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Much of the story in Mass Effect 2 is determined by the decisions you make. If you imported a character save from Mass Effect 1 your game will be changed even more. No two people will have exactly the same experience playing through the story. Although this guide will tell you generally what happens, your details may differ. Also keep in mind that you can choose in what order you undertake many of the missions. You do not have to complete them in the same order as listed in this guide.

Sometimes a member of Shepard's crew will ask to go on a special mission. These are character loyalty quests, and they are found on the characters page.

Prologue

When you start a new game you will have the option of importing a character from Mass Effect 1, if you have a save file on your console or computer. If you do choose to import a character you can change their class and how they look. The only things you can't change are their gender and name. You will get monetary and experience bonuses for importing a character.

If you don't have a character to import, or choose not to, your first decision will be the gender (male or female) of your character. This decision does not effect the storyline or gameplay, but does change your romantic partner options. You will be able to choose your character's class and appearance in a few moments.

The game starts with a short dialouge between Miranda and The Illusive Man. You will then see a cinematic showing an attack on the spaceship Normandy. You will get some dialogue choices; simply select the line you wish your character to say. In this game dialogue choices will determine the course of events and should be made with deliberation. But don't worry just yet because the dialogue choices you make during this scene have no consequences. When you get control of your character move forward and up the stairs. Go to the cockpit where you'll get one more dialogue option.

You'll then be able to choose your character's name, class and appearance. In the game your character goes by "Commander Shepard" so the name only appears on your save file. Your class decision should depend on how you like to play. See the Class Page for more information about the game's classes. Your appearance is solely up to your personal taste, but remember that you can't change your character's appearance during the game and you will be looking at him or her for a long time. Make sure you're happy with their appearance before proceeding.

Your character will then wake up in a laboratory. When you get control follow the directions you hear over the comm system. Grab the pistol from the red marker, then go to the next red marker and take cover. Go through the open door and pick up the thermal clip and reload your pistol. Go through the next door and jump over the barrier. Look to your right and you'll see an enemy. Shoot it. Go up the stairs and through the door.

In the next room take cover at the marker and take out the mechs as they approach you. When they're down gather up the ammo they've dropped. Go into the room where they came from and you'll find more ammo. In the next room you'll see some mechs behind glass, but you can't attack them right now. Go through the next door.

Here you'll find a grenade launcher. Pick it up and equip it. As soon as you do a door below you will open and you can shoot the enemies that come through it. You only have two shots, so use them wisely. Walk to the nearby platform, which is an elevator. It will take you down one floor. Run through the fire.

In the next room you can go forward into an office. You'll find a Cerberus Laptop where you can listen to an audio message. You'll also find a wall safe. You will have to hack it open by plying the bypass minigame. If you can open it you'll get credits. The faster you open it, the more credits you'll get.

Proceed through the hall and up the stairs. Past the door you'll encounter Jacob Taylor. After speaking to him you'll have to fight some mechs. You can order Taylor to use his biotic powers by targeting an enemy and using the power wheel. Before you leave there is a data pad on the bench you can pick up.

Go through the next hallway and in the next room you'll have to take out a few mechs. Exit the room and go up the stairs. Turn left and you'll find a small room with another log. Go through the door and you'll find Wilson. Go to the red marker to pick up the medi-gel and then use the power wheel to use your unity power to heal Wilson.

You'll then be attacked. Use the power wheel to order Wilson to overload the crates. That will take out the mechs.

The hacking mini-game.

In the next room you'll find a data pad on the floor. This is a good time to practice hacking computers. You will see a block of text. You then see three rows of blocks of similar text. You must select the three blocks of texts that match the sample. You can't let your cursor touch the blocks with Xs on them. You can try this data pad as many times as you like. The reward for opening the datapad is 850 credits.

Go through the next hall and when you open the door at the end of it you'll have to take out three mechs. Go up the stairs in this room and look to your left where two more will pop up, and another group will come through the door. Go into this room and you'll find an audio log, a data pad to hack, and a safe to bypass. Leave this room and pass through the large room. Open the door and you'll encounter Miranda.

After a cut scene you'll have to answer some questions. If you didn't import a character from Mass Effect 1, these questions will fill in the backstory. The answers you provide will determine some of the details for your game. There is no right or wrong answers to these questions, but minor aspects of the story will change depending on your answers.

When you regain control you'll be in a docking bay. Here you can customize the look of your clothes and armor. After you've spoken to the Illusive Man you will level up and can assign squad points to unlock new powers. Next, speak to Taylor and Miranda. You can pick up some renegade or paragon points during these conversations.

Freedom's Progress

When you get off the shuttle, know that you have some new weapons. Switch to something better than the pistol, assuming your class can use heavier weapons. You can also assign squad points for your two party members.

Head through the small building and into the main landing area. When you go through the large door watch out because there are some mechs on the other side. Some of these security robots are LOKI mechs: biped robots armed with assault rifles. Others are dog-like FENRIS mechs. They don't have ranged weapons, instead they will charge at you and use melee attacks. Be sure to kill them before they get too close. Go through the next door and you'll see rows of beds. In one corner you'll find a med kit with some medi-gel (which is used for healing). Next to that you'll find a wall safe. Bypass the safe and you'll be rewarded with some credits.

Through the next door you'll find two mechs, and there is some salvage at the bottom of the stairs. Past the next door you'll encounter Tali'Zorah. She's looking for someone named Veetor. Your new objective is to fight through the mechs to reach Veetor at the far side of the colony.

Position your squad members on either side of the door, and get behind the cover in the center.

In the next building there is a single mech hiding behind the counter; don't let it ambush you. There is also a wall safe. When you go through the next door you'll come under attack from the left. These are rocket drones, and they have shields. Depending on your class's abilities, you can use overload or disruptor ammo to destroy the drones. You can also destroy them by shooting them or using biotic powers.

Move through the next building, and in the next open area you'll have to deal with more drones. Once the area is clear Tali'Zorah will tell you about a heavy mech beyond the next door. Set up your two party members to ambush, one on each side of the door. Take cover behind the barrier in front of the door.

When you get into position, Shepard and crew will enter the door. You'll then have to face down the heavy mech. Any abilities you have that are powerful against synthetic enemies is helpful. Miranda has a skill called overload that is very effective against mechs, so be sure to use that. If you are an infiltrator, as soon as the fight starts move into the building to your right and use your sniper rifle on it. If you are an engineer use AI hacking and overload. Remember that no matter what your class you can use Unity to heal if you get in trouble. After the fight look around. There is some salvage you can pick up, including a Heavy Weapon Ammo Capacity Upgrade. One of the open buildings has a wall safe. You can also speak to Tali, who will urge you on.

Go through the closed door and you'll find Veetor. You can perform a paragon or renegade action to speak to him (learn more about these actions and the morality system in the Paragon and Renegade section). You can then choose to take Veetor for interrogation (renegade) or just take his omni-tool data and let him go with Tali (paragon).

After this you'll get to talk to the Illusive man again. You'll also get your own ship: the Normandy. Once you're on the Normandy take some time to explore it. Talk to Taylor and Miranda. You'll also want to speak to Joker (the pilot) and EDI (the ship's computer).

The Illusive Man has given you the files on several people you must recruit onto your team. You can read these in the journal found in the main menu. The next section of the game is all about recruiting these people. When you are ready, go to the CDI and use the map there.

Omega

The entrance to Afterlife.

Omega has several stores where you can buy useful items like upgrades and armor components. Be sure to talk to each vendor and ask for a discount before you buy items.

When you get off the Normandy you will get an invitation to go to a club called "Afterlife." That is where you should start your investigation. In the entrance hallway you have the option of speaking to some of the aliens there. You can use paragon or renegade dialogue options to pick up up some renegade or paragon points.

Find the stairs and talk to Aria. Ask about Archangel and Mordin. You can do these two missions in any order you like.

Mordin

Head over to the shuttle bay to the quarantine zone. Speak to the guard there and mention Mordin. You can convince him to let you in using a paragon or renegade dialogue option.

Inside the zone, in the first area you'll find some element zero. Ahead you'll see some guards, but they wont' fire on you.

Go through the next door and you'll see two guards who will fire on them. If you have a sniper rifle you can take them out easily. Next to them is a bank terminal you can hack. Go through the door next to them and you'll find a computer console with some audio logs about plague victims.

Back outside the room you'll encounter a plague victim. Speak to him and you'll have a chance to do a renegade or paragon action. You may also get some credits from him. If you give renegade responses you can let him die, and he will drop a PDA with 2000 credits.

Next you'll find a door you can bypass. Inside is an open safe with some credits. The next large room has some Blue Sun Mercs. They are behind a barrier, but on next to them are several exploding barrels. If you can detonate them you can take out all the mercs easily. Look to your left and you will see some stairs. Go up there and you will be able to flank the mercs and you will also be able to shoot the explosive containers from up there. Behind this barrier is a Modified Assault Rife on the ground, pick it up and you'll get an assault rifle damage upgrade.

Off to one side of the barricade there is a locked door, behind which are two human refugees. If you're paragon you can convince them to go to Mordin's clinic. You'll get paragon points for doing so.

Directly behind the barricade is a door. When you go through you'll see some stairs on the right. Take these stairs because they go to the same place as the hallway, but they'll give you a better vantage point in the upcoming fight. In the next large room you'll have to take out a mixed group of Blue Sun mercs and Vorcha. Some of the mercs have flamethrowers, so watch out if you like to fight close-up.

As you enter there is a door off to your left. You'll find some element zero here. There is another door in this room that leads to an apartment with some human looters. Speak to them and you can pick up some paragon or renegade points. You can also speak to them for information.

Back out where you first encountered the Vorcha, keep going until you pass through a doorway that reads "Auxera." This is the entrance to the clinic. Speak to Mordin. At the start of this conversation you will get the option to do either a renegade or paragon action.

Mordin will ask you to fight though the vorcha lines and place the plague cure in the station air system. He'll also ask you to find his assistant Daniel. He will also give you a M-6 Carnifex Hand Cannon. You can equip it using the armory in the clinic. Search the clinic and you'll find a data terminal that will give you the designs to a Microscanner medical upgrade.

Exit the clinic and you'll come to a large room. You'll have to take out a large group of vorcha here. The exit is a set of stairs. To the right of the stairs is a medical terminal where you can get some medi-gel and to the left is a gambling terminal you can hack for cash.

Go up the stairs and you'll find a bank terminal. At the top of the stairs are two doors. The one on the left has Daniel. If you can, use the paragon or renegade dialogue options to end the standoff. The room on the right has three vorcha. This is the way to proceed forward.

Go down the stairs. Be careful because when you go through the next door you'll come under fire from a vorcha with a rocket launcher. Move into this area and you'll have to deal with many enemies. If you're better at long range combat, stay on this level and move forward to the edge of the balcony. If you are better at short range combat, have your team stay on the balcony and you can go down the stairs and fight at close range. Once the area is clear, move into ventilation control. You'll have to take out a small group of vorcha (three of them) along the way. When you get to the control room itself you'll have to take out a group of five of them. Remember to use cover, there is some directly in front of you when the fight starts. After the fight insert the cure in the control panel at the back of the room. When you do this you'll be attacked from behind by a small group.

There are ramps on the left and right sides of this room. They lead to hallways, and each of them is crawling with enemies. Pick a side and head down the ramp and fight your way through the hall. At the end of each hall is a room with the fan controls. Activate the controls in the first room and you will come under fire from behind you. Fight your way back into the main room and fight your way to the other control. Activate that control and you will complete the mission.

After the mission you'll be back on the Normandy. During dialogue with Mordin you'll have an option do a renegade or paragon action. You will now have access to the tech lab. To start the next mission go to the CDC and dock at Omega again.

Archangel

When you find the heavy mech here, sabotage it. Doing so will save you a great deal of work later in the mission.

In the Afterlife club, talk to the merc recruiter and sign up. On your way out you'll encounter a kid doing the same thing. If you're paragon you can get some paragon points by talking him out of it. When you're ready to start the mission, talk to the Blue Sun Driver outside the front of the club.

When you arrive speak to the driver that brought you, and keep talking to him until you learn about the gunship. Head forward and you'll encounter the leader of the Eclipse mercs. Speak to him to get some more information. There is also a data pad in this room you should pick up: it starts the Omega: Archangel: Datapad Recovered side mission. The next room is a hallway with two doors. The door on the left has a heavy mech. If you can bypass the friend or foe system things will be easier later in the mission.

Through the next door you'll encounter the Blood Pact merc leader. Talk to him, if you want. Go though the nearby door and you'll end up behind a barricade. Although you can hear shots, you are not in danger. There is a data pad you can hack for cash. Also in this area is a med station where you can pick up some medi-gel. Next to that is also a door you can hack and inside you'll find a Submachine gun damage upgrade, heavy weapon ammo, and an open data pad with some money.

Back in the room with the barricades, talk to Sergeant Cathka. At the end of that talk you have a renegade option to take out Cathka. This action will make the gunship weaker when you fight it later in the mission (it will have half its normal amount of armor). If you're trying for paragon, it's not worth the renegade points for a slightly weaker enemy.

Next take out the few freelancers you see. There's a health bar for Archangel, but as long as you don't mess around you'll make it in plenty of time. Move forward and go up the stairs. Take out the one freelancer at the door, then enter and you'll speak to Archangel. It turns out that Archangel is actually Garrus from the first Mass Effect game. When he hands you his sniper rifle you can do a renegade action.

Your next goal is to hold off the enemy as they attack in waves. The best place to be is one level below where you start from. This will put you at the same level as the enemy, making it easier to aim. There is good cover directly under Garrus. If the enemy stops coming and nothing seems to be happening, that means there is a merc somewhere in the base that you must hunt down before the next phase can start.

When the heavy mech arrives, stop firing and let the mercs fight the mech. They will do a good job of killing each other. After the mech is destroyed search the area for loot. Don't pass up the tech damage omni-tool upgrade on the lower floor at the bottom of the ramp and the unlocked wall safe at the top of the ramp. There is also an M-15a Vindicator Battle Rifle on the chair next to Garrus. Even if you can't use assault rifles, pick it up because someone on your crew will be able to use it.

You then have the option of leaving one of your team with Garrus. If you take both team members with you, you'll have an easier time in combat, but have less time to complete your objectives. Head down the ramp and go through the door below it. Just past this door is an armory where you can switch out weapons. There is also some medi-gel here. Go down the nearby ramp and move to the door. Close it, and before it can fully close a group of enemies will come at you. They can't get through the shutters in time, so don't worry about them.

There are two more shutters, one to the left and one to the right. The one on the right is an open garage. It's mostly a long range fight. Work your way along the right side of the room to advance. When there is a break in the action run up and use the door control. The shutter control on the left is a close-in fight. You'll have to take out some vorcha behind barriers, then jump over the barriers to move forward. When the hall turns to the right, there is a group of enemies around the corner, and they will engage you with flame throwers at point blank range. Slowly approach this corner and try to shoot them before they spring this ambush. Past this corner is the switch. You can run forward and hit it.

After you do that, you'll be thrown into another battle. This one takes place at Garrus's position. Take out the henchmen first, then go after Garm, the Krgoan attacking Garrus. Because he's not shooting at you, he's not that hard.

You'll then be attacked by the gunship. You'll have to fend off enemies as they rappel in through the windows. Take them out as they appear, but focus your attacks on the gunship. If you have any heavy weapon ammo use it now. Once you take out the enemy gunship, the level will end.

Korlus

In the Eagle Nebula, go to the Imir system. Once there go to a planet called Korlus. When you land here your mission is to find a Krogan named Grunt.

Move forward from the landing site and you'll encounter a handful of mercs. Just past them you'll find a wounded merc. Talk to him and you can convince him to tell the other mercs to leave. Move forward and you'll have to take out a few other groups of mercs.

When you see a Krogan shooting at some mercs, do not attack him. Take out the mercs and speak to the Krogan. He will open a door four you. Head down this path and at the bottom you'll encounter some krogan who attack you. Take them out and you'll see a series of platforms connected by short bridges. Move across them and you'll be attacked by more krogan. They come at you one at a time, so stay behind cover and kill them as they come at you. Move forward to a door you must bypass. Go up the next ramp and you'll find a sniper rifle damage upgrade. There is also some medi-gel and some heavy weapon ammo here.

When you open the next door you'll come under fire from across a gap. Move forward along the walkway and you'll come to a room on your left. When you enter you'll encounter enemies and medium and long range. Move forward to the next door, but before you go through it, look behind you and you'll find a PDA you can hack. You'll have to fight your way through several more groups of enemies.

When you get to a bridge, you'll have to take out mercs with shields and rocket launchers. If you have a sniper rifle, you can order one or two of your squad mates to fight from the cover at the end of the bridge, and you can shoot from the walkway where you entered this area. This will let you shoot the enemy when they are taking cover from the rest of your squad. In the next room you'll find a wall safe and some power cells. Before you go through the next door look off to your left and you'll find a PDA to hack.

Go through the door, up the ramp and through the next door. This is a long walkway with lots of enemies, but there is plenty of cover.

Through the next door you may or may not encounter Rana Thanoptis, depending on whether or not you let her live in the first game. There is a terminal you can hack and a med station. The next room has Okeer. Speak to him and he will ask you to kill Jedore. Before you leave there is a terminal you can bypass for some a Krogan Vitality Upgrade (it increases the health of krogan party members).

Go out the door and down the ramp. In the next large room you'll have to defeat several krogan and a heavy mech. This mech will be at close range. If you have trouble you can always use the "third person aiming" trick. Get behind something and position yourself so you can see part of the mech, but you can't see its guns. Shoot the mech, but the mech can't shoot you because whatever you're behind is blocking its guns.

Run back up to where you talked to Okeer. Use the console to end this mission.

Back on the Normandy, you can go to the cargo bay and open the tank. You will have to do some dialogue options, but you will get Grunt to join your crew.

Prison Ship Purgatory

The potential crew member known as Jack or Subject Zero is being held on a prison ship. The Illusive Man has arranged to buy Jack's freedom. Your mission is a simple pick-up. Or so you've told.

Once the area is cleared of minor enemies, take out the shield generators so you can attack Warden Kuril.

As you pass the interrogation rooms you can talk to the guard and get some paragon or renegade points. When you get to outprocessing you'll be attacked. Take out the enemies that come through the door, then move through the hallway to cryo. Here you'll find some element zero and the controls to the cells. Open the cells and you'll see Jack.

Head down the ramp. One of the destroyed mechs has some salvage. In the next room you'll have to take out some guards and some inmates. They're busy fighting each other, so your job is a bit easier. The guards will will, so don't shoot the inmates. You will, however, have to take out a heavy mech. In the back corner of this room is a Shotgun Damage Upgrade on the ground, near the exit door. To the left of the door is a ramp, and if you go up it you'll find a PDA you can hack.

The next large room is similar to the previous one. There are more bad guys to take out, and the second half of the room has a heavy mech. At the end is a small hallway with a wall safe to hack and some medi-gel.

In the next room you'll see the prison warden. He's behind a shield, so you'll have to deal with his guards first. You can flank them on either side of the room. Once they're dealt with, you can destroy the three shield generators. Once those are gone you can take out the warden. Once he's gone you will complete this level.

Horizon

This mission becomes available you have all six crew members. Kelly Chambers will tell you that you that the Illusive man wants to talk to you. When you do speak to him in the briefing room the mission will start.

The shuttle will take you to a landing zone just outside the colony. You will have to fight your way into the center of the colony. You are facing a new enemy, the Collectors. They use powerful beam weapons, so watch out. If they do have a weakness, it's that they have large heads. With a sniper rifle or other accurate weapon you can easily score headshots. You will also have to deal with husks, zombies that charge at you and use melee attacks. Kill them at range. You can also back up while shooting, which will give you extra time to kill them before they get to you.

Fight your way forward through the colony. When you get to the frozen colonists, head up the stairs and through the door. Inside is a computer you can hack for credits. Just down the stairs from the first frozen colonists is a new heavy weapon: the Collector Particle Beam.

Ahead you'll have to fight some more collectors, but some of them are made stronger by a "puppetmaster" collector called the Harbinger. This enemy is easy to see because a normal collector will float in the air, then glow yellow. When it lands it will have a strong shield and attack more aggressively than other collectors. The exit is a large door that you must bypass. Past it you'll find a survivor. Find out what he knows, especially about the defense towers. There is an armory here where you can switch weapons, and a med kit and some platinum.

The next area has another fight. There is a dead collector in the rear of this area that has a biotic tech upgrade. Bypass the door to get to the next area. You'll have another fight here. Although they start at long range, the husks quickly close in. Be sure you can quickly switch to close range weapons or abilities. Shotguns works well against husks.

The Praetorian about to do his area effect attack. When you see him do this take cover.

The Praetorian, the boss of this level. Stay near cover at all times.

The transmitter is in the center of this area. You'll have to hack it. You'll then have to hold out against wave after wave of collectors. The final enemy is a collector called a Praetorian who has its own introduction. The collector particle beam works well against it, but it can take a huge amount of damage. The best strategy against the Praetorian is quite simple. Let it chase you. This even works out if you are out of heavy ammo, but at least one team mate needs to stay alive. Assuming the door you came in is the bottom or the area, there's a truck with some boxes on it in the bottom left, near the transmitter. Set up your team mates at the bottom, a bit away from the truck (so they don't get damaged by the area attack too badly) and give them weapons that deal with armour / barriers. The heavy pistol and assault rifle are both good choices. It can't fly over the truck, so it has to fly around it to get at you. This is the key. You basically backtrack, and try to stay in cover. Hit it with shots whenever you can (save heavy pistol for armour shots - use your submachine gun), this is typically when it's beams can't hit you, but you see enough of it. Your team mates will help. Typically I circled clockwise, but both ways work. It'll take some getting used to because of the odd box laying around. Whenever you are low on ammo, run around until you're near the transmitter. There is usually ammo laying there that re-spawns. Eventually, you'll bring down that armour and kill the thing. This will complete the mission.

Illium

Illium is a civilized world. Much like the Citadel there are many shops here where you can buy all sorts of items. While you're here you may want to complete Miranda's character quest. You'll also want to pick up the star charts for sale from Baria Frontiers. These allow you to explore additional systems.

The search for Samara and Thane both start at the same place: Liara T'soni. Her office is located near the administration center (it's labeled on the in-game map). She will give you information about both of these potential recruits. She will also give you the System Hacking side mission.

Thane

Liara T'soni, will tell you to speak to Seryna, on the trading floor. Speak to her and she will offer to assist you by sneaking you into the tower where Thane is going to be. After the conversation she will fly you to Dantius Towers. As soon as she drops you off you will be attacked by two security mechs and two dog mechs. Move forward to the ledge, then look to your left and you'll find a secure terminal you can hack for cash. Turn around and go the other way (right at the ledge) and you'll find a wounded Salarn worker. Speak to him and you'll get a chance to do a paragon action. You can also get some information from him about the towers.

Go through the door and you'll have to fight your way through the first floor of the tower. Your enemies are a mix of light security mechs, dog mechs, and eclipse mercs. Some of the mercs have shields and biotic powers; they pose the highest threat so take them out first.

Go through the next door and go up the ramp. At the top you'll find a med kit. You will then be attacked by another mixed group from your left. Take cover and keep killing them until they stop coming. Move forward and you'll see a hallway to your left where more enemies will come at you. If you like to fight up close, there is a second hallway to your right you can use to flank them. Otherwise just stay under cover and kill them as they come at you. When they stop coming you can move forward. There is one more group of enemies to deal with, then you will come to the elevator.

When the elevator opens, this is what you will see. A krogan is in the middle and two mercs with tech powers are on either side of him.

Don't get in the elevator just yet. As your facing the elevator, look to your left. You'll see a hallway. At the end of this hall is a Viper Sniper Rifle, and some power cells. There is also a door you can bypass. Inside the door are three innocents. Talk to them to get some renegade or paragon points. There is also some cash and some medi-gel here.

When you activate the elevator there is a delay of a few seconds before it opens. Use this time to get behind cover. When it does open you'll find three very tough mercs inside. One is a krogan, and they fight well at close range. Another is an engineer with a drone. You'll want to hit them with either one of your powers or a heavy weapon as soon as the door opens. Use the elevator to get to the top of the tower.

You'll find a lone merc. Speak to him and you'll have the chance to do a renegade action. If you don't do the renegade action you can still get some paragon/renegade points though dialogue options. Look around this room and you'll find a data pad for the Salarian Family Data assignment.

Go through the next door and take out the mercs and mechs you find. On the left side of the room is a door you can bypass. Inside is a worker with a gun. You can do a renegade option (kill him) or you can wait and get some paragon points by speaking to him. The dead merc inside has a PDA you can hack for cash.

The two rocket drones on the far side of the bridge. A sniper rifle is a good way to take them out. Note the door below them where more enemies will come from.

Go back to the large room and go up the ramp. At the top you'll have a close-range fight against two mechs and a merc vanguard. There are a couple more enemies off to your left. In this area you will find some element zero, a med kit, and an armory.

Around the next corner is a walkway. There are more bad guys here, including a vanguard commando. There isn't much cover where you start, so try not to bunch up your entire squad behind one barrier. Move forward and at the end of the walkway you will find a submachine gun on the ground. Pick it up for an SMG Damage Upgrade. Next to it is a PDA you can hack and a med kit.

Next you'll have to fight your way across the bridge. In addition to the normal enemies on the bridge, if you look at the building on the far side you'll see two rocket drones in two windows. If you have a sniper rifle use that to take them out. When you get near the far side of the bridge you'll have to take out a group of mercs and vanguard commandos in a position above you. They're under really good cover, so you can either shoot at long range and pick them off, you can charge up the stairs and take them out at close range. Don't try to get them at close range unless you are a strong close it attacker (like a vanguard).

Open the door behind them and you'll get some dialogue scenes and complete the mission.

Justicar Samara

You've probably already spoken to Liara, who has told you to speak to Tracking Officer Dara in the transportation hub. If you haven't, go talk to her now.

Liara will tell you to speak to Tracking Officer Dara in the transportation hub. She's in the police kisok. She will tell you to hail a cab and you'll have a dilouge option to summon one. This will automatically transport you to the space dock and begin the mission.

When the taxi drops you off you can speak to Pitne For, a volus, to get some information. Next, go into the nearby medical station and speak to Tective Anaya. She will authorize you to enter the crime scene.

At the crime scene you there is a terminal you can access to start the Stolen Goods Found assignment. Walk to the end of this long passage and at the bottom of the stairs is some salvage worth 3000 credits. Head up the stairs and around the next corner you'll encounter a large group of mercs. Go through the next door and you'll encounter Samara.

Samara is tracking a fugitive who has left the planet. She asks you to track you down a the name of the ship she left on. When you regain control you will be standing in front of Pitne For. Talk to him and you can do a renegade action after your first statement. After speaking to him you'll get a pass card that will let you access the eclipse base. Look to your right and you'll see an elevator. You can use that to got to the base.

This cloud of red gas (behind Miranda) will boost your biotic powers, but it will injure you if you stay in it for too long.

As soon as the elevator opens you'll face a single light mech. Go through the next door and you'll face some biotic mercs and some light mechs. In this area there are a bunch of canisters, and if one of them gets hit it will explode with a red gas. If you stand in this gas your biotic abilities will become stronger, but if the bar on the bottom right side of the screen maxes out you will take damage.

Go though the next door and you'll find an armory and a Scimitar Assault Shotgun. There are two doors in this room. The one closest to the entrance has a single merc. Talk to her and you'll get a chance for a renegade action. If you're paragon you can talk to her for some info and some paragon points. There are also some power cells in this room, along with a biotic upgrade.

Go up the stairs and you'll have to fight your way through a docking bay. On the far side is a med station and a terminal you can hack for cash. Go up the stairs. You'll have another brief fight, but watch out because there are a lot of toxic canisters here and the area can quickly fill with gas if you're not careful. Just before the next set of stairs is an unlocked terminal (with 6000 credits) and a med station.

At the top of the stairs you'll find a few more enemies. If you look out the window you'll see a gunship. It may fire a rocket or two at you, but won't attack in earnest just yet. You will have to take out more eclipse mercs. They come from the far side of the room. They will take the bridge over the tram car tracks in this area, and are easy to pick off with long range attacks as they come down the stairs.

This open area has "ambush" written all over it. When you cross the bridge you will be attacked by a gun ship.

The next room has some power cells, a med station, and a data file. The file will shed some light on the murder at the start of the mission. Past the next hall you'll have to take out three light mechs. As you enter this open area you may find it suspicious. Most of the cover here is fragile crates, which heavy weapons will penetrate. The center of the area is a bridge, with no where to run to or hide. Your instincts are right. As you cross the bridge you will be attacked by a gunship. Don's stand in the center of the area and shoot without cover. That's a good way to die. A better option is to run back to the doorway you came in. There is some good cover there. Use your weapons, powers, or heavy weapons to take out the gunship. Once the gunship is down you can bypass the door on the far side of the area to exit.

Beyond the door you'll find a shipping manifest and an unlocked terminal where you'll find 6,000 credits. Just past that you'll talk to Niftu Cal, a volus who's high on biotic enhancing drugs. While you are talking to him you'll get a paragon action option. The next room has a med station and an armory. The door here leads to the merc leader.

Take out Wasea. She's not all that hard if you focus your firepower on her and ignore her minions until she's dead. Watch out for the toxic gas in this area, though. The data pad on the desk has the name of the ship you're looking for (the AML Demeter). You have the option of going back to the police station as soon as you find the data pad, but stick around for a minute; you'll find a terminal you can hack for cash. Return to the spaceport by leaving the room.

Talk to Pitne For. If you're renegade you can sell him the shipping manifest you found. Talk to Samara and she will agree to meet you on the Normandy. If you're paragon give the manifest to Detective Anaya and turn in Pitne For for smuggling. By returning to the Normandy you will end the mission.

Haestrom

This mission is to recruit the quarian engineer Tali'Zorah. It takes place on the planet Haestrom in the Far Rim system. You'll be fighting geth, who are sentient robots. You'll want to bring a tech-heavy party (Mordin and Garrus are good choices).

The solar radiation on Haestrom is intense: if you stand in the sun your shields will overload. Stand in the shadows whenever possible. Also avoid bringing biotic-heavy squad members. You can use the sun to your advantage: find positions where the enemy has to go through sunlight to attack you. You can easily destroy them while their shields are down.

Move though the first area to a room that controls a gate. You'll find a dead geth in this room, and you can salvage the body for some money. Open the gate and you'll come under fire from a geth gunship. Stay out of its way because it will strafe once then fly away. The next area is a huge open area, and the geth will attack from long distance. If you like long range fights (sniper rifle), stay near the gate and let them come to you. If you like shorter range fights, as you enter look to your right and you'll see a ramp. Go up this ramp and you'll fight in a narrow hallway. The front part of the hall is in the sun, so run through it quickly. At the end of the hall is a pistol upgrade.

In the next area you will find only a few geth. There is a damaged geth hunter you can salvage (but only when it's fully visible), and a Tempest SMG. You will also find a radio. The quarian marines on the other end will tell you where Tali is. You'll need to get two sets of charges.

The first demo charge.

Move forward. Ahead there is a small, cave-like room. The charges are located here. Several waves of geth will come out of the room, so you'll want to take them out as they come at you. Inside this room you'll find the first charge, and an audio log from Tali. When you try to leave this room you will be attacked from the direction you just came from. One of the attackers is a Geth Prime. Before the attackers appear position a squad member at each side of the door so that they can attack from the side as the geth enter.

Outside you'll come under fire again. If you hold your position you can easily destroy the geth as they cross the sunlit area between you and them. There is a ramp here. Go up the ramp and run across the bridge. In this room you can open some window shutters and this will give you a great position to flank any enemy who attacks you. Head down the ramp in this room and go outside. To your left is a doorway and in there you will find the second charge. When you pick it up you will again be attacked. Run to the room with the window shutters. This is a great place to fight off the attack.

Now head over to the Collapsed Pillar and plant the explosives. Get away before they go off.

In the room you will find a wall safe you can bypass for cash. There is a geth body you can salvage for cash. On the table here is a Geth Rifle which will get you an assault rifle damage upgrade. Use the communications console to speak to Tali.

The Geth Colossus, as seen through a sniper scope.

Go through the door and you'll have to deal with a mix of geth drones and hunters. In the next room there is a wall safe you can hack for cash. You can also lift the security lockdown. This will open a door to a geth colossus Instead of trying to fight it here you should go through the door. Talk to the quarian marine (if his voice sounds familiar it's because the voice work for this character was done by Adam Baldwin). You will have a chance to do a paragon action.

You will now have to take out the colossus. It's too big to move out of the spot where it starts, but you can be flanked by the other geth here so watch your back and sides. If you have a long-range heavy weapon (like the M-77) you can take it out from a distance. If not you'll want to close in to attack.

There are three ways to get close to it. The bridge in the middle isn't recommended. The bridge on the left side of the area works well. The two barriers on top of the bridge on the far side are in the shade. The walkway on the right side of the area works well too, but you will need to do a fair amount of sprinting to get through the sunny parts. There is plenty of cover on the far side.

When you get near the colossus focus on defending yourself from the smaller geth. As long as you're under cover the colossus can't hit you, and it's too big to flank you. Shoot at it when you can and don't be afraid to use heavy weapons.

Through the next door you'll find Tali. Speak to her to end the mission.

Collector Ship

This collector has been taken over and made far more powerful. He is the biggest threat here.

This mission starts after you have found your eighth crew member. The Illusive Man will call you and tell you about a collector ship that has been damaged. When you get to the ship, you'll find it empty. Move forward through the halls. You will get to some bodies, and here you will talk to Edi and your squad. You can get some paragon points though this dialogue. Ahead you'll find some pods.

Here you will get a special bonus power or item. You can choose from several options, but you can only pick one thing. You can choose the ability to use one new weapon class: shotgun, assault rifle or sniper rifle. If your class can already use one of these weapons, you can choose to get a new weapon:

• Soldiers - Choice of Widow sniper rifle, Claymore shotgun, or Revenant assault rifle.
• Infiltrators - Widow sniper rifle or the ability to use shotguns or assault rifles.
• Vanguards - Claymore shotgun or the ability to use sniper rifles or assault rifles.

These are prototype weapons, so only Shepard can use it, not your whole squad. You may want to save your game before you decide what to select. Note that on a second play through of the game, you don't get anything here.

Move forward until you get to a control platform. Here you will come under attack from collectors on other platforms. Stay behind cover (the control table) and take them out. Remember to use Unity if one of your squad members goes down (though I'd recommend waiting on both to die) or if you are in a tight spot. Personally I ignored the scions since they can't close in on you. I focused on taking out the collectors as fast as I could so they wouldn't become harbingers. After that, taking out the scions is just a game of patience.

Now you will have to fight your way back through all those tunnels you walked through to get here.

Keep going until you get to a locked door. When Edi opens the door you will be attacked by a praetorian. This is a large floating insect looking thing. It has a powerful beam weapon. Use a heavy weapon to take it out quickly. It's a good idea to leave your squad mates free roaming, since they'll otherwise likely be killed by the praetorian. Make them focus their fire on the husks and collectors while you handle the praetorian. The ramp is a good starting point, start aiming with the heavy even before the health meter shows to run down the armour, carefully directing your squad to the little guns. Depending on your difficulty, you may have to move up and down the ramp like during the earlier encounter to keep it away while you kill it.

Keep fighting your way out of the ship. Along the way you will find a Tech Damage Upgrade. You will have to deal with large groups of husks, so have a shotgun or some close-in powers ready. When you get the the shuttle you will end the mission.

Derelict Reaper

You can start this mission when the Illusive Man first gives it to you, or you can wait and do some side missions first. The derelict reaper is in the Thorne system, in the Hawking Eta cluster.

When you exit the Normandy you'll find in the first room a terminal, a work log, and two wall safes. The terminal and safes have cash, the work log has information about the science team that was studying the wreck. At the end of the hall are two med stations and another work log. Go though the next door and you will discover that you're trapped inside.

In this next room you'll find another work log. Off to the right are some explosive canisters. Don't go near them because some husks will attack from that direction. Shoot the canisters to take out the husks. Move forward and take out any husks that attack you. Watch out for husks that climb up the side of the walkway on your sides or behind you. One good tactic is to move forward to get the husks to attack, then start backing up as you are shooting.

At the end of the hall you will find some power cells, some Platinum, a terminal with cash, and a Sniper Rifle Damage Upgrade. Go down the stairs and you'll have to fight off a large wave of husks backed up by a scion. Stay under cover and focus on taking out the husks first. If you try to kill the scion first the husks will overwhelm you. You may want to fight from the top of the ramp. At the end of this platform is an altar where you can inspect the spikes used to create husks. There is also a terminal here that you can hack to get the Heavy Skin Weave upgrade.

At the bottom of the ramp, to your right is a door you can bypass. Go through it and you will see a geth named Legion. You will them be attacked by more husks. They are backed up by a scion.

Go down the small ramp, the up another ramp. To your left you will find a med kit. The next walkway has more husks and a terminal that has some cash. Go down the ramp and halfway down you'll find another med kit. When you get to the very bottom of the ramp you'll encounter more husks and a scion. Although you may be tempted to stand on the platform where you picked up the med kit, don't. You don’t want to be in a corner when fighting husks, you should always have a place to back up to.

At the bottom of the ramp you will find a Shotgun Damage Upgrade. Go up the next ramp and you'll find a terminal you can access for some cash. Go down the ramp and you will trigger another attack. This group has two scions and a group of husks. If you are a long range attacker, back up to the top of the ramp, or even down the back side. If you are a close in attacker watch out for the exploding barrels. You can take the scions on one at a time, at least at the beginning of the fight, because they are on two separate walkways.

The walkway turns left ahead, and you'll have to deal with two more scions. They are slightly easier because they have fewer husks with them. There is also some heavy weapon ammo to help you out.

Go though the next door (you will have to bypass it). You will then get the IFF you've been looking for. Go though the next door and you will see Legion. He will get taken down by husks. When you regain control you will see the core in front of you. You have to damage the core before you can leave. It will only be open part of the time, and the rest of the time it will be closed and immune to attack. You can use normal weapons on it, but that will take a while. Use heavy weapons to speed the process. While you are attacking the core you will be attacked by husks. Fend off the husks while you damage the core. In this area there is also a laptop you can hack for cash, but it's not worth risking the mission over. Once you have destroyed the core you'll see a cut scene and the mission will end.

Back on the Normandy you can choose to reactivate the geth. Go to the AI deck, behind the medical center on the crew quarters deck to do so. Speak to Legion and ask him about possible upgrades.

Normandy Attacked

The people you pass are going to die, and you can't save them. Proceed with your mission to save the ship.

This mission starts when you attempt to start the mission after you have done four loyalty missions. Joker will tell you to take the shuttle to your next mission; he and EDI need the Normandy to test out the IFF you took from the Reapers. But when the IFF gets turned on, it broadcasts the Normandy's location to the collectors.

The Normandy will then be attacked by the collectors. You will then be in control of Jeff "Joker" Moreau. He was born with a genetic illness that prevents him from running (in the first Mass Effect game he was confined to a wheelchair). From the cockpit go to the rear of the ship. Follow the red blinking lights on the floor. Take the door on the left side of the elevator to the armory. In the back of this room is a ladder to the life support room. From here go into the hall and to the rear of the ship. Enter the medical bay, which is on the right side of the ship. At the rear of the medical center go through the door, then activate the AI. You must now use the ladder to get to the engineering floor.

Here go up the stairs on your left. There are collectors up the stairs on the right. Go to the engineer controls, where Tali is usually standing. Use these controls and you will end this mission. After this mission you can start the Omega 4 Relay Assault mission whenever you choose.

Omega 4 Assault

Warning: starting this mission begins the final section of the game. Once you begin this mission you will no longer be able to do any side missions or loyalty missions. You can do them after you've beaten the game, but if a crew member dies their loyalty mission will be locked. You can always delay this mission and come back to it later. At the very least, save a copy of your game.

This mission starts in the Omega system. Dock with the Omega 4 Relay. You will then have a few free hours. If you have been pursuing a romantic relationship with any crew members, you will see a special scene with that person. After passing through the relay, you will have to repel boarders from the Normandy. Select your group. Pick people who are tech specialists. They do best against synthetics. You'll end up in the cargo bay. You will be fighting a synthetic called an Oculus. Heavy weapons are recommended. The Collector Particle bean is a good one to use. This fight is in two parts. The first time you damage the Oculus it will fly away. It will then return and you will have to destroy it.

After the Normandy crashes, you will see a planning scene. You will have to select one person to send in through a vent to open the doors to let the rest of the team inside. You will then have to select a leader of the second team. You can then give an inspirational speech, or just tell your crew to move out.

When you set foot on the collector ship you will get a full load of ammo for your heavy weapon. Move forward through the ship and take out the first group of collectors you encounter. Ahead you'll see a large green hexagon. This is the first of eight valves you must open. There is a timer bar on your screen. If you don't get all the valves open before this bar empties, the person you sent alone to open the door for you will die. The valves are along the only path you can take, and they're hard to miss. The timer resets after you use each valve. Keep pressing forward. You don't have to kill every collector you encounter.

When you get to the last valve your teammate will open the door. You will enter and it's at this point that your squadmate will die if you selected the wrong people for assignments, or they weren't loyal enough. You will then find some of the Normandy crew.

Now, move forward through the ship. You will have to stay inside the biotic bubble. Sometimes the biotic providing the shield will stop. Speak to him or her to get them moving again.

You'll need to fight your way through several groups of collectors, husks, and even a few scions. Take them out and move forward when you can.

Your biotic will tell you that he or she can't keep the shield up much longer. They will then run through a gauntlet of husks to the next door. When you get through this door one of the members of your squad may die, depending on how powerful and loyal they are. Same for the leader of the second group and the person you send with the Normandy crew.

You will then have to select a team to go with you. The rest of the group will stay behind to hold off the collectors at the door. The squad you take with you will be two people that accompany you to the final boss fight, so choose wisely.

You will then end up on a platform. One at a time, more platforms will appear, and there are collectors on each one. There is always one harbinger. Each time you kill it, it will take control of another collector. Kill off the other collectors first, because killing the harbinger will just make it switch to another body. Each time you clear a platform, move on to it. Keep doing this until you get to a control panel. Use it and the platform will take you to the final boss - a reaper. It turns out the collectors are using the large numbers of human bodies to build this reaper.

The red glass tanks in the open position. A heavy weapon like the Collector Particle Beam can destroy two tanks before they close.

In the second phase of the fight you must shoot the reaper's eyes.

The plan to destroy it is to shoot the red glass tubes on either side of it. As soon as the fight starts a platform will show up with some collectors. The tubes will seal, and you can't shoot them until you kill all the collectors here. Once they are dead shoot the tubes. You should be able to destroy two of the tubes before the others seal. You will then have to take out another platform of collectors. Once you have all the tubes destroyed, the reaper will be destroyed.

You will then talk to the Illusive Man. He will ask you not destroy the collector ship. If you destroy the ship you will get a ton of paragon points. If you choose not to destroy it you will get a lot of renegade points. To destroy it choose "No. We don't need it" to keep it choose "Ok, let's take it and use it."

No matter what you choose, you will then have to face the reaper. Its weak points are its eyes and the emitter on its chest. Use a heavy weapon to attack them. You will need to stay behind cover when it fires. There will be a few collectors that harass you, but your team members will be able to deal with them for the most part. There is some heavy weapon ammo on the platform if you run low. Once the reaper is dead, you will see a cut scene where Commander Shepard escapes.

You'll then speak to the Illusive Man. You'll also get some time to think about the crew that you've lost, and what's coming next. This is the end of the game. You will be able to watch the credits. You can now speak to your surviving crew members about the recent battle. You can speak to Kelly Chambers, and if you have been cultivating a romantic relationship with her you can invite her to the captain's quarters. You can also continue exploring the galaxy and doing side missions with the crew members that have survived. You can start a new game and your character will stay at his/her current level. Finally you can replay the game from the beginning as a different class.