Mass Effect Walkthrough

New Mission: “Ilos: Find the Conduit”

2 – Armature Enemies
Due south in the ruins are a pair of geth armatures to contend with. If you prefer to face them directly, be ready for a tough fight. Take out all the nearby soldiers so you can concentrate exclusively on the armatures. A combination of tech and biotic powers work well here. If you can temporarily disable one armature using lift or stasis then you can concentrate on fighting the other one using your tech powers. Alternatively, you can head west from the insertion point to reach a different part of the ruins. Though this area is more heavily guarded, it also contains an armature control console that can be used to deactivate the armatures so you won’t have to fight them. When you’re done, proceed south to the next area where more geth are waiting for you. It should be nothing you can’t handle by this point, so take the nearby elevator when all the geth are taken care of.

3 – Armature Allies
The elevator takes you to a large room. As soon as you enter, a large contingent of geth will rush in from the opposite side. Fortunately, you’re not alone in this fight. On either side of the room are a pair of armature repair stations. With sufficient decryption skill you can activate each of these stations to summon an armature to fight on your side against the rest of the geth. There is also some high ground just inside the entrance that you can use for a good vantage and some cover against the geth.

4 – Prothean Security
Head to the back of the room and up the ramps to the left or right. These paths lead to a security panel you can use to open the doors and pursue Saren. A message appears but it’s difficult to determine what it is trying to tell you. Head back down and take the north path to reach the elevator. This takes you back up to the surface where you can now enter the Mako and proceed through the open passageway.

5 – Vigil
Following the straight path leads you to an energy barrier. When you get close enough, another barrier appears behind you. Your squad speculates that this might be a trap from Saren. Exit the Mako and take the nearby elevator. At the bottom is a VI interface known as Vigil, who explains that Ilos was the last refuge of the Protheans. Here they placed themselves in stasis and hid from the Reapers until it was safe to reemerge. However, there were too few left to sustain their population. They spent their remaining years trying to find a way to defeat the Reapers should they ever return. Because of the Protheans’ efforts 50,000 years ago, the Reapers have been unable to return to the galaxy. However, if Saren succeeds, Sovereign will be able to bring the other Reapers in from dark space and continue the cycle of extinction. The key to the Reapers invasion plans is the Citadel, which is actually a large mass relay connecting to dark space. Sovereign needs to activate the Citadel relay, but would be unable to attack the Citadel directly because it is too well defended. Vigil explains that the Conduit is a backdoor onto the Citadel, which will allow Saren and his geth to penetrate the station’s otherwise impregnable defenses and give Sovereign the control it needs to activate the relay.

+ Paragon for noble responses
+ Renegade for renegade responses
Mission Complete: “Ilos: Find the Conduit”
“Race Against Time: Sovereign” -> “Race Against Time: Conduit”

6 – The Conduit
Vigil gives you a copy of a special data file that must be uploaded into the Citadel’s master control unit to give you control of the station. This is your only chance to stop Saren and prevent the return of the Reapers. Head back up to the Mako and hurry after Saren. You need to navigate the trenches to reach the conduit, which are now heavily guarded by the geth. Since you are in the Mako your primary concern is the large number of rocket troopers you will encounter. If you’re agile enough you can get past all these enemies without having to fight them. At the end of the trenches you can see the Conduit, which is simply a small mass relay. There’s a limited time to reach the Conduit before the gate closes, so there’s no time to waste fighting the nearby enemies. Head straight towards the gate to be sure you arrive before time runs out. The Mako is captured by the relay and propelled across the galaxy to the Citadel…

I recommend that you try to finish the rest of the game on your own. There is not long to go, and I also don’t want to ruin the ending for you. If you really need help however, the rest of the walkthrough can be found in the Secrets section. Good luck and congratulations on making it this far.