Share alternate Mass Effect 3 Plotlines *Spoilers*

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

*MAJOR SPOILERS - MAJOR SPOILERS*

With the number of variables from the choices we've made since Shepard's first outing on Eden Prime until the rather dreadful ending in ME3, most of us will have played through a different story than each other. I would dearly love to hear from any of you to answer some questions about "What happened if?". If anyone has anything they'd like to know had a single choice been made differently, please post and we can all compare notes.

While I may well have multiple playthroughs in the future, right now I'd just like to know what would have happened in the following scenarios:

- What changes if the player completed ME3 with the bare minimum of war assets, compared to a maxed out bar? What if they had 100% galactic readiness instead of 50%?
- How would the turian, krogan or quarian plots play out if Garrus, Wrex/Mordin or Tali/Legion didn't survive the suicide mission/Virmire, or if Grunt's tank was never opened?
- What if the player didn't keep the genophage data from Tuchanka in ME2?
- What happens in ME3 if the player romances Ash/Liara in ME1 but someone else in 2?
- Is there any circumstance under which Thane, Legion or Mordin survive?
- What would happen with Salarian counsellor if Thane didn't survive ME2?
- What would Jacob have been doing in ME3 had the player romanced him in ME2?
- What would happen if the player didn't destroy the collector base?
- How does Cerberus attack on citadel play out if Anderson was counsellor?
- Who would we be playing as if Shepard died in ME2?
- Do any ME2 squadmates (who weren't in ME1) join up again under any circumstances?

There are many more but I would dearly love to know the answers to the above. There's no chance I'd ever be able to explore every possibility so sharing the different experiences we had would be fantastic.

 

[XMark]

I'd like to know how the whole Tuchanka Genophage thing plays out if Mordin died in ME2.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Same here. Guessing Maelon makes an appearance, but would love to hear from anyone who played thru it that way.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Oh and two more questions...how does ME3 play out if the player didn't import a save? ie. What is the backstory of the major decisions from the two previous games?

Also, what happens if Tali was exiled by the Quarian fleet?

 

[Coldie]

Let's see...

- What changes if the player completed ME3 with the bare minimum of war assets, compared to a maxed out bar? What if they had 100% galactic readiness instead of 50%?

"Maxed" out bar allows you access to all three endings (2800 effective score). If you have the bare minimum, you only get one ending (either Blue or Red, depending on your final choice in ME2). Also the cinematic of the Sword attack changes between Reapers blowing up and allied ships blowing up. Hammer always fails. War assets also determine how badly Big Ben (and the rest of the planet) are affected by Blue and Red endings. At 5000 (4000 if you "save" Anderson) score you get a bonus scene for Red ending.

Readiness does not affect anything except effective score.

- How would the turian, krogan or quarian plots play out if Garrus, Wrex/Mordin or Tali/Legion didn't survive the suicide mission/Virmire, or if Grunt's tank was never opened?

Any important characters are replaced with stand-in clones with different names. Plots may be slightly different, in general they will play out for the worse (see below for Wrex, you don't get Quarian/Geth peace if either Tali or Legion is dead, etc). If you sold Legion to Cerberus, you face him as an enemy at some point.

- What if the player didn't keep the genophage data from Tuchanka in ME2?

Eve dies. If Wrex is also dead, Mordin can survive.

- What happens in ME3 if the player romances Ash/Liara in ME1 but someone else in 2?

A bit more mistrust? Nothing special. The ending cutscene of the 3 important characters will not show a ME2 romance. It can only show Ashley/Kaidan or Liara.

- Is there any circumstance under which Thane, Legion or Mordin survive?

No, no, yes (if Wrex and Eve are dead, Mordin will see that Krogan under Wreav are a lost cause).

- What would happen with Salarian counsellor if Thane didn't survive ME2?

Kirrahe will save him. If Kirrahe is also dead, councilor dies. If he dies and you cured the genophage, you don't get Salarian fleet support.

- What would Jacob have been doing in ME3 had the player romanced him in ME2?

Same as what he does if you didn't. He still gets his new girlfriend pregnant.

- What would happen if the player didn't destroy the collector base?

You get 10 more asset points and a different "minimum score" ending is unlocked. If you have enough score for both Blue and Red, it doesn't matter.

- How does Cerberus attack on citadel play out if Anderson was counsellor?

Anderson is never on the council in ME3. If he was, he steps down after ME2 in a book. Udina is always the human councilor.

- Who would we be playing as if Shepard died in ME2?

Shepard. I don't think you can even import a game with dead Shepard.

- Do any ME2 squadmates (who weren't in ME1) join up again under any circumstances?

Only Tali and Garrus.

Oh and two more questions...how does ME3 play out if the player didn't import a save? ie. What is the backstory of the major decisions from the two previous games?

Also, what happens if Tali was exiled by the Quarian fleet?

Off the top of my head, ME1 defaults to same stuff as in ME2, all ME2 characters are not loyal, Legion sold off to Cerberus, Samara killed by Morinth (maybe?).
You get no chance of Quarian/Geth peace, but Mordin can be saved.

If Tali is exiled, Quarian/Geth peace is much harder to achieve, if at all possible.

 

[Elamdri]

- What changes if the player completed ME3 with the bare minimum of war assets, compared to a maxed out bar? What if they had 100% galactic readiness instead of 50%?

Ending outcomes are entirely determined by your adjusted Effective Military Strength. You need about 4000-5000 to save Shepard, I think the bare minimum to suceed at all is like 1700.

- How would the turian, krogan or quarian plots play out if Garrus, Wrex/Mordin or Tali/Legion didn't survive the suicide mission/Virmire, or if Grunt's tank was never opened?

Every ME2 character has a rough placeholder character in ME3, if Wrex dies you deal with his brother, it makes some of the underhanded shit with the Salarians easier. If Mordin isn't present Eve dies, and if Tali and Legion aren't present, you can't broker peace between Geth and Quarians, so you have to pick one and the other is wiped out.

- What if the player didn't keep the genophage data from Tuchanka in ME2?

I think it still get's cured unless you purposely don't cure it, I think it's just harder and wrex gets pissed if he finds out you destroyed it.

- What happens in ME3 if the player romances Ash/Liara in ME1 but someone else in 2?

You can still romance them, it's just harder. You gotta visit them in the hospital and give them presents n' stuff, yknow, like you normally have to do when you cheat in a relationship. Eventually during the scene where they stand off with you, if you didn't do a good job, you have to shoot them.

- Is there any circumstance under which Thane, Legion or Mordin survive?

There is no way to save thane or legion, their deaths are cannon. Mordin can survive under certain circumstances.

- What would happen with Salarian counsellor if Thane didn't survive ME2?

Captain Kirahhe saves him instead. I think if you import a save with both thane and kirahhe dead, Kai Leng suceeds.

- What would Jacob have been doing in ME3 had the player romanced him in ME2?

I don't think you can continue your relationship in ME3.

- What would happen if the player didn't destroy the collector base?

I think it just gives you war assests, not sure

- How does Cerberus attack on citadel play out if Anderson was counsellor?

Anderson is never counselor. Udina is always counselor in ME3, Anderson steps down in one of the books.

- Who would we be playing as if Shepard died in ME2?

Shepard can't die in ME2. Shepard's ability to "Die" in ME2 was just a way for Bioware to show you how badly you did. It is not canonical for him to die. In fact, if he does die, that save simply becomes ineligible to be imported into ME3 and you must start with a default Shepard.

- Do any ME2 squadmates (who weren't in ME1) join up again under any circumstances?

No, all ME2 cameos are just that, cameos. They never become part of your squad.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Thanks for those wonderful responses. Shame about Anderson stepping down, kinda renders that decision a little pointless, as does Shepard dying in ME2. The rest seem like interesting plot developments.

What happens if the original council died in ME1? Guessing they're also replaced with placeholders and it plays out the same (except no destiny ascension in war assets)?

 

[Cranky]

Yep, Council replacements are essentially the same. The Salarian Councillor is female though. That's the only major difference.

 

[Emiscary]

I think whether or not the Illusive man survives the final moments of the game should depend on whether you gave him the Collector base or not. It was the final and (we assumed) the most important choice of ME2, and it seems like the only repercussion it had was: you guessed it, a lame war asset and nothing else.

Personally I did hand over the base, and I assumed that doing so would be the deciding factor of his ultimate fate. Either A) have the resources he acquired from the base be enough to allow him to overcome his potential indoctrination, or B) have the base be the straw that broke the camels back that ensures he can't be saved. In the first case it would give Renegade players the satisfaction of knowing their decision to cooperate with the illusive man wasn't a TOTAL mistake (reaper tech army not withstanding), and in the second it would confirm the suspicion that there are actually lines one shouldn't cross- even in the face of insurmountable odds. Plus in the case of the former it gives Paragon players the ability to redeem the man at the last minute. You (the Paragon Shep) are then responsible for preventing his ultimate self destruction by ambition.

Similarly I figured that the decision to give up or destroy the base would be factored in to whether you're sent into your final battle (which I assumed there would be one) with the Illusive man's blessing or with Anderson's (I also assumed your Renegade/Paragon choice would be reflected in which of those characters you talk over your final decision with). Ideally there would've been a scenario in which both live and are there to witness the conflict's ultimate conclusion with you.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It is a bit lame that it just reflects as bonus war assets considering the moral and story implications of keeping or destroying the base (not to mention that all of ME2 was ultimately about that base and the mission to capture it). I appreciate that it can't be easy to allow for too many variations, but Anderson stepping down as human Counsellor and the handling of the collectors' base should have been much more relevant. Further the council living or dying...the whole option ultimately led to humanity either getting a joint place in the galactic government, or the lead role. That the lead role ultimately has practically no bearing on the story in ME3 is also sad.

As it happens, the endings don't really reflect anything whatsoever that we decided in the years and playthrus since ME1 anyway. You get an "ending machine" which presents three identical FMV cutscenes with different coloured energy discharges.

Another question, not sure if it was answered. What circumstances do we find Tali in had she been exiled in ME2? eg. When do we find her in the story? What had she been up to in the interim (does this change if she had been romanced) between 2 and 3? Is making peace still an option (assuming Legion side of things is done correctly)? Is she accepted back into quarian society if the quarian win/make peace?

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Two more that occured:

- What happens if the player chooses Morinth over Samara in ME2, particularly the plotline involving the monastary?
- Any idea how the kasumi grey-box thing plays out if she erased it in ME2?