Mass Effect 3 Priority Mars Guide: Paragon Renegade, Loot

Mass Effect 3’s “Priority: Mars” mission is a long push through Cerberus-held facilities, with combat tutorials, loot routes, and several dialogue moments that can swing your Paragon/Renegade progress. This guide section walks you from the Normandy’s Cargo Bay to the Prothean Archives on Mars—covering mission rewards, enemies, collectibles, Interrupts, stealth tactics, and the key encounters with Liara T’Soni and Dr. Eva Coré.

Key takeaways

You’ll earn 3,002 XP and +15 Reputation for completing the mission.
Priority: Mars hands out a credits reward of 35,000.
Combat loot includes weapons such as the M-23 Katana, M-92 Mantis, M-4 Shuriken, and M-15 Vindicator.
Armor rewards include Ariake Technologies Gauntlets and the Kassa Fabrication Chestplate.
Mission enemies highlighted here are Assault Trooper, Guardian, and Centurion.
During the Illusive Man scene, a Persuasion Check begins when you choose “You’re wasting time!”

Checklists and mission setup

This wiki guide page is structured around the Priority: Mars Mission, with sections for clearing combat encounters, finding collectibles, and selecting the right dialogue responses for your playthrough. It also includes a “jump to” list that covers Mission Stats, the Cargo Bay briefing, entering the Mars facility, reaching tram controls, entering the archives, an Illusive Man conversation, catching Dr. Coré, and returning to the Normandy.

In the Cargo Bay briefing, you rejoin Commander Shepard after parting ways with Admiral Anderson. James Vega is thrown off that Anderson isn’t present and confused about where you’re heading. Shepard explains that the trip is to the Citadel to fight, which leads Vega to question why you would depart anyway. You can respond with either “I don’t like it either” for +2 Paragon Points or “He just did” for +2 Renegade Points.

That moment also introduces your first Interrupt. Interrupts let Shepard act while another character is mid-action, often shifting the tone of the situation. Paragon Interrupts are tied to the left trigger and typically lean on sympathy or logic. Renegade Interrupts use the right trigger and are usually aggressive, angry, or rude in order to seize control. You only get a brief window to trigger an Interrupt before it expires and the conversation continues.

Which Interrupt you see in this tutorial segment depends on whether you chose Paragon or Renegade with Vega: the Paragon response grants +5 Paragon Points, while the Renegade response grants +5 Renegade Points.

After that, Admiral Hackett calls Shepard and directs you to stop at the Prothean Archive site on Mars to meet Dr. T’Soni and retrieve something before the Reapers completely take over the Sol system. As you move, Vega notes an incoming storm that will soon cut contact with the Normandy—adding pressure to reach the objective quickly.

Mission stats: rewards and enemies

Video guide

The section includes a reference to a video guide for the Priority: Mars Mission, indicating there’s an accompanying walkthrough format in addition to the written steps.

Mission rewards

Experience: 3,002 XP
Reputation: +15
Mission Credits: 35,000 credits
Weapons:
- M-23 Katana
- M-92 Mantis
- M-4 Shuriken
- M-15 Vindicator
Armor:
- Ariake Technologies Gauntlets
- Kassa Fabrication Chestplate
Mods:
- SMG Scope
- SMG Ultralight Materials
- Sniper Rifle Extended Barrel
- Shotgun High Caliber Barrel
- Sniper Rifle Concentration Mod
- Shotgun Shredder Mod

Mission enemies

Assault Trooper
Guardian
Centurion

Enter the Mars facility

Once you’re able to leave the Kodiak shuttle, you receive rewards for completing the Earth prologue and you level up. From there, the guide recommends opening the Squad Menu and distributing Ability Points among Shepard, Vega, and your Virmire Survivor. It also notes that your squadmates will have fewer Ability Points to spend compared to Shepard.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

If you’re starting Mass Effect 3 from scratch, the guide strongly advises putting at least one Ability Point into your class’s distinctive ability—Combat Mastery for Soldiers—located just above the Fitness power. The reason is tied to a crucial conversation at the end of this level that requires your Reputation Bar to reach a certain threshold. While it’s possible to meet the requirement without this, investing in that ability is presented as a way to reliably guarantee success.

It also calls out Vega’s Concussive Shot as useful, and if you imported a Mass Effect 2 profile, it recommends spending at least 1 Ability Point in each of the carried-over powers so they unlock for use. The stated goal is to give squadmates a broader set of tools to keep enemies off balance. For the complete upgrade layout, the guide points readers to the Powers section for full upgrade trees.

When you exit the Kodiak Shuttle, squadmates discuss the huge storm coming in on your right. This is where you get your first View Prompt: clicking the Right Analog Stick zooms the camera toward whatever is being discussed, and in rare cases may trigger an optional exclusive cutscene.

To your left, you may also spot solar panels, described as tying into a small easter egg. If you follow the route shown in the guide’s picture, you can use another View Prompt near the back cliff to watch a rover drive up and nod at you from the lower area.

Next, investigate the facility by bringing up the Mission Marker with the Right Stick. Follow it to a gap in the fence, then drop down. Use the Focus Prompt to examine a dead soldier, and before moving on, pick up the M-92 Mantis on the ground. With a new weapon obtained, the guide instructs you to choose loadouts for all three party members, and it explains the game’s Weight system: while any class can equip any weapon, total weapon weight affects your powers’ cooldown times—meaning heavier loadouts can slow abilities, while traveling light can shorten cooldowns.

M-92 Mantis

The M-92 Mantis is described as a powerful “single shot” sniper rifle, requiring a reload after every shot. Because the reload is lengthy, the guide emphasizes that you must land every shot. It also notes ways to reduce downtime by skipping part of the animation: using a Power, sprinting, or using/exiting cover after the ammo counter indicates you have another round loaded.

As you move downhill, you’ll eventually hear gunfire. Walk carefully up and use a View Point when it appears: Cerberus is executing defenders. After that, take cover and aim at distant Assault Troopers who aren’t protected by shields. The guide says Shepard’s default loadout is accurate enough that, with cover and good aim, the fight should be manageable. If you have a grenade power, use it—Inferno Grenade, Sticky Grenade, and similar options can catch enemies off guard and stagger them. The sniper rifle is also recommended if you can keep your shots precise.

Continue along the road past large Cerberus vehicles, then move uphill. Take cover behind a short wall and secure the facility entrance by firing on more Assault Troopers. Once they’re eliminated, you can safely enter the building.

Use the Elevator switch to go inside and trigger the next cutscene, which the guide flags as very important.

In the cutscene, your Virmire Survivor demands answers from Shepard. Because the survivor remembers Shepard working for Cerberus in Mass Effect 2—and because Cerberus arrives before them—Shepard becomes extremely suspicious in their eyes. Shepard must justify their actions and convince the survivor that they’ve severed ties. Dialogue options are:

“We’ve been through a lot” / “You know me better than that” to build trust with the Virmire Survivor and earn +2 Paragon Points.
“Get over it” which does not help convince them and grants +2 Renegade Points.

After the exchange, you enter the facility and encounter Liara T’Soni fleeing Cerberus through the vents. The guide notes her presence as inexplicable and treats the conversation with her as your first chance to use an Investigate option. Investigate choices appear on the left side of the Dialogue Wheel. They don’t move the conversation forward by themselves, but they add detail about the current topic and may unlock additional Morality Points.

To use this system, choose “We’re just learning this now?” then select either “You did the right thing” or “I missed you too” for +2 Paragon Points, or “Don’t worry about it” for +2 Renegade Points. As you advance the conversation, you can pick either “Seems too good to be true” for +2 Paragon Points or “Finally some good news” for +2 Renegade Points.

The Prothean Device you’re pursuing appears to be your only path to defeating the Reapers, but you must reach the Archives before Cerberus does.

Travel to personnel facilities

At this stage, Shepard sends Vega back to the shuttle while Shepard and Liara press onward to fight more Assault Troopers. This sequence teaches Squad Powers. The guide instructs you to hold the Right Bumper to open the Power Wheel and freeze time, then look up toward the Assault Troopers on the balcony until one is bracketed with a red indicator. After that, use the Right Stick to select Liara’s Singularity, unpause, and let Liara throw it: the ability creates a black hole-like effect that pulls Assault Troopers out of cover, making them easier to shoot.

Med Kit — 50 XP. Located behind you near the back tires of the yellow off-road vehicle used as cover at the end of the Liara cutscene.

The guide adds an odd XP note: at one point, this mission may award less XP if you’ve been earning XP from many Med Kits and Medical Stations. It reassures that the XP gained from those sources more than offsets the mission XP reduction.

On the opposite side of the vehicle where you found the Med Kit, there’s an Elevator up, but it’s sabotaged. To improvise, turn left and walk past the white Cerberus vehicle until you find a Vehicle Lift Controls terminal. Use it to raise a yellow vehicle, climb up the ramp and onto the boxes on the far side, then run across the roof of the yellow vehicle to reach the balcony.

Go through the door on your right to enter the next area. The guide explains door color behavior: a green hologram indicates a door Shepard can enter; an orange hologram means you must first play a Bypass animation; a red hologram suggests a door you used or could use but can’t go through anymore. Doors that can never be passed won’t even show a hologram.

In the following room, you’re taught how to stealth-kill. Take cover behind pipes, then slide right until you’re directly behind an Assault Trooper. Hold the Melee button and Shepard will pull them in and stab them with the Omni-Blade for a quick kill. The guide warns that this will alert every enemy in the room, so after the takedown, stay behind cover and eliminate the three enemies around him before moving on.

After that, you can search the next space for loot:

Datapad — 75 XP. On the seating area opposite the entry door.
Ariake Technologies Gauntlets — In the office locker directly ahead when you enter. You’ll need to equip it later using an Armor Locker.
M-4 Shuriken — On a downed soldier in the back corner of the office.
Med Kit — 50 XP. In the back of the office, in a corner near where the M-4 Shuriken is located.

M-4 Shuriken

The M-4 Shuriken is presented as similar to earlier weapons you’ve picked up so far: it’s light, accurate when fired from cover, and reloads very quickly. The tradeoff is lower damage per shot, but because it fires six rounds each time you pull the trigger, it’s still effective—especially when you’re aiming for headshots.

Liara then asks you to use the Security Console, identified by a holographic keyboard to her right. Using it causes Ashley to notice a woman in security footage, whom Liara identifies as Dr. Eva Coré. However, the pedway is locked down, forcing you to head outside through a construction area. Go through the green door and pass through the airlock to reach the exterior.

Climb down the ladder and use the View Point prompt to observe two trams firing at each other while they head toward the Prothean Archives. You’re told to move quickly because Cerberus is close. Turn left and proceed down the long walkway.

Kassa Fabrication Chestplate — On a wheeled tool cabinet at the very end of the walkway.

After grabbing the chestplate, climb up the nearby ladder and skip across the gap. Look left for an open airlock (called out as a bad sign) and head inside.

In the dark area, Shepard automatically turns on a flashlight. Continue along the walkway, then turn right.

Datapad — 75 XP. On the floor soon after turning right, at the top of the stairs.

After picking up that datapad, go down the stairs and immediately take cover as Assault Troopers arrive at the windows. The guide says you can get the jump using Vega’s grenades and/or Liara’s Singularity, then eliminate them more easily.

SMG Scope — After the fight, return to the stairs and face them; the mod is in the left-side kitchen window.

Vault through the window where the Assault Troopers were, turn right, enter the office, and use the Environmental Controls to trigger another cutscene. This one reveals that Dr. Eva is a Cerberus agent.

During the cutscene, you can select “Forget about it, let’s move” for +2 Renegade Points.
Alternatively, choose “Don’t blame yourself” for +2 Paragon Points, then pick one of two follow-ups:
- “I have a lot to live for” / “I remember the ones I love” for +2 Paragon Points.
- “No choice” for +2 Renegade Points.

After the cutscene ends, pick up the loot item shown:

Medical Station — 75 XP. Located in the office where the cutscene occurs.

Get to tram center controls

Your next job is reaching the Tram Center to get to the Archives. Head into a corner room where someone has made a makeshift barricade.

SMG Ultralight Materials — Check behind the makeshift barricade in the middle of the room.
Datapad — 75 XP. At the bottom of the stairs on the left side.

Before you go up the stairs, use the Weapon Bench to the right. Weapon Benches let Shepard adjust party weapon loadouts and also change mod setups for their weapons. Mods improve gun characteristics such as damage, weight, and even how well shots penetrate cover. The limitation is that only two mods can be equipped at a time.

At the top of the stairs and down the corridor, you’ll find additional Assault Troopers standing around. Take them out, then deal with Guardians farther ahead. Those Guardians have shields that can’t be pierced except from the top slot. The guide suggests using Liara’s Singularity to lift them off the ground and leave them exposed.

Datapad — 75 XP. In the white-lit room where the Assault Troopers were standing, behind the table.

Further along the hallway is a longer section packed with Assault Troopers, some shield-bearing Guardians, and a Centurion at the far end. The Centurion is the only new enemy type here, and it comes with blue shielding that you can counter using Inferno Grenade, Incinerate, or an Overload-like attack. Their main threat is a smokescreen that makes most Powers ineffective against anything happening behind it.

Near the end, the adjacent lab contains a decontamination sequence sweeping through. Two Clean Room Sterilizer Controls allow you to halt and restart it. The guide advises stopping the routine with the barriers set to their widest angles so you can expose all collectibles in the area. Once stopped, enter the lab and collect:

Shotgun High Calibur Barrel — Located in the center of the room.
Datapad — 75 XP. On a table in the center of the contaminated lab.
Sniper Rifle Extended Barrel — A standout weapon mod accessible by pausing the sweeping decontamination field at the correct moment.
Med Kit — 50 XP. In the center of the room.

After you grab everything, leave the lab and continue through the empty hallway. When you reach the path that turns left, look right for a downed enemy holding an M-23 Katana.

M-23 Katana

The M-23 Katana is the final of the starting weapons: it’s light and quick to reload. The downsides are a slow rate of fire and a short effective range even for a shotgun.

Go through the door on the left route and you’ll run into a turret, which functions as a cover-movement tutorial. The guide breaks down what the tutorial teaches:

To reach forward cover, aim at it with the reticle and hold Sprint to dash over; Shepard automatically enters cover while sprinting.
To shift to side cover, move to the outer edge of your current cover, hold the Left Stick toward the destination cover, then tap Sprint; Shepard rolls across and hides behind it.
To swing around the corner of cover, click the Left Analog Stick.

Once you reach the end of the tutorial space, the turret can’t rotate enough to hit you, so you can safely exit cover and move into the next room. This tight-quarters area is ideal for using the newly acquired shotgun. Grenades also work well, but be ready for a Centurion with shielded armor. Before operating the Auto-turret Controls, loot the room:

Sniper Rifle Concentration Module — Found in the locker to the left of the Auto-turret Controls.
Datapad — 75 XP. On a table just right of the locker containing the mod above.
Med Kit — 50 XP. On the shelf to the right of the Auto-turret Controls.

Activate the Auto-turret Controls and watch the cutscene about Cerberus modifying their troops. This is another very important moment for winning your Virmire Survivor’s trust. The guide notes that exact choices depend on who your Virmire Survivor is and even whether you romanced them in Mass Effect 1.

If you select the upper-right option two times in a row, you further convince the Virmire Survivor that you’re still you and not working with Cerberus.
If you choose the lower-right option at any point, the Virmire Survivor stays unconvinced.

After this, Shepard uses a disguise-style trick to fool the squad ahead into thinking the coast is clear, and you receive your next objective.

Enter the archives

You’ll be trained on how to direct Squad Mates to specific positions. Use the D-Pad left and right buttons to command the character your reticle is pointing to. The guide explains that you can tell which button controls which squadmate by looking at their pictures beneath your Health and Shield meters at the bottom of the screen. It also suggests freezing time with the Weapon or Power Wheel while issuing orders so everyone can take cover before the tram arrives.

Since the tram will contain enemies, the recommended approach is to stay on the upper level for high ground. A good position is above the tram door, while another decent spot is on one side of the upper area where ammo is available. The Centurion is the main threat. The guide reminds you to strip its shields using anti-shield power types or ammo mods such as Disruptor Ammo.

Two shield-bearing Guardians should be dealt with from the back. Use sniper shots placed well to hit their shield slot (referenced alongside the Mail Slot Achievement / Trophy) or use Singularity to pull them in. After the area is quiet, enter the tram and operate the Cablecar Control to cross.

If you haven’t picked up the M-92 Mantis yet, another one can be found on the ground directly in front of the door leading onto the cable car.

Of course, it won’t go smoothly. Cerberus has placed a proximity bomb, leaving you stranded in the middle of the tramway. The second tram car pulls in with more Assault Troopers. Get ready with your shotgun, then fire and use a grenade. When they’re cleared, jump the gap and use the second tram to reach the Archives building.

Inside, you’ll face many enemies but no brand-new types. The cover spots in floor depressions are good for hiding, but don’t let enemies get too close, or the situation turns into an easy target scenario. The guide also urges using Squad Member Powers to speed up fights. Once everyone is down, don’t leave without grabbing the loot:

Medical Station — 75 XP. Use this station in the central office.
Shotgun Shredder Mod — Located on the right side of the door.
M-15 Vindicator — Found on the back wall to the left of the exit door.

M-15 Vindicator

The M-15 Vindicator is introduced as a unique assault rifle that fires bursts of three shots instead of true full rapid fire. For best results, it should be used from cover to maintain accuracy, because firing it outside cover is significantly less effective.

Illusive Man conversation

The next room contains a long cutscene featuring the Illusive Man, Cerberus’s leader, who explains his objective to Commander Shepard. The guide calls this an incredibly important conversation because it includes the game’s first Persuasion Check. It also ties this to why new players are encouraged to invest talent points into Combat Mastery. The Persuasion Check for this scene is triggered by choosing “You’re wasting time!” (as shown in the referenced screenshot).

It then explains how Persuasion Checks work in Mass Effect 3:

Persuasion Checks focus on Persuasion dialogue options. These appear as paired choices: a blue Charm option in the upper-left tied to Paragon morality, and a red Intimidate option in the lower-left tied to Renegade.
To unlock a pair of Persuasion options, you must fill your Reputation Bar—made up of Paragon, Renegade, and Reputation points. You can view it from the Squad Menu.
The check evaluates how full the Reputation Bar is; if it isn’t filled enough, those options remain locked.
Requirements differ for each Persuasion Check, with tougher or more consequential decisions needing more prior progress.

This specific Illusive Man exchange is framed as extra important because it directly affects a major conversation later in the game. What you need to do is select “You’re wasting time!” when it appears, then choose either the blue “Help me, then” Charm option or the red “Don’t count me out” Intimidate option.

The guide emphasizes that these selections won’t advance the cutscene by themselves, but using one of them is still very important.

Catch Dr. Coré

After the Illusive Man conversation, Ashley uncovers Dr. Eva Coré. Coré immediately attacks her, destroys the workstation, and escapes. You’re told to sprint after Eva around the curved edge of the room while a distance counter appears in the bottom-right corner. If the counter turns red, you’re in trouble. The guide warns that staying too far away will force you to restart the section.

In the next room, hit the green panel to enter the security office, then activate another panel to lower the glass and vault over so you can continue after Eva. Climb the ladder and cross the exterior area following Eva. Her shields recharge too quickly for you to meaningfully damage her during this phase.

Eva makes a run down a ramp toward a shuttle and escapes. Vega manages to smash into her shuttle—disabling it—so the chase doesn’t end there. Coré then emerges from the wreckage like the guide’s Terminator comparison suggests, and attacks your Virmire Survivor. The final instruction is to shoot her down: wait for the slow-motion moment, then fire to take her out.

Back on the Normandy

Your Virmire Survivor is badly hurt by Dr. Eva, and Liara urges you to go to the Citadel for medical attention. EDI then informs Shepard that they’re wanted in the QEC room, and you rush there. Shepard and Liara brief Admiral Hackett on what they learned from Dr. Eva: plans for a Prothean device that could potentially destroy the Reapers. Hackett tasks you with speaking to the Council to help build it. After your discussion with Liara, you head to the Citadel.

If you want additional Mass Effect 3 help, the guide lists more pages to consult, including Legendary Edition changes, how-to guides, key choices and consequences, a romance guide, the walkthrough, and side missions.

Mass Effect 3 Priority: Mars Guide—Paragon/Renegade Choices, Loot & Tactics

Key takeaways

Checklists and mission setup