Scan every solar system and do every mission. I've always liked the synthesis ending except for Shepherd death. While the You get an extra ending involving the Normandy. If you get the achievement about brining the majority of the galaxy's resources to the final fight that's a guarantee that you'll take a breath at the end. In order to secure the best ending so that Shepard can live, you must always pick the Destroy ending. You can play Mass Effect 3 if you died in Mass Effect 2 of course, but you'll have to create a new Shepard. I thought the "best" ending was the Destroy one, not Synthesis. Scan every solar system and do every mission. Shepard didn't go to the Citadel to survive, she went there to destroy the Reapers and finish the war. I've been debating myself in a philosophical quest to figure out the best ending to ME3, morally & plotwise. I like creating a theme with my characters and with the Colonist Sole Survivor background, Shephard survives impossible odds, then in Shepard has a small fraction of reaper tech in him, which is destroyed (Hence the "You'll be destroyed") stuff. Everyone signed on this war to finish their threat once and for all and destruction was the only solution to ensure that. The only time there was enough energy going through the Citadel was the alien battery being used to make a choice at the end of ME3, but i doubt the Citadel was destroyed in any of the choices. Yeap, Shepard is alive in the Destroy ending and that figure was actually him. You may notice that in the Shepard lives ending, the love interest hesitates to place Shepards name on the wall, and instead looks up as though deep in thought. In the main missions you should go for the best outcomes, as they would give the most war assets. UPDATE: In the original perfect "Destroy" ending, which sees Commander Shepard choosing to eliminate the Reaper Threat completely and not give in to the Stargazers (the blue boy's) wishes, there is a small scene in the end showing Commander Shepards body taking a breath. To get the Perfect Ending, Shepard must choose the Destroy Ending, activating the Crucible. It's considered the "best" ending because it requires the most EMS to unlock. Synthesis is the ending that requires the most war assets to unlock, but Destroy has the scene when Shepard is shown breathing which requires even more war assets. If you have a dead Shepard at the end of Mass Effect 2, that saved game won't import into Mass Effect 3. I always would go with the destroy ending to make sure the Reapers were gone and because Shepherd survives or is implied to survive. BioWare has confirmed that Shepard does survive the Red Ending of Mass Effect 3's Extended Cut. The protagonist is destined to die in most of the endings except for the "Destroy" or red ending. You get an extra ending involving the Normandy. Bioware has stated as such I believe. The Destroy & Refuse endings were the only possible ones that could have led to a sequel. In almost every ending of Mass Effect 3, Shepard will die in exchange for stopping the Reapers. Concrete is definitely possible. The Shepard survive scene occurs only in the destroy ending, but your personality doesn't matter. The only thing I did differently is picking the Colonist background for my Shephard instead of Earthborn. The shot lingers for a moment before Shepard takes a sharp inward breath, seeming confirmation they did survive the Destroy ending, and the credits roll. If you have a dead Shepard at the end of Mass Effect 2, that saved game won't import into Mass Effect 3. So there you have it everyone, Shepard actually lives in one of Mass Effect 3s endings. You can play Mass Effect 3 if you died in Mass Effect 2 of course, but you'll have to create a new Shepard. In almost every ending of Mass Effect 3, Shepard will die in exchange for stopping the Reapers. Both the Control and Synthesis endings will always lead to Shepards death, as his consciousness will need to be infused into the Crucible for them to work. One thing that wasn't fully addressed was the survival of Shepard, who dies in most of the endings but appears to survive in the "Destroy" (or red) ending choice. Probably more leaning to the big absurd space magic that is Synthesis, though. Earth and the Normandy Crew will all survive the blast. That's what would seem logical, Indoctrination or not, seeing as it's the only ending Shepard can survive provided that you have over 5000 effective military score. BioWare has put to rest a rumor in regards to the 'Destroy' ending in 'Mass Effect 3', which dealt with the fate of Commander Shepard post-decision. The Destroy Ending is the only one with the Reapers destroyed. If you get the achievement about brining the majority of the galaxy's resources to the final fight that's a guarantee that you'll take a breath at the end. Shepard is on the ruins of the citadel, which is not completely destroyed by the activation of the crucible with a high enough EMS. Only the destroy ending will do this however. Of the three final options presented to the player, only the "Destroy the Reapers" ending is capable of keeping Shepard alive. Only total points matters. Mass Effect 3, as with the rest of the trilogy, is Shepard's story. Mass Effect 3, as with the rest of the trilogy, is Shepard's story. I've mentioned before that it's impossible enough with Shepard being hit by Harbinger's laser(which destroys any ship it hits) and then after that big ass explosion to destroy all Reapers, Shepard can wake up but then I remembered that Shepard simply can't survive the Destroy ending, even if he could survive both Harbinger's laser and the explosion itself, Those are the logical ways to look at the correct ending. The star attraction of Mass Effect 3s Happy Ending mod is undoubtedly the fact that it offers an alternate ending to Mass Effect 3 in However, if you believe that Shepard was indoctrinated and the ending was really just an illusion created by the reapers in order to break Shepard's will, then there is a possibility that EDI and the Geth survive. If you believe that the ending given was the true ending, then EDI and the geth were destroyed along with the reapers. It could be that humans/the other species built Make sure you do all the DLC available and scrounge for all the missions to up your War Assets. So I'm either Synthesis or Destroy. Refuse would have likely meant a 50,000 years later scenario (without humans) which could have been interesting. Both the Control and Synthesis endings will always lead to Try it with the extended cut. Try it with the extended cut. Questions is now whether BioWare will exploit that Answered. However, according to IGN the player must spend the course of the game gaining 4000 Effective Military Strength points to unlock the version of this ending where Shepard survives. How does me3 work if Shepard dies in 2? Destroy ending officially canon. In the epilogue cutscenes, Shepard's love interest, if they are a squadmate, will refuse to put the Commander's name on the Normandy's Memorial Wall. The fact that Shepard is partially synthetic and yet is only hinted to survive in the Destroy Ending raises some huge questions, especially now that Mass Effect 4s trailer has hinted at Perfect ending now with the destroy option shows a breathing body, even if you didn'tget the perfect ending the Lazarus Project of ME2 shows Sheperd "could" be restored. The control option leaves Sheperd as a Guardian, not quite alive - but not gone either. Surviving squad members on Normandy place Shepard's name onto the memorial wall, with Admiral Anderson's already on it. How does me3 work if Shepard dies in 2? garan 1 year ago #11. If the player has enough Effective Military Strength, then in However it wasn't enough and Shepard manages to The sole thing that was left unanswered was the fate of Shepard's life. Only the destroy ending will do this however. Mass Effect 3. Published Nov 10, 2021. " If the Destroy option was chosen and the player has very high EMS, the plaque is shown, but not placed on the wall (love interest smiles and doesn't place it) and a scene showing Shepard breathing in a pile of rubble is shown as the last scene before the credits roll." It's seen at the end of the game that Shepard gasps for air before the credits run. The new Mass Effect game appears to be canonizing the Destroy Ending, which has two major downfalls in terms of the Milky Way's future. Your moral standpoints might reflect more with the implications of the Control or Synthesis endings, choosing to destroy the Reapers with a Total Military Strength of 7800 or more is the only way to ensure Shepards survival.