Return to the bar and speak with Gianna… er… whatever her name is.
She’s an undercover officer and is looking to bring down Anoleis. Ugh.
Nothing is ever simple. Ever. You have some choices here. You can either give
Qi’in his evidence, get his pass and keep going, or you can help Gianna.
The second option has the chance, but not the certainty, to turn out very,
very badly, so I’ll just leave the choice up to you. However you manage
to get your garage pass that is where I’ll pick things up.

Enter the garage (just past Qi’in’s office) and – surprise
– you’ll be attacked by Geth. These guys can be a serious pain.
Change you ammo back to the kind that does increased damage to synthetic
creatures to make things a tad easier. Once they’re all dead, explore
the area for a few items and talk to Matsuo from the hangar. I guess everyone
on this planet is a jerk. When you’re ready, get to the other end of the
garage and board the Mako.

Drive out of the garage and out into the snow. You’ll notice that there
is a level one hazard warning at the bottom of the screen. This means that you
should only get out of the Mako if absolutely necessary; staying outside for
too long will kill your team. That doesn’t mean don’t explore at
all though… there are some crates and boxes along the path that
you’ll need to exit the Mako to pick up, just make sure to be quick
about it.

Follow the snowy road past the first crate and wrecked vehicle to a bridge
with some turrets guarding it. Get rid of the turrets first and worry about
the Shock Troopers next. Then you’ll want to back off for a minute and
wait for the Mako to self-repair any damage you may have sustained. One
you’re healed, race down through the tunnel, killing Rocket Troopers as
you go. If you attempt to go slow and take this part enemy by enemy, you WILL
die. Its best to charge them, blast away with both weapons and clear the
tunnel as quickly as possible. Before leaving the tunnel, make sure to hop out
of the Mako and grab the Upgrade Kit at about the halfway point.

Exit the tunnel and you’ll get a short scene, after which you’ll
be attacked by a Geth Armature up the hill to your right. Blast him and his
Shock Trooper buddies, but don’t leave without hopping out of the Mako
and picking up two more easily decrypted crates.

Now you’ll want to follow the path around the edge of this snowy canyon.
Once you get to the other side, you’ll be attacked once again, though
this is the easiest group of enemies yet. Blast them and continue into the
tunnel. At the other end, you’ll find one more easily defeated turret.
Blow it up and follow the path.

This is the final stretch of the Mako portion of this planet, so just keep it
on the road and you’ll be ok. You’ll need to take out two or three
more turrets as you drive, but none of them should cause too much trouble.
When you get to the burning car blocking the path, you’ve reached your
destination. Exit the Mako and go inside.

One you enter the garage here, you’ll be ambushed by a couple of Krogan,
a Repair Drone and a Geth Juggernaut. Once you’ve killed them all, a
voice will come over the intercom and it will become clear that something is
really, really wrong here. Run upstairs and to the only exit (grab the Upgrade
Kit on the way), where you’ll see some deactivated turrets facing
inward. Again, something isn’t going well here. Check the area for items
and use the elevator when you’re ready to move on.

At the top, take out the handful of Geth Troopers and watch the scene with the
Rachni. These roach/piranha plant hybrids are poisonous, but otherwise fairly
harmless. Kill the little ones first followed by the two bigger, uglier ones.
Poke around the area for some experience and items after the fireworks are
over. At the top of the stairs, you’ll find a closed door with a Medical
Kit inside. On your way out another Rachni will attack. Kill it easily and if
anyone on your team is poisoned, wait for them to heal up automatically before
leaving for the next elevator and area.

At the top, you’ll be attacked by a few of the smaller poisonous Rachni.
Kill them quickly and examine the Power Core to your left. The Memory Core has
been damaged, so you’ll need to reboot things to get all the various
doors in here working again. Go to the back of the circular room and look
toward the direction you entered from to see the elevator leading down to the
Memory Core.

Down here, you can either pay 100 Omni-Gel to get the Core working or you can
play a little puzzle game to get it running for free. The Omni-Gel is
obviously the faster choice, but the puzzle isn’t so tough. If it gets
frustrating, just pay the Omni-Gel. It took me about 15 minutes to trial-and-
error my way through the puzzle, so give it a try if you want.

Once it is activated, “Mira,” the Core’s virtual
intelligence, will talk with you. Ask her about Benezia and she’ll tell
you that she’s already gone. She left on the tram which, of course, is
now broken. In the simplest of terms, you’ll have to do some more
repairs before you can chase Benezia any further. Ask Mira any more questions
you might want to before moving on.

First, you’ll want to repair the station’s landlines. To do so,
use the elevator directly behind you and head up to the roof. One you get up
here, you’ll want to exit, the immediately re-enter the red tinted
hallway. There are is a small army of Rachni up here and it’s a lot
easier to let them come to you in the hall than it is to face them all at
once. Once they’re dead, pick up a few items in the area, turn on the
landlines and activate the Mira terminal. Next!

Now you’ll have to fix the fuel lines. Go back to the area with the
Memory Core and use the door marked Fusion Reactor. Be careful, you might run
into a Rachni or two on the way. Use the elevator at the end of the hall to
get to the Reactor.

Down here, the Rachni aren’t your problem – the Geth are. Try to
get them to come to you, but for the most part, you’re going to have to
attack, retreat, heal and repeat to kill them all. Once everything is dead,
search the area, upstairs and down, for items and reconnect the fuel lines.

Now that everything is all fixed, get back to Mira and the Memory Core. Deep
breath… there is ANOTHER problem. Now the Rachni are in the
decontamination chamber leading to the tram. Gah! Use the only door in here
you haven’t yet (it has a little train on the sign) and use the elevator
to get up to the tram.

At the top, take a right into the little office area and pick up a few items.
You can either purge the Rachni in the system by repairing the system, or you
can open the door and blast them yourself. Personally, I blasted them. Wait
for your team to recover from the poison and damage before moving through the
decontamination chamber and onto the tram to the Rift Center. Finally.

 There is only one way out of the station available at this point, so take the
elevator up and talk to Captain Ventralis. He has a little bit of info on a
lot of subjects, so ask him some questions before moving on. The most
important things to take away from the exchange are an access card and the
tidbit that Benezia is down in the Hot Labs. The conversation ends with a
small Rachni attack, so kill them off and talk to Ventralis once more before
moving on.

Follow the little path to the next open area. Speak with the people in the
area, including an unpleasant Asari, a nervous toxicologist and a mostly
useless merchant. If you’re in it for assignments, you can get another
one in the area. Assignments FAQ… yeah, yeah… Completing this one
will open up a different path through the area, so it may be worth the extra
effort.

At this point, you can explore most of the area. Stay away from the Restricted
Area for now. Just because you can get there doesn’t mean you should
– yet (it triggers the next events in a weird order and may lose you
some experience and a few conversations). Head back to the tram station after
you’ve poked around for items and such and enter the Hot Labs from there.

Speak to Tartakovsky in here to find out the truth behind the Rachni and what
was really going on at this station. You’ll need to input some codes
that will purge all life from the Hot Labs, setting things right. Tartakovsky
goes to help but… he doesn’t make it. Kill the Rachni, take the
codes off Tartakovsky’s body and enter them at the Mira terminal in the
next room.

All that screaming and the two-minute countdown tell you that you have to get
out of here quickly. Don’t charge back through and to the elevator;
you’ll probably die if you do that. Instead, hang back and take them out
in a more organized fashion. If you run out of time, it is game over, so make
a break for it if you have to. One more thing – your radar is a bit
deceiving here. There are a ton of red dots on your radar, but those enemies
are OUTSIDE the Hot Labs. Concentrate on the red dots in the center of the
radar; the ones on the sides can’t get to you. Go up in the elevator and
wait for the sound of the explosion. Neat.

At the top, go back to where Ventralis and his men were earlier. This time,
they’ll be shooting at you when you arrive, so defend yourself and kill
him and all his guards. If you attempted to enter the Restricted Area before
you cleaned up the Hot Labs, you still would have had to kill Ventralis, but
less because Benezia was controlling him and more because he is simply mad at
you. This is the “good” walkthrough, so it’s probably best
not to shoot at people for no reason.

Work your way through the area to the Restricted Area and fight the guards
that try to stop you along the way. Take the elevator to the next area and get
ready for your fight with Benezia herself. Well, sort of. After a quick
exchange, she’ll send three waves of Asari and Geth forces at you. Be
careful to avoid Benezia’s attacks from the center of the room as you
wipe out all three squads. Keep in mind that she won’t send a second or
third squad until the one before it is completely wiped out. If it seems like
nothing is going on, you’ve missed an enemy or two. Kill whatever is
left to trigger the next wave.

After she runs out of people to throw at you, Benezia will claim she’s
been under Saren’s control. Ask her about everything you can and
she’ll give you some data about Saren’s next location and his
plans. Saren’s mind control will take over once again and you’ll
have to kill Benezia. It’s actually kind of sad. Kill her and whatever
remaining Asari commandos are still in the area. Watch the scene that follows
and since you’re a good guy, release the Rachni instead of killing it.
It may be hideous, but freeing it is the right thing to do. Search the area
for items when you regain controls and leave through the door marked with the
train when you’re ready.

Use the tram here and instantly, you’ll be back on your ship. Speak with
the crew briefly and you’ll be patched through to the Council. Like
always, they blather on about stuff they don’t understand, so be polite.

Now you’ll want to go do a sweep of the Normandy and speak with all the
crew members again to forward any personal stories you might have going on,
the romantic ones in particular. What’s it called when a guy is gay for
a girl? One a personal note, my first playthrough ended in a romance with
Liara, but my second one led to Ashley. Honestly, Liara was the more
interesting story, but the whole ‘romance’ plot is optional anyway
and feels creepy in a few places… but that’s just my opinion.
Anyhow, your crewmembers can offer some assignments if handled correctly and
at very least will give you some more background info. Once you’ve
finished this, it will be time to move on, but I need to mention one thing
before you do ANYTHING ELSE.

The end of the Noveria mission marks ‘that point’ in Mass Effect
– the point of no return, if you will. If you proceed to Virmire, you
will be on a one-way road to completing the game. If you plan on completing
any of the extra assignments (Assignment FAQ… yeah, yeah), this is your
LAST CHANCE to do so before starting a second playthrough and doing it then.
We’ll discuss the post-game stuff at the end of the walkthrough, but be
aware that once head to Virmire, that’s it for most of the game’s
assignments.

If you can’t wait another minute to see how the game ends, create
another save file right before you go to Virmire. That way, you can beat the
game and come back later to do the missions you missed. You’ll need to
do the remaining parts of the game over again at some point, but three hours
of catch-up is better than the 30+ you would need to start from scratch.

When you’ve done it all, use the Galaxy Map and get to Virmire.

*Virmire

To call this the beginning of the end would be a severe understatement. If you
feel like I do concerning the game’s story (long periods of nothing,
followed by way too much going on at once), you’ll be pleased to know
that things get very interesting soon enough.

The first thing you’ll notice here is that everything looks like Halo.
On purpose? Maybe… Anyway, you’ll start with a little driving.
Along the path, keep an eye out for Geth Rocket Drones and various other
enemies. You should have a good handle on how to finish these segments by now,
so I won’t waste time giving you strategies and such.

When you get to the large enclosed bridge, you’ll want to hope out of
the Mako and check the place out. Inside, there are a few good weapons. Get
back to the Mako and move on.

The paths here are pretty windy, but they all take you where you need to be
– the turret giving your team trouble. It is shut down easily enough;
search for another bridge, kill the enemies and flip a switch on the second
floor. Don’t forget to open the gates so you can get through. The next
bridge doesn’t have a turret control, but you’ll still need to
shut the gate off.

Now just follow the path and you’ll get to the base soon enough. A
conversation will take place automatically and it will really piss off Wrex.
Go talk to him and no matter what you do (with one exception), well, I
won’t ruin it.

Now you’ll need to go and speak with Captain Kirrahe. He’ll need
one of your people to help with his next mission, and you have to choose
between Kaiden and Ashley to send with him. Whoever you think is less of an
asset to your team… send them. You might not see them again for a bit.
After the short exchange, Kirrahe will make a speech to the troops. Very
Braveheart.

When you regain control, you’ll have to fight your way up this little
river. When you get to the structure, use the stones for cover and your Sniper
Rifle to take out who you can. When you feel like you’ve gotten most of
them, charge the base, kill any stragglers and deactivate the Geth comm.
system. Also remember to check the area for items.

The next building you see will also be populated with enemies, including a
Krogan. Get rid of them and destroy the satellite on top of the building. Then
follow the scaffolding on the second floor.

When the scaffolding splits, you have a couple of choices. To the left,
you’ll find some items and some Krogan. To the right, you’ll find
some Drones and items. The Krogan path is optional, but the Drone path is
mandatory. Follow it and you’ll be attacked by Drones. Kill them all and
destroy the fuel tank here.

Now follow the next path around and you’ll come up on a bridge to the
base. Try to take on the Krogans from a distance; they are pretty strong. Once
they are dead, grab the two sets of items and head into the base at the door
all the way on the right side.

Before you get into the base, you’ll need to run down another path to a
set of three doors. By the door closest to you, there is a computer panel you
can use to deactivate alarms and/or call guards away from their positions near
you. If you leave the guards, you’ll get “good” points. If
you send them off, you’ll get “bad” ones.

Things can get confusing in here because there are so many doors. Instead of
me trying to describe a maze, I’ll say this – your goals should be
to release some prisoners and finding an elevator. Some of the prisoners may
attack you, so when they do, just kill them – it won’t take away
from your good guy status.

Once you’ve released these guys, find the elevator. Use it and
you’ll be in a lab. Kill all the Husks and Geth in the room, along with
a Krogan doctor. When they’re gone, pick up the items in here and use
the only exit. Kill a few Geth on this pathway and kill the two Geth Troopers
at the end. Use the door and it will trigger a conversation.

This Asari doctor is another Saren employee, but you should let her go anyway.
She’ll even open the path to the elevator that leads the next part of
the base. Follow this completely empty path to the next elevator. Use it and
head into the next room, down the steps and check out the Beacon for a short
scene. Run back up the stairs for another, slightly more baffling conversation.

As you exit the area, you’ll see a bridge directly in front of you being
lowered. Use it. There are three Krogan on this walkway, so just try to be
cautious. In the next area, you’ll be fighting on a two-tiered walkway.
Its best to take out the Krogan on the bottom first and concentrate on the
other guys last. As you round the corner, you’ll be attacked by more
Drones. Kill ‘em all and run up the ramp to deactivate the AA Guns.

When you do this, you’ll be attacked from the direction you came from
and also from the elevator. The enemies are too terribly hard here, but the
chance of dying is very high. Use the new elevator to get to the next area.
Fight down this long hall and through the door. In the next area, you’ll
get a scene with Ashley carrying the nuke and Kaiden will radio in with some
bad news.

Keep following the path to an elevator and a dead end. A conversation will
take over and both Ashley and Kaiden are in trouble. You’ll have to make
a choice on who lives and who dies. Two character enter. One character leave.
I chose to save Ashley, so it was back down the elevator to the bomb site for
me.

Of course there will be Geth waiting for you when you get there. Pay careful
attention to a large white Geth known as Geth Prime. That is the enemy that is
going to kill you. Introduce yourself. He has lots of shield energy, quick
regeneration and enough firepower to arm an entire country. Lift, Overkill and
Sabotage are going to be your best friends here if you want to come out alive.
Kill off any remaining enemies in the area and get ready for some excitement!

After the awesome conversation, you’ll finally get a shot at Saren.
It’s three on one, but the fight is still difficult. Saren will be
flying around on his Green Goblin glider. Lift and Warp both work well to wear
him down, but good old-fashioned run and gun is what will win the fight. Wear
him down keep yourself alive. Knock his health down low enough and a cool
scene will take over.

Back on the Normandy, you’ll have a conversation with whomever you chose
to save on Virmire. Don’t be a jerk about it, but be firm. You saved who
you had to. If you are too wishy-washy or mean about it, you won’t get
your “good guy” points.

Next, Liara will read your mind again and she’ll finally decipher what
those creepy visions are all about. She also discovers Saren’s
destination – Ilos. Joker will patch you through to the Council again
and you’ll explain what you know and what has been going on. They wish
you luck, but aren’t all that behind you in your plan. Eh, screw them.

If you did things in the right order and have completed all four main planets
(Artimus Tau, Feros, Noveria and Virmire), you’ll be brought back to the
Citadel automatically if you access the Galaxy Map. Talk to your crew like
always and further any of the character subplots that might be dangling (maybe
not the best choice of words, especially if you are into the romance
subplot…). When you are confident you’ve done it all, go to the
map and back to the Citadel.

*Citadel (Second Visit)

After a long conversation with the Council, you are grounded, the Normandy is
taken away and you are no longer a Spectre. Awesome. Watch the uncomfortable
scene that follows and Joker will chime in just in time. Captain Anderson
wants you to meet him in Flux. If you’ve been doing assignments, you can
finish up “The Fan” and a couple others at this point. When you
have the loose ends tied up, go to Flux and talk to Anderson.

He offers to help you get to Ilos with one of two very illegal options. Both
work equally well for you, so whichever sounds cooler to you, go for it. Just
make sure that on your way out of Flux, you check out the dance floor and
dance with Durron. Who would have thought the captain was so… so…
funky! Anyway, just get back to your ship and get out of here.

*Ilos

Before landing on Ilos, remember that if you’ve done the romantic stuff,
this will be your last chance to wrap it up. Travel to Ilos, but before
leaving the ship make sure to have that last conversation with your chosen
mate. Someone call the producers of Peter Griffin’s Side Boob Hour!

Watch the conversation with all the crew members. Ashley is especially nasty
today, huh? Afterwards, as you attempt to land, watch the cool scene. Once it
is over, find the only path out of this area and follow it. You’ll only
be attacked by low level Troops and Shock Troops for a while, but you’ll
be fight not one, but two Armatures at once. Cover is useless here, so strafe
them both and avoid their blue fireballs at all costs.

When you see a series of ramps, you’ll want to follow them. At the top,
there will a few more enemies, but to worry about. Just find the second set of
ramps and head down. After killing all the Geth in the area, you’ll want
to start looking for elevators. They are the doors with red lasers (maybe?) on
them. Find one that works and use it.

Continue following the path until you are attacked again. You’ll
probably die here, so make sure your game is saved. It seems to me that the
only feasible solution in this fight is to charge ahead, use the stairs and
hide behind the barrier up there. This makes this fight less like a massacre
and more like shooting (Geth) fish in a barrel.

When everyone is dead and gone, run to the opposite end and use the kind-of
hidden stairs. At the top, trigger the security computer for a cool
conversation with a hologram. When you are done, return to the ground level
and enter the now-open door, located directly below where you just were on the
second floor. It leads to an elevator, so use it.

Follow the enemy-free path until you see the Wartho… I mean Mako. Follow
the straight path until you hit a barrier of some sort. Hop out of the Mako
and look for the path to the right. Head on in and use the elevator.

When you get out of the elevator, run straight and speak with the hologram
Virgil; he’ll reveal a ton of new and useful information. But man…
he can talk. Even if you don’t care, Liara will stop you from ending the
conversation until she hears what the hologram has to say.

When you are finally done, you’ll be fairly close to a Mako. Grab it and
follow this river, taking out 3-4 small pockets of Geth. As you near the end,
you get a scene and your Mako is launched up to the Normandy. You just beat
Ilos! You’ll be finished in no time.

*Citadel (Third Visit)

When you get out the Mako, be prepared – the Citadel has changed. Fight
of a few weenies in the area and attempt to cross the only unblocked bridge.
Head toward where you began the game and you’ll get a scene.

Follow the path straight ahead and be aware of the Geth in the area. They
start out easy enough, but get harder to kill the further you progress.
Eventually, you’ll come to a more open space and a Geth drop ship will
emerge. You can’t hurt it, but I bet those big turrets can. Hack them
quickly and they’ll kill the drop ship in a matter of minutes.

After the drop ship and all the Shock Troopers are gone, follow a small
hallway near where the drop ship was hovering. You’ll fight a few strong
Geth and a couple of Krogan here. Once they are dead, make sure to save your
game.

When you come to the next open area, look way off into the distance from
groups of three Geth shields. They mark the location of turrets. One hit from
one of these and you’ll be dead and gone, so it pays to stay away from
them. You can hack them or even destroy them, but the risk is very high.

The best way to avoid them is to enter the open area and drop into the floor
directly in front of you (there is a Geth Troop hanging out in there when you
first round the corner). Go all the way to the right side of this little hole,
jump out and run straight to the next hole in front of you. From inside the
second hole face the left side of the area and make a break for it. If
you’re lucky, you won’t get hit and you’ll make it to a deep
trench with a grate at the far end. Open that grate to get back into the
Citadel.

You’ll find yourself back in a destroyed Citadel Tower. Run straight
ahead and destroy the weak handful of Trooper and Shock Troopers. When
you’ve killed them all, continue forward to start a scene. Saren’s
been completely taken over by Sovereign so get ready to fight. I’ve been
told that it is possible to talk Saren into killing himself, but my levels
weren’t high enough to make that happen. I imagine your Charm skill
would have to be 100%.

Talk to Saren for a minute and the fight will start. Fight him just like you
did before. Keep your health up, keep moving to avoid his rockets and other
weapons (but mostly rockets) and just keep shooting. Beating him really
isn’t all that tough.

After Saren dies, you’ll have to make one of three possible choices. I
won’t ruin the story for you, but if you are dead-set on the “good
guy” stuff, you’ll really want to try and save the Council.
That’s all I’m saying about that.

Like every good bad guy, Saren comes back to life and is ten times more
gruesome than before. Killing him now is going to be a much more difficult
chore. During this fight, you’ll want to pretend you are a shark. Why?
Because if you stop moving, you’ll die. Period. Saren will be jumping
around the room a whole bunch, so do your best to keep him in your crosshairs.
His shield will take a lot of damage before it dissipates, and man… it
recharges very quickly.

The best way to beat him is to keep moving and use skills like Sabotage,
Overkill, Lift and Singularity. Sometimes they work, sometimes they
don’t, but the plan of attack should be to throw everything you have at
him.

After you’ve caused him some damage, you’ll be interrupted by a
scene. When you come back to the fight, Saren’s shields will have
regenerated. Fight him exactly as you have been. He moves around a little bit
more during this second phase, but keep on him and he’ll go down.

Watch the ending scenes of the game and that’s it. Congratulations on
beating the Xbox 360’s first great RPG. Now, check the Endgame section
if one playthrough wasn’t enough to satisfy the savage beast.

*Endgame

In this section, I’ll describe what your options are after you finish
the game for the first time.

**ENDGAME COMPLETION COMING SOON**

*Assignment FAQ

Assignments are one of the very best parts of Mass Effect. They are basically
just optional quests that serve to flesh out some of the story, net you extra
items or experience and/or are just fun diversions.

As with the rest of this guide, I’m 100% sure I won’t see or do
everything while writing this guide, so if you find any extra assignments I
missed, email me at nimerjm@hotmail.com with the mission name, a complete
walkthrough or how to complete it and what you get for doing so. Make sure to
put “Mass Effect” in the email subject line and I’ll add it
to the guide and credit you with the discovery.

*Table Of Contents

-Planetary Assignments
    -Citadel
    -Feros
    -Noveria
    -Virmire
-UNC Assignments
-Other Assignments

For this FAQ, I’ll only concentrate on Planetary Assignments, UNC
Assignments and a few other assignments that don’t fit into either
category. I will tackle all of the ones I come across and are otherwise made
aware of, but that’s up to you if you find something I don’t have
here. All assignments will be grouped into the three previously mentioned
categories.

Ok… lets get started!

*Planetary Assignments

This is where I’ll be breaking down the assignments you’ll get
when visiting a planet in the main storyline. They will be broken down by
planet name, so you’ll have Citadel, Feros, Noveria and Virmire
assignments in this section.

*Citadel Assignments

*Scan The Keepers

When you enter the Citadel Tower, you can find a scientist named Chorban. If
you speak to him, he’ll explain his research on the Keepers, which kind
of look like those hunched over aliens from Half-Life. Anyway, he’ll ask
you to find and catalogue all 21 of them found in the Citadel. Since this is a
pretty big place, here is how many of each you can find in each area:

*Presidium – 8 Keepers
*Citadel Tower – 4 Keepers
*Wards – 6 Keepers
*C-Sec Academy – 2 Keepers
*Docking Bay (Off C-Sec Academy) – 1 Keeper

Every time you scan one of the Keepers, you’ll be granted a small amount
of money and a few experience points. When you have scanned all 21, the
assignment will end and you’ll get an extra boost of experience. No need
to speak with Chorban again.

*Jahleed And Corban

This funny little guy can be found in C-Sec Academy. He claims that Chorban
(yes, that Chorban) is trying to kill him. Go find Chorban in the Wards to get
the rest of the story.

Speak to Chorban to find out that Jahleed wasn’t being completely honest
with you. Not that it really matters. Go back and speak with Jahleed once more
to complete the assignment.

*Presidium Prophet

This “assignment” is really just a petty fight between a C-Sec
officer and a blob with legs and a funny voice, otherwise known as a Hanar.
Seems the blob, ahem – Hanar, is preaching without a permit and the
officer is attempting to move him along.

As tempting as it is to hassle the religious, just buy him a permit for 150
credits and be done with it. Remember kids; all religious people want is money
and people dumb enough to keep handing it over. See? Video games can teach you
something!

*Asari Consort

Head to the Consort’s office, which is right off the Financial District,
and speak to the lady at the door. She asks you to set up an appointment to
meet with the Consort, so just give her your name.

She’ll be contacted by the Consort, who apparently wants to see you now,
rather than four months from now. How nice. She asks you to speak with a
General Septimus, who can be found in Chora’s Den. Notice the overuse of
the word ‘damn’ in this exchange. Go speak with him and convince
him to return to the Consort. Go back and speak with her once more to complete
this borderline creepy assignment.

*Xeltan’s Comvinced

You get this mission from Septimus when you convince him to stop being a jerk
about the Consort. Septimus managed to convince someone named Xeltan that the
Consort screwed him as well. Just take the disc Septimus gives you to Xeltan
to complete the assignment. Xeltan is found in the Elcor/Vorlus Embassy, which
is right next to where the Human Embassy is located.

*Reporter’s Request

Emily Wong, a reporter who is just hanging out in the Upper Wards, is doing a
story on corruption and asks you to help her out. If you speak to her early in
your adventure, you’ll find the evidence she wants automatically when
you deal with Fist. Takes the discs back to her for a few credits and some
experience.

*Planting A Bug

If you finish Emily Wong’s previous assignment, you’ll find her
later in the game hanging around the Council Tower. After her last story went
so well, she’s now investigating overworked space traffic controllers.
Ok….

If you accept the mission, Wong will give you a bug to plant in the traffic
control room in C-Sec Academy near the Docking Bays. Simply by entering the
room and looking around, the game will ask you whether or not you’d like
to plant the bug. Simple as that. Speak to Wong again to get a bit of
experience and some credits.

*Signal Tracking

To activate this assignment, check out the suspicious machine at the end of
the gambling area in Flux. The machine is funneling money illegally, so
you’ve got to follow its signal to the source. Here’s a breakdown
of the signals and the order they appear in. They are marked as ‘!
’ on your map.

Signal – Near Presidium/Ward elevator
Signal – Borla Von’s Office
Signal – Emporium (next to Borla’s Office)

The last one will threaten to self-destruct, so you’ll have to do an
override sequence like with the Mining Drill. The code is YXYAXAA. Put it in
correctly to complete the assignment.

*Rita’s Sister

Speak with Rita at the Flux Bar to get this assignment. She asks you to go
check on her sister, who is working at Chora’s Den as an informant. She
is about as useless as it gets, so go ahead and exit the bar. On your way out,
Chellick will slip you some info and ask you to meet him at the C-Sec Academy.
Head over there now.

You’ll find Chellick in a small white room of one of the bigger halls in
C-Sec Academy. He’ll point you in the direction of a man named Jax, who
is found on the bottom level of the Wards near the market.

Since we’re being good, just pay him off and get his items. Now get back
to Chellick and you’ll be all set.

*Schells’ Data

This funny looking alien wants you to help him gamble (i.e. cheat). To finish
this assignment, Go into Flux and play a couple of games of Quazar, which is
like a mix between Simon (I like tea and cakes for tea and cake time) and
Blackjack. Return to Schells after you collected the data (the game will tell
you when you have) and he’ll reward you justly.

*Negotiator’s Request

Meet Elias Keeler outside of Flux in the Wards. He’s obviously hopped up
on goofballs. If you want the “good guy” points, you can try to
convince him to go to space rehab. Ask him a few questions about what he wants
and you will probably be able to convince him to get some help. If not, just
go buy his damn drugs from the Medical Clinic in the Wards. Return the drugs
to him for a bit of money. I think it’s safe to assume this is NOT the
Elias that Dispatch wrote the song about.

*Doctor Michel

Speak with Dr. Michel in her office in the Wards. She’s in trouble
again, so agree to help her out. She’ll send you to speak with someone
named Morlan, who can be found in the lower Ward market area.

Speak with him and an alien who is blackmailing him will attack. Kill him and
get back to Dr. Michel in the Medical Unit. She’ll thank you, so
you’ll use the opportunity to find out more about the man the
blackmailer mentioned, Banes. With that, your assignment is complete, but
you’ll still want to go talk to Captain Anderson about Banes. More about
that in the UNC assignments part of this guide.

Just FYI – Speak to Anderson in the Embassies and Kahoku in Citadel
Tower for the UNC assignment called Missing Marines. You may already have been
given the assignment, but it’s always better to mention it. 

*Homecoming

This is quite possibly the most upsetting assignment in the game. After you
finish on Eden Prime, go check near the Citadel Information Desk, which is
located it the bottom of the stairs leading away from your embassy. Speak with
the man here named Bhatia and he’ll ask about his wife’s corpse.

Find someone named Bosker in the bar area near here and ask him about it. The
body is being used for research, so it can’t be released to the husband.
No matter which side you are playing on, you basically have no choice but to
ruin this guy’s whole day. Speak with Bhatia again after you’ve
met with Bosker to finish the mission. Sad.

*Family Matter

This is barely an assignment, but it teaches a good lesson. In the Financial
District, you’ll find two people arguing. Speak to the to start the
assignment. It seems that the guy wants his sister-in-law to have gene therapy
done on her unborn child. She doesn’t want to because of the risk to the
child. Convince them that it’s her choice and complete the assignment.
Giving women the right to choose is considered the “good guy”
response… I love this game.

*The Fan

This assignment is a little different in that you’ll need to leave and
return to the Citadel at least twice to complete it. Go speak with a man named
Verner near the stairs to the lower market in the Ward. He’s a big fan
of yours, so sign an autograph for him if you want.

The next time you find yourself at the Citadel, talk to him again. The third
time you return here, speak with him a final time and talk him out of his
crazy “I wanna be like Shepard” scheme, but since this is a good
side guide, make sure to do so pleasantly.

To finish this quest, you’ll need to return to The Citadel at least
twice more. Talk to Conrad again on a subsequent visit and he’ll ask you
for a picture. What the hell, right? Let him take the picture.

On a third visit, probably after you finish on Virmire, speak with Conrad
again. He’s gone a little bananas, so talk him down and don’t hurt
him to finish the quest.

*Old, Unhappy Far-Off Things

In the same area where you found the first signal (Presidium/Ward elevator),
you see a guy named Zabaleta. He says he knew your mother and hits you up for
some money. Pay him to get the assignment, but you won’t be able to
complete it for another second or two (you need to return to the Normandy).

Use the Comm in the Normandy when you can. Your mom will confirm she knows him
and will let you know a bit more about his issues and why he became a
boozehound.

Return to Zabaleta and talk with him. You’ll end up getting him a line
of credit at a grocery store and you’ll finish the mission.

*Fourth Estate

When you return from Eden Prime, this reporter will be waiting. Simply choose
to answer here questions and you’ll both received and complete this
assignment. Just remember not to be an a-hole and don’t tell her too
much about anything.

*Our Own Worst Enemy

Speak with Charles Saracino in the Wards for this assignment. He is a
politician who is seriously racist. He wants you to help his campaign, but I
wouldn’t… that’s just me. As a funny side note, after you
speak with him and complete the assignment, just stand there and listen to the
surrounding bystanders and their political slogans. If the Republican National
Committee were held in space, this is what it would sound like. Haha.

*Feros Assignments

Note: The first four Feros assignments can be completed in the tunnels under
the Zhu’s Hope colony. You can get there by following the path past the
elevator to the Prothean Skyway.

*Geth In The Tunnels

You’ll get this assignment automatically by speaking with Fai Den. In
the tunnels, you’ll come across two opening doors off the main area. The
first contains the Varren and a power cell, the other contains three Krogan
warriors. These guys are tough, so be careful. After killing them all, search
the back of their hideout for some items and a Geth transmitter. Destroy it
speak with Fai Den to complete the assignment.

*Power Cells

Speak to May O’Connell and she’ll ask you to go get her some power
cells for her generator. After your first fight in the tunnels, you’ll
need to look for a room on your left. When you enter, you’ll see a scene
with some mean-looking animals. These are Varren (the Varren Meat assignment
can also be completed in this room). Kill them and examine the burning vehicle
for your power cells and a few other items. Return to May for your reward.

*Water Restoration

Speak to Macha Doyle for information about the loss of water. To complete this
mission, you’ll need to find three water mains and open them. All three
are right out in the open in the tunnels. In the two areas where you’ll
be forced the Geth, just look for the obvious glowing blue panels. Activate
all three and speak with Macha again for your reward.

*Varren Meat

Talk to Davin Reynolds about the food shortage and Varren meat. Head down into
the tunnels and find a closed compartment to the left of the path you’ll
take after your first fight in the area (the Power Cells assignment can also
be completed in this room). A small scene will introduce the Varren. Kill the
half dozen normal animals and the alpha male will emerge (he’s red, the
others are white). Kill the alpha male and return to Davin for your reward.

*Data Recovery

Speak to Gavin Hossle in the small outpost on the way to ExoGeni HQ for this
mission. He’ll ask you to get some data from a computer in the HQ and
place it on an OSD. You can find the computer in ExoGeni HQ just past the
glowing Geth orb. In the room with two sets of stairs, take the non-tinted set
(the other is red) and kill the very annoying and powerful Krogan at the top.
Use the computer up here and return to Hossle for a small reward.

*Noveria

*Smuggling

Speak with the merchant Opold near the elevator to get this assignment.
He’ll ask you to smuggle a package through security for him. This could
not be any easier.

Go back to the Normandy and you’ll find his package just sitting there.
Pick it up and bring it back to him for some credits.

*Espionage

Speak with Mallene Calis in the hotel bar to get this assignment. I’ll
let her explain things, but the whole thing sounds good and shady. Since
I’m mainly concentrated on the “good” side of things, I
refused the assignment and the game marked it as completed it anyway. Any
other choices are all yours.

*Quarantined

Speak with Dr. Zev Cohen in the Medical Bay at Peak 15 on Noveria for this
assignment. Due to Mira’s shutdown, some scientists were poisoned and
have been forcibly quarantined. Go back and talk to Ventralis at the beginning
of the area to get permission to enter the quarantine. Head back to the area
with the Asari and the merchant and take the elevator marked
‘Quarantine/Barracks.’

At the bottom, speak with Han, the survivor, down here for a gruesome story
about his escape. Then speak with the guard and he’ll let you pass. In
this room, inspect everything to net a few good items and some experience.
When you’re ready, use the computer to make a cure. This is as simple as
hitting the corresponding button when a little meter fills up. You’ll
see what I mean.

After you have the cure, the Asari from before will ambush you. She was pretty
rude earlier, so don’t feel too bad about killing her. Return to Dr.
Cohen in the Medical Bay with the cure in hand to finish the assignment.
You’ll also gain access to the maintenance area, which allows you to
bypass some of the fights leading up to the battle with Benezia.

*Virmire

*Wrex And The Genophage

This isn’t really much of a mission at all. It is really just a part of
the story. After Wrex finds out about the cure, he is willing to kill you to
keep you from destroying it. You can talk him down if you are persuasive
enough, but for most people, you’re going to shoot him or Ashley will.
Dead. That’s all.

*Kirrahe’s Team

Again, this isn’t much of an assignment because it is just a natural
part of the storyline, but whatever. This assignment gives you the task of
making Kirrahe’s infiltration of Saren’s base easier. To complete
this assignment, simply follow the walkthrough and complete planet Virmire.
Easy. If you complete this assignment, Kirrahe and some of his soldiers will
be on board the Normandy after you leave Virmire.

*UNC Assignments – COMING SOON

*Other Assignments – COMING SOON

*Xbox 360 Achievements

This is a fairly simple list of all the 360 Achievements found in Mass Effect
and what it takes to unlock them. There is no way in the world to unlock them
all with just one, two or even three playthroughs. You’re going to be
playing this game for a long, long time if you plan to get them all. A really
long time.

AI Hacking Specialist (15) - Use AI Hacking 75 times.
Asari Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with the Liara in your
party.
Assault Rifle Expert (15) - Register 150 Assault Rifle kills.
Barrier Mastery (15) - Use Barrier 75 times.
Charismatic (10) - Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation.
Completionist (25) - Complete the majority of the game.
Council Legion of Merit (25) - Complete Virmire.
Damping Specialist (15) - Use Damping 75 times.
Distinguished Combat Medal (25) - Complete Mass Effect on the Hardcore.
Distinguished Service Medal (25) - Complete Eden Prime.
Dog of War (25) - Register 150 organic enemy kills.
Extreme Power Gamer (50) - Reach level 60 with one character.
First Aid Specialist (15) - Use Medi-Gel 150 times.
Geth Hunter (25) - Register 250 synthetic enemy kills.
Honorarium of Corporate Service (25) - Complete Noveria.
Krogan Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with Wrex in your party.
Lift Mastery (15) - Use Lift 75 times.
Long Service Medal (25) – Complete Mass Effect twice on any difficulty.
Medal of Exploration (50) - Land on an uncharted world.
Medal of Heroism (25) - Complete Feros.
Medal of Honor (100) - Complete Mass Effect once.
Medal of Valor (50) - Complete Mass Effect on Insanity setting.
Neural Shock Specialist (15) - Use Neural Shock 75 times.
Overlord Specialist (15) - Use Shield Overload 75 times.
Paragon (15) - Accumulate 75% of total Paragon (good) points.
Paramour (10) - Complete either romantic subplot.
Pistol Expert (10) - Register 150 Pistol kills.
Power Gamer (20) - Reach level 50 with one character.
Quarian Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with Tali in your party.
Renegade (15) - Accumulate 75% of total Renegade (bad) points.
Rich (25) - Exceed 1,000,000 credits.
Sabotage Specialist (15) - Use Sabotage 75 times.
Scholar (25) - Find all Codex entries
Search and Rescue (10) - Locate Dr. T’Soni in the Artemis Tau cluster.
Sentinel Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with Ashley in your
party.
Shotgun Expert (15) - Register 150 Shotgun kills.
Singularity Mastery (15) - Use Singularity 75 times.
Sniper Expert (15) - Register 150 Sniper Rifle kills.
Soldier Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with Kaiden in your
party.
Spectre Inductee (15) - Become a Spectre.
Stasis Mastery (15) - Use Stasis 75 times.
Tactician (25) - Complete Mass Effect with less total health damage than
shield damage.
Throw Mastery (15) - Use Throw 75 times.
Turian Ally (20) - Complete the majority of the game with Garrus in your party.
Warp Mastery (15) - Use Warp 75 times.

*Cheats, Secrets And Glitches

**COMING SOON**

*Thanks

This is the part found in every FAQ where the author gives shout outs to
everyone he knows. I’ll keep it brief. Thanks to (in no particular
order) –

-Stephen Ng and everyone at IGN for giving me a shot
-Bioware for making such a complex and interesting game
-Ned Jordan and gamerstemple.com for posting my game reviews
-Everyone at the Marietta Daily Journal/Cherokee Tribune copy desk department
-Wendi for (mostly) leaving me alone so I could write this
-My family for supporting me during these long FAQ writing jags
-The KSU Sentinel for giving me a my start in journalism
-Gamestop on Johnson Ferry Rd. in Marietta for not being “pre-order
everything” jerks
-Anyone who thinks Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect and Bioshock are the best games
of 2007
-Anyone who hates online gaming as much as I do
-Akira Toriyama for creating the Dragon Ball universe
-Sonata Arctica, Heavenly and Protest The Hero for being the best bands out
there
-Anyone who agrees “Jordan” in GH II is barely music at all, let
alone a song
-Anyone who read any of my other guides
-And you, for reading this guide

*Closing

So that’s it – my Mass Effect guide. As of right now, it is still
incomplete but getting it up before Christmas day was completely and totally
necessary. If you’re reading this for the first time on X-Mas, well,
hope you’re having a great holiday! I’ll be making updates
periodically over the next couple of weeks based on what people send me
(nimerjm@hotmail.com), on top of finishing all the stuff I don’t need
assistance with (walkthrough, assignments, etc.). Keep checking IGN.com for my
updates and be on the lookout for my other guides (Eternal Sonata and
Bioshock) there as well.

Thanks for reading my Mass Effect guide. I hope it helped you enjoy the game
even a little bit more than you would have without it. If you really liked it,
and you’re looking to hire a writer for anything gaming related, keep me
in mind. I’m currently a copy editor/web editor at two newspapers in
Marietta, GA and I have a Bachelor’s degree in communication but if
you’re looking for someone, I’m willing to move just about
anywhere and do just about anything. *End shameless self-promotion*

Be on the lookout for updates to this and my other guides, my next guide (GTA
4) and if you like what you read, email me and give me a job (I’m
looking at you, Bioware…). Thanks again and always remember – I
can’t live the button-down life like you. I want it all: the dizzying highs,
the terrifying lows, the creamy middles! Sure, I might offend some of the blue
noses with my cocky stride and musky odors! Oh, I’ll never be the darling of
the so-called City Fathers who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards and
say, "What’s to be done with this Jason Nimer?”