Yes, you can save both in Mass Effect 3, but only with an imported save where Tali and Legion both survived Mass Effect 2, plus a very high reputation check at the end of Priority: Rannoch. Miss those and you have to choose one side, and the other is wiped out.
Peace is also the richest result in war assets, so it is worth planning for. The check is a points system, and most of the points were earned in the last game.
What You Must Have
These three are pass or fail. Missing any one of them removes the peace option.
| Requirement | How to meet it |
|---|---|
| Tali and Legion both alive and present | An imported save, with both surviving the suicide mission. Legion must be activated, not sold to Cerberus |
| Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons done | Finish it before starting Priority: Rannoch |
| High reputation | About four bars, or roughly 75 percent, of Paragon or Renegade |
Without an import, Tali is not an admiral and cannot speak for the fleet, and a Geth VI stands in for Legion. Peace is not possible on that save.
The Five Points You Need
On top of those, you need at least 5 of the 7 points below. They come from a mix of your choices in the last game and this one, and the game itself never spells them out.
| Points | What earns them | Which game |
|---|---|---|
| +2 | Destroying the heretics in Legion: A House Divided | Mass Effect 2 |
| +2 | Getting Tali acquitted in Tali: Treason without showing the evidence of Rael’Zorah’s experiments | Mass Effect 2 |
| +1 | Settling the argument between Tali and Legion with a Paragon or Renegade option, keeping both loyal | Mass Effect 2 |
| +1 | Completing Rannoch: Admiral Koris | Mass Effect 3 |
| +1 | Saving Koris rather than his crew in that mission | Mass Effect 3 |
You can miss one of the +2 items only if everything else lands. So if you rewrote the heretics, you can still get there, as long as Tali was acquitted without the evidence, the argument was settled, and Koris was rescued.
If you lost a loyalty in that argument and earned it back later, that point does not count. BioWare says the Legendary Edition fixed the Paragon and Renegade problems in Mass Effect 2 that made moments like this “notoriously difficult,” so the check is easier to pass than it was in the original.
The Heretic Decision and Your Fleets
The heretics are worth a closer look, since they affect fleet sizes as well as points.
| In Legion: A House Divided | Geth Fleet | Quarian fleets | Peace points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destroy the heretics | Down about 150 | Up about 50 each | +2 |
| Rewrite the heretics | Up about 150 | Down about 50 each | None |
Destroying them is the safe pick if you are aiming for peace, because it gives you the 2 points and a little slack elsewhere.
How the Scene Plays Out on Rannoch
After you destroy the Reaper base, the quarians resume their attack and Legion asks to upload the Reaper code to the geth. Save before this conversation so you can check your options, then:
- Pick either answer at the first choice. Allow the upload or let the geth die: Tali or Legion protests either way, which opens a second wheel.
- Pick the reputation option on the second wheel. That is Charm, “Rally the fleet,” or Intimidate, “Warn the Fleet.” It only works if you meet everything above.
| Outcome | The geth | The quarians | Legion | Tali |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allow the upload | Survive, with Reaper code | Wiped out | Sacrifices itself | Dies (Admiral Raan takes that role if Tali died earlier) |
| Stop Legion | Destroyed | Survive | Killed by Shepard | Lives |
| Broker peace | Survive | Survive | Dissolves its runtimes to give the geth true minds | Lives |
Legion does not survive any version of this mission. In the peace outcome it is able to make its choice and accept Tali’s friendship first, which is as good as it gets.
What to Do Before You Start
Starting Priority: Rannoch closes two side missions, and you need both.
- Rannoch: Admiral Koris. Do this first, and save him rather than his crew. That also spares the Quarian Civilian Fleet a loss of about 75.
- Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons. Without it, peace is off, and the Civilian Fleet loses about 25 as well.
Priority: Geth Dreadnought has no time penalty, so you can take the time to prepare your reputation first. If you are short, do smaller missions and use reputation options at every chance until you pass about four bars.
What Peace Gets You
The geth and all three quarian fleets join you, which makes this the biggest single swing in your war assets: Geth Corps and Geth Fleet at 300 each, Geth Prime Platoon at 60, and the three quarian fleets at 200 each.
Keep one thing in mind for the very end. If you go for the Destroy ending, every geth dies anyway, peace or not. If you want to protect what you built, look at Control or Synthesis instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you save both the geth and the quarians? Yes. It takes an imported save with Tali and Legion alive, about four reputation bars, and at least 5 of the 7 points above.
Can you do it without importing a save? No. A new Shepard has no Tali as admiral and no Legion, so the option does not appear.
Does Legion survive if you make peace? No. Legion dies in every outcome of Priority: Rannoch, though the peace outcome is the kindest version.
Does Tali have to be romanced? No. Romance is not part of this check. Our romance guide covers who you can pursue.
What if I rewrote the heretics in Mass Effect 2? You can still reach 5 points, but you need every other point on the list.
Is it possible if Tali was exiled? Yes, as long as she is alive and present, but you lose the 2 points for her acquittal. You then need every other point on the list, including the heretics destroyed.
What if the reputation option is missing or grayed out? You are short of reputation or points. Load an earlier save and raise your reputation before starting Priority: Rannoch.