Mass Effect 3 Complete Guide (10 Sections) | AntMag

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Commander Shepard's epic journey to save the galaxy concludes in Mass Effect 3. This RPG throws you into a desperate fight against the Reapers, a synthetic race bent on galactic extinction. You'll navigate intense combat, forge crucial alliances, and make choices that shape the fate of countless species. From the initial escape from Earth to rallying forces across the galaxy, every decision matters in this sprawling space opera.

This guide covers the core missions, from the fight on Priority: Mars to the final confrontation. We'll help you master every encounter, understand crucial squadmate strategies, and make the informed choices needed to achieve the best possible ending for the Mass Effect universe.

Part 1

Walkthrough

1
You awaken in a room and are met by James, who escorts you to Admiral Anderson.
2
Anderson takes you to the Command Council for a briefing.
3
After an attack, follow Anderson out of the window and proceed left.
4
You will encounter Husks scaling a building. You can shoot them as they climb or as they reach the top.
5
When ammo runs low or after killing a few, descend the nearby ladder. You will need to melee the Husks to death by rapidly pressing the melee button.
6
After defeating the Husks, the adjacent building will explode, allowing entry into the wreckage.
7
Inside the first room, find a Med Kit.
8
In the next room, use a heavy melee attack (hold the melee button) to break open the door blocked by a Husk.
9
After a cutscene, follow Anderson outside.
10
Observe a dreadnought ship explode in the atmosphere, causing issues.
11
Follow the wreckage line to find a wounded soldier and encounter your first Cannibal. Cannibals are altered Batarians who can use firearms and grenades, and can heal by consuming corpses, gaining armor.
12
Defeat the Cannibals and cross the new bridge. Turn left and ascend to higher ground.
13
Look for a Med Kit on the right as you ascend.
14
You will face another encounter with Cannibals. Be cautious of their grenades, which may force you out of cover. Utilize your Mass Effect 2 abilities if you imported your character.
15
After defeating the Cannibals, proceed to their previous location and turn left.
16
Drop down and head to the far side of the wreckage.
17
You will find the M-8 Avenger weapon.

Tips

Veteran Achievement/Trophy Farming: The area where you found the medic and wounded soldier is ideal for farming kills. If you set the difficulty to _Narrative_, Cannibals will spawn indefinitely. The ammo nearby also respawns, allowing continuous shooting and power usage. This spot can yield as many kills in an hour as half a playthrough.

M-8 Avenger (Weapon)

Part 2

Walkthrough

1
Before leaving Earth, set your desired difficulty. This can affect achievements.
2
Activate the radio on Earth. You will be attacked; the objective is to run out of ammo. Use your weapon for most kills and powers sparingly to survive. Once low on ammo, your rescue will arrive. Alternatively, you can shoot backward from cover or use only powers for a certain duration to end the encounter.
3
On Mars, collect the M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle found at your feet after dropping down a ridge.
4
Follow the path to a Mako-like vehicle and engage a group of Cerberus. Use cover, preferably the right barrier, and watch out for grenades, using the combat roll (A button prompt) to evade.
5
After clearing the first group, proceed up the hill to encounter a tougher Cerberus group with a height advantage. Focus fire on one enemy at a time and be prepared to move to new cover if grenades are thrown.
6
Continue up the hill and turn right into the compound. Meet an old friend and send James back to the ship.
7
Use the Singularity power as a tutorial to pull enemies out for easier targeting. Kill all enemies.
8
Head left to activate a vehicle lift. Go up the ramp, climb boxes, and jump to the vehicle. Vault the railing and proceed through the door ahead and to the right.
9
In the next room, take cover and slide right to perform an instant-kill melee attack from behind cover. Clean up remaining enemies, watching for grenades. Head for the door at the back right.
10
In the following room, check behind the reception desk for the Ariake Technologies Gauntlets. Find a Med Station and ammo on the nearby wall. The M-4 Shuriken is on the floor between the legs of a dead soldier. Pick it up and watch the cutscene.
11
Head upstairs and take the door on the right to go outside. Turn left, drop down a ladder, and turn left again towards another ladder. Before this ladder, find the Kassa Fabrication Chestplate on a metal stack.
12
Go up the ladder, jump the gap to the right, and enter the dark doorway on the left. Turn sharp left inside and walk into the darkness to find stairs leading down.
13
In the large dark room, follow the outer ring to find a datapad for XP. Head down the stairs to the lower part of the room where your lights will turn off.
14
Go to the far front wall and perform an instant-kill melee on an enemy across the glass. Fight off the remaining enemies.
15
Hop the barrier, go up the small stairs, and take the left door into a small, damaged room. Find a workbench, a datapad by the stairs, and a mod in the wreckage.
16
Head up the stairs and through the door. Take cover to the left and surprise the unaware Cerberus in the distance with a singularity to start the next engagement.

Tips

Before leaving Earth, ensure your difficulty is set, as changing it after leaving can impact achievements.
Picking up a new weapon means it will have no mods initially. Consider how equipping heavy weapons like sniper rifles affects your carry weight and power recharge speed, especially for power-heavy classes.
The M-4 Shuriken may not appear if your class already started with it.

M-8 Avenger (Earth)
M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle (Mars)
Ariake Technologies Gauntlets (Mars)
M-4 Shuriken (Mars)
Kassa Fabrication Chestplate (Mars)
SMG Scope (Mars)
SMG Ultralight (Mars)
Shotgun High Cal (Mars)
Sniper Rifle Extended (Mars)
Sniper Rifle Concentration (Mars)
Shotgun Shredder Mod (Mars)

Part 3

Walkthrough

1
After clearing enemies, explore the right side of the next room for a datapad.
2
At the next corner, turn left to find more enemies. Backtrack for distance if needed. Be wary of Guardians; use Singularity or Pull to counter their shields. Clear the area near the doorway and advance down the long hallway, watching for flanking enemies on the left.
3
At the end of the hallway, Cerberus will lock you out of a room. Find a terminal next to a door leading to a side room with two laser walls.
4
Activate the terminal to start the laser walls moving. Activate it again to stop them. Position them to create a tunnel leading up the stairs to the door on the right.
5
Enter the room, collect the datapad and med kit. Proceed through the door. At the intersection, go left, then right at the corner. A dead soldier with the M-23 Katana will be on the right.
6
Open the left door and prepare for a turret. Use cover and combat rolls to advance up the hall, eventually getting behind the turret's range. A group of Cerberus will emerge; confront them.
7
Proceed through the door into a larger area with many Cerberus using smoke grenades. Use all available abilities and retreat to cover if necessary. Be cautious of your squad's positioning.
8
After clearing the room, go to the room on the other side. Near the glass, find a datapad and a locker containing a Sniper mod. Use the computer to trigger a cutscene.
9
After the cutscene, place one squad member in the blue circle and the other as desired. Prepare for an aggressive Cerberus assault from the large doorway below. Use Singularity on the stairs to block their advance.
10
Shoot the enemies as they approach and board the tram they used.
11
During the tram ride, you will be attacked by more Cerberus troops on another tram. Use Singularity to pull them off their tram. Kill any remaining enemies and board their tram.
12
Upon reaching the dock, engage more Cerberus troops. Position your squad at the front of the tram car and use cover behind a pillar. Focus on eliminating shielded enemies first.
13
After clearing most enemies, move to the boxes outside the car. At the back of the platform, find a Shotgun mod on the right wall and the M-15 Vindicator on the left wall. Check the ticket station for a med kit.
14
Proceed through the nearby doors.
15
You will need to catch Dr. Eva. Chase her out of the room and into the center security area. Open the gates and follow her up a ladder.
16
Once outside, kill the Cerberus soldiers in the hovering shuttle. Continue chasing Dr. Eva down a ramp and through under areas.
17
Follow her up a ladder and continue the chase.
18
Shoot Dr. Eva a few times in the head until another cutscene is triggered.
19
Upon regaining control on the Citadel, head to the Hospital to check on your wounded comrade. Consider upgrading Medi-Gel at the Sirta Industries terminal in the lobby.

Tips

Use Singularity or Pull to counter shielded Guardians by pulling them from behind their shields.
When facing the turret, use cover and combat rolls to advance safely.
In the room with smoke grenades, opportunistic kills and strategic retreats are key. Keep your squad safe.
Use Singularity on the stairs to effectively block rushing enemies during the tram defense.
Prioritize taking down shields of enemies to utilize biotics against them.
When defending the dock, use cover and pick off targets strategically, watching for flanking maneuvers.

M-23 Katana
Sniper mod
Shotgun mod
M-15 Vindicator
Medi-Gel upgrades (optional, at Citadel Hospital)

Part 4

Walkthrough

1
After leaving the lobby, head to the embassies and take a right. Go up the steps to the C-Sec office to speak with an old friend.
2
Proceed to Udina's office across the hall to be brought before the Council.
3
After talking with the Council, you will return to Udina's office.
4
Check the Spectre office across the hall. Here you can access two terminals: one for new information and requests, and another to purchase missed items, weapons, and armor. A shooting range is also available.
5
Return to the main embassy lobby and speak with the reporter. You'll have opportunities for Paragon and Renegade interrupts; use the Paragon interrupt to recruit her as a War Asset. You can also speak with James by the window.
6
Optionally, visit C-Sec and Udina again.
7
Return to the Hospital and speak with Dr. Chakwas to recruit her for the Normandy. Then, speak with Dr. Michel, who will discuss a comrade's condition.
8
Head to the Normandy Dock and find Diana Allers in the Lounge area. She can join your ship as a non-combatant.
9
As you attempt to board the Normandy, you will experience a dream sequence involving a boy in a white sweater. Follow him until the dream ends.
10
Normandy:
11
Automatically speak with Liara and meet your new Comms Specialist, Traynor.
12
Recap with Admiral Hackett.
13
In the War Room, check your Galactic Readiness on the terminal.
14
Use the Galaxy map. Speak with Traynor (romance option for FemSheps) and check messages.
15
Go to the bridge and speak with Joker.
16
In your room (one floor up), you can change armor and casual wear in the Shuttle Bay.
17
In the Shuttle Bay, check the work bench, terminals, and armor station. Speak with Cortez (romance option for ManSheps) and James.
18
Go to Engineering and speak with Engineer Adams and Diana the reporter.
19
On the third level, speak with Chakwas. In the med bay, you can equip extra abilities (costs money per change) and reset skill points.
20
Visit Liara to meet Glyph. Find upgrades on a terminal to the left of the door and additional information on a terminal near the screens.
21
When ready, visit the Galaxy Map and travel to Apien Crest, then Menae (near Palaven) to rescue the Primarch.
22
Priority: Palaven
23
Cortez will warn you about a hostile landing area. Clear out the Husks upon arrival.
24
Use Singularity to control enemy groups and create choke points.
25
Talk to the Turian guard to be directed to the base.
26
Collect Salvage next to the guard's building.
27
Inside the base, find a med kit in the first building on the left.
28
Locate a Datapad and the M-97 Sniper Rifle on a pile of boxes in the middle of the path.
29
Find another Datapad in the first building on the right.
30
Speak with the _Commanding Officer_ in the second building on the right to learn about the base's situation and receive the objective to repair the Comm tower.
31
Find the Pistol Magazine Upgrade and a Datapad just past the Commanding Officer's building on the right.
32
In the next building, find the Armax Arsenal Shoulder Guards and the Pistol Piercing Mod.
33
At the far end of the base, left of the main barricade, find a building with a Med Kit, Datapad, and Hahne-Kedar Greaves.
34
Near the gate to the Comm Tower, find the M-27 Scimitar leaning against a wall and the Assault Rifle Piercing Mod on the ground.
35
Follow the waypoint to the gate leading to the Comm Tower and climb up to reach it.

Tips:

New Systems are available for exploration. Refer to the Galactic Exploration section.
_N7: Cerberus Lab_ is now available.
_Priority: Eden Prime_ is now available if you have the DLC

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