The Normandy SR2

As fate would have it, the Normandy never truly leaves Commander Shepard's side. The only thing is to assemble the right crew for this baby. Shepard had tried persuading the Illusive Man to recruit the former crew of the original Normandy, but many of them have gone awol or not approved by the Illusive Man. You will have to make do with the dossier he supplied. The beginning cutscenes on the Normandy introduce you to the ship's AI named EDI and provide a quick tour of the Normandy. When you've regained control of Shepard, you can choose to immediately depart for the next destination, but you will be missing quite a lot of juicy Codex information and opportunities for side tasks.

For now, check out the interior of your new Normandy, which was replicated fairly well with a few new improvements as Joker will attest to this, and talk to the crew members. There is a ton of information to be gleaned here for doing so, and don't neglect EDI either. She is a talkative one, but will withhold certain information, unfortunately. Miranda can be found on deck 3, and Jacob is holed up in the armory. A new addition to the crew is Kelly Chambers, who serves as both your assistant and the crew's counselor. If you are interested in pursuing any romantic affair with her, you may want to choose the more flirtatious remarks when you ask her whether she's happy here. Otherwise, expect a Commander-subordinate relationship with the other responses.

Bulk up your Codex and volunteer yourself to a few of the simple side missions. For starters, the ship's cook, Mess Sergeant Gardner, has compiled a grocery list for some shopping at the Citadel, and the familiar Dr. Chakwas, from the original Normandy crew, obliges your kindness with a shoddy attempt at hiding her overflowing need for some brandy. Finally, in the engineering room, you meet Daniels and Donnelly, who have a conjoined sentiment on a design flaw of the newly rebuilt Normandy. They are going to need you to help them find some FBA Couplings.

When you're comfortably settled in the ship, it's time to decide where to go. The Galaxy Map on the CIC opens up realms of possibilities on where to go, but at this point your overriding objective is to assemble the new Normandy team, and the Illusive Man has provided a dossier that contains all of the qualified individuals that are to be recruited. Four of them can be pursued right now, but if you want to stray from the main objective for now the Citadel is a great first place to visit. Unlike in the first game, the Citadel does not play a very pivotal location in this game. However, there are a few things of interest, especially if you've undertaken the tasks asked of you by some of your crew members earlier. In addition, if you've read the message from Anderson, you have been urged to pay him a visit for a chance to explain yourself.

The next portion of the guide will take you through the Citadel, but if you choose to follow a different path, skip to the appropriate section for crewmember recruitment.