Mass Effect: The story so far (Part 1)

It seems like so long ago that we began our journey as Commander Shepard – and rightly so, because it’s been five years since that moment.

The game introduced us to a massive galactic tale, featuring many different alien races, across a plethora of different planets (though not all explorable) – BioWare opened up the expanse of space.

With the story that started half a decade ago finally coming to end, we take stock of what’s happened in the epic thus far.

Warning: Mass Effect spoilers follow

The Citadel: home to the Galactic Council, and centre of operations in the galaxy

Mass Effect

Mass Effect introduced to us Commander Shepard – a human veteran soldier of your own creation that came out of a troubled background, made difficult decisions and overcame a great conflict – and through this, attained fame and a position of stature in the Alliance Military.

Shepard is the Alliance’s choice to become the first human Spectre – a special galactic peace-keeping force that operates above the law, and answers only to the galactic council.

It’s during Shepard’s Spectre ‘exam’ – where he/she needs to investigate the discovery of a Prothean Beacon on a human colony called Eden Prime – that you become privy to Saren, a reputable Turian Spectre’s betrayal.

On Eden Prime, Shepard activates the beacon, and sees confused visions of the Protheans – and ancient alien race that disappeared from the galaxy – being overwhelmed by an unknown force.

The Prothean vision isn't a very happy one

Becoming a Spectre

At the Citadel, Shepard fails his/her bid to become a Spectre – having destroyed the Prothean beacon through use – and is unable to provide evidence of Saren’s betrayal, and thus is dismissed by the Council.

Shepard investigates further on the Citadel and meets Garrus, a disgruntled Turian Citadel Security (C-Sec) officer who is frustrated by protocol and the red-tape surrounding his investigations into Saren.

Shepard also meets the Krogan mercenary, Wrex, who served as Saren’s bodyguard before leaving after sensing trouble surrounding the Turian. Both Garrus and Wrex work with Shepard to track down Tali, a Quarian, who holds evidence of Saren’s activities on Eden Prime, his collaborator, the Asari Matriarch, Benezia – as well as mention of the Reapers returning through “the Conduit”.

Upon hearing the evidence – the Council revokes Saren’s Spectre status and appoints Shepard as the first human Spectre.

Saren - a respected Spectre, has gone rogue

Feros

After gaining the Normandy as his/her ship, Shepard embarks on a mission to investigate and stop Saren. After finding and rescuing Liara T’Soni – Benezia’s daughter and Prothean expert – the team heads to the planet of Feros, where Saren has sent Geth troops to invade.

Feros is home to the ExoGeni corporation, and through investigation, Shepard learns that the company and its employees have been researching an entity known as the Thorian – an ancient sentient plant which observed and absorbed knowledge of the Protheans over time.

The Thorian has psychic abilities and is able to control the minds of people through spores it releases.

Due to its nature and knowledge of the Protheans, the Thorian is in possession of a cipher – which Saren bargained and gained, to make sense of the Prothean vision; Saren then attacked Feros in order to destroy the Thorian – and thus the cipher – so Shepard could not get it.

Sensing that Shepard intends to kill it, the Thorian attacks Shepard. After Shepard kills the Thorian, he/she gains the cipher, and decrypts the muddled vision a bit more.

The Thorian - sentient, psychic, and pretty damn ugly

Noveria

Next, Shepard goes in pursuit of Matriach Benezia, Saren’s accomplice, which leads the crew to Noveria – an ice planet that houses private research facilities – one of which is owned by Saren.

After dealing with a Rachni outbreak at the facility, Shepard confronts Benezia, who, after being defeated by Shepard, reveals that she and Saren are both being controlled by Saren’s flagship – Sovereign.

Shepard is then confronted by the revived Rachni Queen, whom Saren brought back to life in hopes of raising an army, and is given the choice to either set her free – or seal her doom.

Benezia is acting under Sovereign's influence

Virmire

After completing Feros and Noveria, Shepard is informed by the Council that a Salarian team has discovered Saren’s operations on Virmire. Shepard discovers that Saren is looking for a way to combat the Krogan genophage (which affects Krogan fertility to control the population) in order to breed an unstoppable Krogan army.

Wrex, confronted by a possible solution to his race’s fertility problems, turns against Shepard – and is either killed, or convinced that destroying the facility is the right thing to do.

After infiltrating the facility, Shepard is confronted by Sovereign himself, where it is revealed that Sovereign is a Reaper,  and that the Reapers wait outside the Milky Way Galaxy – waiting millennia for life to evolve and develop and discover the Citadel, Mass Relays and technology – at which time the Reapers appear and “harvest” all life in the galaxy.

After an attack by Saren, Shepard rigs the facility to explode – and falls into the unenviable position between saving either Ashley Williams or Kaiden Alenko, as the facility blows up.

You decide: calm Wrex, or pacify him with a bullet

Ilos

Liara is able to trace the location of the Conduit to the Prothean world of Ilos – where Saren is headed. Giving chase, Shepard follows Saren to the planet.

Shepard learns that the Citadel is in fact a large Mass Relay, which the Reapers use to invade the Galaxy. During the last attack, a few Protheans escaped doom and survived on Ilos.

They used the Conduit as a ‘back-door’ into the Citadel, which they used to sabotage the systems, and prevent the next (imminent) Reaper attack. Saren was seeking the Conduit, under Sovereign’s control, to undo that sabotage.

Saren activates and uses the Conduit to gain access to the Citadel, and Shepard follows him through it, in hot pursuit.

The Protheans left behind a frightful legacy

Sovereign Threat

Shepard arrives at the Citadel, which is under siege by Sovereign, the Geth and Saren. Fighting through the onslaught – Shepard confronts Saren, who reveals that he’s completely under Sovereign’s control – having undergone massive cybernetic augmentation.

After fighting, or convincing Saren to kill himself – Shepard must decide on whether to save the escaping council members (by sacrificing Alliance lives) or abandoning them to focus on attacking Sovereign.

Saren’s corpse is re-animated by Sovereign and attacks Shepard in a final battle. Shepard manages to defeat Saren, while the Normandy destroys Sovereign, bringing everything to an epic climax.

In the aftermath, Shepard faces the consequences of his/her actions during the battle – either thanked by the saved Council memebers, or looked at to decide the future of a new human-lead council.

In any event – Shepard moves away from the technicalities, and moves forward with one goal in mind: prevent the lingering Reaper threat.

Sovereign is but a preview of the destruction the Repears could bring

Key decisions

• Shepard’s love interest: Liara, Kaiden (FemShep) or Ashley;
• Fate of the Rachni Queen;
• Fate of Wrex;
• Who you sacrifice on Virmire;
• Fate of the Citadel Council;
• Who you elect to the Council.