D.A. fan is back for an ME1 Text Only 'Let's Play' (page 51)

Even though 3100 ems is required to get the breath scene, it doesn't guarantee the player will. Lets say a player heads to Earth with ems at 3134. The player believes he/she will get the breath scene, but because of what might have happened, the scene doesn't happen and Shepard's nameplate is put on the wall. The player will throw up his/her arms wondering what-the-heck.

Now why that might happen. The key is Anderson. Using the example from above, the player has to prevent TIM from shooting Anderson. If that happens, the player will lose 100 war assets. So if the player wants TIM to shoot Anderson, have at least 3200 ems when heading to Earth.

Its easier if you prevent TIM from shooting Anderson. Doing that, the player will receive 200 war assets. That means the player can head to Earth with at least 2900 ems and still get the breath scene.


If interested, here's more information about ems. 

Also, note that I'm actually asking her to check before Chronos (when Hackett actually indicates that going forward would be committing to the final push and the player can still back out and check on things before committing to that attack)... so she should get at minimum another war asset worth 100 TMS at that point; making the minimum EMS at that point 3150.

If you're referring to the turian bomb, that is true. Depending on the playthrough, that mission can be done just before Cronos. The one mission that has to be done before the coup is Grissom, though its not required. If its not completed, Jack will be killed on Cronos, if she survived ME2

When you go to start the mission that starts the end game, Hackett will basically tell you that the mission you're about to start will start the final push.  That conversation will give you a way to delay starting that mission (ie. to reconsider so you can check your War Assets and decide to either do some more scanning at that point or do some multiplayer to boost the GR rating (which is 50% if you just do single-player, but can be boosted all the way up to 100% by playing multiplayer).

This is just some advice to better your relationship with him whether you're going to romance him or not. As far as I know it isn't absolutely necessary to give him the gift to start his romance (the act itself doesn't initiate romance) it just helps.