The Mass Effect series is known for its deep and engaging narratives. Each of the four main games includes their own tales, and the first three are part of one big overarching story. Those are just the main plotlines, as there are also plenty of smaller stories and arcs in every installment.

So it's fair to say that there are plenty of plot points to keep track of and tons of lore to remember. It's understandable if you miss or forget a few things! But unfortunately, that can make it harder to understand the multiple endings of each game. This is what happens in every conclusion.

Updated February 17, 2024 By Ben Jessey: Each Mass Effect game has a deep main narrative. As such, it's easy to get a bit lost when you reach one of the game's conclusions. So, we created this piece to fully explain each game's ending. And now, in this update, we've cleaned the explainer up a bit to make it as clear as possible.

Mass Effect Ending

Towards the end of the first Mass Effect game, Sovereign, Saren, and an army of Geth use the Conduit to teleport onto the Citadel. Their goal is to put Sovereign in control of the whole station. The Reaper intends to use the disguised mass relay so that its brethren can quickly transport from Dark Space and start their invasion.

However, before that can happen, Shepard manages to put an end to Saren and the Alliance destroys Sovereign. Amid the chaos, you have the chance to save the Council or let them die, which directly impacts the game's epilogue.

Sacrifice The Council Ending

If the Council is dead when you achieve victory, Shepard meets with Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson. The scene differs slightly depending on if you're a Paragon or Renegade.

In both cases, Udina suggests creating a new council with a human chairman, but in the Renegade version, he believes the rest of the members should be human, too. You get to choose the leader of this new Council, and your options are Udina or Anderson.

Save The Council Ending

Your morality doesn't matter for this ending, as it only impacts where this scene takes place. So whether you're a Paragon or Renegade, the Council invites Shepard, Udina, and Anderson to a meeting on the Citadel.

In appreciation for saving their lives, they offer humanity a Council seat. You can choose either Udina or Anderson to take the spot.

What Is The Canon Ending?

There isn't a true canon regarding the fate of the Council. But in Mass Effect 2's default world state, they're dead, so sacrificing them could be considered the intended choice. If you do so, they each get a replacement from their same species, and the full human Council Udina envisions never materializes.

As for the human representative on the Council, it seems like you're supposed to pick Udina. By Mass Effect 3, he has the position regardless of who you selected.

Mass Effect 2 Ending

The iconic Suicide Mission serves as the conclusion to Mass Effect 2. During it, Shepard (alongside the team they've created) has to infiltrate and fight through a Collector base. Your choices throughout the game dictate which of your squad lives or dies during the assault.

In the end, you get the opportunity to blow the base up once and for all. However, before you can do so, The Illusive Man comes on comms and congratulates your efforts.

He then orders you to trigger a Radiation pulse to kill the remaining adversaries while keeping the place intact. As a result, Cerberus could use the research cultivated by the Collectors' sick experiments to further their own cause. You get to choose between preserving or destroying the base.

Preserve Base Ending

Even when you save the base, you still need to make a quick exit; otherwise, you will be caught in the radiation pulse. Therefore, after defeating the final boss, you and your team sprint back to the Normandy.

After you return home, you have another conversation with the Illusive Man, who's incredibly glad that you decided to keep the base standing. Once you leave, he grins while thinking about everything he could gain from the Collectors' research.

Destroy Base Ending

The destroy ending isn't too different from the preserve one. You still need to beat the final boss and run to the Normandy. Yet once you're back, The Illusive Man isn't happy to see you.

He's angry that you blew up a bunch of potentially useful resources, and the two of you get into a spat. It comes to an end when you leave the room.

Shepard Death Ending

Your decision regarding what to do with the base doesn't matter if everyone in your squad dies. In that situation, Shepard's escape from the facility ends very differently.

The protagonist jumps onto the Normandy like normal, but Joker isn't strong enough to pull the Commander up on his own. Therefore, Shepard falls to their death. Afterward, Joker meets with The Illusive Man in Shepard's stead.

What Is The Canon Ending?

The secret ending is certainly non-canon as the story of Mass Effect 3 requires a living Shepard. As such, you can't import a save where the Commander is no longer alive.

As for the base's fate, neither end has been confirmed as canon, which is no surprise as it's one of those Mass Effect choices that doesn't actually matter. Besides the odd piece of dialogue, Mass Effect 3 is the same regardless of the decision you make.

Mass Effect 3 Ending

In the final quest of the third game, Shepard and their allies go to Earth to finally end the Reaper threat. Once there, the Commander gets involved in plenty of battles with Reaper forces, but the main objective is to reach the conduit.

Eventually, Shepard succeeds and gets teleported to a strange part of the Citadel. Then they have a final confrontation with The Illusive Man before meeting the Catalyst, who reveals a lot.

It turns out the Catalyst is an ancient AI that holds the collective consciousness of the Reapers. The Leviathans created the being to manage the constant conflict between Organics and Synthetics.

The Catalyst realized that every Organic civilization would create Synthetic life to help them. Yet, those machines would evolve too much, and chaos would inevitably ensue. The AI's solution was to develop the Reapers to end civilizations before they went to war with their own creations.

Once you learn the purpose of the Reapers, you're forced to make a big decision about how to end their attack. You can either control them, destroy them, or make them obsolete by merging Synthetics and Organics together.

The exact specifics of these endings depend on various factors, including your EMS. These are generalized explanations.

Destroy Ending

Choosing to destroy the Reapers will cause the Crucible to fire a destructive ball of energy across the galaxy, damaging the mass relays and the Citadel in the process. It also ends all Synthetic life, including the Reapers and the Geth.

The Normandy gets put under threat too, as Joker desperately tries to escape the blast. When the ship crash lands, some (if any) surviving members of your team walk out of it. Hackett then provides a chilling voice-over to bring the game to an end.

Control Ending

To control the machines, Shepard has to sacrifice themself. Once in command, the hero forces the Reapers to leave Earth while a galaxy-wide pulse is unleashed. As a result, the Mass Relays and Citadel take some damage.

As for The Normandy, it gets downed. But Joker is guaranteed to survive and exit the ship with some of your favorite squadmates. Afterward, the remaining crew put their Commander's name on the memorial wall. Speaking of Shepard, while they aren't physically alive, they still exist in some form. And they give the concluding voice-over for this one.

Synthesis Ending

For the Synthesis ending, Shepard has to add their energy to the Crucible, which creates a new, synthesized DNA. Then the Crucible alters every being in the galaxy on a genetic level, so they all share this new DNA. Therefore, there is no longer a dividing line between Synthetic and Organic species as everyone is the same.

The mass relays, the Citadel, and all of the galaxy's inhabitants remain unscathed. The Normandy is also safe, as Joker lands on a planet and exits the ship alongside a few squadmates. EDI delivers a final voice-over where she appreciates what Shepard did while the remaining crew holds a memorial for their fallen Commander.

Refusal Ending

In a somewhat secret ending, you can refuse to use the Crucible. The Catalyst responds by announcing that the cycle will continue. And it's right, as the Reapers wipe out all of the most evolved races in the galaxy.

Yet there is still hope for a future civilization. In the next scene, you see a hologram left by Liara. It serves as a warning about the Reapers, and it includes all of the information she has about the machines. She hopes that it will help the next set of races put an end to the cycle of extinction.

What Is The Canon Ending?

At this time, there isn't a confirmed canon ending for ME3. But several teasers for the next entry in the series suggest that Shepard destroying all synthetic life is the true conclusion to the game.

For example, Liara is in one of the trailers, which means it's unlikely the Refusal ending is canon, as she seemingly dies with everyone else in that instance. The synthesis one is also ruled out because the Asari didn't have the green glow that everyone with the synthesized DNA received.

Control is still a possibility, but the teasers also show Reaper and Geth corpses, so it's more likely to be the destroy conclusion.

Mass Effect Andromeda Ending

The last priority op in Mass Effect Andromeda sees Ryder save their sibling and put an end to the Archon.

With him out of the way, the Pathfinder activates Meridian, which makes all of the Helius cluster planets liveable. Finally, the Nexus has a litany of habitable worlds, and life in Andromeda seems possible at last. After a bit of celebration, the credits begin to roll.

But it's not over, as an epilogue begins. In it, you need to decide who is going to be the ambassador to the Nexus. You have several options.

August Bradley As Ambassador

Bradley is a proven leader and does a great job running Eos. So, the decision to select him as ambassador goes down pretty well.

People aren't overly excited about the choice, but nobody has major complaints, either. The only concern raised is that he's not used to a position with this much responsibility.

The Salarian Pathfinder As Ambassador

At this point in the story, the Salarian Pathfinder is either Zevin Raeka or Lumont Hayjer. Neither of them is a popular choice for the ambassador position. After all, selecting someone already within the Initiative family is seen as an uninspired idea.

Plus, many feel that having a Salarian speak for all of the people in Helius isn't right, especially with the power the race already has due to Director Tann's position. In fact, Tann is pretty much the only one in favor of the decision.

Moshae Sjefa As Ambassador

Helius was the Angara's home long before the residents of the Milky Way entered Andromeda. Therefore, choosing the Moshae is logical as it gives the Angaran people some influence.

Not everyone is happy with this selection, though. Tann is the most upset as he feels you're giving too much power to Initiative outsiders.

Nakmor Morda As Ambassador

Nakmor Morda is only an option if you haven't created an outpost on Elaaden. Not everyone is on board with giving a Krogan such power, especially Tann.

The general reaction isn't a surprise as the other races haven't always got on well with the Krogan. But it isn't usually the powerhouses' fault, and members of the race are ecstatic to hear that one of them has actually been given some influence for once.

What Is The Canon Ending?

Because of the backlash this entry in the series got, Bioware hasn't made any follow-up to this story. Therefore, no choice for ambassador has been made canon. And without a sequel, the selection doesn't mean much anyway.