Achieving Mass Effect

Published December 5, 2007

Collecting Gamerscore in Mass Effect™ involves a classic balance of natural, story-based achievements with several unique, more challenging achievements that require you to think strategically about how you approach the game. We've tackled these less obvious achievements for you here. If you're wondering where on earth the Prothean Codex entry can be found, or just how to get a million credits, we've got the answers for you.

Play with the same two squad-mates every mission for the Ally achievements.

Scholar (Find all primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races, and Non-Council Races codex entries - 25 points)
It's very easy to accidentally miss out on this achievement. While you can track down every entry but one by chatting with the Avina computer terminals, the ambassadors, and the council on the Citadel, you can only gain the Extinct Races: Prothean entry by talking with Nihlus before the Eden Prime mission. Make sure to explore both Prothean dialogue options during your initial chat with Nihlus. If you don't, you'll need to start a new character to score this achievement.

Ally (Complete the majority of the game with a certain squad member - 20 points)
The Ally achievements exist for every member of your squad, though you can really only hope to unlock two achievements per Mass Effect playthrough. Essentially, choose two squad members from the beginning and take them on every single assignment and mission.

What's more, this includes completing dozens of side-missions, so make sure you've fully explored the galaxy before engaging the final mission. Alternatively, keep a separate save point before starting the final mission so you can head back afterward and clear out all the exploration assignments to unlock these achievements. This will almost certainly include the collectible assignments as well, so make sure you scan every planet and track down every mineral deposit and artifact when exploring planets in the Mako.

It's worth tracking every planet you've explored so you don't have to backtrack.

Tactician (Complete playthrough with shield damage greater than health damage - 25 points)
This achievement may come as a matter of course on Casual or Normal difficulty, but on Veteran, Hardcore or Insane, you would do well to take out a couple of insurance policies. First, use the Shields statistic as your primary factor when choosing which armor to wear, and secondly, make sure you have access to the highest available Shield Boost skill. In addition, focus on shield-boosting items when selecting your armor upgrades. Beyond that, just keep a close eye on your shields during combat, and if they fail completely, step back behind cover and wait for them to regenerate.

Paramour (Complete any romance subplot - 10 points)
Though the Paramour achievement isn't complicated, it can be easy to miss. Take the time in between every mission (not assignments) to chat fully with your chosen partner. Explore every dialogue option available, and you'll slowly develop a rapport which should culminate just before traveling to Ilos for the last mission.

Rich (Exceed 1,000,000 credits - 25 points)
There has been some confusion regarding the Rich achievement among players. The point is not to have accrued one million credits overall, but instead, to have at least one million credits all at once. If you want to get Rich from the start, avoid spending money at vendors (you should find plenty of quality gear just by looting) until you crack the one million barrier. After that, spend all you want.

Rely too much on a single weapon and you'll miss out on achievements.

Charismatic (Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation - 10 points)
You should be able to pick this achievement up early on, provided your Intimidate or Charm ability is maxed out. For example, you can avoid combat with some of Fist's warehouse goons in Chora's Den with some quick-witted dialogue. Just make sure to select the Red (Intimidate) or Blue (Charm) dialogue option as they become available. Also, it's worth noting that there's no reason to spend points in both Intimidate and Charm. Pick one or the other, not both.

Paragon/Renegade (Accumulate 75% of total Paragon/Renegade points - 15 points)
Decide from the beginning whether you want to play the heroic, chivalrous (read: Paragon) Commander Shepherd or embrace a more ruthless, take-no-prisoners approach (Renegade). It's important to play almost exclusively one way or the other. If you play too balanced, you'll end up not having access to enough Paragon or Renegade points to achieve the 75% threshold for either achievement.

Know that the upper-right-hand dialogue option almost always represents the Paragon path while the lower-right-hand option is the Renegade approach. Likewise, Charm lends itself to the Paragon side while Intimidate will usually score you Renegade points.

These tips should put you on the path to getting some of these difficult Achievements. Of course, getting a perfect Gamerscore in the game will require multiple playthroughs. But that can be a lot of fun as you discover new ways to play. Good luck on your missions!

Article by Ryan Treit