Mass Effect 3: From Ashes DLC Walkthrough

Anyone that’s played Mass Effect knows the Protheans. The ancient aliens that once ruled the galaxy hold the secret to defeating the Reapers, making their presence an important part of Bioware’s sci-fi mythology. Well, those old relics of a dead race managed to keep one of their warriors in stasis a mere 50,000 years — just enough to meet up and join Shepard’s intrepid crew. Join Game Front as we work through this DLC episode and reveal the hidden secrets of the Protheans.

If you’re still struggling with the Reaper invasion, check out our vanilla Mass Effect 3 text and video walkthrough. You might also want to delve into the secrets of the galaxy in our cheats page.

Text & Video Walkthrough

1. To begin the From Ashes DLC, step into your galaxy map on the Normandy and find the “Exodus Cluster”. From there, look for “Eden Prime”. It’s highlighted with a mission regarding a “Prothean Artifact”. When you enter orbit, choose your team members. Since I’m doing this early in the campaign, all I have is Liara and James. When you’re done choosing your team, you’ll be sent to the work bench to tweak your weapons if you would like to.
2. The cinematics begin as Shepard and crew are about to enter orbit. You’re reminded about the Prothean beacon in the original Mass Effect which gave warning of the Reapers. You’ll have a conversation with three options, “I remember Eden Prime”, “Focus on the artifact” and “These people have it rough”. I’ll choose the first.
3. James will ask a question as well giving you two options, “He tried. He failed” or “He wanted the beacon”. I’ll choose the latter. Liara will then speak. Reply with “These people have it rough or “Focus on the artifact”. Yes, it appears again. Cortez will then say that you’re on approach to Eden Prime.
4. When you get your feet on the ground, follow the path that leads down into the colony. Across the way, you’ll see the water. As you head down, you’ll pass under the housing structures. You’ll pass by an open building on the right and a vehicle on the left. The level design in this DLC is a bit hive-like, with many rooms to enter, plus it has some verticality.
5. When you approach the opening, you’ll notice a piece of Prothean tech in the distance. Press “V” to get a bird’s eye view of it as the camera pans out. Head into the building on the right. You can grab some computer salvage for 3000 credits here, plus a med-kit, and a terminal to examine, giving you a war asset for Eden Prime. Now that you know this, it’s best to scrounge around every building to find every war asset you can.
6. Exit the building from the other side and you’ll be out near the cliffside again. Now head toward the bridge with the metal grates and follow it’s path. Access the white elevator console and a lift will emerge from the bottom. A pod will rise up and Liara states that an actual Prothean is in the pod. To open it, you need to find two consoles to turn off the stasis.
7. Liara will speak. You have three options, “I’m curious about them.”, “Then I’m glad you’re here.” and “First we get it open”. Be a bit curious, then respond with either “Impressive” or “That sounds too friendly”. Then the conversation with the latter two previous options will be selectable again.
8. Incoming Cerberus troops will fly in. Take cover here. They’ll be across the bridge far into the housing complex in the distance. Watch out for the sniper. If can take them out from distance do so. Most enemies here will have shields, not the physical ones. When they’re down and out, move forward along the bridge toward the buildings. After the bridge, head left into the open structure, marked “5”, across from the building on the right with the green house, marked “9”, for reference.
9. Inside you’ll find a terminal and salvage rewarding you with 3000 credits. From here you can go where ever you wish to explore all the buildings. In this case, I went toward the building marked “2”. It has a ladder on it, leading to the roof. But instead of hanging by the roof, head inside. There will be ammo by the ladder.
10. When you enter the building marked “2” grab the salvage to get 6000 credits. You’ll also hear enemies outside alerted of your presence. Take cover by the door. The enemies will be alongside another building marked “2”. Expect heavy fire power from them, since they brought a turret. The building you’re in, has a walled console on the left side further into the building. Grab it to get a war asset. It also has a door you can open. From there you can find a med-kit.
11. So from here, I exited back out to the bridge to see what else there was to find. From the bridge I made a right up the stairs, where building “7” and “6” were. Take cover here, as there is a lot of incoming fire, especially from two turrets. You might need to go into building “7” to catch your breath.
12. When all these enemies are taken out, explore the the inside of the buildings. Building “7” contains some ammo and building “6 Lab” provides you with one of the consoles to deactivate the pod signal. Access the console to watch part 1 of the final days of the Protheans as Shepard re-lives it.
13. When you’re done, grab some salvage to nab 3000 credits before you head out of building “6 Lab”. Exit the lab. Straight ahead is a door with a green holo-panel on it. Shepard will mention “they were just watching the game” if you examine the table after entering the building. Exit the building using the door on the opposite end.
14. The building with the number “2” will be visible. Head there now, since it houses the second console you need to use. Head toward the balcony in the back, after the door opens. Grab the med-kit then access the next door marked “01 Lab”. Use the console and Shepard’s eyes will light up green again as he sees more of the events of the last days of the Protheans.
15. When you’re back in control of Shepard, it’s time to leave the building and head for the pod. When you exit building “2” you’ll see enemies fly in. Take cover by the doors, then pick them all off. When they’re down, climb the ladder of the building in front of you.
16. When you reach the top, hang a right, grab some ammo, then hang a left. Take cover on the roof, then take out the enemies on the ground. When they’ve been demolished, including that annoying turret, climb down the ladder. Now make a left and go up the stair case. Take cover where there will be more enemies waiting. Whittle them away. Take note of the shield enemies. When they’re gone, head for the pod.
17. When you reach the bridge, you’ll notice that it’s been retracted by Cerberus. From here, simply drop down onto the rocks, follow the path left and climb both of the ladders, until you wind your way to the pod. When you get to the pod, access it to transmit the signal. It will take a while for the pod to process it. In the meantime two waves of Cerberus troops arrive.
18. The first wave isn’t too bad. Take cover and just take them out from a distance, but watch out for grenades if they get too close. Use all of your powers here and use them in combination to quickly take out foes. When the first wave is down, collect ammo, then head back to the defensive spot around the pod.
19. The second wave will consist of more enemies, but will also have a highly armored and a shielded mech. Focus on the mech right when it lands as you deal with the grunts. When they’re all down, access the pod again. You’ll now meet a living, breathing Prothean. He’ll be confused at first, but will give you a final vision when he calms down.
20. When you talk to him, reply with “It wasn’t a failure” or “I need your help”. He’ll board the ship. Shepard will be talking with Hackett. Liara then calls Shepard about the Prothean. He’ll be in Grunt’s old room. Tell the guards keeping an eye on him to trust him. The Prothean will grab you and sense your emotions.
21. He’ll also read the visions from the beacon Shepard found on Eden Prime in the first game. Liara then shows the Prothean the device they couldn’t complete. You’ll find out the Prothean is an exemplar of vengeance. He’ll then say that he will help you fight.
22. From here you can investigate and find out the background of the war, the Reapers, and the Protheans. This Prothean is named Javik. He’ll now be part of the squad.

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