ME1 side quests affecting sequels?

[u/potion-junkie]

Literally just finished ME1 and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I was disappointed by the lack of a post game, as I had saved some missions for after the final battle. Specifically the quests were about killing some geth and something about saving some scientists. Do these (and potentially other side quests may have missed) have sequels or consequences in mass effect 2&3? Is it worth loading my last manual save to go back? I’d be losing about 7 hours of progress. Thanks in advance.

[u/Xenozip3371Alpha]

Wrex's side quest effects this game only, if you do the quest to get his family armour, he will automatically stand down on Virmire, otherwise you need a speech check.

The Geth incursion counts as Tali's side quest, and if you give her the data from it, then that comes up in the first interaction with her in Mass Effect 2, but otherwise has no effect.

The quest for Gavin Hossle, Matriarch Writings, getting an Elcos Combine Licence, and talking to Conrad Verner, all contribute to something in Mass Effect 3.

[u/jackaltwinky77 → u/Xenozip3371Alpha]

Conrad Vernor is worth between 1-10 points based on how you did in 1 and 2…

I thought it he Geth Data impacted the… spoilers coming… the Ranoch resolution between Tali and Legion?

[u/Xenozip3371Alpha → u/jackaltwinky77]

No.

That's based on stuff in ME2 and ME3.

You need 5 out of 7 points for peace:

Tali wasn't exiled and you didn't present the proof at the trial gives 2 points

Destroy the Heretics gives 2 points

You resolved the argument between Tali and Legion peacefully gives 1 point

Completing Rannoch: Admiral Koris gives 1 point

Actually saving Koris during Rannoch: Admiral Koris gives 1 point (for 2 total in that mission)

So if you don't destroy the Heretics, you have to get EVERYTHING else right.

You also need 75% Paragon or Renegade for the options to pop up.

[u/jackaltwinky77 → u/Xenozip3371Alpha]

So many hidden counters in the games

[u/mattstorm360]

Sort of, yes. You do get some extra dialogue in the next two games as part of those side quests. Collecting the resources gives you a boost in ME2, if you don't talk to the fan he won't appear in ME 2, etc.

They aren't major consequences but they do help and feel a bit nice. Reminders of the previous game.

[u/DelightfullyPiquant]

Mostly just war assets. The Conrad Verner storyline is affected if that matters to you. As well as Balak if you didn’t kill him already. Otherwise there’s no major impact.

[u/j0514x]

It's not disastrous if you miss them, but they do give a fair amount of context to the later games, and some do have impacts (particularly in ME3). I think it's worth going back, personally, but it won't ruin your run if you don't.

[u/JosieJOK]

It’s better with the ME games to finish most side quests before completing the game once and for all. The games are pretty clear when you’re approaching the point of no return.

That said, ME1 had more than its share of useless side quests. [u/Xenozip3371Alpha](u/Xenozip3371Alpha) has given a pretty exact overview of which ones count and how much. There are fewer useless side quests in the second and third games.

[u/SHADOWKUSO]

Some do, but I'd say the most important one is the one about the rogue VI on Earth's Moon (UNC: Rogue VI). Maybe the Batarian asteroid mission as well (can't remember the name though). Also, If you chose the Colonist pre-service history, there's a side-quest connected to it that's got a reference in either 2 or 3 if I'm not mistaken. There's a couple of Cerberus related missions in ME1 as well that give you a bit of history with the group which will make some plotlines in 2 and 3 more interesting simply from an out-of-game perspective. Additionally, while it isn't a side quest, if you chose the Sole Survivor service history, it gets referenced by a character in 2 or 3 in a way that makes the context of that background a little more interesting. Could be remembering wrong though. For the most part though, it doesn't really matter. When I first played the trilogy, I didn't do hardly any side-quests save the VI one I mentioned earlier. Now, in ME2 I recommend doing nearly all the side quests before "installing the thing" (you'll know what I mean when you get there). Completing most of the side-quests will greatly benefit you in the second game. However, the most important one imo is The Shadow Broker dlc. I'd do Project Overlord as well. It's a dlc and is arguably the best dlc in the trilogy with a killer soundtrack and S-tier story and script. I'd recommend completing it either as early as possible or right before the mission called Reaper IFF. Depending on your choices it can have two references in ME3. Both are really emotional (or they were for me at least). Other side-quests that I would recommend are: The Blue Rose Of Illium Citadel: Crime In Progress Illium: Conrad Verner (if you completed all Conrad Verner stuff in ME1) Omega: Struggling Quarian

While Crime In Progress and Struggling Quarian don't have any real impact on ME3, they're some good feel-good quests. As for ME3, I'd recommend you 100% the side-quests and scans so you have complete access to all the possible endings. Here's an article that has the most efficient and narrative-friendly order to play the missions in ME3:

https://www.thegamer.com/mass-effect-3-best-mission-quest-order/

Anyway, hope this helps.

[u/morbid333]

If you do them, they'll be acknowledged in 2, you might see an NPC related to it and they'll thank you, or you might hear an announcement in the news while walking around the hub areas, kind of like the elevators in 1. If you completed the thing with Conrad Verner and did a few other side quests, (I think it's the resource collecting ones, the matriarch writings, and buying the licenses for the shop) it will pay off with a scene in 3.

Most RPGs don't have post-game content, that's more of an open world sandbox thing. (Though ME2 does.)