Mass Effect 3 Guide Essentials Introduction

Single Player Campaign

Players, new or old, who want to experience the rich, complex tale of Mass Effect 3 should begin with the single-player campaign.

In the Campaign section, we’ve broken down the game to just the critical path, or “Priority”, missions.

These are the missions that must be completed in order to experience the main story only. However, each mission is broken down even further so you can get the most out of your game.

MISSION OPENER

At the beginning of every mission is a carefully constructed “preparation” section comprised of several smaller sections. The first is the mission opener, which has several components:

Mission name broken down by act and mission title: “Act 1—Priority: Sur’Kesh,” for example.

Mission description: This will recap what you’ve accomplished thus far and what the mission goal is.
Mission Screens: Several screens will highlight the action and familiarize you with some of the key battle locations you may encounter.
Though it may not be a wealth of information, the mission opener will give you a glimpse of what you’re in for.

MISSION BRIEFING

The “Mission Briefing” section breaks down two key components of each mission: the battlegrounds overview and consequence overviews.

Battlegrounds: This subsection of the Mission Briefing will reveal what types of terrain and enemies you will encounter during the upcoming mission.

It will tell you whether the areas you will encounter are narrow halls, wide-open battlegrounds, debris-covered cities, or complex multileveled facilities.

Furthermore, it may also tell you about what kinds of enemies you’ll encounter. On occasion, you’ll even get recommendations on what types of classes, weapons, or squadmates will be most helpful during your mission.

Everything in this section is meant to help you prepare all battle scenarios you may encounter.

Consequence Overviews: This subsection lightly covers the general types of conversation and choices you may have to make while on this mission.

Paragon/Renegade dialogue choices aren’t covered in great detail (so as to avoid spoilers), but you will be told when and with whom they take place to better prepare you for the conversation.

In many cases this section will also tell you about big, game-altering decisions that you may need to make.

WAR PREPARATIONS

Prior to every mission, you will also encounter a “War Preparations” section. Here you can read about what is going on between missions aboard the Normandy, the Citadel, and elsewhere.

This section will clue you in to possible romance conversations, important dialogue options, and even help you stay ahead of the game with suggestions on when to upgrade weaponry.

This section is for players who want to get more out of their single-player campaign but don’t want exhaustive point-by-point instructions on what to say or do.

Players who wish to focus on the mission only can skip this entire section and go straight to the mission header following the “War Preparations” section.

REPUTATION

One of Mass Effect 3’s most important systems is the Reputation system. As you complete missions, help others, or explore the galaxy, your reputation on the galactic stage will grow.

This will unlock new dialogue options in key conversations, giving you better solutions to some otherwise-difficult moments.

Reputation can be, but does not have to be, flavored as either Paragon or Renegade.

You can gain Paragon reputation for taking the gentle, sympathetic, and legal route through conversations and missions, while you gain Renegade reputation for taking the harsh, pragmatic, or violent route.

Many choices are morally gray and will give reputation that is neither Paragon nor Renegade.

In conversation, Renegade dialogue options are usually on the lower half of the conversation wheel, while Paragon dialogue options are on the upper half of the wheel.

You can also earn reputation by taking interrupts, seizing control of the conversation, and earning a name across the galaxy as someone who makes waves.

When you gain reputation, regardless of whether it is Paragon, Renegade, or unflavored, it increases your overall Reputation score to unlock new dialogue options.

MULTIPLE APPROACHES

As you progress through the mission walkthrough sections, you’ll find that certain key battles have multiple approaches. Most have two approaches; some even have three.

This is to highlight the multitude of strategies that are possible throughout the game. Vanguard players may find that a specific strategy in tight spaces works far better than a sniper-proficient class.

Similarly, an Engineer may have a tougher time getting out of a particular battle than an Adept. We can’t possibly provide every strategy for every battle encounter, so instead we provide you at least two different approaches as suggestions.