If she survived the Suicide Mission, at the start of Mass Effect 3, Miranda Lawson has gone from Cerberus’ cheerleader to one of its staunchest opponents, making her a target of The Illusive Man. Miranda only makes a cameo in Mass Effect 3, despite her prominent role in Mass Effect 2. When she does reach out to Shepard over the course of the game, she is private and evasive about her mission and goals and will refuse help. Whether or not Shepard romanced Miranda in Mass Effect 2, their actions and choices during Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 will directly affect her chance of survival during Priority: Horizon.
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There are quite a few steps players must be aware of if they want to ensure Miranda survives, making her one of the most challenging squadmates to keep alive. Shepard must meet with Miranda on the Citadel all three times she reaches out via private message, all within a certain timeframe, and must express willingness to help her with her mission. They will also need high reputation and morality to resolve the final conflict in Priority: Horizon. Here’s how to save Miranda in Mass Effect 3.
How to Help Miranda Survive Priority: Horizon in Mass Effect 3
Most of the things Shepard can do to ensure Miranda’s survival in Mass Effect 3 take place over the course of the main campaign, but there are a few key decisions players will need to make in Mass Effect 2 as well. These include:
- Complete Miranda’s Loyalty Mission: Players will need to import a Mass Effect 2 save in which Shepard completed the mission Miranda: The Prodigal on Illium and earned her Loyalty.
- Ensure Miranda survives the Suicide Mission: Miranda needs to survive the attack on the Collector Base to appear in Mass Effect 3.
- Do not Romance Miranda, or, if Romanced, do not officially break it off: If Shepard began a romance with Miranda during Mass Effect 2 and did not break it off by the end of the game, they should not break up with her in Mass Effect 3. Players should note that Shepard can still romance someone else in Mass Effect 3 and never “lock in” Miranda’s romance, but they cannot break up with her during their first conversation on the Citadel, or she will die.
Unlike most other Mass Effect 2 squadmate cameos, Miranda’s survival is not contingent upon Shepard having her Loyalty from Mass Effect 2. Players need to have completed her Loyalty mission for her to live; however, if they later sided with Jack, lost Miranda’s Loyalty, and did not manage to gain it back later, she can still survive.
Miranda will send three messages during Mass Effect 3, asking Shepard to meet her on the Citadel. Players should check their private terminal often, particularly between missions, to ensure they don’t miss any of these requests.
Each of these meetings has a time limit. The first time Miranda reaches out, Shepard will need to meet her on the Citadel Docks before the attack on the Citadel, Priority: Citadel II. The second time, they will need to meet her in the Specter office, usually before Priority: Rannoch. The third time, they will need to meet her ahead of Priority: Horizon.
Before the second meeting, Shepard will need to read the dossier about Kai Leng on either their private terminal or the Shadow Broker terminal and speak to Anderson about him. During the second meeting with Miranda in the Specter Office, Shepard will need to warn her about Leng. During the third and final meeting with Miranda in the apartments at the Presidium Commons, Shepard will need to grant Miranda access to Alliance resources when she asks.
During Priority: Horizon, Shepard will discover fragmented messages from Miranda to the refugees coming to Horizon, trying to warn them what really awaited them there. At the end of the mission, when dealing with Miranda’s father, Shepard should choose the Charm/Intimidate dialogue option to get him to let Oriana go. This clears the way for Miranda to attack, sending him out the window to his death.
Should players follow all the steps, Miranda will survive the events of Mass Effect 3. Miranda becomes a War Asset and can meet Shepard on the Citadel and attend their party during the Citadel DLC. She will also be available to call for a final farewell during Priority: Earth.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches May 14, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibility for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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