Mass Effect Walkthrough

Guide written by Nate C.

Mass Effect Walkthrough

Character Creation

Customize your character's appearance as you see fit or just use the pre-made Shepard if you like.
Choose your Background options wisely, as they will be a reflection of your character's personality and thus how other characters view your character.
Choose "Spacer" if you intend to play a good character. The Spacer type is naturally inclined to make "good" or "morally high" choices.
Choose "Colonist" if you intend to play a neutral character or are unsure. The Colonist receives equal bonuses to both "good" and "bad" choices.
Choose "Earthborn" if you intend to play an evil character. The Earthborn receives bonuses to "bad" or "morally low" choices.
Select "War Hero" if you wish to give a further boost to your good charisma.
Select "Ruthless" if you wish to boost your bad charisma.
Select "Sole Survivor" if you want to give a bonus to both good and bad charisma.
Choose a class. Each one has benefits and drawbacks, which the game outlines for you. If you are looking to play an easy class first time through, select the Soldier. It's easy: point, shoot and enjoy the story.

Dialog and Morality

Use the options of the left of the dialog wheel to investigate further and reveal more of the circumstances surrounding events. These dialog options are always investigative.
Select the upper right dialog option if you wish to be a "good" character and earn Paragon points. The upper dialog option will always be the "good" option. It may not always earn you Paragon points, but it will always be the high road.
Select the central right dialog option if you wish to remain somewhat neutral. This option may vary between slightly "good" and slightly "bad", but it will never be as powerfully positive or negative as the upper or lower options.
Select the lower right dialog option if you wish to be an "evil" character and earn Renegade points. The lower dialog option always represents the “bad” option. Like the upper option, it may not always earn you Renegade points, but it will always be "evil" option.
Watch the lower right corner of the screen. Whenever you gain experience, a Codex entry or Paragon/Renegade points, it shows up here. Paragon is the "higher" or "good" path while Renegade is the "low" or "evil" path. Both are treated with equal respect and it is highly advisable to choose either one or the other for your character to follow throughout the game.

Shepard Dialog - from Gamespress

General Notes

Charm and Intimidate are CRITICAL to obtaining certain Assignments and essential to dealing with certain situations. Either way works, just choose either Charm or Intimidate and max the skill as quickly as possible.
Save your cash for the first part of the game. Most of the stuff you get in the beginning is junk anyway and will only be useful for Omni-Gel later on. You need to save up 1,000,000 credits to unlock and Achievement and Spectre-class weapons. This doesn’t take nearly as long as you think it might. Once you’ve gotten that, buy Spectre weapons for your people and Omni-Gel everything else.
Consider your party carefully. Without a Tech person, you won’t be able to open most of the loot containers, but with a weak party, you will get trashed by tough opponents. Since this guide is geared toward getting you the Asari Ally Achievement your first time through and keeping just two people in your party the whole way is conducive to getting you further Achievements, we recommend choosing either Tali, Garrus or Kaidan to join you the rest of the way. All have good combat abilities and Tech expertise.
Your inventory is limited to 150 piece of equipment which includes: weapons, armor and upgrades. The game will warn you when you’re nearing the limit. If you get near the limit, ditch some of your unwanted items by either reducing them to Omni-Gel or selling them. If you reach the limit and do not clear out some of your inventory, you will be unable to pick up new loot.
Check out every planet in every system you visit. Do not land on it unless directed, but if you have the option to survey it, do so. Checking the orbital paths of each planet and passing the marker through asteroid belts will also reveal Unknown signals which can be mineral-rich asteroids or starships. DO NOT board any starships you scan until directed to do so by an Assignment. If you do, you will disrupt your Assignment order and possibly loose the Asari Ally Achievement.
Any time you come across a computer that is usable, use it. It will always give you an Assignment or direct you toward the next step in one.

Prologue

Talk to Joker. Agreeing with him gets you Paragon points, rebuking your crew gets you Renegade points.
Head towards the rear of the ship. Talk to Navigator Pressly if you would like more information on the Normandy.
Talk to Dr. Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins. They are standing outside the briefing room. You get Paragon points for being nice to Jenkins and Renegade points for being mean.
Enter the briefing room and speak to Nihlus.

Eden Prime

Start

Look to the northeast for an Upgrade Kit once you hit the ground.
Use this time to familiarize yourself with the controls and combat. You can use the “Gas Bags” nearby for target practice if you need. Killing them does not affect you in any way.
Go west, over the hill.
Watch Jenkins get cut down. Promise him a proper burial for Paragon points and berate him for Renegade points.
Continue up the hill, grab the Upgrade Kits and cut down the drones.
Look for the Medi-Kit at the top of the hill.

Meet Ashley

Take out the Geth chasing Ashley.
Welcome Ashley to your squad for Paragon points or resist her for Renegade points.
Grab the Upgrade Kit and the Crate nearby before you move on.
Take out the Geth at the bottom of the hill. If they erect a shield, just blast through it.
Continue on to the dig site.

Taking down a Geth Trooper! - from Gamespress

The Dig Site

Check it out.
Grab the Crate, then head up the hill.

The Camp and the Husks

Watch the cinematic and be suitably horrified.
Waste the Husks. Shotguns and Assault Rifles work well. Try and kill them before they get close enough to release their electric discharge.
Grab the Upgrade Kit behind the spikes.
Continue into the camp and check out the building on the left.
Approach the building to the right and use Decryption on it. If you do not have Decryption, you can use Omni-Gel to open the lock. If you don’t have either, move on. Once inside, speak to the survivors. Be nice to Manuel for Paragon points or beat him for some Renegade points.
To use Decryption, press the appropriate button (the one that flashes) immediately after it flashes. If you wait too long, you fail. You’ll need to press a differing number of buttons depending on the difficulty of the lock and your skill in Decryption.
Continue up the hill and watch the cinematic.
Kill the Geth and the Husks.
Grab the Malfunctioning Object to the northwest.
Head to the building on the right and talk to the farmers. Grill them a little to get a nice pistol from them.
Use the Charm option (in blue text) to get another upgrade from them in addition to a Paragon point. You can also use the Intimidate option (in red text) to get the item and a Renegade point.
Move up towards the spaceport to find Nihlus and Powell. Be nice to Powell for a grenade upgrade and a Paragon point or threaten him for the same upgrade and a Renegade point.
Grab the Medkit and Upgrade kit and continue on to the train.

The Train

Clear the train of Geth. Watch out for the Destroyer. Its bigger and tougher than the Troopers, so take it out first. Try and keep it at arm’s length with the Sniper Rifle or with Biotic powers.
Make your way toward the far end of the train to activate it.
Grab the Medkit on your way up.
Activate the train.

The Other End of the Spaceport

Watch the cinematic.
Exit the train and move to the left to find the first bomb.
Press A and wait until the bomb defuses.
Go up the ramp, taking out any Geth you can on the way.
Find the other three bombs and defuse them as you did the first. They are all marked on your map and are easy to find.
Grab the crate across the bridge after you’ve taken all the Geth out.
Go west through the opening in the wall.
Kill the remaining Geth and Husks.
Head to the north and grab the loot, then do the same with the south.
Grab the crate by the beacon.
Move up to the beacon.
Enjoy the cinematic.

Enemy spotted! - from Gamespress

Back on the Normandy

Talk to Dr. Chakwas and Alenko to find out what happened.
Loot the Aid Station for some Medi-Gel.
Grab the supplies out of your locker, which is just outside the Medical Bay, around the corner to your right. Check back after each mission; your locker is continuously filled with goodies.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with the ship. If you see anything you can investigate, do so for a little XP and a Codex entry.
Talk to the Requisition Officer down in the hangar to get a hold of some extra goods. He regularly stocks weapons, armor and upgrades you won’t find elsewhere. Throughout the game, you will have the opportunity to purchases Licenses from merchants (nearly every merchant sells at least one.) Doing so will give the Requisition Officer access to new gear, which you can then purchase.
Explore the hangar and the engine room. With the exception of Kaidan and one other character, this is where your squad mates will hang out. Talk to them whenever you can and use the storage lockers here to outfit them with equipment.
Go talk to Joker when you’re ready to move on.
Enjoy some beautiful cinematics.

The Citadel and The Presidium

Talk to the council, then with Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson. Badmouth the council for a Renegade point.
Decrypt the computer in the Embassy to get the “Major Kyle” Assignment.
Leave the embassy and head outside.
Talk to the Avina terminal if this is your first play through the game. It will give you a wealth of information on the Citadel. Also keep an eye out for signs posted throughout the Citadel. If you’re new, these will help you find your way around.
Head up to the Citadel Rapid Transit module and select Citadel Tower.
Ignore any Sidequests for now. You can do them later and if you want to get the Asari Ally Achievement, you NEED to do them later. If someone comes up and talks to you, agree to do whatever they want, but DO NOT do it now. If you hear someone calling for you, ignore them for now.

Citadel Tower

Watch the exchange between Garrus Vakarian and Executor Pallin. Head south and find Captain Anderson.
Talk to the council. Choosing the high road gets you a Paragon point.
Go find Barla Von. He is back on the Presidium, in the southwest corner. He will direct you to a Krogan named Wrex, who is currently at the C-Sec offices.
Go to the C-Sec academy and find Wrex. He’s on the first floor and is a huge guy, you can’t miss him. He’s arguing with a C-Sec officer. He’ll join your party but be aware that he has been hired to kill one of the guys you’ll need to find later. If that upsets you, don’t bring him. If you don’t mind him shooting a guy in cold blood, then by all means, bring him along.
Go to the Chora’s Den via the Rapid Transit and look for Harkin.
Fight your way into Chora’s Den. Some of Saren’s goons have showed up to make life hard for you. Make it hard for them.
Talk to Harkin. He tells you Garrus was last seen at the Med Clinic in the Wards.
Leave Chora’s Den and enter the Wards. The Med Clinic is at the east end.
Save your game and get ready for another firefight before you enter.
Save the doctor.
Talk to Garrus and the doctor once the fight is over. They tell you that a Quarian has information concerning Saren, and that she is being set up by a rogue agent of the Shadow Broker named Fist. Rebuke Garrus for endangering the doctor for a Paragon point or ignore the doctor’s safety for a Renegade point.
Snag the Medi-Gel in the Aid Station before you leave.
Head back to Chora’s Den and get ready for another fight.

Confrontation - from Gamespress

Assault on Chora's Den

Select your squad carefully. Keep in mind that you need Tech experience (Decryption) to open locked objects and of course Combat experience to survive. Choose whichever party members compliment your playstyle.
Save your game.
Make your way up to the doors and take cover. Pick the guys inside off one by one. Beware the Krogan; he regenerates health.
Head on through to the warehouse once you’ve cleared the front. Charm the warehouse workers for a Paragon point or intimidate them for a Renegade point. Killing them also gives you Renegade points.
Grab the loot in the Locker.
Move into the last room and confront Fist. Watch out for his Defense Turrets. Stay on the left when you come in and take them out from the cover. Taking them both out will cause Fist to surrender.
Talk to fist to find out where the Quarian is. Killing him or condoning Wrex’s killing him will get you a Renegade point.
Loot the safe, then get moving. You are on a timer here, so be quick.
Fight your way back out of Chora’s Den to the Wards.
Take a left once you hit the Wards and go through the back alley to find the Quarian.
Grab some cover and take out the Quarian’s assailants. They are Biotics, so take them out as quickly as you can.

Back at the Embassy

Listen to Tali’s evidence. Tali is an excellent character to keep around. She has excellent Tech abilities and some fair combat abilities.
Head back to the Citadel Tower.

Meeting with the Council

Talk with the council. Be civil for a Paragon point or nasty for a Renegade point.
Note that this unlocks Spectre training for you. This is also the first step in unlocking Spectre-class weapons for you, but that comes later.
Talk to Udina and Anderson at the Normandy. You now have command of the Normandy, and can take it anywhere you wish. If you’re polite, you get a Paragon point. If you’re rude, you get a Renegade point.
Board the Normandy.
Give a speech. Discussing cooperation with aliens will get you Paragon points while stressing human independence will get you Renegade points.
Go down to the engineering level and talk with all your crew members. Explore all their dialog options.
Go to the main level and use the Galaxy Map.
Set course for the Knossos system in the Artemis Tau Cluster.

Artemis Tau Cluster

Examine all the planets in the system. If a planet has the option to Survey it, do it. Surveying planets will reveal gas and metal deposits as well as Turian Insignias, Matriarch’s Writings and other sidequest items. They are not essential to the story, but are worth XP and some cash, so they’re worth the time.
Move to the planet Therum when you’ve finished a survey of the system.
Land on Therum.

Therum

Surface

Take a moment to get used to the Mako if this is your first time through. The Mako has two weapons: a machinegun and a cannon. Both have their uses and drawbacks. The machinegun can swivel and elevate but doesn’t do much damage. The cannon does a lot of damage but must be level with the target.
Start down the path. It is linear, so there’s no need to figure out where to go. Stay well away from the magma.
Take out any Geth you find. This can either be done in the Mako or on foot. Be aware that taking out large Geth like Armatures or Colossi on foot is extremely dangerous.
Make your way to the Refinery. Go around to the north and you’ll find a side route into the Refinery that isn’t as heavily guarded as the front entrance.
Clear out the Refinery and open the doors. There are controls in the building to the northwest. Make sure to grab the loot in the buildings.
Continue north in the Mako. Be aware that you’ll be facing several more Geth Armatures. Make sure to get away from the enemy if you start taking heavy damage. Find some cover and repair, then wait for the Mako’s shields to recharge.
Follow the path and keep clearing the Geth.
At the end of the path, you’ll hit a point when the Mako can’t go any farther. Bail out and continue on foot. Stay behind cover, there are more Geth ahead.
Save your game before you get to the top of the hill.
Defend yourself from the ambush at the top of the hill. Find cover QUICKLY, then take out the smaller Geth.
Take down the Armature when the smaller Geth are down. The Sniper and Assault rifles work well for this.
Head up the ramp and into the mine once the Geth are all down.

Zooming in with sniper rifle - from Gamespress

Mines

Proceed through the tunnels and to the elevator. Be careful, there are more Geth inside.
Ride the elevator down.
Move along the catwalks toward the next elevator and be ready for more Geth.
Take the elevator down.
Move towards the barrier to speak to Liara.
Keep heading down and clearing Geth until you see the large mining laser.
Grab the loot around it, then approach the laser. You’ll need to enter a button sequence (very similar to Decryption except you have to decide which buttons to press and figure out the correct order.) Or, you could just put in A, X, B, Y and call it good.
Go through the hole you just blasted in the ground and take the elevator on the other side.
Talk to Liara, then ride the elevator back up to a fight with a nasty Krogan. You can’t talk him down, so waste his Geth first, then take him down. Don’t let yourself get boxed in or the Krogan will waste you. Try and stay as far away from his as possible.
Enjoy a tense cinematic.
Note that if you wish to get the Asari Ally Achievement, Liara MUST be in your party for the entire rest of the game from here on out.

Normandy, after Therum

Watch the debriefing.
Choose to talk to the council or to ignore them. The effect is negligible, but the council is generally appreciative of status reports.
Check your locker and talk to your squad mates. You should have all of them now. Be aware that at some point, your character has a sex scene with one of the other party members. If you’re male, it can be either Liara or Ashley. If you’re female it’s either Kaidan or Liara. In order to get the scene with someone other than Liara, you have to put her down HARD. Don’t be rude, but never take the high road with her questions toward you. Of course, if the idea of sex with an alien sounds interesting, feel free to drop a few hints.
Explore the ship. Whether you’ve done this or not, some of the crew may have different things to say and you may be able to reveal a few Codex entries where there were none before. This is not essential, but helps add flavor to the game, and rewards you with some more background on the world and a little XP.
Head up to the Galaxy map when you’ve explored everything.

Feros

Zhu's Hope

Set course for Feros.
Disembark and get ready for a Geth fight.
Waste the Geth and head up the stairs.
Make your way across Zhu’s Hope. Fai Dan is at the other end from where you enter.
Talk to Fai Dan, then fend off the Geth.
Head upstairs and continue killing Geth until there are no more.
Talk to Fai Dan again to hear about their troubles.
Go talk to every colonist who has a name. You should pick up Assignments to reactivate the water supply, kill some game animals, stop the Geth attacks and find a new power source. These Assignments are optional unless you want the Asari Ally Achievement.
Make sure to go inside the pods and talk to Hollis and Calanth. They tell you about some strange things going on. You also get Paragon points for being nice and Renegade points for being selfish and mean.

Geth in the Tunnels, Water Restoration, Power Cells, Varren Meat

Go past Fai Dan to the north and find your way down into the tunnels. Eliminate any Geth you see.
Take the side tunnels and clear them of Geth. On the walls, you will see tubes running along the side. Use them to activate the water flow.
Continue through the tunnels, clearing Geth and activating the water pumps. You will receive a notice when they are all finished.
Look to your right. At certain points, you will see that the slanted wall has doors in it. Enter them. The first one you come across should have Geth and Krogan in it. Eliminate them and move down the tunnel.
Look for the Geth transmitted and deactivate it to complete Geth in the Tunnels.
Move on to the next door and kill the Varren there. When they are all dead, the Alpha will appear. Kill it to complete the Varren Meat Assignment.
Move up the hill to the wrecked vehicle. Inspect it to find the Power Cells.
Go back to Zhu’s Hope and turn in all these Assignments.
Note that you can do these later, but depending on how you operate, some of the people who you turn these Assignments in to may be dead.

Skyway

Leave Zhu’s Hope and take the stairs back up to the elevator.
Use the elevator to get to the skyway.
Get in the Mako. There are a couple ways to work things now. You can either fight your way across the skyway or simply drive through it. Both are risky but simply bypassing the Geth is the quicker option.
Make your way across the skyway and into the garage.
Get out of the Mako when you see a small path leading down.
Follow the path into a bunker where some survivors are holed up.
Talk to the survivors. This should get you two more Assignments: find Lizbeth and retrieve Gavin Hossle’s data.
Leave the bunker, get back into the Mako and continue through the garage.
Go across the next skyway to the ExoGeni facility. You’ll need to get out of the Mako again when the path narrows.

Scoping out the area - from Gamespress

ExoGeni Facility

Clear the Geth from the large hangar and move up to the door. Open it if you can, then move inside. You’ll find a Malfunctioning Object and a Geth Armature. Be aware that you may have to kill the Armature twice because of a bug (looting the object alerts the Armature if it isn’t already.)
Head back out towards the door blocked off by a blue energy field. Just before it, you’ll see a small path leading down. Take it.
Keep going down until you find Lizbeth.
Talk to Lizbeth, then kill the Varren.
Head to the other end of the room and take the stairs up. Save your game.
Watch the Krogan struggle to use a computer.
Waste the Krogan.
Talk to the V.I. and get all info you can out of it.
Head east until you find the Geth.
Kill the Geth and examine everything in the room.
Keep going east until you hit a dead end. Be ready for combat the whole way.
Head back and take the west path to the upper level.
Use ExoGeni terminal. It should give you an Assignment.
Continue moving through the rooms until you hit the Shuttle Bay Door Controls. This is a fairly simple puzzle: you need the door to overload and close by setting the PSI to between 31 and 34. Several combinations will work, or you can just enter 5, 11, 17. The end result is that the door shears one of the hooks off the Geth cruiser, causing it to plummet to an untimely end.
Move back through the tunnels to where the blue shield was protecting the doorway (the one opposite where you went to face the Armature.) Lizbeth should be there waiting for you. Be nice to her for Paragon points or mean for Renegade points.
Get back in the Mako and drive back to the bunker where her mother is hiding.

Back to Zhu's Hope

Head into the bunker and talk to Jeong. He’s gone a little nuts, so you either have to charm him, intimidate him or kill him. There are Paragon points for the charm option and Renegade points for intimidation or murder.
Decide what to do with the crazy colonists. You get Paragon points for agreeing to spare them and Renegade points for agreeing to kill them.
Load your grenade launcher with the Anti-Thorian grenades if you intend to save the colonists. Equipping your pistol is also helpful.
Whip out a shotgun or assault rifle if you intend to kill them.
Destroy any Thorian Creepers you come across. These are no longer human and don’t count against your attempts to save the colonists. Be aware that when you enter Zhu’s Hope, the Creepers will be mixed in among the colonists.
Use a Medi-Gel if a Creeper gets too close to you and barfs green on you.
Either melee attack, gas or kill the colonists. If you intend to save the colonists, pick a point out of the way and tell your party to wait there. If you don’t, chances are good that they will kill at least one colonist. Note that there are 16 colonists total.
Use the crane controls once all the colonists and Creepers have been dealt with.
Head down into the Thorian’s home.

The Thorian

Be sufficiently disgusted with the Thorian.
Talk to the Asari Clone. You get Paragon points for demanding the release of the colonists and Renegade points for threatening the Thorian’s death.
Destroy the Asari Clone as quickly as possible, then go to work on the Creepers. Make your way around the platforms, destroying all the Thorian Nodes you come across. Attacking them will alert nearby Creepers, but once you destroy them all, the Thorian is finished.
Stay on the lookout; the Thorian will spew more Asari Clones which must be dealt with quickly. Don’t bother shooting dormant Creepers, it will do nothing.
Grab any loot you can. It is very possible for you to run out of Medi-Gel here. Try and conserve it as long as you can.

Tip: Push the Creepers off the edge with melee attacks or Biotic abilities for an insta-kill.

Keep destroying nodes until the Thorian falls to its death.
Talk to Shiala. Spare her for Paragon points or kill her for Renegade points.

On the Normandy: Feros Debrief

Watch events unfold, then talk to the council. Be nice for Paragon points or aggressive for Renegade points.
Check your locker and talk to all your party members.
Check the ship for new Codex entries.
Set course for Noveria.

The Normandy - from Gamespress

Noveria

Port

Disembark from the Normandy. Remember, if you want Asari Ally, bring Liara.
Talk to Maeko Matsuo. Get a Paragon point if you cooperate or a Renegade point if you resist.
Go through security. Don’t worry about the alarm.
Talk to Gianna Parasini. She is the assistant to Administrator Anoleis. She tells you that Matriarch Benezia passed through a few days ago on her way to Peak 15, which is now isolated by poor weather conditions.
Keep Liara in your squad when she asks.
Go back to the entrance and speak with Matsuo. Paragon points for accepting her apology, Renegade points for being rude.
Head into the port and to the southeast corner, where you will find the administrator’s office.
Get all you can from Administrator Anoleis.
Talk to Gianna again on your way out. She tells you to make your way to Lorik Qui’in, over in the hotel.
Head to the hotel elevator, in the northwest corner of the port.
Take the elevator to the hotel.
Talk to Lorik Qui’in and he will direct you to the Synthetic Insights office.

Espionage

At some point in the hotel, you may be approached by Mallene Callis, who has concerns that someone is stealing patents from her employer. You can either refuse her for Paragoin points or help her. Either way, you complete the Assignment.
Talk to Vargas. All you have to do is keep him talking. Using charm or intimidate at every opportunity does this handily. Try to distract him and keep him ranting. When you hear a beep, you can leave him or tell him what you’ve been doing.
Report back to Mallene. You get Paragon points for admitting you gave Vargas the device or using charm on Mallene. Otherwise, you get Renegade points for lying or using intimidate.

Smuggling

Go to the shop that is just ahead when you enter the port. You will see a Hanar floating inside.
Talk to the Hanar to get the mission.
Go back to the Normandy to pick up the package.
Take it to a Krogan named Inamorda, who is inside the hotel. Use charm or intimidate on him for some Paragon/Renegade points and 750 credits.
Go back to the Hanar, avoid his questions about the package and buy any Licenses he has.

Synthetic Insights Office

Accept his deal to get the information in exchange for the garage pass.
Head to the upper level and into the office. Loot what you can and use the computer to get a new Assignment.
Use Decryption on the Security Control Unit to deactivate the security in the Synthetic Insights office.
Leave the hotel and head to the Synthetic Insights office, in the southwest corner of the port.
Deal with the guards by either charming or intimidating them. Charming gets you Paragon points, intimidating gets you Renegade.
Head up to the office, grab the loot and the evidence.
Save your game.
Leave the office and talk to Sergeant Stirling. She’s here to pick and fight and there’s no reasoning with her. You get Paragon points for saying you acted in self-defense and Renegade points for blowing her off.
Waste the guards. Retreating to the office gives you more cover and makes the fight easier.
Leave when everyone is dead. Make sure to sweep the lower level for loot.
Take the elevator back to the port.

Taking Down Administrator Anoleis

Talk to Gianna again. You’ll find her at the bottom of the elevator. She will tell you to meet her in the hotel before you talk to Lorik Qui’in.
Head back to the hotel.
Talk to Gianna.
Talk to Lorik Qui’in again and convince him to testify. You get a bunch of Paragon points for charming him and a bunch of Renegade points for intimidating him.
Just give him the evidence if you can’t convince him. You don’t get the Paragon/Renegade points and you get less money, but at least you get the garage pass.
Go back to the administrator’s office. The authorities are about to arrest him, but you can do a couple things.
Help Gianna arrest Anoleis for some Paragon points. OR
Give the evidence to Anoleis and tell him about Gianna for a big Renegade point boost. If you do this, he gives you the garage pass. If Anoleis and Gianna end up fighting, loot his corpse for the garage pass.
If you betrayed Gianna, take the evidence back to Lorik Qui’in.
Head to the garage. It’s in the same corridor as the Synthetic Insights elevator; just go up the stairs.
Waste the Geth hiding in the garage.
Use Decryption on the vehicle nearby to activate turrets. This makes the fight easier, but is not necessary.
Snag the upgrade kit and get in the Mako.

Group discussion - from Gamespress

Path to Peak 15

Choose your method of travel. Like the skyway on Feros, the path here on Noveria is treacherous. Geth are everywhere and there is also a Level 1 Cold Hazard, which will degrade your health if you stay outside the Mako too long. You can either fight your way through it or simply drive through. The former gets you more loot and XP, the latter is faster and some argue, safer.
Bail out when you get to the Peak 15 facility. There will be more Geth in the garage, so take them out as quickly as you can. Watch out for the Krogan and the Geth Juggernaut.
Head up the ramp to the security office.

Peak 15 Section 1

Loot the security office.
Kill the Geth guarding the cafeteria, then get ready for another fight. This time you’re fighting bugs called Rachni. Use any anti-personnel rounds on them for maximum effect.
Take the elevator to MIRA when all the Rachni are dead. MIRA is the station’s VI computer.
Reactivate the Power Junction in the main room when you get off the elevator and enter the round room ahead of you.
Flip the switch and descend to the core.
Restore the VI. This is a classic puzzle that, if you played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you might remember. The objective is to get all the cubes from the left to the right node, moving one at a time and only the top block in the column. If you can get the top 3 blocks into the middle, you’re good. Or you could just follow one of the more common solutions.
Move X to Y, Y to B, Y to B, X to Y, B to X, B to Y, X to Y, X to B, Y to B, X to Y, X to B, Y to B.
Head back up and talk to MIRA.
Head west and take the elevator to the roof so you can reconnect the Land Lines.
Take out the Geth, grab the loot and reconnect the Land Lines.
Head back down.
Take the eastern path, waste the Geth and reconnect the fuel lines. Clearing out the top level first makes things easier, but isn’t necessary.
Take the south path to the tram station.
Take out the Rachni that are trapped in the Decontamination Chamber. If your Electronics (of you or a party member) is high enough, you can blast them remotely. If not, open the door and shoot them yourself.
Go through the Decon Chamber and make your way to the tram.

Peak 15 Section 2

Exit the tram and head east to the only working elevator.
Ride the elevator up and speak to Captain Ventralis.
Charm or intimidate Ventralis to learn more about the defenses. You’ll earn either Paragon or Renegade points depending on your choice.
Agree to defend the survivors for more Paragon points.
Kill the Rachni, then talk to Ventralis again. He will inform you of Matriarch Benezia’s wherabouts, though he isn’t quite correct. She is in the secure labs on the lower level; not in the hot labs.
Look around for the winding stairs and follow them down.
Talk to Dr. Cohen to learn about the cure.
Go back to Captain Ventralis and get his permission to enter the quarantine lab.
Go to the quarantine lab. It’s on the south end, guarded by two men.
Make the cure by pressing the buttons so that the meter falls between the indicators.
Take care of Benezia’s lackey and her Geth.
Go back to Dr. Cohen and give him the cure.
Take the Maintenance Tunnel on the lower level to get to Matriarch Benezia.
Enter the secure labs to start the fight.

Zombie Husk - from Gamespress

Matriarch Benezia and the Rachni Queen

Chat her up, then draw your guns.
Take out her Asari and Geth first, then go for her. Stay well away from her while you take out her lackeys.
Start taking her down when the last of her guards goes down.
Talk to her for a minute, then lay into her again.
Give her all you’ve got: the faster you bring her down, the better.
Kill any remaining reinforcements to end the battle.
Spare the Rachni Queen for a bunch of Paragon points or kill her for a bunch of Renegade points.
Take the elevator back. You’ll find the elevator to the hot labs is no usable.
Take the elevator to the hot labs.

Peak 15 Hot Labs

Speak with Tartakovsky.
Kill the Rachni who kills Tartakovsky, then loot his body for the code to the Neutron Purge.
Save.
Make your way to the MIRA terminal in the back and activate the Purge.
Ignore as many Rachni as you can and hustle to the elevator.
Take the tram to leave Noveria.

Normandy, After Noveria

Talk to the council. Politely defend yourself for Paragon points or be belligerent for Renegade points.
Check in with your squad mates.
Loot your locker.
Give the Normandy a quick sweep for anything you missed.
Set course for the Citadel. Time to do those Assignments you passed by before. Don’t worry, they’re all still there.

The Citadel

Scanning the Keepers

Head to Citadel Tower and look for Chorban. You can find him inspecting a Keeper about halfway up.
Talk to him to get the Assignment.
Find all the Keepers. You can do this as you do your other Assignments. There is no turn in; the assignment ends when you scan the last Keeper. There are 21 in all.
Find the 4 Keepers in the Citadel Tower. They are:

- 1) Next to Chorban
- 2) In the northwest corner
- 3) In the far southwest corner
- 4) Along the east wall

Find the 8 Keepers on the Presidium. They are:

- 1) In the Elcor/Volus Embassy (right next to the human embassy)
- 2) In the Archive room at the Embassy
- 3) Outside the Consort’s Chambers
- 4) Between the Consort’s Chambers and the Emporium
- 5) In an alcove at the rear of the Emporium
- 6) Near the entrance to the Wards
- 7) On a balcony in the Embassy Lounge
- 8) Near Avina Terminal 2

Find the 6 Keepers in the Wards. They are:

- 1) In the rear of the Flux casino
- 2) In the alley where you find Tali
- 3) In the Lower Wards near C-Sec
- 4) In the Upper Market
- 5) In the Access Corridor
- 6) Around the Med Clinic

Find the 2 Keepers in the C-Sec Academy. They are:

- 1) In the Traffic Control Room
- 2) In the Requisitions Office

Find the last Keeper in the docking bay, near the Normandy.

The Fourth Estate

Go to the C-Sec Academy and look for Khalisah Al-Jilani. She will probably find you. She will ask for an interview.
Answer as many questions as you feel like. You’ll get Paragon points for conducting a smooth interview with charm and Renegade points for being rude or striking her. Do not mention your investigation into Saren; this will irritate the council.

Jahleed's Secret/Jahleed’s Fears

Look for a Volus named Jahleed in a small lounge on the mid-level of C-Sec. He will tell you that his business partner, Chorban, is trying to kill him, and will ask you to go meet him.
Go meet Chorban in the Lower Markets.
Talk to Chorban.
Go back to Jahleed. You can get him to change his ways with charm or intimidate, which will get you Paragon or Renegade points.

Presidium Prophet

Head to the Wards entrance on the Presidium and look for a Hanar arguing with a C-Sec officer.
Make a choice. You can either charm or intimidate the Hanar or the C-Sec officer to leave. Doing either gets you Paragon or Renegade points. You can also pay for a Preaching Permit for the Hanar, which settles the dispute but prevents you from getting Paragon/Renegade points and costs you 150 Credits. Whichever route you choose ends the Assignment.

Asari Consort

Make your way to the Consort’s Chambers. It’s in the southeast corner of the Presidium.
Talk to the receptionist until you get word that the Consort will see you.
Follow the receptionist upstairs and speak to Sha’ira, the Consort. She will tell you that a former client is spreading slander about her, and would like you to convince him to stop.
Go to Chora’s Den and find General Septimus.
Talk to General Septimus and try to convince him to stop. Using charm or intimidate will get you Paragon or Renegade points. He can be convinced without charm or intimidate, but you won’t get the points. He will ask you to take some information to an Elcor in the Embassy.
Head to the Elcor/Volus Embassy.

Xeltan's Complaint

Speak to Xeltan and tell him that General Septimus is responsible for his being slandered. You get a Paragon point if you’re nice to him.
Go back to the Consort and tell her about General Septimus and Xeltan. Doing so will end both the Asari Consort and Xeltan’s Complain Assignments.
Graciously accepting the Consort’s gift gets you a Paragon point, extorting her gets you Renegade points.

Family Matter

Head to the Presidium and look for two people arguing in the southwest end.
Talk to the people. They are arguing over whether or not Rebekah should get gene therapy so her child may be born without a heart condition. You either have to let Rebekah choose or convince her, using either charm or intimidate. As usual, either of the charm options gets you Paragon points while the intimidate options gets you Renegade points.

The Fan

Head to the Upper Market in the Wards. Look for a guy named Conrad standing at the top of the stairs.
Note that this Assignment cannot be completed in one go. Talk to Conrad once to start the chain, then come back later to continue it and a final time to finish it.
Talk to him and choose either to give him an autograph or not.
Go do something else, then return to the Citadel later and talk to him again. This time, he asks for a picture. Again, you have the option of giving it to him or not.
Go do something else and return to talk to him a final time. This time he wants to be a Spectre. Use either charm or intimidate to talk him out of it, or simply deny him. Once you’re done talking, the Assignment is done.
Listen to the newscasts in the elevators on the Citadel. If you were rude to Conrad at the end, you’ll hear a report about his suicide.

Reporter's Request

Head to eastern end of the Wards from where you found Conrad and look for a woman named Emily Wong standing in front of a pillar. She will speak to you as you go by.
Stop and talk to Emily. You should already have the information she wants, so go ahead and give it to her.
Charm her for some additional credits and a Paragon point or intimidate her for the same credits and a Renegade point.

Signal Tracking

Head to the back of the upper level in the Flux casino.
Look for the Suspicious Gambling Machine and inspect it.
Follow the signal to the Wards access corridor.
Follow this signal to a machine behind Barla Von in the Financial District.
Save your game.
Follow the final signal to a machine behind the Emporium, in the Presidium.
Talk to the machine.
Use the Power Junction next to the machine to attempt to stop the self-destruct sequence. Similar to the combination on the mining laser back on Therum, this one requires you to punch buttons in a specific order to deactivate it. The combination is: Y, X, Y, A, X, A, A. Alternatively, you can just blast the Power Junction to abort the sequence.

Rita's Sister

Go back to Flux and talk to Rita. She’s at the bar, and will tell you about her sister. She wants to get Jenna to stop working for C-Sec, and needs you to convince her.
Leave Flux. On the way out, you will be approached by a Turian named Chellick, who asks you to meet him at C-Sec. His office is on the upper level of C-Sec.
Go meet with Chellick. You can use charm/intimidate (followed by Paragon/Renegade points) to get him to release Jenna, but he will ask you to help him in her stead. He wants you to go to the Lower Markets and purchase some illegal goods from a Krogan named Jax.
Head to the Lower Markets and meet with Jax. If you want Paragon points, go through with the deal. If you want Renegade points, blow the cover and kill everyone.
Head back to Chellick to finish the Assignment.

Homecoming

Remember Samesh Bhatia, the man who talked to you on the way out of the embassy? If you have Ashley with you, she will recognize his wife’s name and tell him about her. He would like you to get her body released to him for burial.
Make a choice. You can either convince Samesh to drop the issue or convince Bosker, an Alliance official, to release the body. Doing either with charm earns you Paragon points and doing either with intimidate earns you Renegade points.

Schells the Gambler

Return to Flux. You should see a Salarian get tossed out.
Talk to him to get the assignment.
Make a choice. You can either give the device to Doran (the owner of Flux), return to Schells and tell him what you did to end the Assignment, or you can use the device. Either way earns you a few credits.
To use the device, go and gamble at the machines. The device will improve your odds of winning (winning= getting back more than you bet). Win five times, then go back and report to Schells. If you win seven or more times, Doran will get suspicious and toss you out.
Go back inside once you’ve done either and you’ll see Doran dancing. Go up to him and Press A to join him.

Doctor Michel

Head to the Med Clinic and speak with Dr. Michel. She will inform you that she is being blackmailed and will ask for your help. You get Paragon points if you show concern for her wellbeing.
Head to the Lower Markets and look for a merchant named Morlan. Ask him about the medical supplies and a Krogan shows up.
Talk to the Krogan. Using charm or intimidate will prevent a firefight and earn you Paragon or Renegade points. If you can’t do that, you have to fight him.
Kill the Grogan and his buddies if you have to.
Go back and tell the doctor what happened. She will tell you about a man named Banes. This ends the Assignment.
Go talk to Captain Anderson at the docks. He tells you that Banes was found dead and to ask Admiral Kahoku for more details. Admiral Kahoku can be found at the Citadel Tower.

Planting a Bug

Go see Emily Wong again. This time she should be in the Citadel Tower. If she isn’t there, leave the Citadel and come back again, then talk to her.
Talk to Emily. She gives you a bug to plant in the C-Sec offices. You can do a couple things here. You can convince her to drop the story with charm or intimidate, you can lie and say you planted the bug, or you can plant the bug. Charm and intimidate give the usual Paragon and Renegade points.
Go to the Control Room in C-Sec if you decide to plant the bug.
Plant the bug near the Keeper.
Return to Emily for a reward and to finish the Assignment.

Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things

Note that you only get this Assignment if you are a Spacer. If you are not a Spacer, move on to Citadel: Old Friends if you are an Earthborn.
Go to the Wards access corridor and look for Zabaleta.
Talk to Zabaleta and either give him some credits for a Paragon point or ignore his request.
Go back to the Normandy and into the Briefing Room.
Use the Comm Terminal to call your mother, XO Shapard on the SSV Kilimanjaro.
Talk to your mother. She will ask you to convince Zabaleta to go to the Veteran Affairs Office.
Go back and speak to Zabaleta again. You get major Paragon or Renegade points by convincing him using charm or intimidate. You also get Renegade points for refusing to help him and you just loose a few credits by giving him money.

Old Friends

Note that, like the previous Assignment, you must have a specific background to get this Assignment. If you are not an Earthborn, you cannot get this Assignment.
Go to Chora’s Den and look for a man named Finch.
Talk to Finch to learn about your old pal who needs help.
Go inside Chora’s Den and speak with the Turian guard. Enough charm or intimidate will get him to release the prisoner. This will end the assignment.
Talk to Finch if you can’t convince the Turian. You get one more chance to charm or intimidate him. If you fail, you must either bribe the Turian or kill Finch. Either one ends the Assignment.

Asari Diplomacy

After completing one of the Missions, you get a call asking you to meet an Asari named Nassana in the Embassy Lounge.
Go the Embassy Lounge and talk to Nassana. She will tell you her sister has been kidnapped and would like you to rescue her.
Leave the Citadel and set course for the Macedon system in the Artemis Tau Cluster.
Land on the planet Sharjila.
Explore the planet and all the points on the map, then head to the base at the north end of the map.
Clear out the pirates surrounding the base, then head inside.
Clear out the inside and head to the upper level. Use the computer to learn that Nassana has deceived you.
Go back to the Citadel and confront Nassana. Use charm or intimidate to get her to give you a license instead of credits (Licenses are much more valuable than credits, particularly so in this case because it unlocks the Prodigy Amp and the Nexus Omni-Tool.)

UNC

Missing Marines

Head up to the Citadel Tower and speak to Rear Admiral Kahoku. He will ask you to find some of his Marines that have gone missing.
Go to the planet Edolus in the Sparta system of the Artemis Tau Cluster.
Investigate the planet but DO NOT approach the distress beacon yet.
Save your game.
Go investigate the distress beacon and kill the Thresher Maw guarding it. Keep moving when fighting the Thresher Maw. Blast it with your cannon and stay as far away from it as you can.
Investigate the dead Marines when you’ve killed the Thresher Maw.
Report back to Admiral Kahoku.

Privateers

Look for a man named Garroth near the stairs in the Citadel Tower. He will ask you to look for his missing brother.
Go to the planet Xawin in the Strennus system. Move your cursor around the planet and you should see an “Unknown”. Scan it to discover it is the MSV Majesty.
Land of Xawin.
Investigate the planet, then head to the Mercenary Camp.
Clear out the perimeter defenders, then make your way inside.
Clear out the scum on the inside, then make your way to the second floor. Inspect the corpse of Captain Willem.
Return to Garroth and tell him of his brother’s fate. Comfort him for Paragon points or laugh at him for Renegade points.

Hostile Takeover

Helena Blake will catch you on your way out of the Emporium once you become a Spectre. Talk to her.
Refuse her Assignment for some Paragon points or accept it for Renegade points. Incidentally, if you refuse, you get the assignment anyway.
Travel to the planet Mavigon in the Han system of the Gemini Sigma cluster.
Explore the planet, then head to the southeast and take out the base. There are a bunch of turrets there, so be careful and take them out from a distance.
Enter the building and kill everyone. Be careful, there are Krogans inside along with the Crime Boss.
Go the the planet Klensal in the Dis system of the Hades Gamma cluster.
Follow the same procedure: explore the planet, destroy the camp, enter the building and kill everyone.
Go to the planet Amaranthine in the Fortuna system of the Horse Head Nebula.
Explore the planet, then head to the south to find her base.
Go inside and talk to Helena. You can either attempt to arrest and subsequently kill her, or talk her into mending her ways with charm or intimidate. Her mercs are tough and talking her out of her evil ways earns you either Paragon or Renegade points. In any case, the assignment is finished.
Return to the Normandy.

Prepare for Virmire

Check the ship for new Codex entries and loot your locker.
Talk to all your squad mates. Some of them will show hints of Assignments, but do not act on them just yet.
Set course for Virmire in the Sentry Omega cluster when you’re ready.

Insertion

Take the Mako along the path towards the Infiltration Team. The path is pretty much linear, but you will encounter resistance along the way. Feel free to bail out and take out the Geth on foot. Beware of Geth Armatures and Colossi.
Stop at the gatehouse.
Bail out and eliminate the Geth in and around the gatehouse.
Loot the goods on the upper level.
Continue on, stopping at each gatehouse to open the door, kill the Geth and grab the loot.
Take either route when the path splits. You can expect equal resistance both ways. If you want some additional loot and XP, go back through the other route and clear it.

Captain Kirrahe's Camp

Pull into the camp and speak to Captain Kirrahe.
Speak to Wrex. He’s more than a little angry that you’re considering destroying the cure for his species. This is where having maximum charm or intimidate comes in handy (if you don’t have one or the other, you have to kill Wrex.) Charm or intimidate him into not fighting.
Inspect the camp and loot what you can.
Talk to Captain Kirrahe again when you’re ready. Now you need to choose one of two people to go with Kirrahe and help his forces stage a diversionary assault on Saren’s fortress. You can choose either Kaidan or Ashley to go with him. Choose whichever you won’t be bringing with you and if you won’t be bringing either with you, then it’s irrelevant who you choose.
Talk to Renolta and get rid of any junk you don’t need before you go in.
Talk to Captain Kirrahe again when you’re ready to begin.

Assisting Kirrahe's Team

Move toward Saren’s fortress.
Head to the right and look for the Communications Tower.
Kill the Geth surrounding the Tower, then disable it.
Head to the west and look for the Satellite Uplink Tower. Destroy it.
Head north and look for the Refueling Platform.
Shoot the fuel tanks to both destroy the Geth Drones and cripple the air support.
Make your way to the base and find the Security Terminal.
Either help Kirrahe or redirect the Geth forces to his location. The first gets you Paragon points, the second gets you Renegade points and gets Kirrahe killed.

Assault on Saren's Fortress

Save your game and get ready for a lot of fighting.
Head inside and start clearing the complex. You can activate an alarm to redirect the Geth forces to Kirrahe, but this may wipe his team out. Besides, killing more Geth means more loot and more XP.
Take the stairs up to the storage room.
Go to the next floor. There should be a few Salarians inside some holding cells. If you release them, they turn on you. You can either leave them or let them out and give them a merciful death. Releasing them gets you Paragon points, leaving them gets you Renegade points.
Clear out Cell Block A and take the elevator to the labs.
Kill everyone in the labs. Be careful, there are Husks and Krogan in here.
Follow the path to the security office. There is an Asari in there who you can talk to. When you’re done, either kill or release her. Killing her gets you Renegade points, releasing her does nothing.
Take the elevator up.
Activate the Prothean beacon by stepping towards it. *SPOILER ALERT*
Go up to the next level and speak to the hologram of Sovereign. Surprise!
Take the elevator back down.

Setting the Bomb

Take the catwalk that has opened up but be careful, there are Geth and Krogans nearby.
Keep moving until you see the AA tower.
Head up the ramp and disable the AA tower.
Take out the reinforcements.
Take the ladder up to the Krogan Breeding Area.
Destroy the Geth here and open the doors for the landing site.
Talk to Kirrahe’s party and choose a new party to go help. Note that you cannot choose Ashley or Kaidan. The reason why will become apparent in a moment.
Open the doors to the west and clear the way.
Save your game, then save again in a different slot.
Take the elevator up and get ready for an unpleasant choice.
Make a choice. Both Kaidan and Ashley are under fire and you have to choose one of them. The one you choose gets your support and gets to live. The other perishes in the line of duty.
Make your way to whichever party member you chose to rescue and support them. Be aware that at either location, you’ll have a lot of tough Geth to deal with.
Talk to Saren when he shows up. You can attempt to sway him with charm or intimidate, which gets you the usual Paragon or Renegade points. If you haven’t upgraded your equipment, do it now.
Blast Saren. He flies, so Biotic powers don’t work so well. Just unload everything you’ve got at him and have your squad support. When he takes enough damage, the Normandy arrives and Saren retreats. When it’s all said and done, you wind up back on the Normandy.

After Virmire

Talk to the council.
Head down to the hangar and speak with the remnants of the Salarian team, provided you helped them and any of them lived.
Inspect the Normandy, talk with your people and take care of any new equipment you’ve got.
Let Liara interpret your vision and open up a new avenue for you.
Access the Galaxy Map. You’ll get a call from Ambassador Udina; you’re needed at the Citadel.

Back on the Citadel After Virmire

Speak to the council. Being aggressive gets you a Renegade point.
Go to the Wards. There should be a group staging a protest in the central Wards.
Speak to the leader, Charles Saracino. Debate his policies for Paragon points or endorse him for Renegade points.
Head to Flux and look for Captain Anderson.
Talk to Captain Anderson about a way to get off the Citadel.
Tell Captain Anderson to make the call. He’ll opt to hack the Ambassador’s computer.
Tell Anderson you’re ready. He initiates his plan, clocks the Ambassador and gets you off the Citadel. Now it’s time to finish the rest of your Assignments.

UNC

Rogue VI

At some point, you’ll get a call from Admiral Hackett about a VI that went rogue on Luna. They need you to go in and clean up.
Head to the Sol system in the Local cluster and land on Luna.
Explore the surface, then stop at each of the three facilities and clean them out. Equipping anti-Geth ammunition like Tungsten Rounds works wonders on the drones.
Clear out each facility and head to the rear of each. You’ll find a group of conduits that need to be destroyed. Destroying them will activate a different type of defense, but none are particularly lethal.
Get ready for a final assault when you destroy the last conduit.
Choose your specialization. Each class has two specializations that they can take which allow them access to more abilities and training. Like the abilities you already have, you must spend talent points to learn these.
Return to the Normandy.

Missing Survey Team

You will have already heard about this in one of the Citadel elevators; a survey team has gone missing in Hades Gamma.
Head to the planet Trebin in the Antaeus system of Hades Gamma.
Explore the planet, then head to the Research Base.
Save your game.
Head down into the mining tunnels.
Clear out all the Husks. Be wary, there are lots. Stay in the tunnels and let them come to you. The assignment finishes when all the Husks are dead.
Grab all the loot then head back to the Normandy.

Major Kyle

Set course for the Century system in the Hawking Eta cluster. When you get there, you should get a message from Alliance command.
Land on Presrop, inspect the planet then head southwest.
Go to the larger structure first. You will speak via intercom with a Biotic. You can either persuade them to let you see Major Kyle or you can just go in and waste them all. Paragon points are available for diplomacy, Renegade points for violence.
Enter the round building. If you wish, start shooting. If not, go to the back and find Major Kyle.
Talk to Major Kyle. You can either charm or intimidate him into surrendering. If you accept his terms, you leave without a fight. If not, you shoot your way out. Again, Paragon points are available for diplomacy and Renegade points go to the itchy trigger finger.
Return to the Normandy to finish the Assignment.

Investigate ExoGeni Facility

You should have picked this Assignment up on Feros, on the upper level of the docking bay, just before you dropped the Geth ship.
Set course for the planet Nodacrux in the Vostok system of the Maroon Sea cluster.
Explore the planet, then head through the valleys to the facility in the southeast.
Save your game, then get out of the Mako and head towards the buildings.
Kill the Thorian Creepers, then head inside.
Clear the facility of Creepers and make your way to the back.
Talk to Dr. Ross. She will offer you a bribe to look the other way. You can either take it and walk or attempt to make her pay for her crimes. You get Paragon points for attempting an arrest and Renegade points for just opening fire. In any case, this completes the Assignment.

Geth Incursions, Rayingri

You’ll get a call from Admiral Hackett when you enter the Armstrong Nebula. He will ask you to eliminate the known Geth outposts in the system. You may also have received this Assignment by decrypting an ExoGeni terminal on Feros.
Set course for Rayingri in the Gagarin system. Explore the planet, then head south to a mesa covered in Husk spikes.
Clear the Husks and head inside.
Clear the facility and loot the goods.
Be ready for reinforcements when you exit the facility.
Return to the Normandy.

Geth Incursions, Casbin

Set course for the planet Casbin in the Hong system.
Land and explore the planet.
Head to the north and continue on foot once the Geth jam your radar. Watch for Snipers and Rocket Troopers.
Take them out and range. Once they are all dead, a Geth Dropship will come down and deploy Shock Troopers.
Take out the Shock Troopers.
Return to the Normandy.

Geth Incursions, Antibaar

Head to the planet Antibaar in the Tereshkova system.
Land and explore the planet.
Head to the north to find the Geth outpost.
Clear the outpost and get ready for another fight. Once the outpost is clear, another Geth Dropship will appear and deploy reinforcements.
Destroy the reinforcements, then return to the Normandy.

Geth Incursions, Maji

Head to the planet Maji in the Vamshi system.
Land and explore the planet.
Head north and look for the outpost. Be careful, there are lots of turrets and Rocket Troopers on the way up.
Clear the outpost and get ready for reinforcements. This time it’s only a single Colossus.
Kill the Colossus and return to the Normandy.

Geth Incursions, Solcrum

Head to the planet Solcrum in the Grissom system.
Land and explore the planet.
Head east to find the Geth base.
Clear out the Colossi and Rocket Troopers, then head inside.
Clear the base. The Mission ends when the last Geth buys it.
Grab all the loot and use the terminal in the back. This helps you out with the Assignment “Tali and the Geth”, which should have if you’ve been talking to Tali after each Mission.
Return to the Normandy.

Colony of the Dead

Head to the planet Chasca in the Matano system of the Maroon Sea cluster. You should’ve gotten this Assignment from an ExoGeni terminal on Feros.
Land and explore the planet.
Head southwest to find the settlement.
Destroy the Husks.
Clear the buildings here for loot and XP.
Return to the Normandy.

Prothean Data Discs, Turian Insignia, Asari Writings, Valuable Minerals

You should be running across these as you explore and survey planets. The planets you visit through the course of Missions and Assignments should be enough to complete these Assignments by the end. Essentially: don’t worry about them.

Lost Module

Set course for the Attican Beta cluster. You’ll get a call from Admiral Hackett when you get there. Apparently a probe has gone missing and the Alliance needs you to retrieve it before the Geth do.
Land on the planet Eletania.
Explore the planet, then head northeast to find the Probe. A part has gone missing and you need to find it. Four Monkey Colonies will appear on your map.
Mark the Monkey Colony farthest north, close to a Mining Complex. Be aware that you get Renegade points for killing monkeys with the Mako.
Head to the Monkey Colony and inside the mine.
Examine Monkeys until you find the Module, then get ready for a fight.
Kill the Geth that ambush you on your way out.
Return to the Normandy to complete the Assignment.

Unusual Readings/Distress Call

Head to the planet Metgos in the Hydra system of the Argos Rho cluster.
Land and explore the planet.
Head to the Distress Beacon and get ready for a fight.
Kill the Geth that ambush you. Once they’re dead, the Assignment is finished.
Return to the Normandy when it’s all over.

Cerberus

Set course for the planet Binthu in the Yangtze system of the Voyager cluster.
Destroy all 3 Cerberus facilities. Each is guarded, so be ready for a fight.
Kill everything inside each facility.
Examine Admiral Kahoku’s body in the final facility. This concludes UNC: Cerberus and starts UNC: Hades’ Dogs.
Return to the Normandy.

Hostage

You may have gotten this Assignment while in an elevator on the Citadel. It seems that a negotiator, Chairman Burns, has been kidnapped by Biotic extremists and being held hostage on the MSV Ontario.
Set course for the Farinata system of the Hades Gamma cluster. The ship is an Unknown, so you’ll need to scan for it. Look for a small glimmer of light either in an asteroid field or in the orbital path of a planet.
Board the ship once you find it.
Clear the cargo hold and make your way to the crew section.
Talk to the leader of the Biotics. You can either convince him to spare Burns with charm or intimidate or kill them. Charm gets you Paragon points while violence and intimidation get you Renegade points. Any outcome completes the Assignment.
Return to the Normandy.

Besieged Base

You will get a call from Admiral Hackett once you hit 80% in Paragon points. If you are going Renegade, you will not get this Assignment.
Set course for the planet Chohe in the Cacus system of the Hades Gamma cluster.
Land and explore the planet.
Head to the Science Station when you’re ready. Be aware that you are trying to kill the Biotics while minimizing civilian casualties.
Give your squad a waypoint that is out of the way and keep them there.
Lure the Biotics to your location one by one and deal with them. The Assignment ends when all the Biotics are dead. Admiral Hackett’s dialog varies depending on how many civilians were killed during the fighting.
Return to the Normandy.

Hades' Dogs

Head to the planet Nepheron in the Columbia system of the Voyager cluster.
Land and explore the planet.
Head to the underground facility and kill everything.
Make your way to the back of the facility and look for the computer. It contains files on Cerberus that are valuable to both the Alliance and the Shadow Broker.
Return to the Normandy and access the Galaxy Map. You’ll get a call from a Shadow Broker agent asking if you’ll sell the info on the disc. Sell it for Renegade points or refuse him for Paragon points. When the conversation ends, so does the Assignment.

Espionage Probe/Investigate Shipments

Head to the Amazon system in the Voyager cluster to get a call from Admiral Hackett. He needs you to find a missing nuke.
Land on Agebinium and explore the planet before making your way to the Homing Beacon.
Enter the mining complex and make for the far end.
Save your game.
Talk to the pirate who traps you in the complex and get ready to do a long sequence of decryption. The nuke is in there, and it’s got a 10-second timer and 3 points that require decryption. Unless you happen to have 300 Omni-Gel on you, you’ve got some decryption to do. The bomb won’t go off if you blow a sequence and the timer doesn’t tick when you’re decrypting, but it’s very little time.
Work fast or use your Omni-gel.
Make your way back out once you defuse the bomb.
Head to the edge of the ridge you’re on and look down. Haliat and his goons are there waiting for you.
Kill them all. The Assignment ends when the last pirate drops.
Return to the Normandy.

Listening Post Alpha

Head to the Erebus system in the Styx cluster. You’ll get a distress call from the planet Nepmos.
Land on Nepmos, explore and little then head to the Alliance base. Some Marines are being harassed by Rachni.
Get out of the Mako and talk to Durand.
Get back in the Mako, drive to the Damaged Generator and connect the Mako to reactivate the turrets.
Fight off a few waves of Rachni and talk to Durand to learn about the underground complex.
Disconnect the Mako and head west to the underground complex.
Watch for Rachni coming out of the ground as you move through.
Clear the mine to end the Assignment.
Return to the Normandy.

Listening Post Theta

Set down on Altahe in the Acheron system of the Styx cluster.
Explore the planet, then head to the Listening Post.
Kill the Rachni and clear the post.
Grab the loot and use the Terminal to learn more.
Return to the Normandy.

Depot Sigma-23

Find the Unknown in the Gorgon system of the Argos Rho cluster.
Board the facility.
Clear the cargo hold and note the way you took to get to the far side.
Inspect the containers to learn the truth.
Activate the Demolition Charge and haul it back out!
Ignore the Rachni on your way out and just run.
Return to the Normandy as fast as you can!

Derelict Freighter

Head to the Caspain system in the Maroon Sea cluster.
Look for an unknown and board the ship.
Kill all the Husks and make your way to the cockpit.
Access the crew logs to learn the truth and complete the Assignment.
Return to the Normandy.

Dead Scientists/Doctor at Risk

If you were able to hack the computer on the upper floor of the Noveria Port Hotel, you should have this. If not, go back and hack it.
Head to the planet Ontarom in the Kepler Verge.
Land and explore the planet.
Head southeast to find the underground facility.
Clear the outside, then go in and clear it out.
Make your way to the back where a soldier named Toombs is threatening a man. If you’re a Sole Survivor, he will recognize you from Akuze (guess you’re not really a sole survivor!)
Use charm on Toombs to end the situation peacefully. You can also use intimidate, which opens the change to kill the doctor yourself. If you can’t use either, Toombs shoots the doctor, then himself.
Return to the Normandy when it’s over.

Garrus: Dr. Saleon

You should have this Assignment from talking to Garrus between Missions. If you don’t have it, go down to the vehicle bay and talk to him.
Head to the Herschel system in the Kepler Verge and look for an Unknown.
Scan the Unknown to reveal the MSV Fedele.
Board the MSV Fedele and clear the cargo hold.
Head to the forward section, where you find Dr. Saleon.
Kill Dr. Saleon, or let Garrus kill him. No matter how you slice it, Saleon dies.
Loot the ship and return to the Normandy.

Wrex: Family Armor

You should get this Assignment from talking to Wrex. If not, you can still complete it.
Go to the planet Tuntau in the Phoenix system of the Argos Rho cluster.
Explore the planet, then head to the facility and clear the Mercenaries from around it.
Enter the facility and clear it.
Go to the upper floor and loot the armor from a locker. You will get a notice about an old set of Krogan armor.
Return to the Normandy and talk to Wrex about it to finish the Assignment.

Tali and the Geth

You should already have a disc with encrypted data files from UNC: Geth Incursions. Give this to Tali to complete the Assignment. Be aware that giving them to her gives you Paragon points while withholding them gives you Renegade points.

Asteroid X-57

This is downloadable content. If you didn’t download it, skip ahead.
If you did download this content, head to Asteroid X-57 in the Asgard system of the Exodus cluster.
Head southeast and look for a building atop a hill. Go inside and activate the radio.
Head toward each torch and get ready for a fight at each.
Clear the enemies around each torch and deactivate them.
Deal with the Batarians as needed.
When you get a call about mines at the next torch, get out of the Mako and continue on foot. The mines are marked with Xs and moving evenly between them will prevent them from going off. These may be deactivated by a switch near the torch.
Talk to Charn on the lower floor of the final torch facility. He’s not looking to fight, and can be talked down or killed. You get Paragon points for talking him down, in addition to his keycard to get you into the main facility. If you kill him, loot his corpse for the keycard.
Head to the main facility and get ready to destroy some turrets.
Take out the turrets and head inside.
Save your game.
Clear the facility of it’s multitude of guards.
Talk to Balak when he shows up. You get Paragon points for letting him go to save the hostages and Renegade points for letting them die. You get a further few Renegade points for saying you’ll make him suffer. Either way, you’ve got another fight on your hands when he leaves.
Clear the bombs and enemies if you let him go. You’ve got ten minutes and there are three bombs.
Kill Balak if you were a Renegade.
Rescue the hostages and talk to Simon.
All of his rewards are good, so take whichever you’ll use most.
Head back to the surface and investigate the three Survey Stations for his missing engineer.
Head to the transmitter tower to reveal the Survey Station locations if you don’t already know where they are.
Return to Simon when you’ve found all three bodies.
Return to the Normandy.

Ilos

Clean up any business you have left. Once you set course for Ilos, THERE IS NO TURNING BACK.
Head for Ilos and watch a sweet cinematic.
Head south and destroy the Geth. Be aware there are a pair of Armatures waiting for you.
Continue south and fight your way through more Geth.
Take the elevator when the Geth are dead.
Head to the end of the room and up the ramps.
Use the security panel to open the doors.
Head back down, take the northern path, then the elevator and get in the Mako.
Head straight down the path until you hit the barrier.
Get out and head for the hole in the wall.
Take the elevator down and speak to the VI.
Get all you can from it, then return to the Mako. You get Paragon points for lamenting the loss of life and Renegade points for acknowledging necessary actions.
Drive through the trenches, fighting the Geth on your way. There’s no time limit for now, so take your time.
Once you see the Conduit, then you’ve got a time limit. Ignore everything and drive straight for the Conduit.

Backdoor to the Citadel

Kill the Husks and head for the elevator.
Make your way towards the action, destroying the hordes of Geth on the way.
Head toward Sovereign if you ever get lost.
Keep an eye out for Defense Turrets in a large open area. There should be three of them and you should see them just about the time the Geth Dropships show up.
Haul it to the Defense Turrets and activate them to deal with the Geth.
Move to the next area and eliminate the turrets. Watch out for Krogan.
Make your way through the Citadel Tower to reach Saren.
Fight Saren. You can either blast away at him or talk him down with charm or intimidate. The former is tough but the latter ends the fight immediately and earns you a lot of Paragon or Renegade points.
Move up to the computer and use Vigil’s info the retake the Citadel. Now you can transmit orders to the Alliance fleet. You can get Paragon points for ordering them to assist the Ascension or Renegade points for telling them to hold position. Or you can get both for telling them that Sovereign is the only important thing.
Watch a quick cinematic and get ready for a nasty fight. Save if you can. *SPOILER ALERT*
Kill Saren again. Biotic powers work great, but beware that he has them too. Keep him at a distance.
Give yourself a pat on the back when you kill him. Congratulations, you’ve finished the game!

Achievements

Medal of Honor: Finish Mass Effect.
Medal of Heroism: Finish Feros.
Distinguished Service Medal: Finish Eden Prime.
Council Legion of Merit: Finish Virmire.
Honorarium of Corporate Service: Finish Noveria.
Long Service Medal: Finish Mass Effect twice.
Distinguished Combat Medal: Finish mass Effect on Hardcore difficulty.
Medal of Valor: Finish Mass Effect on Insane difficulty
Pistol Expert: Score 150 pistol kills.
Shotgun Expert: Score 150 shotgun kills.
Assault Rifle Expert: Score 150 assault rifle kills.
Sniper Expert: Score 150 sniper rifle kills.
Lift Mastery: Use Lift 75 times.
Throw Master: Use Throw 75 times.
Warp Master: Use Warp 75 times.
Singularity Master: Use Singularity 75 times.
Barrier Master: Use Barrier 75 times.
Stasis Master: Use Stasis 75 times.
Damping Specialist: Use Damping 75 times.
AI Hacking Specialist: Hack 75 synthetic enemies.
Overload Specialist: Use Shield Overload 75 times.
Sabotage Specialist: Use Sabotage 75 times.
First Aid Specialist: Use Medi-Gel 150 times.
Neural Shock Specialist: Use Neural Shock 75 times.
Scholar: Find all Alien Codex entries.
Completionist: Finish all Missions and Assignments.
Tactician: Finish with a total shield damage greater than total health damage taken.
Medal of Exploration: Land on an uncharted world.
Rich: Earn 1,000,000 credits.
Dog of War: Score 150 organic kills.
Geth Hunter: Score 150 synthetic kills.
Soldier Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Ashley in your party.
Sentinel Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Kaidan in your party.
Krogan Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Wrex in your party.
Quarian Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Tali in your party.
Turian Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Garrus in your party.
Asari Ally: Complete 75% of the game with Liara in your party.
Power Gamer: Obtain Level 50
Extreme Power Gamer: Obtain Level 60.
Renegade: Earn 75% of available Renegade points.
Paragon: Earn 75% of available Paragon points.
Paramour: Complete a romance.
Search and Rescue: Rescue Liara.
Charismatic: Save Wrex and talk Saren down.

Credits

Mass Effect Guide by Eric Jewett (etjester) was used to confirm data and fill in some holes with Mission and Assignment protocol.
Achievement Guide by Armando Castillo (BecomingJudas) was used to confirm more data.

Other Mass Effect Walkthroughs

IGN: Mass Effect Guide
GameSpot: Mass Effect Game Guide
MyCheats: Mass Effect Superguide
GameFAQs: Mass Effect Codex Guide
GameFAQs: Mass Effect Walkthrough by iNcurSe
GameFAQs: Mass Effect Achievement Guide by becomingjudas
LunaBean.com: Mass Effect Walkthrough

Mass Effect Walkthrough Videos

YouTube: Playlist: Mass Effect Playthrough

YouTube: Mass Effect 1 - Opening Scenes (Time: 10:54)

YouTube: Mass Effect 2 - Eden Prime Debriefing (Time: 8:27)

YouTube: Mass Effect 3 - Touchdown on Eden Prime (Time: 7:32)

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