Mass Effect 3 Missions and war assets: original-game preparation
Track war assets without mixing original and Legendary Edition rules.
Edition covered
Original Mass Effect 3 single-player campaign. Pictures come from the original PC N7 Digital Deluxe store listing and include DLC promotional scenes. Legendary Edition changes to Galactic Readiness and ending requirements are outside this reference.
Priority is a story label
A Priority mission advances the main narrative and can change available side content. Complete Grissom Academy before Priority: The Citadel II, and tackle Tuchanka: Bomb immediately after Turian Platoon rather than spending its limited mission window elsewhere.
| Term | Meaning | Where to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| War Assets | Forces and resources secured | Normandy war terminal |
| Total Military Strength | Combined asset value | War terminal summary |
| Galactic Readiness | Original-game readiness factor | Galaxy at War display |
| Effective Military Strength | Assets adjusted by readiness | Original-game war preparation |
Distinguish assets from readiness
The original game separates collected War Assets from Galactic Readiness. Effective Military Strength reflects both, so the raw total is not interchangeable with a Legendary Edition ending guide’s number.
| Mission or milestone | Do this first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation | Complete before Priority: The Citadel II | The rescue becomes unavailable afterward |
| Tuchanka: Bomb | Do immediately after Tuchanka: Turian Platoon | Completing three other missions after acquisition causes failure |
| Priority: Tuchanka | Resolve available early Citadel requests | This story transition changes several local opportunities |
| Priority: Cerberus Headquarters | Finish desired side missions and save separately | Begins the final sequence and locks normal exploration |
Scan with an exit in mind
Scanning Reaper-controlled systems can reveal fuel and recoverable assets but increases enemy alert. Note the system edge and leave when pursuit becomes unsafe; revisit after advancing the campaign.
Keep finale advice edition-specific
Extended Cut and Legendary Edition altered the ending framework. Use the installed original-game version and its war terminal to assess preparation; this guide intentionally does not advertise one universal ending threshold.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Mass Effect 3 publisher listing | store.steampowered.com |
| Publisher game manual | eaassets-a.akamaihd.net |
| BioWare Legendary Edition comparison | www.ea.com |
| Grissom Academy deadline reference | masseffect.fandom.com |
| Tuchanka Bomb mission-window reference | masseffect.fandom.com |
| Cerberus Headquarters departure reference | masseffect.fandom.com |