"Priority: Achievements." A Guide to Achievements in Mass Effect 3

Like many modern games, [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3) has a complete set of achievements (also known as trophies). Unlike previous installments, achievements here do not provide any bonuses during gameplay, but they are now displayed on your Bioware social profile (for example, here are my achievements). All achievements can be obtained in single-player mode, but one of them requires an active Galaxy at War system, and for this, console version owners must activate or purchase an Online Pass (this does not concern PC players). There are no achievements in Mass Effect 3 that require guides, like surviving the whole team in Mass Effect 2, but a guide is still useful. Some achievements can be completed in both single-player and multiplayer.

If you want to unlock as many achievements as possible in one playthrough, here’s a quick briefing. The game has two achievements for the insanity difficulty level, so if you have a character from Mass Effect 2 and your hands still remember how to control Shepard, I recommend starting the game on insanity right away — it will save you one playthrough. If your character is new, you will have to complete the game twice anyway, and the difficulty selection does not matter in this case. Remember a simple rule: you need to complete all side missions as soon as they become available. This applies not to minor quests from the Citadel, but to full-fledged missions highlighted by blinking on the galaxy map. The story mission is always called "Priority: *name*", and I strongly advise you not to tackle it until it’s the last one left on the map. Besides missions, during the game, you need to keep two things in mind: love and maximum galaxy readiness. Of course, a normal player in [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3) will find it hard not to think about this, but what if you are a pink penguin.

All other achievements can be easily completed after the finale, so scroll down and explore the description of the achievement you are interested in.

Story Achievements

You don’t need to think about completing these achievements; they will be yours by the end of any playthrough.


Driven

Return to fulfilling direct duties.

Bringer of War

Catch the killer.

Mobilizer

Take aboard a veteran officer.

World Shaker

Destroy the "Atlas" dropped from orbit.

Pathfinder

Explore the lost city.

Party Crasher

Sabotage the dreadnought.

Hard Target

Request an orbital strike.

Arbiter

Win a political standoff.

Last Witness

Obtain ancient technology.

Executioner

Achieve victory over an old enemy.

Well Connected

Warn the galaxy.

Patriot

Initiate the final assault.

Legend / Легенда

Task completed.

Achievements You Can Lose

If you do not complete such an achievement at a certain stage in the game, you will have to start the whole game over to obtain it. Under the spoiler — achievements from side missions that become unavailable over time. The guidance is simple: if there are several missions highlighted on the galaxy map, complete the story one ("Priority: *name*") last. The same applies to major story planets where there are several missions.

There are N7 missions, and there are six of them, which take place on multiplayer maps, so you have the choice between single-player and multiplayer. They do not carry a story burden in single-player.


Tunnel Rat

Survive an attack by a swarm.

Saboteur

Disarm a fighter squad.

Fact Finder

Uncover the monstrous origins of the enemy.

Liberator

Stop the kidnappings conducted by "Cerberus".

Problem Solver

Evacuate the science center.

Tourist

Complete one cooperative game or two N7 missions.

Explorer

Complete three cooperative games or five N7 missions.

Tour of Duty

Complete the game on each of the cooperative game maps or complete all N7 missions in single-player.

Paramour

Start or rekindle a romantic relationship.

What is [Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect) without seductive scenes! In the third part, you can continue the romantic line from the first part, from the second, or weave new intrigues. Be careful: for obscure reasons, not every partner is suitable for this achievement. And not all possible characters can be alive in your story.

For male Shepards:

- Liara

- Ashley

- Kaidan

- Tali (only if you had a romantic relationship in [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2))

- Miranda (only if you had a romantic relationship in [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2), the achievement is not granted)

- Diana Allers (reporter, achievement is not granted)

- Stephen Cortez (gay from the lower deck (not Vega))

For female Shepards:

- Liara

- Kaidan

- Garrus (only if you had a romantic relationship in [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2))

- Thane (only if you had a romantic relationship in [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2), the achievement is not granted)

- Diana Allers (reporter, achievement is not granted)

- Samantha Traynor (assistant at the galaxy map)

And if you are looking for a spectacle, I suggest playing as a female Shepard and choosing Samantha :)

Hijacker

Steal an "Atlas".

A simple achievement, but also easy to miss. When your opponent is the "Atlas" mechanized unit, shoot bullets (energy guns are not suitable) at its windshield until it breaks. Then kill the pilot and climb into its seat.

It is easiest to obtain this in Grissom Academy, when the plot requires you to control a similar mechanized unit. When the "Atlas" comes against you, shoot it only with the machine gun (left mouse) until the pilot kicks the bucket, then jump out of your mech and jump into the enemy's. Just make sure to do this quickly, as enemy soldiers will also try to take the wheel.

Master and Commander

Deliver maximum resources to the Galaxy War for the decisive battle.

To obtain this achievement, you need to accumulate military strength of over 4000 by the time you cross the point of no return (mission "Priority: Cerberus"). It is considered that it can be missed, but in practice, this is difficult: you need to not complete side missions and fail almost everything. However, it is impossible to obtain the trophy in single-player, and here’s why.

As you progress through the story, you accumulate total military strength, which is displayed in gray on the screen. For the trophy, you need the "combat-ready troops" value, which is green and calculated using the formula (total military strength * galaxy readiness index). The galaxy readiness index is a "brilliant" idea from Bioware to lure players into multiplayer. By default, it is fixed at 50%, and you cannot increase it in single-player mode at all. But with perfect playthrough, you will accumulate around 7400 total resources, and therefore 3700 effective ones. For this achievement, you will have to fight in multiplayer very little.

For more detailed information about the readiness index, refer to the hint for the achievement "Defender".

Global Achievements

Complete the game fully under certain conditions

Insanity

Complete the game on "Insanity" difficulty level, without changing it after leaving Earth.

Unwavering

Complete all cooperative game maps on "Gold" level, or all single-player missions on "Insanity" level.

These achievements are highly valued on consoles, which is not surprising: the insanity difficulty level has become even crazier than in Mass Effect 2. Enemies have learned to use grenades, and the beasts and banshees will require impeccable control of the situation. But in most cases, the tactics are standard: don't be reckless, retreat if you can, and use abilities more often to avoid wasting ammo. The Prothean rifle from the From Ashes DLC allows you not to worry about ammo.

The difference between the two achievements is that for the first, it is enough just to reach the end, while for the second, you must complete all combat missions on insanity, including side and N7 missions. Instead of fully clearing the single-player, you can try to get all gold in cooperative mode, but in my opinion, if you decide to play on insanity, it’s easier to clear everything right away than later to level up in multiplayer and gather an adequate team for gold. It saves both time and nerves.

For the second achievement, planet exploration missions are not needed, only combat ones. The complete list below. By the point of no return, before starting the mission "Priority: Cerberus", the counter should show 24/27.

\- **Prologue - Priority: Mars** - Story mission

- Prologue - Priority: Citadel - Story mission

- Priority: Palaven - Story mission

- Grissom Academy: Evacuation - Side mission

- N7: Cerberus Laboratory - N7 mission

- Priority: Sur'Kesh - Story mission

- Tuchanka: Turian Squad - Side mission

- Attican Traverse: Rachni - Side mission

- Tuchanka: Bomb - Side mission

- N7: Cerberus Assault - N7 mission

- N7: Cerberus Kidnappings - N7 mission

- Priority: Tuchanka - Story mission

- Priority: Citadel II - Story mission

- N7: Cerberus Fighter Base - N7 mission

- Priority: Perseus Veil - Story mission

- N7: Fuel Reactors - N7 mission

- Kallini: Yartat-Yakshi Monastery - Side mission

- Arraya: Former Cerberus Scientists - Side mission

- Rannoch: Gether Killers - Side mission

- Rannoch: Admiral Koris - Side mission

- Priority: Rannoch - Story mission

- Priority: Thessia - Story mission

- Priority: Horizon - Story mission

- N7: Communications Center - N7 mission

- Priority: Cerberus - Story mission

- Priority: Earth - Story mission

- Epilogue: Citadel - Story mission

Long Service Medal

Complete Mass Effect 3 twice, or once with a character transferred from Mass Effect 2.

A traditional achievement for the entire trilogy and a major problem for those who do not have a save from Mass Effect 2. Yes, you will have to completely play through the game twice. Let it be without cleaning side quests, but it may take an extra ten or so hours. However, to obtain many other achievements, you will have to play the game a second time if you are starting from scratch. PC players can, of course, download a save from the internet, but on consoles, you cannot cheat.

Accumulative Achievements

Achievements that require you to do something a certain number of times throughout the game. Progress can be viewed in the achievements menu within the game.

Recruit

Kill 250 enemies.

Soldier

Kill 1,000 enemies.

Veteran

Kill 5,000 enemies.

250 and even 1,000 enemies can be easily accumulated in one playthrough, but 5,000 is harder. You can kill about 1,500 enemies throughout the game, meaning you will need more than three full playthroughs, which is too much. There are two options: go to multiplayer or grind in places with infinite respawns. There are two such places in the game. The first is at the very start of the game with Anderson. Play through until you automatically take cover and are shown the instructions on what to do to shoot. Ignore it, approach the husks, and hit them with abilities. You won't be able to set up melee combat, and shooting will disable respawns, so the ideal choice is Butchery or Incinerate. You will have to monotonously hit them for a few hours.

The second infinite respawn location is at the very end of the game, but also on Earth. When EDI finishes targeting the second rocket at the Reaper, do not run to the button, but continue shooting enemies. You can use weapons, but the enemies are no longer husks, but banshees, and you will need a lot of ammo. You will either have to set turrets as an engineer or use the Prothean rifle from the DLC, its ammo regenerates over time. The difficulty, of course, is only minimal.

Perhaps this is the most annoying achievement in Mass Effect 3.

Bruiser

Kill 100 enemies in melee combat.

Overload Specialist

Overload the shields of 100 enemies.

Sky High

Lift 100 enemies into the air using abilities.

Pyromaniac

Burn 100 enemies using abilities.

Just use these abilities during your playthrough. If by the end you haven't reached the required amount, head to multiplayer, where the counter ticks the fastest. Important: the abilities must be used by Shepard himself; team members do not count. If your selected class for single-player doesn't have "Overload", you will either have to start over or grind only in multiplayer.

Mail Slot

Kill 10 "Guardians" with a headshot from the front while they are shielded.

The required enemy is depicted in the achievement image, a brute with a shotgun carrying a high shield with a slit for eyes. This slit is what we need. Weaken the enemy, and at the moment they fully shield themselves, shoot accurately at this slit. Repeat ten times.

Combined Arms

Execute any combination of 50 biotic or tech combos.

A combination is counted when you aim at an enemy in the ability wheel with two different character abilities, and both reach the target. A list of available biotic combos can be found in this post. In Mass Effect 3, technical combinations also appeared, but that deserves a separate post.

Important: one of the abilities must be used by Shepard himself; a joint attack by two party members does not count.

The achievement can also be unlocked in multiplayer.

Lost and Found

Send out 10 probes to rescue people or resources in Reaper-controlled territory.

Planet exploration in Mass Effect 3 is very simple: scan the star system directly from the global map and, if the scanner finds something, explore the necessary planet with a probe. There may be military resources, money, or quest items for completing mini-quests from the Citadel on the planets.

If you've found something interesting on a planet but the Reapers are already flying to intercept, just surrender. After loading the checkpoint, you can explore the system again, already knowing where the needed resources are.

Level-Up Achievements

Leveling up, upgrading, modifying, and so on.

Enlisted

Create a character for cooperative play, or alter the traits of a character for single-player.

You will not be given the achievement for choosing a template Shepard or for a face imported from Mass Effect 2. Either tweak some parameters or create a character for cooperative play — this literally takes a couple of minutes.

Focused

Develop any of your skills to level 6.

Level up any skill of Shepard to maximum level. If the character is imported from Mass Effect 2, this is possible at the very beginning of the game. If not — at level 14 (provided all points are invested in one tree).

Almost There

Reach level 15 in cooperative play or level 50 in single-player.

Peak Condition

Reach level 20 in cooperative play or level 60 in single-player.

If you import a character from Mass Effect 2, they will start at level 30, and by the end of the first playthrough, you will reach about level 55. If the character is new, achieving the maximum level will require two playthroughs, or even more. Just start a new game with a character imported from Mass Effect 3, and keep leveling up. Be careful: unlike characters imported from the second part, when imported from ME3, you cannot change Shepard's class, so replaying as another class for these achievements is not possible.

For level 20 in multiplayer, you will need about 10 hours.

Battle Scarred

Introduce a character for cooperative play in the Galactic War, or import a character from ME3.

Simply put, the conditions read like this: level up a character in multiplayer to level 20 and exchange it for the local equivalent of "prestige," or completely pass Mass Effect 3 and start over with a character imported from the last playthrough. The latter method is significantly easier than the first, and more details about leveling up can be found in the guide to the previous achievement.

A Personal Touch

Modify a weapon.

In the "Shuttle Bay" of the Normandy (the bottom level), there are three terminals. The first for viewing Citadel shops, the second for weapon upgrades, and the third — for weapon modifications. We need the third one.

Each weapon has several slots for modifications. Improved scopes, barrels, cooling systems — pay attention during combat missions, and you will find plenty of these items. When Shepard can first walk around the Normandy, you will almost certainly already have the opportunity to modify something.

Gunsmith

Upgrade any weapon to level 10.

Weapon upgrades are done on the Normandy, at the terminal in the "Shuttle Bay" (bottom level). Before upgrading a weapon, you need to find it during missions, so keep an eye out. During the first playthrough, the maximum upgrade level is limited to five, and I had enough money by the end of the game to upgrade all available weapons to the max (there’s no need to spend them anymore). In the second playthrough, you will need to find weapons again during missions, which will give the corresponding weapons an additional three levels. The ninth and tenth levels are once again purchased at the terminal.

Find in the first playthrough -> upgrade at the terminal in the first playthrough -> find in the second playthrough -> upgrade at the terminal in the second playthrough

In multiplayer, you can get it faster by buying rookie packs for 5,000 credits. Weapon upgrades drop there often, but it all depends on luck.

Shopaholic

Visit a shop in single-player.

Always Prepared

Acquire two non-modifiable armor sets.

Writing a guide for these achievements is as boring as browsing shops in Mass Effect 3. The main thing is to know that interesting exclusive items are sold at the Spectre terminal, you can buy an automatic fish feeder in one of the community shops, a reserve of Panacillin in the hospital, and access to all visited shops can be obtained from the terminal on the lower level of Normandy (price +10% when purchasing from the ship). Armor is sold in almost all shops, mainly kits that were in DLC for Mass Effect 2. The cost of each is 50,000 credits, and to achieve this, just buy two different ones.

Other Achievements

Everything that does not belong to any of the previous categories.

Untouchable

Evade a Reaper on the galactic map.

This is done on the global galaxy map. If during the exploration of a captured system the Reapers notice you, there will be a rumble like in "War of the Worlds", and a few Reapers will fly into the system. Get out of the system and the achievement is yours.

Eye of the Hurricane

Kill a creature when it charges at you.

The creature has a special attack when it roars and charges directly at the player in the shortest path. It’s at this moment that it should be killed, easiest with some powerful ability dealing direct damage, like Butchery or Incinerate.

You don’t necessarily have to think about this during the playthrough, creatures also exist in cooperative mode. But there, you should be careful that other players do not accidentally kill the creature before it needs to be: for example, keep a heavy weapon in your arsenal and take the beast down even with half health when it runs towards you.

Giant Killer

Defeat a Collector.

Interestingly, the Collector was never a story boss. Originally, this intelligent Reaper transport was supposed to be present as an enemy in the first Mass Effect, in the second part, they were just decoration, and finally, in the concluding part, it became possible to kill them. Easiest to do this in the "Tuchanka: Turian Squad" mission. You can encounter several Collectors in it, but most will fly away after taking significant damage. However, the final one, which will be waiting up the stairs in the ruined hall with columns, is not going anywhere. Grab the "Black Star" in the corner of the hall and take a single shot.

Defender

Achieve maximum readiness in each theater of combat.

This trophy requires the activation of Online Pass in console versions. Galaxy readiness is a modifier expressed in percentages, indicating the overall combat readiness of troops, which affects the "true" ending and the achievement "Master and Commander". In single-player, you cannot influence readiness, so you will have to go to multiplayer and play random battles on bronze. Each battle increases readiness by 3-5%, and you need to raise it from 50% to 100%; one multiplayer battle lasts about 20 minutes — so calculate the costs.

There is another way for iOS device owners. Even two ways: the first is paid and long ([Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect) Infiltrator), the second is free and very long ([Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect) Datapad). Infiltrator is a shooter set in the ME universe, in which some enemies drop Intel points. For full completion, you can gather about 30-40 points, which can be transformed into 10-15% readiness. Datapad offers a mini-game similar to browser-based strategies, where once an hour you can assign tasks to the fleet and earn 1,3% readiness per hour. It’s very slow, but almost doesn’t require attention and can be done anywhere, whether on the road, or at work.

This trophy could be considered accumulative, but there's a catch: readiness decreases over time on its own and is stored on EA servers, so you should aim to hit the coveted 100% as quickly as possible. Readiness can also be viewed online in the Bioware social profile.

N7 Elite

Collect all trophies.

Only in the PS3 version. A "platinum trophy" awarded for completing all other achievements. True elite!

From Ashes

Without achievements from DLC the post would be incomplete. There are only two in From Ashes, and one can even be missed!

Prothean Expert

Learn more about the Prothean empire.

Freedom Fighter

Find all necessary data to assist the colonists on Eden Prime.

The first achievement is awarded for completing the DLC, nothing special. However, to obtain the second, you need to interact with three terminals in the location. Not story-related, and therefore not marked on the radar, as maps in combat locations are not provided in the game (and therefore I cannot post a map here). But the location is small, you can explore it as much as you want, and it's hard to miss these terminals. Just in case — link to a YouTube guide.

Hope this was helpful :)

AQuaRity, specially for GAMER.ru!