All of the following assignments are triggered and completed during your main plot mission on Virmire. Some of this information also appears in the mission walkthrough for Virmire in this guide.
Virmire: Wrex and the Genophage
How to Get It: Speak to Captain Kirrahe about the genophage when you first meet him on Virmire
When It Is Available: During the Virmire mission; cannot be triggered after you begin the infiltration of Saren’s base
Where It Takes Place: Virmire Landing Zone
Special Notes: Need 8 Charm and 8 Intimidate to see all possible outcomes
Virmire Landing Zone
When you first meet up with Captain Kirrahe at the end of the Virmire landing zone, he tells you that Saren’s research facility on Virmire was designed to breed an army of krogan soldiers to do his will.
To do this, Saren first needed to find a cure for the genophage, the genetically engineered condition that decimated the krogan race and is quickly leading to its extinction.
Foiling Saren’s plans on Virmire also means forever losing Saren’s version of the genophage cure, which your krogan ally, Wrex, is understandably opposed to.
When Wrex expresses his opinion forcefully, Kirrahe says that Wrex needs to be dealt with before your mission can continue. This triggers Virmire: Wrex and the Genophage and its first task, Talk to Wrex .
Talk to Wrex
Wrex stands at the west end of the landing zone. If you have trouble finding him, just listen for gunshots; he’s standing on the shore, pumping round after round into the ocean in frustration. Approach him to begin a conversation automatically.
Your first few responses don’t have a huge effect on the flow of the conversation. Ultimately, no matter what you choose, it comes down to you and Wrex drawing weapons on each other. At this point, you have three conversation options.
"I wouldn’t do this otherwise," or "We are" : Both of these responses cause Wrex to back down and lower his weapon, but only if you have completed the Wrex: Wrex’s Armor assignment .
He agrees to help you, for the sake of preventing Saren from exploiting his people. This completes the assignment and earns you a huge Paragon bonus.
"This isn’t up for debate": The situation gets even more tense, and the standoff continues. You now have six additional options, two of which are persuasions.
Wrex is torn between his loyalty to you and the promise of a cure for the genophage.
"These aren’t your people" and "Don’t be so naïve" : If you have the Charm or Intimidation scores to see these persuasions, they cause Wrex to lower his weapon and agree to continue helping you.
These complete the assignment and earn you a huge Paragon or small Renegade bonus, depending on which one you chose.
Signal Ashley to kill Wrex or Shoot Wrex: Choosing one of these options causes either Ashley or you to shoot Wrex dead. This earns you a huge Renegade bonus. Wrex is no longer available as a squad member.
"We can work this out" or "Calm down" : Ashley shoots Wrex from behind and kills him. Wrex is no longer available as a squad member.
You can either respond to her in a Paragon (outraged) or Renegade (congratulatory) manner, earning you either a small Paragon or no Renegade bonus.
Virmire: Assisting Kirrahe’s Team
How to Get It: Automatically triggered when you leave the salarian camp and begin the infiltration of Saren’s base
When It Is Available: During the Virmire mission
Where It Takes Place: Virmire
Special Notes: None
When you are ready to begin the operation against Saren’s base on Virmire, Captain Kirrahe gives you an additional, optional assignment.
He will be leading his team of salarians (and one of your crew) as part of the main assault force, with your team infiltrating under the call sign " Shadow".
Kirrahe and his men are willing to give their lives for the mission, but he asks you to keep an eye out for ways to weaken the geth defenses that Saren has at his disposal. This triggers Virmire: Assisting Kirrahe’s Team and its first task, Search for Ways to Slow Geth Defenses .
Virmire Base Approach
Virmire Base Entry
Search for Ways to Slow Geth Defenses
Your first target of opportunity in this assignment is inside the communications tower in the northeast corner of the base approach section.
Fight through the geth defenders—which include geth shock troopers, snipers and destroyers—until the communications tower is clear.
Run up to the second floor of the tower to find the triangulation tower (1). Approach it and use it to disrupt geth communications and trigger Disrupted Communications .
Use the triangulation tower to disrupt geth communications.
Disrupted Communications
Your next goal in the completion of this assignment is at the satellite uplink tower in the middle of the base approach section of Virmire.
Like the communications tower, the satellite uplink tower is also heavily defended by Saren’s forces, including krogan warriors.
When the area is secure, leave the satellite uplink tower and aim up at the satellite uplink (2) on top of it. Shoot it until it explodes, which disrupts the satellite uplink and triggers Destroyed Satellite Uplink .
Shoot the satellite dish on top of the satellite uplink tower to destroy the geth’s uplink.
Destroyed Satellite Uplink
Next, proceed to the refueling platform north of the satellite uplink tower. You can approach it from the northwest or southwest. Either way you go, you encounter two geth rocket drones and three assault drones (3). Destroy all five of them to trigger Destroyed Geth Flyers .
Take out the geth drones to help Kirrahe’s team.
Destroyed Geth Flyers
Finally, when you make it to the western end of the base approach, you find a security console (4).
Access it to find that you can disable the security alarms for the base, which will make it easier for Kirrahe’s team to fight their way through.
You can also trigger alarms on the far side of the base, which will cause Kirrahe’s team to draw the attention (and fire) of Saren’s men away from you.
Choose the left option ("They’ve got enough trouble") to complete the current task and trigger Alarm Disabled .
Use the security console to disable the alarms, but don’t trigger the alarms at the far side of the base to send Saren’s men after Kirrahe’s team.
Alarm Disabled
With all four of these tasks now complete, all that remains is for you to complete the Virmire main plot missions successfully.
When you return to the Normandy following the events on Virmire, you will find that the assignment is complete.