Mass effect legendary edition save crew timer

@toeegg  I've read that any traveling at al, other than straight to the relay.l will cause half your crew to die, although I didn't try it myself.  You might be able to go shopping on Omega though, since it's along the way.

@puzzlezaddict This is incorrect. Traveling to other systems, probing planets, and landing on hub worlds to buy things does not count as completing a mission, and does not contribute to the "mission/assignment" timer for the Normandy crew dying.

@DocTheGamer  I reported what I've read recently: that someone who traveled without completing any missions had half the crew die.  I understand that the documentation suggests otherwise.  But this person was insistent that they did not do any missions; I think they might have even replayed the sequence.

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@draconiam wrote:

I would make a manual save and then test that theory, just make sure to have had the Normandy fully upgraded (minus Medical Bay) and all characters loyal and if you have at least two unloyal take them with you all the way. Assign: Tali, Kasumi or Legion as infiltration unless not loyal; Garrus, Jacob or Miranda as Fire Team leader unless not loyal; assign Kasumi to escort the regular crew unless not loyal as she'll die protecting the crew; assign Jack or Samara for the Biotic Field unless one of the two isnt loyal; assign Garrus, Jacob or Miranda for the second Fire Team unless not loyal and at the last stretch take Legion and Tali with you or the two unloyal now, don't take one of the followings: Garrus, Zaeed or Grunt as they are instrumental in saving the team.

After you cut the 4 tubes out of a superstructure you'll likely see one member of the team in the rearguard be downed but don't fret, because if you did everything right they'll all go back the Normandy. 

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Thanks thats probably what I'm going to do. I still have to do legions loyalty mission which will then trigger the collector attack. I'll make a backup before I do the loyalty mission and then continue on with shopping and see how that effects the suicide mission.

@puzzlezaddict There's no need to rely on secondhand reports, what I've said is easily verified (as I've just done).

Just now I visited the Citadel, Illium, and Omega after the crew was taken and before visiting the Omega-4 Relay. I also probed a few planets. The full crew (Kelly included) survived.

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@DocTheGamer wrote:

@puzzlezaddict There's no need to rely on secondhand reports, what I've said is easily verified (as I've just done).

Just now I visited the Citadel, Illium, and Omega after the crew was taken and before visiting the Omega-4 Relay. I also probed a few planets. The full crew (Kelly included) survived.

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Thanks for the info