The Mass Effect trilogy is a series full of different choices that can really branch the narrative off in a variety of directions. Whether it be something big like saving the Council in the first game or something seemingly small like a side quest, some choices will have dramatic effects on those around Commander Shepard. One of those decisions is whether or not to save either the Geth or Quarians in Mass Effect 3.

It is one of the few choices that is neither exclusively paragon or renegade but is an agonizing decision nevertheless. Thankfully though there is a way to save both that involves a plethora of outcomes extending back to Mass Effect 2. Here is how to save both unique species in Mass Effect 3.

Updated June 15, 2022 By Ben Jessey: Seeing the Geth and Quarians finally end their conflict and work together is one of the best moments in Mass Effect 3. However, it’s very difficult to actually make it happen as there are plenty of things you must do in both ME2 and ME3 to achieve this outcome. So, many people slip up, and one race ends up eliminating the other.

To avoid that happening to anyone else, we created this guide to inform you of all the steps you must take to achieve harmony between the races. Yet, we felt the guide needed a bit of a clean-up to make it as clear as possible. So, now, it should have everything you need to know to save the Geth and the Quarians.

What Determines The Geth And Quarians’ Survival

Several actions and choices from the games impact whether peace between the Geth and Quarians is possible. However, not all of them are of the same value.

Some actions have to be taken no matter what. If you fail to do even one of them, either the Geth or Quarians will perish.

Yet, there are also several other actions that impact how everything plays out. Each of these comes with a point total. To keep both races alive, you need to accumulate at least five points. So, you must do some of them, but it’s okay to miss a few.

What To Do In Mass Effect 2

The bulk of what to do actually does not lie in Mass Effect 3 but rather in the second game. All of which surround Tali and Legion.

Do Not Sell Legion To Cerberus (Primary Action)

Once you destroy the core of the Reaper husk, Shepard will take Legion’s body with them aboard the Normandy. After they escape the exploding Reaper, Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob discuss what to do with the surprisingly helpful Geth.

Here you will have the option of either selling Legion’s body to Cerberus or activating it to talk to him. To save both the Geth and Quarians, do not sell Legion off to Cerberus. Like Tali, Legion is an essential figure in formulating peace between the two species. Not having him around ruins the chance for peace.

Ensure Tali And Legion Survive The Suicide Mission (Primary Action)

The suicide mission in Mass Effect 2 can see multiple squad mates bite the dust permanently should Shepard go in unprepared. It is absolutely vital that both Tali and Legion survive, which is easier said than done.

Before the even mission even starts, three important ship upgrades must be acquired or else Shepard will lose three squad members straight out the gate and one of those could be Tali or Legion.

Ship upgrades needed are:

  • Heavy Ship Armor (talk to Jacob about Normandy upgrades or complete his loyalty mission) Mult-Core Shielding (talk to Tali about Normandy upgrades or complete her loyalty mission) Thanix Cannon (talk to Garrus about Normandy upgrades or complete his loyalty mission)

After dramatically sticking the landing onto the Collector Base, a game plan is formed as to how to move further inside the base. One of which will require a tech expert to move through a series of vents. Choosing either Tali or Legion for this is best.

Do not choose either of these two for other jobs besides the tech one since they will die if they are given a task ill-suited for their skillset. It is also important that both are loyal so that way if they are given the tech task, they can do it without distractions otherwise they will die.

It is also important to pick the right biotic escort when moving through the seeker swarm since choosing the wrong one could result in one of them dying due to the shield going down prematurely if they were brought along with Shepard. The best biotic for this task is either a loyal Samara or a loyal Jack (as long as you’ve given her the biotic upgrade).

After this point, the two characters have a good chance of surviving, assuming you’ve got loyal and powerful squad members holding the line. Alternatively, if both characters are loyal, you can pick them as your final squad - you choose it directly after the seeker swarm section. As long as they’re both loyal, and part of your squad for the ending fight, they will automatically survive.

Complete Tali’s Loyalty Mission And Make Sure She’s Not Exiled (Secondary Action: 2 Points)

Tali’s loyalty mission, called Treason, sees her on trial for betraying her people by allegedly sending active Geth units to her father. You will eventually discover that it was her dad’s fault and had nothing to do with Tali. She will then beg Shepard not to show the evidence at the trial to maintain her father’s good name.

When the time comes to present the findings, you shouldn’t snitch on her father as that will mean you can’t gain her loyalty. Yet, if you want the points towards saving the Quarians and Geth, you can’t let Tali get exiled either.

A charm and intimidate prompt can be selected should the player have enough paragon or renegade points, respectively, which is about three bars worth. Doing this will make them rule that Tali is innocent, and her father’s name will also remain clean.

Even if you don’t have the paragon or renegade points, you can still get that outcome. To do so, you must do the following:

  • Allow Veetor to go with Tali in the Freedom’s Progress mission early in the game. Convince Kal’Reegar to stand down during Dossier: Tali. Talk with the Admirals in this loyalty mission before re-taking the Alarei.

If you do all that, you can rally the crowd during the trial, which helps save the day.

Complete Legion’s Loyalty Mission And Destroy The Geth heretics (Secondary Action: 2 Points)

Legion is likely the last squad member that Shepard recruits for the suicide mission. His loyalty quest should open up right after he is recruited if he is the last team member you get. Legion’s mission sees Shepard going with him to a Geth heretic station.

At the end of the mission, Legion will give you the choice of either wiping out the remaining heretics or using an EMP pulse to rewrite them. Destroying them might seem like a morally questionable choice, but it helps save both races. Rewriting them doesn’t have the same impact.

Resolve Tali and Legion’s Argument Without Taking A Side (Secondary Action: 1 Point)

After Legion’s loyalty mission is completed, a cutscene will play out of Joker notifying Shepard that Tali has gone off to have a “chat” with Legion. When Shepard gets to their location, Tali will have a gun drawn on Legion saying she caught Legion trying to send data about the Migrant Fleet to the rest of the Geth. Both will make their points and then Shepard will be prompted to make a decision as to how to resolve it.

Provided the player has four bars worth of paragon and renegade points, they will be able to end the argument without siding with one or the other. Convincing them both to stand down will then see Tali send non-classified data to Legion after understanding his attentions, for which the latter is grateful.

What To Do In Mass Effect 3

There is surprisingly not as much to do in Mass Effect 3 when compared to its predecessor but the effects of the decisions made before can really be seen. Resolving the argument between Tali and Legion will result in the former changing her stance on war with the Geth with her now opposing it rather than supporting it like before.

What needs to be done to achieve peace and save them starts right after the Geth dreadnought is destroyed.

Complete Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons (Primary Action)

After the Geth dreadnought is dealt with, you will be able to get the Geth Fighter Squadrons mission from Legion. It’s a side mission, but it must be done before Priority: Rannoch if you want peace between the Geth and Quarians.

It’s worth doing anyway, as it allows you to enter the Geth Consensus and see their side of the conflict.

Complete Rannoch: Admiral Koris (Secondary Action: 1 Point) And Save Admiral Koris (Secondary Action: 1 Point)

Another mission on Rannoch involves attempting to take down AA guns and rescuing Admiral Koris, who crashed onto the planet in the dreadnought mission. Once the guns are down, Shepard will then be engaged in a conversation with the admiral, who is under heavy attack by the Geth. Shepard urges him to send them his location, but Koris insists instead on them rescuing his people.

Having enough paragon or renegade points will enable Shepard to convince Koris to be picked up and thus rescue him but at the cost of the other Quarians. Koris will then later back you up when you attempt to broker peace.

Time To Save Both The Geth And Quarians

After all this and defeating the Reaper on Rannoch, the time will come for Legion to upload the Reaper code to ensure his people still have their intelligence while not worshipping the Reapers. However, the Quarians are already attacking the Geth. So, if the synthetic race receives the boost of the Reaper code, they’d wipe out their attackers in self-defense. Alternatively, if the Geth don’t improve, the Quarians will wipe them out.

You must ignore Tali’s protests and tell Legion to upload the code. Shepard then tells Tali to call off the Quarians’ attack before the Reaper code is uploaded. She fails, but if you’ve got enough reputation, done all the primary actions, and enough of the secondary ones, you will have a paragon or renegade option that you can choose.

By selecting either the paragon or renegade option, you manage to convince the Quarians to stand down, and peace is finally achieved. Unfortunately, Legion has to sacrifice himself to make it happen, though. Still, it enables both Quarian and Geth assets to be used against the Reapers when launching the assault on Earth.