Stop the Collectors

Joker recommends that Shepard and his crew use the shuttle to reach the next mission, but things go horribly awry. The Normandy finds itself in incredible peril once again. Shepard is away, and Joker must be the one to save the ship. Guide Joker through the ship, following the lighted path, while the rest of the crew sacrifice themselves to keep Joker safe. EDI makes an inappropriate joke in this time of crisis--great, an AI with a dire sense of humor. Complete EDI's instructions to bring Shepard back.

All that's left now is to go after the Collectors through the Omega 4 Relay. It is risky business, but you must steel yourself against what is to come if you are to ever rescue your crew--nay, the galaxy.

Omega 4 Relay

Caution: There may be major spoilers ahead, but the following information is of paramount importance to achieving success.

It's no wonder why so many ships attempt to pass through the Omega 4 Relay and never return to tell the tale--the entire thing is an intricate death trap. If you've been pursuing a relationship with one of your potential suitors, you will consummate the relationship at this time. There's also one last meeting with the Illusive Man. He has no more relevant information for you that would be any aid. The Collector base is within reach now, but like everything else you've faced in this danger-filled mission nothing is ever easy. Some laser-shooting space sentries called oculus assault the ship, and it is during this crisis that--if you neglected to upgrade the Normandy--you start losing team members permanently, up to a total loss of three initially (with the real potential for more soon). You don't necessarily need all members alive to beat the game, but preserving the entire crew is especially vital for getting the No One Left Behind Achievement.

From hereon, too, your squad choices will determine who survives and who dies. (We speculate that those crew members whose loyalty has not been gained may die first.) During the battering of the Normandy--on two separate incidents--an oculus breaches the ship, and Shepard must deploy a fire-team to face it. Depending on who you choose to be on your fire-team each time is a major determinant for who dies (if without upgrades). The oculus wields a powerful laser and often disappears in the midst of the battle. During this brief stalemate, rummage around for ammo if you need it. The armor covering the oculus is impervious to Biotics and can only be taken down by maxed out weaponry or heavy weapons in general.

Later on, in the briefing room, Shepard and the crew (or what's left) devise a plan of attack. A trained technician must infiltrate the base via the vents to open the central gates for the attack squad. A second fire-team must help keep the technician safe. At this point, you have to choose the most ideal candidate for these roles. For the trained technician position, the obvious choice falls on either Tali or Legion, depending upon who is alive. If neither is alive, the person you send may meet an unfortunate end. For the fire-team leader position, prior experience in combat situations is a plus. Miranda, Jacob, or Garrus fits the bill perfectly.

When choosing your own squad, know that this mission pits you against enemies with Biotic barriers and armor. Bring anyone with Biotic powers like Warp, Incinerate, Overload, etc.

Head away from the landed shuttle and begin breaching the base. The Collectors are on their way and meet you in the big room. Torch these small fry and vault over the obstacles to get moving. Your technician informs you that he or she (in our case it was Tali) requires some assistance in removing a blockade. There're some valves ahead to disable, which open up the way for Tali. You need to disable a total of eight valves in a timely manner. Because the vents are so hot your technician won't last too long if you don't open the valves quickly. Collectors will work to slow you down, but you don't have to kill them all. If pressed for time, ignore them and hit the valve button first. Rush through to hit the remaining seven valves and save your game before you activate the last one.

The next leg of the mission summons the powers of a skilled Biotic user to protect the squad from the Collector swarms. Samara (or Morinth) or Jack would be qualified for this task. Again, you will need to assign another fire-team leader. And once again, Miranda, Jacob, or Garrus would do just fine. An escort needs to accompany the survivors back to the ship. Anyone who is loyal can carry out the task, but we recommend Mordin as this guarantees his survival (even if he is loyal he has been known to kick it). Once you've made your choices, it's time to get on with the rest of the mission.

Your Biotic specialist (it was Samara for us) creates a massive dome-shaped Biotic barrier to keep the swarms out and only the swarms. Bullets can still freely pass in and out of the shield. You must stay within this barrier throughout the long walk. When enemies show up, the Biotic specialist is kind enough to hold steady while you take care of the threats. Speak with her whenever you're ready to start rolling again. Later on, you start encountering Husks, Abominations, and a Scion. As you near the door to the central hub, the Biotic specialist begins to tire--holding up a barrier of that magnitude is quite taxing--but simply move forward to advance to the next sequence. If you've chosen the correct person for the job (and we don't see why you wouldn't have), everyone gets away safely.

Next, the team gears up for the final showdown, but some preparations need to be made first. Some people need to stay behind and hold the defense line. When you choose your own fire squad, pick the weaker, non-defensive types like Tali, Jack, etc. Keep in mind that this hand-picked crew will stay with you for the remainder of the game. The people you do not pick remain behind to watch your back. The stronger the defensive skill of the crew members that stay behind, the stronger the likelihood that the entire group as a whole lives.

Your personal squad hovers away on the platform. Other platforms spiral in and bring waves of enemies, a scenario that should be reminiscent of the encounter back on the Collector ship. The last platform holds two Scions and some Abominations. Conserve your ammo here as much as possible, using a combination of Biotics and well-placed shots to take down your foes. Afterwards, activate the end platform to move toward the center of the station.

The full horrors of what the Collectors have been doing are realized and must be stopped. You must now destroy each of the four feeding tubes that empty its contents into to the massive central structure. The tubes become vulnerable intermittently when the protective shutters open up and expose its orange contents, usually after a round of Collectors arrive. The tubes don't take much before they shatter; focus on eliminating the tubes while fending off the incoming Collectors. Once all the feeding tubes have been destroyed, the Illusive Man interjects and forces you to once again make a choice that will certainly have sweeping consequences on humanity. Choosing to save the technology gives you a myriad of Renegade points, whereas destroying it garners a wealth of Paragon points.

Either way you still have the monstrous creation to deal with. Empty all your weapons on the mechanical abomination at one of several places: the eyes, the mouth when it charges up its primary laser beam attack, or the chest cavity. When it charges up its laser beam attack (as evidenced by the large mass of energy collecting at its mouth), you have a couple of seconds to unload on its mouth before the attack goes live, at which point staying behind cover is the wisest choice. The monstrosity tends to duck down and pull itself back up in cycles. Any weapon whittles away its health, although the biggest hitters are, of course, weapons like the particle beam, the Cain, etc.

Mission complete! You have the option to continue tying up loose ends in the current game (like side missions and whatnot), or starting a new game plus with the same Shepard.