Mass-effect – What are the benefits/consequences when deciding the fate of the Rachni Queen in Mass Effect 3

mass-effect-3

On the mission 'The Attican Traverse: The Rachni' at the end of the mission you are faced with the decision to either free the Rachni Queen or leave her to the fate of her malevolent offspring. Given the variety of possibilities, dependent upon whether you've imported saves from ME1/ME2, what are the various possible outcomes of this decision? Also, what war assets will be gained or lost as a result?

I'm currently playing ME3 with a brand new (non-imported) character and it seems that the past history given to the player by default indicates that you have presumably killed the Rachni queen in past experience.

Best Answer

If you leave the queen to die, you get Aralakh company as a war asset.

If you save the Real Queen (spared Queen in ME1), you get War Assets from Rachni workers, but Aralakh company dies.

If you save the Reaper Copy Queen (Killed Queen in ME1), you get War Assets from Rachni workers... until they betray you, removing them as a war asset, and permanently reducing the war asset value of the Alliance Marine Corp (I think you lose 100 or so), and Aralakh company dies.

Either way, Grunt's survival depends on whether or not you completed his loyalty mission in ME2 - if he's loyal, he lives, otherwise, he dies fighting off the swarm.