In ME3, what's the difference between reputation and paragon/renegade?

[Excaliblast]

The title of my post says it all, what's the difference between them? Do I need both to be high for the big dialogue options, rather than just paragon/renegade like in 1 and 2?

[LofLM🇵🇷]

It’s a bit different but basically the same. The reputation system was changed because (according to the devs) in order to be a space Jesus (aka pure Paragon) you had to exclusively choose paragon actions, dialog. (Same with Renegade)
You can read more about it here if you want: https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-3s-reputation-system-explained/

The reputation system in me3 is a bit more improved than in ME1 and 2. The upper dialogue option is supposed to be Paragon, the lower is Renegade. In the first two games you might’ve noticed that the dialogue wheel had a middle option too, that was supposed to be the neutral one (like say when in ME1 you have to decide the fate of the council: if you choose “save the council” you get +25 Paragon, if you choose “let the council die” you get +25 renegade and when you choose the middle option you get less Renegade score.. but the council still dies though, but since your Shepard didnt just straight up say “f*ck the council, hold back the alliance fleet, we’re not gonna sacrifice any human lives” you get less Renegade).
In ME3 sometimes Reputation will give you Paragon, sometimes Renegade. I’ll copy a text from another article: (I’ll link it too)

“Over the course of the game, your reputation will increase. Sometimes it will increase in Paragon ways, sometimes it will increase in Renegade ways, and sometimes it will increase without being Paragon or Renegade.

Confronted on the Citadel by a desperate refugee with a gun, you give her some credits and help her find a place to sleep. (Paragon)
As a human colony falls to Reaper forces, you order down an orbital strike, brutally killing thousands of colonists to prevent the Reapers from turning them into husks. (Renegade)
You land at a turian fuel depot taken by Reaper forces and clear it out, enabling allied forces to keep fighting. (General Reputation)
Paragon and Renegade actions are always the result of decisions – if you only have one way to do something, then doing it increases your reputation in general. So if you want to play as a purely Paragon player without ever getting Renegade points, you can do that.”

EDIT: forgot the article, sorry.
https://blog.bioware.com/2012/03/01/reputation-in-mass-effect-3/

[Excaliblast]

Originally posted by LofLM:

It’s a bit different but basically the same. The reputation system was changed because (according to the devs) in order to be a space Jesus (aka pure Paragon) you had to exclusively choose paragon actions, dialog. (Same with Renegade)
You can read more about it here if you want: https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-3s-reputation-system-explained/

The reputation system in me3 is a bit more improved than in ME1 and 2. The upper dialogue option is supposed to be Paragon, the lower is Renegade. In the first two games you might’ve noticed that the dialogue wheel had a middle option too, that was supposed to be the neutral one (like say when in ME1 you have to decide the fate of the council: if you choose “save the council” you get +25 Paragon, if you choose “let the council die” you get +25 renegade and when you choose the middle option you get less Renegade score.. but the council still dies though, but since your Shepard didnt just straight up say “f*ck the council, hold back the alliance fleet, we’re not gonna sacrifice any human lives” you get less Renegade).
In ME3 sometimes Reputation will give you Paragon, sometimes Renegade. I’ll copy a text from another article: (I’ll link it too)

“Over the course of the game, your reputation will increase. Sometimes it will increase in Paragon ways, sometimes it will increase in Renegade ways, and sometimes it will increase without being Paragon or Renegade.

Confronted on the Citadel by a desperate refugee with a gun, you give her some credits and help her find a place to sleep. (Paragon)
As a human colony falls to Reaper forces, you order down an orbital strike, brutally killing thousands of colonists to prevent the Reapers from turning them into husks. (Renegade)
You land at a turian fuel depot taken by Reaper forces and clear it out, enabling allied forces to keep fighting. (General Reputation)
Paragon and Renegade actions are always the result of decisions – if you only have one way to do something, then doing it increases your reputation in general. So if you want to play as a purely Paragon player without ever getting Renegade points, you can do that.”

EDIT: forgot the article, sorry.
https://blog.bioware.com/2012/03/01/reputation-in-mass-effect-3/

Thanks for explaining!