Grissom Academy Emergency Evacuation Guide: Timer, Fights, and Choices

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This part of the Mass Effect 3 wiki guide focuses on the Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation side mission, covering item locations, how to handle every fight, and which dialogue choices matter for your run.

WARNING

This side quest runs on a timer. If you don’t finish it before Priority: The Citadel 2, the mission is treated as failed and it can have fallout for a character tied to an earlier Mass Effect entry.

Looking for something specific? Jump to:

• Mission Stats
• Talk to Specialist Traynor
• Travel to Vetus
• Meet Kahlee Sanders
• Get to Orion Hall
• Find Cerberus Laptop
• Find Manual Overrides
• Reach Cerberus Shuttles
• Defend the Students
• Back on the Normandy

Mission Stats

Video Guide

Mission Rewards

• Experience: 1,200 XP
• Mission Credits: 12,500 credits
• Found Credits: 12,500 credits
• Weapons:
  • M-22 Eviscerator
  • M-96 Mattock
• Armor:
  • Mnemonic Visor
  • Serrice Council Chestplate
• Mods:
  • Assault Rifle Precision Scope
  • Assault Rifle Stability Damper
  • SMG Heat Sink
  • SMG Magazine Upgrade
  • Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod
• War Assets:
  • Kahlee Sanders (15-30 TMS)
  • +50 TMS to Alliance 103rd Marine Division (Paragon only)
  • Biotic Company (75 TMS, Renegade only)
  • Tap to Reveal (25 TMS)

• M-22 Eviscerator
• M-96 Mattock

• Mnemonic Visor
• Serrice Council Chestplate

• Assault Rifle Precision Scope
• Assault Rifle Stability Damper
• SMG Heat Sink
• SMG Magazine Upgrade
• Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod

• Kahlee Sanders (15-30 TMS)
• +50 TMS to Alliance 103rd Marine Division (Paragon only)
• Biotic Company (75 TMS, Renegade only)
• Tap to Reveal (25 TMS)

Achievement / Trophy Alert

The Liberator Achievement / Trophy is awarded for completing this side mission.

Recommended Squad

• Squad Tactics:
  • Because this section requires stripping both Shields and Armor, Garrus is an especially good choice here, particularly due to the Shield Pylons and the need to remove armor.
  • EDI is also useful thanks to Overload, which helps strip Shields.
• Unique Dialogue:
  • Liara gains special dialogue if you completed the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC in Mass Effect 2.
  • EDI gains special dialogue if you completed the Overlord DLC in Mass Effect 2.
  • Garrus has additional unique lines as well, but EDI’s dialogue will overwrite his unless you’re romancing him.
  • Javik also has comments that can change how he speaks back on the Normandy after this side mission.
• Shepard’s Loadout:
  • Piercing, Shredder, or High Velocity mods, plus the Venom Shotgun, help you handle this mission’s Guardians.
  • The Sniper Rifle Enhanced Scope is useful for spotting enemies through the smoke bombs thrown by Centurions and Atlas mechs.
  • If you own the Citadel DLC and/or completed the Omega DLC, a Thermal Scope for your assault or sniper rifle helps you see through both smoke bombs and walls.

• Because this section requires stripping both Shields and Armor, Garrus is an especially good choice here, particularly due to the Shield Pylons and the need to remove armor.
• EDI is also useful thanks to Overload, which helps strip Shields.

• Liara gains special dialogue if you completed the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC in Mass Effect 2.
• EDI gains special dialogue if you completed the Overlord DLC in Mass Effect 2.
• Garrus has additional unique lines as well, but EDI’s dialogue will overwrite his unless you’re romancing him.
• Javik also has comments that can change how he speaks back on the Normandy after this side mission.

• Piercing, Shredder, or High Velocity mods, plus the Venom Shotgun, help you handle this mission’s Guardians.
• The Sniper Rifle Enhanced Scope is useful for spotting enemies through the smoke bombs thrown by Centurions and Atlas mechs.
• If you own the Citadel DLC and/or completed the Omega DLC, a Thermal Scope for your assault or sniper rifle helps you see through both smoke bombs and walls.

Mission Enemies

• Assault Trooper
• Centurion
• Guardian
• Combat Engineer
• Turret
• Atlas

Talk to Specialist Traynor

• Prerequisite: Complete “Priority: Palaven”

After you complete “Priority: Palaven” and resolve the EDI is Offline situation, this side mission becomes available. When you return to the CIC, Specialist Traynor will pull you aside near the Galaxy Map.

After some brief conversation about EDI, Traynor explains that the Grissom Academy is asking for help due to an approaching Reaper front. A Turian evac transport answered the distress call, but Traynor felt something was wrong. EDI confirms the signal is fake, using prior experience from Mass Effect 2 with forged Turian transmissions. Shepard agrees to help, unlocking the side mission.

Travel to Vetus

• Location: Petra Nebula – Vetus – Grissom Academy

Enter Petra Nebula to reach the Vetus system, then go to Grissom Academy to start the side mission.

Joker quickly realizes Cerberus was behind the fake Turian distress message, making the situation even more urgent. You’ll need to get to the students before Cerberus troops arrive. While Joker handles diversion-style flight distractions (a nod to Han Solo tactics), Shepard and their squad board the station.

Meet Kahlee Sanders

Once control passes to Shepard, open the door ahead and immediately take cover behind it. Eliminate the four Cerberus troops in front of you, then move through the doorway they were trying to open to meet Kahlee Sanders, a character from the Mass Effect novels.

Clear the first cluster of enemies to locate Sanders and have her open the way to Orion Hall. During this exchange, you’ll earn Morality Points:

• Choose “What about Anderson?” to say…
  • Pick “What’s this about students?” for +2 Paragon Points.
  • Pick “Tell me about the students” for +2 Renegade Points.
• Regardless of the above, you can continue with…
  • “That’s dangerous for students” for +2 Paragon Points.
  • “Good. We can use them” for +2 Renegade Points.

• Pick “What’s this about students?” for +2 Paragon Points.
• Pick “Tell me about the students” for +2 Renegade Points.

• “That’s dangerous for students” for +2 Paragon Points.
• “Good. We can use them” for +2 Renegade Points.

Get to Orion Hall

After the cutscene ends, go through the next door to see Cerberus drag a student away by the leg. There’s nothing you can do for them, so push into the following hallway. It ends with two doors, and the space is split by a low wall.

• Assault Rifle Stability Damper – In this area, check the stairs on the right side of the hallway to locate this mod.

Use one of the doors, then look left ahead to find Reiley Bellarmine, holding off Cerberus troops with a biotic bubble. Kill the two Cerberus soldiers interrogating him, then speak with him to gain +5 Reputation. You’ll also learn that he has a missing sister named Seanne.

When you’re done with Reiley, backtrack slightly to grab a loot item that’s easy to miss:

• Datapad – 1,250 credits. From Reiley Ballarmine, turn around to face the direction you came from, then head left toward a locked door blocked by debris. A sign on the right should read “class 419”. At the debris, turn left and go to the far end of the couch to find the datapad.

Return to Reiley and vault through the wide broken window into the nearby classroom.

• Tactical Analysis Review – 20 XP. Found on a student desk covered with shards of broken glass.
• SMG Heat Sink – From the Tactical Analysis Review, check the desk ahead and slightly left to find this mod sitting on top.
• Personal Log – 20 XP. Located on the corner of the teacher’s desk at the front of the classroom. This log only appears if a specific squadmate survived the events of Mass Effect 2.

Go through the doors in the back corner of the classroom to enter a second room. Take cover behind a desk, then shoot the Generator at the far end. Generators power the orange pop-up cover shields, so destroying them limits where you can take cover against Cerberus.

With that handled, look for a new weapon:

• M-22 Eviscerator – Exit the second classroom through the back-left door to reach a hallway. The shotgun is on the left side of the room, placed on a couch beneath a window that looks back into the first classroom.

M-22 Eviscerator

The M-22 Eciscerator is a returning Mass Effect 2 DLC weapon, but despite its description, it cannot actually bypass Armor. Think of it as an alternative to the M-23 Katana and M-27 Scimitar instead: it’s lighter and hits harder per shot, but the magazine is smaller and it fires more slowly.

Go back to the classroom and head through the open doorway into a lounge filled with more loot. Before you grab everything, continue toward the sloped waterfalls, then turn left to spot Seanne Bellarmine kneeling by the falls in the next zone. After a squadmate calls out that she’s injured and needs help, you’ll have 8 seconds to use the Talk prompt, or she WILL die. If you assist in time, you’ll earn 100 XP and +5 Reputation.

Regardless of what happens, search the area for items:

• Mnemonic Visor – From Seanne Bellarmine, turn around and face down the hallway. Look on the couch to your left.
• Locker – 1,250 credits. From the Mnemonic Visor, proceed down the hallway and pass the couch divider on your left. You’ll find lockers along the right-hand wall; open one for credits.
• M-96 Mattock – Near the locker above, there’s a long couch separating a nearby hallway. The weapon sits on that couch (on the left side if you’re backtracking from Seanne Ballarmine).

M-96 Mattock

Another Mass Effect 2 DLC weapon, the Mattock fires single shots with very high damage. It can also be fired almost as quickly as you can manually shoot it, rewarding players with good marksmanship. If you can get used to its rhythm, it becomes a strong upgrade over nearly all other assault rifles—except the Particle Rifle from the From Ashes DLC.

Return to the doorway leading back to the second classroom, then turn left. At the far end, you’ll see a door you can open, with a Generator to its right and a monitor showing the Cerberus emblem above. Destroying the Generator is optional, but doing so replaces the annoying Cerberus intercom with Kahlee Sanders, letting her reassure and coordinate her students. This doesn’t change the actual story events.

Push through the door into Orion Hall and join the skirmish right as it starts. Some of the combat-ready students attempt to stop Cerberus troops from moving forward. Things get tougher fast with an Atlas Mech—an enormous bipedal robot—scrapping metal, while the students need protection as pressure mounts.

Atlas mechs are not to be underestimated. They feature heavy armor, an arm cannon that fires four rapid shots followed by a rocket launcher right after you think you’re safe. Worse, they can grab Shepard with their claw for an instant kill if you get too close, and they’ll throw smoke grenades too. In short: they’re a major problem on the battlefield.

Your objective is to eliminate every Cerberus force in the room before the Students’ Barrier is fully depleted. Because you’ll face plenty of Cerberus units, it’s often smarter to remove smaller threats first, then focus on the Atlas. That’s the reason for anti-armor recommendations—other damage types won’t feel nearly as effective. After you destroy the Atlas, a second wave of soldiers rushes into the room from the top of the right-side stairs.

After that, you’ll get a one-on-one with the leader of the biotic students. If Jack survived the events of Mass Effect 2, it will be her. If not, the teacher will be dead and Jason Prangley is doing his best to fill the role. You can earn Morality Points, but the dialogue depends on who you’re talking to:

• If the biotic leader is Jack, you can respond with…
  • “I know” and “Good” for a total of +4 Paragon Points.
  • “Pull yourself together” and “That’s crazy” for a total of +4 Renegade Points.
• If Prangley is the biotic leader, you can respond with…
  • “I’m here to help” and “It has to stay with you” for a total of +4 Paragon Points.
  • “Officers don’t guess” and “Don’t regret what you’ve done” for a total of +4 Renegade Points.

• “I know” and “Good” for a total of +4 Paragon Points.
• “Pull yourself together” and “That’s crazy” for a total of +4 Renegade Points.

• “I’m here to help” and “It has to stay with you” for a total of +4 Paragon Points.
• “Officers don’t guess” and “Don’t regret what you’ve done” for a total of +4 Renegade Points.

Find Cerberus Laptop

After the meeting, Cortez radios in to tell Shepard the Cerberus cruiser will return to the station in two minutes. Since the students can’t escape in that timeframe, Shepard abandons the original plan and chooses a new exit route. Kahlee Sanders may know a way out, but it requires accessing cameras across the station.

This is your opportunity to sweep Orion Hall for loot.

• Med Kit – 50 XP. After you regain control, turn right and go through the angled archway shown above into the grassy corner under an “Orion Hall” sign. The med kit is on the seating there.
• Cerberus Camera Control – From the med kit location described above, look across the room to find a similar setup beneath another “Orion Hall” sign. The laptop on the seating there is the camera control.
• Data Log – 20 XP. Read the datapad beside the Cerberus camera control to earn XP.

Find Manual Overrides

With the Cerberus camera control in hand, you’ll now need to locate the Manual Overrides in the Atrium to trigger your escape. And yes—there’s more loot along the way.

• Assault Rifle Precision Scope – From the Cerberus camera control, turn right, go up the stairs, and enter through the right-hand doorway. The mod will be nearby on a desk to your left.
• Datapad – 1,875 credits. On a desk across from the Assault Rifle Precision scope, sitting near the corner of a wide broken window.
• Door Control – Close to the Assault Rifle Precision scope. Interact with it to exit into the Atrium.

There are also six dialogue exchanges between two students in the upper room that are easy to overlook. You can also hear a comment from Ensign Rodriguez and Ensign Prangley if you want. If Jack is present, you can speak with her on the lower level near the exit to learn what she’s been doing since Mass Effect 2.

When you’re ready to leave, head down the exit corridor and interact with the doors to pry them open. Opening the door into the Atrium also lets you earn more Morality Points:

• Choose “Don’t take any risks” and “You can do this” for +4 Paragon Points.
• Choose “Do some damage” and “They’re lying” for +4 Paragon Points.

Reach Cerberus Shuttles

The fight ahead is about to intensify. In the second half, Centurions, Combat Engineers, Turrets, and an Atlas will pour into the area in front of you. You can also expect Guardians with shields trying to flank your squad. The biotic students will be on high balconies, but they only provide support—you’ll still need to do the heavy damage yourself. You can’t hijack this Atlas, but you can kill its occupant with a few sniper rifle shots.

Prioritize eliminating Combat Engineers first. They can repair Turrets, Shields, and even the Atlas mech. Push through that defensive line and clear every hostile you encounter. If you’re playing an Engineer or Infiltrator, remember you can use Sabotage to turn Turrets against Cerberus.

The Atrium has two sections. To reach the far side, cut through a curved side hallway. There are a few items here:

• Mission Brief – 20 XP. As soon as you enter the curved side hallway, look left to find the datapad on seats along the left-hand wall.
• Med Kit – Near the Mission Brief, on crates along the right-hand wall beside ammo boxes.
• Computer – 3,750 credits. A little farther down the curved hallway on seats along the left-hand wall, close to the exit door.

If you’re playing the Wii U Special Edition, there’s an extra item on the divider just beyond the exit door: the M-597 Ladon.

M-597 Ladon

The M-597 Ladon functions much like the M-560 Hydra. It charges up and then fires six homing projectiles that deal massive damage. The difference is aiming: holding ZL freezes time, letting you use the TouchPad to pick which enemies the weapon will target.

Like the Hydra, the Ladon can only fire once. If you don’t like your targeting choices, you can release the ZL button to stop aiming, and the weapon won’t fire.

On Wii U Special Edition, you can use the Ladon to quickly remove the initial Cerberus forces in the second half of the Atrium, including the Atlas mech if you left it alone like suggested. Otherwise, sprint toward the artificial lake and take cover behind the seating there.

Once the enemies in this section are cleared, the exit door in the back-left corner opens. Through it, you’ll reach another sloped waterfall area and hear a Cerberus trooper’s voice—but don’t forget this easily missed item:

• Computer Terminal – 4,375 credits. When you step into the sloped waterfall hallway, turn right to locate the terminal at the base of the falls, near a makeshift barricade built from furniture.

After that, head left down the corridor to find more students protected by a barrier. This one is tech-based rather than biotic. Shoot down the two Assault Troopers, then speak with Octavia. Getting her to lower the barrier and join Kahlee Sanders will take persuasion. Here are the possible paths:

• If there are only two students inside the barrier, you must choose one of the following:
  • Pick “[Contact Kahlee Sanders]” so she can vouch for Shepard for +5 Paragon Points.
  • Pick “[Destroy the shield]” to ask a squadmate to destroy it for +5 Renegade Points.
• If you completed the Overlord DLC in Mass Effect 2 and sent David Archer to Grissom Academy, he’ll be there and vouch for Shepard, helping convince Octavia for +5 Reputation. After that, you can say:
  • “Are you okay?” for +2 Paragon Points.
  • “We need your mind” for +2 Renegade Points.

• Pick “[Contact Kahlee Sanders]” so she can vouch for Shepard for +5 Paragon Points.
• Pick “[Destroy the shield]” to ask a squadmate to destroy it for +5 Renegade Points.

• “Are you okay?” for +2 Paragon Points.
• “We need your mind” for +2 Renegade Points.

If David Archer is present, he unlocks the security office behind him and recommends Shepard enter. Inside, you can find:

• M-96 Mattock – On the countertop in the middle of the security office. This is a rare case where you can grab a weapon you already have for free, upgrading it to Level II. The stats improve slightly, making it stronger.
• Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod – On the desk in the back-left corner of the security office.

Whether you access the security office or not, proceed down the side passage with the “Docking” sign and go through the door. Keep moving to find more items:

• Biotic Amp Schematics – In the first room, examine the terminal to the right of the door to collect the schematics you’ll need for the “Citadel: Biotic Amp Interfaces” side mission.
• Serrice Council Chestplate – In the second room, vault over the smoldering sofa, then look left to find the chestplate on another, disheveled sofa against the concrete wall.

In the third room, you can sneak up on an unsuspecting Combat Engineer beside an empty Atlas mech. Strip his shields with Overload if possible, then eliminate him. Before you hop into the empty Atlas mech, grab two more items:

• Data Log – 20 XP. On the ground to the left of the empty Atlas mech.
• Med Kit – 50 XP. On the sofa to the right of the empty Atlas mech.

Defend the Students

In the final stretch, you’ll be able to go on the offensive against Cerberus. Multiple waves will attack as you defend the Students’ Barrier again. The exit sits in the back-right corner of the room, but you’ll need to kill every Cerberus trooper before you can move on.

We strongly suggest using the empty Atlas mech to pilot it. While it’s technically optional, it’s simply too entertaining not to try. If you’ve never flown one of these before, the Atlas mech starts with full health, and you can use both its Arm Cannon and Rocket Launcher.

• The Arm Cannon is extremely lethal, capable of killing a single enemy in one instant hit. The drawback: it fires single shots like the Mattock, has no blast effect, and the reticle takes time to move—so only fire when you’re sure you’ll land the shot.
• The Rocket Launcher also kills anything it hits instantly, but it includes blast radius so it can damage multiple enemies at once. The drawback: rockets take about half a second to launch, travel slowly, and tracking is light enough that moving targets can slip behind cover.

After you defeat the forces positioned behind the statue of John Grissom, more waves will arrive. Using the Grissom statue as “North,” here’s where each wave comes from:

• Wave 1 – The upper door to the south-east (behind you on the right when you enter).
• Wave 2 – The upper door to the south-west (to the right of Wave 1).
• Wave 3 – The lower door to the west (to the right of Wave 2).
• Wave 4 – The upper door to the south-west (left of Wave 3).
• Wave 5 – The upper door to the north-east (right of Wave 4) and the ceiling hatch to the east.
• Wave 6 – A single Atlas mech entering from the south, where you originally came in.

If you can predict where enemies will spawn, the encounter becomes much easier. You can rotate ahead of time and fire Rocket Launcher volleys as they enter.

Once the Atlas mech is destroyed, you’ll be ready to exit—but first, don’t forget this very easy-to-miss item before leaving:

• SMG Magazine Upgrade – Face the southern entrance you came from, then look to the right to find two sets of seats. The upgrade is on the right-hand seats.
• Statue – You can also examine the plaque at the base of the statue, though it’s just a small detail.

Head to the exit in the north-eastern corner to finish the mission. As you leave, Rodriguez is pinned under gunfire. If Jack is present, she can save her. If Jack isn’t there, Jason Prangley will step in—at the cost of his own life.

Due to the students’ performance, Kahlee Sanders believes they may be ready for combat after all. You’ll then decide whether they become support or whether they operate as their own Biotic Company unit. The exact wording changes depending on whether Jack is present, but the results are the same:

• Choose “We’ll use them as support” / “We’ll keep them safe” for +15 Paragon Points, boosting the 103rd Marine Division War Asset by +50 TMS.
• Choose “They’re ready for battle” / “We’ll need their firepower” for +15 Renegade Points, creating a Biotic Company War Asset worth 75 TMS.

Extended Cut

In the original game release, the decision above had no meaningful effect. With the Extended Cut DLC, however, you unlock:

• If you kept the students as support: Tap to Reveal
• If you formed the Biotics Company: Tap to Reveal

Back on the Normandy

Once you’ve had your first proper talk with Anderson since “Priority: Earth”, you can resume your normal Normandy rounds.

• CIC – Speak with Traynor, Joker, and EDI.
• Crew Deck – Talk to Liara and Garrus.
• Engineering – If you have Javik, he can be found on the sub-deck below where Engineer Adams hangs out. Talk to him, then stop by Allers.
• Shuttle Bay – Talk to Cortez and James.

Want more Mass Effect 3 help? Check out the following pages:

• Legendary Edition Changes
• How-To Guides
• Key Choices and Consequences
• Romance Guide
• Walkthrough
• Side Missions

Up Next: Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery

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