- Jacob: The Gift of Greatness

Jacob: The Gift of Greatness

The last known location of Jacob's father was a planet called 2175 Aeia. He had been missing, presumed dead for ten years, but the distress beacon of the ship he was on has now been activated.

Speak to Jacob to accept the quest and then set a course through the Mass Relay, into the Rosetta Nebula, and towards Alpha Draconis. You will need to scan the planet 2175 Aeia to work out where to land a shuttle. Note that before doing this, you may want to mine the planet as it is rich in resources that can upgrade your character and the Normandy.

2175 Aeia:

Look for Survivors:

Take a moment to examine the fine vista on offer, before proceeding towards the downed ship, the Gernsback.

The ship Jason's father served on

Investigate the Partial Officer's Log to get an idea of the horrific things that have happened to the crew. You should also talk to the orange beacon up ahead. He tells you that the flora on the planet causes neural decay, and that Jacob's father, Ronald Taylor, was promoted to Acting Captain. Probe the beacon for any more information, and then double back to investigate the innards of the Gernsback.

Find Ronald Taylor:

Inside the Gernsback are a Doctor's Log, another two Partial Crew Logs, and a PDA. From these it is clear that many of the crew were forced to eat the planet's plants that cause neural decay, and some have taken advantage of this. We still do not have the full picture, however, so head back out the way you came in and salvage the Spare Parts directly ahead. Continue back on the sandy path, past the beacon, and a woman will come stumbling out in front of you.

She tells you about the exiled Hunters, who are now obsessed with destroying Taylor and all those who follow him. A Hunter will emerge and aim a shot at the woman. You can use a Paragon interrupt to save her life, if you wish. Following this, you will have to fight the Hunters. They don't pose too much of a threat, but stay in cover and pick them off using Incendiary ammo or other attacks effective against unshielded enemies.

Deal with the initial wave of Hunters

With the area clear, you can proceed. On the left of where the Hunters took up cover are some Spare Parts to scavenge.

Examine the Stripped Mech on the path by the coast, and continue on into the settlement ahead. The people in the settlement, all women, recognise Jacob's face, and fear it. Speak to all the survivors, and examine the Statue in the middle of the settlement. There are also some Spare Parts to salvage at the back of the area, and a PDA on a crate on the rim of the centre of the settlement. When you move forwards, some LOKI Mechs will attack, having detected your weaponry. For the best results, use a Sniper Rifle to decapitate them from range.

Once the LOKI Mechs are dealt with, push on and you will come across the Doctor who left the log message inside the Gernsback. She gives Jacob the crew logbook. Inside, it shows that all the male crew were exiled, and the each woman assigned to an officer. Jacob's father acted intelligently initially, preserving the food for the officers so that they would have time to build the beacon before mental decay set in. Once he realised the power he held, however, he turned the Mechs on his other officers, not wanting to activate the beacon and leave all he had gained on the planet.

Confront Taylor:

You will come to a Mech by a barricade ahead. Hack into it to trigger a five-second delayed explosion. This clears the path; just make sure you're out of harm's way.

Rig the Mech to explode

Examine the Dead Bodies on the route ahead. LOKI Mechs will attack as you reach the top of the slope. Once you move into the main area, more will engage you. They should still be easily taken care of, allowing you to scavenge the Spare Parts and collect the Heavy Pistol upgrade in the area. Move on when ready, battling through more Mechs. Around the corner more will attack, but it's when you reach Taylor's location that things get serious. Use the Medical Station just before entering the main compound and salvage the Spare Parts and collect the Power Cells.

You now have to fight Brainwashed Guards, who are more intelligent and deadly than the LOKI Mechs. Taylor also has a YMIR Mech, which obviously poses the greatest risk to your mission. Flank around the outside of the central ring of crates to get angles on the guards and YMIR Mech. Use your heavy weaponry and Overload abilities to take down the shield of the Mech before finishing off its armour and health.

The YMIR Mech can be deadly in such a tight area

Once you have successfully defeated Taylor's last line of defence, collect the Refined Element Zero, access the PDA near the door out of the compound, and then move through it. Talk to Taylor once you reach him.

He tries to play the innocence card, pretending that his mechs were just programmed to defend him and not attack you specifically, and that everyone else turned on him. You can choose how to deal with Ronald Taylor, whether leniently or severely, but Jacob will be happy for your help either way. Jacob is angry that the Illusive Man appears to have leaked the information about Jacob's father to him, but in reality it was Miranda.