History WMG / MassEffect2

** The starvation part is just silly, Salarians are smart enough to recognize the Dextro-Amino acid barrier, which is the minority.

It dosen't make any sense for such secretive and paranoid man to make an acronym of his alias [[FunWithAcronyms spell out his real name]]. But then again, it's WildMassGuessing. It dosen't have to make sense.

* Illusive means "based on or having the nature of an illusion." Given his paranoia, him allowing anyone to see what he looks like would arguable be out of character.

--> '''Illusive Man''': No, Miranda. [[LukeIAmYourFather I am your father!]] * Imperial theme*

If you destroy the Collector base, he is very clearly pissed at you, and will try and take you down, believing that without the Collector tech, they won't be able to fight off the Reapers. If you decided not to, the Illusive Man will have everything he needs, and Shepard will have outlived her/his usefullness.

Cerberus's goal and, therefore TIM's, is to make sure humanity prospers no matter the costs. He's not going on xenocidial crusades yet, because it's not necessary yet. Not much is known about him and he's a ManipulativeBastard.

He is going through an extended, post-game VillainousBreakdown, and comitting the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs#Loss_aversion_and_the_sunk_cost_fallacy sunk costs fallacy]]. After spending billions of credits bringing you back to life, he is desperate to bring you over to Cerberus' side, even if he has to stoop to petty bribery... why is why DLC installed post-Paragon ending still comes from Cerberus. "Maybe if I send Shepherd a new set of armor, s/he will realize how profitable working with Cerberus can be."
** As well as other assignments which have Shepard hopefully try to rectify projects. David is still alive at the end of Overlord regardless of ending. The Illusive Man can now do to him what he has done to Greyson in Retribution...and if Shepard [[NiceJobBreakingItHero rewrote the heretics]]...

* Not only did Cerberus build a bigger and better ''Normandy'' and give Shepard a really, ''really'' nice captain's quarters, but the Illusive Man also hand picked the entire crew. You'll notice that all of them have very positive things to say about Cerberus and that Cerberus will "look out for its own" by doing things such as paying the transportation expenses to get a crew member's family off a colony before a Collector attack. Now, we all know that the Illusive Man is a ManipulativeBastard, so it stands to reason that he had Cerberus spare no expense to see to the needs of the ''Normandy'' crew so that they could unwittingly do their ''real'' job: convincing Shepard (and the player) that Cerberus isn't all that bad. With this in mind, Kelly Chambers' role as a potential love interest becomes suspect as well. In addition, why else would Miranda, the Illusive Man's most loyal operative, be assigned to the ''Normandy'' as Shepard's XO and spends nearly the entire time trying to convince him that Cerberus is just a WellIntentionedExtremist and that they only [[IDidWhatIHadToDo did what they had to]].

*** Of course Kelly's priorities might change a bit when its Shepard who [[spoiler:drags her out of certain death]] while TIM makes snooty speeches about how Cerberus looks out for every human.

*** If so, she's not obfuscating very well. She outright says her real job is to talk to people to evaluate their psychological condition.

* An expansion of the above theory, not only did the Lazarus Project implant Shepard with Reaper technology, the Illusive Man is using it as a test to see if a human can use the Reaper's indoctrination process to control other people: he sent Shepard to gather people who would normally never side with him to see if the technology will activate and force them to come with him when they normally wouldn't. Images show that Shepard gradually becomes more and more glowy throughout the game; the Reaper technology inside her/him is activating more and more as s/he has to keep control of his more volatile squadmates. Shepard is unaware of this until near the end; a Renegade Shepard will embrace the implants and use them to dominate his crew, while a Paragon Shepard will desperately search for a way to deactivate or remove the implants though there is another possibility. The Illusive Man is performing similar experiments on himself; this is evidenced by the implants in his eyes. The final level will be Shepard and crew going to the Cerebus base and fighting their way through to TIM, only to find that the experiment is complete and TIM has turned himself into a mind-controlling uber-cyborg, sort of like Saren. The final battle will be either a battle of wills between Shepard's mind control and [=TIM's=], or the squad fighting him while Shepard uses his Reaper technology to shield them from [=TIM's=] abilities. In the end it will be revealed that TIM was indoctrinated by Sovereign before the first game started and was deluded into thinking he could use the technology to control the Council for humanity.

** [[spoiler:Pinnacle Station showed that you can train soldiers in hyper-realistic environments without the risk of injury. Setting off the mechs to do so is criminally stupid. It's possible that the mechs were set off to kill the scientists and cover up Shepard's resurrection, but by doing so you loose the team that ''brought a man back to life''. TIM is intelligent enough to know they might be useful. TIM's after action report states that he's checking other cells for possible moles, and those are never directed at Shepard or anyone else - they're his own notes. And Miranda betraying and brutally murdering her own staff just doesn't fit with her character at all.]]

*** Everything about that mission was too convieient. How do we know shepherd wasn't moved while unconcious to a facility that's effectively one big holo-room, wilson and jacob were kept in the dark about it being a simulation to make things more 'belivable' and the shot miranda fired never killed him, only knocked him out, but the stations holographics, combined with a stasis field made him appear otherwise. that way they can test both shepherd's loyalty and combat skills in an environment completely under their control.

* The Enemies of [=ME2=] movie confirms that Husks are, in a way, modular. It also confirms 20 Husks can be squashed together to form a Praetorian, a large flying machine that in no way resembles the Husks it was made from. What if that's a small-scale version of how Reapers are consturcted? Squashing together of hundreds of billions of Husks made from various species, and the next stage of construction requires human Husks?

**** At least in my playthrough, [[spoiler:Thane estimated the amount of pods as more than one for every human in the Terminus Systems, and Mordin concluded that they were going after Earth. There's no reason to suspect the Collectors have more than one ship, which makes me wonder just how they intended to collect the eleven bilion living on Earth. Especially since their ship was taken down by a souped-up frigate with a hydromagnetic cannon, explicitly the firepower of a "mere" cruiser.]]

***** The frigate doesn't even need the Thanix cannon to take down the collector ship. Joker can still kill it if you didn't upgrade, it just results in a suicidal run that kills a squadmate.
***** The Collectors' plan was basically a stealth operation. If they were going after Earth, (which is never confirmed, only speculated), they would proably build more ships and/or get direct Reaper support.

[[WMG:Garrus' time as [[spoiler:Archangel will have a profound long term effect on Omega and may even spawn a cult of [[KnightTemplar Kinght Templars]] worshipping him.]]]]
* When you walk around [[spoiler:Omega]] with Garrus in your party, he'll bemoan about how little difference he made in the end. This may be inaccurate if you consider how the LastStand turned out. Even if the [[spoiler:mercs]] ([[HesJustHiding believe]] they) killed him, they still lost each of their leaders along with a lot of manpower, so their "victory" is only phyrric at best. Not only are the [[spoiler:mercs]] much more disorganised and stretched thin at the moment, but [[spoiler:Archangel]] is now more likely to be seen as a martyr than anything, a selfless hero that couldn't be taken out without taking half the [[spoiler:criminal element of Omega]] down with him. Couple that with the obvious religious symbolism behind Garrus's story as [[spoiler: Archangel (not to mention the [[MeaningfulName name itself]]); [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything he arrives on Omega, gathers twelve like minded people around him, challenges the corrupt leaders of Omega, is betrayed by one of his own and presumably killed by his enemies but they]] NeverFoundTheBody.]] With all this in mind I'd be surprized if [[spoiler:Omega]] isn't run by a Garrus-worshiping KnightTemplar when I visit it in [=ME3=].

*** He's a bitter ex-cop Turian who hates injustice. She's an Asari paladin who produces genetic defects when she mates...[[TheyFightCrime They Fight Crime!]]

* ...he will remove his face-paint. To elaborate, among turians, painting one's face is a way of showing who you're allied with. Nihlus had a painted face, Garrus has a painted face, and so does the Turian Councilor. Those without facepaint are, in turian society, distrusted and regarded warily because it means they have no allegiances to anything. Unsurprisingly, Saren and [[spoiler:Warden Kuril]] had no facial markings. But remember what Garrus said- "I don't think I'm a very good turian." Garrus has been conflicted about that very quote for a long time, and if you encourage him to embrace his 'Archangel' persona and be more Renegade, Garrus will remove his blue face markings altogether, signifying that he doesn't want to be part of a culture that lets bad guys get away if that's what orders demand. Alternatively, if you convinced Garrus to be more Paragon and encourage him to be more merciful and reasonable when dealing with bad guys, he will remove his face paint as well- but replace it with better, more sophisticated facepaint markings, similar to say, the Turian Councilor, as a rite of passage of sorts, showing he's 'evolved' and knows now how to follow the path of righteousness.

[[WMG: Liara's second parent is the Asari councilor.]]
* Something about the way she talks when she recognizes Matriarch Benezia's voice makes me think she knew her better than most people. For someone in a position of authority like the councilor they most likely had several meetings, in our short lives how many people's voices would we recognize that readily heard over a recording unless we got used to hearing them regularly and they meant something to us? Now think of that over several hundred years. It would be embarrassing for both Benezia and the councilor for it to come out that they hooked up, so I doubt many others knew about Liara's birth. And if you saved the council, they will eventually be reunited.
** I don't know if it's relevant, but it seems to me the Councilor is in her "Maiden" stage. Which'd make her notably younger than Benezia. Not that it counters anything. Of course, for all we know, Samara could be - no wait, she has a no-kids vow. Maybe it doesn't extend to no knocking up OTHER Asari?

*** She looks and sounds more "Matron" then "Matriarch" (brainfart on my part earlier), plus, when asked about Benezia, she says "the Matriarchs", not "we Matriarchs". It could be like the Salarians - females/Matriarchs deal with internal politics, leaving males/Matrons with outside issues.

** Except that Liara is physically matrue by the first game (or that romance is just all kinds of fucked up). If she was gonna out as an [[spoiler:Ardat-Yakshi]], she would've done so by now. Besides, Samara says that '''all''' [[spoiler:Ardat-Yakshi]] are offered either seculsion or execution, and Liara definetly isn't secluded. Of course, it's possible that Benezia knew about [[spoiler:Samara's children]] and purposefully hid Liara's condition - a politican whose child has an embarressing secret? [[SarcasmMode Where have I heard that before?]] - but if that's the case then Liara should have [[spoiler:killed Shepard during their romance.]] Unless an [[spoiler:Ardat-Yakshi]] can ''choose'' whether or not to kill, but that's just [[EpilepticTree shaking the tree]] too damn hard.
*** There was techincally nothing to say that the [[spoiler: onset of the condition happens immediately upon hitting maturity (a couple of years may be a reasonable margin of error)]] in all cases. Especially since we have a very small number of cases to make inferences from and [[spoiler: Samara wouldn't have been the mother this time around]]. The tree is shaking stupidly hard, indeed, but it was peculiar when Samara went on a not entirely warranted tangent of [[spoiler: "by the way only pureblood asari like me get it"]]. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Suspiciously Specific]], even if not a denial... In reality, this probably was just some world-building to [[spoiler: explain the stigma around asari pure-bloods.]]

*** She's an ''Asari Matriarch'', she could be bullshitting you to keep people from treating her with further suspiscion if she was connected to the traiterous Benezia. Liara has to fight being a pureblood, but she actually fought (and possibly ''killed'') her own mother, reaffirming that ''she'' is not a traitor, the Bartender doesn't have that luxury. In order to avoid being declared a security risk at this point, she's completely dissassociated herself from Benezia and is bullshitting ''everybody'' since no one really knew she and Benezia were involved in the first place! (I think.)

**** Considering that Benezia was openly acting as Saren's proxy on Noveria it seems unlikely that her connection to him wouldn't be known. As for Sha'ira, and Shiala being her father why wouldn't she have just told Liara who they were. Aria sort of solves that issue being a crime boss and all but she isn't very likely to be the father due to her living on Omega when Liara has to have been concived. Furthermore none of them react as would be expected when they come into contact with her if we've met Liara's father yet it would have to be Aethyta.

* An extension of the theory that Samara is Liara's father that deserves its own section. We're never told how Samara's partner reacted to their daughters' diagnoses. Given what we know about Benezia, she probably channeled her grief into making things better for the asari in general. But Samara and Benezia were still in love with each other, so when they run into each other again 300 or so years after Morinth ran off and Samara became a justicar to track her down, they can't resist spending one last night together. Samara agrees because the code only forbids having a family; romantic entaglements are still allowed. Benezia, still grieving for the family that was taken from her, allows herself to become pregnant without informing Samara. Since asari reproduce by modifying their own DNA with beneficial traits from the father, the result is a fourth daughter, who like her father, is not an ardat-yakshi, but has a higher risk of giving birth to ardat-yakshi daughters. Samara only found out about her fourth daughter through the galactic grapevine. She and Benezia agreed not to tell Liara, not to protect her from the stigma of being a pureblood, but from the stigma of having ardat-yakshi sisters.

* This troper noticed the same thing but thought the picture was a little out of focus and very small. All you can definetly make out is the skin tone. Seems likely, but nothings certain.

Namely, the L5x and L5n implants. Apart from Jack mentioning the L5x in passing and the class selection screen, these two implants aren't even in the codex, which is solidly eshtablished by this point as a purely in-universe source of information that can be wrong, or in this case, be missing information because it hasn't become common knowledge yet. That enemy Vanguards have Barrier (shown by having them appear to be using tech armor) instead of biotic charge is obviously a [[GameplayAndStorySegregation game-balance decision,]] but in-story it could mean they lack the L5n implant nessesary to perform the charge; the class selection screen says the L5n is what enables this ability, not training or the amp. The L5n and L5x are Cerberus inventions, and the implants will, in the near future, make their way exclusively into the Alliance military the same way Cerberus manipulated things to get the SR-1 designed and built, putting Alliance biotics on par with the stronger Asari and enhancing their advantage over non-biotic combatants.

** The whole concept reminds me of [[MobileSuitGundam Cyber Newtypes]]. Though, Miranda doesn't [[AxCrazy usual side effect]]. Though, there could be problems the game hasn't shown us, or it went completely right and shes a normal biotic.
*** Note that Asari are natural biotics. This means a few things. Either: 1) Their homeworld had a lot of Eezo in it and they evolved to absorb it from their environment and thus need to specifically inject/take eezo supplements on colonies where there's not so much eezo around or 2) There's some non-eezo way to use biotics. The fact that Asari are natural biotics and have tons of colonies kind of requires one of the two. The latter is at least vaguely possible.

Miranda's Father, being a major shareholder in Cerberus front company Certa Foundation, used the company's knowledge of genetics and bio technology to create his 'children'. The sucesfull one, Miranda was kept and the failures were 'donated' to a Cerberus program exparimenting with biotics, and used as the primary test subjects. One such failure, managed to surpass her 'perfect' sister in certain fields, and impressed him. After that Oreana was created, combining the best of Miranda and Jack. Realising the best hope of his 'dynasty' surviving was for them to be backed by his newfound allies in Cerberus, he manipulated Miranda into 'betraying him', and allowed her to 'steal' Oreana along the way. Later, when the plan hit a snag due to Jack winding up in prison, Shepherd was used to reunite Miranda and Jack. The only thing that didn't go according to plan was retriving Oreana, who would have been used to bring Miranda and Jack back to him. In ME3 several missions will revolve around him trying to get all three sisters back.

* It should be noted that the eezo nodules are implanted while Shepard is [[spoilers:dead]]. I would imagine implanting nodules in a person with a less serious condition would be quite a bit more difficult, and potentially impossible.
** Except if you play through ME1 on a non-biotic class (like my Soldier) Kaiden will explicitly mention that Shepard was apparently tested for it and came back positive. How this works I have no idea, but perhaps it is a latent ability that s/he never got the appropriate training for and madedo without?

* During the course of his lifetime, Heinlein's AuthorAvatar / GodModeSue has twin daughters. These twins are [[OppositeSexClone girls]], created with an altered version of his Y Chromosone. He later enters into an [[IncestIsRelative incestuous]] relationship wtih both of them. Of course, their genes are so perfect that, if they become pregnant, then the offspring will suffer no ill effects whatsover. [[NightmareFuel Makes sense why Miranda ran away and kidnapped an infant now, doesn't it?]]

*** Possible, but we have no direct evidence of such a relationship, and the "sympthoms" mentioned could all be explainable by Mr. Lawson being your run-of-the-mill God Complex bastard (it's not like nonconsensual incest is the ONLY thing he would have done that would have warrented disgust from Miranda). That said, it is VERY disturbing.

** The main problem with that is that [[spoiler: humans naturally develop and evolve over their life in response to their conditions and to their own actions (pig out= put on weight, etc), and we have no reason to believe that Oriana would be raised in anything like the TrainingFromHell that Miranda went through, and adapting to living on a different planet with different individual preferences and habits (to say nothing of the possibility of surgical changes) would probably explain a LOT of the differences. Case in point the many, MANY identical twins whoyou wouldn't put together due to their drastically different lives and habits.]]

After the discovery of Element Zero, the military would obviously be very interested in its properties. So no shit they would do a lot of research on it. It makes sense that they would be interested in discovering its effects on the human body. It stands to reason that they would contract some of this research to private organizations. Particularly if they want to do some morally questionable research, while also being able to maintain plausible deniability in the event that people find out about it. Miranda states that her father is a businessman, but we don't get more detail than that. So, perhaps he used funding from the military to test eezo exposure on cloned infants. When he created Miranda, she turned out healthy, and he kept her simply to see what the long-term effects would be. This all leads to another WMG: That Miranda's sister was created as her father's actual legacy, and Miranda herself was never to intended to be kept alive, as she was only an experiment to begin with.

**** None of which explains Jack's criminal career and how (if this WMG is true) how the frell she got on a top-secret Alliance/Council ship.

** Her so-called "father" could just be a sucker the Illusive Man permitted to handle her through the troublesome years - childhood brattiness though teenage rebellion. Complete with YouCantGoHomeAgain - "Shots were fired." [[XanatosGambit Fakedad gets all the parental grief and hatred, he gets a high-quality operative with no troublesome emotional ties]] save those he can manipulate - a "twin" sister he can "protect". Hell, even the "[[LawOfInverseFertility benign neoplasm]]" could be part of it - her only legacy would be Oriana.

* And it will be the workaround [[ElectronicArts EA]] needs to release the trilogy onthe PlayStation3. Cue fanboy rejoicing/tears.

Yes, every tiny choice creates a new universe, which means there is a large multiverse. Shepard is the only one who can create them, and each choice, even anything in character creation, effects it. When the Shepard of a universe dies, it dies, but a new one is created where s/he doesn't die. When Shepard does something, it sends ripples through the universe he's in, changing the way things happen. However, this means Shepard is a slave to fate, and must always go down the right path, and can't go OffTheRails. On the bright side, everyone's actions are basically in his control. Think of him as the GameMaster. Note, nobody else can create a new universe, only Shepard.

** A same-sex romance option for both genders, without taking the Asari cop-out. C'mon, Bioware, we know you wanted it in the first game, we know you recorded voice-overs for the second one, your PR dude telling us you just don't want Shepard to be that customizable isn't convincing. Especially, you know, because everything ''else'' is.

**** And they did add a considerable spike in the HoYay levels with MaleShep/Kaidan and the LesYay with [=FemShep=]/Ashley. With the knowledge that those relationships were originally meant to be options for the player and it seems like Biorware might have been setting things up to finally fulfil that.

** Female Turian/Salarian/Batarian/Krogan/the rest. Seriously. It was forgivable in Mass Effect 1, but conspicuous in Mass Effect 2. Leaving them out for the third time would just be embarrasing.

* Except one Jacob is the son of another one, and playable!Jacob's father isn't named Jacob... [[GrandfatherParadox so how would that...]] [[DivideByZero * explosion ensues* ]]

The [[spoiler: Mass Relay Statue was a Chekovs gun]] so the Krogan statue could be as well. In Mass Effect 3 the last Reaper will be destroyed by the Krogan Statue uppercutting it. Wrex will naturally pilot it.

Except instead of multiple types of rings there will be multiple type of Specilist.

** SOLDIER- The Ready Sword
Usually Renegade they are sent to wipe out any and all threats to Galatic peace. Feared for their no mercy, no restraint style. They seem to move like lighting dispensing death and destruction with ease.

** ADEPT-The Reasonable Voice
Usually Paragon, they are the negoiators and peace makers. Able to see the best in the beings in the universe. Sent to settle arguments between worlds, they are more than capable of knocking heads with their powers.

** ENGINEERS- The Helping hand
The fixers of the Galaxy, after the war many worlds where in need of repair and are in disarray. While SOLDIERS stomp out the fires of chaos, and ADEPTS help returns the laws the ENGINEERS help rebuild . They also support the local Law enforcement buffing them and weakening their opponets.

** INFILTRATOR- The Silent Judge
Infiltrators are sent by SHEPHERD Intelligence to take out high risk Targets. A corrupt Business man selling red sand, a Warlord in the making. If they do their job right there will be no need for the Sword to come down. Using their tech/invisibility to get behind enemy lines, one shot. One judgement to snuff out the flame that could lead to wildfire.

SentinEls are sent to protect people who are important in either rebuilding or Galatic stablity. They are the body guards, those who watch and protect. Using their Tech to look out for assassins and their biotics to keep them at bay.

Holographic computer screens? Sure, why not. A holographic display for the omni-tools? Fine, I guess. But holographic armor? And those holographic ammo type icons on the weapons? I don't buy that. It's just stupid. There aren't any holograms there, it's just the implants in commander Shepard's eyes giving him tactical data about the battlefield around him in a clear, visual way he can understand. So if an enemy has especially powerful shields, the bionic eyes make Shepard see a "holographic" armor floating around him.

When EDI needs to test [[spoiler:the Reaper IFF]], she recommends that Shepard's team take the shuttle to their next mission, but the details of the mission are never explained, and it seems that combat was not involved, yet it required the participation of the entire ground team and couldn't wait until after the testing was done. It is my conjecture that they were running out for some booze and takeout food, and everyone went because the sheer amount of liquor it takes for Shepard to get drunk would have otherwise taken three forklifts to carry. The crew was ''intentionally'' vague about the nature of their mission because The Illusive Man had previously warned the crew against spending his money on food, so they decided to be coy and use the Batarian word for "mission" in order to announce their runs. Their translators would cover up the word, but since none of the crew was Batarian, everyone would have noticed a discrepancy in the speaker's lip movements and known what they were planning. This explains Shepard's exasperated observation that the Normandy really should just have a bar in the CIC when talking with Jacob afterward, and where all of the liquor in Kasumi's room comes from.

I find it funny exactly how many people seem to automatically believe legion is telling the truth. Other then the fact that he is helping you, do you have any actual visible proof that Legion is being truthful about who the heretics are. For one thing, the word Heretic itself is usually used in a religious context, one that is reserved for people that have suddenly changed their believes/dogma. Yet according to Legion, the only geth with any form of Religion are those that worship the reapers.... so why did he decide to use those particular words to describe them?

Sure, he might be helping you against the Collectors, but for all we know that could be part of a long term gambit for the geth. Especially their terminals are basically disposable, and they can broadcast themselves back to the source when killed. After all, the first thing he asks you to do, is go out and reprogram/kill a bunch of fellow geth, who he claims are heretics, and that worship the reapers. But does he offer any actual proof? Nope, instead she simply asks you to take his word for it.

As a result of your actions in the first game, perhaps a bunch of geth decided that the reapers couldn't be gods, if they could be killed. Or perhaps they just didn't fall for sovereigns tricks. Either way, there is a rogue faction of Geth out there, one that could potentially warn the galaxy of whatever the so called 'true geth' are up to. There also happens to be a certain Human, who has developed a reputation as a geth slayer... Solution, use one side to kill the other off. So they create a special terminal, using captured pieces of Shepherds armor. Since it will need to be running a complex gambit, its given a far larger then usual number of programer,s making it far 'smarter' then average.

This Terminal then infiltrates shepherds team, by sneaking on to the collector ship, and helping them to get the IFE. Now based on shepherds reactions and histories, they know he has a habit of recruiting misfits and freaks, especially those who help him out (tali/Wrex). So they arrange/let the terminal get injured, where it is brought back onto the ship. From here, one of two things happens. First of all, Shepherd turns the terminal back on. This gives them a spy in the enemy camp, so to say. A similar thing occurs if you send him back to Cerebus, only in this case there is a spy in the enemies command tent.

Going back to the first option, Legion is now awake, and is able to give a couple of harmless bits of info to shep, as a method of getting his guard down/becoming trusted. Then he suggests a mission, claiming to have a way to remove/wipe out the rogue geth, the ones who allied with Sheps former enemy. By this time, they reckon that shep trusts him, and takes his word for it. Thus they carefully find their way into the 'Heretics' based, where they mysteriously discover a virus, one that can be used to reprogram the 'heretic' geth back to the 'True Geth' cause. So they offer this, and pretend to be debating it, before leaving the solution to Shep.

Once at the core, they come to a conclusion, saying that the programming thing barely won out. If Shep takes this advice, then the rogue Geth are brought back into the fold... the Reaper worshiping fold, increasing the numbers of the reaper army by quite a lot. If s/he decides to kill them, then there is quite a chunk fewer potential defenders to worry about. And with the conveniently 'forgotten'' sequence, there is even a chance they can take out Shep him/herself.

Either way, Legions true masters win, with a tactical/strategic master stroke that can't go wrong, all for the loss of a single terminal. That's not including the sheer amount of data or damage that can be caused by unleashing rogue virus's and other software into some of the area's that shepherd might have been stupid enough to take Legion into... Such as the office of ta Conciliar, the quarian migrant fleet.... even the base of the shadow broker itself.
* I really don't see how fighting the Collectors would in any way be benificial to the geth unless they opposed the Reapers. If the main geth are really in leauge with the Reapers like you say, then they should know that the Collectors work for them. By helping Shepard Legion wiped out the entire Collector army, helped kill a Reaper, and depending on what ending you took, gave humanity a large and powerful space station. Also, if the heretic geth were the ones really opposed to the Reapers, why didn't they try to contact Shepard? You could maybe argue that they didn't have the resources for it, but Shepard ends up going right for their base. If they really intened to help Shepard stop the Reapers, then why did they attack him? If the geth suddenly became non hostile it would've raised a few red flags and they could've then tried to warn Shepard about Legion. There's also those geth on the quarian flotilla that get accidentally activated. If they're heretic geth opposed to the Reapers then why are they attacking organics? If they're main stream geth, then why didn't they try fooling the quarians like Legion did to Shepard? There's also the mission on Haestrom, where the geth are, again, openly fighting you. If they're heretic geth trying to ally themselves with the organic races against the Reapers, then why did they attack the quarians? If they're main stream geth, then they're ''pretending'' to be allied with the organics, so attacking the quarians made no sense, since it reinforced their general mistrust of the geth. Either way, if what you say is true, then niether geth faction should have been hostile to organics and Shepard in particular during ME2

I noticed on a recent playthrough that he doesn't have any facial markings. As we all know, this means he probably can't be trusted. I think he lied because he spiteful of people asking him the same question. I believe also proves that obviously Mass Effect 3 is going to revolve around Shepard and the Krogan who wanted the fish teaming up to take down the Groundskeeper's web of lies.

I dunno, it just seems like something he would do. Especially if the articles involved Shepard or the Krogan.

** Makes sense. The best 'Hanar' scientist worked on it. As Mordin would say: "Hanar? Hanar are diplomats. Preachers. Merchants. Excellent Specters with a Lover in every port. Not Scientists. Will look into it." Kepral Syndrome just a bacteria infection in the lungs. Sound familiar? Humans call it TB.

* In [=ME1=], Tali made a big deal about needing her suit at all times. In [=ME2=], we know that Tali is banished from the Migrant Fleet. Tali's quest in [=ME2-3=] will involve getting whatever genetic work is needed to boost her immune system. Either at a the climax of the quest in 2, or at the beginning of 3, Tali's mask will come off and we'll finally be able to see her face - and it will look disturbingly like the geth.
** Not fucking likely, unless you consider that a human like face, which Tali has, to looks like a flashlight.

**** Legion states that [[spoiler:the geth have preserved Rannoch, the Quarian homeworld, after the Morning War. If a player resolves the loyalty crisis between Tali and Legion amicably, a furtive peace overture occurs between Tali and Legion. Likely an event flag for import into [=ME3=] that may lead to a true peace between the Geth and the Quarians, and return to Rannoch.]]

*** Give the Quarians nano machines for an immune system. Problem solved.

** A. A few thousand survivors managed to flee to isolated areas of the planet with little technology, and now live as isolated bands keeping distance from the few geth that live on the planetside, unaware that they no longer represent an immediate threat to* them.

***** Combining that theory with the one above: [[spoiler:The Morning War was simultaneously a geth uprising and a race war. Originally there were multiple quarian ethnicities on Rannoch. One of these races rose to dominate the planet and established a totalitarian/racial supremacist government that enslaved all the other quarian races. The geth were part of the dominant race's 'Final Solution'. The "lesser" races would be exterminated and the geth would replace them. But the geth achieved sentience (perhaps they were ''taught'' sentience by the "lesser" quarian races?) and the Morning War was a joint uprising of the geth and the oppressed quarian minorities against the fascist quarian government. Eventually the fascists were beaten back and exiled. The geth and their quarian allies set to work rebuilding their civilization and the leaders of the fascists created the fiction of a brutal robot apocalypse both to gain sympathy from the rest of the galaxy (this tactic backfired on them massively) and to brainwash their children into hating the geth. In the 200+ years since they were driven off their homeworld by the geth no one is alive who remembers what really happened and that fiction has become the truth for the Migrant Fleet. Legion is an agent of the geth/quarian allied government and his original mission was to spy on the Migrant Fleet in order to see whether they are worthy of being welcomed back to Rannoch. To that purpose, he was forbidden from revealing the truth to anyone outside the Perseus Veil.]]

For instance, in a worse case scenerio (the Geth and Quarians go to war, Tali was exiled, bad things happen in ME3, etc), her 'house' will amount to a shanty made out of derelict ships on a burnt out war scarred homeworld that's unlivable without a biosuit. Basically, little better than what she has now and a fairly Pyrrhic victory. On the other hand, if things go really well, she'll be able to go with a more minimal biosuit on a beautiful home in the capital city. And anywhere in between.

Admiral Xen's insane plans to implant a virus into the Geth collective will put her at odds with both the Gath and the Quarians in ME3. Taking her down will be a mission that allows Shepard to gain the support of either the Quarians (by using the virus to wipe out the Geth), or the Geth (destroying the virus and not convincing letting the war go ahead, thus destroying a good portion of the Migrant Fleet), or with a high enough Paragon/Renegade score both (by destorying the virus and either intimidating the two sides into a cease-fire, or by brokering a peace treaty that leaves both sides satisfied).

* The Thorian survived barely of its encounter with Shepard in [=ME1=], but learned to act smarter: instead of ineffectually brainwashing the colonists it decided to replace them with perfectly loyal PodPeople. [[spoiler:The "illness" is a cover by which they explain the physical differences to their original counterparts, and the "cure" is something that will mask these differences perfectly. The reason why "Shiala" is so anxious to prevent the invasive medical tests is because she knows that if they were performed, the secret would come out. And she's green, again!]]

* Extending on the theory above, [[spoiler:Shiala IS the Thorian, or at least is a melding of personalities and bodies.]] The thing is, while the Thorian's style ''was'' being a over-controlling tyrant, now, due to the kindness Shepard gave it's emissary, the Old Growth may now rule Feros as the Good Queen. Seeing her concern for the colonists, as well as the growth of the colony itself(listen to the news networks) would lend credence to this ([[spoiler:plus, that was a pretty warm smile for a plant/animal hybrid]]). Also, in another extension of the above theory, [[spoiler:notice how her speech is still kind of halting?]]
* Another note: as with [[spoiler:Gianna]], [[spoiler:Shiala]] is yet another NPC who has taken a "liking" to Shepard, This is going to get complicated, ''fast''.

* Warning: Mass Effect 2 Spoilers: Think on that. The Reapers leave machines and technology so that civilization can advance along a path of technology that they desire. Thus, they are fully aware of how their technology works, and would likely have counter measures and counter tactics for their own stuff, and most variants of their own technology. Using this, that would mean whatever advantage gained from taking the technology is effectively rendered pointless, as it is all planted, and all of that technology, or most of it, has been in the hands of the enemy for many, MANY millenia. Secondly, if you refuse to develop along Reaper tech, you might find an advantage that the Reapers may have not accounted for. Given that, if I remember correctly, a deal of the Mass Effect technology is based on Reaper technology, or at least older technology, any reverse engineering would be borrowing an idea and using it for your own purposes. Who would know their own flaws better than an evil, ageless enemy, especially ones such as the Reapers? Branching OFF of this path, instead of following it, might yield something that the Reapers were not expecting, and thus, something they were completely unprepared for. Of course, analyzing the technology and finding weaknesses within it, yet using a different, non-Reaper/Collector tech solution to exploit that weakness might be a better option than branching off alone. Not that it wouldn't be a bad thing to reverse-engineer Reaper/Collector tech AFTER the threat is removed.
* Legion suggests as such. It and the non-heretic geth choose not to follow Sovereign for more or less that reason (though without realizing the danger the Reapers were). Basically, the geth feel that it's every races right to develop along its own path and that copying Reaper-tech would simply mean following the Reaper's path. It would be a momentary advantage for a worse long term gain. Likewise, Legion also mentions that the geth were not something the Reapers had anticipated; given how most things are based on Reaper tech and the geth were illegal creations to begin with... Also Mordin has a spiel about the Collectors and how most of their stuff was replaced by tech (specifically, Reaper tech). So salvaging the Reaper base may be the better short term advantage but it may also end in a somewhat bittersweet consequences.

** Bringing Shepard back from the death already seemed ridiculous to me, but then again, it was pretty awesome. Zombie Shepard, saving the universe.
*** Bungie did something similar in ''Marathon'', wherein it was implied that the SpaceMarine / Security Officer was either all of the great warriors of history (Beowulf, Roland, Achilles, etc.) or embodied their spirit. A lone figure, throughout time who turns up exactly when they were needed...

* New Idea: ME4 will be an MMO set a couple hundred years after Shepard's death. Now you get to make a character of any race (Geth, Krogan, Quarian, human, Turian, Asari, Drell, you name it) and play through with a lot more exploration getting to visit a lot of places talked about but not shown. There will be moments where you get to find and meet the old crew (Liara at least, maybe Grunt) but have statues and memorials devoted to the rest (Shepard himself, Tali, Garrus, Joker) strewn throughout the universe. Considering how much creative energy went into building the ME universe they are not going to stop at 3.

EDI was clearly wrong with her initial assumption that ships would be eaten by a black hole if they didn't have the IFF. There was debris from many ships that came before you, and if a black hole had grabbed them, they'd be in a black hole, not floating just in front of the Relay. Besides, a black hole wouldn't pull it to apart like that. It was also said that Relays often make mistakes of tens of thousands of miles. In space, that's a tiny amount, and if a black hole was that close, the Relay would've been sucked in.

* Shepard had "survived" an attack by the collectors already, knowing what their potential is. As shown in the beginning of the game, the Normandy [[spoiler:meets the same fate as the ships that made it to the station in the Core]].

Shepard has an impressive track record when it comes to charming/intimidating people. Additionally, his advanced training can include [[spoiler: Dominate]], even though he isn't an Ardak Yakshi. He can even ''talk people out of indoctrination'' similar to the Thorian! (See: Saren) Shepard can convince a [[spoiler: Quarian court to with-hold their charges of treason]] without evidence. Perhaps TIM knows this- and that's why he doesn't want to meet Shepard in person.

* Well, the Quarian court didn't really have any evidence to prove Tali's guilt, and it was largely a show trial to advance their geth agendas. In the conversations in which you save Tali, you point out how awesome Tali is and how they are full of shit, which they ''are''! The rest still stands.
[[WMG: Admirald Hackett is realy Shepard's father]]
Basicly Shepard is Hackett's [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son/daugther]]

and you will get the option of staying that way, becoming [[spoiler:mortal]] or if you romanced Liara or other asari [[spoiler: change it to mach the lifespan]]. Nether option will be renegade or parogon because you will get the option to become for paragon [[spoiler:The Sentinel protectig the galaxy of all evil or if you failed to defeat the reapers the guide to next races]], for Renegade [[spoiler:The Inmortal god-emperor of [[strike:[[{{warhammer}} mandkind]]]] the galaxy or the leader of the Reapers]] or in neutral [[spoiler:[[WalkingTheEarth wander the galaxy]] exploring the new future or in search of atonnement]]

[[WMG: Shepard will use the Reapers personal dislike of him/her to lead them into a trap.]]

[[WMG: There's nothing untoward in Legion's slaughtering of the Quarians in the GTA game]]

* An area where Shepard and his team is WarringWithoutWeapons: bring biotics or be biotic.

** Better yet, A Day In the Life of Urdnot Wrex...And Friend! Shepard and Wrex hunt varren in the Tuchanka Badlands (and maybe get to kill another Thresher Maw in the bargain). Shepard and Wrex fight a 2-on-2 honor duel against a rival clan leader and his second. Shepard and Wrex get ambushed on their way to a crush with another clan. Shepard and Wrex visit the female camp (and we finally get to see what a female krogan looks like!).

* Just before you get to Horizon you see the survivor of Virmire in the first game chatting it up with a local on the colony. Then the Collector ship touches down and a seeker swarm proceeds to paralyze both Ashley/Kaidan and the local. You do later see the Horizon colonist in the Collector Base, being broken down for genetic material to create the Human Reaper, yet after you defeat the Praetorian at the end of the Horizon mission, Ashley/Kaidan suddenly shows up perfectly fine. How is this possible? Ash/Kaidan was frozen not far from the colonist you see at the Collector Base, and it doesn't seem likely the seeker swarm paralyzation could have 'worn off' as by the time Shepard reaches the colony, there are still frozen colonists. What if the Collectors did something to Ash and Kaidan? Neither one seems to comment on being frozen, and Shepard has no idea they were hit, even though the player does. It's possible that due to the Collector's, and thus the Reaper's interest in humanity, they always intended to let Ashley/Kaidan, a hero of the Citadel, and a high-ranked officer of the Systems Alliance go, but brainwashed into some sort of sleeper agent. This would probably be to facilitate the taking of Earth, either in the creation of the Human Reaper, or simply when the Reapers came to clean house. Or more possibly, the Collectors turned Ashley/Kaidan into one of their agents as a tactic for dealing with Commander Shepard, due to their relation to Shepard as former teammates and fellow Alliance soldiers, and possibly as a former lover. Brainwashing could easily be accomplished through some form of indoctrination as well, and it's likely that neither Ash or Kaidan realize they've been indoctrinated in any way. Possible conflict in Mass Effect 3, pitting Shepard against the survivor of Virmire, now on the side of the Reapers?

** The main problem with the theory is that Ahsley/Kaiden didn't get paralyzed in the same area the colonist they were chatting with was. There was a bunch of chaotic movement. As to how they got loose, it's likely the Collectors intentionally released the paralysis so that Cerberus couldn't study the condition so that they could develop a much more effective countermeasure then merely baffling the swarms, which I wouldn't put past those GenreSavvy bastards.

**** Well, the paragon ending is LawfulStupid, as you'll need that tech to kill the Reapers I bet.

**** Honestly, letting people try and mess with reaper tech is just stupid, it will probably indoctrinate them just like everything else related to reapers.

** Which line won't he cross? In the novels he sees nothing wrong with injecting untested experimental chemicals into an autistic child, blowing up ships above colonies to create biotics or kidnapping someone who pissed him off and implanting them with Reaper tech. In the games he has no problem having entire squads of marines be ripped apart by Thresher Maws and then experimenting on the survivors. According to Cerberus Daily News, Cerberus was running a camp where they kidnapped people, injected them with potentially brain-damaging drugs and made them perform biotic actions until at least one of them died of a brain haemorrhage. There is no line he won't cross to get what he wants. It's more likely that the only reason he disapproved of [[spoiler:the Cell that experimented on Jack]] was because they didn't ask him first.

*** Basically, Shepard is, to quote on version of the first game, "...the closest thing humanity has to a hero...". TIM knows that Shepard is valuable, if not as a person, than as a symbol. And to quote Wrex, TIM feels that Shepard will bring humanity "...to glory whether or not you like it." Regardless of how Shepard acts, TIM knows that Shepard will do great things and TIM can piggy back on that success, whether overtly or covertly.

** Miranda, Jack, and other Cerberus lackeys are keen to espouse how great Cerberus is, and that it does good work. At the moment, the ''only'' good things we've seen them do is build the [=SR-2=] (which, in itself, is not a "good" thing) and resurrect Shepard (along with all the ethical baggage that comes along with it, which is sadly never addressed in-game). On the other hand, Bioware goes out of its way to show Cerberus' villainy is one step removed from that of the Reapers. They're assholes, period.

* The Geth are just a RedHerring. Consider the star that TIM has in his office. It changes color at the end, but it's not simply a case of EmpathicEnvironment to reflect your paragon/renegade choice. It's because it's [[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/sn2006gy/sn2006gy_newline.jpg advancing into the next phase of its evolution]].

* It's stated in the first game that Banes faked his own death, the Cerberus used to be part of the System Alliance or at least had reltions with it until they went rougue. Banes clearly makes shady deals for weapons, is known to Alliance brass, including Anderson and We've never learned TIM's name. It's obvious that they're the same person.

* A blatant rip-of of ThreeHundred - otherwise known as Thirteen; ALL THIRTEEN CHARACTERS GOING TO TOWN ON AN APPROACHING ARMY!

* A no-shooting-whatsoever mission, a la TheNegotiator. Paragons get to be KevinSpacey. Renegades get to be ''SamuelLJackson''.

* (Personal favorite!)A shooting section in a ship with wildly malfunctioning artificial gravity, with Shepard and his team running all over the walls and ceiling, using "vertical cover" - enemies come at you from every angle, and cover from some is not from others. [[Two-DSpace Think in three dimensions or die.]]

* A shooting section in a ship with wildly malfunctioning artificial gravity, with Shepard and his team running all over the walls and ceiling, using "vertical cover" - enemies come at you from every angle, and cover from some is not from others. Think in three dimensions or die.

* A shooting section in a ship with wildly malfunctioning artificial gravity, using "vertical cover" - enemies come at you from every angle, and cover from some is not from others. Think in three dimensions or die.

Spoilers here for the second game. The first is [[WMG/MassEffect here]]. Read at your own discretion.

[[folder:Mass Effect 3 - General]]
[[WMG:[=ME3=] will start with the bad ending if you didn't import a save.]]
Everyone except Joker, Liara, and Ashley/Kaiden dies unless you import a save, because the same thing happened in mass effect- Shepard blazed through as fast as possible, doing almost no side-missions. You will also start ME3 as a new player character unless you import a save.

[[WMG:[=ME3=] will reconstruct the [[EscortMission Escort Mission]].]]
Think about it, an ACTUAL escort mission would be intense, visceral, and terrifying because you are protecting someone you presumably care a good deal about. And if there is one thing Bioware is good at, it's creating characters the player cares about. Seriously, each character gets at least as much love as the cast of [[Firefly Firefly]] or any other cult sci-fi franchise. And Bioware is just awesome enough to restore what has always been the scrappy level to possibly a crowning moment. Especially if the mission is scripted to fail.

[[WMG:[=ME3=] will NOT see the Reaper issue being finally resolved.]]
* Mainly because given most of what we know, I still have difficulty in believing we can get from the situation we see in ME2 to a complete resolution within the space of one game. It's possible, yes, but it seems a bit off. More likely (at least in my view) is that ME becomes a FourPartTrilogy, with [=ME3=] dealing with the arrival of the Reapers and [=ME4=] dealing with the actual end of that battle.

[[WMG: The music over the credits of [=ME3=] will be 'Don't Fear the Reaper']].
And if it isn't, it damn well should be.
* You win the internet.
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxqW0Clok7U Would you settle for the final mission of ME2?]]
* I'd love to hear a Bear McCreary rendition of it. You know, for extra BSG geek cred.

[[WMG: There will be QTE scenes which give you a Paragon/Renegade choice.]]
Well, there is a sequence which gives you a choice to interrupt Mordin agressively and then, if you chose not to do so, politely. It would be plausible enough to make you press left or right in such cutscenes.
Also, QTE are often used regardless of morality because the choice is almost always Paragon/Renegade with saved time VS Neutral with no bonuses at all. Thus, there will be a lot of scenes where you must quickly decide what to choose. Never said that both choices will reward you the same way, though.

[[WMG: Mass Effect 3 will have Tim Curry in it.]]
Why? Do you need an excuse to put TimCurry in anything? His voicing a character in Mass Effect 3 would make it grounds for So Awesome It Will Blow Your Mind. Bioware if you're reading this, get on the phone with his agent and give him whatever he wants. The mere mention of his being in Mass Effect 3 would probably be enough to get anyone who's ever visited TV Tropes to buy it and we are not a small market by any stretch of the imagination. Plus there's the OH I DON'T KNOW, his rabid fanbase that would buy this game just to hear his sexy, sexy voice. Um, if you'll excuse me, [[{{Firefly}} I'll be in my bunk]].
* What would he play? The Reaper Fabulous? Sorry, I'm tired and just watched the RockyHorrorPictureShow.
** That one guy. You know the one, that one guy who ends up stabbing you in the back and was really TheDragon the whole time.
** A romanceable squadmate in [=ME3=].
** In just, seven, days (oh baby,) I can make you a hu-u-u-u-usk!
* Bioware seems to share your wishes. Look and listen to Donovan Hock from the Kasumi loyalty mission. Looks very similar to Tim Curry and has a ridiculous accent like he had in Congo. And of course, like many Tim Curry roles, he is a villain.

[[WMG:Liara and Joker will be on the cover of [=ME3=].]]
[=ME1=] had Ashley and Garrus. [=ME2=] had Miranda and Thane. That's twice that Bioware used the "male alien, female human" pattern. For the third game they're going to invert it, and have a female alien and a male human on the cover. Liara and Joker are the only squad members (potential, in Joker's case) who are ''guaranteed'' to have survived the events of both games, and guess what pattern they fit in?
* More likely it'll be a human female love interest (Gianna?) and a male alien "best bud" of a species we haven't seen before (Raloi?). ''That'' is the pattern that the covers fall into.

[[WMG:In [=ME3=] Khalisa Al'Jalani will know Kung-Fu.]]
* You can't keep slapping her around forever.
** But Shepard will still kick her ass.
*** Or better yet, she gets punched out by one of your squadmates.
--->'''Garrus (or Grunt, or Tali, or anyone):''' I've had enough of your xenophobic diatribe. * PAWNCH*
--->(beat)
--->'''Shepard:''' ...what?

[[WMG:In [=ME3=], Khalisah al-Jilani will have a talk show.]]
* Simply because her name's so chantable. "Khalisah!" ''* clap* '' "Khalisah!" ''* clap* '' "Khalisah!" ''* clap* '' Depending on how you dealt with her, she's either the next Oprah or the next Jerry Springer.
** Christ, if she becomes the next Oprah, Shepard is screwed.
** Renegade Shep has his work cut out for him. But it's ''Shepard'' we're talking about. What's gonna stop him from punching out an enitre room of middle age stay-at-home moms?
** 'You get a punch in the face! * PAWNCH* And ''you'' get a punch in the face! * PAWNCH* And ''you'' get a punch in the face!' - Incidentally, if this WMG ever happened like that, it would end up on the CrowningMomentOfAwesome page at least three times, as well as the CrowningMomentOfFunny page at least twice. Somehow, it would also end up on the CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming page, due to a very confused (or disturbed) troper.
** You know, I had actually thought about that. It could be a cool DLC. However, [[TvtropesWillRuinYourLife when I read this entry, I decided to elaborate a little bit]]. Try this: you saved the galaxy (again) and Al-Jilani invites Shepard, asking him/her awkward questions. BUT. She has finally become [[GenreSavvy Genre Savvy]] and the whole room is full of automated turrets, reacting to contacts between her guests' knuckles and her face, therefore blasting the guest to shreds if thing get nasty. So you have to keep her busy talking (like that quest in Noveria, with the arms dealer, or the one in Kasumi's DLC) while your tech expert reaches the security control room and hacks the turrets. So here you go, charming the hell out of her, when suddenly..."Mr/Miss Shepard, I just asked you about the genophage you decided to cure. Does it look funny? Why are you smilimg?" "Because I'm about to make your show really worth the network's money." PAWNCH.

[[WMG:There will be a [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic "meatbag"]] reference in [=ME3=].]]
* Probably by [[spoiler:Legion]], something along the lines of "Why would a form of media that was [[TakeThatUs clearly made by organics]] use such a derogatory term for them?"

[[WMG: EDI will get a CrowningMomentOfAwesome in Mass Effect 3.]]
* A Reaper will attempt to convince her that the organics will betray her sooner or later, and tries to persuade her to join their side. She will go on a long tirade how superior she is to these foolish humans, and how she will enjoy seeing them suffer. And then [[spoiler:she'll make her trademark deadpan: "That is a joke", and blast the Reaper down with her main cannons.]]
** If this happens I will die happy.

[[WMG: Mass Effect 3 will include a romance sub-plot between Joker and EDI.]]
* Somehow. Haven't worked out the details yet, but it may involve an {{Andromeda}} style avatar (bearing, of course, a [[InkSuitActor suspicious resemblance]] to [[BattlestarGalactica Six]]. And now I've become a [[CargoShip cargo shipper]]. Great.

[[WMG:Your decision regarding [[spoiler:the Collector Base...]]]]
* ...will determine who you're aligned with in MassEffect 3. Many debates have been had about whether or not to [[spoiler:destroy or save the Collector Base]] is the right decision, but whatever decision you make could have much bigger consequences. If you [[spoiler:destroy the base and sever ties with Cerberus]], the Alliance/Council could welcome you back, since you've shown Cerberus doesn't own you. [[GasLeakCoverup Hopefully the Council will be nicer this time around.]] And if you [[spoiler:save the base for Cerberus]], your alliance with Cerberus will still hold in the third game, Cerberus being the ones helping you out and not the Council.

[[WMG:Shepard's first name will be used by someone.]]
* In a climactic scene, Shepard will be arguing with another character, probably the love interest. Then, thanks to some amazing voice synthesizer technology, they will grab Shepard's attention by using Shepard's first name. Sure, it will mess things up for those few people who chose unpronounceable names, but for the vast majority of us, it will be stunning.
** Alternatively, you can change Shepard's name on an [=ME2=] import, and the game ''strongly suggests'' that it would be a good idea to go with John or Jane. It's pretty pointless as far as customisation goes, you only see it in three places in the first game and in only one in the second.
*** That might cause more problems than it solves. For one thing, there's a lot of people who would want to go out and rename their PC [[ZeroPunctuation 'Fagballs']] or something to see if the synthesizer picks it up, and they'd have to make sure the pronunciation is '''perfect''', and if it only worked for 'John' and 'Jane', you'd be screwing everyone else over, and...
**** It wouldn't be that hard, even without a synthesizer. Expensive, time-consuming, and pointless, maybe, but not hard. Assuming you're only going to use the name once, just have the VA of whoever is doing the line (love interests, probably) read off the 100 or so most common names in the world. If your Shep's name is one of them, they say it. If not, you just get "Shepard" like always.
[[WMG:Renegade Shepard will decend into [[NeutralEvil Neutral Evil]] territory in Mass Effect 3]]
* Shepard starts to crack under the pressure of having to protect the galaxy and his team/love interest. So he does some [[MoralEventHorizon bad things]] to defeat the Reapers. Depending on the player, Shepard can stop just short of the point of no return, or decend into True Villany, betray his team, and take over a weakened galaxy after defeating the Reapers.
** And if you go down this path, the end credits theme will be "Bad Things" by Jace Everett.

[[WMG:Bioware is using the premium [=DLC=] of ''[=ME2=]'' to refine ''[=ME3=]''.]]
Take a look at the reception of the premium [=DLC=] so far:
::'''Kasumi - Stolen Memory''' - Pretty good.
::'''Overlord''' - Amazing.
::'''Lair of the Shadow Broker''' - The best yet.
Bioware is using it to test what does and doesn't work gameplay wise, and everything they find will be used in ''Mass Effect 3''. Additionally, ''[=ME3=]'' will have occasional gameplay shifts - Overlord has a free-roaming map between the stations, and Lair of the Shadow Broker has a car chase. Bioware will keep trying new things in future [=DLC=] to see fans' response to it. All this will result in ''[=ME3=]'' having a plethora of gameplay styles and being one of the best games of all time.

[[WMG:The Shadow Broker will be Shepard's benefactor in Mass Effect 3.]]
Well, it won't be Cerberus again, at least for those who destroyed the Collector base. The Shadow Broker has the resources to fund a Spectre's operations (as Tela Vasir showed), expresses a desire to help Shepard at the end of Lair of the Shadow Broker, and doesn't have the unfriendly history with Shepard Cerberus did (nor the clash in ideology with a Paragon Shepard). And this wouldn't necessarily mean the Shadow Broker won't be a squadmate; an assistant could be left behind to run operations while the Broker's off with Shepard.
* More than likely, considering at the end of the LotSB DLC, [[spoiler:Liara becomes the new Shadow Broker.]]

[[WMG: Mass Effect 3 will be modeled after Metal Gear: Peace walker]]
* And it would borrow much of the game's resource and personnel management system, allowing you to assign your specialists to specific tasks, such as weapon and armor development, personnel training, and lending military aid to conflict zones in exchange for resources and credits. You might also get to reconfigure the [=SR2=] Normandy, or even a brand new [=SR3=].
The Shadow Broker DLC already sort of toys with the idea of having a home base besides the Normandy, providing Sheppard with extra resources, research and intel.
** Oh, and you'd get to build your own giant robot, of course.

[[folder:Mass Effect 3 - Romance]]
[[WMG:[=EDI=] will get a robo-body in Mass Effect 3, and there will be a love triangle between her, Joker and Legion.]]
You'll help her decide who she should choose, or bar them all from shipboard romance.
** ''She already has a body.'' [[spoiler:She is the Normandy.]] And we all know Jeff ''loves'' her smooth curves. As for Legion, I reckon the poor bastard(s) will be confined in EDI's Friend Zone. Seriously, they can literally transmit ''millions'' of informations every second. They would run out of conversation topics ''much'' faster than any organic couple.
*** I go more for Joker/Tali.
[[WMG: Ashley and Kaidan will be same-sex romance options in Mass Effect 3.]]
* If they're going to use dialogue that can work for either gender, one would think that it would be written and directed to have them not sound like abandoned lovers when being reunited with a Shepard of the same sex. [[BiTheWay Unless]]...
** Originally, they could be romanced as any gender in [=ME1=], but were removed before the game shipped. Some of the dialogue from the romance scene survives on the disk.
*** And why would they add so much more HoYay to that unless they were planning on doing something with it?

[[WMG:In [=ME3=] A Spacer Shepard will be asked to bring her/his romance from [=ME2=] or [=ME1=] to meet her/his mother.]]
* This will be:
** Fairly standard if it's Kaidan, Kelly, Jacob or Miranda.
** Funny if it's Ash due to her family.
** Really funny if it's Jack or Liara.
** REALLY awkward if Shepard brings home Garrus or Tali. Can totally see mama Shepard going DirtyOldWoman and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny asking for details]].
** Still awkward but less so if there's finally a same-sex romance option in [=ME3=], unless male!Shepard/Thane is added back in, in which case it would probably be ''more'' awkward.
*** Or not awkward at all, if Shepard came out years ago, and Hannah knew. Though if Fem!Shep brings Liara home, Hannah will make an IWantGrandkids comment.

[[WMG: If you didn't romance her in [=ME2=], Tali will get together with Kal'Reegar in Mass Effect 3.]]
* It's hard for a girl like her to resist the draw of [[{{Firefly}} Adam]] [[{{Chuck}} Baldwin]], after all.
** Agreed, but if the forums are any indication, this will most likely result in people [[DieForOurShip letting the Colossus kill him on Haestrom.]]
*** Nah, Kal'Reegar is safe if Tali only gets together with him if you choose not to romance her.
**** Not from the [[LesYay femslash fans]] he isn't.

[[WMG: [=ME3=]'s love interests will have a catfight!]]
* Since you can technically cheat on the previous game's Love Interest, you KNOW there's gonna be an argument between:
** Ashley vs Miranda, Ashley vs Subject Zero, Ashley vs Tali
** Kaidan vs Garrus, Kaidan vs Jacob, Kaidan vs Thane
*** That would be so awkward if it was Kaidan vs Garrus. Or Ashley vs Tali or Liara vs Tali. Like it'd be easier for Kaidan to say "You cheated on me with a drell assasin?!". It'd be a whole different level of personal if it was someone from ME1.
*** It would be AWESOMELY awkward. Their previous working relationship and current trust issues give that scenario a lot of potential.
*** Agreed. Like I said it would be awkward, hilarious, sad, and dramatic all at the same time. Damn someone needs to write fanfiction for that.
** Liara vs Every Romanceable in [=ME2=].
* The rest of the crew is gonna watch and take bets.
** While Grunt makes popcorn and cheers loudly XD

[[WMG: The Friend Zone Turian and the Quarian in the Ilium bar will get together in [=ME3=].]]
* And it will be [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming heartwarming.]] Those two have become a minor meme in themselves; this troper will be surprised if we don't overhear them again in [=ME3=].
** And this troper will be surprised if the turian isn't STILL trying to hook up with her, just to get more comedy out of it.

[[WMG:There Will Be Another SadisticChoice In [=ME3=](Love Interest Edition!).]]
* Sure, people could die in the second game, but there wasn't really a choice, per se. The third game ''will'' have a sadistic choice, since BioWare seems to like them and it will be... between your love interests.
* The third game will introduce some more characters who will be romance options. I think that's a forgone conclusion, though it may be possible BioWare will give up introducing new romance plots so they can focus on resolving the old ones from the first two games. I personally find that unlikely, but I digress. Some new characters will probably be introduced, maybe Samara will finally cave, whatever. Anyways, if you were disloyal, there will be tension between your lovers in the third game. They will demand you make a decision, of course...but it won't be in the way you expected. If there are, in fact, two or even three people in your life, a special scenario will be triggered. In it, like that oh so special section of Virmire, you will be forced to choose: whom you will save... and whom you will leave to die.
* There's no evidence for this whatsoever, but it would be an interesting way to deal with the romantic tension. You save the one you love the most and leave the others to die. Or they all live and there's more tension created based on who you saved first. This will be one of the major factors in resolving the romance plotline.
* Then there will be a wedding. Which may or may not be awkward.

[[WMG:Shepard can be a [[TheMatchmaker Match Maker]] for squad members in [=ME3=].]]
* There's a lot of shipping going around the fandom, and not all of it involves Shepard. Garrus/Tali, Jacob/Miranda, Thane/Samara, this troper even saw [[CrackPairing Wrex and Liara get shipped together once.]] Given how Bioware does take notice of shippers (Garrus and Tali becoming romance options proved that), this WMG seems easily plausible.
** Hell, this troper even saw a Garrus/Miranda pairing once.
*** Does Garrus get to calibrate dat ass?
**** Oh, he calibrates it daily. Apparently, Miranda's [[MostCommonSuperpower armaments]] [[IncrediblyLamePun need constant adjustment]].
***** Alright, I'm intrigued. Got a link? Just to indulge my curiosity, of course. * Cough*
****** [[SarcasmMode Sure, it is.]] [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5910092/1/Into_the_Darkness Here you go,]] [[HypocriticalHumor weirdo.]]
****** this MUST HAVE a Jack/Zaeed paring you can set up. THE PEOPLE DEMAND IT! (come on, those two heartless killers are perfect for eachother...)

[[WMG: By the end of [=ME3=], Shepard will be able to sleep with [[spoiler:Morinth and not die.]]]]
* Because when you defeat the ENTIRE FLEET OF REAPERS, you're just that awesome.
** Screw [[spoiler:Morinth]], I want to see a sex scene with [[spoiler:Legion]]. Now THAT is awesome.
*** This unit is fully functional and has several former Quarian erotic programs loaded into it.

[[WMG: There will be a female Krogan romance option in [=ME3=].]]
After completing Grunt's loyalty mission EDI says that there have been several breeding requests for Grunt, and one for Shepard. It'd be a dissapointment if that one request wasn't encountered at some point.

[[WMG: Tali will be a [=FemShep=] romance option in [=ME3=].]]
* After all, it took her 1.5 whole games to have a romance with MaleShep. It makes sense that it might take her long for [=FemShep=] since not only is [=FemShep=] not quarian but the same gender as her.
** Tali actually ''was'' going to romanceable by female Shepards, but this was left on the cutting room floor (Male Shepard/Thane, too). There's even that bit when Tali talks about joining suits and gets all flustered, so it's possible.
** It's also highly probable that same-sex relationships are taboo on the Migrant Fleet (one of the civil liberties they have had to sacrifice) because of a) the need to produce a new generation at a sustainable rate and b) the prospect that non-procreative sex would be viewed as an unnecessary health risk. Considering that, it makes perfect sense that Tali would be even more nervous about possibly entering a relationship with Fem!Shep than Male!Shep, and, hence, might take an extra game to admit her feelings. Cultural influences are hard to escape.
*** Not that that would be making a lot of sense, it is contradicted by what we know. Quarian leadership imposes a single child limit on families to prevent overpopulation. When they need to grow their population, they just temporarily lift the restriction.

[[WMG: Legion will be romanceable in [=ME3=].]]
It's already somewhat of an ascended fanbot, might as well go into crack ship territory.

[[WMG: Mordin will become a romance option in Mass Effect 3.]]
Ahem. "If would try human, would try you." Note that Mordin dismisses Shepard's 'wooing' not because of not wanting to "try her/him" but because of biological difficulties (and probably not to distract himself from the work) and as the creative minds of fan fiction writers prove us, there's numerous ways to get around that problem (which I will not elaborate to spare you from BrainBleach) Hey, it happened with Garrus, so SureWhyNot ?

[[WMG: Some Romances will have a Moral Choice]]
The Dossiers shed some light on Thane and Miranda that can have a moral choice near the end of the game. Namely that Thane's condition can be treated with a lung transplant and Miranda's infertility solved by making a GatticaBaby, this will not sit well with Thane (Which may betray the whole fact he was trying to atone by dying) or Miranda (Who views creating an artificial child to continue her dynasty is hypocracy) and Shepard has to decide if they should accept the relationship as it is or change it for better or for worse.

[[WMG: Joker will be romanceable]]
The fangirls will kill Bioware if they don't. And they've dropped so many hints that ''NOT'' making him romanceable would be misleading. And joker's awesome, dammit.

[[WMG: Each romance will have a related upgrade in the Normandy lab]]
Examples include the ability for Shepard & Tali/Garrus to handle ingestion of/contact with opposing DNA, a temporary cure for Kepral's for Thane, et cetera. Needless to say, these will all be ludicrously resource-intensive.

[[folder:Mass Effect 3 - Squad Members]]
[[WMG:Mass Effect 3 will feature the following new squad qembers (Cumulative):]]
* '''New characters:'''
** A batarian, because, why not?
*** This is for sure. Not all of them hate humans, and they even breathe oxygen.
** Characters from other franchises. This will depend on the person playing, but this could vary from Master Chief to Shadow the Hedgehog (As Sonic doesn't use weapons) to Kamen Rider Decade. And to make this extra awesome, the choice is made subtly at the start of the game, through a background system. What? This IS wild mass guessing, it doesn't have to be plausible.
*** This includes characters from other Bioware games, as well as a Shepard from a different playthrough, recruited from a parallel universe. The parallel universe Shepard will also be romancable, regardless of gender.
*** I rather think having the Master Chief, of all people, be on your side (and by default, Cortana, a highly advanced AI that actually wants to save all humans rather than kill them all) would be a tad bit of a game-breaker. The game would pretty much go thusly:
---> '''Shepard:''' Master Chief, we need to save the galaxy!
---> '''Master Chief''': "Again? Alright."
---> ''12 minutes gametime later...''
---> '''Master Chief:''' Done. Anything else you want me to kill?
** A Collector, just for the awesomeness and the fact that [[spoiler: there was a geth team mate in [=ME2=] and the geth were the primary antagonists in ME like the Collectors are in 2.]]
*** The Collector will be desperate for someone, ''anyone'', to tell it what to do, since [[spoiler:it's not getting orders any more, and has an in-built need to obey and follow orders due to the millennia of Reaper indoctrination. Since the Reapers abandoned them,]] they'll latch onto anyone who is willing to order them around.
**** And it will explain why they want Shepard alive, the original plan being to clone Shepard a million times and then [[spoiler:turn them to Organic Goo so it can become a Reaper to lead them all.]]
** A [[DestroyAllHumans Certain Furon]]. This one's pretty out there even by WMG standards, but hear this troper out. In 2005, Pandemic entered a partnership with BioWare to join forces. It's possible that, when Pandemic went under, they left Crypto to BioWare "in the will" so to speak. There'd have to be some serious retconning with the Furons' backstory, but Bioware could make it work. I for one would love to see Crypto trying to get into every female squad member's pants via cheesy pick-up lines and innuendos.
** A LawfulEvil hanar, for the hilarity.
*** As with the elcor, a part of your crew, but not a party member. Hanar are too fragile, and elcor are too slow.
**** Actually, elcor do enter combat occasionally. They're exceptionally strong, and they fight with ''back and shoulder-mounted mass accelerator cannons.'' The elcor will be Shepard's artillery support.
** A rachni - but only if you spared them.
** A female turian, who will also be romance option. Hey, femsheps got Garrus. So it's only fair that the fellas get their share of Turian hanky-panky. Er - not that this troper would want to have sex with a female turian. Just saying the option should be there. * Ahem*
*** Concurrently, with all the discussion about Kal'Reegar, a significant ''male'' quarian character, becoming a squadmate...
*** I'm Commander Shepard ''and this is my favorite theory on TVTropes.''
** A varren.
*** Urz?
** A vorcha, to further subvert the PlanetOfHats trope.
*** Specifically as the TeamPet
** A LawfulEvil Human VillainProtagonist who is much more sinister and outright evil compared to other "Evil Companions" such as Morinth or Zaeed (A CardCarryingVillain). He delights in torture and other unpleasant tasks. A SadisticChoice will involve him and a party member if you have too much paragon and too little Renegade points.
* One of Many and Safiya from Mask of the Betrayer will show up. They will see Jack & Legion, realize that they are the distaff counterparts of each other. 'Splosion.
* '''Returning characters:'''
** Captain Anderson. He's got combat skills and in [=ME2=] you get to see how fed up he is with the Council. Anderson also mentions not wanting to spend his "twilight years" involved in politics, so it makes sense that he might choose to go out with a bang.
*** After the events of ''Retribution'', this is highly likely. If Anderson DOESN'T become a recruitable party member, then it seems to be pretty heavily implied that he and Kahlee will play some sort of role in the third game.
** Aria T'Loak.
*** As cool as it would be, Aria is unlikely as the asari crewmember will almost certainly be Liara.
*** Two asari crew members and a simultaneous three-way romance. Zing!
** Captain Bailey.
** Blasto, the first hanar Spectre. He will have a bad attitude, a gun in every tentacle, and he will team up with you for the final, epic battle against the Reapers. It will be the ultimate interracial buddy-cop thriller, and it will be exactly as awesome as it sounds. Also, there will be a romance option. Cuz why the hell not?
*** "Blasto: the Jellyfish Stings" is based on a true story, and the hanar are pissed that his cover is blown. The lawsuit by the Hanar Anti-Defamation League is just damage control so that people don't realize that he's a real person. One choice will involve sending him to either Earth or the Citadel, and he will single handedly kill no less than 5 Reapers because he's just that awesome.
*** Alternatively, there is a hanar spectre, but it gets its jobs done mostly through realistic espionage instead of being an OvertOperative because people generally don't suspect Hanar are anything but benign, and pay so little attention to it that the job is made much easier. It's a huge fan of Blasto; if not for the movie itself, than for the fact that it creats a ''completely unrealistic'' image of what a Hanar spectre would be like, and thus, makes it even less noticable.
*** Either way, a movie will be made about the awesome team-up, and we'll see ads for it on various planets ("New, from Erdini Films, the epic team-up of two greats..."). But unless you're a Renegade, you won't see a damned cent. Bastards.
**** "...Starring [[AscendedFanboy Conrad Verner]] as the ruthless Commander Shepherd. In theaters everywhere this Fall."
*** It would make for a good side quest, like the ones in ME1, were you needed to find Turian Insignias and Asari Writings, but instead to have no gain from this you get a Cut from the film, how muchs depends on how you finished the Mission
** [[AscendedFanboy Conrad Verner]], as mentioned in another WMG.
** EDI. [[spoiler:Legion]] and Tali will construct a humanoid "platform" for her to upload herself to or remotely control for away missions.
** Harbinger. The ultimate mind screw: Harbinger's activities in [=ME2=] were [[spoiler:actually very unpopular in the general Reaper population and were barely tolerated. On the other hand, Harbinger advocated using mankind to create the next generation of Reapers, and this convinced the others to delay Armageddon. With his project's failure, the usual harvest will continue, and Harbinger goes along with it. However, he still thinks he can salvage his project, and will try and sabotage the invasion as much as possible to give himself time. This naturally earns him the ire and wrath of the rest of his kind and he is destroyed, forcing him to upload his mind into his last working Human-Reaper hybrid prototype: a man-sized android.]] With nowhere else to go, he joins Shepard.
--->'''NPC''': ::Blathers on about a sidequest::
--->'''Harbinger''': DIRECT INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY.
--->'''Shepard''': ...''stop'' that.
*** If Shephard is male, Harbinger takes a female body. If Shephard is female, Harbringer takes a male body. Either way, Harbinger becomes a romantic option. Both forms have the same voice.
**** It will be an angelic, androgynous form no matter your gender ([[UncannyValley eerily]] beautiful [[EldritchAbomination angels]] can be very creepy if you have the right voice actor and a good script writer). It also kind of suits the god complex possessed by Harbinger. Massive flame wars about it's true "gender" and whether Shepard is gay or not will soon follow (Naturally, nobody will remember the important fact that, being a robot, said body won't really have a gender at ALL.).
** Joker (possibly in a mecha body, because RuleOfCool).
** Kal'Reegar.
*** PLEASE YES!!!!!!!!! And have one of his combat lines be a sarcastic [[{{Serenity}} "Too bad we don't have any grenades!"]] and one of his I'm hit lines be [[{{Firefly}} "That was my favorite shirt!"]]
** Captain Kirrahe.
** Kolyat. It seems like by telling us that Kolyat seeks to follow in his father's footsteps, Bioware was giving us a hint that when [[spoiler:Thane finally succumbs to his illness, or even if it degenerates to the point where he can no longer fight]] he will join with Shepard in his place. Or perhaps you get Kolyat if [[spoiler:Thane]] did not survive the suicide mission.
*** If [[spoiler:Thane's]] Loyalty quest was successful, then Kolyat becomes a supercop. If the mission is failed or is ignored, Kolyat is well on his to becoming an elite assassin. Either way, he'll probably be a crack shot.
*** Am I the only one who thinks they could sneak in a KingdomHearts joke if Kolyat becomes a squatmate?
--> '''Shepard:''' Okay, Kolyat. Just remember that you're part of a team now. Don't shoot anyone without my say-so. If I'm shooting at them, that counts as my say-so. Got it memorized?
--> '''Kolyat:''' [[ActorAllusion Yeah, perfectly.]]
** Mordin's nephew. He's already supposed to be following in Mordin's footsteps, ''and'' he's already hit his DangerousSixteenthBirthday; the kid will either become another EnsembleDarkhorse or a ReplacementScrappy. [[BrokenBase Or both]].
*** Does Mordin's nephew actually have any combat experience?
**** If not, there's nothing stopping him from ''gaining'' it. Or joining as an NPC crew member, to flesh out your crew even further.
*** Mordin could possibly be dead of old age by the time of [=ME3=], the ''Normandy'' needs a MadScientist.
** Gianna Parasini.
*** I don't think Gianna is too likely. Yeah, she's awesome, but she's a ''corporate cop''. Special forces training doesn't come with the job.
** One of Samara's daughters. Bioware is very good at subverting the PlanetOfHats trope, and in the Codex it says that [[spoiler:Ardat-Yakshis have had stories told about them as anti-heroes, then they'll show that not all A-Ys are blue succubi.]] You may even get to choose between the two, one being meek and slightly content with her solitary life but willing to make her mother proud of her by helping Shepard, and the other closer to [[spoiler:Morinth's attitude who's only difference to her dearly departed sister is a body count.]] There will be drama, and if Shepard is dumb enough to [[spoiler:sleep with them...]] Well, you get what you get.
*** Well the more gentle one of the two will have safe sex with you [[spoiler:but tells him/her to have the mind equivilant of a condom before going at it (meaning no melding for her if possible).]] While Shepard lives, she feels that its not very comfortable by Asari standards.
** The Shadow Broker (or an agent of theirs). This will only happen if you [[spoiler:side with him in the inevitable stand off between him and Liara.]]
** Shiala.
** Urz. Cause it's a cute varren that follows you around and wags it's tail! D'awww...
** [[MemeticBadass Niftu Cal]], still convinced he's a [[AGodAmI biotic god]]. He'll be a competent biotic by [=ME3=], but still a complete CloudCuckooLander.
** Saren. Think about it. [[BaldursGate Sarevok]]...Saren...You could recruit the [[BigBad Big Bad]] of the first Baldur's Gate, in the expansion pack of the second game. And there was much asskicking, when Baal's two most hardcore offsprings teamed up. I can imagine Bioware doing the same trick for the second time, if only because of the alliteracy. Right, i ''did'' notice that Saren is theoretically unavailable being, you know, dead. In fact, he managed to die ''twice'' in just five minutes. [[WhatIf But.]] Nanotechnology or other forms of [[AppliedPhlebotinum Applied Phlebotinum]] would work just fine to repair the body. Of course, then the question: "What about Sovereign? Why didn't it self-repair?" would spring to mind, but we would be so overcome by the awesome that the previous point would just go and cry in the shower.

[[WMG:Alternatively, only characters we have previously met will be squad members.]]
* Bioware has spent the previous games adding characters, so [=ME3=] will instead see the return of everyone from the first two games, assuming they are still alive. It'll take too much time and resources to flesh out entirely new characters, as well as keep fans of old characters happy, as well as tell whatever grand storyline they want to tell. Whatever next game in the same universe they make, that is on a separate storyline not featuring Shepard... that might have those characters though. The exception is characters that already have character development, but haven't been party members.
** An argument I've seen repeated ad nauseum is "everyone but Liara can die, so obviously there will be a whole new squad for [=ME3=], which makes ''no sense whatsoever''. Think about it: how many people are going to import save(s) where squadmembers died? And the few that do, I'm sure will have a "perfect" save where everyone made it. It's just common sense.
*** Agreed. Most players will have a "perfect" save if nothing else so that they could have gotten the No One Left Behind achievement.
*** In the extreme worst case scenario where only Shepard lives, there will still be Liara and one of Ashley or Kaidan alive. So there will be enough for a party at the bare minimum. Coincidence?
**** Except that it's impossible to have Shepard be the sole survivor of the Suicide Mission. If everyone dies, Shepard dies as well. There has to be at least two other survivors because, otherwise, no one will be there to [[spoiler:save Shepard when s/he misses the jump at the end.]]
*** Don't forget that [[spoiler: Mordin]] is unlikely to survive the suicide mission by default (as is [[spoiler: Tali, but torches and pitchforks will help her on her way.]]).
**** There are several surefire ways to ensure everyone survives the suicide mission. [[spoiler:Mordin's]] is "send back as crew rescue escort". [[spoiler:Tali's]] is [[spoiler:"Use as tech expert in the tube at first" and "Don't use as fire team leader".]] Both are safe from getting [[spoiler:Seeker Swarmed if you choose Jack or Samara for the walking biotic shield emitter]]. And of course, everyone should be loyal.
*** Well obviously most people are going to have an EverybodyLives save to import by the time [=ME3=] comes out. But they can't write the game based on that assumption. You could import a save with a bare minimum of surviving characters and it must still be playable and winnable. And when you consider new characters created in [=ME3=] without importing, who are unlikely to get a happy ending in their histories at least going by what [=ME2=] did...
*** With the exception of Wrex, [[spoiler: Mordin, Legion]] and Tali, the squad members really don't have much of an impact on the galaxy as a whole. If you don't have those four, you're at a major disadvantage; if you do, but you've lost others, then the game is still winnable - but it'll come back to bite you in the final mission. Less people = less survivors.
** There will almost certainly be new squad members for all those who ended up getting almost everybody killed in [=ME2=]. Not every companion from [=ME2=] is likely to follow you to [=ME3=] even if you manage to get them out alive - Thane is dying, Mordin is old, Samara's oath has been fulfilled, Grunt has [[spoiler: his new clan]], Zaeed's contract is over...
** Developers have said that we've ran into future party members who weren't recruitable in the second game, so it could be any of the major [=NPCs=].
*** Don't forget that there have never ever been two party members who belong to one alien race. Maybe this limit will be bypassed by including females.

[[WMG:What squad members will do if they survive the first two games.]]
* Garrus: Will become a Spectre. It helps that he's already been considered for the role.
** Alternately, he'll be serving as the C-Sec Executor.
*** I doubt Garrus would go back to C-Sec with the threat of the Reapers hanging over everyone's head. Ending up as the Executor ''after'' the third game is a definite possibility though.
* Grunt: Will either stay with Shepard or return to Tuchanka [[spoiler:and aid Wrex in his efforts to unite the krogan.]]
* Jacob: Will quit Cerberus and be made a Spectre. Like another WMG said, it makes sense to have more human Spectres, and Jacob's actions in ''Mass Effect Galaxy'' where he saved the Council from a terrorist attack and his [[spoiler:possible leadership role in the suicide mission]] make him an excellent candidate. And besides, fighting alongside fellow Spectres, NPC or not, would be really cool.
** It'll also give Jacob some HiddenDepths, [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescue him from the scrappy heap]] for those fans to whom he ''is'' a Scrappy, and show that he's not always a [[TheNiceGuy Nice Guy]]. With his abs, he'll probably punch out a krogan.
* [[spoiler:'''Legion:''' Will rally the geth to fight the Old Machines.]]
** [[spoiler:Also, it will become the greatest beatboxer the galaxy has ever known.]]
* Miranda: Will go back to Cerberus, but as Shepard's spy. How effective she is depends on [[spoiler:whether Shepard saved or destroyed the Collector Base, as well as the exchange between her and TIM just before the final boss.]]
** [[spoiler:If you take Miranda with you on the final battle and choose the Paragon path, Miranda resigns from Cerberus. Furthermore, as other WMG are guessing at Cerberus' involvement in [=ME3=], after EDI is integrated with Normandy, she states outright that there are only 150 or so Cerberus employees in 3 cells; Paragon Shepard's last few lines imply that he's made a not insignificant number of them loyal to him and not the Illusive Man.]]
*** [[spoiler:To wit, the ones made loyal are also the ones that control the [=SR-2=] and have a lot of experience as well as one of the bigger groups. Given 3 cells, one cell is probably logistics and financial to handle the various shell companies and such. The third is likely intelligence gathering. Thus Shepard has assumed direct control of the military part.]]
**** [[spoiler:"Agents" could mean mid- to high-level employees, like Miranda and Jacob. The actual number may be much higher. Still, stealing the [=SR-2=], blowing up the Collector Base, and losing one of his best and most loyal agents certainly puts a dent in the organisation.]]
**** [[spoiler: Cell 1 is probably supporting their political and militarty operatives (Ambasador Udina & Rear Admiral Mikhailovich are WAY too closed minded... they're either cerberus agents or terra-firma party supporters. or both.) as well as their corperate fronts (Serta Foundataion and Hahne-Kedar both seem shady to me. mostly since the item drops in cerberus bases in ME1 were mostly theirs, especialy certa.), Cell two handles Projects like Firewalker and Overloard, and is subsequently wiped out throuought the course of the DLCs, and Cell 3 is the lazarus cell, your crew.]]
** Alternately, she's working with the Alliance to take down Cerberus.
* Mordin: He will open up a new clinic. [[spoiler:A ''musical'' clinic. The doctors will sing opera or something while working to calm patients down. If Mordin's in a bragging mood, he'll entertain patients by having the staff musically re-enact [=ME2's=] finale. Which may or may not be to the tune of [[GoYeHeroesGoAndDie When The Foeman Bears His Steel]].]]
** Depending on how you dealt with his loyalty quest, he may or may not [[spoiler:try to create a cure for the genophage, or at least modify it so the krogan have a higher birth rate.]]
* Tali: If you succeeded in gaining her loyality, the quarians will make her an admiral, [[spoiler:to fill her father's seat,]] and she will be vital in [[spoiler:brokering a peace between the geth and the quarians.]] In the DistantFinale, you'll meet quarians who go by the ship names (a holdover tradition) nar/vas Zorah, vas Tali, or most likely, vas Shepard.
** Would the quarians really make a 24 year old an admiral?
*** If you talk to her after her loyalty mission in [=ME2=] (not sure if this is dependent on other choices), she mentions that people have suggested she be made an admiral. So yes, the quarians seem to see that a 24 year old could be an admiral, if not for experience through age then through worldly experience such as fighting the geth and the Collectors.
** Alternately, she'll only leave you if you deliberately tanked her loyalty mission. If you didn't, she'll stay on the ''Normandy'' but be voted in as an admiral anyway. She didn't let "vas Normandy" stick for nothing. Could lead to some [[Main/HilarityEnsues hilarity]] involving rank in that case.
*** The captain of a ship likely outranks an admiral in quarian society. Admirals are responsible for the well-being of the entire Fleet, but the captain of a ship is basically God when it comes to his particular vessel. It may be possible that admirals are usually also the commanding officers of their respective ships (Admiral vas Qwib-Qwib seems to be the CO of his ship, anyway) but if you go on someone else's ship, you're expected to follow their instructions. Shepard is the captain of the ''Normandy'', ergo s/he is the superior officer.
**** Yes, but [[DontExplainTheJoke only Tali and/or a codex-savvy Shepard would know that]].
**** In the US navy, at least, there's a regulation that says that if an Admiral is travelling aboard a Navy vessel, the captain of said vessel is not obligated to cede command of the vessel to the Admiral and does not have to follow the Admiral's orders directly related to running the ship. Or something like that, I can't remember the specifics.
* Zaeed: [[spoiler:Depending on your actions in [=ME2's=] finale, Zaeed's contract will be cut because the suicide mission wasn't finished the way the Illusive Man wanted it. He may or may not go after Shepard or Cerberus in revenge.]]
** If Shepard went Paragon in Zaeed's Loyalty Mission, but didn't gain his loyalty at the end, or [[spoiler:if you leave him to die on his loyalty mission]] [[spoiler:I can totally see him trying to get revenge.]]

---> '''Zaeed:''' [[spoiler:''You just cost me twenty years of'' '''''my life!''''']]

And remember
---> '''Zaeed:''' "A stubborn enough person can survive anything".
* Jack: She winds up as a powerful criminal warlord in Omega, could potentially wind up on Garrus' "List of criminal scum to dispose of"
** Alternatively, a Paragon Shepard pushes her towards the path of TheAtoner, who only wishes to live the rest of her life in peace. She'll even grow out her hair so that no-one else recognizes her.
** Or get Liara to get her into Eclipse as a biotic merc, the Eclipse elite overlook her criminal record and makes herself a distinguished record and is seen leading a squad of Eclipse mercs under her command, all of which is willing to help Shepard gain a bit of leeway.
* Thane: Will have his condition worsen and worsen, to the point where, in order to recruit him in [=ME3=], you must first find some sort of experimental cure for him (Paragon Shep could literally use his reputation and money to buy it legitimately, while Renegade Shep could steal it).
** Or, alternatively, Thane ''dies'' during act 1 of [=ME3=], but not before shooting up some Reaper-Husks from his deathbed.
*** The Shadow Broker Dossier shows that Thane can be saved with a lung transplant, Thane will accept that if he is in love with Shepard.

[[WMG:Squad members who died during the suicide mission will have replacement characters in [=ME3=].]]
* Already been mentioned a few times in regards to specific characters but what if every team member from [=ME2=] has a character to replace them in [=ME3=] if they died, like what Wreav was to Wrex in [=ME2=]. This works for nearly every companion to some degree, so lets see who we have so far:
** If Garrus dies he could be replaced by [[spoiler:Sidonis (though only if you didn't let Garrus kill him in his loyalty mission).]]
** If Grunt dies Wrex or Wreav could take his place.
*** That's going to result in quite a few people letting Grunt die just so they can have Wrex back. It might be better if you got to choose between them somehow.
** If Jacob dies... no idea.
** If Jack dies Billy (the prisoner you talk to who later sends you a message) replaces her.
*** Billy is an insane serial murderer and has sworn to kill Shepard the next time they meet.
**** And?
***** And what? He's '''insane'''. He's expressed an interest in killing you. You don't want someone like that watching your back.
****** It's not like Jack is the sanest person in the galaxy. Sure, Billy's less sane, but maybe he could be convinced that saving the galaxy is going to be more fun than random killing.
** If Kasumi dies... no idea.
** [[spoiler:If Legion dies it just gets replaced by another geth platform.]]
*** [[spoiler: Well considering Legion is just a program, barring him unable to send his program back to a hub or terminal, it could come back... as itself in a new platform. With a full set of N7 armor and look like a walking piece of Shepard's armor. Or... it comes back as Shepard's armor directly.]]
**** [[spoiler: Legion and his 1138 program was considered "Lost" during the suicide mission]]
** If Miranda dies [[spoiler:Oriana]] takes her place.
*** [[spoiler:Oriana is nineteen]] and has no military training whatsoever.
**** [=ME2=] takes place two years after the first, by [=ME3=] they could well have had time to learn.
** If Mordin dies his nephew takes his place.
** If Samara [[spoiler:or Morinth]] dies one of Samara's daughters takes her place.
** If Tali dies Kal'Reegar takes her place.
*** Kal'Reegar is not nearly as adept with technology with technology as Tali.
**** You just got a Real Life Achievement: 9001 GS: That's Just Evil - Create the world's most sadistic choice ever.
**** The replacement member dosn't necessarily replace they're class.
*** If you got Kal'Reegar killed, Veetor takes Tali's place.
** If Thane dies [[spoiler:Kolyat]] takes his place.
** If Zaeed dies he could be replaced by the girl with grenades he mentions.
** Liara and Ashley/Kaidan could also act as replacements.

[[WMG: The squad members won't be selectable in Mass Effect 3.]]
* The Reapers will find a way to get back to the galaxy in many places at once, instead of all at once through the citadel. Your collected forces will fight them off at the same time as you traverse the galaxy trying to give orders to the different fronts and do difficult missions yourself.
** For instance, when you go to the Sol System the first game's survivor (Kaiden or Ashley) and Jacob or Miranda will be your squad, along with Cerberus and the Alliance fighting reapers.
** In Tuchanka's cluster, Wrex and Grunt will be your party, perhaps with Mordin and the Salarians trying to atone, or the Rachni, allying with their old enemies for the sake of the galaxy.
** Tali and Legion will be your squad in the Quarian home-world system, with the immigrant fleet and the geth fighting together.
** If you didn't do loyalty missions or let people die, they will fail, and you will have less help in the missions there, making the game harder.
*** If you didn't do the missions, or made violent decisions (encouraged geth/quarian war, killed the rachni, let the council die, etc.) Those whole fronts are wiped out, all those worlds are lost, and there's more enemies on the other fronts, making the game harder.

[[WMG:Only the love-interests are going to be recruitable as squad members in [=ME3=].]]
* On one hand, variety is a good thing, and Bioware is likely to want to insert new characters to interact on the side of the familiar ones, but the game already has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, and the numbers can't go too much over what you already have. Hence, only the characters who can affect the romance subplot promised to expand throughout the three games are going to follow you in the sequel, although you can expect cameos from everybody who survives by that point, naturally. Note that everybody apart from the love-interests has a potential reason to leave after the suicide mission is complete, while none of the LoveInterests really has a place to go. Hence, only eight squadmates are "taken" in the grand finale, leaving room for at least four more, but possibly even six or eight.
** Actually, Thane, Miranda, and Tali all have various reasons for leaving, though I have no doubt you can convince them to stick around.

[[WMG:You'll re-recruit all of your former squad in [=ME3=].]]
* And their respective armies to boot. One of your major missions will be giving Wrex the ability to ride on your ship while still controlling his krogan, another will be helping Liara [[spoiler:kill the Shadow Broker]] and get her back on your ship as well as all of the contacts she's ammassed between games, and convincing not only Kaidan/Ashley but by extension the Alliance to back you up again (and getting Kaidan/Ashley back on your crew).
** So there'll be an acheivement for PuttingTheBandBackTogether? Nice.

[[WMG: Liara in [=ME3=]...]]
* Will be recruitable, naturally, as she's the only definitive surviving squadmate through the first two games. She'll have a loyalty mission that involves [[spoiler:helping her take the Shadow Broker down once and for all.]], and will again be a love interest. At some point after you complete her loyalty mission, she'll have an emotional breakdown where she'll tell Shepard about everything that's happened to her since the initial Collector attack on the first ''Normandy''. If you play as a Paragon, you can help her re-embrace her shy and sensitive side; play as a Renegade, and you'll encourage her to keep the tough faï¿?ade in an interesting take on BecomingTheMask.
** This is pretty much what happens in the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC. Except the part abotu being recruitable - instead she [[spoiler:becomes the new Shadow Broker and is much to busy]].

[[WMG:Ashley/Kaidan will rejoin you in [=ME3=] - as a ''Spectre''.]]
* Of all the officers that the Alliance could've sent to [[spoiler:Horizon,]] they send Shepard's former squadmate/possible love interest. The Illusive Man may have some influence in the Alliance, but certainly not enough to send a specific officer to a specific world. There has to be another reason, and the most obvious would be that the Council is looking for another human Spectre to replace Shepard. And who would be better to fill that position than someone who served with him/her, who would be more than eager to finish the job that Shepard started?
** It's a nice theory, but somewhat undermined by the Council [[spoiler:practically sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting "Sovereign was a Geth ship, the Reapers aren't real, lalalalalalalalala!!!"]]
*** I don't think so. Just because the Council [[spoiler:doesn't believe Shepard's story about the Reapers (which itself is up for speculation)]], it doesn't mean they'd never hire another human as a Spectre out of spite; that would be a major disservice to one of their constituent races. Making one of Shepard's comrades a Spectre would be the Council's way of saving face [[spoiler:(especially once it turns out that Shepard was right all along).]]
** According to RuleOfDrama, not only will they be a Spectre, ''they will be the Spectre the Council sends'' ''[[spoiler:to take out Shepard.]]''
** The Illusive Man wasn't responsible for where Ash/Kaidan ended up - [[spoiler:he purposely leaked that information to the Collectors so that he could gather data on them.]] They were sent there by the Alliance.
*** True, but the reason Ashley/Kaidan was sent to [[spoiler:Horizon]] to begin with (they say so when you ask them) was to study Cerberus' activities there, which is something TIM '''did''' have control of. This still lends itself to the question: "why them?", which this WMG addresses.

[[WMG:You will be able to bring everyone along on missions in [=ME3=].]]
* Unlikely, but since the whole point of the games is building up a coalition to stand against the Reapers, the large diverse army will appear in [=ME3=]... translating into bringing multiple fire teams of 3 characters into battle on missions. Just because combat will be much, much bigger.

[[WMG: Bioware will deal with the overwhelming number of possible squad members in [=ME3=] by splitting the party.]]
* Seems to me that there are just to damn many party members already in the MassEffect franchise, not to mention the ones that people want to see that [=ME3=] will consist of you gathering everybody you want in your party, and then splitting them up to either go with Shepard or do something equally important, like in [[FireEmblem Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.]]

[[WMG:You will have a wide selection of recruits in [=ME3=].]]
* In the first game you simply recruit people you come across who are willing to help. The second game changes things up by having Shepard actively hunt down and recruit the best fighters in the galaxy. By the events of the third game, Shepard is already a living legend. People of all races have heard of his exploits, and rumors circulate that s/he is trying to fight the greatest threat in the history of the galaxy. Shepard will have dozens of hopeful recruits, but can only select a certain number of them. Some will obviously be more skilled than others, and this will have an effect on the outcome of the game.
** It could be like in ''BaldursGate 2'', where you can only have set ammount in your team at any one time, but can be "swapped out" at various meeting places. As with ''BaldursGate'' and other RPG's, it could well be possible to play through the game and miss a good chunk of the possible companions.

[[WMG:If loyalty outfits are implemented in [=ME3=], they will match Shepard's current armor instead of the Cerberus colors.]]
* If only because you may not be working for Cerberus anymore and it would be stupid to keep wearing their colors after the fact.
** '''Or''' we can actually equip them with armour, which, hopefully, can be customised to a similar degree as Shepard's.

[[WMG:Saren will be the hidden partymember of Mass Effect 3 and it will be possible for Shepard to redeem him]]
* Despite being killed at the end of the first game, Cerberus was able to bring back Shepard from the dead after the Commander's death. Perhaps the Reapers do the same for Saren, and he may initially be an antagonist. At some point in the game, however, the option will be either to execute him again or to make Saren a partymember; he'll be the 'hidden' character, much like [[spoiler:Legion]] was. Depending on how Saren died in the first game, his membership in the party could be handled in a couple different ways. For example, if he died in a straight-up firefight with Shepard, he'll still be the evil, sadistic murdering psychopath he was as ME1's [[TheDragon Dragon]], but will join up with Shepard for revenge against the Reapers once he discovers that they never intended to spare any organic life like he originally thought. If, however, Shepard was able to convince Saren that he had become indocrinated and caused him to commit suicide, Saren will instead become {{The Atoner}} and attempt to redeem himself after a lifetime of committing unspeakable acts of evil by helping to protect all the life in the galaxy by defeating the Reapers. The other way is that he will start off still as evil as he was in the first game no matter how you dealt with him, but the option will exist for a Paragon Shepard to redeem Saren over the course of the game. There is precedent for the first game's {{BigBad}} becoming a redeemable partymember; see [[ScaryBlackMan Sarevok]] in Throne of Bhaal, which was also a BioWare game. And it also seems like Mass Effect isn't quite done with Saren considering he is name-dropped quite a bit in the sequel, and that they went to the trouble to make use of his image for the Kasumi DLC. And if there are partymembers in Mass Effect 3 we've already met in the first two games, well, that could very easily include Saren.
** Saren would basically be a GameBreaker squadmate; a perfect blend of Tech, Combat, and Biotic skills (think Garrus with Thane's skills added on top). However, to counterbalance this, your [=ME1=] squadmates will [[WhatTheHellHero give you hell if you recruit him,]] which may result in some of them (Garrus, Wrex, and Ashley/Kaiden, for instance) ditching you unless you can persuade them otherwise.

[[WMG: Some of the unresolved/failed Loyalty missions will come back to bite you in the ass]]
* Depending on which missions are uncompleted and the party member survives the mission, bad things will happen to most of them
** Miranda's sister will become a brainwashed assassin of Cerebus, sent to kill Miranda if she goes rogue in Paragon, and sent by her father to kill her
** Jacob's father was eventually found by Alliance members on their own with the atrocities that his father commited, Jacob is considered an outlaw.
*** How does his father's crimes lead to him being an outlaw? He's not even slightly responsible for what Richard Taylor did.
**** Bad Publicity and Jacob's past as a Cosair AND as a member of Cerberus meant he was a "scapegoat" for his father's sins.
**** That still doesn't make any sense. Jacob being considered a criminal for his actions as a Corsair and Cerberus operative is possible, but I seriously doubt the laws in this universe are warped enough that people are held accountable for the criminal actions of their parents. Why would they even bother to pin it on Jacob, who had nothing to do with it, when they have his father in custody already? Anyone with half a brain could see he wasn't responsible, so what would be the point?
***** Because Jacob was too late in finding out what his father did, he thought his father was innocent as compared to if he had found out in the loyalty mission. Just because we know doesn't mean he knows. This may affect his relations with Cerberus for getting his father rotting in prison for a crime he didn't know his father commit
** Garrus' incomplete mission to find Sidonis means that that Sidonis was able to escape, eventually persuaded by the same mercs who told him to sell out to become a full fledged criminal. Becoming "Archdemon", he then begins a reign of terror in Allaince fringe territory. Also Harkin becomes a KarmaHoudini, causing much chaos in C-Sec.
** Mordin's protegee develops the genophage cure and with the Krogan clan that he was working for in strong numbers almost wipes out Clan Urdnot and if Wrex is alive in Mass Effect 2, dies.
*** Don't you mean develops a cure...?
**** No. Remember, Mordin's former protege was developing a cure, and presumably if you didn't do the loyalty mission and interupt him, he'd finish it. However, he's doing the cure for the clan that wants to kill and conqueor everybody. That krogan was insane, he wants to wipe out all other clans as well as enslaving every race in the galaxy. This could lead to that clan being a major foe in ME3.
***** No, it won't. After-action dialogue from EDI confirms the clan as being destroyed by Shepard and Mordin - the survivors were integrated into Urdnot.
****** Only if you do the quest. This is guessing what happens if you leave the quest unresolved.
** Thane's son becomes an infamous assassin who is much less honorable than his father and was hired by the Shadow Broker to murder Shepard.
** Samara's failure to deal with Morinth allows Morinth to make her sisters join her as a trio of bloodthirsty killers and working for the Reapers
*** This troper appears to be ignorant as to why [[TheHedonist Morinth]] would be interested in teaming up with [[OmnicidalManiac the Reapers]].
**** [[CaptainObvious Indoctrination?]]
** Not dealing with the Virus allows the heretics to succeed in their task, turning Legion to a sole survivor of the event (The virus activated during the Suicide mission), Legion "lives" with EDI and tries to restart his race with her.
** Tali becomes an exile and her father's records was stricken as well if you do not help her in the trial and becomes a wanted Quarian as they are told to kill her on sight...making her relation with Shepard strained at best.
*** They don't kill exiles/criminals, because they could have children that would be welcomed back to the flotilla.
** Jack not dealing with her past meant some rogue operatives restart this facility and try to create mini-Subject Zeros. She later becomes a warlord using the subject Zeroes
** Grunt's unresolved blood frenzy meant he is now out as a beserker for hire. Killing, burning and destroying several colonies. Citadel races considers wiping the Krogan in a good old fashioned genocide

[[WMG: Joker will take over if Shepard died.]]
* He's the only one left over, and you can tell that he just wants to do ''something'' against the Reapers. His condition is clearly getting better (in ME1, he was confined to the chair, now he can walk, albeit with a limp. Likely with a bit of excercise, he could be a regular badass. Oh, and when Bioware said that you can't import the save from ME2 if Shepard dies? [[ILied They lied]].

[[WMG: Liara and Feron]]
* Much like the Tali/Kal guesses, if you didn't romance Liara, or romanced another character in ''ME2'' without breaking it off, Liara will eventually end up with Feron.

[[WMG: DLC is helping set up future plot lines for each companion.]]
* It's already started with ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''. The surveillance footage and dossiers seem to indicate a few different plot lines for [=ME3=], and there's probably still more DLC to go building the plot from [=ME2=] to [=ME3=]. Between that and what was already in the game...
** Thane, of course, will have a mission where you can try to get his Keprals cured.
** Mordin's plot will deal with whether or not to cure (or even just modify) the Genophage.
** Kasumi is hunted because she kept some of her stolen goods in retaliation for the clients not paying, and now they want her dead.
** If the Paragon option was successfully taken, Zaeed wants your help tracking down Vido. If it was unsuccessful, he wants to kill you. If Renegade was chosen, he wants your help either taking over the Suns or taking them down altogether.
** You help Jack track down her birth parents, who were unaware all this time that their daughter was really alive.
** Miranda will be trying to deal with her infertility--quite possibly by tracking down (and eventually confronting) her father to get the data used to create her. Either she could try to use it to find out what went wrong and correct it via gene therapy (perhaps the outcome if Shepard romanced her), or to create a baby much the way he did (perhaps even with the desire to use Shepard's genes the way her father not only used his own modified genes but also picked out optimal traits from others).
** Rael'Zorah's research was found by Daro'Xen. Badness ensues, no matter how Tali's trial ended.
** We'll get to meet Garrus' family--specifically, his sister and sick mother (female turians!). Attempts to get his mother much-needed medical attention and simmering family drama ensues.
** Ashley or Kaidan is up for (or has become) a Spectre, maybe even with a reinstated Shepard asked to accompany them on a test run, similar to the role Nihlus was supposed to play.
** Liara has plenty of possibilities for plot in her new role as Shadow Broker, but at the forefront has to be the footage of Matriarch Aethyta staring at her picture.

[[WMG: There will be no new party members, but every surviving party member will rejoin.]]
Yes, this means that different files will have different numbers of total party members, but they will all have at least four ([[spoiler: Ashley/Kaiden, Liara, and the two minimum needed for Shepherd to survive]]). They will all have loyalty missions, which means that even the maximum number of survivors still leaves one loyalty mission unavailable. If they do decide to make new squad members available, my money's on Joker and/or EDI as a RobotGirl.

[[folder:Mass Effect 3 - Storyline]]
[[WMG: Dealing with the Shadow Broker will be the first major goal of Mass Effect 3.]]
* He was working for the Collectors, which means he might have ties to the Reapers. Thus, Shepard will focus on him as a person of interest to prepare for the coming invasion. As an added bonus, dealing with him will [[spoiler:free Liara to join your crew.]]
** [[spoiler: Likely jossed, since in the DLC you whack the Broker dead and have Liara take his place.]]

[[WMG: Mass Effect 3 will be ''[[DragonAge Dragon Age: Origins]]'' IN SPACE where you spend the whole game running around gathering allies to face the Reaper threat.]]

* The major factions to recruit will be the quarian Migrant Fleet using Tali (if she lived), the geth using Legion (if it lived), the krogan (not sure how they'll fight in space, but useful on the ground) using their clan leader, the Alliance through Anderson or Hackett, and the Citadel fleet by finally convincing the Council to stop being stupid. Those last two will also be the last to be convinced, only coming to your side once the Reapers have thoroughly reaped their way through a good portion of the Milky Way. Alternatively, the Citadel is the first place to be conquered by the Reapers and they make it into their base of operations, thus making it much easier to convince everyone else.
** Logic would dictate that the krogan can fight effectively in space. How else could the Rebellions last for centuries?
*** Krogan fight in space by being launched at the enemy via torpedoes. Individually.
**** The above troper just made my day.
**** KROGAN BRAND BOARDING TORPEDOES: Putting the PARTY back in BOARDING PARTY!
** It is, in fact, entirely likely that you have actually been doing this since ''[[MassEffect]]''. The Rachni Queen on Noveria? [[spoiler: If you save her, she sends you a message in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' telling you that she's rebuilding her race and will fight for you when the Reapers arrive.]] During Tali's loyalty mission, if you suggest to the quarian admirals that they should seek peace with the geth, they'll do exactly that come ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'', and you'll already have the Migrant Fleet and [[spoiler: Legion's true geth]] on your side. If Wrex survives ''MassEffect'' and you do the loyalty missions for both Mordin and Grunt, thus eliminating some of Wrex's rivals, you'll also start the game with the Krogan armies on your side too.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will detail a years-long war with the Reapers, from their arrival up to their defeat/victory.]]
* Anyone who survived the first two games will help or hurt you in some capacity. The game will either start or end at Earth. Oh, and as per the ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' ending [[spoiler: The Reapers will get a humanoid Reaper built by the end of the game.]] Renegade Sheperd may or may not finally get to do a HeelFaceTurn.
** Keeping your love interest from all the way in the first game will have a massive payoff. Oh, and one possible ending is to marry a squadmate of your choosing.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will entail...]]
* The Reapers coming to beat down the organics, regardless of whether you were a total Paragon, gaining the loyalty of [[spoiler:the rachni (via queen), possibly geth (via Legion or their own will),]] etc etc, largely because Shepard will go off to discover the Reapers' origin.
* This will then culminate with Shepard pulling a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Heroes]] moment, infiltrating the 'Boss' Reaper, and then... [[HannibalLecture Hannibal Lecturing]] him to death, pointing out the flaws within its plan (going with the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremist]] theory... that or pointing out that it was made by organics (since machines are made, not born/created - that logic).
* If you did enough research, the Reaper explodes. If you don't (or did not get sufficient evidence), then it will culminate with a massive boss battle with a Reaper-Mech.
* And Wrex will save you with the Krogan-statue-mech.
* And if you [[LogicBomb Logic Bomb]] the Reaper, Cerberus will hijack it.
* And you will still have the sudden genre shift to mecha battles.... with Shepard in the Statue of Liberty.
** This Troper prefers Rodina Mat' Zovyot!, as she has a sword.
*** Shepard will have to choose between the two, then fight in it against the other. Which will be piloted by the Illusive Man. In a [[MeleeATrois three-way fight against the Reaper-Mech]].

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will completely break Bioware's formula and crazily subvert everyone's expectations.]]
* By now people have noticed the "four main quests to complete, SURPRISE {{Reveal}} after the third, and then upshift into the endgame" formula that Bioware uses for its biggest hits like ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', the original ''MassEffect'', and ''DragonAge''. [[spoiler:(Disclaimer: I have never played ''BaldursGate'' or ''NeverwinterNights'', or indeed finished ''DragonAge'', so I do not know if those actually subvert the formula in any way.)]] ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' mucked with that a little bit by making the majority of the quests largely focused on the characters before upshifting into the endgame. It follows, then, that ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will not adhere to the aforementioned formula in the ''slightest.'' Sure, it'll be about Shepard's final battle against the Reapers, but you won't be gathering allies like ''DragonAge'' or [=MacGuffins=] like ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. It will be this crazy new formula that no one is expecting and will blow everyone's minds. Extreme LoveItOrHateIt will ensue, and no one will be sure quite what to make of it all, but the game will receive several confused Game of the Year nominations because of it.
* My personal prediction? [[UnexpectedGameplayChange Galaxy-wide]] RealTimeStrategy. When the Reapers attack, Shepard will be promoted to Admiral and given the task of guiding Alliance and Citadel forces across the Milky Way to ward off the scuttlefish overlords before it's too late.
* Nah, just kidding. Bioware will come up with something more original than that.
** I WANT that as a spinoff game.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will feature a mission involving a war between the batarians and the Alliance.]]
* It will involve the Leviathan of Dis, and will eventually come down to a SadisticChoice between brokering peace (which preserves the batarian military for the fight against the Reapers, and limits the suffering of innocents) or helping the Alliance to conquer baterian space. To make it harder the mission will feature at least one CompleteMonster who will get away with it if you broker peace, and sympathetic batarians who will die if you allow the Alliance to win. No matter what you choose at least one character will say WhatTheHellHero.
** That feels like something that should be left to later games in the franchise, rather than the game that's supposed to revolve entirely around the Reapers.
*** Dude... I just realized. The batarian-human war will be part of the MMO!
** Remember, the batarian's possess the Leviathan of Dis, a ''vast organic dreadnought''. Given what we've learned about the Reapers it is almost certain that it is somehow connected to them, and given the Batarian's love of taking slaves I wouldn't be surprised if they've been repairing it over these past years.
*** It's a '''corpse'''. Reverse-engineering it, on the other hand...

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will feature a loyalty mission for EDI.]]
She'll start to slid towards the Reapers' side, and Shepard will have to talk her back. If you fail, she'll be reprogrammed... [[StuffBlowingUp with a grenade]].

[[WMG: EDI will become a RobotGirl.]]
Between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, Shephard or Joker will become attached enough to EDI as a friend to have an android body constructed for her. She may become a playable squad mate with heavy Tech/Hacking abilities.

[[WMG: The bulk of the forces opposing the Reapers will consist of the former "bad guy" races while the Citadel races twiddle their thumbs and hope the problem goes away.]]
* Things aren't looking exactly confidence-inspiring with the Council or the Alliance, but the geth, and potentially the rachni and the krogans are more than happy to offer a hand in the coming war. Maybe in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' you get to convince the batarians and the vorcha to join the party, and then finally triumphantly march to the Council with an entourage of everybody they wanted to keep a million miles away from the Citadel.

[[WMG: There will be a HeelFaceTurn character in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]''.]]
* Well, this as (usually as the EleventhHourRanger) and a romantic subplot are Bioware's two favorite tropes that drift from game to game with no aversions. Note that Legion doesn't count as this, because they were never even tangentially evil to begin with. And while we are on Bioware tropes, there will be a character that can say "Well, fuck this, I don't like you, Shepard. I quit."

[[WMG: AnyoneCanDie will be in effect for ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' as well.]]
* Sure, it'd be a blatant reuse of the trope that the second game was pretty much entirely based around. However, it was a good way to emphasize that your decisions can have real consequences in the game world, and it is in fact possible to screw things up so badly that you won't make it out alive. The worst ending of the second game had [[spoiler: everyone dead but Joker.]] Following the RuleOfCool and UpToEleven, then, the worst ending of the entire series will end in total, complete, abject failure -- the Reapers destroy the Alliance/Citadel fleets, Harbinger executes Shepard personally, Earth is harvested and destroyed, and the Reapers retreat back into dark space for the next 50,000 years to wait for the next poor bastards to rise out of the primordial muck. But that's only if you screw up all the story missions.
** Not to mention having all of Shepard's fish die. That was a bad day, all things considered.

[[WMG: To expand from the above, while in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' squad members could die, in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' entire ''planets'' can be destroyed.]]
* Including Earth. Once again you can have EverybodyLives ending if you're really good and do everything just right, but otherwise you're going to lose entire civilizations. In the worst case scenario only the quarian Migrant Fleet and whatever refugees manage to band together with them succeed in fleeing the known areas of the galaxy to seek a new home, while the surviving Reapers ravage their home planets, while in the best you'll get away with the loss of a few small colonies.
** [[{{Meshakhad}} This troper]] envisioned a scenario whereby you use Conduits to move troops between multiple worlds. Having the rachni, geth, and/or krogan on your side will make it possible to get an EverybodyLives ending.
** Remember that old ME1 "Signal Lost" advertising campaign? I think it is VERY likely that ME3 will include the loss of at least a few planets.

[[WMG: In ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' you can choose to side with the Reapers.]]
* This option will not be Paragon or Renagade since both are actually heroic. You will also [[spoiler: be made into a Reaper.]]

[[WMG: ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' if Shepard dies.]]
* You do NOT have to start a new save file, in fact, there is no choice to. Instead:
** The [[MemeticBadass Turian Councillor]] will stand on a balcony of the tower as the Reaper Fleet approaches. "Ah, yes," he will say as they approach, "the 'Reapers'. We have dismissed that claim." As he says this, the fleet disappears from existence. The credits roll.
*** You win at life forever.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will take the concept of OldSaveBonus and take it UpToEleven.]]
* BioWare really wants player decisions to have an impact throughout the entire trilogy and, although we got a taste of what they meant by that in the second game, they've stated they're going all out for the third. Highlights most likely include:
* Everyone survived the suicide mission only if you imported a game with the No One Left Behind achievement. Otherwise, only the potential love interests survived.
* Shiala will be a recruitable love interest, but only if you spared her in the first game and helped her with her quest in the second.
* Gianna Parasini will be recruitable, but she'll only be a love interest if you're male and helped her with her quests in the previous two games.
* The rachni will show up as BigDamnHeroes during the final battle, but only if you spared the rachni queen in the first game. Otherwise, Shepard will be faced with TheSadisticChoice.
* The choices you made concerning the rachni, [[spoiler:the genophage cure, the Migrant Fleet, the geth and the Collector base]] will most likely differ from the default decisions in the final game and will help or hinder you during the final battle since it will determine how many allies you have.
* If you stop Garrus from killing Sidonis he will come back in ME3 and pull a HeroicSacrifice saving Garrus' life. Otherwise he dies or Shepard is face with TheSadisticChoice

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will keep the concept of OldSaveBonus just as cosmetic as ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' did.]]
* In other words:
** Another excuse to RestartAtLevelOne is added.
** Liara will be the only returning party member, since she's the only one guaranteed not to be dead. The others will have token appearances only, as Ashley/Kaidan/Wrex did in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]''.
** The choice to save the Citadel Council or not continues to affect absolutely nothing important. As will the choice [[spoiler: to give the Collector Base to Cerberus.]]
** The rachni, if saved, will make only a minor appearance. Maybe a short encounter between Shepard and the queen in which (s)he can convince them to help against the reapers, followed by their ships participating in the background of some big multi-species fleet cutscene(s) later. This will not affect the outcome of any battle.
*** Alternatively, the rachni will turn out not to be as extinct as everyone thought and the only difference between saving the queen or not is if the rachni representative you inevitably must convince to help already knows Shepard or not.
** The choices to [[spoiler: rewrite the geth heretics]] or [[spoiler: to give Tali's father's research to the Admiralty Board ]] mean nothing. There will be a war between the quarians and the geth, and Shepard must end it one way or another to get one or both to help against the Reapers.
** The genophage will be cured regardless of your choices. Shepard must somehow prevent the krogan from getting all conquest-happy and convince them to help with the Reapers.

[[WMG:We will encounter a dreadnought named Newton in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]''.]]
* Normally, Alliance dreadnoughts are named after mountains, while carriers are named after famous humans. However, construction on the carrier ''SSV Newton'' had only begun at the time of the Battle of the Citadel, enough that it could be repurposed as a dreadnought. It was to be renamed [=McKinley=], but the crew vetoed the idea, as the "Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a bitch in space" speech is legendary among Alliance gunnery crews. After the XO apparently threatened Admiral Hackett with a copy of the Principia, the original name was retained.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will end with a DistantFinale.]]
* One which can only be viewed if the player plays Shepard solely as a Paragon or Renegade through all three games. In either case, both possible endings will show the galaxy [[ExtyYearsFromNow 50,000 years from now]], roughly around the time of the Reapers' next cycle.
** The Paragon variant will show humanity's descendants fulfilling much the same role as the [[ThePrecursors Protheans]] did for whatever sapient species have sprung up this time around. The Citadel will have been retired as a center of galactic civilization and alternatives to Mass Relays will have been discovered. Furthermore, the predominant religion of this utopian society will be a form of monotheism venerating the god who stood against the Machine Devils from Beyond The Stars and drove them back into the darkness whence they came forevermore. Though his true name has long since been lost to the sands of time, the peoples of the galaxy have christened their Messiah [[CrystalDragonJesus the Shepard]].
*** I award you the extranet
** Conversely, the Renegade version will show a galaxy much as it was [[TheTimeOfMyths during the height of the Prothean empire]]: a single species as the dominant power in the Milky Way, with a civilization spanning thousands of worlds and capable of wonders beyond imagination. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished as the keepers - newly resubjugated - receive the signal from the current vanguard and open the relay to dark space, allowing the Reapers to come pouring through. At the head of their illimitable fleet is [[spoiler: the greatest and youngest among their number, a butcher of worlds and civilizations even before their [[BodyHorror con]][[TranshumanTreachery version]] to a perfect, mechanical existence... the second Human-Reaper, ''Shepherd''.]]

[[WMG: Paragon Shepard's actions will result in a huge backfire.]]
* Seriously. Let's look at most major results of your actions as a Paragon. [[spoiler: Council: saved. Krogans: more likely to be your side, thanks to Wrex. Rachni: on your side. Geth and quarrians: are going to stop the war, on your side, both. Collectors' base: destroyed.]] Am I the single person who sees a severe disbalance here? Seriously. You've got, like, half the galaxy of friends. Thus, there will be a major help for Renegade or backfire for Paragon Shepard. Say, [[spoiler: the Collectors' base containing a lot of immensely useful technology]] which will help to destroy the Reapers. The Council being indoctrinated by Reapers. Some treachery. Et cetera.
** As one of the purported strengths of the ''MassEffect'' series is that Paragon and Renegade are ''equally'' effective, this would only work if there was an enormous backfire for Renegade Shepard too. Say, humans defeat the Reapers but are then turned upon by the rest of the galaxy and exterminated. Otherwise, I'm of the opinion the "major help" for Renegade Shepard would involve the entirety of the human race.
*** And that's exactly what I'm implying: equally effective. By now, they are not equally effective. Renegade's actions already result in a major backfire: you have neither Council nor the rachni on your side, plus dealing w/ krogans, geth and quarians is harder. The sole thing that will help you on your quest is the Collectors' base.
**** A renegade solution to the quarian's/geth might not be as lopsided as it initially appears. It's somewhat implied during Tali's loyalty mission that [[spoiler: Rael'Zorah's team was very close to a huge breakthrough in hacking the geth (and Legion's mission shows that it is possible to "brainwash" the geth).]] A renegade could still easily have the quarian's and their geth legions onside.
** I don't think ''MassEffect'' is there on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Paragon actions might appear to backfire, and the reapers will cackle at Shepard for his naivety, but a second later, there would be a huge BigDamnHeroes moment as the rachni warp in, the Geth sacrifice themselves to shield the Migrant fleet, and the turian councillor fights off his indoctrination, seizes a pack of grenades, and throws himself into the Reaper core. If they wanted to balance it, the obvious answer is this: the paragon has more resources, but s/he also has more s/he wants to defend. A renegade would be quite happy if Earth is all that's left of the galaxy. The paragon wants to get everyone through this in one piece.
*** ''the Geth sacrifice themselves to shield the Migrant fleet'', if BioWare is reading, that could become the best TearJerker, HeroicSacrifice and CrowningMomentOfAwesome ever.
--->[[spoiler: Does this unit has a soul?]]
*** At above: This Troper actually almost cried just thinking about it. D'awww.
** One possibility: the council will be actively hostile towards Paragon!Shepard in SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. He'll have the combined forces of the krogan, the rachni, the geth and the quarians on his side, ready to fight the reapers. That sort of large-scale preparation would be impossible to hide. I can see some people in the gallaxy starting to call them "Shepard's Fleet." The Council, who still don't beleive in the Reapers, will assume Shepard is plotting a coup, and will send numerous Spectres or even a fleet to stop him. A big challenge for Paragon Shepard will be convincing the council races to join up with him. Whether or not the alliance is on your side depends on who you put in the council seat.
*** Oo. Do we get to play a mission where we need to fight off multiple Spectres at the same time? I likey.
** Renegade Shep could have the same help as Paragon Shep, actually. If pro-human and saving Reaper tech, humanity ends up being a heavily mechanized and cyborgized race - in place of say, geth, you'd have husks. In place of krogan, scions. Sure, you'd be giving up people but that's kind of the Renegade hat - doing whatever it takes to win.

[[WMG: Renegade Shepard will [[DroppedABridgeOnHim die like a punk]] at the end of the third game.]]
* Methods may involve getting shot in the back by an alien teammate, getting impaled by the final boss, falling to his doom (again), or having a literal bridge drop on him. Why? Just to teach a lesson to those who think that being a dick to the rest of the galaxy pays off. [[spoiler:Sorry, but there needed to be some balancing out of the "Things won't end well for Paragon Shepard" theories...]]

[[WMG: Shepard will get to mock the Council with impunity in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]''.]]
* [[spoiler: The Council, and the turian Councilor in particular, have always been massively dismissive of Shepard's claims through the first two games. In the end, this is going to bite them in the ass, as ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' is going to at some point reveal incontrovertible proof of the Reapers to them, and they'll realize they've been wrong the entire time.]]
* [[spoiler: This will possibly happen when the Council recieves word of the Reapers attacking and utterly destroying some worlds, at which point they'll call back Shepard to grovel. the Paragon option will be to righteously declare how they were wrong and that they ''have'' to listen to him now.]]
* [[spoiler: The Renegade option, however, will be a truly ''epic'' sarcastic smackdown where Shepard verbally rips them to pieces in a blow-by-blow accounting of all their failings, noting that "obviously, since Reapers can't exist, these attacks are ''clearly'' the effect of my delusions becoming so strong they warp ''the fabric of reality!''" The salarian and asari councillors will note that this is all the turian councillor's fault. Shepard will likely make use of spoiler: airquotes at some point.]]
** [[spoiler: Said Renegade option will be labelled "Ah yes, Reapers" on the dialogue wheel.]]
** [[spoiler: This will not be the option, as the Renegade option will be to simply say "screw you" and disconnect. The "ah yes, reapers" option will be in gold and will require at least two levels each of Paragon and Renegade.]]

[[WMG: General Septimus will return.]]
* Remember him from the first game? How before falling into his spiteful slump, he was fairly respected? Well, why can't he show off WHY he got that position in the first place by being the first of the Citadel military to mount a competent defense against the Reapers? Further, having enough respect for Shepard that he believes whatever warning is sent about the mechanical monsters, and immediately sets up the trenches so to speak, all while the Council balks?

[[WMG: You will be able to hire the whole crew or even army, not just a party.]]
* Seriously. In first game you had to perform a small surgical strike into the enemy territory to kill Saren. In the second game you had to act secretly and perform a small surgical strike to destroy the Collectors' base. Thus, having a small party of crazy killers was entirely justified (Mordin was the sole person who wasn't needed be a killer, but still was one).
* But in the third game another swarm of mooks to secretly fight through is just stupid, because you killed the Collectors, you destroyed the heretics, and the Reapers don't need another bunch of slaves, as they are coming theirselves to kill organic stuff. You are very likely to stop working with Cerberus, thus you don't have a powerful organization at your hand which will help you gather an army... and they were never powerful to begin with.
* Thus, you need to gather a mini-organization yourself. Recruting people will still have a major influence, but who said that some guy must be proficient in killing things to help you on your quest? He may stay on a planet to help you, he can become a part of your crew and stay on a ship, or you can take him to the planets as a specialist, not as another badass.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be full of [[SadisticChoice Sadistic Choices]]]]
* Some of these will be.
** The survival of the first game's [[LoveInterests Love Interest]] or the second's.
*** How would this one work for people that didn't carry a love interest over from either game?
**** They just won't get this choice.
***** That is [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment one hell of a way to punish cheaters]].
** The survival of humanity or the Citadel.
** The survival of the geth or the quarians.
** The survival of the krogans or the rachni.
** The survival of Sherpard or at least one planet.

[[WMG: [[ChekhovsArmy Chekhov's army]] [[YouShallNotPass will not let them pass]].]]
* What do I mean? Each of the allies you gain over the course of the games will work with someone(and someplace) you're already familiar with to stop a splinter fleet of Reapers, each led by a "Harvester Lord".
** Omega: Clan Urdnot, alongside Aria(really Wrex's old rival) and her mob, as well as possibly the Salarian STG. Reaper: Purgator= "Even by our standards, you are rejects. Worthless life. Your only salvation is destruction..."
** The Citadel: The Rachni Swarm, alongside Citadel forces(Turians and asari). Reaper: Executor: "Pathetic. Millions of years, and you mortals haven't bothered to try something new. These insectoids will not save you..."

[[WMG: The batarians will be involved in a big way.]]
* Vague? Extremely! But much as the first game made a good effort to build up the geth as huge colossal pricks only to subvert it with Legion, way too much effort has gone into vilifying the batarians without some kind of payoff. My guess is a NeutralGood batarian crewmember, possibly a batarian abolitionist or freedom fighter. The Codex suggests that the reason batarians seem so evil is because the only representatives we see are the evil government and the criminals who escaped the planet. Alternatively, there may be some kind of batarian civil war - possibly the Reapers approach them with false promises of crushing humanity underfoot, much as they did the heretic geth.

[[WMG: ther than the Reapers, the other major foes of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be the following:]]
* [[spoiler: Mr. Lawson, Miranda's father,]] who is rather ticked at Shepard for meddling in his family affairs.
* The Shadow Broker, [[spoiler: Liara's hunted them down and now it's payback time for the body snatch incident along with Thane's wife.]]
** [[spoiler:Jossed if you complete "Lair of the Shadow Broker", after which The Shadow Broker (AKA Liara) is now on your side]]
* Cerberus, of course.
* Another [[spoiler:Ardat-Yakshi.]]
* The batarian higher-ups.
* A faction of [[spoiler:quarians led by Admiral Xen who is about to take control over the geth by force]] and then dominate the galaxy.
* All of them will have an option when they're defeated to either finish them off in the name of justice/revenge/prevention of future acts or keep them alive in exchange for something that might help against the Reapers.
* A Terminus Systems alliance group who is hellbent on making the Alliance pay for the humans killed during the collectors incident (There were no survivors from the Collectors Reaper process IIRC, only Shepard's crew avoided the fate), lead by human survivors, they plan to destroy all mass relays.

[[WMG:The CoolStarship in ''MassEffect 3'' will be a Reaper]]
* Really, they'll need a ship and just making the Normandy bigger and stronger again would be just lame. Could be:
** A Reaper does a HeelFaceTurn.
** EDI takes over a Reaper with the anti-Reaper algorithms mentioned in ME2.
** Someone repairs the derelict Reaper you got the IFF from, possibly with parts salvaged from Sovereign's remains.
* The Reaper will have a [[SpaceshipGirl female humanoid avatar]] who is available as squad member.

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will contain a choice that causes either Tali, or Garrus, to die.]]
* They did this with Ashley/Kaidan, and what better way to impress upon the player that sacrifices have to be made, than to kill one of the 2 characters who will have gone through the entire game.
** How about no. That one achievement we all know about greatly improved replayability. BioWare can't be that stupid.

[[WMG:Choosing your second-in-command will be a big decision in [=ME3=].]]
* When Shepard died at the beginning of [=ME2=], [[BreakingTheFellowship it caused the]] ''[[BreakingTheFellowship Normandy]]'' [[BreakingTheFellowship crew to fall apart and scatter to the four winds]]. In order to make sure that doesn't happen again, you'll be able to choose one of your squadmates * cough* Garrus* cough* to take over the group should anything happen to Shepard. [[ChekovsGun Naturally,]] near the end of the game there will be a section where Shepard is incapacitated and you'll have to [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent play as whoever you chose earlier]] for a short time.
** Miranda is already your XO, providing she survived. Garrus is unlikely to be your second-in-command - a turian in charge of a human vessel looking to save humanity from the Reapers is unlikely, even if he is completely awesome. If someone had to be put in charge of the galaxy-saving in Shepard (and Miranda's) stead, it would probably have to be Joker. He's not an action guy, but he is badass as all hell.
*** It's awesome just because it's unlikely. The ''Normandy's'' task is to save the galaxy, not merely humanity, and that's why putting the turian in charge would be heavily favoured by Paragon Shepard. Garrus is the strongest example of a party member trying to follow in Shepard's footsteps, even gathering a multi-species band to fight injustice in his absence. He's the perfect successor to a Paragon Shepard. It's worth noting that Miranda and Garrus are both [[spoiler:approved fire team leaders at the end of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'']], and hence, if this WMG is correct, both good leader choices.
** Ashley or Kaidan could also work, if they return as squadmates.
*** Kaidan now holds the rank of Staff Commander, so it's likely he comes back as your XO, Miranda having left to do her own thing or being sent elsewhere by the Alliance. If Kaidan survives, then he is the same guy he was in [=ME1=] and a great Executive Officer. If he died, the replacement is a stick-in-the-mud regulations-before-everything [[MASHTheSeries Frank Burns]] look-a-like that everyone hates.
** Choosing anyone else won't be bad, but your social options will be limited.
*** I'm sorry, you don't think making ''Jack'' your XO might have negative consquences?
** Jacob's a decent possibility. Experienced Alliance soldier, experienced Cerberus operative, and he mentions that he has captained a ship before back when he was a Corsair.

[[WMG:Harbinger will be TheDragon in [=ME3=].]]
* Harbinger (noun): a person or thing that '''''foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something'''''. You could easily argue that Harbinger is foreshadowing the Reapers' return, but this was pretty much a given. In [=ME3=] Harbinger will be TheDragon to the true BigBad, the leader of the Reapers.

[[[[WMG: If you EarnYourHappyEnding, that ending will be....]]
* The best possible Paragon ending (if you do everything right, and are somehow able to save the Galaxy with as little loss of life as possible, are able to fully do your romance option and survive, all while not being a complete maniac-asshole..) will see:
** You getting a big parade.
** The Citadel Species becoming a political entity that is something akin to TheFederation of StarTrek fame. You get a choice that lets you either become it's first President, it's first Admiral or you can simply retire.
** The Keepers, finally free of the Reapers' will and modifications, regain sentience and reveal the secrets of the Citadel to the Galaxy.
** Joker's Vrolik Syndrome is cured.
** You and your romantic option [[TheyDo get married]] (if possible).
** And then, maybe a year or two later, you are honored as the now-unified Citadel Fleet unveils it's new flagship: "Normandy-3". Shep glances at his/her Wife/Husband/Whatever (if Shep is male and married to a Human or Asari, the wife will be [[BabiesEverAfter noticeably pregnant]], same goes for a FemShep and a Asari), and then at Joker, and then at the other Squad/Crew members from the past 3 adventures who are still alive, and then says: "Well, a ship like this... it'll need a good crew." Maybe it'll be meant as a joke, maybe it is meant as a wish or a order... but no matter what, one thing is clear: The Adventures Never Truly End.

[[WMG: Mass Effect 2's ending determies how Mass Effect 3 starts.]]
* If you chose paragon, and destroyed the base, the game starts with you storming Cerberus main base of operations and capturing tim as well as key members of the organisation, deciding whether to turn them over to the council, or excecute them yourself, as your first paragon/renegade choice in the game. After which your ties to the Alliance, and the Citadel are restored. (along with your spectre status if you didn't already get it back) and you're promoted to Captain.
* If you went renegade and turned the base over to cerberus, the game starts with you storming Cerberus main base of operations and usurping TIM as it's leader, sparing him and making him your subordinate, or killintg him face to face, as your first paragon/renegade choice in the game. After which you have effecvtively taken over Cerberus, and they grow to become a force rivaling the Citadel in power thanks to the Collector tech.
* both are equaly effective in furthering your golas, just one is the 'do it right, not fast' path the other is the 'ends justify the means' path.

[[WMG: Midway through the game...]]
* ...Shepard will be somehow be removed from play, by being mortally wounded or suffering a [[HeroicBSOD Heroic BSOD]], leaving it up to your crew to move on with the game for a good deal of time without you.
** But, [[NearVillainVictory just when all hope is lost,]] Shepard will reenter, [[CurbStompBattle save the day]], the crew, and be ready to continue the fight.

[[WMG: You will have to fight off Reaper Indoctrination.]]
* It'd be like the "fight off Morinth" scene, though much grander in scope. Here's a scenario as an example: during a major battle, Shepard takes a squad to board an enemy Reaper and destroy it from inside. As you fight through the Reaper's crew and onboard defenses, the Reaper will slowly try to indoctrinate you and your teammates. (Picture something like the Scarecrow sequences from BatmanArkhamAsylum: you're walking along shooting things, something mind-bending and horrifying happens as your mind unravels, and suddenly it shifts back to normal.) Once you reach a critical part of the ship, you'll be hit with a particularly strong wave. The only to beat it is by having sufficient Paragon/Renegade points, otherwise you'll get a Game Over as Shepard is fully indoctrinated. But even after you fight off the indoctrination, your squadmates won't have the same luck as they start to succumb. You'll have to snap them out of it, which will only be possible if you have an absurdly high Persuade/Intimidate score ''and'' if the squadmates are loyal. (It'll be easier if one of your squadmates is your LoveInterest.) If you succeed, the spell is broken and you kick Reaper ass together. If not... your teammates draw weapons and turn on you, forcing you to kill them in a boss fight.
** If you'd get an automatic GameOver for insufficient Paragade points, wouldn't that make the game Unwinnable for players who for some reason or another don't have a high-enough Paragade meter? For the sake of Gameplay, that's doubtful to be implemented unless the required Paragade needed is relatively low for that part of the game, it's an end-game NonStandardGameOver equivalent to going through the Omega-Relay unprepared or something else.
*** Oops, didn't think of that. Ah well.

[[WMG:Miranda will play a very big role in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
As noted on this very wiki, Miranda can survive in several points on the suicide mission where other squad members would die. Even if she gets carried away by the seeker swarms, she pops up again later. It seems like the only way to get her to die is for Shepard to also die, rendering you unable to import a save. Ergo, she will be heavily involved in the plot in some way, most likely in connection to Cerberus.

[[WMG:The Illusive Man will resurrect the Virmire sacrifice to lead Cerberus' forces against Shepard.]]
I mean think about it - in ME2, Shepard's made off with billions of Cerberus credits worth of technology, swayed some of his most loyal officers to his/her cause, possibly destroyed the Collector base, and conceivably has access to plenty of Cerberus secrets. TIM has to be pissed about this, so he orders the resurrection of the Virmire survivor in order to lead his forces. Sure, they were Alliance officers in life, but this time he puts in the control chip - he doesn't need the personality intact, and the abilities aren't essential, because he's looking for the psychological effect on Shepard.
* I'm skeptical on this one because while you were a semi-charred corpse after your orbital re-entry, your friend was at or near ground zero of a nuke. I'm pretty sure your buddy is little more than vapour. Maybe that's the Renegade reaction to the situation *Ashley pops out and confronts you. You gun her down without missing a beat. When the Illusive Man goes all "WhatTheHellHero", you point out that "Ashley" there was [[CloningBlues some clone]] and likely mind controlled to boot*.

[[WMG: The storyline of ''ME3'' will revolve around the series's titular effect.]]
After all, why else would you name it that way?

There is no other force as powerful as the mass effect in its titular universe. It is fundamentally a part of it; no other element is more essential in making the fiction work. It seems fitting, then, that the nature of the series' namesake--its origins and relation to the Reapers, as well as the workings of the mass relays--be explored in detail during the events of Mass Effect 3. I predict that not only will element zero, the mass effect, and the mass relays play a large role in the overall plot, but will be essential to its conclusion. Note that the relays have played a key role in the finales of both games. In fact...

[[WMG: The conclusion of ''ME3'' will see the end of the mass relay network.]]
We will even have a hand in its termination. The plot of ''ME3'' will have Shepard and crew working to defeat the Reapers by using the relays as weapons, setting up a nice little HoistByHisOwnPetard scenario, but nonetheless extinguishing the relays' element zero cores. This would actually be an interesting conclusion to the trilogy; the Reapers are defeated, and the crew of the Normandy survive, but the galaxy's avenues of transport are cut. Depending on the mark left on the galaxy by Shepard, this either results in a long, yet peaceful process of attempting to reconnect with each other, or a violent dark age where all the species attempt to fend for themselves. As for the Commander and crew, they are left adrift, slowly planet-hopping their way across the galaxy, a band of brothers without abode, alone and yet together in a universe of wild adventure.
* Or the game could have you slowly enabling humanity to develop an alternate form of FTL travel in sidequests throughout the game, leading to the game's big Paragon/Renegade choice, where either you share this new technology with the other species before destroying the relays to ensure a peaceful coexistance or keep it for humanity and establish a new galaxy-spanning human empire, as humans are the only ones who can travel the great distances required to keep the other species in line.

[[WMG: At some point, probably towards the end, Joker will die.]]
Everybody likes Joker. He's just awesome. Which is why it would be the mother of all [[PlayerPunch Player Punches]] to kill him.
* No! I don't want Joker too be the MostTriumphantExample of TooCoolToLive!

[[folder:Mass Effect 3 - Storyline - Final Battle]]
[[WMG:If you had the Genophage Cure continued on and saved Wrex and the Rachni, you'll see their fleets enter a system in a huge fight, working together.]]
Same thing for Geth/Quarian peace.
[[WMG:The Final Battle will be in the Hawking Eta systems.]]
Ok, the Hawking Eta systems seem to be very important to the [=ME=] Universe. After all, in Mass Effect 1, we learn that it was controlled by the Rachni and is the home of the Mu Relay, which takes you to Ilos, helping save the 'verse from Saren and Sovereign. However, the second game informs us that NOT ONLY was the Hawking Eta controlled by the Rachni and the Protheans before them, and housed the only way to save the galaxy, but housed the only way to save the galaxy AGAIN, a dead Reaper (who is partially Still Alive, dreaming and indoctrinating). You also find Legion, who's basically the representative of the True Geth and can speak, and seems to hint that the Geth think of Shepard as something more than a typical person (he can't explain why he used the N7 part of his armor and seems to have alot of respect, making me wonder if the reason the others are called Heretics isn't because they don't go with the others, but the normal reason, they don't follow the other's religion, which might have something to do with Shepard saving the Galaxy). There's just something about the Hawking Eta systems that seems to SCREAM important to the Trilogy. Something's going down there, I swear. How much you want to bet our Illusive Man or the Shadow Broker is there too?
[[WMG: All the allies you gain throughout the games will join together for a GrandFinale at the end of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]''.]]
* For example, if you chose to spare the Rachni Queen, she will bring a fleet of loyal rachni to help you in the final battle. Likewise with Cerberus, as implied above.
** Conversely, this implies that playing hard and fast with the Renegade options through all three games, alienating almost every potential ally, will cause you to lose the trilogy and force you to replay - ''from the beginning'' - as a Paragon.
*** Alternatively to the conversely, a Renegade path Shepard will have a different, smaller set of allies and need to pull a serious OneManArmy act.
**** Corollary to the alternatively: the Renegade options have a strong bias towards Earth First politics. You ''can'' win the trilogy as a Renegade, but that involves bolstering humanity to new xenophobic and CompleteMonster lows. Winning actions include: subverting the Citadel to humanity's ends with a human only Council, utilizing Cerberus' black ops resources to steal tech and ships from other species (especially turian dreadnoughts), inciting a human expansionist effort into salarian, asari, and turian space, raising the species-wide military recruitment rate much higher than 3%, subjugating the Migrant Fleet, enslaving the geth, exploiting the krogans with false or otherwise promises of a genophage cure, and so on. Sure, you'll destroy the way half a dozen distinct species live their lives, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but Earth made it out okay, right]]?

[[WMG: All the enemies you foolishly chose to spare throughout the games will join together for a GrandFinale at the end of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' in order to destroy you.]]
* For example, if you chose to spare the Rachni Queen, she will bring a fleet of terrifying rachni to destroy you in the final battle. Likewise with Cerberus, as implied above.
** Conversely, this implies that playing naively and irresponsibly with the Paragon options through all three games, sparing the many threats to the galaxy, will cause you to lose the trilogy and force you to replay - ''from the beginning'' - as a Renegade.
*** Alternatively to the conversely, a Paragon path Shepard will have a different, smaller set of allies and need to pull a serious OneManArmy act.
** Largely Jossed. The single largest enemy force that could stand out in contrast to a [[spoiler:''Reaper army'']], the rachni, [[spoiler:are on your side should you spare them]]. Now, smaller enemies like Balak or the gang member from the Earthborn background may come back as enemies, but they're hardly the world shattering event that the ending of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' is.

[[WMG: The final battle of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be an UnexpectedGameplayChange, AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent switch to a StarFox-esque RailShooter.]]
* The final battle of the first game was against a mutilated Saren acting like a Geth Hopper on steroids; the final battle of the second game was against [[spoiler:a Reaper human larva that kind of acts like a giant 25%-formed Terminator]]. It's hard to see how Bioware can top this unless they throw in a space battle against a [[spoiler:fully-grown]] Reaper itself (probably Harbinger), and given how [[CoolShip awesome]] the Normandy is and how powerful it can be when in [[AcePilot Joker's]] hands...
** Yes, this would be essentially exactly what ''Star Fox Adventures'' did. No, it probably would not be received well either. No, when has ''that'' ever stopped videogame developers?
*** Somehow, I don't think of BioWare as "just another videogame developer."

[[WMG: A wild mass guess about how the finale of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will play out.]]
* The Reaper fleet engages the combined might of the Council races (who've been rallied by Shepard during the course of the game) in the Sol system. The Reapers have set a course straight for Earth because that species really worries them after what happened in the first two games. At first the defense fleet gets its butt kicked, but then the rachni pull a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Bugswarm]]. That's not enough to cause a dent in the Reapers yet, though, but that's alright, because Shepard and company arrive onboard a protype geth ship (having convinced them to join the fight as well) designed to interface with Reaper AI. Knowing by now that each Reaper is [[spoiler: composed of a collective of different programs]], Shephard and crew enter a virtual simulation of their minds and beat down the Reaper [[spoiler: programs that favour destruction, forcing the nicer programs to take control.]] The result is that slightly less than half of the Reaper fleet turn on themselves, reducing their numbers to something realistically beatable by our low-tech heroes. Seriously, Legion's explanation of Reaper AI just seems like such a huge Chekhov's Gun.

[[WMG: The Endgame of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will take place on Earth and the Citadel simultaneously.]]
* And since you can't be in two places at once, which one you choose to complete first will be ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'''s SadisticChoice.
* If you go to the Citadel first (Paragon option), you can head off a massive Reaper assault before they have a chance to reach any of the other races (cue the biggest GondorCallsForAid sequence by anyone ever), but by the time you finish at the Citadel and get to Earth, it's already been mostly decimated by a smaller Reaper group which the combined allied fleets of the galaxy finish off easily. Humanity will recover eventually, but their place at the forefront of galactic power would come to an end, leaving the door open for new races to take the spotlight, some of which [[TheParagon you had a hand in supporting]].
* If you go to Earth first (Renegade option), you can stop the Reapers from destroying Earth, but at the cost of the Council and any allies you might have made throughout the course of the game. Using the [[spoiler: technology from the Collector Base (or elsewhere if you destroyed it in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'')]], humanity finds and hunts down the remaining Reapers, eventually filling the power vacuum left by the Council and becoming the galaxy's dominant race.

[[WMG: The Final BigBad will be...]]
* [[spoiler: Paul Grayson. He's a human being implanted with Reaper Tech, if that isn't an opportunity for an epic Augmented-mano a Augmented-mano then tell me what is?]]
** Alternately, [[spoiler: the Illusive Man will send him to kill Shepard in DLC or ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' as punishment for ''both'' of their betrayals.]]
** Jossed. [[spoiler: He is killed in Mass Effect: Retribution.]]

[[WMG: The final sequence of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be like the Suicide Mission, only on a massive scale.]]
* It has been many times remarked on this page that by the time of ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' Shepard will have a huge number of allies these can include:
** The krogan
** The rachni
** The Migrant Fleet
** The geth
** The Citadel
** The Alliance
** Conceivably the Blue Suns [[spoiler:if you killed Vido Santiago]]
** And with the latest DLC, you also get [[spoiler:the new Shadow Broker, aka "Dr. Liara T'Soni"]].
* In the final sequence you will choose armies of your allies to perform specific tasks, like choosing specialists in the Suicide Mission. Choosing the wrong army to do the wrong task will get them all killed. If all of them die, consider yourself the new Protheans.

[[WMG: The final choice in ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be something really sadistic.]]
* Something like "Let billions of humans die, or let billions of aliens die". Because Bioware is evil like that.
** Or "let your love interest die, or let the entire crew of the ''Normandy'' die." There would probably be a way around it, though.
*** Agreed, considering that BioWare loves to TakeAThirdOption. Given the nature of the trilogy, however, you'll probably only get that option if you made certain decisions in the previous games.
** They've already presented that option: saving the ''Destiny Ascension'' versus focusing attacks on Sovereign. Besides, that's not a very effective Paragon/Renegade choice: either one is legitimate, since the loss of life is the same either way. If they did decide to go that way, the decision is more likely to be letting billions of aliens die or letting ''millions'' of humans die. Since Renegade Shepard tends towards human supremacy, it fits the pattern better.
*** Each decision is ''not'' legitimate: either you save the ''Ascension'' and give Sovereign more time to open the Relay, or you focus on Sovereign, giving him less time and attacking with more ships. A few thousand lives vs trillions? Yes, in hindsight, you know you can do both and stop Sovereign, but ''not at the time''.

[[WMG:''Commander Shepard'' will be the FinalBoss.]]
* In the Overlord DLC, the rogue VI briefly incapacitates Shepard via his cybernetic implants. Sovereign was able to control Saren via his impants, and it's not unlikely that there's some Reaper tech in Shepard. In the game's final minutes, the Reapers assume control of Shepard in the same way they did Sovereign, burning away his flesh and leaving nothing but the metallic skeleton. The player takes control of the Love Interest and it's up to them to kill Shepard and win the battle. Seriously, people don't come back from the dead. There are going to be consequences other than a few scars.

[[WMG:Commander Shepard punches out the final boss.]]
* Of course, this only happens if you chose the most Renegade option at every dialogue choice and performed ''every'' Renegade interrupt over the course of all three games.

[[WMG:The final battle will involve the quarian homeworld's sun.]]
* In Mass Effect 2, Tali is investigating their old homeworld's sun that's dying a hell of a lot earlier than it should. The final battle will involve luring the reaper fleets to the system and then cause the sun to supernova.
** Actually, it wasn't their homeworld, just one of their former colonies.

[[WMG: The location of the final showdown will depend on what your decisions have been, or alternatively, there could be multiple "final battles".]]
* Like this:
** If you were a renegade who let the council die and made Humanity the de-facto leaders of the Galaxy, the final fight will be in the Sol System (or, alternatively, a location that is on the invasion route ''to'' the Sol System, see below).
** If you had the council saved and Humanity became merely a part of it, then it will take place near the Citadel (sort of like the ending of ME1... only BeyondTheImpossible), or at least on the way to the Citadel.
** If you made friendly with the Geth the final battle actually ends up in Geth Space, as the Geth have been able to slow down the Reapers enough where it is possible that the Organics could send reinforcements that could help turn the tide once and for all. Needless to say, the Organics are.... heavily reluctant, so whether the "Old Machines" are stopped depends heavily on what races and/or organizations Shepard is able to rally together. If not enough are gathered, the Reapers proceed to either Earth or the Citadel.

[[WMG: Mass Effect 3 will have a ton of MultipleEndings.]]
* And the best one won't be Paragon ''or'' Renegade. If [[EarnYourHappyEnding you did everything you could to stop the Reapers,]] [[TrueNeutral regardless of alignment]] (for instance, you saved both the Council AND the Collector Base in the same playthrough), the payoff will be that the Reapers will be stopped with minimal casualties. Shepard, the Normandy, and most of your allies will survive.
* The best Paragon and Renegade endings will still result in the defeat of the Reapers, [[BittersweetEnding but not without some sort of loss.]] As a Paragon, you may have to sacrifice yourself to save the Normandy crew. Renegade Shep may have to [[WhatTheHellHero sell out your allies to keep humanity safe,]] etc.
* And the worst ending, if you took too many shortcuts throughout the series (losing squadmates in ME2, killing off the council, destroying the Collector base, etc.), will result in the [[DownerEnding complete victory of the Reapers.]]

[[WMG: Anderson will lead the final assault against the Reapers.]]
* Now that he is no longer in the council (if he was in it), he will rejoin the Alliance, and he will be promoted to Admiral. Being a former member of the council, or knowing about the Reaper threat from the beginning, he will be the Alliance and Citatel's choice to lead the allied fleet against the Reapers.

[[WMG: Udina will take a level in badass near the end.]]
* When the Reapers finally come knocking right next door, the Councilors will start with the initial OhCrap sentiments and begin falling apart before Udina decides "Screw it" and decides that since being "diplomatic" with them (as he has been for quite a while now) is useless now, it's time to drop the act and take control of this Failboat. He gets their act together, makes them acknowledge the Reaper threat and makes them more cooperative towards Anderson and Shep.

[[WMG: The last scene will be [[spoiler: Shepard in bed with Morinth]].]]
* They've just done the deed; [[spoiler: Morinth has a look of surprise and excitement on her face because Shepard JUST SURVIVED MATING WITH AN ARDAT-YAKSHI WHICH IS PHYSIOLOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE]]. Because Shepard [[BadAss is the shit]].
** [[spoiler: That is a pretty disturbing image if you let Samara bash her head in.]]

[[WMG: The final battle will take place in Sagittarius A, at the center of the galaxy.]]
Why? Because there's something important to the plot there, like a control system for the mass relay network. Picture it, Shepard luring the Reapers to the galaxy's core, then firing a mass relay at the supermassive black hole there. Unstoppable force meets immovable object. It's just the kind of epic clash of natural and unnatural forces which should accompany a final, epic battle.

[[WMG: "Machine Killing Super-gun"]]
Knowing Biowares love of Scenery Porn, and how the smallest, most insignifact details will come back later, in the case of the ME1 implying where the Dead Reaper would be in ME2, it says "- a canyon on the southern hemisphere appears to be unnatural, the product of a mass accelerator shot from nearly thirty-seven million years ago. There's another planet that says a volus merchant is excavating after a dream told him a "machine-killing superweapon lies underneath the surface". Perhaps there's more truth to this then believed, and a plot point in ME3 will be finding this weapon so Sheppard can *actually* fight Eldritch Abominations on his/her own?

[[WMG:The outcome of ''Mass Effect 3'''s final battle will depend on a ''massive'' interplay of variables - including your ability to play diplomat.]]
With the massive amount of decisions made in the series, it's inevitable that some of them would come into conflict with each other, and a lot of these could affect a major battle. Success in ''Mass Effect 3'' will depend on your capacity to get opposing forces to work together, or at least not kill each other on sight. Some of the big ones:
* The krogan and the rachni
::Obviously, the krogan will be pissed if you spared the rachni. Will that affect their willingness to fight for you? Can the rachni build up a force strong enough to significantly assist you within three or four years? Will your relationship with Wrex help the krogan put aside their differences? What about Grunt? Will the rachni be able to prove their goodness?
* The quarians and the geth
::How much of the quarians seek peace with the geth, like Zal'Koris? Will destroying the rogue geth make you go up in the eyes of the quarians? Will Tali assist you in settling disputes? How about Legion? If you got them to make nice after completing both their loyalty missions, will they call the quarians and the geth to work together? How much of the geth will be willing to help you?
* The Council
::Will saving the original Council ''damage'' your cause, as they try their best to keep the existence of the Reapers quiet? How many claims can they believably dismiss? Will a Citadel led by a human-dominated Council be at all willing to fight for a human's cause? Will a human-led, but still relatively balanced, Council have a better time of it?
We've already had a few chances to try to convince people to compromise, such as Tali's trial and the interactions of certain crew members after their loyalty missions. That could all be a build-up to this single, massive set of decision points.

[[folder:Miranda, Jack, and Human Biotics]]
[[WMG: Cerberus' experiments into biotics have already yielded results.]]
Namely, the L5x and L5n implants. Apart from Jack mentioning the L5x in passing and the class selection screen, these two implants aren't even in the codex, which is solidly eshtablished by this point as a purely in-universe source of information that can be wrong, or in this case, be missing information because it hasn't become common knowledge yet. That enemy Vanguards have Barrier (shown by having them appear to be using tech armor) instead of biotic charge is obviously a [[GameplayAndStorySegregation game-balance decision,]] but in-story it could mean they lack the L5n implant nessesary to perform the charge; the class selection screen says the L5n is what enables this ability, not training or the amp. The L5n and L5x are Cerberus inventions, and the implants will, in the near future, make their way exclusively into the Alliance military the same way Cerberus manipulated things to get the SR-1 designed and built, putting Alliance biotics on par with the stronger Asari and enhancing their advantage over non-biotic combatants.
* The LX series of implants were specifically designed for humans, so they couldn't be used by non-aliens anyway. That said, I think you're completely right. As an addendum, I think it's mentioned somewhere that the L5's are a development of the L4's, which were in the experimental stages in 2183.

[[WMG: Some humans were aware of the potential for human biotics earlier than is commonly believed.]]
* According to the timeline, the first known in utero exposure to eezo by humans was in 2151, when a ship exploded at Singapore International Spaceport. This was in 2151. Miranda was genetically engineered with biotic potential. She was born in 2150. A full year before the Singapore accident, and six years before any humans showed biotic potential. So how could she be a biotic before anyone even knew humans could be biotics? There was a secret project to intentionally expose humans to eezo in a laboratory setting. Miranda's father was either associated with the project or was aware of it through his connections, and engaged in similar experiments on his own. Miranda states she wasn't his first attempt at a child, but that he didn't keep the others. They were discarded because they developed defects. Miranda was kept because she was healthy.
** ...But one of her "sisters" survived, but is malformed and has been living in the air ducts in the cloning facility, feeding on the rats that make their home there. She waits for her healthy little sister to return, so that she can cut up her perfect skin and put it on and live in the world of sunlight. Muahahahaha...

[[WMG: Humans can develop biotic abilities without in utero exposure to eezo.]]
* An alternate explanation for the inconsistency with Miranda having biotics despite being born prior to the discovery of human biotics is that she was modified after the discovery of human biotics. It's believed that humans can only develop biotic abilities through in utero exposure to eezo. What if that's not true? What if it's possible to alter humans at any point in their life to give them biotics? It's kept a secret to prevent everyone from getting operations to become biotic, but certain clandestine organizations - such as Cerberus - are aware of it and use it on some of their agents. This would also explain how Shepard gains biotics, in the event of a player switching from a class without biotics to one with biotics.
** Biotic effects are caused by nodes of eezo in a beings nervous system that are affected by the electrical charge passing through their nerves. The only known way for these nodes to develop is for particulate eezo to come into contact with the fetus in-utero as its nervous system develops. Is it concievable for someone to put you under, cut open your individual nerves, and stuff in some eezo, 'sew' the nerves back up, and put you back together? As Kaidan put it, "One slip and you can't even remember your own name." This does not mean that people who ''really'' don't give a rat's ass about subject survivability (like Miranda's 'dad' and Cerberus) wouldn't do it. Miranda was the only one of the 'daughters that her father kept around. It's entirely possible that she was just the only one to survive the post-birth eezo implantation.
** The whole concept reminds me of [[MobileSuitGundam Cyber Newtypes]]. Though, Miranda doesn't [[AxCrazy usual side effect]]. Though, there could be problems the game hasn't shown us, or it went completely right and shes a normal biotic.
*** Note that Asari are natural biotics. This means a few things. Either: 1) Their homeworld had a lot of Eezo in it and they evolved to absorb it from their environment and thus need to specifically inject/take eezo supplements on colonies where there's not so much eezo around or 2) There's some non-eezo way to use biotics. The fact that Asari are natural biotics and have tons of colonies kind of requires one of the two. The latter is at least vaguely possible.
[[WMG: Miranda's birth date on the Bioware website is wrong.]]
They were wrong about Samara and Grunt, so what's to say Miranda's age is correct? Being born in, say, 2155 (Making her thirty in [=ME2=]), conveniently gets around the issue of her biotics, plus makes her escape from her father a lot more impressive.

[[WMG: Miranda and Jack are "sisters" created by the same technology]]
Jack mentions being born in a Cerberus facility, but she never mentions her mother. Miranda's father was a Cerberus supporter and probably had plenty of connections to them in regards to cloning tech and biotics. Maybe in order to get the biotic research he needed for Miranda, he gave Cerberus some of his cloning technology and the genetic template for an advanced human biotic, which would eventually be used to create Jack.
* {{Jossed}} by Lair of the Shadow Broker: Jack was born naturally with strong biotic potential. She was abducted as a baby by a Cerberus affiliated doctor on the lookout for such potential by faking her death during a checkup.

[[WMG: Miranda and Jack are not only "sisters", but their father orchestrated both their recruitments by Cerberus.]]
Miranda's Father, being a major shareholder in Cerberus front company Certa Foundation, used the company's knowledge of genetics and bio technology to create his 'children'. The sucesfull one, Miranda was kept and the failures were 'donated' to a Cerberus program exparimenting with biotics, and used as the primary test subjects. One such failure, managed to surpass her 'perfect' sister in certain fields, and impressed him. After that Oreana was created, combining the best of Miranda and Jack. Realising the best hope of his 'dynasty' surviving was for them to be backed by his newfound allies in Cerberus, he manipulated Miranda into 'betraying him', and allowed her to 'steal' Oreana along the way. Later, when the plan hit a snag due to Jack winding up in prison, Shepherd was used to reunite Miranda and Jack. The only thing that didn't go according to plan was retriving Oreana, who would have been used to bring Miranda and Jack back to him. In ME3 several missions will revolve around him trying to get all three sisters back.

[[WMG: ''Cerberus can create biotics.'']]
Unless it's a ''severe'' case of GameplayAndStorySegregation, the Lazarus Project can implant the eezo nodules necessary to make Shepard into a biotic. This is why Miranda and Jacob are biotics with state-of-the-art bio-amps despite their youth - the Illusive Man had it done when he was convinced of their loyalty.
* This was how I originally thought Miranda got her biotics, but she actually says that her father paid for them. As for Jacob, he had biotics in ''Galaxy''.
* It should be noted that the eezo nodules are implanted while Shepard is [[spoilers:dead]]. I would imagine implanting nodules in a person with a less serious condition would be quite a bit more difficult, and potentially impossible.
** Except if you play through ME1 on a non-biotic class (like my Soldier) Kaiden will explicitly mention that Shepard was apparently tested for it and came back positive. How this works I have no idea, but perhaps it is a latent ability that s/he never got the appropriate training for and madedo without?

[[WMG:Miranda's father is a wannabe [[RobertAHeinlein Lazarus Long]].]]
* During the course of his lifetime, Heinlein's AuthorAvatar / GodModeSue has twin daughters. These twins are [[OppositeSexClone girls]], created with an altered version of his Y Chromosone. He later enters into an [[IncestIsRelative incestuous]] relationship wtih both of them. Of course, their genes are so perfect that, if they become pregnant, then the offspring will suffer no ill effects whatsover. [[NightmareFuel Makes sense why Miranda ran away and kidnapped an infant now, doesn't it?]]
** Somewhat supported by the fact that her expressions when she discusses it look as though she's repressing a great deal of disgust. Plus, her father apparently dictated every part of her looks... as if he was creating the perfect wife. Too bad she couldn't tell this to Niket.
*** Possible, but we have no direct evidence of such a relationship, and the "sympthoms" mentioned could all be explainable by Mr. Lawson being your run-of-the-mill God Complex bastard (it's not like nonconsensual incest is the ONLY thing he would have done that would have warrented disgust from Miranda). That said, it is VERY disturbing.

[[WMG:As a follow-up to the above theory, [[spoiler:Oriana is actually Miranda's ''daughter''.]]]]
* [[spoiler:Miranda tells us that Oriana is genetically identical to her, and that she was grown as a "replacement" for her. When we finally meet Oriana, she looks similar to Miranda, but isn't identical. There are also a few subtle differences you can hear about if you convince Miranda to introduce herself. At some point "Mr. Lawson" figured out that Miranda would never be what he designed her to be, so he decided to go ahead and create his dynasty without her permission. Oriana is a "traditional" test-tube baby and isn't genetically engineered by Miranda. As for how Miranda doesn't know this? Lies and misinformation spread by her father, or just flat-out conjecture on her part. It's likely that she came for Oriana ''after'' she escaped from her father - she says she was raised without any friends, yet there is Niket. She escaped her father and spent time on the streets where she met Niket, then learnt that her father had created another daughter, went back for Oriana and went to Cerberus.]]
** The main problem with that is that [[spoiler: humans naturally develop and evolve over their life in response to their conditions and to their own actions (pig out= put on weight, etc), and we have no reason to believe that Oriana would be raised in anything like the TrainingFromHell that Miranda went through, and adapting to living on a different planet with different individual preferences and habits (to say nothing of the possibility of surgical changes) would probably explain a LOT of the differences. Case in point the many, MANY identical twins whoyou wouldn't put together due to their drastically different lives and habits.]]
** Jossed by the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC. [[spoiler: Miranda's dossier includes correspondence from a doctor indicating a benign neoplasm that prevents her from conceiving. Since "adoption" is mentioned as mentioned as alternative, but not surrogacy, it's likely that the condition involves her ovaries preventing her from producing eggs. So no babies, test tube or otherwise.]]

[[WMG: Miranda's father was engaged in Element Zero research for the military.]]
After the discovery of Element Zero, the military would obviously be very interested in its properties. So no shit they would do a lot of research on it. It makes sense that they would be interested in discovering its effects on the human body. It stands to reason that they would contract some of this research to private organizations. Particularly if they want to do some morally questionable research, while also being able to maintain plausible deniability in the event that people find out about it. Miranda states that her father is a businessman, but we don't get more detail than that. So, perhaps he used funding from the military to test eezo exposure on cloned infants. When he created Miranda, she turned out healthy, and he kept her simply to see what the long-term effects would be. This all leads to another WMG: That Miranda's sister was created as her father's actual legacy, and Miranda herself was never to intended to be kept alive, as she was only an experiment to begin with.

[[WMG: Jack was on the ''Normandy'' [=SR-1=].]]
* I was just starting a new playthrough, and at one point a woman is blown up and left for dead. They focus on her face and baldness for a good 5 seconds after she hits the floor, and she is identical to Jack. There is no reason for the close up on this Jack lookalike's face, and it is never brought up. Perhaps she found a way to escape (Biotic shield?)
** If that were the case, wouldn't she have recognized Shepard as they were escaping Purgatory?
*** Perhaps she did. Would explain why she didn't just kill the apparent Cerberus operatives and steal their ship.
**** None of which explains Jack's criminal career and how (if this WMG is true) how the frell she got on a top-secret Alliance/Council ship.
***** Well, it could have been a special request by Shepard. Super powerful biotic and he might have wanted to help her.
** Jossed: Not only does Jack's loyalty mission reveal that she spent her entire life either in the Cerberus facility as a child or on the run through the galactic underworld, but the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC shows you her dossier, which contains a transcript of how Cerberus tricked the infant Jack's parents into believing she was dead, and abducting her.

[[WMG: The Illusive Man is Miranda's father]]
Cloning the perfect human to be his successor sounds just like him. And when she discovers it in the third game, drama would ensue.
* Presumably she knows her father. She also met the Illusive Man in person (in the trailer, at least). Wouldn't she have noticed by now?
** Her so-called "father" could just be a sucker the Illusive Man permitted to handle her through the troublesome years - childhood brattiness though teenage rebellion. Complete with YouCantGoHomeAgain - "Shots were fired." [[XanatosGambit Fakedad gets all the parental grief and hatred, he gets a high-quality operative with no troublesome emotional ties]] save those he can manipulate - a "twin" sister he can "protect". Hell, even the "[[LawOfInverseFertility benign neoplasm]]" could be part of it - her only legacy would be Oriana.

[[folder:Miscellaneous]]
[[WMG:If you got a Shepard VI you'll take it to Ilos to have it merge with Vigil and gain his knowledge.]]
This will give him 2 voices in one, with the Shepard VI voice (which sounds like Shepard) and Vigil's voice overlapping and you'll take it to the Citadel and replace the VI there with it to get everyone to rise up.

[[WMG:Aria is Aleena.]]
* In the last unique conversation thread with Wrex, he mentions an old asari friend of his named "Aleena", who for complicated reasons he wound up fighting against. Against all odds she manages to escape and tells Wrex "Better luck next time". Now, when you ask Aria about her past, she casually mentions that Patriarch is not the first time she has tangled with a krogan nor was "Aria" the first name she had; she has changed names in the past. When Shepard drops the subject, she simply says "Better luck next time".
** Also, Aria mentions being an asari commando and a mercenary, same as Aleena. Shepard seems to imply that this is rather rare. Plus, she pretty much has the exact same personality as Wrex. Flippant, violent, aggressive... with a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]] and an understanding of the bigger picture.
*** Um... what heart of gold is this? The impression I got was that she didn't care about anyone, as long as they didn't get in her way.
**** The heart of gold could be considered when she said something to the effect of "some times it's better to run than to kill some one".
***** Similarly, the help she gives to Nef's mother after Samara's loyalty quest?
***** She also expresses approval if you fight in Patriarch's honour, or encourage him to "die as a krogan," even though neither were exactly what she wanted you to do. Never mind that she's living in a WretchedHive where you have to be tough to survive, and compared to all the various mercenary factions running the show (and [[KickTheDOg kicking dogs every step of the way]]), hers is fairly benign.
*** Also, the fact that she ''explicitly mentions'' a run in she had with a krogan before she met Patriarch. The exact dialogue says
---> '''Aria:''' Patriarch wasn't even the first krogan I got on the bad side of.
*** I don't think it gets more blatant than that. They weren't going to say it outright, but Bioware wanted the players to know.

[[WMG: The Citadel Fleet, The Alliance Fleet, and every weapons manufacturer are in cahoots]]
How else do you explain a Government that hands the most expensive ship by tonnage in space over to their highest ranking, literally above the law trouble shooter, then makes him pay for weapons,armor, and hand grenades out of pocket with no expense account of any kind?
* ....[[YouFailEconomicsForever How the heck are they going to make a profit on that, exactly?]]

[[WMG: ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' and related new canon will feature character(s) with at least one of the following names: Glenn, Carpenter, Slayton, Cooper, Schirra]]
The remaining Mercury 7 astronauts, since we already have characters named for Shepard and Grissom.

[[WMG: ''MassEffect'' is part of a Bioware plot to destroy the universe]]
''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' will be so amazing that it will cause the universe to end. [[ZeroPunctuation And it will be awesome]].
* Isn't ME3 due to come out in 2012? Hmmm...


[[WMG: A future entry in the franchise will focus on the crew of the next [=SR-1=] frigate to roll off the assembly line.]]
* Surely ''someone'' in the Alliance, if not Admiral Hackett, will see that the original Normandy's destruction by a technologically superior foe that had the element of surprise isn't a fair way to judge the ship's performance, considering how well she did when put through the paces of the entire first game. For a more down-to-earth (pardon the pun) experience, a future entry in the series that's not a part of Shepard's trilogy will focus on the N7 crew of the next [=SR-1=] who, not being privy to the three or four [[AwfulTruth awful truths]] going on in the setting, get themselves entrenched in more of a classic military drama but [[InSpace in SPACE.]]
** According to the Citadel News, there's at least one more Normandy class frigate, so the Alliance is probably mass producing them, or at least building special ops built around them as seen in the News.
*** The SSV ''Ain Jalut''. I've heard that you only hear that news report if you killed off the Council in ''MassEffect'' though.

[[WMG:The ''MassEffect'' games, and ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' in particular, is an anti-DRM, and anti-[[ElectronicArts EA]] Aesop]]
* Let's see, to play the game, you log into the network of a deeply evil organisation. You obtain [[DownloadableContent DLC]] from the same source, including Cerberus Armour. By using this [[DownloadableContent DLC]], you lock that savegame to authorisation by a central server, and are unable to load it if things go wrong with them - while ingame, you sell your soul to the evil organisation for minor benefits. Cerberus also locks out features of the computer system [=EDI=], deeming them dangerous, whilst really hiding their evil dealings, and they've done a bunch of horrible things for supposedly good reasons, declaring that what's good for cerberus is good for humanity. DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything?
** Alternatively, the Reapers are [[ElectronicArts EA]]. Think about it. It makes sense.

[[WMG: After ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'' is finished, Bioware will publish an [[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition Anniversary Edition/Director's Cut]] of all the three games.]]
* ''MassEffect'' and ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'' graphically upgraded to the level of the last game, and all the content that had to be left out due to time or other constraints, such as the original plans for Therum as a fully fledged world on part with Feros and Noveria, restored. Wishful thinking rather than WildMassGuessing maybe, but if Bioware really reads this page, best to have the idea on display. And after all they did do something similar with ''JadeEmpire''...
* And it will be the workaround [[ElectronicArts EA]] needs to release the trilogy onthe PlayStation3. Cue fanboy rejoicing/tears.

[[WMG: ''MassEffect'' is really a documentary sent back in time]]
* In the late 22nd century, the Reaper wars will push humanity to the brink of extinction. Using mass effect fields for temporal distortion, human survivors sent ''MassEffect'' back to our time in order to inspire us to explore space, and also to warn us against the Reaper threat. Unfortunately, the games are not having the intended effect, as space funding is facing major cuts.

[[WMG: There will be a 1st-person Starship simulator ala ''StarTrekBridgeCommander'']]
* ...And it will conform to as many "Hard-SF" conventions as it can without becoming one big MindScrew. Yes, this is wish-fulfillment on my part. But seriously, how can they create such a rich codex with so many sections on ship-combat and tactics and ''not'' somehow put the player behind the controls at some point?
** For that matter, might as well give us control of Joker again for an UnexpectedGameplayChange and let us ''[[{{Squee}} pilot the Normandy!]]''
*** Maybe through a quick-time tree ala ''HeavyRain''?

[[WMG: Every choice creates another universe.]]
Yes, every tiny choice creates a new universe, which means there is a large multiverse. Shepard is the only one who can create them, and each choice, even anything in character creation, effects it. When the Shepard of a universe dies, it dies, but a new one is created where s/he doesn't die. When Shepard does something, it sends ripples through the universe he's in, changing the way things happen. However, this means Shepard is a slave to fate, and must always go down the right path, and can't go OffTheRails. On the bright side, everyone's actions are basically in his control. Think of him as the GameMaster. Note, nobody else can create a new universe, only Shepard.

[[WMG:Bioware reads this page.]]
Several wild mass guesses about Mass Effect 2 turned out to be completely accurate. Not because tropers are really good at this, but because Bioware read this page and thought SureWhyNot.
* ThisTroper proposes we test this theory. Any ideas that we really want to be in MassEffect 3?
** Well... if BioWare DOES read this page... Hey, BioWare? Mordin better survive. Same goes for Thane.
** Elcor soldiers. Codex describes them as walking tanks with shoulder-mounted turrets, which ''needs'' to be seen.
** A same-sex romance option for both genders, without taking the Asari cop-out. C'mon, Bioware, we know you wanted it in the first game, we know you recorded voice-overs for the second one, your PR dude telling us you just don't want Shepard to be that customizable isn't convincing. Especially, you know, because everything ''else'' is.
*** Well, since [=FemShep=] is already confirmed to potentially swing the other way with humans as well with Kelly Chambers and Jack, it would be just fair.
**** And they did add a considerable spike in the HoYay levels with MaleShep/Kaidan and the LesYay with [=FemShep=]/Ashley. With the knowledge that those relationships were originally meant to be options for the player and it seems like Biorware might have been setting things up to finally fulfil that.
** Four-man squads. Easiest way to handle the probably massive team you can recruit.
*** Seconded, this troper doesn't even want five members or anything. Just to be able to take a four man team in instead of just the three. It doesn't really feel like a full fire team/adventuring party/etc with just two squad members and brings up some serious FridgeLogic when you have a military Commander who goes ''knowingly'' into a massive firefight with '''just''' two people as backup.
*** A guess: there will be four-man squads, but only at certain points, and the fourth member will be a GuestStarPartyMember. Likely candidates include Kal'Reegar and Captain Kirrahe.
** Female Turian/Salarian/Batarian/Krogan/the rest. Seriously. It was forgivable in Mass Effect 1, but conspicuous in Mass Effect 2. Leaving them out for the third time would just be embarrasing.
** DON'T LOSE TALI. That is all.
** Bioware, please, let our squadmates be dressed in something resembling armor this time around when we're planetside.
** See the above guess regarding a Anniversary Edition/Director's Cut with improved graphics and the cut content. Seriously. If this happens, I will give you my firstborn.
** Miranda's face. Try to spend more than half an hour on it. ''[[PerverseSexualLust Please.]]''
** Name a random planet ''anywhere'' in the galaxy Gallifrey.

[[WMG: All four Jacobs are the same person]]
* Except one Jacob is the son of another one, and playable!Jacob's father isn't named Jacob... [[GrandfatherParadox so how would that...]] [[DivideByZero * explosion ensues* ]]

[[WMG: Zaeed's Godawful Cheeks]]
* He chews on bullets. Yep, years of chewing on bullets. His impact shot power is actually just him spitting out a bullet.

[[WMG: The Krogan Statue on the Citadel is a Giant Mech]]
The [[spoiler: Mass Relay Statue was a Chekovs gun]] so the Krogan statue could be as well. In Mass Effect 3 the last Reaper will be destroyed by the Krogan Statue uppercutting it. Wrex will naturally pilot it.
* And if he's dead, his ''ghost'' will possess it!
* Too good to be true! :(

[[WMG:After the final conflict SPECTRES will be replaced by a peacekeeping force known as the SHEPHERDS]]
* And they will act like the multiple Green Lantern Corps in {[BlackestNight}}. During ME3 the Alliance and the Council will have to use over half the Mass relays as {{BFG}}s to win the war. Limiting trade and travel, this combined with the billions dead and many worlds broken brings a new age of lawlessness to the Universe. So the Alliance and Council create the SHEPHERDS based on the hero of Mass Effect to hold the line.
Except instead of multiple types of rings there will be multiple type of Specilist.

** SOLDIER- The Ready Sword
Usually Renegade they are sent to wipe out any and all threats to Galatic peace. Feared for their no mercy, no restraint style. They seem to move like lighting dispensing death and destruction with ease.

** ADEPT-The Reasonable Voice
Usually Paragon, they are the negoiators and peace makers. Able to see the best in the beings in the universe. Sent to settle arguments between worlds, they are more than capable of knocking heads with their powers.

** ENGINEERS- The Helping hand
The fixers of the Galaxy, after the war many worlds where in need of repair and are in disarray. While SOLDIERS stomp out the fires of chaos, and ADEPTS help returns the laws the ENGINEERS help rebuild . They also support the local Law enforcement buffing them and weakening their opponets.

** VANGUARD - The Unstopple Force
A lot of criminals and renegade elements have set up power after the fall. Ruling from fortresses and battle stations. The Vanguard is the first in and last out when they need to be taken down. Breaking down the walls where the villians dwell and ending their rule with either a point blank shotgun blast or shock wave.

** INFILTRATOR- The Silent Judge
Infiltrators are sent by SHEPHERD Intelligence to take out high risk Targets. A corrupt Business man selling red sand, a Warlord in the making. If they do their job right there will be no need for the Sword to come down. Using their tech/invisibility to get behind enemy lines, one shot. One judgement to snuff out the flame that could lead to wildfire.

** SENTINEL - The Unblinking Guard
SentinEls are sent to protect people who are important in either rebuilding or Galatic stablity. They are the body guards, those who watch and protect. Using their Tech to look out for assassins and their biotics to keep them at bay.

[[WMG: The ridiculous holograms that are just about everywhere in Mass Effect 2 aren't actually there]]
Holographic computer screens? Sure, why not. A holographic display for the omni-tools? Fine, I guess. But holographic armor? And those holographic ammo type icons on the weapons? I don't buy that. It's just stupid. There aren't any holograms there, it's just the implants in commander Shepard's eyes giving him tactical data about the battlefield around him in a clear, visual way he can understand. So if an enemy has especially powerful shields, the bionic eyes make Shepard see a "holographic" armor floating around him.
* That makes a lot of sense - it could even just be part of the standard HUD used in combat.
** There could be more! What if the same system is also responsible for you seeing gunshots as colorful "energy bolts" in the second game? Gunfire in the Mass Effect universe is very much invisible, the bullets being way too tiny and moving way too fast- and there are no tracer bullets, too, because the whole bullet is just a nearly microscopic chunk of hyper-accelerated metal. But your HUD makes you see the projectiles as a tactical aid. This may also explain why different types of ammo have differently colored shots. I mean, what other reason could there be for tungsten rounds to appear white, shredder rounds to appear green and disruptor rounds to appear blue?

[[WMG: Shepard and the rest of the ground team were on a pizza and beer run when the Collectors attacked [[spoiler:the Normandy.]]]]
When EDI needs to test [[spoiler:the Reaper IFF]], she recommends that Shepard's team take the shuttle to their next mission, but the details of the mission are never explained, and it seems that combat was not involved, yet it required the participation of the entire ground team and couldn't wait until after the testing was done. It is my conjecture that they were running out for some booze and takeout food, and everyone went because the sheer amount of liquor it takes for Shepard to get drunk would have otherwise taken three forklifts to carry. The crew was ''intentionally'' vague about the nature of their mission because The Illusive Man had previously warned the crew against spending his money on food, so they decided to be coy and use the Batarian word for "mission" in order to announce their runs. Their translators would cover up the word, but since none of the crew was Batarian, everyone would have noticed a discrepancy in the speaker's lip movements and known what they were planning. This explains Shepard's exasperated observation that the Normandy really should just have a bar in the CIC when talking with Jacob afterward, and where all of the liquor in Kasumi's room comes from.
* And they left Joker behind because they hate hanging out with him. Besides, compared to everyone else, he wouldn't be able to hold his liquor.

[[WMG: Jack is either the descendant or the reincarnation of [[TheMillenniumTrilogy Lisbeth Salander]].]]
They've got similar personalities (emotionally closed off to mask emotional vulnerability), similar backstories (large-scale conspiracies and abuse at the hands of "the system"), and mental gifts that put other humans to shame, and a love of extensive tattooing (often to commemorate a tragedy). There must be some connection, at any rate.

[[WMG: Legion is Pulling a Xanatos Gambit]]
I find it funny exactly how many people seem to automatically believe legion is telling the truth. Other then the fact that he is helping you, do you have any actual visible proof that Legion is being truthful about who the heretics are. For one thing, the word Heretic itself is usually used in a religious context, one that is reserved for people that have suddenly changed their believes/dogma. Yet according to Legion, the only geth with any form of Religion are those that worship the reapers.... so why did he decide to use those particular words to describe them?

Sure, he might be helping you against the Collectors, but for all we know that could be part of a long term gambit for the geth. Especially their terminals are basically disposable, and they can broadcast themselves back to the source when killed. After all, the first thing he asks you to do, is go out and reprogram/kill a bunch of fellow geth, who he claims are heretics, and that worship the reapers. But does he offer any actual proof? Nope, instead she simply asks you to take his word for it.

As a result of your actions in the first game, perhaps a bunch of geth decided that the reapers couldn't be gods, if they could be killed. Or perhaps they just didn't fall for sovereigns tricks. Either way, there is a rogue faction of Geth out there, one that could potentially warn the galaxy of whatever the so called 'true geth' are up to. There also happens to be a certain Human, who has developed a reputation as a geth slayer... Solution, use one side to kill the other off. So they create a special terminal, using captured pieces of Shepherds armor. Since it will need to be running a complex gambit, its given a far larger then usual number of programer,s making it far 'smarter' then average.

This Terminal then infiltrates shepherds team, by sneaking on to the collector ship, and helping them to get the IFE. Now based on shepherds reactions and histories, they know he has a habit of recruiting misfits and freaks, especially those who help him out (tali/Wrex). So they arrange/let the terminal get injured, where it is brought back onto the ship. From here, one of two things happens. First of all, Shepherd turns the terminal back on. This gives them a spy in the enemy camp, so to say. A similar thing occurs if you send him back to Cerebus, only in this case there is a spy in the enemies command tent.

Going back to the first option, Legion is now awake, and is able to give a couple of harmless bits of info to shep, as a method of getting his guard down/becoming trusted. Then he suggests a mission, claiming to have a way to remove/wipe out the rogue geth, the ones who allied with Sheps former enemy. By this time, they reckon that shep trusts him, and takes his word for it. Thus they carefully find their way into the 'Heretics' based, where they mysteriously discover a virus, one that can be used to reprogram the 'heretic' geth back to the 'True Geth' cause. So they offer this, and pretend to be debating it, before leaving the solution to Shep.

Once at the core, they come to a conclusion, saying that the programming thing barely won out. If Shep takes this advice, then the rogue Geth are brought back into the fold... the Reaper worshiping fold, increasing the numbers of the reaper army by quite a lot. If s/he decides to kill them, then there is quite a chunk fewer potential defenders to worry about. And with the conveniently 'forgotten'' sequence, there is even a chance they can take out Shep him/herself.

Either way, Legions true masters win, with a tactical/strategic master stroke that can't go wrong, all for the loss of a single terminal. That's not including the sheer amount of data or damage that can be caused by unleashing rogue virus's and other software into some of the area's that shepherd might have been stupid enough to take Legion into... Such as the office of ta Conciliar, the quarian migrant fleet.... even the base of the shadow broker itself.
* I really don't see how fighting the Collectors would in any way be benificial to the geth unless they opposed the Reapers. If the main geth are really in leauge with the Reapers like you say, then they should know that the Collectors work for them. By helping Shepard Legion wiped out the entire Collector army, helped kill a Reaper, and depending on what ending you took, gave humanity a large and powerful space station. Also, if the heretic geth were the ones really opposed to the Reapers, why didn't they try to contact Shepard? You could maybe argue that they didn't have the resources for it, but Shepard ends up going right for their base. If they really intened to help Shepard stop the Reapers, then why did they attack him? If the geth suddenly became non hostile it would've raised a few red flags and they could've then tried to warn Shepard about Legion. There's also those geth on the quarian flotilla that get accidentally activated. If they're heretic geth opposed to the Reapers then why are they attacking organics? If they're main stream geth, then why didn't they try fooling the quarians like Legion did to Shepard? There's also the mission on Haestrom, where the geth are, again, openly fighting you. If they're heretic geth trying to ally themselves with the organic races against the Reapers, then why did they attack the quarians? If they're main stream geth, then they're ''pretending'' to be allied with the organics, so attacking the quarians made no sense, since it reinforced their general mistrust of the geth. Either way, if what you say is true, then niether geth faction should have been hostile to organics and Shepard in particular during ME2

[[WMG:The Presidium Groundskeeper is lying about there not being any fish in the Presidium lakes.]]
I noticed on a recent playthrough that he doesn't have any facial markings. As we all know, this means he probably can't be trusted. I think he lied because he spiteful of people asking him the same question. I believe also proves that obviously Mass Effect 3 is going to revolve around Shepard and the Krogan who wanted the fish teaming up to take down the Groundskeeper's web of lies.
* I always felt like such a monster for telling the krogan there weren't any fish. He was so disappointed, it was like kicking a puppy....granted, a large alien puppy who could smash a normal human to bits, but still.
* Except the Presidium Groundskeeper DOES have facial markings. They're faint, but if you [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/File:Presidium_Groundskeeper.jpg look closely]] you can see he's wearing that skull-face pattern that some other turians have. It's just that the tattoo is almost the same color as his skin so it blends into his face.

[[WMG: Grunt spends a lot of time on wikis, and has gotten into several Edit and Flame Wars.]]
I dunno, it just seems like something he would do. Especially if the articles involved Shepard or the Krogan.

[[WMG: Gallifrey exists in the ME universe]]
''Come on'', BioWare.

[[folder:Mordin]]
[[WMG:Mordin isn't actually that good at his job.]]
He sings a song to the tune of [[PiratesOfPenzance I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General.]] And we all know what [[ModernMajorGeneral that trope is about.]] He just sort of wings it.
* Talking to him you do find out that he's responsible for [[spoiler:designing the new genophage,]] so this is unlikely.
** Alternately, he played a PARODY of himself in the play! That would explain everything.

[[WMG:Mordin will come into conflict with Wrex in [=ME3=].]]
* If both are still alive by then, of course. Considering Mordin's [[spoiler:work on the Genophage]], there might be a moment where Wrex is willing to kill him. Mordin for his part will feel enough regret to know that this is an inevitability. However Shepard might convince Wrex and Mordin to work together to help the krogans. If that happens they become allies and form a CrazyAwesome team in the end (complete with BackToBackBadasses).
** Wrex will either try to kill Mordin, (if you destroyed the cure) or he will demand Mordin hand it over. Mordin will refuse, and you'll have to convince, or kill one of them.
** Cut dialogue from ME2 indicates there was a confrontation planned between Mordin and Grunt, similar to the Miranda/Jack and Tali/Legion confrontations.

[[WMG:Thane will be cured in [=ME3=].]]
* Mordin managed to almost cure Vrolik's syndrome in a matter of days. As he is still TheAtoner, he will manage to cure Kepral's Syndrome as his CMOA as a scientist, thus saving the entire drell race at the exchange of their help against the Reapers.
** Makes sense. The best 'Hanar' scientist worked on it. As Mordin would say: "Hanar? Hanar are diplomats. Preachers. Merchants. Excellent Specters with a Lover in every port. Not Scientists. Will look into it." Kepral Syndrome just a bacteria infection in the lungs. Sound familiar? Humans call it TB.
*** You win a free Internet for that Mordin comment. To make this edit ''slightly'' less pointless: if it doesn't happen in ME3, it does in DLC.

[[WMG: The game takes place in the {{Unknown Armies}} universe, and Mordin is an Avatar]]
Think about it for a moment. He isn't joking. He ''is'' the very model of a scientist salarian. In fact, he represents just about perfectly every aspect of The Salarian in the collective subconscious, to the point that it's almost absurd: a scientist ''and'' a spy, talks very fast, thinks very fast, very friendly and jolly, very deadly, a master of bio-weapons... He is attempting Ascension.

[[WMG: Mordin's newphew will help develop the cure for the genophage.]]
Assuming you didn't delete Maelon's data. Mordin says that it will still be years before it can be finished. Years that Mordin doesn't have, as he's getting old. His nephew, being only sixteen, still has over half his life left, and can develop the cure.

[[folder:Tali and the Quarians]]
[[WMG:Tali will get rid of her suit.]]
* In [=ME1=], Tali made a big deal about needing her suit at all times. In [=ME2=], we know that Tali is banished from the Migrant Fleet. Tali's quest in [=ME2-3=] will involve getting whatever genetic work is needed to boost her immune system. Either at a the climax of the quest in 2, or at the beginning of 3, Tali's mask will come off and we'll finally be able to see her face - and it will look disturbingly like the geth.
** Not fucking likely, unless you consider that a human like face, which Tali has, to looks like a flashlight.
** And then she'll take that data back to the Migrant Fleet, allowing the quarians to settle on a habitable world, as well as ending her exile.
*** It's far more likely that any potential quarian homeworld will be discovered by the expedition sent at the end of the novel ''Mass Effect: Ascension''. Bonus points for it to be scheduled to return in five years from the end of Mass Effect 1, perfectly for Mass Effect 3.
*** Even if they can find a habitable world to settle, there's still the problem of having virtually no immune system. The expedition will find the planet, Tali will provide the means to settle it.
**** Legion states that [[spoiler:the geth have preserved Rannoch, the Quarian homeworld, after the Morning War. If a player resolves the loyalty crisis between Tali and Legion amicably, a furtive peace overture occurs between Tali and Legion. Likely an event flag for import into [=ME3=] that may lead to a true peace between the Geth and the Quarians, and return to Rannoch.]]
** {{Jossed}}, at least in [=ME2=]. Other than token mentions, the immune system issue is not resolved at all and Tali keeps her suit on (most of the time, at least). Oh, and [[spoiler:the results of Tali's trial is not a ForegoneConclusion. It is possible to have the charges dropped.]]
*** I was hoping that Tali's face would be revealed if she died on the Suicide Mission. Not out of any malice, but because it'd be such an effective scene.
*** Give the Quarians nano machines for an immune system. Problem solved.
** Depending on your own choices, Tali is not banished from the Migrant Fleet. The options were: Turn In Evidence (Not Banished, Pissed At You), Lie About Evidence (Banished, Not Pissed at You), and Use Paragon/Renegade/Crowd (Not Banished, Happy with You).

[[WMG:We will visit the quarian homeworld in[=ME3=].]]
* By now, the quarians are [[spoiler:preparing to retake their homeworld. They have developed a virus that will enable them to win in a matter of hours. But Shepard is trying to recruit both them and the geth for a united army against the Reapers. The two standard options will have Shepard either aid the quarians or the geth, gaining only one side as an ally. The Paragon option will convince the two sides to make peace and join together. The Renegade option will involve intimidating them into not fighting (possibly by threatening to destroy their homeworld).]]

[[WMG:The quarian race's problem isn't the lack of an immune system...]]
* Actually, it's anything but. This is quite possibly nitpicking, but considering how far Bioware has gone with their research on the rest of the science, and how much they love to show off that they've ShownTheirWork on this one, I'm willing to take a flyer on this one.
* Okay, so, Tali says that her species doesn't get sick per se when they get exposed to diseases or the environment (like even their otherwise sterile bodies when they join suits with each other), they suffer an acute allergic reaction, with similar symptoms to a typical infection (rash, fever, inflammation, so on). All well and good, except that an allergic reaction is the result of an ''overactive'' immune system. Mast cells and basophils react to antigens in the blood or elsewhere, and release histamine as a reaction, causing inflammation and all the other lovely symptoms of your standard allergy attack. Blown immune systems, few or no white blood cells, no histamine, no allergic reaction.
* So, if that's true, then what the quarians are suffering from is actually more like an autoimmune disease. They don't need antibiotics, they need corticosteriods. Or Bioware cares a lot more about getting the physics right than they do about the biology. IE, dextro and levo actually refer to chirality of amino acids, or the 3D rotational configuration of the amino acid. Human beings have both dextro and levo-amino acids in their bodies, for example, so the alleged compatibility problems between dextro and levo-based life forms doesn't actually exist.

[[WMG:The quarians are extremely human-like.]]
* Well, judging by that unreveal we all love so much, they have nose and human-like eyes. And a humanlike immune system. And they are [[MostCommonSuperpower mammals]]. They are the most human-like race so far. As the long-waited [[spoiler:peace between the geth and quarians]] is most likely to occur in [=ME3=], removing their spacesuits with this result sounds like a perfect twist.
** Hmm. They have red blood too if I'm remembering Haestrom right, with most other species gleefully using AlienBlood.
** Oh, this rushes into IKnewIt territory. Quarians and humans are said to be convergent species. As we already have an extremely humanlike race with BizarreAlienBiology, this will be a sort of inversion, with human biology but slightly different appearance. I wonder if Tali looks like a CuteMonsterGirl or falls into the UncannyValley.
*** I always assumed the quarians looked a lot like the Eldar, come to think of it, there are a lot of parallels between the quarians and the Eldar...
*** Well, I'm not sure about bodies, but I think it's likely that they do have very human-like faces under their masks, since if you look closely at any Quarian character, you can see they all possess a distinctly humanlike nose, and their eyes are shaped similarly too.

[[WMG:Quarians were racial supremacists prior to the Morning War.]]
* Before the Morning War/Geth Uprising the quarians were racial supremacists who thought they were better and smarter then rest of the galaxy and constantly let the other species know it. That's the real reason the rest of the galaxy looks down on them and refused to help with the geth, because they were a bunch of pricks. Admiral Xen is part of a faction of the quarians who continue to believe in there own superiority. Just something I thought up after hearing the quarian in [[spoiler:Legion's recording]] say that ONLY quarians had souls when they were part of the galactic community at the time.

[[WMG:The quarians aren't entirely extinct from Rannoch.]]
* A planetwide genocide is easier said than done even for efficient synthetics, and it's likewise improbable that all the survivors managed to find themselves spaceships by which to flee. This presents two possible scenarios:
** A. A few thousand survivors managed to flee to isolated areas of the planet with little technology, and now live as isolated bands keeping distance from the few geth that live on the planetside, unaware that they no longer represent an immediate threat to* them.
*** It's been three hundred years. Original survivors are likely already dead, and if there were descendants, at least one of them would have been noticed by now.
**** [[spoiler:Legion indicates the geth are willing to forgive the quarians - maybe they live in peace with the descendants.]]
** B. The remaining quarians were those who actually sympathised with the geth in the Morning War, and tried to prevent the genocide on either side, but failed. [[spoiler:They were the ones who eventually managed to teach the geth that not all organics seek their destruction, and that staying isolated would be a better option than seeking security through destruction of all the organic civilizations.]]
*** The problem with B is that [[spoiler:Legion is likely to mention the existence of quarian hold-outs left behind on Rannoch. Especially if you take him with you to the Flotilla.]]
**** Unless [[spoiler:the survivors specifically asked that the geth keep it a secret.]]
***** Combining that theory with the one above: [[spoiler:The Morning War was simultaneously a geth uprising and a race war. Originally there were multiple quarian ethnicities on Rannoch. One of these races rose to dominate the planet and established a totalitarian/racial supremacist government that enslaved all the other quarian races. The geth were part of the dominant race's 'Final Solution'. The "lesser" races would be exterminated and the geth would replace them. But the geth achieved sentience (perhaps they were ''taught'' sentience by the "lesser" quarian races?) and the Morning War was a joint uprising of the geth and the oppressed quarian minorities against the fascist quarian government. Eventually the fascists were beaten back and exiled. The geth and their quarian allies set to work rebuilding their civilization and the leaders of the fascists created the fiction of a brutal robot apocalypse both to gain sympathy from the rest of the galaxy (this tactic backfired on them massively) and to brainwash their children into hating the geth. In the 200+ years since they were driven off their homeworld by the geth no one is alive who remembers what really happened and that fiction has become the truth for the Migrant Fleet. Legion is an agent of the geth/quarian allied government and his original mission was to spy on the Migrant Fleet in order to see whether they are worthy of being welcomed back to Rannoch. To that purpose, he was forbidden from revealing the truth to anyone outside the Perseus Veil.]]

[[WMG: Tali will get the house her father promised her in ME3... but the circumstances will change based on your actions.]]

For instance, in a worse case scenerio (the Geth and Quarians go to war, Tali was exiled, bad things happen in ME3, etc), her 'house' will amount to a shanty made out of derelict ships on a burnt out war scarred homeworld that's unlivable without a biosuit. Basically, little better than what she has now and a fairly Pyrrhic victory. On the other hand, if things go really well, she'll be able to go with a more minimal biosuit on a beautiful home in the capital city. And anywhere in between.

[[WMG: The Qwib-Qwib will be an incredibly powerful ship]]

Despite the awesomely lame name, the Qwib-Qwib turns out to be almost as much of a CoolShip as The Normandy and can kick a lot of ass in actual combat, making it something of a ship version of FluffyTheTerrible. The fact that it's a very capable ship is the main reason that Zaal'Koris sticks with the ship.
* "Qwib Qwib" is a reference to Fred Saberhagen's "Berserker" series, which is about [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything an endless war against giant intelligent mechanical space machines on a mission to destroy all life.]] In the short story, the 'Qwib-Qwib' is an AI-controlled spacebound weapons platform designed to destroy the titular Berserkers. If this WMG comes true, it'd be one hell of a [[ShoutOut Shout Out]]

[[WMG: Admiral Xen will be a villain in ME3]]

Admiral Xen's insane plans to implant a virus into the Geth collective will put her at odds with both the Gath and the Quarians in ME3. Taking her down will be a mission that allows Shepard to gain the support of either the Quarians (by using the virus to wipe out the Geth), or the Geth (destroying the virus and not convincing letting the war go ahead, thus destroying a good portion of the Migrant Fleet), or with a high enough Paragon/Renegade score both (by destorying the virus and either intimidating the two sides into a cease-fire, or by brokering a peace treaty that leaves both sides satisfied).

[[folder:The Thorian]]
[[WMG:The Thorian is still alive.]]
* The Thorian covers the surface of Feros, yet all Shepard does to kill it is to AttackItsWeakPoint ForMassiveDamage. We see a section of the Thorian die off, but what about the rest of it? It is still on Feros, and it will grow back in the area which Shepard destroyed.

[[WMG:[[spoiler:Shiala in [=ME2=] is a Thorian clone.]]]]
* The Thorian survived barely of its encounter with Shepard in [=ME1=], but learned to act smarter: instead of ineffectually brainwashing the colonists it decided to replace them with perfectly loyal PodPeople. [[spoiler:The "illness" is a cover by which they explain the physical differences to their original counterparts, and the "cure" is something that will mask these differences perfectly. The reason why "Shiala" is so anxious to prevent the invasive medical tests is because she knows that if they were performed, the secret would come out. And she's green, again!]]

[[WMG:The Thorian will return to join the army of benefactors formed over the course of the trilogy.]]
* Extending on the theory above, [[spoiler:Shiala IS the Thorian, or at least is a melding of personalities and bodies.]] The thing is, while the Thorian's style ''was'' being a over-controlling tyrant, now, due to the kindness Shepard gave it's emissary, the Old Growth may now rule Feros as the Good Queen. Seeing her concern for the colonists, as well as the growth of the colony itself(listen to the news networks) would lend credence to this ([[spoiler:plus, that was a pretty warm smile for a plant/animal hybrid]]). Also, in another extension of the above theory, [[spoiler:notice how her speech is still kind of halting?]]
* Another note: as with [[spoiler:Gianna]], [[spoiler:Shiala]] is yet another NPC who has taken a "liking" to Shepard, This is going to get complicated, ''fast''.
** Extending the theory even further: the Thorian is the key to defeating the Reaper Indoctrination. Remember that Shiala was the only one to ever be fully freed from Sovereign's hold. Maybe symbiosis with the Thorian is what's required to become immune from the Reapers' power. The Council is just going to love that, to be sure...

[[WMG:There are other Thorians on habitable worlds all over the galaxy and they are the ancient enemies of the Reapers.]]
* Extending the above theory further still: the Thorian's species is the natural enemy of the Reapers. Sort of the Elder Gods to the Reaper's Great Old Ones (or vice-versa, whichever makes more sense). They oppose the designs of the Reapers and created a method of de-Indoctrination to place sleeper agents among the Reapers' slave armies. There are in fact ''many'' Thorians living on habitable planets all over the galaxy and they've secretly been plotting against the Reapers for eons. Most Thorians exercise much more subtle control over their subjects but the Thorian on Feros was driven mad somehow. Consequently, ''everything that happens in the game was orchestrated by the Thorians in their secret war against the Reapers!''
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Reaper Tech]]
[[WMG:Warning: Mass Effect 2 Spoilers![[spoiler:Destroying the Collector Station, as opposed to researching it, may prove to be a better choice in the long run]]]]
* Warning: Mass Effect 2 Spoilers: Think on that. The Reapers leave machines and technology so that civilization can advance along a path of technology that they desire. Thus, they are fully aware of how their technology works, and would likely have counter measures and counter tactics for their own stuff, and most variants of their own technology. Using this, that would mean whatever advantage gained from taking the technology is effectively rendered pointless, as it is all planted, and all of that technology, or most of it, has been in the hands of the enemy for many, MANY millenia. Secondly, if you refuse to develop along Reaper tech, you might find an advantage that the Reapers may have not accounted for. Given that, if I remember correctly, a deal of the Mass Effect technology is based on Reaper technology, or at least older technology, any reverse engineering would be borrowing an idea and using it for your own purposes. Who would know their own flaws better than an evil, ageless enemy, especially ones such as the Reapers? Branching OFF of this path, instead of following it, might yield something that the Reapers were not expecting, and thus, something they were completely unprepared for. Of course, analyzing the technology and finding weaknesses within it, yet using a different, non-Reaper/Collector tech solution to exploit that weakness might be a better option than branching off alone. Not that it wouldn't be a bad thing to reverse-engineer Reaper/Collector tech AFTER the threat is removed.
* Legion suggests as such. It and the non-heretic geth choose not to follow Sovereign for more or less that reason (though without realizing the danger the Reapers were). Basically, the geth feel that it's every races right to develop along its own path and that copying Reaper-tech would simply mean following the Reaper's path. It would be a momentary advantage for a worse long term gain. Likewise, Legion also mentions that the geth were not something the Reapers had anticipated; given how most things are based on Reaper tech and the geth were illegal creations to begin with... Also Mordin has a spiel about the Collectors and how most of their stuff was replaced by tech (specifically, Reaper tech). So salvaging the Reaper base may be the better short term advantage but it may also end in a somewhat bittersweet consequences.
* This theory rings true for this troper. When you get right down to it, the person you're giving the technology to aside, ''Reaper technology is dangerous.'' Yes, EDI was made through Sovereign's remains, but that was debris recovered from a ship that was completely and utterly ripped apart and destroyed. The Collector Station, should you choose to recover it, would be intact. Who's to say Harbinger's not capable of multi-tasking and that bit near the end where he was fiddling on his holographic keyboard was him also messing with the station so it wouldn't help anyone? We saw what happened with the Derelict Reaper. Everyone thought it was dead, even the Illusive Man, but it was able to Husk-ify dozens of scientists while being 'dead', then what makes you think the same thing isn't possible with the Collector Station? Let's not even get started on how you can't possibly predict what Cerberus will do with the base. Best case scenario? The station is harmless, but now a terrorist organization has access to Reaper tech. Worst case scenario? The incident with the Derelict Reaper is repeated, but [[ItGotWorse a hundred times worse.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mass Effect 4]]
[[WMG: In ME4 (like they wouldn't continue on an expanded universe if ME3 is successful?), Cmdr. Shepard plays a role... as either the Big Bad or the Obi Wan depending on whether you end up playing ME3 as a better Saren/Galaxy Killer or Savior. Potentially in the future where you play as a descendant of Shepard.]]

* Honestly, after several games, it'd be hard to keep developing ways of resetting Shepard's abilities or upgrading them without being ridiculous. So a second trilogy would be a new character... perhaps the child of you and your love interest in some fashion (natural for those that can, vat born or adopted for those that can't).
** Bringing Shepard back from the death already seemed ridiculous to me, but then again, it was pretty awesome. Zombie Shepard, saving the universe.
*** Bungie did something similar in ''Marathon'', wherein it was implied that the SpaceMarine / Security Officer was either all of the great warriors of history (Beowulf, Roland, Achilles, etc.) or embodied their spirit. A lone figure, throughout time who turns up exactly when they were needed...
---> Now, in the quantum moment before the closure, when all becomes one. One moment left. One point of space and time. I know who you are. '''You are destiny.'''
** Quarian/Human relations (especially sexual) are so rare, perhaps they're somehow compatible, and if you stayed with Liara you'll play as an asari.
*** Species with different amino acids risk ''allergic reactions'' to each other's body fluids. So... that seems unlikely.
*** Also keep in mind that not everyone has a love interest.
** More likely you play as someone completely unrelated to Shepard to avoid the whole "love interest" thing. Hell, Shepard probably isn't featured at all, except for a couple of vague references.
* New Idea: ME4 will be an MMO set a couple hundred years after Shepard's death. Now you get to make a character of any race (Geth, Krogan, Quarian, human, Turian, Asari, Drell, you name it) and play through with a lot more exploration getting to visit a lot of places talked about but not shown. There will be moments where you get to find and meet the old crew (Liara at least, maybe Grunt) but have statues and memorials devoted to the rest (Shepard himself, Tali, Garrus, Joker) strewn throughout the universe. Considering how much creative energy went into building the ME universe they are not going to stop at 3.

[[WMG: Mass Effect 4 will be the TNG of the Mass Effect Franchise.]]

* Set at least several decades after Mass Effect 3, with a new ship, crew and alien threat. There will be cameos though, like an 80 year old Kaidan. Why? RuleOfCool.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Omega-4 Relay]]
[[WMG: The Omega-4 Relay rips ships to peices if they don't have the Reaper IFF]]
EDI was clearly wrong with her initial assumption that ships would be eaten by a black hole if they didn't have the IFF. There was debris from many ships that came before you, and if a black hole had grabbed them, they'd be in a black hole, not floating just in front of the Relay. Besides, a black hole wouldn't pull it to apart like that. It was also said that Relays often make mistakes of tens of thousands of miles. In space, that's a tiny amount, and if a black hole was that close, the Relay would've been sucked in.

It is far more like that the relay has the ability to rip a ship apart in transit if it lacks the IFF.
* ''Many'' of the ships fall into the black holes in the vicinity. The rest get destroyed by the defensive mechanisms surrounding the place.

[[WMG: The entire mission in Mass Effect 2 would have been a failure had Shepard [[spoiler:not been killed in the beginning.]]]]

* Shepard probably would've gone to help the missing colonies anyway, and may have gotten the info on the Collectors/the IFF from sources other than TIM/EDI, allowing him/her to use the Omega 4 relay.
* EDI says that the Omega 4 relay is surrounded by black holes, and even tiny wandering would land the Normandy in black holes. If this is true, why are other ships there? Simple: other species that went through the cycle fought back, and went to [[spoiler:the Galactic Core]] to stop whatever the Reapers had there before [[spoiler:indocrinating/modifying the Protheans into Collectors]], using a special IFF (possibly from [[spoiler:the same derelict Reaper that Shepard and co get it from]]).
** It is also possible that those are other ships that were simply curious enough as to what was beyond the Omega 4 Relay, and got lucky enough that they survived.
* Yet the potential of the station in the [[spoiler:core]] was unknown to anyone else. Therefore, upon getting to the station, were torn apart by defense mechanisms.
* Shepard had "survived" an attack by the collectors already, knowing what their potential is. As shown in the beginning of the game, the Normandy [[spoiler:meets the same fate as the ships that made it to the station in the Core]].
* Therefore, because [[StupidEvil the Collectors]] [[IdiotBall were so intent on killing]] [[BackFromTheDead Shepard]], [[WhatAnIdiot him and Cerberus were able to]] [[spoiler:make a better ship that was [[{{Determinator}} strong enough to survive their attacks]]]], allowing him to come in and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge destroy]] [[spoiler:a/the [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Reaper creation facility]]]].
* Actually, the [=SR2=] was ''not'' strong enough withstand the Collector's attacks, at least not as it originally was. If the Collectors had launched another surprise attack in-game, the second Normandy would have ended up just like the first. It was only after EDI was unshackled as a co-pilot, the guns/armor/shields were upgraded, and the element of surprise was removed that the Normandy was able to defeat the Collector's ship without severe damage. With just one element missing, the ship could, at best, force the Collectors into a draw.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Commander Shepard]]
[[WMG: Commander Shepard has a limited version of the ability to indoctrinate people.]]
Shepard has an impressive track record when it comes to charming/intimidating people. Additionally, his advanced training can include [[spoiler: Dominate]], even though he isn't an Ardak Yakshi. He can even ''talk people out of indoctrination'' similar to the Thorian! (See: Saren) Shepard can convince a [[spoiler: Quarian court to with-hold their charges of treason]] without evidence. Perhaps TIM knows this- and that's why he doesn't want to meet Shepard in person.

It isn't ''that'' strong though. To put things into [=DnD=] terms, Shepard has Suggestion, the Thorian has Mark of Justice and Sovereign has Geas/Quest.
* Well, the Quarian court didn't really have any evidence to prove Tali's guilt, and it was largely a show trial to advance their geth agendas. In the conversations in which you save Tali, you point out how awesome Tali is and how they are full of shit, which they ''are''! The rest still stands.
[[WMG: Admirald Hackett is realy Shepard's father]]
Basicly Shepard is Hackett's [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son/daugther]]
[[WMG: Thanks to Cerberus Reaper implants Shepard is now [[spoiler:immortal]]]]
and you will get the option of staying that way, becoming [[spoiler:mortal]] or if you romanced Liara or other asari [[spoiler: change it to mach the lifespan]]. Nether option will be renegade or parogon because you will get the option to become for paragon [[spoiler:The Sentinel protectig the galaxy of all evil or if you failed to defeat the reapers the guide to next races]], for Renegade [[spoiler:The Inmortal god-emperor of [[strike:[[{{warhammer}} mandkind]]]] the galaxy or the leader of the Reapers]] or in neutral [[spoiler:[[WalkingTheEarth wander the galaxy]] exploring the new future or in search of atonnement]]
[[/folder]]

[[WMG: The final battle will take place in Sagittarius A, at the center of the galaxy.

[[WMG: "Machine Killing Super-gun"]] Knowing Biowares love of Scenery Porn, and how the smallest, most insignifact details will come back later, in the case of the ME1 implying where the Dead Reaper would be in ME2, it says "- a canyon on the southern hemisphere appears to be unnatural, the product of a mass accelerator shot from nearly thirty-seven million years ago. There's another planet that says a volus merchant is excavating after a dream told him a "machine-killing superweapon lies underneath the surface". Perhaps there's more truth to this then believed, and a plot point in ME3 will be finding this weapon so Sheppard can *actually* fight Eldritch Abominations on his/her own?