BioWare is the champion of presenting choices that have no clearly good or bad outcome. Their most recent work, the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, further demonstrates their mastery of the grey area. Shepard is confronted with dozens of choices, all of which have immediate and/or lasting impact on the game's overall story. Paragon and renegade options frequently blend the line been conscience and utility.
One small example of this is the negotiation that Admiral Hackett sends Shepard to perform with Lord Darius. This goofy little side quest is only lightly mentioned in Mass Effect 2 and, before the Legendary Edition, was not mentioned at all. Yet the choice Shepard makes here is largely reflective of the decisions that will be made going forward.
Should Shepard Make The Treaty?
This is the classic case of "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." This guide will go into how to succeed at the negotiation in the next section, but players should know that "succeed" is a loose term in this particular case.
If the goal is to do the "nice" thing or boost paragon points, then, by all means, pass all of the necessary conversation options. Players who do this will find out that Element Zero is being made available to the Alliance, but the prices have gone way up because of Darius.
Yet this may not be the "right" choice. The renegade option is to simply execute Darius and his guards. Doing so means that pirates will be perpetually fighting over the Element Zero in the area. This may seem worse, but it's actually what Admiral Hackett secretly wants. He's actually disappointed if Shepard succeeds and reveals that he sent Shepard, a non-negotiator, into the bunker in hopes that a firefight would break out.
Ultimately, the decision, as always, is up to each player, but these are the ramifications gamers should be aware of before continuing.
Doing Business With Darius
After entering Lord Darius' compound, do not shoot, melee attack, or toss grenades. This will be viewed as hostile activity, even if it's not done against a guard. The only option at that point will be to take out everyone in the facility.
Perform the dialogue in this order:
- Enough pleasantries.
- Fine.
- I'm sorry.
- I'm listening.
- Agreed.
- I would appreciate it.
The first dialogue option is testy no matter what. Selecting, "Enough pleasantries" is the nicest choice offered. This puts Darius on edge and he demands nothing but respect going forward.
There isn't much leeway here. Most other options lead to Darius getting violent or Shepard getting violent. "Lord" Darius hasn't earned such respect but, alas, giving him his unearned respect is the only thing keeping him from opening fire.
For players that would rather fight Darius, he's actually pretty tough. He can replenish his shields and has the dreaded Immunity skill usually reserved for the krogan. Fun fact, he has two explosive barrels behind him, detonating those will often push him down from his nice little ledge and make him an easy kill.