Mass Effect 3's added multiplayer feature has caused a bit of confusion amongst players interested in the game's "perfect ending". A lot of the confusion stems from teh game's Galactic Readiness, which stays at 50% if you don't play the multiplayer or the iOS game, Infiltrator.
In an effort to clear up some of the confusion that arose as a result of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer and Galactic Readiness in relation to the singleplayer "perfect ending", BioWare's Jarrett Lee clarified exactly what determines the ending.
"You do NOT have to play multiplayer to get the best single-player endings," Lee told Mass Effect 3 players.
He did offer a bit of clarification, though.
Your ending(s) are determined by your "Effective Military Strength" (let's call it EMS for now) bar. Focus on that bar – that is your indicator of how well you will do in the end-game.
You can maximize your EMS just by collecting War Assets in the single-player game. There is a certain threshhold of these you would need to exceed (I can't get too specific) but I can tell you there are MORE than the required amount that can be gathered in the single-player campaign.
"Galactic Readiness" is a modifier you can improve by playing multiplayer. That is to say, if you play a lot of multiplayer, you will need less War Assets from single-player to fill up your EMS bar (ie it will balance out the requirements to account for you playing in both modes). Single-player game play does not impact that bar.
EMS = success. EMS can be maximized via collecting war assets alone, even if your Galactic Readiness is 50%.
Mass Effect 3 is the first time multiplayer has made its way into the franchise in the form of co-op wave-based missions.
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