Zaeed Massani is a walking scar. Honestly, that’s the best way to describe the co-founder of the Blue Suns who joins your crew in the Mass Effect 2 DLC, The Price of Revenge. He’s grumpy, he smells like cheap cigars and expensive ammunition, and his loyalty mission is one of the most polarizing moments in the entire trilogy. If you’ve played it, you know exactly why. You’re forced to choose between saving a bunch of innocent refinery workers or letting Zaeed hunt down his oldest enemy, Vido Santiago. It’s messy.
Most people approach the Mass Effect 2 Zaeed loyalty mission thinking they can just "BioWare" their way through it—you know, do the good thing and still get the reward. But Zaeed isn't Garrus. He’s a mercenary with a singular, violent focus. If you mess with his vendetta, he’s going to hate you for it.
Why Zaeed's Vendetta is Different From the Rest
Every squadmate in ME2 has baggage. Miranda has her sister, Jacob has his "ghost" of a father, and Mordin has the weight of a species on his shoulders. But Zaeed? Zaeed just has a grudge. It’s personal. It’s visceral. This mission takes you to the planet Zorya, a jungle world where the atmosphere is thick and the Blue Suns are everywhere.
Vido Santiago is the man who put a bullet in Zaeed’s head twenty years ago. Survival was a miracle. When you land on Zorya, you aren't just doing a job; you’re a witness to a two-decade-old blood feud. The pacing here is frantic. Zaeed starts a fire—a massive, industrial inferno—just to flush Vido out. He doesn't care about the consequences. He doesn't care about the collateral damage. He just wants Vido dead.
This sets up the ultimate Paragon vs. Renegade split. You can’t have it both ways unless you have a massive amount of Charm points saved up. Most players hit this mission too early and end up losing Zaeed’s loyalty because they tried to be a hero. It’s a harsh lesson in mercenary politics.
The Paragon Path: Saving the Workers
If you choose to save the refinery workers, the Mass Effect 2 Zaeed loyalty mission turns into a rescue operation. You have to navigate through the burning facility, rerouting extinguishers and clearing debris. It feels urgent. The music swells, the heat haze blurs the screen, and Zaeed is literally screaming in your ear the whole time. He’s furious. He thinks you’re weak.
While you’re playing firefighter, Vido gets away.
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Watching Vido’s gunship fly off into the horizon while Zaeed stands there, helpless and seething, is one of the most uncomfortable moments in the game. When the mission ends, Zaeed is pinned under a piece of fallen machinery. You have a choice. If your Charm (Paragon) score is high enough, you can basically yell at him until he realizes that his revenge isn't worth more than the mission to save the galaxy.
- Pro Tip: If you don't have at least four bars of Paragon reputation, don't even try the hero route if you want his loyalty. You’ll save the workers, but Zaeed will remain "unloyal," which significantly increases his chance of dying during the Suicide Mission.
The Renegade Path: Letting the World Burn
Then there’s the Renegade side. This is arguably the "canon" way Zaeed would want it done. You ignore the screams of the trapped workers. You step over the rubble. You pursue Vido with a cold, singular intensity.
It’s dark.
The payoff is a cinematic where Zaeed finally gets his man. It’s not a clean kill. It’s a fiery, brutal end for Vido Santiago. Zaeed is satisfied, or at least as satisfied as a man like him can be. He becomes loyal instantly. No arguments, no persuasion checks required. You get his "Mercenary" outfit (the blue one) and his specialized grenade power, which is actually quite broken if you build him right.
But you have to live with the fact that you let innocent people die for a mercenary’s personal vendetta. That’s the beauty of Mass Effect 2. It doesn't always reward the "right" thing with the "best" outcome.
How to Secure Loyalty Without Sacrificing Your Morals
A lot of players ask: Can I save the workers and keep Zaeed loyal?
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Yes. But it’s tricky.
The game calculates your reputation based on the percentage of available points you’ve earned in the areas you’ve visited. If you do Zaeed’s mission the moment you pick him up from Omega, your "available points" pool is small, making the check harder to pass. The smart play is to wait. Leave the Mass Effect 2 Zaeed loyalty mission until the mid-game, or even right before the Reaper IFF mission.
By then, you’ll have enough Paragon "clout" to tell Zaeed to shut up and fall in line.
The Importance of the Inferno Grenade
Why do we even care if Zaeed is loyal? Beyond just wanting to see the "good" ending, his Inferno Grenade is a powerhouse. In a game where armor and shields are your biggest obstacles on Insanity difficulty, a loyal Zaeed is a godsend.
The Inferno Grenade does three things:
- It panics unshielded enemies (crowd control is king).
- It melts armor faster than almost any other tech or biotic power.
- It has a massive area of effect.
If Zaeed isn't loyal, you lose out on the evolved version of this power, and you risk him taking a dirt nap during the final mission. In the "Hold the Line" segment of the Suicide Mission, Zaeed has one of the highest defensive values in the game. Keeping him alive and loyal is a statistical necessity if you want the "No One Left Behind" achievement.
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The Subtle Details Most People Miss
There’s a moment at the very beginning of the mission where Zaeed finds an old assault rifle. He calls it "Jessie." He talks to it. It’s weird, right? But it tells you everything you need to know. This man is broken. He has replaced human connection with hardware.
If you pay attention to the environment in the refinery, you’ll see Blue Suns logos everywhere. These are Zaeed’s people. He built this. Seeing him tear it down is a metaphor for his entire life. He builds things just so he has something to burn when he gets bored or angry.
Also, if you bring certain squadmates, the dialogue changes. Bringing Garrus or Tali results in some interesting commentary on the morality of the situation. They aren't exactly thrilled with Zaeed’s "burn it all" approach.
The Verdict on Zaeed’s Mission
Is the Mass Effect 2 Zaeed loyalty mission the best in the game? Maybe not. It’s shorter than Mordin’s and less emotional than Tali’s. But it is the most honest. It doesn't pretend that being a hero is easy. It tells you that sometimes, saving lives means letting a monster walk free, and punishing a monster means letting innocent people die.
If you’re looking for a clean, happy ending, you’re playing the wrong game. Zaeed is a relic of a violent past, and his mission is a reminder that Shepard is often just the person standing between two different kinds of evil.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Delay the Mission: Do not go to Zorya immediately. Build up your Paragon or Renegade bar to at least 60-70% to ensure you can pass the final dialogue check.
- Check Your Gear: The Blue Suns on Zorya use a lot of shields. Bring someone with Overload (like Miranda or Garrus) to supplement Zaeed’s fire-based attacks.
- Talk to Zaeed After: Once you're back on the Normandy, go to the trash compactor room (where he hangs out). His dialogue updates based on your choices, and it's some of the best world-building in the DLC.
- The "Refinery" Choice: If you are playing on Insanity, consider going Renegade just to guarantee the loyalty. The Suicide Mission is hard enough without a disloyal Zaeed dragging down your "Hold the Line" score.
- Use the Heavy Weapon: You’ll find a heavy weapon ammo refill near the end of the refinery. Don't hoard it. The final fight against the Blue Suns' heavy units is a great place to let loose with the Cain or the Collector Particle Beam.
Zaeed might be a "goddamn veteran" who complains about everything, but his loyalty is one of the most valuable assets in the fight against the Collectors. Just make sure you’re ready to handle the fire.
Final Practical Insight for Completionists
If you are aiming for a perfect save file to import into Mass Effect 3, Zaeed's loyalty is non-negotiable. A disloyal Zaeed has a very different fate in the third game, and you’ll miss out on a significant amount of War Assets. To maximize your outcome, always prioritize the Charm/Intimidate dialogue options at the end of the mission. If the options are greyed out, you simply don't have enough reputation. Reload an earlier save and come back after completing a few more planetary assignments. Consistency in your moral alignment throughout the game is the only way to ensure Shepard has the authority to keep Zaeed in check.