Objective 3: Break the Cycle

Citadel: Tower

Shepard and company find the Citadel Tower in a sad state of disrepair. Open the medical kit at the top of the initial flight of steps to restock your medi-gel, then move to one side of the circular fountain and fire on the few geth soldiers stationed atop the next set of stairs.

Press forward after thinning out the geth while keeping watch for potential stragglers. Scale the stairs and eliminate the shock troopers at the far end of the area to secure the tower.

Showdown with Saren, Take 2

Approach the far north end of the tower to find Saren hard at work transferring control of the station to Sovereign . Sensing Shepard’s advance, the turian flees to his glider, hurling an explosive at the party and forcing them to leap for cover.

As before, Saren takes a moment to converse with Shepard prior to engaging the Spectre in mortal combat. He informs his nemesis that the fight won’t be so easy this time around: Sovereign has "upgraded" him with synthetic implants to enhance his combat abilities.

Keep the conversation going by choosing left-side choices, and if your Charm or Intimidate Talents are at peak levels, you’ll finally be able to persuade Saren into seeing the error of his ways.

Unfortunately, the implants Sovereign has forced upon Saren are too much for the fallen Spectre to deal with. Unable to bear the strain any longer, Saren brings his own life to a tragic end.

The Hard Way

If you’re unable to persuade Saren into turning against Sovereign Saren has the same attacks and abilities, but he’s a lot tougher this time around. Stay mobile, keep near cover, and draw upon your squad’s abilities to bring Saren down as you did before.

A Difficult Choice

At last, the Citadel’s main control unit is within your grasp. After putting an end to Saren’s meddling, rush to the control panel he was using and activate it to transfer Vigil’s data file. This grants Shepard total control over all Citadel Systems, and the valiant Spectre immediately opens communications with the galactic fleet.

Joker returns the hail, saying he’s standing by with the armada, awaiting orders. If Shepard gives the order, they’ll jump in immediately and annihilate the geth warships, saving the Council members aboard their capital ship, the Ascension.

One of Shepard’s squad mates interjects, urging Shepard to hold the fleet back. They argue that the Ascension must be sacrificed for the greater good; there’s no point in putting the fleet into jeopardy when they’ve still got Sovereign to deal with.

You must now choose which course of action to take: save the Council by ordering in the fleet, or leave the Ascension to its fate and ask the fleet to move against Sovereign instead. Choose wisely, Commander.

Final Boss: Saren Reborn

Needing to ensure that the threat has indeed passed, the crew heads down to inspect Saren’s corpse. It’s a good thing they do, because the right hand of Sovereign isn’t quite finished yet.

Indeed, the implants imbedded into Saren’s frame suddenly become active: Turian flesh melts away, revealing a horrific synthetic endoskeleton. With words of malice and a terrible growl, the final confrontation begins.

Here’s hoping your squad has some biotic and tech powers to draw upon, because such abilities are highly beneficial during the fight against Sovereign-Saren.

The creature is extremely nimble, making abilities that slow and neutralize enemies (such as Lift and Throw) incredibly valuable. Sovereign-Saren’s attacks are devastating. It unleashes barrages of Carnage the likes of which you’ve never seen.

All of your squad’s abilities must be employed against Sovereign-Saren. Rapid-fire weaponry is also ideal here to counter the fiend’s lightning agility. Stay mobile, use your powers wisely, and don’t relent until the fiend is no more.