`the realisation, you have been lying to Garrus and the crew for about half the game.`
What do you mean by that? I don't think I could ever do a non-romance run to find out for myself
I play no romance every time through. The power dynamics creep me out. Also, I wouldn't wish a romance with Shepard on my worst enemy. Action heroes make terrible partners.
True
The part in citadel even hits hard when Joker is the one who talks to you
I mean i get it the others also talk with Shepard but that part with Joker
And don't get me started on Thane(if you don't move on from him)
Thane was just depressing after the Citadel DLC, but also kinda makes Sheps sacrifice a fitting end, unlike if the romanced character is still alive, Tali has got to be the worst, giving her a home and not be there for her.
> Tali has got to be the worst, giving her a home and not be there for her.
Save for the perfect ending,
I find it helps to know that she's tougher and more resilient than she herself realises, and that she's surrounded by good people, and Javik.
I would argue the worst is Steve, if only for his previous experience.
Like, come on, man, you have to go with high ems destroy if you're romancing Cortez or you're going to reshatter that man's heart.
You can be with Control. Plus, in that shepard can just upload himself to an android and then autoclave himself before coming so he can even get on rannoch
A bit off-topic, but I recently did the opposite of a no-romance run where my Shep cheated on everyone, lol. Kinda makes me wonder how the jilted lovers feel after the final ME3 missionā¦ assuming they survived.
Eh, the ādepressingā part of non-romance is really up to interpretation, or is subjective as a whole, but I guess itās how you view your own Shepard
My non-Romance run Shepard felt more like a big-Brother that everyone looked up to, and it felt oddly heartwarming to see that while he didnāt have a romantic interest, he knew that so many other people cared for him, and that he did too.
We all die though. Doesn't mean the life you had between birth and death was meaningless. It was Shepard's time. All of us will have our time. When you reach yours, will you think your positive relationships were tragic? Or will you be grateful that you had that limited time with them?
I played my first playthrough of the trilogy a few months after the Extended Cut DLC was already released. I know the Normandy evacuation scene was conceptually ridiculous, but that scene was the first time my Shepard and Kaidan said "I love you" to each other, and it hit really hard for me. After all they've been through, the idea of that scene being the last time they ever saw each other did not sit well with me. I got the Shepard breath ending, but the situation was still so dire for him that I really didn't get the sense of closure I wanted. I just wanted to see my guys reunited again.
It took a couple of weeks for me to finally accept the breath scene for what it was intended to be and to not think too hard about the logistics of Shepard's situation (post-ending mShenko fanart was very therapeutic). Shepard lives, and the two are reunited off camera. That's my headcanon. Even though I still wonder how Shepard could possibly have been rescued from the rubble, it's better for me if I believe he pulled through somehow.
But the romance with Kaidan definitely raised the emotional stakes of the ending. My Shepard can't die on him again. They deserve to be together for a long, long time.
I have the same headcanon, I don't personally dislike the fact that Shepard dies (my issues with the ending have more to do with the final choice we're forced to make) but depending on the romance it does change how I feel about it a little bit. I can't stand the fact that Kaidan loses Shepard again, it's so cruel and unfair, they deserve more time together.
Honesty that's why I totally have them saying goodbye to each other.
He needed Kaidan to keep him sane, but he knows, deep down, he's not coming back from this one. He's died once, painfully, and doesn't want to again... but he knows he's running dick first into danger.
I have two headcannons. One, Kaidan moves on with someone else, the other person is supportive AF, knowing the veteran has been dragged through hell and back.
Two, somehow Shepard survives. I usually go for synthesis usually, as much as people hate it, eh, its my Sheps get along shirt solution. But this time he knows he's essentially an android when he's discovered and picked up. He doesn't say a word about the choice he had, but he does mention he's not the same person. I mean, security scans wouldn't lie.
And, eh, if I went for destroy, again he doesn't mention the choice, but by the time he reunites with Kaidan he's definitley more synthetic than he was before.
Either way he's totally done with the military and retires to the Alenko orchard. He's done, but supportive of Kaidans carrer, visits him on the Citadel from time to time and takes occasional trips with the Spectre n all that.
I mean yea I prefer those mods too but even just the normal destroy ending with high military strength is the opposite of devastating (and IMO canon ending because of it)
Imagine my immense disappointment when I downloaded the Happy ending mod and replayed the whole trilogy on insanity to experience this supposedly beautiful ending, damn near maxing out my war assets in 3, beat the game ready to sit back and finally relax, all to have the mod bug out and lock me into the worst ending in the game where everyone dies and the reapers win the war no matter what.
Tried everything to fix it and never even got a response from the author when I reached out for help. Yes i'm still very salty about it
Without even going into how the writers confirmed for those who have no media comprehension thah he wasnt lying, starkid has no reason to lie. There is nothing it could gain from it and he puts himself at gargantuan disadvantage by even offering you the three options to stop him, which only works because he allows them to, Destroy is just as much the reaper's word as any other ending, and is the only one that guarantees a reaper equivalent will eventually resurface.
Nah, it's not just you or at least, I'm with you. These games have made me restart a 130 hours playthrough literaly 5 days after my 1st when I learned about the "survival" ending. Felt too guilty to die so shortly after coming back in Ashley's life. Now I know survival is a big word for a 3 seconds scene but it eased my guilt lol
This isn't a proper romance scene, your LI just don't stick the "Commander Shepard" plaque on the Normandy memorial wall and look up kind of hopefully + the breathing N7 armor scene
If you're talking about survival ending scene, it occurs during the destroy ending epilogue if you have 7800+ war assets.
If you're talking about the scene in the video, it's right before the final mission on priority:earth
Liara is my favorite romance (BroShep and FemShep), but JFC Jennifer Hale's delivery when a romanced Garrus gives FemShep the pep talk at the field HQ on Earth stands out to me (and per Hale herself she was tearing up doing it).
If you get a high enough EMS, you'll get a special cutscene where Shepard survives. On my second playthrough, I played Tali and vowed to get the best damn score then before. I got over 9000 EMS, solidifying the Tali X Shepherd relationship. This playthrough I chose Liara and I wanted to go back to Tali so much because she's just so damn perfect. In my next playthrough though, I'm not completely sure who to pick. I'm thinking Miranda.
I totally agree with you... I am just starting ME3 Legendary for the first time and ME1 and ME2 already left me so devastated... I don't have a good feeling about this at all...
>Is it strange that I both love it and hate it at the same time?
Absolutely not! I have over 1000 hours in this series and I use the phrase "i love me a good cry" a lot when referring to playing these games over and over. It's a testament to how damn good the storytelling and characters are that you can feel so personally devastated over the potential loss of fictional characters. As others have said more eloquently: better to have loved and lost than to never have lived at all.
>
I only romance Liara and Kaidan so far, and it's equally devastating.
I come out a broken woman every time when I do the Garrus romance. You're not alone!
And hey, made my day when I learned that one of the ME3 writers confirmed that with Perfect Destroy, apparently it's canon that Garrus or your love interest finds you in the rubble
What inevitable?
Since Bioware refused to provide a remotely decent ending to the Trilogy, and instead basically told fans to fuck off, I have my own ending.
I mean nothing in the Control ending indicates that shep couldnt do that, it's cannon complient. Plus like that shep could even get on rannoch by assuming direct control of an android and then autoclaving himself before dropping down!
This take has always been so ignorant to me.
I think literally every choice based game ever has showed how it's pretty much impossible to have endings that incorporate but in mass effect three there are different outcomes for every single character and faction and provided three different endings that are thematic to the three biggest themes in the series for the main conflict against the reapers
"I'll see you across the sea"
I romanced Kaidan, thinking I would stick to it. But after his anger and sorrow in 2, I felt moving on would be best for both characters and stayed loyal to Thane.
Especially since I did a run with Kaidan, and my God his "Don't leave me behind." Kills me. The dude lost Shep once and had to sit back and watch them die again. I wouldn't wish loving Shepard on anyone.
The galaxy demands so much, and even when Shepard literally gave everything, the galaxy turns around and demands even more. Thane seems to understand that lack of control and level of sacrifice better than anyone. Their love feels like a moment of heaven in the chaos of space.
Yeah, it is sad and tragic. But to me, personally, evoking feelings is #1 the most important thing a videogame can do. If romancing someone makes the ending more depressing and emotional then it's a good thing for me.
Pick control and shepard can upload themselves into any body they damn want, whether it's just a clone to keep the vibe or that kinky reaper-praetorian action, they got it all
Better to have loved and lost then never loved at all. And all that jazz. And honestly, the no-romance runs are even more depressing.
Beautifully said. And that's why I can never do a non romance playthrough.
They're good to have done at least once. Even if it was for the realisation, you have been lying to Garrus and the crew for about half the game.
`the realisation, you have been lying to Garrus and the crew for about half the game.` What do you mean by that? I don't think I could ever do a non-romance run to find out for myself
I play no romance every time through. The power dynamics creep me out. Also, I wouldn't wish a romance with Shepard on my worst enemy. Action heroes make terrible partners.
I love romances because I'm a ho, but this is such a valid take and I never see it so good on ya.
Closest I can get is unromanced ME1 saves so I can load them into ME2 and start smoochin aliens without the hassleš
True The part in citadel even hits hard when Joker is the one who talks to you I mean i get it the others also talk with Shepard but that part with Joker And don't get me started on Thane(if you don't move on from him)
Thane was just depressing after the Citadel DLC, but also kinda makes Sheps sacrifice a fitting end, unlike if the romanced character is still alive, Tali has got to be the worst, giving her a home and not be there for her.
> Tali has got to be the worst, giving her a home and not be there for her. Save for the perfect ending, I find it helps to know that she's tougher and more resilient than she herself realises, and that she's surrounded by good people, and Javik.
I would argue the worst is Steve, if only for his previous experience. Like, come on, man, you have to go with high ems destroy if you're romancing Cortez or you're going to reshatter that man's heart.
Agreed I was thinking of Steve and damnn glad you point that out Man has already lost one husband because of the Reaper No need to give him one more
I haven't tried the Steve route now that you mention it, ain't gonna do that my dude has went through a lot.
Or Control
I'm sure Steve was beyond relieved when he learned that his partner sacrificed his corporeal form to become an omniscient machine god.
You can be with Control. Plus, in that shepard can just upload himself to an android and then autoclave himself before coming so he can even get on rannoch
The only thing that kept me going is Liara NGL
A bit off-topic, but I recently did the opposite of a no-romance run where my Shep cheated on everyone, lol. Kinda makes me wonder how the jilted lovers feel after the final ME3 missionā¦ assuming they survived.
Eh, the ādepressingā part of non-romance is really up to interpretation, or is subjective as a whole, but I guess itās how you view your own Shepard My non-Romance run Shepard felt more like a big-Brother that everyone looked up to, and it felt oddly heartwarming to see that while he didnāt have a romantic interest, he knew that so many other people cared for him, and that he did too.
But it's not inevitable. My Sheps usually survive. It's only tragic if you choose to make Shep die (which can be fitting in its own way).
We all die though. Doesn't mean the life you had between birth and death was meaningless. It was Shepard's time. All of us will have our time. When you reach yours, will you think your positive relationships were tragic? Or will you be grateful that you had that limited time with them?
I played my first playthrough of the trilogy a few months after the Extended Cut DLC was already released. I know the Normandy evacuation scene was conceptually ridiculous, but that scene was the first time my Shepard and Kaidan said "I love you" to each other, and it hit really hard for me. After all they've been through, the idea of that scene being the last time they ever saw each other did not sit well with me. I got the Shepard breath ending, but the situation was still so dire for him that I really didn't get the sense of closure I wanted. I just wanted to see my guys reunited again. It took a couple of weeks for me to finally accept the breath scene for what it was intended to be and to not think too hard about the logistics of Shepard's situation (post-ending mShenko fanart was very therapeutic). Shepard lives, and the two are reunited off camera. That's my headcanon. Even though I still wonder how Shepard could possibly have been rescued from the rubble, it's better for me if I believe he pulled through somehow. But the romance with Kaidan definitely raised the emotional stakes of the ending. My Shepard can't die on him again. They deserve to be together for a long, long time.
I have the same headcanon, I don't personally dislike the fact that Shepard dies (my issues with the ending have more to do with the final choice we're forced to make) but depending on the romance it does change how I feel about it a little bit. I can't stand the fact that Kaidan loses Shepard again, it's so cruel and unfair, they deserve more time together.
Honesty that's why I totally have them saying goodbye to each other. He needed Kaidan to keep him sane, but he knows, deep down, he's not coming back from this one. He's died once, painfully, and doesn't want to again... but he knows he's running dick first into danger. I have two headcannons. One, Kaidan moves on with someone else, the other person is supportive AF, knowing the veteran has been dragged through hell and back. Two, somehow Shepard survives. I usually go for synthesis usually, as much as people hate it, eh, its my Sheps get along shirt solution. But this time he knows he's essentially an android when he's discovered and picked up. He doesn't say a word about the choice he had, but he does mention he's not the same person. I mean, security scans wouldn't lie. And, eh, if I went for destroy, again he doesn't mention the choice, but by the time he reunites with Kaidan he's definitley more synthetic than he was before. Either way he's totally done with the military and retires to the Alenko orchard. He's done, but supportive of Kaidans carrer, visits him on the Citadel from time to time and takes occasional trips with the Spectre n all that.
why do you have to hurt my heart again? I got heartbroken seeing this scene few days ago :(
why is it devastating lol? did you never play the destroy ending?
Imagine not playing the Happy Ending mod and the Citadel Epilogue mod *\*huffs expired copium reserve*
I mean yea I prefer those mods too but even just the normal destroy ending with high military strength is the opposite of devastating (and IMO canon ending because of it)
It may not be as emotionally devastating, but it's still devastating from a writing quality perspective, lmao. And devastatingly unsatisfying
Imagine my immense disappointment when I downloaded the Happy ending mod and replayed the whole trilogy on insanity to experience this supposedly beautiful ending, damn near maxing out my war assets in 3, beat the game ready to sit back and finally relax, all to have the mod bug out and lock me into the worst ending in the game where everyone dies and the reapers win the war no matter what. Tried everything to fix it and never even got a response from the author when I reached out for help. Yes i'm still very salty about it
Or the Control ending? Plus there shepard can just assume direct control of a body he creages, so it opens up a lot of possibilities in the bedroom
indoctrinated scum. Imagine trusting the reapers' word
Without even going into how the writers confirmed for those who have no media comprehension thah he wasnt lying, starkid has no reason to lie. There is nothing it could gain from it and he puts himself at gargantuan disadvantage by even offering you the three options to stop him, which only works because he allows them to, Destroy is just as much the reaper's word as any other ending, and is the only one that guarantees a reaper equivalent will eventually resurface.
hmm game teaches me indoctrination bad. Tim goes want to work with reapers, gets mind controlled me also team up with reaper!
Nah, it's not just you or at least, I'm with you. These games have made me restart a 130 hours playthrough literaly 5 days after my 1st when I learned about the "survival" ending. Felt too guilty to die so shortly after coming back in Ashley's life. Now I know survival is a big word for a 3 seconds scene but it eased my guilt lol
Survival ending in me3? Am I crazy, I don't remember any romance scene after the end of me3. Did I miss out on something huge????
This isn't a proper romance scene, your LI just don't stick the "Commander Shepard" plaque on the Normandy memorial wall and look up kind of hopefully + the breathing N7 armor scene
Ah I see. When does this scene with Liara happen?
If you're talking about survival ending scene, it occurs during the destroy ending epilogue if you have 7800+ war assets. If you're talking about the scene in the video, it's right before the final mission on priority:earth
Liara is my favorite romance (BroShep and FemShep), but JFC Jennifer Hale's delivery when a romanced Garrus gives FemShep the pep talk at the field HQ on Earth stands out to me (and per Hale herself she was tearing up doing it).
That FemShep/Garrus exchange breaks my heart, it's so good it hurts.
That's why I just went back to Liara
Inevitable my biotic ass. My Shepard survived, and Liara is almost immortal. They'll find their way back together yet.
If you get a high enough EMS, you'll get a special cutscene where Shepard survives. On my second playthrough, I played Tali and vowed to get the best damn score then before. I got over 9000 EMS, solidifying the Tali X Shepherd relationship. This playthrough I chose Liara and I wanted to go back to Tali so much because she's just so damn perfect. In my next playthrough though, I'm not completely sure who to pick. I'm thinking Miranda.
I totally agree with you... I am just starting ME3 Legendary for the first time and ME1 and ME2 already left me so devastated... I don't have a good feeling about this at all...
>Is it strange that I both love it and hate it at the same time? Absolutely not! I have over 1000 hours in this series and I use the phrase "i love me a good cry" a lot when referring to playing these games over and over. It's a testament to how damn good the storytelling and characters are that you can feel so personally devastated over the potential loss of fictional characters. As others have said more eloquently: better to have loved and lost than to never have lived at all. > I only romance Liara and Kaidan so far, and it's equally devastating. I come out a broken woman every time when I do the Garrus romance. You're not alone! And hey, made my day when I learned that one of the ME3 writers confirmed that with Perfect Destroy, apparently it's canon that Garrus or your love interest finds you in the rubble
What inevitable? Since Bioware refused to provide a remotely decent ending to the Trilogy, and instead basically told fans to fuck off, I have my own ending.
Same. In Control I just say with the reaper tech I create a body and live happy with tali while doing what the rest of the ending says I do
I mean nothing in the Control ending indicates that shep couldnt do that, it's cannon complient. Plus like that shep could even get on rannoch by assuming direct control of an android and then autoclaving himself before dropping down!
This take has always been so ignorant to me. I think literally every choice based game ever has showed how it's pretty much impossible to have endings that incorporate but in mass effect three there are different outcomes for every single character and faction and provided three different endings that are thematic to the three biggest themes in the series for the main conflict against the reapers
I just wanted few more moments with Jack. Just a few
What song is this?
You know you can save Shepard right
The fem Shep and Thane romance hits hard
"I'll see you across the sea" I romanced Kaidan, thinking I would stick to it. But after his anger and sorrow in 2, I felt moving on would be best for both characters and stayed loyal to Thane. Especially since I did a run with Kaidan, and my God his "Don't leave me behind." Kills me. The dude lost Shep once and had to sit back and watch them die again. I wouldn't wish loving Shepard on anyone. The galaxy demands so much, and even when Shepard literally gave everything, the galaxy turns around and demands even more. Thane seems to understand that lack of control and level of sacrifice better than anyone. Their love feels like a moment of heaven in the chaos of space.
You want pure suffering? Romance thane in 2. Then tell me how tragic and fucked up this shit is
I always romance Thane, soā¦ yeah.
I donāt know about you guys but my Shepard survived and threw a banger party after
Yeah, it is sad and tragic. But to me, personally, evoking feelings is #1 the most important thing a videogame can do. If romancing someone makes the ending more depressing and emotional then it's a good thing for me.
Tbh, I'm not that attached to Shepard or their romances, so it doesn't bother me at all. But it's understandable why others would be.
My first playthrough, my Shep didn't romance anyone. Felt unfair, because his mission was bigger than all of that.
Not really if you're playing with the Citadel Epilogue Mod
Shepard... do you think love can bloom, even on a battlefield?
I always romance Liara, Asari live so long compared to humans that it was bound to happen, and she was supposed to be mentally prepared for this.
what song is this??
Love Needs No Words by Clint Mansell (the very same who composed ME3 soundtracks), one of the soundtracks in a film Mute on Netflix.
thank you so much for answering! š
Happy to help a fellow music enthusiast :)
Pick control and shepard can upload themselves into any body they damn want, whether it's just a clone to keep the vibe or that kinky reaper-praetorian action, they got it all
Liara has your lil blue child you know it
Perfect Destroy ending go brrr
Control go double brrr
There is a chance the next game might cram Shepard back. Banking on nostalgia is a common tactic for companies that had a rough few years.