To get the best ending in Mass Effect 3, reach about 7,800 Total Military Strength in the Legendary Edition, then pick Destroy, the right-hand path, at the very end. It is the only final choice that can show Shepard alive afterward, and it also wipes out every synthetic in the galaxy, including the geth and EDI.
That 7,800 belongs to the Legendary Edition. Figures such as 3,100 and 4,000 come from the 2012 game, which measured a different stat, so ignore them if you are playing the remaster.
What Counts as the Best Ending
The game never labels one ending the best. Most people asking mean the result with the least damage to the galaxy and a chance that Shepard lives, and only one choice offers that.
| Final choice | How you pick it | Shepard | The price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destroy | Right path, shoot the conduit | Can survive at a high enough total | All synthetic life dies, including the geth and EDI |
| Control | Left path, use the terminal | Does not survive | Shepard gives up their body to command the Reapers |
| Synthesis | Center path | Does not survive | Organic and synthetic life are merged. Needs about 6,200 |
If keeping EDI and the geth matters more to you than Shepard, Synthesis is the better pick. The strength target below still applies, because it decides how much of the galaxy is left standing whichever way you go.
The Numbers to Reach
BioWare never published the exact values, so treat these as close figures and aim past them. All of them are Legendary Edition totals, as shown on the War Terminal.
| Total Military Strength | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Under about 3,200 | One option only, set by your Collector Base choice in Mass Effect 2, with massive damage to Earth |
| About 3,200 to 4,199 | Destroy or Control, both with heavy damage |
| About 4,200 to 5,199 | The option matching your Collector Base choice avoids major damage |
| About 5,200 to 6,199 | Both options cause minimal damage |
| About 6,200 | Synthesis unlocks |
| About 7,400 to 7,800 | Destroy can show Shepard alive |
The survival scene can open from about 7,400. We still give 7,800 as the target, because that total holds the scene even if something goes wrong in the final mission.
Where the older numbers come from. The original game used Effective Military Strength: your total multiplied by a Galactic Readiness percentage that co-op and a companion app could raise. Its launch version wanted 4,000 for this scene, and the Extended Cut wanted 3,100. The remaster has no co-op to feed that stat, and BioWare’s rebalancing post says Galactic Readiness “is no longer impacted by external factors that aren’t part of the collection.”
What to Do in Each Game
A high total starts long before Mass Effect 3, because many assets only exist if the right people survived earlier. Play all three games with one Shepard and import your save each time.
In Mass Effect 1:
- Keep Wrex alive. With him leading the krogan, you keep extra assets and avoid the penalties that come with his replacement.
- Decide the Council’s fate knowing the trade. Saving the Destiny Ascension costs three Alliance fleets a little strength, but it keeps that ship and opens the Salarian Third Fleet later.
- On Virmire, take out the geth fliers and disable the base alarms so Kirrahe lives, and pick who goes with him.
In Mass Effect 2:
- Save everyone in the suicide mission. Most squadmates add an asset of their own in the third game.
- Get Legion and activate it rather than selling it to Cerberus. Peace between the geth and the quarians on Rannoch needs it alive.
- Buy the Normandy upgrades (Thanix Cannon, Silaris Armor, Cyclonic Shields), which turn into small assets, and play the Arrival DLC, or the 103rd Marine Division loses 50 strength.
- Make your Collector Base call. It only limits your final options at low totals, so at 7,800 it no longer matters for what you can pick.
In Mass Effect 3:
- Cure the genophage with Wrex in charge. Krogan Clans and Clan Urdnot are worth 300 each, and sabotaging the cure with Wrex alive costs you Clan Urdnot.
- End Priority: Rannoch with both the geth and the quarians alive. Geth Corps and Geth Fleet are worth 300 each, and the three quarian fleets are worth 200 each.
- Play Leviathan, Omega, and Citadel, which come with the Legendary Edition. Together they add about 1,095.
- Finish every side mission and scan every system you can. Scanning for Search and Rescue alone is worth about 1,290 in the base game.
Check Your Total Before the Last Stretch
Open the War Terminal in the War Room, on Deck 2 of the Normandy. Do it before you start Priority: Cerberus Headquarters, because that mission closes off side content and your total is effectively final from there.
If you are short, go back to the small things: unscanned systems, Citadel fetch quests, Spectre Terminal purchases, and Diana Allers’s interviews. After the credits, the game also returns you to a save from just before that mission, so a missed target can still be fixed.
Keep a manual save from that point anyway. It makes trying a second ending much quicker.
Making the Final Choice
Walk the right-hand path and shoot the conduit. With enough strength, a last shot after the crew’s memorial scene shows Shepard breathing in the rubble.
This is the catch with calling it the best ending. EDI and every geth die with the Reapers, even if you brokered a peace on Rannoch. No choice gives you both a living Shepard and a living EDI.
If You Are Only Playing Mass Effect 3
BioWare’s post is blunt about this: “If you only play Mass Effect 3, you’ll have to do just about every option available in the game” to avoid massive galactic losses. It also says fully preparing is harder here than in the Extended Cut.
A new Shepard loses the assets that depend on imported characters, so 7,800 is a long way off. Use the Genesis comic at the start to set the big earlier decisions, then treat every side mission as required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best ending in Mass Effect 3? Destroy with about 7,800 Total Military Strength. It is the only ending that can show Shepard alive.
Can Shepard survive the ending? Only in Destroy, and only with a high total. The scene can open from about 7,400, and 7,800 is the safe figure.
Does it matter if Anderson dies? In the original game, it raised the number needed for Shepard’s survival. We could not confirm that the Legendary Edition still does this, and a total of 7,800 covers you either way.
Do you need the DLC for the best ending? Close to it. The base game offers about 7,500, so you need at least part of what Leviathan, Omega, and Citadel add.
Do you need multiplayer? No. The Legendary Edition has no co-op, and nothing outside the three games feeds your readiness anymore.
Can you save EDI and still see Shepard survive? No. EDI only lives in Control and Synthesis, and Shepard does not survive either of those.
Can you fix a low total after the credits? Yes. The game sends you back to just before Priority: Cerberus Headquarters, so you can finish what you missed and run the ending again.