Mass Effect 3 N7 Missions Guide: Find Hidden Items That Affect War Assets

N7 Missions in Mass Effect 3 sit in a strange, satisfying middle ground: they’re side quests with real impact on your Galaxy At War rating, but they’re also structured like short, self-contained map runs. If you’re trying to finish everything, this matters—because these jobs aren’t just about reaching the end of a level. They also hide a required quest item on the map, and that item becomes the key to completing a separate side mission back on the Citadel.

Checklists and where N7 jobs begin

N7 Missions are side missions that influence your Galaxy At War score. For most of them, you’ll be dealing with Cerberus, and the missions are typically delivered to Commander Shepard by Specialist Traynor while Shepard passes by the Galaxy Map in the CIC.

In this part of our Mass Effect 3 wiki guide, the goal is straightforward: help you complete every N7 Mission in the game. That includes tracking down all collectibles and pushing through every combat encounter without losing the run.

N7 Missions Explained: why they’re different

Even among Mass Effect 3 side content, N7 Missions stand out. They’re built around the game’s original six multiplayer maps. The multiplayer itself happens later—after Shepard visits those locations—following the implication that Admiral Hackett commits forces to them afterward. Beyond that shared origin, N7 Missions don’t really resemble the N7 Assignments from Mass Effect 2. They’re short, but the overall structure and purpose feel distinct.

There’s also a practical reason to pay attention to the layout: each N7 Mission includes a Quest Item somewhere on the map. Those items are necessary to finish a Side Mission back on the Citadel. If you somehow miss one, you can still obtain what you need from Spectre Requisitions after the fact—but buying everything tends to erase the credit payout from the related quests. In other words, the “find it yourself” approach is the one that keeps your economy intact, so grab the items during the run.

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

What to expect as you move through the guide

The next entry in this guide is N7: Cerberus Abductions. That positioning matters because it sets the tone for the majority of N7 content: you’re generally stepping into Cerberus territory, taking down threats, and scavenging for the quest item that keeps your Citadel side objectives on track.

For players browsing by sections, the guide also points you toward a few major categories:

• Legendary Edition Changes
• Game Basics
• Tips and Tricks
• How-To Guides

Quick takeaways before you start running N7 jobs

• Galaxy At War rating is affected by N7 Missions, so these side runs aren’t just filler.
• Most N7 Missions involve Cerberus, and they’re usually issued by Specialist Traynor as you move past the Galaxy Map in the CIC.
• Each mission hides a Quest Item needed for a Citadel side mission later.
• You can buy missed quest items from Spectre Requisitions, but purchasing everything can wipe out the quest credit reward.
• N7 Missions are built on the original six multiplayer maps, with multiplayer occurring after Shepard’s visits and Hackett committing forces afterward.

Was this guide helpful?

In This Guide