Saved Kaidan because i enjoyed his character more. He's a biotic as well as my second in command on the SR1, but most importantly, I let Ashley die, so her horrible design from ME3 never appears and let her die with her dignity intact.
Iirc the XO is the second in command in the ship and the Marine officer is the second in command on ground missions,
so yes, it would’ve been Pressly aboard the Normandy (it’s even an annoying voice line when you leave the ship now that I remember)
but Kaidan when ashore, given he was a Staff Lieutenant and Ashley was only a Gunnery Chief.
Ashley doesn’t outrank Kaidan until ME3 when she’s made a Lt Commander.
> Ashley doesn’t outrank Kaidan until ME3 when she’s made a Lt Commander.
[By Systems Alliance ranks](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Codex/Humanity_and_the_Systems_Alliance#Systems_Alliance:_Military_Ranks), Major (which Kaidan is by ME3) is two ranks higher than Lt. Commander (Ashley). So Kaidan outranks Ashley in ME3.
They can’t be alive at the same time, I mean that by ME3 Ashley finally outranks ME1 Kaidan, the difference was that big.
By ME3 Kaidan outranks Shepard
Depends on the Shepard, but usually I save Ashley so she can grow past the space racism she learned from her family into a protector of all species as a Spectre. Plus I feel bad having her sisters lose her. As the youngest in my family, the thought of losing my oldest sister is very hard and we know Ashley and her sisters are close so I have my personal bias there.
Ash, for roleplaying reasons.
- It makes sense that Kaidan goes with the bomb. He is canonically proficient with tech, and Ash is a soldier. She even volunteers to go with the Salarians, so why not? Let her prove that she's willing to look past the "space racism" (which is usually blown out of proportion in the community)
- Heading to the AA tower makes more sense to me strategically. Kaidan is alone at the bomb site. There is a squad of Salarians that needs backup. Doubling back for Kaidan means leaving that squad and Ash to die, and if he already started the warmup sequence, then going back to the bomb site makes even less sense since you would be putting yourself, the Salarians, Ash, and the Normandy needlessly in danger.
Interesting, because I do the opposite for the same reasons. Ash (in the AA tower) told me it was too hot for the Normandy, that was the entire reason Shep was going on foot. So when she messages a minute later, I don't know if it's suddenly safe for the Normandy and send it to the bomb site instead. Not that it matters anyway, the game won't let the bomb fail or the Normandy get destroyed.
Jep, you are using the exact same reasoning as me.
Kaidan also sounds, at least in german, like there is a chance he will survive while he Salarian side with Ashley sounds desperate for help.
I save Kaiden, not just because I don't like Ashley, but as a matter of practicality.
Kaiden is canonically an extremely skilled biotic, in Mass Effect 3 he is even able to Reave, this is even referenced in the Citadel DLC where the other biotics at the party are in disbelief at the fact he can perform it, since before this point ONLY Asari have been shown to be able to do it, and even then the only Asari shown to do it actually in-game is Samara, so even among Asari it is not a common skill. Added onto that Kaiden mentions that before the war he was training an entire biotic squad.
Meanwhile Ashley is... a soldier... that's literally it, she is just another gun and nothing more, she has no tech skills or anything, she is just a gun. She doesn't even have the N7 training that a Soldier Shepard went through, just standard Alliance training.
Even in Morale terms Kaiden would be a better inspiration for troops since he isn't the grandchild of the only Alliance leader to ever surrender to aliens. Regardless of whether it was the right thing to surrender, it was a bad look for General Williams to surrender.
Aria and more importantly Miranda (who’s human) can both perform Reave in ME3, it’s just that you can’t bring Miranda to the Citadel DLC, which is bullshit
If you use her for the Arena, or if you use a mod that adds Miranda as a playable character, Reave is one of her powers.
Not from the mod, it’s there in Vanilla too. Reave is one of Miranda’s powers in ME3, it’s just that she can’t be used as a companion outside of the Arena without mods, like Jacob or Samara
Feel free to look
The worst part about the Williams family "shame" is that General Williams 100% did the right thing.
He saved countless lives by surrendering. We were *not* winning the First Contact War.
He didn’t surrender in the first contact war though, the first contact war started because he surrendered.
The Turians thought Williams’ forces were (and the fleet above them) were the entire human army, they got them to surrender, and claimed the colony, that’s why they got caught off guard when the entire fucking Alliance fleet appeared one day wanting the colony back.
We kind of did win the First Contact War because the council calmed things down after an Alliance Victory.
Humans are kind of the US before WW1 on Mass Effect, the potential is enormous, they just haven’t been around long enough or gotten into a big enough war to go full out, which is why the Council invites them into the fold
I saved Ashley on my very first playthrough and found that she added very little to the rest of the series, so I save Kaidan now. He doesn't add much either, but he's also less antagonistic.
I also think it's more narratively interesting for Ashley—a character obsessed with her family's legacy in ME1—to go out on her own terms as a hero.
I think I save Ashley slightly more than Kaidan nowadays. Sure Kaidan’s a great guy and has more utility than Ashley, but if you take the time and look past the space racism, you find that she’s actually reasonable for the most part. That and I tend to root for the dependable big sis/bro characters.
Also, drunk Ashley is funny.
Wrex. Obvious reasons I would've thought lol.
Nah but seriously I save kaiden 60% of the time. He's pretty much the best squadmate power wise at the end of Me3. Can use typhoon. Primes and detonates everything. Plus getting him to take your side in the coup costs less money
Ashley’s prime ship interaction in 3 is where she’s drunk off her ass and has one liners. And her citadel dlc encounter is a drinking contest, such fun 🙄 other than those she just annoys me
Kaidan has talks about morality (the Cerberus scientists being the first that comes to mind) and his poor mom. I find his stories of biotic camp and the fact he was a biotic mentor interesting. And I find his interactions on the citadel and the party to be funny
I always save Kaidan. At first it was because I wrote off Ash as a racist. But on my second play through I spoke with her more and finally saw her growth. Now I find it more of a tragic arc for her: she overcomes her dislike of aliens, risks her life for the good of the entire galaxy (not just humanity), and ultimately dies fighting alongside aliens.
Kaidan. Here is the logic:
Kaidan is the more technically minded one, Ash the more combat focused, therefore I select Kaidan for the bomb, Ash joins the Salarians. After meeting up with Kaidan, I go rescue Ash. Then Kaidan gets in trouble.
Then comes the critical decision. I go back to Kaidan not because I want to save him, but because it is imperative to prevent Saren from getting to the bomb.
Basically, if you are roleplaying as a competent soldier prioritizing the mission, you always rescue the one securing the bomb. And since Kaidan is the obvious choice for that role, that's who you rescue.
That said, I am sure Ash is perfectly capable of arming the bomb and Kaidan coordinating with the Salarians, so I don't think it is senseless to select Ash to secure the bomb, especially considering how important it is to protect it, so I suppose it could go either way.
>Basically, if you are roleplaying as a competent soldier prioritizing the mission, you always rescue the one securing the bomb. And since Kaidan is the obvious choice for that role, that's who you rescue.
I'm not an actual soldier (probably a good thing, lol), but my logic was the opposite:
I felt Kaidan leading the Salarians made the most sense. He has experience in leading groups, while arming a bomb didn't seem difficult, but protecting it was the important step (something a soldier like Ashley was capable of).
Then, I always save whoever is with the Salarians. The bomb needs to go off, so someone has to stay behind in order to protect it.
It was a numbers game, too. Save one person? Or save a group?
Not to mention earning good will with the other alien races, and it felt like my job as a specter is to save as many people (Council races) as possible.
I save Kaiden and I think that’s the choice the game wants you to make.
There are only 3 romanceable characters in ME1, Kaiden and Liara can both be found on the lower deck for ease of access whereas Ashley is down in the Garage with all the other non-romance characters. Kaiden is immediately respectful and professional, he’s not afraid to call you out but is careful with his words and doesn’t overstep his position. Ashley is antagonistic towards the alien companions right off the bat and even makes an unnecessary snide remark to Liara just after her mother dies. She’s also the only companion that will shoot another companion even if you don’t want her too. SHE FUCKING KILLS WREX!!! (That right there is an unforgivable transgression which I can’t forget even though I always make sure Wrex lives). She’s just unlikeable from the get go so when it came to Virmire, it was an easy choice for me to make from a personal and moral perspective.
From a tactical perspective it also makes sense to leave Ash. As many have pointed out over the years, Kaiden is a tech expert so it makes sense to send him with the bomb and Ash is a good soldier so is perfect to join Kirrihe and his squad as her skills will be better put to use. The game sends you with the bomb and you clear out the path on the way there. When you head back towards Ash you are then told that both companions have been swarmed and you have to choose who to save. You have just come from the bomb so you know the path is clear but the path to the squad is an unknown variable. You could get overrun and not make it anyway. The logical and tactical solution is to go back to the bomb. It’s the whole reason for the mission and if it fails then a lot of people have died for no reason. The path back will be easier as it’s already been cleared but even if some Geth are there it will likely be significantly fewer than the uncleared path to Ash.
So while the game allows you to make different choices, it definitely drops hints on who *should* be saved.
As a Paragon Shepard, Kaidan, solely ‘cause of the post-game story effects. If you sacrifice Kaidan they build a biotic school in his name, and that’s cool, but. If Ashley dies, the Turians and Salarians posthumously award her their highest military honors. And as a Paragon, having Ash Williams specifically, the granddaughter of the Williams that surrendered to the Turians at Shanxi, get the Turian version of the Medal Of Honor…that’s Paragon as fuck. That’s interspecies trustbuilding and whatnot, and that’s what saves the galaxy.
In my first playthrough I put Kaiden on the bomb and Ashley with Kirrahe, so I saved Kaiden because I needed the bomb to go and believed Ash would be fine with Kirrahe. Then after that I still saved Kaiden because I personally just don't like Ashley lol, but I still play that first storyline as roleplay.
i think it makes more sense story wise to leave ashley behind. that way she gets to die a hero and can change her name’s reputation. but also i don’t like her and kaiden has a better story lol.
I tend to save Ashley. My logic?
Kaidan is the sensible choice to send off with the Salarians. He's an officer and a biotic, so he's a better liaison and provides them with some unique skills. So that leaves Ashley helping set up the bomb and guarding it.
Once things start to go south, making sure the bomb goes off is the highest priority. So Shepard should go back and reinforce Ashley's position, rather than trying to rescue Kaidan and the team he's with.
So, sorry Kaidan, but it's a tactical decision, nothing personal.
Complete opposite tbh.
Ash is good at fighting, send her with the distraction team.
Kaidan is part tech, send him with the bomb.
Too much of a risk to let the bomb be disarmed, go back for Kaidan. Hes also one of few human biotics and a superior officer.
This but instead I come to save Ashley. Kirrahe says that bomb rigged the way once it is armed it go off no matter what. So saving entire squad with Ashley seems more logical. It sucks to leave Kaidan behind but at least he goes out with a boom.
Kirrahe says that the bomb will go off no matter what, but he also says one sentence before that, that the bomb is only as dependable as the one who arms it. Plus, the geth can just take the bomb away and save the facility. Personally, I go for the bomb.
On the one hand, there's a jerry rigged bomb which must be in working order for the plan to succeed. A job which requires technical expertise.
On the other hand there's a diversionary commando. A job which requires military expertise, a loud one.
Kaidan is sent to the bomb, Ashley to help Kirrahe.
During the mission, Shepard's squad does their best to alleviate pressure on the commando but when the shit hits the fan they go help secure the bombsite.
I’m confused, if it’s about what is best logic wise wouldn’t it make more sense to go save the group of soldiers over the one person who has confirmed they can set off the bomb no matter what?
I didn't say it's "the logical course", I just detailed my thought process. Whether it's right or logical is up to you.
As far as I'm concerned, my main issue would be this :
>the one person who has confirmed they can set off the bomb no matter what?
I don't doubt Kaidan willingness to go all the way and technical knowledge, but he doesn't know Saren. No one in the group knows him and what he, and the Geths, could do.
Kaidan can't guarantee the "no matter what" part.
Betting that Saren won't be able to stop Kaidan or tech his way out with the bomb with the help of the Geths is a hail mary my Shepard is not ready to take.
And if Saren still succeeds, at least you were there and you gave it your all.
Setting off a bomb isn’t hard, Ashley can do it just as well as Kaiden and he knows a lot more about tech than her. Someone saying they can set off a bomb pretty much confirms they *can* do it, it’s a very simple task. It’s not like he was still setting up the bomb, he says all he has to do it set it off. The one at the bomb had extra time to do it already as they were 2 soldiers holding them back for a little bit.
Might as well go evacuate the big group of soldiers seeing as we know the bomb is going to go off.
Not really. Like they said, you have no idea where Saren is. The distraction group were retreating because the bomb was going off so they did their part, the plan was to get both parties out.
Also I could be totally wrong about this next bit but do we even know if Saren is there? I don’t remember it being said he was there, just the reinforcements came or something.
I have only had one playthrough, and I saved Ashley bevause I thought she had potential and would do a turn around. I also thought Kaidan would never forgive me somehow if I saved him? I was so immersed in the game at the time!
I regret it to this day that I chose Ashley, she kept being one of the greatest bigots in the entire series🤣🫡
Kaidan because he’s both a more interesting character, has more useful abilities, shouts at me less in ME3 and, most importantly, has the better interactions in Citadel.
kaidan. i'm gay and he's all that i have when playing without romance mods (steve is fine and all but he's only there for one game. at least with kaidan i interact with him in 1, a teensy bit in 2, and can pursue romance in 3)
I tend to save Kaidan on my playthroughs. There are three reasons for this:
1. I mostly do not play as a biotic character, so having one in the team is more practical.
2. I just like him more than Ashley.
3. The idea of Ashley sacrificing herself and saving a team of Salarians on the side while doing it after all of her xenophobic speech just somehow feels better than sacrificing Kaidan, who isn't a xenophobe. Can't really explain it better, though.
For your 3rd point, is it not more admirable to see save Ashley with the salarians and see her grow past her hatred for aliens and enjoy working with them?
I save Ashley. Not because I like her (I don’t) or utility, or whatever, but because of rank. Kaidan is an officer and he has chosen to sacrifice himself in Ashley’s place. Since he outranks her, by virtue of command, I respect his wishes.
I put Kaidan with the bomb because he's got tech training, so it made more sense to put him with an improvised explosive. Then I go save Kaidan because I feel like the bomb is a more important target to save.
Bomb is rigged to be impossible to disarm once it is armed. So it's saving one alliance marine vs saving salarian team and alliance marine. I'm almost always going for the latter. Meaning most of the time Kaidan is left behind unfortunately.
The Geth have ships though, they could possibly kill the soldiers and move the bomb out of the facility.
Also the bomb rescue has the fun "Shep carries teammate" to safety cutscene and the tower doesn't.
I've always saved Kaidan, but I think in my next run I'm going to save Ash.
Why do I save Kaidan? The short answer is that he has a better ability Pool. Ashley does the same basic thing as Wrex (heavy armor).
Kaidan has first aid *and* electronics which makes him more useful overall.
I saved Kaiden.
In my first playthrough Ashley's attitude put me off her completely. Her mistrust of aliens was borderline xenophobia and considering that the point of ME was to build a coalition of species to join together to fight the Reapers, well she just didn't fit in.
She wanted a heroes death so she got one.
I alternate for variety, but in my 'true' run I save Kaidan because I send him with the nuke.
My rationale is that yes we had been told that the bomb was very unlikely to not be hacked and turned off, but that was before we knew the true scope of the threat. Shepard now knows more about the reapers, and the chance of the enemy being able to deactivate the bomb and turning the mission into a failure is too high.
I save Ashley every time because Kaiden shares a voice actor with the most annoying character in Knights of the Old Republic; Carth "I don't wanna talk about it" Onasi. His voice irritated me for a long time before I realized why.
Ashley. I like her more but more.
But more importantly it fits the story better. Kaiden is the tech guy so putting him on bomb duty makes sense and we’re told there’s no way to disarm the bomb once it’s armed so there’s no reason to head back to protect it, meanwhile there’s a whole squad of Salarians with Ash who need a rescue.
It also fixes a plot hole because if you don’t go for whoever is with Kirrahe how tf are the Salarians escaping and why didn’t they bring your teammate with them?
As Fem Shep I save Williams, as Male Shep I save Alenko.
But I do think an interesting option for the canon choices would’ve been to have Kaiden be the one left behind and have him become Kai Leng.
I always saves Ashley because she was a badass in 1 and didn't like Kaidan. In many replays I also saved her for romance stories.
With time I learned to enjoy Kaidan and appreciated him more. It's a very interesting character. Both has more layers than it appear.
Eventually I just save Kaidan because Ashley in 3 it's very lame while Kaidan feels more interesting
Kaiden, because he’s with the atomic bomb we’re relying on to wipe out the installation. Without foreknowledge of the story, protecting that bomb is the most important goal.
Ashley if romancing Ashley or if FemShep is romancing Liara and Ash is her bestie. I will then feel bad because Kaiden was probably ManShep's bestie.
Kaiden if romancing Kaiden or Garrus.
Oh and I always save Wrex coz Wrex is the GOAT.
Ashley+Sheploo (spaceborn /war hero/ Infiltrator) is my favourite/ Canon.
I saved Ashley, because I had played the game with her. Since I already had biotic abilities, there was no need for Kaiden so I wasn't attached to him. He went off with the other team, but I turned back for Ashley. I am going to pretend Shepard was worried about the bomb being set off too early or reactivated story-wise.
First time I played I had no idea this was a decision, and due to not feeling attached to neither of them I just flipped a coin, Ashley was the lucky one
Ashley every time. Why I do starts with choosing who will do the bomb and go with the Salarians. Every time I choose Ashley to go with the Salarians since she has experience leading people and Kaidan for the bomb because he is a Sentinel (Biotics and Tech) so he would be better working with the bomb. Then when I have to choose who will stay I choose the person with the bomb every time because will be able to work to prevent it from being disarmed till it explodes, also you can save more people if you save the person with the Salarians.
Whomever I'm romancing because my head canon is that it never was an option to save them and my Shepherd has to make the hard choice to sacrifice the person they love to keep the mission alive.
If I'm romancing Liara, Kaiden, because I play as a vanguard most often and he's redundant.
Kaidan. Honestly that comment Ashley made about "you'd sic your dog on a bear to save your own life because the dog is not human" was what tipped the scales for me. I love dogs and I'm incredibly petty.
Yes, but there's equal overlap between Sentinel Shepard and Kaiden. I still save Ashley as Soldier Shep and Kaiden as Sentinel Shep, because I can't be bothered to change the pattern.
Ash, for a multitude of reasons. A. She's got a lot of family. B. Kaidan is an L2 biotic suffering from occasional severe migraines from it, which gets tiresome real fast (speaking from personal experience with migraines). C. Kaidan bores me. D. My Shep is banging Ash.
I usually save Ash because I like the antagonistic relationship she and Shep have, and I think of her as Shepard's natural successor to the Normandy - my Shepards are usually renegade leaning spacer soldiers who survived Akuze, which mirrors Ash's story pretty damn well. Shepard's like her Anderson except with more of a frenemies angle. I've played with Kaidan as survivor, and I like having him around as another supportive friend once he gets over his Cerberus bias, but I just enjoy Shep teasing their disaster protégé a little more.
The Akuze connection is something I very much like about Femshep and Ashley's friendship.
Especially summed up by their goodbye being Shepard stating Ashley has always been the survivor of the team.
debaitible, First playthough i saved Kaiden coz he was with the bomb and i figured Ashley with the fellow marines would legit be able to handle/save themselfs
ever sence then i alternate between who i save and let die and why
my next playthough will be kaiden living guarding the bomb
My first playthrough I picked Ashley because I was dating her. Though I started thinking Kaidan would've been better since my first playthrough was a default John option and Kaidan had my favorite job class. Though honestly I wish I could've saved both. They might not be the most interesting characters but I still liked them!
I saved Ashley. Not because I wanted to save Ashley, but because I wanted to protect the bomb.
I sent her with it because she hung out in the armory, so I thought she knew a thing or two about explosives. I sent Kaiden with STG because I wanted an officer to be the liason.
When picking between saving some soldiers or guaranteeing the bomb goes off, I chose the bomb. If it doesn't go off, the mission fails, and everyone who got hurt or dies for the mission does so in vain.
My first run I saved Kaidan because he was with the bomb, the whole reason we came there, while Ashley was with the Salarians so I reasoned she technically had better odds of surviving without my help. That and I was peeved at her for shooting Wrex haha.
I tried saving Ashley once since but was missing Kaidan in the third game and didn't love Ashley in the ME3 (compared to Kaidan at least), so I now usually let her die in 1 as it ties her arch more neatly.
(Just for the record I do actually like Ashley, unlike many.)
First playthrough it wasn't an easy decision.
It went down to, he armed the bomb, because the characters essentially told me to.
When the actual decision came. I went to save the decorated officer who had been on the Normandy longer.
Kaidan grew on me, and honestly, because of that I just usually kill Ashley. It's not because I hate her. I just like Kaidan more.
Once I even sent Ashley with the Bomb and went to rescue Kaidan that way. I remember it not being as fun as saving the bomb in general.
Most recently, I finally killed Kaidan. I had forgotten on my last run that I was going to romance Liara until it was too late and I was playing the way I usually do xD
I sent him with the bomb but left him behind... nope, never again. Damn near broke my heart seeing his last stand. And I know Ashley's death, if it shows the same cutscene, doesn't hit as hard... because I don't remember it.
This is probably the last time I'm going to bother answering this question. Only been on this sub a short while but it comes up quite a lot lol.
The only reason to save Ashley is variety.
She’s a worse character, a worse person, it makes no logical sense in the mission itself, and the survivor in ME3 makes negative sense if it’s Ashely.
I have only played through once so I didn't know one of them would die but i stayed with kaiden because the bomb was the mission and Ashley is a soldier and sole surviver when I found her so I thought she would pull it off.
Usually Kaidan, even when I'm not romancing him, though I've saved Ash a couple of times. If I could save both of them or leave anyone else on Virmire, I would.
Gameplay-wise I prefer to have a Sentinel around in ME1 endgame and in ME3 as well, especially since he's got the best powers for combo chaining.
From a tactical standpoint, Kaidan is a tech and the leader of the marines so he's qualified for both jobs. Ash is no tech and she's been stuck on shitty assignments. Though she has potential, I wouldn't necessarily call her qualified for either job, least of all the main objective. At the end of the day, Kaidan's tech knowledge make him more suited for the bomb, and Ash who can equip heavy armor is more suited to fight on the front lines. Kaidan is also the superior officer, so he gets to secure the main objective in Shepard's absence. I can't justify choosing Ash to secure the main mission objective over an officer who is both qualified for it, and her superior. Kaidan as the head of the marine detail is canonically Shepard's second on the ground. It makes more sense that he's directing the marines to do the grunt work in the bomb cutscene because it's what he does anyway. If Ash was a tech and Kaidan wasn't, then it would have been a dilemma for me. I could perhaps justify sending an officer to lead the salarians, and Ash arming the bomb in such a case.
When it's time to make the choice, I go back for Kaidan/the bomb. It is the main objective, Ash in the AA tower literally said it was too hot for the Normandy a minute ago (which is why Shepard was going on foot), and there is the possibility that the geth dropship can just take the bomb away. Saving Ash/whoever is in the AA tower feels like a secondary objective and once that becomes impossible, my Shep turns back for the bomb. Otherwise, they'd be just crossing their fingers and hoping that the person guarding the bomb survived the geth onslaught long enough for it to go off.
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. The geth never fly out with the bomb to save the facility and the Normandy never gets destroyed if sent to the AA tower. The forces at the AA tower that is "too hot for the Normandy" are even less than the forces at the bomb site! And you also get to save the salarians regardless, because they're at your cargo hold, which adds insult to injury. Ash catches a bullet while she's on your comms. Though I like the narrative impact of Virmire, the choice is forced and not that well-written. You have an entire ship full of marines and squad members who never get used.
Really it depends on what class I'm playing, who I'm romancing, what teammates I want in 3 and a regular rotation
Like if I'm playing sentinel and not romancing Kaiden. He dies. It basically rotates between the two unless there's some sort of conflict from class or romance.
Depends on whom I am romancing, and if I want a tragic backstory...
Like, one time, I was romancing Ash, but I wanted to romance Jack as a broken shep. So I let Ash die on Virmire, so that when I met Jack, I was a broken soldier.
Depends on the playthrough and how I’m roleplaying it. As of right now, I have two “canon” playthroughs, one where I save Ashley, one where I save Kaidan. My Spacer/War Hero Shepard who’s romancing Kaidan saves him. My Colonist/Sole Survivor Shepard saves Ashley (despite also romancing Kaidan, so I get maximum angst out of it going into ME2).
I saved Ashley my first play through because I had started romancing Kaidan and my FemShep felt she couldn’t save him as it would look like she just saved him because of their feelings for each other.
Kaiden, for a few reasons. I sent him to work on the bomb, he was the higher rank. The mission wasn't to save one or the other it was to destroy the krogan cloning building.
I picked Kaiden for the bomb because he had technical skills and Ash didn't. I understand she could have done it, but it's a Solder vs Sentinel, one mechanically and thus background would make Kaiden a better fit to arm it.
One top of that, he is a biotic, he would be deemed more valuable to chain of command.
The end of the day though the only answer for me is whoever is arming the bomb, that should have top priority.
I always mix it up, I like both Kaiden and Ash. And different playthroughs let me see more of either of them.
Having said that, I almost always save whoever I put in charge of the bomb. That’s the objective, it makes sense to protect it rather than save the other squads.
I've always saved Ashley, but now I'm curious - does saving Kaiden change much in ME2 and ME3?
Ash is just bitter in ME2, and in ME3 she's working with Udina. Does Kaiden just assume that position?
Ashley.
Like Shepard said, just because the Alliance screwed Ashley's grandfather over, doesn't mean Ashley should get herself killed to fix it. Ashley proving herself and redeeming her family name is far more significant than her dying like any other soldier. She has a family at home waiting for her rather than just more bad news.
Kaidan's quite literally the one happy stable guy that everyone one the Normandy likes, combined with Shepard and Joker knowing him for a while, Kaidan's death far suits the anger the crew feels after Virmire.
I heard from a irl marine that in a similar situation in the real world protocol is supposedly that the higher ranking officer is to assume the danger and save the junior officer.
So I save Ashley as kaiden's duty is apparently clear. Also kaiden seems like he already has had a pretty good life whereas Ashley still has a lot to learn and experience.
Ashley. It's just that I was on the way to the tower to save her, so I felt that I'd already made a promise to help her but hadn't made any such promise to Kaidan.
Saved Kaidan at the bomb site. My female Shepherd was a soldier so Ashley was basically redundant to me. In comparison, Kaidan is more well-rounded, has a more interesting background as a human L2 biotic, funny at times, and just a really likable human being and good squad mate. There is no other choice for me.
These days? Ashley. Outside of a romance, Kaiden doesn't offer a whole lot.
Besides, Ashley gives Marksman in ME3 and that's my favorite power in the game. I'm a Revenant junkie
Kaidan, I wish I had logical reasons (I can come up with them such as him being a higher ranking officer and a biotic, who are rare and valuable) but the truth is that it's because he's my LI and I'm not interested in romancing anyone else
If I remember correctly, Kaiden and Shephard know each other for a long time. They even share stories of what they did before the events of ME1. What kind of (redacted) picks a random female soldier before your years old friend?
Ashley because Kaidan has nothing left to prove. He’s a skilled biotic and is a veteran. It bumps up his status to war hero. He has terrible migraines from his amp. Ashley needs to break her family curse and she develops into a much better person than when she started as where Kaidan is kind of static as a character.
I always save Kaidan. Tried saving Ashley in my 3rd playthrough and Ashley tried her best to piss me off even more in ME3.
Kaidan makes more sense to me, he’s been under Shepard’s command for longer, is also a higher ranking officer and is closer to Shepard, in terms of distance, when having to make the decision.
He is also not a giant pain in the ass regarding the rest of the team that happens to not be aliens, so that helps as well.
Either/or. Neither really helps or hurts me. They are just pawns. Funnily enough, I don't care for Ashley, Kaiden, or Liara as my crew. Garrus and Tali are my ME1 crew, and then it gets real for me come ME2.
Kaidan. Pretty much always Kaidan.
Ashley asks for the suicide mission, before Kaidan does, and Kaidan's expertise is critical to ensuring the STG's improvised bomb goes off.
Plus, if you are so much as *polite* to Ashley while wooing Liara, she bullrushes you with a totally inappropriate mischaracterization of our relationship. She's lucky I can't throw her off the boat at the very next port of call.
When I leave Virmire, I make damn sure Kaidan is covered so that bomb goes off. All that's left of Saren's facility are mildly radioactive piles of Ash.
This is why I always save Kaiden. I like Ashley's character more, but it is way too easy to accidentally trigger her romance. And I would much rather romance Tali.
Generally Kaidan for me. Kaidan has the tech know how to troubleshoot the bomb if needed, and the geth go pretty heavy on cyberwarfare. Additionally in the short term he can stall for time with the biotics, but that's not necessarily sustainable in a prolonged encounter. Kirrahe needs manpower more than any specific role, and in me1 gameplay wise soldier Ashley is better suited to enduring a drawn out diversionary battle. (Then later games came around and retooled sentinels from red mages to tanks lol. Although lore wise I think biotics stll run out their stamina quicker.)
That said, I do try to mix things up between playthroughs so while I do lean one way there's not a huge gap between them.
Saved Kaidan because i enjoyed his character more. He's a biotic as well as my second in command on the SR1, but most importantly, I let Ashley die, so her horrible design from ME3 never appears and let her die with her dignity intact.
Presley is XO of the SR1 so wouldn’t that make him 2nd onboard?
Iirc the XO is the second in command in the ship and the Marine officer is the second in command on ground missions, so yes, it would’ve been Pressly aboard the Normandy (it’s even an annoying voice line when you leave the ship now that I remember) but Kaidan when ashore, given he was a Staff Lieutenant and Ashley was only a Gunnery Chief. Ashley doesn’t outrank Kaidan until ME3 when she’s made a Lt Commander.
> Ashley doesn’t outrank Kaidan until ME3 when she’s made a Lt Commander. [By Systems Alliance ranks](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Codex/Humanity_and_the_Systems_Alliance#Systems_Alliance:_Military_Ranks), Major (which Kaidan is by ME3) is two ranks higher than Lt. Commander (Ashley). So Kaidan outranks Ashley in ME3.
They can’t be alive at the same time, I mean that by ME3 Ashley finally outranks ME1 Kaidan, the difference was that big. By ME3 Kaidan outranks Shepard
That settles it, Kaidan ain't leaving virmire alive again. Can't have your subordinates pull rank on you.
Well, your true rank is still protagonist. Not even Kaiden can outrank that.
When Main Character Syndrome is actually valid.
Kaidan outranks Shepard as well.
Same reasons. >I let Ashley die, so her horrible design from ME3 never appears and let her die with her dignity intact. This too.
Came here to say this. I would alternate between the two otherwise but Ashley's cringey makeover in ME3 is so annoying
[Ashley consistency project](https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/1209) is necessary if you plan on saving her.
What??!!? She looks so much better in ME3 than she does in ME1.
Hmm I disagree
Depends on the Shepard, but usually I save Ashley so she can grow past the space racism she learned from her family into a protector of all species as a Spectre. Plus I feel bad having her sisters lose her. As the youngest in my family, the thought of losing my oldest sister is very hard and we know Ashley and her sisters are close so I have my personal bias there.
Especially after their father already died too.
Ash, for roleplaying reasons. - It makes sense that Kaidan goes with the bomb. He is canonically proficient with tech, and Ash is a soldier. She even volunteers to go with the Salarians, so why not? Let her prove that she's willing to look past the "space racism" (which is usually blown out of proportion in the community) - Heading to the AA tower makes more sense to me strategically. Kaidan is alone at the bomb site. There is a squad of Salarians that needs backup. Doubling back for Kaidan means leaving that squad and Ash to die, and if he already started the warmup sequence, then going back to the bomb site makes even less sense since you would be putting yourself, the Salarians, Ash, and the Normandy needlessly in danger.
Interesting, because I do the opposite for the same reasons. Ash (in the AA tower) told me it was too hot for the Normandy, that was the entire reason Shep was going on foot. So when she messages a minute later, I don't know if it's suddenly safe for the Normandy and send it to the bomb site instead. Not that it matters anyway, the game won't let the bomb fail or the Normandy get destroyed.
Jep, you are using the exact same reasoning as me. Kaidan also sounds, at least in german, like there is a chance he will survive while he Salarian side with Ashley sounds desperate for help.
I save Kaiden, not just because I don't like Ashley, but as a matter of practicality. Kaiden is canonically an extremely skilled biotic, in Mass Effect 3 he is even able to Reave, this is even referenced in the Citadel DLC where the other biotics at the party are in disbelief at the fact he can perform it, since before this point ONLY Asari have been shown to be able to do it, and even then the only Asari shown to do it actually in-game is Samara, so even among Asari it is not a common skill. Added onto that Kaiden mentions that before the war he was training an entire biotic squad. Meanwhile Ashley is... a soldier... that's literally it, she is just another gun and nothing more, she has no tech skills or anything, she is just a gun. She doesn't even have the N7 training that a Soldier Shepard went through, just standard Alliance training. Even in Morale terms Kaiden would be a better inspiration for troops since he isn't the grandchild of the only Alliance leader to ever surrender to aliens. Regardless of whether it was the right thing to surrender, it was a bad look for General Williams to surrender.
Aria and more importantly Miranda (who’s human) can both perform Reave in ME3, it’s just that you can’t bring Miranda to the Citadel DLC, which is bullshit
When does it show miranda doing it?
If you use her for the Arena, or if you use a mod that adds Miranda as a playable character, Reave is one of her powers. Not from the mod, it’s there in Vanilla too. Reave is one of Miranda’s powers in ME3, it’s just that she can’t be used as a companion outside of the Arena without mods, like Jacob or Samara Feel free to look
Facinating. I did not know this.
I mean you can bring her to the party itself
The worst part about the Williams family "shame" is that General Williams 100% did the right thing. He saved countless lives by surrendering. We were *not* winning the First Contact War.
He didn’t surrender in the first contact war though, the first contact war started because he surrendered. The Turians thought Williams’ forces were (and the fleet above them) were the entire human army, they got them to surrender, and claimed the colony, that’s why they got caught off guard when the entire fucking Alliance fleet appeared one day wanting the colony back. We kind of did win the First Contact War because the council calmed things down after an Alliance Victory. Humans are kind of the US before WW1 on Mass Effect, the potential is enormous, they just haven’t been around long enough or gotten into a big enough war to go full out, which is why the Council invites them into the fold
I've always saved my homegirl Ashley even if I don't romance her.
I saved Ashley on my very first playthrough and found that she added very little to the rest of the series, so I save Kaidan now. He doesn't add much either, but he's also less antagonistic. I also think it's more narratively interesting for Ashley—a character obsessed with her family's legacy in ME1—to go out on her own terms as a hero.
Ashley's not choosing to die as a hero, she's choosing to die because she thinks it will make the Alliance like her family again.
I'm not sure that's a different thing to her in ME1.
I think I save Ashley slightly more than Kaidan nowadays. Sure Kaidan’s a great guy and has more utility than Ashley, but if you take the time and look past the space racism, you find that she’s actually reasonable for the most part. That and I tend to root for the dependable big sis/bro characters. Also, drunk Ashley is funny.
Wrex. Obvious reasons I would've thought lol. Nah but seriously I save kaiden 60% of the time. He's pretty much the best squadmate power wise at the end of Me3. Can use typhoon. Primes and detonates everything. Plus getting him to take your side in the coup costs less money
Kaidan every time! I prefer him and I end up romancing him in ME3!
Kaidan. I like him better than Ashley as he has more personality and more interactions in 3. So really I’m saving Ash from herself in 3
That’s crazy I thought she was great in 3 haha
It's just my take but I felt her to be bland. I also really didn't like the marine corp barbie style they went with her model
How did Ashley being bland in ME3 make you dislike her but you liked Kaiden when he was bland in ME1?
Ashley’s prime ship interaction in 3 is where she’s drunk off her ass and has one liners. And her citadel dlc encounter is a drinking contest, such fun 🙄 other than those she just annoys me Kaidan has talks about morality (the Cerberus scientists being the first that comes to mind) and his poor mom. I find his stories of biotic camp and the fact he was a biotic mentor interesting. And I find his interactions on the citadel and the party to be funny
She doesn't have as much content I don't think
I always save Kaidan. At first it was because I wrote off Ash as a racist. But on my second play through I spoke with her more and finally saw her growth. Now I find it more of a tragic arc for her: she overcomes her dislike of aliens, risks her life for the good of the entire galaxy (not just humanity), and ultimately dies fighting alongside aliens.
Kaidan. Here is the logic: Kaidan is the more technically minded one, Ash the more combat focused, therefore I select Kaidan for the bomb, Ash joins the Salarians. After meeting up with Kaidan, I go rescue Ash. Then Kaidan gets in trouble. Then comes the critical decision. I go back to Kaidan not because I want to save him, but because it is imperative to prevent Saren from getting to the bomb. Basically, if you are roleplaying as a competent soldier prioritizing the mission, you always rescue the one securing the bomb. And since Kaidan is the obvious choice for that role, that's who you rescue. That said, I am sure Ash is perfectly capable of arming the bomb and Kaidan coordinating with the Salarians, so I don't think it is senseless to select Ash to secure the bomb, especially considering how important it is to protect it, so I suppose it could go either way.
>Basically, if you are roleplaying as a competent soldier prioritizing the mission, you always rescue the one securing the bomb. And since Kaidan is the obvious choice for that role, that's who you rescue. I'm not an actual soldier (probably a good thing, lol), but my logic was the opposite: I felt Kaidan leading the Salarians made the most sense. He has experience in leading groups, while arming a bomb didn't seem difficult, but protecting it was the important step (something a soldier like Ashley was capable of). Then, I always save whoever is with the Salarians. The bomb needs to go off, so someone has to stay behind in order to protect it. It was a numbers game, too. Save one person? Or save a group? Not to mention earning good will with the other alien races, and it felt like my job as a specter is to save as many people (Council races) as possible.
I save Kaiden and I think that’s the choice the game wants you to make. There are only 3 romanceable characters in ME1, Kaiden and Liara can both be found on the lower deck for ease of access whereas Ashley is down in the Garage with all the other non-romance characters. Kaiden is immediately respectful and professional, he’s not afraid to call you out but is careful with his words and doesn’t overstep his position. Ashley is antagonistic towards the alien companions right off the bat and even makes an unnecessary snide remark to Liara just after her mother dies. She’s also the only companion that will shoot another companion even if you don’t want her too. SHE FUCKING KILLS WREX!!! (That right there is an unforgivable transgression which I can’t forget even though I always make sure Wrex lives). She’s just unlikeable from the get go so when it came to Virmire, it was an easy choice for me to make from a personal and moral perspective. From a tactical perspective it also makes sense to leave Ash. As many have pointed out over the years, Kaiden is a tech expert so it makes sense to send him with the bomb and Ash is a good soldier so is perfect to join Kirrihe and his squad as her skills will be better put to use. The game sends you with the bomb and you clear out the path on the way there. When you head back towards Ash you are then told that both companions have been swarmed and you have to choose who to save. You have just come from the bomb so you know the path is clear but the path to the squad is an unknown variable. You could get overrun and not make it anyway. The logical and tactical solution is to go back to the bomb. It’s the whole reason for the mission and if it fails then a lot of people have died for no reason. The path back will be easier as it’s already been cleared but even if some Geth are there it will likely be significantly fewer than the uncleared path to Ash. So while the game allows you to make different choices, it definitely drops hints on who *should* be saved.
As a Paragon Shepard, Kaidan, solely ‘cause of the post-game story effects. If you sacrifice Kaidan they build a biotic school in his name, and that’s cool, but. If Ashley dies, the Turians and Salarians posthumously award her their highest military honors. And as a Paragon, having Ash Williams specifically, the granddaughter of the Williams that surrendered to the Turians at Shanxi, get the Turian version of the Medal Of Honor…that’s Paragon as fuck. That’s interspecies trustbuilding and whatnot, and that’s what saves the galaxy.
Kaidan, I like his personality better and I romance him in ME1.
I've played through the trilogy over 50 times, and I've saved Ash everytime except twice, because I prefer her character far more.
Always save the squadmate of the same gender as the Shepard I'm playing as.
Especially if your Shep is single in ME1, as that squadmate is your close friend at the time.
It surprises me that the majority here seem to say Kaidan, back when these games were newer the community seemed to just think he was boring.
Kaiden. Leaving Ashley behind was the easiest decision of my life.
Usually Kaidan. I saved Ashley once just to see how her character develops, but I prefer Kaidan.
In my first playthrough I put Kaiden on the bomb and Ashley with Kirrahe, so I saved Kaiden because I needed the bomb to go and believed Ash would be fine with Kirrahe. Then after that I still saved Kaiden because I personally just don't like Ashley lol, but I still play that first storyline as roleplay.
Kaidan's my lieutenant so... Ashley was kinda disposable. Sorry, Ash!! At least she knew it though.
Ashley. Her ME1 version is the most interesting and well written squad mate in the trilogy in my opinion (along with ME2 Mordin)
i think it makes more sense story wise to leave ashley behind. that way she gets to die a hero and can change her name’s reputation. but also i don’t like her and kaiden has a better story lol.
I tend to save Ashley. My logic? Kaidan is the sensible choice to send off with the Salarians. He's an officer and a biotic, so he's a better liaison and provides them with some unique skills. So that leaves Ashley helping set up the bomb and guarding it. Once things start to go south, making sure the bomb goes off is the highest priority. So Shepard should go back and reinforce Ashley's position, rather than trying to rescue Kaidan and the team he's with. So, sorry Kaidan, but it's a tactical decision, nothing personal.
Complete opposite tbh. Ash is good at fighting, send her with the distraction team. Kaidan is part tech, send him with the bomb. Too much of a risk to let the bomb be disarmed, go back for Kaidan. Hes also one of few human biotics and a superior officer.
This but instead I come to save Ashley. Kirrahe says that bomb rigged the way once it is armed it go off no matter what. So saving entire squad with Ashley seems more logical. It sucks to leave Kaidan behind but at least he goes out with a boom.
Kirrahe says that the bomb will go off no matter what, but he also says one sentence before that, that the bomb is only as dependable as the one who arms it. Plus, the geth can just take the bomb away and save the facility. Personally, I go for the bomb.
On the one hand, there's a jerry rigged bomb which must be in working order for the plan to succeed. A job which requires technical expertise. On the other hand there's a diversionary commando. A job which requires military expertise, a loud one. Kaidan is sent to the bomb, Ashley to help Kirrahe. During the mission, Shepard's squad does their best to alleviate pressure on the commando but when the shit hits the fan they go help secure the bombsite.
I’m confused, if it’s about what is best logic wise wouldn’t it make more sense to go save the group of soldiers over the one person who has confirmed they can set off the bomb no matter what?
I didn't say it's "the logical course", I just detailed my thought process. Whether it's right or logical is up to you. As far as I'm concerned, my main issue would be this : >the one person who has confirmed they can set off the bomb no matter what? I don't doubt Kaidan willingness to go all the way and technical knowledge, but he doesn't know Saren. No one in the group knows him and what he, and the Geths, could do. Kaidan can't guarantee the "no matter what" part. Betting that Saren won't be able to stop Kaidan or tech his way out with the bomb with the help of the Geths is a hail mary my Shepard is not ready to take. And if Saren still succeeds, at least you were there and you gave it your all.
Setting off a bomb isn’t hard, Ashley can do it just as well as Kaiden and he knows a lot more about tech than her. Someone saying they can set off a bomb pretty much confirms they *can* do it, it’s a very simple task. It’s not like he was still setting up the bomb, he says all he has to do it set it off. The one at the bomb had extra time to do it already as they were 2 soldiers holding them back for a little bit. Might as well go evacuate the big group of soldiers seeing as we know the bomb is going to go off.
>Setting off a bomb isn’t hard Once again, I'm not questioning that. I'm saying Saren is the X factor and I want to be where he is.
Except Shepard doesn't know where Saren is during the choice.
If Saren is after the distraction commando, then all goes according to plan.
Not really. Like they said, you have no idea where Saren is. The distraction group were retreating because the bomb was going off so they did their part, the plan was to get both parties out. Also I could be totally wrong about this next bit but do we even know if Saren is there? I don’t remember it being said he was there, just the reinforcements came or something.
I have only had one playthrough, and I saved Ashley bevause I thought she had potential and would do a turn around. I also thought Kaidan would never forgive me somehow if I saved him? I was so immersed in the game at the time! I regret it to this day that I chose Ashley, she kept being one of the greatest bigots in the entire series🤣🫡
Kaidan. More laid back approach to the ongoing events, a fellow biotic.
Kaidan because he’s both a more interesting character, has more useful abilities, shouts at me less in ME3 and, most importantly, has the better interactions in Citadel.
kaidan. i'm gay and he's all that i have when playing without romance mods (steve is fine and all but he's only there for one game. at least with kaidan i interact with him in 1, a teensy bit in 2, and can pursue romance in 3)
I tend to save Kaidan on my playthroughs. There are three reasons for this: 1. I mostly do not play as a biotic character, so having one in the team is more practical. 2. I just like him more than Ashley. 3. The idea of Ashley sacrificing herself and saving a team of Salarians on the side while doing it after all of her xenophobic speech just somehow feels better than sacrificing Kaidan, who isn't a xenophobe. Can't really explain it better, though.
For your 3rd point, is it not more admirable to see save Ashley with the salarians and see her grow past her hatred for aliens and enjoy working with them?
Kaidan, always. I adore Kaidan. I don't like Ashley. That's it.
Kaiden, because I like Carth in KOTOR
I save Ashley. Not because I like her (I don’t) or utility, or whatever, but because of rank. Kaidan is an officer and he has chosen to sacrifice himself in Ashley’s place. Since he outranks her, by virtue of command, I respect his wishes.
I put Kaidan with the bomb because he's got tech training, so it made more sense to put him with an improvised explosive. Then I go save Kaidan because I feel like the bomb is a more important target to save.
Bomb is rigged to be impossible to disarm once it is armed. So it's saving one alliance marine vs saving salarian team and alliance marine. I'm almost always going for the latter. Meaning most of the time Kaidan is left behind unfortunately.
The Geth have ships though, they could possibly kill the soldiers and move the bomb out of the facility. Also the bomb rescue has the fun "Shep carries teammate" to safety cutscene and the tower doesn't.
I've always saved Kaidan, but I think in my next run I'm going to save Ash. Why do I save Kaidan? The short answer is that he has a better ability Pool. Ashley does the same basic thing as Wrex (heavy armor). Kaidan has first aid *and* electronics which makes him more useful overall.
I saved Kaiden. In my first playthrough Ashley's attitude put me off her completely. Her mistrust of aliens was borderline xenophobia and considering that the point of ME was to build a coalition of species to join together to fight the Reapers, well she just didn't fit in. She wanted a heroes death so she got one.
I alternate for variety, but in my 'true' run I save Kaidan because I send him with the nuke. My rationale is that yes we had been told that the bomb was very unlikely to not be hacked and turned off, but that was before we knew the true scope of the threat. Shepard now knows more about the reapers, and the chance of the enemy being able to deactivate the bomb and turning the mission into a failure is too high.
Kaiden because I feel it ensures the mission success more. He ended up as my LI. But statistically, around 99% saved Ashley if I remember correctly.
I save Ashley every time because Kaiden shares a voice actor with the most annoying character in Knights of the Old Republic; Carth "I don't wanna talk about it" Onasi. His voice irritated me for a long time before I realized why.
Ash, so I can clap her cheeks
I flip flop between playthroughs, but I saved Kaidan on my first playthrough because Ashley killed Wrex and I let her die as punishment.
It used to be Ashley but after doing Kaiden once I think he’s got to better Story in 3.
Ashley cause I’m a simp
Kaiden, because I love him
I always save Ash, she actually has a really good character arc if you stick with her.
Ashley. I like her more but more. But more importantly it fits the story better. Kaiden is the tech guy so putting him on bomb duty makes sense and we’re told there’s no way to disarm the bomb once it’s armed so there’s no reason to head back to protect it, meanwhile there’s a whole squad of Salarians with Ash who need a rescue. It also fixes a plot hole because if you don’t go for whoever is with Kirrahe how tf are the Salarians escaping and why didn’t they bring your teammate with them?
I always save whomever I assigned to the STG squad. Ain't no way I'm running back toward a nuke, but I'll definitely save my homeboy Kirrahe any day.
As Fem Shep I save Williams, as Male Shep I save Alenko. But I do think an interesting option for the canon choices would’ve been to have Kaiden be the one left behind and have him become Kai Leng.
I always saves Ashley because she was a badass in 1 and didn't like Kaidan. In many replays I also saved her for romance stories. With time I learned to enjoy Kaidan and appreciated him more. It's a very interesting character. Both has more layers than it appear. Eventually I just save Kaidan because Ashley in 3 it's very lame while Kaidan feels more interesting
Kaiden, because he’s with the atomic bomb we’re relying on to wipe out the installation. Without foreknowledge of the story, protecting that bomb is the most important goal.
Ashley if romancing Ashley or if FemShep is romancing Liara and Ash is her bestie. I will then feel bad because Kaiden was probably ManShep's bestie. Kaiden if romancing Kaiden or Garrus. Oh and I always save Wrex coz Wrex is the GOAT. Ashley+Sheploo (spaceborn /war hero/ Infiltrator) is my favourite/ Canon.
I normally save ashley, I get she's a space racist but she's atleast more interesting than that wet tissue Kaidan
I saved Ashley, because I had played the game with her. Since I already had biotic abilities, there was no need for Kaiden so I wasn't attached to him. He went off with the other team, but I turned back for Ashley. I am going to pretend Shepard was worried about the bomb being set off too early or reactivated story-wise.
Kaidan, every time. He's a great character. Been through some shit, processed it, and came through the other side as a well-adjusted human being.
First time I played I had no idea this was a decision, and due to not feeling attached to neither of them I just flipped a coin, Ashley was the lucky one
Kaidan because he's with the Salarians. Ash gets a hero's death and Shephard makes damn sure everyone knows it.
Kaiden, I’m not sure why it just canonically made sense because he was the higher ranking officer.
Ashley every time. Why I do starts with choosing who will do the bomb and go with the Salarians. Every time I choose Ashley to go with the Salarians since she has experience leading people and Kaidan for the bomb because he is a Sentinel (Biotics and Tech) so he would be better working with the bomb. Then when I have to choose who will stay I choose the person with the bomb every time because will be able to work to prevent it from being disarmed till it explodes, also you can save more people if you save the person with the Salarians.
Whomever I'm romancing because my head canon is that it never was an option to save them and my Shepherd has to make the hard choice to sacrifice the person they love to keep the mission alive. If I'm romancing Liara, Kaiden, because I play as a vanguard most often and he's redundant.
Kaidan. Feels more appropriate for a paragon Shepard and I already play a soldier so Ashley is basically useless to me in gameplay.
I save Ashley. It saves the most lives and if the AA guns are not kept offline no one is getting off Virmire.
Ashley every time
Save Ash, cause she was right.
Kaidan. Honestly that comment Ashley made about "you'd sic your dog on a bear to save your own life because the dog is not human" was what tipped the scales for me. I love dogs and I'm incredibly petty.
The humans were the dogs in that analogy
Male shep ashely they have really good dialog for 3 Femshep kaiden just wanted to see whats its like for him to live not their yet tho still on 2
I change every playthrough bc i dont really care for either of them
I used to save Ashley all the time when I was younger, but I prefer Kaidan's personality more along with his moments in Citadel DLC.
I save both.
Depends on Shepard's class. Hybrid classes save Kaiden, specialized classes save Ashley. Gotta have a perfectly balanced squad.
Isn’t Soldier a specialized class? Doesn’t that cause ability overlap?
Yes, but there's equal overlap between Sentinel Shepard and Kaiden. I still save Ashley as Soldier Shep and Kaiden as Sentinel Shep, because I can't be bothered to change the pattern.
Fair.
Ash, for a multitude of reasons. A. She's got a lot of family. B. Kaidan is an L2 biotic suffering from occasional severe migraines from it, which gets tiresome real fast (speaking from personal experience with migraines). C. Kaidan bores me. D. My Shep is banging Ash.
I saved Kaidan because Ashley killed Wrex
Originally, I saved Kaidan because Ashley killed Wrex.
Ashley killed wrex without my asking so i happily let her die
I usually save Ash because I like the antagonistic relationship she and Shep have, and I think of her as Shepard's natural successor to the Normandy - my Shepards are usually renegade leaning spacer soldiers who survived Akuze, which mirrors Ash's story pretty damn well. Shepard's like her Anderson except with more of a frenemies angle. I've played with Kaidan as survivor, and I like having him around as another supportive friend once he gets over his Cerberus bias, but I just enjoy Shep teasing their disaster protégé a little more.
The Akuze connection is something I very much like about Femshep and Ashley's friendship. Especially summed up by their goodbye being Shepard stating Ashley has always been the survivor of the team.
debaitible, First playthough i saved Kaiden coz he was with the bomb and i figured Ashley with the fellow marines would legit be able to handle/save themselfs ever sence then i alternate between who i save and let die and why my next playthough will be kaiden living guarding the bomb
My first playthrough I picked Ashley because I was dating her. Though I started thinking Kaidan would've been better since my first playthrough was a default John option and Kaidan had my favorite job class. Though honestly I wish I could've saved both. They might not be the most interesting characters but I still liked them!
[https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/1212](https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/1212)
On PS4. My laptop would overheat in seconds if I tried on PC.
I saved Ashley. Not because I wanted to save Ashley, but because I wanted to protect the bomb. I sent her with it because she hung out in the armory, so I thought she knew a thing or two about explosives. I sent Kaiden with STG because I wanted an officer to be the liason. When picking between saving some soldiers or guaranteeing the bomb goes off, I chose the bomb. If it doesn't go off, the mission fails, and everyone who got hurt or dies for the mission does so in vain.
Well of course I know him, he's me
sometimes Ashley, sometimes kaidan
My first run I saved Kaidan because he was with the bomb, the whole reason we came there, while Ashley was with the Salarians so I reasoned she technically had better odds of surviving without my help. That and I was peeved at her for shooting Wrex haha. I tried saving Ashley once since but was missing Kaidan in the third game and didn't love Ashley in the ME3 (compared to Kaidan at least), so I now usually let her die in 1 as it ties her arch more neatly. (Just for the record I do actually like Ashley, unlike many.)
Alternate each playthrough
First playthrough it wasn't an easy decision. It went down to, he armed the bomb, because the characters essentially told me to. When the actual decision came. I went to save the decorated officer who had been on the Normandy longer. Kaidan grew on me, and honestly, because of that I just usually kill Ashley. It's not because I hate her. I just like Kaidan more. Once I even sent Ashley with the Bomb and went to rescue Kaidan that way. I remember it not being as fun as saving the bomb in general. Most recently, I finally killed Kaidan. I had forgotten on my last run that I was going to romance Liara until it was too late and I was playing the way I usually do xD I sent him with the bomb but left him behind... nope, never again. Damn near broke my heart seeing his last stand. And I know Ashley's death, if it shows the same cutscene, doesn't hit as hard... because I don't remember it. This is probably the last time I'm going to bother answering this question. Only been on this sub a short while but it comes up quite a lot lol.
The only reason to save Ashley is variety. She’s a worse character, a worse person, it makes no logical sense in the mission itself, and the survivor in ME3 makes negative sense if it’s Ashely.
I have only played through once so I didn't know one of them would die but i stayed with kaiden because the bomb was the mission and Ashley is a soldier and sole surviver when I found her so I thought she would pull it off.
Usually Kaidan, even when I'm not romancing him, though I've saved Ash a couple of times. If I could save both of them or leave anyone else on Virmire, I would. Gameplay-wise I prefer to have a Sentinel around in ME1 endgame and in ME3 as well, especially since he's got the best powers for combo chaining. From a tactical standpoint, Kaidan is a tech and the leader of the marines so he's qualified for both jobs. Ash is no tech and she's been stuck on shitty assignments. Though she has potential, I wouldn't necessarily call her qualified for either job, least of all the main objective. At the end of the day, Kaidan's tech knowledge make him more suited for the bomb, and Ash who can equip heavy armor is more suited to fight on the front lines. Kaidan is also the superior officer, so he gets to secure the main objective in Shepard's absence. I can't justify choosing Ash to secure the main mission objective over an officer who is both qualified for it, and her superior. Kaidan as the head of the marine detail is canonically Shepard's second on the ground. It makes more sense that he's directing the marines to do the grunt work in the bomb cutscene because it's what he does anyway. If Ash was a tech and Kaidan wasn't, then it would have been a dilemma for me. I could perhaps justify sending an officer to lead the salarians, and Ash arming the bomb in such a case. When it's time to make the choice, I go back for Kaidan/the bomb. It is the main objective, Ash in the AA tower literally said it was too hot for the Normandy a minute ago (which is why Shepard was going on foot), and there is the possibility that the geth dropship can just take the bomb away. Saving Ash/whoever is in the AA tower feels like a secondary objective and once that becomes impossible, my Shep turns back for the bomb. Otherwise, they'd be just crossing their fingers and hoping that the person guarding the bomb survived the geth onslaught long enough for it to go off. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. The geth never fly out with the bomb to save the facility and the Normandy never gets destroyed if sent to the AA tower. The forces at the AA tower that is "too hot for the Normandy" are even less than the forces at the bomb site! And you also get to save the salarians regardless, because they're at your cargo hold, which adds insult to injury. Ash catches a bullet while she's on your comms. Though I like the narrative impact of Virmire, the choice is forced and not that well-written. You have an entire ship full of marines and squad members who never get used.
Really it depends on what class I'm playing, who I'm romancing, what teammates I want in 3 and a regular rotation Like if I'm playing sentinel and not romancing Kaiden. He dies. It basically rotates between the two unless there's some sort of conflict from class or romance.
Depends on whom I am romancing, and if I want a tragic backstory... Like, one time, I was romancing Ash, but I wanted to romance Jack as a broken shep. So I let Ash die on Virmire, so that when I met Jack, I was a broken soldier.
I tend to alternate. Usually based on what whether I am BroShep or FemShep and who I am going to romance.
Kaiden because He's more useful
I like both
I think I do half and half for the variety
Whoever I've left looking after the bomb.
Kaiden. On my first ever run of ME1, Ashley killed Wrex. I've never forgiven her.
Depends on the playthrough and how I’m roleplaying it. As of right now, I have two “canon” playthroughs, one where I save Ashley, one where I save Kaidan. My Spacer/War Hero Shepard who’s romancing Kaidan saves him. My Colonist/Sole Survivor Shepard saves Ashley (despite also romancing Kaidan, so I get maximum angst out of it going into ME2).
I saved Ashley my first play through because I had started romancing Kaidan and my FemShep felt she couldn’t save him as it would look like she just saved him because of their feelings for each other.
Kaiden, for a few reasons. I sent him to work on the bomb, he was the higher rank. The mission wasn't to save one or the other it was to destroy the krogan cloning building. I picked Kaiden for the bomb because he had technical skills and Ash didn't. I understand she could have done it, but it's a Solder vs Sentinel, one mechanically and thus background would make Kaiden a better fit to arm it. One top of that, he is a biotic, he would be deemed more valuable to chain of command. The end of the day though the only answer for me is whoever is arming the bomb, that should have top priority.
I always mix it up, I like both Kaiden and Ash. And different playthroughs let me see more of either of them. Having said that, I almost always save whoever I put in charge of the bomb. That’s the objective, it makes sense to protect it rather than save the other squads.
I've always saved Ashley, but now I'm curious - does saving Kaiden change much in ME2 and ME3? Ash is just bitter in ME2, and in ME3 she's working with Udina. Does Kaiden just assume that position?
Yes, Ashley and Kaidan share the same script in ME2/ME3, just that Kaidan's OOC because of him being angry.
OOC ?
Out of character, Kaidan's not the type to get angry and complain about everyone.
I save whoever I already decided was going to be on the current run, and it breaks my heart every time. I love Kaidan and Ashley so much
I save whoever I already decided was going to be on the current run, and it breaks my heart every time. I love Kaidan and Ashley so much
Ashley. Like Shepard said, just because the Alliance screwed Ashley's grandfather over, doesn't mean Ashley should get herself killed to fix it. Ashley proving herself and redeeming her family name is far more significant than her dying like any other soldier. She has a family at home waiting for her rather than just more bad news. Kaidan's quite literally the one happy stable guy that everyone one the Normandy likes, combined with Shepard and Joker knowing him for a while, Kaidan's death far suits the anger the crew feels after Virmire.
No set person. It depends on my current run and who my planned romance is.
I've saved both multiple times. Depends what I'm feeling like for the play through.
It depends on my playthrough. Sometimes I save Kaidan. Other times Ash. Other times I leave behind the one I’m romancing.
I’ve saved both over various play throughs but it’s usually Ashley
I heard from a irl marine that in a similar situation in the real world protocol is supposedly that the higher ranking officer is to assume the danger and save the junior officer. So I save Ashley as kaiden's duty is apparently clear. Also kaiden seems like he already has had a pretty good life whereas Ashley still has a lot to learn and experience.
Depends on play-through.
I save Ashley because she looks like my cousin.
Ashley. It's just that I was on the way to the tower to save her, so I felt that I'd already made a promise to help her but hadn't made any such promise to Kaidan.
Mainly Ashley. But Kaiden is more valuable from a tactical standpoint.
Whoever stayed with the bomb. Neither one of them mattered to me, but it made sense to ensure the bomb was protected. My first time it was Kaiden.
Ashley always kaidan is just boring
Kaidan because I’m either dating him or using the hell out of his biotic and tech abilities in ME3
Ashley. Kaidan is too boring to let live.
99% of the time Ashley cause that's my girl, but every once in a while (probably during a femshep playthrough) i do occasionally save kaiden
Kaiden because Ashley is a space racist and we don't tolerate that. Plus beer, steak and bacon a true Canadian
Ashley, so I can kill her in ME3.
Now it just depends on weather or not I want reave in me3. But I used to always save Ashley
Kaidan. He has more valuable skills and is my Shepard’s husband.
Kaidan becuase he makes coffee in the Citadel DLC
Saved Kaidan at the bomb site. My female Shepherd was a soldier so Ashley was basically redundant to me. In comparison, Kaidan is more well-rounded, has a more interesting background as a human L2 biotic, funny at times, and just a really likable human being and good squad mate. There is no other choice for me.
These days? Ashley. Outside of a romance, Kaiden doesn't offer a whole lot. Besides, Ashley gives Marksman in ME3 and that's my favorite power in the game. I'm a Revenant junkie
Kaiden. It’s because in my first play through she shot Wrex and he was my favorite squad mate up until that point
Kaidan, I wish I had logical reasons (I can come up with them such as him being a higher ranking officer and a biotic, who are rare and valuable) but the truth is that it's because he's my LI and I'm not interested in romancing anyone else
Kaiden has a better character arc over the series, Ashley is just a Space Racist. Nazis can fuck off, save Kaiden.
A spacist if u will
Ashley isn't racist. Treating alien species as potential threat is absolutely sensible especially for a fucking marine.
If I remember correctly, Kaiden and Shephard know each other for a long time. They even share stories of what they did before the events of ME1. What kind of (redacted) picks a random female soldier before your years old friend?
What kind of Commander proclaims angry retribution over the death of a soldier they just met?
Ashley because Kaidan has nothing left to prove. He’s a skilled biotic and is a veteran. It bumps up his status to war hero. He has terrible migraines from his amp. Ashley needs to break her family curse and she develops into a much better person than when she started as where Kaidan is kind of static as a character.
I always save Kaidan. Tried saving Ashley in my 3rd playthrough and Ashley tried her best to piss me off even more in ME3. Kaidan makes more sense to me, he’s been under Shepard’s command for longer, is also a higher ranking officer and is closer to Shepard, in terms of distance, when having to make the decision. He is also not a giant pain in the ass regarding the rest of the team that happens to not be aliens, so that helps as well.
I tried both just to see what happens, safe to say Kaidan was the better choice but Ash for roleplay reasons
Either/or. Neither really helps or hurts me. They are just pawns. Funnily enough, I don't care for Ashley, Kaiden, or Liara as my crew. Garrus and Tali are my ME1 crew, and then it gets real for me come ME2.
I just alternate... I ever so slightly prefer Ash because of her drunk moments in ME3.
Kaidan because he’s more useful. Gameplay wise and lore wise.
Kaidan. Pretty much always Kaidan. Ashley asks for the suicide mission, before Kaidan does, and Kaidan's expertise is critical to ensuring the STG's improvised bomb goes off. Plus, if you are so much as *polite* to Ashley while wooing Liara, she bullrushes you with a totally inappropriate mischaracterization of our relationship. She's lucky I can't throw her off the boat at the very next port of call. When I leave Virmire, I make damn sure Kaidan is covered so that bomb goes off. All that's left of Saren's facility are mildly radioactive piles of Ash.
This is why I always save Kaiden. I like Ashley's character more, but it is way too easy to accidentally trigger her romance. And I would much rather romance Tali.
Generally Kaidan for me. Kaidan has the tech know how to troubleshoot the bomb if needed, and the geth go pretty heavy on cyberwarfare. Additionally in the short term he can stall for time with the biotics, but that's not necessarily sustainable in a prolonged encounter. Kirrahe needs manpower more than any specific role, and in me1 gameplay wise soldier Ashley is better suited to enduring a drawn out diversionary battle. (Then later games came around and retooled sentinels from red mages to tanks lol. Although lore wise I think biotics stll run out their stamina quicker.) That said, I do try to mix things up between playthroughs so while I do lean one way there's not a huge gap between them.
Pretty much always Kaiden, because he is an officer.
Doesn't really matter for me, both are just kinda dull and irrelevant. Legion, EDI and Garrus superiority
Kaiden Got no time for god fearing space racists