You’re running through the Citadel, probably trying to track down a rogue diplomat or maybe you're just headed to Purgatory to see if Shepard’s dancing has improved (it hasn’t). Then you hear it. A technician named Alison is venting. She’s standing right outside the club, staring at a datapad, looking like she’s about to have a meltdown because the nightclub’s power grid is a total disaster.
This is the start of Citadel: Improved Power Grid, one of those "blink and you’ll miss it" fetch quests that Mass Effect 3 loves to throw at you. Honestly, it’s easy to ignore. You've got Reapers melting planets, so who cares if the strobe lights in a bar are flickering, right? But if you’re trying to squeeze every bit of War Assets out of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, you’re going to want to finish this one.
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How to Find the Schematics (The Free Way)
Most people miss this because they're too busy shooting Cerberus goons in the face on Tuchanka. During the mission N7: Cerberus Attack, you’ll eventually find yourself in a control room right in front of a massive ancient cannon.
Stop. Don’t touch the power controls yet.
Look at the console directly in front of the cannon controls. There’s a prompt for "Old Grid Schematics." Grab them. Shepard makes a little quip about it not being the kind of Krogan "relic" they expected, which is fair. These things are old Krogan tech—clunky, blocky, but built like a tank. Apparently, that’s exactly what Purgatory needs.
If you mess up and activate the cannon before grabbing the schematics, the mission ends. You’re locked out. Well, sort of.
The "I Forgot To Loot" Backup Plan
We’ve all been there. You finish the mission, get back to the Normandy, and realize you forgot the one shiny thing you needed. In Mass Effect 3, the Spectre Requisitions terminal in the Embassies is your best friend.
If you missed the schematics on Tuchanka, you can just buy them here for 1,000 credits. It’s a small price to pay for completionists, but honestly, why spend the credits when you can just pick them up off a desk for free?
Don't Wait Too Long
There is a massive catch with this quest. It has a strict expiration date. You have to turn those schematics in to Alison before you start Priority: Tuchanka.
Why? Because after the subsequent events at the Citadel (no spoilers, but it gets messy), Alison basically vanishes. If you haven't handed over the power grid plans by the time the coup starts, the quest will sit in your log, mocking you, until the credits roll.
Is the Reward Actually Worth It?
Let’s talk numbers. Completing Citadel: Improved Power Grid gives you:
- 1,000 Credits (basically just pays you back if you bought the plans).
- 30 Experience Points (pocket change).
- 5 Reputation (helps with those Paragon/Renegade checks).
- A boost to the Alliance Fifth Fleet War Asset.
That last part is the "real" reward. In the grand scheme of the Reaper war, one power grid upgrade isn’t going to stop a Harbinger. But those tiny incremental updates to your War Assets are what determine which ending flavor you get. Every little bit counts when the galaxy is literally on fire.
The Subtle Story Bit Most People Miss
The coolest part about this quest isn't the XP. It's the flavor text and the follow-up dialogue. If you hang around after giving Alison the schematics, you can overhear her talking about how the Krogan tech is surprisingly "solid."
She actually suggests donating a portion of Purgatory’s profits to a Krogan charity as a thank you. It’s a tiny, humanizing moment. In a game that’s usually about cosmic horror and genocide, hearing that a nightclub technician wants to send some credits to Krogan orphans because their 500-year-old power grid design saved her job... that's why we play these games.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your Journal for Citadel: Improved Power Grid before leaving for the Krogan DMZ.
- If you haven't done N7: Cerberus Attack, keep an eye out for the console near the big gun.
- If you already finished that mission and didn't get the item, run to the Spectre Requisitions terminal immediately.
- Turn it in to Alison outside Purgatory before you commit to the final Tuchanka mission.