Welcome to the Trophy and Achievement guide for the Legendary Edition version of Mass Effect 2. Just like the first game, this list has been altered from the original Mass Effect 2. This list can be completed in one play through, but it is a little more intricate than the original Mass Effect. It is not a difficult list, but there is a lot to be aware of.
I know not many will need to hear this, but before starting Mass Effect 2, import your save from ME 1. You’ll gain bonuses in ME 2 and it is needed for the Long Service Medal Trophy/Achievement from the Legendary Edition list.
You should start working on Tactican right away. The tracking on this can be very annoying at times. Sometimes it’ll count the two biotic attacks, and other times it won’t. You only need to do it 20 times for the Trophy and Achievement, but it’ll likely take more due to the inconsistent counter. Start on this right away while you still have the whole game ahead of you to work on this.
You’ll need to make sure to constantly speak to your allies in order to get their loyalty missions. These can be missed if you aren’t speaking to them after each mission on the Normandy. Some of the loyalty missions can be failed, so it would be beneficial to regularly create back up save files. The big one here is No One Left Behind. There is a lot that needs to be completed. It isn’t hard, there is just a lot to it.
You should complete every assignment, loyalty mission and purchase any upgrades before heading to the mission Reaper IFF. Make a back up save file before heading into this mission. To avoid spoilers here, there will be more info on this under No One Left Behind.
*NOTE* There is an extra list that spans across all three Mass Effect games in the Legendary Edition. On Xbox, this list is not separate. It is one long list. On PlayStation, this list is separate. This means that although there is not a romantic relationship Trophy/Achievement required for this particular Platinum/100%, you still need to have a relationship to pop that Trophy/Achievement in the separate Legendary Edition list. At the bottom of this guide will be info on Trophies/Achievements that are affected by this game.
Mass Effect Trophy and Achievement Guide
Mass Effect 3 Trophy and Achievement Guide
ME2: Acquire all trophies
ME2: Save humanity throughout the galaxy from certain annihilation
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement. This will pop upon completing the game.
ME2: Save your crew from an overwhelming attack
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement.
ME2: Return to active duty
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement.
ME2: Defend a human colony from attack
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement.
ME2: Complete the investigation of a derelict alien vessel
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement.
ME2: Use the Omega 4 Relay
This is an unmissable story related Trophy and Achievement.
ME2: Survive suicide mission
This Trophy only requires that Shepard survive the suicide mission. See “No One Left Behind” for more details.
ME2: Keep your team alive through the suicide mission
This is highly missable. There are many things you need to do in order to have your whole team make it through the suicide mission. You will need to keep every ally alive during the final mission of the game.
As mentioned above in the intro, you’re going to want to have every incomplete assignment, loyalty and upgrade done before heading to the Reaper IFF. Your crew will be abducted and you will need to continue the main story almost immediately or else you will start to lose your allies. The only exception here is for Legion. You’ll acquire Legion on the IFF and then his loyalty mission will be unlocked. Complete that one mission and then continue on with the main missions.
Make a back up save before heading to Reaper IFF and then another before heading to Omega 4 just in case someone dies.
First, you need to have every ally loyal. In order to do that, you will need to complete a loyalty mission for each ally. Refer to “A House Divided” below for details on the loyalty missions. You shouldn’t run into any issues as long as every character is loyal, the upgrades are purchased and each job is filled with the correct choice.
Normandy Upgrades
A Character will die for each of these upgrades that you don’t have. The prices can be reduced when using an imported save file.
- Heavy Ship Armor
- Speak to Jacob and select “Ship Upgrades.” This will cost 15,000 Paladium.
- Multicore Shielding
- Speak to Tali and select “Ship Upgrades.” This will cost 15,000 Paladium.
- Thannix Cannon
- Speak to Garrus and select “Ship Upgrades.” This will cost 15,000 Paladium
Ally Jobs
Characters will die if they are not given the correct jobs during the mission. Below is a list of characters that will survive when placed in the correct spot.
- Tech Specialist
- Kasumi
- Legion
- Tali
- 1st Fire Team Leader
- Garrus
- Jacob
- Miranda
- Biotic Specialist
- Jack
- Samara/Morinth
- 2nd Fire Team Leader
- Garrus
- Jacob
- Miranda
When you reach the Normandy crew and send them back to the ship, you have to choose the option to escort.
- Escort
- Jack
- Kasumi
- Mordin – He should be chosen for this as he is very weak defensively and this will get him out of danger of dying.
- Tali
After all of this, there is one more section left where you will need to assign your allies. You will need to have a team defend a door and pick a team to go with you.
- For your squad, the more weaker defensive characters are a good choice for this. This will keep them with you and they won’t have a chance to die defending the door. The characters below have the weakest defense ratings:
- Mordin
- Jack
- Kasumi
- Tali
- The following characters below have the best defensive ratings:
- Grunt
- Zaheed
- Garrus
With everyone loyal, I chose to send Mordin back with the Normandy crew to escort them. I took Kasumi and Jack with me for the final boss fight and the rest stayed to defend the door.
If everything is done correctly, this will pop after Shepard and the Illusive Man speak to each other just before the credits roll.
ME2: Obtain geth technology
This is earned at the end of the Reaper IFF mission. After retrieving Legion, you will be given the choice of giving it to Cerberus or taking it with you on the Normandy. In order to earn this (and others), you must choose to bring Legion with you on the Normandy. Do not give Legion to Cerberus. After that, go to the AI Core to activate Legion.
ME2: Successfully recruit Archangel
Some of your allies will all be recruited by completing missions given to you by the Illusive Man. Near the beginning of the game, the Illusive Man will give you six dossiers. All you have to do is complete the missions in the dossiers to recruit them.
The dossiers will contain recruitment missions for the following characters:
- The Archangel – Garrus
- The Convict – Jack
- The Krogan – Grunt
- After completing Grunt’s mission, this won’t pop until you go to the Port Cargo Hold on the Normandy, release Grunt and speak with him.
- The Professor – Mordin
- The Master Thief – Kasumi
- The Veteran – Zaeed
ME2: Successfully recruit the Assassin
After completing Horizon, you will meet with the Illusive Man again. He will give you three more dossiers to recruit more allies. Just like the first four, all you have to do is complete the missions to recruit them.
The next three are:
- The Assassin – Thane
- The Justicar – Samara
- The Quarian – Tali
ME2: Successfully recruit the biotic Convict
See “The Archangel” above for more details on recruiting your team.
ME2: Successfully recruit the Justicar
See “The Assassin” above for more details on recruiting your team.
ME2: Successfully recruit the krogan
See “The Archangel” above for more details on recruiting your team.
ME2: Successfully recruit the Professor
See “The Archangel” above for more details on recruiting your team.
ME2: Successfully recruit the quarian
See “The Assassin” above for more details on recruiting your team.
ME2: Hack a geth collective
Each member of your crew will have missions specific to them that need to be completed if you’re going for the Platinum or 100%. Not only are they need for the individual character specific Trophies/Achievements, but completing them is an important step in making sure everyone survives the suicide mission late in the game.
In order to receive the loyalty missions for your allies, you need to speak with each one of them frequently. After you complete a mission, go speak to them on the Normandy. Eventually, they will ask for your help. Agree to help them and complete their missions. Be sure to complete these as soon as they become available. You’ll be notified that one of your allies needs to speak to you while aboard the Normandy. When you hear that, go speak with them. You can see what crew member is located where by interacting with the elevator on the Normandy. You can also view their loyalty status via your personal terminal.
Also, there will be some confrontations that erupt between characters after some of the loyalty missions are completed. You can choose to side with one character over the other. If your Paragon or Renegade points are high enough, it is possible to choose an option that will get both characters to settle down and agree which will keep them both loyal. If you have to side with one over the other, you can regain loyalty with the character you didn’t choose by speaking with them later, but that will require high Paragon or Renegade points. Choosing one over the other will also result in losing relationship progress if started.
- Miranda – The Prodigal
- Jacob – The Gift of Greatness
- Jack – Subject Zero
- Miranda and Jack to get into an argument when both of their loyalty missions are complete. If your Paragon or Renegade points are high enough, it is possible to choose an option (blue or red) that will get both characters to settle down and agree.
- Mordin – Old Blood
- Grunt – Rite of Passage
- Garrus – Eye for an Eye
- Samara – The Ardat-Yakshi
- Speak to Aria and investigate the apartment.
- Make an extra save file before entering the club.
- Speak to Vij on your left as you enter the VIP section of the club to get info on Morinth.
- You have to get Morinth’s attention in the club. You have to successfully complete three activities in the club to get her attention. If you fail four of them, you fail the mission.
- Succeed in any three of the following activities:
- Dance with Waera using the Paragon dialogue choice
- Buy the entire club drinks. Speak to the bartender and you can buy the drinks for everyone. It is also possible to convince the bartender to do it free if you have high enough Paragon points.
- Confront Verf. Verf is a krogan that you can speak to and challenge to a fight outside of the club.
- Confront Vertin and Huck. Vertin and Huck are turians that you can bribe to leave the club. You can also intimidate them, but that will result in receiving Renegade points.
- Confront Meln. Meln is a turian that is harassing an asari dancer named Hallia. Intervene on the situation and defend Hallia.
- As long as you didn’t fail the previous section, Morinth will approach you.
- Do not choose “Family” and “Justicar” dialogue options when speaking with her.
- It is possible to fail this by picking the wrong options. When speaking with her, choose the following options:
- Art -> Vaenia
- Music -> Expel 10 -> Hallex
- Travel -> I like the danger -> Power is its own reward
- When you get invited to her apartment, make a save and examine everything in there.
- Sculpture
- Door
- Chess
- Pill Bottle
- Sword
- Assault Rifle
- Samara will confront Morinth in her apartment. If you have high enough Paragon or Renegade points, you can resist Morinth which will result in giving you a choice on who to side with. If not, you’ll automatically side with Samara.
- This will pop no matter who lives at the end.
- Tali – Treason
- Thane – Sins of the Father
- Make an extra save file at the start of this mission because it is possible to fail it.
- Speak to Captain Bailey at C-Sec.
- Make a save before you start to follow Talid.
- If you get too far away from Talid when following him, the mission will fail. You can also fail by not informing Thane of Talid’s stops when following him.
- You can also fail the mission by letting Kolyat kill Talid. There is a Paragon option to disarm Kolyat.
- Legion – A House Divided
- Tali and Legion get into an argument when both of their loyalty missions are complete. If your Paragon or Renegade points are high enough, it is possible to choose an option (blue or red) that will get both characters to settle down and agree.
- Kasumi – Stealing Memory
- Kasumi is recruited on the Citadel. Her loyalty mission is acquired after recruiting her.
- Zaeed – The Price of Revenge
- You will be given Zaeed’s loyalty mission after speaking to him for the first time on Omega. The mission itself is pretty straight forward, but there will be a Paragon/Renegade choice that eventually comes into play. You will have to choose between going after Vido (Renegade) or saving the refinery workers (Paragon). Either one can lead to Zaeed’s loyalty, but if the Paragon route is chosen, you will need to make sure you have enough Paragon points to convince Zaeed that you did the right thing in the end of the mission. You may want to have a backup save just in case you choose the Paragon route but don’t have enough points to convince Zaeed in the end.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the krogan
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Assassin
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the biotic Convict
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Help the Justicar resolve her mission
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of Archangel
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Operative
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Professor
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Officer
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the quarian
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Thresher Maw defeated
The Thresher Maw is found during Grunt’s loyalty mission “Rite of Passage” and it can be missed. Make a backup save just in case. During the mission, you will eventually get to a point where you need to defeat waves of enemies. The Maw will spawn during wave three and you will have to survive for five minutes. So, you’ll have five minutes to kill the Maw. If you don’t, then this will be missed. Heavy weapons, incendiary ammo and biotic attacks should make this a quick fight.
ME2: Perform 30 headshot kills with any weapon on humanoid targets
All you have to do here is aim for the head. There will be more than enough enemies through out the game to get this done.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
ME2: Incinerate the armor of 25 enemies
In order to earn this, use the Incinerate on an enemy that has a yellow armor bar. Fully destroy deplete the armor. It must be fully emptied in order for it to count. You can damage them first and then use Incinerate to clear the rest of the bar if you need.
You can also command your allies to use it as well. It will count for allies as long as you commanded them to use it. Since this needs to be commanded for it to count for teammates, you can go into Options > Gameplay and then turn “Squad Power Usage” off. This will stop your allies from using their powers on their own. That way, their powers will always be ready when you encounter an enemy with armor. You only need to do this to 25 enemies and there will be way more than enough enemies with armor through out the game.
This can be earned by saving, using the ability on an enemy and then reloading to farm it.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
Characters that can use Incinerate are listed below:
- Engineer Shepard
- Infiltrator Shepard
- Mordin
ME2: Make 20 enemies scream as they fall or are set on fire
This is something that will pop as you play through the game. You can use biotic powers like Pull, Slam and Throw to get enemies to scream. Incinerate or incendiary rounds will also get them to scream when they’re set on fire. Your allies can make enemies scream and that will count toward this as well.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
ME2: Disrupt the shields of 25 enemies
Enemies with shields will have a blue bar. In order to get this, you have to empty that blue bar by using the Overload ability. You can also command your allies to use it as well. It will count for allies as long as you commanded them to use it. Since this needs to be commanded for it to count for teammates, you can go into Options > Gameplay and then turn “Squad Power Usage” off. This will stop your allies from using their powers on their own. That way, their powers will always be ready when you encounter an enemy with a shield. You can damage them first and then use Overload to clear the rest of the bar if you need.
This can be earned by saving, using the ability on an enemy and then reloading to farm it.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
Characters that can use Incinerate are listed below:
- Engineer Shepard
- Sentinel Shepard
- Garrus
- Miranda
ME2: Hit 20 different targets with multiple biotic powers to combine the effects
For this, you’re going to have to use two different characters. It can be two of your allies or you and one ally. You have to use a power on an enemy and then use another while they’re still affected by the first. The characters to use for this are listed below:
- Vanguard Shepard
- Adept Shepard
- Miranda
- Jacob
- Jack
- Samara
Some combinations are listed below:
- Pull + Slam
- Pull + Throw
- Pull + Warp
- Pull + Charge
- Singularity + Warp
So for example, use Pull on an enemy and then target them again while they’re in the air and use Slam. The tracking for this can be a little tricky. After you use the first biotic, don’t use the second right away. Give it a second and let the enemy float and then use the second biotic attack. You’ll see a notification on the right side of the screen when it is done correctly.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
ME2: Warp the barriers of 25 enemies
Barriers will be marked with a purple bar. In order to unlock this, you’re going to need to fully deplete the purple bar by using the Warp ability. You can also command your allies to use it as well. It will count for allies as long as you commanded them to use it. You can damage them first and then use Warp to clear the rest of the bar if you need. Since this needs to be commanded for it to count for teammates, you can go into Options > Gameplay and then turn “Squad Power Usage” off. This will stop your allies from using their powers on their own. That way, their powers will always be ready when you encounter an enemy with a barrier.
This can be earned by saving, using the ability on an enemy and then reloading to farm it.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
Characters that can use Warp are listed below:
- Adept Shepard
- Vanguard Shepard
- Miranda
- Thane
ME2: Complete 5 missions discovered by scanning unexplored worlds
When using the Galaxy map, travel to a planet that is not part of the main story. If you hear “Anomaly detected,” that means there is a mission to be discovered here. Use the scanner to track down where the anomaly is. Land on the planet and complete the mission.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy. All you have to do is complete five of these quick missions.
The Project Firewalker missions will count toward this.
ME2: Visit 100% of the planets in an unexplored cluster
This can be earned in any unexplored cluster you visit. All you have to do is enter the orbit of every planet in a cluster. You don’t have to probe or land on them. Just enter orbit and then you can back out and go to the next planet.
ME2: Complete a mission discovered by scanning an unexplored world
See “Agent” above for more details.
ME2: Complete any research project in the Normandy’s laboratory
You can work on research projects once you’ve recruited Mordin. They can be worked on via a terminal in the Tech Lab. Complete any research project listed here to pop this. All of the projects require minerals that can be found by scanning planets. You’ll get a bonus amount of materials if you import a save file from the first game. The research categories are listed below:
- Weapon Upgrades
- Armor Upgrades
- Ship Enhancements
- Prototypes
ME2: Fully upgrade a weapon
You will need to have recruited Mordin before you can work on weapon upgrades. Each weapon has five or six upgrades that need to be unlocked. Weapon upgrades can be bought on the Citadel, Omega, Illium and Tuchanka. In addition to buying them, they can also be mission rewards or found during missions. Any of the upgrades that are found during missions will need to be researched via the upgrade terminal on the Normandy.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
ME2: Unlock 15 new Mass Effect 2 codex entries
This is something that you won’t have to go out of your way for. You’ll get these by examining items and speaking with other characters. When talking to other characters, fully exhaust all dialogue options. Always make sure to choose the “Investigate” dialogue option.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
ME2: Evolve any power
For this, it has to be one of Shepard’s skills or powers. Not one of your ally’s. All you have to do is fully rank up any power. This is done by using skill points in the Options menu > Squad. Once a power is maxed out, you’ll be given the opportunity to evolve the power via a pop up message. Make your choice and pop this.
If for some reason you’re nearing the end of the game and still don’t have this, follow the steps below:
- Make a save
- Use the Tactical Shift upgrade found on the upgrade terminal to reallocate your skill points
- Max out any power and evolve it to pop this.
- You can then load the previous save from step one to get back to your original character build
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the mercenary
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the thief
See “A House Divided” above for more details.
ME2: Successfully shut down the rogue VI in Project Overlord
In order to earn this, you’re going to have to finish the Overlord mission quest line. There are only four missions to complete here. It will be labeled as “Overlord” under the “Assignments” tab. It will automatically be listed in your Journal after gaining control of the Normandy for the first time.
ME2: Confront the Shadow Broker
The quest line for this will be sent to you in an email that can be accessed on your terminal on the Normandy. The first mission will be called “Lair of the Shadow Broker.” Complete this entire quest line to earn this.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
**Not required for any of the Platinum Trophies.***
Complete all three games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition on Insanity without changing difficulty
Complete all three Mass Effect games on Insanity to earn this. Insanity is unlocked from the very beginning, so this can all be done in one shot if you choose to do so. It’ll be harder due to how many side quests and exploring you have to do throughout the three games to get everything, but it’s not impossible. I would recommend a second playthrough on New Game + to knock the Insanity Trophies and Achievements out. This way, all of the missable and side content will be completed. If you’re just in it for the Insanity Trophies/Achievements, a lot of side stuff could be skipped your second time through. Sticking to only what is required will make the games much shorter. In addition to that, your character will be highly leveled up.
Establish or rekindle a romantic relationship in all three games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Mass Effect 2
Male Shepard’s partners – Jack, Miranda and Tali
Female Shepard’s partners – Garrus, Jacob and Thane
All you have to do here is speak with your partner of choice after every main mission on the Normandy. Make sure to pick the more romantic sounding dialogue options, get in to the personal history and be supportive. Keep it going with each conversation. Make sure to only try this with one partner. Trying for both simultaneously can mess this up. Paramour II will pop when you head to the Omega-4 Relay.
NOTE Not completing a loyalty mission or siding with one character over the other in an argument can stop any relationship progress you’ve made with your partner of choice. Also, Jack only counts toward this if you chose the Paragon route with her. The Renegade route will not count.
Finish Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 with the same character
For this, you’re going to need to import your character from each game into the next. Most players are going to do this anyway as that is one of biggest reasons for playing this trilogy. Just to be safe, make sure to be using the same character from game to game instead of starting from scratch in ME 2 or 3.
Kill 2,000 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Not much to say here other than your total kill count will carry from game to game. There’s a lot to do in this trilogy. There will be a lot of combat. Don’t think about it too much and this will eventually pop.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.
Kill 100 enemies with melee attacks in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
As you’re playing through the trilogy, make sure to mix in some melee kills when in combat. Just as the previous Trophy/Achievement, this will eventually pop as long as you’re being mindful to use melee.
This can be tracked via the Medal of Honor in Shepard’s Cabin aboard the Normandy.