There are many tough choices to make in Mass Effect 2, and one of them comes during the Legion: A House Divided loyalty mission. More specifically, players must decide if they will rewrite the Geth heretics or destroy them, and their actions will have consequences in both Mass Effect 2 and 3. For those fans that would like a better understanding of those consequence before they make their selection, full details on the decision can be found in this guide.
The most basic thing that a player should consider when making this choice is if they have been slanting their playthrough toward Paragon or Renegade. Indeed, rewriting the heretics awards a large number of Paragon points, and it is perhaps the best option for fans that are playing a kinder, gentler Commander Shepard. Players that have opted for a more ruthless protagonist, on the other hand, may want to destroy the heretics, as doing so will award Renegade points in Mass Effect.
Additionally, Mass Effect players may want to think about how this decision will affect things in Mass Effect 3, as rewriting the heretics will ultimately make the Geth stronger and destroying them will do just the opposite. Without getting too deeply into spoiler territory, this materialize in 3 as bonuses and penalties to the Geth and Quarian War Assets, with the rewrite boosting the former and the destruction boosting the latter.
It is also worth mentioning that this decision can have an impact on how the Geth and Quarian conflict resolves in the final game in the Mass Effect trilogy. Namely, destroying the heretics puts two points toward unlocking the option to establish peace between the two races. While it is indeed possible to get the requisite five points and gain access to that option without going Renegade in Legion: A House Divided, players that want to both rewrite the heretics and facilitate peace will need to be quite careful with some of their other actions.
With all of this said, perhaps the most important thing to consider when deciding whether to rewrite the heretics or destroy them is the morality of the action. While opting to rewrite the Geth may be the more humane option, as it leaves them alive at the very least, some Commander Shepards may simply not be willing to alter the heretics' minds in this fashion. Indeed, every player will need to decide for themselves what is acceptable when dealing with the heretics, and that is what makes this choice such a good one.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
