Mass Effect Legendary Edition: What We Know So Far

The Mass Effect trilogy is compiled, remastered, and ready for Commander Shepard to come back once more!

That’s right! Commander Shepard is back along with the crew of SSV Normandy! Here is what we know so far about the beloved and yet controversial remastered trilogy.

Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 along with over 40 DLC is compiled and remastered in 4K Ultra HD to make Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is set to come out on May 14, 2021. The Legendary Edition is up for pre-order!

According to EA’s official article on the game, it will be available for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC —forward compatibility is mentioned. While for the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X, the article only mentions “targeted enhancements.” BioWare, video game developer of the series, confirmed that they do not have plans to release the Legendary Edition on next-gen consoles or even release a optimization patch as of writing this article.

The updates to the remastered trilogy are listed as — enhanced models, shaders, FX, lighting, and depth of field. But that isn’t all the changes that fans will experience from the remastered games. Commander Shepard comes with new customizations from improved hair to improved skin tones. While the gameplay improvements range from aiming to squad behavior. There is also other changes not mentioned on EA’s site, like Mass Effect 3’s ending and a Mass Effect 1 DLC getting cut from Mass Effect Legendary Edition.

Without spoiling the games, Mass Effect 3’s original ending was met with controversy and disappointment. An extended cut version of the ending was then released and according to IGN, it added “more context to those endings.” Multiplayer was also cut from Legendary Edition of Mass Effect 3 due to required logistics in order to enhance the single-player experience from the game, according to Polygon.

The Mass Effect 1 DLC that was cut from the Legendary Edition final product was Pinnacle Station. This DLC was originally for the Xbox 360. Pinnacle Station consisted of a new map and 13 combat situations that proved to grind player’s skills. According to IGN, “the DLC’s source code is corrupted beyond repair.” This is due in part that the DLC was developed by Demiurge—an external studio. BioWare had attempted to get the DLC’s original files from Demiurge. Demiurge did find the original files—but to no avail—Demiurge’s original files were also severely corrupted. The only way to bring back the DLC at this point would be to remake it from the ground up. But as IGN mentions, it would take another full six months and thus impractical.