How to Find the Asari Ark in Mass Effect: Andromeda
When you start out in Mass Effect: Andromeda you awaken to a shit storm. Something called the Scourge has brought hell to the Nexus and almost destroyed the Human Ark. Fortunately enough, the Human Ark survived and made it’s way to the Nexus, but it’s the first one to do so after all the others went dark. One of those dark arks is the Asari Ark, and you have the option of rescuing it.
Locating the Asari Ark will provide the Andromeda Initiative with some much-needed support as well as give you some new allies to deal with. It’s a quest that covers a large portion of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s story, though, and it happens to be Cora Harpers’ loyalty quest. She was once an Asari Commando (even though she’s human) and the head guard on the ark is her mentor.
You’ll first start hearing rumblings about the Ark after Eos. Heading to Voeld and Havari will give you clues, and this is when Cora’s mission starts.
The first Mission is called Cora Harper: Asari Ark and it can be obtained by checking your email and receiving a message from Cora. She’ll ask you to speak to her about your ship, the Tempest, where she lets you know that she needs to speak to a person named Hydaria on Eos. Heading to Eos will give you a signal that you can use to track an Asari ship called the Periphona, which could hopefully lead to the ark itself. The signal will take you to Voeld, the planet full of ice and tons of Kett. Unfortunately, when you get there, the signal seems to be false, as the first point holds nothing but minerals.
SAM realizes that while the signal was a bit off the mark, the ship is on Voeld and marks out a few points where you may find it. Hit them all and you’ll eventually find the Periphona’s transponder. If decoded, you will find out where the Asari Ark actually is. This takes time, though, so the first mission is done until Cora can crack the code. You’ll just have to progress through the game until after completing the Primary Op “A Trail of Hope.” When that’s done you’ll finally get the email from Cora you’ve been waiting for, it’s time to go save the Asari in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Reading Cora’s next email closes out the previous quest and kicks off her Loyalty Mission, “At Duty’s Edge.” It turns out that she found coordinates within the Valay System, which is now open to you after completing “A Trail of Hope.” Head there and you’ll be alerted of an Anomaly which happens to be the Asari Ark itself. Unlike most anomalies, you’ll actually be able to board. From this point on it’s a rescue mission that has a bit of a dark feel to it, sort of like Dead Space. The hull of the ship is badly damaged, there’s debris and fire all over the place, and there are Kett lying in wait to take you out.
You’ll meet Sarissa Theris, the Asari commander that Cora looks up to. She’s become Pathfinder after the ark’s previous leader, Matriarch Ishara, died. She and the ship’s captain tell you that you’ll need an FTL jump in order to leave this area safely, losing the Kett in the process. To do that, you’ll need to get the power back online. Helping you will be a young soldier named Vederia. She’ll lead you through each area, and you’ll simply have to clear out some waves of enemies. Eventually, you’ll find a Mass Field Generator that is actually what has helped the ark. You’ll need to disable it at which point you’ll find out how Sarissa became Pathfinder. She broke her oath and failed to protect her predecessor even though she was her personal guard, all so she can get some information. This leaves Cora angry, but before you can deal with that you’ll have to stop a Kett invasion where a piece of the hull just flew off nearby.
This is a straightforward encounter where you’ll be given several waves of enemies. The final one will pit you face to face with a Kett Valiant which plays out just like an Ascendant encounter. When you finish, it’s time to speak to Sarissa and make some decisions.
Cora will bring up the truth with Sarissa with you standing there. You can force her to reveal the truth or keep it a secret in order to not stir up any panic. If you do reveal the truth, the captain will appoint Vederia as the new Pathfinder because she’s next in line. However, you can make one more choice here. You can have them keep Sarissa in her position in order to capitalize on her power and experience. She’ll thank you for giving her a chance, but only time will tell how this plays out.
Either way, you’ve saved the Asari Ark and are an even bigger hero in the Andromeda galaxy than you already were.
For more on Mass Effect: Andromeda, check out our wiki.
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