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On this page, we only list the choices that have Major and Moderate effects in Mass Effect 1 and/or its sequels, and have been split into these two sections and arranged roughly chronologically. Choices that have only minor effects, such as giving a single email in a sequel, are not listed.
WARNING: It goes without saying that there are HEAVY spoilers on this page, not just for Mass Effect 1, but 2 and 3 as well. This page will list the context of the choice and your options, then detail the consequences of each within a Spoiler Box. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
It’s entirely possible to complete the “Citadel: Expose Saren” Mission without meeting Garrus Vakarian at the Med Clinic (however this requires meeting and recruiting Urdnot Wrex). If that’s the case, he’ll be waiting for you outside the central C-Sec elevator after you’ve exposed Saren and been made a Spectre. From here you can decide if you want to recruit him:
Recruit Garrus
Ignore Garrus
Recruiting Wrex
It’s entirely possible to complete the “Citadel: Expose Saren” Mission without meeting Urdnot Wrex at the Med Clinic (however this requires meeting and recruiting Garrus Vakarian). If that’s the case, he’ll be waiting for you outside the central C-Sec elevator after you’ve exposed Saren and been made a Spectre. From here you can decide if you want to recruit him:
Recruit Wrex
Ignore Wrex
One of your early Missions is to search for Liara T’Soni in the Artemis Tau cluster. Her reaction to you can differ greatly depending on whether you complete more than one Mission World before going after her.
Find Liara After One or Fewer Mission Worlds
Find Liara After Feros and Noveria
Find Liara After Virmire
Feros: Fate of the Colony
During this important Mission, you can complete side-quests, use Charm / Intimidate to convince Fai Dan, and use special gas grenades to help ensure the survival of the colony. The fate of the colony is then decided by a survival check based on these actions.
Save the Colony
Shut Down the Colony
Noveria: The Rachni Queen
At the very end of the Noveria Mission line, you’ll have an encounter with the Rachni Queen, and must choose whether to spare her and let her escape, or kill her with acid.
Spare the Rachni Queen
Kill the Rachni Queen
The DLC Mission Bring Down the Sky has an important decision at the end, where you must choose between saving the hostages and let Balak go, or sacrifice them so you can attack Balak.
Save the Hostages
Attack Balak
Early into the Mission on Virmire, you’ll learn that Saren has found a cure for the Genophage in this lab, and Wrex is furious that it’ll be destroyed. You’ll have to confront him at the beach to find a resolution.
To convince Wrex to stand down, you’ll need to have 8 Charm points or have completed the “Wrex: Family Armor” Assignment in order to open up the requisite options to save him. Otherwise, you can shoot him yourself, order Ashley to shoot him if you told her to “Stay Alert” earlier, or can’t find a resolution that will result in Ashley killing him herself.
Wrex Lives
Wrex Dies
Virmire: Kaidan and Ashley
Towards the end of Virmire, you’ll be forced to choose to rescue either Kaidan or Ashley, who will be at the bomb site or the AA tower (who is where depends on who you assigned to Kirrahe’s team before the assault).
Consequences
Saren Conversation on Virmire
At the end of the Virmire Mission, you’ll get into an extended conversation with Saren over his allyship with Sovereign. Towards the end you’ll have an Investigate option on the left side: this marks when the important final choice with Saren will appear.
If you pick “It’s already happened!” or “You are indoctrinated”, you’ll open up Persuasion options that will have an effect later in the game.
Consequences
Final Saren Conversation
In your last conversation with Saren, you’ll have the option to convince him to resist the Reaper implants. This requires a full 12 points into either your Charm or Intimidate stat, but if you picked the Charm / Intimidate option back on Virmire, you’ll only need 9 points. If you can’t, you’ll have to pick “This is pointless”.
= Charm / Intimidate
“This is pointless”
The Destiny Ascension
During this Mission, after encountering Saren you’ll have to choose whether or not to order the Alliance Fleet to save the Destiny Ascension, or ignore it to focus on Sovereign.
Save the Destiny Ascension
Focus on Sovereign
The Human Councilor
Through your actions in the final Mission, you’ll be able to choose the Human Councilor who will join/lead the Citadel Council, between Udina and Anderson.
Consequences
Interestingly, this choice isn’t actually remembered in your Mass Effect 1 save, since the game doesn’t save after it. When importing a Mass Effect 1 save into Mass Effect 2, you’ll be asked about this choice early on, and who you choose there will be reflected in 2 and 3.
While you storm Chora’s Den, you have the option to kill or spare the owner, Fist, which can be decided by you, or done automatically by Wrex since he’s been hired to kill Fist.
Spare Fist (by choice AND without Wrex present)
Kill Fist (by choice OR with Wrex present)
This early Citadel Assignment can have an effect on a Mission in Mass Effect 3, depending on if you completed it or not.
Completed Assignment
Didn’t Complete Assignment
At the end of this Assignment, you can decide whether or not to kill or spare Helena Blake after you decide whether to have her disband her organization or not.
Spare Helena
Kill Helena
This Assignment, located on Earth’s Moon in the Sol system of the Local cluster, will result in additional dialogue in the sequels if completed.
Completed Assignment
Didn’t Complete Assignment
Hanging Up on the Council
After you complete each Mission World and finish debriefing with your squad, you’ll have the chance to report back to the Council. During each one will be a point where one of them challenges one of Shepard’s decisions, and you can choose to disconnect from the call.
Repeatedly Disconnect
This Assignment is acquired in one of three ways, and will send you to planet Sharjila in the Macedon system of Artemis Tau and kill an Asari mercenary, then confront her sister Nassana on the Citadel. Things will change based on if this confrontation happens or not.
Completed Assignment
As you complete Assignments across the galaxy, interactions with Garrus allow you to influence him to be more lawful or more gung-ho, including during the Garrus: Dr. Saleon Assignment.
Lawful Influence
Gung-ho Influence
Tali and the Geth
After completing the UNC: Geth Incursions Side-Quest in the Armstrong Cluster, you have the option, if you remember, to talk to Tali in Engineering. Here you can offer to let Tali copy the geth data to fulfill her pilgrimage, or decline / ignore her entirely. If you access the Galaxy Map before talking to Tali, you’ll miss your chance.
Let Tali Copy the Data
Did Not Let Tali Copy the Data
Didn’t Complete Assignment
This Assignment, preceded by “UNC: Missing Marines” and “UNC: Cerberus“, will affect moments of dialogue in Mass Effect 2 if it’s completed on planet Nepheron in the Columbia system of the Voyager cluster.
Completed Assignment
Didn’t Complete Assignment
Believe it or not, but completing these three tasks actually does something! The tasks are getting an Elkoss Combine License from the Expat in the Wards or Opold on Noveria, completing the Feros: Data Recovery Assignment for Gavin Hossle on Feros, and finding at least 10 of the 15 Asari Writings.
If you complete these tasks and Conrad Verner doesn’t die, it will have an effect later on in the story.
Completed Tasks
Didn’t Complete Tasks
This Assignment, where you talk to a reporter outside the central C-Sec Elevator, will have effects in the later games:
Started Assignment
Didn’t Start Assignment
During your first visit to the Citadel after finishing a main Mission world, you can find a couple on the Presidium arguing about whether to use gene therapy to avoid a heart disease. Completing the Assignment will determine meeting them later.
Completed Assignment
Didn’t Complete Assignment
Noveria: Parasini’s Fate
At the end of this Mission, you’ll be given several options regarding how to resolve Gianna Parasini’s investigation into Administrator Anoleis, which can determine if Parasini lives or dies.
Inform Anoleis that Parasini is an Agent
Any Other Method
“Citadel: The Fan” is a long-term Assignment with three stages: you get the first on your initial Citadel visit, with the next two unlocked by finishing Mission Worlds. In the third interaction, you can use either the Charm / Intimidate options to one effect, and the three normal options on the right for another.
Charm / Intimidate
“It’s a bad idea” / “It’s not going to happen” / “No”
Virmire: Assisting Kirrahe’s Team
This small Mission is acquired early into the “Virmire: Assault” Mission, and you’ll get four tasks that will assist Kirrahe’s team: Disrupt Communications, Destroy the Satellite Uplink, Destroy Flyers, and Disable Alarms. Interestingly, only Destroy Flyers will actually affect Kirrahe’s fate or not.
Destroy the Flyers
Ignore the Flyers
Virmire: Rana Thanoptis
During the assault on Virmire, you’ll encounter an Asari scientist inside the base who you can spare or let escape.