In the Mass Effect universe, the galaxy is united into a broad and diverse community, and the beating heart of that community is the Citadel.

This ancient station was first discovered by the Asari, and many races have since joined them on this marvel of engineering. While the Presidium is the home of the Council, the five great arms of the Citadel are where the wards can be found, and that's where the real action is. Not even Sovereign's Geth invasion of 2183 could keep the wards down for long; they fixed themselves up and continued life as normal.

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Local Sights

It doesn't take long for the player to get a feel for the wards. After meeting with the Council early in Mass Effect, Commander Shepard can start exploring the Presidium and the ward alike. The wards are home to a bit of everything. There, Shepard can visit shops to buy upgrades and items, and more than a few entertainment zones can be found here too, such as the gentleman's club Chora's Den and the upbeat nightclub/casino hybrid Flux. While standing before a great window, Shepard can get a panoramic view of the Citadel's scale and see the cityscape stretch for miles into space. And this is just one of the five wards. The scale of it all is beyond anything humans have achieved thus far, reminding Shepard that humanity is a newborn taking its first steps onto the galactic stage.

Mass Effect 2 fleshes out the wards in even greater detail and gives them a bit more personality. By now, the Geth attack has prompted tighter security, and Shepard fails a safety screening. Shepard visits a local C-Sec branch, run by the human officer Armando-Owen Bailey. This is a no-nonsense C-Sec officer who has Alliance navy experience, and he is fully aware that the wards are rife with crime. His response is to be just as tough as the criminals surrounding him, but he does have the patience to work with Shepard. Bailey is also a bit corrupt, setting the tone for the wards: he made a deal with the powerful crime boss Elias Kelham, granting him immunity in exchange for a limit on how rowdy Elias gets.

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The way Bailey puts it, the wards are the scene of crimes like drug deals, fights and murder, but it's not all bad down here. Shepard is in the Zakera ward, which has more than a few attractions for tourists and locals alike. The Dark Star Lounge can be found here, a popular nightclub and bar that Shepard may visit (and get dangerously drunk on ryncol). There's also a video game shop here, not to mention countless souvenir shops where Shepard can guy exotic fish, a space hamster and model ships for the captain's quarters aboard the Normandy. Restaurants and upgrade shops help round out the Zakera ward.

Missions On The Wards

Commander Shepard's first major mission on the Citadel is to find evidence of Saren's complicity in the Eden Prime attack. The Council is defending him, so Shepard pursues some leads on the wards, such as the C-Sec agent Garrus Vakarian, as well as Fist the crime boss. Before long, Shepard comes to realize that a wandering Quarian is key to finding evidence of Saren's wrongdoing, and everyone is after her. The Quarian (Tali) went to Fist to meet with the Shadow Broker and sell that evidence, but Fist decided to give her up to Saren instead. Shepard intervenes, and they rescue Tali. She provides the evidence on Saren, and the Council agrees that Saren must be taken down.

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In Mass Effect 2, a few loyalty missions take place on the wards, specifically on the Zakera ward. There, Shepard may meet with Bailey to find leads on Thane's wayward son Kolyat, leading the team to question Mouse the rogue, then capture Elias Kelham and interrogate him. Kelham reveals that he hired Kolyat to assassinate a Turian political candidate named Joram Talid, so Shepard and Thane sneak through the bustling Zakera ward to track Joram to his apartment and intercept Kolyat. Garrus also visits the Zakera ward with Shepard to track down Sidonis and kill him. Shepard and Garrus fight the Blue Suns in a factory, then corner Harkin (going by Fade) to find Sidonis.

In Mass Effect 3, meanwhile, Shepard can visit the more scenic areas of the wards, such as the Silversun Strip (featured in the Citadel DLC). This lively place is home to arcades, shooting simulators, restaurants and dance clubs, and Shepard can meet many friends and associates there, from Javik to Jacob and Zaeed.

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