The Mass Effect trilogy paved the way for game design revolving around player choice and with the recent release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, fans of the series get to go back and do it all over again. One of the draws of replaying games like the Mass Effect series is being able to make different choices and see all the outcomes. One outcome, however, that hardly anyone wants is to allow fan-favorite Turian member of the Normandy, Garrus, to die in the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2.
From the moment Garrus is introduced in Mass Effect 1, he's a commanding presence that players have spent countless hours getting to know. Choices leading to his potential unfortunate death later in the series could be devastating enough that a player might elect to replay all of Mass Effect 2 in order to reverse. Some might be curious if his death might lead to interesting outcomes in the final chapters of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, but playing through Mass Effect 3 without him might feel like too much of a loss to bear. Here's what happens if Garrus dies in Mass Effect 2.
What Happens if Garrus Dies in Mass Effect 2?
The very obvious and short answer is that if Garrus dies in Mass Effect 2, he's just not in Mass Effect 3. If other significant crew members are lost throughout the trilogy, they're sometimes replaced by stand-in characters of their same race. For example, if Mordin Solus dies, he's replaced by another Salarian named Padok Wiks. No one comes to fill the Garrus-sized hole in Shepard's heart in any permanent capacity like in the case with characters like Mordin, Legion, or Jack.
Garrus' important dialogue is pawned off to other characters throughout the game. During the part when Garrus would be introduced at the start of Mass Effect 3, his dialogue is split between Liara and General Corinthus. This happens throughout the game, but no new character really steps up to take his place permanently during cutscenes or beside Shepard on the battlefield.
There are brief moments when characters mention Garrus in passing, but his absence is certainly felt throughout the entirety of Mass Effect 3 if he doesn't make it out of the previous game's suicide mission. Other than him not being there though, there really aren't that many differences between playing through the game with or without him, but if someone played through the first two games in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, they're most likely going to try their best to keep him around.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
