Enjoy the remastered trilogy for less for a limited time! One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes s
Enjoy the remastered trilogy for less for a limited time!
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced.
Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and DLC from Mass Effect™, Mass Effect™ 2, and Mass Effect™ 3, plus promo weapons, armors, and packs – remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD.
Hey, everyone, Every November 7th, we’ve all come together—developers, superfans, regular fans, kinda-fans—to celebrate (and speculate about!) the games, stories, and community that make Mass Effect so special. It’s a testament to the long-lasting appeal of this universe and the
Hey, everyone,
Every November 7th, we’ve all come together—developers, superfans, regular fans, kinda-fans—to celebrate (and speculate about!) the games, stories, and community that make Mass Effect so special. It’s a testament to the long-lasting appeal of this universe and the characters who call it home. Eleven years of N7 Days and sixteen years of Mass Effect later, the franchise continues to inspire our development team, and with each day, gives us the opportunity to create more adventures for you to have. Whether it’s one of the many who have been here since the original game’s launch or those recently joining us at BioWare, we are all incredibly lucky to be envisioning this future.
That process is equal parts rewarding and challenging. We’ve asked ourselves many of the same questions you’ve asked us over the years! What happened to everyone you know and love in the games? Who really died? Who had kids with whom? What does a baby volus sound like? What about all the galaxies? The endings! What the heck is going on with our asari scientist-turned-Shadowbroker? What about S— nevermind...you get the idea. And of course, to those questions, there are answers, but you’ll have to wait to hear them. And anything we do say won’t be easy to find, just like you’ve come to expect from our #N7Day teases.
But for real… thank you. Thank you for everything, and allowing us to do what we do. We approach the future of this universe with gratitude and deep respect. Respect for you—the community. Respect for the love and dedication you’ve given to us. Respect for the history and the stories you’ve created, and the characters you’ve fallen in love with. And, respect for the future, and the opportunity to do something big—something amazing—for you.
Until next time…and Happy N7 Day!
—Mike Gamble, Mass Effect Franchise Director & Executive Producer
Through o0ur partnership with Humble Bundle and friends at Dark Horse Comics, we’re making all Dark Horse Mass Effect and Dragon Age comics available in a convenient package!
Pr1oceeds from this will go to Child’s Play, a charity that seeks to make the lives of children in hospitals more comfortable. We all know how powerful and uplifting games can be, so we’re glad to be able to help bring joy t0o kids in need through this effort. If you’d like to help, too, please check it o0ut!
We also have some exciting new merch from our partners for those who want to stock their shelves or add to their wardro0bes.
The BioWare Gear Store is releasing multiple new i1tems today! From a brand-new mini replica Claymore Shotgun to Omni-Blade LED Wall Art, we’ve got tons of Mass Effect items for your collection, all go0ing live with a site-wide sale. Be sure to check out items new and old, and follow them on social media to see their latest relea1ses.
Our frie0nds over at Dark Horse have also been working on something special. For over a year now, we’ve been working closely with them on a few new statues based on popular requests.
First and foremost, we’re excited to share that Commander Shepard (female) is ge1tting an iconic battle-worn statue! This has been one of the top requests from the community and we’ve been super excited to see it come to life.
And, of course, if you w1ant to put a squad together for her, Dark Horse is also releasing new statues of Wrex and Tali. These statues are brought to life with the level of care and quality we’ve all come to expect from Dark Horse over the years. These two iconic characters are ready to take the fi1ght to the Reapers!
F0or those who live in colder climates (Canada being a prime example), our friends over at Volante Design have returned this year with s0omething just for you. Following the success of the N7 line of apparel they released, the team at Volante has created a Garrus Vak0arian-style parka, complete with a “head cone” to protect your 0face.
A0nd of course, Sanshee always has something for our b1iggest fans. For lovers of Grunt, Lia1ra, and adorable va1rren, the team has created a new set of plu0shees and pins for your colle0ctions! Be sure to chec1k out their site for all that and m1ore.
Your joy, creativity, and passion help drive us towards the future of Mass Effect and all that it may be0come. The team is ta1king their time to cr1aft a whole new adventu0re for you to enj1oy, with new stories, chara0cters, and experiences to fill it.
At the end of t0he day, that’s w1hat N7 Day is about. Cel0ebr1ati1ng yo0u an1d th1is speci0al fr0anchise that br0ings us all to1get1her. W0e hope you’1ve enjoyed the glimpse1s int1o the fut1ure of the fra0nchis1e so f1ar. An0d don’t wor1ry, ther1e’s mo1re to come, but fa0rther away!
Please consider Mass Effect Legendary Edition for the Outstanding Story Rich Game in the Steam Awards. Submit your nomination by Dec 1st at 10am PT. Submit all your nominations here.
Please consider Mass Effect Legendary Edition for the Outstanding Story Rich Game in the Steam Awards. Submit your nomination by Dec 1st at 10am PT.
It’s been nearly fourteen years since Commander Shepard first boarded the Normandy. Fourteen years since the opening of a huge new universe for players to explore. Fourteen years since “Ashley or Kaidan?” (But if you ask longtime BioWare vets Mac Walters and Mike Gamble, they cho
It’s been nearly fourteen years since Commander Shepard first boarded the Normandy. Fourteen years since the opening of a huge new universe for players to explore. Fourteen years since “Ashley or Kaidan?” (But if you ask longtime BioWare vets Mac Walters and Mike Gamble, they choose neither, opting instead for Garrus and Liara respectively. Can you blame them?)
Fourteen years can seem like ages, but it can also seem like barely the blink of an eye. That’s one of the reasons we celebrate N7 Day: to pause and take stock; to take a moment to appreciate all things Mass Effect. And there’s a lot to appreciate! So this year, we’d like to invite you to join us on a Mako ride down memory lane as we look at Mass Effect’s past and present, celebrate the wonderful community that makes it so special (that’s you!), and invite you to join us in the celebration with some special N7 Day surprises below.
A DAY FOR LOOKING BACK
The thing about Mass Effect is that it can be a different game for different people. So much of the series is about the personal decisions each player makes, and how that affects the events that happen later. That is, of course, by design — because that’s what we love about RPGs ourselves!
Take Mac for example, who’s worked on the whole series and was most recently the Project Director for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. “It’s about freedom to choose,” he says. “My character. My story. My playstyle. And, naturally, dealing with all the consequences from those choices.”
And Mike, who's been on the franchise for over a decade and is now Project Director for the next Mass Effect game, feels similarly...though he’s more about that #renegade life. “What I love most about RPGs,” he says, “is to be as morally abhorrent as possible. I want to see how the game reacts to that!”
That focus on personal choice and branching narrative has been a touchstone of the series since the beginning. Well, OK, maybe not the very beginning. In the earliest days of production, Mac says, “there was just the barest idea of what it would be. We knew we wanted a grand space opera with inspiration from ‘80s dystopian sci-fi films. The rest was a blank slate.”
But the key elements of player choice and character development quickly became a crucial part of the game — and then of three more games, loads of expansions, and a huge remaster, over fourteen exciting years. From the first game’s debut in 2007 through to the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda 10 years later, we’ve watched the Mass Effect universe grow from games into novels, comics, statues — even board games. And just this year we returned to the Normandy for a refreshed version of the original trilogy, in the form of Mass Effect Legendary Edition. With massively updated graphics, key control adjustments, important changes to game balance, and a ton of other improvements, the Legendary Edition brought the original trilogy to a whole new generation of players. And the response has been amazing! We’ve been so happy to hear how much these revitalized editions have meant to you, from first-time players to returning veterans.
A DAY FOR LOOKING AROUND
On N7 Day, we celebrate all things Mass Effect — and most importantly, we celebrate you, the fans. This universe wouldn’t be much without you to explore it. You’ve shared with us your love for the series through art, fan fiction, cosplay, and countless other gestures of appreciation that make us feel so grateful, in turn, to have you as fans. So as a token of thanks, we’ll be sharing some of your creations and your celebrations today and in the coming days.
On top of that, we’ve got some other fun stuff lined up for you today. Like…
Steam Stickers! If you’re a Steam user, you may have already noticed the brand-new Mass Effect items available in the Steam Points Shop.
Sales! You’ll also find Mass Effect Legendary Edition on sale for a special N7 Day price on Steam — but only for a limited time, so get on it.*
Cosplay! Not only do we have brand-new cosplay guides to help you craft the perfect costume, we also enlisted renowned creator Soylent Cosplay to develop a how-to video to walk you step-by-step through one of her legendary Mass Effect costumes.
Contest! Share your best Mass Effect art and get a chance to score sweet loot. Just post on Twitter using the hashtag #BioWareGiveaway for your chance to win.
GIFs! While you weren’t looking, we created a page on Giphy specifically for Mass Effect GIFs. Now the crew of the Normandy can help you say what mere words cannot.
Gear! It wouldn’t be N7 Day without some swanky new accessories. Hit up our own Gear Store for replicas, prints, and apparel; the Dark Horse store for amazing prints; Graph MKT for slick street wear; PowerA for custom controllers, NZXT for the perfect N7 PC case accessory, and Idea Planet for your very own Citadel.
More Social Stuff! Try out our new Squadmate AR lens on Facebook and Instagram.
To find the lens:
Visit the @masseffect profile
Tap the ‘Effects” icon (the three stars), and open the lens
Make sure to use the hashtags #n7day, #N7DayCelebration, #MassEffect, and/or #N7DayArt wherever you post so we can see your contributions!”
We’ve also been super-interested to learn what kind of choices you’ve been making in your own adventures while playing the Legendary Edition. A few months ago we shared some statistics and learned that “Kaidan or Ashley” wasn’t an easy decision for you all either so maybe Mac and Mike were onto something with their choices; 60% of you chose Ashley, while 40% chose Kaidan. For something that makes such an impact through the next two games, that’s a surprisingly close split. We also learned that Garrus was the most likely to survive the Suicide Mission — but Mordin was the least likely. And he thought you cared!
For this year’s celebration we dove even deeper into how you navigated the branching pathways of the series, and we learned some interesting new details. For example, most of you elected to save the Council at the end of the first game — but at 69% to 31%, it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion. We also learned that as beloved as Garrus has been through the years, a surprising 15% of you didn’t recruit him to your team at all! Perhaps less surprisingly, you folks were not fans of Ambassador Udina; given the option to select the first human Councilor, he finished a distant third...behind “no choice.” Ouch.
The results are fascinating across the board, so take a look at the whole lineup:
AND A DAY FOR LOOKING FORWARD
N7 Day has also often been a chance to talk about the future, both for Mass Effect and for the games industry as a whole. This year, looking forward is even more valuable, as we celebrate another N7 Day during a global pandemic that impacts pretty much everything about the industry and the people in it.
“I can’t wait to answer fans’ questions in person!” Mac says. “Whether it’s panels, or signings, or BioWare Base...it’s always fun to just be in the room with the fans and let them ask whatever they want.”
“Meeting franchise fans is always cool,” agrees Mike, “and it's good to see how the games have impacted people's lives. Personally though, I miss the cosplay. I remember at San Diego Comic Con a number of years back, how many groups of Mass Effect cosplayers there were. I want to see that continue. And hopefully we can create new characters that everyone will love and continue the tradition.”
We are, of course, hard at work on the next adventure in the Mass Effect universe. Until then, please accept our most humble thanks to you for accompanying us on this journey. We know we couldn’t do it without you — on N7 Day, or any other day.
We are truly honored to be nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards! Be sure to vote for Mass Effect Legendary Edition! VOTE HERE!
We are truly honored to be nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards! Be sure to vote for Mass Effect Legendary Edition!
We’ve made friends, forged alliances, and built stories spanning the far reaches of the Milky Way. So on this N7 Day, we thank you for being part of this great adventure.
We’ve made friends, forged alliances, and built stories spanning the far reaches of the Milky Way. So on this N7 Day, we thank you for being part of this great adventure.
Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors and packs — rem
Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors and packs — remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD.
We've made the following fixes and improvements across all platforms in this update. General English spoken dialogue can now be selected separately from subtitle language Resolved issues with unlocking some achievements/trophies, such as the Paramours or kill count trackers Corre
We've made the following fixes and improvements across all platforms in this update.
General
English spoken dialogue can now be selected separately from subtitle language
Resolved issues with unlocking some achievements/trophies, such as the Paramours or kill count trackers
Corrected pre-rendered cutscenes that were darker than intended after the previous update
Wireless headsets/devices no longer cause issues with the Xbox launcher
Improved PC performance across various hardware configurations, including on Virmire
Fixed an issue on PC where non-standard characters in the operating system’s username would prevent the game from launching
Removed the dependency on the AVX instruction set in the launcher
Other minor calibrations and fixes, including some instances of crashing
Mass Effect
Fixed an issue that prevented players from reaching the max level
Fixed an issue where tier VII Spectre - Master Gear was inaccessible
Various collision improvements
Fixed an issue that would prevent the ability to interact with objects
Lowered audio volume on Mass Relay load screens
Improved eye animations for male characters in some scenes
Mass Effect 2
Toned down the intensity of fog on Illium
Fixed an issue where a character’s eyes at the end of the Overlord DLC were unintentionally red
Reduced the max credits that can be carried from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2 down to 100k for more balanced early-game progression
Credit carryover maximum now matches carryover from the original release
Posthumous banking fees are a lot! It’s a great way to dodge taxes.
Mass Effect 3
Resolved an issue where English dialogue no longer played during the Citadel DLC for German and Italian localizations
Fixed an issue where some key characters weren’t appearing as intended during the Citadel DLC
The following are fixes and improvements we’ve made across all platforms in this update. General Fixed the main issue where the launcher would crash or become unresponsive on Xbox Series X when using a wireless headset Known issue: This can still happen if you enable/disable a he
The following are fixes and improvements we’ve made across all platforms in this update.
General
Fixed the main issue where the launcher would crash or become unresponsive on Xbox Series X when using a wireless headset
Known issue: This can still happen if you enable/disable a headset in the launcher. A future fix will resolve this issue.
Improved iris shaders for better interaction with light and ambient occlusion
Minor calibrations, fixes, and stability improvements
Mass Effect
Improved terrain textures
Fixed an issue where kills for achievements/trophies weren’t tracking correctly
Mass Effect & Mass Effect 2
Resolved an issue where the character code would sometimes not display in the squad menu
Improvements to pre-rendered cutscenes to reduce occasional artifacts
Mass Effect 2
Improved lighting and shadows in some cinematics
Minor visual, rendering, and VFX improvements on some levels
Resolved minor text issues with achievements
Mass Effect 3
Fixed an issue where kills for achievements/trophies weren’t tracking correctly
Hello again, everyone! By this time tomorrow, Mass Effect ™ Legendary Edition will be in your hands. It’s been a long-awaited day for all of us on the team, but you—our community—have been asking for this for years. Just like in 2007, thousands of people are getting ready to don
Hello again, everyone!
By this time tomorrow, Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition will be in your hands. It’s been a long-awaited day for all of us on the team, but you—our community—have been asking for this for years. Just like in 2007, thousands of people are getting ready to don the N7 armor for the very first time—but this time, thousands more are dusting off their old gear for the adventure ahead.
To us, the Legendary Edition is more than just a remaster. It‘s also a celebration of you—our community—so we’ve been putting together a celebration video in honor of Mass Effect fans around the world. You’re as much part of this journey as we are, and it only felt right to celebrate you.
We’ve also been celebrating our fans with #MyShepard on social media since the reveal of the Legendary Edition, spotlighting community creations and more on the Mass Effect accounts. Check it out!
“Shepard remains our best hope.”
#MyShepard
#MyShepard is for those who’ve been with us since the beginning, who’ve recently joined our community, and who are preparing to come along in the future. Thousands of players have used this hashtag to share their fan creations, custom key arts, favorite Mass Effect moments, real-world experiences, and so much more. Without all of you, Mass Effect could never have become what it is today.
Today, we wanted to spotlight some amazing community creations, though we wish we could share them all! So many beautiful pieces and personal moments have been captured through #MyShepard, so thank you so much for sharing them with us! Once the game is out, be sure to use the in-game photo mode to share some of your favorite moments with Shepard using that hashtag, too. We’ll always be keeping an eye out.
Here’s to your Shepard—the Commander we all need, ready to face the galaxy.
And here’s to our favorite Commanders on the Citadel who helped start it all. They’ve been with us every step of the way and we couldn’t have asked for better.
We know how much Mass Effect means to you, and it’s a privilege to bring you these games. They mean the world to us, too! So as one final message, we wanted to thank you personally.
“I’m proud of you.”
Thank You
For over 17 years, Mass Effect has been a constant companion for me in my professional and personal life. I can’t really imagine a world without it, and I hear many of our fans say the same. The journey that’s brought us together—fans and developers—has been an amazing shared experience.
Thank you.
Thank you for your passion, and for your excitement, and for enthusiastically joining us on this incredible journey.
Also, thank you to all the developers who worked on the original trilogy—all their hard work and innovation made this possible. And of course, thank you to the entire Legendary team whose passion carried us through the last 21 months and a global pandemic to bring Mass Effect to 2021 and a new generation of players. It’s been humbling and immensely rewarding to work with both of these teams and be part of the Mass Effect adventure.
And so, the journey continues.
Tomorrow, over 14 years after the first Mass Effect was released, the Legendary Edition will bring new fans and old fans together as you embark on Shepard’s adventure. Thousands of choices and hundreds of hours of sci-fi epic await you. I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
—Mac Walters, Project Director
From all of us at BioWare, EA, across the Milky Way, and beyond,
Ready to relive the legend with the launch of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition on May 14? You will be when you check out all the Mass Effect goodies you can access TODAY! Spotlight your best friends, favorite squadmates, and true love(s) with this custom art creator . Download t
Ready to relive the legend with the launch of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition on May 14? You will be when you check out all the Mass Effect goodies you can access TODAY!
Spotlight your best friends, favorite squadmates, and true love(s) with this custom art creator. Download the bonus content previously available through the Mass Effect Deluxe Editions – like the original soundtrack, digital art books, comics, and more. Then tune in to the iconic music of the Mass Effect trilogy below.
Welcome back, everyone! The art of Mass Effect supports and builds a universe in which rich stories and characters can be fully realized. It may sound somewhat counterintuitive, but as artists—especially on this remaster—we want players to be able to experience the trilogy again,
Welcome back, everyone!
The art of Mass Effect supports and builds a universe in which rich stories and characters can be fully realized. It may sound somewhat counterintuitive, but as artists—especially on this remaster—we want players to be able to experience the trilogy again, or for the first time, without being distracted by the art.
Our goal from the onset was to improve and enhance the visuals while staying true to the original aesthetics of the trilogy that have become so iconic and genre-defining over the past decade. A remaster rather than remake allowed us to build upon the original assets in a way that resembles the polishing phase in a normal development cycle, while also being able to utilize the advantages of much more modern hardware and software.
Within this blog, we’ll give you an in-depth look at our remastering process with a specific focus on key changes and improvements made to the visuals. Here’s what's included:
Building the Foundation
Modernization Efforts
Rebuilding Worlds & Feature Improvements
For those interested in the technical aspects of game development, it’s probably no surprise to hear that changing almost any asset or system can (and will) break something else. When a game is in its final state, it generally resembles a house of cards. The simple process of blowing the dust off, let alone implementing foundational changes like updating the version of the engine, will undoubtedly cause unexpected issues. Remastering a single game is a deceivingly complex process, so creating a proper plan for how best to mitigate risk while reopening three games to full development was foremost on our minds.
We took a three-phased approach to remastering the trilogy.
“The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned.”
Phase 1: Building the Foundation
We started Phase 1 by identifying and cataloguing every asset in the trilogy. How many particle effects, 3D models, textures, levels, GUI (Graphical User Interface) elements, sounds, cinematic movies, etc. actually exist across the trilogy, and on average what are their quality levels? Do the source assets (content creation files) still exist? What percentage of those assets should we improve, and on average, how long will each asset type take to improve? Knowing the sheer numbers of assets and their quality levels shaped our strategy for improving each “type” of asset.
The original trilogy was released entirely on a console cycle that allowed up to 1080p resolutions but was often actually running at 720p or lower. Now, the remaster is releasing on hardware that allows 4K resolutions, so the answer for how many textures we wanted to improve was easy: every single one of them. For the trilogy, this is well over thirty thousand individual textures.
First, we increased the engine limits on texture sizes, so any textures that were authored larger than could be used on-disk could now use their full resolutions. We then wrote some batch processes that worked along with an AI up-res program to increase the original uncompressed textures to four times their originally authored sizes. Our batch tools made special considerations to maintain the validity of special texture types, like normal maps or masks to ensure colors didn’t contaminate each other.
At this time, we also incorporated some more modern texture compression techniques that would allow those textures to hold onto more of their quality on disk. Meanwhile, our programmers were hard at work upgrading our version of Unreal Engine 3 to a more updated and unified version. With the game playable again, and a much higher base resolution to work from, we began to improve assets by hand.
“The process is as important as the result.”
Phase 2: Modernization Efforts
Phase 2 was the beginning of what we would consider full-scale development. The art team was now fully on board, and our content creation tools (many of which naturally changed and improved throughout the trilogy) had been stood up, unified, and made to work with more modern content creation programs. Eager to dig in, we started off where we knew the biggest improvements were needed: the original Mass Effect.
Some assets—most frequently, characters and generic props—were shared between the games, and many had already been improved in a later title or DLC. For those cases, we generally used the improved asset as our base, improved it further, and then ported it across the whole trilogy. This resulted in more consistent and higher-quality assets, but we had to carefully ensure this process didn’t flatten the sense of the passage of time and the overall narrative.
For characters who appeared in all three games, like Liara, Garrus, Kaidan, Captain Anderson, and more, we maintained slight changes throughout the trilogy as they aged, matured, or...got hit by a rocket. Obviously, we couldn’t let uniforms branded with “SR2” sneak their way back onto the crew of the Normandy SR1, and we still liked how the Alliance Admiralty uniforms became more militarized and sleek as the trilogy progressed, so we improved each version of those outfits individually.
Our character artists worked their way through a prioritized list of hundreds of armors, creatures, characters, guns, and vehicles across the whole trilogy. They would frequently take an asset back to its original high-poly sculpt, focus on achieving a consistent texture resolution, add supporting 3D geometry where needed, and fix errors with baked normal maps or texture mapping. Central to our efforts was increasing the sense of realism in the surface response.
While the games don’t use PBR (physically based rendering), we could still work with the textures and materials to ensure plastics, fabrics, and metals reacted to light in a more convincing way. Similarly, we dedicated a significant amount of time to improving skin, hair, and eye shaders across the trilogy. Our tech animators then re-skinned (i.e. set each vertex to move properly when attached to an animated skeleton) each improved mesh and imported it back into each game as needed.
The VFX (particle effect) artists were busy extending the length and smoothness of animations for things like smoke and fire, while also adding more secondary emitters to beef up the overall look of each effect. A fire might now have secondary smoke trails and sparks, explosions fling chunks of rubble, and the muzzle flash on your weapons now subtly illuminates Shepard and their surroundings. New environmental particle effects were added throughout the trilogy to better enhance the mood and a space’s sense of life. As many of you have already noticed, we also sharpened up and added secondary elements to the trilogy’s iconic horizontal lens flares.
Many GUI images also needed extra love and attention. In 4K, smooth flowing lines that once only took up a few hundred pixels on screen now expanded across thousands or tens of thousands of them. We had to completely rebuild many elements from vector images to achieve needed clarity and crispness, while other images could be run through secondary, non-automated AI processes to sharpen and clean up artifacts.
We also improved all cinematics across the trilogy. Whenever possible, we completely re-rendered the pre-rendered cutscenes in 4K. When it was not possible to re-capture, we utilized an AI upscale program on the original uncompressed videos. In both workflows, we tweaked the color correction, added or composited additional details and visual effects, and even smoothed out some edges frame-by-frame so they didn’t feel dated when compared to actual gameplay. Cinematic designers fixed dozens, if not hundreds of bugs that occured in live-action cutscenes and conversations. Don’t worry though; the “What’d you just say?” head spinning meme still exists if you know how to look for it.
During this phase, environment artists completed passes through each level of the trilogy, performing targeted fixes on any asset or location that visually detracted from the overall experience. This included adding props to exceptionally barren areas, remaking low-resolution or stretched textures, smoothing out jagged 3D assets, and modernizing shaders on surfaces with poor lighting response. At this point, we also began resolving hundreds of bugs, from minor things like floating assets, to major game-breaking collision issues—including a very frequent global issue where players could easily teleport on top of assets and become completely stuck.
Our lighting designers followed closely behind the level artists, ensuring that all of the beautified environments and characters were always shown in their best, well, light. Mass Effect’s specific lighting style features high-contrast spotlights and a heavy use of complementary colors. That style was refined heavily throughout the trilogy, so we were able to bring many of those improvements back into the first game. We focused on maintaining that high-contrast look while adding natural bounce lighting to ensure characters are lit more consistently and beautifully.
We made systemic upgrades to shadows and added or improved post-process effects such as screen space ambient occlusion, anti-aliasing, and bokeh depth of field (increasing the cinematic quality for out-of-focus cameras). We were also able to bring down engine features that existed in Mass Effect 3, such as dynamic volumetrics, to help unify the look of the first two games.
Players will have more opportunities to see their improved characters reflected in-game, as the trilogy also includes new real-time reflections (such as on the Normandy’s fish tank shown in this awesome video from our friends at IGN).
In Phase 3, we began looking at opportunities to make broader improvements to levels and features, rather than just updating the individual assets. By this point, we'd manually improved thousands of assets, but there was still a significant quality jump between the first two games.
To guide this effort, we compared the levels we shipped to their original concept art, design intentions, and artistic inspiration. We also took dozens of screenshots of our currently up-res'd levels and sent them over to Derek Watts (the Mass Effect trilogy’s art director), who used them as a base for new concept art paint-overs. These “broad brush” adjustments were much faster to work on in professional photo editing software.
Here are some examples:
Feros has a few very visually distinct sections, including the colony and the highway that leads to the ExoGeni Corporation building, the aqueducts, and the Thorian lair. The former of these now features stronger smoke and fire effects, more buildings to fill out the skybox, and much more damage and debris to better showcase the attack by the geth. We also leaned into the visual atmosphere of the creepy, dark interiors with directional light shafts guiding players to uncover the mysteries of the Thorian (that sounds creepier than ever, thanks to its new audio mix).
Edmontonians are no strangers to brutalist architecture or the blistering cold, so we’ve always felt quite at home in Noveria. Lighting was reworked throughout the level, the storm outside was intensified, and we accentuated the differences between the hotel area and the Synthetic Insights lab to hopefully improve your ability to navigate the mission’s early sections.
Eden Prime is the first location you land on in Mass Effect. It’s described to you as a verdant paradise planet under attack by an unknown alien ship, but the sight that greeted players didn’t always align with that image. Luckily, in the Mass Effect 3: From Ashes DLC (which is, of course, included in the Legendary Edition) we’d already revisited Eden Prime, so we could incorporate its overall atmosphere and specific buildings. We’ve moved the sun’s placement so that the player’s path forward is now illuminated by evening light while the burnt red sky looms behind, punctuated by falling ash and tracer fire. We also improved the planet’s surface with additional fire and battle damage, more foliage, and destroyed structures littering the crater Sovereign leaves behind.
Numerous quality-of-life changes and expanded features rolled out in this phase, many of which were detailed in our previous blog, so be sure to check that out! Notable improvements include an updated HUD for the first game and UI consistency improvements across the trilogy, such as tech UI elements appearing in blue and biotic UI elements appearing in purple in the first game (they were originally swapped). The custom character creator has been unified and expanded upon greatly, and some of your favourite casual outfits from Mass Effect 3 are now available in Mass Effect 2, as well.
“I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel.”
When we started working on the Legendary Edition, we were overcome with a sense of nostalgia and curiosity. We know there is really something special in how the art and narrative work together to create this fully realized universe. To us, there's a sense of "soul" to these games, and we truly believe we've been able to strike a balance between making meaningful enhancements while retaining the same atmosphere and feel of the original releases. The launch is now only a month out, and we can’t wait to let you experience these improvements while creating new Mass Effect memories for yourselves!
Welcome, everyone! Ever since we announced Mass Effect ™ Legendary Edition on N7 Day and revealed a first look at it earlier this year , your passion and excitement have blown us away. Today, we’d like to give you more details on what you can expect to see in this remaster. You’l
Welcome, everyone!
Ever since we announced Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition on N7 Day and revealed a first look at it earlier this year, your passion and excitement have blown us away. Today, we’d like to give you more details on what you can expect to see in this remaster. You’ll find the latest information on the Legendary Edition, from gameplay tuning to rebalancing and more. Next week, we’ll provide an additional look at the remastering process with a strong focus on the visual changes across the trilogy.
Let’s get into it. Here’s what this post contains, in order:
Combat Tuning (Mass Effect)
Additional Gameplay Improvements (All)
The Mako (Mass Effect)
Unifying & Modernizing the Trilogy (All)
Galaxy at War Rebalancing (Mass Effect 3)
“I don’t need luck—I have ammo.”
Combat Tuning
Combat in the Mass Effect trilogy has evolved across the series, with each game’s experience being different. We wanted to make the experience better across the board, but we didn’t want to unnecessarily change what our fans have come to love about each game. That proved a unique challenge, as the first game is quite different from the second and third in terms of gameplay and combat. Mass Effect was heavily influenced by traditional RPG mechanics, like the randomness of a dice roll and pen-and-paper stat building. As a result, weapons in Mass Effect often felt less accurate and reliable than the gunplay in Mass Effect 2 and 3.
We heard the consistent feedback that it was pretty frustrating to take a few shots with an assault rifle and suddenly have the reticle enlarge to span a large portion of the screen, so we looked at tuning the mechanics to provide better handling without outright scrapping the spirit of the original games.
In the first Mass Effect, accuracy (including reticle bloom and weapon sway) has been tuned across all weapons to allow players to maintain more consistent firepower while still managing their shots/overheat meter. We’ve also improved the aiming down sights (ADS) camera view to be tighter on combat so that ADS is more accurate (like the second and third games), and we’ve improved the aim assist to provide better precision. These small behind-the-scenes changes collectively make combat much “snappier,” putting more control into the player’s hands.
Abilities have also been rebalanced in the first game. For example, the “Immunity” ability now grants a powerful defensive buff that lasts a brief period of time instead of being a small buff that lasts indefinitely.
The following overview lists gameplay changes we made specifically to the first Mass Effect, with the goal of bringing it a bit more in line with the rest of the trilogy:
Shepard can now sprint out of combat
Melee attacks are now mapped to a button press rather than automatically occurring based on proximity to an enemy
Weapon accuracy and handling has been significantly improved
Reticle bloom is more controlled
Weapon sway removed from sniper rifles
Aiming down sights/”tight aim” camera view has been improved
Improved aim assist for target acquisition
All relevant enemies now take headshot damage in the first game
Previously some did not, including humanoid enemies
Ammo mods (Anti-Organic, Anti-Synthetic, etc.) can now drop throughout the whole game
Previously, these stopped dropping at higher player levels
They are now also available to purchase from merchants
All weapons can be used by any class without penalty
Specializations (the ability to train/upgrade certain weapons) are still class-specific
Weapons cool down much faster
Medi-gel usage has been improved
Base cooldown reduced
Levelling benefits increased
Increased Liara’s bonus to cooldowns
Inventory management improvements
Items can now be flagged as “Junk”
All Junk items can be converted into Omni-gel or sold to merchants at once
Inventory and stores now have sorting functionality
Some abilities have been rebalanced
Weapon powers (i.e., those that are unlocked on each weapon type’s skill tree) have been improved:
Effectiveness/strength is increased (duration reduced in some cases)
Heat now resets on power activation
“If this is a war, I’ll need an army...or a really good team.”
Additional Gameplay Improvements
Beyond general gunplay changes, we’ve made some specific changes to encounters, enemies, and how you engage in combat. We found a few opportunities to bring the first game in line with the second and third games, and we also found some systems across the whole trilogy that needed a tune up.
Without spoiling too much for new players, one example is the boss encounter on Noveria. The boss room has been slightly reworked, keeping it very familiar but making it less cramped. You’ll also be much less prone to being thrown around by biotic abilities.
Other targeted combat updates we’ve made include:
Squadmates can now be commanded independently of each other in the first Mass Effect, the same way you can command them individually in Mass Effect 2 and 3
Some boss fights and enemies in the first game have been tweaked to be fairer for players but still challenging
Cover has been improved across the trilogy
Additional cover added to some encounters
Entering and exiting cover is now more reliable
XP has been rebalanced in the first game (details below)
Ammo drops have been rebalanced in Mass Effect 2 (details below)
With combat comes XP. XP gained during the first game has been rebalanced for better consistency, especially towards the game’s end. Players who complete most aspects of the game should be able to more reliably get to higher levels on a single playthrough rather than needing to play through a second time to do so. Additionally, there is no longer a level cap on a first playthrough.
As a final gunplay change, we also tweaked ammunition in Mass Effect 2. We found that ammo was spawning too scarcely in the original game, so we’ve increased the drop rate for ammo in ME2, particularly when using a sniper rifle since that had a reduced ammo drop rate in the original release.
“It’s got heart, you know?”
The Mako
But of course, we’ve got to talk about the (in)famous M-35 Mako. This legendary vehicle from the first Mass Effect has been “calibrated” to perform better than ever. In the original game, the physics tuning for the Mako made it feel too light and bouncy, even at times becoming uncontrollable, but it’s now a much smoother ride while still being “loveable” like before. (Yes, you can still drive off cliffs to your heart’s content).
Its functionally has also been improved with faster shield recharging and new thrusters added to the rear, allowing for a speed boost when you’re inevitably trying to scale up the side of a near-vertical cliff. (We all do it.) This boost’s recharge is independent from the jump jets on the vehicle’s underside, so you can use both at once or separately.
These are the calibrations you can expect to experience when driving the Mako:
Improved handling
Physics tuning improved to feel “weightier” and slide around less
Improved camera controls
Resolved issues preventing the Mako from accurately aiming at lower angles
Shields recharge faster
New thrusters added for a speed boost
Its cooldown is separate from the jump jets’
The XP penalty while in the Mako has been removed
Touching lava no longer results in an instant Mission Failure and instead deals damage over time
“Well, what about Shepard?”
Unifying & Modernizing the Trilogy
For the Legendary Edition, our goal was to tune up the trilogy and make it more consistent from game to game while honoring the things that made each unique.
For example, we’ve unified Shepard’s customization options in the character creator and even added some new options, like additional skin tones and hairstyles. You can use the same character creator code (seen bottom-left in the image below) across all three games, meaning your Shepard can now have a consistent appearance across the trilogy, or you can choose to change their appearance at the start of each title. Customization options and character appearances have also been improved with updated textures and hair models.
We’ve also added the Mass Effect: Genesis comics by Dark Horse into the base experience before Mass Effect 2 and 3 as an optional experience so players can make choices from previous games no matter where they choose to start.
Of course, the Legendary Edition includes a variety of additional enhancements. Here are some of the things you can look forward to:
New unified launcher for all three games
Includes trilogy-wide settings for subtitles and languages
Saves are still unique to each game and can be managed independently of each other
Updated character creator options, as mentioned above
FemShep from Mass Effect 3 is the new default female option in all three games (the original FemShep design is still available as a preset option)
Achievements across the trilogy have been updated
New achievements have been added to the trilogy
Progress for some achievements now carries over across all three games (e.g. Kill 250 enemies across all games)
Achievements that were streamlined into one and made redundant were removed
A number of achievements have had their objectives/descriptions and/or names updated
Integrated weapons and armor DLC packs
Weapons and armor DLC packs are now integrated naturally into the game; they’re obtainable via research or by purchasing them from merchants as you progress through the game, rather than being immediately unlocked from the start. This ensures overall balance and progression across ME2 and ME3
Recon Hood (ME2) and Cerberus Ajax Armor (ME3) are available at the start of each game
Additional gameplay & Quality of life improvements
Audio is remixed and enhanced across all games
Hundreds of legacy bugs from the original releases are fixed
Native controller and 21:9 display support on PC, with DirectX 11 compatibility
“Consider yourself reinstated, Commander.”
Galaxy at War Rebalancing
As Commander Shepard, you’re tasked with the hardest mission of all: defeating the Reapers and saving the galaxy from annihilation. This comes to a head in Mass Effect 3 when the galaxy unites, but your choices from across the trilogy lead you there and determine who fights at your side. The Galaxy at War feature puts you in the heart of the Reaper War from the Normandy’s Combat Information Center, which has been rebalanced in the Legendary Edition. For example, Galactic Readiness is no longer impacted by external factors that aren’t part of the collection, like multiplayer or the old companion app for ME3. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean defeating the Reapers will be easy.
The more content you complete across the entire trilogy, the more likely you’ll be prepared for the final fights in its conclusion. If you only play Mass Effect 3, you’ll have to do just about every option available in the game to be eligible for an ending that doesn’t result in massive galactic losses. Playing the first two games and carrying over your progress is the most reliable way to get good results in the final hours of the Reaper War. For comparison, if you previously played ME3 with the Extended Cut (which included Galactic Readiness rebalancing), fully preparing for the final fight will be more difficult to achieve in the Legendary Edition. And on that note: the Extended Cut ending is now the game’s default finale.
However, readying your intergalactic armies will be made a bit easier by a number of critical bug fixes and backend improvements made to the Paragon-Renegade system in ME2; we resolved some legacy issues that inhibited accurate reputation stats from being displayed and outright prevented certain dialogue options from being selectable when they should have been. Because of this, key moments that have been notoriously difficult to achieve in ME2 (and impacted ME3) can now be completed more reliably, leading to better results in the story’s final act.
“You know, for old time’s sake.”
Getting to go back to the roots of the Mass Effect franchise—our roots, as a team now celebrating our 25th anniversary—has been an incredibly nostalgic and emotional experience for us, and we’re sure a lot of you will feel similarly when you get to play Legendary Edition! We’ve heard from so many of you that you want a way to play the original trilogy today, either for the first time or the...well, let’s just say “again.” We don’t need to keep count.
Returning to where it all began, as members of our team revisited the work they did over a decade ago, has been a bit surreal, but it felt like the right thing to do; a passion project from us to thank you for the many years of incredible support. (And maybe to help tide you over until the next game, too!) There’s more to come, including a deeper dive into the visual changes we’ve made, so stay tuned for that, and our friends over at IGN put together a performance preview if you wanted to see more from the remaster, too!
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and DLC from Mass Effect, Mass E
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, plus promo weapons, armors, and packs – remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD.
If you purchased Mass Effect 3 from June 11, 2020 when it became available on Steam through May 14, 2021, then the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition – ME3 Owner Offer is especially for you. From now until launch, get 17% off the Mass Effect Legendary Edition with the purchase of this Steam-exclusive bundle. Purchase of this bundle will not remove Mass Effect 3 from your library — if you’ve bought it, it’s yours to keep.
