Mass effect 3 was largely focused on Commander Shepard finding and recruiting potential allies to stop the Invasion of the Grim Reaper before all sentient life in the galaxy was destroyed. When Admiral Hackett received word that what appeared to be a rogue Reaper who had shot down one of his own, he sent Shepard to meet with Dr. Garret Bryson at the Citadel to learn more. Such a powerful ally could mean the difference between survival and extinction, but first, Shepard had to get to the bottom of his mysterious ability to indoctrinate the people around him.
Available after completing the mission “Priority: Palaven”, the Leviathan DLC added an almost X- filesesque mystery to the plot that saw Shepard and EDI combine their abilities to find the truth about the mysterious creature known only as Leviathan. Was he a Reaper, or something even more powerful, and could he persuade himself to join the war effort?
Mission: Dr. Bryson’s Laboratory in the Citadel
Visit Dr. Bryson’s laboratory in the Citadel. Talk to him about the Aurora task force and his work. You’ll be interrupted when his indoctrinated assistant kills him in cold blood before Shepard can intervene. Shepard calls C-Sec and while questioning him, the traumatized assistant reveals that he does not remember the event. After sending him to seek medical attention, EDI arrives to help Shepard examine Dr. Bryson’s research for clues as to what he was doing.
After discovering a transmission log between Hackett and Bryson, Shepard and EDI must investigate the lab for clues as to what Bryson and his teams were doing. Certain interactive items in the quest can be placed on the galaxy map to help Shepard pinpoint the next location and objective, so inspect everything in the immediate lab before moving to the other building on the left, which also contains the apartment. by Bryson. A thorough investigation reveals six filters for the map: Rachni activity, Blackout Crimes, Element Zero locations, Prothean activity, Reaper activity, and Creature Sightings.
Only three of the filters are correct: Reaper Activity, Element Zero locations, and Creature Sightings. The activation of all three points to the location of Dr. Garneau, who was further investigating Bryson’s theories in the field. Before leaving the lab, be sure to pick up the Pistol Cranial Trauma System mod, the SMG High-Velocity Barrel mod, the Pistol Ultralight Materials mod, and the SMG Recoil System mod.
Mission: Find Dr. Garneau
Dr. Garneau is somewhere in the Aysur System of the Caleston Rift; Once there, scan the asteroid belt to locate Mahavid. There is a Reaper scout group near the landing zone consisting of a Brute and two Marauders. Take them out and head to the facility, picking up the medicine cabinet before going through the entrance door to the mine.
Talk to the people at the reception desk to find out that something in the mine is not working. No one will help, but repairing the nearby elevator leads to the next area. Before using the repair drone on the elevator, scan the room for data panels that reveal more about what’s going on, then fix the elevator. Shepard must stay close to the drone, guiding it towards the elevator. With the elevator repaired, head to the next area, where employees issue constant warnings but don’t act on it. Search the area, get XP and 1250 credits from the nearby datapad and terminal, then continue exploring until you reach a floor map security terminal that requires a password.
Head to the next room, scan the data panel for 1250 credits, and then bypass the door. Grab the SMG High-Velocity Barrel and another datapad worth 2,500 credits. This datapad contains an unsent message from Garneau to Bryson and the terminal password. Before returning to the security terminal, inspect the area outside the medical bay to find a data panel with a personal identification required to enter the locked rooms for personnel. Within that area is a Pistol Ultralight Materials mod and two datapads containing time-stamped information ten years earlier. Return to the floor map to activate Garneau security footage and your patient ID number, then return to the medical bay.
Explore the medical bay and talk to someone claiming to be Garneau. Obviously indoctrinated, the slave flees and Shepard chases after him, targeting the stragglers to fight multiple Reaper ground forces outside. After taking out the Reapers and reaching the mine entrance, grab the Medkit and the Pistol Cranial Trauma system before the power goes out. Use the repair drone again, staying close and guiding it to repair areas as squadmates battle Reaper’s forces. Once the drone repairs the power, head back to the door and enter, signaling a scene of an explosion, breaking the hold over the minds of everyone in the facility. They have been captivated by Leviathan for ten years.
Mission: Find Ann Bryson
Return to Bryson’s lab with EDI, who places a protective shield around the strange artifact before looking for the next clue. While searching for information on the Basilisk Project, EDI notes that there is a message from Bryson’s daughter, Ann, on her private terminal. Head upstairs and listen to the message, then search for more clues to find Ann’s location, as she is the obvious next clue. One clue is in the requisition locker, which can be accessed with a card located in the drawer near the head of the shell. Grab the Assault Rifle Omini-blade mod and examine the items Ann took so EDI can tweak the map filters. EDI then recommends searching for the type of ship she was on to locate her, which leads to the terminal in the area on the left side of the lab. With the long-range ship added to the map, Ann’s location is pinpointed and the Normandy can travel to that region to find her.
Travel to the Pylos Nebula and visit the Zaherin system to scan near the planet Namakti. After identifying a signal, land on the planet and begin searching for Ann, who has not responded to the screams. Namakti is riddled with Reapers, and when Ann finally responds to Shepard, she gives him the navigation point for the elevator, which launches a Reaper-filled battle through the unstable ruins of the facility. Climbing ladders and jumping through chasms, pick up the AT-12 assault shotgun and SMG high-speed barrel along the way. There are several Reaper battles between the landing zone and the elevator controls, so get ready to fight. There are also combines that fly overhead and shoot, although they cannot be attacked because they are considered environmental hazards rather than enemies.
To get to the elevator, the bridge control panel must be repaired. Assign a squadmate for repairs and keep the Reapers at bay. After repairing the bridge, head to the elevators. He stops midway, but Ann redirects them to another elevator a floor higher. In the next room, grab the SMG Recoil System mod and navigate the wreckage to encounter two Ravagers and a host of cannibals. Take them out and head to the navigation point, even though Ann’s team is under attack. Ann is the only survivor and, after taking her to safety, Shepard will inform her of her father’s death. On the trip to the shuttle, Shepard notices several ancient paintings that eerily resemble Reapers, but determines that they are actually depictions of Leviathan.
Mission: Find Leviathan
Back in Bryson’s lab, Ann will conclude that you can pinpoint Leviathan’s location by interacting with the mysterious artifact and allowing it to be indoctrinated while EDI tracks the signal. Shepard can use two Renegade interrupts to keep Ann indoctrinated long enough to know the exact location of Leviathan. Three new systems open at Sigurd’s Cradle. If the exact location was not identified, scan each of the new systems for war resources until the site is revealed on Psi Tophet. Travel with Cortez and the crew to the site, only to have some interference force the landing. As Cortez repairs the shuttle, fight through waves of Reapers and scout the area to find loads of loot, including multiple datapads, Eezo caches, medkits, and some weapons.
After Steve repairs the Kodiak, he quickly realizes that ongoing interference is preventing him from staying in the air. While doing a second round of repairs, protect the Kodiak and Steve from Reaper’s numerous waves. Cortez eventually recommends using the nearby Triton ADS Mech, which Shepard can reach using power cells from the Kodiak to restore power. Once powered up, climb inside and use your weapons to take out the remaining Brutes and Reaper forces along the way, then walk to the edge of the wreck to dive into the water.
What follows is a moody sequence, but you’re basically on rails. Look for the probe, which leads to Leviathan. The organic apex predator, who remarkably resembles Reaper, rises up and invades Shepard’s mind, shares his story, and reveals that they will keep Shepard there with them until the invasion is over, at which point Shepard will become their slave. Shepard must convince the Leviathan to let them go and lend his efforts to stop the Reapers, and although they do not entirely agree, they promise to destroy the Reapers who invade their territory on Psi Tophet.
After returning to the surface with the mission completed, Shepard gains the Leviathan Enchantment Team’s war asset. If Ann Bryson was not incapacitated during her indoctrination to locate Leviathan, she also becomes a war asset. More importantly, Shepard uncovers the truth about where the Reapers really come from, and whether that helps them decide how to deal with the threat when all is said and done is up to them.
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