Save whoever you romanced. If you romanced neither, let your class decide: a Soldier Shepard should save Kaidan for his tech and biotic powers, and a tech or biotic Shepard should save Ashley for her firepower.
You cannot save both in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The one you leave behind dies on Virmire and stays dead for the whole trilogy. The war asset value is the same either way, so the deciding factors are romance and what your squad needs. Below is how the choice works and what each option changes in all three games.
How the Choice Works
Earlier on Virmire, Captain Kirrahe asks you to lend him Ashley or Kaidan. Later, once you are deep in Saren’s base, that decision sets where each of them ends up:
- The one you sent with Kirrahe is pinned down with salarians at the AA Tower and calls for help.
- The one you kept arrives with the bomb and stays behind to arm it, then reports that geth are attacking.
You only have time to reach one. Going up to the AA Tower leaves the bomb-side companion behind, and going back to the bomb leaves the AA Tower companion behind. Once you pick, there is no undoing it short of reloading, so make a save at the start of the base.
Either can be saved from either spot, because you chose who stands where. Any gear equipped on the one you lose goes with them, so move your best weapons and armor off both before you leave the salarian camp.
What Each Choice Changes
| Where | Save Ashley | Save Kaidan |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Effect 1 squad | You keep a Soldier and lose Kaidan’s Sentinel powers | You keep a Sentinel with tech and biotics and lose Ashley’s Soldier firepower |
| Mass Effect 1 romance | Male Shepard only | Female Shepard only |
| Mass Effect 2 | Shows up briefly on Horizon. Not a squadmate or a romance | Shows up briefly on Horizon. Not a squadmate or a romance |
| Mass Effect 3 story | Joins you for Priority: Mars, then their fate is decided at Priority: The Citadel II | Same role in the same missions |
| Mass Effect 3 romance | Male Shepard only | Male or female Shepard |
| Mass Effect 3 war asset | Ashley Williams, 25 points, if sent to the war effort | Kaidan Alenko, 25 points, if sent to the war effort |
These point values come from Mass Effect 3’s war asset list as first released. BioWare has published no full table for the Legendary Edition, so treat them as approximate.
The story beats are close to identical. Both fill the same role on the same missions, and the trilogy plays out the same way with either. The dead one comes up in conversation from time to time.
Pick by Romance First
This is the clearest reason to choose. If you romanced the one you leave behind, that romance ends for good. If you romanced the survivor, the two of you talk it through in Mass Effect 3, their photo sits on your desk in Mass Effect 2, and they can be romanced again once they rejoin your squad. Our guide to who you can romance in all three games lays out every option.
Kaidan has one edge here. A male Shepard who never romanced him can start a romance in Mass Effect 3, so he is open to either Shepard by the end of the trilogy. Ashley stays male Shepard only.
Then Pick by Class
If romance does not settle it, look at what your squad is missing:
- Ashley is a straight Soldier. She has no tech or biotic powers and brings heavy gunfire. That suits a Shepard who wants to stay on powers and let someone else do the shooting.
- Kaidan mixes biotics and tech. That suits a Soldier Shepard who would otherwise have to rely on others to strip shields and barriers.
The class you pick for the trilogy matters more than this choice, and our guide to the best class for all three games walks through that decision.
Keeping the Survivor Alive in Mass Effect 3
Saving them on Virmire does not guarantee they make it to the end. The survivor can still die at the end of Priority: The Citadel II. Mostly Paragon choices make them more likely to side with you there, and a mostly Renegade Shepard needs a persuasion check, or may end up having to shoot them.
If they live, you pick between keeping them as a squadmate, which also keeps them around for a possible romance, or sending them to Admiral Hackett as a 25-point war asset. The asset is worth the same for both characters, so it never breaks the tie.
The other Virmire decision is covered in our guide on how to save Wrex, and what carries over between games explains how this choice reaches your later saves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you save both Ashley and Kaidan? No. There is no dialogue option, check, or score that saves both. One always dies on Virmire.
Does it matter who you sent with Kirrahe? Only for where they end up. The one you sent is at the AA Tower, and the one you kept is at the bomb. You can still rescue either one.
Who is better in Mass Effect 3? It depends on your class. Ashley adds firepower and Kaidan adds tech and biotic powers. Neither gives more war assets, and both fill the same role in the story.
What happens to your gear if you leave someone behind? Anything equipped on the one who dies is lost. Move the gear you want to keep before you start the base assault.
Can Ashley or Kaidan be romanced in Mass Effect 2? No. The survivor is not a romance option or squadmate in Mass Effect 2. The romance can pick up again in Mass Effect 3 if they rejoin your squad.
Does the survivor always rejoin in Mass Effect 3? No. They can die at Priority: The Citadel II, or you can send them away as a war asset instead of keeping them on the Normandy.