Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (2024)

One of the defining features of the Mass Effect trilogy is the game's morality system. More commonly known as the Paragon/Renegade system, it allows players to choose whether they want their Shepard to be a righteoussavior or a cold-blooded maniac (or a healthy mix of both). For many Mass Effect players, completing a full Renegade playthrough of the trilogy is quite difficult on an emotional level.

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RELATED: Mass Effect: 10 Noblest Things Paragon Shepard Can Do

By sticking with Renegade only, Shepard kills their friends, dooms entire species to extinction, and exterminates colonies among other equally brutal actions. Luckily, Bioware included plenty of Renegade moments that are not totally monstrous but instead are incredibly satisfying and give the player thesensation of being a total galactic badass.

10 Forcing The Bartender To Drink His Own Poison

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (1)

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After arriving on the lawless space station of Omega in Mass Effect 2, Shepard finds themselves at the station's hottest nightclub called Afterlife. If Shepard wanders down to the club's lower level, they'll encounter a bartender named Forvan who generously gives Shepard a free drink. Turns out, Forvan poisoned the drink because he hates all humans. After recovering from the experience, and being the first person to survive the poison, Shepard can return to confront the bartender. There are a few ways of handling the situation, but by taking the Renegade option Forvan ends up downing his own poisoned drink and goes through the same agonizing death that many of his former customers experienced.

9 Hanging Up On The Citadel Council

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (2)

Once Commander Shepard is made the first human Spectre in the first Mass Effect game, they are sent after the rogue Spectre Saren. The Spectres answer directly to the Citadel Council which means Shepard too, must give regular reports to the galactic governing body. Regardless of Shepard's successes though, the Council seems to continuously pester Shepard about what could have been done differently. Being nagged by some politicians is not something Shepard has time for and so the simple and deeply satisfying solutionis to disconnect the transmission. The more Shepard hangs up on the Council the more irritated the Council becomes, which in turn makesit more fun to keep hanging up on them going forward.

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (3)

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Players first encounter Conrad Verner down in the Wards on the Citadel in the trilogy's first entry. At first, Conrad comes off as a harmless fan of the Commander. However, if Shepard continues to interact with Conrad later in the game, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that he is quite a nuisance and is obsessed with both the Commander and becoming a Spectre.

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In Mass Effect 2, Verner can be found harassing the bartender at the Eternity Lounge on Illium. Conrad is under the delusion that he is performing Spectre's work, and if Shepard chooses to deal withhim in a Renegade fashion, Shepard will shoot Conrad in the foot. This leaves the wannabe Spectre whining and wailing on the floor, demonstrating even further that he is far from Spectre material.

7 Delivering The Final Strike To TheReaper On Rannoch

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (4)

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After defeating the Reaper on the Quarian homeworld of Rannoch in Mass Effect 3, Shepard has a brief conversation with the ancient machine. In typical Reaper fashion, the dying Reaper states that all sentient life is doomed because the Reapers are bringing order to the chaos that is organic life. If Shepard chooses the Renegade route in this conversation, they will be offered an interrupt that, if triggered, will have Shepard point the targeting laser at the Reaper. This results in one final orbital blow by the Quarian fleet before Shepard ends the conversation on a juicy one-liner.

6 Shattering Kai Leng's Sword Before Ending Him

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (5)

Many fans consider Kai Leng to be one of the most irritating villains in Mass Effect 3 (and the entire trilogy for that matter). Despite being unable to take down Shepard in any of their encounters, Leng repeatedly taunts Shepard throughout the game. To make matters worse, it is a blow from Leng's sword that deals a mortal wound to Shepard's former squadmate Thane (who was terminally ill anyway, but it still hurts to see the legendary assassin fall to the Cerberus agent). Towards the end of Mass Effect 3, after being defeated in combat, Leng tries to sneak up on Shepard. However, Shepard sees this coming and by taking the Renegade option, stylishly shatters Kai Leng's precious sword and impales him with an omni-blade, thus avenging the Commander's fallen friend Thane.

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Perhaps the most well-known Renegade moment of Mass Effect 2 occurs during Thane's recruitment mission. Part-way through the mission, Shepard sneaks up on an unsuspecting Eclipse mercenary who is standing by a window. Shepard proceeds to question the merc as to the whereabouts of the assassin, Thane Krios. The merc responds by refusing to say anything. Shepard can then either convince the merc to divulge any relevant information, or go completely Renegade and shove the mercenary through the window, sending him flying out a skyscraper.

4 Eliminating The Blue Suns Gunship Mechanic

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Another iconic Renegade moment from Mass Effect 2 takes place while recruiting Archangel on Omega. Before Shepard and squad can enter Archangel's hideout, they need to speak with Sergeant Cathka, who is part of the Blue Suns mercenary group. Cathka can be found repairing a gunship that was damaged in a previous engagement with Archangel.

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After finding Archangel, it is revealed that the mysterious figure is in fact fan-favorite character Garrus. Soon after, the gunship attacks. Therefore, it is wise to prevent Cathka from finishing his repairs on the gunship. This can be by stabbing and electrocuting the Sergeant using a nearby tool while talking with him, making this Renegade action both exciting and practical.

3 Threatening Brooks and Shepard's Clone

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While fighting Shepard's Clone in Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC, the real Shepard and his squadmates are trapped in an iridium vault by the Clone and Brooks deep in the Citadel Archives. However, just before the vault is stored, Shepard threatens the evil duo. If Shepard chooses the Renegade threat (by selecting the dialogue option "I will end you painfully"), Shepard will provide a detailed description of what will be done with the Clone and Brooks' severed heads once they are defeated. Although this graphic threat does not come to fruition, it is a satisfyingly humorous bit of dialogue to go out on before retaking the soon to be stolen Normandy.

2 Lighting The Clanspeaker On Fire

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During Mordin's loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2, Shepard comes across a rather mouthy Krogan while searching for Maelon (Mordin's former student) on the Krogan homeworld of Tuchanka. Instead of listening to the Weyrloc Clanspeaker babble on about how his clan will ascend to glory once Maelon cures the Genophage, Shepard can interrupt him by shooting the gas tank just beneath the balcony the Krogan is standing on, causing the tank to explode and set the Krogan on fire. In addition to cutting short the lengthy and somewhat pointless speech, this action saves Shepard from having to fight the admittedly powerful Krogan.

1 Punching The Reporter Every Single Time

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In all three mainline Milky Way Mass Effect games, Westerlund News reporter Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani will ask Commander Shepard a series of provocative questions. And in all three games, Shepard can put an end to the interview by answering with their fist. While assaulting a journalist does not do anyone any favors, it is, frankly, very fun in the game - even if it is the kind of action that is unacceptable in real life. Players should note that if they choose to punch Khalisah in Mass Effect 3, that she will have learned from her previous experiences with the Commander and dodge the first swing. So be ready for a second Renegade interrupt that will deliver the knockout blow, otherwise, Shepard will be knocked to the ground and made to look like a fool.

NEXT: Mass Effect: 10 Quotes From The Series That Will Always Stick With Us

Mass Effect: 10 Best Things Renegade Shepard Can Do (2024)
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