Once the crew is taken, the safe number is zero: go straight through the Omega 4 Relay and everyone lives. Do 1 to 3 missions first and about half the crew dies, and do 4 or more and only Dr. Chakwas survives.
Before the crew is taken, you get a short window after the Reaper IFF, and it is not a fixed number. Plan on one mission, Legion’s loyalty mission, if everything else is done, and at most about two if you still have recruitment or loyalty missions open. Mass Effect Legendary Edition does not show either count on screen, so here is how each one works.
There Are Two Clocks
| Period | What it is | Do missions here cost crew? |
|---|---|---|
| From the Reaper IFF to the attack | The IFF is being installed. Your journal shows Await IFF Installation | No, the crew is still aboard |
| From the attack to the Omega 4 Relay | The Collectors have taken the crew | Yes, every mission counts |
Most of the confusion comes from mixing these up. The first decides when the attack happens. The second decides who lives.
Before the Attack: The IFF Window
After the Reaper IFF mission, the IFF takes a variable number of missions to install. The number depends on how many major missions you have left, meaning the recruitment or loyalty missions in the left tab of your journal:
- Nothing left open: The IFF is ready right away, and the next time you open the Galaxy Map, the attack starts.
- Some left open: You may need to clear as many as two more missions or N7 assignments before the IFF is ready. Then EDI says it is almost ready, and the attack comes the next time you open the Galaxy Map to travel.
There is no fixed count to give here, because the game hides it and it shifts with what you have left. Treat two as the limit and do not build a plan around a third. The safer order is to finish everything before you start the Reaper IFF mission, which leaves Legion’s loyalty mission as the only one you need in this window.
After the Attack: What Each Count Costs
Once the Collectors take the crew and you have played the Joker section, the count that matters begins. This is the part with exact numbers:
| Missions or assignments before the relay | Normandy crew |
|---|---|
| 0 | Everyone survives |
| 1 to 3 | About half the crew dies, including Kelly Chambers |
| 4 or more | Everyone dies except Dr. Chakwas |
You see the difference when you get there. With zero missions, the person you see killed in the Long Walk is a colonist, and with one or more, it is Kelly. Dr. Chakwas also scolds you if you arrive late.
This timer only hits the crew. Your squadmates are not affected by how long you wait. Those crew members still need a loyal escort back to the ship during the final mission, because they die if you send nobody.
The result carries forward. A surviving Kelly can turn up on the Citadel in Mass Effect 3, and Dr. Chakwas can rejoin you there, so the zero-mission result gives you more to see later. Our guide to what carries over between games explains how your save brings them along.
What Counts as a Mission
| Counts | Does not count |
|---|---|
| Recruitment missions | Shopping |
| Loyalty missions | Probing planets for materials |
| N7 assignments | Research at the Tech Lab |
| Other assignments where you land and finish a mission | Assignments finished aboard the Normandy or on a hub world such as Omega |
A simple way to judge it is the mission complete screen: if you get one, assume it counted. Do the DLC missions (Lair of the Shadow Broker, Overlord, and Arrival) before the Reaper IFF mission too, so they can never cost you crew.
Visiting the Citadel, Illium, or Omega to shop is fine, as is scanning planets if you are still short on the upgrades in our Suicide Mission checklist.
The Safe Order
- Do everything else first. Finish recruitment, loyalty, N7 assignments, and DLC before you start the Reaper IFF mission.
- Do the Reaper IFF mission. Thorne system, Hawking Eta cluster.
- Do not open the Galaxy Map. Head to the AI Core, activate Legion, and talk to it until it offers its loyalty mission. It may take a few tries, and changing floors and coming back can help.
- Do Legion’s loyalty mission, A House Divided.
- Open the Galaxy Map. The attack starts, and you play through the Joker section.
- Go straight to the Omega 4 Relay. Assign your team with our guide to who to pick for every role.
If you open the Galaxy Map before talking to Legion with nothing else left to do, the attack starts first and you can lose the chance at Legion’s loyalty before the final mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Legion’s loyalty mission count against the crew? Not if you do it before the attack. Talk to Legion before you open the Galaxy Map, finish the mission, and the crew is still safe. Done after the attack, it counts like any other mission.
How many missions before the crew dies in Mass Effect 2? None. The crew starts dying with your first mission after they are taken. One to three missions costs about half of them, and four or more leaves only Dr. Chakwas.
Can you still do a loyalty mission after the Reaper IFF? Yes, if the window is still open, but it is a gamble. If you have a loyalty mission left, it is safer to clear it before you start the Reaper IFF mission.
Is the time limit real time? No. The game counts missions, not minutes. You can take as long as you like between missions, and shop or scan freely.
Can you save Kelly Chambers? Yes. Go straight to the relay after the attack with zero missions in between, and send a loyal escort with the crew during the final mission.
Does the Legendary Edition change the time limit? No. The counts of 0, 1 to 3, and 4 or more are the same.