'Mass Effect: Andromeda' Kill the AI: What should you do in "Uncovering the Past"?
In Mass Effect: Andromeda, you'll eventually take a break from trying to construct the hottest Pathfinder you can and romancing your way across the stars to do some quests — probably.
One such quest, "Uncovering the Past," will give you an option at the end to decide what to do with an ancient, rogue AI. If you're feeling indecisive due to bad memories of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey or Rasputin from Destiny, here's all the choices you can make and the consequences that result as part of your decision.
Mass Effect: Andromeda "Uncovering the Past": What happens if you kill the AI?
According to the YouTube channel Video Game Sophistry, at the quest's conclusion, Ryder and company will encounter an AI at the bottom of an ice cave. This AI claims to be nothing more than a power grid for a frozen city, but SAM will tell you she's lying and that she's actually an Angaran AI.
At this point, the AI begs you to kill her and not let anyone else try to use her technology. This impasse continues until one of the prisoners you rescued as part of the quest tries to pry it loose to help the Angara recover their history. At this point the AI freaks out and starts electrocuting the unlucky gentleman, prompting you with a choice to either kill the AI to save the prisoner, or allow the prisoner to die to recover the AI.
Of your options, killing the AI is the simplest. The prisoner thanks you and runs off, but Jaal is a little disappointed in you for destroying this link to his people's past. SAM will also helpfully chime in to say that no amount of data will be recoverable from the AI's data banks. Oops.
As a consolation, Peebee will say she thinks you did the right thing, but there aren't any benefits or consequences to this choice either way.
Mass Effect: Andromeda "Uncovering the Past": What happens when you let the AI onto the Nexus?
If you choose to let the prisoner die, the AI relents to your wishes and agrees to go with you. She only asks that you not give her over to the Angara and let her come to the Nexus so she can "get to know" SAM instead.
If you agree, there's no benefits or consequences, and you're treated to a couple deeply creepy conversations when you head back there where the AI attempts to flirt with SAM by asking if it's true that he can vent the atmosphere on the Nexus, killing everyone inside. Yowza.
Mass Effect: Andromeda "Uncovering the Past": What happens if you give the AI to the Angara?
If you're already going to let a prisoner die for a momentary lapse in judgment, you might as well get something out of it. If you opt to let the AI kill the prisoner and then turn it over to the Angara, you'll actually get a benefit: According to Gosu Noob, the Angara will use the AI to provide advanced calculations on your final mission. This probably makes it the best option from a gameplay perspective, but that prisoner had a family, and the AI wanted to die anyway. I hope those advanced calculations were worth it.
More Mass Effect: Andromeda news, updates, tips and tricks
For more on everyone's favorite space opera, check out the rest of what Mic has to offer. Here's an essay on the troubling history of colonialism in Mass Effect, a story about the horrifying harassment campaign carried out against a former BioWare employee, a guide to removing Ryder's helmet, a guide on romancing Keri, a guide to romancing Reyes and a quick explainer on the different types of health in Andromeda.
