Everything you've done in Mass Effect 2 has led up to this point. You've gathered your squad, you've investigated abducted colonies, and now you're ready to take the fight to the Collectors on a final Suicide Mission.
Related: Mass Effect Legendary Edition: Where To Get The Brandy, The Ingredients, And The FBA Couplings
The name "Suicide Mission" isn't just a catchy title. Every member of your squad is in jeopardy during this operation. And you could end the mission with none of them alive. Of course, you want to avoid that, as these are your closest allies. So, here's everything you need to do to give your team a chance of living through the dangerous escapade.
THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY
Updated October 13, 2022 By Ben Jessey: The assault on the Collector base in Mass Effect 2 remains one of the most compelling missions in video game history. This is because any of your teammates can die during the escapade. In fact, if you're going in blind, some will probably perish.
This is why we made this guide to give you clear instructions on how to make sure all your teammates survive the suicide mission. However, there's so much information that we felt our piece wasn't quite clear enough. So, we've updated the guide to make it even easier to understand.
How To Prepare For The Suicide Mission
There are two very important things to know as a prerequisite for attempting the final mission if you plan on keeping everyone alive.
First, the Normandy needs to be outfitted with several ship upgrades in order to survive the approach through the Omega-4 Relay.
Secondly, Shepard will need full loyalty from every squad member. One or two can be unloyal, but then you'll need some luck on your side to get everyone through the mission safely.
Ship Upgrades
To unlock the ship upgrades, Shepard will need to talk to each of his squadmates on the Normandy between main missions. When talking to them, select the Investigate option, then [NORMANDY UPGRADES].
Doing this will reveal the appropriate upgrade in the Tech Lab terminal. While every squad member will give you an upgrade in the Tech Lab, only three of them are necessary to survive the approach through the Omega-4 Relay:
Ship Upgrade | How To Unlock the Upgrade | Material Cost |
|---|---|---|
Thanix Cannon | You can purchase this upgrade after talking to Garrus | 15,000 Platinum |
Heavy Ship Armor | This is available in the Tech Lab terminal after talking to Jacob | 15,000 Palladium |
Multicore Shielding | After talking with Tali, you can purchase this upgrade in the Tech Lab | 15,000 Palladium |
Squad Loyalty
To give your squadmates the best chance to survive the remainder of the mission, you will need their loyalty, which requires that Shepard gets to know them, and helps them when called upon.
The easiest way to establish loyalty is to talk to every squad member between story missions. Exhaust all dialogue options every time you talk to them and eventually, they will ask Shepard to help them with a personal matter.
Loyalty missions work much like any other mission, and flesh out the backstory for each crew member as you explore the galaxy. After you complete a loyalty mission for a squadmate, an orange ring will appear underneath their character model on the squad selection screen to indicate their loyalty to you.
However, there will be a couple of times when the loyalty of your squadmates is in jeopardy. This happens when two of them get into an argument. These are the fights that occur:
- Miranda Vs. Jack: After doing both of their loyalty missions, Miranda and Jack will get into an aggressive dispute, putting you in the middle. You must have a lot of Paragon or Renegade points to not take a side. Otherwise, you will lose the loyalty of the person you side against. If you're forced to pick one, and only care about everyone living through the suicide mission, then side with Jack. This is because Miranda is among the hardest characters to kill during the operation.
- Tali Vs. Legion: Tali and Legion also have a difference of opinion. Once again, you must have enough Paragon or Renegade points to defuse the issue. Thankfully, this one is easier to solve. If you still don't have enough points, though, you must pick a side. And you've just got to hope the person that you don't pick still survives.
How To Survive The Suicide Mission
As long as you have purchased the Heavy Ship Armor, Multicore Shielding, and Thanix Cannon for the Normandy, you have nothing to worry about once you pass through the Omega-4 Relay heading to the Collector Base.
As soon as you finish the sequence in the Normandy cargo hold and land on the Collector Base, you have some important decisions to make.
Unless stated otherwise, everyone you pick for a role needs to be loyal for it to go well.
Phase 1 - Tech Specialist Selection
For the first main part of the Suicide Mission, you will need a Tech Expert to travel through the ventilation shaft in order to open some doors from the other side. Jacob is a woefully naive volunteer, but you really only have three choices here:
- Tali - Mechanical genius even among the advanced engineers of the quarians.
- Kasumi - Master thief and unmatched infiltration specialist.
- Legion - It possesses the collective memory of the entire geth, and has the unmatched technical expertise of a sentient machine that can be used with calculated proficiency.
You can choose any of these three as the tech specialist, but choosing anyone else (including Jacob) will result in them dying.
Phase 1 - Fireteam Leader Specialist Selection
It is important that you select a squad member with natural leadership qualities since most of your squad won't listen to the "lone wolf" types. You have three options here:
- Garrus - Veteran officer of Citadel Security who quit to lead his own elite military group within the Terminus Systems to combat crime at its source.
- Miranda - She can move effortlessly from formidable biotic and superior soldier to brilliant tactician and vigilant guardian.
- Jacob - A seasoned combat professional and veteran of the Alliance military.
Selecting anyone else for this role will result in your tech specialist dying. Proceed through the gauntlet of enemies, being mindful of the meter on the bottom of the screen. You will need to release several valves in the next few chambers before the meter empties, or your tech specialist will die.
Phase 2 - Biotic Specialist Selection
Once your tech specialist and fireteam leader get your squad through the doors, you will come across pods of colonists and your abducted crew from the Normandy. At this point, you will need to choose a biotic specialist to get your squad through the seeker swarms. Miranda claims that technically any biotic can accomplish this feat, but she is a liar. You have two choices for this task:
- Jack - She was subjected to experimental drugs and illegal medical procedures as a child to enhance her already prodigious biotic talents.
- Samara - An honored and feared asari justicar, her incredible biotic powers have been honed into a devastating weapon.
- Morinth - She is Samara's daughter and equal to her mother in biotic power. So, if you choose her over Samara during the Justicar's loyalty mission, you can safely pick her for this role.
Sadly, these two biotics are the only ones capable of surviving the seeker swarms, as the other biotics on your team don't possess strong enough abilities, despite what Miranda says.
Phase 2 - Second Squad Leader Specialist Selection
Just like the first time you chose the fireteam leader, you will need someone with a knack for being in a leadership role. You have three choices here, and you can even choose the same one as last time if you want:
- Garrus - Veteran officer of Citadel Security who quit to lead his own elite military group within the Terminus Systems to combat crime at its source.
- Miranda - She can move effortlessly from formidable biotic and superior soldier to brilliant tactician and vigilant guardian. Even an unloyal Miranda succeeds in this role.
- Jacob - A seasoned combat professional and veteran of the Alliance military.
Phase 2 - Crew Escort Selection
A shuttle will come to rendezvous with the crew and you can choose to either escort them with someone from your squad or let them go it alone.
You can technically choose anyone from your team to escort them, but it is highly recommended you choose Mordin, unless you plan on keeping him in your personal squad (more on this later). Choosing to let the crew head to the shuttle alone will result in the crew dying.
Phase 3 - Final Battle And Suicide Squad Selection
Once you get through the next few rooms with seeker swarms, you will need to select a squad to go with you into the last fight and leave everyone else to hold the door in a last stand against the Collectors.
This decision is interesting as it's more about who you don't choose. This is because, as long as they're loyal, anyone you bring with you will survive. But if you take all the heavy hitters, then the team holding the line will have problems.
As such, it's best if you take two of your squishier squadmates into the last fight because they are the most at risk when left with the ground team. If you didn't send Mordin as the crew escort, you need to bring him with you here, as he almost always dies. If you want some bonus dialogue for the end of the game, bring Miranda with you.
Here's a ranking of all your teammates, from 'you should choose them for your last squad' to 'don't choose them for your last squad.'
- Mordin - His Incinerate, Cryo Blast, and Neural Shock abilities are some of the most useful in the game against organic targets.
- Jack - Warp Ammo is possibly one of the best abilities in the whole game, especially when applied to the team, and Shockwave is great for toppling enemies that get too close.
- Kasumi - Kasumi's Shadow Strike ability is great for attacking distracted enemies, and Overload can stun and chain to multiple enemies if evolved correctly.
- Tali - Her Combat Drone ability is very useful in distracting the Collectors from your squad.
- Miranda - Her Overload ability is useful for stunning enemies if you've evolved it to chain to multiple targets, and Warp is devastating to biotic barriers.
- Jacob - Incendiary Ammo is a major buff if you've evolved it to apply to the whole squad, and Pull is handy for dispatching un-armored enemies.
- Samara - Her Reave ability is useful for damaging enemies over time and Warp will make short work of Collectors' barriers and armor.
- Morinth - She has the standard biotic attacks for moving people around, such as Pull and Throw. The woman can also make organics fight for you with Dominate.
- Legion - If you've unlocked the Widow Anti-Material rifle for him, Legion is devastating on the battlefield from the rear.
- Thane - One of the squishier members of the team, Thane is most useful with his Shredder Ammo applied to the squad, since it does extra damage to organics.
You can include one, but not two of these as your final battle squad (choosing two will almost guarantee a relief team member's death):
- Zaeed - Zaeed is a brute, and his Inferno Grenade is helpful for covering a good-sized area with fire, causing damage over time.
- Garrus - Another great sniper, Garrus' Concussive Shot is great for knocking down weak enemies, and Armor-Piercing ammo is helpful when applied to the whole team.
- Grunt - A tank on the battlefield, Grunt is useful to send out against mobs of weaker enemies when using the Fortification ability. He also has Incendiary Ammo that can be applied to the team.
If you followed all the steps in this guide, your squad will likely come out of the horrifying final battle unscathed, prepared to take on the Reaper threat in Mass Effect 3.
Next: Mass Effect Legendary Edition Complete Guide And Walkthrough
FAQs
Can you save the entire crew in Mass Effect 2? ›
At the end of Mass Effect 2, you face potentially losing all your squadmates, the Normandy Crew, and even Commander Shepard. You can ensure that you and your squadmates survive by completing all loyalty missions and choosing the right people for the job when it comes to the Suicide Mission specifics.
Who are the best squadmates for Suicide Mission? ›For the Vent Specialist, you should pick a Loyal Tali, Loyal Legion or Loyal Kasumi. For the Fireteam Leader, you should pick a Loyal Miranda, Loyal Jacob or Loyal Garrus.
Is it hard to save everyone in Mass Effect 2? ›BioWare games are famous for great characters and heart-wrenching decisions. Mass Effect 2 upped the game with its infamous Suicide Mission. Few players managed to save their entire crew on the first try, and even experienced players will struggle without careful planning.
How do you get everyone loyal in Mass Effect 2? ›Actually getting the loyalty of your squad members is pretty straightforward. As you play through the campaign for Mass Effect 2, talk to each of your squadmates after each main mission. Doing so will build a rapport with them, making them more willing to work with you on your mission to stop the Collectors.
Can you save all 20 crates Mass Effect 2? ›Even on Insanity it is possible to save all of the crates using the M-920 Cain.
Can Zaeed survive without loyalty? ›If his loyalty was not secured during this mission, he will be killed by mercenaries present. If his loyalty was secured, he will survive and it will be possible to persuade Din Korlack to give both the location of the colony and the volus Bombing Fleet war asset. In addition, Zaeed himself can become a war asset.
Can you keep everyone alive in the Suicide Mission? ›Keeping the entire squad alive during the Suicide Mission in Mass Effect 2 requires completion of three major steps: Make all critical Ship Upgrades. Complete all companion Loyalty missions and secure and maintain Loyalty. Select appropriate team leadership during the mission.
Should I keep the Reaper base or destroy it? ›Furthermore, players that save the Collector Base will receive the Reaper Brain in Mass Effect 3, while those that destroy it will receive the Reaper Heart. The first of these two War Assets has a Military Strength of 110, and the latter has a Military Strength of 100, making them quite comparable.
Can you save everyone in the Suicide Mission Mass Effect 2? ›Even if you haven't completed all Loyalty Missions, it is possible to save everyone if you make the best possible choices — and you may need to make the best choices, even if you've finished the Loyalty Missions. To give your crew the best possible chance at survival, these are the choices you need to make.
Is it possible to save Garrus? ›The amount of health he recovers can vary, but the bottom line is, as long as you reach one of these "checkpoints" with Garrus still alive, his life bar should recover enough going into the next fight that keeping him alive will remain feasible, even at the highest difficulty settings.
Can I do Legion's loyalty mission and still save the crew? ›
Yes, it's possible. You need to finish all loyalty missions (except for Legion's) before going to the derelict Reaper. After getting back from the derelict Reaper, you are allowed time for exactly one mission before the Collectors invade Normandy (which should be Legion's loyalty mission).
Should I keep or destroy the Greybox Mass Effect 2? ›Mass Effect players that wish to free Kasumi from the memory of Keiji Okuda are thus advised to destroy the graybox, though the choice ultimately comes down to personal preference.
Can you lose Garrus loyalty? ›Garrus is one of several squadmates whose mission does not have a fail condition; as long as Shepard completes it, his Loyalty will have been earned. Despite this, it can seem like Shepard has to go along with Garrus' plan or risk losing his friendship and Loyalty, which is not the case.
How much Paragon do you need to convince Zaeed? ›...
Dossier: The Veteran.
| System | Location | Rich in... |
|---|---|---|
| Sahrabarik | Bindur (3rd planet) | Platinum |
Any squad member can serve as the escort, but they will be unavailable for the remainder of the mission. Disloyal squadmates will also die if the player sends them. However, Kelly Chambers and the rest of the crew will survive either way.
Can you miss Legion in Mass Effect 2? ›You can take Legion through all the DLC and have it by your side as you sweep up the minor missions post suicide mission, and it has a few lines here and there, but still. You never really get to experiment with taking it on other major missions unless you're willing to sacrifice the crew.
Can you save Archangel Mass Effect 2? ›Always choose a squadmate to leave with Archangel.
The battle ahead will be harder for Shepard, yes, but making this decision will drastically reduce the amount of damage Archangel takes while Shepard and the other teammate are off fighting. Congratulations on saving Archangel.
The Resources that you gathered for Research Projects in Mass Effect 2 will be utilized for the Mineral Resources War Asset in Mass Effect 3. The strength of this asset can be either 10, 25 or 100 depending on how many you have.
Can you get Tali loyal and not exiled? ›These actions will allow you to rally the crowd, which will persuade Veetor and Kal'Reegar to come forward and defend Tali. The others will then side with them, and the Board will clear Tali of all charges. As a result, she'll avoid exile and be loyal to you.
What happens if you fail Thane's loyalty mission? ›If you fail to answer Thane in time, or are too far away from Joram for too long, then Kolyat will successfully kill Jorham and escape. The Mission will be completed, but Thane will NOT be Loyal, putting him at risk at the end of the game.
What happens if you fail Samara on her loyalty mission? ›
If you fail at any four activities, you fail the Loyalty Mission entirely. Failing the Loyalty Mission will still complete it with most of the usual rewards, however Samara will not be Loyal and thus at risk at the end of the game. With one exception, you only get one shot at an activity.
What happens if Shepard dies in the Suicide Mission? ›Shepard. At least two squadmates need to survive the Suicide Mission in order for Shepard to survive. If Shepard does not survive, you cannot import your Mass Effect 2 save file into Mass Effect 3.
Does Morinth survive the Suicide Mission? ›The Suicide Mission
Since Morinth is always Loyal if you have her over Samara, you don't need to worry about assigning her as the Crew Escort or putting her on your Squad for the final ride to the central chamber of the Collector Base for the final boss. Being Loyal, she will always survive these.
This is irreversible: once EDI says the Reaper IFF is ready, there's nothing you can do to change it. Using the Galaxy Map will now start the Joker's Jump Mission. This is a small but very important Mission that results in (spoilers)Tap to Reveal.
Is The Illusive Man A Reaper? ›The Illusive Man didn't become a husk, but he could have. Early concepts for Mass Effect 3 involved the Illusive Man becoming a monstrous husk, like a boss battle, to fully symbolize his Reaper allegiance.
Should I do all missions before Reaper IFF? ›Literally do everything before IFF. If you have a lot of missions left, if might take 4 or so before it triggers, but it won't be enough to gain all the loyalty and assignments without sacrificing all the crew.
Who should I bring on the derelict Reaper? ›There's a ton of fighting on the Reaper ship, so you'll want a squad that can fight. Grunt is arguably the best companion to add to your squad for this mission due to his incendiary ammo being useful against well-armored Scions, as well as his health regeneration and fortification ability.
Can you romance Tali after Suicide Mission? ›Once the Suicide Mission is over, save your game, then alternate between talking with Tali and completing one of the Project Firewalker Side Quests you saved earlier. Finishing each will unlock new dialogue for Tali that lets you progress the Romance to its completion.
Can you do the Arrival DLC after the Suicide Mission? ›But you must absolutely play Arrival DLC after completing the Suicide Mission because other-wise you get a hologram of the Harbinger-controlled Collector General and not the actual Reaper Harbinger.
Can you romance Garrus after the Suicide Mission? ›Courting Garrus Vakarian
Garrus Vakarian is only available for Female Shepards, who can begin to court him after you've completed his Loyalty Mission, Garrus: An Eye For an Eye. Once you complete it, you can begin courting him, which happens in three conversation stages.
Who replaces Garrus if he dies? ›
If Garrus dies there is absolutely no replacement and you have an empty spot on your squad. Also Tali, while nobody takes her place on your squad, is replaced plotwise with Admiral Shala'raan Vas Tombay.
Is Garrus younger than Shepard? ›12 He is Younger Than Shepard
BioWare Writer, Patrick Weekes, has stated that he believes Garrus is two to four years younger than Commander Shepard.
Garrus is Renegade based on his own personal justice, though. His heart's in the right place, but it's also what drives his mentality of accomplishing goals regardless of cost.
Can you take Legion on Tali's loyalty mission and still romance her? ›Doing Tali's loyalty mission with Legion and romancing her is possible, but it's likely that you will lose people in the Suicide Mission because of that, since that plot point that happens will make it so that the longer you hold off on launching the Suicide Mission, the more people die.
Is there a way to save both geth and Quarians? ›After they escape the exploding Reaper, Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob discuss what to do with the surprisingly helpful Geth. Here you will have the option of either selling Legion's body to Cerberus or activating it to talk to him. To save both the Geth and Quarians, do not sell Legion off to Cerberus.
Can you regain legions loyalty? ›Legion will recognize this as "a logical decision", regaining Legion's loyalty. The required Renegade is high, but not as high as the initial conversation. If you choose this option, then both Legion and Tali will remain loyal.
Can you sleep with Kasumi in Mass Effect 2? ›To get right to it, there is simply no way to romance Kasumi Goto in this critically-acclaimed action RPG from BioWare. In fact, the options for interacting with Kasumi are generally quite limited, as they are with Zaeed Massani, another of Mass Effect 2's DLC squad members.
Can you romance Kasumi? ›To romance Kasumi, players must progress toward the True Ending of Persona 5 Royal.
What was in Kasumi's greybox? ›Keiji's graybox contains information that, if revealed to the Citadel Council, would implicate the Alliance in something "big". The encryption key to the information was uploaded to Kasumi's own graybox, ensuring that no one else would be able to see it.
How do you save the whole Normandy crew? ›- Do every single mission you want to do before the Suicide Mission.
- Go to derelict Reaper and get the Reaper IFF, and "recruit" Legion.
- Do Legion's loyalty mission.
- Go through Omega relay.
Can you save Kelly Chambers Mass Effect 2? ›
Any squad member can serve as the escort, but they will be unavailable for the remainder of the mission. Disloyal squadmates will also die if the player sends them. However, Kelly Chambers and the rest of the crew will survive either way. Mass Effect 2 is available on PC, PS3, PS4, and Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
How many squadmates can survive me2? ›If the average is 2.0 or above, the entire team will survive, whether or not they are loyal. Otherwise, if the average is between 2.0 and 1.0, players will lose one squadmate, and if the average is less than 1.0, they will lose 2.
What happens if you don't let Ashley back on the Normandy? ›If Shepard cannot persuade Ashley to back off, then Shepard will be forced to kill Ashley. If not Shepard, a squad member will shoot her instead. Her name will appear on the memorial wall aboard the Normandy.
What happens if Normandy runs out of fuel? ›Fuel is expended in Mass Effect 3 every time you pilot the Normandy into the void between star systems. Mass Effect jumps do not expend fuel, nor does travel within a system. If you run out of fuel you will be automatically returned to the nearest system with a Mass Relay.
Can Legion survive without loyalty? ›Tali is always the first loyal member to die if you have a disloyal member. Legion will live if you do not use him as a specialist but I have yet to find a combo that keeps him and Tali both alive.
How do I make sure Kelly Chambers survives? ›When Shepard and crew are off on a mission, the Collectors invade the Normandy and abduct Kelly along with most of the crew except for Joker. If you don't perform any missions between the abduction and going to the Collector's base, she can be saved along with the rest of the crew. If not then she'll die.
What happens in ME3 If you save Morinth? ›In the final battle of Earth: Part 1 right before you meet with Anderson at the camp, if you let Morinth live, Morinth will make a strange cameo. You will fight a banshee right before jumping on the ship to the camp and the name on the health bar will say "Morinth" instead of "Banshee."
Can you save Miranda? ›Romance only: you MUST NOT break up with Miranda at any point in Mass Effect 3. If you do, Miranda will die. The only way to avoid this is to lock in a different Romance before breaking up with her; this safely removes the break-up choice from her conversations.
What happens if you cheat on Ashley in Mass Effect 2? ›Cheating on Ashley with Tali, Jack or Miranda in Mass Effect 2 gets -1 Point. Picking the Paragon options on Mars gets +1 Point, while the Renegade options get -1 Point. Visiting Ashley at Heurta while she's awake but bedridden at Huerta will get +2 Points.