Is it wise to trust Aria T'Loak?

I encountered Aria in the bar on the Citadel, and she offered to lend her influence over the criminal/mercenary gangs if I was willing to solve a few problems for each gang or its leader.

I'm playing a full Paragon run though, so I'm trying not to be overtly evil.

Is it wise to trust Aria? Should I be encouraging and aiding these criminal organizations?

How much are they worth as far as War Assets are concerned if I help them? Will I run into trouble later on as a result?

Solution 1:

Is it wise to trust Aria?

Well, you certainly don't want to ...mess with her. But yes, trusting Aria's judgment is a good idea in this case. I'll have to check on the specific numbers, but I recall the combined force of these three gangs adding at least a few hundred points to your War Assets. And let's face it, unless a Paragon plans on asking the Reapers nicely to leave, they need all the help they can get - even if it is from miscreant scum.

Gaining the support of each of the groups can at first seem to put you in some situations that a Paragon Shepard might find disagreeable, but there are conversation options that will allow you to resolve the situations without you having to get your hands too dirty.

Solution 2:

Aria is, in fact, telling the truth when she says she has motivation to fight the reapers (ie. not get wiped out). Aiding Aria and enlisting the aid of the Blood Pack, the Eclipse, and the Blue Suns can all be done while staying as a paragon character. The player is not informed of any downsides or problems arising from recruiting these forces, and the actual strength of these three armies combined is 200.