Citadel: Upper Wards - Mass Effect

This guide will help you explore the upper wards area of the Citadel in Mass Effect.

Citadel: Upper Wards Map

Arrival
Keeper #14
Exit to Lower Wards
Exit to Lower Wards
Conrad Verner
Expat
Keeper #15
Citadel Rapid Transit (Markets)
Exit to Flux
Emily Wong
Scenic View
Exit to Lower Wards
View of Nebula
Dr. Chloe Michel
Citadel Rapid Transit (Med Clinic)
Keeper #16
Quarian Meeting

Citadel: Upper Wards Overview

1 – Arrival

This will most likely be your entrance to the Upper Wards, having taken the elevator down from the Citadel: Flux and Wards Access map.

2 – Keeper #14

This is yet another of the 21 different Keepers that are part of Chorban or Jahleed’s “Citadel: Scan the Keepers” assignment. Scan it to earn some extra experience points and credits.

3 – Exit to Lower Wards

Head through this doorway to reach the Citadel: Lower Wards map.

4 – Exit to Lower Wards

These stairs will also lead down to the Citadel: Lower Wards map.

5 – Conrad Verner

Conrad Verner is your biggest fan! No, really. He’s amazed to even be speaking to the “hero of Eden Prime.” During your first visit with him, Conrad will ask for an autograph. Agree or disagree, it doesn’t really matter – you’re still given the “Citadel: The Fan” assignment.

You’ll find Conrad at this very same spot twice more – the second time occurs after completing the first of the three initial plot-critical planets, while the third occurs after completing two of the three initial plot-critical planets. The second visit is much like the first, with Conrad slobbering over you in admiration and requesting a picture to hang on his living room wall.

During your third visit to Conrad, he asks that you sign him on as a Spectre so that he can help defend the human colonies. At this point, you’re finally able to issue a Charm (“There are other fights.”) or Intimidate (“There are no good fights.”) dialogue choice to convince the guy that he should stick to Citadel life. With the assignment complete, you’ll earn some experience and Paragon or Renegade points (depending on your pivotal dialogue choice).

6 – Expat

Expat is a volus merchant that can answer your questions about Noveria and Feros before letting you browse his goods (which unlocks the Planets: Feros and Planets: Noveria codex entries). As with the other merchants you’ve encountered here on the Citadel, you should pick up any Medigel/Grenade Upgrades and the Armax Arsenal License and Elkoss Combine License as soon as they become available.

7 – Keeper #15

This is yet another of the 21 different Keepers that are part of Chorban or Jahleed’s “Citadel: Scan the Keepers” assignment. Scan it to earn some extra experience points and credits.

8 – Citadel Rapid Transit (Markets)

Public transportation is important to the galactic community, so the fine people of Citadel Station have installed these nifty vehicles to quickly transport you to any of the station’s major locations. You’ll have to discover each one on foot first (or obtain a quest directly related to the location), though, otherwise the transit vehicle won’t allow you to choose it as a destination.

This particular destination will be labeled as “Wards Locations – Markets” if you need to travel here from one of the other transit vehicles.

9 – Exit to Flux

These stairs will bring you up to the Flux nightclub on the Citadel: Flux and Wars Access map.

10 – Emily Wong

Ms. Wong is an investigative journalist that wants you to keep your eyes open for any evidence that the Citadel is plagued by corruption and organized crime. You can delve into her reasons for choosing you and how your investigations are linked, but ultimately it seems like a noble cause. If you accept, you’ll receive the “Citadel: Reporter’s Request” assignment.

Once you’ve dealt with Fist at the back of Chora’s Den on the Citadel: Lower Wards map and obtained the Optical Storage Disc lying in his office, you can return to Emily and show it to her. The disc apparently has all of Fist’s files on it, which she’s happy to hand over a fistful of credits for. If you have a sufficient amount of Charm or Intimidate, you can select the dialogue options “I can offer you more” or “You owe me more”, respectively. You’ll either earn some extra credits for promising an exclusive interview or from issuing such a threatening response. Completing the assignment will also net you a nice experience point bonus.

11 – Scenic View

Having a look at the Citadel from this vantage point will prompt a quick dialogue session with your squad members. As far as I can tell, there’s no real significance to it.

12 – Exit to Lower Wards

Descending these stairs will bring you to the eastern subsection of the Citadel: Lower Wards map.

13 – View of Nebula

Take a moment to gaze at the area to the south and you’ll unlock the Citadel Station: Serpent Nebula codex entry.

14 – Dr. Chloe Michel

If this is your first visit to the Med Clinic after speaking to Harkin about Garrus down in Chora’s Den, then you’ll walk in just as five thugs are threatening the resident doctor, Chloe Michel. Garrus is also here and your unexpected entrance gives him an opportunity to snipe one of the thugs before the battle begins. Finish off the other four using your favorite weapon or biotic/tech ability, then chat with either Chloe or Garrus to learn that the thugs were sent by someone named Fist.

When you inquire further, you’ll learn that Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker to side with Saren and that a Quarian woman came to Chloe for help after getting shot. Garrus figures that these two events are related and that the quarian has incriminating evidence about Saren that Fist is trying to help eliminate. If you want to prove to the Council that Saren is corrupt, you need to find that Quarian before Fist does. At this point, you’ll pick up Garrus Vakarian as a permanent member of your squad. Your choices during this conversation can net you some Paragon or Renegade points and will unlock the Quarians codex entry.

Before choosing which two squad members you want to take with you, Garrus also reiterates the fact that the Shadow Broker had hired a Krogan named Wrex to take Fist out and that the bounty hunter is currently down in C-Sec. You should probably go speak with him, but first take a moment to browse through Chloe’s goods. You probably can’t afford anything she sells early in the game, but you should return later to at least pick up the Medigel Upgrade V that she sells. There’s also an Aid Station on the wall behind her, should you need to replenish any previously used Medi-gel.

Later on, after you’ve dealt with Fist and shown Tali’s evidence to Udina and Anderson, you can return to the clinic to discover Chloe talking to someone over the communicator on the wall. The gruff-sounding person on the other side appears to be blackmailing her, so you’ll obviously want to inquire about it. Chloe tells you that she was fired from her previous employer for giving out free medical supplies and that someone is now threatening to tell the board about her past. If she doesn’t give them some of her medical supplies, she could lose her license. Offer to take care of the problem for her and Chloe will tell you that she’s supposed to meet with Morlan down in the markets. This opens up the “Citadel: Doctor Michel” assignment.

After making sure the Krogan “Blackmailer” won’t be spreading Chloe’s secret, return to tell the doctor the good news. She doesn’t have any credits to give you, but she does offer you a discount on any of her items. Quiz her about who this “Banes” person might be and she tells you that she used to work with someone named Armistan Banes years ago. The guy is now doing some research out in the Traverse for the Alliance Military, so you should ask Captain Anderson about him the next time you see him. End the conversation to receive some experience points and credits (even though she didn’t have any…).

15 – Citadel Rapid Transit (Med Clinic)

This particular destination will be labeled as “Wards Locations – Med Clinic” if you need to travel here from one of the other transit vehicles.

16 – Keeper #16

This is yet another of the 21 different Keepers that are part of Chorban or Jahleed’s “Citadel: Scan the Keepers” assignment. Scan it to earn some extra experience points and credits.

17 – Quarian Meeting

Following the addition of Garrus or Wrex to your squad, you’ll end up dealing with the thug leader Fist in Chora’s Den on the Citadel: Lower Wards map. He will reveal that he sent the Quarian woman (who you suspect has incriminating evidence about Saren) to this alleyway for a meeting with the Shadow Broker. Unfortunately for her, it will be Saren’s men that will be posing as the secretive entity.

When you arrive, you’ll watch as three assassins attempt to take the Quarian’s life. Help her fend them off, then talk with Tali’Zorah nar Rayya to learn that she does indeed possess evidence that proves that Saren is a traitor. She won’t expose the evidence here, though, so both her and your squad head up to Ambassador Udina’s office on the Citadel: Presidium map (area #1).