As choice-based games, the Mass Effect trilogy presents a variety of choices ranging from murdering characters to making a joke in front of your companions. Many choices seem trivial compared to more drastic situations, but almost every decision shapes your journey through the trilogy. Amongst these choices, however, are events which seem significant yet end up changing little to noꦇthing in the series. Some of these choices should have a larger impact on the wor𒀰ld yet do not, while others promise results that never occur.
The majority of choices on this list lack the balance that makes Mass Effect so entertaining. Almost every choice in Mass Effect promises consequences, yet these choices fail to execute their threats. Your options seem equal yet are imbalanced, giving an unfair advantage to the players who accidentally take the more beneficial action. The remaining choices on the list inadequately reward you for the effort you put into them. After establishing enough tension for a game-changing event, the games give you disappointing choices where you merely change a conversation. Even when certain choices should completely alter the world or how characters treat you, these choices have no significant🐭 effect.
Mass Effect is largely popular because of its various stories and realistic consequences, yet the choices on this list fail to change your story and are often unrealistic. Instead of creating a dynamic world, these choices force players down singular paths. Every decision should have a unique impact, particularly in choices that seem significant. Here’s 15 choices in the Mass Effect tr💮ilogy that seemed important yet didn’t even matter.
15 Spa🌱ring Henry Lawson
As with most choices in the Mass Effect trilogy, you may act as a peaceful Paragon or an intimidating Renegade when encountering Henry Lawson. With a high Renegade or Paragon ranking, you can avoid bloodshed throughout the franchise. All players can shoot Henꦛry, but Renegades and Paragons may convince Henry to trade Oriana’s safety for his.
If you spare Henry, Miranda does not. After Henry releases Oriana, Miranda murders him. The most frustrating part about this elimination of choice is that nobody acknowledges it. Miranda violates Shepard’s pact with Henry, yet Shepard and Miranda interact without hostility. If you are playing a Paragon or Renegade who guards all life, you cannot protect Henry. Even your avatar opposes you—when Miranda says she’s glad her father is dead, Shep🅠ard agrees.
14 ꦺ Loyalty Missions That Always Result In Loyalty
The loyalty missions of Mass Effect 2 reveal characters’ darkest, most vulnerable secrets, allowing you to help or harm your companions’ lives. Despite the tension in each mission, only Zaeed’s, Samara’s, Tali’s, and Thane’s missions may result in failure. If you fail a loyalty mi🐷ssion, the central companion remains disloyal and thus weakens your team.
Without a chance of failure, the other loyalty missions lack significant consequences. Characters trust you no matter what, making your choices mechanically meaningless. You may change events and di📖alogue within the mission, but the remainder of the game is largely unchanged. Certain characters can lose loyalty in later confrontations, but these are completely separate from the missions. Apart from the four missions listed above, the loyalty missions lack the thrilling stakes that accompany the risk of failure.
13 Savin𝔉g The Breeder
If you killed the Rachni Queen in the first Mass Effect, the Reapers will build a clone known as the Breeder. While the Rachni Queen will assist you in Mass Effect 3, the Breeder promises support, but betrays you. You actually lose assets because ෴the Breeder kills members of the Alliance.
When the Breeder offers support, you may save either the Breeder or a group of Krogan allies. The choice seems balanced, but only the Krogan offer permanent assets. The Breeder appeals to many players due to its size, strength, and countless children—the game trick🤡s you into helping the Breeder and harming yourself. While the Rachni Queen and Krogan assist you, the Breeder is detrimental to you, your choice, and the game itself.
12 Helpinꦗg Tali Complete Her Pilgrimage ♌
When you collect data on the Geth in the first Mass Effect, Tali requests a copy of the data.🍷 Tali emphasizes the importance of the data through this conversation and past conversations: Tali joined you in theꦇ hopes of completing her Pilgrimage, and the data will fulfill her Pilgrimage.
Despite the importance of the situation, Tali—though annoyed—accepts your decision if you withhold the data. If you help Tali, she reaffirms her promise to “stay with you until Saren and his Geth armies are defeated,” yet she keeps that promise even if you sabotage her Pilgrimage. In Mass Effect 2, Tali trusts you more readily if you help her, but she will eventually trust you even if you 🃏don’t. Neither rewards nor repercussions accompany this choice—a few lines of dialogue chang𓄧e, but the consequences you would expect never occur.
11 💮 Disloyal Characters (Jack, Tali, Legion, Th⭕ane, And Samara)
All disloyal characters in Mass Effect 2 have a greater chance of dying—if they survive, some will die in Mass Effect 3. However, five characters will follow the same arc in Mass Effect 3 regardless of their loyalty: Jack, Tali, Legion, Thane, and Samara. These characters follow a predetermined path in Mass Effect 3, with Jack teaching at Grissom Academy, Tali assisting the Admirality Board, Legion helping Shepard battle the Reapers, Thane dying at the hands of Kai Leng, and Samara saving her daughter from the Reapers. This disrupts the loyalty formula and leads to some illogical stories, particularly for Thane. If you fail Thane’s loyalty mission, he never meets his son in Mass Effect 2, yet his son appears in Mass Effect 3 regardless of your choice.
10 Bringing Liara To Fight Benezia 𓂃
Liara’s presence during the battle with her mother, Matriarch Benezia, leads to some fascinating dialogue. Benezia observes Liara hostilely during her indoctrination but lovingly when she recovers her sanity. The ma🏅triarch’s words are touching as she addresses her daugh🅠ter for the last time.
Despite the emotion of the scene, this choice isn’t helpful in terms of combat, and surprisingly𝓀 little changes in the narrative. You must fight Benezia regardless of who accompanies you. Liar🐓a doesn’t positively affect Benezia’s indoctrination; Benezia resists indoctrination and succumbs to it at the same, scripted moments. Benezia emotionally suffers with or without Liara. With gameplay that contradicts Benezia’s words, the matriarch’s love feels illegitimate. If you choose to include Liara in the mission in order to avoid battling Benezia, you will not be rewarded as you imagined.
9 Keeping Davi💮d In Pr🌌oject Overlord
At the end of the Overlord DLC of Mass Effect 2, you may send David to Grissom Academy💧 or allow Project Overlord to continue. David’s brother, Dr. Gavin Archer, argues that humans will learn how to defeat the Geth through Project Overlord.
However, there are no benefits for keeping David within the project. Some knowledge is gained about the Geth in Mass Effect 3, but this affects 🐼your war assets rather than the narrative. I👍f you help David, Gavin appreciates your kindness and gives you the same number of assets. Helping David is actually more productive, for David gives you weapons when you reach Grissom Academy. If you sacrifice your humanity and continue David’s suffering, you get nothing in return despite Gavin’s coercive promises.
8 💟 ๊ Destroying The Geth Heretics
Every loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2 affects characters’ attitude toward Shepard except for Legion’s. Legion and the Geth treat you equally no matter what choice you make. This defies the structure of the game and the mission itself - Legion emphasizes the importance of unity throughout the mission, yet it allows Shepard to destroy the Geth heretics. The Geth heretics may be reprogrammed to unite with the original Geth, an option which Legion should desire. Instead of pursuing a goal that you either support or oppose like your other companions, Legion has no opinion. Other loyalty missions have consequences; Legion’s mission affect🀅s neither characters nor story.
Legion’s reasoning also makes zero sense. The original Geth trust Shepard’s opinion because he/she has “f🔯ought the heretics,” but Legion has battled the heretics throughout the mission. Shepard has no right to influence Geth affairs, yet the Geth trust you and whatever decision you make.
7 🐼 Sparing Dr. Saleon ꦐ
Sparing Dr. Saleon is the most significant event for Garrus in the first Mass Effect. If you or Garrus initially murder Saleon, Garrus never changes. If you try to save 𝔍Saleon before the Salarian attacks you, Garrus finally understands everything you’ve told him throughout the game and learns how to be merciful.
Unfortunately, this change isn’t permanent. When you reunite with Garrus two years later in Mass Effect 2, the Turian acts like his original self regardless of your interactions with Saleon. As 𒆙if this dismissal of your choice isn’t enough, Garrus’ loyalty mission almost completely resembles the quest with Saleon. Garrus wants to kill Sidonis as he wanted to kill Saleon, learning nothing from your actions in the previous game.
6 💖 Choosing Both Love Interests
BioWare treats this situation as a joke rather than a choice—Shepard almost laughs as he/she suggests a threesome in the first Mass Effect game. However, the choice leads to unpredictable consequences. Instead of simply producing amusing dialogue, S🀅hepard’s words cause Ashley or Kaidan to leave w꧒hile Liara remains in love with you.
By romancing both characters, you accidentally sacrifice your choice and end up with Liara. After the human love interest departs, Liara says: “I’m glad you chose me.” Mass Effect is known for obviously scripted lines, but that line is by far the most painful line in the trilogy. The game completely ignores your choice: Liara acts as if you chose her when you didn’t. Whether you suggest the threesome as a joke or a legitimate choice, Mass Effect refuses to acknowledge your decision.