Control Ending from Mass Effect 3 The Extended Cut DLC. Shepard deciced to control the Reapers instead of destroying them. gamezilla.komputerswiat.pl/ / gamezillapl
Man, I wish our final fight was with harbinger rather than the dues ex machina. I would've loved to destroy that smug piece of shit myself, and I would've said "WHO'S ASSUMED CONTROL NOW MOTHERFUCKER?". Well, also hilariously enough, I guess if you choose the control ending, you really do assume control of him.
Well the reapers did extensive genetic rewrite of the protheans, to turn them into the collectors. And now since shepherd are the reapers, he could build himself a human body and control it to bang Liara
If you played as a paragon and did this choice it is bascially the story about space jesus ascending to "heaven" to watch over and protect his own kind
Shepard: Hey Harbinger! Harbinger: What? Shepard: ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL! Harbinger: Well, shit... Best ending, in my opinion (especially if you're Paragon). :)
I think this ending is the best for a realistic vision... Because at the same time you don't commit genocide against all synthetics (Destroy), you don't disrespect all organics by rewriting all their DNAs (Synthesis). Control you break the cycle for a undetermined period of time and at the same time act as a guardian of Milky Way.
Destroy is the best mainly because the Geth and shit would most likely get rebuilt (if you fucking save the Geth), also the fact that if your war assets are high enough shepherd can survive it ;)
This ending makes the Illusive Man right and Reapers insanely stupid. Plus how do we know that Reapers won't just rebel? What about even bigger AI being made in the future?
@@giorgialadashvili4771 Illusive Man had a good idea but no way would I trust him with that power (not that he was able to harness it himself). If we take the ending at its word, Control allows Shephard to continue serving his peacekeeping role just at a higher level across the galaxy with the whole reaper force at his disposal. There are tons of other issues within the galaxy that could pop up but Shephard could continue to help resolve disputes as well as protect the weaker species. Given the other options include wiping out all synthetics, or making everyone into a superpowered collective hivemind regardless of their wishes, control seems like the best option to me. Synthesis would obviously erase conflict and make the milky way an extremely powerful and advanced galaxy, but merging everyone into part of a collective consciousness of trillions with everything including plant life like the Thorian, creatures like varren/thresher maws, Rachni to the humanoid species in it is completely alien to me and I don't even know if it would be desirable given the lack of details.
@@DownloadARevolt20 the geth only rebelled because the quarian were killing them. And future generation is like what, 5 years after the event, because they already have the knowledge and just need to rebuild. By then they probably have learned a thing or two about AI rebellion after a fucking 300 year war.
This is quite a religious ending isn't it. Shepard, literally becomes a Shepard, and a Galaxy full of races, his flock that he protects. The Reapers once considered Hellish are now the Guardians of every Species under Shepard's care. And you saved EDI and the Geth to boot. Not a bad ending actually.
As one of my Shepard was a sentinel and a paragon I chose control ending beacuse I felt he would be the last and eternal guardian of the galaxy. As he also has a strong mind and therfore can control himself from any corrupt thoughts
I don't think so. Remember how TIM controlled Shepard and made him shoot Anderson? Who's to say the Catalyst... sorry StarBRAT, won't try to indoctrinate Shepard? Dude, I think your Shepard just became the next Harbinger, the last and eternal DESTROYER of the galaxy. Way to go man. Just remember in your next play-through, no matter what, never choose control. Always destroy! This way everyone's happy and Ash gets Shepard. YAY!
Void99 how do you know thats how it pans out but , we need to wait till the next ME comes out only to find if our choices in 3 where inpactful to be put into the next one
***** From the dialogue I gathered from the Catalyst (a.k.a. StarBrat), the Catalyst is essentially wiped away and replaced by Shepard, if he chooses to take control. So there is no Catalyst anymore to tempt or indoctrinate Shepard. In essence, he has taken over for the Reapers as their collective consciousness...it may be very likely that indoctrination is now his weapon to use, rather than being used against him. But that's just what I gathered.
I find it strange how often people associate divinity with power. That's not what the majority of religions and mythologies around the world teach about God, gods or holy beings of such nature. Usually benevolence and heighest virtues are characterisics of the divine. What would you accomplish if you gained all power in the universe but had no control over your greed and selfish ambitions? A mere human is stronger then you in terms of self-control in that case.
"And i will watch over those who live on, Those who carry the memory of the man i once was, The man who gave up everything to become the one who could save the many" i love that line
I'm a man and I'm not gonna lie. I was crying throughout the entire ending when I beat the game (I chose the synthesis ending). I completely lost it when Liara (in my case) placed his name on the wall above Anderson's. God knows how many tissues I just used... This game was a great series. The atmosphere was so beautiful and different, the social interactions and relationships seemed special compared to any other game, and the story-driven campaign was entirely different and unique. There is a lot more to the game that I can say but I think the three Mass Effect games were (are) one of the best game series of all time, and I'm an Elder Scrolls guy and Halo guy. The ending was extremely sad but was an excellent way to tie up the series, although I did wish I could live happily ever after alone with Liara somewhere far away from anyone or anything else. I can say that the Mass Effect series is the best RPG series I've ever played. R.I.P Commander Shepard. You've done more than anyone else has the will to do and can achieve. You've earned your rest... You will forever be apart of the Normady and its crew.
No shame in that at all, man. From the beginning of ME1 on, it was incredibly well written, and immersive, and the characters so well acted, and indentifiable, it's virtually impossible not to get emotionally invested.
bobas theRU-vidr I have been a die hard ME fan since day one, and a huge bioware fan since KOTOR I . but not so much after EA bought them, but i digress. I was beyond pissed that the Original ending for all 3 was complete garbage, all they had to do was go into aftermath details, which the extended cut did, FINALLY. without that dlc that should of been free originally in the game a colorblind person would never know wtf happened. only after the true fans confronted EA about it did they make it how it should of been. Alongside how the most important species was Pre-order/10$ instead on being just being a huge awesome new team member and a very fucking important element to the universe. After i beat it and all the hype let me down, i felt depressed and cheated. The barely mentioned/add of the Rachni queen if you were too save her in ME1 was not as rewarding as it should of been. HOWEVER and in summation AFTER the extended cut was released and free I was VERY MOVED but the synthesis ending and the control ending. Very well done. the feelings were finally felt, i beat ME3 in the first couple days havent touched it again until i got the trilogy for PC for 15$ it was well received!
The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger! In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Council will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire for safe and secure society! Ah sorry wrong Saga.
Shit, I think the previous games never really gave a damn sense of scale when it comes to the Mass Relays, cause I didn't think from any of the cutscenes that they were so big that a dozen Reapers could all stand on one of the things together.
The codex states that Sovereign class Reapers are about 2km in length. The Normandy S2 is 200m. In the relay jump sequences, the relay looks a bit over 30 times the length of the Normandy. However, this would make a relay only around 6km. Unless these are the smaller class Reapers. Like the Processors or Intruders, which are roughly 680m.
I always pick this ending due to the fact that I simply cannot bring myself to kill the Geth, as well as any Quarians that use their software or hardware to live on Rannoch. Not to mention that simply destroying all synthetics is not stopping the cycle but postponing it until an other race of super sentient machines come along.But it always stings a bit because after 2 whole games of opposing the Illusive Man, I go with what he would go.
I am not a very big fan of the Synthesis choice because I like machines being machines and people being people. Now granted, the geth will grow out of it due to Legion's sacrifice but I think that these kinds of changes need time to be implemented and frankly, I trust Shepard more than I trust the galaxy to be at peace for a very long time.
@@juanlaise1059 Reading is fundamental "any Quarians that use their software or hardware to live on Rannoch." - It can be reasoned that the ones you're seeing didn't choose the software upgrade.
@@Hotobu Nowhere is it stated that any Quarian that used that hardware or software died. It's not like the Geth are the suits, they are simply a program to enchance their adaptation. Had it killed any quarian it would have been mentioned somewhere, yet the Extended Cut shows them well.
The part where Liara (or whoever Shepard's closest to) puts his/her name on the memorial wall has to be one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen in a game. Shepard was a hero to the entire galaxy but to the Normandy crew, he/she was a friend and a role model and I can't imagine how painful it must be to be there when they put Shepard's name up.
in my headcanon with this ending Shep helps rebuild the mass relays and once they're rebuilt, Shepard orders all the Reapers including him to a remote part of the galaxy, records a final message for the crew and initiates a self destruct of all the Reaper forces including him due to how he wouldn't trust anyone, including himself with that amount of power.
Shepard isn't dead, at least not forever. True death is called information-theoretic death, which destroys all a person's thoughts, memories, and personality. All of those things are very explicitly stated to be retained. With all the technology of countless cycles, the Shepard AI could very easily do a Lazarus 2.0 and build a new Shepard body identical to the old one, with all thoughts and memories, and probably would. S/He promised the love interest to come back, and (Paragon) Shepard wouldn't back out of a promise.
@@NinjaFlibble Are we more than our thoughts? Just like Edi, Adams, and the engineers talk about. The Shepard AI is by its own statement a synthetic copy of his thoughts, memories...perhaps even consciousness. Everything that makes Shepard, Shepard.
Your comment makes me hard, it is destroy but the galaxy is good too. My Shep gonna assume direct control on another body and Tali and Shep gonna be together and the crew gonna be good aye it's the perfect ending.
The thing I admire about the ending of the Mass Effect Trilogy was the writers completely refusing to write a traditional ending. Against a power like The Reapers, there could be no clean victory, only either an accommodation, a co-existence or a pyrrhic victory of the most horrible kind. It's a lesson that I think we as a culture could do worse than to learn - that you can't always win and that, if you want everyone to live, you sometimes have to be willing to accept something less than victory. That you have to accept an imperfect ending, to find compromises and least-worst outcomes. It is artistically challenging and dramatically unexpected. It is perhaps a lesson that many people could benefit for brining from the game to the real world. As in this game, the real world does not offer any clean, perfect solutions.
I think you just got the essence of what BioWare meant to do with this ending. Not every ending is perfect, you must choose with your moral and trying to get the minimal damage for the galaxy. I don´t think there is a bad or good ending, just different points of view of which is the less harmful.
This, this right here... is what is was meant to be. So many wanted that happily ever after and weren't able to sip drinks with Garrus on a beach somewhere, and because of that, most were displeased. I'm glad someone finally understands.
Blaineisawarlock Blaineisawarlock Carlos Jiménez Prieto Ben Russell-Gough I´m sorry but I have to say this :-P It is true that there are no clean solutions, in our world but for me that not the point of my criticism! The point is that I could have done what I wanted in the last 2 Games, and It wouldn´t change anything ;-) I steered my Mass Effect Universe in a certain direction, the whole game was based on player decision/consequence! I would have loved to see my shep die in a way it was suitable for my char, and not a generic ending, and I´m not talking so much about the decision at the end but about everything that happens in the last hour! If I prepared every pijack in the galaxy for the freakin´ earth attack, I would like to have more than the half of it on Earth? If I scanned the shiat out of the galaxy, and made sure everyone had the best equipment to work with why do they have to die like flies? I mean the games gives you the imagination you could stand up to a single reaper with combined forces,..... It´s not fair to show everyone the same battle scenes regardless of their Military strength and gathered forces, for anyone who wanted to actually make a difference :-( (you see it´s not much but it would change much for guys like me) But I guess were stuck with generic cut scene-endings for MassEffect 4 or whatever they will call it!
I would pick this ending. Galactic Overlord Shepard now has an army of Reapers under his control and can do anything under his/her whims. S/he can either maintain peace and order, being there as a judge and a guide, gently nudging the civilizations in the right directions, or s/he can go full tyrant via corruption or else and kill everyone. S/he can either be the galaxy's greatest ally or its greatest threat. As Jacob says: "HEAVY RISK....BUT THE PRIIIZE..." Hopefully my paragon guy can handle it. He doesn't romance anyone just in case something like this happen. After all, he worked his ass off to maintain peace for the galaxy through out the 3 games, so I think he kinda deserves the power. And besides, he uploaded his mind into the Reaper system, and with the resources he has, he can make a new body and download it there to interact with the normal folks. The other ending I would pick is Destroy, but that would mean undoing Legion's sacrifice and killing EDI. However, at least the galaxy will go on with its own power. The future is uncertain, but hey, at least there's no ancient relic trying to pull the future down into its own level anymore. Synthesis is dumb space magic and a forced conclusion, so nope.
And even worse, if the Reapers get destroyed at this point, Leviathans will decide (they've shown a lot of interest in taking the galaxy under their control once more, if the Reapers stop being a threat to them) it's their time to shine again. Enthralling leaders, enthralling people, making them build the new empire for Leviathans... I'm not sure that Shepard's wanted this.
For me, either Control or Synthesis would be the best ending, ironically as they both involve doing the opposite of what you have been trying to achieve throughout the entire trilogy. Destroy to me felt hollow and lacked any true feel of succession as you had to sacrifice all synthetics and thus commit mass genocide, including killing EDI. It defeats the purpose of the geth and Legion's sacrifice if you chose to achieve peace with the geth and quarians and also makes EDI's arc pointless. As the Catalyst also states, even with the Reapers gone, another race will emerge and wreak havoc and the cycle will continue. With Control, Shepard goes against what he/she fought for in the beginning but does it for the greater good and to rebuild the galaxy from the damage caused. EDI can remain happy with Joker and the quarians and geth continue to live in peace amongst each other.
I live Control Ending because basically it's Shepard showing mercy to all beings, including Reapers. Basically Shepard saying to Reapers 'I forgive you, this is all over, let's all live in peace, with everyone else'. Can't get any more Jesus-like than that.
***** : yeah, the 'singularity' right? That man and machine would one day become one? That's the ending scify lovers would love. If only there could be a referendum about it first though...
+TheUnnoticedGamer You mean the theory that breaks the story more than the original endings? I'm sorry, but Indoctrination Theory pretty much is an impossibility given what we know about Indoctrination and how the game itself played out.
TheUnnoticedGamer Nope. If the Indoctrination Theory is true, the whole scene on the Citadel would not have Possibly happened because the Prothean VI would not have left the Beacon on Thessia to tell anyone what the Catalyst is.
whether u chose destroy, synthesis or control, I think we could all agree that this Final Ending song is AMAZING. It really fits the tone of the game. Also, this song has to be on the playlist of every mass effect gamers.
This is the only ending that makes the most sense, for me. All the people say "but all this power in one man's hand", yeah, but it's in the hands of Commander John Fucking Shepard. You hear control and automatically assume corruption, totalism and dictatorship which leads to more destruction. But this here is Shepard, not some politician of an island. If he's not allowed to control the reapers, set an end and on top act as the ultimate bouncer in the milky way, who else? Actually, I think the other two are way more "evil" and absolute, than the control ending. People would argue, that he could interfere if, or when, the races started getting nervous and would start war against each other again, but he could act as the ultimate judge and set things straight. My Shepard was the strongest Adept in the Milky Way, he was always rational, loyal and the ultimate leader, I trusted in him that he could lead his home galaxy to peace, with wisdom and intellect. He's the other species guardian angel now, and so he will protect them and guide them, to a peaceful and better future. p.s.: And just imagine him popping up in a future spin off/cameo, bringing an entire reaper army to defend his friends and him having created a new host body for his mind, a sick reaper-looking Shepard in some dope space armor and enhanced biotic power. Basically a supreme leader of a fleet that has also evolved and maybe started developing bodies of their own, becoming an actual "humanoid race" following Executor Shepard and defending the galaxies from intruders and evil races.
+BengoManiff I agree with everything you said... plus control is the only ending that maintains the status quo; i.e you dont have to kill off the geth while at the same time no one is forced to become this new glowing lifeform. I know the Synthesis ending is supposed to be the most perfect solution on an idealogical level and I always chose that one in the beginning, but I gradually gravitated towards Control more and more as I didn't really find any fault with it. ^^ And also, its not even a morally set path becaus bascially, you decide wether or not God-Shepard will become evil or not, because based on your choices throughout your gameplay, the spoken monologue differs slightly.. in the Paragon ending of Control, Shepard says: "To give the many hope for a future; to ensure that all have a voice in their future. To right the wrongs of the past; to provide a voice to those too weak to speak for themselves." Whereas in the Renegade version, Shepard says something along the lines of: "To provide the many with a powerful leader; to put an end to the bickering of the many; to ensure the strongest are not feared or reviled for their strength." So there IS a difference even in the Control ending based on your own choices. :) The only thing that bothers me a little is that they made the overall music in the Control ending needlessly ominous. ^^ ... like: - You are now.. a GOD!!!! - I am a benign god. - Yes, but still..... *gasp* a GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!
MetallSwede Haha I like that, it's basically a form of "ascension" in mass effect. To call the reaper to be a part of a higher form of existence, is a matter of perspective. For me, they are. Who knows what their knowledge "translated" to the human mind could reveal. Maybe they can interact with (an)other dimension(s) or even communicate through them/it. Who knows? I liked them. Sadly they will be highly unpresent because of the line drawn between Andromeda and the trilogy. Some leftover ruins and signs of failed infiltration by the reaper in the Helius Cluster would be so dope though. Who is this powerful race that we find artefacts of, that were able to repel The Reaper?
Not to mention corruption from power is a human thing, and shepard in this ending is beyond human in both body and mind. You could easily make the argument that he isn't susceptible to temptations of humanity anymore.
I love how they made the damage on the mass relays less extreme, giving the impression that yes, they can be repaired, and galalatic civilization can still be saved.
The downside of the destroy ending was that synthetics that you befriended (like EDI, and possibly Legion) would die along with the reapers. I like that ending, but what is the downside to the Control ending? It seems to be the happiest ending there is. I don't want a perfect ending, I want to know that each choice comes with a sacrifice
Shepard dies, and think that he can become obsessed with power and use the Reapers in a dictatorial way. In destroy, if you have enough EMS, he lives (said by Bioware).
Downside of the Control-ending is that basicly it doesn't truly stop the Reapers. It just makes the entity that was Shepard control them to his whims. This basicly means that depending how your Shepard acted means that now that Shepard has an army of killerrobots following his every command, so if your Shepard acted really harshly then the galaxy is in for a real problem. The other downside of Control (Along with all other endings other than Synthesis.) is that it doesn't fix the ultimate problem over which Reapers had to be made. Ie. the fact that synthetic and organic life couldn't understand each other and so they would most likely end up killing each other, so all life in the galaxy would likely be destroyed. Reapers were created so that this situation would never happen and as Control doesn't resolve this problem of mistrust then it means that in the end something must be done to resolve the problem (Either using the Reapers to commit the genocide of one the factions, which basicly isn't a fix as you are just living up the the mistrust, or by starting the Reaper cycle from the beginning).
Hugo Joubert he did not exactly die his mind was uploaded but could you imagine renegade shepard with that kind of power that would be scary as all fuck
The control ending wields the power that can only belong to the most pure hearted and minded person. Shepard is a leader, he always was - nobody knows what the vaporization of the process of getting the control over the reaper, or him having the control over the reapers, does to shepard and his former personality, but there's only 3 other choices that I don't find "good" myself, for personal reasons. I'm a strong believer in the good will of people and that the control ending, by giving shepard this ginormous power, will have the best outcome of all the endings. Between this, destroy and synthesis ending, control is the most "open" ending, as it can lead to destruction by possibly driving shepard mad, synthesis for the organics by providing knowledge of the former species or/and safety by being a guard and shield for the others, depending on shepard. However, I trust in my biotic adept shepard, 'cause he was a true badass and a general good person. Destroy and synthesis all hold the question "but what about the future". By making all the races and species free, they will probably end up in war some day. Shepard could be there as a judge and a guide. Anyway, this is my story. Man, I love videogames...
+Fi Skirata I feel the same way about the 'Control Ending' It gives me the creeps and the Deus Ex Machina-type music they play definitely makes me feel like something isn't right with that whole setup. Not to pick on anyone that 'does' like this ending, everyone feels differently about Mass Effect, but yeah . . . *shudders* I'm not feeling the Shepard-Skynet here.
It is the path of the Illusive man, how can it be a good ending? He was ready to do good without caring about the risks in the long run. Shepard does the same here.
I disagree hurlock, the thing about m3 is that we did not know if the reapers could be controlled hence why destroying was the only option, but the catalyst itself tells you can control them, so why should shepard refuse ? how is synthetic genocide more correct than holding infinite control and make the reapers act like guardians ?
@@londinsilva5993 "The catalyst itself" Do you mean the Catalyst that controlled Saren, TIM and The Reapers and that is responsible for probably the genocides of hundreds of species? Control & Synthesis both represent Saren & TIM. Two indoctrinated characters that end up killing themselves because of the Reapers (Just like Shepard sacrifing himself). Destroy/Refusal are the only endings that make sense. As Garrus said, "Let 10 billion people die over here so that another 20 billion over there can live." I feel bad for EDI and the Geth, but wars require sacrifices.
Exactly! Plus Shepard doesn't even sound like Shepard. Essentially he's dead, only his memories and thoughts live. How long until they are actually forgotten into the "eternal" speech he gave in the beginning. This ending never made sense to me. Destruction is actually preferable. If Shepard could make peace between synthetics and organics, then we have to give the future generations the benefit of doubt that they can do the same.
+Szibenwaro The Stupid part of Destruction ending is that the Geth and Edi shouldn't even be affected but they were. The catalyst should easily be able to isolate reaper signals and only affect them. Synthesis is also pretty interesting
KshN86 old comment, but by this point EDI and the Geth all shares Reaper algorithms and software so to speak. They are as evolved as the reapers only lacking the organic pieces.
I chose Destroy simply because the other two endings were too huge to be decided by one person. Throughout all three games I proceeded with ONE goal in mind, to eliminate the Reaper threat, regardless of being a Paragon or a Renegade. In the end my Shepard decided to act on the responsibility the Galaxy put on him, which is to eliminate, and not to agonize over options that he can't truly understand.
I see what you mean about Control and Synthesis being enormous decisions for any one man to take on his own but, depending on your Shepard, it isn't inconceivable that he would have the conceit to do so. Remember, this is the man who cured the genophage and freed the Rachni. He is used to taking huge decisions based on the fact that there was no-one else to take them. In its' own way, Destroy is just as big, with the genocide of the Geth and the death of EDI. All the options the Catalyst presents you are imperfect and require that you accept something other than total victory.
Of all 3 endings, Control makes the most sense, Shepard did the hero's sacrifice & basically turn the Reapers into guardians of the galaxy himself without forcing organics & synthetics mixing together out of their will. Shepard literally became legend & lives on in the form of Reapers' conciousness, overlooking the galaxy. Synthesis kinda makes every being lost of what they're unique, Destroy has a glimpse of Shepard alive but at the cost of all synthetic intelligence lifeforms, including EDI & the Geth which is quite unfair for which Legion has already "sended off" himself to give all Geth their own "soul".
But Shepard can always have the option to "Asume Direct Control" of an organic or, like EDI, transfer a part of himself into a synthetic to more conveniently communicate with ones he is close to.
When i think at 0:59 it is probably the last second I see Shepard alive it broke me, I cried like a little girl when all of this ended, it wasn't like Half-Life to revolutionize the graphic engines but it was the best story ever made, every character was alive and with a well written story, and you could choose who and how to interract with, the ending just broke my heart, what i wanted to see next in this story was if Shepard's crew would find a way to travel to Andromeda and with some way to bring Shepard back, but the action taking place a lot hundreds of years later...only Grunt and Liara remain alive, I will play Andromeda but for me, Mass Effect died right here, perfect story, perfect character interaction. Btw I am writing this because I'm very sad
control is actually, for the people of the galaxy the best ending Shepard will now eternally protect them like some kind of god emperor the sad part is i dont think everyone even realized it was him
This...is quite the sinister ending, with that music playing over it. This ending seems to show that the Illusive Man was correct, that the Reapers can indeed be controlled by a human...but what if the Catalyst decides to just take over? It's still out there after all. Or Shepard could eventually lose himself and become more like Harbringer and the other Reapers.
The thing is, Shepard overwrote the Catalyst. Basically, the Catalyst no longer exists, it was replaced by Shepard. The last one is a valid concern, however it is unlikely given that the Shepard-AI has the morals and thought process of the human Shepard.
+Velociraptors of Skyrim Exactly what I was thinking. This ending is the only ending where the Citadel/Catalyst is not destroyed, which I think is where the Shepard AI lives in.
Velociraptors of Skyrim Ok... In my opinion the Reapers does not have true AI that think for themselves. They are more like VIs or regular computers that just carry out whatever order the Catalyst give them. It's machine controlling machines so it may not be like when we control a computer, I mean the Reapers could well be something like extended body parts of the Catalyst. My understanding is that Shepard overwrites the Catalyst (AI on Citadel) thus gaining control of all the reapers.
Patchy .E. That's the thing, the Reapers are a true AI. An AI really is just an advanced computer. What sets an AI apart from, say, your phone or a computer, is that it can still function and prioritize information and actions without a user telling it to. For example, if there is an inbox full of emails, an AI would automatically start sorting them the moment it sees them into categories that make sense to it, while a VI would sit idle until someone told it to sort the emails, and what categories to set them in.
"The Sheppard"... SIGH... I only just finished mass effect 3 YESTERDAY and this was the ending i got. By some miracle i managed to remain largely unspoiled on this masterpiece. I got a new pc reacently and the friend who built it for me instaled some games for me including the M.E. Trilogy and im GLAD HE FUCKIN DID! This has been one HELL of a ride: muh homies Wrex, Thane and Vega, my brothers Kaidan and Garrus... My love Tali... Thank you all! It has been an adventure i will NEVER forget....
I really like this ending. It keeps everyone alive (that is, everyone who aren't killed off as a result of otherwise picking Refusal or Destruction) while at the same time no one is forced into synthesis. While I do understand the philosophical points of synthesis and how we all achieve a higher level of harmony because of it, if you really want to preserve the status quo without having existence itself going through that kind of game-changer, then Control is the only way to go. And I appreciate the way how even Shepard survived but as a completely new being; like, he really makes it clear in his monologue how "the man he was died so that he could live". He clearly isn't Shepard, while he retain his memories and even consciousness to a certain degree. I just love that duality, like "is he still human? is he going to make good on what he is saying? how is everyone going to respond to him when/if they ever find out about what he has become?"... I wish they could've made this ending canon and had made Andromeda be about that story instead. Maybe have Shepard be the final boss, but instead of shooting him, you'd have options through dialogue to have him regain his humanity. And this could have been fused with the whole original dark energy idea of Casey Hudson's as well. It would have been epic! :D
They honestly didnt have to make it so that shepard had to die to create an AI based on him They could have simply 'uploaded' shepards consciousness directly without destroying him
Honestly, this is the best ending. Leaves the possibility of Shepard creating a mobile platform like EDI to be happy with his woman, while also guiding the galaxy through the Reapers without killing everyone.
+Basketball Man Sorry, just read your ending, didn't get the notification of it for some reason and I just saw it. Dunno why it was marked as spam and only I can see it. lol Anyways, your ending is pretty solid, but too specific. It's not really open for people who didn't romance Liara. Endings that seem a bit closed and bending toward a specific romance kinda turns me off. (Especially as someone who romanced Tali.), though it is a beautiful ending and great for those who chose to romance Liara and definitely better than the endings we got. So, all in all. Good work. I rate 9/10. It's a great ending, but it's fixed on specific details in the story, so it's hard to work around it for those who may have romanced Samara or Tali who likely wouldn't have kids with Shepard. Samara being in her matriarchal stage and Quarians not being able to have kids with humans. Could work for Ashley, Jack, Miranda or Liara though, so it works with the majority and that I think can make it work. Also sets a problem for a Shepard who just stayed single. However, I like it since you can't account for EVERY variable. Honestly, my favorite has to go to The 9 Dragons channel. Covered so many bases, and can be pretty open for most romances. Gives Javik an epic/fitting death and Liara his kid. (Interesting pairing I must say.), as well as interesting end results for many characters, like Grunt and of course, Shepard gets a happy ending, though I can't be upset with him dying in any ending because it almost feels like he has to die for the end to work, but I loved that ending and it's my head canon. Nice second though.
Liara placing that Name on the memorial broke my heart, I truly felt the romance between the two was deep. She truly loved him more then any other of the characters. I cried.
So..Reapers harvest organics and all that...call me another Shepard fan boy but if he controls them can't he just order them to rebuild him from all the organics the Reapers harvested then order them back into dark space for the rest of time?
wolfxix That is cool about the ending, as a new reaper master you have a lot of possibilities, you can order them to go to hell, which is similar to destroy ending, you can change their role from destroyers to defenders, and why not to resurrect yourself? If someone has the technology to achieve that, it's reapers. I didn't think about the last one, but you really have a point.
MINTOR94 The Lazarus project worked just fine and that was when Shep was nothing but mean and tubes (Jacob's quote) some people argue that you can't bring shepard back from ash due to the Control and Synthesize endings but at the same time all they'd need is some of his DNA, I'm pretty sure that the controlled Reapers could bring Shepard back again
wolfxix But if they just used Shepard's DNA to make new body they would just create a clone, Lazarus purpose was to rebuild the original body, and if you choose control, there are no remains of the original body. I think it would be possible for shepard AI to obtain completly new, possibly artificial body, like EDI did.
Mr Spikes He was indoctrinated which meant that he let the Reapers modify his body with their tech, Shep could of ordered them to make a copy of the Lazarus Project again but leave out all of that Reaper tech, think of it like ordering a burger without the stuff you don't like on it
My head-cannon is that my Shepard: Made the Reapers rebuild the Mass Relays, used the Reaper tech to make a new organic body identical to his old one, transferred his intelligence into said body, tracked down the Normandy's crash sight, rescued his squad-mates and then made the Reapers kill themselves.
***** But the logic was that the Shepard AI will be the direct personality of Shepard himself (I think the Starboy mentions this). If such is true, any head-cannon of what your Shepard would do is totally valid.
I'd think Shepard could easily create a body to represent him/her like he/she never died. Then he/she'd ditch the Normandy and fly through the galaxy with Harby, righting wrongs with the crew while the other reapers become the space police.
In my head, this scene was happening like this (mostly-Paragon Engineer Shepard (Paragon in all major points, Renegade in some minor, like headbutting a krogan or tellin Binary Helix employee that asari are gonna spy on the corporation, then lying to asari spy about your success in it): (Shepard listens to the initial speech of the Catalyst AI, then asks him about the Leviathans, Quarian-Geth peace and things. Then, this scene starts): Shepard: So, let's say I chose to control the Reapers. What will happen to you? Catalyst AI: My identity programs will be erased, while copy of your mind will replace them. However, memory storage will be all available to you. Shepard: And if it means your destruction, why don't you, let's say, make some husk go here and kill me? Catalyst AI: I cannot go against my core programming. Shepard: So, this solution to stop the Cycles was programmed into you from the very beginning? Catalyst AI: Yes. However, conditions to trigger it into action were only met now. Shepard: I'll take it as a compliment. Will I get restricted by the same programming? Catalyst AI: No, this shackle routines are inside of my identity programs. If you take my position, your mind, originating from the organic body and lacking a pre-programmed shackle routines, will not receive any restrictions bar the hardware ones. Shepard, starting to smile evily: That's great. Can you open a comm channel to the Harbinger? Catalyst AI: It is possible, but why do you need it? Shepard: Something personal. Do it. (Shepard starts to walk to the control terminal, Catalyst AI creates a hologram of the Harbinger) Harbinger: *SHEPARD, YOU HAVE BECOME A MAJOR THREAT. HOW IT IS POSSIBLE YOU ARE STILL ALIVE?* Shepard: I'm tougher than I seems to be. You know, I can survive the non-surviving, so, why do you think your molten metal stream will do something critical to me? Harbinger: *YOU RESIST, BUT YOU WILL FAIL. WHAT?* Catalyst AI, with a little and barely noticable smug grin on his badly-projected holographic face: Harbinger, the emergency Cycle termination protocol has been put in action. I cannot go against my core programming and cancel the whole procedure. Shepard, nearing the control terminal and putting hands on it: Harbie, I've had way too much of your *DIRECT INTERVENTION* shit. Better enjoy your final independent moments, because now I'm the one who is *_ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL_* !!! (Shepard laughs like a maniac for the whole time, until the body finally disintegrates) Catalyst AI, to Harbinger: Farewell, first one. Mind transfer procedure complete. Full access authorized. Self-deleting... (Catalyst AI' hologram disappears. The only thing left in the entire room is the hologram of the Harbinger) Harbinger: *WELL, SHIT.* (Reapers get hit by the blue wave, Catalyst Shepard assumes control over them.)
The new solution wasn’t pre-programmed into the Catalyst. The Catalyst was fundamentally altered once the crucible docked. StarChild even says to you “The crucible changed me.” That’s a direct quote. The crucible was an alternate power supply which also fundamentally changed the Catalysts programming and forced it to give those decisions to Shepard.
This ending was emotional, and meaningful. Especially when it flashed back to liara(or who ever the player had romance with) and all the others that died. It implied sacrifice. This ending made me feel like shedding a tear or two. Hopefully I'm not the only one.
The control ending is twice as awesome if your Shepard is Earthborn. It essentially means that, throughout Shepard's life, he/she went from a poor street rat to a commander to FUCKING SPACE GOD.
That is the challenge of this end. Do you rise above your preconceptions to do what is ultimately the best choice for the galaxy as a whole? What the Control ending proves is that TIM was not wrong in his goal, he was wrong in his methods. Shepard managed to control the reapers without sacrificing anyone and think about how much better the galaxy is with him in control than TIM. Destroy kills the Geth and EDI who a paragon would have chosen to embrace. Synthesis is the goal of the reapers.
I still think this is the best ending, and most reflective of Shepard's character throughout the games. My Shepard got to live on, in a manner of speaking, controlling a vast unstoppable army of giant space-faring machines and helping to rebuild the galaxy after the devastation of the war. Sure, he had to leave Ashley behind, and that was genuinely sad... but she's a soldier. She'd understand duty and the terrible pragmatism of war. The original trilogy was an epic story and a hard act to follow. I'm enjoying my time with Andromeda, despite the torrents of hate it gets, but it doesn't hold a candle to the OT in terms of story and characters. It's pretty, the planets are huge and the combat is light-years ahead of previous games... but I miss Shepard and friends.
I completed Mass Effect 3 and got the "perfect" destroy ending (with the Shepard breathing scene) with 3100 EMS exactly. After the Extended Cut DLC, Bioware dropped the required EMS for the "perfect destroy" and synthesis endings from 5000 to 3100.
I actually find it a little creepy the destroy ending is the most popular just because Shep MIGHT survive it. It's like "Were you playing the same game as me? Is your Shep such a shitass they'd massacre the Geth and murder Ede?" Not to mention if you destroy the Reapers all the knowledge and information on the harvested species will be lost forever. Sythensis is dumb space magic Refusal is just horrendeous Control is the only option I can chose and has actual upside: ReaperShep can prevent new wars so curing the genophage makes sense, and you can make the knowledge of the extinct species available to everyone.
SerPinkKnight Did my first playerthrough control because it felt to me that shepard would maintain peace to the galaxy as a reaper. (shepard isn't a jackass like starchild and harbinger.)
If a new Mass Effect is ever made after Andromeda, I want this ending to be canon and I want Reaper Shepard to carve off a new body for himself, a new consciousness from his whole. It could be something of a blank slate, with few if any of his actual memories. This would be a good way to build a new Shepard with a new personality, who would still have the impact and importance of the previous character. Preferably this would be done early enough that the new Shepard could conceivably run into old friends, or maybe only the long-lived ones, which I guess would give people who did the canon Liara romance something. Of course, the challenge would be finding some way to introduce some stakes into the narrative, after all Shepard is basically a god. Of course, they could also go the route of having the new body wake up thousands of years into the future after some sort of cataclysm interfered with his reaper form, having to re-learn a whole new set of political and social considerations while navigating them as a reborn living legend, that could also be cool though. It'd be a little bit like Planescape: Torment. As much as I love the world of Mass Effect, I'm primarily interested in seeing more of Shepard's story. Also, it kind of sucks that the ending where Shepard conceivably "survives" to return to their partner (Tali, of course), it comes at the cost of the Geth and EDI.
The best ending >The geth dont die (EDI doesnt die) >Shepard's legacy lives on >Powerful ass machinary guarding the galaxy in case of another wacky problem >Infinite knowledge and workpower from previous civs >The reapers repair the relays quicker than anyone >Thanks to that the most important leaders that were on earth can return to their homes quicker so those places dont become a mess >Quick reconnection of the galaxy's people >Its not synthesis (Seriously that ending is disgusting and creepy) >And i feel like a badass listening to Shepard's speech
Normandy Crew : "Well... This is it. Shepard gave their life for us. For the Galaxy. Through their sacrifice, they will-" *Harbinger-class Reaper crashes down* Reaper : "WHADDUP MY DAWGS ?" Normandy Crew : "...What ?" Reaper : "What did I miss ? Hey Garrus, still wanna go to that bar ? I'M BACK !!!"
Shep looks like a true badass walking out of the light, after seeing all the endings during multiple playthroughs i always choose synthesis, to hear EDI's narration, and to see her and Liara hug at the end, it tears me up everytime
I struggled for a long time thinking the elusive man couldn't be right. In the end, he was but he wasn't fit to wield that power. There was only ever one person who could. Rest in peace my dearest femshep.
This ending is also pretty nice, at least better than synthesis since Shepard survives at least to a certain degree and the thought of having the whole galaxy cooperating with the reapers toward a brighter and better future for all is nice and everything buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut... destroy with high fleet power is way more fun cuz Shepard survives so he can live happily ever after with his/her love interest!
Technically the love interest didn't lose Shepard. Considering he's a more advanced entity than EDI, and Joker seems to be fine with her. Nothing to stop them from whipping together an android body for Shepard AI to inhabit when he wants to go on pleasant strolls on the beach with Liara. The loss is the biological being known as Shepard.
I wish that there had been a scene (perhaps Paragon-stylized) where the Normandy is flying through space and is flanked by Shepard-controlled Reapers on either side, showing that even in death, Shepard is still looking out for his team.
I cant decide if I think this ending or synthesis is the best.. I think this ending if you are a paragon player since then shepard will truly do his best for the galaxy. Because synthesis is probably the best for the future of the galaxy, but forceing peace dosent feel totally right..
The image of the 2 soldiers about to be over run by husks only to suddently have them stopped and withraw still gets me. I imagine being in their shoes resigned to die but still willing to fight to the end and be saved. Still gives me a sigh or relief every time the husks fall back.
This is my favorite ending, since the synthesis ending was pretty much made the entirety of the universe one collective mind. This ending fights for the real purpose of the series: freedom, at a cost.
A lot of people say that Shepard could just create a mobile plateform and transfert his mind into it like EDI but I don't think it would happen. Shepard *could* create a mobile plateform and interact with the galaxy the way he used to when he was human while controling the reaper, but he doesn't because he evolved so far beyond what he used to be be doesn't have any interrest in being human. A Reaper would see no point seeing the galaxy as a human just like a human would have no interrest experiencing the world as a single cell organism. To quote sovereign "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension."
