Mass Effect 2 Walkthrough: Part 1, Lazarus Station to the Collector Ship

This is part 1 of our Mass Effect 2 walkthrough for the Legendary Edition. It starts when Shepard wakes up on Lazarus Station and takes you through every recruitment dossier, Horizon and the Collector Ship. Part 2 picks up with loyalty missions, ship upgrades, the Reaper IFF and the Suicide Mission.

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The whole trilogy walkthrough

Before you start: how ME2 is built

Mass Effect 2 is a "build your team" game. The story is simple: the Collectors are taking whole human colonies, and you need the best squad in the galaxy to stop them. Most of your time goes into recruitment missions (called dossiers) and then loyalty missions. The main story moves forward in steps once you have enough people.

If you import a save from Mass Effect 1, your old choices carry over. If not, the game gives you a short comic to pick the big ones. Either way works.

1. Prologue: Lazarus Station

After the opening, Shepard wakes up on Lazarus Station, a Cerberus facility under attack.

1. Follow the voice of Miranda over the intercom. Grab the pistol and learn the cover system on the first few mechs.
2. Meet Wilson, a Cerberus tech. He fights with you and can use Overload on mechs and shields.
3. Pick up Jacob on the way. Explore side rooms for weapon upgrades and credits.
4. At the shuttle bay, Miranda reveals Wilson as the traitor. Then you leave the station.

The fights are easy here. Use them to learn cover, power wheel and squad orders.

2. Freedom's Progress

Your first real mission is the empty colony of Freedom's Progress. Take Miranda and Jacob.

• You meet a quarian team led by Tali. They are looking for a young quarian, Veetor.
• Mechs and drones attack on the way. The boss is a YMIR heavy mech: hide behind cover, use Overload or Incinerate, and step back when it fires rockets. It explodes when it dies, so stay away.
• At the end, choose whether Veetor goes with Tali or with Cerberus. Let him go with Tali. This helps you later in Tali's loyalty mission.

Back on the new Normandy SR-2, the Illusive Man gives you the first set of dossiers.

3. First set of dossiers

You can do these in any order. Omega has two of them, so it's a good first stop. The station boss, Aria T'Loak, sits in the club Afterlife and gives you directions.

Dossier: The Professor (Mordin)

Mordin Solus is running a clinic in the Omega slums, where a plague has broken out. Fight through Blood Pack vorcha and krogan, and turn the air fans back on along the way. Vorcha and krogan hate fire, so Incinerate is great here. Mordin is the most important early recruit: he is the one who works on protection from the Collector swarms.

Dossier: Archangel (Garrus)

Also on Omega. Three merc gangs (Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack) have a vigilante called Archangel trapped in a base. You join the mercs as a "recruit" and then switch sides. Bosses come in order: Jaroth and his mechs, Garm and the krogan, then Tarak in a gunship. Archangel is an old friend: Garrus. Stay in cover during the gunship fight and shoot it when its shield is down.

Dossier: The Convict (Jack)

Go to the prison ship Purgatory to buy a prisoner from Warden Kuril. It's a trap. Fight through guards and mechs to Jack's cell, then take on Kuril himself. He has strong shields, so bring Overload or a squadmate who has it.

Dossier: The Warlord (Grunt)

On Korlus you are after the krogan scientist Okeer. Blue Suns and their krogan are everywhere. Their leader, Jedore, fights you at the end with krogan help; kill the krogan first, and use cover a lot. Okeer gives you his "perfect" krogan in a tank. You can open the tank later on the Normandy: that's Grunt.

DLC recruits: Zaeed and Kasumi

The Legendary Edition includes both. Zaeed Massani waits on Omega (Dossier: The Veteran) and joins straight away. Kasumi Goto is near the docks on the Citadel (Dossier: The Master Thief). Recruit both early. They are free squad members and they count when the Suicide Mission gets hard.

4. Horizon

After you recruit Mordin and enough of the first group, the game sends you to Horizon, a colony under Collector attack. Mordin gives your squad protection against the seeker swarms.

1. Push through the colony. Collectors use Barriers, so biotic powers that strip them (and Warp) are useful.
2. Kill the Husks and Abominations before they reach you. Abominations explode.
3. Get the colony defence towers working. You meet an old squadmate from Mass Effect 1 here.
4. Final fight: a Praetorian. It's a big flying Collector with a barrier and armour. Keep moving between cover when it floats close, and hit it with heavy weapons and armour-stripping powers. Take its barrier down first, then the armour.

5. Second set of dossiers

Horizon unlocks three more recruits.

Dossier: Tali

Tali is on Haestrom, a planet with a dangerous sun. Stay in the shade or your shields drop. Near the end, a geth Colossus attacks. Save Kal'Reegar: tell him to stay in cover and not to charge the Colossus. His survival helps in Tali's loyalty mission.

Dossier: The Assassin (Thane)

On Illium, Thane Krios is going after Nassana Dantius in Dantius Towers. Fight up through Eclipse mercs. Spare the salarian workers you meet on the way if you like; it's your call. Thane joins at the top.

Dossier: The Justicar (Samara)

Also on Illium. Talk to Detective Anaya, the asari police officer looking into the case, then fight through Eclipse mercs to find Samara. Help her and she joins you.

6. Collector Ship

Once you have eight squad members and have done a few more missions after Horizon, the Illusive Man calls about a disabled Collector Ship. You can't skip it.

• Walk through the ship. You'll find out what happened to the colonists. It's grim.
• The fights are against Collectors, Husks and Scions, bulky Husks with a ranged shockwave. Kill Scions from far away with powers.
• Near the end, it's a trap. You face waves of Collectors on platforms that keep moving. Take high cover and use squad powers.
• The final enemy is another Praetorian. Same plan as Horizon: barrier first, then armour, and keep moving.

After the Collector Ship, the Reaper IFF mission unlocks. Do not do it yet. Part 2 explains why the timing matters so much.

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Don't have it yet? Mass Effect Legendary Edition is often on sale.

Tips for this part

• Talk to everyone on the Normandy between missions. New conversations lead to loyalty missions and ship upgrades.
• Scan planets for minerals early. You need a lot of Palladium, Platinum and Iridium for research and ship upgrades later.
• Use the right ammo power. Shields: Overload. Barriers: Warp. Armour: Incinerate or Warp.
• Keep Kal'Reegar alive and send Veetor with Tali. These two small choices make Tali's loyalty mission much easier.

My take

The recruitment missions are where Mass Effect 2 shines. Each one feels like a small movie about a new character, and Archangel is still one of my favourite missions in the whole trilogy. My only advice is to slow down and talk to people. Which recruit did you pick up first?

FAQ

Can I miss any squadmates in Mass Effect 2?

Not really. Everyone except Legion comes from a dossier that stays open until the end. Zaeed and Kasumi are included in the Legendary Edition. You can only pick one of Samara or Morinth later on.

When does Horizon start?

It triggers after you recruit Mordin and enough of the first dossier group. If it hasn't started, finish another dossier and check the Galaxy Map.

Should I do side missions before Horizon?

Yes, there is no penalty for doing side missions and dossiers in this part. The only mission you should delay is the Reaper IFF, which comes after the Collector Ship.

How long is Mass Effect 2?

The main story alone takes around 20 to 25 hours. With all loyalty missions and side content, plan for 30 to 40 hours.

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