Alright, I've played through each and every ME. It's unfair to have her, I played as a female, die almost every time! I understand wanting to end the trilogy. Start something new with the vast cultures they've created through years of work. But, honestly, why does she have to die in practically every "solution"? Why can't we have happy endings? Is that just not allowed anymore? Can anybody give me a valid reason to end such a fantastic series of an Alliance solider on such depressing terms? :c

The writers always planned for the End of the Game to be the End of Shepard. Period. Spoiler (Highlight to read)As a previous poster noted, if your EMS is high enough, (over 5000, 4000 if you stop TIM from killing Anderson, and I've heard it's down to 3100 if you have the EC installed) and you chose the "Red" option, then after the Stargazer epilogue there's a close-up of... well it's not quite clear (at least on my screen) but it's obvious heavily damaged and charred N7 armour. Just before the cut-to-black you hear a gasp and see the N7 insignia heave.As a previous poster noted, if your EMS is high enough, (over 5000, 4000 if you stop TIM from killing Anderson, and I've heard it's down to 3100 if you have the EC installed) and you chose the "Red" option, then after the Stargazer epilogue there's a close-up of... well it's not quite clear (at least on my screen) but it's obvious heavily damaged and charred N7 armour. Just before the cut-to-black you hear a gasp and see the N7 insignia heave.Is that a better ending?But otherwise, the best you can do is the MEHEM, as the previous poster mentioned.EDIT: This just in; the MEHEM experience can be further enhanced by employing the Citadel Epilogue Mod.EDIT2: I don't mean to imply that the MEHEM is anything but amazing! The amount of work, and (dare I say...) love that went into it is truly astounding. And it keeps getting better. MEHEM v .03 was released over the weekend. Still a work-in-progress, but what a work! My thanks to MrFob, et al, for giving (some of) us what we wanted when BioWare didn't.EDIT3: Added revised EMS info in the SPOILER.

You get a breath scene which is hardly conclusive of Shepard surviving.The best thing I could suggest is that if you haver the PC version of the game have a look for the MEHEM on the Bioware social site. Here's a link http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/14795358/1.Essentially this will change the end game, remove the hologram kid, and ensure a happier resolution.

Personally, I think it is right that Shepard dies in ME3. It is consistent with the themes of the rest of the series. Throughout the mass effect trilogy, we see a great deal of undeserved death and suffering. This ranges from the sacrifices of Williams or Alenko in ME1 to the many heart-wrenching refugee stories in ME3. If we had a happy ending, it would suggest that the hero was immune to the suffering affecting everyone else, and would make that suffering less real.

Oh, I agree, paiforsyth. I didn't have any problem with Shepard "ending" in all three of the offered choices. Spoiler (Highlight to read)The only thing that really bothered me about them was that the Synthesis option was so out-of-left-field. We've spent three whole games with the Reapers as the (un)known enemy. We've sacrificed strangers, comrades, and perhaps loved ones, fighting them. Even though I might actually prefer the "Green" outcome for the Galaxy, if I'm being honest with myself and true to the Shepard I've created over those many, many hours of gameplay, there's no way I choose anything but "Red" in that moment. None.There's just not enough from the Catalyst (the real power behind the Reapers, remember) to make me want to "join" with it. Be gone! And good riddance. Between EDI, and the Geth/Quarian détente, we know that cooperation with synthetics is possible. And it was two humans (Joker and me) who accomplished those minor miracles ) So take that, Mr. "I know better" machine-with-a-child's-face!The only thing that really bothered me about them was that the Synthesis option was so out-of-left-field. We've spent three whole games with the Reapers as the (un)known enemy. We've sacrificed strangers, comrades, and perhaps loved ones, fighting them. Even though I might actually prefer the "Green" outcome for the Galaxy, if I'm being honest with myself and true to the Shepard I've created over those many, many hours of gameplay, there's no way I choose anything but "Red" in that moment. None. There's just not enough from the Catalyst (the real power behind the Reapers, remember) to make me want to "join" with it. Be gone! And good riddance. Between EDI, and the Geth/Quarian détente, we know that cooperation with synthetics is possible. And it was two humans (Joker and me) who accomplished those minor miracles ) So take that, Mr. "I know better" machine-with-a-child's-face!But once having decided that to my own satisfaction, the MEHEM offers a change of tone to my last memories of what has been an amazing, multi-year ride with my all-time favourite computer game character.Here's to Shepard!

@drzaximus wrote:[ME3 SPOILERS]If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will liveYou need 4000 in the vanilla game and 3100 if the extended cut is installed.

Why does Shepard always die? | EA Forums

15 Replies

Anonymous
12 years ago
[ME3 SPOILERS]
If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will live
voteDC
New Vanguard
12 years ago
You get a breath scene which is hardly conclusive of Shepard surviving.

The best thing I could suggest is that if you haver the PC version of the game have a look for the MEHEM on the Bioware social site. Here's a link http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/14795358/1.

Essentially this will change the end game, remove the hologram kid, and ensure a happier resolution.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
The writers always planned for the End of the Game to be the End of Shepard.
Period.
Spoiler
As a previous poster noted, if your EMS is high enough, (over 5000, 4000 if you stop TIM from killing Anderson, and I've heard it's down to 3100 if you have the EC installed) and you chose the "Red" option, then after the Stargazer epilogue there's a close-up of... well it's not quite clear (at least on my screen) but it's obvious heavily damaged and charred N7 armour. Just before the cut-to-black you hear a gasp and see the N7 insignia heave.
Is that a better ending?
But otherwise, the best you can do is the MEHEM, as the previous poster mentioned.
EDIT: This just in; the MEHEM experience can be further enhanced by employing the Citadel Epilogue Mod.
EDIT2: I don't mean to imply that the MEHEM is anything but amazing! The amount of work, and (dare I say...) love that went into it is truly astounding. And it keeps getting better. MEHEM v .03 was released over the weekend. Still a work-in-progress, but what a work! My thanks to MrFob, et al, for giving (some of) us what we wanted when BioWare didn't.
EDIT3: Added revised EMS info in the SPOILER.
paiforsyth
12 years ago
Personally, I think it is right that Shepard dies in ME3. It is consistent with the themes of the rest of the series. Throughout the mass effect trilogy, we see a great deal of undeserved death and suffering. This ranges from the sacrifices of Williams or Alenko in ME1 to the many heart-wrenching refugee stories in ME3. If we had a happy ending, it would suggest that the hero was immune to the suffering affecting everyone else, and would make that suffering less real.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
Oh, I agree, paiforsyth. I didn't have any problem with Shepard "ending" in all three of the offered choices.
Spoiler
The only thing that really bothered me about them was that the Synthesis option was so out-of-left-field. We've spent three whole games with the Reapers as the (un)known enemy. We've sacrificed strangers, comrades, and perhaps loved ones, fighting them. Even though I might actually prefer the "Green" outcome for the Galaxy, if I'm being honest with myself and true to the Shepard I've created over those many, many hours of gameplay, there's no way I choose anything but "Red" in that moment. None.
There's just not enough from the Catalyst (the real power behind the Reapers, remember) to make me want to "join" with it. Be gone! And good riddance. Between EDI, and the Geth/Quarian détente, we know that cooperation with synthetics is possible. And it was two humans (Joker and me) who accomplished those minor miracles ) So take that, Mr. "I know better" machine-with-a-child's-face!
But once having decided that to my own satisfaction, the MEHEM offers a change of tone to my last memories of what has been an amazing, multi-year ride with my all-time favourite computer game character.
Here's to Shepard!
Fred_vdp
Hero+
12 years ago
@drzaximus wrote:
[ME3 SPOILERS]
If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will live
You need 4000 in the vanilla game and 3100 if the extended cut is installed.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
@fredvdp wrote:
@drzaximus wrote:
[ME3 SPOILERS]
If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will live
You need 4000 in the vanilla game and 3100 if the extended cut is installed.
Depending on how you define "live", See the SPOILER in my post four back (not the one in my post two back. 😕mileywink: )
Fred_vdp
Hero+
12 years ago
@ThandalNLyman wrote:
@fredvdp wrote:
@drzaximus wrote:
[ME3 SPOILERS]
If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will live
You need 4000 in the vanilla game and 3100 if the extended cut is installed.
Depending on how you define "live", See the SPOILER in my post four back (not the one in my post two back. 😕mileywink: )
Spoiler
If the gasp doesn't mean Shepard lives, then there's no point in not including it in every ending but the most complete one. The cinematics are also titled End03_Shepard_Alive_Male or End03_Shepard_Alive_Fem.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
@fredvdp wrote:
@ThandalNLyman wrote:
@fredvdp wrote:
@drzaximus wrote:
[ME3 SPOILERS]
If you have a high enough EMS rating (12000 I believe) you can choose the destroy ending and s/he will live
You need 4000 in the vanilla game and 3100 if the extended cut is installed.
Depending on how you define "live", See the SPOILER in my post four back (not the one in my post two back. 😕mileywink: )
Spoiler
If the gasp doesn't mean Shepard lives, then there's no point in not including it in every ending but the most complete one. The cinematics are also titled End03_Shepard_Alive_Male or End03_Shepard_Alive_Fem.
Yeah, that's what it's supposed to mean. (And I mean that *both* ways!)
But I felt it still left things... unresolved. And me unsatisfied.
Fred_vdp
Hero+
12 years ago
Despite the endings being quite bleak, especially in the original cut, I was fairly satisfied. There's one addition in the extended cut I didn't like at all, and that was
Spoiler
that the mass relays weren't completely destroyed. I thought it was appropriate that destroying the Reapers would also destroy all of their technology. I know I'm part of a very small minority who thinks that way. :😕mileyhappy: