1 - Backdoor

The Mako arrives on the Presidium with a bang, taking out a group of geth in the process. Pull yourself from the wreckage and head for the elevator. There are some husks nearby to contend with, but no other enemies in sight. Hop in the elevator to ascend the Citadel tower.

"Race Against Time: Conduit" -> "Race Against Time: Final Battle"

2 - "Suit Up, We're Going Outside!"

By this time, Saren has access to the station's controls and Sovereign is coming in to activate the Citadel relay. To make matters worse, the transportation system has been shut down. The only way to reach the top of the tower now is to scale the outside on foot. Head forward along the maintenance shaft, where you will be ambushed by a group of geth troopers.
Next there are destroyers and krogan warriors to contend with. Ascend the ramp to the left to enter the exhaust plain.

3 - The Dropship

To orient yourself, just look for Sovereign off in the distance and head in that direction. Bear left and follow the passage to reach an open area where a dropship begins deploying geth soldiers in front of you. You don't have the firepower to deal with the ship on your own. Fortunately, there are three defense turrets in the immediate area that can deal with the dropship for you. Two of the turrets can be turned on simply by activating them, but the third has an average electronics lock. The more turrets you activate the faster the dropship will be taken down. When the turrets are firing on the ship, simply find a trench to hole up in and fire at the geth that get dispensed onto the battlefield. When the geth ship takes sufficient damage it will retreat and you can proceed.

4 - The Geth Turrets

Beyond the next passage is the exterior defense grid, where you will find several geth heavy turrets in addition to the large number of geth troopers. There are shields around the turrets, but they are exposed enough that you can still hit them easily. If you don't want to fight the turrets you can dip into the side passage to the east to avoid them. The passage is guarded by a large number of powerful krogan however, so you will have to pick your poison. Beyond this area is a hatch you can use to reenter the tower.

5 - The Tower

Back at the top of the elevator you must now fight your way through the remaining geth defenders to reach Saren. Compared to what you have just been through, these remaining soldiers shouldn't provide much of a challenge. Head up the steps at the far side to interrupt Saren before he can do any more harm.

6 - Stopping Saren

Like last time, Saren is on his glider, and he takes the time to speak with you before your encounter. This time however, you have the chance to put a stop to the fight before it begins. It isn't easy, but with a enough Charm or Intimidate skill you can force Saren to give up on Sovereign and end his own life. If not, you will have to fight him once more. This fight is much like the one on Virmire, so remember to stay mobile and use every power at your disposal to take him down. Despite Sovereign's upgrades, he is still an organic, so adjust your upgrades accordingly.

+24 Paragon - "That's not true." [9 Charm]
+25 Renegade - "It's never too late!" [9 Intimidate]

7 - The Council's Fate

When Saren is defeated, head over to the control panel and use Vigil's data file to regain control of the Citadel. You open up a comm link to Joker, who is standing by with the entire Arcturus Fleet ready to come to your aid as soon as you unlock the mass relays around the Citadel. The timing of their attack is critical. Until the Citadel's arms are opened the Alliance fleet won't be able to attack Sovereign, and they will be targets for the geth fleet until that happens. In the meantime, the Destiny Ascension--the Citadel's flagship carrying the Citadel Council--is under heavy fire from the geth. You can bring in the Alliance fleet now to save the Council at the cost of many human lives, or you can hold them back until they can attack Sovereign directly. The choice is yours.

+28 Paragon - "Save the Council."
+29 Renegade - "Let the Council die."
+8 Paragon - "Concentrate on Sovereign."
+9 Renegade - "Concentrate on Sovereign."

8 - Dark Energy

Bad news: Saren is dead, but his synthetic components aren't. Sovereign is controlling Saren's remains in one last attempt to stop you. Make sure your weapons upgrades are set to damage synthetics and that you are using the best equipment available. Saren is much more mobile than before--akin to the geth hoppers--so you will need to keep on your toes to avoid being flanked. Don't bother taking cover, move about and do your best to avoid his attacks. He has a deadly rocket barrage when he is stationary, along with the ability to overheat your weapons and take down your shields. The safest thing you can do is disable him using biotics. As long as he is immobilized he won't be able to harm you and you don't have to worry about him zipping around the room. When Saren is finally beaten your victory over Sovereign is assured. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ending sequence.


CONGRATULATIONS! You've Completed MASS EFFECT!