History MassEffect2 / TropesTToZ

** The realization during a sidequest that the Collectors [[spoiler:are genetically altered Protheans]] after getting a clearer look at the recurrent vision from the first game.

** Clan Urdnot protects their food stores from pyjaks (little furry critters that resemble purple chimpanzees) with an ''artillery cannon''. At the player's discretion, Shepard can point out how absurd this is. Garrus also takes note of it. However, considering the situation as a whole, it's a fairly justified example of [[CombatPragmatist combat pragmatism]]. Krogans are huge and extremely resilient, this cannon is probably meant for taking down other krogans, and why set up a separate defense system for small critters when the one you already have does the job just fine?

* UsedFuture: Typically averted through the entire series, but played straight on Omega and Pragia. Omega is the series charging headfirst into DarkerAndEdgier territory, while Pragia (the setting of Jack's loyalty mission) has been derelict for several years.

* YouOwnMe: The Illusive Man spent a great deal of money on rebuilding you at the start of the game. If you finish the story [[spoiler: while destroying the Collector Base, he will furiously remind you of that before you have Joker cut his feed]].

* {{Troperiffic}}[=/=]TropeOverdosed: This had to be split off from the main ''Franchise/MassEffect'' page, because there were so many entries on it that new edits weren't showing up. Then it had to be split ''again'' into four pages, as the page originally had over 400,000 characters, and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12911386090A37310100 pages over 500,000 make the wiki crash]].

* UnwinnableByMistake: If you go around blowing money on probes and fuel, use them up, and carry on doing this until you've exhausted all the money that it's possible to earn in the game before the Reaper IFF mission, then there's no way you can get to the star system where that mission takes place, making it impossible to proceed in the game. Since there are a lot of credits in the game though (even without any DLC packs), it's pretty dang hard to actually do this, although enough first-time players reported having made the game unwinnable for Bioware to make sure it couldn't be repeated in ''Mass Effect 3'', where you get free fuel refills whenever you visit the Citadel.

* WarMemorial: In one of the {{DLC}}s, Shepard can erect a memorial to the fallen crew of the original ''Normandy'' at her crash site.

* YouCantFightFate:
** [[spoiler: The first female human you encounter being melted during the SuicideMission ''will'' die, and you can't save her. You'll need to hightail it to the mission ''the moment'' your NPC crewmates are initially abducted if you don't want any of them to die as well.]]
** In the end of the ''Arrival'' DLC, [[spoiler:you need to destroy the Mass Relay to at least delay the Reapers, but at the cost of an entire star system. You don't have much of a choice.]]

* WithThisHerring: Averted in every way possible--by ''Cerberus''. Introduced as villains in the first game, who were always PlayingWithSyringes while [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]]. They not only rescue Shepard, they replace his/her CoolStarship, and practically drown him/her in money and information, while the Council has decided to [[GasLeakCoverup suppress and/or discredit the Reapers]]. They do all this while ''still'' PlayingWithSyringes (including by one rash scientist who makes [[Literature/TheBible Cain]] look like brother of the year by comparison) and [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]], but [[PragmaticVillainy tone it down a bit while you're around]]; they know quite well that Shepard is useful to them as a symbol. Turning Shepard to their cause by [[BetterLivingThroughEvil giving them money, information, and all the goodies would be a good place to start]].

** Pretty much everyone calls Shepard out on working with Cerberus.

** [[spoiler: You ''will'' lose at least one NPC crewmate during the SuicideMission. You'll need to hightail it to the mission ''the moment'' they are initially abducted if you don't want anyone else to die.]]

** [[spoiler:Tali's loyalty mission ends with her either taking the blame for her father's crimes and being banished, or you revealing her father's guilt and alienating her. However, if you have enough Paragon or Renegade points or saved both Veetor and Kal'Reegar, you can call the admiralty board's trial a [[KangarooCourt sham]], exonerating Tali and keeping her father's guilt hidden]].
** The confrontations between party members such as Jack and Miranda or Tali and [[spoiler:Legion]]. Don't want to favor one companion's loyalty over another? There are alignment-dialogue options for that.

* TakeMyHand: Near the end, there is a scene where [[spoiler:one of your party members slides off a falling Collector platform, leading to Shepard saving them in this manner. Twice. Shepard is also rescued this way about 45 seconds later]].

** We also never hear what [[KnowledgeBroker Ish]] did with the info that Anto Aria's henchman is succeptible to turning.

** [[spoiler:In the SuicideMission, disabling the Collector's vents before your tech specialist is roasted alive. Also, technically the FinalBoss, as the longer you take to defeat it, the more likely at least one of your squadmates will be picked off]].

* UnexplainedRecovery: The former trope name (I Got Better) turns up a lot in this game.

--> '''Garrus:''' I'm better now.

* WithThisHerring: Averted in every way possible--by ''Cerberus''. Introduced as villains in the first game, who were always PlayingWithSyringes while [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]]. They not only rescue Shepard, they replace his/her CoolStarship, and practically drown him/her in money and information, while the Council has decided to [[GasLeakCoverup suppress and/or discredit the Reapers]]. They do all this while ''still'' PlayingWithSyringes (including by one rash scientist who makes [[TheBible Cain]] look like brother of the year by comparison) and [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]], but [[PragmaticVillainy tone it down a bit while you're around]]; they know quite well that Shepard is useful to them as a symbol. Turning Shepard to their cause by [[BetterLivingThroughEvil giving them money, information, and all the goodies would be a good place to start]].

** Heavy implications of this surround [[spoiler: the Illusive Man, who only loses his composure in the epilogue of the Paragon ending. Prior to that, he claims that he respects Shepard's goals and motivations regardless of disagreements, but destroying the Collector Base shows Shepard or Joker that this respect has its...limits (though he is noticeably softer on Joker)]].

** Heavy implications of this surround [[spoiler: the Illusive Man, who only breaks character in the epilogue of the Paragon ending. Prior to that, he claims that he respects Shepard's goals and motivations regardless of disagreements, but destroying the Collector Base shows Shepard or Joker his true colors (though he is noticeable softer on Joker)]].

** Clan Urdnot protects their food stores from pyjaks (little furry critters that resemble purple chimpanzees) with an ''artillery cannon''. At the player's discretion, Shepard can point out how absurd this is. Garrus also takes note of this.

* WithThisHerring: Averted in every way possible--by ''Cerberus''. Introduced as villains in the first game, who were always PlayingWithSyringes while [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]]. They not only rescue Shepard, they replace his/her CoolStarship, and practically drown him/her in money and information, while the Council has decided to [[GasLeakCoverup suppress and/or discredit the Reapers]]. They do all this while ''still'' PlayingWithSyringes and [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bleating about humanity's right to conquer the galaxy]], but [[PragmaticVillainy tone it down a bit while you're around]]; they know quite well that Shepard is useful to them as a symbol. Turning Shepard to their cause by [[BetterLivingThroughEvil giving them money, information, and all the goodies would be a good place to start]].

* WhenYouComingHomeDad:
** The relationship between [[spoiler:Thane and his son]]. The achievement for his loyalty mission is called [[spoiler:"Cat's in the Cradle."]]
** As for less sympathetic fathers, see the trope above this one.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: [[spoiler: The SR-2 is boarded by the Collectors, who abduct the Cerberus crew.]] The only reason they succeed is because of the lack of any credible opposition as [[spoiler: Shepard has taken ''every single one'' of their handpicked badass specialists (which can number up to ''12'' including DLC) and crammed them into the Kodiak (sardines, anyone?). Nor are you allowed to simply wait for however long it would take EDI to sync up the Reaper IFF]]. This is done to ratchet up the tension for the endgame, and give a sense of raised stakes, but getting to that point is pretty blatant railroading in a series that is normally ''much'' subtler about it.
** In fairness, though, the reasoning is sound. [[spoiler: EDI's testing theoretical technology, and it despite how bad it was that the rest of the crew was nearly harvested, the worst case scenario was the destruction of the ship and all aboard. It's possible, if expensive and undesirable, to replace ''Normandy'' and Shepard again, but it's unlikely that he could afford the time to replace all those dead specialists you spent the entire game recruiting]].
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that the squad is ''always'' deployed in the shuttle - that's why exiting a level allows you to either return to the Normandy or simply swap out your teammates.

--> '''Marab:''' It's stunning how many people think that light moves faster through expensive fiber optic cables than it does through cheap ones.

** The same with Conrad Verner, who basically [[LampshadeHanging acts like the player character]], but in a {{Noob}}-like manner.

** In the run down Level 26 on the Citadel, Avina states that [[Franchise/StarTrek cornucopia technology is the only possible way to completely alleviate poverty, according to asari futurists]]. To which there are two squadmate comebacks.

* TooAwesomeToUse: Higher-end heavy weapons. As heavy ammo doesn't, normally, fill between missions and cannot be purchased at any in-game store, a player usually has a limited amount of heavy ammunition available throughout the game.
** Not to mention the fact you can choose not to use them at all and get more credits every time you find a heavy ammo pack out in the field. Not a great deal (100 credits), but it adds up.
** Basically you will only use heavy weapons twice in the game: on Grunt's loyalty mission (the Thresher Maw) and against the final boss (the only time in the game where heavy weapon ammo spawns outside of fixed containers). On a higher difficulty, Horizon's final boss, the Praetorian[[note]] although you'd better make sure you're damaging its armor and not the barrier which occasionally regenerates when you're too close to it[[/note]] may also qualify. Any other time: save that ammo.

* TwoPlusTwoMakesFive: Basically, this is how the "heretic" virus works, by altering the geth's logic system to come to a different conclusion. In other words, an indoctrination virus. You are given the opportunity to turn their virus on them. Notably, this subverts the usual BlackAndWhiteMorality of the Paragon[=/=]Renegade dichotomy, as the Renegade "kill them all" option can be justified as being more morally correct than brainwashing them.

-->''"Good thing the Reapers are coming to save the galaxy from this particular Shepard."''

* WeAreEverywhere: Cerberus.
** [[spoiler: The geth]] pull this off, too, with implications that messing with them on any level is a bad idea, even after their defeat. [[spoiler: Explained by Legion, who points out that the geth do not consider themselves robots, but programs. Any access to their data is likely to free them to corrupt or subvert other systems]].

** [[spoiler:Kaidan/Ashley]] gets one when Shepard shows up on Horizon.

--> [[spoiler:'''Geth:''']] Do... these units... have a.... soul?

--> '''EDI''': I have detected a signal embedded in the static. [[spoiler: We are transmitting the Normandy's location]].

--> '''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:[[TheMole He'll switch the family over to our transport]].]]

--> '''EDI:''' If my calculations are correct, the superstructure... [[spoiler:is a Reaper]].\\

* WhatTheHellHero: Pretty much everyone calls Shepard out on working with Cerberus.
** Players can give one to [[spoiler:Liara when you find out she gave your body to Cerberus]].
*** And before that Shepard can say (for some weird reason the line gives you Renegade points):
--> '''Shepard:''' You're threatening to flay people alive now?

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: As you will learn in Jacob's loyalty mission, [[spoiler:Ronald Taylor]].
** And accidentally [[spoiler: Tali's father]]. Suddenly exile becomes a preferable option for her.

--> '''Shepard:''' She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: The relationship between [[spoiler:Thane and his son]]. The achievement for his loyalty mission is called [[spoiler:"Cat's in the Cradle."]]

* WickedCultured: Donovan Hock, the antagonist of the Kasumi - Stolen Memory DLC. He even has (what's left of) Michelangelo's David and the Statue of Liberty in his vault. Naturally, Kasumi is jealous.
** [[spoiler: With a Renegade interrupt, you can destroy one of his prized pieces, forcing him into a less tactical approach]].

* YouBastard: If you choose not to save the factory workers during Zaeed's loyalty mission, you have to listen to them scream as they horribly burn to death for most of the rest of the level.

* YouRequireMoreVespeneGas: Want to construct that new upgrade? Can't. You require more [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Element_zero element zero]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium iridium]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum platinum]], and/or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladium palladium]]. ''Especially'' the platinum. You get start-of-game bonuses if you import a high-level character from ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' or if you've beaten ''Mass Effect 2'' already (with the same character or a different one, doesn't matter).
** Creator/BioWare furthered this with an update that made mining a little faster, then the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' gave you the ability to earn materials by sending agents on missions, as well being able to buy info on/mine planets with an abundance of a certain material.

* YoureNotMyFather: Jacob Taylor's loyalty mission is to rescue his father, who went missing ten years ago. It turns out that his ship crashed on an unknown planet. However, after they find out that Ronald Taylor [[spoiler:forced his crew to eat the local food (which causes brain damage) while keeping the good food from the ship for himself long after they repaired the beacon that justified withholding it in the first place, killed the other officers, exiled the male crew, and turned the females into his personal harem]], Jacob disowns his father.
** And by "disown", what is meant is that one outcome, if the player chooses the right conversation options for Shepard, is [[spoiler:that, when the camp is under attack by the surviving male crewmembers (who went feral), Jacob hands his father a pistol - with one round. Guess what he's expected to do with it.]] Then Shepard and the team leave, evacuating the female survivors.
** Even in the Paragon ending, Jacob denies that Ronald is his father any more, and the only thing preventing him from gunning him down right at that moment is that he doesn't believe Ronald is worth the effort of pulling the trigger.

* TortureIsIneffective: Garrus' reaction (and Legion's, if you mod them in early) on the Purgatory ship. It turns out the guards aren't even trying to get information, they're just punishing someone who killed a valuable prisoner.

* TemporaryOnlineContent: Used with some promotional items. Three helmet pieces were available with codes on Dr. Pepper bottles, but there were universal codes that people could use to get them instead. As of June 2010, though, these codes no longer work, so some people are unable to get these pieces. The fact that one piece of promotional armor is available as DLC and a promotional weapon also will be means that, hopefully, these items will be able to be purchased later. All of the previous promotions are now available free through Origin, thereby removing their lost for good status.

** Also "They call it a SuicideMission. [[EarnYourHappyEnding Prove]] [[EverybodyLives them]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome wrong]]."

* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The final shot of Shepard or Joker looking at a tablet with a Reaper on it, and looking concerned out to space. Cue the shot of hundreds if not ''thousands'' of Reapers heading to the Milky Way from dark space.]]