Mass Effect 2 has, perhaps, the most complex relationship-building system in the entire series. You can choose to, or not to, recruit certain members. You can also make decisions that lead to their deaths. Gaining their loyalty is crucial if you want all your squadmates to survive. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to do to ensure that Tali becomes loyal to Shepard in Mass Effect 2 and survives into Mass Effect 3.
How to Get Tali Loyal in Mass Effect 2 – Loyalty Guide
For starters, you obviously need to actually recruit Tali if you plan on keeping her loyal and alive for Mass Effect 3. If you do not complete Dossier: Tali (which is optional), Tali will not make it into Mass Effect 3. So yeah, forget keeping her loyal in that case. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it after it becomes available when you complete the mission on Horizon.
After you’ve recruited Tali, make sure to spend time increasing your morality level and have a sufficient amount of Paragon and/or Renegade points. This is because keeping Tali loyal will depend on having enough of either Paragon or Renegade to unlock dialog options that are required to successfully get through the loyalty mission without pissing Tali off.
After some time has passed from recruiting Tali, eventually the Tali: Treason mission will be offered to you. Complete it, taking time to talk to everyone and rack up any more morality points you can, and unlock all the possible dialog options.
Without diving into spoilers, at the end of the mission, there will be a trial that can play out a number of different ways. If you have sufficient Paragon/Renegade and/or spent time speaking to characters to unlock dialog options, you’ll have a wide variety of ways that you can end the mission with Tali’s loyalty intact.
There’s only one way to screw it up: do not present the evidence of Tali’s father’s crimes. The paragon/renegade options will result in a more pleasant outcome for Tali, but you can still keep her loyalty as long as you do not choose that option.
Tali will become loyal provided you didn’t do what we just said not to do and complete the mission. However, when you complete the loyalty mission for Legion, Tali and Legion will get into an argument.
You must either use your sufficient Paragon/Renegade to resolve the argument between the two peacefully or you must take Tali’s side to retain her loyalty.
If you do not take Tali’s side, you have one last chance to get her loyalty back. After the argument is over, instantly go to Tali and speak to her. Use your Paragon/Renegade (this time with a lower threshold), and you’ll be able to get her loyalty back.
In sum:
Time needed: 1 hour
How to Keep Tali Loyal in Mass Effect 2
- First recruit Tali by completing Dossier: Tali, available after completing the mission on Horizon.
- Complete other missions until Tali begins the loyalty mission, Tali: Treason.
- Complete Tali: Treason and do not present the evidence of Tali’s father’s crimes at her trial.
- When Tali & Legion Argue, take Tali’s side or resolve the argument.
If you do not take Tali’s side, go and speak to her right away after the argument and use your morality dialog option to regain Tali’s loyalty.
That’s all you need to know for how to get Tali loyal in Mass Effect 2. If you do all these things correctly, you have the best possible chance for keeping her alive through the events of Mass Effect 2. For more tips, tricks, and FAQs answered, be sure to check out our Mass Effect LE wiki guide for more helpful info.
