Overview:
-Estimated trophy difficulty: 5.9/10
-Offline: 59 (1, 2, 6, 49)
-Online: No online
-Downloadable Content: 4 ( 4)
-Approximate amount of time to platinum: 35-80 hours
-Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1+
-Number of missable trophies: All loyalty missions, No One Left Behind, Against All Odds, Paramour, Big Game Hunter, Data Hound
-Glitched trophies: 1, Insanity (but you have to go out of your way to make it glitch)
-Do cheat codes disable trophies? No cheats
-Does difficulty affect trophies? Yes, Insanity

Welcome to the Mass Effect universe. If this is your first experience with the game, then here’s my best summary of the gameplay. It’s third person shooter/RPG with cover and squad mates. Unfortunately, the PS3 isn’t getting the first chapter of the series, but there is a digital comic that summarizes the first game.

Playthrough 1

Here is where you’ll get the vast majority of your trophies. You can get all but at most three in your first run. Whether you start on Insanity or another difficulty is up to you. If you’ve never played Mass Effect on computer or Xbox, then don’t start on Insanity. Take the game in, get used to the controls, and learn the weapons and powers. You can use that knowledge for your Insanity run. If you’re more interested in speed, then start on Insanity and be sure to complete the Mass Effect: Genesis digital comic. If you bought the game new, then that won’t be an issue as it’ll be free. If you rented or bought it used, then you’ll need to buy the Cerberus Network pack from the PSN store.

The first decisions that you will have to make are contained in Mass Effect: Genesis digital comic. There are six choices to make, none of which impact the trophies that will be available. All that they impact are how certain conversations play out and which characters return. There is one trophy that Genesis will impact, Long Service Medal. Just by completing the comic, you will fulfill part of the requirements for it. Which decisions you make don't matter, just as long as you complete it.

After the comic ends, you will have to decide on the build of your character. You can use any class that you want, but if you’re thinking ahead to your Insanity run, then using a Soldier or a Sentinel would be your best bet. Those are the strongest two classes for Insanity.

The mission structure is semi-linear. You’ll be given a block of story missions to complete, but you can complete them in any order that you want. There are also quite a few side missions to be found and completed for experience points and resource mining for further research. Once one block of missions is completed, another block will open up. Again, these can be completed in any order. You can complete these in any order, but you should recruit Mordin as early as possible as he'll open up the research lab.

As there usually is in role playing games, there is a point of no return, sort of. In Mass Effect 2, this point is when you go through the Omega 4 Relay. Before you pass through it, make absolutely sure that you have everything done, everyone (or at least very close to everyone) is loyal, and you have as many upgrades as you can possibly get. The upgrades that you will absolutely need to survive are the weapons, armor, and shield upgrades to the Normandy. Not everyone will survive without those. However, the game is also open ended. Any of the extra missions and side missions that you didn't complete can be done here. There will be a nice little XP boost for each mission completed as well.

The only trophies that you really have to worry about missing are the loyalty missions. Speak to each squad mate between missions as you recruit them. They are scattered around the Normandy. Each conversation that you have with them will build a level of trust. After completing the mission on Horizon, the loyalty missions will open up and become available to complete. These missions are acquired through conversations and are not required parts of the story. You will receive a notification in your journal when someone wants to speak with you about something personal. You can complete the game without completing any of these; although, the game will be much, much more difficult. If by some chance you encounter a scene where two crew members are fighting, for example, Miranda and Jack, and one of them loses their loyalty, you can get it back. You’ll need a very high paragon or renegade rating. You can also continue on. Everyone can survive with one disloyal character. See No One Left Behind for more information.

I mentioned paragon and renegade ratings above. Those ratings are influenced by the decisions that you make in missions and in conversations. The upper right conversation option is paragon and lower right the renegade option. Which option you use is up to you. It doesn’t ultimately matter which one you choose, but it’s best to be consistent. You don’t want to be in a situation where you need one of the red or blue conversation options and not have them because you’ve gone back and forth. There are also options in missions that you’ll have to decide between. Occasionally, you’ll see a red or blue icon appear on the screen with a or button next to it. Those will also influence your ratings, but will usually have a much larger impact. These can change the way your missions end and can influence a few trophies (Revenge!, Cat’s in the Cradle, and Fade Away for example).

There are two companions that will end up in a fight after you complete both of their loyalty missions, Jack/Miranda and Tali/Legion. For the first, you'll need either a very high paragon or moderately high renegade and moderately high paragon or very high renegade for the other. If you lose one of your companion's loyalty, you will need a maxed paragon/renegade rating. There is an exploit that you can take advantage of on Samara's loyalty mission (see Doppelganger). You have to choose Samara at the end. In the conversation that follows, ask her if she is ok and then when she asks if you want to leave, say that you want to look around a bit. Speak with her again and repeat as many times as you need to. It's worth +2 paragon each time. If you already have a fairly high paragon rating, you can max it out in about 15 minutes.

The trophies that require you to do a certain number of actions aren’t something that you have to worry about. Those count across playthroughs and saves. You can also check them at any time in Shepard’s quarters and you will receive notifications of your progress as you do those specific actions.

The first three sets of DLC (The Price of Revenge, Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, and Overlord) can be done at any time, including after passing through the Omega 4 relay, after acquiring the Normandy. Travel to the specific system and planet to begin the missions. Lair of the Shadow Broker requires that Illium be unlocked first and therefore will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed. They're not all classified as DLC for the PS3 version, but they are extra content.

Once you have all of the story missions, loyalty missions, and any DLC that you wish to complete, it is time to pass through the Omega 4 relay. This is the point of no return in the game, so make sure that you haven’t missed anything, done all of the research, and all (or as many as you can) squad mates are loyal. Once you are through the relay, then it becomes a matter of keeping your team alive. If you can do that, then you’ll get all of the trophies for completing the game (except for Insanity if you’re not playing on that difficulty and completing the game twice). See No One Left Behind for further information.

There is also the issue of reaching level 30. Without the initial level boost from carrying over a save from Mass Effect, you more than likely won’t reach level 30 on your first playthrough, even if you complete all of the side missions and loyalty missions. The good thing is that your character can be carried over into a new game. All of your weapons and research will cover as well. If you utilize New Game+, then it won’t take very long to reach level 30. You should finish your first playthrough in the level 23-27 range.

However, if you choose to go for every trophy on your first playthrough, then reaching level 30 is possible. Complete every story and loyalty mission. Complete one or two N7 missions (see Agent for more info). Leave Lair of the Shadow Broker, Overlord, Firewalker, the Normandy Crash Site, the remaining N7 missions, and the vast majority of journal assignments until after you complete the story. You'll get a nice XP boost (+25%) per completed mission. With the original DLC missions and the N7 missions, you should be able to reach level 30 without much trouble.

Playthrough 2: Clean Up

If you played on Insanity your first time through, then this can be a cakewalk on Casual. If you didn’t play on Insanity, then be prepared for a challenge. Insanity is fairly difficult, but it is definitely doable. Use cover effectively. Don’t stay out in the open for too long. If your screen starts going red, get back into cover as soon as possible. Make sure that you have enough medi-gel for your squad mates. Use your powers and weapons effectively. Don’t waste your heavy weapons on small mechs and mercenaries when there is something bigger upcoming. If you get into a tight spot where you’re surrounded, then use your heavy weapons. If you’re fighting your standard enemies though, try to stick to your regular guns. If you find yourself stuck in a mission on Insanity and need some help, check out Lord Maim's excellent Insanity walkthrough and strategy guide.

This will also be the playthrough where you will clean up any trophies that you may have missed the first time. The trophies for doing certain actions carry over between saves. You should get most of the trophies your first time through, but if you don’t, then you’ll get them fairly quickly in your second run.

[PST Would Like To Thank olsen77 for this Roadmap]

 

Arrival DLC:

Overview:

Estimated 100% Completion Difficulty: 3 (Click here to view this game's difficulty thread.)
Offline Trophies: 3
Online Trophies: 0
Approximate time to 100%: 1-3 hours (Variable depending on skill and difficulty setting)
Minimum Number of Playthroughs needed: 1
Number of missable trophies: 2, Covert Action and Last Stand
Glitched Trophies: 0
Do cheat codes disable trophies?: No Cheat Codes available
Trophy Breakdown: 3

Introduction:

Commander Shepard returns to tackle a fairly short but story-rich mission. The premise of his objective is to rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson - a scientist who may hold vital information regarding the Reapers.

Her ambitious research has subsequently led to her capture and abduction by the Batarians and as such, has now been branded a terrorist. Your job is to save the good doctor before her valuable knowledge falls into the wrong hands.

Walkthrough:

Arrival is a very linear mission for the most part. All 3 trophies are very simple to acquire if done on Easy, particularly if you follow the trophy guide. That said, there's really no right or wrong way of approaching the DLC in terms of trophies. However to make the most efficient use of time, I'd work on all 3 trophies in the following order:

  • Covert Action
  • Last Stand
  • Ultimate Sacrifice (story-related and will automatically unlock upon completion of the mission)

The first and foremost thing to keep in mind is not getting noticed by the guards during the mission leading up to the rescue of Doctor Kenson. Once you do eventually find her then that's when things begin to heat up.

After you've located her you'll have to shift gears and go into survivalist mode. Simply put, you're now eligible to not get the "Last Stand" trophy should you die from this point forward until after the final wave of enemies. This is made much easier by ensuring your difficulty setting is set to "Casual". You can still be killed if you allow yourself to be caught out in the open in the middle of a cross-fire so don't let that happen.

With the good doctor in tow, you'll have to balance defense and offense. Use cover often and reload your weapons frequently. As in the core game, enemies will try to flank you. The problematic scenarios however involve multiple flame-thrower guards and an YMIR mech. Try to use Warp Ammo as your de facto choice of ammunition for this mission and go for headshots if at all possible.

Leave your Cain at home, though. There simply isn't enough space to use the mini-nuke without killing yourself in the process. I personally used the Arc Projector (although the Blackstorm would equally be effective as well). It's a great weapon that hits and devastates multiple enemies in succession. A few shots from it are needed however for the heavily armored YMIR's. The Collector Particle Beam works well as about 10-20 seconds of continuous fire to the YMIR's head is enough to destroy it. If heavy weapons aren't your thing, then Heavy Overload is an effective choice. If you're playing as an Infiltrator, then get your Widow out and cloak yourself. You won't need more than a few shots on the YMIR.

"Last Stand" will unlock shortly after you successfully survive all waves of enemies and "Ultimate Sacrifice" will unlock upon finishing the mission.

[PST Would Like To Thank olsen77 for this Roadmap]

Mass Effect 2 Trophy Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed trophies
Show secret trophies

59 trophies ( 50  )

  • Acquire all trophies

    Congratulations!!

  • View all advanced combat training videos at Shepard's private terminal.

    Shepard has two terminals. One is right next to the galactic map. The other is in your private quarters. Go to whichever terminal is more convenient. Select the terminal and scroll down to Advanced Combat Training and then watch all three videos.

  • Save your crew from an overwhelming attack

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    The Normandy is under attack and is basically crippled. After ordering your crew to get to the escape pods, make your way through the ship to the cockpit and get Joker off the ship. Once you get there, cutscenes ensue.

  • Return to active duty

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    After escaping the station, you'll meet with the Illusive Man. Once the meeting is completed, this will unlock.

  • Successfully recruit the biotic Convict

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This will be one of the first four dossiers that the Illusive Man gives you. Jack is being held prisoner on the turian prison ship, Purgatory.

    Upon arriving, you’ll be directed to where Jack is. When you get there, you’ll be betrayed by the warden and have to fight through, first to Jack and then out of the station. After free Jack, you’ll fight waves of escaped prisoners, guards, and mechs. At the end of the fight, you’ll have to take down three shield generators in order to get to the warden. After he’s killed, the mission is over.

  • Successfully recruit the Krogan

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This will be one of the first four dossiers that the Illusive Man gives you. Your intention is to recruit Dr. Okeer to your cause. In order to get to Okeer, you’ll have to fight through Blue Suns mercenaries. It’s a linear path filled with plenty of mercenaries and krogan. When you reach Okeer, he tells you that he’ll help you if can save his pure krogan by killing the leader of the mercenaries, Jedore. This fight will involve Jedore (armed with a rocket launcher and armored), a YMIR mech, and several krogan. Once they’re finished off, head back to Okeer and finish the mission.

    You’re not quite done with this trophy yet. Back on the Normandy, head down to the lowest level of the ship and go into the Port Cargo Hold and release Grunt. Once you complete the conversation and he’s on your squad, then you’re done.

  • Successfully recruit Archangel

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This will be one of the first four dossiers that the Illusive Man gives you. Archangel is hiding out on Omega, head there to begin your recruitment. Once again, you start out at Afterlife talking to Aria. She'll tell you that the Blue Suns are recruiting to hunt down Archangel. Find the recruiter in Afterlife and sign up. Leave the club and go to the right to get to the transport hub. When you land, your driver will tell you to find Sergeant Cathka. On your way to Cathka, if you find the heavy mech, then rewire it. It'll help you later. After you find the sergeant, kill the freelance mercs and get to Archangel.

    After you see an old friend, prepare to defend yourself. The gangs want Archangel dead, so the waves are coming. Stay in cover and use your sniper rifle to take out as many as you can from long range. After you kill Jaroth, you'll be forced to split up from Archangel and head down into the basement to close some blast doors. After closing both, you will have to take on a few more waves of enemies. After defeating them, destroy Tarak’s gunship to end the mission.

  • Successfully recruit the Professor

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This will be one of the first four dossiers that the Illusive Man gives you. Head to Omega to begin your search for Mordin. Go to the Afterlife club and speak with Aria about Mordin. You'll find out that he's in a quarantine zone trying to cure a plague. When you enter the area, you'll have to fight through some gangs to reach Mordin's clinic. While there, one of the gangs will shut down the fans in the area, preventing the spread of the cure. You'll have to make your way to the environmental controls and turn the fans on. Once both fans are online, you'll return to Mordin to complete his recruitment.

    Note: You can skip the recruitment of the Quarian, the Assassin, and the Justicar if you wish. If you just do side missions, then the story will continue to progress, but why would you do that? Thanks to BaldWombat for the info.

  • Successfully recruit the Quarian

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This mission will be available after completing the mission on Horizon. The Illusive Man will give you another three dossiers. Travel to the Far Rim and land on the planet Haestrom. The thing about this planet is that you have to stay in the shadows. If you spend too much time in the sunlight, your shields will quickly be depleted. If you have to be in the sun, then run (hold ). The sun isn’t your only threat though as there are loads of geth to worry about too.

    Towards the end of the mission when you find Kal’Reeger, you’ll have a geth colossus to deal with. If that wasn’t enough, it also heals itself when it gets too much damage. Get around to either side of it and take out the rest of the geth as quickly as possible. When it’s alone, use what heavy weapons you have to destroy it before it can heal itself. Once the Colossus is destroyed, enter the next room and speak to Tali.

  • Successfully recruit the Justicar

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This mission will be available after completing the mission on Horizon. The Illusive Man will give you another three dossiers. On Illium, ask Liara T’Soni about Samara. She’ll direct you to the transportation hub and Officer Dara. She’ll tell you where she went and how to get to her. When you arrive, you’ll find a crime scene. Speak to the detective in the police station and she’ll tell you that she has to take Samara into custody if she won’t leave. Unfortunately, Samara is on an investigation that you will have to complete for her. She is searching for the name of the ship that her target left on. Ask the volus, Pitne For, about the ship’s name. He’ll tell you that in order to get the name of the ship, you’ll have to go into the Eclipse base and retrieve it. This is a good mission to make some progress on Warp Specialist. You’ll encounter plenty of enemies with barrier. Towards the end, you’ll encounter a gunship. As you’ve done before, use your heavy weapons on it. The gunship will fly far enough away so that you can’t hit it once you’ve done significant damage to it, then it will rush straight at you and get behind you. Finish it off quickly before it can do much damage with missiles. After you defeat the leader of the Eclipse mercenaries, you’ll find the information Samara was after. In the base, you’ll find the evidence that Detective Anaya was looking for. Bring all of that back to the police station and free Samara.

  • Successfully recruit the Assassin

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    This mission will be available after completing the mission on Horizon. The Illusive Man will give you another three dossiers. Head to Illium and speak to Liara T’Soni when you arrive. She’ll direct you to Seryna who knows where Thane is. Thane is on a mission, so you have to go in and ensure his survival. Fight through the tower to the penthouse. Along the way, you’ll encounter LOKI and FENRIS mechs as well as Eclipse mercenaries (a few vanguards and commandos among them). Once you reach Thane’s target, he’ll make his epic entrance.

  • Defend a human colony from attack

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    After recruiting the first four crew members (Mordin, Grunt, Archangel, and Jack), the Illusive Man will inform you that a human colony, Horizon, is under attack. This will be a fairly straightforward mission. You will also meet two enemies for the first time, the collectors and husks. Collectors are like your standard enemies that you’ve fought quite a few times. Husks are a pain. They will run straight at you and explode. This is a good time to start working on Brawler, by the way.

    Halfway through the mission, you’ll encounter someone hiding in a bunker. He’ll tell you to get a transmission tower online and activate the colony’s defenses. When you reach the tower and activate it, you’ll have to survive two waves of collectors and husks. After the two waves are defeated, you get one more new enemy, the praetorian. Use heavy weapons to take down it’s armor. When there’s a purple shield around it, save your ammo. When you’re able to shoot it again, it will have a barrier. Continue to do this until it’s armor is exhausted. Once the praetorian is gone, you get to see an old friend.

  • Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Officer

    Talk to Miranda in between missions. She is on the third level of the ship, in her office. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed. When you arrive on Illium, if Miranda is in your party, you will get a message to seek out Lanteia in the Eternity bar. She is in a little room off to the left side when you enter. You’ll have to take out the mercenaries that are looking for Miranda’s sister to make sure that he gets away. After you reach her, you’ll be taken back to the Normandy.

    Once Jack’s and Miranda’s loyalty missions are complete, then there is a chance that they will get into a fight and you’ll have to choose to side with one of them. The longer that you wait to complete both of their loyalty missions, the higher your paragon/renegade rating will be to either diffuse the situation, or get one of them back loyal again. With a high enough paragon/renegade rating, you can end the fight and keep them both loyal. Use either the blue or red dialogue option on the left side.

  • Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Operative

    Talk to Jacob in between missions. He is on the main deck of the ship, in the Armory. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    This is a fairly straightforward mission. You’re looking for Jacob’s father amongst the survivors of a crash from 10 years before. Most of your enemies are LOKI mechs. When you reach Jacob’s father and learn what he has done, complete the conversation. Upon completion of the mission, Jacob will be loyal.

  • Gain the loyalty of the biotic Convict

    Talk to Jack in between missions. She is in the lowest level of the ship, in the sub-deck cargo hold. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed

    Make your way through the facility, asking Jack about little things along the way. There are enemies scattered around the facility, mostly Blood Pack mercenaries. When you reach Jack’s cell, you’ll have to make a decision on whether another former resident at the facility lives or dies. I allowed him to live, but either way, upon completion, Jack will become loyal.

    Once Jack’s and Miranda’s loyalty missions are complete, then there is a chance that they will get into a fight and you’ll have to choose to side with one of them. The longer that you wait to complete both of their loyalty missions, the higher your paragon/renegade rating will be to either diffuse the situation, or get one of them back loyal again. With a high enough paragon/renegade rating, you can end the fight and keep them both loyal. Use either the blue or red dialogue option on the left side.

    There is an extremely valuable power that you can get after Jack is loyal, Warp Ammo. This is the most versatile as it's good against armor, shields, and barriers. Go to the research lab and select Advanced Training (5000 element zero). Here you can select any of the powers that are unlocked by companions becoming loyal. Even if you lose Jack after the fight with Miranda, you can still acquire Warp Ammo.

  • Gain the loyalty of the krogan

    Talk to Grunt in between missions. He is on the lowest deck of the ship, in the port cargo hold. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    Grunt will show signs that there is something very wrong with him. He’ll want to head to Tuchanka in the Krogan DMZ. When you arrive, you’ll be told by the Clan Leader that Grunt has to complete a Rite of Passage. The Clan Leader will instruct you to speak with the Shaman to begin the Rite. The Rite is a series of waves of enemies. You will have to fight varren, klixen (giant bugs), and a thresher maw (see Big Game Hunter for details). After one round, push the keystone to begin the next. Pick up ammo and medi-gel between rounds if you need it.

    After defeating the thresher maw, a group of krogans will attack you. Once they’re finished, you will return to the shaman and Grunt will become loyal.

  • Gain the loyalty of Archangel

    Talk to Archangel in between missions. He in on the third level of the ship, in the main battery. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    Head back to the Citadel. Travel to Zakara level 26 and enter the warehouse to meet the contact. You’ll be told to take a cab over to another warehouse where you can find out where Sidonis is. Of course, a fight breaks out and you have to go through LOKI mechs, Blue Suns mercenaries, and YMIR mechs to get the information. When you finally reach Harkin, prevent Garrus from shooting him in the leg. Once you do, then you have to keep Sidonis talking long enough for Garrus to line up a shot. Since you have two conversation options, it’s really not a difficult thing to accomplish.

  • Gain the loyalty of the Professor

    Talk to Mordin in between missions. He is on the main level of the ship, in the Tech Lab. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    As it turns out, Mordin’s loyalty mission, like Grunt’s, takes place on Tuchanka. When you arrive, speak with the Chief Scout. He’ll tell you that a salarian was captured by the Blood Pack and give you a truck to travel to Clan Weyrloc’s base. You’ll mostly be fighting through krogan in this base. Krogan’s are only tough when they get close. Otherwise, wear down their armor from a safe distance and finish them off before they can charge at you. When you get to Maelon, you’ll have to decide what to do with the research data.

  • Gain the loyalty of the quarian

    Talk to Tali in between missions. She is on the lowest deck of the ship, in Engineering. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    Upon your arrival in the Migrant Fleet, Tali will be notified of her trial for treason against the Fleet. She is accused of sending active geth back to the fleet and those geth assuming control of a quarian ship. Agree to retake the ship from the geth in order to clear Tali. Once you retake the ship and have the evidence, return to the hearing. Respect Tali's wishes at the hearing and do not use the evidence.

    Once Tali’s and Legion’s loyalty missions are complete, then there is a chance that they will get into a fight and you’ll have to choose to side with one of them. The longer that you wait to complete both of their loyalty missions, the higher your paragon/renegade rating will be to either diffuse the situation, or get one of them back loyal again. With a high enough paragon/renegade rating, you can end the fight and keep them both loyal. Use either the blue or red dialogue option on the left side.

  • Help the Justicar resolve her mission

    Talk to Samara in between missions. She is on the third level of the ship, in the Port Observation room. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    Samara’s loyalty mission will unlock after speaking with her once. After arriving on Omega, head to Afterlife and ask Aria about Samara’s daughter. She’ll tell you to check out the apartment of Morinth’s most recent victim. Look at the girl’s holo-diary. There is also a datapad behind the bed that you need to look at. After formulating a plan with Samara, head for the VIP area of Afterlife. When you get there, mention the name “Jaruut” to the bouncer and go in. When you first enter the club, talk to the guy immediately to your left. He’ll give a piece of info about Morinth.

    Now comes the hard part, getting Morinth back to her place. First, you have to get her attention. There are a few things that you’ll have to do. Go to the bar and get the bartender to give a round of drinks to everyone. There is also a krogan there. Insult him. Next, head to the dance floor, find the asari dancing alone, and dance with her. Also on the dance floor, you’ll find a turian harassing an asari. Defend her by getting involved.

    Morinth will then approach you. During the conversation, avoid the topics “Justicar” and “Family”. Most of the options that you’ll choose from are on the bottom left. If you choose the wrong option three times, Morinth will leave and you will miss out on this trophy. These are the options that you should choose:

    Art – Talk about Forta, and then Vaenia
    Music – Expel 10
    Drugs – Like Hallex?
    Travel – I like danger.
    Power – Power is its own reward.

    Examine everything that you can in her apartment (making sure to pick up the assault damage upgrade). As Morinth is about to mate with you, Samara will burst in and they will begin to fight. They will reach a stalemate and you’ll have to choose which one you’re going to side with. If you have enough paragon/renegade so that you can perform a charm or intimidate conversation option with Morinth, then you'll be able to side with her. (Thanks to Lord Maim for the info.) Otherwise, you'll have to choose Samara. You can choose either one of them for the trophy. (Thanks to purifico for the info.)

  • Gain the loyalty of the Assassin

    Talk to Thane in between missions. He is on the third level of the ship, in the Life Support section. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed. Thane’s loyalty mission will unlock after speaking with him once.

    This is one of those missions that can give some people trouble. You can fail this in two ways, so make an extra save before beginning the mission. When you arrive on the Citadel, talk to Captain Bailey about finding a drell. He’ll tell you to find a contact named Mouse. Speak to him and he’ll give you the name of the person who hired Thane’s son, Elias Kelham. Return to Bailey and speak with him. You’ll get to interrogate Kelham. You can do whatever you want to interrogate him, but the renegade options provide some hilarious lines. After the interrogation, Kelham will tell you that he hired Kolyat to kill a politician named Joram Talid. This is where things get tricky.

    You have to follow Talid on the catwalks above him and check in after every stop with Thane. If you lose sight of him, you will fail the mission. Always keep an eye on him and try not to get too far ahead. When you reach Talid’s apartment, Kolyat will take out the bodyguard and run after Talid inside. Here’s the second point where you can fail the mission. If you let Kolyat kill Talid, Thane will not become loyal. You can kill Talid for the renegade option or use the paragon option to stop him (Thanks to Lord Maim for the info). After you somehow convince Kolyat to not carry out the assassination, he and Thane will have a conversation and then you can return to the Normandy.

  • Obtain geth technology

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    If you don't have Brawler yet, then this is the mission where you'll have an excellent chance of completing it.

    After completing the mission on the Collector ship, the Illusive Man will give you the coordinates of a derelict Reaper to get an IFF (Identify Friend/Foe). When you arrive, the ship will appear to be abandoned. At least until you reach the husks. Lots and lots and lots and lots of husks. If you can’t get Brawler by the end of this mission, then you haven’t really been trying. You’ll spend a vast majority of your mission fighting through waves and waves of husks, abominations, and scions. On the lowest level of the ship, you’ll pick up the IFF and then you’ll have to destroy the power core of the Reaper. When the core is open, fire your heavy weapons at it. When the core is shielded, run around and kill as many as husks as you can. There will be plenty of them coming from all sides. Once the core is destroyed, if you decide to take it with you, you will obtain a crew member, Legion and escape the ship just in time.

    Once on the Normandy, decide to activate Legion. Don't sell it to Cerberus or anything other than keeping it on the Normandy. Head for the AI Core (through medical on the third level of the ship) and activate it.

  • Hack a geth collective

    Talk to Legion in between missions. He is on the third level of the ship, in the AI Core, through the Medical Lab on the third level of the Normandy. Loyalty missions will not be available until after the mission on Horizon is completed.

    After activating Legion, speak with it again to unlock Legion’s loyalty mission. This mission is a trip through a geth station. Most of the geth will be offline until you shoot one of the stasis pods or step on one of the green lines that are on the floor. You’ll be fighting the standard geth that you should be used to now. The final room is where Legion will begin hacking the geth core. There will be three waves of geth here and you will have to defend the upper platform from the oncoming geth. After the third wave, you have to decide whether to destroy the station or rewrite the virus to make those geth disloyal to the Reapers. Whichever you decide, you will have three minutes to make it out of the station, but you will have to fight some geth on the way out. Remember, there is a ticking clock.

    Once Tali’s and Legion’s loyalty missions are complete, then there is a chance that they will get into a fight and you’ll have to choose to side with one of them. The longer that you wait to complete both of their loyalty missions, the higher your paragon/renegade rating will be to either diffuse the situation, or get one of them back loyal again. With a high enough paragon/renegade rating, you can end the fight and keep them both loyal. Use either the blue or red dialogue option on the left side.

  • Complete the investigation of a derelict alien vessel

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    After completing a few missions following the mission on Horizon, the Illusive Man will send you a message telling you about a derelict collector ship. Once you accept the mission, you’ll be taken straight there. You will encounter zero resistance on your way to the central control of the ship. You’ll learn about more about the Collectors though. The way out is another story though. Be prepared to fight the collectors, and lots of them. Pretty much every type of collector enemy that you’ve encountered before, including a praetorian, will be in your way. Fortunately, EDI will help you get out of the ship and back onto the Normandy.

  • Use the Omega 4 Relay

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    Once you have completed all of the recruitment, loyalty, and other story missions, then it’s the best time to go through the Omega 4 Relay. You’ll be able to go through after collecting the Reaper IFF, but make sure you’ve done everything else for the storyline beforehand (Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker don't count for the story). There are a couple of things that you have to ensure of before you go through the Relay. Ideally, each crewmember will be loyal. If someone isn’t loyal, then it’s ok. See No One Left Behind for a solution. The Normandy also needs to have all of the upgrades that you can research. The upgrades are listed below. All three of the upgrades are obtained in conversations with characters. Go to Investigate and select Ship Upgrades. If you do not do these upgrades, then some of your companions WILL die.

     

    • Thanix Cannon – 15,000 Platinum – Conversation option after Garrus is recruited.
    • Heavy Ship Armor – 15,000 Palladium – Conversation option after Jacob is recruited.
    • Multicore Shielding – 15,000 Palladium – Conversation option after Tali is recruited.
  • Save humanity throughout the galaxy from certain annihilation

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story.

    Here we go, the final mission in Mass Effect 2. And yes, it is pretty epic. The action will actually start on the Normandy as a collector probe has breached the hull in the cargo hold. Expel it as quickly as possible. You’ll need to fight it twice no matter what, but use what you have available to get rid of it. Once you’re on the collector base, you need to figure out who takes the first two tasks, leading the diversion team and who goes into the vents. The best choices are outlined below.

    (THESE COMPANIONS MUST BE LOYAL)
    Vents: Tali, Kasumi, or Legion
    Fire Team Leader: Garrus, Miranda, or Jacob

    Take two strong companions with you for this first part. There’s quite a lot of combat against various types of collectors. Zaeed, Grunt, Thane, or Legion are good choices. Along the way, you’ll see green panels. Those are valves that you will have to disable so that whomever goes into the vents can continue to progress through. You will have a limited amount of time to get to each valve, so don’t strand your crewmember for too long. There are eight of these valves in all. There is a meter on the bottom right of the screen that will tell how much danger the person in the vents is in. Once you’re clear of all eight valves, Tali will open the door for you.

    In this next section, you’ll be faced with seeker swarms and you’ll need some form of protection. Select one of the ultra powerful biotics to provide a shield for you. The best choices are below. You’ll also need to select a leader for the secondary squad and someone to escort the remaining Normandy crew back to the Normandy.

    (THESE COMPANIONS MUST BE LOYAL)
    Biotic Specialist: Samara/Morinth or Jack
    Fire Team Leader (Part 2): Garrus, Miranda, or Jacob
    Escort: Mordin, Kasumi, Tali, or Jack

    Stay in the biotic’s bubble will moving through the seeker swarms. You will still be able to attack enemies while inside and the biotic will stop allowing you to take cover. There will also be husks and abominations in this section. When you finish clearing enemies, tell the biotic to continue moving. Be sure to pick up ammo along the way. It’s easy to miss the clips laying around.

    Now it’s time for the final sequence. If everyone is loyal or you’re playing on Insanity, pick two of the most reliable with you. Who you take with you has an effect on the chances of your entire crew's survival. Each character has a defensive rating. Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus are all 3. Thane, Legion, Samara/Morinth, Jacob, and Miranda have a defensive rating of 1. Mordin, Kasumi, Tali, and Jack have a rating of zero. If you add a 1 to each rating if they're loyal, add up all of the ratings, and then divide by the total number of characters holding the line (in short, take an average), if the average rating is above 2.0, then all will survive. If it's below, then anyone that isn't loyal or weak defensively will die.

    I took Miranda and Legion with me. That combination was extremely effective. Two things to be aware of though. Make sure that you have the geth sniper rifle researched for Legion. He will be devastatingly lethal with it. Always be aware of where Miranda is. She has a tendency to go Rambo and leave cover unnecessarily. See No One Left Behind for a further explanation. There is a way to keep everyone alive even if someone isn’t loyal.

    This fight will be similar to the sprung trap at the end of the mission on the collector ship. There will be three to four collectors attacking at a time and they will arrive on the floating platforms. After five or six platforms, the one with the main control panel will arrive. This one will have abominations and scions on it, but save your heavy weapons. You will need them later.

    Once your final objective is revealed, it’s clear what to do. Destroy the four red tanks while fending off the collectors. You’ll most likely be taking them out one at a time, but with the M-97a Viper sniper rifle, you can take out two at a time if you’re quick enough. Once all four are gone and your objective is down, you’ll have one last decision to make courtesy of the Illusive Man. Now comes the fun part. Remember when I said to save your heavy weapons? Now is a good time to use them. Aim for the eyes. When you see a red build up around the mouth, get into cover…immediately. At the same time, you’ll have collectors attacking you. There are multiple weak spots to aim for. Anywhere you see glowing red, aim there. Once you bring down the life meter in the bottom right corner, enjoy the closing cutscenes.

  • Survive the suicide mission

    See No One Left Behind for more info. This should be done with that trophy. All you have to do is keep Shepard alive. To do that, you'll need to keep at least two companions alive (thanks to BaldWombat for the tip). Your other companions don't matter for this. If you're going for No One Left Behind, then you will get this as well.

    In order to avoid this, here are things that you have to make sure you don't do. Don't let all of your companions die. Don't miss any of the upgrades to the Normandy. Don't skip any companion's loyalty mission. If you avoid all of those, then Shepard will live.

  • Complete the game in the 'Insanity' difficulty level without changing the setting

    Very important note: If you import an ME2 save and begin an Insanity run on your second playthrough, then DO NOT go back and reload another game on a different difficulty. This trophy will glitch on you.

    Insanity is the highest difficulty setting. It’s not too terribly difficult, but it can be frustrating at times. Lord Maim put together an awesome walkthrough and strategy guide for missions on Insanity. Take a look here if you get stuck on a mission. Here are some quick tips for Insanity:

     

    • Save often.
    • Always, ALWAYS use cover. Don’t stay out in the open for too long or else you’ll be filled with a few holes.
    • Use your heavy weapons on the larger enemies. Scions, praetorians, YMIR mechs are good choices. Don’t waste your ammo on the regular enemies.
    • Always make sure that you have the most medi-gel that you can carry. You may have to revive your squad mates quite a few times. Max out your medi-gel as well. The most that you can carry is eight.
    • Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. I’ll say it one more time, UPGRADE!! Upgrade your squad mates abilities, your weapons, the Normandy, armor. Everything that you can upgrade, do it.
    • Find new types of each weapon. The M-76 Revenant is a beast. Upgrade your companion's weapons and abilities as well. Each character will have a specific item to research. Make sure that you do so.
    • Do the side missions. You’ll need the XP and resources.
    • Take the time after a fight to search for spare ammo clips laying around. You don’t want to enter the next fight short on ammo and have to switch to the wrong gun for the job.
    • Take your time and don’t rush through a fight. Unless you literally have a ticking clock on the screen, then there’s no reason to do something reckless. Stay in cover and recharge health and/or shields if you have to.
    • Watch for enemies trying to flank you.
    • When deciding on the build of your character, Soldier and Sentinel are the best for Insanity. Sentinels have a combination of tech, biotic, and combat powers. Soldiers are tanks, have excellent combat skills and high hit points. You can use any class that you want, but those two are the easiest. Infiltrator is more difficult at the beginning, but once you get the Widow sniper rifle, you'll get one shot kills.
    • Use a good combination of crewmembers to go with you. Taking someone who can be effective from long range and from short range is a good combination. Miranda and Legion are a good combination.
    • Learn how to use your powers/ammo types and your crewmember’s powers effectively. If you’re going against synthetics, have disruptor ammo in your gun. If there are enemies with armor, use incinerate ammo. If there are enemies with barrier, use warp ammo. Remember for the powers, warp destroys barrier, overload destroys shields, and incinerate destroys armor.
    • Be on the lookout for heavy weapon ammo upgrades as you progress to get all of them as quickly as possible. The CAIN will be invaluable on Horizon and the Collector's ship when you meet the praetorian.
    • Be sure to get Warp Ammo after Jack is loyal. It's incredibly versatile.
  • Keep your team alive through the suicide mission

    See Mission Accomplished for more details concerning the final mission. You have to keep your entire squad alive throughout the final mission and save whatever Normandy crewmembers are on the Collector’s base. If every squad member is loyal, then you shouldn’t have any problems (provided that you choose the right person for the various jobs). If someone isn’t loyal, then you’ll have to rely on the character’s defensive statistics, but I’ll refer to that later.

    *Before going through the Omega 4 relay, make sure that you have EVERY Normandy upgrade (armor, weapon, and shielding). See Suicide Mission for details.

    What follows is the best crewmember for each choice. Do not send anyone that is not loyal. They won’t survive.

    Vents: Tali, Kasumi, or Legion
    Fire Team Leader: Garrus, Miranda, or Jacob
    Biotic Specialist: Samara/Morinth or Jack
    Fire Team Leader (Part 2): Garrus, Miranda, or Jacob
    Escort: Mordin, Kasumi, Tali, or Jack

    The four choices for the escort team are the weakest defensive characters. You want to get rid of one of them there. If you’re not playing on Insanity, then take two of them with you into the final battle.

    For example, if Jack isn’t loyal, then you want to leave her with the rest of the crew to hold the line. You want to leave her with characters like Grunt, Zaeed, or Garrus who are strong defensively. If you leave someone that is disloyal behind without at least two of those characters, then they will die.

    Each character has a defensive rating. Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus are all 3. Thane, Legion, Samara/Morinth, Jacob, and Miranda have a defensive rating of 1. Mordin, Kasumi, Tali, and Jack have a rating of zero. If you add a 1 to each rating if they're loyal, add up all of the ratings, and then divide by the total number of characters holding the line (in short, take an average), if the average rating is above 2.0, then all will survive. If it's below, then anyone that isn't loyal or weak defensively will die.

    The way I did it with one character not loyal, I sent Kasumi back as the escort and took Mordin and Tali with me into the final battle. That left Jack with every other character defending. Every character survived despite Jack being the only one that wasn’t loyal.

    The following image was put together by Pacifen on the Bioware forums and posted here by yazter. If the above descriptions aren't clear, then this should help.

  • Complete Mass Effect 2 twice, or complete it once with a character imported from Mass Effect 1

    Self-explanatory. If you bought the game new, then there will be a code for the Cerberus Network pack that includes the digital comic. If you rented or bought it used and you don’t want to buy the Cerberus Network pack, then you’ll have to playthrough twice. Your game save carries over from playthrough to playthrough or if you hit level 30, you can start a new game.

    Since Mass Effect 1 has now been released on PS3, you can import a character from ME1 and that will count for this trophy.

     

  • Successfully pursue a relationship with a teammate

    In between story missions (not side missions), talk to your teammates and explore every available dialogue option. Once you decide which crewmember you want to pursue, talk to them after each mission until the conversation repeats over and over. If you converse with one of them enough, then you'll see the two of them "share" a moment en route to the suicide mission. Both sexes have different options. A male Shepard can choose from Miranda, Jack, or Tali. A female Shepard chooses from Jacob, Thane, or Garrus.

  • Perform 30 headshot kills with any weapon on humanoid targets

    When you’re in cover, use to zoom in and move the targeting reticule over the enemy’s head. Push to fire. Repeat 29 more times.

    There is a little glitch that you can take advantage of. At the beginning of the game when you first meet Jacob, he will explain that he is a biotic. The LOKI mechs will keep spawning until you have Jacob use one of his powers. Don’t and continue to headshot the mechs. This isn’t Call of Duty, so there’s no lock-on targeting. You’ll have to aim yourself.

    Humanoid doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to be humans. As long as the enemies resemble humans (a head, two arms, and two legs), then this trophy will unlock.

  • Shoot and kill 20 enemies while they're knocked back by a punch

    This is best done on Husks. They're mindless zombie like creatures that will run straight at you. Have a shotgun ready. When they get right next to you, push to knock them back. When they're knocked back, quickly fire your shotgun. The best places to get this are on the human colony, on the Collector ship, or on the Collector base. You'll encounter plenty of Husks in each place.

    Tip from BaldWombat: The Wrecked Mercenary Ship side mission in the Eagle Nebula is a good place for this. There are plenty of low level mechs that you can hit, and then kill with one shot.

  • Thresher Maw defeated

    You'll encounter a thresher maw during Grunt's loyalty mission. During Grunt's trial, one objective you'll have is to survive a thresher maw attack for five minutes. Use any heavy weapon that you have. I used the collector particle beam and took it down within a minute, but any heavy weapon will do the job. Remember, you are working on a timer here. If you don't kill the thresher maw within five minutes, you'll have to restart the game or reload your save. Make an extra save before beginning the trials.

  • Hit 20 different targets with multiple biotic powers to combine the effects

    If your character class isn’t Adept or Vanguard, then you’ll need to have one or two of the biotics (Jacob, Miranda, Samara, Jack) with you. Almost any two biotic powers can be combined. As long as the combination enhances the effects of one power, then it will count for the trophy. Here are some good combinations:

    Pull-Slam
    Pull-Throw
    Pull-Warp
    Singularity-Warp
    Singularity-Shockwave
    Pull-Charge

    Pretty much Any Power-Warp will be a good combo as well. Since you have Jacob and Miranda available since basically the start of the game, Pull-Warp is a combo that you can start using almost immediately.

  • Kill enemies with 5 different heavy weapons during the game

    All that you will have to do is get one kill with different heavy weapons. There are five available in the core game and one more in the DLC. Two of the core heavy weapons are found during missions. The other three require research (Prototypes tab).

    Core:

     

    • M-100 Grenade Launcher – Found during your escape from the Lazarus station
    • M-77 Missile Launcher – Research (Requires one Heavy Weapon ammo upgrade and 5000 Iridium)
    • M-622 Avalanche – Research (Requires two Heavy Weapon ammo upgrades and 15000 Iridium)
    • Collector Particle Beam – Found during the mission on Horizon
    • M-920 CAIN – Research (Requires three Heavy Weapon ammo upgrades an 25000 Iridium)

    DLC:

     

    • M-451 Firestorm – Found during Zaeed’s loyalty mission
    • M-490 Blackstorm Projector – Premium DLC in the PSN Store (Free until Feb. 23, 2011) *May not count for trophy. Depends on the game. Sometimes it will count, sometimes not.
    • Arc Projector - Cerberus Network DLC *May not count for trophy. Depends on the game. Sometimes it will count, sometimes not.
  • Make 20 enemies scream as they fall or are set on fire

    This will come over time, so don’t feel the need to go out of your way to get it. Use Incinerate, incinerate ammo, or biotic powers that physically move enemies like Throw, Slam, or Pull. You can also the canisters lying around the missions to set enemies on fire. You can also use the M-451 Firestorm heavy weapon that is found in Zaeed’s loyalty mission. The good thing is that you don’t have to be the one to do this. If you companions make an enemy scream, then it will count.

  • Disrupt the shields of 25 enemies

    Overload is a tech power that is available to engineers and sentinels. If you are not one of those two classes, then Garrus, Miranda, and Kasumi all have this power. Shields are denoted by a blue bar. You have to completely deplete the shield bar for this to count. Your companions wiping out a shield in one hit will count for the trophy, but you have to trigger it using . Unless you’re playing on Casual or have an evolved form of Overload, knock the enemy’s shields down about halfway and then fire Overload.

    You will find plenty of enemies throughout the game that have shields. Garrus’ loyalty mission and Jack’s recruitment mission have plenty of engineers.

    When you encounter a large group of enemies with shields, disrupt their shields with Overload and reload the checkpoint. Your progress will save.

  • Warp the barriers of 25 enemies

    Warp is a biotic power that is only available to the adept and sentinel classes. If you are not one of those classes, then Miranda, Thane, or Liara (in Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC) will have this power. Barriers appear similar to shields and are denoted by a purple bar. You have to completely deplete the barrier bar for this to count. Your companions wiping out a barrier in one hit will count for the trophy, but you have to trigger it using . Unless you’re playing on Casual or have an evolved form of Warp, knock the enemy’s shields down about halfway and then fire Warp.

    You will find plenty of enemies throughout the game with barrier. Thane and Samara’s recruitment missions have plenty of enemies with them as well as any mission involving the collectors or asari mercenaries. The mission on Horizon also has quite a few collectors using barrier.

    When you encounter a large group of enemies with barriers, warp the barriers with Warp and reload the checkpoint. Your progress will save.

  • Incinerate the armor of 25 enemies

    Incinerate is a tech power available to engineers and infiltrators. Unless Shepard is one of those classes, the only character with this power is Mordin. Armor is denoted by a yellow bar. You have to deplete the Armor bar completely for it to count. Your companions wiping out a shield in one hit will count for the trophy, but you have to trigger it using . Unless you’re playing on Casual or have any evolved form of Incinerate, knock the enemy’s Armor down about halfway, and then fire Incinerate.

    You will encounter plenty of armored enemies throughout the game. Mordin’s loyalty mission and any mission involving the collectors have a high number of armored enemies.

    When you encounter a group, incinerate their armor and then reload the checkpoint. Your progress will save.

  • Complete a mission discovered by scanning an unexplored world

    See Agent for the complete list. All that you have to do is complete one of those missions.  The first mission in the Firewalker pack (Project Firewalker: Rosalie Lost) counts for this.

  • Complete 5 missions discovered by scanning unexplored worlds

    You have to complete five of the following N7 missions. Jacob's loyalty mission and Return to the Normandy Crash Site DO NOT count for this.

    Click here for the full chart of N7 Side Missions.

  • Retrieve mineral resources by scanning and probing a planet in the galaxy map

    In order to research technology on the Normandy, you'll need specific resources. The easiest way to find them is through probing and scanning unexplored planets throughout the galaxy. Find an unexplored planet in any system (the name will be "Unknown"). Make sure that you have probes. If you are out or don't have very many, purchase more from the nearest fuel depot. To start your scanner, hold . On the right side of the screen will be a graph that scans for the four elements that you're looking for, platinum, palladium, eezo, and iridium. When you see a spike in one of those, launch a probe to that spot with . Minerals collected, trophy unlocked.

    Most planets will have good stores of palladium, platinum, and iridium. Element zero will be much more difficult to find though. Most planets that are garden or post-garden class will have good stores of element zero. The following planets have a good supply of element zero:

    Caleston Rift - Aysur Cluster - Planet Arvuna
    Caleston Rift - Balor Cluster - Planet Caleston
    Crescent Nebula - Lusarn Cluster - Planet Tarith
    Crescent Nebula - Zelene Cluster - Planet Helyme
    Eagle Nebula - Relic Cluster - Planet Preying Mouth
    Eagle Nebula - Amun Cluster - Planet Anhur
    Eagle Nebula - Amun Cluster - Planet Sekhmet
    Far Rim - Dholen Cluster - Planet Gotha
    Hades Nexus - Sheol Cluster - Planet Gei Hinnom
    Hawking Eta - Schwarzschild Cluster - Planet Etamis
    Hourglass Nebula - Faryar Cluster - Planet Daratar
    Hourglass Nebula - Osun Cluster - Planet Erinie
    Hourglass Nebula - Ploitari Cluster - Planet Thegan
    Rosetta Nebula - Alpha Draconis Cluster - Planet 2175 Aeia
    Krogan DMZ - Nith Cluster - Planet Mantun
    Minos Wasteland - Caestus Cluster - Planet Invictus
    Nubian Expanse - Kalabsha CVluster - Planet Yamm
    Omega Nebula - Batalla Cluster - Planet Nearog
    Rosetta Nebula - Enoch Cluster - Planet Joab
    Rosetta Nebula - Enoch Cluster - Planet Laban
    Rosetta Nebula - Enoch Cluster - Planet Mizraim
    Sigurd's Cradle - Decoris Cluster - Planet Sanctum
    Sigurd's Cradle - Skepsis Cluster - Planet Watson
    The Phoenix Massing - Salahiel Cluster - Planet Ekuna
    The Shrike Abyssal - Urla Rast Cluster - Planet Talis Fia
    The Shrike Abyssal - Xe Cha Cluster - Planet Tosal Nym
    The Shrike Abyssal - Xe Cha Cluster - Planet Zada Ban
    Titan Nebula - Haskins Cluster - Planet Capek
    Valhallan Threshhold - Micah Cluster - Planet Farlas
    Valhallan Threshhold - Micah Cluster - Planet Israfil
    Valhallan Threshhold - Micah Cluster - Planet Kakabel

  • Visit 100% of the planets in an unexplored cluster

     The clusters are what you travel to on the galactic map. Next to each cluster name is a percentage. That percentage is the number of planets that you've explored. Each cluster is made up of multiple systems. You have to visit every planet in each system. Once you have control of the Normandy, guide it towards each planet in the system and push and then to leave orbit. Leave the planet and head to the next one. As long as the planet has a name, it'll be registered as explored. Travel to the edge of the system with the Mass Relay to explore the other systems in the cluster. Make sure that you stop off at the Fuel Depot before leaving the system. Repeat the process that system and any other system in the cluster.

  • Reach Level 30 with one character

    This will probably take you into your second playthrough to reach level 30. Without carrying over a save from Mass Effect, you won't get an initial level boost. Completing story missions does give you enough XP to bump you up a level. Complete as many of the side missions as possibly can as well. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough missions to make it to level 30. If you do everything in the game, you'll end up somewhere between level 25 and level 30. The good thing is that your character can be taken into a second playthrough. If you don't get it on your first run, then you will on your second.

    However, it is possible to get this in one run. Do all of the main story missions including Kasumi's and Zaeed's mission. You can do a couple of N7 missions to get the Operative trophy, but no more than that. You'll end up around level 23 or 24. After completing the game, then you'll get an XP boost for each mission. Go back then and complete the Lair of the Shadow Broker, Overlord, and Firewalker DLC's. Completing these will get you to about level 28 or 29. Now, go and complete N7 missions and sidequests until you reach the magical level 30. You'll have plenty to be able to reach it.

    If you save the side missions until after completing the game, then you will get an XP boost for each one. Thanks to BaldWombat for the tip.

  • Unlock 15 new Mass Effect 2 codex entries

    This will accumulate as you go. Through conversations, listening to data entries, and looking at items, you will quickly gain 15 codex entries. In conversations, go through the dialogue options under Investigate. You'll gain more codex entries that way. And yes, once you select the right dialogue entry, they're added automatically.

  • Obtain 10 technology upgrades

    Once you have recruited Mordin, then the Tech Lab will be available. You'll find upgrades to purchase throughout the game on the ground, by purchasing them from vendors, or by talking to your crew members. You will need one of the four major elements (element zero, palladium, platinum, and iridium) in the game to research the upgrades though. Head to the research computer in the Tech Lab and begin your upgrading.

  • Fully upgrade a weapon

    Each weapon has five or six damage upgrades as well as a two other enhancements that can be added on. The Heavy Weapons have ammo upgrades instead of damage upgrades. They can be either found during missions, purchased on Illium, the Citadel, Tuchanka, and Omega, or given after completing a mission. If you purchase them, then you won’t have to do anymore research. The found upgrades require research however. See Prospector for more information. Complete information about the upgrades can be found below.

    Assault Rifle
    (Upgrade Name) – (Cost) – (Acquisition)
    Damage Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Iridium – Mordin recruitment mission (Just past the mercenary barricade)
    Damage Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Iridium – Tali recruitment mission (In a room blocked by a pillar)
    Damage Upgrade 3 – 7,500 Iridium – Samara loyalty mission (On a wall in Morinth’s apartment)
    Damage Upgrade 4 – 10,000 Iridium – Zaeed loyalty mission (After doing the renegade choices)
    Damage Upgrade 5 – 60,000 Credits – Gateway Personal Defense, Illium
    Damage Upgrade 6 – 60,000 Credits – Fortack’s Database, Tuchanka
    +25% Penetration – 15,000 Iridium – Unlocked after two damage upgrades
    Accuracy Improvement – 25,000 Iridium – Unlocked after three damage upgrades

    SMG
    Damage Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Iridium – Garrus recruitment mission
    Damage Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Iridium – Thane recruitment mission
    Damage Upgrade 3 – 7,500 Iridium – Miranda loyalty mission
    Damage Upgrade 4 – 60,000 Credits – Rodam Expeditions, the Citadel
    Damage Upgrade 5 – 60,000 Credits – Gateway Personal Defense, Illium
    +50% Shield Piercing – 15,000 Iridium – Unlocked after two damage upgrades
    +50% Extra Rounds – 15,000 Iridium – Unlocked after three damage upgrades

    Heavy Pistol
    Damage Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Palladium – Tali recruitment mission
    Damage Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Palladium – Thane loyalty mission
    Damage Upgrade 3 – 7,500 Palladium – Jacob loyalty mission
    Damage Upgrade 4 – 60,000 Credits – Rodam Expeditions, the Citadel
    Damage Upgrade 5 – 60,000 Credits – Fortack’s Database, Tuchanka
    +50% Armor Piercing – 15,000 Palladium – Unlocked after two damage upgrades
    Critical – 25,000 Palladium – Unlocked after three damage upgrades

    Shotgun
    Damage Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Platinum – Jack recruitment mission
    Damage Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Platinum – Grunt loyalty mission
    Damage Upgrade 3 – 7,500 Platinum – Derelict Collector ship mission
    Damage Upgrade 4 – 60,000 Credits – Kenn’s Salvage, Omega
    Damage Upgrade 5 – 60,000 Credits – Fortack’s Database, Tuchanka
    +50% Shield Piercing – 15,000 Platinum – Unlocked after two damage upgrades
    +100% Extra Rounds – 15,000 Platinum – Unlocked after three damage upgrades

    Sniper Rifle
    Damage Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Platinum – Grunt recruitment mission
    Damage Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Platinum – Garrus loyalty mission
    Damage Upgrade 3 – 7,500 Platinum – Derelict Collector ship mission
    Damage Upgrade 4 – 60,000 Credits – Rodam Expeditions, the Citadel
    Damage Upgrade 5 – 60,000 Credits – Omega Market, Omega
    +50% Armor Piercing – 15,000 Platinum – Unlocked after two damage upgrades
    +50% Headshot Damage – 25,000 Platinum – Unlocked after three damage upgrades

    Heavy Weapon
    Ammo Upgrade 1 – 2,500 Iridium – Freedom’s Progress mission
    Ammo Upgrade 2 – 5,000 Iridium – Mordin loyalty mission
    Ammo Upgrade 3 – 7.500 Iridium – Zaeed loyalty mission
    Ammo Upgrade 4 – 10,000 Iridium – N7: Blood Pack Base side mission
    Ammo Upgrade 5 – 30,000 Credits – Kenn’s Salvage, Omega
    Ammo Upgrade 6 – 30,000 Credits – Ratch’s Wares, Tuchanka

    Additional Weapons
    M-15 Vindicator – Assault rifle – Garrus recruitment mission (On a couch in the room Garrus is in)
    M-76 Revenant – Assault rifle – Collector ship (Next to the collector being experimented on, Soldier class only)
    Geth Pulse Rifle – Assault rifle – Tali recruitment mission (Just past the Colossus, only on Hardcore or Insanity)
    M-9 Tempest – SMG – Tali recruitment mission
    M-12 Locust – SMG – Kasumi loyalty mission (Next to Keiji’s greybox)
    M-6 Carnifex – Heavy pistol – Mordin recruitment mission (Given for talking to Mordin)
    M-27 Scimitar – Shotgun – Samara recruitment mission
    M-300 Claymore – Shotgun – Collector ship (Soldier and vanguard only)
    M-97 Viper – Sniper rifle – Thane recruitment mission
    M-98 Widow – Sniper rifle – Collector ship (Soldier and infiltrator only)

  • Complete any research project in the Normandy's laboratory

    You won't be able to access the Normandy's lab until you recruit Mordin. The sooner that you recruit Mordin, the better. Head into the Tech Lab. The research terminal will either be right in front of you or the first thing to your left depending upon which door you enter through. Activate the terminal and select one of the options (Weapon Upgrades, Armor Upgrades, Ship Enhancements, or Prototypes). If you have enough of the four minerals (iridium, platinum, palladium, and eezo), you'll be able to complete most of them without a problem.

    Since there won't be a bonus for having a Mass Effect game save, you'll most likely have to gather resources beforehand. See Prospector for more info.

  • Personalize your armor

    You'll actually be able to do this before you get onto the Normandy. After escaping the station, there will be a panel for customizing your armor behind Miranda. Do so there.

    If you fail to do so, then once you're on the Normandy, go into your quarters. Turn around from the galactic map and take the elevator up to the top level. This is where your quarters are. Along the left side of the room is the armor locker. Customize your armor here.

  • Evolve any power

    You have to rank up enough and accumulate enough skill points to gain the first three ranks of any biotic or tech power. Level 1 costs 1 point, level 2, 2 points, etc. Once you rank up to level 4, the power will evolve into another form. You’ll have the choice between two selections.

  • Confront the Shadow Broker

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story. Because the game is open ended, you can complete the mission after completing the game. If you're concerned about beating this mission on Insanity, then save it until after completing the game and lower the difficulty.

    Once Illium unlocks (after completing the mission on Horizon), travel there and see Liara T’Soni. Tell her that you have information about the Shadow Broker and she’ll ask you to meet her later at her apartment. Travel there and you’ll find the apartment is now a crime scene. Go upstairs and examine the picture next to her bed. Go back downstairs and right next to the bottom of the stairs will be a prothean relic. Examine that as well. The message you find will talk about a meeting she was going to have. When you arrive at the meeting place, it's straightforward until you face the assassin.

    The assassin is tough, but her movement patterns are predictable (right in front of you across a pool, to the right on the same side, to the left on the same side, straight across the pool from her last position and to your left, back to the start, etc.). It doesn’t help that you’ll have to get through her barrier and armor to really do damage. She will zip around the map in a predictable pattern. Once you learn it, you’ll know exactly where she goes. When she says that she’ll be right back, watch out for rocket drones and Shadow Broker troops. When those are gone, she’ll reappear and go back to her predictable pattern. The second time she goes away, the pattern changes a bit. She’ll start off on the same side as you, but to your right, back to the middle across the pool, to the left on the same side, then to the right on that side, and then back across to where she started. Once you defeat her, then you’ll find out where the Shadow Broker is and continue with the second part of the mission.

    The Shadow Broker's ship is straightforward. Make your way along the outside, taking out the guards that appear.

    Once you’re inside, you’ll have to make your way through the halls to central control. On your way, you’ll first stop and find Liara’s old partner imprisoned. After speaking with him, make your to the Shadow Broker. When you reach the Shadow Broker is when this trophy will unlock. This fight isn’t too difficult, you’ll just have to do the same thing multiple times. Take down his shield and armor. Liara will tell you to melee ( ) him. He’ll pull out a new shield and you’ll have to take down his shield and armor again, followed by a melee. After those two, Liara will have an idea of what to do. Take down his shields and armor and melee him for a third time. Liara will deal the finishing blow.

  • Gain the loyalty of the thief

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story. You can do this mission at any time after Freedom's Progress and before you travel through the Omega-4 relay.

    After completing Freedom's Hope, the Illusive Man will give you dossiers for the first four crew members to recruit. You will have to travel to the Citadel in the Serpent Nebula to get in contact with her. As soon as you arrive on the Citadel, there will be an advertisement to the right. Speak to it and you will recruit Kasumi. If you want to go straight to the mission, return to the Normandy.

    There will be three tasks to accomplish to get into the vault.

    1. Obtain Hock's DNA - Find the datapad on the patio outside. Talk to the security guard outside of Hock’s bedroom and tell him Chief Roe sent you. Search the bedroom for his DNA. You’ll need a combination of samples from the ashtray, wine glass, datapad, and antique weapons.

    2. Obtain a sample of Hock's voice - Talk to Hock for as long as possible. If you have a high enough paragon, just selecting the blue option, top left, will be sufficient. He’s directly across from the entrance. To find the password, there will be a security door to the left the entrance. Read the datapad on the desk.

    3. Cut the power to the vault door - Examine the power cable near the vault door. Kasumi will light up a path to the power source. Follow it and pull the statue.

    Hock’s gunship is your final battle. He will fly around the platform where you are and have waves of guards attacking you. Take down the shields once and it’ll recharge. Kasumi will tell you to keep killing the guards and she’ll take down the shields. Once she does, finish off Hock’s armor. Stay in cover and pay attention to where the guards and Hock are. They’ll come from multiple angles at once.

  • Collect 6 Cerberus data packets scattered across Aite

    All six data packets are found in the first area of Aite. You won't have to leave the Hammerhead to collect the data packets. Just hover over the yellow circle and hold . The six locations are below.

    1. From the starting point, take a right, heading through a tunnel and you will find a metal platform with two turrets. Destroy the two turrets and collect the packet on the platform.

    2. Go straight ahead and you will see a waterfall to your right. Go through the waterfall and you will see the packet on a raised metal platform.

    3.Go back through the waterfall the way that you came in and turn to right upon exiting. Go straight until you see two paths, one to the left and one to the right. Go to the right. You will find a metal platform guarded by two turrets. The packet is on the platform.

    4. Same as previous, but take the left path. Follow the path to the left until you see a metal platform with two turrets on them. The packet is on the platform.

    5.Facing the fork that led to 3 & 4, look to the left and you’ll see another path. Follow it and you’ll see a bridge with a waterfall to the right. Go down where the waterfall is. The packet will be guarded by two YMIR mechs. Destroy both and pick up the packet.

    6. Head back to where you dropped down to get 5, but go across the bridge instead. There will be a cave straight ahead that leads to Vulcan station. To the left of the cave entrance is a metal platform with the final data packet.

    Hammerhead controls
    - Jump
    - Change view
    - Collect data packet
    - Exit
    L1 Button - Boost
    R1 Button - Fire rockets

  • Successfully shut down the rogue VI in Project Overlord

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story. You can do this mission at any time after Freedom's Progress. Because the game is open ended, you can complete the mission after completing the game.

    The first part of the mission involves destroying the satellite to prevent the VI from been transmitted off the planet. After fighting through some geth, you’ll get to the dish. Climb to the top and then destroy all of the support struts to takedown the dish. Once you’re ready for the next phase, go to the Hammerhead.

    In the Hammerhead, there are two stations that you’ll have to take out, Vulcan and Prometheus. Be cautious of the turrets in the area. They’re tough and can do a fair amount of damage if not destroyed quickly. This is the point in the mission that you’ll find the six data packets. See Data Hound for more info. Follow the arrows to both of the stations. The number in the lower right will tell you how close you are to each one.

    Head to Prometheus Station. There are four shield generators in this area. You’ll have to take down all four while a massive geth cannon is targeting you. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid once you know what to look for. Stay near each of the shield generators until you get a warning about a geth cannon targeting you. Get outside of the red circle on the ground. This will destroy the shield surrounding the generator, then destroy the generator. Repeat for each other generator. With the shields down, destroy the cannon, exit the Hammerhead, and enter the station. Prometheus, Vulcan, and Atlas Stations are all fairly straightforward.

    When you finally reach the core, there are green orbs that are uplink connections. Destroy those and then use what you have to destroy the VI core. Once the core’s armor is depleted, then you get to decide how the DLC ends.

DLC: The Price of Revenge

1 trophies

  • Gain the loyalty of the mercenary ('Cerberus Pack' downloadable content)

    You can do this mission at any time after Freedom's Progress and before you travel through the Omega-4 relay.

    After completing Freedom's Hope, the Illusive Man will give you dossiers for the first four crew members to recruit. Zaeed will become available at that point. He is on Omega. When you arrive on Omega, Zaeed is just ahead of where you begin. Speak to him and you'll get his loyalty mission.

    This mission is pretty straightforward. It’s all combat and linear. The main difference between the paragon and renegade choices is what each one leads to. Renegade nets you and assault rifle upgrade and the paragon choice gets you a heavy weapon upgrade. Choose whichever one suits you the best. Either path will gain Zaeed's loyalty, but if you go with the paragon path, you'll need enough paragon points to persuade and talk him down. Thanks to Yoshi_Girl for confirming that.

DLC: Arrival

3 trophies

  • Complete the Arrival DLC ('Arrival' downloadable content)

    Story related. If you want more info, continue reading. Otherwise, know that this will unlock through the natural progression of the story. You can begin Arrival after you have completed the mission on Horizon.

    The mission begins with Shepard being contacted by the Alliance and asked to rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson. She has discovered a Reaper artifact, but in the process of researching it was captured by the Batarians. The details of the first two parts of the DLC can be found in Covert Action and Last Stand in that order. This summary will pick up after those two sections are completed.

    After awakening, head to the mech control console to take control of a LOKI mech. Kill the technician and then the other LOKI mechs that approach. Cross into the room across the way and blow up the equipment to free Shepard. Collect your armor and weapons before moving on. The next several rooms are all filled with various enemies. You'll have some standard guards mixed in with elite guards and pyros.

    You'll eventually reach a communication station where you'll be given a choice to contact the Batarian colonists or the Normandy. The choice doesn't affect the outcome of the DLC (although, it may have an effect in Mass Effect 3). It's just a paragon choice. Whichever you decide to try and contact, your call will be blocked and you will be informed that the station's reactor is about to meltdown.

    Make your way down into the station's core. Your goal is to reinsert two coolant rods into the reactor. Again, you'll have to repeatedly fight through the same enemies in every room. Once both rods are back in place and the meltdown is averted, you'll have a final confrontation with the Project's leaders. At the tail end of the confrontation, an explosion will go off and Shepard will be knocked out.

    When Shepard regains consciousness, collision with the Alpha Relay will be imminent. After trying to call the Normandy, Shepard discovers that communications are down and your only chance of escape is to reach the communications tower. Upon reaching the exterior of the station, the final group of enemies you'll face are another group of guards and another YMIR mech. After they are defeated, reactivate the communications tower and call the Normandy. After a brief interaction with Harbinger, the Normandy arrives to get you off the asteroid just in time.

  • Complete all 5 waves in the battle for Object Roh ('Arrival' downloadable content)

    This is the second part of Arrival. You can make an extra save just after landing at The Project base if you're concerned about not getting the trophy. However, if you get overwhelmed before getting the trophy, then just reload the autosave. It will take you back just before you go through the last door.

    Without spoiling anything, you will be ambushed when you reach Object Roh. You have to survive all five waves to get the trophy. If you die at any point with living enemies, you will not get this trophy. Most of them will be standard enemies, but there is very little cover in this room and they can come from both sides of the object. They will throw flashbangs at you, but the only enemies that will approach you are the pyros and the YMIR mech. The other enemies will keep their distance.

    The best hiding spot is on either of the sides of the room. When the ambush begins, kill the first enemy to the right or to the left and head in that direction. Go up the short stairway and take cover behind the console. You'll have a short, glass wall to your left (or right if you went to the left side of the room). Most of the enemies will come at you from the opposite side of the platform. They won't come around behind you or flank you. There will be enemies down on the ground floor that attack, but their fire will be blocked by the glass wall. Of course, your last enemy is the YMIR mech. Because of the ambush taking place in such a small area, the CAIN is useless. You'll just end up killing yourself.

    Wave #1: Standard guards.
    Wave #2: Standard guards, a pyro, and elite guards.
    Wave #3: Standard guards and an elite vanguard.
    Wave #4: Standard guards, a pyro, and an elite engineer.
    Wave #5: Standard guards, a pyro, an elite enginner, and an YMIR mech.

    The YMIR mech is undoubtedly the toughest part of this. If you go to the spot detailed above, the mech will approach you and get close, but will stop just in front of you. You can use the particle beam, avalanche, whatever heavy weapon you have available to headshot it into submission. If heavy weapons aren't your thing, then Heavy Overload is an effective choice. If you're playing as an Infiltrator, then get your Widow out and cloak yourself. You won't need more than a few shots on the YMIR. Stay in cover while it's guns are firing and pop out when it stops. Just be aware that shortly after it stops firing it's guns, it will fire a missile that will knock you out of cover. You'll be close enough to quickly get back in cover though.

    Even if you survive all five waves, you will be knocked out at the end. This trophy unlocks after you get knocked out by the artifact. If you have trouble getting through this area, then refer to the following video by DrawinBlacLines:

  • Rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson without attracting hostile attention ('Arrival' downloadable content)

    This is the very first mission of the DLC. Make an extra save after arriving on Aratoht if you're concerned about not getting the trophy. It's not hard at all though. All that you have to do is avoid killing any Batarians before rescuing Dr. Kenson. If you kill any Varren, it's ok as you can't really avoid them at times. Besides, they can't call for backup. While you're making your way through the base, allow batarians to go through doors ahead of you and if you see any standing around talking in side rooms, don't kill them. Just pass them by. This trophy will unlock after Dr. Kenson is free.

    A big thank you to Yoshi_Girl for putting together the following image walkthrough. Since some people may have trouble getting through without setting off an alarm or getting seen, she put together these images to help out.

     











































    If you require additional help, then see this video by Rooster Teeth:

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  • olsen77; DLC: olsen77 and Yoshi_Girl

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