14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare games always let players choose between two moral sides, whether they’re simply called Persuade or Intimidate like in Dragon Age, or stylized like the Way of the Open Palm and the Way of the Closed Fist seen in Jade Empire.
In Mass Effect, players can choose between taking Paragon or Renegade decisions in certain aspects.
The first aims at the best result and sees Commander Shepard, the protagonist, try to please everyone he interacts with. The second delivers a more pragmatic approach, as Shepard just wants results, no matter who or what gets caught in the process.
BioWare revamped this morality system in Mass Effect 3, but you’ll still mostly be presented with Paragon and Renegade choices during certain moments of the game.
The biggest difference between the new game and its predecessors, however, is that these decisions aren’t as clear cut.
While in the last two games your problems were much simpler, do you shoot a guy or keep him alive to be punished, the new title poses some trickier questions.
One such decision appeared during Shepard’s attempts at rescuing the Quarian race after its failed attack on their former homeworld of Rannoch.
During a side quest you need to rescue a Quarian admiral who crash landed on the planet. The admiral, however, wants Shepard to try to rescue the remnants of his fleet.
You’re now presented with two choices: either go and save the big number of stragglers, or leave them to die while you rescue the admiral.
At first, you might think that saving more people was a Paragon decision, while saving just one person is a Renegade one.
You’re wrong, as the Paragon option convinces the admiral to accept Shepard’s help and basically forfeits the lives of his subordinates.
This kind of moments really puts into perspective just how serious the war between the galaxy and the Reapers is. Seeing as how the alien ships can easily carve their way through millions of civilians, you need leaders, not cannon fodder, even if it means sacrificing the latter.
What other hard decisions did you make in Mass Effect 3? Share your experiences below.