Mass Effect – How to Save Wrex  

Keep your Krogan squadmate alive on Virmire and beyond.

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Need to know how to save Wrex in Mass Effect?

This gruff, surly bounty hunter with a heart of gold is a fan-favorite character for a reason. But without making the right choices in Mass Effect, Wrex can permanently die on Virmire, leaving a Krogan-shaped void at the heart of the series.  

While Shepard’s story can continue without Wrex, the Mass Effect universe is a very different place without the cantankerous Krogan.

We’ll show you how to save Wrex and keep him around for future installments with our Mass Effect guide. 

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How to Save Wrex – Visit Virmire

Virmire is one of the main worlds that you will visit in the first Mass Effect. The mission on this world becomes available once you’ve completed any two main missions, out of Therum, Noveria, and Feros.

While it’s possible to go to Virmire as soon as the planet becomes available, it’s advisable to hold off until you have found Liara T’soni and completed both Feros and Noveria. Doing so gives you a better chance of saving Wrex when you eventually reach Virmire. 

Charming or Intimidating Wrex

The first method of saving Wrex requires Shepard to be at a sufficiently high level, which is why it’s best to hold off on visiting Virmire for as long as possible.

With at least 8 points in either the Charm or Intimidate skills, new dialogue options unlock that allow Shepard to get through to Wrex. ‘These aren’t your people’ is the correct Paragon choice, and ‘Don’t be so Naïve’ is the way to go for Renegades. Taking either of these two options causes Wrex to reconsider and recommit to Shepard’s squad, agreeing to help blow up Saren’s lab. 

If you don’t feel confident in your ability to talk Wrex down and save him on Virmire, or would rather have absolute certainty of keeping him alive, there is another sure-fire way to earn his loyalty.

Finding His Armor

If you’ve held enough conversations with Wrex aboard the Normandy, eventually he’ll bring up his family armor. In agreeing to retrieve Wrex’s family armor, you’re taking on a loyalty mission of sorts. 

With the mission unlocked, travel to the world of Tuntau in the Argos Rho cluster. Storm the pirate base and find a crate inside that requires decryption. Once decrypted, open the chest to receive Wrex’s armor.

Once you hand the armor back to the Krogan on the Normandy, you’ll gain his loyalty. Now feel free to head to Virmire, and when the confrontation with Wrex occurs, choose the ‘I wouldn’t do this otherwise’ or ‘We are’ dialogue options to get him back on your side.

Saving Wrex by Default

There is a third method to save Wrex on Virmire, but it doesn’t come highly recommended as it requires missing out on one of Mass Effect’s most loved companions.

Whilst at the Citadel towards the start of Mass Effect, you must choose not to recruit Garrus Vakarian to your squad. After leaving Garrus behind, complete Feros and Noveria, but don’t go to Therum to find Liara T’soni.

Head to Virmire as soon as it’s unlocked, and select Tali and Wrex as your squadmates. Ashley Williams and Kaiden Alenko are unavailable as companions for this mission, as they are both involved elsewhere in important story scenes on Virmire. Mass Effect requires you to have a party of two squadmates. If you’ve taken these specific steps, Tali and Wrex are your only available squadmates for the Virmire mission.

When he confronts you about the lab, he’ll automatically back down partway through the conversation. Congratulations! You’ve saved Wrex in the most roundabout way possible.

That does it for our guide on how to save Wrex in Mass Effect. We hope you follow our advice and keep this powerful Krogan as a friend and ally of Shepard throughout the whole Mass Effect trilogy.