Following a series of missions that take place on the Citadel in Mass Effect, Shepard and their team is tasked with finding an asari scientist and Prothean expert, Dr. Liara T’Soni before Saren gets to her. Finding Liara is one of the first main campaign missions in Mass Effect following Shepard becoming a Specter. Liara is the final squadmate Shepard can recruit, and her biotics make her a powerful companion and ally in some of the more challenging fights of the game. Liara is also one of only two romance options available to Shepard in Mass Effect, so players who want to initiate her romance right away should prioritize finding her.
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Unlike a few of the other squadmates in Mass Effect, Liara is not an optional recruit, but players can choose when they go after her, even waiting until after the missions on Feros, Noveria, and Virmire. Liara is located at some Prothean ruins inside a volcano on the planet Therum. To reach her, Shepard and their squad will need to deal with many extremely powerful Geth both while inside and outside the Mako. Then, they will need to find a way to get past some barrier curtains and free her before Saren’s minions reach her. Here’s how to rescue and recruit Liara in Mass Effect.
How to Find and Rescue Liara T’Soni in Mass Effect
After becoming a Specter in Mass Effect and receiving full command of the Normandy, Shepard will find out that Saren is tracking Liara somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster. Though they won’t receive specifics, Shepard will be able to deduce the correct planet due to its Prothean ruins. They will need to travel to the Knossos system in the Artemis Tau Cluster and find the planet Therum.
To reach the ruins, Shepard will need to drive the Mako around the molten lava on the planet and deal with Geth, including massive Geth Armatures and a Geth Colossus. The Mako cannot touch the lava, or it will result in a critical mission failure for Shepard and the team. Additionally, players should note that they can use the Mako’s artillery to soften some of the Geth and completely eliminate the Armature classes, but they will always receive more XP from kills made outside the Mako. One strategy might be to wear Geth down with the Mako’s guns first, then hop out and finish the job on foot. It is a good idea to save frequently, particularly between fights, as enemies in this mission tend to be difficult to overcome early in the game.
It may be a good idea for Shepard to bring Tali along on this mission, as her hacking and sabotage abilities can be extremely useful when taking on synthetics like the Geth. If Shepard does not have biotic abilities, it may also be a good idea to have a biotic like Kaidan along during this mission.
Once inside the ruins, Shepard and the squad will need to get past more Geth to reach Liara. They will have a chance to speak with her and will need to find their way past the barrier curtains. To do this, they should find the Mining Laser Controls console. They will need to solve a puzzle to activate the mining laser and tunnel under the barrier. This will trigger a seismic event, as the ruins are unstable.
Shepard and their squad will be able to take an elevator up and free Liara. Following her rescue, they will need to fight more Geth, along with a difficult krogan Battlemaster, to escape the collapsing compound. Liara will automatically join Shepard’s squad following the mission. She can be found in the back room of the Med Bay.
If players save this mission for later in main story, Liara will refuse to believe Shepard is real and will be convinced she has hallucinated them. Additionally, if Shepard does not go to rescue Liara until after Noveria, they will miss unique dialogue about Matriarch Benezia. If they wait until after Virmire, Shepard will no longer have the option to romance Liara in Mass Effect. She will still be available to romance in Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibility on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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