All Possible Endings (And Which You Should Choose)

Mass effect 3 Marks the end of Commander Shepard’s saga, and its multiple endings remain one of the most controversial parts of BioWare’s sci-fi epic. Released after launch to provide more context and closure to each ending, the Extended Cat DLC is now the standard in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. However, despite the changes, after over 100 hours of building a team, fighting enemies and preparing to face the repairs, the war’s outcome still comes down to a single choice.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mass Effect 3.]

At the end of Priority: Earth, a badly injured Commander Shepard boards the Crucible and confronts the Catalyst. Depending on the total Military Strength score, based on their accumulated war assets, Shepard will be presented with between one and three options. There is also a delayed fourth ending, along with a “complete” ending, which still has possible debated consequences. Below, every possible ending to Mass effect 3 is detailed, along with how to get the desired result and what ending players should choose.

What affects the endings of Mass Effect 3?

Breaking down the factors that affect the availability of the end

in Mass effect 3Shepard will collect war assets by completing missions and scanning planets. War assets contribute to the total military strength of the galaxy, reflecting how Shepard recruits old friends and new allies and gathers the different races of the Milky Way Galaxy under their banner. Choice players made in Mass effect And Mass effect 2 Can translate to war assets in Mass effect 3Contributing to the overall score.

If the Total Military Strength score is too low, it is possible that the Catalyst will only give Shepard a single option, Based on what they did with the collector base in Mass effect 2. A low total military strength can also lead to the Earth being heavily devastated by the Crucible, and it has the potential to get Shepard’s squad and the Normandy crew killed.

In contrast, high Total Military Strength opens up more endings for Shepard to choose from. Shepard’s team is also more likely to survive, and the destruction to Earth is minimized. Crucially, a high Total Military Strength also sets the perfect ending.

Players should aim for a War Asset score of 7,400 or higher than their target Total Military Strength score. This is the requirement for unlocking the perfect ending and should ensure that every possible ending is available.

In summary, playing through all three games will allow Shepard to assemble a much bigger force to counter the repairs in the end.

Based on my experience, in a full playthrough of all three games, Shepard will typically collect enough war assets that at least two endings are available by default. However, choices such as keep everyone alive in Mass effect 2 Suicide Mission and brokering peace between the geth and quarian can lead to massive war asset gains, so players should keep that in mind in a full saga game.

Each mass effect 3 ending

All five endings discussed.

There are five possible endings to Mass effect 3. Total Military Strength will determine which are available:

The fifth ending is known as the discharge ending. After the catalyst explains the possible ending choices, Shepard has the option to refuse to make a choice through dialogue and walk away or shoot the catalyst.

Doing so results in the extinction of all life, and the cycle continues, with the reapers destroying everything. A scene will then play in which a damaged recording of Shepard’s companion Liara plays from one of the time capsules she scattered across the galaxy. This implies that future cultures can use the information she left behind to ultimately defeat the Reapers.

Unless players have enough total troop strength and go for the perfect ending with Destroy, Shepard will always be killed in action. Even if chosen with high total military strength, Commander Shepard will not survive the control or synthesis endings.

The best ending to get for Mass Effect 3

How to choose a mass effect 3 end

The question of which ending is best is still a matter of debate. All five endings, including the perfect ending, still have drawbacks and consequences.

The discard ending is perhaps the worst ending, because it essentially means that the Reapers win, and all of Shepard’s sacrifices and efforts in all three games are for naught. The lack of meaningful payoff for Shepard, their friends, and the larger galaxy means waste is best avoided. That ultimately leaves a contest between destruction, control and synthesis.

Given that the objective over the whole Mass effect trilogy is to defeat the Reapers and end the extinction cycle, The Destroy ending is considered by many fans to be the most thematically and narratively accurate choice. It remains one of the most popular options, as it is the only ending where Shepard completes their original mission and survives. However, Destroy still has severe, sometimes heartbreaking consequences, such as sacrificing all synthetic life, including the Geth and EDI.

Ruin is also at odds with choices Shepard can make throughout the saga, especially if they advocated for the equality of synthetic life and spoke for EDI and the Geth.

Alternatively, the trajectory of the series, especially when dealing with the Geth and Quarian conflicts and the Krogan Genophage, Can be seen as pushing the player to synthesis. The Catalyst will advocate for synthesis if it is available, claiming it is the only way to permanently resolve the conflict between organic and synthetic life. However, the narrative logic of this is undermined if Shepard brokers peace between the geth and quarian, proving that peaceful coexistence is possible without synthesis.

There are also some disadvantages and moral and ethical consequences of synthesis that some players do not care for. Choosing an end to Mass Effect 3 iIt’s quite a personal choice. Players should have the benefits and consequences of each possible ending in mind.

Each Shepard is unique, so players should carefully consider their Shepard’s moral alignment, actions, and choices throughout the series, especially when dealing with synthetics and organics. Some fans also like to consider other aspects of their playthrough, such as Shepard’s background, their closest friends, and who they romanced. This will help them choose an ending that best suits their saga.

Ultimately, the main takeaway is that none of these endings are objectively correct or “best” endings. There are many possible ends to Mass effect 3And each will resonate with different segments of the fanbase for different reasons. All endings also arguably have good points that the others lack, and all are imperfect in one way or another.

Given the number of possible choices and outcomes in Mass Effect Legendary EditionPlayers can also try multiple endings on multiple playthroughs. This will allow them to experience each result and decide which one resonates most with them.

Source: YouTube/Houster 101