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

Hyncharas
New Traveler
12 years ago
So does that mean that if you have over 3100 points from the Extended Cut; even without Multiplayer Readiness above 50%, you can win without Shepard dying?
I ask about Multiplayer because I only started playing the campaign a couple of weeks ago, and after sitting in the Multiplayer lobby for 30-min intervals on different days, I've found nobody actually play that portion of the game when I'm online, which is usually in the afternoons GMT...
It would've been great if people could choose at least one AI companion for Multiplayer if they don't have any friends who own the game on 360. Without this, it's impossible for you to complete the challenges solo even on the lowest difficulty setting.
Spoiler
I do understand the ending-caveat you speak of, however, fredvdp - you defeat the Reapers, but don't encounter the force that made them that way. Perhaps ME4 (assuming there will even be one) explores this.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
@fredvdp wrote:
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:
Yeah, I noticed that too...
Spoiler
And regardless of the fact that the relays appear not to have been completely destroyed, the extent of the damage means no one will be using them for the forseeable future. So Primarch Victus, Urdnot Wrex, and a whole lot of others will be stuck on Earth where they can't even eat the food
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
@Hyncharas wrote:
So does that mean that if you have over 3100 points from the Extended Cut; even without Multiplayer Readiness above 50%, you can win without Shepard dying?
I ask about Multiplayer because I only started playing the campaign a couple of weeks ago, and after sitting in the Multiplayer lobby for 30-min intervals on different days, I've found nobody actually play that portion of the game when I'm online, which is usually in the afternoons GMT...
It would've been great if people could choose at least one AI companion for Multiplayer if they don't have any friends who own the game on 360. Without this, it's impossible for you to complete the challenges solo even on the lowest difficulty setting.
Answer to the question is "Yes." I just finished a complete playthrough and achieved that ending without ever doing MP. "Galactic Readiness" stayed at exactly 50% the entire time.
As for no one being available to join you for MP, I think you've made some mistake in how you enter the Lobby. ME3 MP is played globally. Time-zone doesn't really matter, there are always people looking for pick-up games. I had the same thing happen when I first tried MP (over a year ago). I made made too many specific selections (sector, challenge-level, etc.) Never anyone to play with. When I basically just popped-in with only the challenge-level set I never had to wait for than a couple of minutes to join a match. Played in several and achieved Level-15 Adept, but haven't been back.
Fred_vdp
Hero+
12 years ago
@ThandalNLyman wrote:
@fredvdp wrote:
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:
Yeah, I noticed that too...
Spoiler
And regardless of the fact that the relays appear not to have been completely destroyed, the extent of the damage means no one will be using them for the forseeable future. So Primarch Victus, Urdnot Wrex, and a whole lot of others will be stuck on Earth where they can't even eat the food
Spoiler
True, but I've read somewhere that FTL is a great deal faster than light and would allow these ships to reach their homeworlds in a long, but survivable time, except for the quarians. Quarians have live ships, though, which likely produce their own crops which both the quarians and turians can eat. I think krogan can eat quarian food as well. Turian food gives them the runs, according to Wrex.
ThandalNLyman
12 years ago
@fredvdp wrote:
@ThandalNLyman wrote:
@fredvdp wrote:
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:
Yeah, I noticed that too...
Spoiler
And regardless of the fact that the relays appear not to have been completely destroyed, the extent of the damage means no one will be using them for the forseeable future. So Primarch Victus, Urdnot Wrex, and a whole lot of others will be stuck on Earth where they can't even eat the food
Spoiler
True, but I've read somewhere that FTL is a great deal faster than light and would allow these ships to reach their homeworlds in a long, but survivable time, except for the quarians. Quarians have live ships, though, which likely produce their own crops which both the quarians and turians can eat. I think krogan can eat quarian food as well. Turian food gives them the runs, according to Wrex.
Spoiler
FTL drive is one thing, but it needs refueling depots and the galaxy is a BIG place. Without the mass relays, it'd still be decades or centuries to get from one Sector to another. An specific individual krogan or asari might make it with a liveship, (hope you see Eve again, Wrex) but no human or turian would! 😕mileytongue:
Ya' gotta love discussions of what's "possible" in a sci-fi setting. 😕mileywink:

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Why does Shepard always die?

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