Mass Effect 3 has one of the most controversial endings in gaming history that has divided fans to date. After pouring hundreds of hours into the trilogy, players expected a fulfilling ending that gave them closure. However, to many fans, they were left wanting. The Extended Cut DLC attempted to reverse some of the damage, but still many around the world were unsatisfied.
With Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition, Bioware made the Extended Edition DLC ending the official one, which has placated fans to some degree. To achieve the best possible ending, players need to have made the right choices during the entirety of the Legendary Edition. While simple, in theory, players also need to be mindful in avoiding making the wrong choice.
Updated on September 10th, 2021 by Talha Bin Rizwan: Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition is a culmination of players' efforts spanning across the Mass Effect trilogy. After spending hours in-game, players can make many decisions that can cost them the best ending to the Mass Effect saga.
To achieve the best ending, players simply need to pick the right decision and avoid the ones that have bad consequences. Some decisions have a localized effect limited to only the game being played at the time, while others have repercussions spanning the whole trilogy. The game itself warns players subtly before they make these important decisions. However, there are several decisions that may seem trivial initially but can have significant effects in the end.
10 Wrex Did Not Survive Previous Games
Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition is the culmination of the whole trilogy and, in being so, is affected by the choices players made in previous games. If Wrex is killed during Mass Effect 1, then players miss out on the chance to give the Krogan a better future.
Instead, Wrex's brother Wreav will be leading the Krogan who is a traditionalist. He does not care about curing the Genophage and is less pleasant to deal with. Under Wrex, the Krogan clans are united and strengthened so face the Reapers. But under Wreav, that is not the case.
How To Save Wrex
In Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, players will come to a standoff with Wrex on Virmire and will have to choose their dialog options carefully. To save Wrex, players will need to have completed the "Wrex: Family Armor" side quest. This quest is acquired on the planet Tuntau, in the Phoenix system in the Argos Rho cluster. Players will need to head due South of their landing position where they will find a base.
There will be some enemies outside that can easily be taken care of with the Mako's weapons. Once they are dealt with, players can then retrieve Wrex's Family Armor in a safe in the room on the second floor. In doing so, players will unlock the dialog which will get Wrex to stand down. Players will need to pick the "We Are" and then the "I wouldn't do this otherwise" dialog options during the standoff and Wrex will stand down.
9 Sabotaging The Genophage Cure
During the main mission to cure the Genophage, Shepard will be contacted by the Salarian Dalatrass who asks them to sabotage the cure. In doing so, she promises the support of the Salarian fleets for the war effort. If players take her up on the offer, they get both Krogan and Salarian war assets.
However, in doing so they condemn the Krogan race to extinction, considering the casualties they would suffer during the war. Mordin will survive the ordeal but will live out the rest of his life in guilt.
8 Thane Did Not Survive
Thane is an interesting companion which players recruit in Mass Effect 2, who also makes an appearance in Mass Effect 3. Players find him at the Citadel Hospital where he promises to watch over the Virmire Survivor. He has a prominent role in Mass Effect 3 where he stops the assassination of the Salarian Counselor. If Thane dies in Mass Effect 2, then the Salarian Counselor gets assassinated and Shepard gets framed for the murder.
The event creates mistrust between Shepard and the council and also the Virmire Survivor. Players also miss out on an extra Salarian Fleet war asset reducing their chances of getting Mass Effect 3's Best Ending.
7 Not Exploring Other Systems
Mass Effect 3 allows players to explore different planetary systems at their leisure which yield War Assets and other useful items. When players enter a system and scan it for signals and anomalies, the Normandy's signal attracts Reapers' attention who appear and chase the ship. Players can shake them off by leaving the system and returning at a later time.
Some players may forgo exploration altogether being put off over the prospect of being chased by the Reapers. In doing so, players miss out on a considerable amount of resources, War Assets, and other side mission items hurting their chances of getting a good ending in Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition.
6 Choosing Either Geth Or Quarians
In Mass Effect 3, players will have the chance to finally resolve the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians. The Quarians attack the Geth in order to reclaim their homeworld Rannoch. But they will face difficulty as the Geth have been upgraded by the Reapers. Towards the end of the mission, players will have to choose between either the Geth or the Quarians. Both races have sizeable fleets which are crucial War Assets. Players can acquire both Geth and Quarian support if they have enough Paragon or Renegade points.
However, if players are short of the required number of points, they will have to choose between either of them. In doing so, players lose out on one of the fleets and as a result, lock themselves out of acquiring Mass Effect 3's Best Ending.
How To Make Peace Between The Geth And The Quarians
To make peace between the Geth and the Quarians, players will need to complete some prerequisites. They will need to ensure that both Tali and Legion were acquired in Mass Effect 2: Legendary Edition as squadmates were loyal and survived the Suicide Mission. Moreover, they will need to complete the Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons side quest before taking on the Priority: Rannoch main quest.
After players defeat the Reaper Destroyer in the final stages of the Priority: Rannoch main quest, they will need to make an important choice. Players have at least 75% of either Paragon or Renegade score at this point then they will unlock a special dialog option. This allows players to reason with the Quarians to stand down while the Geth receive Legion's upgrades. Once done, Legion will sacrifice himself to upgrade the Geth and players will acquire both the Geth and the Quarians as war assets.
5 Ignoring All Side Quests
Players will acquire the bulk of their War Assets by completing the main questline of the game. However, a considerable amount of resources and War Assets can be acquired by completing side quests as well. Though a single side quest may not yield a lot of assets on its own, completing all or a large number of them will result in a considerable amount of War Assets.
If players choose to ignore all side quests of the game and focus solely on the main questline, they will lose out on these extra War Assets. In absence of these, players will not have enough military strength to unlock the best ending for Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition.
4 Ignoring DLC Content
The DLCs for Mass Effect add a considerable amount of content both in terms of lore and gameplay. The Leviathan DLC for instance, adds an extra dialog option during the endgame conversation. By completing these, players can acquire a sizeable amount of War Assets which help them on their quest to defeat the Reapers. These are particularly useful to make up for any bad decisions that players may have made during their playthroughs.
However, if players choose to ignore these DLCs, then they will not acquire these War Assets, potentially costing them Mass Effect 3's Best Ending.
3 Ignoring Miranda When She Asks To Meet Or Talk
During the course of the game, Miranda will send players e-mails regarding meeting in person or a video call via console. These conversations are available after certain points in the main storyline. If players take her up on the offer, then they will be successful in saving Miranda and also acquiring her as a War Asset.
If players ignore even one of these requests, then Miranda will die and players will not acquire her as an asset. She will also not show up as a guest during the party in the Citadel DLC.
2 Beginning The Final Mission With Low Military Strength
The last mission of the game plays out in a series of events first starting with the assault on Cerberus' main base. After which, players are automatically taken to Earth where the final fight takes place. Before beginning the assault on the Cerberus base, players have one last chance to complete all remaining missions they have pending and acquire enough military strength.
However, if players proceed with low military strength, then they will get a bad ending to the game. Acquiring a high military strength score is the only way to acquire the best ending to the game. If players fail to do so, they will automatically get a bad ending in Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition.
1 Not Exploring All Charm Or Intimidate Options With The Illusive Man
The Illusive Man is one of the major antagonists in Mass Effect 3, second only to the Reapers. Starting with "Priority: Mars", players will have a total of 4 conversations throughout the entirety of the game. Players need to choose all Charm or Intimidate options when talking with The Illusive Man in order to acquire the best ending. The Illusive Man fights the Reaper indoctrination and ends it once and for all.
Some of these options will be hidden in the "Investigate" dialog option which players need to explore and choose. If players do not make these choices, then the Illusive Man remains under Reaper control. Players can still get a good ending, but not the best ending.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released on May 14th, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.