The Ethereal assault on Earth was foiled by Colonel Jane Shepard. The Temple Ship taken intact, XCOM gained the capability to strike back against the Ethereals. However, Humans weren't the only species the Ethereals had set their sights on. For they were determined to make this cycle different.

The Reaper War has caused untold devastation and chaos across the galaxy as well as the largest military mobilization ever seen by the sentient species. Among those on the front lines of the war is Susan Rizzi, N7. Can she survive crazy missions, oddball team members, and an incompetent procurement department? And if she survives the war, will it be with her sanity intact?

Twenty-four years have passed since the Reaper War, and now Ria'Shepard, the adopted daughter of Shepard and Tali, sets off for her pilgrimage. Meanwhile a old enemy reemerges, forcing Shepard to take on his first Spectre assignment in five years to stop them. As both become embroiled in a conflict to control an ancient weapon, can either Shepard hope to save the galaxy once more.