Tali is one of the only characters in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition who can become a permanent squadmate in all three games. Unlike her speedy recruitment in the first two titles, the quarian does not appear in Mass Effect 3 until very late in the story.
There is a list of specific missions players must complete first in order to reach the story point where Tali shows up, and she must of course have survived the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2 to even be in the last game in the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition trilogy. This guide will go over exactly how to get Tali in Mass Effect 3.
How to Get Tali in Mass Effect 3
There are two steps players must complete in order to get Tali as a squadmate in Mass Effect 3:
- Tali must survive the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2.
- Players must make peace between the geth and the quarians, or side with the quarians during "Priority: Rannoch."
While this sounds easy, it actually takes a very long time in the story to reach the "Priority: Rannoch" mission. This means Tali is not available as a squadmate for very long before players end the final game that concludes the trilogy.
For those curious about how long it takes for Tali to become a part of Mass Effect 3's story, here are all the required missions players must complete first, in order:
- Prologue: Earth.
- Priority: Mars.
- Priority: The Citadel I.
- Priority: Palaven.
- Priority: Sur'Kesh (and either Attican Traverse: Krogan Team or Tuchanka: Turian Platoon).
- Priority: Tuchanka.
- Priority: The Citadel II (triggered by the first visit to the Citadel after completion).
- Priority: Perseus Veil.
Once these have been completed, the following missions must be done to get Tali as a squadmate in Mass Effect 3:
- Priority: Geth Dreadnaught.
- Rannoch: Admiral Koris or Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons.
- Priority: Rannoch.
During "Priority: Rannoch," Tali can die if players choose to side with the geth, or don't have enough reputation in Mass Effect 3 to pick a charm or intimidate dialogue option and achieve peace between the two races. If Tali or Legion died during the events of the second game, they are replaced by another geth unit and quarian. That quarian is not available to recruit as a squadmate in Tali's place.
If players wish to romance Tali in Mass Effect 3, they must make sure to invite her up to Shepard's room on the Normandy before starting the priority mission on Rannoch. This is the only opportunity players have to lock in a romance with Tali in order to end the game in a relationship with her.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.