Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has let fans of the iconic sci-fi series relive one of the best stories BioWare has to offer. That comes at a cost, however - they also have to relive some of the original Mass Effect trilogy's saddest scenes as well.
There are plenty of heartbreaking moments throughout Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, especially in Mass Effect 3. Even in a trilogy where every squadmate can die in the second game, there are still a few moments across the first three games that stand out as particularly depressing.
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Mordin's death is one of the most memorable moments of melodrama in Mass Effect 3, and one of the squadmate deaths that isn't the result of Renegade choices. Having worked on the genophage earlier in his career, Mordin Solus finds himself as the only person able to cure it and save the Krogan from a slow march toward extinction.
Singing his own version of a Gilbert and Sullivan song as he releases the cure from the top of a tower collapsing around him, Mordin's sacrifice is more bitter-sweet than purely depressing. There's something about the sudden explosion that kills the Salarian scientist, however, which is a painful reminder that in redeeming his past, Mordin's life is violently snuffed out before he gets to see the future he helped create.
Ashley and Kaiden are already central to one of Mass Effect 1's saddest moments, the Virmire sacrifice. It is the reunion Shepard has with the Virmire survivor on Horizon in Mass Effect 2, however, which can feel particularly bleak, especially if Shepard romanced the survivor in the first game.
While both Kaiden and Ashley will initially be pleased to see Shepard, their relief quickly turns to anger over their unnecessary grief and Shepard working with Cerberus. It goes to show just how much has changed in the two years since Shepard's death, and their sense of betrayal is palpable. It's a reminder that despite Shepard's survival, they've still sacrificed a lot to fight the Reapers and will lose even more before the end of the trilogy. For players who romanced Kaiden or Ashley, it's a bad break-up that cannot be reconciled until Mass Effect 3, and only after the Virmire survivor has pointed a gun at Shepard during Cerberus' invasion of the Citadel.
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If the player fails to stop the destruction of the Migrant Fleet during Mass Effect 3, Tali and Shepard stand on a cliff-edge and watch the Flotilla burn up in Rannoch's atmosphere. Throughout the scene the pair can hear the panicking Quarian command over their radio. When their fate is sealed Tali simply says "I'm sorry" and lets herself fall to her death. It's a particularly sad way for one of Mass Effect's most kind-hearted characters to go, especially since it's directly the result of Shepard's decision and completely unnecessary. The player can dive to try and save her, but it's too late.
At the start of the same scene, Geth squadmate Legion also dies attempting to upgrade the Geth. Each of the ways this scene can play out are moving. If Shepard stops Legion by shooting it, the Geth's final words to Tali are "Tali'Zorah... does this unit have..." with the Legion dying before it can finish its sentence - "a soul." If Legion is allowed to complete the upgrades, it will discover that the process requires it to disseminate itself across the Geth, essentially sacrificing itself for the future of its synthetic race. In this case, Tali tells Legion that the answer to its question is yes, and Legion responds "I know, Tali, but thank you. Keelah se'lai." The fact that Legion says "I" for the first time in its final moments seems to suggest it really did achieve individuality and self-awareness, only to have to sacrifice itself to give that gift to the rest of the Geth. With Mass Effect 4's trailer implying that the Destroy Ending - which kills all synthetics - may be canon, this scene becomes particularly agonizing.
Thane Krios' arc across Mass Effect 2 and 3 is already one of the series' most unavoidably tragic plotlines. In the end it isn't Thane's terminal illness that kills him, however. He is stabbed protecting Shepard from Kai Leng, but still puts up a fight. The doctors manage to repair a lot of the damage, but due to Thane's illness and a lack of Drell blood on the Citadel to use for Transfusions, Thane succumbs to his wounds.
As Thane lies dying he turns to Shepard and - assuming his loyalty missions were completed - his son, Kolyat Krios. "Commander, I'm afraid I won't be joining you again. That assassin should be embarrassed. A terminally ill Drell managed to stop him from reaching his target. There is something I must do before it gets worse." Thane recites his last prayer: "Kalahira, mistress of inscrutable depths, I ask forgiveness." His son helps him continue: "Kalahira, wash the sins from this one, and set him on the distant shore of the infinite spirit." It's a sad end to a sad story, but like many of Mass Effect's deaths, it's made all the more poignant by the character's sacrifice for the galaxy's survival.
Garrus Vakarian is one of Mass Effect's most beloved characters, so his final scene with Shepard on Earth at the end of Mass Effect 3 is particularly sad. Realizing it could be the end of the line for either or both of them, Garrus says that he's "not sure if Turian heaven is the same as yours, but if this thing goes sideways and we both end up there... Meet me at the bar." Players can tell Garrus they'll always have his back, but it's clear the end is near. It's the warmth of this scene in the face of almost-certain death that makes it so sad, reminding players of their journey across the entire trilogy.
Garrus' final scene is heartbreaking if the player romanced the renegade Turian. As an injured Garrus is being whisked away on the Normandy, Fem Shep delivers the last devastating line in their romance, "No matter what happens here... You know I love you. I always will." In an interview with IGN, Fem Shep's voice actor Jennifer Hale even said she teared up recording the scene.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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