You need about 7,800 Total Military Strength in the Legendary Edition for the top outcome in Mass Effect 3, and about 6,200 to open every ending choice. If you have seen 3,100 or 4,000 quoted, those are the 2012 game’s Effective Military Strength, a different stat the remaster no longer shows.
This page is about the numbers themselves. Our guide to the best ending covers what to do with them.
The Legendary Edition Numbers
Your total is on the War Terminal in the War Room, on Deck 2 of the Normandy. BioWare never published these values, so treat them as close figures and leave yourself a margin.
| Total Military Strength | What you get |
|---|---|
| Under about 3,200 | One option: Control if you kept the Collector Base, Destroy if you destroyed it. Massive damage, and Destroy kills almost everyone on 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 causes no major damage, the other does |
| About 5,200 to 6,199 | Both options cause minimal damage |
| About 6,200 and up | Synthesis unlocks |
| About 7,400 and up | Destroy can add the scene of Shepard breathing |
| About 7,800 and up | That scene holds even if something goes wrong in the final mission |
So 7,800 is a Legendary Edition number, and it is the safe one to plan around. The original game counted differently, which is where the confusion starts.
Where the Old Numbers Come From
In the original releases, the figure that mattered was Effective Military Strength (EMS): your total multiplied by a Galactic Readiness percentage. Readiness sat at 50 percent in single-player unless co-op or a companion app raised it. That is why 3,100 EMS meant 6,200 in assets for someone who only played the campaign.
These columns are for comparison only. Do not plan a Legendary Edition run with the first two.
| Result | 2012 launch (EMS) | Extended Cut (EMS) | Legendary Edition (total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One option only | Under 1,750 | Under 1,600 | Under about 3,200 |
| Destroy or Control, heavy damage | 1,750 to 2,349 | 1,600 to 2,349 | About 3,200 to 4,199 |
| Base-matching option is safe | 2,350 to 2,649 | 2,350 to 2,649 | About 4,200 to 5,199 |
| Both options safe | 2,650 and up | 2,650 to 2,799 | About 5,200 to 6,199 |
| Synthesis | 2,800 | 2,800 | About 6,200 |
| Shepard breathes | 4,000 (5,000 if the Illusive Man shot Anderson) | 3,100 (more if Anderson was shot) | About 7,400, 7,800 to be safe |
The remaster dropped the whole system. BioWare’s rebalancing post says Galactic Readiness “is no longer impacted by external factors that aren’t part of the collection,” and it also made full preparation harder than it was in the Extended Cut. There is no co-op in the collection to help, and the fan-made multiplayer mod for PC is a separate project, so do not plan around it.
How Much Is Actually Available
| Source | Roughly how much |
|---|---|
| Base game, no DLC | About 7,500 obtainable |
| Leviathan DLC | About 620 |
| Omega DLC | About 405 |
| Citadel DLC | About 70 |
| Everything listed | About 8,500, but some assets cancel each other out |
A thorough Legendary Edition run with all the included DLC lands around 8,000 to 8,200. That leaves a few hundred points of room above 7,800, not more, so one big mistake can cost you the top line.
The Assets Worth the Most
These values come from the war asset list as first released. BioWare has published no full table for the Legendary Edition, so treat them as approximate.
| Asset | Strength | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Enthrallment Team | 400 | Leviathan DLC |
| Omega Eezo Hoard | 300 | Omega DLC |
| Krogan Clans | 300 | Priority: Tuchanka |
| Clan Urdnot | 300 | Priority: Tuchanka |
| Geth Corps and Geth Fleet | 300 each | Priority: Rannoch, with the geth surviving |
| Quarian Civilian, Heavy, and Patrol Fleets | 200 each | Priority: Rannoch, with the quarians surviving |
| Salarian First Fleet | 150 | Only if you sabotage the genophage cure |
| Turian Sixth Fleet | 135 | Priority: The Citadel II |
| Salarian Third Fleet | 125 | Destiny Ascension saved in Mass Effect 1, and the salarian councilor saved |
| Turian Engineering Corps | 110 | Priority: Tuchanka |
| Asari Second Fleet, Sixth Fleet, and Science Team | 90 each | Priority: The Citadel II |
| Alliance Sixth Fleet | 90 | Priority: Horizon |
Scanning matters too. The Search and Rescue quest is worth about 1,290 in the base game, about 200 more with Leviathan, and about 50 more from one route through Aria’s Blue Suns mission. The artifact missions you find while scanning pay about 40 each, or about 440 together.
How scanning works. Each scan in a system with no mission fills an awareness meter. When it fills, Reapers chase you, so fly out of the system. Completing any mission resets it.
What Lowers Your Total
| What you did | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Failed Tuchanka: Bomb | Krogan Clans lose about 250 |
| Sabotaged the cure with Wrex as leader | Clan Urdnot loses about 300 and Wrex’s own 30 |
| Destroyed Maelon’s data in Mass Effect 2 | Krogan Clans lose about 50 |
| Saved the rachni in Mass Effect 3 | Alliance Engineering Corps loses about 100, and Aralakh Company is gone |
| Skipped the Arrival DLC in Mass Effect 2 | 103rd Marine Division loses about 50 |
| Sent fleets to save the Council | Three Alliance fleets lose about 25 each |
| Did not rescue Koris on Rannoch | Quarian Civilian Fleet loses about 75 |
| Skipped Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons | Quarian Civilian Fleet loses about 25 |
The rachni call is a trade, not a plain loss. If you saved the Queen in the first game and again in the third, Rachni Workers add about 100 back.
Your import from Mass Effect 2 also matters here, since survivors of the suicide mission feed assets of their own, usually small ones.
When the Total Locks
Treat the number on the terminal just before Priority: Cerberus Headquarters as final. A Reaper Heart or Reaper Brain arrives after that mission, worth about 100 or 110 depending on your Collector Base choice, but plan to already be over the line without it.
Small top-ups, if you need them: Spectre Terminal purchases, Citadel fetch quests, Diana Allers’s interviews (about 5 each), and the three pieces of From Ashes intel (about 75 together).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many war assets do you need for the best ending? About 7,800 Total Military Strength in the Legendary Edition. The scene of Shepard surviving can open from about 7,400.
Is 3,100 the Legendary Edition number? No. That is Effective Military Strength in the Extended Cut. The Legendary Edition’s War Terminal has no such figure.
Is 7,800 possible without DLC? Not quite. The base game tops out around 7,500, so you need at least part of Leviathan, Omega, or Citadel.
Where do you check your war assets? On the War Terminal in the War Room, on Deck 2 of the Normandy.
Does Galactic Readiness still decay? There is no separate readiness number to watch in the Legendary Edition. BioWare says outside factors no longer affect it, and the terminal shows only your total.
How many assets does Wrex’s survival add? With Wrex and the cure, you get Clan Urdnot at full value, Wrex himself (about 30), and Krogan Mercenaries (about 75).