The Eight Best Moments of Mass Effect 3

Much ado has been made about the ending of Mass Effect 3, which is undeniably one of the most disappointing in video game history. Whether it was a sudden draught of creativity, a complete lack of competence or a ploy to sell future DLC, I’m not sure, but in any case, it’s a tragedy.

The real shame in it is that it overshadows everything else that came before it, the other 99.5% of the game that is really damn good. I wish people wouldn’t lose sight of the fact that up until the end, Mass Effect 3 is a phenomenal game, and in my opinion, the best in the series.

I was so enraptured by it, as I played I made a list of my favorite moments from the game that I’d now like to share with you. If you’ve played through it, see if you agree. If not, there are obvious spoilers ahead.

In chronological order:

1. Thane’s Prayer

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5-shpFe98

It was sad enough running into your old friend Thane as he stayed in the hospital suffering through the final stages of Kerpal’s syndrome. The conversation you have with him about how he’s at peace and done fighting is one of my favorite in the game.

But little did I know that his story would get even more heart-wrenching. As the Citadel is attacked (again), he throws himself into the fight despite his illness and ends up taking a sword to the gut to save a council member.

As he lays dying in the hospital, his son asks you to recite a prayer with him which asks for forgiveness and to be at peace. Afterward, he dies, and you turn to his son confused. Why would he make such a prayer, when he died a heroes’ death? The prayer, his son says, he wanted for you. *tear*

2. Thresher Maw vs. Reaper

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPQu_EWfbBM

You won’t find too many action-oriented moments on this list, as what I find most compelling about the game is usually the characters, but there’s no denying how absolutely astonishing this was.

On the Krogan homeworld, options are running out when it comes to getting rid of a Reaper that blocks your path. But you’re informed that you can summon an old enemy to help fight a battle for you. The mother of all Thresher Maws is a sight to behold, and though you’ve killed many of her children, this is her world as well, and she’s going to defend it to the death.

Seeing a giant Maw tackle a Reaper head-on is by far probably the coolest visual moment in the series history, and for a game that is best in its quieter scenes, this is one action sequence that really shined.

3. Mordin’s Seashells

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nwqHva0Q5k

Mordin was one of my favorite characters in Mass Effect 2, and though I didn’t take him on many missions, he was always my favorite person to talk to on the Normandy.

But the quirky comedian had a darker side. His work on the genophage made him responsible for the plight of all Krogans, but he undergoes a change of heart once he sees what it has done to the species.

The entire mission on Tuchunka is all about his redemption. After the Maw defeats the Reaper, he says that he alone must be the one to ascend into the crumbling dispersion tower and distribute the cure. Earlier he said on board your ship that after all this was over, he’d love to find a beach and relax. Before he ascends, he turns to you. “Would have liked to have run tests on the seashells.”

Girlfriend: “Are you crying during a video game?”

Me: *sniff* “No!”

4. Liara’s Time Capsule

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGhoEGFESZw

Liara and I had a complicated relationship. Though she was my girl of choice in Mass Effect 1, I ditched her in the second game as she seemed changed and lost in her pursuit of the Shadow Broker, and I found Tali to be more worthy of my affections. Coming on board, I had to have the awkward conversation with her where I flat out said, “Let’s be friends.” “Oh, alright,” she said sadly.

But friends we became, and there was a quiet moment I shared with her that really did move me. As we press on toward fighting the Reapers in one last battle, Liara comes to your cabin and says she’s making a time capsule filled with all the galaxy’s history, should we not survive. She wants to know what she should say about you.

If you let her decide for herself, she gives you a glowing character endorsement that extols you as one of the finest people she’s ever met. Even if you’re not together anymore, it’s a touching moment, and it’s amazing to me the game is actually able to manufacture friendship convincingly, not just romantic relationships.

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29 Comments

  1. The only two renegade interrupts my straight as an arrow paragon Shepard made. Shooting Udina, and stabbing the son of a bitch Kai Leng after breaking his sword with my bare hand. So damn satisfying.

  2. Renegade triggering Kai Lang (Leng?) was awesome.
    I also really loved the moment you have with Liara before the final battle (the galaxy in your mind thing), it was a really touching friendship moment, much like the shooting with Garrus.
    Tali and Garrus making out also brought a smile to my face.
    Meeting Jack for a dance at Purgatory was great as well.

  3. Great moments to be sure, with Thane and Mordin being really heart-wrenching for me.
    And after Thane’s death, I hated Kai Leng with a passion like no other game enemy ever.

  4. What happened if you didn’t Renegade interrupt Kai Leng? Or Udina? I was paragon, but it was like uh, what choice do I have? Get stabbed in the neck or shot in the face? Same with the Illusive Man, and I know he actually killed you if you didn’t interrupt.

    Really weird use of that mechanic, as it’s never supposed to have been like a God of War quicktime event.

  5. I managed to do the Mordin and Thane missions in a row, man that night wrecked me. First time I can honestly say I had tears in my eyes over a video game.

  6. @Sverrir SigfĂşsson I agree, catching Tali making out with Garrus was just awesome

    also the renegade version of Mordin’s death is way more fucked up, having to shoot him in the back and then they make you watch as Mordin painfully crawls trying to fix that atmosphere thing only to die just few feet from the console… seriously WTF! Bioware.

  7. Definitely agree with this list… The only biggie I think you missed was saying goodbye to each of your sqadmates on Earth.

    I don’t know what happens if you don’t Rengade Udina or Leng… Even my Paragon stabbed/shot them because damn it felt good.

  8. If you don’t renegade interrupt Udina, your Virmire survivor shoots him. With Kai Leng, you just dodge out of the way and he hits the console you’re working on.

    Two other things, EDI taking over the android’s body and the entirety of “Blasto 6”.

    I was content with my ending personally. I can understand getting upset that the final cutscene is pretty much identical aside from having a different color, but I felt like there were multiple endings throughout the game. Curing the Krogan and settling the Geth/Quarian dispute were just as satisfying to me as blowing the Reapers into dust. Plus my Shepard survived, so all was right when I finished.

  9. @ Paul Tassi…Kai leng hit the TIM platform and shepard kill him one moment after…if you persuade kaidan/ashley he/she will shot udina..however if you dont persuade; you must kill kaidan/ashley and then udina…..
    @ MZC about tuchanka…If you have Wrex on Tuchanka and you like him (of course you did) the renegade option its just wrong and unforgivable BUT if you have Wreav here (wrex dead) and maelon data (ME2 Mordin loyalty ending) is destroyed => Eve dead , you can SAVE Mordin and honestly; the renegade choice is here the right one (and feels right), because Wreav is a total asshole with plans of revenge…and he didnt notice the non-effect of cure unlike to wrex which will see through your scam and you must kill him (very nice but depressive scene)

  10. Very true on all counts! One of the things I liked most about this game was how it took the history between characters into account (up till the finish, of course). If you take Liara and Garrus along with you for Wrex’s missions, he’ll talk to them. When companions of yours who know one another bump into each other, they’ll acknowledge it, usually in touching or amusing ways. I had EDI with me when we ran into Jacob again, and she noticed that he didn’t recognize her, and wondered if this was an appropriate opportunity to try ‘surprising’ someone.

    It made the world feel so much bigger, and really emphasized what you were fighting for.

    Gotta say, though, that moment with the thresher maw was just awe-inspiring. I thought to myself ‘yes – if mother nature herself can take these bastards down, then so can we!’

  11. Oh and Paul, if you save Kelly she shows up in the refugee area in ME3 but won’t rejoin you. If you were fast enough to save Dr. Chakwas, she’s at the Citadle hospital and will join you if you ask.

  12. Yeah, I met Kelly on the Citadel looking worse for wear and was given the option to be upbeat and friendly when we parted or tell her to change her name and go into hiding due to her betrayal of Cerberus. I went the cheerful route and after the attack on the Citadel, I heard some refugees recount Kelly getting shot down by Cerberus soldiers after she stupidly admitted who she was. This bummed me the hell out as she was my only romance in ME2. Mordin’s satisfied smile at the end (and his song)was just brilliant. Man, I couldn’t get the Quarians to lay off of the Geth so we had to put Legion down (I could never tell Tali “no”). While Legion was down on his knees about to die by our hands he asked Tali “Does this unit have a soul?”, and Tali answered “Yes, Legion. Yes it does.” That broke my fucking heart. Seriously. I’ve never felt worse about failing in a video game. I think I need therapy after all of the poignantly sad and beautiful moments in this game.

    On the other hand, I had every intention of staying with Liara (I play femShep so no Tali this playthrough) but when Samantha used my shower and the camera zoomed on Shepard contemplating hotness and I was offered the chance to join Sam in the shower, how could I possibly say no? No other romance scenes until the end where Shep says “it’s you and me Traynor, no matter what happens” and meanwhile I’m thinking all I wanted was a fling. I was hoping ‘d have to make a choice like in every other game of this type, but it never gave me a chance to make it up to Liara, and that kind of bummed me out, because she obviously is more of a “true love” type. The final scene with her before the finale where Liara mind-melded with Shep and put her head on her shoulder was much more satisfying for me than the entire “romance” with Samantha Traynor. But hot damn was that shower scene sexy….even though they had clothes on for some reason. Anyways, amazing game. Just wish they’d worked out the Traynor option a little better. And the ending. Obviously.

  13. I reading an upsetting lack of Grunt telling Shepherd that he’ll take care of the rest of the Rachni. I legitimately thought he was dead as he took down all those Rachni in a fit a glory and my mouth was completely open.

  14. Gotta say, you nailed pretty much all the best parts in the game. My Paragon MaleShep let Mordin sacrifice himself for the genophage cure and my heart broke as Mordin hummed his song from ME2 in his last moments. So much so I couldn’t bring my Renegade FemShep to shoot him in the back [literally] my next playthrough.

    It’s that level of emotion that’s sets this game apart. Being truly renegade in this means making decisions that would truly haunt me in real life (Samara’s death was hard enough without killing her daughter). You feel genuine reactions to your actions which is really why the ending felt so

    (like that)

  15. So I played the first two on my 360 but traded that in to replace my ps3 that went out, so I played me3 on my ps3 without a previous save file. Definitely a disappointing experience. The only previous characters I met were my current squadmates and people vital to the plot, Mordin, Miranda, illusive man. Wrex, thane, jack, grunt, legion, samara, all of them, dead, I checked the memorial wall. So disappointing.
    So I’m on rannoch and when I have to decide whether or not to save the geth, and I had been told up to that point that I should save the geth because then I get the quarians AND the geth. Perfect! So I’m going through the conversations and save the geth. You know what happens when you don’t have legion and his loyalty? The geth kill ALL the quarians and Tali is so distraught she fucking throws herself off a cliff and kills herself! Now that is heartbreaking. Needless to say I restarted the mission and killed the geth.

  16. I would have to include the whole mission with Grunt. From the time you land and he recognizes you, to the selfless rampage he goes on while you escape. He’s always been one my favorite characters.

  17. Great to see that after all this bashing because of the ending, which would have been fine by “normal” standards, this entry managed to bring back our better impressions of the game.

    It WAS a great game.
    I don’t know a video game in history that made people actually care about so many characters.

  18. Hopefully their dlc epilogue/ending is awesome, then all will be forgiven and forgotten.

    What about Grunt? That moment was awesome, and the choice at the end of that mission is great. Put in a 9th moment for Grunt!

  19. Legion’s sacrifice belongs in the top 3 I think. I’d rate the big death scenes – Thane’s, Mordin’s, and Legion’s – as the finest, and most powerful moments of the game, and I’d argue that Legion’s was the most fascinating. He finally obtains self-actualization, and in his brief time with it, he doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for the betterment of his ‘people.’ The moment is a staggering accomplishment in sci-fi: End of a century-long war between creators and created, the debate on what makes something truly alive, etc. That scene is just done so damn well. “Does this unit have a soul,” is the big, most unforgettable line in the whole series in my mind.

    Oh, and impaling Kai Leng in Thane’s name was the most satisfying moment in all of gaming, hands down.

  20. *Spoilers*

    Great list. The only other unmentioned scene I would have included would be the fall of Thessia. The mission was supposed to be the game winning battle, when you get the final piece of the catalyst, but the bad guys get there first and after you lose the fight, you stand on that balcony listening to, but unable to answer, the desperate cries for help as Illium pretty much dies in front of you. It’s the most hopeless and helpless I’ve ever felt playing a video game, a scene straight out of a movie.
    I actually felt depressed after that scene,though that itself isn’t surprising; this series is one of the few that actually makes you feel anything. Anyone else go into the final battle actually, physically nervous that you might fail and kill everyone?

  21. Only thing that I would include is when Wrex says that you have been a champion of the Krogan people, a friend of Clan Urdnot, and a sister/brother to me.

  22. You should completely make a list with the hardest “renegade decisions”! Fantastic list. Loved how you used “I”, and acted as though it was real. Mass Effect=realest game ive evr played!

  23. Can’t believe nobody mentioned two my favorite moments: When Vega and Garrus are standing in the ships galley trying to one up each other. And when you make Liara talk to Matriarch Atheyta, her long lost “Dad”

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