Mass Effect 2 Jacob Loyalty Guide: Gift of Greatness Walkthrough Tips
IGN’s Mass Effect 2 wiki walkthrough focuses on the Gift of Greatness loyalty mission on Aeia, guiding you through every major fight, all collectible locations, and the dialogue options that shape Morality Points. If you want a specific step—combat flow, scavenging routes, or Jacob’s conversation beats—this guide is laid out so you can jump straight to the section you need.
Looking for something specific? Use the jump list below to move to the part you care about most.
- Mission Stats
- Talk to Jacob
- Travel to Alpha Draconis
- Look for Survivors
- Find Taylor
- Confront Taylor
- Back on the Normandy
Mission Stats
Video Guide
Mission Rewards
- Experience: 750 XP
- Power: Barrier
- Research: Heavy Pistol Damage
- Mission Credits: 15,000
- Found Credits: 15,000
- Resources: 500 Element Zero
Talk to Jacob
This loyalty mission is among the first you can unlock. If you’ve been keeping up your conversations with Jacob, then after you complete the “Horizon” mission, it becomes available alongside Miranda’s. You’ll know Jacob’s moment has arrived when Kelly brings him up—she mentions that Jacob wants to see you once you ask about how the crew is doing.
As soon as you start talking with Jacob, you’ll be offered early dialogue options. Choose either “You left a note with Chambers” or “Something on your mind?” to earn +2 Paragon Points, or pick “I decide what’s personal” to gain +2 Renegade Points.
- Reply “You left a note with Chambers” or “Something on your mind?” for +2 Paragon Points.
- Reply “I decide what’s personal” for +2 Renegade Points.
From there, Jacob explains that he was contacted by “a ghost” the other night—his family member, specifically. If you want to cut straight to the point, respond with “Get to the point” for +2 Renegade Points.
- Respond to this with “Get to the point” for +2 Renegade Points.
No matter which way you answer, Jacob continues with the same key information: a message came through about the Hugo Gernsback, the ship his father served on. The ship’s distress signal was sent a week ago even though it has been missing for roughly a decade. It’s also unusual that the signal ended up on the Normandy’s doorstep—someone within Cerberus forwarded it to Jacob.
Jacob also admits his father wasn’t exactly perfect. Even though his father was honest and owned up to mistakes, he kept making them anyway. Jacob hadn’t spoken to him for three years prior to the Gernsback going missing.
- Reply “You don’t want to find him?” for +2 Paragon Points.
One more important quirk: when you wrap up the conversation, it doesn’t matter whether you decide to handle the matter immediately or postpone it. You’ll still receive the mission either way. This same behavior applies to all loyalty mission conversations.
Travel to Alpha Draconis
- Location: Rosetta Nebula – Alpha Draconis – 2175 Aeia
The route here is straightforward, but plan ahead. Before you jump, make sure you’re carrying enough fuel and probes for the trip. Start by heading to the Rosetta Nebula on the “northern” side of the Milky Way. Your relay destination is Enoch, but the Hugo Gernsback you’re looking for has already crashed in the Alpha Draconis system.
In Alpha Draconis, the target is found at 2175 Aeia, the first planet orbiting the star. To pinpoint the wreck location, open your Scanner and follow the white marker shown on your cursor, then drop a Probe to enable landing.
Recommended Loadout
- Squad Tactics:
- Because this is Jacob’s loyalty mission, he must be part of your team for it.
- You’ll deal with large numbers of both organic and synthetic enemies, so area-of-effect options are particularly valuable. Kasumi or a loyal Tali is recommended.
- As this is Jacob’s Loyalty Mission, he is required to bring along on this Mission.
- You’ll be facing masses of both organic and synthetic enemies, meaning area of effect moves are especially useful. Kasumi or a Loyal Tali will be especially useful here.
Look for Survivors
Once you’re in control on the surface, move to the right along the path. You’ll spot the Hugo Gernsback crashed so that it’s half on land and half in the water. Ahead, there’s an Activated Beacon VI hologram, but you should ignore it for now and instead look for the bridge entrance into the ship.
- Spare Parts – 1,500 Credits. Found directly across from the bridge leading into the Gernsback, near trees and by cube containers.
Approach the Activated Beacon VI to learn what happened here. The original captain, Harris Fairchild, died in the crash eight years ago. His second-in-command, Ronald Taylor (Jacob’s father), was promoted to captain in his place. Even worse, continued contact with Aeia’s plant life seems to cause neurological breakdown—leading to symptoms like memory loss.
Back at the bridge, read the Partial Officer’s Log to the left. If you cross the bridge, you can locate three additional logs inside the ship—left behind by the crew and the doctor aboard the Gernsback.
- PDA – 3,000 Credits. When you enter the ship, go straight to the back wall and check the corner area on your right.
Find Taylor
Exit the ship and keep moving along the shoreline toward the crate-filled area. Here you’ll meet a woman who struggles to find the right wording, but she can still tell you two critical things: the “Leader” still has power, and the “Hunters” are on the way. That second detail doesn’t sound good.
- Respond with “Calm down!” for +2 Paragon Points.
After that conversation, you’ll be thrown into a fight against the Feral Hunters. This encounter is rough mainly because the cover is arranged at awkward angles—crates are scattered around you, but they don’t always protect you from the direction enemies come from. You may find yourself being hit from one angle while your defenses cover another, so play it conservatively: spread your squad out, stay toward the back, and pick enemies off when they expose themselves from their own cover.
These enemies have been on the planet for over a decade, and they’re fairly vulnerable—so you shouldn’t expect barriers or shields. Still, flanking is an easy way for them to punish careless movement. When the fight ends, you can talk to the woman Survivor three times if you saved her life.
- Spare Parts – 1,500 Credits. As you move forward, check the stack of boxes on your left near the shore, next to a large container framed in blue.
Continue up the pathway and examine a Stripped Mech for clues. Not far after that, you’ll come across a settlement occupied only by women. Their reaction to Jacob is harsh—they say he wears the same face as their Leader, which confirms that Ronald is the one behind their situation. They also claim he’s forcing them to eat the food.
After the cutscene, examine the Food Stores in the blue crate to your right. Then talk to the six Survivors near the huge makeshift Statue that you can also examine. Once you’ve finished there, keep searching for more loot.
- Med Kit – 100 Credits. Head down the base of the right-hand cliff and look next to a pile of rusted PC cases.
- Spare Parts – 1,500 Credits. Follow the cliff base further until you reach a large turbine where the loot is located.
- PDA – 2,100 Credits. From the Spare Parts, turn left toward the rock column and check behind it.
As you push onward, you’ll hear the robotic voice of a LOKI Mech. Take cover and focus on taking it out as effectively as you can. After the battle, speak with the Doctor—whose log you may have heard earlier on the Gernsback. She gives you a Datapad that reveals more of what’s going on, and it also presents multiple morality responses.
- Paragon: choose “Sounds like he cracked” and “Does this make sense to you?” for +4 Paragon Points total.
- Renegade: choose “We’re waiting,” then “Harsh, but defendable,” then “They’re fighting back now” for +6 Renegade Points total.
Confront Taylor
When you’re finished, head around the corner and deal with the Inactive Mech by bypassing it so you can set it to explode. Back away to a safe distance—once it goes off, the blast destroys the wall of crates and opens the path to Ronald. You can even hear him over the radio, which upsets Jacob immediately. If you want extra objects, check around the corner for Dead Bodies you can examine.
At the top of the hill, you’ll face a big wave of LOKI Mechs. They aren’t particularly tanky or well equipped, but the sheer number they arrive in makes them dangerous. Take cover behind crates and concentrate fire. The first group hits you straight ahead, then another wave comes from your right, and a third set pushes in through the passage near your left.
After you clear them all, search the area for remaining goodies.
- Spare Parts – 1,500 Credits. Near the exit, find a small ground fire in front of a pile of small boxes. The Spare Parts are inside those boxes.
- Heavy Pistol – Heavy Pistol Damage. Located to the left of the fire, next to the Spare Parts.
Proceed along the route the final LOKI wave used to reach you. After walking down the coast, you’ll reach the last encampment, marked by a large brown tarp overhead for shade. It’s also guarded by LOKI Mechs. Cover is limited here: only crates placed far from the spawn point are available, meaning you’ll either need to fight smart from range—or risk getting deleted by rushing their position.
- Medical Station – 100 Credits. Under the tarp-roofed area on the right.
- Spare Parts – 1,500 Credits. In a turbine on the left side of the tarp-roofed area.
- Power Cells – 100 Credits. At the base of a wall just beyond the Spare Parts turbine.
The level’s last fight is next: Brainwashed Guards plus a strong FENRIR Mech. This is not the moment to rush blindly. Prioritize the large mech first because it presents the biggest threat. Once it’s handled, the brainwashed enemies are easier to eliminate than their synthetic counterpart.
- 500 Refined Element Zero – Found in front of the exit door inside a rusty structure with ramps on both sides and two cube containers on top. The Eezo box sits on top of one of those containers.
- PDA – 2,400 Credits. Located to the right of the exit door itself.
Now confront Ronald. He doesn’t seem to realize Jacob is there, but you can start racking up Morality Points right away. Choose “I’m Shepard. You know Jacob” for +2 Paragon Points, or “Never mind. Explain yourself” for +2 Renegade Points. After that Renegade prompt, you can add an extra choice set: “Let’s hear the truth” for +2 Paragon Points, or “Surprised?” for +2 Renegade Points.
- Answer “I’m Shepard. You know Jacob” for +2 Paragon Points.
- Answer “Never mind. Explain yourself” for +2 Renegade Points. Then choose:
- “Let’s hear the truth” for +2 Paragon Points.
- “Surprised?” for +2 Renegade Points.
Ronald attempts to justify what he did by claiming command forced him to act, and that Jacob was “taught right”—a weak excuse at best. You can respond with either “A decade, Taylor. Why?” for +2 Paragon Points, or “Touching, but I don’t buy it” for +2 Renegade Points.
- “A decade, Taylor. Why?” for +2 Paragon Points.
- “Touching, but I don’t buy it” for +2 Renegade Points.
While the Hunters keep closing in, Ronald doubles down with a dominance explanation. He argues that harsh action was required because decay made lower-ranked men lose track of the chain of command—and he claims he can’t point to where things truly went wrong. For this stage, choose “We can undo the damage” or “You’ll answer for this” for +2 Paragon Points, or “Tempting, but taken too far” for +2 Renegade Points.
- “We can undo the damage” or “You’ll answer for this” for +2 Paragon Points.
- “Tempting, but taken too far” for +2 Renegade Points.
At the end, you’ll be asked what to do with Ronald. Each option leads to a different outcome:
- Choosing “He can’t escape the law now” results in Ronald being taken into Alliance custody for his crimes, awarding +15 Paragon Points.
- Choosing “Leave him in the hell he made” means you abandon Ronald, and the Hunters kill him, granting +5 Paragon and +5 Renegade Points.
- Choosing “I’d shoot him” has Jacob give Ronald his half-charged pistol and walk away, explaining the weapon isn’t meant for the Hunters. Ronald then shoots himself in the head to avoid a bloody death, granting +15 Renegade Points.
Back on the Normandy
After your conversation with Ronald Taylor, you return to the Normandy. Joker contacts you, saying the Normandy can escape before incoming Alliance ships even notice what’s happening. During this wrap-up exchange, you can earn more Morality Points based on your responses.
- “Good job” and “You’re welcome” for +4 Paragon Points total.
- “We’d better be,” “Still toying with us?”, “To help or mess with him?”, and “One time only” for +8 Renegade Points total.
No matter which way the conversation resolves, Jacob’s mind clears and he becomes fully Loyal to Shepard and your objective of stopping the Collectors.
- CIC: Talk to Jacob for additional reactions after his loyalty mission completes.
- Crew Deck: Kasumi will have a thought regarding Jacob’s loyalty mission.
- Engineering: Zaeed will also have a thought about Jacob’s loyalty mission.
If you’re hunting for more Mass Effect 2 help, the guide points you toward additional pages: Legendary Edition Changes, How-To Guides, Key Choices and Consequences, Romance Options, Walkthrough, and Side Quests.
- Legendary Edition Changes
- How-To Guides
- Key Choices and Consequences
- Romance Options
- Walkthrough
- Side Quests
Up Next: Garrus – Eye for an Eye
Top Guide Sections
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