Ilos
The Dead Prothean World
Ilos was a ruined Prothean colony hidden behind the secret Mu Relay, home to the Conduit and the buried truth of the Reaper cycle, reached by Commander Shepard in the race to stop Saren Arterius.
Ilos was once a verdant jewel of the Prothean empire, a world of magnificent cities devastated long ago and left a rust-colored ruin. Hidden behind the secret Mu Relay, it concealed the Conduit and the records of the Reaper cycle, and in 2183 it became the final destination in Commander Shepard's pursuit of the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. (Mass Effect)
A fallen golden age#
In the golden age of the Protheans, Ilos had been a verdant world dotted with the spires and arches of magnificent cities. By the modern era nothing of that splendor remained. The planet had been devastated by means unknown, its entire surface changed to the color of rust, and its atmosphere showed heightened levels of oxygen. Wildfires, presumably ignited by lightning, burned on its dark side, evidence that most if not all of its respiring animal life had long since died off. Its surface gravity remained a comfortable 1.17 standard G. According to the reawakened Prothean Javik, the world had been home to the extinct inusannon before the Protheans discovered and colonized it for themselves. (Mass Effect; Mass Effect 3: From Ashes)
The hidden world#
Ilos lay beyond reach for most of galactic history because it could be approached only through the secret Mu Relay, whose location had been lost. Saren Arterius required the relay's coordinates to reach Ilos, which was why he sought that information elsewhere, and the asari researcher Liara T'Soni, who had studied the Protheans, recognized Ilos as the place shown in Shepard's vision. (Mass Effect)
The Conduit and the race against Saren#
Once the warning vision recovered from Virmire was complete, it pointed Shepard to Ilos. The world held the Conduit, the key Saren sought, and reaching it first became the final stage of the hunt. Beneath the ruined surface lay archives that had survived the catastrophe, carrying the Protheans' hard-won knowledge of the Reaper cycle and the means by which one civilization after another had been harvested. (Mass Effect)
Aftermath#
In the years that followed, Ilos drew the attention of scholars and governments alike. Salarian researchers came to study its relics, and depending on how the Battle of the Citadel had ended, the Systems Alliance was reported either to be safeguarding their work or to be using its dreadnoughts as an intimidating presence in the Attican Traverse. The batarian government, for its part, pressed for access to the relics recovered from the dead world. Liara kept a painting of Ilos in her apartment on Illium. (Mass Effect 2)
Frequently asked questions
- What is Ilos in Mass Effect?
- Ilos was a ruined Prothean colony world, once a verdant planet dotted with the spires and arches of magnificent cities. It was devastated by means unknown, leaving its entire surface the color of rust, and it held the Conduit along with archives of the Protheans' knowledge of the Reapers.
- Why could Ilos only be reached through the Mu Relay?
- Ilos lay beyond reach for most of galactic history because it could be approached only through the secret Mu Relay, whose location had been lost. Saren Arterius needed the relay's coordinates to reach the world, which was why he sought that information.
- Who lived on Ilos before the Protheans?
- According to the reawakened Prothean Javik, Ilos had been home to the extinct inusannon before the Protheans discovered the world and colonized it for themselves.
- How did Commander Shepard find Ilos?
- Once the warning vision recovered from Virmire was complete, it pointed Shepard to Ilos. The asari researcher Liara T'Soni, who had studied the Protheans, recognized Ilos as the place shown in Shepard's vision, and reaching it became the final stage of the hunt for Saren in 2183.
- What happened to Ilos after the Battle of the Citadel?
- Salarian researchers came to study its relics, and depending on how the Battle of the Citadel had ended, the Systems Alliance was reported either to be safeguarding their work or using its dreadnoughts as an intimidating presence in the Attican Traverse. The batarian government pressed for access to the recovered relics.
Gallery
Images via Mass Effect Wiki
Sources
- GameMass Effect, BioWare, 2007
- GameMass Effect 2, BioWare, 2010
- GameMass Effect 3: From Ashes, BioWare, 2012
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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