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The great thing about the Mass Effect series is that once you've created your custom Commander Shepard in the first game, you can then carry on the same career in the next two games as well. This means that the way you shaped your character and the decisions you made that impacted the world all carry across to the next two titles.
As well as your character background and story-impacting choices, there are additional bonuses to importing your old Commander Shepard. We've got a full breakdown of what carries over when you import your previous save files. In Mass Effect Legendary Edition, playing through all three games with the same character will unlock the Long Service Medal achievement/trophy.
Updated April 16, 2023: We've updated this guide for better readability and added additional information and links to relevant guides so that you can ensure you get the outcome you want.
Importing Your Previous Character
When you start up Mass Effect 2 or Mass Effect 3, you will be given the option to import your character from the previous game in the series.
You can then select which career you wish to import, and the game will showcase the decisions you made during that career, as well as your chosen background and psychological profile.
You will be given the opportunity to change your appearance and your class when importing a previous character, but the rest of your history remains the same.
Mass Effect 3 will not allow you to import your Mass Effect 2 save file if Shepard died at the end of the Suicide Mission.
What Carries Over From Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2
Stats
Your level and money do not carry over. However, you will receive the following bonuses based on the level of the character you import.
For Legendary Mode characters, the game factors in your level as if it were multiplied by two.
|
Level of Your Character |
Starting Bonuses |
|---|---|
|
1 - 49 |
|
|
50 - 59 |
|
|
60 |
|
Other Bonuses That Carry Over
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Credits:
- If you reach 1 million credits in Mass Effect, you will begin Mass Effect 2 with an additional 100,000 credits.
In the original game, unlocking the Rich achievement was required for this bonus, but in the Legendary Edition, this accolade does not exist.
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Morality Points:
- While your Paragon and Renegade Points do not transfer over in full, a portion of them will be. So, if you were heavily Paragon in Mass Effect, then you'll start Mass Effect 2 with a chunk of Paragon Points already on your stat bar.
Plot Choices
When it comes to major choices that you made that affect the plot in Mass Effect, the consequences will echo in Mass Effect 2. The world you find yourself in, including how people treat you, who is present, and some of your options will all be affected by the following:
Most Prominent Plot Consequences
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Whether Wrex survived Virmire |
Wrex will make an appearance as the leader of Clan Urdnot if he survived, if not, Urdnot Wreav fulfills this role. We have a full guide on keeping Wrex alive here. |
|
Whether you chose to save Kaidan or Ashley on Virmire |
Whoever died will naturally not reappear, while the other will feature in the game, though not as a squadmate or romance option. We have a full guide on this choice here. |
|
Whether you saved the Citadel Council or let them die |
You can see the consequences of this choice here. |
|
Who you nominated as the human representative for the Council |
You can see the consequences of this choice here. |
Other Plot Consequences:
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Who you romanced |
Their picture will be present in your quarters, and you will face an awkward conversation with them if you have started a new romance with someone else. We have a full romance guide here. |
|
Whether you spared Fist or killed him |
If Fist survived, you can meet him in Afterlife. |
|
Whether you manage to save the colonists on Feros |
If the colonists were saved, you will meet a representative of theirs on Illium. |
|
Whether you let Balak go or killed him in the Bring Down the Sky mission |
You will hear differing news reports depending on whether Balak is still at large or not. We have a full guide on this assignment right here. |
|
Whether you encouraged Garrus to be Renegade (killing the doctor) or Paragon (sparing the doctor) during his personal assignment |
If you encouraged Garrus to be Renegade, he trained to be a Spectre but never went through with it. If he is Paragon, he tried to rejoin C-Sec and it didn't work out. We have a full guide on how to affect Garrys's morality here. |
|
Whether you gave Tali the data for her pilgrimage in her personal assignment |
If you gave Tali the data, you can mention this to prove to her you are the real Commander Shepard. |
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Whether Captain Kirrahe survived Virmire |
Mordin will talk to you about Captain Kirrahe and the conversation differs depending on whether Kirrahe survived or not. We have a full guide on this here. |
|
Whether you spared Rana Thanoptis on Virmire |
If Rana lived, you will encounter her on Korlus. |
|
Whether you spared the Rachni Queen on Noveria |
If saved, the Rachni Queen will message you with her thanks and there will be news reports of rachni ships that run away when spotted. If she was killed, a news report will mention rachni cloning at Peak 15. We have a full guide on the consequences of this right here. |
|
Whether you helped Gianna Parasini on Noveria |
If you helped Gianna, you can find her on Illium and pick up a new assignment. |
Additionally, choices you made in optional assignments may also cause changes in gameplay, such as emails you receive, passing comments, or small cameos. These include things like how you treated Konrad Verner or if you helped Emily Wong.
What Carries Over From Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3
Stats
Your level will carry over from Mass Effect 2 into Mass Effect 3, and should you choose to remain as the same class, all of your abilities will remain the same too. If you choose to change classes, you will have lots of ability points to spend immediately (as per your level). Your credits do not carry over.
Plot Choices
Once again, your choices in the previous two games will have consequences in Mass Effect 3. Here is everything that will affect the game in some way, whether it is the plot, how characters are towards you, or the content available:
Most Prominent Plot Consequences (Mass Effect):
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Whether Wrex survived Virmire |
Wrex will make an appearance as the leader of Clan Urdnot if he survived, if not, Urdnot Wreav fulfills this role. We have a full guide on keeping Wrex alive here. |
|
Whether you chose to save Kaidan or Ashley on Virmire |
Whoever died will naturally not reappear. Whoever did survive has since become a Spectre and can rejoin you as a squadmate. We have a full guide on this choice here. |
|
Whether you saved the Citadel Council or let them die |
You can see the consequences of this choice here. |
|
Who you nominated as the human representative for the Council |
You can see the consequences of this choice here. |
Most Prominent Plot Consequences (Mass Effect 2):
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Which of your squadmates survived the Suicide Mission |
Garrus and Tali will be squadmates once more if they survived, whereas other squadmates from Mass Effect 2 will appear in some form if they survived, but not be available for your team. We have a full guide on how to ensure all your squadmates survive here. |
|
Which of the Normandy crew survived the Suicide Mission |
Dr. Chakwas, Kelly, Gabby, and Kenneth will appear if they survived, and some of them return to your crew. We have a full guide on this here. |
|
Whether Legion survived and if it was sold to Cerberus |
If Legion survived, it will help to fight the Reapers. However, if you sold Legion to Cerberus, you must fight it on Chronis Station. We have a full guide on that here. |
|
Whether you saved or destroyed the genophage research during Mordin's personal assignment |
The details surrounding Eve the female Krogan will differ depending on the choice you made. We have a full guide on this here. |
|
Whether you rewrote or destroyed the heretic geth collective during Legion's personal assignment |
If you destroyed the heretics, the Quarians will be a stronger war asset, while the Geth will be a weaker war asset. If you rewrite the heretics, they will provide a stronger war asset, while the Quarians will be a weaker war asset. We have a full guide on this here. |
|
Whether you killed or saved Morinth during Samara's personal assignment |
If Morinth was killed, Samara will make an appearance and be a war asset. If Morinth was saved, you will have to fight her on Earth. |
|
Whether you destroyed or preserved the Collector Base |
If destroyed, you will get the Reaper Heart war asset. If preserved, you will get the Reaper Brain war asset. We have a full guide on this right here. |
Other Plot Consequences (Mass Effect):
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Whether you manage to save the colonists on Feros |
If the colonists were saved, they become a war asset. |
|
Whether you let Balak go or killed him in the Bring Down the Sky mission |
If you let Balak live, he will appear during the Citadel: Batarian Codes mission. We have a full guide on this assignment right here. |
|
Whether Captain Kirrahe survived Virmire |
If Captain Kirrahe survived, he will be an available war asset. Kirrahe will also have a different fate depending on whether Thane survived in Mass Effect 2. We have a full guide on this here. |
|
Whether you spared Rana Thanoptis on Virmire |
If you spared Rana, you will find out that she was indoctrinated. |
|
Whether you spared the Rachni Queen on Noveria |
If saved, the Rachni Queen will be captured by the Reapers but will lend you her support if you free her. If you did not save her, an artificial Rachni Queen will take her place which is far less trustworthy. We have a full guide on the consequences of this right here. |
Other Plot Consequences (Mass Effect 2):
|
Decision |
Consequences |
|---|---|
|
Who you romanced |
Some characters in Mass Effect 3 can only be romanced if they were previously romanced in Mass Effect 2. We have a full guide on this choice here. |
|
Whether you completed Kasumi's personal assignment |
Kasumi reappears in Mass Effect 3 but will only help in the war if you completed her personal assignment. We have a full guide on her assignment right here. |
|
Whether you completed the Lair of the Shadow Broker mission |
If you completed this mission, you will receive an upgrade at the start of the game and have different conversation options with Liara. We have a full walkthrough of this mission right here. |
|
Whether you completed the Arrival mission |
If you didn't complete this mission, the war asset value of the Alliance 103rd Marine Division will lose 50 military strength. |
|
Whether you prevented or allowed Tali to be exiled |
If you prevented Tali's exile, it will be easier to broker peace between the Quarians and the Geth. We have a full guide on this right here. |
Once again, any small choices you made in optional assignments or personal assignments for your squadmates may also present various news reports, emails, passing comments, or small cameos from characters you have met before.
Items:
The following items will carry over from Mass Effect 2, although you may have to track them down in the case of some of the collectibles.
- Primary ship upgrades
- Mineral resources
- Model ships — can be found hidden throughout the Normandy and various missions
- Space hamster — can be found in Engineering
- Pet fish (providing you arranged for Kelly to feed them)