Loyalty missions are among the most enjoyable parts of Mass Effect 2. They let you get to know your squad on a bit of a deeper level as you help them deal with personal issues. For instance, The Gift Of Greatness is all about Jacob's relationship with his father. And it's not just about typical parental drama.

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Jacob hears that his father may be alive, despite disappearing on a mission ten years ago. So, he, naturally, wants to check the situation out. It makes for an emotional and sometimes tricky quest with multiple endings. Here is how to get through it all and make the right decision in the end.

Starting The Mission

Shortly after completing Horizon, Kelly Chambers will inform you that Jacob would like to talk. Therefore, visit him in his usual spot within the Normandy Armory.

When you engage him in conversation, he will reveal that his dad's ship recently sent out a distress signal. While he's not sure anything will come of it, he asks if you guys can check it out.

So, go to the Galaxy Map and plot a course for Aeia, which is in the Alpha Draconis system of the Rosetta Nebula. You must scan the planet to locate the distress signal and land there.

Arrival And First Fight

Before you land, you must select your squad. You have to take Jacob, and you can bring whoever else you desire. You face a fair few shielded enemies and plenty of mechs. Therefore, Tali would be a great choice if you've recruited her. If not, Garrus or Miranda are suitable replacements.

Once you land, it doesn't take long to find the giant ship. You can go inside to look for supplies, and there are also logs to access outside. The most interesting thing in this area, though, is the VI that is just past the ship. It gives you more insight into what happened to the vessel and crew.

Go past the beacon to run into the first survivor. And in the conversation you have with them, you realize that her mental state isn't great.

She warns that there are hunters rebelling against their leader. Some of the said hunters immediately show up and attempt to shoot the woman - you can save her with a paragon interrupt. Afterward, it's time to fight the feral hunters.

The battle can actually be a bit tricky on harder difficulties. Your best bet is to keep your squad behind cover and watch out for the shotgun enemies that try to flank you. Once the skirmish is over, pick up ammo and move forward.

Female Settlement

After a short walk, you reach an all-female settlement. While conversing with the residents, you discover that Jacob's father made them eat toxic food. Therefore, they don't want to talk for long because Jacob reminds them of him.

You're free to examine things around the entrance to the camp. But when you go further in, you get attacked by Mechs. Take them out, and feel free to continue your search.

When you're finished, head to the area where the Mechs spawn. You will find a doctor wanting your attention.

When you talk to the woman, she gives you a datapad that further incriminates Jacob's dad. Go through the conversation and then proceed a little further to find a wall blocking your path.

Luckily, there is an inactive Mech in front of it that you can set to explode. Do that and then run away to leave the blast radius. When it blows up, you can progress.

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Mech Camp

At this point, Jacob's dad, Ronald, will contact you and warn you that he's lost control of the Mechs. He's happy you're here to save him, though.

Ronald's warning about bots is timely, as a bunch of them spawn in the next camp. Thankfully, they don't all appear at once, though. Instead, they trigger in little groups. Therefore, the best course of action is to take it slow and wipe out each group at a time before progressing to trigger the others.

After they're all down, search for any supplies before leaving the camp. It doesn't take long to run into more adversaries, though.

And for this next fight, there isn't a lot of cover around. So, sprint to the one piece of cover in sight and take down the advancing mechs.

Ronald's Base

Finally, you reach Ronald's base, but, like his mechs, his guards aren't exactly listening to him. Therefore, you must take them out. Near the entrance, there are some power cells on the ground that you may want to pick up.

This section is a bit tricky, but your best chance of survival is the large wall in front of you. Go to either side of it and peek out to shoot people or use powers against them. After you take a few out, a large YMIR Mech enters the fray.

While the human enemies will generally stay in cover, this beast will head towards you. Therefore, back up a bit to where the power cells were and shoot the Mech from there. The bot doesn't seem to like passing the large wall, so you have a bit of safety in this position. If you're struggling to take the Mech down with standard firearms, use your power weapon.

When the Mech is defeated, head back to the wall to finish off the remaining guards. You can even head past the wall to get closer to the enemy if you're feeling brave. Once they're all dealt with, loot the place. Now that there are no more distractions, you can go through the door at the back of the area to reach Ronald.

Confronting Ronald

In the following cutscene, Jacob and Ronald have a tense conversation.

You make several dialog choices throughout the interaction, but your squadmate does most of the talking. However, in the end, you decide Ronald's fate. These are your options:

  • "He Can't Escape The Law Now" - You have the man arrested by the Alliance.
  • "Leave Him In The Hell He Made" - You and the squad return to the Normandy, leaving him with no defenses and a group of hunters vying for his blood.
  • "I'd Shoot Him" - You suggest shooting him, but Jacob doesn't want to do it. So, he leaves his father with a gun and just enough ammo to kill himself.

Debrief

After the mission, you get an additional cutscene where Jacob confronts The Illusive Man, thinking he sent him the information about the distress signal. But it wasn't him, this was Miranda's handiwork, and she even enters the conversation to admit it.

You get a little more dialog before the mission ends.

NEXT: Mass Effect 2: How To Complete Garrus' Loyalty Mission