Holy Crap: How to “Win” Mass Effect 2

ByPaul Posted on

(click to enlarge)

Hey, finally an image on Unreality where if you click it, you can pretend to your boss like you’re working on some flowchart. But in reality, what you’re really doing is finding out the best way to beat Mass Effect 2.

The final mission in the game has danger at every turn, and unless you do absolutely everything perfectly, you can lose a large chunk of your crew. I was pointed to this chart by a reader yesterday when I wondered how to get a 100% survival rate in the game, as I lost not only Jacob, but my entire Normandy crew since I waited too long to go into the relay. I really didn’t like that last plot twist, because on your first playthrough, you don’t know that’s what’s going to happen, and every game ever the tradition is to complete all side-missions before you head to the final level because you don’t know if you can do them when you come back.

But yeah, follow this handy guide, and you can save absolutely everyone if you want your Shepard to be flawless. Mine? I’ll let him live with a few f*** ups on his conscience.

I think I'm a part of the first generation of journalists to skip print media entirely, and I've learned a lot these last few years at Forbes. My work has appeared on TVOvermind, IGN, and most importantly, a segment on The Colbert Report at one point.

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13 Comments

  1. I accidentally killed Thane when I picked Miranda as the biotic specalist. How was I supposed to know she sucked? She kept talking about how perfect she was, I figured a force-field should be a cake walk for someone who’s perfect.

    Had to reload that save, Thane ain’t dying on my watch.

  2. I followed it perfectly and still managed to lose the scientist to a RNG. If I wasn’t playing it on insanity I would have reloaded a checkpoint, but I just wanted to finish the freaking game at that point.

  4. My first playthrough lost the crew, b/c when the f’ has time mattered? Thought I could just keep playing.

    Everyone made it through on the next, and then I lost Legion on the third b/c I sent him through the vents and picked the wrong fire team leader.

    THEN I found this.

    Shit, I think I’ve got four full playthroughs of ME2… Still need to go back to the first guy and wrap up the DLC… but the Normandy just feels so damn empty without the rest of the crew that I just have a hard time bringing myself back to that playthrough.

  5. I am perfectionist so i saved all crew in first playthrough. However, i can’t put myself to finish game for second time. Always wanted to be renegade, but i don’t have time, unfortunately.

  6. I knew how to save the crew because I had read something about it before I played, but still on my very first playthrough, I made the mistake of doing both Jack’s and Miranda’s loyalty mission before I was maxxed out on paragon and picked Jack’s side and so Miranda died. I was pissed though, because she made it all the way to the end and then died in the very last scene. God, she really is a b***h

  8. It’s fairly intuitive without a guide, I thought. Beat my first playthrough guide free and lost no one, though I was worried I might lose Samara. My Shepard’s frickin’ boss.

  10. Ok forget the graph, this system has worked for me in all 8 of my playthroughs-

    Everyone must be loyal (if you lose someones loyalty go and speak to them to regain it)
    Upgrade everything on the Normandy
    Go through omega 4 relay as soon as you lose your crew
    1st section
    Send Tali into tube
    Garrus leads the second team
    2nd section
    Take Samara as biotic specialist
    Garrus leads the second team
    Have Mordin escort crew to ship
    3rd section
    Take Jack and Tali with you
    all the rest hold the line

    Everyone back to the Normandy for cocktails!

  11. @putowin
    Even easier:
    Upgrade, Leave immediately, tech specialist and combat specialist, biotic specialist and combat specialist, whoever you want to expend, and whoever you want with you. I usually have Tali and Legion, but I had Jack help me in the final fight in lieu of Legion.

  12. gonna try to blast through one more playthrough of ME2 before my preorder arrives in two weeks. too bad i moved all my save files from a different profile, so i lost my replay XP / resource bonus. i really want to make sure i have a lvl 30 to port into ME3, and that’s gonna be tough now without that.

    always wanted to do a playthrough and f**k up everything to see how many of my crew died and how. guess this kinda answers that. still want to see the alternate cutscenes, though. oh well. guess that can wait until after i finish ME3..!

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