During the end sequence when Shepard is running towards the beam, he gets blasted by Harbinger's laser. From this point on, Shepard is barely able to move and has to slow walk the rest of the way. At one point, he replies to Anderson saying he feels like death.
I'm just curious if you think he (or she) sustained fatal injuries from the blast. I know Marauder Shields also shoots Shepard in the shoulder area. Was Shepard bleeding out on his or her way trying to find Anderson? What do you think?
Shield gate saved him 
I say that scene was crap. How is it that Shepards armor is blown off her/his body, but yet the bodies seen in that area still have the armor on? Shepard should be nothing but a black mark on the ground. From the time Shepard runs to the beam till the what-the-crap evac scene, my Shepard was shot x amount of times, but its only that last one that does any damage. Yeah right. Whatever.
As far as the injuries go, hard to say. I believe Shepard is dead or very near death when she/he arrives after traveling in the beam that a defibrillator activated to wake Shepard up. The wound in her/his stomach on the left side could be a piece of shrapnel. Interesting that its the same spot that Anderson is shot
I don't see any reason for Shepard to be injured at all. Why not have Shepard go up the beam uninjured except that the beam disabled his/her shields?
I think Shepard wasn't hit by the beam per se. My view is that he was caught in the blast of a vehicle that exploded when it was hit by the beam.
Getting shot in the shoulder can knock you down, though it isn't likely to kill you if you have a suitable pressure plate over it. Also, Shepard's body has been extensively modified. It's likely his blood has been artificially tuned to clot faster. It's not an altogether unbelievable change, and given the nature of his augmentations (which isn't given a lot of looking at), probably likely.
I should add that had Anderson helped Shepard kill the husks and marauder, Shepard might not of been shot in the shoulder.
Because IT believers always forget that Shepard was injured by the beam. OMG! Dat bleeding on the left abdomen tho!
I say that scene was crap. How is it that Shepards armor is blown off her/his body, but yet the bodies seen in that area still have the armor on? Shepard should be nothing but a black mark on the ground. From the time Shepard runs to the beam till the what-the-crap evac scene, my Shepard was shot x amount of times, but its only that last one that does any damage. Yeah right. Whatever.
As far as the injuries go, hard to say. I believe Shepard is dead or very near death when she/he arrives after traveling in the beam that a defibrillator activated to wake Shepard up. The wound in her/his stomach on the left side could be a piece of shrapnel. Interesting that its the same spot that Anderson is shot
I don't see any reason for Shepard to be injured at all. Why not have Shepard go up the beam uninjured except that the beam disabled his/her shields?
Yeah, I think having such extensive damage in the end is pretty unnecessary. If anything, I think that during the beam run, it should basically require you to make it to the beam while dodging Harbinger's blasts, and if you get caught, it's game over. I mean, on the Citadel, the Illusive Man already has a defense mechanism in his motor control powers, so it's not like it make any real difference if Shepard is completely fine, or even fully armed.
Because IT believers always forget that Shepard was injured by the beam. OMG! Dat bleeding on the left abdomen tho!
I thought the IT point was that Shepard should have been evaporated by the beam?
And because IT believers had their Shepards run to the beam and get hammered by Harbinger several times along the way. I'm talking direct hits, even directly in the head, yet nothing happened to Shepard. Then all of a sudden boom. The magic hit that burns all of Shepard's armor off. And to think an exploding vehicle would cause more damage? I don't think so.
Then Shepard staggers to the beam and gets shot by the final boss, Marauder Shields. Then shoots him with a pistol that never runs out of thermal clips, even though every single Carnifex in the game ran out after six shots or so. Then Shepard is in hostile territory. The keepers are cataloging and processing dead humans. Shepard's bullets do nothing. Then the confrontation with The Illusive Man. Then ... that ... glowy thing.
Nothing made sense during the beam run.... water was running uphill. Shrubbery was growing under where the road level would have been. Too many things in the story didn't make any sense.
But.... art.
I think Shepard wasn't hit by the beam per se. My view is that he was caught in the blast of a vehicle that exploded when it was hit by the beam.
Getting shot in the shoulder can knock you down, though it isn't likely to kill you if you have a suitable pressure plate over it. Also, Shepard's body has been extensively modified. It's likely his blood has been artificially tuned to clot faster. It's not an altogether unbelievable change, and given the nature of his augmentations (which isn't given a lot of looking at), probably likely.
That was my take on that scene as well...that Shepard didn't take a direct hit, but was wounded by being in close proximity to a blast / shrapnel.
During the end sequence when Shepard is running towards the beam, he gets blasted by Harbinger's laser. From this point on, Shepard is barely able to move and has to slow walk the rest of the way. At one point, he replies to Anderson saying he feels like death.
I'm just curious if you think he (or she) sustained fatal injuries from the blast. I know Marauder Shields also shoots Shepard in the shoulder area. Was Shepard bleeding out on his or her way trying to find Anderson? What do you think?
Lots of speculations for everyone 
Originally Bioware meant for Shepard to die. That last shot by Maurader Shields wasn't a killing shot (it was a shoulder hit that morphed to a gut wound later) and the beam is not meant to kill anyone. It's a transportation mechanism. But with a gut wound bleeding out is guaranteed and of course... RGB was originally meant to kill Shepard with finality. <!@# @#@!#!!>
At any rate, IIRC, Bioware (during a panel session) had said they wanted Shepard to die, but found it was too depressing, so they added the breath scene to Destroy with High EMS.
To OP: Harby's beam just burned Shepards armor off her body. Too incredible to believe, right? ... Yup.
Shepard's fine. Because Harbinger missed.
*rewatches footage of Harbinger bulls-eyeing womp rats with ease*
EDIT: Oh right. I nearly forgot. Harbinger missed twice. The first time was when it cratered the ground right in front of Shepard's transport truck instead of cratering the actual transport.
One could be led to believe that Harbinger did that on purpose... 
To OP: Harby's beam just burned Shepards armor off her body. Too incredible to believe, right? ... Yup.
Yes... Which is why it's plausible to say that one of the trucks close to Shepard exploded, and Shepard was caught in the blast of that truck.
And because IT believers had their Shepards run to the beam and get hammered by Harbinger several times along the way. I'm talking direct hits, even directly in the head, yet nothing happened to Shepard. Then all of a sudden boom. The magic hit that burns all of Shepard's armor off. And to think an exploding vehicle would cause more damage? I don't think so.
Then Shepard staggers to the beam and gets shot by the final boss, Marauder Shields. Then shoots him with a pistol that never runs out of thermal clips, even though every single Carnifex in the game ran out after six shots or so. Then Shepard is in hostile territory. The keepers are cataloging and processing dead humans. Shepard's bullets do nothing. Then the confrontation with The Illusive Man. Then ... that ... glowy thing.
Nothing made sense during the beam run.... water was running uphill. Shrubbery was growing under where the road level would have been. Too many things in the story didn't make any sense.
But.... art.
Beam run itself is ok, but from the moment when Harbinger says ... and shoots Shepard, from that moment on there is a disconnect that is visible from Tuchanka.
It is made intentionally like that and it isn't changed after extended cut.
In the EC Harbinger says "Save Us" or "Serve Us" before blasting Shepard. Yeah, I remember that. Indoctrination Theory? They stoked the fires.
I want to try to avoid the IT if at all possible in this thread. I believe it's already been debunked by Bioware themselves if memory serves. My question was in regards to Shepard's extensive injuries, but more specifically his or her abdomen area that seems to be bleeding profusely. After Shepard collapses from what I assume to be loss of blood, he or she then wakes up and is able to carry on a conversation with the Catalyst and then make a decision. That is where the disconnect is for me right now. I'm okay with believing that Shepard did not take a direct hit from Harbinger's beam and instead took some shrapnel in the abdomen. It is what happens after the collapse that is confusing.
I can see why they'd want Shepard injured and barely standing by the end. The trope is as old as time.
But it was of course a dumb way to do it. As was most of the endgame content.
The damage should've been progressive, accumulating during the battle. Which would've required a reworking of the entire final mission.
Of if that's too tall an order have a legion of mooks/elite mooks guard the beam, not freakin Harbinger. Shepard and co rush them in a cutscene, taking hits along the way. They break through but it costs them, both squad members are incapacitated and Shepard is in much the same condition we see him in now.
Or he makes it to the beam just fine (everyone else can get stopped by Reaper forces) but something happens in transit that fucks him up.
No.
You actually don't see anything but only full screen light just before the beam reach Shepard.
So no one can confirm that Shepard was hit by Reapers beam because no one can actually see it happen.
This could be a trick from BIoware or the start of indocrination procedure. Or perhaps the moment where the Reaper posess Shepards mind. Or both, i don't know.
You think that is only a "blockbuster" effect so often used in sci-fi movies when something "myterious" or "inhuman" happens ?
So Shepard walks critically wounded to the Conduit and you can't see oily shadows but real blood on the edges of the screen.
Only way he survived in space that he is inside an active mass effect field. Remember the derelict Reaper in ME2.
To OP: Harby's beam just burned Shepards armor off her body. Too incredible to believe, right? ... Yup.
During the American Revolution in a failed assault on rebel fortifications on Sullivan's Island, the British Admiral Sir Peter Parker had his trousers shot off in a close call with cannon ball that had struck his ship, but other than the loss of dignity was mostly unharmed.
It's not beyond the realm of possibility. Similar things have actually happened in war, and the above isn't the only example.
I want to try to avoid the IT if at all possible in this thread. I believe it's already been debunked by Bioware themselves if memory serves. My question was in regards to Shepard's extensive injuries, but more specifically his or her abdomen area that seems to be bleeding profusely. After Shepard collapses from what I assume to be loss of blood, he or she then wakes up and is able to carry on a conversation with the Catalyst and then make a decision. That is where the disconnect is for me right now. I'm okay with believing that Shepard did not take a direct hit from Harbinger's beam and instead took some shrapnel in the abdomen. It is what happens after the collapse that is confusing.
You can't, because of this....
You actually don't see anything but only full screen light just before the beam reach Shepard.
So no one can confirm that Shepard was hit by Reapers beam.
This could be a trick from BIoware or the start of indocrination procedure. Or perhaps the moment where the Reaper possess Shepard's mind. Or both, i don't know.
You think that is only a "blockbuster" effect so often used in sci-fi movies when something "mysterious" or "inhuman" happens ?
So Shepard walks critically wounded to the Conduit and you can't see oily shadows but real blood on the edges of the screen.
Only way he survived in space that he is inside an active mass effect field. Remember the derelict Reaper in ME2.
See, by debunking IT (Indoctrination Theory), Bioware has to embrace BWT (Bad Writing Theory). The series went into symbolic mysticism at the end with the "elevator," fade to white, and Shepard waking up in the decision chamber. This was so disjointed from the rest of the series that it left most people thinking WTF?
So if IT = false, then BWT = true.
What is odd is that Harbinger fires his beam into the ground towards the area Shepard is at whereas he fires rapidly at all the other targets before that scene happens. It also happens if ems is below 1900. The beam is fire into the ground heading towards the 2 squadmates who end up being vaporized
In the EC Harbinger says "Save Us" or "Serve Us" before blasting Shepard. Yeah, I remember that. Indoctrination Theory? They stoked the fires.
I hear something not even remotely close to "Save-Serve Us" When I made my short ME4 teaser few days ago, I have gone many timeos over that part and it sounds like "Thanatos" which would be fitting.
Would be cool if the last part was a near death experience, a dream, precognition, warning, even IT. That last part is standing out greatly especially because it wasn't overwritten with extended cut. (unlimited ammo, blue option being what illusive man would choose, 4 bad choices etc)
Anyway here is the short teaser i'm talking about, part with Harbinger sound at the end
Two things:
1. You don't need the Indoctrination Theory/Thesis to explain Harbinger repeatedly "winging" Shepard instead of obliterating him. Immediately flying away back to space and FTL'ing at max speed along the z-axis of the galaxy would also allow Harby to outrun the coming blast waves of the literal ending. Superior FTL speeds + head start + fore knowledge = Harby could be back and without an umbrella AI to leash him. Granted, that's a conspiracy theory. It may be folly to try understand the actions and motivations of an ancient Reaper.
2. IIRC Shepard didn't appear to have a gut wound until after Anderson dies. As if being fried crispy isn't enough to kill a person. Well, ignoring IT again and the apparent wound transferal from Anderson, what you have to have is a gut wound that opens up during or immediately after the confrontation with the Illusive Man. Shepard has at this point been fried crispy, shot in the shoulder, and tossed about at least twice. It's not outside the realm of possibility that an internal injury became an external injury given the total damage.
....but it's still weird.
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