At a glance
Mass Effect Trophy Guide Quick Info
Browse the complete PlayStation trophy guide hub for more checklists and Platinum roadmaps.
Plan the cleanup
Trophies at a Glance
The complete trophy list, grouped into scan-friendly routes before the full walkthrough.
Efficient route
Mass Effect Trophy Guide and Platinum Roadmap
Follow these phases in order to protect the missable work and keep the Mass Effect Platinum cleanup efficient.
Phase 1: Casual playthrough of all three games in order
Play Mass Effect 1, then 2, then 3 with one character, on a comfortable difficulty. This is the run where you enjoy the story and learn the encounters.
Take one romance per game. That covers Paramour I, II and III across the trilogy and this is the natural run for it.
Kill count trophies accumulate on their own as you play, so ignore them.
Do not grind melee kills in Mass Effect 1. The melee there is poor, so save that grind for the later games.
Do not attempt Insanity yet. Every guide agrees a first Insanity run is the wrong call.
Phase 2: Mass Effect 1 platinum and Insanity
Work the Mass Effect 1 list, including the codex entries, the uncharted world landings and the exploration trophies.
Take Insanity on New Game Plus. Mass Effect 1 on Insanity is only difficult at low levels and becomes comfortable as you level, which makes it the right one to start with.
Do not change the difficulty setting at any point during the run or Insanity I is void.
The Bring Down the Sky mission is required for one trophy, so do not skip it.
Phase 3: Mass Effect 2 platinum and Insanity
This is the hardest Insanity run of the three by community consensus, so approach it with a levelled New Game Plus character and a strong loadout.
The Collector Ship section is repeatedly named as the worst spike, so prepare specifically for it.
Losing squad members in the suicide mission does not affect the Insanity trophy, which only tracks whether you changed difficulty. It does affect other trophies, so keep saves.
Never touch the difficulty slider during the run.
Phase 4: Mass Effect 3 platinum and Insanity III
Mass Effect 3 on Insanity is manageable with strong player and squad builds, so it is a softer finish than Mass Effect 2.
Insanity III requires all three games completed on Insanity without changing difficulty, and it sits at roughly 1.5 percent of players.
There are no multiplayer trophies here. Legendary Edition removed multiplayer entirely, unlike the original PS3 release.
Complete the melee kill grind in this game rather than Mass Effect 1.
This is where a long trilogy becomes a genuine commitment. One soft mention of DamnModz fits here, then back to build advice.
Guide notes
Four Lists, Three Platinums
First section after the Quick Info box, with a table. One list each for Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3, each with its own platinum, plus a fourth cumulative Legendary Edition list holding the cross-trilogy trophies. Sources disagree on whether that fourth list has a platinum, so state the verified position with a date rather than guessing.
Guide notes
The Cumulative Legendary Edition List
It holds Insanity I, II and III, Paramour I, II and III, Recruit, the total kill counts and the melee kills, all tracked across the whole trilogy. The numbered trophies correspond to the numbered games.
Guide notes
How to Plan the Three Insanity Runs
, an H3 per game. Insanity requires completing a game on the hardest difficulty without changing the setting at all. Order them by real difficulty rather than sequence. Mass Effect 1 is only hard at low levels and becomes comfortable once levelled. Mass Effect 2 is the genuine wall. Mass Effect 3 is manageable with strong squad and player builds.
Efficient route
Use New Game Plus for Insanity
The recommended approach across guides is a casual playthrough first, then Insanity on New Game Plus, which both levels you up and lets you learn the encounters. Explain that this costs a playthrough but saves far more time than it takes.
Insanity Is About Difficulty Only
A recurring community question, whether losing squad members in the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission affects Insanity. It does not. The Insanity trophy only cares that you did not change the difficulty setting in that game. Squad survival matters for other trophies, not this one.
The Paramour Trophies
One romance per game, and a casual first playthrough is the natural place to get them. Worth pairing with the Insanity planning section since the run structure determines where they land.
Kill Counts and Melee Kills
Kill trophies accumulate naturally across the trilogy. Melee kills are the exception and need deliberate effort, and specifically should not be ground out in Mass Effect 1 where the melee is poor.
PS3 Versions and Old Guides
Mass Effect 2 and 3 had their own PS3 lists and Mass Effect 3 on PS3 had multiplayer trophies. Legendary Edition removed multiplayer entirely, so guides written for the PS3 releases describe requirements that no longer exist.
Mass Effect 3 and Andromeda as Separate Builds
Mass Effect 3 carries 80 monthly searches on its own and Andromeda 40, so both are candidates for their own pages. Note rather than absorb.
Every requirement
Full Mass Effect Trophy List
Track all 130 trophies below. Each checkbox updates the live counter and can be exported for another browser or device.
Track your trophy progress
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Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (PS4)
Complete Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3 on Insanity without changing difficulty
Complete two games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition on Insanity without changing difficulty
Complete all three games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition on Insanity without changing difficulty
Establish a romantic relationship in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Establish or rekindle a romantic relationship in two games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Establish or rekindle a romantic relationship in all three games in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Finish Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 with the same character
Kill 250 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Kill 1,000 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Kill 2,000 enemies in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Kill 100 enemies with melee attacks in Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3
Legendary Edition: Mass Effect (PS4)
ME1: Acquire all trophies
ME1: Complete the game on any difficulty
ME1: Complete Feros
ME1: Complete Eden Prime
ME1: Complete Virmire
ME1: Complete Noveria
ME1: Use biotic Lift 25 times
ME1: Use biotic Throw 25 times
ME1: Use biotic Warp 25 times
ME1: Use biotic Singularity 25 times
ME1: Use biotic Barrier 25 times
ME1: Use biotic Stasis 25 times
ME1: Use Damping Field 25 times
ME1: Use AI Hacking 25 times
ME1: Use Shield Overload 25 times
ME1: Use Sabotage 25 times
ME1: Use medi-gel 50 times
ME1: Use Neural Shock 25 times
ME1: Complete Ilos
ME1: Find all primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races and Non-Council Races codex entries
ME1: Complete the majority of the game
ME1: Land on an uncharted world
ME1: Land on 4 uncharted worlds
ME1: Land on 8 uncharted worlds
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the Alliance soldier squad member
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the Alliance sentinel squad member
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the krogan squad member
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the turian squad member
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the quarian squad member
ME1: Complete 5 missions with the asari squad member
ME1: Accumulate 75% of total possible Paragon or Renegade points
ME1: Become a Spectre
ME1: Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation
ME1: Locate Dr. T'soni in the Artemis Tau cluster
ME1: Complete the Bring Down the Sky mission.
Legendary Edition: Mass Effect 2
ME2: Acquire all trophies
ME2: Save humanity throughout the galaxy from certain annihilation
ME2: Save your crew from an overwhelming attack
ME2: Return to active duty
ME2: Defend a human colony from attack
ME2: Complete the investigation of a derelict alien vessel
ME2: Use the Omega 4 Relay
ME2: Survive suicide mission
ME2: Keep your team alive through the suicide mission
ME2: Obtain geth technology
ME2: Successfully recruit Archangel
ME2: Successfully recruit the Assassin
ME2: Successfully recruit the biotic Convict
ME2: Successfully recruit the Justicar
ME2: Successfully recruit the krogan
ME2: Successfully recruit the Professor
ME2: Successfully recruit the quarian
ME2: Hack a geth collective
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the krogan
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Assassin
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the biotic Convict
ME2: Help the Justicar resolve her mission
ME2: Gain the loyalty of Archangel
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Operative
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Professor
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the Cerberus Officer
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the quarian
ME2: Thresher Maw defeated
ME2: Perform 30 headshot kills with any weapon on humanoid targets
ME2: Incinerate the armor of 25 enemies
ME2: Make 20 enemies scream as they fall or are set on fire
ME2: Disrupt the shields of 25 enemies
ME2: Hit 20 different targets with multiple biotic powers to combine the effects
ME2: Warp the barriers of 25 enemies
ME2: Complete 5 missions discovered by scanning unexplored worlds
ME2: Visit 100% of the planets in an unexplored cluster
ME2: Complete a mission discovered by scanning an unexplored world
ME2: Complete any research project in the Normandy's laboratory
ME2: Fully upgrade a weapon
ME2: Unlock 15 new Mass Effect 2 codex entries
ME2: Evolve any power
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the mercenary
ME2: Gain the loyalty of the thief
ME2: Successfully shut down the rogue VI in Project Overlord
ME2: Confront the Shadow Broker
Legendary Edition: Mass Effect 3
ME3: Acquire all trophies
ME3: Return to active duty.
ME3: Chase down an assassin.
ME3: Bring a veteran officer aboard.
ME3: Destroy an Atlas dropped from orbit.
ME3: Explore a lost city.
ME3: Survive the swarm.
ME3: Sabotage a dreadnought.
ME3: Call down an orbital strike.
ME3: Disable a group of fighter squadrons.
ME3: Win a political stand-off.
ME3: Extract ancient technology.
ME3: Defeat an old adversary.
ME3: Send a warning across the galaxy.
ME3: Discover an enemy's monstrous origin.
ME3: Stop a Cerberus kidnapping.
ME3: Evacuate a scientific facility.
ME3: Make the final assault.
ME3: Mission accomplished.
ME3: Visit a store on the Citadel.
ME3: Deliver most of the Galaxy at War assets to the final conflict.
ME3: Dispatch 10 probes to retrieve people or resources in Reaper territory.
ME3: Modify a weapon.
ME3: Perform any combination of 50 biotic combos or tech bursts.
ME3: Evolve any of your powers to rank 6.
ME3: Escape a Reaper in the galaxy map.
ME3: Overload the shields of 100 enemies.
ME3: Lift 100 enemies off the ground with powers.
ME3: Set 100 enemies on fire with powers.
ME3: Kill a brute while it's charging you.
ME3: Kill 10 guardians with headshots from the front while their shields are raised.
ME3: Hijack an Atlas mech.
ME3: Defeat a harvester.
ME3: Obtain two non-customizable suits of armor.
ME3: Upgrade any weapon to level 10.
ME3: Uncover an ancient secret.
ME3: Free Omega from Cerberus Occupation.
ME3: Stop an out-of-control scheme before it's too late.
ME3: Defeat a group of Spectre-level opponents on Normal, Hardcore, or Insanity.
Guide notes
Mass Effect Missable, Glitched, and Difficulty Notes
- Difficulty does affect trophies. Insanity I, II and III require completing one, two or three games on Insanity without changing the difficulty setting at any point in that game.
- Changing difficulty mid run voids that game's Insanity credit, and the setting is per game rather than across the trilogy.
- Insanity III is the rarest trophy in the collection at roughly 1.5 percent of players.
- Losing squad members in the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission does not affect the Insanity trophies. It does affect other trophies, so keep backup saves before that mission.
- There are no multiplayer trophies anywhere in Legendary Edition. Multiplayer was removed from all three games, which differs from the original PS3 Mass Effect 3.
- The Paramour trophies need one romance per game, so plan them into a run rather than assuming they will happen.
- Melee kill trophies need deliberate effort and should not be attempted in Mass Effect 1 where the melee is weak.
- Sources disagree on whether the fourth cumulative list carries a platinum. Verify before publishing a platinum count.
Quick answers
Frequently Asked Questions
How many platinums does Mass Effect Legendary Edition have?
Three, one each for Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3. There is also a fourth cumulative trophy list covering the whole trilogy, though sources disagree on whether it carries a platinum of its own.
How long does it take to platinum Mass Effect Legendary Edition?
Around 56 hours is reported for a single game's list. Budget considerably more for all three platinums plus the cumulative list, especially with the Insanity runs.
What are the Insanity trophies in Mass Effect?
Insanity I, II and III require completing one, two or all three games on Insanity difficulty without changing the setting at any point. Insanity III sits at roughly 1.5 percent of players.
Should you play Mass Effect on Insanity first?
No. Every guide recommends a casual playthrough first, then Insanity on New Game Plus, which levels you up and lets you learn the encounters before the hard run.
Which Mass Effect is hardest on Insanity?
Mass Effect 2, by community consensus, with the Collector Ship repeatedly named as the worst section. Mass Effect 1 is easiest once levelled and Mass Effect 3 is manageable with strong builds.
Does losing squad members affect the Insanity trophy?
No. The Insanity trophies only track whether you changed the difficulty setting in that game. Squad survival in the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission affects other trophies, so keep saves.
Are there multiplayer trophies in Mass Effect Legendary Edition?
No. Multiplayer was removed from all three games, so guides written for the original PS3 Mass Effect 3 describe requirements that no longer exist.
Do the Mass Effect PS3 trophies stack with Legendary Edition?
They are separate lists. Mass Effect 2 and 3 had their own PS3 releases with their own trophies, while Mass Effect 1 never came to PS3, so Legendary Edition is the only way to earn that one.
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