Can you control the reapers

Mass Effect 3's control ending is effectively the trilogy's Paragon ending. If the player chooses to have Shepard assume control of the Reapers the harvest is stopped, the Mass Relay system is rebuilt by the now-benevolent Reapers, and all synthetic life survives. If the player chose to cure the genophage, negotiate a peaceful end to the Geth War and saved the Rachni twice , every race ultimately survives the war with the Reapers in the control ending and life in the Milky Way continues on.

The same cannot be said if Shepard destroys all synthetic life in the galaxy or forcibly synthesizes all sentient creatures in the galaxy, both of which have massive ramifications on life moving forward. And it means that The Illusive Man was right. Cerberus' involvement in Mass Effect 3 feels ham-fisted, but the control ending does strengthen The Illusive Man's role in the story.

The Illusive Man believed that humans should control the Reapers, not destroy them, and Mass Effect 3 offers the perspective that the villain actually had a point. By choosing the Contro l option, you are taking the Illusive Man's aproach to the situation and asserting absolute control over the Reapers. The Synthesis ending involves the merging of both synthetic and organic life and only has a good ending.

There is no bad ending because again, like the Control option, there are numerous circumstances where synthesis is not an option. At first glance, it seems like this an entirely new option.

However, if you think back to Saren from the original Mass Effect, this is the option that he proposed. Synthesis also alows for the Geth and EDI to live, similar to the control option. Extended Cut Synthesis Ending. The final option, the Rejection option was part of the extended cut DLC and is an ending that rejects the Catalyst and the Crucible in order to help the next cycle find their own path to beating the Reapers.

This ending was basically a big slap in the face from the writers of Mass Effect 3 for the fan base not liking the original ending. In this ending, you see a beacon that Liara made projecting a Hologram of her and information about what Shepard and his or her crew managed to do in their cycle. The final ending scene is also completely different. Stargazer and the boy are replaced by two aliens who are thanking those in the previous cycle for all of their acheviements and failures that alowed the next cycle of life to defeate the Reapers.

Rejection Ending. Below is a chart showing the amout of EMS needed for each ending. I do not own any of them. Nor do I own any of the images. These were taken from various wikis and player guides. Comparing the New and the Old Concluding Thoughts. The Repers are then able to help repair damage caused to Earth and the other planets. Synthesis - Shepard, simultaneously not wanting to kill anyone and also not trusting anyone to get it right on their own, basically mutates the entire galaxy in the hopes of creating a homogenized utopia.

Everyone's part tech, but they're all alive and seeming to maintain free-will. Plus Joker and EDI can ge some. Control is the lesser of the other two evils depending on whether you had a paragon or renegade shepard. Destroy is naughty, cause you destroy all artificial life as well as leaving the galaxy screwed. That's just mean, and joker will never get any. If you take control then sure, you could be a bad guy, but that isn't what it implies.

Besides you don't really "control" them in the strictest sense, you become come them. The synthesis is also a paragon choice but frankly you're imposing a new form of life on an entire galaxy that they might not want so, for me, control is the only pure paragon option.

The only person that suffers is Shepard. If the Geth and EDI didn't die in the destruction option this would be more ambiguous, but the potential erasure of an entire civilisation really colours the choice. The fact we're even having this discussion is perhaps a good thing, this is far more interesting than if the choices at the end of the game were black and white.

I took a long time thinking over my decision. Let's review some details before who get into this whole "which color is which" debate, shall we? However, this is the choice that Saren and the Reapers wanted from the beginning, and even the Catalyst swears is the only option for true peace. Now with that being said, let's also take a few other things into account. Did anyone else notice that the Advanced AI known as "Catalyst" took the form of the small child that died at the beginning?

The same child that has been haunting Shepard throughout the game. It's a form of manipulation. Also listen to the way that the Catalyst describes the Destruction option in such a harsh light, while making the Control and Synthesis options much more favorable.

It's self preservation. You effectively complete the mission you originally set out and many have sacrificed their lives for to do, at the cost of ALL Synthetic life, unfortunately.

Although it hurts to know that EDI and the Geth will be gone, the Catalyst even mentioned that future generations will just create Synthetics again. This time around, however, there will be no worry of the Catalyst or Reapers trying to "harvest" all advanced life. The galaxy has survived for a very long time before Mass Relays and Synthetic life before, and it can certainly do it again.

There is also the chance that Shepard lives. Even the Catalyst asks you from the beginning "do you think you can control us? It's only a matter of time before that control is lost and the Catalyst forces the Reapers to continue the cycle. Synthesis is a clever option that the Catalyst gives you.

It makes you believe that it will bring peace to the galaxy. Nobody knows what the future hold, but the past has always taught as that there will always be war and chaos. You essentially hand the Catalyst, Reapers, and Saren what they want on a silver platter by choosing this option.

Remember how Sovereign even points out that other Synthetics are inferior. Who is to say that the Reapers won't try to control these new hybrids in order to "control the chaos"? You also decide that the whole galaxy would be this way. I'm pretty sure not everyone wants to be part Synthetic. You rewrite everyone's DNA without their consent or even knowledge. NONE of the endings guarantee everlasting peace, but only one option does guarantee to remove a constant threat from the equation.

By choosing Destruction you get rid of the main problem. Now I know some of you may say "Well you're still playing God by choosing to kill all Synthetic life without their consent or knowledge The difference is that Synthetic life can be replicated, while different alien species can not be.

The fact that these endings are causing so much discussion is what Bioware intended, and may mean they are merely controversial and not shitty. I blew up the Reapers due to The Catalyst seeming like he was manipulative, also out of greed to keep my life. Didn't work, but I tried. Forgive me but I still don't understand this because when it got to the point for me to make a choice destroy was blue and control was red.

Did I miss something? LordXavierBritish said:. SpaceInsomniac : It didn't come out of nowhere, considering the Citadel has been the focal point of the Reapers since ME1. Also there was closure in the sense that I explained in the post above that nobody seems to have read. The Catalyst even told you what would happen based on each decision.

Just because you don't know what the future holds, doesn't mean that there wasn't an end to the current conflict. Just because they are continuing it, as they stated before even ME3, doesn't mean that's the ONLY reason they made it end that way. The sense of accomplishment was knowing that no matter what you chose, that you at least for a time have stopped the Reaper threat.

Also ME2 threw you to the point before the Collector Base, but nobody seemed to have an issue with that. Saren says that his upgrades are where the human race is headed. Illusive Man believes control is the best.