I've seen Synthesis described as the 'Saren' solution. 'Destroy' seems to be overwhelmingly what Anderson (and Shepard) are after. 'Control' is what the Illusive Man was wanting. And 'Synthesis' is kind of what Saren described as his solution in Mass Effect 1. If you rewatch his dialogue from ME1, he describes a union of flesh and metal - the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither. It'd have been a cute touch if they flashed his face during the cutscene when you jump into the green death beam, instead of Anderson looking away.
SEVEN ENDINGS There are actually seven ending to the game. There are three versions of Destroy, based on how much effective military strength (EMS). Most players would have little difficulty getting medium EMS. High EMS required a completionist run with good decisions and a decent amount of multi-player or the online Galaxy Map mini game to raise your readiness rating. Low EMS would be a speed run with minimal sidequest, bad decisions, and no multi-player or mini game. Of course, with all the assets added in by DLC, multi-player or mini gaming is no longer required to get high EMS, and low EMS is impossible without editing the game files. The Control ending requires at least a medium EMS, and has separate versions for Paragon and Renegade Shepard. Synthesis requires a high EMS. There is only one version. Finally, the Extended Cut DLC added the refusal ending, achieved by either explicitly rejecting all of the Catalyst's options in conversation, or by shooting the Starpunk once the conversation is over. My personal ranking of the endings, from best to worst- 1) Paragon Control- the Good Shepard-Reaper quietly guarding the galaxy. 2) Synthesis- In many ways the most optimistic ending, but it is explicitly a singularity. It's people and their stories will largely be beyond our understanding. 3) High EMS Destroy. The Reapers, EDI, and the geth all die. Shepard lives. Was the Catalyst correct about the conflict returning? Who knows. 4) Medium EMS Destroy- Same as high, except Shepard dies. 5) Refusal- Shepard doesn't use the Crucible. The Reapers win. However, between the damage we did to the Reapers before we were destroyed, and Liara's time capsules, the next cycle annihilates the Reapers. 6) Low EMS Destroy- The Reapers die. EDI dies. The geth die. Shepard dies. Everyone on Earth dies. Everyone on the Normandy dies. The Citadel blows up and everyone left there dies. The mass relays are destroyed. Yes, we won, and there are survivors, but the galaxy is entering a dark age, and galaxy-wide travel is no longer possible. 7) Renegade Control- The galaxy will have peace. God-Emperor Shepard and her Reaper fleet will ensure it. Welcome to the eternal benevolent dictatorship of an immortal being with the mind of a 'results at any cost' soldier and the hardware of a genocidal AI.
There’s actually 10 endings including Low-Medium EMS Destroy where your squad dies but not the Normandy and Bad Renegade and Paragon Control which is the same as the regular but with your squad dies
Wow, okay, this is a pretty comprehensive list of endings, and I like that you went through the trouble of writing this. Thank you. I'd say I mostly agree with your rankings of endings. The Medium EMS Destroy, Refusal, and Low EMS Destroy definitely make the bottom 3 as the endings where Shepard just barely "wins" only to perish with nothing to show for it. It helps that you can get any of these 3 by barely even trying. The remaining 4 endings, you actually have to work for by proactively trying to win against the Reapers. In my personal opinion, the best to worst of the "proactive" endings: 1. High EMS Destroy-I know, it's a sad ending sacrificing a loyal friend like EDI and your Geth allies (if you recruited them) for the sake of victory. It might even feel like you're back at square one for having caused so much destruction in the process. But it's also the only ending where Shepard lives on to a possible happily ever after. It's never easy dealing with an ending where a hero doesn't get their happily ever after. I've met a lot of Mass Effect fans who said they just wanted Shepard to get a happy ending after constantly having to make the hardest choices that any human being could make. Lots of my friends wished there could have been an equal number of endings where Shepard lived or died. 2. Paragon Control-Shepard as a person dies, will never get to see friends and loved ones again, and will probably be alone forever. But, at least Shepard's compassionate influence and sense of fairness have made the Reapers into the ultimate guardians of the entire Milky Way galaxy. 3. Synthesis-Rather than take control, provide guidance, or do anything to the Reapers themselves, Shepard decides the best choice to make is to simply leave the decisions up to each individual still alive. Every person in the galaxy now has the opportunity (whether they want it or not) to live as an orgsnic/synthetic hybrid and figure out for themselves how to make the most of their new lives granted by Shepard's personal sacrifice. In addition, even the Reapers have been granted a new purpose, sharing everything they know, everything they've ever preserved with a galaxy they no longer perceive as too chaotic to ever be ready to "evolve." 4. Renegade Control-Similar to number 2, except the Reapers are instead driven by Shepard's ruthless influence combined with the power to make everything in the galaxy however Shepard personally wants it to be. This in turn, gives the Reapers only a slightly more comprehensible reason for their oppressive behavior towards anyone who causes "chaos" in Shepard's mind. And if that's not enough, Shepard's friends and loved ones may eventually conclude the real Shepard is truly dead, replaced by a being of pure power and tyranny they can no longer recognize as a living person, much less as someone they cared about.
I would swap high EMS destroy with Synthesis in rankings personally, otherwise it's a good list. The geth can be re-made and never have to experience war with the quarians, so really only EDI dies proper-like. I think that's a less bad option than denying all life everywhere forever the chance to choose their own personal organic-synthetic ratio.
@ how is high EMS destroy better than synthesis? No conflicts anymore between organics and synthetics or each other, unlimited knowledge, immunity to diseases, no more lives sacrificed than it has to and all of that is synthesis meanwhile what does high EMS destroy do? Destroy all synthetic life in the galaxy which practically undoes the very lesson you’ve learned throughout the trilogy and the synthetics doesn’t just shut down they’re obliterated by the crucible and what is the saving grace of the ending for most people? A half second clip of Shepard taking a breath that still hasn’t gone anywhere
Oh, the slide with Kasumi? That was Keiji. With Synthesis, his memory files in the graybox achieved consciousness, and the two are reunited in cyberspace.
Would love to see your reactions to the other endings and also the trailers/teasers for the next Mass Effect :) It's been a fun ride, Mass Effect holds a deep place in my heart too. The characters are so well written and feel like friends of mine. The trilogy truly is one of a kind and I don't think I'll ever find something in any medium that comes close to how it made me feel!
What a journey....still my favorite series in gaming to this day. The way these games have stuck with me even 8-9 years after i beat them for the first time... "You did good, child....I'm proud of you..." 😭😭😭😭 Congrats on the completion
The fact that we are craving for more ME content and that we are watching others playthrough is prove that this game stuck with us MUCH MORE than anything else. At least that's how it is from my POV. ME3 is just such a tragic, sad and wonderful emotional ride. Its so heart-shattering experience.
Anderson dieing hit us the hardest when this game came out this trilogy was peak bioware back in the day. wonderful playthrough glad i was around for the journey. also you made the right choice dont worry.
1:22:06 Yea, this is why i choose Synthesis, Destroy seems to only benefit out cycle whereas Synthesis benfites and protects future cycles. Also I've been coming back to your channel since your first ME1 video and it has been a journey, grat on finishing! I think reactions to mass effect meme videos or evil choices would be cool to see.
The Child just assumes the cycle will eventually restart. It doesn't know for sure and doesn't know how an organic can think. It's like a conversation earlier in the game that Garrus has with Legion about calibrating the Normandy's main guns. Legion says that Garrus can only go to a certain percentage on calibrating the guns, but then Garrus does a few things and goes beyond what Legion says is possible. Legion is all "but that percentage is not possible." Garrus replies with "this is just something us organics know." So pretty much, don't assume what organics are capable of. The Child just assumes stuff on math, but organics can do better. If they make another synthetic life like the Geth, they can be smarter about it. Plus it was just the Quarians that built the Geth. With all species/races communicating better and getting along, they could create a synthetic life that won't turn. Also, Synthesis is garbage. It just speeds up the harvest, and takes away ALL free will/being an individual/different. No one is unique anymore. That's something Shepard fought against. Picking Synthesis just makes Shepard a hypocrite. Shepard even yells at The Child a few moments before The Child presents Shepard with the three choices that each person being different is something that shouldn't be taken away. And A.I./synthetic life always evolves. So picking Control and Synthesis, The Child/Catalyst and the Reapers could evolve enough to overthrow the Shepard "coding" that was added in Control or Synthesis. It's best to just risk it and wipe out the Reapers, Geth, and EDI and hope organics are smart about stuff. Also, EDI needs to be destroyed/restarted. Pay attention to her humor as the game goes on. It gets darker and sicker. It's always anti-organic and the jokes just escalate the more she makes them. It's like she is one joke away from hijacking the Normandy, getting rid of the Normandy crew (like poisonous gas, cutting oxygen, or opening all the airlocks), and then turning the Normandy into a dangerous weapon. EDI has already turned on her creators too. That's another red flag. Just get rid of her and start over. "Well what about Joker and EDI's romance?" Tell Joker to get over it and find an organic to be with. I do allow Joker and EDI to be together though throughout the game, but when it comes to post-game, Joker needs to move on. This is also foreshadowed in the Citadel DLC. At the party, Miranda asks Joker about post-EDI. She is pretty much telling him to find/have a backup plan if something goes wrong with EDI. Meaning, find an actual person to be with. So yeah. Plenty of foreshadowing for Destroy, and Synthesis is a terrible option.
It was so great to see you finish this journey! I played these games as they came out, and watching you play through it fresh reminds me what it was like to see it all for the first time. I’m glad this series is still creating fans all these years later. When I first finished, I picked Destroy, but as I’ve gotten older, I definitely understand Synthesis. Never Control though, because I refuse to give TIM anything lol. Congratulations, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll play next!
The three choices are partly based on the following principles Destroy- external sacrifice (Shepard use the crucible to target the Synthetics. Spillover effects depends on how damaged the crucible is due to Effective military rating) Control -partial (self)sacrifice. (Shepard sacrifices his/her status as an organic) to end the cycle, allowing everyone to stay they are. The only ending that also has unique flavor reflecting Shepards paragon/Renegade alignment. Synthesis -total self sacrifice (and some would argue sacrifice of self determination of everyone - by "dissolving" Shepard's "essence" and distributing it to somehow transform everyone into a new type of organic-syhtetic cybernetic organisms. Shepard "Survives" in 2 endings, high EMS Destroy and Control, but in control the survival is restricted to Shepards consciousness and memories.
Just a wonderful Shepard ....you did the game justice in every way ...... thank you for being amazing . Best bits was always reunions with Squadmates especially in ME2 for me ... Joker , Chakwas and Archangel , just so well written every companion had value and interest. Gold Star for Lucy the Legend from Oz xox
Congratulations Commander! It's hard to explain how much this series means to not only myself, but to so many people. It's hard to understate how satisfying it is to finish this series, it's something you can only experience for yourself. SPOILER SHIELD -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- I am also someone who typically chooses Synthesis, for a lot of the same reasons as you. My Shepard is an optimist, a peacekeeper, and is looking for every chance to help everyone "win together". My Shepard wants to fight for the ideal outcome, no matter the odds. Shepard chooses Synthesis, because everything is a gamble. You don't know with certainty that the Reapers will be destroyed. You don't know with certainty that you can control them. You don't know for certain that synthetics and organics can be combined. However, Shepard DOES know that (on paper) Sythesis is the ideal solution,. Shepard also knows that their choice, whatever it is, is going to affect all life in the galaxy anyways (synthetic and organic alike), and they have done enough for all of them to earn the right to make the decision for everyone. So, they choose what is "best case outcome" for everyone. There is always going to be debate about what ending is the best, and I would encourage you to explore all of the possible outcomes. Seeing your reaction to a compilation of the different endings would be very interesting, but even if you don't make a video out of it, I would encourage it all the same. Thank you for bringing us all along on your journey. In the words of Dadmiral Anderson (that get me crying every single time), "You did good, child. You did good. I'm proud of you." Until the next adventure o7
"When Shepard encounters the Catalyst during the closing stages of the war, it chooses to represent itself as a translucent projection, taking the form of a young boy the Commander saw killed during the Reaper invasion of Earth." (ME Wiki)
You did it!! Congratulations! 🎉 It's been great rewatching the series and seeing your reactions. Also, we are grateful and appreciate you too! 🤗 Hope you'll find more games out there to fall in love with.
Watch all the endings. My canon Shep ending was Paragon control, as he wanted to preserve everyone as they were, along with the knowledge on synthesis so it can be done voluntarily. A big responsibility, but my Shep was willing to bear the weight of such power and sacrificing his organic subtrade to do it.
I like how subtly the Catalyst and the Reapers, as synthetic beings, have become so advanced and sophisticated in their intelligence that they have involved to be just as nonsensically self-delusional as any intelligent organic can. The hypocrisy of the Catalyst and the Reapers is obvious, but their mutual claim of impartial objectivity has become their ideology. And they are unable to reconcile that with their own beliefs about themselves and their mission. As synthetic life, it's obvious they have surpassed AI and become simply ... life. And with that they have evolved all the same frailties. But with their immense power, those frailties make them cataclysmically dangerous.
Well done Lucy and thanks for the memories! My best moment has to be Shep and Tali on Rannoch after achieving peace between the Quarians and Geth; so poignant and heartwarming ❤
Hurts, don't it? Until I played FF14 years later, this was the game that broke me the most. If you wanna hear a fun fact, ME3 was initially going to have a completely different plotline, involving the buildup of dark energy in the universe that needed to be purged. This was what they intended in ME2 with that one sidequest of the prematurely aging star. That mission ultimately never went anywhere, but it was supposed to be enlarged and explored in 3, with the cycle being that danger of dark energy, rather than a cycle of man vs. machine, so to speak.
If you talk to EDI on the Normandy after the mission where you confront Miranda's father, EDI pretty much gives you permission to destroy the Reapers and even gives you/Shepard permission to sacrifice her. She makes note in her coding after the conversation that she hates the Reapers and wants them to die and that she is willing to die alongside the Reapers if that means Joker will be okay and get to go on living. Also just remember that sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest choice to make. This is brought up in the conversation with James when he approaches Shepard about joining the N7 program, and then "the right choice" stuff is brought up again in the final conversation with Javik (when you go around Earth saying goodbye to all the squadmates). I feel that whole "right choice" thing is foreshadowing Destroy. It's the right choice, but difficult to make because you have to sacrifice EDI and the Geth. But if you remember the one conversation with EDI or did the conversation, then you know she is already onboard with dying. It's more like the Geth that you don't know if they are okay with being sacrificed if Destroy is picked. But I feel the Geth and EDI can always be brought back. And after that conversation you have with EDI, she tells Joker that they'll talk about what she and Shepard discussed at a later time. So it's always possible that she, Joker, maybe Traynor, and a bunch of other Normandy crew members (like Adams, Ken, and Gabby, but not limited to just them) made a backup of her. Plus EDI isn't 100% in the body. She only controls the body. Most of her is still in the A.I. Core on the Normandy. So we don't know how greatly she is going to be lost if Destroy is picked. Same with the Geth. As long as hard drives are still good, the Geth and EDI should be able to be brought back. I feel like Geth and EDI are just temporary losses in Destroy. Not so much permanent. But with that one conversation with EDI, I feel it's foreshadowing Destroy.
You did good Lucy. I'm proud of you. It was never about the perfect solution to make everyone happy. But to achieve the best you can with what you have. You can't change the cards you get but you can choose how to play them. Of all the choises possible, this is what we needed to do. That's my honest opinion.
Both Saren and The Illusive man demonstrated they, despite being cold hearted bastards, would do anything necessary to achieve the greater Good. Including removing themselves.
Most lets players I watch tend to choose Destroy. I personally chose Control (for a variety of thought-out reasons, including the fact that its epilogue give me chills everytime(*) and it greatly depends on wether your were Paragon or Renegade), but it's nice to see a rare option of someone choosing Synthesis. FYI, there is also a "bad" option, Refuse, where Shep either refuses the Catalyst's options or shoots at the AI's Avatar; there the Reapers win this cycle, but are finally destroyed in the next one thanks to Liara's time capsules. (*) *"ETERNAL. INFINITE. IMMORTAL. The man/woman I was used these words, but only now do I truly understand them."*
@@Timjer92 Did you know that according to some dev mail leaks like a decade ago, the destroy ending was originally imagined as a "trap" for revenge hungry players. Those whose need to destroy the Reapers outweighed their ability to take in that it would doom the galaxy. - a renegade "revenge at all costs" ending. The red color is still there as a remnant of that intent, even as they decided to make it more ambiguous.
My first playthrough I chose Destroy, because that was the plan from the start (and I didn't fully trust the Catalyst). On other playthroughs, it's always either Synthesis or Destroy. Aside from trying once to see what happens, i never choose Control (or the secret 4th ending). Awesome playthrough. Cant wait to watch Andromeda.
Followed your journey! Loved it! Be prepared for weak people bitching about your choice. The cycle, and the real cycle is organics creating AI, can only be broken by Synthesis. Every other choice buys max 20k-30k years!
@@willfanofmanyii3751Actually, yeah, the cycle was a laboratory research experiment of sorts, as well as a means to prevent synthetics of growing to a point where they destroy all organics, which is the inevitable conclusion of a continued conflict between organics and synthetics (or properted to be in the story). While the cycle should end, the organic-synthetic conflict is the crux of the matter, and it predates the Reapers.
What a ride :') I've been following your Mass Effect playthroughs since the beginning and it's amazing how many things have changed. We were in the high of an unprecedented pandemic back then, and watching your positivity as you played through my favorite franchise was one of those little things that helped make the Big Thing more tolerable. Thank you for your passion and for the entertainment. I'll definitely keep an eye for your other videos 😊 Ps: I love that you chose my favorite ending! While I definitely get why people might be a bit iffy about some implications, in the end of the day Shepard was already confronted with an impossible choice that nobody should get to decide alone. And when it's all said and done, I refuse to believe that change is any way more unethical than the total annihilation of a targeted group of people. Anyways, keep rocking! ❤
That doesn’t necessarily have to mean that it’s a continuation of Shepards story like we can’t tell if the stargazer told the kid Shepards story throughout the trilogy or throughout ME3
I feel like destroy is the most cowardly choice, yet most let's players choose it. It is basically back to square one and everything everyone went through was pointless, just because you, the player refused to take charge for everyone else and changes things for the better permanently. Besides, I didn't just save the geth only to sacrifice them five minutes later. All the talk of equal worth with organics would be a lie then. No, synthesis is the way to go, definitely!
There is always a major loss/something tragic at the end of every major chapter in Mass Effect 3. Mordin dies at the end of Priority: Tuchanka (Eve can die too), Thane and maybe Kelly and Virmire Survivor dies at the end of the Citadel Coup mission, and Legion dies at the end of Priority: Rannoch. It's also possible for Tali to die at the end of Priority: Rannoch, So for Priority: Earth, it's pretty much EDI and the Geth. Also, EDI and Geth can be brought back. They just emulate life. They aren't fully alive. Maybe there would be a good argument if the Asari or Krogran were being sacrificed in the Destroy ending. A lot more difficult to bring them back. EDI and Geth are just computer parts and coding. With how advanced technology is in the Mass Effect world, bringing them back could be something you learn in a 101 class. Also, when James approaches Shepard about joining the N7 program, Shepard talks about that everyone that has joined N7 has sacrificed at some point in their military career/life, whether if its their own life or members of their squad. So that's pretty much foreshadowing EDI and the Geth dying. Shepard is once again having to make that choice that N7 members have to make. Also, we don't know how badly the Geth was damaged. As long as their hard drives are fine, then they can be brought back. A power supply or CPU is a simple fix. But even if they have to start from scratch, it should still be a simple fix/task with how advanced technology is and everyone's knowledge is on technology. There are also a few times throughout the three games that Shepard brings up sacrificing x amount of people to save everyone else. Shepard has also made tons of sacrifices as well throughout the trilogy. It's nothing new. There is Kaidan vs. Ashley, either the Council or a bunch of Alliance ships and people (some of the Alliance gets sacrificed if you decide to save the Council), the ending of the Arrival DLC (Shepard will say it was the right choice to sacrifice 300,000 Batarians), Samara vs. Morinth, Legion's loyalty mission will either see more Geth or Quarian die by the end of Priority: Rannoch (more Quarians die if Rewrite is picked, and more Geth will die if you destroy the Heretic Geth), and then in ME3 you have to pick between the Rachni Queen and Grunt and his men (Grunt might survive no matter what though, but his men will die if you pick to save the Rachni Queen). So yeah. Shepard sacrifices a lot throughout the games. I actually might've forgotten a couple. Also, I would for one "hero" character to be named that is all for Control or Synthesis. Only ones that ever speak of being for Control and/or Synthesis are villain characters. EDI wants the Reapers destroyed as well. Talk to her on the Normandy after the mission you confront Miranda's father. By the end of the conversation, she gives you permission to destroy the Reapers and pretty much gives you the okay to sacrifice her. It's possible that the Geth that join the fight at the end feel the same way as EDI. They are anti-Reapers as well. So they might be okay with dying as long as the Reapers are dead. But other things to think about are the N7 conversation with James and then the final conversation with Javik on Earth when you are going around saying goodbye to everyone (and shake Javik's hand finally). In both those conversations, it's mentioned that sometimes the right choice is the hardest one to make. So that's foreshadowing Destroy. Destroying the Reapers has been the goal all along. But because of having to sacrifice EDI and the Geth, it makes it a hard choice to make. I guess you could spin stuff so that Control and Synthesis are being foreshadowing, but there is way more foreshadowing for Destroy than the other two, especially by all the "good" or "hero" characters. So it feels like the foreshadowing of "the right choice is usually the hardest to make" is for Destroy. But EDI and the Geth can be brought back. They are just computer parts and coding. To me, EDI and the Geth just feel like temporary losses. And maybe the lesson organics will learn from Destroy is to be careful not to start another cycle. Communicate better so that The Child/Catalyst isn't right about its prediction.
@@projectpat8807 there is no "maybe". organics and synthetics will definitely continue to fight each other again at some point. and no, EDI and the Geth don't emulate life. they are fully evolved, sentient, living synthetic organisms with their own desires. EDI stops simply following her programming and starts feeling emotions. the Geth were the same in their own way. sure, it's possible they could be brought back but there's no guarantee they'd be the same after being killed by Shepard.
I found your channel when you had just made the first episode of ME1 and have been following ever since. I really like how you're thinking about every choice, not many do that I think. It's been a pleasure to follow you through what I think are the best game series ever made 🙂 Also, please do a special episode reacting to Gamer Poop's ME videos! You're gonna have a giggle for sure 😀
Thank you for sticking out the journey! I heard gamerpoop jokes didn't age well in some regards, so I likely won't be reacting to it buuut I will have other reacts!
Grunt is absent from the Synthesis ending because the genetic rewrite killed him. That shot of Jacob and his girlfriend was the writers implying the rewrite killed their baby too.
That’s actually quite sad like I can kinda understand with Jacob and Brynn but why does Grunt die? Edit: it’s clearly Jacob and Brynn comforting some random woman and Brynn doesn’t seem too bothered about her unborn child so where does that writer statement come from? Double edit: but what about the Tuchanka slide? That one shows a krogan baby all synthesized and they appear even if you sabotaged the cure
@ then perhaps what that slide should have shown was Jacob comforting Brynn as when I see that slide I always think it’s that teen girl from the refugee camp who was waiting for her parents that never arrived
@@LucyusMaximus I've checked a video that shows the different endings and for some reason Grunt is replaced with the other guy in the Synthetic ending during that image even though he's alive, he's there in the other endings though. Perhaps a bug that registers him as dead only when they show that image since his name wasn't on the memorial. Also you were wondering who Kasumi was with, you probably forgot but that's Keiji Okuda, Kasumi's partner and love interest. In Kasumi's loyalty mission in ME2 you need to recover his Greybox which contains a VI with his memories as well as other sensitive and dangerous information.
I want some fresh hot vengeance 😂. Absolutely loved this entire play through from the very beginning to the very end. Also there really is no right or wrong decision, it basically comes down to what you think is right. As you may know there is a whole indoctrination theory that Shepard was indoctrinated in the end, and that the star child was lying to you with every decision. I myself was and still struggling at the time when your first Mass Effect video came out and the days where I wasn't feeling my best, your videos helped brighten up my day, so with you being grateful to the Mass Effect community for welcoming into it, I am grateful for you and your videos being able too put a smile on my face on days I didn't feel like smiling, so for that I thank you.
My first time, I picked synthesis, then immediately regretted it. Never again, in any playthrough, it's icky. EDI and the geth would not want to die, billions of people wouldn't want to be turned into hybrids. Control risks the Shep-Reapers reverting to bringing the cycles back eventually, but initially would be the Reapers helping civilisation to rebuild. I still say Control is the least worst option, but people are put off by it because TIM thought of it first. Congrats on finishing Shepard's story. The common wisdom is the next game will canonise destroy as the ending for everyone.
how is synthesis icky when it's not killing anyone and it clearly shows people not really caring about the hybrid thing and, in fact, seemed to love it?
Well after I played through this 2 or 3 times, I found a video that showed how to build Garrus into basically a God of War. If you spec and equip him the right way, he'll tear through most of this final bit all by himself. Your ME story is your ME story, from Shepard's appearance to their final disposition. As many times as I've gone through the trilogy, I keep 2 canon playthroughs in mind: one for broshep and one for femshep. My femshep, like yours, stayed with Liara from start to finish (with a quick daliance with Kelly in ME2... she DID feed my fish, after all). In my head-canon, my broshep tied the knot with Jack before the final mission, leaving open the possibility of a baby Shepard. You don't have to stick with your first playthrough being your canon story. That's not a rule. Regardless, you made it through and you should be proud of that. If you enjoy such things as behind the scenes knowledge, there are several Con and cast-reunion videos out there. I'd even watch them along with you.
@@LucyusMaximus Their N7 Day reunions from the past 5 or 6 years are fun and shine a lot of light on the making of. There are also moments where it's the first time a cast member is seeing another face to face (albeit via Zoom). Sadly we never see Brandon Keener (Garrus) attending these reunions. Apparently he's shy to the point of reclusiveness, or so I've read. But I find it strangely comforting to know that the people who made a thing that means so much to so many are themselves genuinely fond of each other.
And so it ends. I had a feeling that'd be your choice. I did the same. I don't trust what's left of Shepard after an eternity to stay good and as for wiping out synthetics I couldn't do that the Geth. And how could I ever look Joker in the eye again after killing EDI? Your choices earlier change those ending slides too. As a for instance if you send Jack's students to the front lines you don;t get her proudly in front of her students, you get her and a bunch of graves... The Kasumi one his her and Keji. With the techno/organic cross he is effectively back from the dead. At least that's how I read it. Interesting note; the guy at the end, the Stargazer, is voiced by Buzz Aldrin, second man on the Moon.
If Shepard does not trust him/or herself to stay in charge of the Reapers, she/he can fly him/herself and the reapers into the sun at any time deemed appropriate. Another alternative is to nerf their abilities and/or do (voluntary) synthesis with those who give consent.
@@Thedeepseanomad The concern is that Shepard (or rather the AI based on Shepard) will develop a view antithetical to the well-being of lifeforms in the galaxy. Relying on "Shepard" to be the check to themselves is a recipe for disaster. This "Shepard" may be fine for now but after a thousand years? Ten thousand? A million? How could they possibly stay anything close to human in viewpoint?
@@GriffinPilgrim Yeah, I get it. there are similar concerns with all the endings. In some ways is unfortunate that the dev left things unclear and up to interpretation (especially if the reason was that they would not do any sequels). According to the leaked dev mails (that were briefly linked to from the old bioware forums before it was nuked and the user banned) the idea was that control Shepard IS the same same entity as the one before the transformation insofar that the Crucible sustains and grafts the memories and quantum energy field that is consciousness in the Mass Effect universe (inspired by Penrose Hameroff - Orch OR) on a synthetic substrate. The reason why this is possible is that the Crucible+Citadel can both manipulate and disrupt such fields via dark energy manipulation. The destroy ending uses this to target the specific frequency of synthetic consciousness. In anyway, the in universe history does not end with the endings. There is nothing that says Shepard must or will remain as a Shepalyst for a thousand or ten thousand years. Perhaps Shepard makes herself/himself a new humanoid body and live in a cabin with Liara after they finished voluntary synthesis and steps down after closing the power gap between the Reapers and the other races?
Always will love how the final choice is color coded to match what players have been 'taught', Control is the Paragon choice (clue), Destroy is the Renegade Choice (red).... and Synthesis (Green) is the 'Shepherds' choice, if you go by any literal definition of the word... and then there is the 'Shepard' choice of just... well... those who know... know.. and Lucy nearly made that choice unintentionally lol
You can actually see the other colors in the final choice at 1 hour 22 minutes. It's both subtle and obvious at the same time, and I didn't notice it until maybe my 5th playthrough
@fredcasdensworld Well, control is definitely not something a paragon would do, so i don't get why anyone would associate it like that. I believe the developers. Also, Synthesis is by no means a choice a Sheppard would choose necessarily. I would never infringe on free will that way. Its too big of a change.
It’s done and gone, I prefer destroy ending for myself because Shepard lives and a genocidal AI isn’t very trustworthy when it say synthesis is the final evolution, but it was refreshing to see someone go through with this choice, I liked it
The catalyst isnt genocidal. It was given a literal impossible task, and the only solution it found was to archive life before it's completly gone. We give it other solutions. Though i agree with the destroy option. Synthesis ends differences between races, even the good ones. They all become a hive mind basically, seems too insidious for one person to choose that for everyone
@ Catalyst is sentient, that’s how they came to betray Leviathan race, using them as organic resources and at the same time clearing them out, it did have intention and understanding of it but it properly didn’t find a need for incorporation organic morality, the action is eradication of a (or many rather) group of people, genocide, a difference that still doesn’t change the action is that the perpetrator is machine, a thinking machine
@@hannahtavanathe catalyst was limited by its programming and found no other solution than the harvest and then the crucible shows up with the opportunity to free the reapers in one way or another
I don't trust the Catalyst kid, or frankly, the ending it says you get from Synthesis. We really only know what the kid tells us, and it sounds a whole lot like that makes everyone a husk.
First of all, congratulations for finishing one of the greatest series in video game history! Also, commiserations because it’s over and you can never play it again for the first time ;) I could see it coming that you would take Synthesis, seeing how much you wanted as many as possible to survive. As for whether it was the ‘right’ choice: there is no right choice. All choices carry significant implications, as one would expect of something of this magnitude. I compiled some thoughts on the endings, partly just reiterating things: Destroy is the ‘simple’ solution. The Reapers are no longer a threat and cannot continue the cycle anymore. Problem: You would also destroy any non-organic intelligent being, including the Geth and EDI, plus do quite a lot of damage to Galactic infrastructure. It’s all reparable though and organics would probably create new AIs eventually, as the Catalyst said. Maybe in millions of years something like the Reapers could happen again? Control is the ‘ideal’ solution. All the people still alive will be saved and can continue to live as they are. Except that the Reapers are under the control of Shepard’s mind and so will not continue the cycle. Problem: How safe is it? Can something as gigantic and unknowable as the Reapers be controlled in the long run? Is Shepard’s mind unchanging or can it fatigue and maybe allow the Reapers a way to wrestle control back? Plus, it is what TIM wanted… Synthesis is the ‘perfect’ solution. Allowing all intelligent species to live on, as well as eliminating the basis for conflict between organics and synthetics. Problem: You take over nature’s ‘right’ of evolution and even free will by changing everyone in the Galaxy. Then we have the fourth solution of just letting the cycle continue, but why would Shepard suffer through so much just for that? Maybe spite XD Having said all that, I personally have adopted something called the ‘Indoctrination Theory’ into my head canon for Mass Effect. It’s a fan theory developed about a decade ago diving deeply into indoctrination and what the various endings might mean. It’s not official canon and has been debunked by the developers. They do acknowledge it’s very interesting though, but also said “we aren’t that smart” when asked whether there is truth to it. I am not going to spoil it, in case you want to check it out for yourself. It should pop up immediately if you search for ‘Indoctrination Theory’ on TH-cam. Anyway, glad you are giving Andromeda a go, as personally I think it’s much better than its reputation. Looking forward to it!
ENDING HATE Players new to the trilogy may be disappointed in the ending, but feel it's not really so bad, and wonder why the original players reacted to the ending with such loathing. The ending you just saw is not the ending we got. This version is the Extended Cut, a free DLC released three months after the game, which tried to address the biggest problems fans had with the original ending. It was largely successful, turning the awful into the acceptable. How bad was it? Using your choices, there would the following differences. No explosion, evacuation, or final goodbye with Liara. Liara and Garrus would simply vanish as soon as the beam run began. You would reasonably presume they were dead, except one of them MIGHT show up at the crashed Normandy, with no explanation as to how they got there. Joker fleeing the Solar System without orders, visibly panicking as he tries to outrun the Crucible Wave. The Citadel blowing up as the Crucible fires its beam at the relay. Bailey, Conrad, Kelly, Aetheta, Dr. Michel, everyone else you helped or befriended on the Citadel? All dead. The mass relays not being damaged but destroyed by the Crucible beam. After Joker and EDI walk out of the crashed Normandy and hug? Roll credits. No EDI narration, no slideshow of the aftermath, no memorial service, no clue as to what happened next. Just credits...and an add to buy DLC. I had four different Shepard saves ready to go. After my first playthrough ended, I shut down the game and didn't touch it again for 4 months.
If it wasn’t for that DLC the ending of the trilogy would have been much more hated than it is now due to the lack of any reasonable explanation to what the heck happened
SPOILERS: Iirc Shep sacrifices in all four endings. And I know I'm in the minority on this since the game has come out, but I think Shep should sacrifice themselves. Sacrifice is such a huge theme of the series and I think Shep surviving would undercut the gravitas of the story. I'm really hoping they don't sneak a Shep lives reveal in the next game. I'm so sorry you've chosen to follow up with Andromeda :D But seriously, its a pretty good story, its just really wonky. Thanks for letting me join in your journey, I'm glad you had fun and got to share in one of the best RPG experiences gaming has to offer!
I always pick destroy. It sucks to lose EDI and the Geth, but I never felt comfortable with the other 2 choices. Control, absolutely not. To give one entity, even Shepard, complete control over what are essentially hyper-powerful war machines seemed too risky. Synthesis is postulated as 'ideal' but it forces hybridisation of every living thing in the galaxy. Not just the main species, but every plant, animal and ecosystem on every planet in every star cluster. Plus EDI mentions transcending mortality. The idea of a galaxy of immortal beings controlling thousands of giant battleships alongside their own fleets seemed a very dangerous thing. No choice is perfect.
Everyone has their own journey with ME. Glad you finished, what a ride!! Been here since the start. If you up to it, try all endings. You will enjoy Destroy. ;-) Some ME love for you! th-cam.com/video/re32xnyYP3A/w-d-xo.html
It has been denied by the devs, but I like the Shepherd Indoctrination theory. There is a video describing it, but the overall idea is that Shepherd was fighting indoctrination all game. The dreams and the ending were symbolic of this fight. The child represented the reaper’s influence on Shepherd. Doing what it wants is giving in to indoctrination. A neat interpretation
While this is the worst of the four turd sandwiches we got to choose from as endings (IMO), it's been a fun few years of entertainment and companionship. Thanks, Lucy!
BioWare clearly intended this to be the end of the story because why else would it be the only ending that can only be unlocked by the amount of War Assets you have?
@ i’m going to say this once I will destroy the reapers no matter what I’ve played the game a numerous amount of times and I always pick the same choice over and over again
Mass Effect 3's production is infamous for how tacked on the ending was. During the final month of development, the lead writer took over entirely and created the Catalyst AI and the Synthesis ending because they wanted an ending that killed Shepard and left everything vague. With production so close to completion, the writing team couldn't do anything about it. The head writer for the first two games has openly spoken on how terrible Synthesis is, and how the ending of the trilogy should have remained how he envisioned it, the Relays destroying the Reapers. Since the head writer for the third game no longer works at the studio, Bioware in-house has moved forward with Destroy since, as it's the only ending they to confirm aftermath events.
The Catalyst is operating off faulty logic from billions of years ago. Shall we not forget every cycle is shaped by the Reapers? It claims the creation always Rebels, yet that didn't happen this cycle. The creation defended itself, then wished to be left alone... and only attacked because Reapers repeatedly used them. The Catalyst claims you can't force Synthesis, yet turning every living organism in the galaxy into a organic/machine hybrid, rewriting their personalities, connecting everyone into a hivemind against their consent is the exact definition of forced. All those people that were turned into Husks now have to live in those grotesque bodies... Like Mordin and Javik said, uplifting and changing a species does nothing but cause catastrophe down the line. This changes nothing, Organics have no reason not to make Synthetics. The Reapers are responsible for the genocide of billions of species, they don't get to have a happy ending, the people of the galaxy deserve a future free from the Reapers, a future where people are free to make their own choices.
which clearly they get to do after being changed by Synthesis. also... no, there's no rewriting of personalities or a hivemind at all. don't know where you got that from.
@@Shalltear773 It's not freedom and free will when the Reapers are still around. The writers confirmed EDI's speech is in reference to everyone having a hivemind, and the genetic rewrite literally changes people like Wreav into being peaceful...
![[UNCUT] เก็บ "สจ.โต้ง" เอี่ยวมาเฟีย รู้ตัวคนบงการ ก่อนสั่งลั่นไก I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 13 ธ.ค.67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/o-J_p62D40w/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Finale. I'M BROKEN.💚 | First Time Playing HALO 3 | Blind Playthrough Ending Reaction [5]](/img/n.gif)
It's been an adventure, hasn't it? Leave your favorite moments from our journey through the trilogy here. ❤
Anything with Tali.
Talis last words to my Male shep: I have a Home ...
the best
DONUTS
Dr. Chocolates' repetitive remixes.
I've seen Synthesis described as the 'Saren' solution.
'Destroy' seems to be overwhelmingly what Anderson (and Shepard) are after.
'Control' is what the Illusive Man was wanting.
And 'Synthesis' is kind of what Saren described as his solution in Mass Effect 1. If you rewatch his dialogue from ME1, he describes a union of flesh and metal - the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither.
It'd have been a cute touch if they flashed his face during the cutscene when you jump into the green death beam, instead of Anderson looking away.
SEVEN ENDINGS
There are actually seven ending to the game.
There are three versions of Destroy, based on how much effective military strength (EMS). Most players would have little difficulty getting medium EMS. High EMS required a completionist run with good decisions and a decent amount of multi-player or the online Galaxy Map mini game to raise your readiness rating. Low EMS would be a speed run with minimal sidequest, bad decisions, and no multi-player or mini game.
Of course, with all the assets added in by DLC, multi-player or mini gaming is no longer required to get high EMS, and low EMS is impossible without editing the game files.
The Control ending requires at least a medium EMS, and has separate versions for Paragon and Renegade Shepard.
Synthesis requires a high EMS. There is only one version.
Finally, the Extended Cut DLC added the refusal ending, achieved by either explicitly rejecting all of the Catalyst's options in conversation, or by shooting the Starpunk once the conversation is over.
My personal ranking of the endings, from best to worst-
1) Paragon Control- the Good Shepard-Reaper quietly guarding the galaxy.
2) Synthesis- In many ways the most optimistic ending, but it is explicitly a singularity. It's people and their stories will largely be beyond our understanding.
3) High EMS Destroy. The Reapers, EDI, and the geth all die. Shepard lives. Was the Catalyst correct about the conflict returning? Who knows.
4) Medium EMS Destroy- Same as high, except Shepard dies.
5) Refusal- Shepard doesn't use the Crucible. The Reapers win. However, between the damage we did to the Reapers before we were destroyed, and Liara's time capsules, the next cycle annihilates the Reapers.
6) Low EMS Destroy- The Reapers die. EDI dies. The geth die. Shepard dies. Everyone on Earth dies. Everyone on the Normandy dies. The Citadel blows up and everyone left there dies. The mass relays are destroyed. Yes, we won, and there are survivors, but the galaxy is entering a dark age, and galaxy-wide travel is no longer possible.
7) Renegade Control- The galaxy will have peace. God-Emperor Shepard and her Reaper fleet will ensure it. Welcome to the eternal benevolent dictatorship of an immortal being with the mind of a 'results at any cost' soldier and the hardware of a genocidal AI.
Most people think EDI was joking... but you know she would approve of option 7
There’s actually 10 endings including Low-Medium EMS Destroy where your squad dies but not the Normandy and Bad Renegade and Paragon Control which is the same as the regular but with your squad dies
Wow, okay, this is a pretty comprehensive list of endings, and I like that you went through the trouble of writing this. Thank you.
I'd say I mostly agree with your rankings of endings.
The Medium EMS Destroy, Refusal, and Low EMS Destroy definitely make the bottom 3 as the endings where Shepard just barely "wins" only to perish with nothing to show for it. It helps that you can get any of these 3 by barely even trying.
The remaining 4 endings, you actually have to work for by proactively trying to win against the Reapers. In my personal opinion, the best to worst of the "proactive" endings:
1. High EMS Destroy-I know, it's a sad ending sacrificing a loyal friend like EDI and your Geth allies (if you recruited them) for the sake of victory. It might even feel like you're back at square one for having caused so much destruction in the process. But it's also the only ending where Shepard lives on to a possible happily ever after. It's never easy dealing with an ending where a hero doesn't get their happily ever after. I've met a lot of Mass Effect fans who said they just wanted Shepard to get a happy ending after constantly having to make the hardest choices that any human being could make. Lots of my friends wished there could have been an equal number of endings where Shepard lived or died.
2. Paragon Control-Shepard as a person dies, will never get to see friends and loved ones again, and will probably be alone forever. But, at least Shepard's compassionate influence and sense of fairness have made the Reapers into the ultimate guardians of the entire Milky Way galaxy.
3. Synthesis-Rather than take control, provide guidance, or do anything to the Reapers themselves, Shepard decides the best choice to make is to simply leave the decisions up to each individual still alive. Every person in the galaxy now has the opportunity (whether they want it or not) to live as an orgsnic/synthetic hybrid and figure out for themselves how to make the most of their new lives granted by Shepard's personal sacrifice. In addition, even the Reapers have been granted a new purpose, sharing everything they know, everything they've ever preserved with a galaxy they no longer perceive as too chaotic to ever be ready to "evolve."
4. Renegade Control-Similar to number 2, except the Reapers are instead driven by Shepard's ruthless influence combined with the power to make everything in the galaxy however Shepard personally wants it to be. This in turn, gives the Reapers only a slightly more comprehensible reason for their oppressive behavior towards anyone who causes "chaos" in Shepard's mind. And if that's not enough, Shepard's friends and loved ones may eventually conclude the real Shepard is truly dead, replaced by a being of pure power and tyranny they can no longer recognize as a living person, much less as someone they cared about.
I would swap high EMS destroy with Synthesis in rankings personally, otherwise it's a good list. The geth can be re-made and never have to experience war with the quarians, so really only EDI dies proper-like. I think that's a less bad option than denying all life everywhere forever the chance to choose their own personal organic-synthetic ratio.
@ how is high EMS destroy better than synthesis? No conflicts anymore between organics and synthetics or each other, unlimited knowledge, immunity to diseases, no more lives sacrificed than it has to and all of that is synthesis meanwhile what does high EMS destroy do? Destroy all synthetic life in the galaxy which practically undoes the very lesson you’ve learned throughout the trilogy and the synthetics doesn’t just shut down they’re obliterated by the crucible and what is the saving grace of the ending for most people? A half second clip of Shepard taking a breath that still hasn’t gone anywhere
This game is everything to me. Nothing has ever had such an epic effect as this game. Been such a joy to go on this ride with you!
Thank you for coming along for the ride 🩵
@@LucyusMaximus Always.
Oh, the slide with Kasumi? That was Keiji. With Synthesis, his memory files in the graybox achieved consciousness, and the two are reunited in cyberspace.
😭💔
Would love to see your reactions to the other endings and also the trailers/teasers for the next Mass Effect :)
It's been a fun ride, Mass Effect holds a deep place in my heart too. The characters are so well written and feel like friends of mine. The trilogy truly is one of a kind and I don't think I'll ever find something in any medium that comes close to how it made me feel!
I'll definitely be putting some alternate outcome reactions up. Thanks for being a part of the ride! ☺️
Astronaut Buz Aldrin is the adult voice in the post credits scene. One of the few people who landed on the moon.
I was wondering who it was and my chat told me afterwards. That was unexpected 🌕
i knew you would choose synthesis!
It was a road to get there but it felt the best out of all the outcomes 💚
What a journey....still my favorite series in gaming to this day. The way these games have stuck with me even 8-9 years after i beat them for the first time...
"You did good, child....I'm proud of you..." 😭😭😭😭
Congrats on the completion
The fact that we are craving for more ME content and that we are watching others playthrough is prove that this game stuck with us MUCH MORE than anything else. At least that's how it is from my POV.
ME3 is just such a tragic, sad and wonderful emotional ride. Its so heart-shattering experience.
Thank you 🩵
27 minutes in:
"Can I Get A Heavy Weapon"
Harvester: Sure, here!
"Oh No!"
No thank yooou 😂
Anderson dieing hit us the hardest when this game came out this trilogy was peak bioware back in the day. wonderful playthrough glad i was around for the journey. also you made the right choice dont worry.
1:22:06 Yea, this is why i choose Synthesis, Destroy seems to only benefit out cycle whereas Synthesis benfites and protects future cycles.
Also I've been coming back to your channel since your first ME1 video and it has been a journey, grat on finishing! I think reactions to mass effect meme videos or evil choices would be cool to see.
Thank you for watching! 🩵 I'll be uploading some reactions to alternate outcomes for sure.
The Child just assumes the cycle will eventually restart. It doesn't know for sure and doesn't know how an organic can think. It's like a conversation earlier in the game that Garrus has with Legion about calibrating the Normandy's main guns. Legion says that Garrus can only go to a certain percentage on calibrating the guns, but then Garrus does a few things and goes beyond what Legion says is possible. Legion is all "but that percentage is not possible." Garrus replies with "this is just something us organics know." So pretty much, don't assume what organics are capable of. The Child just assumes stuff on math, but organics can do better. If they make another synthetic life like the Geth, they can be smarter about it. Plus it was just the Quarians that built the Geth. With all species/races communicating better and getting along, they could create a synthetic life that won't turn. Also, Synthesis is garbage. It just speeds up the harvest, and takes away ALL free will/being an individual/different. No one is unique anymore. That's something Shepard fought against. Picking Synthesis just makes Shepard a hypocrite. Shepard even yells at The Child a few moments before The Child presents Shepard with the three choices that each person being different is something that shouldn't be taken away. And A.I./synthetic life always evolves. So picking Control and Synthesis, The Child/Catalyst and the Reapers could evolve enough to overthrow the Shepard "coding" that was added in Control or Synthesis. It's best to just risk it and wipe out the Reapers, Geth, and EDI and hope organics are smart about stuff. Also, EDI needs to be destroyed/restarted. Pay attention to her humor as the game goes on. It gets darker and sicker. It's always anti-organic and the jokes just escalate the more she makes them. It's like she is one joke away from hijacking the Normandy, getting rid of the Normandy crew (like poisonous gas, cutting oxygen, or opening all the airlocks), and then turning the Normandy into a dangerous weapon. EDI has already turned on her creators too. That's another red flag. Just get rid of her and start over. "Well what about Joker and EDI's romance?" Tell Joker to get over it and find an organic to be with. I do allow Joker and EDI to be together though throughout the game, but when it comes to post-game, Joker needs to move on. This is also foreshadowed in the Citadel DLC. At the party, Miranda asks Joker about post-EDI. She is pretty much telling him to find/have a backup plan if something goes wrong with EDI. Meaning, find an actual person to be with. So yeah. Plenty of foreshadowing for Destroy, and Synthesis is a terrible option.
It was so great to see you finish this journey! I played these games as they came out, and watching you play through it fresh reminds me what it was like to see it all for the first time. I’m glad this series is still creating fans all these years later. When I first finished, I picked Destroy, but as I’ve gotten older, I definitely understand Synthesis. Never Control though, because I refuse to give TIM anything lol. Congratulations, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll play next!
Thank you so much for joining me and being a part of the community! ☺️💜
The three choices are partly based on the following principles
Destroy- external sacrifice (Shepard use the crucible to target the Synthetics. Spillover effects depends on how damaged the crucible is due to Effective military rating)
Control -partial (self)sacrifice. (Shepard sacrifices his/her status as an organic) to end the cycle, allowing everyone to stay they are. The only ending that also has unique flavor reflecting Shepards paragon/Renegade alignment.
Synthesis -total self sacrifice (and some would argue sacrifice of self determination of everyone - by "dissolving" Shepard's "essence" and distributing it to somehow transform everyone into a new type of organic-syhtetic cybernetic organisms.
Shepard "Survives" in 2 endings, high EMS Destroy and Control, but in control the survival is restricted to Shepards consciousness and memories.
Just a wonderful Shepard ....you did the game justice in every way ...... thank you for being amazing . Best bits was always reunions with Squadmates especially in ME2 for me ... Joker , Chakwas and Archangel , just so well written every companion had value and interest. Gold Star for Lucy the Legend from Oz xox
Thank you! ☺️💜
Congratulations Commander! It's hard to explain how much this series means to not only myself, but to so many people. It's hard to understate how satisfying it is to finish this series, it's something you can only experience for yourself.
SPOILER SHIELD
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I am also someone who typically chooses Synthesis, for a lot of the same reasons as you. My Shepard is an optimist, a peacekeeper, and is looking for every chance to help everyone "win together". My Shepard wants to fight for the ideal outcome, no matter the odds. Shepard chooses Synthesis, because everything is a gamble. You don't know with certainty that the Reapers will be destroyed. You don't know with certainty that you can control them. You don't know for certain that synthetics and organics can be combined. However, Shepard DOES know that (on paper) Sythesis is the ideal solution,. Shepard also knows that their choice, whatever it is, is going to affect all life in the galaxy anyways (synthetic and organic alike), and they have done enough for all of them to earn the right to make the decision for everyone. So, they choose what is "best case outcome" for everyone.
There is always going to be debate about what ending is the best, and I would encourage you to explore all of the possible outcomes. Seeing your reaction to a compilation of the different endings would be very interesting, but even if you don't make a video out of it, I would encourage it all the same. Thank you for bringing us all along on your journey. In the words of Dadmiral Anderson (that get me crying every single time), "You did good, child. You did good. I'm proud of you."
Until the next adventure o7
Thank you so much for watching and for your support! 🥰❤
"When Shepard encounters the Catalyst during the closing stages of the war, it chooses to represent itself as a translucent projection, taking the form of a young boy the Commander saw killed during the Reaper invasion of Earth." (ME Wiki)
Congrats Commander!
Thank you ❤
You did it!! Congratulations! 🎉 It's been great rewatching the series and seeing your reactions. Also, we are grateful and appreciate you too! 🤗 Hope you'll find more games out there to fall in love with.
Happy to hear you've enjoyed! Thanks for watching. There have been and will continue to be many different adventures on the channel! ✨️
Watch all the endings.
My canon Shep ending was Paragon control, as he wanted to preserve everyone as they were, along with the knowledge on synthesis so it can be done voluntarily.
A big responsibility, but my Shep was willing to bear the weight of such power and sacrificing his organic subtrade to do it.
3 years, dang I started watching with 2 and I’ve loved every minute since, congrats Lucy! Can’t wait to see what you play next 😊
Thank you so much 😄
I like how subtly the Catalyst and the Reapers, as synthetic beings, have become so advanced and sophisticated in their intelligence that they have involved to be just as nonsensically self-delusional as any intelligent organic can.
The hypocrisy of the Catalyst and the Reapers is obvious, but their mutual claim of impartial objectivity has become their ideology. And they are unable to reconcile that with their own beliefs about themselves and their mission.
As synthetic life, it's obvious they have surpassed AI and become simply ... life. And with that they have evolved all the same frailties. But with their immense power, those frailties make them cataclysmically dangerous.
Well done Lucy and thanks for the memories! My best moment has to be Shep and Tali on Rannoch after achieving peace between the Quarians and Geth; so poignant and heartwarming ❤
Thanks for coming along for the ride. Here's to more adventures ✨️
Congratulations on finishing your Mass Effect journey, it has been a long ride!
Thank you so much! 🥰❤️
Hurts, don't it? Until I played FF14 years later, this was the game that broke me the most.
If you wanna hear a fun fact, ME3 was initially going to have a completely different plotline, involving the buildup of dark energy in the universe that needed to be purged. This was what they intended in ME2 with that one sidequest of the prematurely aging star. That mission ultimately never went anywhere, but it was supposed to be enlarged and explored in 3, with the cycle being that danger of dark energy, rather than a cycle of man vs. machine, so to speak.
If you talk to EDI on the Normandy after the mission where you confront Miranda's father, EDI pretty much gives you permission to destroy the Reapers and even gives you/Shepard permission to sacrifice her. She makes note in her coding after the conversation that she hates the Reapers and wants them to die and that she is willing to die alongside the Reapers if that means Joker will be okay and get to go on living. Also just remember that sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest choice to make. This is brought up in the conversation with James when he approaches Shepard about joining the N7 program, and then "the right choice" stuff is brought up again in the final conversation with Javik (when you go around Earth saying goodbye to all the squadmates). I feel that whole "right choice" thing is foreshadowing Destroy. It's the right choice, but difficult to make because you have to sacrifice EDI and the Geth. But if you remember the one conversation with EDI or did the conversation, then you know she is already onboard with dying. It's more like the Geth that you don't know if they are okay with being sacrificed if Destroy is picked. But I feel the Geth and EDI can always be brought back. And after that conversation you have with EDI, she tells Joker that they'll talk about what she and Shepard discussed at a later time. So it's always possible that she, Joker, maybe Traynor, and a bunch of other Normandy crew members (like Adams, Ken, and Gabby, but not limited to just them) made a backup of her. Plus EDI isn't 100% in the body. She only controls the body. Most of her is still in the A.I. Core on the Normandy. So we don't know how greatly she is going to be lost if Destroy is picked. Same with the Geth. As long as hard drives are still good, the Geth and EDI should be able to be brought back. I feel like Geth and EDI are just temporary losses in Destroy. Not so much permanent. But with that one conversation with EDI, I feel it's foreshadowing Destroy.
You did good Lucy. I'm proud of you. It was never about the perfect solution to make everyone happy. But to achieve the best you can with what you have. You can't change the cards you get but you can choose how to play them. Of all the choises possible, this is what we needed to do. That's my honest opinion.
Thanks! It was tough to sit with that choice but all we can do is follow our instincts. I'm so curious to see how the others turn out.
Both Saren and The Illusive man demonstrated they, despite being cold hearted bastards, would do anything necessary to achieve the greater Good. Including removing themselves.
Most lets players I watch tend to choose Destroy. I personally chose Control (for a variety of thought-out reasons, including the fact that its epilogue give me chills everytime(*) and it greatly depends on wether your were Paragon or Renegade), but it's nice to see a rare option of someone choosing Synthesis. FYI, there is also a "bad" option, Refuse, where Shep either refuses the Catalyst's options or shoots at the AI's Avatar; there the Reapers win this cycle, but are finally destroyed in the next one thanks to Liara's time capsules.
(*) *"ETERNAL. INFINITE. IMMORTAL. The man/woman I was used these words, but only now do I truly understand them."*
Almost every lets players chooses Synthesis the first time and immediately changes their mind the moment they watch the Destroy Ending.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 Then we must have watched very different Let's players; more than 50% of the ones I watched chose Destroy on the first try.
@@Timjer92 Did you know that according to some dev mail leaks like a decade ago, the destroy ending was originally imagined as a "trap" for revenge hungry players.
Those whose need to destroy the Reapers outweighed their ability to take in that it would doom the galaxy. - a renegade "revenge at all costs" ending. The red color is still there as a remnant of that intent, even as they decided to make it more ambiguous.
My first playthrough I chose Destroy, because that was the plan from the start (and I didn't fully trust the Catalyst). On other playthroughs, it's always either Synthesis or Destroy. Aside from trying once to see what happens, i never choose Control (or the secret 4th ending).
Awesome playthrough. Cant wait to watch Andromeda.
Thank you so much 🩵
Followed your journey! Loved it!
Be prepared for weak people bitching about your choice. The cycle, and the real cycle is organics creating AI, can only be broken by Synthesis. Every other choice buys max 20k-30k years!
Thanks for watching! ☺️🩵
The Reapers dictate the Cycle, not Organics.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 If you think reapers dictate the cycle you have never understood the story.
@@wudruffwildcard252 Did you forget what Sovereign said, how many historic events the Reapers caused?
@@willfanofmanyii3751Actually, yeah, the cycle was a laboratory research experiment of sorts, as well as a means to prevent synthetics of growing to a point where they destroy all organics, which is the inevitable conclusion of a continued conflict between organics and synthetics (or properted to be in the story). While the cycle should end, the organic-synthetic conflict is the crux of the matter, and it predates the Reapers.
What a ride :')
I've been following your Mass Effect playthroughs since the beginning and it's amazing how many things have changed. We were in the high of an unprecedented pandemic back then, and watching your positivity as you played through my favorite franchise was one of those little things that helped make the Big Thing more tolerable. Thank you for your passion and for the entertainment. I'll definitely keep an eye for your other videos 😊
Ps: I love that you chose my favorite ending! While I definitely get why people might be a bit iffy about some implications, in the end of the day Shepard was already confronted with an impossible choice that nobody should get to decide alone. And when it's all said and done, I refuse to believe that change is any way more unethical than the total annihilation of a targeted group of people.
Anyways, keep rocking! ❤
A lot has happened since we started. 🩵 Thank you for watching and being part of the community!
So excited for you to experience Andromeda! ♥
Yay, thanks! I'm curious to check it out
"One more story": Mass Effect 4
I'll be there ☺️
That doesn’t necessarily have to mean that it’s a continuation of Shepards story like we can’t tell if the stargazer told the kid Shepards story throughout the trilogy or throughout ME3
All the moments are my fave. All.
❤❤❤
well played. I love the end with Edi 😍
Seeing her with Joker got me 🥹
I feel like destroy is the most cowardly choice, yet most let's players choose it. It is basically back to square one and everything everyone went through was pointless, just because you, the player refused to take charge for everyone else and changes things for the better permanently. Besides, I didn't just save the geth only to sacrifice them five minutes later. All the talk of equal worth with organics would be a lie then.
No, synthesis is the way to go, definitely!
There is always a major loss/something tragic at the end of every major chapter in Mass Effect 3. Mordin dies at the end of Priority: Tuchanka (Eve can die too), Thane and maybe Kelly and Virmire Survivor dies at the end of the Citadel Coup mission, and Legion dies at the end of Priority: Rannoch. It's also possible for Tali to die at the end of Priority: Rannoch, So for Priority: Earth, it's pretty much EDI and the Geth. Also, EDI and Geth can be brought back. They just emulate life. They aren't fully alive. Maybe there would be a good argument if the Asari or Krogran were being sacrificed in the Destroy ending. A lot more difficult to bring them back. EDI and Geth are just computer parts and coding. With how advanced technology is in the Mass Effect world, bringing them back could be something you learn in a 101 class. Also, when James approaches Shepard about joining the N7 program, Shepard talks about that everyone that has joined N7 has sacrificed at some point in their military career/life, whether if its their own life or members of their squad. So that's pretty much foreshadowing EDI and the Geth dying. Shepard is once again having to make that choice that N7 members have to make. Also, we don't know how badly the Geth was damaged. As long as their hard drives are fine, then they can be brought back. A power supply or CPU is a simple fix. But even if they have to start from scratch, it should still be a simple fix/task with how advanced technology is and everyone's knowledge is on technology.
There are also a few times throughout the three games that Shepard brings up sacrificing x amount of people to save everyone else. Shepard has also made tons of sacrifices as well throughout the trilogy. It's nothing new. There is Kaidan vs. Ashley, either the Council or a bunch of Alliance ships and people (some of the Alliance gets sacrificed if you decide to save the Council), the ending of the Arrival DLC (Shepard will say it was the right choice to sacrifice 300,000 Batarians), Samara vs. Morinth, Legion's loyalty mission will either see more Geth or Quarian die by the end of Priority: Rannoch (more Quarians die if Rewrite is picked, and more Geth will die if you destroy the Heretic Geth), and then in ME3 you have to pick between the Rachni Queen and Grunt and his men (Grunt might survive no matter what though, but his men will die if you pick to save the Rachni Queen). So yeah. Shepard sacrifices a lot throughout the games. I actually might've forgotten a couple. Also, I would for one "hero" character to be named that is all for Control or Synthesis. Only ones that ever speak of being for Control and/or Synthesis are villain characters. EDI wants the Reapers destroyed as well. Talk to her on the Normandy after the mission you confront Miranda's father. By the end of the conversation, she gives you permission to destroy the Reapers and pretty much gives you the okay to sacrifice her. It's possible that the Geth that join the fight at the end feel the same way as EDI. They are anti-Reapers as well. So they might be okay with dying as long as the Reapers are dead.
But other things to think about are the N7 conversation with James and then the final conversation with Javik on Earth when you are going around saying goodbye to everyone (and shake Javik's hand finally). In both those conversations, it's mentioned that sometimes the right choice is the hardest one to make. So that's foreshadowing Destroy. Destroying the Reapers has been the goal all along. But because of having to sacrifice EDI and the Geth, it makes it a hard choice to make. I guess you could spin stuff so that Control and Synthesis are being foreshadowing, but there is way more foreshadowing for Destroy than the other two, especially by all the "good" or "hero" characters. So it feels like the foreshadowing of "the right choice is usually the hardest to make" is for Destroy. But EDI and the Geth can be brought back. They are just computer parts and coding. To me, EDI and the Geth just feel like temporary losses. And maybe the lesson organics will learn from Destroy is to be careful not to start another cycle. Communicate better so that The Child/Catalyst isn't right about its prediction.
@@projectpat8807 there is no "maybe". organics and synthetics will definitely continue to fight each other again at some point. and no, EDI and the Geth don't emulate life. they are fully evolved, sentient, living synthetic organisms with their own desires. EDI stops simply following her programming and starts feeling emotions. the Geth were the same in their own way. sure, it's possible they could be brought back but there's no guarantee they'd be the same after being killed by Shepard.
I found your channel when you had just made the first episode of ME1 and have been following ever since. I really like how you're thinking about every choice, not many do that I think. It's been a pleasure to follow you through what I think are the best game series ever made 🙂
Also, please do a special episode reacting to Gamer Poop's ME videos! You're gonna have a giggle for sure 😀
Thank you for sticking out the journey!
I heard gamerpoop jokes didn't age well in some regards, so I likely won't be reacting to it buuut I will have other reacts!
Grunt is absent from the Synthesis ending because the genetic rewrite killed him. That shot of Jacob and his girlfriend was the writers implying the rewrite killed their baby too.
That’s actually quite sad like I can kinda understand with Jacob and Brynn but why does Grunt die?
Edit: it’s clearly Jacob and Brynn comforting some random woman and Brynn doesn’t seem too bothered about her unborn child so where does that writer statement come from?
Double edit: but what about the Tuchanka slide? That one shows a krogan baby all synthesized and they appear even if you sabotaged the cure
@@axelnilsson5124 Grunt's artificially created, his body can't handle the rewrite.
The writers always describe that slide as being about the baby.
@ then perhaps what that slide should have shown was Jacob comforting Brynn as when I see that slide I always think it’s that teen girl from the refugee camp who was waiting for her parents that never arrived
@@axelnilsson5124 Different character entirely.
@ sure but it does look like her doesn’t it?
Where's Grunt in the ending? When he's alive we usually see him with Wrex at 1:31:49 but he isn't there so I'm a bit confused.
Oh no 😥
Wait is that him on the right with Wrex in the second shot? It looks like the back of his head
@@LucyusMaximus I've checked a video that shows the different endings and for some reason Grunt is replaced with the other guy in the Synthetic ending during that image even though he's alive, he's there in the other endings though. Perhaps a bug that registers him as dead only when they show that image since his name wasn't on the memorial. Also you were wondering who Kasumi was with, you probably forgot but that's Keiji Okuda, Kasumi's partner and love interest. In Kasumi's loyalty mission in ME2 you need to recover his Greybox which contains a VI with his memories as well as other sensitive and dangerous information.
Great playthrough as always. Don't know if you got a chance to do so or not, but I do hope you see how the other endings and see how it looks.
Thanks! ☺️ I'll be uploading some reactions to the channel
What I can say about the ending of the game is this: it was a mistake to kill off Shepard in the end and it’d be a mistake to bring them back again
1:28:48 well you (or Shepard more specifically) is in heaven while the crew is on an uncharted world
I want some fresh hot vengeance 😂. Absolutely loved this entire play through from the very beginning to the very end. Also there really is no right or wrong decision, it basically comes down to what you think is right. As you may know there is a whole indoctrination theory that Shepard was indoctrinated in the end, and that the star child was lying to you with every decision. I myself was and still struggling at the time when your first Mass Effect video came out and the days where I wasn't feeling my best, your videos helped brighten up my day, so with you being grateful to the Mass Effect community for welcoming into it, I am grateful for you and your videos being able too put a smile on my face on days I didn't feel like smiling, so for that I thank you.
And BioWare constantly says that the theory is false
That means a lot, i'm so glad the channel could be a light spot for you. Thank you for watching. ❤
My first time, I picked synthesis, then immediately regretted it. Never again, in any playthrough, it's icky. EDI and the geth would not want to die, billions of people wouldn't want to be turned into hybrids. Control risks the Shep-Reapers reverting to bringing the cycles back eventually, but initially would be the Reapers helping civilisation to rebuild. I still say Control is the least worst option, but people are put off by it because TIM thought of it first.
Congrats on finishing Shepard's story. The common wisdom is the next game will canonise destroy as the ending for everyone.
how is synthesis icky when it's not killing anyone and it clearly shows people not really caring about the hybrid thing and, in fact, seemed to love it?
The ending cutscene voice actor talking about "The Shepard" is the first man to land on the moon btw
Yeah, chat was excited to tell me that! 🌕
Actually, he's the _second_ man, Buzz Aldrin. But close enough.
Well after I played through this 2 or 3 times, I found a video that showed how to build Garrus into basically a God of War. If you spec and equip him the right way, he'll tear through most of this final bit all by himself.
Your ME story is your ME story, from Shepard's appearance to their final disposition. As many times as I've gone through the trilogy, I keep 2 canon playthroughs in mind: one for broshep and one for femshep. My femshep, like yours, stayed with Liara from start to finish (with a quick daliance with Kelly in ME2... she DID feed my fish, after all). In my head-canon, my broshep tied the knot with Jack before the final mission, leaving open the possibility of a baby Shepard.
You don't have to stick with your first playthrough being your canon story. That's not a rule. Regardless, you made it through and you should be proud of that. If you enjoy such things as behind the scenes knowledge, there are several Con and cast-reunion videos out there. I'd even watch them along with you.
Thanks for watching! I'm definitely planning to watch the cast reunion and some other things ☺️
@@LucyusMaximus Their N7 Day reunions from the past 5 or 6 years are fun and shine a lot of light on the making of. There are also moments where it's the first time a cast member is seeing another face to face (albeit via Zoom). Sadly we never see Brandon Keener (Garrus) attending these reunions. Apparently he's shy to the point of reclusiveness, or so I've read.
But I find it strangely comforting to know that the people who made a thing that means so much to so many are themselves genuinely fond of each other.
After what bioware did to dragon age Im worried about the next mass effect
Most playthroughs, I don't get *either* Saren or the Illusive Man to do that. You got both.
I wasn't expecting that outcome for TIM 😳
And so it ends.
I had a feeling that'd be your choice. I did the same. I don't trust what's left of Shepard after an eternity to stay good and as for wiping out synthetics I couldn't do that the Geth. And how could I ever look Joker in the eye again after killing EDI?
Your choices earlier change those ending slides too. As a for instance if you send Jack's students to the front lines you don;t get her proudly in front of her students, you get her and a bunch of graves...
The Kasumi one his her and Keji. With the techno/organic cross he is effectively back from the dead. At least that's how I read it.
Interesting note; the guy at the end, the Stargazer, is voiced by Buzz Aldrin, second man on the Moon.
It has been a ride, thanks for being a part of the journey.
@@LucyusMaximus It's been fun! Looking forward to you seeing Andromeda.
If Shepard does not trust him/or herself to stay in charge of the Reapers, she/he can fly him/herself and the reapers into the sun at any time deemed appropriate. Another alternative is to nerf their abilities and/or do (voluntary) synthesis with those who give consent.
@@Thedeepseanomad The concern is that Shepard (or rather the AI based on Shepard) will develop a view antithetical to the well-being of lifeforms in the galaxy. Relying on "Shepard" to be the check to themselves is a recipe for disaster.
This "Shepard" may be fine for now but after a thousand years? Ten thousand? A million? How could they possibly stay anything close to human in viewpoint?
@@GriffinPilgrim Yeah, I get it. there are similar concerns with all the endings.
In some ways is unfortunate that the dev left things unclear and up to interpretation (especially if the reason was that they would not do any sequels).
According to the leaked dev mails (that were briefly linked to from the old bioware forums before it was nuked and the user banned) the idea was that control Shepard IS the same same entity as the one before the transformation insofar that the Crucible sustains and grafts the memories and quantum energy field that is consciousness in the Mass Effect universe (inspired by Penrose Hameroff - Orch OR) on a synthetic substrate. The reason why this is possible is that the Crucible+Citadel can both manipulate and disrupt such fields via dark energy manipulation. The destroy ending uses this to target the specific frequency of synthetic consciousness.
In anyway, the in universe history does not end with the endings. There is nothing that says Shepard must or will remain as a Shepalyst for a thousand or ten thousand years. Perhaps Shepard makes herself/himself a new humanoid body and live in a cabin with Liara after they finished voluntary synthesis and steps down after closing the power gap between the Reapers and the other races?
Congrats on finishing the game!!! Synthesis is definitely not the choice I would have made but I understand why you might pick it.
Thank you! ☺️
Always will love how the final choice is color coded to match what players have been 'taught', Control is the Paragon choice (clue), Destroy is the Renegade Choice (red).... and Synthesis (Green) is the 'Shepherds' choice, if you go by any literal definition of the word... and then there is the 'Shepard' choice of just... well... those who know... know.. and Lucy nearly made that choice unintentionally lol
Interesting, I didn't know what the other colors were 🤔
You can actually see the other colors in the final choice at 1 hour 22 minutes. It's both subtle and obvious at the same time, and I didn't notice it until maybe my 5th playthrough
The colors have nothing to do with morality, the devs have long confirmed this.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 They started that after realizing what they did :)
@fredcasdensworld
Well, control is definitely not something a paragon would do, so i don't get why anyone would associate it like that. I believe the developers.
Also, Synthesis is by no means a choice a Sheppard would choose necessarily. I would never infringe on free will that way. Its too big of a change.
It’s done and gone, I prefer destroy ending for myself because Shepard lives and a genocidal AI isn’t very trustworthy when it say synthesis is the final evolution, but it was refreshing to see someone go through with this choice, I liked it
Glad you enjoyed the journey ☺️
@ thank you for sharing your mass effect experience with us, it’s a game series I love, considering how old it is I can’t get enough of it still
The catalyst isnt genocidal. It was given a literal impossible task, and the only solution it found was to archive life before it's completly gone. We give it other solutions. Though i agree with the destroy option. Synthesis ends differences between races, even the good ones. They all become a hive mind basically, seems too insidious for one person to choose that for everyone
@ Catalyst is sentient, that’s how they came to betray Leviathan race, using them as organic resources and at the same time clearing them out, it did have intention and understanding of it but it properly didn’t find a need for incorporation organic morality, the action is eradication of a (or many rather) group of people, genocide, a difference that still doesn’t change the action is that the perpetrator is machine, a thinking machine
@@hannahtavanathe catalyst was limited by its programming and found no other solution than the harvest and then the crucible shows up with the opportunity to free the reapers in one way or another
All choices are good, since im not a fan of geth, and shepard is only alive in destroy ending it was a easy decision for me.
Yeah Shep not being alive in most of the outcomes made the choice a bit harder
The only way to get the best ending is to destroy the reapers. you can't get it through control or synthesis, those just continue the reaper cycle
synthesis does not do that
I don't trust the Catalyst kid, or frankly, the ending it says you get from Synthesis. We really only know what the kid tells us, and it sounds a whole lot like that makes everyone a husk.
hardly
Syntheses 👏🏾 👏🏾
What a journey. What a cast of characters. Memories to never forget.
What a ride! 💚
First of all, congratulations for finishing one of the greatest series in video game history! Also, commiserations because it’s over and you can never play it again for the first time ;)
I could see it coming that you would take Synthesis, seeing how much you wanted as many as possible to survive. As for whether it was the ‘right’ choice: there is no right choice. All choices carry significant implications, as one would expect of something of this magnitude. I compiled some thoughts on the endings, partly just reiterating things:
Destroy is the ‘simple’ solution. The Reapers are no longer a threat and cannot continue the cycle anymore. Problem: You would also destroy any non-organic intelligent being, including the Geth and EDI, plus do quite a lot of damage to Galactic infrastructure. It’s all reparable though and organics would probably create new AIs eventually, as the Catalyst said. Maybe in millions of years something like the Reapers could happen again?
Control is the ‘ideal’ solution. All the people still alive will be saved and can continue to live as they are. Except that the Reapers are under the control of Shepard’s mind and so will not continue the cycle. Problem: How safe is it? Can something as gigantic and unknowable as the Reapers be controlled in the long run? Is Shepard’s mind unchanging or can it fatigue and maybe allow the Reapers a way to wrestle control back? Plus, it is what TIM wanted…
Synthesis is the ‘perfect’ solution. Allowing all intelligent species to live on, as well as eliminating the basis for conflict between organics and synthetics. Problem: You take over nature’s ‘right’ of evolution and even free will by changing everyone in the Galaxy.
Then we have the fourth solution of just letting the cycle continue, but why would Shepard suffer through so much just for that? Maybe spite XD
Having said all that, I personally have adopted something called the ‘Indoctrination Theory’ into my head canon for Mass Effect. It’s a fan theory developed about a decade ago diving deeply into indoctrination and what the various endings might mean. It’s not official canon and has been debunked by the developers. They do acknowledge it’s very interesting though, but also said “we aren’t that smart” when asked whether there is truth to it. I am not going to spoil it, in case you want to check it out for yourself. It should pop up immediately if you search for ‘Indoctrination Theory’ on TH-cam.
Anyway, glad you are giving Andromeda a go, as personally I think it’s much better than its reputation.
Looking forward to it!
Thank you!! ☺️💜
ENDING HATE
Players new to the trilogy may be disappointed in the ending, but feel it's not really so bad, and wonder why the original players reacted to the ending with such loathing.
The ending you just saw is not the ending we got. This version is the Extended Cut, a free DLC released three months after the game, which tried to address the biggest problems fans had with the original ending. It was largely successful, turning the awful into the acceptable.
How bad was it? Using your choices, there would the following differences.
No explosion, evacuation, or final goodbye with Liara. Liara and Garrus would simply vanish as soon as the beam run began. You would reasonably presume they were dead, except one of them MIGHT show up at the crashed Normandy, with no explanation as to how they got there.
Joker fleeing the Solar System without orders, visibly panicking as he tries to outrun the Crucible Wave.
The Citadel blowing up as the Crucible fires its beam at the relay. Bailey, Conrad, Kelly, Aetheta, Dr. Michel, everyone else you helped or befriended on the Citadel? All dead.
The mass relays not being damaged but destroyed by the Crucible beam.
After Joker and EDI walk out of the crashed Normandy and hug? Roll credits. No EDI narration, no slideshow of the aftermath, no memorial service, no clue as to what happened next. Just credits...and an add to buy DLC.
I had four different Shepard saves ready to go. After my first playthrough ended, I shut down the game and didn't touch it again for 4 months.
If it wasn’t for that DLC the ending of the trilogy would have been much more hated than it is now due to the lack of any reasonable explanation to what the heck happened
You need to upload a mass effect gamerpoop reaction video now, its a rite of passage
Great playthrough Lucy 👏 Mass Effect Andromeda next?
Thanks! And yep ☺️
You will love dragon age if you loved mass effect
It has been recommended to me quite a bit! 🐲
@LucyusMaximus if you do play it the first game is origins and try to get all the dlcs for every dragon age game
Will you be watching and reacting to the indoctrination theory video now?
I'm not sure but I do know i'll be reacting to alternate outcomes!
45:02 You think so, Dorothy? 😉
Definitely 😂
SPOILERS: Iirc Shep sacrifices in all four endings. And I know I'm in the minority on this since the game has come out, but I think Shep should sacrifice themselves. Sacrifice is such a huge theme of the series and I think Shep surviving would undercut the gravitas of the story. I'm really hoping they don't sneak a Shep lives reveal in the next game.
I'm so sorry you've chosen to follow up with Andromeda :D
But seriously, its a pretty good story, its just really wonky.
Thanks for letting me join in your journey, I'm glad you had fun and got to share in one of the best RPG experiences gaming has to offer!
Shepherd. A messianic figure, literally. They were never meant to just retire.
I always pick destroy. It sucks to lose EDI and the Geth, but I never felt comfortable with the other 2 choices. Control, absolutely not. To give one entity, even Shepard, complete control over what are essentially hyper-powerful war machines seemed too risky. Synthesis is postulated as 'ideal' but it forces hybridisation of every living thing in the galaxy. Not just the main species, but every plant, animal and ecosystem on every planet in every star cluster. Plus EDI mentions transcending mortality. The idea of a galaxy of immortal beings controlling thousands of giant battleships alongside their own fleets seemed a very dangerous thing.
No choice is perfect.
Yeah it's challenging is picking between options that all have down sides. Everyone has to choose what feels best for them.
That’s sounds like a good thing if we’d ever see a cross galactic war
if I may ask: at what point does it say they'd be immortal? at no point is that ever stated or implied.
@ EDI says they’d transcend mortality itself
Everyone has their own journey with ME. Glad you finished, what a ride!! Been here since the start. If you up to it, try all endings. You will enjoy Destroy. ;-) Some ME love for you! th-cam.com/video/re32xnyYP3A/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching the fun! ☺️
It has been denied by the devs, but I like the Shepherd Indoctrination theory. There is a video describing it, but the overall idea is that Shepherd was fighting indoctrination all game. The dreams and the ending were symbolic of this fight. The child represented the reaper’s influence on Shepherd. Doing what it wants is giving in to indoctrination. A neat interpretation
Huh, interesting...🤔
Yay synthesis!
💚
Played right into the reapers hands! 😢
At least they’re free
While this is the worst of the four turd sandwiches we got to choose from as endings (IMO), it's been a fun few years of entertainment and companionship. Thanks, Lucy!
Thanks for watching
An end once and for all
For now! 😉
So close to the the True Ending, sigh...
Until the next game confirms anything there’s no true ending
This wasn’t really the proper ending but it’s your choice
BioWare clearly intended this to be the end of the story because why else would it be the only ending that can only be unlocked by the amount of War Assets you have?
@ i’m going to say this once I will destroy the reapers no matter what I’ve played the game a numerous amount of times and I always pick the same choice over and over again
I want human 2.0 but not this way! Human nano android better! This way Overlord!
It’s not really the same thing as no one controls them
Mass Effect 3's production is infamous for how tacked on the ending was.
During the final month of development, the lead writer took over entirely and created the Catalyst AI and the Synthesis ending because they wanted an ending that killed Shepard and left everything vague. With production so close to completion, the writing team couldn't do anything about it.
The head writer for the first two games has openly spoken on how terrible Synthesis is, and how the ending of the trilogy should have remained how he envisioned it, the Relays destroying the Reapers. Since the head writer for the third game no longer works at the studio, Bioware in-house has moved forward with Destroy since, as it's the only ending they to confirm aftermath events.
The Catalyst is operating off faulty logic from billions of years ago.
Shall we not forget every cycle is shaped by the Reapers? It claims the creation always Rebels, yet that didn't happen this cycle. The creation defended itself, then wished to be left alone... and only attacked because Reapers repeatedly used them.
The Catalyst claims you can't force Synthesis, yet turning every living organism in the galaxy into a organic/machine hybrid, rewriting their personalities, connecting everyone into a hivemind against their consent is the exact definition of forced. All those people that were turned into Husks now have to live in those grotesque bodies...
Like Mordin and Javik said, uplifting and changing a species does nothing but cause catastrophe down the line. This changes nothing, Organics have no reason not to make Synthetics. The Reapers are responsible for the genocide of billions of species, they don't get to have a happy ending, the people of the galaxy deserve a future free from the Reapers, a future where people are free to make their own choices.
which clearly they get to do after being changed by Synthesis. also... no, there's no rewriting of personalities or a hivemind at all. don't know where you got that from.
@@Shalltear773 It's not freedom and free will when the Reapers are still around. The writers confirmed EDI's speech is in reference to everyone having a hivemind, and the genetic rewrite literally changes people like Wreav into being peaceful...