It's easy to accidentally let Captain Kirrahe die in Mass Effect 1 during a difficult mission on Virmire. He and his team know the risks and are expecting to get slaughtered, but it's actually possible to keep him alive during the mission on Virmire.
This article contains story spoilers for Mass Effect 1.
Commander Shepard will first meet Captain Kirrahe in Mass Effect after arriving on Virmire. He was expecting that the Council would send more than just Shepard's crew, which may have been a dire mistake. Kirrahe forms a plan to use his own soldiers as a diversion while Shepard's group operates as a "shadow team," coming in from behind. Kirrahe and Shepard both know how dangerous this is for the Salarian's soldiers, but there are some things Shepard can do to aid Kirrahe on Virmire, and completing these objectives will ensure that Captain Kirrahe survives.
How to Save Kirrahe in Mass Effect 1
As Commander Shepard makes their way to the breeding facility on Virmire to destroy the genophage cure, there are four objectives that can be completed to aid Captain Kirrahe and his team. These objectives will be disrupting Geth communications, disrupting the satellite uplink, destroying the Geth flyers, and disabling the alarms, which will make sure that the attention of Saren's forces isn't diverted on Kirrahe's team.
To disrupt the Geth communications, follow the map to the right from the start of the level, then make a U-turn to make it onto a balcony with a triangulation tower that Shepard can use to disrupt their signals. Similarly, Shepard can find a satellite uplink tower guarded by a Geth Sniper and a Krogan. On top of the tower, there will be a white satellite dish. Destroy it by shooting it, throwing grenades, or using biotics.
At some point, Shepard should hear from either Kaiden Alenko or Ashley Williams about Geth flyers breaking off from the main group to recharge. Shepard can find them recharging on a refueling platform to the north along with some fuel tanks. Destroy all of the flyers.
Finally, disable the alarms via a security console before entering the main building that leads to the breeding facility. If Garrus Vakarian is in Shepard's party, he'll ask the Commander what they'd like to do while accessing the console. Pick the dialogue option, "They've got enough trouble."
However, while there are multiple objectives that can be completed to aid Captain Kirrahe, the only one that needs to be completed to ensure his survival is destroying the Geth flyers. None of the other three objectives need to be completed if the player doesn't want to complete them.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
