Mass Effect 2: Tali or Legion, Which Should You Pick?

Throughout Mass Effect 2, Shepard is placed in a lot of positions where they must choose between two characters on opposite sides of an argument. Each of these outcomes has a major impact on not only just the rest of the game but the series as a whole. With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about if you should choose Tali or Legion in Mass Effect 2.

Confrontation in the AI Core

Considering the history between the Geth and Quarians, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there was eventually a conflict between Tali and Legion in Mass Effect 2. This occurs after both loyalty missions for each character have been completed, though only if you didn’t use the evidence in Tali’s mission.

When this happens, Joker tells you to head to the AI Core to resolve a fight between the two. You arrive to see Tali pointing an SMG at Legion.

She tells Shepard that Legion was trying to send classified information about the Migrant Fleet to the Geth. Legion defends itself by stating that the Quarians were performing weapons tests on Geth, and that it was simply trying to protect its people.

Meet in the Middle

If your Shepard has a high enough Paragon or Renegade level, indicated by Blue (Paragon) and Red (Renegade) dialogue options, then you’ll be able to resolve this conflict peacefully. You’ll know you accomplished this when Legion agrees not to transmit Tali’s data for the sake of “unit cohesion,” and Tali volunteers some non-classified data for Legion instead.

If you fail either option and have to pick, you’ll lose the loyalty of whoever you don’t pick. You’ll know exactly which character you’ve sided with, as the other will be noticeably angry. So if you only have the option to pick one, who should you choose?

Choose Tali or Legion Mass Effect 2

If you do end up running into this option, it is recommended that you pick Tali over Legion, as it doesn’t seem her loyalty can be won back after the argument if you don’t. On the other hand, you can definitely talk to Legion and win its loyalty back via a Renegade check that is far easier than the previous conversation.

If you aren’t playing as a Renegade, then the choice kind of comes down to who you like the most: Legion and the Geth or Tali and the Quarians. Whichever character’s loyalty you lose will impact the story in a major way in Mass Effect 3, so you’ll want to base that choice on accordingly if it comes down to that.

Mass Effect 3 Consequences

There is a huge plot point in Mass Effect 3 that depends upon decisions you make regarding Tali and Legion in Mass Effect 2. Who you side with in this situation is one of those factors, as managing to side with both can lead to the best resolution, while choosing one over the other leads to a very similar decision during a mission in the final game of the trilogy.

As such, your choices in Mass Effect 2 still come back to deciding who you like more if you aren’t able to resolve the situation with both loyalties intact.

That is everything you need to know about if you should choose Tali or Legion in Mass Effect 2. If you’re looking for more loyalty guides for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, be sure to search for them here on Twinfinite, or check out our wiki. There are also a few related articles below that you can have a look at.