Mass Effect 2: Deal with the collector base either destroy or preserve.
Among the key choices in the highly praised Mass Effect 2 is Commander Shepard's decision on whether to destroy or preserve the Collector Base. Both choices have major effects on the course of the story and affect the events of Mass Effect 3, the next game. This page guides players across the moral complexity of this important decision by examining the advantages and drawbacks of each option.
Knowing the Collector Base
Understanding the importance of the Collector Base will help one better appreciate the consequences of the choice. Mysterious alien species known as The Collectors have been kidnapping human colonists; their actions have become more frequent after Sovereign in Mass Effect was destroyed. Working with the shadowy group Cerberus, resurrected Commander Shepard sets out to find the Collectors' link to the Reapers and foil their evil intentions. The game mostly centers on building a capable crew for the Normandy SR-2 and negotiating the Omega-4 Relay to reach the Collector Base, close to the Milky Way's center.
Destruction vs. Preservation: The Decision
Mass Effect 2 ends with an audacious suicide mission across the Omega-4 Relay to the Collector Base. The result of the mission depends on both strategic decisions taken during the last attack and player decisions made all during the game. Commander Shepard must choose between destroying the base and everything inside it or neutralizing the Collectors while keeping the base intact so Cerberus may save its advanced technology regardless of past actions.
Eliminating the Collector Base: The Paragon Road
Eliminating the Collector Base in Mass Effect 2 conforms to the Paragon morality framework of the game. This decision is a selfless act of justice, giving the eradication of the Collector Base top priority as a symbol of their terrible experimentation and making sure that strong technology never ends in the wrong hands.
According to EDI, the Normandy's artificial intelligence, the Collectors are genetically altered Protheans, once-dominant civilization that vanished during the last cycle of destruction. Harvested almost 50,000 years ago, the Prothean organic material was used to produce the Collectors, who later became the Reapers' indoctrinated slaves. This fits the continuous suffering of the human colonists taken by the Collectors, so confirming this choice as a Paragon one. But friends like Garrus and Mordin bring questions about the scientific worth of keeping the base intact.
Effects of demolishing the Collector Base
Choosing to destroy the base disturbs the mysterious leader of Cerberus, the Illusive Man, who thinks that the technology inside could have guaranteed human supremacy against the Reapers. Against Cerberus's control, Shepard declares they will lead the battle against the Reapers.
Shepard's choice in Mass Effect 3 to demolish the Collector Base causes the Human Reaper's heart to be retrieved during the mission to Chronos Station. This greatly adds to the player's War Assets, increasing Military Strength by 100 points—a crucial component in deciding how successful the Citadel races against the Reapers are.
Maintaining the Collector Base: the Path of Renzag
Maintaining the collector base is a more pragmatic but maybe unethical decision. Emphasizing a "necessary evil" strategy, this Renegade path gives acquiring advanced Reaper technology top priority in order to obtain a tactical advantage against the Reapers. The choice shows a conviction that Cerberus, with its dubious strategies, captures mankind's best hope for survival.
Shepard chooses this road to coincide with Cerberus's objective of attaining human rule. Squadmates like Tali and Jack, who draw attention to the base's terrible past and the innocent lives lost inside its walls, object, though.
Results from maintaining the collector base
Emphasizing the technological developments the base presents, the Illusive Man praises Shepard for their pragmatism. Though they work with Cerberus, Shepard tells the Illusive Man not to waste the chance the Collector Base presents.
Preserving the base in Mass Effect 3 causes the Human Reaper's brain to resurface during the Chronos Station mission. This gives the player 110 War Assets points, somewhat surpassing the incentive for demolishing the base.
Impact of the choice in Mass Effect 3
The results of the Collector Base choice show up near Mass Effect 3's end. Although the decision mostly affects War Assets, the player's total Military Strength will determine how the game ends. Preserving the base results in the Control ending; destroying the base results in the Destruction ending if the player's Military Strength falls short of 1,750. The Collector Base choice is less important, though, if the player accumulates 1,750 Military Strength or more since they will have access to extra ending options.
Mass Effect: Andromeda, a later game exploring a new galaxy and narrative, has little effect from the Collector Base choice.
Advice: Erasing the Collector Base
Destroying the Collector Base is the best option overall. This choice upholds moral values and keeps dangerous technologies out of Cerberus's hands, so following the Paragon road. The decision shows the player's dedication to a more fair and equitable future, even though the effect on the general story of the game might be little.
Whatever the decision taken, the Collector Base one marks a turning point in Commander Shepard's path, so confirming their convictions and guiding their strategy toward the approaching Reaper invasion. It's evidence of Mass Effect 2's gripping story that, given the whole universe of the game, even apparently little decisions have great impact.
