12
32-
May has turned out to be quite an eventful month, hasn't it? With the incredible Resident Evil Village having launched just a week ago, today we'll get the chance to play Mass Effect: Legendary Edition at long last. Naturally, excitement is at an all-time high here at 2Game! But, with how incredibly huge Mass Effect games are, we found ourselves thinking about the very best Mass Effect missions in the whole trilogy.
We managed to boil things down to a top-list of 10 must-play side-missions. That said, it should be a given that the sheer scale and immensity of available content mean that we couldn't possibly cover all the good side-quests in a single article. Quite the opposite, even! So, we had to settle on featuring just ten of them.
Whether you agree with that or not, we will try to keep spoilers to a minimum. We will, however, include some details on how to access said side-quests, as well as the central premise and the gist of the story. Veterans of Mass Effect will have surely known about most of them, but we could all do with a short refresher, couldn't we?
So, without any further ado, strap right in, place a pre-order on Legendary Edition to snag an awesome pre-release discount while you can, and get busy with reading while the game's 90 GB of content is downloading in the background!
Top 10 Best Mass Effect Missions
Though we had already said as much, coming up with this list was hard. Anyone who has any experience with the original Mass Effect trilogy will know that this was Bioware at their absolute best. There are so many memorable stories here that it's virtually impossible to keep track of them all! That's also why we're 100% sure that not everyone will agree with this list. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that most people might not agree with it.
This is a good thing, though. Especially if you're about to plunge into the series for the first time. Basically, the whole point of this section is to underscore the fact that there's just so much awesome content available in Legendary Edition. So, so much. The list you're about to read is really just a taste of what you're getting here!
#10: Ilos: Find the Conduit
- Featured in: Mass Effect
- Main Mission
The search for the Conduit is one of the main concerns during virtually all of the first Mass Effect title, and the mission on Ilos is basically the final chapter of the game. Shepherd will need to square off against a variety of powerful Geth and Krogan enemies, albeit with the help of an unlikely Promethean ally. Ilos is, as the screenshot above clearly shows, a decidedly creepy and atmospheric location. Originally a thriving colony for the long-extinct Promethean race, by the time Shepherd and his crew reach the planet, it has long since lost all of its former glory.
What really makes the Ilos sequence stand out is that it's a dynamic crescendo that continuously pushes you forward from one encounter to the next with a downright phenomenal soundtrack to boot. It's a final mission in a Mass Effect game, alright, and it set the tone for the rest of the franchise in the best way possible.
#9: Kasumi: Stolen Memory
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Optional Content
As some of you may already know, the vast majority of Mass Effect 2 is actually a preparation for its final chapter. Reductive as that might sound, this isn't a bad thing at all, because ME2 is narratively the strongest game of the three, with by far the strongest cast of characters hoisting it up. Kasumi is one of these characters, though many players missed her entirely due to her being available exclusively via a post-release DLC.
Kasumi Goto's remarkable chapter takes clear and pointed inspiration from spy thrillers of old. Shepherd will need to mingle with the richest people in the galaxy before breaking his disguise to sneak into a supposedly impenetrable vault to retrieve something of great value for Goto. The end result is that you get another great character to support you in your future adventures, but the quest itself is among the best in the series, easily.
#8: Priority: Tuchanka
- Featured in: Mass Effect 3
- Main Mission
The existence of the Krogan infertility plague and the fact that Salarians are to blame for it is a major point of contention between the two races throughout the trilogy. It all comes to a head in Mass Effect 3, when Reapers finally come knocking, however. What starts off as a mission like any other quickly turns into a fight for survival that will, eventually, end up being a deciding factor in who lives and who dies at the very end of the game.
The Tuchanka Priority mission stands out no matter what Shepherd decides to do. Or what his compatriots decide to do, for that matter. It's a story-driven mission that won't leave anyone indifferent by the time you're back aboard Normandy. Things change permanently for Shepherd following this chapter, and they don't necessarily change for the better.
#7: Virmire
- Featured in: Mass Effect
- Main Mission
We think it was Virmire when things really settled into place for us when we first played Mass Effect, way back when. Virmire is, for all intents and purposes, a substantially large and important mission (or mission chain, to be more exact) that will inevitably drive home the decisions that Shepherd's been making since the start of the game. It's a huge, sprawling environment with plenty of combat and interaction encounters, and by the end of it all, chances are that you'll probably lose someone before making your way back to Normandy.
The Virmire missions drove home what made Mass Effect so special in the first place. The players' choices from hours back come back to haunt them on Virmire, and depending on how things play out, your squad may take serious casualties before all is said and done. It's a hoot, but it hits hard.
#6: Stop the Collectors: Investigate Collector Ship
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Main Mission
While it might not be obvious at first, Mass Effect has often flirted with horror during its nearly decade-long stint on the market. There are few better examples of Bioware nailing the sheer sense of dread than the Collector Ship mission, where Shepherd and his crew finally board the infamous vessel and witness the truth of what's been going on with the kidnapped humans. It's the sort of setup that wouldn't feel out of place at all in a high-end sci-fi horror, and the delivery fits the bill, too.
It's a hell of a ride, both during the build-up and during the mad post-reveal dash, and it serves as a phenomenal motivation for Shepherd to continue his trudge to stop the Collectors and their unlikely overlords.
#5: Dossier: Archangel
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Main Mission
One of the first operative recommendations that Shepherd will get from Cerberus after they revive him is that of the so-called Archangel. The mysterious Turian made a name for himself as one of the most infamous vigilantes on the space station Omega. If you haven't really cared about Mass Effect up until now, try to avoid spoilers for this mission because the payoff is so worth the wait.
Whether the Archangel does join up with Shepherd in the end or not, the pair are in for a huge shootout with a number of different mercenary houses, and high-powered anti-materiel rifles and robotic monstrosities are just some of the tools that get pulled out of the toolbox when push comes to shove.
#4: Thane: Sins of the Father
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Optional Content
One of the community's favorite characters in all of Mass Effect, and a tragic figure with a trajectory that not even Shepherd can avert, Thane Krios is a total badass, and his Loyalty Mission follows suit. To be sure, every main character's respective Loyalty Mission is amazing in its own right, but Thane's is entirely different from virtually any other.
Namely, Thane is dying from an untreatable disease, and while most other companion characters can make it through all three games and until the very end, Thane isn't quite as lucky as that. How he deals with this and whether he reconnects with his estranged son will mainly depend on Shepherd. All in all, the quest is a testament to Bioware's writers, and a clear showcase that Mass Effect doesn't need big, epic shootouts to be a good game.
#3: Priority: Earth
- Featured in: Mass Effect 3
- Main Mission
Of course, big, epic shootouts sure are a hoot when executed correctly. Thankfully, the Reapers' arrival and their subsequent destruction of Earth are definitely a highlight for the series and a major event towards which the games had been building up for literally years. Arguably, this particular mission stretches out through most of Mass Effect 3, but it's the impeccable finale that really seals the deal on what is one of the best sequences in the franchise.
Now, it's worth pointing out that the ending itself is contested. Very strongly contested, in fact. Everything leading up to it, though, including the final desperate assault on one of the Reapers as it demolishes everything good about humanity? Downright incredible, really. Not to mention cathartic, seeing as how it'll take full three games' worth of gameplay and narrative progression until the real threat well and truly rears its ugly head.
#2: Reaper IFF
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Main Mission
As the plot of ME2 and the Collectors' role in bringing the Reaper threat to light unravels, Shepherd and his crew will, at one point, need to enter a Reaper to collect its IFF (Identify Friend / Foe) device for further progression. It's here that the game reveals the Reapers' true nature and the fact that they remain a huge threat, even in (un)death. Much like Outer Gods from the Lovecraftian mythos, now that we think of it.
The mission is incredibly important for its narrative significance, but also because it tests the players' ability to deal with huge hordes of enemies at once. Here, Husks come in greater numbers than virtually anywhere else, and powerful armored enemies will intersperse with trash mobs to really test Shepherd's resolve. The larval human Reaper at the end is a horrific revelation, to be sure, but it gets way worse than that...
#1: The Suicide Mission
- Featured in: Mass Effect 2
- Final Mission
As we already mentioned, just about the entirety of Mass Effect 2 is about Shepherd assembling a team of powerful soldiers, biotics, and researchers to take on the Collector headquarters and free the kidnapped humans once and for all. Along the way, things grow more complicated with each new reveal, and it all comes bearing down on you and your raggedy team of survivors. The aptly-named Suicide Mission will almost certainly lead to deaths, though it may be worth pointing out that they all can be avoided by careful planning and meticulous resource investments.
The Suicide Mission is not only a phenomenal exercise in narrative progression, though. Gameplay-wise, it's the logical culmination of everything that Shepherd and his crew had gone through up until then. Completing it is an incredibly satisfying experience that is sure to stay with you for times to come.
Whether the characters you like the most will survive, though... well, that's an entirely different story.
EXTRA: Citadel - Party
- Featured in: Mass Effect 3
- Optional Content
While all the missions we listed here are epic, galaxy-spanning endeavors with heroic results, Mass Effect has got plenty of quiet, heartfelt moments, too. The entirety of the Citadel Party DLC, for example, is essentially a celebration of everything the franchise stands for. After Joker convinces Shepherd that the time is right for a proper party with everyone important invited, the stage is set. It's up to Shepherd to plan everything and come up with decorations, foodstuffs, and a list of potential invitees.
There's a bunch of action-fueled sequences to enjoy during this quest, to be sure, but that's not what makes it memorable. Instead, this will be an opportunity for Shepherd and his closest compatriots to mingle and relax. One of the very few during the entire trilogy, in fact. Who makes it to the party and who doesn't will, of course, depend on all the choices Shepherd had made until that point. It's a highlight for the entire franchise, and an absolute must-play once you've already spent dozens of hours enjoying these characters' company.
What do You Think is the Best ME Mission?
If you haven't had much experience with the Mass Effect franchise so far, you should know that we're talking about three massive, sprawling RPGs here. You're not going to play through all three games at a decent, enjoyable pace in a single weekend, for better or for worse. These also aren't new releases per se. Instead, Legendary Edition is a comprehensive remaster and re-release of the core ME trilogy that's been slightly updated for enjoyment in 2021.
As we already established in our previous coverage, the first Mass Effect game is getting the most comprehensive suite of improvements. Having said that, don't go in expecting cutting-edge gameplay in Mass Effect 3, either. These are still reasonably old titles and the story and narrative development are the primary driving forces here.
Regardless, there's much to enjoy here. Even if only for the updated build of Mass Effect and for providing access to virtually all of the trilogy's incredible story DLCs, we absolutely have to issue a big recommendation for Legendary Edition.
We've got a whole mountain of content for ME: Legendary Edition planned for next week, so be sure to stay tuned if you're still on the fence about the game. Have a great weekend, in the meantime. Maybe even decide if you're a Paragon or a Renegade, hm?
Get in the Game ! 
