How to beat Mass Effect 3

This section of IGN's Mass Effect 3 guide is our complete walkthrough for all primary story Missions in the game, from the opening on Earth to the grand finale of the Mass Effect Trilogy. These pages will help you prepare for and win all combat encounters, where to find all the collectibles, and how to pick the right dialogue options for your playthrough. We'll also cover the rewards and fallout in the aftermath of each Mission.

  • Act 1 - Earth
  • Act 2 - Turians and Krogan
  • Act 3 - Quarians and Geth
  • Act 4 - Cerberus and Reapers

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While this section of the guide will help you do everything you need to clear the game, each Walkthrough, Side Mission and DLC page has a link that helps lead you through a 100% run of the game, DLC included.

Visit the Full Walkthrough Roadmap to see this version laid out.

Mass Effect 3 Mission Order

Listed below is the complete Mass Effect 3 mission order, which includes links to our detailed, step-by-step walkthroughs for every mission that you will encounter within the game.

Act 1 - Earth

In the opening of the game, Commander Shepard, relieved of duty over their actions in Mass Effect 2, must escape Earth and quickly find a way to stop the Reapers from annihilating all sentient life in the galaxy. But this will already come with heavy costs, and an excursion to Mars provides both hope and loss.

  • Prologue
  • Priority: Mars
  • Priority: The Citadel 1
  • Normandy: First Visit
  • Normandy Collectibles

Act 2 - Turians and Krogan

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With the Council unwilling to band together in support of building the Prothean Device, Shepard decides to bypass them and appeal directly to their military leadership. Their first lead is to attend a War Summit between the major races, where a 1,500 year old rivalry is about to be put to the test.

  • Priority: Palaven
  • EDI is Offline
  • Citadel Excursion 1
  • Priority: Sur'Kesh
  • Citadel Excursion 2
  • Priority: Tuchanka

Act 3 - Quarians and Geth

After securing Krogan support for the Turians to get their support for Earth, a major insurrection is discovered that shakes the status quo of the war. After surviving that, Shepard must once again attempt to end one of the longest-standing cold wars in the galaxy.

  • Priority: The Citadel 2
  • Citadel Excursion 3
  • Citadel Excursion 4
  • Priority: Perseus Veil
  • Priority: Geth Dreadnought
  • Priority: Rannoch

Act 4 - Cerberus and Reapers

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After ending their second multi-century conflict, Shepard is directed to the Asari homeworld of Thessia in search of the Catalyst, the key component of the Crucible, putting them on a collision course with Cerberus. The assault on this shadowy organization's headquarters mark the beginning of the end of Shepard's long journey to stop the Reapers.

  • Priority: The Citadel 3
  • Priority: Thessia
  • Priority: Horizon
  • Priority: Cerberus Headquarters
  • Priority: Earth
  • The Finale
  • Endings

DLC Stories

These extra stories are available as Downloadable Content, and are included for free in the Legendary Edition of the game. Omega unlocks after Priority: Palaven, while Leviathan and Citadel unlock after Priority: The Citadel 2. They are optional, but provide more story, Reputation, War Assets, Weapons, Mods and Credits.

  • From Ashes
  • Omega DLC
  • Leviathan DLC
  • Citadel DLC

Up Next: Full Walkthrough Roadmap

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In This Wiki Guide

How to beat Mass Effect 3

This section of IGN's Mass Effect 3 wiki guide details the Full Walkthrough Roadmap, which will help you complete each and every Mission in the game for a 100% run. The IGN Walkthrough for Mass Effect 3 provides individual sections for the main Mission Walkthrough, Side Missions, and DLC, giving guides, tips and advice for players tackling them at any point in the game.

However, we have also accommodated for players who want to have a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire game for a perfect 100% run. To do this we have included a box at the bottom of every page telling you what you should do next. Several factors were used to determine the order these appear in, including story context, opportunities for unique dialogue, and conserving Fuel during Search and Rescue (since Fuel costs Credits, and those are in limited supply in Mass Effect 3 without the Citadel DLC).

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With that out of the way, here is our complete, Full Walkthrough Roadmap to 100% Mass Effect 3. Priority Missions and DLC Missions are bolded, while Citadel Excursions and Side Missions are not.

  • Act 1 - Earth
  • Act 2 - Turians and Krogan
  • Act 3 - Quarians and Geth
  • Act 4 - Cerberus and Reapers

Act 1 - Earth

In the opening of the game, Commander Shepard, relieved of duty over their actions in Mass Effect 2, must escape Earth and quickly find a way to stop the Reapers from annihilating all sentient life in the galaxy. But this will already come with heavy costs, and an excursion to Mars provides both hope and loss.

  • Prologue
  • Priority: Mars
  • Priority: The Citadel 1
  • Normandy: First Visit
  • Normandy Collectibles

Act 2 - Turians and Krogan

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With the Council unwilling to band together in support of building the Prothean Device, Shepard decides to bypass them and appeal directly to their military leadership. Their first lead is to attend a War Summit between the major races, where a 1,500 year old rivalry is about to be put to the test.

  • Priority: Palaven
  • EDI is Offline
  • From Ashes
  • N7: Cerberus Lab
  • Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation
  • Citadel Excursion 1
  • Priority: Sur'Kesh
  • Attican Traverse: Krogan Team
  • N7: Cerberus Abductions
  • N7: Cerberus Attack
  • Tuchanka: Turian Platoon
  • Tuchanka: Bomb
  • Citadel Excursion 2
  • Priority: Tuchanka
  • N7: Cerberus Fighter Base

Act 3 - Quarians and Geth


After securing Krogan support for the Turians to get their support for Earth, a major insurrection is discovered that shakes the status quo of the war. After surviving that, Shepard must once again attempt to end one of the longest-standing cold wars in the galaxy.

  • Priority: The Citadel 2
  • Citadel Excursion 3
  • Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientists
  • Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery
  • Citadel Excursion 4
  • Omega DLC
  • Priority: Perseus Veil
  • Priority: Geth Dreadnought
  • Rannoch: Admiral Koris
  • Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons
  • Priority: Rannoch
  • N7: Fuel Reactors

Act 4 - Cerberus and Reapers

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After ending their second multi-century conflict, Shepard is directed to the Asari homeworld of Thessia in search of the Catalyst, the key component of the Crucible, putting them on a collision course with Cerberus. The assault on this shadowy organization's headquarters mark the beginning of the end of Shepard's long journey to stop the Reapers.

  • Priority: The Citadel 3
  • Priority: Thessia
  • N7: Communications Hub
  • Priority: Horizon
  • Leviathan DLC
  • Citadel DLC
  • Priority: Cerberus Headquarters
  • Priority: Earth
  • The Finale
  • Endings

Up Next: Act 1 - Earth

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In This Wiki Guide

How to beat Mass Effect 3

How do you get the best ending in Mass Effect 3?

Acquiring a high military strength score is the only way to acquire the best ending to the game. If players fail to do so, they will automatically get a bad ending in Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition.

How long does Mass Effect 3 Take to beat?

Taking the DLC into account, a playthrough of Mass Effect 3 can range from 25 hours to 66 hours. For those rushing through the main story of the main game and its DLC, a 37-hour lengthy is likely.

How do you get the best start in Mass Effect 3?

Before You Start….
So what starter tips should you know before you sit down to save the galaxy? ... .
Don't rush any of it. ... .
Do explore, eavesdrop, and talk to everyone. ... .
Do really TALK to everyone. ... .
Do pick whatever fighting style you like best. ... .
Do remember to upgrade your weapons....

What is the point of no return in Mass Effect 3?

The "Point of No return" in Mass Effect 3 refers to the last save point before you can no longer complete Side Missions, shop or improve your Effective Military Strength before the game's end. All Side Missions close after starting Priority: Cerberus Headquarters.