How to Track Mass Effect Assignments on the Citadel: Locations & Unlocks
Mass Effect’s side content is built around Assignments, the game’s main “side quest” structure. There are more than sixty of them across the campaign, and because they vary wildly in where they happen and when they unlock, they’re easiest to track when you break them into categories. This guide overview walks through how the Citadel-focused tasks work, what gets tied to your early choices, and how the game’s special UNC-style assignment types open up as you progress.
Checklists
This part of the guide covers the full spread of side quests—called Assignments—in Mass Effect. With over sixty available, the entries are organized into multiple groups so you can find the right tasks without hunting through the entire checklist.
NOTICE
Virmire includes two Assignments that are intentionally left out of this listing, because they’re tied to the outcomes for two characters and are therefore treated as spoilers. If you want details on those specific entries, the guide directs you to the Virmire-focused section instead.
- Virmire Side Quests
Looking for something specific? Click the links below to jump to…
The guide first separates Assignments that happen only on the Citadel. Their key quirk is that they do not unlock all at once. Instead, you receive them in waves: one group after you begin Citadel: Expose Saren, a second group after you finish your first Mission World, and the final set after you complete all four Mission Worlds.
The guide also notes that some Citadel-started Assignments can pull you out to “Uncharted” locations, so those spill over into the broader UNC: Side Quests area. Meanwhile, three specific “Pre-Service History” Assignments each get their own section.
First Citadel Visit Assignments
Return to the Citadel Assignments
Lockdown Assignments
Pre-Service History Side Quests
These three Assignments are set on the Citadel and appear after you complete either Therum, Feros, or Noveria. Importantly, they connect directly to the Pre-Service History you chose for Shepard when you created the profile at the beginning of the game. That linkage means you will only ever access one of these three options, depending on your chosen background.
Pre-Service History Assignments
These Assignments take place largely—or entirely—on Uncharted Worlds or aboard starships. A few begin on the Citadel, and others unlock only after you complete either Feros or Noveria.
There’s also a set of Assignments described as the “Cerberus Line,” along with two “Morality Assignments.” Both morality tasks are unlocked by filling the Morality Bars, and they each have their own sub-sections.
Post-Citadel Assignments
Post-Feros Assignments
Post-Noveria Assignments
Cerberus Assignment Line
Squadmate UNC Side Quests
Squadmate Side Quests are a specific kind of UNC side-quest tied closely to your three non-human squadmates: Wrex, Tali, and Garrus. They unlock when you speak to each of them after finishing a Mission or Assignment. From there, you’ll need to talk with them again and dig deeper into their personal stories and backgrounds.
Squadmate Assignments
Morality UNC Side-Quests
The two Morality Assignments are also UNC entries, grouped together here because their unlock conditions are unusual. Each one is triggered by filling one of the two Morality Bars to 80%. However, if you plan to unlock both tasks, the second requirement changes: the other Assignment won’t unlock until its Morality Bar reaches 90%.
Because of that, the guide recommends checking two dedicated pages focused on how to handle Paragon progress and combine tactics for Paragon and Renegade outcomes:
- Eletania Max Paragon Exploit
- Noveria Mas Paragon and Renegade Exploit
Morality Assignments
Discovery UNC Side Quests
Discovery Assignments form a special category of UNC tasks. Instead of focusing on a single location or character, they revolve around collecting items and resources throughout the galaxy. You do this by locating objects both in space and in various spots on the Uncharted Worlds.
Discovery Assignments
Feros Assignments
The Feros Assignments become available after you first clear Zhu’s Hope of the invading geth. Each Assignment asks you to help the colony by moving through the tunnels below, and the guide emphasizes that they have a cumulative impact on the outcome of the main Feros storyline.
The exception is Data Recovery. It does not connect to the colony cleanup and instead takes place on the Prothean Skyway and at the ExoGeni Headquarters.
Noveria Assignments
The two Noveria Assignments both occur in Port Hanshan. While Espionage is described as entirely self-contained, Smuggling stands out as the quickest route to obtain a Garage Pass and depart for Peak 15.
Want more Mass Effect help?
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- Walkthrough
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