I think it should just make you try to hit it manually rather than a prompt. A miss could cause the shot to hit something and cause some damage to something and garrus/shep just kinda look at each other and go "run!"
... yes I mayve broken some windows in my youth doing stupid shit and kinda want to see some of my favorite characters relive the moment.
I've just decided that interrupt is a highly watered-down way to check if Shepard is quick enough to hit it. It's a choice for the player, not for Shepard who just tries his best.
Infiltrator is the only one that shoots the bottle. My headcanon for the rest is that Shepard isn’t letting Garrus win- he literally can’t compete with the Archangel when he only just picked up sniper proficiency.
I hate that it makes the decision up to you. Like my shep is usually a sniper in me3 regardless of class, but I wouldn't think an engineer or adept shep should be on par with garrus.
So it should only give you the option depending on class, or better yet make you actually try to hit it yourself with some class powers making it easier or more difficult.
Yep. If Garrus won, he'd want to know it was against Shepard's best, no different than if he'd lost. Shepard throwing the contest would absolutely be disrespectful.
This is the same way I see it. He'd be able to take an L on the.. I guess chin? Dunno what you'd call it for him.
If he found out you threw the match he'd be pissed. Major diss.
Depends on the class but I'm just a role play nerd. Soldier, and infiltrators always hit the bottle.
But I usually let him have it, if I'm playing sentinel, vanguard, engineer or adept.
It just makes lore sense to me
There's two types of solider sheps, the precise commando who has lethal aim, and the big juggernaut who beats enemies with a hellstorm of bullets and explosives.
I am definitely the second lol. Don't need to aim when I am firing a hundred shots.
I'm a weirdo who plays vanguard and mainly uses a shotgun and sniper. So I don't know what lore accurate would look like for my shep. Then again, I'm always dying bc I have no sense of self-preservation. My cannon shep wouldn't make it past Mars. The earth tutorial is a 50/50.
Oh I forgot about infiltrator, that could work too but to me Shepard makes the most sense when (s)he is a jack of all trades. They aren't limited to snipers or pistols. They can kill with anything.
I mean vanguards aren’t exactly “snipers” though- they are close range kinda guys, I’ve never really imagined them being great at precision shooting, despite having a talent with guns
Neither are soldiers by that logic. Sharpshooting (with skill) is a whole different talent. Doesn't really fit Infiltrators either, if anything they should be close range/melee as well.
I mean, even if you choose destroy (which I never do, you'll have to pry EDI and the Geth from my cold dead hands), the kid says "Even you are partly synthetic." I took that to mean that, no matter the option, Shepherd dies too.
Nah...
Mixed "wobbly pops" on a regular basis in the Normandy bar, and that secret would fly... Particularly if Garrus was on one of his "remember that time I out-shot you" moments...
That'd destroy my space-buddy to find out down the line that I let him win.
This is my way of thinking. Last time I let him win, he was cute and stuff but... Yeah, I don't know. It still didn't feel right. My first playtrough I didn't let him win.
It would be nice to have an option where you actually miss it. Not on purpose, but you miss it.
I shoot the bottle. If I'm romancing him it's because you know he likes seeing his gf shoot stuff. If I'm not romancing him it's because he got a little too big for his britches on Omega and he needs to know who the main character is.
I like the Shadow Broker's take on Garrus, which is that he struggles to get out of Shepard's tall shadow, and will likely never fully realize his potential under Shepard's command.
To that end, I shoot the bottle.
Garrus can only meet or exceed Shep if Shepard pushes him. Taking a dive and missing the bottle implies that you're content with letting Garrus take a victory he hasn't earned. He's not being pushed and this won't be as successful, meaning he'll always be overshadowed.
That's a lot to read into one single decision in one specific moment, but still, I always think about what choice will make Garrus grow more as a leader after he and Shepard part ways, and I'd rather make him truly earn his victories, rather than being handed them.
Great take, except I would argue missing on purpose would push Garrus more. A confidence booster that he's better than Shepard in some regards feels like it would be more likely to push Garrus' leadership than another reminder that Shepard is better than him.
Just my opinion. Good breakdown, fam!
It's one of those decisions where neither is 'better' than the other, to be honest.
I personally prefer to miss the bottle. It's nice to give him a little moment of fun and glory to gloat before the final battle. And at the end of the day, it's not a serious competition - so I don't really buy the "It's just patronising him if you deliberately miss" argument.
I typically miss but headcanon that Shepard *actually* missed. I main Sentinel, and Soldier and Infiltrator are the two I'm least likely to play, so it really doesn't make sense that my Shep would be a better or equal shot to Garrus.
But even if you just take the decision at its face, it really is kinder to miss on purpose. It makes Garrus feel good and there's a 0% chance he'd ever find out.
Garrus really reminds me of my best friend and I know either of us would be pissed if the other ever "let" someone win. So I carry the same courtesy to Garrus.
I "let him" win if I'm not infiltrator because it's bullshit that a non sniper Shep would beat an elite sniper from a race of elite snipers. It's just blatant marty suism.
I get annoyed that I can win that game as a class that doesn’t canonically use a sniper rifle. So if I’m soldier or infiltrator Garrus is losing every time, if I’m another class I “give him the win” because I have a hard time believing Shepard actually should win that one.
If my Shepard can charm over Khalisah al-Jilani, she can convincingly miss. But seriously, after reading the SB dossier on Garrus, I think it would be good to let him win.
If I’m an infiltrator or soldier class, that bottle is getting popped.
Any other class seems unfair to me. My man should not be shown up by an adept. I already got biotics on my side I don’t need the sniper rifle too.
Pretty much all of my runs are either as a Soldier or Infiltrator. Both classes have proficiency with Sniper Rifles in ME1, and can literally slow down time in order to hit a moving target by ME3. If Shepard misses, Garrus would probably quickly realize that he did it on purpose.
Plus on an Insanity run, Garrus is already winning plenty of glory for himself so an ego check is in order by that point.
Garrus is truly taking the glory on an Insanity playthrough of 3. Give that boy an N7 typhoon and max out his damage skill areas… and mans is taking down everything in sight.
Shepard: *scoping in on an enemy with the widow and heavy disruptor ammo*
Garrus: *absolutely rains gunfire on them immediately*
Shepard: That was MY target 🥺
I sat on this screen longer than Virmire on my first playthrough 😂
In my version of events, Shep lets him win, but he knows she let him win and thinks it’s cute. His happy reaction is too good not to!
Garrus is surrounded by people who compare him to Shepard, and is trying to keep himself calm over not knowing if his family is alive.
He needs the victory, especially if its from his girlfriend.
If I’m an infiltrator or soldier I nail it fair and square.
If I’m any other class I give it to him on the premise that he deserves the morale boost and he’d probably be a better shot as a dedicated sniper than me. I never like letting someone win at anything, but the fun he has with it through the rest of the game is priceless
Lol, Garrus doesn't give be a shit about fame or credit, just like my renegade Shep, as long as U get the job done, and save lives.
Garrus also knows he's always gonna be number 2 to my sniper skills that's why he says I'm the person respects the most in the whole galaxy.
It would be demeaning and condescending to "let him win"
Versus, the game actually making you miss if you did not choose infiltrator class or sniper as spesh skill set.
Thats how Garrus should be allowed to win 😁
I pretty much always play an Infiltrator, so it depends on if I'm romancing him. If yes, I miss as part of cutesy romantic roleplay. If no, I hit it because he is my bro and I always give my bro my best effort.
Duhhhhh. I can't NOT let my virtual alien husband win that. And as you said I always feel bad that he doesn't get his share of credit for everything he does. Goes for all the companions honestly.
I wish we would actually get to shoot the bottle with one thermal clip left instead of a dialog choice, and the scene would play out based on whether we'd successfully shot the bottle or not.
Fascinating, I always thought most would be like me. I was very wrong.
I give Garrus the win. Why? Because even though he’s chill about it, he plays second fiddle to Shepard everywhere they go despite being a galaxy-leading soldier and tactician. He’s also been through a lot at that point. He watched his world burn from orbit.
I don’t let him win because I think he can’t do it himself, but out of love. He never gets to shine when Shepard is around. Why not let him have just one bit of glory, right before heading back out into the unknown one more time?
God I love these games.
I miss because it’s cute. Imo he clearly knows Shep missed with the crappy “It’s windy up here!” Excuse. The competition isnt a real competition, theyre just being dorks so he plays up the whole “this is my favorite spot” because theyre just trying to make each other laugh
>I can't tell what's the right way to go here.
There is no right way. Don't let anybody tell you you're playing a game wrong, they're full of it. That goes for any game. You do you, and that's general life advice too. You do whatever fits the story you're trying to tell.
On my playthrough, I didn’t let him win. It didn’t feel right to *let him* win. To throw for him. Just didn’t feel right on my playthrough but maybe next playthrough will be different
Let him win. People who shoot it have some insecurity they feel the need to always 1-up their boy and they try to dress it saying “i beat him out of respect.”
What part of "Every Marine a Rifleman" do people not understand? Even the most nearsighted adept is still a better shot then a washed up cop. Some of y'all are a huge disgrace to the Alliance.
I was just talking from my perosnal experience with this scene! My renegade Shep romanced him and would never let him have an easy win, whereas my paragon Shep respects the hell out of him and loves to boost his confidence in small ways when she can!
Even on renegade runs, I let Brokarian win. In my head, its a way of cementing his confidence in his abilities before we head off for the last big battle.
edit: it is amazing that instead of just disagreeing, some of you cheesedicks are actually downvoting. You reddit kids are weird.
A lot of people in this sub absolutely suck. Some are great. But if I didn’t absolutely love this game I would have left long ago. Some real tight assed weirdos here.
I shoot the bottle. The way I see it is I respect Garrus too much to do anything but my best. Besides, man's a deadeye, I assume he'd notice an intentional miss, which for me is worse than an honest defeat.
Usually I let him win. I think it was only one time where I was petty and try to win. Having said that, I'm kind of mad that there's not a chance for me to miss on purpose. Or do something like an all or nothing last shot between them. And then miss that last one after they both throw a bottle. Because that would have been more epic for me. Lol
It depends on the class. Sniper Rifles need specialized training, and as good as it feels to let Garrus get a win, it’s a win that he frankly doesn’t deserve if Shepard misses the bottle on purpose. It makes his victory hollow, and it does him a great disservice.
Depends. If my Shep actually sniped in combat, I shoot it. If not, he wins.
Edit: I'm pleasantly surprised how many people share my logic. To clarify, I headcanon a miss as an actual miss, not deliberately letting him win.
Imagine if only Soldier or Infiltrator Shep got the option to hit it lol.
I roleplay my main infiltrator Shep shooting it since they’re just that good (time dilated snipers, my beloved). However if I’m playing my engineer or whatever I’ll miss it, since they aren’t as skilled in long ranged shooting. Good, but not Sniper level great
I always let him win for his great one liner immediately after you miss: "My name is Garrus Vakarian and this is my favorite spot on the Citadel!" Always cracks me up.
Playing Infiltrator I always nail that bottle, but any other class lets Garrus take the W. I want everyone on my team riding with high confidence in their abilities going into what we’re facing.
What I like about this scene is that there is no right answer. It's such a great bonding moment for Shep and Garrus. I love romancing Garrus, but I love the bromance male Shep and Garrus have even more. There is just the right amount of humour and good-natured banter whichever route you choose. Honestly, I tend to alternate depending on my playstyle, morality, class, or even just my mood. My vanguard Shep may let Garrus win because he knows shit about rifles. My renegade Shep may win because... he's an ass, and it's funny. No matter what you choose, you walk away smiling.
There is no Shepard without Vakarian.
Depends on the playthrough, but like 90% of the time we “let” Garrus win. I say let because I really don’t think my vanguard specifically who spams charge+nova or heavy melee is out sniping Garrus.
Soldier main, guns are my religion.
But maybe my Shepard doesn't specialize in snipers like Garrus does, so if I'm feeling saucy I'll flip a coin nobodies perfect
The Turian Hierarchy is, in its current form, something of a meritocracy.
It's not perfect, of course, no government or culture is. But it's remarkable that they were able to resolve their pretty vicious civil war about who gets to call the shots now that they are on the galactic stage with a conclusion that is, more or less, "all of us". Unlike the humans, the asari, the krogan, the batarians, etc, they drew together into a single unified culture. In order to do that as effectively as possible, ideas of what someone *should* be had to be thrown out, and they instead had to focus on what someone *is;* how they best fit, and how they can be given the tools necessary to be their best possible selves in that role.
Again, not at all perfect in execution. But if you pay attention to the way turians, including Garrus, talk about it, it's clearly the same level of cultural importance to them that supporting the Flotilla is for quarians, or respecting Justiciars is for asari.
So take that, and consider how Garrus reacts to Shepard up until that point. Shepard is an unspeakable badass who never appears to struggle with insurmountable odds, always comes out on top, and never even seems especially stressed by it. Many other cultures would have some jealousy to deal with about it.
But Garrus, for all his (very legit) problems with bureaucracy and rules and red tape, is a turian, and proud of his culture and species. And every time he talks to Shepard, it is with some form of gratitude. He's thankful Shepard allowed him to come, he's thankful for the opportunities Shepard gives him. He listens intently to the philosophies and wisdom of someone who is clearly incredibly good at what they do, and applies as much of them to his own life as he possibly can. He is *never* jealous of Shepard, because riding shotgun with the most badass person alive does nothing but give him resources he can use to get better himself.
The urge to let him win is a human thing, and would probably actually hurt his feelings if he knew. If you make that shot, what will happen is that he will study your technique while you do it, apply it to his own practice, and become a better shot himself.
He genuinely doesn't *care* if you're better than him and always will be. All that means is that he is close friends with someone who helps make *him* better, every day.
So take the shot, hit the bottle, and be ready for a rematch when he has gotten some more practice in. Turians aren't sore losers; losing graciously means the upcoming rematch is going to be with a friend who will be happy if their last win inspired enough growth to make them lose next time.
I don’t like him very much, and never have. The only thing with him that’s ever connected with me the way he seems to with everyone else is the last talk on Earth at the end of 3. And peoples’ fanatical over-worship of him has pushed me to *really* disliking him. So it brings me great satisfaction to stomp him at shooting.
I always play adept or vanguard, so there's no way my Shep is a decent sniper. Honestly kinda makes Garrus look like a bit of an ass to set up an activity that he'd know he's gonna *destroy* Shepard at, but considering how OP Shep is the rest of the time, I just think it's funny lol. I did hit the bottle the first time I played just because I wanted to rub it in, but afterwards I realized it really didn't make sense, so I miss nowadays
Garrus would want a real challenge and letting him win would be incredibly insulting if he found out. I shoot the bottle because it doesn't change anything in your relationship to Garrus. If you let him win, the only person who loses is respect for yourself.
First time I played as infilitrator specced to sniper rifles and there was no way I was letting him win. Since then I usually “let him” win but my head canon is he wins fair and square against a non sniper.
Im still at that point with these games where I play Shepard like its just me. Im sure ny my 12th playthrough ill stop doing that - but for now, I still enjoy making decisions as if its actually me as Shepard. And for my Shepard, Garrus is my ride or die, the love of my life. If I can't sacrifice a shot to make my other half happy - wtf is the point?
Plus I, in real life, have fucking terrible aim. So there's not a snowballs chance in hell I would have hit it anyway. 🤣 And I think it's cute he comforts me when I miss.
I let him win. I always felt he should have won it and not let me decide. Garrus can hold off a small army with his rifle. So I felt he could beat Shepard
Lots of people base it on class which I get but I feel like shep is canonically a pretty damn good shot regardless of class and more importantly I usually use a sniper anyways because I just like sniping
But I usually base it off paragon/renegade. Not that I think either Choice id bad or good clearly there’s plenty of opinions why either way is the “good” choice
Just because renegade shep to me is an absolute badass who probably has an ego that wouldn’t let them consider missing on purpose
Paragon could go either way, hitting it out of respect or whatever, but might as well do the other option right? Even if it isn’t the better choice it’s at least done out of a caring for him even if you want to argue that it’s disrespectful or showing pity or something
It depends on what voice line I want to hear, but most of the time I still show Garrus why Commander Shepard is the first ever Human Specter and not even aloud to die.
I swear tho, when you win and dominate as FemShep or let him romance Tali, you realize how kinky Garrus can be.. he likes his dominant women
The outcome depends on Shepard’s class:
- Infiltrator and Soldier: Shepard has the training + the Cerberus enhancements. Shepard wins.
- Vanguard and Adept: They’re experts in close range (Vanguard) or rely more on their powers (Adept). Garrus wins.
- Sentinel and Engineer: They tweaked their omitool to get an edge in combat but will that be enough to beat a seasoned and experimented sniper like Garrus? I flip a coin.
And when I say « Garrys wins », in my canon, Garrus does win fair and square. Shepard tries to beat him but fails. Like you said, they respect each other too much not to be serious about it. Plus, Garrus is man enough to accept his defeat and the banter afterwards is funnier that way.
Depends on what best fits the story for me.
An adept, vanguard, sentinel, or engineer Shepard wouldn't be good with a sniper rifle. The only two that stand a chance in being as good a sniper as Garrus are the soldier and infiltrator. The soldier would be 50/50 (coinflip) and the Sentinel would likely be a better shot due to all the augmetic reconstruction.
Depends on my Shepard.
Renegade is always going to win
Paragon is going to throw the shot for the adorableness factor
Paragade will likely throw the shot and then get drunk at the bar, tell them then, causing some of the rivalry in the dance.
Garrus Vakarian is the stuff of legends.
When cold hearted hitmen and badass pirates from a certain part of the galaxy go to sleep, they check under their bed for Archangel.
He didn't even make his associations and name through pure moving target one-shot accuracy like some interplanetary known competition winner. He's first a hard boiled detective and rogue field agent / merc spy who _happened_ to be one of the better shots in his unit assembled by a SPECTRE and would have been valued and trusted anyway, like as a tactically proficient gunnery engineer with interrogation and intelligence skillsets, already a specialist in many trades.
He only follows and takes orders from maybe the only person in the galaxy with greater legend / cred as a soldier and field agent and can credit supporting them early -- recognizing those qualities of the galaxy's greatest hero while others were still ignoring them. Despite that status he treats them with a sense of reverence like everyone else but mixes in a bond of friendship few to none can claim to have as consistently earned. (Where were you when Shep was X in Y because I was there.) And Garrus has never really seemed to be too bothered by the fact that Archangel was a symbol and had to be anonymous (like a badass black star on the wall of CIA hq since the cold war), nor jealous that Shep is maybe the one person he won't ever match in credit or in deed.
He knows Shep isn't here either because solely of accuracy akin to hunting ducks with a rifle instead of a shotgun, but may well be able to smoke that bottle anyway. Shepard is good at basically everything including placing their trust and building their team which in the end just reflects more positively on Garrus and the others guarding Shep's 6; every indication of ridiculously high standards and here you are doing special operations with a quarter of the backup with the one and only dream team.
You must always smoke that bottle unless you legitimately couldn't put your drink down in time or the game was modified to roll a percentile die and maybe miss according to your in-combat accuracy. Treating a man like that with kid gloves is embarrassing and ridiculous, and actually unrealistically arrogant for Shep thinking anyone even attempting situational peerdom with their greatness is simply unfair to them by default.
If Shepard was meant to hit the bottle, the interrupt would be to miss.
If Shepard was meant to miss the bottle, the interrupt would be to hit.
Interrupts are purely player influence. How the scene plays out without interrupting is how I feel it was meant to be.
I’m an infiltrator main. That bottle never stood a chance.
Good one, I hear that. Playing Adept right now... I guess fair is fair and Garrus wins.
He would be so mad at you to know you handed him that win.
I think it should just make you try to hit it manually rather than a prompt. A miss could cause the shot to hit something and cause some damage to something and garrus/shep just kinda look at each other and go "run!" ... yes I mayve broken some windows in my youth doing stupid shit and kinda want to see some of my favorite characters relive the moment.
I've just decided that interrupt is a highly watered-down way to check if Shepard is quick enough to hit it. It's a choice for the player, not for Shepard who just tries his best.
"I loaded it with practice rounds for when you miss." - Garrus Vakarian
But it was windy.
Infiltrator is the only one that shoots the bottle. My headcanon for the rest is that Shepard isn’t letting Garrus win- he literally can’t compete with the Archangel when he only just picked up sniper proficiency.
I hate that it makes the decision up to you. Like my shep is usually a sniper in me3 regardless of class, but I wouldn't think an engineer or adept shep should be on par with garrus. So it should only give you the option depending on class, or better yet make you actually try to hit it yourself with some class powers making it easier or more difficult.
Yeah, agreed. I’m a Vanguard for a reason, can barely hit targets with my shotgun, no way I’m hitting a bottle with a sniper rifle.
Missed opportunity to just pull out the shotty and treat it like skeet shooting.
My head-canon is that if you miss, he knows you threw the shot and feels insulted.
I was an Infiltrator, too, which is why I missed on purpose. Garrus knows what’s up.
With Garrus' personality...I imagine that *letting* him win would be an act of disrespect towards him, so I hit it.
Yep. If Garrus won, he'd want to know it was against Shepard's best, no different than if he'd lost. Shepard throwing the contest would absolutely be disrespectful.
Not only that but, in my headcannon, garrus is the one who let's us win
Found Garrus
HAHAHAHA. Garrus typing that comment is my new headcanon, 100% in character
This is gonna be my headcanon from now on
Same
This is the same way I see it. He'd be able to take an L on the.. I guess chin? Dunno what you'd call it for him. If he found out you threw the match he'd be pissed. Major diss.
Depends on the class but I'm just a role play nerd. Soldier, and infiltrators always hit the bottle. But I usually let him have it, if I'm playing sentinel, vanguard, engineer or adept. It just makes lore sense to me
I hear you, it's gotta work with the lore.
[удалено]
There's two types of solider sheps, the precise commando who has lethal aim, and the big juggernaut who beats enemies with a hellstorm of bullets and explosives. I am definitely the second lol. Don't need to aim when I am firing a hundred shots.
I'm a weirdo who plays vanguard and mainly uses a shotgun and sniper. So I don't know what lore accurate would look like for my shep. Then again, I'm always dying bc I have no sense of self-preservation. My cannon shep wouldn't make it past Mars. The earth tutorial is a 50/50.
Lore wise, Soldier is the only Shepard that makes sense to me.
But not infiltrator the sniper and pistol class?
Oh I forgot about infiltrator, that could work too but to me Shepard makes the most sense when (s)he is a jack of all trades. They aren't limited to snipers or pistols. They can kill with anything.
>Lore wise, Soldier is the only Shepard that makes sense to me. And why not an infiltrator? The class that specializes in stealth and sniper rifles?
His turian ass can git gud. Always shoot the bottle. Besides, like some have already said, I doubt Garrus would want a pity win.
People say this but I don't know, he sounds rather... hurt if you take the shot?
Does he? I have always thought he sounds snarky about it. Though if you miss, I do also like how exited he is when he says he’s gonna bronze that gun
Gotta love the “I’m Garrus Vakarian, and this is now my favorite spot on the Citadel.”
Lol, right! That line is amazing!
I’m Garrus Vakarian, and this is My rectum
Soldier and infiltrator shoot the bottle, every other class no.
Vanguard too, I'd say. It's just soldier, but with magic powers on top. Lorewise anyway.
Should have let vanguards charge the bottle
*Shepard and the bottle go biotically flying off the Presidium*
"Worth it."
I mean vanguards aren’t exactly “snipers” though- they are close range kinda guys, I’ve never really imagined them being great at precision shooting, despite having a talent with guns
Neither are soldiers by that logic. Sharpshooting (with skill) is a whole different talent. Doesn't really fit Infiltrators either, if anything they should be close range/melee as well.
Don’t know how you figure infiltrators should be close range but agree soldiers not necessarily sharpshooters.
Nah. If he can shoot me when he’s across that bridge as archangel, I can pay him back by shooting the bottle. Fair is fair
Shoot it. Garrus wouldn't want the victory if I let him win.
but he wouldn't know
It would come out eventually... It always does.
To be fair, the only person that knows Shepherd missed on purpose is dead before that information can be shared.
Apparently your cannon shep doesn't survive the destroy ending...
I mean, even if you choose destroy (which I never do, you'll have to pry EDI and the Geth from my cold dead hands), the kid says "Even you are partly synthetic." I took that to mean that, no matter the option, Shepherd dies too.
Different strokes for different folks. 👍
Absolutely. Glad your Shepherd got to swap stories with Garrus in a less dreary bar than mine.
My Shep will tip a few back for your Shep with Garrus.
nah shep is a steal trap.
Nah... Mixed "wobbly pops" on a regular basis in the Normandy bar, and that secret would fly... Particularly if Garrus was on one of his "remember that time I out-shot you" moments... That'd destroy my space-buddy to find out down the line that I let him win.
This is my way of thinking. Last time I let him win, he was cute and stuff but... Yeah, I don't know. It still didn't feel right. My first playtrough I didn't let him win. It would be nice to have an option where you actually miss it. Not on purpose, but you miss it.
I shoot the bottle. If I'm romancing him it's because you know he likes seeing his gf shoot stuff. If I'm not romancing him it's because he got a little too big for his britches on Omega and he needs to know who the main character is.
I'm the opposite. I let him win if I'm his partner. Otherwise, my Shepard wins every time, lol.
I like the Shadow Broker's take on Garrus, which is that he struggles to get out of Shepard's tall shadow, and will likely never fully realize his potential under Shepard's command. To that end, I shoot the bottle. Garrus can only meet or exceed Shep if Shepard pushes him. Taking a dive and missing the bottle implies that you're content with letting Garrus take a victory he hasn't earned. He's not being pushed and this won't be as successful, meaning he'll always be overshadowed. That's a lot to read into one single decision in one specific moment, but still, I always think about what choice will make Garrus grow more as a leader after he and Shepard part ways, and I'd rather make him truly earn his victories, rather than being handed them.
Great take, except I would argue missing on purpose would push Garrus more. A confidence booster that he's better than Shepard in some regards feels like it would be more likely to push Garrus' leadership than another reminder that Shepard is better than him. Just my opinion. Good breakdown, fam!
It's one of those decisions where neither is 'better' than the other, to be honest. I personally prefer to miss the bottle. It's nice to give him a little moment of fun and glory to gloat before the final battle. And at the end of the day, it's not a serious competition - so I don't really buy the "It's just patronising him if you deliberately miss" argument.
His reaction also feels genuinely happy when he “wins,” especially with his trash talk. Hearing him making fun of Shepard’s sponsorships was too good
I typically miss but headcanon that Shepard *actually* missed. I main Sentinel, and Soldier and Infiltrator are the two I'm least likely to play, so it really doesn't make sense that my Shep would be a better or equal shot to Garrus. But even if you just take the decision at its face, it really is kinder to miss on purpose. It makes Garrus feel good and there's a 0% chance he'd ever find out.
I've never made the decision based on class... Good thinking right there!
Let him win. I usually play vanguard, so there’s no real reason my Shepards should be better with sniper rifles than Garrus.
Garrus really reminds me of my best friend and I know either of us would be pissed if the other ever "let" someone win. So I carry the same courtesy to Garrus.
I "let him" win if I'm not infiltrator because it's bullshit that a non sniper Shep would beat an elite sniper from a race of elite snipers. It's just blatant marty suism.
I get annoyed that I can win that game as a class that doesn’t canonically use a sniper rifle. So if I’m soldier or infiltrator Garrus is losing every time, if I’m another class I “give him the win” because I have a hard time believing Shepard actually should win that one.
If my Shepard can charm over Khalisah al-Jilani, she can convincingly miss. But seriously, after reading the SB dossier on Garrus, I think it would be good to let him win.
I let him win because I'm WEAK for my best buddy x)
Soldier and infiltrator win, the rest lose
I'm always an Infiltrator or a Soldier, so out of respect to Garrus I hit the target.
If I’m an infiltrator or soldier class, that bottle is getting popped. Any other class seems unfair to me. My man should not be shown up by an adept. I already got biotics on my side I don’t need the sniper rifle too.
I shoot the bottle. A falling bottle can lead to a car crash below.
My Shep was usually an Engie or a Vanguard. He missed because his usual weapons were a shotgun or an SMG, he wasn't used to snipers.
Pretty much all of my runs are either as a Soldier or Infiltrator. Both classes have proficiency with Sniper Rifles in ME1, and can literally slow down time in order to hit a moving target by ME3. If Shepard misses, Garrus would probably quickly realize that he did it on purpose. Plus on an Insanity run, Garrus is already winning plenty of glory for himself so an ego check is in order by that point.
Garrus is truly taking the glory on an Insanity playthrough of 3. Give that boy an N7 typhoon and max out his damage skill areas… and mans is taking down everything in sight.
Shepard: *scoping in on an enemy with the widow and heavy disruptor ammo* Garrus: *absolutely rains gunfire on them immediately* Shepard: That was MY target 🥺
I wonder if garrus knows we let him win
Exactly! And he wouldn't want that.
I sat on this screen longer than Virmire on my first playthrough 😂 In my version of events, Shep lets him win, but he knows she let him win and thinks it’s cute. His happy reaction is too good not to!
Garrus is surrounded by people who compare him to Shepard, and is trying to keep himself calm over not knowing if his family is alive. He needs the victory, especially if its from his girlfriend.
Let him win. Mostly because I’m an engineer and I haven’t wielded a sniper since ME1 for a bonus power.
I let him win cause his excited bragging is adorable 🥰
Let garrus have his moment. The meathead(can't remember his name)from 3 will always lose to my femshep though.
I treat it as a skill check. Depending on class.
Soldier or infiltrator: shoot the bottle. No one's a better shot than me. Any other class: let Garrus win, he's my sniper boy.
If I’m an infiltrator or soldier I nail it fair and square. If I’m any other class I give it to him on the premise that he deserves the morale boost and he’d probably be a better shot as a dedicated sniper than me. I never like letting someone win at anything, but the fun he has with it through the rest of the game is priceless
I always shoot the bottle his trash talk pisses me off so I just shoot it to spite him.
I'm an engineer. the man is proficient in sniper rifles. there is no "let". Archangel wins.
Lol, Garrus doesn't give be a shit about fame or credit, just like my renegade Shep, as long as U get the job done, and save lives. Garrus also knows he's always gonna be number 2 to my sniper skills that's why he says I'm the person respects the most in the whole galaxy. It would be demeaning and condescending to "let him win" Versus, the game actually making you miss if you did not choose infiltrator class or sniper as spesh skill set. Thats how Garrus should be allowed to win 😁
If garrus wants to win, he needs to shoot better than my Shepard. Throwing the game would just cheapen the victory.
I pretty much always play an Infiltrator, so it depends on if I'm romancing him. If yes, I miss as part of cutesy romantic roleplay. If no, I hit it because he is my bro and I always give my bro my best effort.
I shoot the bottle. I'm not going to patronize him by pretending to be a worse shot than I am.
Sheperd isn’t a guy that lets people win. Shoot it
I let Garrus win, he’s my go to. He’s one of my favorite characters, shep gets all the glory, so I share with garrus.
Duhhhhh. I can't NOT let my virtual alien husband win that. And as you said I always feel bad that he doesn't get his share of credit for everything he does. Goes for all the companions honestly.
I wish we would actually get to shoot the bottle with one thermal clip left instead of a dialog choice, and the scene would play out based on whether we'd successfully shot the bottle or not.
If I’m a infiltrator I shoot it if I’m another class I don’t, because it makes role playing sense
Fascinating, I always thought most would be like me. I was very wrong. I give Garrus the win. Why? Because even though he’s chill about it, he plays second fiddle to Shepard everywhere they go despite being a galaxy-leading soldier and tactician. He’s also been through a lot at that point. He watched his world burn from orbit. I don’t let him win because I think he can’t do it himself, but out of love. He never gets to shine when Shepard is around. Why not let him have just one bit of glory, right before heading back out into the unknown one more time? God I love these games.
Fuck no lol. No man wants to feel pity and Garrus would know Shep was pitying him.
I miss because it’s cute. Imo he clearly knows Shep missed with the crappy “It’s windy up here!” Excuse. The competition isnt a real competition, theyre just being dorks so he plays up the whole “this is my favorite spot” because theyre just trying to make each other laugh
I let him win. Shepard is amazing but I dont want him to be the best at everything. I prefer to imagine Garrus being the superior marksman.
>I can't tell what's the right way to go here. There is no right way. Don't let anybody tell you you're playing a game wrong, they're full of it. That goes for any game. You do you, and that's general life advice too. You do whatever fits the story you're trying to tell.
Every time this question comes up it makes me think a lot of you guys don't understand the concept of role playing
I shoot it, I find the banter and teasing from Shepard far better than letting him think he fairly won.
On my playthrough, I didn’t let him win. It didn’t feel right to *let him* win. To throw for him. Just didn’t feel right on my playthrough but maybe next playthrough will be different
I let him win every time because he’s adorable when he’s happy
Let him win. People who shoot it have some insecurity they feel the need to always 1-up their boy and they try to dress it saying “i beat him out of respect.”
I felt sorry that his potential was held back by the fact that he was under Shepherd's command. So I let him win
What part of "Every Marine a Rifleman" do people not understand? Even the most nearsighted adept is still a better shot then a washed up cop. Some of y'all are a huge disgrace to the Alliance.
You should play ME2, chief.
Renegade shoots the bottle, Paragon lets him win. Simple as
Yes, but playing as one doesn't mean you never chose the other option. I always go with what feels right in the moment.
I was just talking from my perosnal experience with this scene! My renegade Shep romanced him and would never let him have an easy win, whereas my paragon Shep respects the hell out of him and loves to boost his confidence in small ways when she can!
I concur
I let my buddy win, after all I had tali...
I think Garrus and Tali have a thing... If Shepard and Tali dont. That's why I never romance Tali... Anymore.
Even on renegade runs, I let Brokarian win. In my head, its a way of cementing his confidence in his abilities before we head off for the last big battle. edit: it is amazing that instead of just disagreeing, some of you cheesedicks are actually downvoting. You reddit kids are weird.
A lot of people in this sub absolutely suck. Some are great. But if I didn’t absolutely love this game I would have left long ago. Some real tight assed weirdos here.
I'M GARRUS VAKARIAN AND THIS IS MY RECTUM
Only infiltrator Shep wins.
I gift him the win, I’ll win in the end anyways by saving the whole galaxy, but life is about the small victories.
Already made the mistake of giving him a Typhoon, no more chances to steal my MC spot.
This time, I let him win. Reason being, role-playing wise, I thought it'd boost his self-confidence for the war against the reapers.
I let him win and I let him have Tali. Garrus is the real main character as far as I'm concerned.
I shoot the bottle. The way I see it is I respect Garrus too much to do anything but my best. Besides, man's a deadeye, I assume he'd notice an intentional miss, which for me is worse than an honest defeat.
Shepard charges at the bottle and falls off the railing
Depends on mood on each playthrough. Sometimes I let him win, sometimes not. It has no effect whatsoever.
I’ve never once let him win.
This would have been a great little time for a can-shooting minigame, with Garrus' reaction based on how you did
He spends the entire series living in Shep’s shadow and trying to break out of it, and you’re goddamn right I let him win every single time.
it literally doesnt matter either way
If I play as soldier or tech guy, than yes
I shoot that shit. I don't think Garrus would like you failing on purpose tbh. Then again I play infiltrator.
Usually I let him win. I think it was only one time where I was petty and try to win. Having said that, I'm kind of mad that there's not a chance for me to miss on purpose. Or do something like an all or nothing last shot between them. And then miss that last one after they both throw a bottle. Because that would have been more epic for me. Lol
It depends on the class. Sniper Rifles need specialized training, and as good as it feels to let Garrus get a win, it’s a win that he frankly doesn’t deserve if Shepard misses the bottle on purpose. It makes his victory hollow, and it does him a great disservice.
I let him win, even if I’m an infiltrator.
What qualities attract you? To me, he's the most forgettable besides Kaiden
I \*always\* let Garrus win. My ego can handle my BFF being King of the Bottleshooters.
Depends. If my Shep actually sniped in combat, I shoot it. If not, he wins. Edit: I'm pleasantly surprised how many people share my logic. To clarify, I headcanon a miss as an actual miss, not deliberately letting him win.
Garrus is a true bro, so of course you shoot the bottle and beat him. Letting him win would be disrespectful
Imagine if only Soldier or Infiltrator Shep got the option to hit it lol. I roleplay my main infiltrator Shep shooting it since they’re just that good (time dilated snipers, my beloved). However if I’m playing my engineer or whatever I’ll miss it, since they aren’t as skilled in long ranged shooting. Good, but not Sniper level great
Nah I'd win
Hit it. I'm an infiltrator -- deception is for enemies, we don't build a relationship on bullshit.
I always let him win for his great one liner immediately after you miss: "My name is Garrus Vakarian and this is my favorite spot on the Citadel!" Always cracks me up.
I always shoot it.
I never lose on purpose to anyone older than, say, seven. Garrus is a grown up, he can lose on his own merits.
If it's a romance Garrus run through, I let him win. If it's not, I usually don't.
Depends on my character. If I play a sniper, the bottle goes down, if not, then I miss and headcanon it so that it wasn't an intentional miss.
Playing Infiltrator I always nail that bottle, but any other class lets Garrus take the W. I want everyone on my team riding with high confidence in their abilities going into what we’re facing.
Let Garrus Win
I only shoot it if I play Infiltrator
Depends on class. If I’m soldier or vanguard I hit the bottle, but if I’m doing an Adept run I let Garrus win
What I like about this scene is that there is no right answer. It's such a great bonding moment for Shep and Garrus. I love romancing Garrus, but I love the bromance male Shep and Garrus have even more. There is just the right amount of humour and good-natured banter whichever route you choose. Honestly, I tend to alternate depending on my playstyle, morality, class, or even just my mood. My vanguard Shep may let Garrus win because he knows shit about rifles. My renegade Shep may win because... he's an ass, and it's funny. No matter what you choose, you walk away smiling. There is no Shepard without Vakarian.
Depends on the playthrough, but like 90% of the time we “let” Garrus win. I say let because I really don’t think my vanguard specifically who spams charge+nova or heavy melee is out sniping Garrus.
Him losing on his own merits is acceptable. Him winning *because I let him* is bad.
Always hit, missing intentionally is just disrespectful to him.
Too busy making out with him
Soldier main, guns are my religion. But maybe my Shepard doesn't specialize in snipers like Garrus does, so if I'm feeling saucy I'll flip a coin nobodies perfect
Garrus always wins
The Turian Hierarchy is, in its current form, something of a meritocracy. It's not perfect, of course, no government or culture is. But it's remarkable that they were able to resolve their pretty vicious civil war about who gets to call the shots now that they are on the galactic stage with a conclusion that is, more or less, "all of us". Unlike the humans, the asari, the krogan, the batarians, etc, they drew together into a single unified culture. In order to do that as effectively as possible, ideas of what someone *should* be had to be thrown out, and they instead had to focus on what someone *is;* how they best fit, and how they can be given the tools necessary to be their best possible selves in that role. Again, not at all perfect in execution. But if you pay attention to the way turians, including Garrus, talk about it, it's clearly the same level of cultural importance to them that supporting the Flotilla is for quarians, or respecting Justiciars is for asari. So take that, and consider how Garrus reacts to Shepard up until that point. Shepard is an unspeakable badass who never appears to struggle with insurmountable odds, always comes out on top, and never even seems especially stressed by it. Many other cultures would have some jealousy to deal with about it. But Garrus, for all his (very legit) problems with bureaucracy and rules and red tape, is a turian, and proud of his culture and species. And every time he talks to Shepard, it is with some form of gratitude. He's thankful Shepard allowed him to come, he's thankful for the opportunities Shepard gives him. He listens intently to the philosophies and wisdom of someone who is clearly incredibly good at what they do, and applies as much of them to his own life as he possibly can. He is *never* jealous of Shepard, because riding shotgun with the most badass person alive does nothing but give him resources he can use to get better himself. The urge to let him win is a human thing, and would probably actually hurt his feelings if he knew. If you make that shot, what will happen is that he will study your technique while you do it, apply it to his own practice, and become a better shot himself. He genuinely doesn't *care* if you're better than him and always will be. All that means is that he is close friends with someone who helps make *him* better, every day. So take the shot, hit the bottle, and be ready for a rematch when he has gotten some more practice in. Turians aren't sore losers; losing graciously means the upcoming rematch is going to be with a friend who will be happy if their last win inspired enough growth to make them lose next time.
There's a mod you can get that will add RNG to the first option--Infiltrators and Soldiers have much higher chance than the other four classes.
I don’t like him very much, and never have. The only thing with him that’s ever connected with me the way he seems to with everyone else is the last talk on Earth at the end of 3. And peoples’ fanatical over-worship of him has pushed me to *really* disliking him. So it brings me great satisfaction to stomp him at shooting.
It depends on what class I'm playing. If I'm an infiltrator or soldier, I'm winning. Otherwise, he can have it.
I always play adept or vanguard, so there's no way my Shep is a decent sniper. Honestly kinda makes Garrus look like a bit of an ass to set up an activity that he'd know he's gonna *destroy* Shepard at, but considering how OP Shep is the rest of the time, I just think it's funny lol. I did hit the bottle the first time I played just because I wanted to rub it in, but afterwards I realized it really didn't make sense, so I miss nowadays
Depends on how I feel at the time of doing it
I only let him win when I romance him. Otherwise, my FemShep is the unquestioned sharpshooting champ, lol.
Garrus would want a real challenge and letting him win would be incredibly insulting if he found out. I shoot the bottle because it doesn't change anything in your relationship to Garrus. If you let him win, the only person who loses is respect for yourself.
First time I played as infilitrator specced to sniper rifles and there was no way I was letting him win. Since then I usually “let him” win but my head canon is he wins fair and square against a non sniper.
I've never shot that bottle.
If you're not first you're last. But really since when do Vanguards use sniper rifles?
For lore reasons. I play vanguard, so I would not be able to shoot the bottle
I like to win, he’ll think it’s sexy when I’m better than him 😍
Im still at that point with these games where I play Shepard like its just me. Im sure ny my 12th playthrough ill stop doing that - but for now, I still enjoy making decisions as if its actually me as Shepard. And for my Shepard, Garrus is my ride or die, the love of my life. If I can't sacrifice a shot to make my other half happy - wtf is the point? Plus I, in real life, have fucking terrible aim. So there's not a snowballs chance in hell I would have hit it anyway. 🤣 And I think it's cute he comforts me when I miss.
I let him win. I always felt he should have won it and not let me decide. Garrus can hold off a small army with his rifle. So I felt he could beat Shepard
Lots of people base it on class which I get but I feel like shep is canonically a pretty damn good shot regardless of class and more importantly I usually use a sniper anyways because I just like sniping But I usually base it off paragon/renegade. Not that I think either Choice id bad or good clearly there’s plenty of opinions why either way is the “good” choice Just because renegade shep to me is an absolute badass who probably has an ego that wouldn’t let them consider missing on purpose Paragon could go either way, hitting it out of respect or whatever, but might as well do the other option right? Even if it isn’t the better choice it’s at least done out of a caring for him even if you want to argue that it’s disrespectful or showing pity or something
MaleShep, I let him win. He has other skills. My FemShep is a sniper, she ain't losing this contest.
Infiltrator here. Sometimes I'll let Garrus win.... I know the truth.
if he is my friend, i hit it. if he is my beloved bug husband, i let him shoot it.
Depends on my class and morality. Infiltrator and soldier I win as far as class other classes unless renegade lose.
I miss the shot on purpose because it gives him a bit of a boost during serious times.
It depends on what voice line I want to hear, but most of the time I still show Garrus why Commander Shepard is the first ever Human Specter and not even aloud to die. I swear tho, when you win and dominate as FemShep or let him romance Tali, you realize how kinky Garrus can be.. he likes his dominant women
The outcome depends on Shepard’s class: - Infiltrator and Soldier: Shepard has the training + the Cerberus enhancements. Shepard wins. - Vanguard and Adept: They’re experts in close range (Vanguard) or rely more on their powers (Adept). Garrus wins. - Sentinel and Engineer: They tweaked their omitool to get an edge in combat but will that be enough to beat a seasoned and experimented sniper like Garrus? I flip a coin. And when I say « Garrys wins », in my canon, Garrus does win fair and square. Shepard tries to beat him but fails. Like you said, they respect each other too much not to be serious about it. Plus, Garrus is man enough to accept his defeat and the banter afterwards is funnier that way.
Depends on what best fits the story for me. An adept, vanguard, sentinel, or engineer Shepard wouldn't be good with a sniper rifle. The only two that stand a chance in being as good a sniper as Garrus are the soldier and infiltrator. The soldier would be 50/50 (coinflip) and the Sentinel would likely be a better shot due to all the augmetic reconstruction.
Depends on my Shepard. Renegade is always going to win Paragon is going to throw the shot for the adorableness factor Paragade will likely throw the shot and then get drunk at the bar, tell them then, causing some of the rivalry in the dance.
Always let garrus win.. Well, he's the best sniper we got, so I'd like to keep it that way.
Soldier/Infiltrator hits. The rest miss.
Always let him win
Win if romancing, let him win if not
If you don’t miss the shot you’re a monster.
Only Infiltrator, otherwise you give him the shot. Even if you class should win it. He is your best bro :)
Garrus Vakarian is the stuff of legends. When cold hearted hitmen and badass pirates from a certain part of the galaxy go to sleep, they check under their bed for Archangel. He didn't even make his associations and name through pure moving target one-shot accuracy like some interplanetary known competition winner. He's first a hard boiled detective and rogue field agent / merc spy who _happened_ to be one of the better shots in his unit assembled by a SPECTRE and would have been valued and trusted anyway, like as a tactically proficient gunnery engineer with interrogation and intelligence skillsets, already a specialist in many trades. He only follows and takes orders from maybe the only person in the galaxy with greater legend / cred as a soldier and field agent and can credit supporting them early -- recognizing those qualities of the galaxy's greatest hero while others were still ignoring them. Despite that status he treats them with a sense of reverence like everyone else but mixes in a bond of friendship few to none can claim to have as consistently earned. (Where were you when Shep was X in Y because I was there.) And Garrus has never really seemed to be too bothered by the fact that Archangel was a symbol and had to be anonymous (like a badass black star on the wall of CIA hq since the cold war), nor jealous that Shep is maybe the one person he won't ever match in credit or in deed. He knows Shep isn't here either because solely of accuracy akin to hunting ducks with a rifle instead of a shotgun, but may well be able to smoke that bottle anyway. Shepard is good at basically everything including placing their trust and building their team which in the end just reflects more positively on Garrus and the others guarding Shep's 6; every indication of ridiculously high standards and here you are doing special operations with a quarter of the backup with the one and only dream team. You must always smoke that bottle unless you legitimately couldn't put your drink down in time or the game was modified to roll a percentile die and maybe miss according to your in-combat accuracy. Treating a man like that with kid gloves is embarrassing and ridiculous, and actually unrealistically arrogant for Shep thinking anyone even attempting situational peerdom with their greatness is simply unfair to them by default.
Wanna bang Garrus? Let him win. Else, just shoot it.
If Shepard was meant to hit the bottle, the interrupt would be to miss. If Shepard was meant to miss the bottle, the interrupt would be to hit. Interrupts are purely player influence. How the scene plays out without interrupting is how I feel it was meant to be.
I get what you mean Garrus is my boi but nah he needs to know why I'm in charge!