Mass Effect 3’s Control Ending Best Sets Up ME4

Which ending players chose at the end of Mass Effect 3 has a major impact on the state of the Milky Way galaxy following the Reaper invasion, but the Control ending appears to be the best-case scenario as it relates to Mass Effect 4. If BioWare determines that Commander Shepard’s final choice is going to be important for the future of the series, controlling the Reapers results in the strongest foundation possible for Mass Effect 4.

The single biggest question facing Mass Effect 4 is how it will handle the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s story in the original trilogy. With the series being so dependent on player choice and three drastically different endings, the most likely outcome is that BioWare will implement a significant time skip as a mechanism to write their way out of whichever consequences the player suffered coming off the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. But if BioWare were to make an ending to the trilogy canon, ME3’s Control ending leaves the Milky Way galaxy in the best state moving forward and would be the best choice.

Mass Effect 3’s control ending provides the most solid foundation for the Milky Way galaxy in Mass Effect 4. If Commander Shepard chooses to control the Reapers, the harvest cycle is stopped and the Reapers are then used to rebuild the Mass Relay system. Following this, the Reapers are presumably returned to dark space or could possibly benefit the galaxy in some other way ,with Shepard serving as an overarching protector. Unlike the Destroy and Synthesis endings, the Control ending also allows for all of the races of the Milky Way galaxy to ultimately survive the war with the Reapers and is the clearest victory of the three options.

Everyone Survives Mass Effect 3’s Control Ending

Mass Effect 3’s Control ending allows for both the Geth and Quarians to repopulate Rannoch, the Krogan will thrive following the genophage cure, and even the Rachni can survive if Shepard released the Queen in both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3. Where the dDestroy ending kills all synthetics and the Synthesis ending forces a major change on all sentient life, the Control ending allows for all sentient life in the Milky Way galaxy to survive the war with the Reapers relatively unscathed, with the added chance that the Reapers could still be hanging around in a benevolent state. Obviously these choices are all dependent on decisions made by players throughout the trilogy, but the control ending allows for the best possible outcome and as a result, best sets up the Milky Way galaxy for Mass Effect 4.

For the time being, it’s impossible to know exactly how BioWare intends to handle Mass Effect 4. Following the failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, it makes sense to get back to the series’ roots in the Milky Way galaxy but Commander Shepard’s final decision in the war against the Reapers complicates things. Fans would be understandably upset if their chosen ending was dismissed but writing out of the consequences of Shepard’s actions can also undermine a player’s own experience with the trilogy if handled improperly. But if any of Mass Effect 3’s endings are to be assumed canon moving forward, it makes the most sense for Shepard to have chosen to control the Reapers.

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