So we got a freaky shapeshifting vigilante running around in the other universe, and with comically serious Olga being the one to help the Anniona crew track it down, looks like things are about to get more fun
. Love the convo between those two by the way. Makes it all the more tragic when you know what happens to these people after a certain incident occurs
Now, let us finish ME3 with the endings mentioned in the previous interlude
Starting off with the ending in the Long Walk. If Shepard ends up succumbing to Harbinger’s indoctrination, mournful music will play as the various galactic forces slowly make their final stand. Anderson and Bailey’s team are overrun just as they come close to the control panel, C-Sec HQ is overrun by husks as well with a banshee screaming at the air as they pounce on the last remaining survivors. In Vienna those that have survived up to that point make their final stand, with Johann even raising the tattered flag of the Reich one last time just as the reaper forces break through. The arrival of the sentinel fleet (And the rachni) will prove too late as the Reapers succeed in destroying the Crucible, Hackett orders a retreat when it is clear the teams sent to Earth had been overrun, evacuation was no longer possible thus forcing Hackett to rally the last of the Alliance fleet and stall the advancing Reapers, The Gibraltar among them, when the Sentinel captain advises Hackett to withdraw, they refuse, citing that Earth was their home, and they will all make the Reapers pay for what they did to it. As the last of the remaining ships leave, the Alliance remnants are quickly overrun, Hackett’s dreadnought and the Gibraltar being the last ones, they too are destroyed but not before Hackett’s dreadnought rams into Harbinger right after the Gibraltar does the same. The final cut will show the destroyed Crucible’s debris alongside the destroyed ships orbiting around Earth. A montage of scenes will then follow as Harbinger makes a speech regarding the Cycle’s continuation, scenes show the fall of various planets, and the invasion of the remaining ones, particularly Sur’Kesh, Kajeh, Tuchanka and Rannoch. Harbinger continues his speech in regards to bringing order to the chaos of the galaxy, as this occurs husks will be shown in huge numbers, legions overrunning the remaining holdouts, while above the remnant fleets that survived the retreat are slaughtered with ease. A view of the Milky Way Galaxy is shown, with Reapers represented in red slowly overtaking the remaining systems, Harbinger’s speech continues regarding the foolishness of the current cycle being erased with their ascension, their strive for violence and bloodlusts now gone as they serve for the greater good of the galaxy, they then declare that this was meant to be, and now the galaxy’s current citizens will enjoy their immortality. The scene shifts to the Reapers entering through a relay, then slowly revealed to be the Hanar Home system, with the last of the Sentinel fleets and those surviving galactic fleets making their final stand. In a makeshift bridge, Shepard looks on as the battle commences, Harbinger then comments that as the old order is finally extinguished, a new one will be created from the ashes, an order that the Reapers have allowed. Life, has been preserved. The scene shifts once more, to the Domains of the Leviathans as the remaining seven look up, prepared for the end, as reaper ground forces land on the surface, Shepard now having machine parts throughout their body leads the attack. Harbinger then fires its weapon over Kajeh citing that the naysayers will succumb and ascend just as the scene cuts to black before it ends with Harbinger remarking that they will be annihilated if they refused.
A similar ending occurs during the boss battle as well, however it is the Enforcer or the various forms depending on which Shepard died from, several scenes change as there will be no final resistance as the Crucible essentially becomes a giant indoctrination weapon, the only ones being immune are the Sentinels, the Geth, the Rachni, the Hanar, those within vicinity of the Leviathan artifacts and the Leviathans themselves. The last stand on Kahje essentially remains the same but with fewer ships above said planet.
However there is hope from either endings, for deep beneath an uncharted planet lies a recording of Liara T’Soni’s message, alongside plans for the Crucible, and curiously enough, a single Leviathan artifact, as the recording ends the darkened room suddenly gets filled with light, shadows obscuring the hidden artifacts as the scene ends. Cut to credits alongside a mournful song by Malukah as the credits roll, still images showing the fates of every species in their final stand are shown. A post credits scene plays with the soundtrack Vigil in the background, humanoid beings, presumably a child and an adult traverse through an open meadow, trees around them with a moon dominating the horizon, when the child asks if such things did truly occur, the adult (Voiced by TTL’s Carrie Fisher) will confirm it but then goes on to say that such a story may have many missing parts as these had been found long ago, and that even the archives were not complete. Once the child asks if they could one day travel to the stars, the adult says that one day they could, and when the child asks what they find up there, the adult responds that anything was possible, and that each might have a story to be told. The child then asks if they can listen to another story regarding The Shepard, the adult chuckles, citing that it was getting late, but then coincides that there was still room for one more story (Essentially OTL’s Refusal post credits scene)….
Players get unique achievements while getting these endings, with an option to either leave it on their save file, or replay to the checkpoint where they either died or replay the long walk if they allowed Shepard to be indoctrinated. Though these endings leave everything vague in regards to the Reapers, it is hinted that the next cycle finally defeated the Reapers once and for all.
Now we move on to the true endings, starting off with Control.
Shepard contemplates on such a choice as they remark that what if it was a trap set by the collective. The Intelligence then says that it was not, to indoctrinate the commander would be pointless now that their purpose was nullified, Harbinger then cites that with their form crippled, they no longer can traverse in the realm of the lower sentients unless they are within the Crucible. The Intelligence then remarks that they will die if Shepard chose control citing that Harbinger, as the progenitor of the collective was in essence THE soul of the entire collective. The intelligence then remarks that by choosing control, they will die, and be reborn through Shepard, thus letting Shepard ascend by becoming the Reapers. The Commander then makes the decision, and limps towards Harbinger’s already fizzling form, the Commander then declares that if the Reapers were to move forward, the old consciousness, the old directives will have to go. They then grab Harbinger’s head, and seemingly holds it, this scene in particular is interesting as the surroundings will swap back in forth between the domain of the Reapers and the chaos engulfing outside the Crucible. As Shepard firmly grasps Harbinger’s head, the old reaper will start losing balance as their yellow eyes flicker, they briefly resist before their arms gave away, as this happens, Shepard’s physical body starts deteriorating, causing them to scream in pain but still hold on to Harbinger’s essence, OTL’s An End Once and for All starts playing after Harbinger tells Shepard that the galaxy was now in their hands, they slowly disintegrate and their essence absorbed into Shepard, as this occurs, the Commander’s body will also start to deteriorate, flashbacks will then play as this occurs like in OTL, starting with Anderson then with the next flashback being the squadmate Shepard interacted the most, then finally ending with a flashback of their love interest (If there were no love interest then it’s the squadmate that was interacted the most with the second flashback being the second squadmate Shepard interacted the most). As this occurs the Intelligence will slowly fizzle out as well while the figures representing the collective glow a luminescent blue. Shepard stares at Earth one last time before closing their eyes, their body disintegrating just moments later. The Crucible powers up afterwards, beginning its final purpose, Hackett issues a retreat when it is clear that the Reapers had been disabled. If the Gibraltar is still around it would fly past the Crucible and the Citadel just as it finishes arming, with Joker visibly ignoring Hackett’s orders, Traynor then places a hand on the pilot’s shoulder, telling him that they’ll come back, but only if they obey the retreat order. Joker then turns to EDI who reassures him that she will make preparations to abandon her android form. Joker of course is torn between getting Shepard and crew or not get caught in a blast that might tear everyone within the radius, and so like in OTL, Joker reluctantly steers the Gibraltar around, following the retreating ships just as the massive wave of multicolored energy engulfs those nearer to the blast, the eyes of the nearest Reapers flicker for a few seconds, then from yellow, they turn into pure white. On the battle of Vienna, Hammer teams prepare their last stand as legions upon legions of husk descend upon them. What makes matters worse are the incoming Reaper ships that land on top of the city, all the while the wave of multicolored energy engulfs everything within its vicinity. On Medium and Low EMS, the energy itself will end up causing damage to the infrastructure and will cause those who are left standing to be thrown into the ground. On High EMS this just occurs normally like a cloud passing through and leaves everything in its current state. As the wave passes, the Reaper ships stop what they are doing, then take off to either the bewilderment or cheers of those fighting. In another part of Vienna, if both Javik and James are still alive, they’d be on the verge of being overrun as fatigue has taken its toll to the pair as well as Hammer forces that remained. The wave of energy reaches their position just as the pair’s position are overrun, as said energy wave passes through, the husks stand dumbfounded, the briefly stare at the survivors before retreating, the reaper ships just beyond the horizon also retreat back to the sky to the cheers of everyone, Javik merely stares at this with a look of confusion on his face (If both Javik and James died then the scene pretty much plays like in OTL with those two Alliance soldiers, but with other species fighting by their side as well). As the wave passes through Earth, the Crucible launches one last burst of energy and right into the Sol Relay, just like in OTL, it spins wildly out of control trying to contain that amount of energy before spewing it out and sending it forward, the damage to the relay will also depend on how intact the Crucible is. With either only its rings damaged or the entire relay getting destroyed after holding that amount of energy. The Citadel arms then close automatically as the Reaper fleet pass by the station. An overview of the Milky Way Galaxy is shown as the energy burst from the Crucible spreads to one end before spreading out across various systems, thus truly beginning the end of the Reaper War. Like in OTL, scenes will be shown of the wars throughout the galaxy, starting with Asari resistance on Thessia witnessing the energy beam do its work, as well as destroying any standing infrastructure that still somehow survived on low EMS, then to Menae where the Turian forces who remain, they too witness such a spectacle in awe or as they cheer as the Reapers retreat back into the sky, a final scene will also show in Tuchanka as the krogans cheer as well. One final scene (If the Gibraltar didn’t ram itself into Harbinger) will be the CIC of the Gibraltar as its crew members run around issuing orders, Joker either keeps his composure or frantically rerouting errors on the ship depending on the EMS score, and just like in OTL, the beam catches up to the Gibraltar and then overwhelms it (it does not suffer damage however even on Low EMS). If the Gibraltar was destroyed then it will be Hackett’s dreadnaught that tries to outrun the wave of energy, various survivors of the Gibraltar crew will be watching in the sidelines as the dreadnaught speeds up (Joker among them if he too was evacuated). The scene that plays afterwards will pretty much be the same as in OTL, but on a colonized planet that the Gibraltar has crash landed on, specifically Eden Prime as evidenced by the buildings on the horizon. Traynor and Joker look at each other with looks of relief after disembarking from the ship just as a few Alliance shuttles appear on the horizon, heading towards them before the scene cuts to black. If it’s Hackett’s dreadnought then it would be somewhere above Eden Prime. The dreadnought’s crew then go on their work as they attempt to power up the dreadnought while Hackett looks over Eden Prime, with a look of relief and satisfaction on his face. Around the dreadnought, more ships start appearing from FTL as the scene cuts to black.
A misty environment is then shown with Shepard walking closer to the player’s view with a look of being content on their face, the words Eternal, Infinite and Immortal are then repeated by Shepard (With voice of thousands of Reapers intermingled with theirs) like in OTL, they muse at these three words as the scene slowly zooms out to reveal the white misty environment Shepard was on was from that of a Reaper’s eye/s, as Shepard narrates on how their predecessor saw the need of conflict and chaos to be contained and order remaining, the scene will have Reapers fixing the broken relays around the galaxy alongside infrastructure. Shepard then narrates that with the Cycle over, an era of rebirth has been ushered, one that they pledged to watch over. They then go on to say that while their body maybe gone, they lived on through the Reaper collective, and through the Reaper armada they will either guard the balance and protect the downtrodden (Mixed Morality), become the guardian of the galaxy and a paragon of Justice (Paragon) or be a better Judge, Jury and Executioner than their predecessor (Renegade). They will then say that they shall continue to watch over those who lived on, always keeping an eye on them, and to be a better god-like being than their predecessor. Shepard will then say that such things would not have been possible without the sacrifices of those who fought for their freedom, and that their names shall forever be immortalized, in the minds of those who lived, and through Shepard, forever remembered by the Reaper collective.. As this speech happens there will be various scenes occurring, the galactic forces going home after the relays are fixed, the Krogan chief returning to Tuchanka (To either a desolate empty wasteland for Wreav or to the cheering and adulation of his people just as a new dawn rises for Wrex) or the Rachni landing on the planet if Wrex pulled out his support (Or simply a look on the planet’s desolate wasteland instead if the Rachni were rendered extinct), Shepard’s AI form meeting up with their LI on appropriate locations (Tali on Rannoch, Garrus on Palaven, etc), various Alliance officials coordinating with Miranda Lawson as they go over data gathered on the Reapers, the crowning of the new Kaiser/Kaiserin on the entrance to Hagia Sophia (Or its remains) as the sun rises over the battered remains of Constantinople (On High and Medium EMS the Hagia Sophia will be seen towering on the horizon, a testament to the endurance of the Reich). The moving of the Citadel back to the Widow relay, ending with the reestablishment of the council (Udina will be seen looking worse for wear but alive on High and Medium EMS and provided the Citadel Defense forces were sufficiently strong). After this a series of flashbacks of those who died during the course of the trilogy will play during Shepard’s speech on the immortalization of those who gave their lives, starting from the one who died on Virmire down to whomsoever died in the final hours of the war. A funeral scene will play after this, but we’ll get to that eventually. Alongside the consequences of Shepard’s decisions which plays after a portion of the credits had rolled.
Choosing to spare the Reapers will have Shepard question the Intelligence if they will fulfill their end of the bargain if they spare the Reapers, the Intelligence and Harbinger will agree citing that Shepard’s reasons might just be sufficient enough to bring an end to the chaos that has gripped every sapient species had been prone to do in the previous cycles. Shepard briefly winces in pain at their wounds before asking Harbinger and the Intelligence if they were not trying to deceive the commander, to which Harbinger sarcastically responding with a question on whether Shepard thought of them being a typical organic. Thus as if on cue, the Reapers cease firing, and slowly begin retreating away from the Citadel, And all the other figures and holograms of the Reaper collective slowly disappear until it is only the Intelligence and Harbinger are left, the Intelligence remarks on Shepard and their cycle being a worthy adversary, and maybe they were fit indeed to succeed the Leviathans before it too disappears, leaving Shepard and Harbinger staring at each other, even when the United Galactic fleet advance. Harbinger then remarks that the crippling that the galactic fleet did to its form was enough for his consciousness to no longer be able to traverse in the realm of the lesser sapients, unless aided by a powerful catalyst, like the Crucible. Harbinger then warns the Commander that to take solace in this small victory as their existence will still remain with the Collective, and that if the races of Shepard’s cycle fail in this new solution, then he’ll be there, leading the collective in bringing order to the chaos. Shepard glares at Harbinger and promises him that they will be there as well, ready to finish the job. Harbinger chuckles as they disappear, telling Shepard that they will have to be stronger next time, before ending with a chilling sentence that he’ll be always there, and that even dead gods dream. Shepard collapses as they witness the Reapers leaving for the Sol relay, content in their decision as they clutch their wounds, leaning on a wall they sigh as flashbacks of their comrades play before they close their eyes, leaving their final fate ambiguous. The scene then shifts to Hackett coordinating with the united galactic fleet for their counter-attack, he is then contacted by the Sentinel fleet’s captain who tells him that the Reapers have contacted the Leviathans and have agreed to a ceasefire, and to Hackett’s chagrin have asked the Galactic forces to abide by the ceasefire as well under orders directly from the Matriarch. Hackett reluctantly orders the fleets to stand down, much to their chagrin as the admiral asks one of the officers to broadcast what he was about to say, fleet wide. Down below on Vienna, the various Hammer teams dig in their positions, and as they prepare their last stand, the reaper ground forces suddenly fall into the ground like puppets whose strings have been cut, their eyes empty and no longer bearing the white colored irises. Reaper ships traversing on Vienna then take off into the sky, retracting their legs as they do so, below Hammer teams cheer at the sight, while there are those who stare dumbfounded and shocked at this display the rest are in a celebratory mood with even a few Alliance soldiers getting on their knees and praying or stretching their arms into the sky. The scene shifts to either the Gibraltar or in Hackett’s dreadnaught as the Gibraltar crew are in a celebratory mood, Joker will either be shown looking over at Earth or preparing to set a course on the Citadel. The scene then shifts to the realm of the Leviathans as the Intelligence bows before the Matriarch before disappearing, all seven of the Leviathans then look below to where a 3D image of the Milky Way is showed with the Matriarch having a smug and satisfied look on her Cuttlefish-like face. Various scenes then play out after this as Reapers start retreating from major battle zones like Thessia and Palaven as well as token scout troops on Tuchanka and just near the relay system leading to Rannoch. The Reapers retreat from all systems, and then slowly begin their long trek to darkspace. The final scene will have the remaining Reapers retreat from Khar’Shan before the scene cuts to black. An original music will play during this ending and will be a mix of hopeful and ominous.
A Sentinel ship flies over Earth with an Alliance ship as the Matriarch begins her speech with her musing on the history of her people. They then remark on how their conflict with an ancient enemy led them to abandon their duty in watching over the galaxy. Alongside similar scenes playing out as mentioned in the Control Ending, there will be another scene that will feature the Leviathans stepping out of the shadows, and communicating with various individuals via their artifacts (Without the need of a water tank), this scene occurs at the same time the Matriarch says that their time hiding was over. And with an uneasy peace the Reapers gave the Galaxy, it was necessary for the Leviathans to step in and groom the next ‘stewards’ or as she prefers calling humanity’s new role, the inheritors to their legacy. As this occurs there shall be a brief sequence which shows a new beam connecting to the Citadel, which now remains above Earth. She then remarks that while events in history may be prone to being forgotten, it will not be in this case, for as long as the survivors were reminded and warned, then there will be no such repeating of the cycle of genocide. The Matriarch then remarks on the dawn of a new age for the galaxy, one that has potential to even surpass her kind. She then remarks that such a thing could not have been possible without the sacrifices of those who fought to see such an age come to past, a future that they will never get to see, but one where they shall always be remembered for their sacrifices. A flashback sequence will then play out of those who died over the course of the third game. A funeral scene will also play out after the scene cuts to black, but we’ll get to that eventually. After the funeral scene and the cutscenes showing the aftermath of Shepard’s choices, a mid credits scene plays, which will show a Liara T’Soni in her Matriarch stage musing on her diary in regards to the final defeat of the Reapers, and how true peace was finally achieved. She smiles as she looks up towards a statue of the Gibraltar, she then thanks Shepard for giving them hope in the end.
Choosing Synthesis will trigger a brief dialogue between the intelligence and Shepard and them telling the Commander to not act so hasty while David Archer comments that the flaw in the Reapers was that despite being a combination of organic and synthetic, they were more machine-like, having abandoned their organic thinking in place of cold calculation, hence why they always viewed the organics as vermin and beneath them. Shepard then goes on to say that this solution just might make the Reapers see things from a different perspective while letting the cycle ascend to the next stage in evolution. The intelligence then goes on to say that such a decision was something that the rest of the galaxy did not consent to agreeing, to which Shepard then counters that the cycle was something the galaxy never consented to as well. The commander will then tell the intelligence that they will aim to be better than the reapers and will simply offer the galaxy the choice to accept synthesis or reject it for now, they then tell the intelligence that the Reapers will be affected as payment for what they had done, to which the Intelligence reluctantly agrees, David Archer then comments that in order for Synthesis to be achieved, an organic will have to add their very essence to the crucible to trigger the solution. Shepard silently nods as they muse on this rather messiah like action. Harbinger then tells the Commander that as the shepherd of the flock, it was their duty to guide the lost. David Archer and Shepard will exchange glances at each other, both surprised on Harbinger of all sapients just quoting (or misquoting in this case) a biblical passage. The Intelligence then tells Shepard that they will have to ascend to provide the choice to the rest of the galaxy for Shepard was the only one every being in the galaxy will trust, and after that they shall be gone forever, their will and very existence becoming one with Synthesis. David Archer realizes Shepard’s sacrifice to briefly become godlike before they are truly gone. Shepard solemnly nods once more as they limp towards the energy beam the Crucible was pumping. Clutching their chest wound as they get closer to the beam, and with one final look towards the Intelligence and David Archer they nod to them before stretching both their arms and diving straight into the beam (In an almost copy of Christ’s crucifixion), like in OTL, Shepard’s body slowly disintegrates as flashbacks of the chosen three individuals play as well. As the Crucible gives out a faint energy pulse, David Archer turns towards the Intelligence as it tells him that he shall be the voice of the new ascended and as such David must become one with the Citadel to fulfill this purpose, David accepts this task just as the Crucible begins its final purpose.
As the Crucible’s weapon systems glow Hackett orders a retreat when it soon becomes clear that even the Reapers were no longer fighting back, just like in the Control ending portion, Joker will reluctantly steer the Gibraltar away from Earth, just as a multicolored energy wave engulfs everything. Same thing occurs over at the battle of Vienna with no infrastructure damaged however as a great multicolored light shines down over which results in the Reapers stopping what they were doing and the various Hammer ground forces kneeling or simply standing in awe and shock of said light. Once said light passes the Reapers, now having glowing white glyphs on their hulls take off into the skies much to the delight and shock of the Hammer teams. Some of the members of Hammer posses glowing white glyphs as well while others remain oddly the same. A similar scene will play out during Javik and James’ last stand (with the two Alliance soldiers standing in like in OTL if either Javik or James died), once the multicolored light passes over where they were, the husks will disintegrate slowly while both Javik and James stare at the aftermath, James having the glyphs while Javik does not. As the Reapers retreat to Earth’s atmosphere, the same energy discharge from the Charon relay will play out like in the Control ending, however this ending will ignore the consequences of someone who has a low EMS score as unlike Control or Destroy, Synthesis acts less of a destructive pulse, the Relay will still be destroyed but its damages are not severe even on low EMS. The overall victory scenes shown will more or less be the same like in Control, the great multicolored light shines down upon the battlefield, and afterwards the Reapers take off into the skies to the shock and delight of everyone, those with glyphs looking at themselves in awe. The Gibraltar/Hackett’s dreadnaught also attempting to outrun the energy wave before it too outruns the ship. Eden Prime of course is where the ship stops. Joker will have glyphs on his body while Traynor will not, Hackett too does not have one if his dreadnought was the one shown instead. Another additional scene will have Joker either making his way to the A.I. core if the Gibraltar made it, or looks towards the stars with a determined look on his face right after looking at a hologram of EDI. Scene then cuts to black.
What’s interesting about this ending is that David Archer and EDI are the ones talking, but David will only be the one talking if EDI died during the Gibraltar’s final act of ramming itself to Harbinger’s hull. EDI’s speech is pretty much like in OTL’s Synthesis as she remarks on her being truly alive, and not alone. Several scenes will pretty much be the same albeit with some individuals having glowing white glyphs on their bodies and others who don’t though they are interacting with one another peacefully. A unique scene will play on EDI and Joker’s reunion as both hug each other. Another unique scene will be the Leviathans watching over the galaxy via their artifacts, with David Archer in the background, the Leviathans don’t have glowing white glyphs however. David Archer if he narrates this ending will begin by musing on the a theory he used to hear about his brother on the nature of transcendence, of how it was the next step in evolution. He then says that a new age had dawned the moment Commander Shepard made their choice, an age that will hopefully be better than the cycle that had occured before it. David then remarks that with Shepard’s sacrifice, the galaxy would be in a better place than it was under the Reapers, and though there were those who rejected Synthesis, David has hopes that they can at least be enlightened in this new age. The spread of knowledge from the Reapers will be crucial to ensuring this new age can flourish, and with Shepard’s sacrifice, the Reapers can finally understand their Organic sides. All of this were possible thanks to those who gave their lives for a future they will never get to see. Just like the other mentioned endings there will be flashbacks showing deceased characters over the course of the third game, ending with a funeral scene, to which we will get to.
Finally, in the Destroy ending, Shepard contemplates on the choices they were given. They will then shake their head as they make their choice, declaring that Synthesis was something the Galaxy was not truly ready for, not at the current time at least. They then tell the Intelligence that the two other options was something the commander refused as well, earning them a dissatisfied response from the collective. Control was out of the question as Shepard refuses to submit themselves to the Collective and claims that one person cannot be trusted with complete power over all and that no one is ever infallible especially if they are entrusted with the powers of a god. Sparing the Reapers was also not a solution as Shepard tells the collective that they simply cannot be allowed to escape the consequences they sown with the destruction of every civilization before Shepard’s, the Commander also makes it clear that they will not allow the threat of the Reapers to hang over them ever again. They will then repeat a phrase uttered back in the second game on even dead gods dreaming, and as such Shepard makes it clear that no matter how passive the Reapers will be, they still pose a threat, and as such they must be destroyed if the Galaxy was ever to move forward and be truly free. Harbinger attempts to stop Shepard but is pinned to the floor as the Intelligence in an act of desperation attempts to reason out with Shepard (With varying degrees of dialogue depending on the final EMS score with the Intelligence begging Shepard to not be hasty in destroying the galaxy on Low EMS), but by then it is too late as the commander closes their eyes, and in those brief moments of solace, broadcasted their thoughts to the collective. A move that proved fruitful as everyone of the Reaper collective jolted and stiffened. The Commander then walks up to Harbinger’s hologram and seemingly holds his head as flashbacks to Anderson and the two chosen team mates play out. Shepard continues broadcasting their thoughts to the collective, causing Harbinger’s eyes to flicker, and in one final act declares to let the Galaxy be free. Shepard then wakes up back on the Crucible, having realized that his final act in ending the cycle had occured while inside the domain of the Reapers. There is a brief moment of silence before the Crucible makes a sudden roar as a wave of multicolored energy erupts from the machine, depending on the overall EMS, Shepard’s fate as the wave of energy passes over them will either result on them getting thrown to the floor or disintegrating, either way Shepard will close their eyes as they prepare for the inevitable. What is unique about this ending is that unlike Control or Synthesis the wave of energy will be more sudden instead of the Crucible arming itself first as the weapon was originally made to just kill the Reapers, as such the organized fleets will only have a brief moment of warning before the wave starts passing over the entire system as well, crippling the Reapers as they suddenly go limp, thus paving the way for the combined fleet to rain fire upon the now deadweight Reapers. On Low EMS, ships caught in the wave of energy will cause their crews to be disintegrated as well, or if they too sustained damage, outright blow up as the stress of the Mass Effect core will prove too much even for the ships to handle. Admiral Hackett will then announce all ships to brace for collusion by the beam, with some of the far away ships outright making a jump out of the Sol system. The Gibraltar however will be flying towards Earth as Joker will attempt to try and outmaneuver the ship. Depending on the EMS score, once the beam outruns the Gibraltar it will either result on the Ship’s core shutting down or outright blow it off course as the systems go haywire Ala OTL’s original ME3 Destroy ending and the Extended Cut’s Low EMS ending. As such, the fate of the Gibraltar crew will only be revealed once it was over, the ship will either be in space or making an emergency landing on Earth. On Vienna, the battle goes as one would expect fighting an enemy that was too powerful, Hammer prepares to dig on for a last stand the wave of energy descends upon the united galactic forces, and then passes over causing Reapers to fall towards the ground, some infrastructure getting destroyed with the damage even more severe on Medium and Low EMS and troops disintegrating in Low EMS while getting blown away on Medium. Either way the aftermath will show a ruined battlefield with only the corpses of the Reapers or soldiers celebrating after seeing the Reapers go down. The next scene will show Prince Johann, the Virmire survivor and their team defending a choke point despite on the verge of being overrun. Once the energy wave passes over them, it will either result on everything getting disintegrated or just the husks and a couple of buildings getting damaged. If they survived, Johann and the Virmire survivor exchange looks of relief as their comrades celebrate their victory, a reaper in the distance falls to the ground as this occurs. The scene shifts to a closer look of the Crucible as it begins its second phase, if Shepard is alive at this point they will be seen at the Citadel tower clutching their chest as they put on the last of their helmet, all the while everything keeps shaking violently. The Crucible then fires afterwards, sending out a large multicolored beam, after this the Crucible collapses on its own weight after such an immense blast with explosions already tearing through the superweapon. The Citadel also breaks apart because of this, with Shepard bracing for themselves as they hold on to a pillar as the tower they are in breaks apart. If Shepard had died just as the energy beam wave occurs then this whole scene inside the Citadel are merely skipped. There will also be a similar scene like in OTL where Earth is shown just as the energy wave passes through the lands, with visible damage being seen, but only in low EMS. Like in OTL, the Charon Relay will get damaged upon releasing the energy blast depending on the final EMS score, like in OTL a series of energy waves will be shown by an overhead view of the Milky Way Galaxy as the consequences of firing the weapon being showed. Systems near the Sol System will be wiped out entirely due to being near Ground Zero on Low EMS thus making such a decision having dire consequences, on Medium it will only have some but not entirely deadly when compared to Low while the Galaxy will be relatively unharmed on High EMS apart from several weakening infrastructure getting destroyed and mass relays suffering damages. Like in the mentioned endings above, Thessia, Palaven and Tuchanka will be shown as the energy wave passes over these planets. With Reapers falling to the ground to the delight of the survivors, survivors will also end up disintegrating on Low EMS or get thrown to the ground on Medium EMS, some even suffering burns on their bodies. On Low EMS, this is basically the last scene before it cuts to the aftermath. While on Medium and High the scene cuts back to the Citadel’s debris with meteors made from the station’s bits falling into the atmosphere. One of the larger debris falls into the Mediterranean sea with a large crash into the waves. Several moments later a helmeted figure emerges from the water, panting in relief as they hold onto a floating part of the debris. Said figure reaches the shores as they drag themselves towards the sand, they then take off their helmet, revealing a very tired Commander Shepard who pants out of sheer exhaustion. They spot a shard of metal embedded on the ground and limp towards it, still panting as they do so. Finally, they sit on the ground with their back leaning on the debris as the last ounce of Shepard’s strength finally gives way. On cue, the sun rises on the horizon as Shepard leans their head they takes note of the stars mixing with the morning sky, they smile as they remark that Anderson was right on the sight being truly beautiful. After this they either close their eyes as they smile, or their head leans forward as soon as their eyes close. Players who know of the bookends trope will notice the differences, yet somewhat similarities between this ending’s final scene as well as the start of the first Mass Effect game wherein it shows Shepard in space and among the stars while looking down over Earth as opposed to the final scene showing them grounded on Earth, looking at the stars and finally at peace.
After this scene or the one for Low EMS, the screen cuts to black, and then to either several ships limping past a broken relay on High or Medium EMS, or a scene showing Hackett’s damaged dreadnought on Low EMS. Like in OTL, Hackett gives out a speech in either situations, with the Low EMS version having a pessimistic tone to the Admiral’s speech as he muses on the price paid for this victory, and him hoping that those that had survived can pick up from where they all left off and reconstruct what was lost. No funeral scene plays on the Low EMS ending alongside with no scenes playing after the first credits as it implies that the destruction of the galaxy left everything in ruins with only the barest amount of survivors, though Hackett’s speech at the end implies that they can all learn something out of this war and help create a better galaxy. On High and Medium EMS, Hackett’s tone is pretty much optimistic like in OTL as he muses on the unity of the galaxy being the key factor to creating a better future. Flashbacks of teammates and party members who died over the course of the third game will play as Hackett laments over sacrifices of those who fought for a future they will never get to see.
The funeral scene plays after either the Control, Spare, Synthesis or Destroy ending takes place as a timestamp will show that said scene takes place a year after the Crucible fired. A large monument is shown erected on what used to be Unity Island with all the surviving teammates and party members in attendance as they bow their heads in reverence, there will also be military leaders present, with the Alliance ones in their dress blues uniform, the camera then pans to the back of Shepard’s love interest (If they died or Shepard never had one then it’s the squadmate they interacted the most, with the game prioritizing the surviving ME1 crew members if said squadmate died as well), in front of them is the monument which in actuality is the Gibraltar Memorial players can usually see in the third game (having miraculously survived if the Gibraltar had been destroyed), said LI or squad mate is then shown holding a name plate with care, as this occurs, those who gave speeches in either endings will continue their endings, while having varieties, each are essentially the same with them forever honoring those who died to give everyone the future they needed. The LI or squadmate will then place the nameplate on the monument, as the camera pans to reveal that of Commander Shepard’s full name, EDI will hug the LI or squadmate on Synthesis if she survived as the Alliance honor guard gives a twenty-one gun salute. This scene only occurs if Shepard perished either through self-sacrifice or their wounds. If they survived, the scene will change as the LI or squadmate holds the nameplate with care, before another hand touches their arm, the LI/Squadmate turns towards the owner and smiles upon seeing a Commander Shepard covered in bandages in several parts of their body. They give the nameplate to the Commander who nods solemnly before walking towards the monument. They firmly place the nameplate, and step back as the twenty-one gun salute occurs. The LI hugs the Commander as they solemnly stare at the monument while the squadmate merely places a reassuring hand on the commander. It then cuts back to the monument showing Admiral Anderson’s name on it (If Shepard died, Anderson’s name plate will already be on the monument, just below Shepard’s). Once either scene occurs, the camera pans away from the monument to reveal pillars with name plates on them just behind the monument before slowly showing the Gibraltar flying across the sunset skies of Vienna. If the Gibraltar was destroyed then the camera will pan towards a statue of the Gibraltar complete with the intact hull beside it which shows the designated number SR-2 and its name. The scene ends as it cuts to black, and the credits roll.
A short credits scene showing the names of the voice actors will play out to a remix version of the Credits song used in the first Mass Effect (Like in OTL), after that, a mid credits scene will occur showing the fate of the Galaxy due to Shepard’s decisions (Matriarch Liara’s scene occurs at the very end just before the post credit scene occurs), these scenes have resemblance to OTL’s Extended cut endings, though they are still images they are animated to move. As this ending occurs, Commander Shepard’s terminal plays a recording of the Commander’s thoughts and musings on the choices they made throughout the course of the trilogy, in which they narrate on how it affected the galaxy as a whole, and how many of these choices they end up being proud of, while others they regret. They will also muse on the fact that the galaxy will never be the same due to the choices they made. And that they will have to either pay the price for the consequences sown or reap the rewards, whichever the case, Shepard will then say that it is up to the next generations to come to decide on how they shall view the Commander, even if they shall condemn them or praise them as a saviour only those that Shepard knew directly will truly know on why they did it. As this speech occurs all the results of Shepard’s choices will then be shown, both good and bad, with the scenes occuring at the same interval as Shepard’s speech, with those they are proud of occurring first, then those that resulted in something they regretted occurring next.
Starting off with the species affected by Shepard’s decision are the Krogan. It is pretty much the same like in OTL, with Wrex’s leadership truly changing Krogan society and thus triggering a renaissance of Krogan architecture and culture. An extra scene will also show Eve/Urdnot Bakara or a random female krogan if Eve died carrying a newborn and presenting it to a smiling Wrex who then shows it to the adoration of the crowd. These scenes pretty much occurs on the choices Shepard is proud of section. Wreav’s will show a Krogan society on the verge of making war with the rest of the Galaxy as Eve opposes him with her own faction. Whichever the case, even if Eve died an intervention by the Leviathans and the Sentinels or the Reapers puts a stop to this as Clan Urdnot’s home base is destroyed and a more Wrex like Krogan put in power or Eve takes charge. Whatever the results, a small fleet will be shown patrolling on the Krogan home system, their guns pointed at the planet’s surface. If Shepard had betrayed Wrex or sabotaged the cure under Wreavthen it will show the Krogan on the verge of extinction, others fighting to the death, Eve if she is alive will be shown sitting on a rock just near the ruins of a krogan building as she looks in utter disappointment and hopeless. These scenes pretty much fall into the choices Shepard regrets. In the Synthesis ending the genophage is cured if it was sabotaged regardless of who was leader, Wreav is killed before he instigates a war while if Shepard had betrayed Wrex, the Krogan will be shown undergoing an isolationist approach as a council of female Krogan take charge.
The Rachni assuming they were spared by Commander Shepard will be shown thriving in either Ilos or Tuchanka as they rebuild their civilization, a scene will show several individuals interacting with the Rachni Queen while in another scene Rachni workers will be seen in megacities and even on the Citadel but are treated as fellow citizens and some will even be seen interacting with the other species.
On Rannoch, if peace was brokered, the Geth and the Quarians will be shown rebuilding their world and even creating a new society thanks to their co existence (This is more relevant in the Synthesis version as this has led to the creation of an Ascendant nation). Maskless Quarians will be seen interacting with Geth units and with fellow Quarians as a result of this, while in another part of Rannoch, the Geth build a megahub with the help of a few Quarians. If the Quarians were victorious, it will show them rebuilding their home, but remain in their suits, while for the Geth they will be shown building their megahub but leave most of Rannoch untouched as a lone memorial dedicated to their creators is erected near the site of where Legion had fallen.
The Alliance has a more interesting fate as depending on how they acquired their seat on the council, the aftermath of the Crucible’s activation will either result in a more active and more numerous Citadel Council or the establishment of a galactic senate presided over by a chancellor (If Udina lives, he’ll be the first chancellor). Whichever the case as the Citadel now remains permanently on Earth’s system it is now clear that humanity is now the de facto leader of the Milky Way Galaxy. With the Reapers in either the Synthesis or Control ending acting as the galaxy’s protectors.
The Asari will be seen rebuilding their shattered homes and colonies, and it is clear they have lost influence after the revelation of their hoarding of the Prothean beacon on Thessia. Scenes will show on some Asari matriarchs resenting the Alliance and even Shepard, and in another scene, a faction led by Matriarch Aethyta and Trillani eventually tries to restore order when a civil war breaks out due to several other matriarchs attempting to break the Alliance’s growing influence. As such, while there is hope for the Asari to recover and rebuild, the civil war is proof that they have lost their place in the stars.
The Salarians will be seen assisting the other species once it is clear that their home system remained unscathed. Most of the Galaxy will view them with suspicion and disappointment except for those who fought in the war. And just like the Asari they too will lose influence because of this. One scene will show Salarian Dalatrass Linron attempting to escalate a conflict against Wrex’s new Krogan society, only for it to be thwarted by the Shadow Broker, this results in an incident that causes a helmeted Shepard to intervene alongside the Leviathans (The reapers replace Shepard in both Synthesis and Control).
The other races will pretty much be shown rebuilding their lives, the Vorcha being an interesting example as whether in the Synthesis ending or the others, they gain advanced sapience due to Shepard or the Leviathans respectively. The Batarians while grateful for living will have a scene where it shows some never truly forgiving Shepard for their actions during the Arrival mission. Extra scenes depending if Synthesis or Control will also play out as various species interact with one another, half having glyphs on their bodies while the remaining do not. Another scene will have the Reapers patrolling various sectors, even Shepard’s AI form (And David Archer if Synthesis was achieved) communicating with the new Council/Galactic Senate.More scenes will not only show the positive effects of either endings (As Spare is pretty much a tamer version of Destroy) but also the negative ones thus letting players truly get a glimpse of what happens in the final choice.
The Keepers will get a special scene showing them breaking away from their physical form to reveal their true form with assistance from the Leviathans or if Synthesis occurred by their own accord. This gets them looks of curiosity from the current cycle of their oddly fantastical bioluminescent form. They will end up helping in the reconstruction of Galactic Society and even the Mass Relays while at the same time also accompanying the Leviathans everywhere they go.
As for the fate of the squadmates, those from OTL are pretty much the same with Kasumi getting an additional scene on her up to her old shenanigans.
Garrus’ fate will have him overseeing and training a new task force on Palaven, however he will mostly be focused running a bar on the Citadel most of the time (If he is Shepard’s LI, Shepard will be shown helping Garrus tend the bar)
Tali ends up retiring from politics and spends her time helping her people in settling down while she starts a software company. Her house near the sea will also be shown with her relaxing on the porch alongside Shepard if she was the LI.
Liara, while maintaining her role as the Shadow Broker has mostly regulated most of the operation to her colleague and friend Feron as she slowly gets back to archeology. Both she and Aethyta have a scene where they have a parent-child moment as they reconcile. Liara will be shown pregnant if she was Shepard’s LI.
Joker and EDI will have their own scenes depending on their relationship, either as an official couple patrolling the galaxy on the Gibraltar, or going on a date as they work over their relationship. On the Synthesis ending they will have a scene of them watching the sunset on Earth as the glyphs on their bodies continue glowing.
Lamentations the Geth Prime squaddie will be essentially shown acting as a liason then as the bodyguard to the Geth Senator/Councillor, he also acts as the unofficial bodyguard to Tali’Zorah.
James will be shown either training with N7 recruits or off doing missions with fellow N7 members.
Javik’s fate will depend on the echo shard arc as well as if he reconciled with Liara. He will be either shown on a desolate planet looking very melancholic as he prepares a ritualistic suicide to be witnessed by Shepard (and Liara if they reconciled). Alternatively he can be shown writing the beginnings of a book in a bar presumably Garrus’. Or be back on Khaje getting treated like a king while secretly talking with the Leviathans.
Johann’s fate depends on his arc as he’ll either be shown as the new Kaiser of the Romans or be the liaison and new chancellor for the reestablished Alliance parliament. (If Johann was the LI, FemShepard will either be shown in royal garbs as well as a crown.A romanced BroShep merely watching by the sideline as Johann gives a speech, or the couple working together for the Alliance government.
The Virmire survivor will be shown overseeing the next generation of SPECTRE recruits and generally taking over Shepard’s role as the human Spectre. They have their own unique scenes as the LI too with them and Shepard being on a ship just near Constantinople, with the rebuilt statue of Romanitas dominating the horizon.
There will be unique scenes for romanced Miranda, Jack or Jacob as well befitting their status, Miranda being her and Shepard retiring to Anderson’s apartment, Jack’s being on Grissom Academy. And Jacob’s on a farm.
Finally if they lived, Shepard will have scenes as well (alongside an extra scene if they never romanced anybody) as they go about with their lives in keeping the Galaxy at peace. Players will notice their Shepards gradually get older and more sickly as each scene progresses until the Commander’s picture of them defiantly standing up to a Reaper is shown at the end, the terminal then shuts off after the Commander’s speech, and will either zoom out to reveal a guard house on the Reaper War memorial (Thus skipping Shepard’s scenes) and slowly zooms in to the words ‘Erected in memory of those who gave their lives for the future’ and then to Shepard’s nameplate. If they lived, the camera zooms out to reveal Shepard’s room (With appropriate locations depending on the LI or lack of wherein it would default to an apartment near a military base). Two characters will be discussing with each other as the camera reveals a wheelchair parked outside by a tree. One of the characters will either by the LI or by default James Vega. The conversation being Shepard never being the same after the incidents that occured. If the Reapers were spared, the other voice will remark that it was miraculous that Shepard managed to last this long in finally defeating the Reapers otherwise they’ll just comment on their astonishment at Shepard’s iron will. To which the LI/Vega remarks was deteriorating as well. They will then comment how the incident (Whether it was the Asari civil war, Dalatrass Linron’s false flag operation or Wreav’s attempted conquest) left Shepard broken, to which the other party remarks that it was a heavy price paid for the sake of peace. The LI/Vega will then remark on their confusion on why Shepard’s health was deteriorating especially since the Commander was still at their prime and with the cybernetics in their body could live longer than the average human. The other party will then reply that the Reapers did more than just attempting to indoctrinate the Commander, it left them mentally broken and physically tired at the end, and it was only Shepard’s iron will that spared them from the fate of those that were indoctrinated but survived after the war. The other party then requests the LI/Vega if they could talk to the Commander to which the LI/Vega will reluctantly agree. The scene then shifts to Shepard slumbering beneath the tree as two figures walk towards them. The LI/Vega will then place a comforting hand on Shepard’s shoulder and lightly shakes them so they would wake up to which they do, the LI/Vega then tells Shepard that someone would like to talk to them to which Shepard accepts as they weakly nod. The other figure then sits in front of Shepard as they address them with their rank. At this point Shepard can reply with a to the point response or a sarcastic remark on waking them from a nice nap depending on the player, their voice however would be far more softer and quieter thus losing all the powerful tone in the three games. Either convo will have the other figure smile before apologising to them for their presence. The figure then says that they are a speaker on behalf of both the Sentinels and the Leviathans, and that they were there because they wished to visit the Commander. When the commander replies that if the galaxy needed saving again the speaker merely shakes their head and tells the commander that it was fine and something they should not worry about. Shepard gives a chuckle and smiles before faintly replying that it was a good thing, because their days saving the galaxy was over. The commander then guesses that the speaker, the Sentinels and the Leviathans were not here just to visit the commander to which the speaker confirms. They will then go on to tell the commander that the Leviathans, the Matriarch most of all have finally decided that their age has come to an end and thus no longer needed the Leviathans or their legacy, and that the new generation can pick up where they left off in becoming the next guardians of the galaxy. And that humanity has the capacity to fulfill this role now. Shepard weakly scoffs as they remark that there will be naysayers who would challenge such a claim. The speaker smiles once more, and then tells the commander that humanity certainly proved itself worthy, all because of a shepherd guiding the lost in human terms, Shepard chuckles at this again before asking what they want with the Commander. The Speaker then tells them that they have the technology to heal the Commander in time. The Commander then asks where they intend to go, the speaker reluctantly admits that the Leviathans intend to leave the Milky Way bound for another galaxy where they believe remnants of previous cycles still linger. The LI/Vega then ask if bringing Shepard would be necessary considering their condition. The speaker then assures them that the commander will be far away from any expeditions to whatever planets the Leviathans find and would simply be treated and healed, at peace. Shepard then asks if the Council/Enate knew of this exodus, and the speaker says only the ones trusted to keep this information confidential. They also say that a token Sentinel fleet will remain behind and act as assistance to the galactic government and as guardians to the Hanar homeworld. The speaker then admits that there were some hanar that had joined with their exodus, alongside a few individuals who in the same way were indoctrinated or interacted with the Reapers, who also bore the same condition Shepard had. The speaker then tells the commander that it will be their choice alone if they wish to join. When they ask the speaker if their LI can join, it will either be a yes, or for those with commitments the speaker will just turn towards the LI whom says they have a job here. The speaker then tells the commander to think it through carefully. As accepting the Leviathan’s offer would mean leaving home, for good. Thus, players are given one last choice involving Shepard’s fate.
Choosing to reject the offer obviously has Shepard reject the offer as they politely tell the Speaker that they had too much adventure in one lifetime and merely wish to spend their last days on the ground and at peace even if the agony continues. The speaker respects this decision and bids the commander farewell, all the while handing the Commander a miniature Leviathan orb containing the musics of the Leviathan as a final gift from them to the Commander. After this a scene plays as Shepard looks over the setting sun (Be it Sol, Rannoch’s Sun, Palaven’s or Thessia) with a smile on their face before their LI comes and sits beside them, holding hands as they admire the sun. If it’s just Vega then the two will have a conversation where Vega asks on why Shepard rejected the offer, to which Shepard responds that they are at peace. They do not need anymore help for as far as they knew, the Reapers were already gone. The Commander will then thank Vega for all they have done after this. Regardless of which scene occurs, as soon as the sun finally sets, Shepard closes their eyes and passes away. The scene then shifts to a simple graveyard by a tree as the surviving crews of the Gibraltar gather around it. Shepard’s name is inscribed by that gravemark alongside the N7 insignia.
If Shepard accepts the offer, they try to rethink on this which causes their hands to shake, before exclaiming that if they leave, everything they worked for might be gone, just before the LI/Vega comforts them, then assurring them that it will be fine, and if this was what can bring Shepard peace, then they should take it. Shepard finally accepts to this offer. Cut to a spaceport where a Sentinel ship is docked, Shepard will be assisted by their LI or Vega as the surviving crew of the Gibraltar, at least those who could make it gather around, exchanging farewells on Shepard (And their LI), Garrus/Liara/The Virmire Survivor then tells the Commander how fondly they remember the days of saving the galaxy, to which Shepard admits that it was truly a great ride. They then tell the crew to keep up in ensuring peace before smiling towards them. If the LI stays behind, both they and the Commander share a tender moment before the LI tells the commander to never forget them, to which the commander firmly assures they won’t. Shepard looks at their crew one last time as the ship ascends back into the stars. They keep an eye on Earth as it gets smaller before another scene shows them getting inside a machine as the Sentinels assure Shepard that it will be a long journey and simply bids the Commander pleasant dreams among the stars. The machine closes over Shepard’s head, bringing this scene to a close.
Credits roll as either a song by Miracle of Sound, Malukah’s ignite or if players got the golden ending A duet of Reignite by both of them will play out depending on high, medium or low ems with the duet version being for the Highest EMS score possible. After the credits a post credit cutscene plays showing a futuristic child’s room with a window overlooking a couple of stars. Three figures sit by the window, an adult and two children. Similarities to OTL’s post credit scene play as both children ask the adult (Presumably an old man) on all of it happening, to which the old man confirms, before going on about how every life has a special story of their own. One of the kids will then ask if they can meet this sort of life too, to which the old man chuckles before replying that one day they might. And that one day they too will have a great adventure like The Shepard. The other child then begs the old man for another tale to which the old man reluctantly obliged so long as the two will sleep after such story was concluded as well.
After this scene a thank you note from TTL Bioware will appear for the players like in OTL, thus confirming Shepard’s tale having passed on to legend.
And that’s a wrap for the Mass Effect trilogy interludes. Hope you fellas find this ending more tolerable than what we got irl, certainly had fun writing it to the very end. Lemme know what you all think, and possibly add too.
