Feros

1 - Zhu's Hope

Land at the docking bay on Feros, where you are greeted by David al Talaquani. He informs you that the leader of the colony--Fai Dan--wishes to speak with you, before being disintegrated by a geth rocket. Fight though the enemies and head up the stairs to reach the Zhu's Hope colony.

ZHU'S HOPE

Zhu's Hope is a small settlement, and is all that remains of the human colony on Feros. It is built into one of the ancient Prothean skyscrapers that dot the Feros landscape, and is structured around the Borealis, a disabled modular conveyor.

There are numerous colonists diligently working on their assigned tasks, while others man the barricades to keep out the geth. Fai Dan can be found on the far side of the freighter.

2 - "Geth in the Tower!"

You can find Fai Dan on the far side of the colony, but you don't get to speak to him for long. More geth attack, and this time you need to follow them to the source and eliminate the threat they pose to the colonists. When the initial wave is defeated, proceed up the stairs and continue bearing left until you reach the tower to the northwest. This is where you will fight the bulk of the geth forces. Find some cover and be on the lookout for the destroyer that appears from the far end. When all the geth are defeated, the overhead dropship will depart, making the colonists a little safer for now.

3 - Return to Fai Dan

Go back the way you came and return to the colony, where you can finally have a talk with Fai Dan. He tells you that the geth are operating out of the nearby ExoGeni research facility. If asked, he also informs you of the various challenges facing the colonists, including a geth outpost in the tunnels, food and water shortages, and a lack of power. He can direct you to the different colonists assigned to each task. You aren't required to handle any of these assignments, so you can find the details on how to complete them in the Optional Assignments section.

+2 Paragon - "Happy to help."
+2 Renegade - "I didn't do it for you."

4 - Strange Behavior (Optional)

Head inside the nearby freighter and talk to Calantha and Hollis Blake. The former is complaining of extreme headaches, but their cause is unknown. Talking to the other colonists reveals equally strange symptoms. They all seem unusually focused on their assigned tasks, and pressing them for information seems to make them uncomfortable. You can also venture down into the tunnels and find Ian Newstead, a man who seems to be in tremendous pain for an unknown reason. You can ask Fai Dan about this behavior, but he dismisses it as the traumatic effect of seeing friends and loved ones killed.

+2 Paragon - "What's wrong?"
+2 Renegade - "I hope you're not contagious."
+2 Paragon - "Can I help?"
+2 Renegade - "Kill him."

5 - Skyway to Hell

From the colony, ascend the stairs and bear right to reach the nearby elevator. This takes you up to the garage, where the Mako is conveniently parked. A geth drone is attacking the colonists in the garage, so destroy it and then jump in the Mako. When you exit the garage a dropship swoops in and deposits a pair of armatures on the path ahead of you. Take them out from a distance with the cannon before you proceed.

6 - Weigh Station Refugees (Optional)

As you drive along the skyway you begin picking up radio chatter which is coming from the weigh station up ahead. When you reach the station you have the option of getting out and checking on the refugees, though you can also continue up the nearby ramp and ignore the camp for now. The two prominent figures at the camp are Juliana Baynham and Ethan Jeong, the former of which is worried for her daughter, Lizbeth. Lizbeth, she believes, is still at the ExoGeni facility, though Jeong is doubtful she would have survived the geth attack. You can also speak to Gavin Hossle, who wants you to recover some data for him. Be on the lookout for hidden maintenance tunnels as you travel the skyway, as they contain a few hidden geth and some containers you can loot.

7 - The ExoGeni Facility

Proceed along the skyway until you reach the ExoGeni main level where you must leave the Mako for now. The path south is blocked by an energy field you will need to deactivate later. The door to the north is locked, but leads to a small room with a malfunctioning object. Be aware that accessing the object alerts the nearby geth armature to your presence. To proceed, you must go southwest and drop down a small ledge to reach the lower level. You will be unable to return this way, so you must deactivate the energy field in order to return to the Mako.

8 - Lizbeth

Elizabeth Baynham can be found on this level as soon as you exit the first corridor. She informs you that the geth are likely here for the Thorian, an indigenous plant-like lifeform. She also gives you her pass card, which allows you unrestricted access to the facility. Immediately after the conversation concludes you are beset by a swarm of varren. Shotguns work well here, as the varren don't have much protection and will simply charge at you. Proceed to the other side of the room and take the stairs back up to the main level.

9 - The VI

At the top of the steps there is a krogan commander trying to obtain restricted information from a VI interface. He becomes alerted to your presence and attacks. Biotics work well for disabling him before he can charge at you. Once he is defeated you can access the VI, which identifies you as Lizbeth because you are carrying her pass card. From the VI you can learn that the Thorian is a sentient creature which produces spores that allow it to control the minds of other lifeforms. The Thorian was the focus of ExoGeni's research of Feros, and the Zhu's Hope colonists were deliberately infected in order to study their behavior.

"Feros: Geth Attack" -> "Feros: The Thorian"

10 - The Geth Church

Head east along the corridor. The first room you come to shows that the power for the energy field is coming from a geth ship, which has anchored itself to the side of the facility. To cut the power you will need to remove the ship by severing one of its claws. There are a few geth shock troopers to fight, after which you can examine the strange glowing orb they seemed to be praying to. Your squad will speculate as to its purpose. Keep going until you reach the next room, which is on the opposite side of the energy field you first saw when you entered the facility. This is the field you will need to remove to get back to the Mako. The path to the east leads to the upper level of the facility, which has a small room guarded by a few krogan. Inside there is a server node that supplies a codex entry, a secure storage locker, and the console containing Gavin Hossle's data.

11 - Anchors Aweigh

The path to the west also leads to the upper level. In the first room is an ExoGeni terminal that gives the assignment "Investigate Facility." Proceed up the stairs to the platform. A quick peek at the next room shows that it is heavily guarded. Stick to the stairs and the platform to avoid being overwhelmed by the geth. When all the enemies are defeated you can access the secure crate in the next room, along with a terminal which gives the assignment "Geth Activities," and a server which gives the assignment "Investigate Samples." Most importantly, at the back of the room are the shuttle bay door controls. Here you want to hit the sweet spot by setting the internal pressure to be between 31 and 34 pounds per square inch. You can do this by activating a number of smaller controls which each provide a fixed amount of pressure. One combination that works is 17 + 11 + 5 = 33 psi (228 kPa). Activating the door controls with this level of pressure will force the door to shear straight through the geth anchor, causing it to lose its grip on the building. This severs the power, taking care of the energy barrier.

12 - Back to the Weigh Station

Retrace your steps and proceed north towards the Mako though the now accessible corridor. Lizbeth is waiting for you at the exit, where you will confront her about her involvement with the Thorian. Get back in the Mako and head back to the weigh station to reunite Lizbeth with her mother. There are a handful of geth armatures and destroyers to contend with on the way back to the station.

+2 Paragon - "I believe you,"
+2 Renegade - "I don't care."

13 - The Situation with the Colonists

Lizbeth gets out at the weigh station and is reunited with her mother. Unfortunately, Jeong has reestablished communications with the ExoGeni corporate office and has learned that they want the entire colony purged to prevent the Thorian from spreading. Using Charm or Intimidate you can talk Jeong out of it, but otherwise you simply have to kill him. Before you head back to Zhu's Hope, Juliana presents an idea for stopping the infected colonists without having to kill them. She offers you a grenade upgrade which contains a nerve agent that should safely pacify the colonists. It is your choice whether or not to use the upgrade.

+24 Paragon - "What about the big picture?" [12 Charm]
+25 Renegade - "I'll kill you first." [10 Intimidate]
+2 Paragon - "Sounds logical."
+2 Renegade - "Can't take that chance."
+2 Paragon - "I'll do it." / "Sure."
+2 Renegade - "No." / "Forget it."

14 - The Creepers

Head back to the Mako and return to the colony, where you will have your first encounter with a Thorian Creeper. These creatures were created by the Thorian, so unlike the colonists there is no penalty for killing them. There are a large number of them in the garage, which should get you acclimated to their fighting style. They don't have any weapons, but they spew a toxic substance when they get close enough. Shotguns with ammunition upgrades that knock down the Creepers will help keep them away from you.

15 - The Infected Colonists

At the entrance to the garage you have the option of ordering your squad to hold their fire on the colonists themselves. Doing so means your allies will only attack the Creepers, leaving you free to handle the colonists. If you wish to save them, equip the Anti-Thorian Gas upgrade to your grenades and use them to attack the colonists. You can also melee them to knock them out without killing them. This is riskier however, because if you misjudge the distance you might shoot them by mistake. There are sixteen colonists in all that you can save. The first group you encounter is at the top of the elevator in the garage. You can then find a few colonists on the landing as you descend the steps to Zhu's Hope. There are more at the entrance to the colony itself, where you can also find a crate that will replenish your supply of grenades. Save or kill the remaining colonists on the western walkway and near the crane controls to complete this objective. When all the colonists and Creepers are dealt with, activate the crane controls to reveal the stairway down to the Thorian's lair. Fai Dan shows up, telling you that the Thorian wants him to kill you. However, he is able to fight off the Thorian just enough to end his own life before you have to fight him.

+2 Paragon for each colonist saved
+2 Renegade for each colonist killed

16 - The Thorian

Take the steps down into the Thorian's lair. As you approach the Thorian itself, it spews out an asari clone which speaks to you on its behalf. It seems that Saren came to Feros and formed an alliance with the Thorian. He bartered the lives of the colonists for the Thorian's ancient knowledge of the Protheans, but then betrayed the Thorian, sending the geth to destroy it and prevent you from receiving its secrets.

+2 Paragon - "Let the colonists go."
+2 Renegade - "I'll destroy you."

17 - Severing the Nodes

The asari clone attacks you. Beware of her biotic abilities and kill her as quickly as possible. Consider using biotics of your own to knock her off the edge, or equip ammunition upgrades that bypass shields to help deal with her biotic barrier. To eliminate the Thorian itself you must sever each of the neural nodes holding it to the walls of the lair. Your efforts will be hampered by legions of Thorian Creepers, and the occasional asari clone. Melee attacks work well in this area, as any enemy you knock off the edge will be killed. On the first level go north through the door and sever the first node by firing on it until it explodes. Usually, firing on a node will alert a number of dormant nearby Creepers, so take care to eliminate as many enemies as possible before you try to take down each node. The nodes also go down faster when all nearby enemies are defeated. Proceed up the steps to the next level where you can find another asari clone as well as a weapons locker before coming to the next neural node. On the next level there is a node to the south, and another to the west as you proceed clockwise around the chamber. Keep an eye out for the medical station on this level. Head up to the next level and destroy the node to the northwest. Finally, on the top level, head counterclockwise until you reach the final node on the south side of the lair.

18 - The Cipher

Destroying the final node causes the Thorian to lose its grip and fall into the abyss below. An asari then emerges from one of the Thorian's pods along the wall. She identifies herself as Shiala, a former follower of Matriarch Benezia who Saren had used to interface with the Thorian and learn about the Protheans. She has turned her back on Saren and Benezia, and offers you the Cipher, the same knowledge she gave to Saren, in the hopes that you can stop him. However, because she was once a servant of Saren, you have the option of killing her, and she offers no resistance if that is your decision. If you let her live she vows to help rebuild the colony, as she wants to make amends for playing a role in their suffering.

+8 Paragon - "A noble idea." / "Sounds good to me."
+9 Renegade - "I can't let you live."

19 - Normandy Debrief

Back on the ship, your crew meets in the comm room to discuss the mission. If you have picked up Liara already, she will offer to join her mind with yours to try to make more sense of your visions. When the briefing is over you can talk to the Council if you choose.

+2 Paragon - "I help everyone." / "I wanted to help them."
+2 Renegade - "Don't be stupid!"
+2 Paragon - "I understood it."
Mission Complete: "Feros: The Thorian"

20 - Citadel Check-in (Optional)

If you feel inclined, you can return to the human embassy on the Citadel to give a report on the Feros mission to Anderson and Udina. As you might expect, Udina is very concerned with the repercussions of your actions.

+2 Paragon - "That's all you care about?"

VIRMIRE

After you complete two of the primary plot worlds (Therum, Feros, or Noveria), you will receive a message from the council advising you of a new lead into Saren's whereabouts. They have lost contact with a salarian infiltration regiment investigating Saren's activates on the planet Virmire. Their last communication was an unintelligible transmission on an emergency frequency.

+2 Paragon - "Good."
+2 Renegade - "This is my investigation."
New Mission: "Virmire"
New Mission: "Race Against Time"

Additionally, completing Feros unlocks the nearby Maroon Sea Cluster, which contains three systems you can visit and continues the story of ExoGeni and the Thorian.

Mass Effect