How to Secure Garrus’ Loyalty in Mass Effect 2

Though Garrus can be beside Shepard from the beginning of their adventures, Shepard will still need to help him gain some closure and secure his Loyalty in Mass Effect 2. Completing squadmate Loyalty missions in Mass Effect 2 usually helps characters clear their heads to focus on the upcoming invasion on the Collector base. Some of these missions have fail conditions, and Shepard will not secure the squadmate’s Loyalty if they fail. Garrus is one of several squadmates whose mission does not have a fail condition; as long as Shepard completes it, his Loyalty will have been earned. Despite this, it can seem like Shepard has to go along with Garrus’ plan or risk losing his friendship and Loyalty, which is not the case.

Garrus’ Loyalty mission, Garrus: Eye for an Eye, takes place on the Citadel. Garrus tells Shepard he has finally found a lead on Sidonis’ whereabouts and intends to kill him for betraying his team on Omega and getting all ten men killed. Though Garrus appears firm in his conviction that this is what he must do, Shepard can persuade him to let go without losing his Loyalty. The choices Shepard makes here will affect Garrus’ personality, however, and do result in morality points for Shepard. Here’s how to secure Garrus’ Loyalty and affect his personality in Mass Effect 2.

How to Make Garrus Loyal in Mass Effect 2

The only thing Shepard must do to earn Garrus’ Loyalty in Mass Effect 2 is complete Garrus: Eye for an Eye. No matter what, this mission cannot be failed. Shepard will need to decide, however, whether they want to talk Garrus out of needless revenge or encourage him to deal with the traitor. Like in the original Mass Effect, Shepard’s morality during Garrus’ personal mission will directly affect Garrus’ personality and outlook.

During the mission, Shepard, Garrus, and their third squadmate will primarily face a small army of LOKI and YMIR mechs and Blue Suns mercenaries in the Warehouse District of the Citadel. The first major decision Shepard will need to make takes place after defeating these mechs and mercenaries. When Garrus attacks and threatens Harkin, Shepard can choose to take the Paragon interrupt to stop Garrus from shooting Harkin in the leg, or they can allow it to happen. There are morality points associated with this decision.

Later, in the transport to the Orbital Lounge, Shepard can further press Garrus about his plan and again either try and talk him out of it or encourage him to go through with it. There are morality points associated with this decision.

Despite Garrus’ protests and insistence that Shepard cannot stop him, Shepard does not have to allow Garrus to take the shot to earn his trust. With a high enough Paragon score, Shepard can successfully persuade Garrus to stop and still earn his Loyalty. To do this, they can get in the way of Garrus’ scope and warn Sidonis. When he starts to walk away, they will need to take the Paragon interrupt, or Garrus will take the shot. The longer Shepard can keep Sidonis talking and stay in Garrus’ way, better. Eventually, a Charm/Intimidate dialogue option will appear, and Shepard can convince Garrus to let Sidonis go.

Shepard will again earn morality points for these interrupts and dialogue choices. Should Shepard choose the Renegade path and go along with Garrus’ plan, it will cement his emphasis on justice and vengeance. Should Shepard choose the Paragon path, Garrus’ focus shifts to saving as many lives as possible, even those who may not entirely deserve mercy. Shepard sees the results of this most clearly later in Mass Effect 3 while Garrus serves as advisor to Primarch Victus.

Once Garrus’ Loyalty has been earned in Mass Effect 2, there is no way for Shepard to lose it. While they will still need to be careful and strategic, Garrus’ chances for survival during the Suicide Mission will be dramatically increased as long as his mission was completed.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibility on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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