If Shepard is not careful to secure Grunt’s Loyalty, he will not survive the events of Mass Effect 3. Many fans view Grunt, the tank-bred krogan Shepard can recruit in Mass Effect 2, as a sort of son to Shepard. Provided players elected to open Grunt’s tank and recruit him in Mass Effect 2, and provided he survives the endgame Suicide Mission, he will appear during a mission around the first Act of Mass Effect 3. In this mission, Grunt and his new krogan team are looking to find a band of scouts that have gone missing while investigating beyond the rachni relay. Shepard and their squad will face rachni that have been modified with Reaper technology. Shepard’s choices in both Mass Effect 2 and this mission in Mass Effect 3 will influence whether Grunt survives.
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At the end of the mission, Shepard will come face-to-face with either the Rachni Queen, if they spared her in the original Mass Effect, or the Rachni Breeder, a new queen if Shepard killed the Queen on Noveria. Choosing to spare the queen can result in a number of added War Assets, but doing so can have serious consequences for Grunt if players have not been diligent. Here’s how to save Grunt in Mass Effect 3.
How to Keep Grunt Alive During Attican Traverse: Krogan Team in Mass Effect 3
As with many companions from Mass Effect 2, to keep Grunt alive in Mass Effect 3, players will need to have secured his Loyalty. Grunt’s Loyalty mission, Rite of Passage, involves withstanding three waves of difficult enemies in an arena on Tuchanka, culminating in a fight with a Thresher Maw. Completing the ritual allows Grunt to become a member of Clan Urdnot. This Loyalty mission cannot be failed, so as long as players completed it, Grunt should remain Loyal to Shepard. This ensures that, no matter the player’s decision during Attican Traverse: Krogan Team, Grunt will survive.
If players did not complete Grunt’s Loyalty mission, there is still a way to save him in Mass Effect 3. Shepard will need to abandon the Rachni Queen or the Breeder at the end of the mission. If Shepard tries to save either of them, Grunt’s team covers their escape and suffers heavy losses. The only way to keep a non-loyal Grunt alive during this cover is to avoid putting his team in harm’s way and choosing to let the Queen or Breeder die.
Generally, players should only attempt to rescue the Rachni Queen if it is the same individual they saved on Noveria in Mass Effect. The Breeder proves herself untrustworthy, sabotaging the Crucible and leading to heavy War Asset losses, as well as the loss of any remaining members of Grunt’s team.
Saving Grunt nets players up to an extra 50 points in War Assets. Of these, 25 points appear in the Aralakh Company’s war asset. The other 25 only count if Grunt is Loyal and part of Clan Urdnot.
Players should note the name of the mission changes slightly depending on their decision regarding the Rachni Queen in Mass Effect. If she died, the mission is called Attican Traverse: Krogan Team. If she was spared, the mission is instead called Attican Traverse: The Rachni.
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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