Mass Effect 2: Jacob: The Gift of Greatness - walkthrough Mass Effect 2 guide, walkthrough

Last update: 02 June 2021

Description: This quest should appear in your journal after completing several missions following your trip to the Horizon and naturally you must pay Jacob a visit to learn more about his problem. Jacob can be found in an armory on the second deck of the Normandy and during the conversation you should agree to provide help in checking the signal from his father's ship. This mission can be continued by opening the galaxy map and plotting a course for the Rosetta Nebula. Use a fuel depot located in the Enoch system and fly over to a nearby Alfa Draconis system.

After you've reached the Alfa Draconis system find a planet named 2176 Aeia and confirm that you want to begin scanning its surface. Keep holding the right mouse button and move the mouse until the transmission heard in the background will be very clear. A white dot should appear on the surface and you must click the left mouse button to send a probe there. Begin landing procedures to find yourself in [Aeia - Hugo Gernsback crash site].

Start the mission by heading forward. You'll soon approach a huge wreckage and you'll be allowed to perform several actions here - examine spare parts to collect 1500 credits, listen to a recording left by one of the officers and talk to a WI (second screenshot). Choose the left bridge (second screenshot) leading to the wreckage.

Once you're inside you should hack a PDA (first screenshot) to acquire 3000 credits. I would also recommend listening to recordings left on three different terminals (two of the recordings were left by crew members and the third one by a doctor). Return to the path where you've talked to the WI, save your game and head forward.

It won't take long until you encounter one of the survivors. You'll have a chance to talk to the woman, but your conversation is going to be interrupted by a group of hunters. I would recommend using a paragon interrupt here (second screenshot) to save the woman's life.

As soon as you've been given control order your teammates to take cover, because most of the hunters will be using powerful weapons. You can try eliminating them from a larger distance or you can close the distance separating you from them by running towards other crates. Make sure to locate spare parts after the battle to collect 1500 credits.

Keep moving forward. You'll find a stripped mech soon, however examining it won't be necessary. Continue the exploration until you find yourself inside a camp inhabited only by women. You won't be given a chance to ask them a lot of questions so you should focus only on exploring this area. Examine a food storage found to your right, as well as a big statue. You can also pick up a med kit, hack a PDA (2100 credits) and salvage spare parts (1500 credits).

Proceed to the next section of the map and get ready to defend yourself against a group of LOKI mechs (first screenshot). It would be a good idea to have a person with powerful tech abilities in your team (especially overload). Head forward after the battle and talk to the Doctor.

Inspect a passageway located nearby and you'll find another inactive mech (first screenshot). In this case you'll have to interact with the mech and solve a mini-game to plant an explosive device. Move back to a safe distance and wait for an explosion to occur - it will unlock access to the next area of the map.

You may continue moving forward. Examine several corpses found along the way and eventually you'll get to a camp occupied by enemy units. Quickly order your followers to take cover and then start attacking new LOKI mechs. After you've dealt with the first group you'll be allowed to move forward in hopes of destroying other machines. Most of the mechs will be using a narrow passageway to get here (second screenshot).

Keep fighting until the mechs have been destroyed (including reinforcements). You may now focus on exploring the surrounding area - salvage spare parts (1500 credits) and scan a pistol (first screenshot) to acquire a new plan for a research project. Choose the narrow passageway where all the mechs were showing up (second screenshot) and don't forget to save your progress along the way.

Make sure that you're running forward and order your colleagues to take cover behind small objects seen in the distance (first screenshot). You'll have to deal with a new group of LOKI mechs here. I would recommend that you remain behind cover - you should be safe as long as you prevent the mechs from moving closer. Look around after the battle to find a medical station, power cells and spare parts (1500 credits).

Get ready for the most difficult battle of this entire mission and order your followers to take cover behind a large wall (first screenshot). They should be safe there, allowing you to proceed to your right alone (second screenshot). Find a good cover and surprise enemy units, including an YMIR mech and brainwashed guards.

I would strongly recommend that you start off by attacking the YMIR mech, mostly because the machine will try to defeat you in direct combat. Prevent the mech from moving too close and don't forget that you should be using some kind of a heavy weapon. After you've defeated the mech you can start helping your teammates in getting rid of standard guards. Watch out for an enemy surrounded with a force field (second screenshot), because he'll have an ability of sending out drones.

Keep attacking the remaining enemy units - killing them shouldn't be a major problem. Don't forget to spend some time exploring the surrounding area after the battle - you'll find a container with 500 units of element zero and a PDA with 2400 credits. You may now proceed towards a large gate and eventually you'll meet Ronald Taylor (Jacob's father).

You won't be allowed to affect the course of this conversation in any major way, however this meeting will have three different endings. If you want to earn paragon points you can agree to the plan of arresting Jacob's father. Two other endings are reserved for a renegade and you can either leave Ronald here to be killed by his former followers or you can convince him to commit suicide. You'll soon return to the Normandy where you'll have a chance to talk to the Illusive Man, Jacob and Miranda.