mass effect 1 essential assignments

• Illium: A Troublemaker  →  Illium: Conrad Verner
• Illium: Blue Rose of Illium
• Illium: Conrad Verner
• Illium: Gianna Parasini
• Illium: Indentured Service
• Illium: Medical Scans
• Illium: The Assassin: Salarian Family Data
• Illium: The Justicar: Smuggling Evidence
• Illium: The Justicar: Stolen Goods Found
• Illium: The Prodigal: Lost Locket Found

Tuchanka [ ]

• Tuchanka: Combustion Manifold
• Tuchanka: Killing Pyjaks
• Tuchanka: Old Blood: Missing Scout

Downloadable content [ ]

• Normandy Crash Site

Project Firewalker [ ]

• Project Firewalker: Geth Activity (Labelled Project Firewalker: Geth Incursion on the Galaxy Map )
• Project Firewalker: Prothean Site (Labelled Project Firewalker: Prothean Ruin on the Galaxy Map )
• Project Firewalker: Rosalie Lost
• Project Firewalker: Survey Sites Located (Labelled Project Firewalker: Artifact Collection on the Galaxy Map )
• Project Firewalker: Volcano Station (Labelled Project Firewalker: Recover Research Data on the Galaxy Map )

Project Overlord [ ]

• Overlord (Labelled Investigate Project Overlord on the Galaxy Map )
• Overlord: Atlas Station
• Overlord: Prometheus Station
• Overlord: Vulcan Station

Arrival [ ]

• Arrival (Labelled Rescue Dr. Kenson on the Galaxy Map )
• Citadel: Mysterious Stranger
• Illium: Drunk Asari
• Mass Effect
• 2 Romance (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Mass Effect: 10 Best Assignments For Learning Lore About The Universe

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The first Mass Effect game released in late 2007 and has evolved since then into a sprawling space opera. The lore is immense and cannot possibly exist in only one brain. Players looking to catch up on the history of the universe in the last few hundred years have a tall task ahead of them.

RELATED:  Mass Effect: 10 Amazing Facts You Didn't Know About The Omni-Blade

Thankfully, Mass Effect predicted this struggle. There are tons of optional assignments in-game for players to take on as it suits them, in between the core missions of the game , in order to learn more about particular groups, places, people, and races. These ten are among the best in the first game to expand your understanding of Mass Effect lore.

10 UNC: Lost Freighter

Mass Effect may set up biotics as some kind of incredible space magic, but it doesn't go very far in explaining them. Most context the player receives about biotic users is provided in one-off conversations and optional side quests like UNC: Lost Freighter. When they do approach the subject, though, they often approach it  hard  - as Shepard ventures through this eerily empty ship, they'll discover crew logs that detail how a man, Jacob, is brain dead and going to be taken off life support, but this angered his girlfriend, Julia, and caused her biotic implants to flare up - she killed everyone onboard.

9 Citadel: Scan The Keepers

The Keepers are an insect-like race that can be spotted around the Citadel during Shepard's excursions. They're completely uninterested in other races - they only want to maintain the station, not even accepting payment in return.

RELATED:  10 Things We Wish BioWare Fixed In Mass Effect 1

However, a few scientists are interested in gaining data on these creatures - Jahleed, a Volus, and Chorban, a Salarian. Speaking to either one will give Shepard this assignment to go scan the Keepers. If completed, Chorban sends his data to the player during Mass Effect 2 with startling news.

8 UNC: Dead Scientists

Assignments like UNC: Dead Scientists prepare the player for Mass Effect 2 without their ever realizing it. In it, Admiral Hackett asks Shepard to protect someone called Dr. Wayne, who is believed to be in danger. When the player finally reaches the doctor, he will tell Shepard about how he was kidnapped by a group known as Cerberus and experimented on. Indeed, in Mass Effect 2, a Shepard who saved Dr. Wayne will receive a message from him, describing how horrified he is that Shepard is working for Cerberus now.

7 X57: Bring Down The Sky

Mass Effect has a number of races that appear as allies and enemies throughout the trilogy. Unfortunately, a few are almost exclusively depicted as malicious and antagonistic. The Batarians are one of these races. The game's lore tells all about how these four-eyed aliens are known for their pirate gangs and slave trading. The assignment X57: Bring Down The Sky, available as part of the game's DLC, teaches the player all about this race - one of the first friendly characters that Shepard meets, Simon Atwell, explains.

6 Citadel: Our Own Worst Enemy

In Citadel: Our Own Worst Enemy, Shepard must decide whether or not to endorse a political candidate. The candidate in question is Charles Saracino, a harsh xenophobe who wants to resist alien influences on humanity.

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His platform - and the comments of whichever squadmates happen to be accompanying Shepard - help to set the stage for the big role that Cerberus will play in Mass Effect 2, as well as the divided human politics that are making progress difficult.

5 UNC: Hostile Takeover/A Person Of Interest

Crime hasn't stopped just because mankind has achieved its wildest dreams. Criminal cartels have only found more potent and dangerous drugs and activities to explore. In UNC: Hostile Takeover (also may be called A Person Of Interest), Shepard is interested in a woman named Helena Blake, a high-ranking member of a crime syndicate. Shepard may get this assignment by agreeing to help Blake take out some of her associates or because they're helping the C-Sec track her down.

4 Virmire: Wrex and the Genophage

The assignment Virmire: Wrex and the Genophage only appears if Wrex is brought on the story mission to Virmire. There, Shepard and their squad learn that Saren has come close to curing the Genophage, a debilitating biological weapon that has made Krogan prone to miscarriages for generations. The player gets to experience Wrex's fury first-hand at this injustice. Ashley and Kaidan's lives may be in the player's hands on this mission , but so is Wrex's - the player could shoot him, or talk him down peacefully.

3 UNC: Major Kyle

The quest UNC: Major Kyle confronts how biotics are treated in galactic society. An ex-Alliance officer, Major Kyle, is suffering from PTSD and seems to have established himself as the leader of a biotic commune under the name 'Father Kyle.'

RELATED:  Mass Effect Races Ranked By Biotic Prowess

Admiral Hackett, when giving you the quest, guesses that the biotics are simply looking for someone to champion their cause, having gone so long underfoot. Shepard must go in and talk 'Father Kyle' down, if they can.

2 Citadel: Presidium Prophet

This assignment exposes the player to several different aspects of Citadel life. They interact with a C-Sec officer who is arguing with a Hanar civilian. The Hanar is preaching in an area where it isn't permitted. In Citadel: Presidium Prophet, Shepard must hear both sides of the story and choose who to support. Along the way, they'll learn a bit about C-Sec regulations and a bit about Hanar spirituality. Whoever Shepard decides to throw their weight behind, they'll have become a little more enlightened along the way.

1 UNC: Missing Marines

Nothing will teach Shepard about the dangers of the universe better than a run-in with a Thresher Maw. During UNC: Missing Marines, Shepard must investigate a distress beacon in the Sparta System. When they arrive, it's clear that the marines were killed by the Thresher Maw and nothing can be done. However, Shepard must still deal with this beast. Once it's dead, they discover that a transmitter was placed here purposefully to lure people to their deaths.

NEXT:  Mass Effect: 10 Best Outfits From The Games

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Mass Effect Mission Order: the best sequence to tackle story missions in

Mass Effect has a fairly open-ended structure where once you get your hands on your ship, the Normandy, you can tackle most of the game’s core story locations and missions in any order you like. However, we do think there is a best mission order in which to tackle things.

This is, of course, all suggested. The nature of Mass Effect’s story means that you can and should think about what sort of order you’d like to approach everything in and then go with your own gut.

With all that said, we do have our own favored mission order for Mass Effect 1 which is based on a few factors - primarily an even-handed difficulty ramp-up, and the best possible pacing for the story, especially in the later parts of the game. We’ll explain our optimum order below.

Mass Effect Mission Order: the optimal mission sequence, according to us

The game begins with a string of missions starting with Prologue: On the Normandy and Prologue: Find the Beacon. This is followed by Citadel: Expose Saren.

On the Citadel you’ll have the opportunity to recruit Urdnot Wrex (Citadel: Shadow Broker & Citadel: Wrex) and Garrus Vakarian (Citadel: Garrus) - and we recommend you do these, as these are two squad mates, great characters, useful in battle, and key players throughout the entire Mass Effect Trilogy - though you can opt not to recruit one of them at all if you wish. 

Also on the Citadel, there’s a wide range of side quest assignments you can pick up and play at your discretion. They’re covered in our full Mass Effect 1 side quest assignments list .

Once you get control of the Normandy, you’ll be able to fly to the other core story mission planets in any order you like. We recommend the following order:

• Find Liara T’Soni: head to Therum in the Knossos System, Artemis Tau Cluster. You want to do this first as Liara is a squad member, and rounds out your team with an expert Biotic user (which is Mass Effect's mage-style class). 
• Citadel: side quests mop-up. All quests from your previous visit remain open, but some new ones are available after finishing your first story planet, including the side quest exclusive to your Shepard's pre-service history background . We recommend you complete Citadel: Scan the Keepers using our Keeper Locations guide at this time, in particular.
• Asteroid X57: Bring Down the Sky: this is DLC, but it slots better into the earlier part of the story. It’s included in the remastered legendary edition of the game.
• Noveria: Geth Interest & Matriarch Benezia: you should take Liara on this mission if you can. Completing this story world unlocks more side content throughout the galaxy.
• Citadel & Uncharted World Exploration: more side quests mop up
• Feros: Geth Attack & The Thorian: Tali is a killer squadmate on this mission, where you’ll be fighting a lot of Geth.
• Pinnacle Station: this is DLC, and isn’t available at all in the new legendary edition remaster; so skip this if you’re on that version.
• Point of No Return: Complete any remaining side quests and assignments here, as the story becomes a rollercoaster from here on out. Remember, completing many side quests is key to a great many things, including amassing enough cash to unlock the best weapons in Mass Effect .
• Virmire: Saren’s Plan / Assault: we’ve got a separate guide on the big choices on Virmire if you need help.
• Ilos: Find the Conduit / Trench Run / Race Against Time: be aware that once you travel to Ilos, it truly is the point of no return aside from starting over in a new game plus. When you trigger the visit to Ilos, your Mass Effect romance option will be locked in and the romance scene will take place.

Obviously this is a suggested order, but we feel this is an optimum order for a well-paced, well-balanced    play-through of Mass Effect, even on Insanity difficulty. 

As a general suggestion, try not to use the same pair of squad members for all story missions and side missions. All have interesting things to say, and you’ll benefit from taking people with a vested interest - missions involving the Krogan, for instance, are Wrex’s deal. Tali will always have more to say when the Geth are involved. Additionally, you’ll want to think about how useful their powers are. Tali isn’t very good against biotic opponents, but her tech powers can tear Geth to pieces easily. 

This article is part of a series. As you move on to the next games, check out our Mass Effect 2 Mission Order and Mass Effect 3 Mission Order pages for the same advice in those games - which are longer and more complicated.

Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition

• Pre-Service History 1
• Psychological Profile 2
• Paragon or Renegade? 3
• Tips and Tricks 4
• Infinite Paragon Points - Eletania 5
• Infinite Paragon and Renegade Points - Noveria 6

• Prologue: On the Normandy 7
• Eden Prime - Find the Beacon 8
• Prologue: Normandy After Eden Prime 9
• Citadel: Meet the Council 10
• Citadel: Meeting Garrus 11
• Citadel: Meeting Wrex 12
• Citadel: Expose Saren 13
• Normandy After the Citadel 14
• Citadel Exploration 15
• Therum: Refinery 16
• Therum: Liara's Dig Site 17
• Normandy After Therum 18
• Citadel After Therum 19
• Feros: Zhu's Hope 20
• Feros: ExoGeni Headquarters 21
• Feros: The Thorian 22
• Normandy After Feros 23
• Noveria: Port Hanshan 24
• Noveria: Peak 15 25
• Noveria: Rift Station 26
• Normandy After Noveria 27
• Virmire: Landing Zone 28
• Virmire: Base Approach 29
• Virmire: Base Entry and Labs 30
• Virmire: Base Main Level 31
• Race Against Time: Escape the Citadel 32
• Race Against Time: Ilos 33
• Race Against Time: Final Battle 34

• Asari Consort 35
• Scan the Keepers 36
• Jahleed's Fears 37
• Xeltan's Complaint 38
• Presidium Prophet 39
• Reporter's Request 40
• Doctor Michel 41
• Homecoming 42
• Rita's Sister 43
• Schells the Gambler 44
• Signal Tracking 45
• Missing Person - UNC: Privateers 47
• UNC: Hostile Takeover 48
• UNC: Missing Marines 49
• Mikhailovich Inspection 50
• Family Matter 51
• The Fourth Estate 52
• Planting a Bug 53
• Our Own Worst Enemy 54
• Negotiator's Request 55
• Data Recovery 56
• Geth in the Tunnels 57
• Water Restoration 58
• Power Cells 59
• Varren Meat 60
• Smuggling 61
• Espionage 62
• Wrex and the Genophage 63
• Assisting Kirrahe's Team 64
• I Remember Me 65
• Old, Unhappy, Far-Off Things 66
• Old Friends 67
• Tali and the Geth 68
• Garrus: Find Dr. Saleon 69
• Wrex: Family Armor 70
• UNC: Besieged Base 71
• UNC: The Negotiation 72
• Unusual Readings - UNC: Distress Call 73
• Strange Transmission - UNC: Major Kyle 74
• UNC: Asari Diplomacy 75
• UNC: Lost Module 76
• UNC: Rogue VI 77
• UNC: Hostage 78
• UNC: Cerberus 79
• UNC: Hades' Dogs 80
• UNC: Dead Scientists 81
• UNC: Geth Incursions 82
• UNC: Colony of the Dead 83
• UNC: Espionage Probe 84
• UNC: Lost Freighter 85
• UNC: Missing Survey Team 86
• UNC: ExoGeni Facility 87
• UNC: Derelict Freighter 88
• UNC: Listening Post Alpha 89
• UNC: Listening Post Theta 90
• UNC: Depot Sigma-23 91
• UNC: Asari Writings 92
• UNC: Locate Signs of Battle 93
• UNC: Prothean Data Discs 94
• UNC: Turian Insignias 95
• UNC: Valuable Materials 96
• X57: Avoid the Blasting Caps 97
• X57: Missing Engineers 98
• X57: Bring Down the Sky 99

• Save or Slaughter the Colonists of Zhu’s Hope 100
• Spare or Execute Shiala 101
• Kill or Spare the Rachni Queen 102
• Kill or Calm Wrex 103
• Keeping Captain Kirrahe Alive 104
• Save Ashley or Kaiden 105
• Save the Council or Not 106
• Anderson or Udina for Councilor 107

• How to Romance Ashley 108
• How to Recruit Ashley 109
• Best Ashley Build 110
• How to Recruit Garrus 111
• Best Garrus Build 112
• How to Romance Kaiden 113
• How to Recruit Kaiden 114
• Best Kaiden Build 115
• How to Romance Liara 116
• How to Recruit Liara 117
• Best Liara Build 118
• How to Recruit Tali 119
• Best Tali Build 120
• How to Recruit Wrex 121
• Best Wrex Build 122

• Soldier Talents 123
• Best Soldier Build 124
• Engineer Talents 125
• Best Engineer Build 126
• Adept Talents 127
• Best Adept Build 128
• Infiltrator Talents 129
• Best Infiltrator Build 130
• Sentinel Talents 131
• Best Sentinel Build 132
• Vanguard Talents 133
• Best Vanguard Build 134

• Basic Armor 135
• Combat Armor 136
• Tactical Armor 137
• Engineer 139
• Infiltrator 140
• Sentinel 141
• Soldier 142
• Vanguard 143
• Barrier 144
• Singularity 146
• Assault Training 150
• Fitness 151
• First Aid 152
• Medicine 153
• Intimidate 155
• Spectre Training 156
• Bastion 157
• Commando 158
• Nemesis 160
• Operative 161
• Shock Trooper 162
• Asari Scientist 163
• Krogan Battlemaster 164
• Quarian Machinist 165
• Turian Agent 166
• Damping 167
• Decryption 168
• Electronics 169
• Hacking 170
• Assault Rifles 171
• Pistols 172
• Shotguns 173
• Sniper Rifles 174

• Phoenix 176
• Gagarin 177
• Grissom 178
• Tereshkova 180
• Knossos 183
• Macedon 184
• Hercules 186
• Theseus 187
• Asteroid X57 188
• Antaeus 192
• Farinata 195
• Century 197
• Fortuna 198
• Strenuus 200
• Herschel 201
• Caspian 204
• Acheron 209
• Columbia 212
• Yangtze 213

• Roadmap 214
• Achievement List 215

Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition

Assignments citadel.

This Assignment takes place during your first visit to the Citadel after you have recruited Tali and delivered a report to Ambassador Udina.

(1 of 2) You’ll find Samesh Bhatia outside the Embassy after recruiting Tali

You’ll find Samesh Bhatia outside the Embassy after recruiting Tali (left), Samesh will inform you about his wife’s body. (right)

How to Begin ¶

Once you’ve finished the events at Chora’s Den and delivered your report to Ambassador Udina , you’ll find yourself back at the Embassy. As you attempt to leave, a man will call out to you near reception. Speak to him to learn about the details of his plight and agree to assist him to begin the Assignment.

Talk with Diplomat ¶

As Samesh explains, he wants his wife’s body to be released so he can give her the respect she deserves with a proper burial. He mentions a certain Bosker is the person in charge of the matter and directs you to the Embassy Lounge nearby. Make your way over to the bar and you’ll spot Bosker leaning up against the wall, speak with him and you’ll be presented with a number of options:

• Saying “This isn’t right.” (2 points of Charm ) will result in you winning Bosker over and earn +8 Paragon .
• Alternatively, saying “I’m releasing the body.” (2 points of Intimidate ) will result in you demanding Bosker to release the body and earn +9 Renegade .

(1 of 3) Head to the Embassy Lounge to find Bosker

Make a Decision ¶

If you’d like to take an alternative route through this Assignment however, you can agree with Bosker and convince Samesh of the greater good, choose any of the other options and return to him. At this point, you get some new choices:

• Saying “This is important.” (3 points of Charm ) will win Samesh over and earn +8 Paragon .
• Alternatively, saying “This is war.” (3 points of Intimidate ) will force Samesh to see reason and earn +9 Renegade .

All of the other choices lead to giving you more time to make a decision or raise your Charm and Intimidate skills. You cannot complete this Assignment without completing a Charm or Intimidate skill check so you may have to leave this at this stage until you have the opportunity to raise them.

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Guide Information

• Publisher Electronic Arts
• Platforms, PC, PS4, XB One
• Genre Action RPG, Third-person shooter
• Guide Release 14 May 2021
• Last Updated 17 August 2021 Version History
• Guide Author

Share this free guide:

The guide for Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition features all there is to see and do including a walkthrough containing coverage of all Assignments, detailed breakdown of all the important choices, class builds and much more!

• Full coverage of all the Main Missions.
• Every Assignment covered.
• In-depth look at the major choices and consequences of each.
• Full details on how to romance Ashley, Kaiden or Liara
• Class builds to get the most out of your chosen class.
• Details on every Talent.
• How to spec your squad.
• Breakdown of all Paragon and Renegade opportunities.
• Trophy/Achievement guide.

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Squadmate side quests.

This section of IGN's Mass Effect wiki guide covered the three Squadmate Side Quest Assignments. Here you'll learn how to unlock them, how to complete them, and how to make the right choices for your playthrough!

Want more Mass Effect help? Check out the following pages:

• Legendary Edition Changes
• How-To Guides
• Key Choices and Consequences
• Romance Options
• Walkthrough
• Side Quests

Looking for something specific? Click the links below to jump to...

How to Unlock Squadmate Assignments

• Wrex: Family Armor
• Tali: Pilgrimage
• Garrus: Find Dr. Saleon

The Squad Mate Assignments are unlocked by talking to Garrus, Wrex and Tali in the lower decks of the Normandy. There are three stages for each of them, and you can start as soon as they're recruited from the Citadel.

Here's how to progress these conversations:

• Talk to the relevant Squad Mate and pick the upper-left option on the Dialogue Wheel if it's present.
• Check the Investigate section to see if there are any new options.
• Once you've done that, complete any Mission World, or progress/complete an Assignment on an Uncharted World. Completing an Assignment that takes place aboard a spaceship does not count towards this.
• Repeat Steps 1-3. When you get to the third stage, you'll unlock their Assignment!

Every Squadmate Side Quest

While talking with Wrex, you learned that a Turian artifact collector named Tonn Actus is currently in possession of the Urdnot clan's family armor. Wrex has (reluctantly) asked you to go to planet Tuntau to recover it for him, and doing so would go a long way towards getting on the Krogan's good side!

This Assignment, also known as Tali and the Geth, tasks you with keeping an eye out on anything related to the Geth and how they've changed since they first drove the Quarians beyond the Perseus Veil. Doing so would provide Tali with a Pilgrimage gift more than worthy enough of her father's reputation.

While talking with Garrus, he told a story about Dr. Saleon, an unhinged doctor who sold organs grown inside his own men to sell on the black market, but got away thanks to using civilians as hostages. Garrus has the co-ordinates to him, and is hoping Shepard would investigate since C-Sec didn't want to follow up on it.

Up Next: Wrex: Family Armor

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• Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Essential Assignments (LE1)

• Endorsements 153
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• Version 1.0

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• Mass Effect 1
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Essential Assignments

• Date uploaded 05 Mar 2022, 6:08AM
• File size 408.1MB
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Reduces the amount of assignments in the game. Install with ME3Tweaks Mod Manager.

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