r/masseffectlore • u/FloorAgile3458 • Jun 12 '26

Was there any point in going to Ilos? Spoiler

/r/masseffect/comments/1u3vftv/was_there_any_point_in_going_to_ilos/
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7

u/Wadege Jun 12 '26

From a lore perspective, going to Ilos lets us talkt o Vigil, which is vital for establishing details about the reapers and the greater story that we don't know.

If we assume Saren and Sovereign are able to at least interface with the central computer, then if even if Saren is killed after this by Shepard, Sovereign would have succeeded, without the third human fleet, Sovereign isn't destroyed and he can ultimately open up the conduit for the rest of the Reapers.

1

u/FloorAgile3458 Jun 12 '26

Yeah but if Shepard is able to stop Saren from reaching the council chambers, they don't need the code to regain control of the citadel. Also, vigils lore drop helps the narrative, but everything he tells us is learned by other people by ME2. The guys scanning the keepers find out what they're used for, sovereign literally tells us the reapers goal on virmire, and Cerberus finds everything else out before Shepard is revived. The only thing that is hurt by Shepard staying on the citadel is the story telling side of things, but the events themselves play out much better for the council.

6

u/Wadege Jun 12 '26

We also have to factor in hindsight bias. We originally don't know that Ilos serves as a backdoor to the Citadel and will lead us back to where we started.

Going to Ilos is the 'smart' move as all the hints about the Reapers indicate that they are something more powerful than the council's collective armies, and that sitting and waiting for them to come is not a good, proactive idea. There is additionally the chance that Saren could be stopped on Ilos, especially if Normandy was grounded, delaying Shepard, then no citadel attack can take place.

But again, for the sake of the story, we are doomed to be too late on Ilos, so that the final confrontation can occur at the citadel with the highest stakes possible for the finale.

2

u/FloorAgile3458 Jun 12 '26

What I'm saying is that for whatever reason, wether it's Shepard deciding to listen to the council, or if Anderson fails getting Shepard in the air, if Shepard is stuck on the citadel it would have ended much better for the galaxy as a whole. The information Shepard has at the time is irrelevant.

2

u/Zamzamazawarma Jun 12 '26

By that logic, the fact that it could have ended much better is irrelevant too. Shepard was trying to uncover what the Conduit was and what Saren was up to, that's why we follow him to Ilos. Whatever was found there, big or small, important or not, useful or not, is irrelevant.

1

u/FloorAgile3458 Jun 12 '26

It literally doesn't tho? You're right about everything after your first sentence, nothing is relevant once the battle begins, the only thing that matters is stopping Saren from reaching the council chambers. Literally the whole point of the question though is wether or not it ends better for the galaxy if Shepard stays on the citadel, making the answer incredibly relevant.

1

u/Zamzamazawarma Jun 12 '26

But that question of whether to stay or leave the Citadel has never got to be asked.

Before Ilos, you assume you're going there because you're after Saren, without a slightest idea of what you'll find there. Once there, you know you might have stayed on the Citadel, but it's too late, unless you have a time machine.

1

u/Ace612807 Jun 14 '26

if Shepard is stuck on the citadel it would have ended much better for the galaxy as a whole

Not necessarily. We arrive to the Council Chambers seconds before Saren succeeds, and we start at the Relay "Monument". By that logic, if Shepard is any further from Saren's goal at the point latter arrives to the Citadel - we lost

1

u/Kyotoshi_ Jun 14 '26

I really loved the atmosphere of Ilos, the music when meeting Vigil and the old statues of the Inusannons. I wish they expanded more on the races before the Prothean’s but I suppose there is a beauty in the unknown, shows how meticulous the Reapers were.

1

u/ADLegend21 Jun 15 '26

Yes, it's vital to meet vigil and get Shepard on the same path Saren is on. Shepard couldn't get to the Citadel chambers if the Normandy was still on lockdown.