With the release of theMass Effect Legendary Editionearlier this year and the recent annual N7 Day on November 7, players have been jumping back into the original trilogy and celebrating all thingsMass Effect. Throughout the three games, player choices and story events could lead to the deaths of several characters. However, there were a handful of deaths that caused more heartbreak for gamers than others.
Playing as Commander Shepard (male or female), gamers helped to save the galaxy from the threat of a highly-advanced machine race called the Reapers over the course of the original threeMass Effectgames. In addition to a slew of varied antagonists, from a human-supremacist paramilitary organization to bio-mechanical zombies, Shepard and their crew faced down lots of enemies. Naturally, these high stakes brought with them the threat of losing a number of your crew along the way.
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Cause And Effect vs. Story Beats
Some of these deaths were avoidable and purely down toplayer choice inMass Effect. You could choose to play as either a Renegade or a Paragon, with choices in either strand leading to some irreversible character fates. These could be through dialogue options or trigger events, with sometimes only seconds to decide. However, a handful of deaths throughout theMass Effecttrilogy are unavoidable, no matter how nice you are in conversations or lenient in your decision-making.
There are some less impactful (but no less memorable) deaths InMass Effect. Who can forget Corporal Richard L. Jenkins, who met a sticky end minutes into the first game, after Shepard lands on Eden Prime. Others have a lot more of an effect on players as well as the story. Not to mention the ability to import your save data from the first game to the third, which means if you kill off a character inMass Effectthey’re absent for the rest of the trilogy, and you could potentially miss out on some interesting narrative arcs.
Character Deaths That Hit The Hardest
Across all theMass Effectgames in the trilogy, players have the choice to recruit up to 20 characters (including squadmates from DLC missions). At various points in the narratives of all three games, Shepard’s crew encounters life or death situations with a potentially hefty body count as a result. Nowhere is this more true than during theSuicide Mission inMass Effect 2.The clue really is in the name here, with players facing the possibility of wiping out their entire cohort of squadmates — including Commander Shepard — if they’re ill-prepared for one of the series' most memorable missions.
But some deaths that still make players reach for the tissue box are of characters not in the main Normandy squad. With most playerschoosing to go Paragon instead of Renegadeduring their playthroughs, they may have avoided one or two of these demises. But some are impossible to avoid, like Admiral Anderson’s heartbreaking death and final goodbye to Shepard inME3.The Admiral was a stalwart figure throughout the series, and losing them right at the end is a hard pill to swallow.
Thane Krios
Everyone’s favorite drell assassinThane Kriosis a popular addition inMass Effect 2.The combination of his abilities in stealth and firearms make him a useful companion on missions, but there is a lot more than just sneaking and shooting to this scaly squadmate. Conversations with him onboard the Normandy reveal his deep spirituality, as well as his terminal illness. Although forewarned about his likely demise, it’s actually in defense of a salarian Councillor where Thane eventually loses his life at the hands of Kai Leng.
Players may have been prepared for Thane not to survive to the end of the final game, but it’s bittersweet to see him out of his hospital bed only to be killed when he’s just found redemption and been reunited with his estranged son. In some ways, it’s a satisfying character arc, but that doesn’t make it easier to see him go.
Mordin Solus
The very model of a scientist salarian,Mordinis a geneticist and former Special Tasks Group operative. He was part of the team that modified the genophage — a biological weapon designed to limit Krogan population size through involuntary infection — to ensure its continued efficacy.
Afterthe events ofMass Effect 2, Mordinis determined to find a cure for the genophage and put a stop to the artificial genetic mutation once and for all to atone for his previous involvement. Mordin also has one of the most nuanced examples of character growth; from someone who was self-assured and believed they’d made a tough but necessary decision, to a tortured individual determined to right their wrongs no matter the cost. He’s one of the more quirky crew members, but his sincere attempts to help those around him — from awkward sexual encounters, to getting over a fear of needles — make him all the more endearing, and his loss all the more emotional.
Tali’Zorah nar Rayya
Players first meetTali inMass Effect,when she’s left the Migrant Fleet to embark on her Pilgrimage. She’s young, headstrong, and eager to prove herself. Throughout the series Tali grows and matures, eventually becoming a significant and respected figure in the quarian Migrant Fleet, and a key collaborator of Shepard’s.
InMass Effect 3, as the battle between quarians and Reaper-controlled gethreaches its pinnacle, Tali is finally able to set foot on the homeworld of her ancestors: Rannoch. As Shepard is involved on and off with quarian and geth affairs across the three games, it’s a monumental moment for all involved. However, if the player allows the geth to be upgraded then Shepard and Tali watch, powerless, as the entire Migrant Fleet is destroyed.
Not only does the player witness this horrible destruction, but they also see a beloved character experience the ending of her whole race. This proves too much for Tali, and she commits suicide by leaping off a cliff. Seeing the culmination of a storyline that has been present in all three games end in such a tragedy is truly heartbreaking.
Commander Shepard
Technically,Mass Effect’s protagonist dies twice. First, at the start ofMass Effect 2when the Normandy is attacked and the crew is forced to abandon ship, and Shepard is blasted into space. Thankfully, they are resurrected by the shady organization known as Cerberus, but no such reversal of fortunes occurs at the end ofMass Effect 3.Unless, of course, the player picks the “destroy” ending, which sees Shepard slowly emerging from the destroyed Citadel in the final cutscene.
Caveats aside, all other final choices that the player makes result in the death of Shepard. It’s a fittingly heroic end for the beleaguered commander, but after all the trials and tribulations and naysayers that they’ve had to overcome throughout theMass Effecttrilogy, it’s a difficult end to welcome.
Mass Effect Legendary Editionis now available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.
