Being able to choose whether to act as a noble paragon who looks to save as many lives as possible, or a ruthless renegade who does not let anyone get in their way was one of the defining features of the first Mass Effect game back in 2007. When Mass Effect 2 came out three years later, BioWare upped the ante by adding in interrupts (which carried over to Mass Effect 3 as well).
Players could now dynamically alter the course of a cutscene instantly by choosing to trigger an interrupt, without necessarily knowing exactly what action would be performed upon activating the trigger. Scenes with renegade interrupts tend to stick out more in gamers' minds because the actions are often shocking while simultaneously giving the player a feeling of power.
10 Setting Fire To A Mouthy Krogan Is Always Entertaining
Upon arriving at a Krogan hospital which acts as a base for Clan Weyrloc in Mass Effect 2, Shepard is greeted by the Clanspeaker. Instead of immediately attacking, this talkative Krogan produces a lengthy and graphic speech about exactly what his clan will do once Maelon (Mordin's former student) cures the Genophage. Listening to the whole speech is worth doing once for a laugh, if anything.
However, letting the Clanspeaker say everything he has to will result in a tough mini-boss fight. The more prudent approach is to trigger the renegade interrupt that appears towards the start of the speech. Doing so will result in the Clanspeaker burning to death and demonstrate to Weyrloc that the Commander is not there to talk.
9 Showing James Who Is In Charge Is Satistfying
James Vega is a bit of a hothead at the start of Mass Effect 3. This sentiment becomes clear when James purposely rams a shuttle into a Cerberus shuttle to prevent it from leaving the Mars archives. Prior to his shuttle stunt, James outright refuses to go to Mars and exclaims he intends to return to Earth, despite an order from the Alliance's Admiral Hackett.
This tough guy fails to see the bigger picture, Earth is lost for the time being and humanity will need the help of every species to save their homeworld. To prevent James from whining any further, Shepard can tell him to shut it upon activation of an interrupt during a scene in the Normandy's shuttle bay.
8 Ending The Reaper On Rannoch With Superior Firepower Feels Right
After discovering that there is a Reaper on the Quarian homeworld of Rannoch, Shepard has their ship's AI, EDI, sync up the targeting laser to the entire Quarian fleet in orbit of Rannoch. So when Shepard paints a target, a massive orbital strike will hit whatever target is in the Commander's sights. This targeting laser is used to take down the Reaper in question.
Once defeated, the Reaper unsurprisingly goes on about the destruction of all civilizations and how Shepard's doom is approaching. Activating the renegade interrupt during this conversation will have the Commander send one final strike down on the Reaper, silencing it for good.
7 Punching Elias Kelham Over And Over Is Cathartic
During Thane's loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2, Shepard and his Drell companion interrogate a man named Elias Kelham in order to learn the identity of an assassination target that Thane's son was hired to kill. Kelham seems to think he is untouchable, and that with his wealth, he will get his revenge on his interrogators. Kelham's arrogance is quite irritating, but luckily, there are several instances during the interrogation where Shepard can punch Kelham and knock him down a peg.
Turns out, Kelham is not so tough when a bit of force is applied, which is funny because it was Elias himself who invited Shepard to take a swing at him in the first place.
6 Finally Ending Udina Is So Worth It
Despite Donnel Udina being a constant political annoyance in the first two Mass Effect games, it came as a surprise to many when he ended up siding with Cerberus in Mass Effect 3 with the aim of taking control of the Citadel Council. When Shepard finally catches up with Udina during the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, humanity's councilor draws a gun on the other council members.
In this moment the player has the opportunity to activate an interrupt that will have the Commander shoot Udina and neutralize the threat to the Council while simultaneously getting a little pay back.
5 The Graphic Threat To The Clone And Brooks Is Oddly Humorous
After it is revealed that the main antagonist in Mass Effect 3: Citadel is in fact a clone of Shepard, the clone and their sidekick brooks attempt to trap Shepard and squad inside an iridium vault. Before the vault is sealed, Shepard threatens Brooks and the Clone. If the player chooses the renegade option, there will be a series of interrupts that have the Commander continue to divulge exactly what will happen to their enemy's severed heads once they are defeated.
Although this gruesome threat does not come to pass, it is still an amusing experience to hear Shepard spout such vulgar language to the people who are about to steal the Normandy.
4 Pushing A Mercenary Out A Window Is A Fun Interrupt
When recruiting the famed assassin Thane Krios in Mass Effect 2 on the planet Illium, Shepard sneaks up on an unsuspecting Eclipse mercenary. The mercenary is then questioned by the Commander but refuses to cooperate. One option is to convince the merc to divulge some information by telling him that a little information is not worth all the trouble they are going through.
A second, and more spectacular, option is to dispose of the mercenary by shoving him through the skyscraper's window upon activating a renegade interrupt. This scene is perhaps the most well-known renegade interrupt scene, and was often featured in Mass Effect 2's trailers leading up to the game's launch.
3 Shooting The Illusive Man Is An Intrguing Event
Similarly to Saren in the first Mass Effect game, players can convince the Illusive Man of the error of his ways in Mass Effect 3 which results in the Cerberus leader's suicide. However, if gamers choose not to talk down the Illusive Man, then they will be forced to trigger a renegade interrupt which has the Commander kill the Illusive Man themselves.
If the first interrupt is not triggered, then the Illusive Man will execute the Commander's longtime friend Admiral Anderson. Then if the second interrupt is not triggered, the Illusive Man will kill Shepard resulting in a mission failure. So the only option at that point is to shoot the indoctrinated Illusive Man.
2 Sergeant Cathka's Death Is Worth Watching
When recruiting Archangel in Mass Effect 2, Shepard will have to check in with the Blue Suns Sergeant, Cathka. When talking with Cathka, he will mention that he is repairing the Blue Suns' gunship which was damaged in a previous engagement with Archangel. Once the conversation is over, Shepard will have the opportunity to stab the Sergeant with a nearby tool, causing death by electrocution.
This interrupt results in yet another juicy one-liner, but also has the added benefit of preventing Cathka from completing his repairs on the gunship. So when Shepard has to fight the gunship later on in the mission, it will have reduced health, making this renegade interrupt both fun and practical.
1 Destroying Kai Leng's Sword In Cerberus HQ Is Satisfying
Kai Leng is a villain in Mass Effect 3 who is annoyingly overconfident, despite never being able to take down Shepard. The Cerberus agent takes pleasure in taunting the Commander, but is simply not skilled enough to defeat the first human Spectre (without gunship support at least). Therefore, when Leng is finally defeated toward the end of the game, it is incredibly satisfying.
An even more satisfying event occurs when Leng tries to sneak up on Shepard after being taken down and stab the Commander with his precious little sword. Shepard, being an eternal badass, sees this coming and if players choose to trigger a renegade interrupt, will counter Leng's strike by swiftly turning around and shattering Leng's sword before impaling the Cerberus operative with an omni-blade.
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