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MASS EFFECT TM 3 MANUAL 1 Control Scheme 2 Single Player 17 Multiplayer 26 Tips and Help
Control Scheme Movement
Click: 90˚ Cover Turn
Camera
Click: Navigation Weapon Tap: Reload Hold: Switch Tap: Use, Take Cover Tap Twice: Quick Vault Hold: Storm Melee Mapped Power Tap: Mapped Power Hold: Power Wheel Shoot
Mission Computer
Quick Save Tap: Mapped Power Hold: Weapon Wheel Tight Aim
Squad Attack Rally
Squate 2 Move/Attack
Squate 1 Move/Attack
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Single Player The Main Menu
The main menu contains the following items the first time you play. XX New Game XX Multiplayer XX able Content XX Extras After you’ve started a game, this menu will also include the Resume and Load Game options. Resume loads your most recently saved game.
New Game Choose from four options when starting a new game: Male Start fresh with a new male character. Female Start fresh with a new female character. Import ME2 Character Import Commander Shepard from Mass Effect TM 2, maintaining your old character’s level as well as the decisions you made that impact Mass Effect 3’s story. Import ME3 Character Unlocks after completing Mass Effect TM 3. This allows you to start a new game while keeping your Commander Shepard’s class, level, weapons, and modifications intact.
Load Game
After starting a Mass Effect TM career, select Load Game to continue your game, replay from an earlier save point, or switch to another active career. Careers are created each time you start a new game or import an old one. Within each career you will find: Restart Mission Autosave Saves/Quick Saves
Restart your current mission. Resume your game from the latest checkpoint. Autosave is updated as you progress through the game and cross checkpoints. Numbered saves are created when you manually save the game.
You can also resume your game by selecting Resume on the game’s opening screen. This will load your most recently saved game.
Multiplayer Select Multiplayer to fight coop missions with up to three friends. Please see the multiplayer section of this manual for additional instructions.
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Extras The Extras menu contains the following: Accomplishments Options Credits Game Manual
View medals you’ve been awarded for accomplishing set goals. Set gameplay, controls, graphics, sound, and online options. Watch the game’s credits. Read this manual!
able Content Select ABLE CONTENT on the main menu to purchase new Mass Effect 3 content.
Starting a New Game The Story So Far With the discovery of a network of ancient cosmic relays in the 21st century, humanity was thrust into a universe teeming with alien life. At its heart lay the Citadel, the galactic capital for all space-faring races. It had once been inhabited by a species known as the Protheans, who mysteriously vanished 50,000 years ago, leaving behind warnings of a godlike race of machines that had destroyed them. This enemy had a name—the Reapers—and the warnings claimed they would return again to harvest organic life in a never-ending cycle of destruction. One soldier chose to heed those warnings. In 2183, Commander Shepard, captain of the Alliance warship Normandy, destroyed the vanguard of the next Reaper invasion in a fierce battle for the Citadel. But Shepard’s victory was only temporary. A vast Reaper armada remained, patiently waiting in the voids of dark space to launch their next attack. Two years later, Shepard was mortally wounded on a routine mission. Cerberus, a pro-human terrorist organization, recovered and resurrected Shepard. Led by the shadowy Illusive Man, Cerberus recognized that the Reapers would soon threaten humanity. Enlisting Shepard’s help, along with a colorful crew of scientists, soldiers, and outlaws, the Normandy launched a suicide mission beyond the fabled Omega 4 relay to once again confront the Reaper menace. Yet even this triumph was only a delaying action in a much bigger war—a war that was about to engulf the entire Milky Way…
ME3 Experience Type There are three ways to play Mass Effect 3. You must select one of the following options when starting a new game, but you can also adjust combat difficulty and conversation mode in the options menu after starting a game. Action Mode Role-Playing Mode Story Mode
An experience that focuses on combat. Conversations play as cutscenes automatically. The core Mass Effect experience with full narrative choice and challenging combat. An experience that focuses on narrative. Combat helps tell the story but does not offer a significant challenge.
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Character Creation After selecting Commander Shepard’s gender and the Role-Playing or Story experience types, you enter the Alliance Headquarters Active Duty Reactivation Protocol. From here, you can choose between default options or customize the following: XX First Name XX Appearance XX Military Class XX Personal History XX Service History XX Combat Losses Until you confirm your selections on the Review screen, you can return to the previous screens to change Shepard’s characteristics. Choosing the Action experience type jumps you straight into the game, skipping these screens. By default, Shepard was born on Earth, was the sole survivor of a failed mission years ago, and takes the default appearance.
Importing an ME2 Character Importing Commander Shepard from Mass Effect 2 maintains your old character’s level as well as the decisions you made that impact Mass Effect 3’s story. If you have completed Mass Effect 2, your old career will be available to import after selecting Import ME2 Character.
The Mission Computer The Mission Computer is the in-game menu. To access the Mission Computer, press after gaining full control of Commander Shepard in the game. Exit the Mission Computer and return to the game by pressing . Select a menu option in the Mission Computer by highlighting it and pressing . NOTE: All controls listed in this manual are based on the default control setting. To change your controls, go to Options under the Extras menu and select to adjust the Xbox 360 Controller.
Squad Screen Select Squad on the Mission Computer to review the powers available to Commander Shepard and squates. As you level up and gain points, you can spend them here to upgrade your powers.
Journal Menu Go to the Journal menu to view your progress, review your mission’s objectives, and read codex entries about the Mass Effect universe. For more information on the Journal, see The Game Journal.
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Map Menu The map is accessible on the Normandy or Citadel to help guide Shepard when not on a critical mission. This option will be grayed out in the Mission Computer when in areas where a map is not available. Press to access the map while playing.
Options Menu Customize your Mass Effect 3 experience in the Options menu. Gameplay Narrative Controls Graphics Sound Online
Adjust difficulty, auto level-up, squate power use, autosaves, hints, and action icons. Adjust conversation mode, subtitles, and other options. Adjust and customize how you control the game. Adjust video settings. Adjust music, sound effect, and dialog settings. Adjust online options.
Other Menus There are four other options available on the Mission Computer. Save Save your progress at your current position. This will be grayed out in areas where saving the game is not possible. Load Load a previously saved game. Main Menu Quit your current game and return to Mass Effect 3’s main menu. Game Manual Read this manual!
The Squad Screen Select Squad on the Mission Computer to review the powers available to Commander Shepard and squates. As you level up and gain points, you can spend them here to upgrade your powers.
Squate Powers View the powers of the squates currently active in your party by pressing or .
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Navigating Powers Use and or / to select an unlocked power and press to start spending points in the power’s tree. Your points are tallied on the top-right of the screen. Powers available for upgrade are in blue. Grayed-out powers are locked until Shepard or the selected squate reaches a higher level. Press to have powers automatically upgraded for you. Permanently set automatic power upgrades by adjusting the Auto Level-Up setting in the Options/Gameplay menu off the Mission Computer.
Purchasing and Evolving Powers Upgrade a power by highlighting the leftmost icon and pressing . Everything to the right of the leftmost icon (Rank 1) are upgrades and can also be evolved with the points tallied on the top-right of the screen. The Rank 2 upgrade costs two points, Rank 3 costs three, and so on. If you have enough points, you can evolve multiple upgrades at once. Each upgrade must be evolved in order from left to right, but at Rank 4, the chain splits in two. From here, you can only choose one upgrade per rank, so review your options carefully before locking in a choice. Undo your changes at any point before leaving the Squad screen by pressing . Returning to the Mission Computer by pressing twice locks in your choices.
Reputation Indicator The bar on the left-hand side of the main Squad screen shows Shepard’s reputation. When the reputation bar reaches certain thresholds, new dialog options are unlocked. As you choose Renegade (red) or Paragon (blue) actions in dialog, the reputation bar grows. You need not stick to one or the other to earn reputation points. A Paragon Shepard tends to be comionate and heroic, and a Renegade Shepard tends toward calculated and ruthless behavior.
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The Game Journal Select the Journal on the Mission Computer to check your progress, review your mission summary and objectives, and learn about the Mass Effect universe.
Mission Summary Review your current objectives in the Mission Summary tab. Return to this screen when you have forgotten what to do next.
Codex Entries Review the galactic codex to learn about the Mass Effect universe, its people, places, technology, and history. Primary codex entries are narrated. Secondary codex entries are text-only.
The HUD
Shield Bar Ammo Indicator
Health Bar
Squate Status The HUD, short for Heads-Up Display, is the collection of icons and status bars you see on the edges of the screen as you play the game. In Mass Effect 3, there are five HUDs to keep an eye on.
Shield Bar Monitor your shield level by checking the blue bar on the bottom of the screen. When this bar is full, shields prevent the brunt of an attack from affecting your health. As attacks are absorbed by the shield, it is reduced in strength. When the shield bar is depleted, incoming attacks affect your health bar instead. Shields take several seconds to recharge and regenerate. Any damage taken during this recharge period stops the process. A shattered shield takes longer to regenerate than a partially depleted shield.
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Health Bar Health is represented by the red bar broken into five segments that’s tucked underneath the blue shield bar on the bottom of the screen. When you are attacked while the shield bar is depleted, the rightmost red segment of the health bar starts turning gray. Only First Aid can regenerate a fully depleted bar of health. A health segment that is only partially reduced will regenerate on its own if you can get to cover and avoid further damage. You die if you lose all five health segments!
Power Cooldown Indicator Some powers require energy to use. The time it takes before you can use a power again is called cooldown. Cooldown periods vary, depending on the power. When cooldown is in effect, two red semicircles appear on either side of the targeting reticle at the center of the screen. Cooldown time can be judged by the distance between the two semicircles. When these come together and merge, cooldown is complete, and you can use powers again.
Ammo Indicator Weapons use heat-sink technology to enable rapid, devastating firepower. When a clip’s worth of heat accumulates in the sink, it is ejected from the weapon. Running out of heat sinks is effectively the same as running out of ammo. Keep track of your heat-sink inventory on the bottom-left of the screen. The bottom number indicates how many shots the current heat sink has left, and the top number shows you the total number of shots the entire inventory of heat sinks has left. When a weapon runs out of sinks, “No Ammo” will display just below the targeting reticle, and you’ll have to find new cylinders for the weapon or switch to an already-loaded weapon.
Squate Status There are two portraits of Shepard’s current squates below the shield bar on the bottom of the screen. The icon beside each portrait shows the last power the squate used and its current cooldown status. A squate’s portrait flashes red when they take damage, and if they become incapacitated, the portrait fades to gray.
Basic Controls This chapter covers basic combat controls and is intended for players new to the Mass Effect series.
Movement Move by using .
Camera Control Move to look around.
Tight Aim Hold to accurately aim your weapon.
Fire and Reload To fire a weapon, press . To reload, press . 8
Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Weapon Wheel To bring up the Weapon Wheel, press and hold . This interface allows you to choose weapons for Shepard and squates from their inventories. The game pauses while the Weapon Wheel is open.
Powers For instructions on how to use powers, please see Powers in the single-player section.
Melee To perform a basic melee attack, press while standing close to an enemy. To perform a heavy melee attack, press and hold while standing close to an enemy. Each character class has a unique heavy melee. To do melee combos, press repeatedly while standing close to an enemy.
Storm To run, press and hold while moving forward.
Evade To dodge attacks and projectiles or to get out of cover quickly, move using and press .
Cover Use Use cover objects to hold out against tough enemies. Using cover is essential when playing on harder difficulty levels. Accuracy is improved when leaning out of cover to fire. Heavy recoil is also reduced.
Taking Cover There are three ways to enter cover. XX Take cover by pressing while standing next to a cover node. XX Roll forward into cover by pressing while moving. XX Storm/run into cover by holding .
Zoom Fire Pop out of cover to fire accurately by pressing and holding to zoom and then pressing to fire. While zoomed, a superior targeting reticle appears on-screen.
Peek Fire Fire over cover without standing up by pressing .
Swat Turn Move from one cover spot to adjacent cover on the left or right by holding or at the edge of cover and pressing .
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Ninety-Degree Cover Turn Round a corner in cover by standing at the edge of a cover-object and pressing or .
Vault Vault over low cover by holding and pressing . Alternatively, quick-vault by pressing twice while approaching low cover. This can also be done while storming to hurdle over cover.
Cover Slip Storm forward out of cover by holding while standing at the edge of cover and then pressing and holding .
Cover Kill Instantly kill enemies standing on the other side of a shared piece of low cover by moving across from them and pressing and holding .
Standing Melee Attack enemies around the edges of cover by standing at the edge and pressing .
Squad Commands Issue orders to your squates by using .
Move Point your targeting reticle and press or to order a squate to move to a position.
Use Power Point the targeting reticle at an enemy and press or to order a squate to attack the target with their respective default power. See Power Mapping for more information on changing how these powers are mapped.
Fire on Target Point the targeting reticle at an enemy and press to order both squates to open fire on the opponent.
Rally Squad Press to rally squates to your current position.
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Powers Power Wheel To bring up the Power Wheel, press and hold . This interface allows you to select a specific power for Shepard and two squates. The game pauses while the Power Wheel is open, allowing you to target enemies. Once you’ve chosen a target, select a power with , press , and then release to deploy the effect. You can queue up one power for Shepard and one for each squate while the Power Wheel is open.
Power Mapping Powers can be mapped to three quick-fire buttons. By default, Shepard’s class power is initially mapped to . To remap this, highlight another power in the Power Wheel and press . To remap , highlight a power and press . To remap , highlight a power and press . Each squate has a power mapped to and by default. To change this default mapping, select a different power in the Power Wheel and press .
Power Combos Power combos require a source power and a detonator power. Source powers generally leave a lasting effect on an enemy (Pull, Cryo Blast, Reave, etc.). Detonator powers generally deal high damage or force (Carnage, Incinerate, Warp, etc.). Most powers can be a source, a detonator, or both, so explore the many combinations. Power combos come in four types: Biotic Combos Electric Combos Flame Combos Cryo Combos
Trigger these by combining more than one biotic effect, such as lifting an enemy with Pull before striking them with Warp. Biotic combos result in an explosion that blasts not just the target, but also the area around the target. Trigger these by combining an electrical effect with a detonator, such as electrocuting an enemy with Overload before striking them with Concussive Shot. Electric combos result in bonus damage to shields and a chance to stun undefended enemies. Trigger these by combining a flame effect with a lethal detonator, such as igniting an enemy with Incinerate before finishing them off with Carnage. Flame combos result in bonus damage to armor and a chance to light undefended enemies on fire. Trigger these by combining a freeze effect with a lethal detonator, such as freezing an enemy with Cryo Ammo before finishing them off with Biotic Charge. Cryo combos freeze undefended enemies and will chill the rest.
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Weapons, Mods, and Armor Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Weapon Selection Screen Gain access to the weapon selection screen when starting a new mission, when picking up a new weapon, or when Shepard uses a workbench. Use this screen to customize the weapons that Shepard and squates carry into battle.
Weapon Slots Review the available weapon slots on the left side of the weapon selection screen. You can apply one weapon to each slot on the currently selected character’s back. Squates can carry one weapon of each type. The slot number indicates how many weapons are available. Grayed-out slots indicate that you cannot equip additional weapons. Recently acquired weapons are marked “New.”
Weapon Switching Cycle between Shepard and squates with and to modify their weapon selection. Review the weapons available by highlighting a slot, pressing , and then toggling /. Assign a weapon to a slot by pressing again.
Weapon Weight Monitor the weight bar on the left side of the screen to see how much a character is carrying. Overburden Shepard or a squate, and the character’s power cooldown rate slows down.
Weapon Stats Press to toggle between the weapon’s stats and description. Use the orange markers on the stats bars to compare the selected weapon with the one currently equipped. The green bar shows the mod bonus.
Modding Weapons Press on the main weapon selection screen to mod weapons. Weapon mods can only be accessed via the weapon selection screen when starting a mission or when accessing it from a workbench. It cannot be accessed when finding a new weapon.
Mod Slots Each weapon has two mod slots and five unique mods. Any mod can be placed in either slot. Each mod impacts the stats and gameplay of the weapon, so choose carefully.
Stats Check the green extensions on the stats bar to see how and how much the modification improves the weapon.
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Armor Selection Access the armor selection screen by using the weapon locker in Normandy’s cargo bay or in Shepard’s cabin. Use this screen to choose between unique armor sets or to build armor out of pieces found on missions.
Armor Customization Customize Shepard’s armor by combining up to five pieces of armor. Each piece has a specific effect that adds to Shepard’s overall combat effectiveness. This customized armor can be tinted or patterned. Unique armor sets cannot be tinted and patterned.
Armor Stats Check the orange markers on the armor stats bars for comparisons between the selected and equipped armor pieces. This will help you craft a powerful custom set.
Galaxy Map Access the Galaxy Map through the central console on Normandy’s CIC on the second deck. The map shows the Normandy’s current galactic location and is used to fly the ship to your next mission. Explore star systems to discover new planets, asteroids, derelict starships, and other locations.
Galaxy View Fly between systems in Galaxy View with . Select your destination and then press to enter the system. To return to Galaxy View from a system, enter a mass relay. The Normandy uses the mass relay’s energy to travel, so no fuel is expended. As you discover new missions and new territory, flags appear below the system names. For more details on these missions, return to the game, go to the Mission Computer, and review your mission objectives in the game’s Journal.
System View Fly the Normandy across a system with . Press to enter a planet or station’s orbit. The Normandy enters a system via Cluster or Galaxy View, usually by mass relay. Locations marked by green flags are part of your mission’s objective. Land (or dock) the Normandy to begin a mission. Other locations can be explored to gather data. Traveling at less than FTL, the Normandy uses no fuel while flying inside a system.
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Cluster View Fly the Normandy through a cluster with . Press to enter a system. The Normandy enters Cluster View when flying outside a system’s green border. Cluster View operates much like System View, except that the Normandy is flying at FTL and uses fuel. Be sure to fill up at a fuel depot before using Cluster View. The Normandy’s fuel gauge s for the return trip, so if you run out of fuel, the Normandy will automatically return to a system that has a mass relay. Dipping into your emergency fuel supply costs credits.
Mass Relays Mass relays are used as the primary means of traversing the galaxy. When in a system with a mass relay, use to move the Normandy in and then press . This opens Galaxy View, where you can jump the Normandy to other systems.
Fuel Depots Visit a fuel depot to refuel before going on FTL missions where no is available. Reapers destroy depots as they conquer systems and clusters, so be careful before embarking on a search-and-rescue mission. Salvage fuel from destroyed depots in conquered systems if you get stranded.
Scanning The Normandy’s stealth drive allows for infiltration of systems that have been conquered by the Reapers. When inside a conquered system, scan for notable objects within range such as salvage, artifacts, or survivors. A percentage in the corner of the screen shows what percentage of objects has been recovered in the system. Press to use the Normandy’s scanner, but be wary of alerting nearby Reapers.
Reapers Reapers lurk on the outskirts of conquered systems and are alerted to the Normandy’s position if the scanning pulse is used too frequently or in close proximity to their location. If a Reaper becomes aware of the Normandy, it gives chase. Escape through a mass relay to survive this encounter. If you want to return to the system, wait until you have first completed a mission.
Search and Rescue Scanning a planet can turn up distress signals. To begin a search-and-rescue mission, launch a probe into the planet’s orbit to find the survivors, and then go to that location to rescue them.
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Kinect Controls In Mass Effect 3, you can use Kinect’s voice recognition to talk with characters, explore areas, and issue orders to squates. Kinect responds to different voice commands and phrases depending on the context. This section will help you get the most out of the experience. Before you play, select Kinect Tuner from the main menu to ensure your Kinect is working properly.
Exploration Exploration commands are used to interact with in-game objects like doors and items. The appropriate command will display when you approach an object or person. When the gray command text turns white, you can say the command aloud. If the correct command is heard, the microphone icon will flash green. If Kinect does not understand, it will flash red. Verbal commands during exploration include: Use, Open, By, Activate, Deactivate, and Reactivate, as well as , Pick Up, Examine, Warn, Salvage, and Talk. When not in combat, conversations, or cutscenes, you can save the game by saying: “Quick Save.”
Conversations When speaking with characters, a microphone icon will appear in the middle of the conversation hub, indicating your opportunity to verbally reply. Read out the response you’d like to give, and Kinect will select it automatically.
Combat: Controlling Shepard In combat, you can use any of Shepard’s powers by saying them aloud. As an adept, for instance, say “Warp” during combat to use the power. You’ll know the command has ed when the microphone icon in the top left corner of the screen turns blue. In addition to powers, Kinect works with items like First Aid and grenades. To use the item, say: “First Aid” or “Grenade.” You can also switch weapons by saying “Switch Weapon,” “Swap Weapon,” or by saying the weapon type. Kinect understands the following weapon types: XX Heavy Pistol XX Submachine Gun XX Assault Rifle XX Shotgun XX Sniper Rifle XX Grenade To use a grenade, you can also say: “Throw Grenade.” For a complete list of commands to activate Shepard’s powers, see the Combat: Power Commands section.
Combat: Commanding Squates Squates will take verbal orders from you in combat. To issue an order to a squate, say: (squate)+(order). You can order a squate, like James, to follow you by saying: “James: Follow Me.” The same works for “Attack” and “Move.” Saying “James: Attack” will order James or any other squate you specify to attack the target currently in front of you. If you say “James: Move,” James will move to the spot you are currently targeting.
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If you don’t specify a squate, and just say: “Attack,” “Move,” or “Follow Me,” both squates will carry out the order. The same works for “Cover Me.” You can also order squates to switch and swap weapons, as well as use grenades. To do this, specify which squate you wish to carry out the order, followed by the order. For example, “James: Switch Weapon” will tell James to switch his weapon. “James: Pistol” will tell James to switch to his pistol specifically. “James: Throw Grenade” will tell James to use a grenade. To help a fallen squate up, approach them and say: “Revive.”
Combat: Power Commands Shepard will use the following powers if you say them aloud to Kinect during combat, provided they are known. To see the available powers for Shepard at any given time, consult the Power Wheel by pressing and holding . Adept Engineer Infiltrator Sentinel Soldier Vanguard
Cluster Grenade, Pull, Shockwave, Singularity, Throw, Warp Combat Drone, Cryo Blast, Sabotage, Sentry Turret, Overload, Incinerate Tactical Cloak, Sticky Grenade, Disruptor Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Incinerate, Sabotage Throw, Shockwave, Warp, Lift Grenade, Overload, Cryo Blast Adrenaline Rush, Concussive Shot, Incendiary Ammo, Disruptor Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Frag Grenade Biotic Charge, Nova, Incendiary Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Pull, Shockwave
Combat: Squate Powers You can order a specific squate to use an available power by saying their name followed by the name of the power you want them to use, i.e.: “James Carnage.” For a list of available powers for each squate, consult the Power Wheel by pressing and holding . If a squate has the power that you say aloud, he or she will use that power before Shepard, even if you don’t say his or her name. The exception to this is ammo powers like Cryo and Incendiary. With these, you must specify the squate, or only Shepard will use them.
Regional Accent Settings English speakers can choose between the following three regions based on their accent to help Kinect better recognize their commands. XX North America XX United Kingdom XX Australia/New Zealand War is loud. If you’re having difficulty using a voice command, try speaking up or slowing down your pronunciation of the command.
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Multiplayer Galaxy at War To the right of the multiplayer menu options is the Galaxy at War, which shows the status of the Alliance’s five theaters of war. Monitor each theater’s readiness rating to effectively defend the Milky Way from Reaper invasion.
Theaters of War The galaxy map displays five theaters of war. Help defend these fronts as the Reapers invade the Milky Way. XX Terminus Systems XX Attican Traverse XX Earth Systems Alliance Space XX Inner Council Space XX Outer Council Space
Reaper Invasion Status Each theater of war has one of four alerts, known as readiness ratings. Use these ratings to evaluate which theater most needs your team’s help in countering the Reaper invasion. Red Critical: Immediate action required to counter the Reaper invasion. Orange Urgent: Action required to counter the Reaper threat. Yellow Serious: Help needed, but current forces are holding the Reapers off. Green Stable but at Risk: Battle lines are holding. The more waves completed in a mission, the more you improve the readiness ratings of these war fronts. Often, a squad must run multiple countermissions to improve a theater’s invasion status. Neglect a green or yellow theater for too long, and the Reapers will start taking it back.
Firebases Each theater of war has one or more conflict zones, which are also known as firebases. To defend a theater, you must choose a corresponding firebase when ing or creating a match. Do this by changing the mission’s location. Setting the location to “unknown” will give each player’s character an experience bonus of +10% and will improve the readiness rating of all theaters by up to +5%. Choosing a specific firebase improves the readiness rating of its theater by +15% and improves the rating of all other theaters by +2%.
Enemies Invading forces are made up of Reapers, Cerberus, and Geth. If you wish to defend a territory against a specific hostile force, choose an enemy type when ing or creating a mission. Setting the enemy to “unknown” generates an enemy at random and awards your character a +15% experience bonus.
Challenges Choose from bronze, silver, and gold challenges when ing or creating a mission. Bronze challenges are intended for beginners, silver for intermediate players, and gold is for experts. The harder the difficulty setting, the more credits and experience your character earns.
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The Multiplayer Menu Access the multiplayer menu by selecting Multiplayer from the game’s main menu.
Quick Match Connect to an existing multiplayer lobby or game in progress. Be sure to have your character set before selecting Quick Match.
Create New Match Create a match with specific mission settings.
Character Customize your character’s appearance and upgrade powers, weapons, and mission equipment.
Leaderboards Review your N7 Rating to see how you rank against your friends, your country, and the global Mass Effect multiplayer community.
Store Select Store to purchase reinforcement packs to upgrade your character and enhance your multiplayer experience. Reinforcements can be purchased with credits or with Microsoft® Points. Accumulate credits by completing objectives during multiplayer sessions.
ing or Creating a Game Customize up to four game options. XX Public/Private Match XX Location XX Enemy XX Challenge
Team Set a mission to public or private when creating a custom game. You cannot choose a private mission when choosing Quick Match from the multiplayer menu. Private: Only invited players may . Public: Any player may . The match will often be populated by players choosing Quick Match.
Location Each theater of war has one or more conflict zones, which are also known as firebases. To defend a theater, you must choose a corresponding firebase when ing or creating a match. Do this by changing the mission’s location. Setting the location to “unknown” will give each player’s character an experience bonus of +10% and will improve the readiness rating of all theaters by up to +5%. Choosing a specific firebase improves the readiness rating of its theater by +15% and improves the rating of all other theaters by +2%.
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Enemy Invading forces are made up of Reapers, Cerberus, and Geth. If you wish to defend a territory against a specific hostile force, choose an enemy type when ing or creating a mission. Setting the enemy to “unknown” generates an enemy at random and awards your character a +15% experience bonus.
Challenge Choose from bronze, silver, and gold challenges when ing or creating a mission. Bronze challenges are intended for beginners, silver for intermediate players, and gold is for experts. The harder the difficulty setting, the more credits and experience your character earns.
Host Migration If a hosting player leaves a game, a new host is selected from the squad, and the mission restarts from the beginning of the current wave.
The Missions Multiplayer missions, or matches, are broken into 10 waves of enemies (plus one bonus wave) that increase in difficulty as they hit your position.
Mission Objectives During a mission, the team must complete specified objectives to proceed to the next wave. Complete these objectives within the allotted time to avoid failing the mission. Objectives occur on waves 3, 6, and 10. There are three types of mission objectives: Assassination Hacking Devices
Take out a number of targeted enemies before time runs out Capture and hold a point in order to hack critical data before time runs out Enable or disable key devices in sequence before time runs out
Medals Squads and combatants can earn medals for coordinated efforts and individual actions. Points derived from earning medals add to the team’s experience and to the mission’s score.
Extraction Points After a mission’s tenth wave, the team must rally to an extraction point. Mission bonuses are based on the number of teammates alive by the time the Alliance shuttle reaches the extraction point to retrieve the team.
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Mission Summary The mission summary showcases individual and team medals. The success of the squad as a whole determines the experience and credits earned, but individual accomplishments are also valuable.
Multiplayer Lobby The multiplayer lobby is where you wait for your team to assemble before going on a mission. This chapter reviews the options you can adjust while waiting for a match to start.
Mission Settings Review the data on the top-left of the screen to see the mission’s location, the enemy you will be fighting, and the challenge level. If you’ve created the mission, select Mission Settings to change these options before the match starts.
Roster Details On the right side of the screen is a list of players currently waiting for the match to start. This list gives a quick overview of each player’s class and class-level. Review a player’s N7 Rating to get a general sense of how experienced they are. Review the Roster Details to get a breakdown of each player-character’s powers, weapons, mods, and equipment. You can also vote to kick a player from the lobby on this screen.
N7 Rating The N7 rating for your character and other players is seen to the right of the N7 logo. Your N7 rating is the accumulated character-levels you’ve earned for each class of character. The only way to push your N7 rating past 120 is by promoting your squads. (A rating of 120 represents all classes maximized to level 20.)
Ready Select Ready when you’re ready to start a match. The mission begins when all players in the lobby are ready.
Powers Select Powers to unlock and evolve powers. A “Level Up” indicator appears when you have collected enough points to spend on powers. See Navigating Powers and Purchasing and Evolving Powers in the single-player section for instructions on navigating this screen and unlocking/evolving powers.
Weapons Select Weapons to change your character’s inventory of weapons. See Weapons, Mods, and Armor in the single-player section for instructions on how to use and customize weapons.
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Appearance Select Appearance to customize the appearance of your character.
Equipment Select Equipment to review the supplies you’ve acquired. You can also apply ammo, weapon, and armor bonuses on this screen.
Store Select Store to purchase reinforcement packs to upgrade your character and enhance your multiplayer experience. Reinforcements can be purchased with credits or with Microsoft® Points. Accumulate credits by completing objectives during multiplayer sessions.
Change Character Select Character to change characters. You can choose between various species within each of the six classes of characters. See Character Screen for more details.
Invite Friends Select Invite Friends to invite players you’ve added to your friends list or have recently played against.
Player Chat Talk to other players using voice chat. A microphone icon next to a player’s name indicates their voice chat is enabled.
Exit Lobby Select Exit Lobby to return to the multiplayer menu and the Galaxy at War.
Character Screen Use the Character screen to change character class, unlock class kits, and promote characters. The first time you launch the multiplayer game, you are jumped to this screen to choose your initial character class.
Classes View all available classes and their unlocked kits on the Character screen. Select a new class to see its open kits and available actions. Each class’s level is displayed, and that level applies to all kits associated with the class.
Kits Kits are used to adjust the appearance, gameplay style, and powers of a class. Unlock unique kits by purchasing reinforcement packs from the store. Unlocked kits that haven’t been deployed are marked NEW. Deployed kits that have unspent talent points are marked LEVEL UP. Locked kits are marked LOCKED.
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Promoting a Class When a class reaches level 20, the player may choose to promote and send the class to their single-player Galaxy at War. Promoting a class to the Galaxy at War resets its level to 1 but also increases the player’s N7 leaderboard score by 10. Only your character’s level is reset. Weapons, mods, and consumables are kept.
Reinforcement Packs Reinforcement packs contain weapons, mods, kit trainers, and equipment. Buy reinforcement packs to build your collection of gear.
Weapons Purchase reinforcement packs to find weapon-unlocks for all classes and characters. Purchase additional packs to upgrade your weapon level to a maximum of 10. Reinforced weapons are lighter, deal more damage, and have greater heat capacity.
Mods Mod reinforcements can be used by any character that has a weapon of a matching mod-type. Mods can be used to upgrade your mod-level to a maximum of 5. Find these mods in reinforcement packs.
Training Kits Use training kits to grant a one-time experience boost that increases a character class’s master level. Find training kits in reinforcement packs.
Equipment Before a mission starts, select an empty equipment slot and choose a single-use item from a character’s inventory. There are three types of equipment—ammo, armor, and weapon upgrades—that boost your character for a single mission.
Supplies Every character carries these standard supplies into a mission: Cobra Missile Launcher Take out hardened targets with this one-shot missile launcher. Thermal Clip Pack Refill your thermal clips and grenade supply during a mission. Medi-Gel Revive yourself when incapacitated in combat. Ops Survival Pack Fully restore health and shields. A character can bring a limited number of supplies on a mission, but capacity upgrades are available (see the next section).
Capacity Upgrades Increase the number of supply items your character can carry into a mission by collecting capacity upgrades.
Respec Spend respec items to reset a character’s talent points in the Powers screen. 22
Basic Controls This chapter covers basic combat controls and is intended for players new to the Mass Effect series.
Movement Move by using .
Camera Control Move to look around.
Tight Aim Hold to accurately aim your weapon.
Fire and Reload To fire a weapon, press . To reload, press .
Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Powers For instructions on how to use powers, please review Powers in the single-player section.
Melee To perform a basic melee attack, press while standing close to an enemy. To perform a heavy melee attack, press and hold while standing close to an enemy. Each character class has a unique heavy melee. To do melee combos, press repeatedly while standing close to an enemy.
Storm To run, press and hold while moving forward.
Evade To dodge attacks and projectiles or to get out of cover quickly, move using and press .
Cover Use Use cover objects to hold out against tough enemies. Using cover is essential when playing on harder difficulty levels. Accuracy is improved when leaning out of cover to fire. Heavy recoil is also reduced.
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Taking Cover There are three ways to enter cover. XX Take cover by pressing while standing next to a cover node. XX Roll forward into cover by pressing while moving. XX Storm/run into cover by holding .
Zoom Fire Pop out of cover to fire accurately by pressing and holding to zoom and then pressing to fire. While zoomed, a superior targeting reticle appears on-screen.
Peek Fire Fire over cover without standing up by pressing .
Swat Turn Move from one cover spot to adjacent cover on the left or right by holding or at the edge of cover and pressing .
Ninety-Degree Cover Turn Round a corner in cover by standing at the edge of a cover-object and pressing or .
Vault Vault over low cover by holding and pressing . Alternatively, quick-vault by pressing twice while approaching low cover. This can also be done while storming to hurdle over cover.
Cover Slip Storm forward out of cover by holding while standing at the edge of cover and then pressing and holding .
Cover Kill Instantly kill enemies standing on the other side of a shared piece of low cover by moving across from them and pressing and holding .
Standing Melee Attack enemies around the edges of cover by standing at the edge and pressing .
The HUD
Shield Bar Ammo Indicator
Health Bar
The HUD, short for Heads-Up Display, is the collection of icons and status bars you see on the edges of the screen as you play the game.
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Shield Bar Monitor your shield level by checking the blue bar on the bottom of the screen. When this bar is full, shields prevent the brunt of an attack from affecting your health. As attacks are absorbed by the shield, it is reduced in strength. When the shield bar is depleted, incoming attacks affect your health bar instead. Shields take several seconds to recharge and regenerate. Any damage taken during this recharge period stops the process. A shattered shield takes longer to regenerate than a partially depleted shield.
Health Bar Health is represented by the red bar broken into five segments that’s tucked underneath the blue shield bar on the bottom of the screen. When you are attacked while the shield bar is depleted, the rightmost red segment of the health bar starts turning gray. Only First Aid can regenerate a fully depleted bar of health. A health segment that is only partially reduced will regenerate on its own if you can get to cover and avoid further damage. You die if you lose all five health segments!
Power Cooldown Indicator Some powers require energy to use. The time it takes before you can use a power again is called cooldown. Cooldown periods vary, depending on the power. When cooldown is in effect, two red semicircles appear on either side of the targeting reticle at the center of the screen. Cooldown time can be judged by the distance between the two semicircles. When these come together and merge, cooldown is complete, and you can use powers again.
Ammo Indicator Weapons use heat-sink technology to enable rapid, devastating firepower. When a clip’s worth of heat accumulates in the sink, it is ejected from the weapon. Running out of heat sinks is effectively the same as running out of ammo. Keep track of you heat-sink inventory on the bottom-left of the screen. The bottom number indicates how many shots the current heat sink has left, and the top number shows you the total number of shots the entire inventory of heat sinks has left. When a weapon runs out of sinks, “No Ammo” will display just below the targeting reticle, and you’ll have to find new cylinders for the weapon or switch to an already-loaded weapon.
Supplies The current number of supplies you are carrying are shown on the left side of the screen. Press to use cobra rocket launchers. Press to use ops survival packs. Press to use medi-gel Press to use thermal clip packs.
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Tips and Help Combat Tips Combat tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Cerberus Defense Combat Rolls Headshots Heavy Melee Higher Ground Barrier Engine Suppress Shields Squad Bonus Squad Configuration
Cerberus uses mobile defenses. Find and destroy the portable generators that power their shield pylons and cover nodes. Use combat rolls to get quickly in and out of cover. Headshots inflict superior damage on most targets. Heavy melee is an effective attack against unarmored or unshielded enemies. Watch out for opponents on higher ground! Elevated enemies can shoot you even in cover. Reaper troops protect themselves by deploying barrier generators called Barrier Engines. Target these first. Keep firing and unleashing powers to prevent enemy shields from regenerating. Squates do more damage when ordered to attack a specific target. Choosing the right squad to complement Shepard’s strengths and weaknesses is key. Experiment with squad configurations.
Enemy Tips Enemy tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Atlas Banshee Brute Cannibal Centurion Engineer Geth Hunter Geth Prime Geth Pyro Guardian
The Atlas is a hulking death machine with powerful armor, shields, and weapons. Shatter the canopy to expose the pilot. Stop a Banshee when she becomes charged by damaging her while she uses biotic jumps to close in. Don’t let a Brute get close! Brutes are vicious opponents that can instantly kill you. Cannibals form armored plating by reclaiming fallen Cannibals and Husks. Shooting these plates deals no damage to the Cannibal until they are blown off. Centurions deploy smoke screens to conceal their movement. See through this by equipping a sniper rifle with certain scope mods. Pick off engineers before they set up armored turrets or repair a damaged Atlas. A cloaked Geth Hunter moves through the field virtually undetected, allowing them to flank with powerful plasma-shotguns. Take out their shields to disable their cloaking ability. Use Sabotage on a Geth Prime to hack its drones and turrets. Geth Pyros have flamethrowers that burn enemies at close range. Target their fuel tanks and use Overload and Sabotage. Guardian shields block powers, shots, and melee. To kill a Guardian, stagger them with Throw or Concussive Shot or use Pull to tear away their shields. Flanking them also works. 26
Marauder Nemesis Phantom Ravager
Marauders buff Husks and Cannibals by giving them armored plating. Take out the Marauder first. The Nemesis is a nimble opponent armed with a powerful sniper rifle. Take cover when you spot red laser sights honing in on your position. Destroy a Phantom’s sword to remove its melee abilities. Phantoms are agile combatants, so keep pressure on them. When a Ravager’s sac breaks, Swarmers are released. Swarmers are weak, but a group of them can kill or keep shields from regenerating.
Powers Tips Power tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team.
Armor Piercing Use hard-hitting weapons against armored opponents. Incendiary and armor-piercing ammo also help.
Barriers & Shields Shields and barriers protect against health damage. Shields appear as blue, and barriers are purple.
Heal Shepard’s current health bar will regenerate, but already-depleted segments can only be restored by using First Aid from the Power Wheel.
ive Powers The last two power upgrades in a tree are ive skills that improve combat, weight capacity, and Paragon and Renegade bonuses.
Power Combos Power combos require a source power and a detonator power. Source powers generally leave a lasting effect on an enemy (Pull, Cryo Blast, Reave, etc.). Detonator powers generally deal high damage or force (Carnage, Incinerate, Warp, etc.). Most powers can be a source, a detonator, or both, so explore the many combinations. Power combos come in four types: Biotic Combos Electric Combos Flame Combos Cryo Combos
Trigger these by combining more than one biotic effect, such as lifting an enemy with Pull before striking them with Warp. Biotic combos result in an explosion that blasts not just the target, but also the area around the target. Trigger these by combining an electrical effect with a detonator, such as electrocuting an enemy with Overload before striking them with Concussive Shot. Electric combos result in bonus damage to shields and a chance to stun undefended enemies. Trigger these by combining a flame effect with a lethal detonator, such as igniting an enemy with Incinerate before finishing them off with Carnage. Flame combos result in bonus damage to armor and a chance to light undefended enemies on fire. Trigger these by combining a freeze effect with a lethal detonator, such as freezing an enemy with Cryo Ammo before finishing them off with Biotic Charge. Cryo combos freeze undefended enemies and will chill the rest. 27
Revive Use the First Aid power to resuscitate a fallen squate from a distance. This consumes medi-gel. Move to your comrade to resuscitate them without using medi-gel.
Strategy: Barriers & Shields Use rapid-fire weapons and Disruptor Ammo to bring down shields and barriers. Stop shields from regenerating by decimating them with Overload, Shield Drain, or Disruptor Ammo.
Strategy: Cerberus Target Cerberus generators with Overload or Sabotage to cripple their defenses. If you take a Cerberus position, repair the shields to use them yourself.
Strategy: Geth Geth rely heavily on their shields and are therefore vulnerable to Overload, Shield Drain, Sabotage, and Disruptor Ammo.
Weight Capacity Carrying too many weapons will increase cooldown, effectively slowing down how often you can use powers.
Weapon Tips Weapon tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Armor Piercing Barriers & Shields Cover Piercing Firing from Cover
Use hard-hitting weapons against armored opponents. Incendiary and armor-piercing ammo also helps. Shields and barriers protect against health damage. Shields appear as blue, and barriers are purple. The Widow, Black Widow, and Javelin weapons can fire through enemies and light cover. Mod other weapons, like the Mattock and Claymore, to apply this devastating effect. Weapons are more accurate when fired from cover.
Firing Ranges Test out your weapons on the Citadel’s firing range, located by the Spectre offices. Overheating Weapons have thermal clips to prevent overheating. Clips use a universal design, so retrieve compatible clips from combat areas and fallen enemies. Reducing Recoil Powerful weapons recoil and are difficult to aim. Fire from cover and apply certain mods to steady your hand. Thermal Clips Spent thermal clips are ejected to cool weapons. Run out of clips, and you can’t fire. Weapon Balance It’s good practice to equip one slow, heavy weapon and one rapid-firing weapon to deal with different defenses. Weapon Mods Powerful weapons tend to have decreased thermal-clip capacities. Mod your weapon to improve its efficiency. Weight Capacity Carrying too many weapons will increase cooldown, effectively slowing down how often you can use powers.
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Help NEED HELP? Access help articles for this game or connect to personalized service by visiting help.ea.com/en/mass-effect. Whether online, in community forums, through chat, on the phone, or in your social network, EA game advisors are ready to ensure you get the most out of your game—anytime, anywhere. NOTE: Some services may not be available in all languages or territories.
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Control Scheme Movement
Click: 90˚ Cover Turn
Camera
Click: Navigation Weapon Tap: Reload Hold: Switch Tap: Use, Take Cover Tap Twice: Quick Vault Hold: Storm Melee Mapped Power Tap: Mapped Power Hold: Power Wheel Shoot
Mission Computer
Quick Save Tap: Mapped Power Hold: Weapon Wheel Tight Aim
Squad Attack Rally
Squate 2 Move/Attack
Squate 1 Move/Attack
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Single Player The Main Menu
The main menu contains the following items the first time you play. XX New Game XX Multiplayer XX able Content XX Extras After you’ve started a game, this menu will also include the Resume and Load Game options. Resume loads your most recently saved game.
New Game Choose from four options when starting a new game: Male Start fresh with a new male character. Female Start fresh with a new female character. Import ME2 Character Import Commander Shepard from Mass Effect TM 2, maintaining your old character’s level as well as the decisions you made that impact Mass Effect 3’s story. Import ME3 Character Unlocks after completing Mass Effect TM 3. This allows you to start a new game while keeping your Commander Shepard’s class, level, weapons, and modifications intact.
Load Game
After starting a Mass Effect TM career, select Load Game to continue your game, replay from an earlier save point, or switch to another active career. Careers are created each time you start a new game or import an old one. Within each career you will find: Restart Mission Autosave Saves/Quick Saves
Restart your current mission. Resume your game from the latest checkpoint. Autosave is updated as you progress through the game and cross checkpoints. Numbered saves are created when you manually save the game.
You can also resume your game by selecting Resume on the game’s opening screen. This will load your most recently saved game.
Multiplayer Select Multiplayer to fight coop missions with up to three friends. Please see the multiplayer section of this manual for additional instructions.
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Extras The Extras menu contains the following: Accomplishments Options Credits Game Manual
View medals you’ve been awarded for accomplishing set goals. Set gameplay, controls, graphics, sound, and online options. Watch the game’s credits. Read this manual!
able Content Select ABLE CONTENT on the main menu to purchase new Mass Effect 3 content.
Starting a New Game The Story So Far With the discovery of a network of ancient cosmic relays in the 21st century, humanity was thrust into a universe teeming with alien life. At its heart lay the Citadel, the galactic capital for all space-faring races. It had once been inhabited by a species known as the Protheans, who mysteriously vanished 50,000 years ago, leaving behind warnings of a godlike race of machines that had destroyed them. This enemy had a name—the Reapers—and the warnings claimed they would return again to harvest organic life in a never-ending cycle of destruction. One soldier chose to heed those warnings. In 2183, Commander Shepard, captain of the Alliance warship Normandy, destroyed the vanguard of the next Reaper invasion in a fierce battle for the Citadel. But Shepard’s victory was only temporary. A vast Reaper armada remained, patiently waiting in the voids of dark space to launch their next attack. Two years later, Shepard was mortally wounded on a routine mission. Cerberus, a pro-human terrorist organization, recovered and resurrected Shepard. Led by the shadowy Illusive Man, Cerberus recognized that the Reapers would soon threaten humanity. Enlisting Shepard’s help, along with a colorful crew of scientists, soldiers, and outlaws, the Normandy launched a suicide mission beyond the fabled Omega 4 relay to once again confront the Reaper menace. Yet even this triumph was only a delaying action in a much bigger war—a war that was about to engulf the entire Milky Way…
ME3 Experience Type There are three ways to play Mass Effect 3. You must select one of the following options when starting a new game, but you can also adjust combat difficulty and conversation mode in the options menu after starting a game. Action Mode Role-Playing Mode Story Mode
An experience that focuses on combat. Conversations play as cutscenes automatically. The core Mass Effect experience with full narrative choice and challenging combat. An experience that focuses on narrative. Combat helps tell the story but does not offer a significant challenge.
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Character Creation After selecting Commander Shepard’s gender and the Role-Playing or Story experience types, you enter the Alliance Headquarters Active Duty Reactivation Protocol. From here, you can choose between default options or customize the following: XX First Name XX Appearance XX Military Class XX Personal History XX Service History XX Combat Losses Until you confirm your selections on the Review screen, you can return to the previous screens to change Shepard’s characteristics. Choosing the Action experience type jumps you straight into the game, skipping these screens. By default, Shepard was born on Earth, was the sole survivor of a failed mission years ago, and takes the default appearance.
Importing an ME2 Character Importing Commander Shepard from Mass Effect 2 maintains your old character’s level as well as the decisions you made that impact Mass Effect 3’s story. If you have completed Mass Effect 2, your old career will be available to import after selecting Import ME2 Character.
The Mission Computer The Mission Computer is the in-game menu. To access the Mission Computer, press after gaining full control of Commander Shepard in the game. Exit the Mission Computer and return to the game by pressing . Select a menu option in the Mission Computer by highlighting it and pressing . NOTE: All controls listed in this manual are based on the default control setting. To change your controls, go to Options under the Extras menu and select to adjust the Xbox 360 Controller.
Squad Screen Select Squad on the Mission Computer to review the powers available to Commander Shepard and squates. As you level up and gain points, you can spend them here to upgrade your powers.
Journal Menu Go to the Journal menu to view your progress, review your mission’s objectives, and read codex entries about the Mass Effect universe. For more information on the Journal, see The Game Journal.
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Map Menu The map is accessible on the Normandy or Citadel to help guide Shepard when not on a critical mission. This option will be grayed out in the Mission Computer when in areas where a map is not available. Press to access the map while playing.
Options Menu Customize your Mass Effect 3 experience in the Options menu. Gameplay Narrative Controls Graphics Sound Online
Adjust difficulty, auto level-up, squate power use, autosaves, hints, and action icons. Adjust conversation mode, subtitles, and other options. Adjust and customize how you control the game. Adjust video settings. Adjust music, sound effect, and dialog settings. Adjust online options.
Other Menus There are four other options available on the Mission Computer. Save Save your progress at your current position. This will be grayed out in areas where saving the game is not possible. Load Load a previously saved game. Main Menu Quit your current game and return to Mass Effect 3’s main menu. Game Manual Read this manual!
The Squad Screen Select Squad on the Mission Computer to review the powers available to Commander Shepard and squates. As you level up and gain points, you can spend them here to upgrade your powers.
Squate Powers View the powers of the squates currently active in your party by pressing or .
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Navigating Powers Use and or / to select an unlocked power and press to start spending points in the power’s tree. Your points are tallied on the top-right of the screen. Powers available for upgrade are in blue. Grayed-out powers are locked until Shepard or the selected squate reaches a higher level. Press to have powers automatically upgraded for you. Permanently set automatic power upgrades by adjusting the Auto Level-Up setting in the Options/Gameplay menu off the Mission Computer.
Purchasing and Evolving Powers Upgrade a power by highlighting the leftmost icon and pressing . Everything to the right of the leftmost icon (Rank 1) are upgrades and can also be evolved with the points tallied on the top-right of the screen. The Rank 2 upgrade costs two points, Rank 3 costs three, and so on. If you have enough points, you can evolve multiple upgrades at once. Each upgrade must be evolved in order from left to right, but at Rank 4, the chain splits in two. From here, you can only choose one upgrade per rank, so review your options carefully before locking in a choice. Undo your changes at any point before leaving the Squad screen by pressing . Returning to the Mission Computer by pressing twice locks in your choices.
Reputation Indicator The bar on the left-hand side of the main Squad screen shows Shepard’s reputation. When the reputation bar reaches certain thresholds, new dialog options are unlocked. As you choose Renegade (red) or Paragon (blue) actions in dialog, the reputation bar grows. You need not stick to one or the other to earn reputation points. A Paragon Shepard tends to be comionate and heroic, and a Renegade Shepard tends toward calculated and ruthless behavior.
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The Game Journal Select the Journal on the Mission Computer to check your progress, review your mission summary and objectives, and learn about the Mass Effect universe.
Mission Summary Review your current objectives in the Mission Summary tab. Return to this screen when you have forgotten what to do next.
Codex Entries Review the galactic codex to learn about the Mass Effect universe, its people, places, technology, and history. Primary codex entries are narrated. Secondary codex entries are text-only.
The HUD
Shield Bar Ammo Indicator
Health Bar
Squate Status The HUD, short for Heads-Up Display, is the collection of icons and status bars you see on the edges of the screen as you play the game. In Mass Effect 3, there are five HUDs to keep an eye on.
Shield Bar Monitor your shield level by checking the blue bar on the bottom of the screen. When this bar is full, shields prevent the brunt of an attack from affecting your health. As attacks are absorbed by the shield, it is reduced in strength. When the shield bar is depleted, incoming attacks affect your health bar instead. Shields take several seconds to recharge and regenerate. Any damage taken during this recharge period stops the process. A shattered shield takes longer to regenerate than a partially depleted shield.
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Health Bar Health is represented by the red bar broken into five segments that’s tucked underneath the blue shield bar on the bottom of the screen. When you are attacked while the shield bar is depleted, the rightmost red segment of the health bar starts turning gray. Only First Aid can regenerate a fully depleted bar of health. A health segment that is only partially reduced will regenerate on its own if you can get to cover and avoid further damage. You die if you lose all five health segments!
Power Cooldown Indicator Some powers require energy to use. The time it takes before you can use a power again is called cooldown. Cooldown periods vary, depending on the power. When cooldown is in effect, two red semicircles appear on either side of the targeting reticle at the center of the screen. Cooldown time can be judged by the distance between the two semicircles. When these come together and merge, cooldown is complete, and you can use powers again.
Ammo Indicator Weapons use heat-sink technology to enable rapid, devastating firepower. When a clip’s worth of heat accumulates in the sink, it is ejected from the weapon. Running out of heat sinks is effectively the same as running out of ammo. Keep track of your heat-sink inventory on the bottom-left of the screen. The bottom number indicates how many shots the current heat sink has left, and the top number shows you the total number of shots the entire inventory of heat sinks has left. When a weapon runs out of sinks, “No Ammo” will display just below the targeting reticle, and you’ll have to find new cylinders for the weapon or switch to an already-loaded weapon.
Squate Status There are two portraits of Shepard’s current squates below the shield bar on the bottom of the screen. The icon beside each portrait shows the last power the squate used and its current cooldown status. A squate’s portrait flashes red when they take damage, and if they become incapacitated, the portrait fades to gray.
Basic Controls This chapter covers basic combat controls and is intended for players new to the Mass Effect series.
Movement Move by using .
Camera Control Move to look around.
Tight Aim Hold to accurately aim your weapon.
Fire and Reload To fire a weapon, press . To reload, press . 8
Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Weapon Wheel To bring up the Weapon Wheel, press and hold . This interface allows you to choose weapons for Shepard and squates from their inventories. The game pauses while the Weapon Wheel is open.
Powers For instructions on how to use powers, please see Powers in the single-player section.
Melee To perform a basic melee attack, press while standing close to an enemy. To perform a heavy melee attack, press and hold while standing close to an enemy. Each character class has a unique heavy melee. To do melee combos, press repeatedly while standing close to an enemy.
Storm To run, press and hold while moving forward.
Evade To dodge attacks and projectiles or to get out of cover quickly, move using and press .
Cover Use Use cover objects to hold out against tough enemies. Using cover is essential when playing on harder difficulty levels. Accuracy is improved when leaning out of cover to fire. Heavy recoil is also reduced.
Taking Cover There are three ways to enter cover. XX Take cover by pressing while standing next to a cover node. XX Roll forward into cover by pressing while moving. XX Storm/run into cover by holding .
Zoom Fire Pop out of cover to fire accurately by pressing and holding to zoom and then pressing to fire. While zoomed, a superior targeting reticle appears on-screen.
Peek Fire Fire over cover without standing up by pressing .
Swat Turn Move from one cover spot to adjacent cover on the left or right by holding or at the edge of cover and pressing .
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Ninety-Degree Cover Turn Round a corner in cover by standing at the edge of a cover-object and pressing or .
Vault Vault over low cover by holding and pressing . Alternatively, quick-vault by pressing twice while approaching low cover. This can also be done while storming to hurdle over cover.
Cover Slip Storm forward out of cover by holding while standing at the edge of cover and then pressing and holding .
Cover Kill Instantly kill enemies standing on the other side of a shared piece of low cover by moving across from them and pressing and holding .
Standing Melee Attack enemies around the edges of cover by standing at the edge and pressing .
Squad Commands Issue orders to your squates by using .
Move Point your targeting reticle and press or to order a squate to move to a position.
Use Power Point the targeting reticle at an enemy and press or to order a squate to attack the target with their respective default power. See Power Mapping for more information on changing how these powers are mapped.
Fire on Target Point the targeting reticle at an enemy and press to order both squates to open fire on the opponent.
Rally Squad Press to rally squates to your current position.
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Powers Power Wheel To bring up the Power Wheel, press and hold . This interface allows you to select a specific power for Shepard and two squates. The game pauses while the Power Wheel is open, allowing you to target enemies. Once you’ve chosen a target, select a power with , press , and then release to deploy the effect. You can queue up one power for Shepard and one for each squate while the Power Wheel is open.
Power Mapping Powers can be mapped to three quick-fire buttons. By default, Shepard’s class power is initially mapped to . To remap this, highlight another power in the Power Wheel and press . To remap , highlight a power and press . To remap , highlight a power and press . Each squate has a power mapped to and by default. To change this default mapping, select a different power in the Power Wheel and press .
Power Combos Power combos require a source power and a detonator power. Source powers generally leave a lasting effect on an enemy (Pull, Cryo Blast, Reave, etc.). Detonator powers generally deal high damage or force (Carnage, Incinerate, Warp, etc.). Most powers can be a source, a detonator, or both, so explore the many combinations. Power combos come in four types: Biotic Combos Electric Combos Flame Combos Cryo Combos
Trigger these by combining more than one biotic effect, such as lifting an enemy with Pull before striking them with Warp. Biotic combos result in an explosion that blasts not just the target, but also the area around the target. Trigger these by combining an electrical effect with a detonator, such as electrocuting an enemy with Overload before striking them with Concussive Shot. Electric combos result in bonus damage to shields and a chance to stun undefended enemies. Trigger these by combining a flame effect with a lethal detonator, such as igniting an enemy with Incinerate before finishing them off with Carnage. Flame combos result in bonus damage to armor and a chance to light undefended enemies on fire. Trigger these by combining a freeze effect with a lethal detonator, such as freezing an enemy with Cryo Ammo before finishing them off with Biotic Charge. Cryo combos freeze undefended enemies and will chill the rest.
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Weapons, Mods, and Armor Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Weapon Selection Screen Gain access to the weapon selection screen when starting a new mission, when picking up a new weapon, or when Shepard uses a workbench. Use this screen to customize the weapons that Shepard and squates carry into battle.
Weapon Slots Review the available weapon slots on the left side of the weapon selection screen. You can apply one weapon to each slot on the currently selected character’s back. Squates can carry one weapon of each type. The slot number indicates how many weapons are available. Grayed-out slots indicate that you cannot equip additional weapons. Recently acquired weapons are marked “New.”
Weapon Switching Cycle between Shepard and squates with and to modify their weapon selection. Review the weapons available by highlighting a slot, pressing , and then toggling /. Assign a weapon to a slot by pressing again.
Weapon Weight Monitor the weight bar on the left side of the screen to see how much a character is carrying. Overburden Shepard or a squate, and the character’s power cooldown rate slows down.
Weapon Stats Press to toggle between the weapon’s stats and description. Use the orange markers on the stats bars to compare the selected weapon with the one currently equipped. The green bar shows the mod bonus.
Modding Weapons Press on the main weapon selection screen to mod weapons. Weapon mods can only be accessed via the weapon selection screen when starting a mission or when accessing it from a workbench. It cannot be accessed when finding a new weapon.
Mod Slots Each weapon has two mod slots and five unique mods. Any mod can be placed in either slot. Each mod impacts the stats and gameplay of the weapon, so choose carefully.
Stats Check the green extensions on the stats bar to see how and how much the modification improves the weapon.
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Armor Selection Access the armor selection screen by using the weapon locker in Normandy’s cargo bay or in Shepard’s cabin. Use this screen to choose between unique armor sets or to build armor out of pieces found on missions.
Armor Customization Customize Shepard’s armor by combining up to five pieces of armor. Each piece has a specific effect that adds to Shepard’s overall combat effectiveness. This customized armor can be tinted or patterned. Unique armor sets cannot be tinted and patterned.
Armor Stats Check the orange markers on the armor stats bars for comparisons between the selected and equipped armor pieces. This will help you craft a powerful custom set.
Galaxy Map Access the Galaxy Map through the central console on Normandy’s CIC on the second deck. The map shows the Normandy’s current galactic location and is used to fly the ship to your next mission. Explore star systems to discover new planets, asteroids, derelict starships, and other locations.
Galaxy View Fly between systems in Galaxy View with . Select your destination and then press to enter the system. To return to Galaxy View from a system, enter a mass relay. The Normandy uses the mass relay’s energy to travel, so no fuel is expended. As you discover new missions and new territory, flags appear below the system names. For more details on these missions, return to the game, go to the Mission Computer, and review your mission objectives in the game’s Journal.
System View Fly the Normandy across a system with . Press to enter a planet or station’s orbit. The Normandy enters a system via Cluster or Galaxy View, usually by mass relay. Locations marked by green flags are part of your mission’s objective. Land (or dock) the Normandy to begin a mission. Other locations can be explored to gather data. Traveling at less than FTL, the Normandy uses no fuel while flying inside a system.
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Cluster View Fly the Normandy through a cluster with . Press to enter a system. The Normandy enters Cluster View when flying outside a system’s green border. Cluster View operates much like System View, except that the Normandy is flying at FTL and uses fuel. Be sure to fill up at a fuel depot before using Cluster View. The Normandy’s fuel gauge s for the return trip, so if you run out of fuel, the Normandy will automatically return to a system that has a mass relay. Dipping into your emergency fuel supply costs credits.
Mass Relays Mass relays are used as the primary means of traversing the galaxy. When in a system with a mass relay, use to move the Normandy in and then press . This opens Galaxy View, where you can jump the Normandy to other systems.
Fuel Depots Visit a fuel depot to refuel before going on FTL missions where no is available. Reapers destroy depots as they conquer systems and clusters, so be careful before embarking on a search-and-rescue mission. Salvage fuel from destroyed depots in conquered systems if you get stranded.
Scanning The Normandy’s stealth drive allows for infiltration of systems that have been conquered by the Reapers. When inside a conquered system, scan for notable objects within range such as salvage, artifacts, or survivors. A percentage in the corner of the screen shows what percentage of objects has been recovered in the system. Press to use the Normandy’s scanner, but be wary of alerting nearby Reapers.
Reapers Reapers lurk on the outskirts of conquered systems and are alerted to the Normandy’s position if the scanning pulse is used too frequently or in close proximity to their location. If a Reaper becomes aware of the Normandy, it gives chase. Escape through a mass relay to survive this encounter. If you want to return to the system, wait until you have first completed a mission.
Search and Rescue Scanning a planet can turn up distress signals. To begin a search-and-rescue mission, launch a probe into the planet’s orbit to find the survivors, and then go to that location to rescue them.
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Kinect Controls In Mass Effect 3, you can use Kinect’s voice recognition to talk with characters, explore areas, and issue orders to squates. Kinect responds to different voice commands and phrases depending on the context. This section will help you get the most out of the experience. Before you play, select Kinect Tuner from the main menu to ensure your Kinect is working properly.
Exploration Exploration commands are used to interact with in-game objects like doors and items. The appropriate command will display when you approach an object or person. When the gray command text turns white, you can say the command aloud. If the correct command is heard, the microphone icon will flash green. If Kinect does not understand, it will flash red. Verbal commands during exploration include: Use, Open, By, Activate, Deactivate, and Reactivate, as well as , Pick Up, Examine, Warn, Salvage, and Talk. When not in combat, conversations, or cutscenes, you can save the game by saying: “Quick Save.”
Conversations When speaking with characters, a microphone icon will appear in the middle of the conversation hub, indicating your opportunity to verbally reply. Read out the response you’d like to give, and Kinect will select it automatically.
Combat: Controlling Shepard In combat, you can use any of Shepard’s powers by saying them aloud. As an adept, for instance, say “Warp” during combat to use the power. You’ll know the command has ed when the microphone icon in the top left corner of the screen turns blue. In addition to powers, Kinect works with items like First Aid and grenades. To use the item, say: “First Aid” or “Grenade.” You can also switch weapons by saying “Switch Weapon,” “Swap Weapon,” or by saying the weapon type. Kinect understands the following weapon types: XX Heavy Pistol XX Submachine Gun XX Assault Rifle XX Shotgun XX Sniper Rifle XX Grenade To use a grenade, you can also say: “Throw Grenade.” For a complete list of commands to activate Shepard’s powers, see the Combat: Power Commands section.
Combat: Commanding Squates Squates will take verbal orders from you in combat. To issue an order to a squate, say: (squate)+(order). You can order a squate, like James, to follow you by saying: “James: Follow Me.” The same works for “Attack” and “Move.” Saying “James: Attack” will order James or any other squate you specify to attack the target currently in front of you. If you say “James: Move,” James will move to the spot you are currently targeting.
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If you don’t specify a squate, and just say: “Attack,” “Move,” or “Follow Me,” both squates will carry out the order. The same works for “Cover Me.” You can also order squates to switch and swap weapons, as well as use grenades. To do this, specify which squate you wish to carry out the order, followed by the order. For example, “James: Switch Weapon” will tell James to switch his weapon. “James: Pistol” will tell James to switch to his pistol specifically. “James: Throw Grenade” will tell James to use a grenade. To help a fallen squate up, approach them and say: “Revive.”
Combat: Power Commands Shepard will use the following powers if you say them aloud to Kinect during combat, provided they are known. To see the available powers for Shepard at any given time, consult the Power Wheel by pressing and holding . Adept Engineer Infiltrator Sentinel Soldier Vanguard
Cluster Grenade, Pull, Shockwave, Singularity, Throw, Warp Combat Drone, Cryo Blast, Sabotage, Sentry Turret, Overload, Incinerate Tactical Cloak, Sticky Grenade, Disruptor Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Incinerate, Sabotage Throw, Shockwave, Warp, Lift Grenade, Overload, Cryo Blast Adrenaline Rush, Concussive Shot, Incendiary Ammo, Disruptor Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Frag Grenade Biotic Charge, Nova, Incendiary Ammo, Cryo Ammo, Pull, Shockwave
Combat: Squate Powers You can order a specific squate to use an available power by saying their name followed by the name of the power you want them to use, i.e.: “James Carnage.” For a list of available powers for each squate, consult the Power Wheel by pressing and holding . If a squate has the power that you say aloud, he or she will use that power before Shepard, even if you don’t say his or her name. The exception to this is ammo powers like Cryo and Incendiary. With these, you must specify the squate, or only Shepard will use them.
Regional Accent Settings English speakers can choose between the following three regions based on their accent to help Kinect better recognize their commands. XX North America XX United Kingdom XX Australia/New Zealand War is loud. If you’re having difficulty using a voice command, try speaking up or slowing down your pronunciation of the command.
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Multiplayer Galaxy at War To the right of the multiplayer menu options is the Galaxy at War, which shows the status of the Alliance’s five theaters of war. Monitor each theater’s readiness rating to effectively defend the Milky Way from Reaper invasion.
Theaters of War The galaxy map displays five theaters of war. Help defend these fronts as the Reapers invade the Milky Way. XX Terminus Systems XX Attican Traverse XX Earth Systems Alliance Space XX Inner Council Space XX Outer Council Space
Reaper Invasion Status Each theater of war has one of four alerts, known as readiness ratings. Use these ratings to evaluate which theater most needs your team’s help in countering the Reaper invasion. Red Critical: Immediate action required to counter the Reaper invasion. Orange Urgent: Action required to counter the Reaper threat. Yellow Serious: Help needed, but current forces are holding the Reapers off. Green Stable but at Risk: Battle lines are holding. The more waves completed in a mission, the more you improve the readiness ratings of these war fronts. Often, a squad must run multiple countermissions to improve a theater’s invasion status. Neglect a green or yellow theater for too long, and the Reapers will start taking it back.
Firebases Each theater of war has one or more conflict zones, which are also known as firebases. To defend a theater, you must choose a corresponding firebase when ing or creating a match. Do this by changing the mission’s location. Setting the location to “unknown” will give each player’s character an experience bonus of +10% and will improve the readiness rating of all theaters by up to +5%. Choosing a specific firebase improves the readiness rating of its theater by +15% and improves the rating of all other theaters by +2%.
Enemies Invading forces are made up of Reapers, Cerberus, and Geth. If you wish to defend a territory against a specific hostile force, choose an enemy type when ing or creating a mission. Setting the enemy to “unknown” generates an enemy at random and awards your character a +15% experience bonus.
Challenges Choose from bronze, silver, and gold challenges when ing or creating a mission. Bronze challenges are intended for beginners, silver for intermediate players, and gold is for experts. The harder the difficulty setting, the more credits and experience your character earns.
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The Multiplayer Menu Access the multiplayer menu by selecting Multiplayer from the game’s main menu.
Quick Match Connect to an existing multiplayer lobby or game in progress. Be sure to have your character set before selecting Quick Match.
Create New Match Create a match with specific mission settings.
Character Customize your character’s appearance and upgrade powers, weapons, and mission equipment.
Leaderboards Review your N7 Rating to see how you rank against your friends, your country, and the global Mass Effect multiplayer community.
Store Select Store to purchase reinforcement packs to upgrade your character and enhance your multiplayer experience. Reinforcements can be purchased with credits or with Microsoft® Points. Accumulate credits by completing objectives during multiplayer sessions.
ing or Creating a Game Customize up to four game options. XX Public/Private Match XX Location XX Enemy XX Challenge
Team Set a mission to public or private when creating a custom game. You cannot choose a private mission when choosing Quick Match from the multiplayer menu. Private: Only invited players may . Public: Any player may . The match will often be populated by players choosing Quick Match.
Location Each theater of war has one or more conflict zones, which are also known as firebases. To defend a theater, you must choose a corresponding firebase when ing or creating a match. Do this by changing the mission’s location. Setting the location to “unknown” will give each player’s character an experience bonus of +10% and will improve the readiness rating of all theaters by up to +5%. Choosing a specific firebase improves the readiness rating of its theater by +15% and improves the rating of all other theaters by +2%.
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Enemy Invading forces are made up of Reapers, Cerberus, and Geth. If you wish to defend a territory against a specific hostile force, choose an enemy type when ing or creating a mission. Setting the enemy to “unknown” generates an enemy at random and awards your character a +15% experience bonus.
Challenge Choose from bronze, silver, and gold challenges when ing or creating a mission. Bronze challenges are intended for beginners, silver for intermediate players, and gold is for experts. The harder the difficulty setting, the more credits and experience your character earns.
Host Migration If a hosting player leaves a game, a new host is selected from the squad, and the mission restarts from the beginning of the current wave.
The Missions Multiplayer missions, or matches, are broken into 10 waves of enemies (plus one bonus wave) that increase in difficulty as they hit your position.
Mission Objectives During a mission, the team must complete specified objectives to proceed to the next wave. Complete these objectives within the allotted time to avoid failing the mission. Objectives occur on waves 3, 6, and 10. There are three types of mission objectives: Assassination Hacking Devices
Take out a number of targeted enemies before time runs out Capture and hold a point in order to hack critical data before time runs out Enable or disable key devices in sequence before time runs out
Medals Squads and combatants can earn medals for coordinated efforts and individual actions. Points derived from earning medals add to the team’s experience and to the mission’s score.
Extraction Points After a mission’s tenth wave, the team must rally to an extraction point. Mission bonuses are based on the number of teammates alive by the time the Alliance shuttle reaches the extraction point to retrieve the team.
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Mission Summary The mission summary showcases individual and team medals. The success of the squad as a whole determines the experience and credits earned, but individual accomplishments are also valuable.
Multiplayer Lobby The multiplayer lobby is where you wait for your team to assemble before going on a mission. This chapter reviews the options you can adjust while waiting for a match to start.
Mission Settings Review the data on the top-left of the screen to see the mission’s location, the enemy you will be fighting, and the challenge level. If you’ve created the mission, select Mission Settings to change these options before the match starts.
Roster Details On the right side of the screen is a list of players currently waiting for the match to start. This list gives a quick overview of each player’s class and class-level. Review a player’s N7 Rating to get a general sense of how experienced they are. Review the Roster Details to get a breakdown of each player-character’s powers, weapons, mods, and equipment. You can also vote to kick a player from the lobby on this screen.
N7 Rating The N7 rating for your character and other players is seen to the right of the N7 logo. Your N7 rating is the accumulated character-levels you’ve earned for each class of character. The only way to push your N7 rating past 120 is by promoting your squads. (A rating of 120 represents all classes maximized to level 20.)
Ready Select Ready when you’re ready to start a match. The mission begins when all players in the lobby are ready.
Powers Select Powers to unlock and evolve powers. A “Level Up” indicator appears when you have collected enough points to spend on powers. See Navigating Powers and Purchasing and Evolving Powers in the single-player section for instructions on navigating this screen and unlocking/evolving powers.
Weapons Select Weapons to change your character’s inventory of weapons. See Weapons, Mods, and Armor in the single-player section for instructions on how to use and customize weapons.
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Appearance Select Appearance to customize the appearance of your character.
Equipment Select Equipment to review the supplies you’ve acquired. You can also apply ammo, weapon, and armor bonuses on this screen.
Store Select Store to purchase reinforcement packs to upgrade your character and enhance your multiplayer experience. Reinforcements can be purchased with credits or with Microsoft® Points. Accumulate credits by completing objectives during multiplayer sessions.
Change Character Select Character to change characters. You can choose between various species within each of the six classes of characters. See Character Screen for more details.
Invite Friends Select Invite Friends to invite players you’ve added to your friends list or have recently played against.
Player Chat Talk to other players using voice chat. A microphone icon next to a player’s name indicates their voice chat is enabled.
Exit Lobby Select Exit Lobby to return to the multiplayer menu and the Galaxy at War.
Character Screen Use the Character screen to change character class, unlock class kits, and promote characters. The first time you launch the multiplayer game, you are jumped to this screen to choose your initial character class.
Classes View all available classes and their unlocked kits on the Character screen. Select a new class to see its open kits and available actions. Each class’s level is displayed, and that level applies to all kits associated with the class.
Kits Kits are used to adjust the appearance, gameplay style, and powers of a class. Unlock unique kits by purchasing reinforcement packs from the store. Unlocked kits that haven’t been deployed are marked NEW. Deployed kits that have unspent talent points are marked LEVEL UP. Locked kits are marked LOCKED.
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Promoting a Class When a class reaches level 20, the player may choose to promote and send the class to their single-player Galaxy at War. Promoting a class to the Galaxy at War resets its level to 1 but also increases the player’s N7 leaderboard score by 10. Only your character’s level is reset. Weapons, mods, and consumables are kept.
Reinforcement Packs Reinforcement packs contain weapons, mods, kit trainers, and equipment. Buy reinforcement packs to build your collection of gear.
Weapons Purchase reinforcement packs to find weapon-unlocks for all classes and characters. Purchase additional packs to upgrade your weapon level to a maximum of 10. Reinforced weapons are lighter, deal more damage, and have greater heat capacity.
Mods Mod reinforcements can be used by any character that has a weapon of a matching mod-type. Mods can be used to upgrade your mod-level to a maximum of 5. Find these mods in reinforcement packs.
Training Kits Use training kits to grant a one-time experience boost that increases a character class’s master level. Find training kits in reinforcement packs.
Equipment Before a mission starts, select an empty equipment slot and choose a single-use item from a character’s inventory. There are three types of equipment—ammo, armor, and weapon upgrades—that boost your character for a single mission.
Supplies Every character carries these standard supplies into a mission: Cobra Missile Launcher Take out hardened targets with this one-shot missile launcher. Thermal Clip Pack Refill your thermal clips and grenade supply during a mission. Medi-Gel Revive yourself when incapacitated in combat. Ops Survival Pack Fully restore health and shields. A character can bring a limited number of supplies on a mission, but capacity upgrades are available (see the next section).
Capacity Upgrades Increase the number of supply items your character can carry into a mission by collecting capacity upgrades.
Respec Spend respec items to reset a character’s talent points in the Powers screen. 22
Basic Controls This chapter covers basic combat controls and is intended for players new to the Mass Effect series.
Movement Move by using .
Camera Control Move to look around.
Tight Aim Hold to accurately aim your weapon.
Fire and Reload To fire a weapon, press . To reload, press .
Switch Weapons Switch to the previous weapon held by pressing and holding .
Powers For instructions on how to use powers, please review Powers in the single-player section.
Melee To perform a basic melee attack, press while standing close to an enemy. To perform a heavy melee attack, press and hold while standing close to an enemy. Each character class has a unique heavy melee. To do melee combos, press repeatedly while standing close to an enemy.
Storm To run, press and hold while moving forward.
Evade To dodge attacks and projectiles or to get out of cover quickly, move using and press .
Cover Use Use cover objects to hold out against tough enemies. Using cover is essential when playing on harder difficulty levels. Accuracy is improved when leaning out of cover to fire. Heavy recoil is also reduced.
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Taking Cover There are three ways to enter cover. XX Take cover by pressing while standing next to a cover node. XX Roll forward into cover by pressing while moving. XX Storm/run into cover by holding .
Zoom Fire Pop out of cover to fire accurately by pressing and holding to zoom and then pressing to fire. While zoomed, a superior targeting reticle appears on-screen.
Peek Fire Fire over cover without standing up by pressing .
Swat Turn Move from one cover spot to adjacent cover on the left or right by holding or at the edge of cover and pressing .
Ninety-Degree Cover Turn Round a corner in cover by standing at the edge of a cover-object and pressing or .
Vault Vault over low cover by holding and pressing . Alternatively, quick-vault by pressing twice while approaching low cover. This can also be done while storming to hurdle over cover.
Cover Slip Storm forward out of cover by holding while standing at the edge of cover and then pressing and holding .
Cover Kill Instantly kill enemies standing on the other side of a shared piece of low cover by moving across from them and pressing and holding .
Standing Melee Attack enemies around the edges of cover by standing at the edge and pressing .
The HUD
Shield Bar Ammo Indicator
Health Bar
The HUD, short for Heads-Up Display, is the collection of icons and status bars you see on the edges of the screen as you play the game.
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Shield Bar Monitor your shield level by checking the blue bar on the bottom of the screen. When this bar is full, shields prevent the brunt of an attack from affecting your health. As attacks are absorbed by the shield, it is reduced in strength. When the shield bar is depleted, incoming attacks affect your health bar instead. Shields take several seconds to recharge and regenerate. Any damage taken during this recharge period stops the process. A shattered shield takes longer to regenerate than a partially depleted shield.
Health Bar Health is represented by the red bar broken into five segments that’s tucked underneath the blue shield bar on the bottom of the screen. When you are attacked while the shield bar is depleted, the rightmost red segment of the health bar starts turning gray. Only First Aid can regenerate a fully depleted bar of health. A health segment that is only partially reduced will regenerate on its own if you can get to cover and avoid further damage. You die if you lose all five health segments!
Power Cooldown Indicator Some powers require energy to use. The time it takes before you can use a power again is called cooldown. Cooldown periods vary, depending on the power. When cooldown is in effect, two red semicircles appear on either side of the targeting reticle at the center of the screen. Cooldown time can be judged by the distance between the two semicircles. When these come together and merge, cooldown is complete, and you can use powers again.
Ammo Indicator Weapons use heat-sink technology to enable rapid, devastating firepower. When a clip’s worth of heat accumulates in the sink, it is ejected from the weapon. Running out of heat sinks is effectively the same as running out of ammo. Keep track of you heat-sink inventory on the bottom-left of the screen. The bottom number indicates how many shots the current heat sink has left, and the top number shows you the total number of shots the entire inventory of heat sinks has left. When a weapon runs out of sinks, “No Ammo” will display just below the targeting reticle, and you’ll have to find new cylinders for the weapon or switch to an already-loaded weapon.
Supplies The current number of supplies you are carrying are shown on the left side of the screen. Press to use cobra rocket launchers. Press to use ops survival packs. Press to use medi-gel Press to use thermal clip packs.
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Tips and Help Combat Tips Combat tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Cerberus Defense Combat Rolls Headshots Heavy Melee Higher Ground Barrier Engine Suppress Shields Squad Bonus Squad Configuration
Cerberus uses mobile defenses. Find and destroy the portable generators that power their shield pylons and cover nodes. Use combat rolls to get quickly in and out of cover. Headshots inflict superior damage on most targets. Heavy melee is an effective attack against unarmored or unshielded enemies. Watch out for opponents on higher ground! Elevated enemies can shoot you even in cover. Reaper troops protect themselves by deploying barrier generators called Barrier Engines. Target these first. Keep firing and unleashing powers to prevent enemy shields from regenerating. Squates do more damage when ordered to attack a specific target. Choosing the right squad to complement Shepard’s strengths and weaknesses is key. Experiment with squad configurations.
Enemy Tips Enemy tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Atlas Banshee Brute Cannibal Centurion Engineer Geth Hunter Geth Prime Geth Pyro Guardian
The Atlas is a hulking death machine with powerful armor, shields, and weapons. Shatter the canopy to expose the pilot. Stop a Banshee when she becomes charged by damaging her while she uses biotic jumps to close in. Don’t let a Brute get close! Brutes are vicious opponents that can instantly kill you. Cannibals form armored plating by reclaiming fallen Cannibals and Husks. Shooting these plates deals no damage to the Cannibal until they are blown off. Centurions deploy smoke screens to conceal their movement. See through this by equipping a sniper rifle with certain scope mods. Pick off engineers before they set up armored turrets or repair a damaged Atlas. A cloaked Geth Hunter moves through the field virtually undetected, allowing them to flank with powerful plasma-shotguns. Take out their shields to disable their cloaking ability. Use Sabotage on a Geth Prime to hack its drones and turrets. Geth Pyros have flamethrowers that burn enemies at close range. Target their fuel tanks and use Overload and Sabotage. Guardian shields block powers, shots, and melee. To kill a Guardian, stagger them with Throw or Concussive Shot or use Pull to tear away their shields. Flanking them also works. 26
Marauder Nemesis Phantom Ravager
Marauders buff Husks and Cannibals by giving them armored plating. Take out the Marauder first. The Nemesis is a nimble opponent armed with a powerful sniper rifle. Take cover when you spot red laser sights honing in on your position. Destroy a Phantom’s sword to remove its melee abilities. Phantoms are agile combatants, so keep pressure on them. When a Ravager’s sac breaks, Swarmers are released. Swarmers are weak, but a group of them can kill or keep shields from regenerating.
Powers Tips Power tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team.
Armor Piercing Use hard-hitting weapons against armored opponents. Incendiary and armor-piercing ammo also help.
Barriers & Shields Shields and barriers protect against health damage. Shields appear as blue, and barriers are purple.
Heal Shepard’s current health bar will regenerate, but already-depleted segments can only be restored by using First Aid from the Power Wheel.
ive Powers The last two power upgrades in a tree are ive skills that improve combat, weight capacity, and Paragon and Renegade bonuses.
Power Combos Power combos require a source power and a detonator power. Source powers generally leave a lasting effect on an enemy (Pull, Cryo Blast, Reave, etc.). Detonator powers generally deal high damage or force (Carnage, Incinerate, Warp, etc.). Most powers can be a source, a detonator, or both, so explore the many combinations. Power combos come in four types: Biotic Combos Electric Combos Flame Combos Cryo Combos
Trigger these by combining more than one biotic effect, such as lifting an enemy with Pull before striking them with Warp. Biotic combos result in an explosion that blasts not just the target, but also the area around the target. Trigger these by combining an electrical effect with a detonator, such as electrocuting an enemy with Overload before striking them with Concussive Shot. Electric combos result in bonus damage to shields and a chance to stun undefended enemies. Trigger these by combining a flame effect with a lethal detonator, such as igniting an enemy with Incinerate before finishing them off with Carnage. Flame combos result in bonus damage to armor and a chance to light undefended enemies on fire. Trigger these by combining a freeze effect with a lethal detonator, such as freezing an enemy with Cryo Ammo before finishing them off with Biotic Charge. Cryo combos freeze undefended enemies and will chill the rest. 27
Revive Use the First Aid power to resuscitate a fallen squate from a distance. This consumes medi-gel. Move to your comrade to resuscitate them without using medi-gel.
Strategy: Barriers & Shields Use rapid-fire weapons and Disruptor Ammo to bring down shields and barriers. Stop shields from regenerating by decimating them with Overload, Shield Drain, or Disruptor Ammo.
Strategy: Cerberus Target Cerberus generators with Overload or Sabotage to cripple their defenses. If you take a Cerberus position, repair the shields to use them yourself.
Strategy: Geth Geth rely heavily on their shields and are therefore vulnerable to Overload, Shield Drain, Sabotage, and Disruptor Ammo.
Weight Capacity Carrying too many weapons will increase cooldown, effectively slowing down how often you can use powers.
Weapon Tips Weapon tips from Mass Effect 3’s gameplay team. Armor Piercing Barriers & Shields Cover Piercing Firing from Cover
Use hard-hitting weapons against armored opponents. Incendiary and armor-piercing ammo also helps. Shields and barriers protect against health damage. Shields appear as blue, and barriers are purple. The Widow, Black Widow, and Javelin weapons can fire through enemies and light cover. Mod other weapons, like the Mattock and Claymore, to apply this devastating effect. Weapons are more accurate when fired from cover.
Firing Ranges Test out your weapons on the Citadel’s firing range, located by the Spectre offices. Overheating Weapons have thermal clips to prevent overheating. Clips use a universal design, so retrieve compatible clips from combat areas and fallen enemies. Reducing Recoil Powerful weapons recoil and are difficult to aim. Fire from cover and apply certain mods to steady your hand. Thermal Clips Spent thermal clips are ejected to cool weapons. Run out of clips, and you can’t fire. Weapon Balance It’s good practice to equip one slow, heavy weapon and one rapid-firing weapon to deal with different defenses. Weapon Mods Powerful weapons tend to have decreased thermal-clip capacities. Mod your weapon to improve its efficiency. Weight Capacity Carrying too many weapons will increase cooldown, effectively slowing down how often you can use powers.
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Help NEED HELP? Access help articles for this game or connect to personalized service by visiting help.ea.com/en/mass-effect. Whether online, in community forums, through chat, on the phone, or in your social network, EA game advisors are ready to ensure you get the most out of your game—anytime, anywhere. NOTE: Some services may not be available in all languages or territories.
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