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Mass Effect 3 SPOILER THREAD: LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE

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Oh by the way, BigJiantRobut. Is it true that after the Nth time Sheploo gets styled on by Kai Leng, he breaks down crying and then throws a hissy fit? Because if so, then LOL BIOWARE..

If you're Renegade enough you can (I'll spoiler this just in case someone who has beaten the game still wants to find this out themselves)
break Kai Leng's sword with your hand in slow motion and punch him with your omniblade so hard he dies.
That's how I resolved that situation.
 

Dave1988

Member
If you're Renegade enough you can (I'll spoiler this just in case someone who has beaten the game still wants to find this out themselves)
break Kai Leng's sword with your hand in slow motion and punch him with your omniblade so hard he dies.
That's how I resolved that situation.

Guess it was just /vg/ trolling people. I like the Renegade result of this. I'll be sure to do so mmyself :)
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
That's actually a sorta-semi-decent explanation for the Reapers IMO, not gonna lie. Although I'm just reading what the explanation is, I have no idea if the presentation is any good or not.
 

Vamphuntr

Member
Most of the time. This is especially true to the decisions you made in ME1/ME2. You killed the Rachni Queen? No problem! The Reapers pulled another one out of their asses. You destroyed the Collector's base in ME2? You get a different war asset and a little less war preparedness (100 points instead of 110) and so on and so forth.

Another kick in the nuts.
Samara
dies no matter what you do. And if I understood it correctly, Bioware gets rid of her offscreen.

Good God :/

So I guess I shouldn't have played both games again just to make the saves I wanted.
 
F3p6X.jpg
I guess the Reapers feel since they're adding the DNA to their own, they are "preserving" those races. Otherwise, the synthetics will just want to terminate (ha!) their creators. That, and they fear those synthetics will go off into space and kill off races that aren't fully developed yet. The Reapers really are just huge, Lovecraftian hypocrites who think they're doing all of us a favor.

Still, why do they give a shit about what happens to all these races? Were the original creators/the current "leaders" of the Reapers just feeling like they're everyone's guardian? Also, don't they purposely lead everyone down a path of technological ascension? So, why would they do that only to lead them to eventually create intelligent machines and then come along and say "oh dear, I'm afraid we have to wipe you out because you're getting too advanced for your own good under our guidance but don't worry, we'll keep your DNA nice and snug in our bodies."

Am I missing a point here?
 
Bad story, absolutely horrific endings and zero player influence on the course of the story. BSN going into meltdown and for once I agree.

lol You missed a few things, some decisions that matter:

THE GETH-QUARIAN RESOLUTION

First and foremost, peace between the Geth and the Quarians is impossible if you have not completed "Legion: A House Divided" in Mass Effect 2.

To achieve peace between the Geth and Quarians, you need to score between five and seven "points"; these points are rewarded to you as a result of your actions. As follows:

ME2: Tali: Treason: Mission incomplete: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Get Tali exiled: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Save Tali from getting exiled: 2 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Rewrite the Geth: 0 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Destroy the Geth: 2 points
ME2: Settle the dispute between Legion and Tali via Paragon or Renegade interrupt: 1 point
ME3: Save Admiral Koris on Rannoch: 1 point
ME3: Destroy the Geth squadron on Rannoch: 1 point

As you can see from the list, you can only earn two points in Mass Effect 3. It has been reported that whether or not anyone will even listen to you also depends on your Reputation; no specifics at this time.

THE GENOPHAGE RESOLUTION

Either Mordin or Wrex is slated to die in Mass Effect 3; you cannot save both. First and foremost, though: if you did not keep a copy of Maelon's data during "Mordin: Old Blood" in Mass Effect 2, it is impossible to save Eve. There are two resolutions to this conundrum:

Fake the Cure: if you have Mordin fake the cure, you will have to kill Wrex. This will result in the loss of Krogan support, which can be regained by persuading the new Krogan clan master that the cure is the real deal.

Create the Cure: if you have Mordin create the cure, he will die. This will result in the loss of Salarian support, which can be regained by saving the Salarian Councillor during the Citadel Coup.

THE GREYBOX RESOLUTION

During Mass Effect 3, the life of Kasumi and the fate of the Hanar homeworld lies in your hands; whether you can save both or just one depends on what you did with Keji's Greybox. If you let Kasumi keep it, you can save both; if not you will have to choose.
 

Dave1988

Member
lol You missed a few things, some decisions that matter:

THE GETH-QUARIAN RESOLUTION

First and foremost, peace between the Geth and the Quarians is impossible if you have not completed "Legion: A House Divided" in Mass Effect 2.

To achieve peace between the Geth and Quarians, you need to score between five and seven "points"; these points are rewarded to you as a result of your actions. As follows:

ME2: Tali: Treason: Mission incomplete: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Get Tali exiled: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Save Tali from getting exiled: 2 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Rewrite the Geth: 0 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Destroy the Geth: 2 points
ME2: Settle the dispute between Legion and Tali via Paragon or Renegade interrupt: 1 point
ME3: Save Admiral Koris on Rannoch: 1 point
ME3: Destroy the Geth squadron on Rannoch: 1 point

As you can see from the list, you can only earn two points in Mass Effect 3. It has been reported that whether or not anyone will even listen to you also depends on your Reputation; no specifics at this time.

THE GENOPHAGE RESOLUTION

Either Mordin or Wrex is slated to die in Mass Effect 3; you cannot save both. First and foremost, though: if you did not keep a copy of Maelon's data during "Mordin: Old Blood" in Mass Effect 2, it is impossible to save Wrex. There are two resolutions to this conundrum:

Fake the Cure: if you have Mordin fake the cure, you will have to kill Wrex. This will result in the loss of Krogan support, which can be regained by persuading the new Krogan clan master that the cure is the real deal.

Create the Cure: if you have Mordin create the cure, he will die. This will result in the loss of Salarian support, which can be regained by saving the Salarian Councillor during the Citadel Coup.

THE GREYBOX RESOLUTION

During Mass Effect 3, the life of Kasumi and the fate of the Hanar homeworld lies in your hands; whether you can save both or just one depends on what you did with Keji's Greybox. If you let Kasumi keep it, you can save both; if not you will have to choose.


Welp, this is shit. Gonna have to go back and redo my ME2 save with those choices.
 
Welp, this is shit. Gonna have to go back and redo my ME2 save with those choices.

Sorry, that's a mistake, replace Wrex with Eve.


And another data, you can save Mordin only if Wreav is in charge of the Krogan and Eve is dead.

If not, he will not accept to sabotage the cure.


The Collector Base decision:

Destroying the Collector Base -> Easier to get the destroy ending.

Keeping the Collector Base -> Easier to get get the control ending.
 

Phthisis

Member
Just FYI, if you romance Tali in ME3, she gives you a picture of her without her mask on for your nightstand in your cabin. It was my favorite moment of the game.
 

Dave1988

Member
Sorry, that's a mistake, replace Wrex with Eve.


And another data, you can save Mordin only if Wreav is in charge of the Krogan and Eve is dead.

If not, he will not accept to sabotage the cure.


The Collector Base decision:

Destroying the Collector Base -> Easier to get the destroy ending.

Keeping the Collector Base -> Easier to get get the control ending.


Guess Mordin is gonna have to meet his Maker.

Good Night, sweet prince
;_;



Just FYI, if you romance Tali in ME3, she gives you a picture of her without her mask on for your nightstand in your cabin. It was my favorite moment of the game.


You should probably mention that
The picture is so bad you can't actually see her face in it. Dat lens flare
 

f0rk

Member
Welp, this is shit. Gonna have to go back and redo my ME2 save with those choices.

This is the thing that annoys me most about the choices and 'consequences' in Bioware games. If there's a 'best' solution so people just replay what's the fucking point? Wouldn't it be better to write a branching story that is just as interesting on either side? Same thing with paragon vs renegade, you get punished if you do what you think is right each time instead of going blue/red every time because you don't have enough points in one side. It's like they want you to GameFAQs their game.
 
And can someone explain to me in simple turns what the reapers whole objective is? From what I've gathered they are like...protecting organics...by killing them? That can't be right.
Basically, yes. They wipe out races and then add that races DNA to their own, essentially. Or create entirely new Reapers out of that races DNA to preserve them.

They do this to "protect" the races from getting to advanced in regards to building AI and thus being wiped out by that AI. Also, to prevent that races AI from going out in space and finding technologically underdeveloped races to kill.

Of course, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. See my last post above.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
lol You missed a few things, some decisions that matter:

THE GETH-QUARIAN RESOLUTION

First and foremost, peace between the Geth and the Quarians is impossible if you have not completed "Legion: A House Divided" in Mass Effect 2.

To achieve peace between the Geth and Quarians, you need to score between five and seven "points"; these points are rewarded to you as a result of your actions. As follows:

ME2: Tali: Treason: Mission incomplete: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Get Tali exiled: 0 points
ME2: Tali: Treason: Save Tali from getting exiled: 2 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Rewrite the Geth: 0 points
ME2: Legion: A House Divided: Destroy the Geth: 2 points
ME2: Settle the dispute between Legion and Tali via Paragon or Renegade interrupt: 1 point
ME3: Save Admiral Koris on Rannoch: 1 point
ME3: Destroy the Geth squadron on Rannoch: 1 point

As you can see from the list, you can only earn two points in Mass Effect 3. It has been reported that whether or not anyone will even listen to you also depends on your Reputation; no specifics at this time.

Huh. So being pure "Paragon" in this case fucks you in ME3? I don't know if that's good design or not.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Basically, yes. They wipe out races and then add that races DNA to their own, essentially. Or create entirely new Reapers out of that races DNA to preserve them.

They do this to "protect" the races from getting to advanced in regards to building AI and thus being wiped out by that AI. Also, to prevent that races AI from going out in space and finding technologically underdeveloped races to kill.

Of course, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. See my last post above.
It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.
 

Phthisis

Member
You should probably mention that
The picture is so bad you can't actually see her face in it. Dat lens flare

It's fine. You get a good enough view of it to understand what they look like under the helmet.

She's actually pretty hot. I was afraid she would have mandibles or something.
 

kiryogi

Banned
Sigh, my paragon playthru . . . I can't let Tali die. I'll give up the Geth for this time until I fix things in ME2 :/

Well wait I was super Paragon. . . I don't remember! D: Here's hoping I can save both.
 
Huh. So being pure "Paragon" in this case fucks you in ME3? I don't know if that's good design or not.

Well, it depends, you can still get peace in a pure "paragon path", it's a little more difficult, but you gain more assets I think (more geth troops).


For example the best result in the Genophage arc is the pure Renegade path.

Wrex dead + Eve dead (by destroying maelon's cure) + Sabotage the cure =

Full salarian support (given the sabotage) + Krogan support (by deceiving Wreav to think you actually cured the genophage) + Mordin alive to help with the Crucible



It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.

Exactly, plus "conserving" old life by making them a new Reaper, the pinnacle of evolution as they believe.
 

Dave1988

Member
It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.

It's still a weak excuse for genocide on a galactic scale. If they're so afraid of AI's rebelling why don't they just become the rulers of all species and just outlaw it? Or enslave all AI to do their bidding? It's better than their current plan.
 
It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.
Seems to be the Reapers may be over reacting and besides, it has something to do with preserving those races which is why they build Reapers with those races DNA. Why would they care about that if they're just protecting other "new born" races? Also, who or what made them decide to become the galaxies "guardians" or "janitors"? They do this because there's some kind of magical or divine plan or because they feel guilty about something they (whoever or whatever they are) did?

From what it sounds like they built the Relays anyhow and guided everyone to a certain technological path meaning that the only reason all these races would eventually build AIs is because the Reapers themselves led them up to it in the first place. If they left these races alone, they may just live out their lives technologically impaired forever.

These's just some seriously baffling questions here, or maybe I'm really the dullard I think I am. :|
 

Phthisis

Member
Seems to be the Reapers may be over reacting and besides, it has something to do with preserving those races which is why they build Reapers with those races DNA. Why would they care about that if they're just protecting other "new born" races? Also, who or what made them decide to become the galaxies "guardians" or "janitors"?

This is what I'm most curious about, and they probably wrote it this way to have an opportunity to expand the properly into more games.
 

Tookay

Member
They shouldn't have even bothered explaining the Reapers' motivations. It was never going to make sense. Besides, that's not the offensive part of the ending to me: it's the fact that space magic fixes everything that's much, much stupider.

But in the end, aren't the galaxy war assets the only thing required to get the ending you want?

I think the assets only vary the ending, such as whether the ground/space force survives, or if Earth bites it. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here.
 

Dave1988

Member
They shouldn't have even bothered explaining the Reapers' motivations. It was never going to make sense. Besides, that's not the offensive part of the ending to me: it's the fact that space magic fixes everything that's much, much stupider.



I think the assets only vary the ending, such as whether the ground/space force survives, or if Earth bites it. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here.

You also have to have a score of 5000 in GaW (or war preparedness. I don't know if those two are the same) to get the Synthesis ending.


EDIT: Got a Q: if you import your character into ME3, can you still change their appearance?
 

Wilbur

Banned
So can someone explain what exactly happens? I'm assuming you get everyone together in the end to fight the Reapers, and then what are the endings?

EDIT: I have read the thread by the way, I just don't understand haha
 
It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.

Then the likelihood/danger of AI/synthetic life overthrowing and wiping out organic life should have been the focal point of the games. As it stands, we have:

ME1: Geth (synthetics) being controlled by Reapers (synthetics) trying to wipe out organics. So far, so good.

ME2: Collectors (organics) being controlled by Reapers (synthetics) try to harvest humans to make another Reaper (synthetic). Ok, I guess...

ME3: Geth (synthetics) and EDI (synthetic), who had the chance to destroy organics but didn't and now have free will, help you (organic) fight the Reapers (synthetics) who are, as it turns out, synthetic beings created by organic beings to stop synthetic beings from wiping out organic beings. What?
 

Dave1988

Member
As much as I hate what they did with the overall story and the conclusion to the series, I'll be damned if I don't admit that this game has its moments. Bioware sure know how to write characters and interactions between them.
Garrus's and Femshep's talk about their future after the war, Anderson's and Mordin's final moments, etc.
Some really powerful moments in the game.

I grew attached to the characters and it really pains me to see how most of them end up in ME3. They deserve better, damn it! ;_;
 

Tess3ract

Banned
LOL at the tali ending. If you support Legion, tali takes off her mask and kills herself. Legion Dies anyways. BAD END
 

Tookay

Member
So can someone explain what exactly happens? I'm assuming you get everyone together in the end to fight the Reapers, and then what are the endings?

EDIT: I have read the thread by the way, I just don't understand haha

SUPER MASSIVE SPOILERS

Shepard goes around uniting races and rallying support for the cause, so they can fight one last battle on Earth. There's a space battle (Sword), that covers the ground force as they go to something called the Catalyst (Hammer). Shepard activates the Catalyst, goes/teleports to the Citadel, talks to Granddaddy Reaper.

GR explains that this cycle was to preserve organic life from being wiped out completely by synthetics (because that always happens just cuz... ignore the resolution of the Geth). GR also says that the fact Shepard's gotten this far proves that GR's solution doesn't work, so GR decides there needs to be a new solution. He gives Shepard the choice to:

1. Destroy ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to destroy the mass relay system, killing all synthetics and allowing organic life to make their own destiny, even if that means that eventually they will create synthetics again that could kill them. (Of course this might create a dark age so lol sorry galactic society!).
2. Control ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to take control of the Reapers.
3. Synthesis ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to merge organic and synthetic life, ending the cycle once and for all, through the power of SPACE MAGIC.

Oh yeah, when Shepard uses the Catalyst, it sends lasers to all the mass relays and does stuff, and the Normandy gets caught up in it and gets stranded on some planet. Sucks for Joker and friends.

Depending on what your war assets are, Earth either bites it in the various endings or survives all the explosions and death of synthetics.

Shepard dies, unless you have high war assets, and then there's a post-credit scene showing an old grandpa with horrible voice acting telling a kid about Shepard's legend while they sit in front of a Google image search of Winter Space.

The end.
 
It does make sense to me, if I'm understanding what people are saying:
The creators of the Reapers for whatever reason decide that intelligent life creating synthetic life that will attempt to kill all life in the Galaxy is an inevitable progression. So they make the Reapers to come along and kill intelligent life every 50,000 years so that all of the non-spacefaring life in the rest of the galaxy can survive.

Does this remind anyone else of Gurren Lagann? It sounds basically the same but less good because Shepard doesn't murder all of the Reapers with a drill.
 

Wilbur

Banned
SUPER MASSIVE SPOILERS

Shepard goes around uniting races and rallying support for the cause, so they can fight one last battle on Earth. There's a space battle (Sword), that covers the ground force as they go to something called the Catalyst (Hammer). Shepard activates the Catalyst, goes/teleports to the Citadel, talks to Granddaddy Reaper.

GR explains that this cycle was to preserve organic life from being wiped out completely by synthetics (because that always happens just cuz... ignore the resolution of the Geth). GR also says that the fact Shepard's gotten this far proves that GR's solution doesn't work, so GR decides there needs to be a new solution. He gives Shepard the choice to:

1. Destroy ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to destroy the mass relay system, killing all synthetics and allowing organic life to make their own destiny, even if that means that eventually they will create synthetics again that could kill them. (Of course this might create a dark age so lol sorry galactic society!).
2. Control ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to take control of the Reapers.
3. Synthesis ending: Shepard uses the Catalyst to merge organic and synthetic life, ending the cycle once and for all, through the power of SPACE MAGIC.

Oh yeah, when Shepard uses the Catalyst, it sends lasers to all the mass relays and does stuff, and the Normandy gets caught up in it and gets stranded on some planet. Sucks for Joker and friends.

Depending on what your war assets are, Earth either bites it in the various endings or survives all the explosions and death of synthetics.

Shepard dies, unless you have high war assets, and then there's a post-credit scene showing an old grandpa with horrible voice acting telling a kid about Shepard's legend while they sit in front of a Google image search of Winter Space.

The end.

Well how bizarre. I'd definitely try and get 1, seems the most logical. Meh. Thanks though. Weird that everything dies ever.
 
Someone told me the end of ME3 is like end of evangleion. I don't know why this makes me want to play it, but I'm considering buying 1 and 2 on steam now (something something origin complaining something something).

First off, is that story point true?
 
Someone told me the end of ME3 is like end of evangleion. I don't know why this makes me want to play it, but I'm considering buying 1 and 2 on steam now (something something origin complaining something something).

First off, is that story point true?

It's nowhere near as bizarre, meta, or arguably post-modern. I just found it amusingly similar to EoE because it ends in a WELL EVERYTHING IS FUCKED ultimatum.
 
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