Mass Effect 3 Destroy ending and shepard lives [ Edited ]

[R4MPZY]

hi all,

i just finished mass effect 3 again after a long period of time since it came out, but i didnt have the shepard lives cutscene?

i read somewhere you only get the shepard lives cutscene if you can paragon talk The Illusive Man into killing himself, is this true? because during the last talk i can choose all paragon options except the last one after which he shoots himself.

so i have;

5500+EMS 

100% Galactic Readiness ( which should make my TMS and EMS equal )

98% Paragon

2% Renegade

Could anyone clear this up for me because i'd really like the shepard lives ending

[1ago · Accepted solution]

Yep, usually, that's the point of no return, so I'd make sure you then have 100% (or anything that gives you over 3400 EMS rating at least). I'm not sure if any save beyond that takes other GR-ratings into account. There are some nice references to the ME2 DLCs, especially Kasumi or Overlord, plus they give some War Assets on top, so it's best you do the ME2 DLCs first, right. Have fun!

[R4MPZY]

i found this somewhere

"Illusive Man Paragon/Renegade Ending: A 100% Paragon or Renegade rating unlocks a new blue/red conversation options when talking to the illusive man"

so you need a 100% too be able to use all the paragon conversation options in the last conversation between you and TIM in the citadel?

[toro1d]

I think it's based on your effective military strength. The Mass Effect wiki has more detail, depending on whether or not you have the extended cut DLC installed:

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Priority:_Earth - scroll down to the bottom for the 'Aftermath' section.

Also, the scene is very short - it ends about 1 second after you see Shepard gasp for breath.

[R4MPZY]

thank you for replying,

i have been reading the link you gave me, at the aftermath section ( and yes i have the extended cut ) 

"If EMS is 3100+ and the Destroy option is chosen, Shepard is seen barely alive, gasping for breath (if Anderson is shot by the Illusive Man, the player needs a higher EMS to see this short scene"

i have 5500 EMS but i did not see the scene, i shot the Illusive man with the renegade action before he excecuted anderson. during the scene in which you see your crew in the normandy ashley has my name plate ( she's also my romance ) and she just places my nameplate on the wall and the ship takes off and leaves, then i get credits.

in the 'shepard lives' vids on youtube you see ashley holding the nameplate but instead of placing it on the memorial wall she holds it and eventually looks up in the "air" believing he is still alive, the ship takes off and you get the small cutscene of shepard laying between rumble, but i dont get that?

"If the Destroy option was chosen and the player has very high EMS, the plaque is shown, but not placed on the wall (love interest smiles and doesn't place it) and a scene showing Shepard breathing in a pile of rubble is shown as the last scene before the credits roll." <-- exact words on the wiki page, i have 5500 EMS which should be more then enough according to the site, but this is not the cutscene's im having, why?

[1ago]

It seems you confuse Total Military Strength with Effective Military Strength. If your Galactic Readiness is below 100%, your Effective Military Strength (EMS) is lower than your Total Military Strength. After the Extended Cut, a maximum of 3400 EMS = 6800 Total Military Strength at 50% Galactic Readiness is needed to see every possible ending, which is the standard if you haven't played the Multiplayer or the Datapad.

[edit]I just now saw that you say you have 100% readiness - are you sure about that?

[R4MPZY]

i dont think i'm confusing them,

my total military strength is 5500 yes

but i have played the multiplayer, so i have 100% galactic readiness which also results in EMS being my total military strength isnt it?

without galactic readiness i have around 2700 or so yes, but thats why i did the multiplayer so i got 100% readiness, yet im not having the cutscene's im aiming for

*edit* yes i'm sure, i have been playing multiplayer specificly for that, right now its at 99% cos it lowers a few % each day and im unable to play it atm, something with the servers

[1ago]

Strange. Sometimes, GaW fails during my Single Player game and therefore I only get the 50% GR and no War Assets from Promotions in the Multiplayer, maybe that's what happened to you. Have you tried reloading or replaying from the attack on Cerberus Headquarters? I don't know if it only registers the GaW before the attack on the Illusive Man's base, so maybe if you load a savegame from during or after the attack it doesn't register this anymore.

[R4MPZY]

I have been thinking that aswell, i first did the cerberus HQ mission, i stopped playing for a while, came back and instantly started doing MP to get the galactic readiness, and then did the 2nd part which is the mission on Earth.

I was planning on playing again from scratch, got some new DLC's for my mass effect 2 guy, so am going too do those first, then import my save game again and start over, i was asking this however, so i could be sure i would have the ending i'm aiming for, and if i was doing something wrong or not.

So right before i start the mission for the assault on cerberus HQ in my new playthrough i should make sure to have 100% GR too see if that solves it?

[1ago · Accepted solution]

Yep, usually, that's the point of no return, so I'd make sure you then have 100% (or anything that gives you over 3400 EMS rating at least). I'm not sure if any save beyond that takes other GR-ratings into account. There are some nice references to the ME2 DLCs, especially Kasumi or Overlord, plus they give some War Assets on top, so it's best you do the ME2 DLCs first, right. Have fun!

[R4MPZY]

thank you very much for taking the time to reply on my post and your help!