100% Achievement Guide: Mass Effect Legendary Edition Part 1

This is a comprehensive 100% Achievement guide detailing a step-by-step walkthrough to take you from 0 all the way to 100%. If you are looking for a particular Achievement or Collectible, use Ctrl+F & type it into the search bar for more direct help.

I run support & debug help on all my guides. If you have any questions, problems, or find errors in the guide itself, do not hesitate to leave me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as I am able to. Happy Hunting!

Introduction:

Achievement Breakdown – Cross Game: (11)
Story Related: (4)
Secondary Objectives: (3)
Slay: (4)

Achievement Breakdown – Mass Effect 1: (34)
Story Related: (8)
Missable: (1)
Secondary Objectives: (8)
Character: (1)
Collectibles: (1)
Slay: (11)
Miscellaneous: (4)

This is Part 1 of 3 for the 100% Achievement Guide: Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Part 1 only covers Mass Effect 1; Part 2 & Part 3 linked in the Conclusion of the guide covers Mass Effect 2 & 3 respectively.

To earn 100% in Mass Effect, we only need to complete one full playthrough of all three games. To do this, we must play on the grueling Insanity Difficulty as well as Import our same Character across all three games. As part of the Legendary Edition, all released DLCs are included into the game.

Unlike the original Mass Effect game, we do not need to complete three separate playthroughs of the game to unlock all the “kill X amount of enemies with X Power” for being a Soldier, Engineer, or Adept. So long as you max out the needed Powers of your chosen Class, the rest of the Achievements can be unlocked using a Squad Member of the other remaining two. The only Talent that is a must to max out for us is the Charm or Intimidate Talent (depending on if you decide to play as Paragon or Renegade). We need one or the other Talent fully maxed out before the end of the game to complete the Charismatic Achievement. For farming these Achievements, should you need to, you can actually use the Powers on any interactable object; more specifically things like Door Panels or Citadel Rapid Transit Consoles. If you run out of enemies to kill, then this is a guaranteed way to unlock these Achievements; except for AI Hacking & Neural Shock, these MUST be done on actual enemies so keep that in mind.

We also need to be sure to establish a Relationship with either Ashley Williams, Kaidan Alenko, or Liara T’Soni. So long as you aim towards it & make sure to use the more “suggestive” dialogue with them, the Paramour I Achievement will be hard to miss.

For the Completionist Achievement, we also need to complete “the majority of the game”. I have done a fair bit of research on this Achievement & there are no agreed upon parameters for how much exploration & Quests constitute “the majority of the game”. Through my own gameplay & tracking, if you add all Missions & Assignments together, we need to complete 51/74 Missions/Assignments. I tallied at least 60 Assignments in the game, but I may have missed one or two; I outline everything throughout the guide so you don’t have to worry.

As well, we also need to accumulate our Paragon/Renegade meter to 75% for the Principled Achievement. While there are exploits we can use to boost this, it is not necessary since we already have to complete the bulk of the Assignments & are given a lot of opportunities to earn. Pay attention to the dialogue options & stick to your chosen “karma” play style. Keep this in mind as we play…

The rest of our Achievements will all come through natural progression & exploration. As we collect each of the six Squad Members, be sure to cycle through them to & complete 5 Missions with each in our Squad to unlock their associated Achievements. Assignments & Missions contribute to these Achievements however they are a bit finicky. Some Missions actually count as several as we progress them which is great while some Assignments will not count at all. To be safe, I recommend doing as many Assignments as you can (if not all of them) to not only guarantee unlocking these Achievements but also to accrue lots of Credits & Xp. It will only make playing Insanity Difficulty well… less difficult.

The only Assignments not worth completing fully are the ones associated with Collectible hunting on Uncharted Planets like Turian Insignias, Asari Writings, Signs of Battle, Valuable Minerals, etc.; they are more trouble than they are worth & very time consuming unless you are on the ball with Uncharted Planet exploration.

For those interested, here is an organized list of all the Achievements/Secret Achievements. This is how I derive my Achievement Breakdowns & the first reference I create before I begin my 100% journeys.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2966501519
Before You Play!: To play Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (or any EA game for that matter) we will unfortunately need to create an EA Account to have their launcher running the game in the background. Unfortunately, I have had some issues with the EA App not syncing my Saves with Steam, which was actually awful. Steam would have my recent Cloud Save, but the App wouldn’t always get it synced causing a conflict as it believes its last synced Save is your current one. Pay extra close attention when this pop up happens & be sure to choose the right Save; if you choose poorly, you’ll overwrite your last Save with the previous one & undo any progress you made. I did this by accident, not once but twice, & lost hours worth of play time that I had to redo.

On top of this sometimes your Save will just fail & you will be caught in an infinite loading screen. The only way I found to fix it is just to reload a different Save which is why it is very important to keep multiple Saves of your game & Save often. Failed Saves happened to me pretty often. Not. Cool. This is NOT Commander Shepard’s favourite App on the Citadel…

*Guide contains major spoilers.

Sequence 1: The Fall of Eden

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 1/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 1/~60
3. Codex Entries: 11/13
4. Achievements: 1/127
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Create your Character however you like; Male or Female makes no difference. Just remember we need to play as the exact same Character across all three games, so make sure you design them well… because we will be stuck with them. As for your Class I recommend playing as anything but a Soldier; all other Classes have many useful Powers we can use to contribute to the “Use X Power 25 times” Achievements. I personally enjoy playing as the Engineer Class.

After we design our Character, be sure to select Insanity Difficulty so we can earn all Mass Effect 1 Achievements on a single playthrough.

Remember to explore everywhere, talk to everyone, & kill everything to maximize our Credits & Xp… Try killing things personally to work towards the Veteran Achievement.

Normandy SR-1:

Codex Entry #1 – Council Races (Turian): We will unlock this first Codex Entry after our very first conversation with Joker & Kaiden Alenko in the Normandy Cockpit when Nihlus leaves.

For the Archivist Achievement, we need to obtain all if the Council Races, Extinct Races, & Non-Council Races Codex Entries; all other Codex Entries are not required for the Achievement.

Codex Entry #2 – Extinct Races (Protheans): Missable. Speak with Nihlus & Captain Anderson in the Comms Room to receive our Mission briefing. After the main dialogue, we will have the option to Investigate or begin the Mission. Choose to Investigate & ask Anderson about the Protheans. After we have learned about them, carry on with the Mission & we will receive the Codex Entry once we regain control of Shepard on Eden Prime.

Unlike all other Codex Entries that have multiple locations to unlock them, this is the only Missable Codex Entry in the game as it can only be unlocked during this dialogue sequence. If you miss this, you will need to reload a Save or restart the game!

Eden Prime:

Codex Entry #3 – Non-Council Races (Geth): Fight your way through the initial Geth Assault Drones until you link up with the Alliance soldier, Ashley Williams. Speak with her until you get the option to Investigate; ask her about the Geth to unlock their Codex Entry.

Kaiden & Ashley will be our first Squad Members to complete 5 Missions/Assignments with for their respective Achievements. Be sure to chip away at using Kaiden’s Biotic Powers in combat as well…


Achievement #1 – Distinguished Service Medal: Complete Eden Prime.
Story Related. Reach the Beacon on Eden Prime & interact with it during Mission – Prologue to unlock the Achievement.

Mission #1 – Prologue: Complete the Eden Prime sequence.

Citadel – Presidium:

When we arrive at the Citadel, save going to the Citadel Tower for last… we have a lot of exploring & errands to do while we are here before progressing the main story.

Assignment #1 – Unusual Readings: While we are in Udina’s Office, hack the Easy Decrypted Terminal to unlock this Assignment.

This is an Assignment we will complete later once we are free roaming the Traverse…

Codex Entry #4 – Non-Council Races (Volus): While in the Human Embassies in the Presidium, go to the Volus & Elcor Office & we can find the Volus Ambassador, Din Korlack. Speak with him & ask what Volus are & their history to unlock the Codex Entry.

Codex Entry #5 – Non-Council Races (Elcor): In the same room as Din Korlack, speak with Calyn the Elcor Ambassador. Investigate in the dialogue what Elcor are & ask him about their history as well to unlock this Codex Entry.

Codex Entry #6 – Council Races (Asari): Leave the Human Embassy now & head down the stairs to the main hall. At the bottom of the stairs along the wall, we can find Saphyria, the Embassy Receptionist. Speak with her & exhaust her dialogue to unlock this Codex Entry.

Assignment #2 – Strange Transmission: Enter into C-Sec HQ now across in the other half of the Embassies building & go to Executor Pallin’s office. We can find another Easy Decrypted Terminal to hack for an Assignment.

This is another Assignment we will complete later…

Citadel Rapid Transit: All across the Citadel, we can find the Citadel Rapid Transit shuttles. Not only are these our form of Fast Travel around the Citadel, but we can also exploit them to farm our “Use X Power 25 times”. For whatever reason, using Powers on the CRT terminal will count towards the Achievement. Do not bother farming any of these Achievements until the end of the game if they have not come through natural progression.

This can be done for every single Power except AI Hacking & Neural Shock which will need specific enemy targets.

Assignment #3 – Asari Consort: Speak with the Consort herself, Sha’ira, over at the Consorts Chambers to unlock this Assignment.

Codex Entry #7 – Extinct Races (Rachni): Just East of the Emporium (or West from the Consort Chambers) we can find an Avina instance in front of a large Krogan statue. Ask her about the Rachni to unlock this Codex Entry.

Codex Entry #8 – Non-Council Races (Hanar): Go to the Emporium now & speak with its Shopkeeper & ask it about its speech to unlock this Codex Entry.

Codex Entry #9 – Non-Council Races (Keepers): Make your way over to the elevator to the Citadel Tower where we can find another instance of Avina next to a Keeper. Speak with her & ask what Keepers are to unlock the Codex Entry.

Citadel – Citadel Tower:

Mission #2 – Expose Saren: We will receive this Mission upon completing our hearing with the Council after speaking with Captain Anderson.

Mission #3 – Garrus: We will receive this Mission upon completing our hearing with the Council after speaking with Captain Anderson.

Mission #4 – Shadow Broker: We will receive this Mission upon completing our hearing with the Council after speaking with Captain Anderson.

Codex Entry #10 – Council Races (Salarian): We will unlock this Codex Entry after we finish the hearing with the Council about Saren; we will also unlock the entries for Turians & Asari as well if you didn’t already collect them.

Assignment #4 – Scan the Keepers: Agree to help Chorban who is scanning a Keeper after we finish the Council hearing; there are 20 to find in total between the Citadel Tower, Presidium, & the Wards.

Citadel – Presidium:

Assignment #5 – Presidium Prophet: Speak with the Hanar/C-Sec Officer near the entrance to the Wards Access. Unless you have a high enough Charm or Intimidate, the fastest way to complete the Assignment is to purchase the Hanar a license.

Missions #4 – Shadow Broker=Wrex: Progress the Mission by speaking with Barla Von in the Bank. Ask him for information on Saren & we will be directed to locate the Krogan bounty hunter, Wrex.

Codex Entry #11 – Non-Council Races (Krogan): Progressing Mission – Shadow Broker by speaking to Barla Von will unlock the Codex Entry.

Sequence 2: The Citadel

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 3/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 9/~60
3. Codex Entries: 12/13
4. Achievements: 4/127
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Citadel – Wards:

Assignment #3 – Asari Consort: Speak with General Septimus at Chora’s Den & tell him to leave the Consort be.

Assignment #6 – Xeltan’s Complaint: Accept General Septimus’s small errand during Assignment – Asari Consort when we speak with him in Chora’s Den to tell a different suitor to leave the Consort be...

Assignment #7 – The Fan: Speak with Conrad Verner in the Upper Market; this is an ongoing Assignment that will be progressed after completing Missions over the course of the game.

Assignment #8 – Reporter’s Request: Speak with Emily Wong in the chamber in front of the entrance to the Flux Nightclub & agree to help her look for corruption on the Citadel.

Assignment #9 – Rita’s Sister: Speak with Rita in the Flux Nightclub & agree to help her sister, Jenna, get out of danger.

Assignment #10 – Signal Tracking: Investigate a suspicious Quasar Machine at the Flux Nightclub in their upstairs gambling lounge.

Garrus Vakarian: We can unlock Garrus as a Squad Member by completing Mission #3 – Garrus. When he asks to join us, let him, as he is needed for the Turian Ally Achievement… he is also the greatest companion in video game history.

For now though, keep Ashley & Kaiden in your Squad as we will unlock their associated Achievements while completing Assignments on the Citadel.

Codex Entry #12 – Non-Council Races (Quarian): We will unlock this Codex Entry when we link up with Garrus Vakarian at the Med Clinic after rescuing Chloe Michel from Fist’s Thugs. During the dialogue sequence, she will tell us about a Quarian who came to see her.

Urdnot Wrex: Recruit Wrex after completing Mission #4 – Wrex; we need him to unlock the Krogan Ally Achievement.

Assignment #11 – Jahleed’s Fears: We can find Jahleed in the C-Sec Offices upstairs. The Salarian who gave us the Assignment – Scan the Keepers is trying to kill him.

Settle the dispute between Chorban & Jahleed to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #4 – Scan the Keepers: Whether you find all 20 Keepers to scan or you find Jahleed in the C-Sec Offices & finish this Assignment in the alternate route; finish the Assignment.

Citadel – Presidium:

Assignment #6 – Xeltan’s Complaint: Speak with Xeltan & show him Septimus’s datapad to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #3 – Asari Consort: Speak with Sha’ira & tell her that everything has been taken care of with Septimus to complete the Assignment.


Achievement #2 – Sentinel Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Alliance Sentinel Squad Member.
Missions as well as Assignments contribute towards this Achievement. These Achievements are a little buggy & will not always trigger when you think they will after completing your needed Assignments. More likely, certain Missions or Assignments may not actually count towards the Achievement for whatever reason. Regardless, if you have had Kaiden in your Squad for this entire time, we will unlock his Achievement here.


Achievement #3 – Soldier Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Alliance Soldier Squad Member.
If you have had Ashley in your Squad from the beginning of the game, we will unlock her Achievement after completing an Assignment or two after unlocking the Sentinel Ally.
As of now, stop completing our Assignments on the Citadel. We do not have access to the Normandy to change our Squad right now so we need to save some Assignments to complete with our other members.

Citadel – The Wards:

Mission #2 – Expose Saren: Go to the Chora’s Den now & meet up/deal with Fist. If you don’t kill Fist, then Wrex will unless he is in your Squad & tell him not to.

Assignment #8 – Reporter’s Request: We can find Fist’s OSD on the ground after he is dealt with, be sure to pick it up as intel for Emily Wong.

Mission #2 – Expose Saren: Fist will tell us where we can find the Quarian, though she will be walking into a trap. Quickly get to her & rescue her from Saren’s Assassins.


Achievement #4 – Sabotage Specialist: Use Sabotage 25 times.
If you are an Engineer, Infiltrator, or Sentinel Class then between you & Kaiden you should unlock this Achievement shortly if you have been using it in combat. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Kaiden, Tali, & Garrus do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

If you are a Biotic or have access to Throw, then you will most likely unlock that Achievement instead.

Citadel – Presidium:

Tali’Zorah nar Rayya: Allow Tali to join our team after we receive the evidence exposing Saren from her.

Once we do, we will have access to our Squad Select; choose different members now that are not Kaiden or Ashley so we can go back to completing our Citadel Assignments. I recommend using Tali & Wrex, but especially Tali so we can get her done early in the game as well.

Assignment #12 – Homecoming: When we leave Udina’s Office, we will be intercepted by Samesh Bhatia in the Embassy lobby. Agree to help him convince Bosker to allow him to bring his wife’s body home from Eden Prime.

Convince him to release the body or agree to let him keep it for military research to complete the Assignment.

Citadel – The Wards:

Assignment #8 – Reporter’s Request: Take Fist’s OSD to Emily Wong to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #9 – Rita’s Sister: Return to the Chora’s Den now that they have hosed out all the blood from our last visit & speak with Rita’s sister, Jenna. When we go to leave, an undercover C-Sec officer will bump into us & say to meet him back at the Academy.

Go to C-Sec now & debrief on the situation with Detective Chellick. Agree to speak with the illegal arms dealer, Jax, & deal with him however you like. Report back to Chellick to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #13 – Schnells the Gambler: Go to the Flux Nightclub now & as we approach the stairs leading up to it, we will see a cut scene of a Salarian being kicked out. He will tell he is building a scanner that will help people cheat at Quasar; agree to record the last few wins on it for him.

Go to any Quasar Machine in Flux & begin playing; play five times to fulfill our requirements. If you keep playing, we will be caught by the club owner. Report back to Schnells to complete the Assignment. Alternatively, you can just hand over the device to the club owner instead.

Sequence 3: Like A Spectre

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 5/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 10/~60
3. Codex Entries: 13/13
4. Achievements: 11/127
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Citadel – The Wards:

Assignment #10 – Signal Tracking: For our final Citadel Assignment to mop up go to the Ward Access corridor on the level in between the Wards & the Presidium. We can find the signal in a holo-screen in one of the lobby rooms.

Citadel – Presidium:

Assignment #10 – Signal Tracking: Go to the Bank now in the Presidium & we can find the next signal on the large server behind Barla Von.

The final signal can be found up the stairs to the back rooms of the Emporium. Make a Save before interacting with the Signal Source. When we speak with it, it will be a hostile AI; we will need to disable it, or it will self destruct & instantly kill us.


Achievement #5 – Barrier Mastery: Use Biotic Barrier 25 times.
This is the easiest of the Powers Achievements to unlock as it can be used at anytime outside of combat. As we are strolling around the Citadel, & you or a Squad Member can use it, be sure to be constantly popping the Power off when it recharges.

If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Kaiden, Wrex, & Liara do.

Citadel – Citadel Tower:

Achievement #6 – Spectre Inductee: Become a Spectre.
Story Related. Present our new evidence against Saren to the Council & complete Mission – Expose Saren to become a Spectre & unlock our Achievement.


Achievement #7 – Quarian Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Quarian Squad Member.
We will unlock this Achievement after finishing up the last of our Citadel Assignments & after we finish Mission – Expose Saren if you have had Tali in your Squad.

Unless you are an Engineer, Tali is the only Squad Member who has access to the AI Hacking Power. AI Hacking is the only Power that we cannot farm (if need be) using the Citadel Rapid Transit Shuttles & has to be done on actual machines like the Geth. Keep this in mind, & be sure to put her future available Points into AI Hacking to at least Advanced AI Hacking. We will be using her during some Assignments later on for this reason…


Achievement #8 – Krogan Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Krogan Squad Member.
We will unlock this Achievement after finishing up the last of our Citadel Assignments & after we finish Mission – Expose Saren if you have had Wrex in your Squad.

Assignment #14 – Missing Marines: Before we leave Citadel Tower, go & speak with Rear Admiral Kahoku to receive a new Assignment in the Sparta System.

Citadel – The Wards:

Codex Entry #13 – Non-Council Races (Batarian): When you are ready to leave the Citadel, go to the Docking Bay & speak with Ambassador Udina & Captain Anderson to gain possession of the Normandy VI. After the conversation & Udina leaves, speak with Anderson once again. Ask him the real reason why he was kicked out of the Spectres to receive this Codex Entry.


Achievement #9 – Archivist: Find all Primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races & Non-Council Races Codex Entries.
If you have been following along with the guide, we will unlock this Achievement after speaking with Captain Anderson. All Codex Entries have multiple locations they could have been unlocked except for the Protheans which is the only Missable entry.

Assignment #15 – Missing Survey Team: Enter the Normandy but exit it after we regain control of Shepard. Enter the Docking Bay elevator & take it down to C-Sec & we will receive this Assignment listening to the radio. Keep riding it until it triggers.

Assignment #16 – Hostage: Keep riding the elevator until we receive this Assignment over the radio broadcast as well.

Normandy SR-1:

We are now in control of the Normandy & have finally begin given wings to begin free roaming the Traverse. Be sure to make a point of doing regular check ins with your Squad Members after completing Missions as we can unlock special Assignments from them after we build enough affinity with them.

When we enter the Galaxy Map, we can see 12 Galaxies we can go & explore. Before we go anywhere, we will want to complete Mission #5 – Find Liara T’Soni so we can unlock our final Squad Member.

Artemis Tau – Knossos:

At this stage in the game, you most likely do not have much Omni-Gel, the essential resource needed to repair the Mako. Since we are on Insanity Difficulty, Mako sequences can be pretty challenging. Fight very defensively & whittle enemies health down by popping in & out of cover.

Unlike in the original Mass Effect, kills in the Mako do not have reduced Xp compared to if we performed the kill on foot. Because of this, use the safety of the Mako whenever you can during combat.

Mission #5 – Find Liara T’soni: Go to the Knossos System in the Artemis Tau Cluster & travel to the planet, Therum.


Achievement #10 – Search & Rescue: Locate Dr. T'soni in the Artemis Tau Cluster.
Story Related. Rescue Liara from the Geth assassins & bring her back to the Normandy safely to complete Mission #5 – Find Liara T’Soni & unlock our Achievement.

Liara T’Soni: We now have all Squad Members in the game, be sure to put her in your Squad along with whoever else remains for the final companion related Achievements.


Achievement #11 – Electronics Specialist: Use Shield Overload 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Engineer, Infiltrator, or Sentinel. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Kaiden, Tali, Garrus, & Liara do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Sequence 4: The Expanse

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 5/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 16/~60
3. Uncharted Worlds: 6/8
4. Achievements: 14/127
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With our full Squad unlocked, we should now start at one end of the Traverse & begin sweeping through all the Systems & Planets to the other end. A lot of times, we will stumble upon new Assignments while exploring Uncharted Worlds. If nothing else, we will receive Xp & enemies to fight to chip away at our Achievements. Save our actual Missions until the end as completing those is what progresses the game.

Keep our “Use X Power 25 times” Achievements in mind as you play & try building a diverse Squad to account for all of the needed Powers.

Artemis Tau – Sparta:

Assignment #17 – Asari Diplomacy: When we go to travel to any other System, we will receive a message from an Asari named Nassana who has a job offer for us on the Citadel; no sense collecting it now as you will find out in the next System we visit.

Uncharted World #1 – Edolus: We can find this Uncharted World in the Sparta System; when we travel to it Joker will pick up a distress beacon we can investigate, allowing us to land.


Achievement #12 – Medal of Exploration I: Land on an Uncharted World.
We will unlock this Achievement as soon as we land on our first Uncharted World.

Assignment #14 – Missing Marines: Whether you obtained the Assignment back at the Citadel or just now when travelling to Edolus, we will need to get to the distress signal to find out what happened to Kahoku’s marines.

When we arrive at the distress signal, a Thresher Maw mini-boss will appear & we will have to carefully kill it. In future, when our main objective (or an Anomaly) is located in a large flat area on an Uncharted World, it usually means we will have to fight a Thresher.

Examine the dead marines to progress the Assignment.

Artemis Tau – Macedon:

Uncharted World #2 – Sharjila: We can find this Uncharted World in the Macedon System & are able to land on it immediately.

Assignment #17 – Asari Diplomacy: Even though we haven’t spoken with Nassana yet on the Citadel, we can still go ahead & complete the task she will send us to do early. Make your way to the Stronghold on Shajila & kill the Pirates inside. Go to the second floor office & inspect the desk to obtain Dahlia’s Datapad to confront Nassana with.

Hades Gamma – Anaeus:

Uncharted World #3 – Trebin: We can find this Uncharted World in the Anaeus System & are able to land on it immediately.

Assignment #15 – Missing Survey Team: Travel to the Excavation Site & defeat all of the Husks inside the building to complete the Assignment.

Hades Gamma – Farinata:

Assignment #16 – Hostage: Board the MSV Ontario & prepare for a difficult fight with some Biotic Terrorists. As soon as we engage them, a 3 minute timer will activate for us to get to the hostage before execution. Try luring the Terrorists into the hallway we enter their room from to get them boxed in for maximum effectiveness with our Powers.

Stop the Terrorists however you like to complete the Assignment.

Normandy SR-1:

Assignment #18 – Wrex – Family Armor: If you have spoken with Wrex at least three times in between trips to & from the Normandy & completed the optional dialogue all associated with it, we will be able to ask him about his family & receive this Loyalty Assignment from him.

Assignment #19 – Garrus – Dr. Saleon: Similar to Wrex, if you have completed three sessions of optional dialogue with Garrus, we will unlock his Loyalty Assignment from him.

Gemini Sigma – Ming:

Assignment #20 – Lost Freighter: Board the derelict freighter, the MSV Worthington, & uncover the mystery behind its shutdown. Deal with the crazed Biotic, Julia, to complete the Assignment.

Argos Rho – Hydra:

Uncharted World #4 – Metgos: When we go to land on Metgos, we will hear a distress call from a downed medical ship.


Achievement #13 – Medal of Exploration II: Land on 4 Uncharted Worlds.
Metgos will be our fourth Uncharted World we will have landed on.

Assignment #1 – Unusual Readings=Distress Call: Get to the Transponder Signal & when we approach it, a Geth ambush will be sprung. Defeat the Geth Rocket Troopers & Armatures to complete the Assignment.

Argos Rho – Phoenix:

Assignment #21 – Rogue VI: After travelling to a few Galaxies after completing Assignment – Hostage, Admiral Hackett will reach out to us for help regarding a rogue VI that has taken over an Alliance training ground. This Assignment is located in the Sol System, on the Moon; we will head there later…

Uncharted World #5 – Tuntau: We can find this Uncharted World in the Phoenix System & are able to land on it immediately.

Assignment #18 – Wrex – Family Armor: Go to the Hidden Structure, & enter inside to discover a Mercenary Base full of Pirates; this is a pretty challenging battle with a mini-boss Pirate called Tonn Actus. Once they are defeated, we can loot Wrex’s Armor from a Wall Safe on the upper floor room.


Achievement #14 – Dampening Specialist: Use Damping Field 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Engineer type Class. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Garrus & Tali do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Normandy SR-1:

Assignment #18 – Wrex – Family Armor: Return the Family Armor to Wrex onboard the Normandy to complete the Assignment.

Spectre Master Gear: As soon as you start getting the Credits for them, begin purchasing a set of Spectre Master Gear Weapons for you & your main Squad Members; to start, just buy the Weapons you all get Class bonuses for. This extra edge will make a massive difference!

Voyager Cluster – Amazon:

Assignment #22 – Espionage Probe: As soon as we enter the Amazon System, we will receive a message from Admiral Hackett asking us to disarm an Alliance probe that is equipped with a nuclear bomb; accept the task.

Uncharted World #6 – Agebinium: Go to Agebinium & land on it to locate the missing Alliance probe.

Assignment #22 – Espionage Probe: Travel to the Alliance Homing Beacon & we will find that it has been moved inside a nearby mine. Once we locate the bomb, make a Save; this next part is a bit tricky! Interact with the bomb & a Turian of the name Elanos Haliat will speak to us over hologram & activate the nuke. We have 10 seconds to disarm it. There are three hard points we need to disarm manually; if you have been a busy bee, you can use 100 Omni-Gel to disarm each piece though I wouldn’t recommend wasting it.

When the bomb is disarmed, escape outside the mine & get back to the Mako where we must kill Haliat & his men; doing so will complete the Assignment.

Sequence 5: Dog of the Alliance

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 5/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 24/~60
3. Uncharted Worlds: 8/8
4. Achievements: 20/127
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Armstrong Nebula:

Assignment #23 – Geth Incursions: As soon as we enter the Armstrong Nebula, we will receive a message from Admiral Hackett asking us to take out some Geth outposts on Planets located in all four of the Galaxies’ Systems. This entire Assignment is a good opportunity to work towards the AI Hacking Specialist Achievement; bring Tali if she has Advanced AI Hacking unlocked.

We can find these outposts on Rayingri in the Gagarin System, Antibaar in the Tereshkova System, Casbin in the Hong System, & Maji in the Vamshi System.

When they are all destroyed, we will then locate the main Geth base in the Grissom System on the small moon Solcrum. Eliminate the final Geth targets to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #24 – Tali & the Geth: While inside the Geth Bunker on Solcrum, enter the room on the lower floor & hack the Geth Terminal to acquire some information that Tali may find useful.


Achievement #15 – Medal of Exploration III: Land on 8 Uncharted Worlds.
We will unlock this Achievement after landing on the second of four Planets in the Armstrong Nebula. There are way more than 8 Uncharted Worlds in the game & this will most likely come to you naturally, unless you never bother exploring the Traverse…


Achievement #16 – Throw Mastery: Use Biotic Throw 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Adept, Sentinel, or Vanguard. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Liara, Kaiden, & Wrex do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.


Achievement #17 – Recruit: Kill 250 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3.
Enemies for these Achievements must be killed solely by your own Character; Squad Member kills do not count. Kills in the Mako do count.

Normandy SR-1:

Assignment #24 – Tali & the Geth: Give Tali the information we took from Solcrum to complete the Assignment & Tali’s Loyalty Quest.

If you have not already been doing so, make sure to regularly check in with our Squad Members to see if they have new dialogue for us; especially check in with your desired Romantic interest (Liara, Kaiden, or Ashley).

Kepler Verge – Newton:

Assignment #25 – Dead Scientists: As soon as we enter the Newton System, Hackett will ping us for yet another Assignment. Go to Ontarom & get to the marked Underground Facility. Deal with Corporal Tombs & Dr. Wayne however you like; note this a good time to acquire more Paragon/Renegade Points.


Achievement #18 – Warp Mastery: Use Biotic Warp 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Adept or Vanguard. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Liara & Wrex do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Kepler Verge – Herschel:

Assignment #19 – Garrus – Dr. Saleon: Go to the Herschel System now & we can find Dr. Heart’s (aka Dr. Saleon) ship orbiting the gas giant, Clugon. Board the ship, ideally with Garrus, & dispose of some intergalactic garbage to complete the Assignment.


Achievement #19 – Neural Shock Specialist: Use Neural Shock 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Engineer or Sentinel. If you do not have access to the Power, the only other Squad Member who does is Kaiden so keep that in mind...

Unlike the other use "X Power 25 times" Achievements, Neural Shock must be used against actual enemies & cannot be farmed via Door Panels or Citadel Rapid Transit.

Hawking Eta – Century:

Assignment #2 – Strange Transmission=Major Kyle: When we enter the Hawking Eta Cluster, we will receive another message from Admiral Hackett. This time, we must take down a cult with some rogue Biotics in it run by a man named Major Kyle. Go to the moon Presrop that orbits the planet Klendagon. Get a meeting with Major… I mean Father Kyle, & bring him to justice however you can/like.

Local Cluster – Sol:

Assignment #21 – Rogue VI: This Assignment is a good opportunity to work towards the AI Hacking Specialist Achievement; bring Tali if she has Advanced AI Hacking.

It is now time to travel to our very own Milky Way… the most exploited System in the Traverse. Go to Luna, rip around the moon’s surface in the Mako in a ways Neil Armstrong can never fathom. Get to the three Alliance Bunkers & clear them out of all VI Cores & Conduits to complete the Assignment.

Completing this Quest will unlock a Specialization Class; choose whichever one matches your play style. There are no Achievements associated with Specializations…


Achievement #20 – First Aid Specialist: Use Medi-Gel 50 times.
This will come naturally as we play through the game, especially on Insanity Difficulty. Remember that we can always replenish our Medi-Gel on the Normandy in the Medical Ward, so heal even the tiniest scratch with Medi-Gel until the Achievement unlocks.

Though very unlikely, this Achievement can technically be missable as we need enemies to damage us before we can heal. If you somehow make it to the end of the game without this Achievement… you could screw your playthrough over.

Citadel – Docking Bay:

When we arrive at the Citadel, Rear Admiral Mikailovich will be in the Docking Bay waiting for us. Deal with him as you wish as he is inconsequential.

Assignment #26 – I Remember Me: If you chose the Colonist background during Character Creation, we can unlock a unique Assignment (other backgrounds may have different Assignments).

Take the elevator down into C-Sec & as soon as we step off, we will receive a message from Lieutenant Girard that a woman has barricaded herself at the Docking Bay… in the time it took us to take the elevator down apparently. Take the elevator back up & deal with the girl however you are able to complete the Assignment; this Assignment is a good source of Paragon/Renegade Points.

Citadel – The Wards:

Assignment #27 – The Fourth Estate: When we take the elevator back down to C-Sec, we can spot Khalisah Al-Jilani, a reporter. Speak with her & either do the interview or not to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #7 – The Fan: It is time to pop in to see ol’ Conrad Verner in the Markets. Interact with him as you will to progress the Assignment.

If you are Renegade, it is possible to finish this Assignment right here; doing it this way will result in Conrad becoming a terrorist & attacking us later…

Sequence 6: Cerberus

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 5/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 30/~60
3. Achievements: 25/127
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Citadel – Presidium:

Assignment #17 – Asari Diplomacy: Go to the Embassies bar now & we can find Nassana at one of the tables. Turn this Assignment in to her for a reward.

Assignment #27 – Family Matter: There is one final Assignment we can complete on the Citadel & it is located right across from the Citadel Rapid Transit Shuttle for the Financial District. Speak with Michael & Rebekah (with a K) Petrovsky & settle their argument as you wish; this is a good opportunity for Paragon/Renegade Points.


Achievement #21 – Turian Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Turian Squad Member.
If Garrus was one of the last companions to be in your Squad, we will unlock this Achievement when we wrap up some Assignments on the Citadel.


Achievement #22 – Asari Ally: Complete 5 Missions with the Asari Squad Member.
If Liara was one of the last companions to be in your Squad, we will unlock this Achievement when we wrap up some Assignments on the Citadel.

This is the earliest that we can have all 6 of our Squad Members Achievements unlocked. If it still hasn’t yet for some reason, do not worry as we still have half the game left to complete. Be sure to always swap out Squad Members who already have their Achievements unlocked.

Once they are all unlocked, you are free to build your Squad however you like. Focus now on obtaining the final “Use X Power 25 times” Achievements & always keep at least one Engineer type Class & Biotic Class in your Squad.

Assignment #28 – Hostile Takeover: Across from the Emporium, we can find Helena Blake who will offer us an Assignment to wipe out two Crime Lords. Naturally, agree to help her.

Citadel – Citadel Tower:

Assignment #29 – Planting A Bug: Go to the Citadel Tower now & we can find Emily Wong in front of the steps leading up to the Council’s court. All she wants us to do is plant a bug in the C-Sec Traffic Control office, easy.

Assignment #14 – Missing Marines: Report back to Admiral Kahoku now on what happened to his marines to complete the Assignment.

Citadel – The Wards:

Assignment #29 – Planting A Bug: Go to C-Sec now & head up to the Traffic Control office where we can plant the bug, easy.

Report back to Emily Wong to turn in the Assignment.

That is all our business at the Citadel taken care of; go shopping if you need to, & return to the Normandy.

Hades Gamma – Dis:

Assignment #30 – Cerberus: When we arrive at any System when leaving the Citadel after completing Assignment – Missing Marines, we will hear an urgent distress call from Admiral Kahoku requesting assistance.

Assignment #28 – Hostile Takeover: Before assisting Kahoku, travel to the Dis System & land on the Planet, Klensal. Travel to the Syndicate Hideout & defeat the Crime Lord.


Achievement #23 – Stasis Mastery: Use Biotic Stasis 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Adept or Sentinel Class. If you do not have access to the Power, Squad Members Liara & Wrex do.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Gemini Sigma – Han:

Assignment #28 – Hostile Takeover: Travel to the Han System now & land on Planet, Mavigon. Travel to the Syndicate Hideout & defeat the second Crime Lord.


Achievement #24 – Lift Mastery: Use Biotic Lift 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Adept, Vanguard, or Sentinel Class. If you do not have access to the Power, Liara is the only Squad Member who has it.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Voyager Cluster – Yangtze:

Assignment #30 – Cerberus: It is now time to go rescue Admiral Kahoku. Travel to Binthu & we will find three Research Facilities on our Map. Go to each of the three Facilities & destroy whatever project they are working on; we will always find Kahoku in the final Facility we enter. Find Kahoku to complete the Assignment.


Achievement #25 – Singularity Mastery: Use Biotic Singularity 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Adept Class. If you do not have access to the Power, Liara is the only Squad Member who has it.

This Achievement can alternatively be farmed by using the Power on any locked on Citadel Rapid Transit consoles or Door Panels.

Voyager Cluster – Columbia:

Assignment #31 – Hades’ Dogs: After finding Kahoku, we will receive this new Assignment automatically. Travel to the Planet Nepheron in the Columbia System & get to the Cerberus Underground Facility. Fight through the Facility until you reach the Terminal in one of the back rooms where we can download what little we can on Cerberus & complete the Assignment.

Remember Cerberus… they play a pretty pivotal role in Mass Effect 2.

As of now, we are around halfway through Mass Effect 1 & well on our way to unlocking the Completionist Achievement. By this point, ideally, your Paragon or Renegade meter should be at around 30-40% if you have been choosing their associated options in all the dialogue we have been doing. You can easily calculate your meter percentage by adding how many squares are coloured in & dividing it by 16, which is the total amount of squares. To get to 75% for the Principled Achievement, we need around 11-12 out of 16 squares coloured in.

Sequence 7: Bring Down the Sky

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 5/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 38/~60
3. Achievements: 27/127
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Exodus Cluster – Asgard:

Assignment #32 – Bring Down the Sky: This entire time we have been playing, you will have seen the banner “Asteroid X57” over the Exodus Cluster. Well now it is time to finally see what it is; travel to Asteroid X57 in the Asgard System. This was originally DLC for Mass Effect 1 that has been built into the Legendary Edition.

We need to shutdown all three Fusion Torches that are propelling the asteroid into a collision course with the Planet, Terra Nova.

Assignment #33 – Three Missing Engineers: As soon as we land on Asteroid X57, turn around from our position & head to a marked location on our Mini-Map to the South West; it doesn’t show on our Map. Get to it, & investigate the body of Mendel to unlock this Assignment; we can find two more Engineers at the next Survey Stations as marked on the Map below.



Locate all three Engineers to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #34 – Avoid the Blast Caps: After we shutdown the first Fusion Torch, we will encounter the lead Engineer, Simon, who will warn us of Blast Caps surrounding the next Fusion Torch. We will need to proceed to it on foot.

To easily navigate to the Torch, keep your eyes on your Mini-Map & steer clear of any (X) marks on it as they denote Blast Caps. Get to the Fusion Torch entrance & we can find a Terminal outside to disarm the Blast Caps to complete the Assignment.

Assignment #32 – Bring Down the Sky: When the final Torch is shutdown, we will encounter the second in command Batarian, Charn. Either agree to go with him to the Main Facility for some Paragon Points or kill him for the key to go there yourself for some Renegade Points; be prepared for a very large battle with some Batarians if you decide to kill Charn…

When speaking with Balak at the end of the Assignment, we will have a choice to attack him or save the hostages; it should be obvious what gives us a lot of Paragon & Renegade Points. Whatever you do choose, we will get a massive bonus for that choice…


Achievement #26 – Colonial Saviour: Complete the Bring Down the Sky Mission.
No matter how you choose to end it, complete the Assignment to unlock this Achievement.

Attican Beta – Hercules:

Assignment #35 – Lost Module: Enter into the Hercules System & we will receive a transmission from Admiral Hackett asking us to recover a downed drone on Planet Eletania. While there is an exploit during this Assignment that lets us earn infinite Paragon Points, we can find an even better one on Noveria that lets us earn infinite Paragon & Renegade Points should you need them for the Principled Achievement.

Search through the different Monkey Colonies until you reach one with a Mine beside it. Enter inside, & we can find the Module on one of the Monkeys in a back room; finding the Module will pit a Geth Ambush against us. Exit the Mine with the Module to complete the Assignment.

It should be noted that these Monkeys count as enemies… enemies we can farm melee kills for the Bruiser Achievement. I strongly recommend going to all of the Monkey Colonies & melee them all to death to get a massive head start towards the Achievement; kills are cumulative across Saves & you can reload them for more kills.

Feros – Zhu’s Hope:

Mission #6 – Geth Attack: It is now time for us to begin our first real Mission of the game. Go to the Planet Feros in the Theseus System within the Attican Beta & defend the colony from an imminent Geth assault.

Assignment #36 – Geth In the Tunnels: Speak with Fai Dan & Investigate to ask him about how to get the colony operational to unlock this Assignment.

Assignment #37 – Varron Meat: Enter into the nearby building in the colony close to Fai Dan & head down the hallway towards Davin Reynolds. Speak with him & ask him about the Varron Meat he brings up to unlock this Assignment.

Assignment #38 – Power Cells: Exit the building now & make your way back to where we entered the colony. Here we can find May O’Connell working on a power generator. Speak with her & agree to locate a power cell for her to unlock the Assignment.

Assignment #39 – Water Restoration: Directly ahead of O’Connell will be Macha Doyle. Speak with her about the Colony’s water issue to unlock this Assignment.

With our Assignments obtained, it is now time to press on & leave Zhu’s Hope.

Feros – Tunnels:

Assignment #39 – Water Restoration: Ignore the elevator to the Prothean Skyway & carry on through the ruins until you reach the Tunnels. When we enter into the Tunnels, we can find the three Water Valves inside the narrow passageways full of Geth leading to the very far North of the area. Turn them all back on to progress the Assignment.

Assignment #37 – Varron Meat: After passing through the first tunnel full of Geth, turning on two Water Valves, we will reach a crossroads. Right will take us to the Geth Transmitter, straight will take us to another passage full of Geth with another Water Valve, & left will take us through a doorway into a ruined room. This room will be full of Varron; kill the Varron Alpha to progress the Assignment.

Assignment #38 – Power Cells: On the upper level of the room full of Varron, we can find a wrecked transport vehicle. Go to its Fuel Compartment & we can remove a Power Cell from it.

Assignment #36 – Geth In the Tunnels: Take the right path now to the Geth Transmitter & we will have a difficult fight with some Krogan Mercenaries. Kill them & destroy the Transmitter to progress the Assignment.


Achievement #27 – AI Hacking Specialist: Use AI Hacking 25 times.
This will come through combat as you use it if you are an Engineer or Infiltrator Class. If you do not have access to the Power, Tali is the only Squad Member who has it.

Unlike the other use "X Power 25 times" Achievements, AI Hacking must be used against actual enemies & cannot be farmed via Door Panels or Citadel Rapid Transit.

Our Missions on Feros, Noveria, & the one following them are chalk full of Geth we are able to Hack. Make a point of Hacking at least 1-2 Geth per encounter & the Achievement will unlock in no time. Unless you are one of the aforementioned Classes, be sure to bring Tali along for this Achievement!

Before we go to the Prothean Skyways, turn in all of our completed Assignments; if we progress too far we will be unable to return to the colony until the end of the Mission.

Sequence 8: The Thorian

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 6/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 45/~60
3. Achievements: 29/127
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Feros – Prothean Skyway:

Assignment #40 – Data Recovery: Head across the first major road on the Prothean Skyway & we will enter into a junction where we can interact with some ExoGeni Scientists nearby. After speaking with their leaders, look for Gavin Hassle & accept his Assignment for us.

Feros – ExoGeni:

Mission #6 – Geth Attack-The Thorian: Speak with the VI inside the ExoGeni facility to learn why the Geth have came to Feros; the Thorian.

Assignment #40 – Data Recovery: Navigate through the facility until you reach a room full of Geth with a blue force field, just after we find the religious site. Head down the path to the right of the force field & we will reach a dead end with three Krogan Mercenaries in it. Defeat them, & we can find Gavin Hossle’s Console at the back; download the data.

Assignment #41 – Investigate Facility: Take the path to the left of the force field now & we will enter into the first room where the Geth Ship is docked with the building. Defeat the Geth here, & we can find an ExoGeni Console we can hack underneath the stairs leading up; hack it to acquire this Assignment.

Assignment #42 – Investigate Samples: Head over to the other side of this room where the Shuttle Bay Door Controls are. Defeat the Geth here, & go over to the left of the Bay Door Controls where we can hack a Server Node to acquire this Assignment.

Mission #6 – The Thorian: Dislodge the Geth Ship & make your way back to the Mako to return to the ExoGeni survivors we met earlier on the other side of the Prothean Skyway. Speak with them, & we will have a morality choice to make: only stop the Thorian & leave the Colonists alive, or kill them all. It should be obvious which choice is Paragon & which is Renegade.

If you kill the Colonists & have not completed their given Assignments, we will fail them.

Assignment #40 – Data Recovery: Before we leave, be sure to give Gavin Hossle his OSD full of data back to complete this Assignment.

Feros – Zhu’s Hope:

Mission #6 – The Thorian: Use the Anti-Thorian Gas Grenades to keep the Colonists alive, or slaughter them to get to the Freight Crane Controls. Meet the Thorian, & we will have to fight it; make your way around its chamber & destroy all of the Thorian Neural Nodes we find.


Achievement #28 – Medal of Heroism: Complete Feros.
Story Related. Defeat the Thorian & we will encounter Shiala, one of Saren’s former followers. With her help, we will receive the Cipher to better understand our vision from the Beacon. What you decide to do with Shiala is up to you; let her live, & we can see her again in Mass Effect 2. We will unlock the Achievement when we arrive back in what is left of Zhu’s Hope.

Normandy SR-1:

Mission #8 – Virmire: After completing Feros (alternatively Noveria also), when we interact with the Galaxy Map we will receive a message from the Council. Listen to them, & they will tell us of the Mission on Virmire; we will do this third, after completing Noveria (or Feros) first.

We will unlock the Charismatic Achievement on Virmire & need to have our Charm or Intimidate Power completely maxed out first.

Maroon Sea – Caspian:

Assignment #43 – Derelict Freighter: With Feros complete, we will have unlocked the Maroon Sea Cluster to go & explore. Go to the Caspian System, & we can board the MSV Cornucopia; just like the Serj Tankian song.

Proceed through the maze set up in the ship’s hull & battle a horde of Husks along the way. Reach the cockpit & interact with the Navigation Computer to not only unlock this Assignment, but complete it.

Maroon Sea – Vostok:

Assignment #41 – Investigate Facility=ExoGeni Facility: Travel to the Planet Nodacrux & make your way over to the Science Facility in the Mako. When we find the ExoGeni Scientists either let them go… or make them pay to complete the Assignment.

Maroon Sea – Matano:

Assignment #42 – Investigate Samples=Colony of the Dead: Go to the Planet Chasca now & travel over to where the Civilian Structures are before heading over to the Science Facility. Investigate the Terminal in the back room of the Science Facility to complete this Assignment.

Horsehead Nebula – Fortuna:

Assignment #28 – Hostile Takeover: It is now time for us to link up with Helena Blake on Planet Amaranthine. Head to the Engineering Outpost, & decide what to do with Blake to complete the Assignment.


Achievement #29 – Principled: Accumulate 75% of total possible Paragon or Renegade Points.
This is most likely the soonest you will be able to unlock this Achievement through natural progression. If you still have a ways to go, then be sure to really focus on making Paragon or Renegade decisions for when we are on Noveria.

There sis a tried & true method we can use to exploit earning Points on Noveria so do not be too stressed out if you are not close to getting 75% in either…

Horsehead Nebula – Strenuus:

Assignment #44 – Privateers: Go to the Strenuus System, & search around the Planet Xawin to Scan the MSV Majesty. Scan this newly discovered vessel, & we will be directed to land on Xawin. Travel to the Privateer Base & locate the body of Captain Willem of the MSV Majesty to progress the Assignment.

Citadel – Citadel Tower:

Assignment #44 – Privateers: Before we go to Noveria, return to the Citadel & go to Citadel Tower to meet with the man, Garoth, to tell him that his brother is dead to complete this Assignment…

Citadel – The Wards:

Assignment #7 – The Fan: If this Assignment is still active, pop over to the Markets & if you have not told him to (Censored by Steam), we can find our re-occurring buddy, Verner back again. Resolve the situation as you choose to complete the Assignment finally, if you play this out to the end, we will get the option to earn some Paragon or Renegade Points.

Sequence 9: Return of the Rachni

1. Completionist – Missions Complete: 7/14
2. Completionist – Assignments Complete: 46/~60
3. Achievements: 31/127
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If you have not already done so, be sure to progress a Romance arc with your chosen Squad Member either Liara, Kaiden, or Ashley. We need this done before we go to Virmire after completing Noveria; we will unlock the Paramour I Achievement after some events preceding Virmire.

Noveria – Port Hanshan:

Mission #7 – Geth Interest=Matriarch Benezia: When we arrive on Noveria, we will discover that Matriarch Benezia herself has travelled here & is currently residing at the research facility, Peak 15.

Assignment #45 – Smuggling: As soon as we take the elevator up to the Hanshan Plaza, enter a shop to our right & speak with the Hanar merchant, Opold. Agree to his proposition, & we will have to deliver a package to him back in the Docking Bay.

Take the elevator back down to the Normandy, & pick up Opold’s Package & either keep it or deliver it back to Opold to complete the Assignment.

Mission #8 – Leave Port Hanshan: Go to the administrator of Port Hanshan, Anoleis, & learn that he will not help us leave Noveria. In fact, he will have barred us from leaving due to some bad weather…

Mission #9 – Lorik Qui’in: As we go to leave Anoleis’ office, his receptionist will tip us off to a man who can help us leave, Lorik Qui’in. We can find him at the Hotel Mezzanine area.

Noveria – Port Hanshan Mezzanine:

Assignment #46 – Espionage: As soon as we enter the Mezzanine, we will be ambushed by an Asari named Mallene Calis. Agree to her Assignment, & we will need to distract the Binary Helix representative long enough for her device to hack their network.

Rafael Vargas is found across from where we can find Lorik Qui’in. Speak with him & wait until Calis’ device has worked; use your Paragon or Renegade dialogue options to make this sequence easy. When you have what you need, return to Calis to complete the Assignment.

Mission #9 – Lorik Qui’in: Speak with Lorik now & agree to help him with his Synthetic Insights problem to receive his garage pass.

Go to Synthetic Insights & access Lorik Qui’in’s Computer to collect the files he needs from us. When we exit, Gianna will stop us outside asking us to meet her in the Mezzanine. Speak with her, & she will ask us… to ask Qui’in to testify against Anoleis. Save here; speaking with Qui’in, we can acquire infinite Paragon &/or Renegade Points through a dialogue exploit should you need them! Note this only will work if you have high Charm or Intimidate…

Infinite Paragon/Renegade: Speak with Qui’in & ask him to testify against Anoleis. Choose “You’d Be A Hero” for Paragon & “Damn right I will” for Renegade Points; if you have the needed level in Charm or Intimidate. This will end the dialogue.

Speak with Qui’in again & this time ask him about “Matriarch Benezia”, then ask “Another question”. Doing this will reset dialogue & we can re-ask him to testify & repeat our Charm/Intimidate dialogue option for more Points. Doing this will give +25 Points every time & we can speed level the Principled Achievement if you still need it.

Mission #8 – Leave Port Hanshan: When you are finished, return to Gianna at her reception office to tell her that Qui’in will help. This will complete both Mission #9 – Lorik Qui’in as well as Mission #8 – Leave Port Hanshan.


Achievement #30 – Completionist: Complete the majority of the game.
If you have been following along with the guide, this is the soonest we will be able to unlock this Achievement after finishing 46/~60 Assignments & 7/14 Missions. With this done, I will no longer record Assignments however it is still good to complete them on your own for more Xp & kills for the Veteran Achievement; again, we definitely need our Charm or Intimidate maxed out before we go to Virmire!

If this Achievement does not unlock now or by the end of Noveria, be sure to complete the remainder of your logged Assignments before we head to Virmire as it is the point of no return.

Noveria – Peak 15:

Achievement #31 – Honorarium of Corporate Service: Complete Noveria.
Story Related. After completing all the Missions on Noveria, reach Matriarch Benezia in the Peak 15 Hot Labs & deal with her waves of Geth & Asari Commandos. After Benezia, we will have to make a decision about the Rachni Queen; should you spare her, she we will make an appearance through a servant in Mass Effect 2…

Make your decision on the Rachni Queen… & their race, to complete Noveria & unlock this Achievement.

Sequence 10: Sovereign

1. Achievements: 38/127
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Virmire:

Before we travel to Virmire, be sure to complete all Assignments you can as well as making sure that your Charm or Intimidate is fully maxed out so we can unlock the Charismatic Achievement. This is the point of no return & going to Virmire will railroad us on the final few Missions of the game.

Virmire – Salarian Camp:

Achievement #32 – Charismatic: Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation.
Missable. When we arrive at the Salarian Camp & link up with Captain Kirrahe, he will tell us that Saren has found a cure for the Genophage & expresses that it needs to be destroyed. Wrex will not like this & become agitated walking away; our conversation with him is how we unlock this Achievement. Save before speaking to Wrex!

Speak with Wrex, & we will have a few options of dealing with this. Firstly, if you have a high enough rapport with Wrex & completed his Family Armor Assignment tell him either “We are” or “I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise” to instantly win the dialogue & unlock the Achievement.

If you do not have a high enough affinity with him or you chose the aggressive “This isn’t up for debate” response, there will be a second part to the dialogue. At this stage we have a Charm & Intimidate option as well as two regular dialogue options or just attacking Wrex. Either of the regular dialogue will result in Wrex going against us & we will have to kill him. The Charm or Intimidate options only work if you have them maxed out; if you cannot choose them then you have failed & will still have to fight Wrex as your persuasion won’t work. Wrex is a pivotal character in the later Mass Effect games & his loss will definitely be a shame for your playthroughs.

If for whatever reason you could not pull this off, we do have one final opportunity to unlock this Achievement in our final confrontation with Saren at the end of the game, if you get your Charm or Intimidate maxed out…


Achievement #33 – Soldier: Kill 1,000 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3.
If you have been on the ball & have completed all Assignments to date, you may unlock this Achievement at some point during Virmire or on the next Planet, Ilos.

Note that only your own personal kills contribute to these Achievements; Squad Member kills do not count. Because of that, try to personally kill as many enemies as you can! Fortunately, we still have two more games worth of killing to do after finishing Mass Effect 1.

The Sacrifice: After we breach Saren’s base & set up the nuke, we will need to bail out the remnants of Captain Kirrahe’s unit as well as whichever Squad Member we chose to go with him. After taking the elevator up to meet them, a Geth Ship will arrive & fly towards where the nuke is & another one of our Squad Members.

We will have to make a decision on who to rescue; the other Squad Member will die, & there is no way around it. Choose carefully. The Squad Member we save will appear again in Mass Effect 2 & 3…

For obvious reasons, do not sacrifice your Romance option for the playthrough if it is one of the two of them…


Achievement #34 – Council Legion of Merit: Complete Virmire.
Story Related. After rescuing our chosen Squad Member, we will have to fight off Saren. Drive him away & destroy his base to complete the Mission & unlock the Achievement.

Normandy SR-1:

Achievement #35 – Paramour I: Establish a romantic relationship in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3.
When we arrive at the Citadel, the Normandy will get locked down. Complete Captain Anderson’s plan, & we will be on route to the Mu Relay to reach Ilos. If you have progressed a Romance arc with either Liara, Kaiden, or Ashley, we will see it through before we reach Ilos. “Report back to the ship… we’ll bang, okay?”

Ilos:

Achievement #36 – Meritorious Service Medal: Complete Ilos.
Story Related. Chase Saren to Ilos & find the Conduit; pass through it back to the Citadel to complete the Mission & unlock the Achievement.

Citadel – Citadel Tower:

Charismatic Attempt 2: If you were not able to unlock the Charismatic Achievement on Virmire, we have one last chance to do so here during the final confrontation, IF you maxed out either Charm or Intimidate.

After we fight our way along the inverted elevator shaft, we will use an Access Hatch to reach the Citadel Tower. When we find Saren & enter into our final dialogue with him, play it out until we get Charm or Intimidate options. See those through & we can avoid 1/2 of the final boss fight we will have with him & unlock the Achievement.


Achievement #37 – Medal of Honor: Complete the game on any Difficulty.
Story Related. Defeat Saren once & for all to stop Sovereign & unlock our Achievement.


Achievement #38 – Insanity I: Complete Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3 on Insanity without changing Difficulty.
Story Related. If you have been playing this entire time on Insanity Difficulty, we will unlock this Achievement as well after beating Saren.

Decide who will be the new Chairman for Humanity, be it Captain Anderson or Ambassador Udina; your decision is honored into Mass Effect 2. We will then get the most bopping credits song ever...

Conclusion:

Mass Effect 1 is a classic game from my Xbox 360 days & I have probably beaten it as many times as the first Bioshock game. Its Legendary Edition remaster is just spectacular; EA has actually out done themselves for once. You won’t find a more gripping “custom character protagonist” storyline in any other game on the market. 100%... or 29%, took me 40 hours with a fair bit of that time spent writing my guide or going above & beyond being a completionist.

If this guide helped you achieve 100%, rate the guide or let me know in the comments. Helps me know if I am doing things right!



29% Complete
Thank you for choosing Cynical Guides, & I will see you in Part 2!

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[Cynic 0055]

Thanks for that, Juan of the Dead. Fixed it right away!

[Juan of the Dead]

Found a small mistake.

Sequence 2: The Citadel
"Assignment #9 – Rita’s Sister: Speak with Jenna in the Flux Nightclub & agree to help her sister get out of danger."

To start this assignment you speak with Rita in Flux, not Jenna. Jenna is the sister you need to get out of Danger.

[Cynic 0055]

Congrats, WeeHammy & I am envious of you playing ME for the first time. If I could go back & re-experience it again for the first time... I would. In my opinion each game just gets better & better. Good luck on ME2; it is a phenomenal game!

[WeeHammy]

Hey Cynic!

Just wanted to say, your guide is amazing and helped me 100% Mass Effect 1! Thank you!

I struggled a little learning how to play the game, especially on insanity... because... this was the first time I have EVER played a Mass Effect game (please don't hurt me haha)... I am not kidding... but I have officially fallen in love.

I abused the "Use X ability on the citadel transport terminal" things, just to get it out the way haha! Thank you so much for that and I also done that little renegade/paragon trick you have there, I started to panic a little because I was nowhere near as close as I should have been, haha!

Again... thank you so much! I don't know if I would have stuck with the game if it wasn't for a guide this detailed as I did feel, lost, overwhelmed and... killed over and over and over hahaha!

Now to your Mass Effect 2 guide!!!

[Kaleb]

Absolutely fantastic. I admire your work. 👍

[Cynic 0055]

Honestly Vojtak42, yes, I would agree that of all the Achievements you didn't earn for ME1 on a single "100% Insanity run" that is definitely worth applause. In theory, you should be able to just reload old Saves & take damage to farm out the last few you need for the Achievement.

I am not totally sure if you can "Save Scum" for the cumulative Achievements or if it all has to be done "naturally" over the course of your playthrough. If the Save Scum tactic doesn't in fact work, I hope you have an old Save from before you went to Ilos...

[Vojtak42]

But isnt that actually the true achievement?

[Vojtak42]

Damn, i finished the game on Insanity and missed only one achievement - First Aid Specialist: Use Medi-Gel 50 times. Even though i have really tried during the last mission on Citadel and used it there at least 30 times

[| VH | LMB]

Smooth playthrough, thanks!

[Vagrant326]

If You are a true Renegade, You can farm Neural Shock on poor Mako. It counts as long as You deal damage.