Implications of the new teaser image

What about making that human Reaper? What was the point of making it before their invasion of the MW. Wouldn't it make more sense to build it during or after the invasion.

I believe it was done to get a head start. Why I say that? The IFF and the derelict reaper. The reaper was disabled 37 million years ago. It houses an IFF. Why would it need one? I would say it not only for the Omega-3 relay, but for the Citadel relay as well. What was the purpose of the collectors before ME2? I'm sure it didn't take 50,000 years to build their base and ship. So what were they doing the whole time? I believe they were waiting for the reapers to show up. They would be a distraction while the reapers can focus on doing their harvest stuff. Divide and conquer. Since Shepard destroyed the base and 3 eyes, the reapers had to do it the hard way. Had Cerberus no brought Shepardback, what would have happened? The reapers win, but before that? The collectors would continue abducting colonists since the Alliance weren't doing much of anything. It's likely 3 eyes would have been completed after the reapers showed up. 

I would guess the same for previous cycles. Insuannon were turned into workers to start processing protheans.  Then the previous cycle workers were processing Insuannon and so on. 

Yeah so much for "We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness"

Just because it wasn't the original plan doesn't mean it had to be scrapped. If Baby Reaper had been successfully completed then it would have been just fine. Had it not been for TIM, the Reaper would have been finished. Remember, as far as anyone knew, Shepard was dead. There was no reason to think that in a galaxy that didn't believe in them that serious threat would exist.

It was a theory, just like mine is. Still, doesn't mean it has to be entirely accurate. A bunch of indoctrinated scientists combined with a powerful Reaper artifact might have been able to complete the job. Even Sovereign needed the help of Saren to open the Citadel relay. Maybe it could have been done without so long as there were indoctrinated servants present. The people of the galaxy already know how to use mass relays. Perhaps the indoctrinated could have learned to tweak whatever code opens them to unlock dark space relays.

ME1 and Arrival both made it clear that the Reapers needed relays to get into the inhabited parts of the galaxy in a reasonable amount of time, if at all. It was in ME3 where we see that the relays were irrelevant. They could be there in six months and could have been there long before the races even knew they existed. This brings me right back to the screw-ups with the Reapers were in ME2 [Edit: This should be in ME3.]. Everything else can work, at least how I've worked it out.

That makes sense. They want to know where to target. The relays are in more places than the known races have explored. (Incidentally, I thought exploration of those unexplored relays would have been a great way to handle a fourth ME game rather than heading out to another galaxy but that's not relevant here.) I don't actually know what a dormant relay is. There are relays that are more or less banned from use ever since the rachni were found beyond one that linked to an unknown region of space. Arcturus has three relays nearby, one that is a "primary" relay that links to the Exodus System, another that goes to Sol (Relay 202) and a third. There are obviously two in the Serpent Nebula. One is the Citadel, which leads to dark space and the other is the Widow relay. The Omega cluster also has two, only one of which is accessible without special technology. The Alpha Relay is the oldest known relay in the galaxy. It doesn't seem to have been in use and maybe worked only like the Citadel and Omega-4 relays in that a special signal was required to open it. Presumably the indoctrinated sciences in the Bahak System were able to transmit that signal using the Reaper artifact.

[Source: Mass Relay]


I would assume MP is separate from the main game, even though it was once necessary in order to achieve high levels of galactic readiness - or so I've heard. That changed before I started playing six years ago. As you said, it doesn't seem to have fit in with the lore.


I don't see why not. Not all Collectors had to be on the other side of the Omega-4 relay. I wonder how it would work without Harbinger or the Collector General to give it orders. Imagine is it met a surviving Javik. That said, I'd have to say it wouldn't be anything more than a mindless drone because I think they were bred to follow orders and nothing else. I can imagine TIM (or someone like him) trying to crack its genetic structure to create some human/Collector hybrid. Or maybe he did but didn't have the chance to run tests. Then we find it post-war.

I am sure that was a project. Also don't forget that Cerberus did develop an Armor based on Collector appearance. So they have Collector Technology to do that.

That's right. When Cerberus is rebuilt in ME4, they will develop reaper armor for Shepard to wear. excellent.

Well that is a possiblity and Cerberus are not above stealing Xeno-technology for research.