Ensuring Nobody Survives
We’re hoping that you’re only reading through this section out of some morbid curiosity. Otherwise, that’s some pretty messed up thinking you’ve got there. In any case, it is actually possible to make sure that everyone dies in the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission. A quick summary of how to make that happen is not to upgrade your ship, do none of the loyalty missions, and pick the wrong people to assign during the final mission of Mass Effect 2. Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you should do if you want nobody to survive:
Do at least three missions between the IFF and Omega-4 Relay. Don’t upgrade The Normandy’s armors - kills Jack Don’t upgrade The Normandy’s shields - kills Tali or Legion Don’t upgrade The Normandy’s weapons - kills Thane Choosing either one of Legion or Tali to go through the vents will kill them. The same thing happens if you choose someone who is not loyal as well. Choosing an unloyal squadmate to lead the fire team will kill the squad member inside the vents. Make sure that you don’t choose Garrus, Jacob, or Miranda to lead the fire team to guarantee failure. Choosing an unloyal squadmate to lead the biotic barrier will lead to the death of one squad member. Make sure that you don’t choose Samara or Jack to guarantee failure. For some reason, Miranda won’t die here. Choosing an unloyal squadmate to lead the second team. Make sure that you don’t choose Miranda, Jacob, or Garrus, to guarantee failure. We’re not quite sure if Miranda won’t die here as well. Choosing an unloyal squadmate to go back to the crew just in case someone survives. Choosing an unloyal and/or low defense squadmate to leave at the door and hold the line. Technically, squad members can survive if you included other squad members with high defense ratings. Choosing an unloyal character to go with you in the final battle will lead to their death.
If you do this right, no one or only one squad member will be left alive at the end of the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission. What happens after this is that whoever survived (if applicable) will go back aboard The Normany, joining Joker in honoring everyone else who fell. We really don’t recommend letting everyone die during the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission as it will prevent you from importing the save file to Mass Effect 3. Because Shepard dies if there are less than two squad members who survive, you’ll have to restart Mass Effect 3 with a clean slate. This means that the worst ending for Mass Effect 2 is not canon. Considering the amount of effort it takes to make sure everyone dies in Mass Effect 2, we recommend just looking it up online to see what exactly happens.
Mass Effect 2 Suicide Mission Guide
The Mass Effect 2 suicide mission takes into consideration a lot more than just the ship upgrades and loyalty missions. To make sure that everyone survives this ordeal, you’ll need to really invest in the story of Mass Effect 2. Luckily, this means that you’ll get a chance to get to know more about your squadmates, which is arguably the highlight of the series. Scroll down below if you want to learn what you should do to make it back out of the proverbial hell that is the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission.
Take the time to talk to your crew members
Outside of it being part of the duties of a good commander, the ending of Mass Effect 2 hinges on just how often you talk to everyone else on board the ship. Talking to your companions will eventually lead to conversations resulting in ship upgrades. In addition to this, the only way to unlock each member’s Loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2 is to establish a proper relationship with that particular individual. Investing time to talk to your crewmates in Mass Effect 2 in between missions will go a long way in helping everyone survive.
Upgrade The Normandy
As previously mentioned, the more you talk to your teammates in Mass Effect 2, the more they’ll start to suggest upgrades to The Normandy. There are a lot of upgrades to The Normandy that you can apply via the Research terminal. However, there are three that are necessary for the final mission. Although more upgrades are better, these three upgrades for The Normandy are non-negotiable:
Thanix Cannon; suggested by Garus Kinetic Barriers; suggested by Tali Heavy Ship Armor; suggested by Jacob
Do the loyalty missions
In general, the Loyalty missions in Mass Effect 2 aren’t complicated. You just have to play them as soon as they are available. Afterward, you’ll have gained yourself a loyal squadmate. However, there are a few caveats to keep in mind: The only Loyalty mission that you should not have finished before getting the Reaper IFF is that of Legion, who is the last squadmate you’ll get a chance to recruit in the game anyway.
Don’t take too long after retrieving the Reaper IFF
Once you get the Reaper IFF and recruit Legion, the Collectors will attack your ship and kidnap some of the crew. This is important because the longer you take to rescue your squadmates and essentially finish the game, the more likely it is that they will die. Ideally, the only mission that you should have left to play after the Reaper IFF is the Loyalty mission for Legion. Remember, the less time that passes in between your crew getting kidnapped and saving them, the more likely you’ll save everyone.
Choose the right leaders for the final mission
One thing to note is that, during the final mission of Mass Effect 2, certain characters will suggest themselves if not outright volunteer for a particular role. Do not listen to them. Their willingness to do the job doesn’t immediately translate to success. You must make a decision based on the weaknesses and strengths of each particular squad member. Of course, you can also follow our guide below:
Send either one of Tali, Legion, or Kasumi to go through the vents as your tech specialist. For your first fireteam, choose either one of Jacob, Miranda, or Garrus to take the lead. Send anyone loyal to escort the group of survivors back to the ship. We recommend Mordin. Since he’s loyal, he’ll survive. He also doesn’t have any other useful role throughout the suicide mission. When asked to choose a biotic specialist to create a barrier for the team, we recommend either Jack or Samara/Morinth. No one else will cut it for this part. Then, for your second fire team, you’ll want to choose between Garrus, Miranda, and Jacob again. For your defense team, it is believed that you’ll want to have an average defense score of at least 2 per character. Because Garrus, Grunt, and Zaeed are worth 4 points each, we recommend leaving at least one of them behind to hold the line and boost the average defense score. If you leave two of them, then you’re golden, especially if all squad members are loyal. Lastly, take whoever you want that is loyal to you for the final battle. Otherwise, any squad member that is not loyal will die.
TLDR; finish all Loyalty Missions and select the right character for each situation. If you do this, everyone will make it out of the Mass Effect 2 Suicide Mission alive.
