Omega, much to Aria’s anger. However, TIM assauges her by suggesting that they use Omega to take control of Harbinger instead. At first, Aria thinks the idea ridiculous. But she calms down and starts getting ideas. With Harbinger under Omega control, no one would dare think to threaten Omega. She would have the ultimate deterrent in her grasp! KASH thinks it insane and begs Shepard to destroy Omega to stop Harbinger once and for all. However, Aria makes Shepard an offer to walk away and let her take control… or even join her. Seeing as Shepard is an outlaw themself. The Alliance nor the Council have his/her back anymore, relinquishing his Spectre status, and rendering him a fugitive. Omega is the home to Fugitives. Shepard would have a place in Omega and the Terminus systems, free of Citadel Space and the Council’s stained hands. S/He would live like a king/queen. So long as they recognize Aria as their superior. Again, you have the same options with a 3rd choice of joining Aria. Choosing destroy is followed by a warning by Aria. Reconfirming Destroy initiates a fight against Aria, killing her in the end. Choosing the other 2 options has you fighting against Kash in a last ditch effort to destroy Omega. After which, you still have to deal with Harbinger.
After beating it, if you chose Destroy, Shepard and company escape Omega, with it’s destruction catching Harbinger in the blast radius. If Control, the Omega Station will send out an EM wave that “assumes control” of Harbinger permanently. Though the hold on Harbinger is weak, and potentially won’t last long (unless you’re on the Fenrir side with David in control, then Harbinger is a permanent thrall of Cerberus).
However, the celebration doesn’t last as the Omega station had already connected to several relays before being shut off. As a result, 12 Reapers made it through, and are en route to wipe out all galactic life. Both the Normandy/Omega and Fenrir Crews vow to stop the Reapers here and now! And thus concludes Mass Effect 2: Code Omega.
I might continue and do one for 3, but 3 was such a shitshow in terms of it’s plot, I’d have to think up completely brand new scenarios. For one, I’d likely leave out the decision to cure the Genophage or not, as well as the Quarian/Geth Conflict as those 2 plots had little to nothing to do with the Reapers, and I believed that to be a massive disservice as the context of the game is that the Galaxy is facing a mass extinction event, and you’re too busy solving relatively petty conflicts. Key word “relatively”. I know people are extremely passionate about the Krogan and Quarian issues, but hey, Reapers are tearing ass in the galaxy, now’s not the time to be selfish dickheads. That’s just me. Besides that, ME3 made the grave mistake of leaning heavily towards one side of each argument, a GRAVE mistake imo (I probably didn’t do any better in this regard). I mean… it made Wrex seem a little shitty considering he basically took advantage of said mass extinction event to bargain for a Genophage cure, all the while there’s a reaper presence on Tuchanka, and we have no idea if it’s being handled. Plus… the Genophage was framed as a morally gray issue considering that the Krogans started a senseless revolt because they fuck like Rabbits and couldn’t handle having 7 planets. Unprovoked conquest is why they unleashed the Genophage. Turians and Salarians have every right to be concerned about a cure because… lets be real, Wrex and Eve are only 2 rational Krogan, they alone are not gonna be enough to reign in the damn Krogan. I don’t give a damn how charasmatic Wrex is, it’s unrealistic.
Hell, we’re not even gonna talk about how the Geth wiped out a good chunk of the Quarian population before they ran them off world? Or how they destroyed the Quarian’s Elder Archives which is a form of genocide? Or how they kill any Organics that enter their territory? REGARDLESS of intent? Yeah, fuck the Geth. Quarians were portrayed as an ostricized minority in the Milky Way, but lets treat them like the badguys for trying to control what they created. The big problem is that single characters are speaking for the entire race instead of being gateway characters into the culture and history of these Alien history. Liking Wrex shouldn’t exclude the Krogan from criticism. Liking Legion shouldn’t exclude the Geth from criticism (after all, Legion itself was literally HIDING information from Shepard up until certain points. That’s not something I would trust). So no. Those 2 story aspects, I would strip out of the game completely. Instead of having it where the main story takes the side of one faction over the other in some juvenile attempt to frame one as the “wrong” side over the other when in the prior games, we were free to make up our own damn minds about these issues. Choosing sides was fine as these sides were contained in much smaller, petty issues like preserving some data or resolving a spat between crew members. The goal should’ve been to unite the galaxy IN SPITE of these issues. Let the problems continue to exist, but find another means of uniting the Galaxy. Not turning into Santa Claus and giving everyone what they want before they join in an effort to PREVENT A MASS EXTINCTION EVENT! “MASS EXTINCTION EVENT!” I don’t blame Udina for trying to seize power, he’s right! “They’re a bunch of self-concerned jackasses!” This galaxy doesn’t deserve to outlive extinction because they’re so hung up on their baggage to care about a MASS EXTINCTION EVENT! Admiral Hackett can go fuck himself! “I can’t believe it! Curing the Genophage!? I never thought I’d see the day!” WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU CARE!? That just means more competition for control of the Milky Way, and a potential threat to Earth if the Reapers lose! You’re supposed to be military, you’re supposed to look at this and see how it affects humans, not getting all misty eyed over a problem that didn’t affect you. Mother fucker was acting like the Genophage was something that messed up his life. That tells you just how terrible ME3’s story was. ME1 and ME2 were basically DC cartoons while ME3 was an MCU trash heep. Still more fun to “play” than ME2 ever could be, but eh.
I’m rambling. Point is I honestly don’t know how I would do ME3 with the scenarios I made up. My only concern was doing something differently about ME2. I absolutely despised the premise, having Shepard die and then be brought back to join Cerberus was not how I wanted ME2 to play out. It felt wrong, out of place, and was a cheap excuse to get me away from the characters I had spent hours building connections to. All so I can put up with a bunch of ASSHOLES I care nothing for, are blackholes of charisma, and aren’t compelling at all as far as people go for me to care about anything they go through. ME2 took out the semblance of “discovery” and uncovering facts about the universe you exist in… to just caring about individual personal problems of a few select people that you may or may not give a fuck about. ME2 and ME3 feels less like being immersed in an intricate and unique universe, and more like fighting against the jackasses that force you to endure characters that the jackasses themselves like and think are awesome. I don’t like Aria T’Loak. I don’t want to have to deal with her at all, but the game forces her on you, and you’re not allowed to give her a swift kick in the ass. I can at least kill Miranda, Jack, Jacob, and Garrus Quipkarian (no, I HATE what they did to his personality in 2 and 3), but that bitch Aria is allowed to walk all over you, and you can’t do shit about it. You have NO dialog options to tell her to get her head out of her ass, meaning that she’s a personal favorite character of the devs. The very definition of a Mary Sue. Kicking her haughty ass off Omega was the best thing Cerberus ever did! Is it ANY wonder I have her as the semi-final boss?
SHIT! I’m rambling again! What I wanted to do was have a plot that actually involved the Reapers, and not some bug catching shit where you’re FORCED to recruit people you hate for a mission that should be impossible for them (Why the fuck would JACK be considered for a mission to save humanity when she’s mentally unstable, Juvenile, immature, and hates Cerberus!? The fuck were they thinking with these characters?!). Also, having branching scenarios based on your decisions from the first game as well as a couple in the beginning of 2 would’ve been nice. Like… why in the hell WOULD a Paragon Shepard who fought Cerberus in the past… just join with Cerberus now? I’m convinced that Shepard’s death was a contrivance to get Shepard to join some badguys for the plot to go the way it did, only for absolutely NOTHING to get resolved with previous characters until the next game felt like a waste of time. I also hated how you are constantly bombarded with all your prior associates being able to move on and advance with their careers while you got held back and saddled with terrorists a demotions. It’s like… oh what did GCN say?
Exactly. While my idea doesn’t exactly get away from that, I’d like to think the way I handled it is better without having Shepard die, and then get put under house arrest arbitrarily. And by the end of it, the characters will already be in a position to fight the reapers without politics or beauracracies getting in the way.
But most importantly, I wanted at least a few of these choices to feel as though they MATTERED, not merely as rewards but a simple sense of cause and effect. Depending on the decisions you make, this is the path you take. You wouldn’t necessarily be rewarded or punished based on those decisions, and the course of the story would actually change depending on those choices, not just some minor differences that are treated as easter egg cameos and shit.
Conflicting Views 