A Complete Guide to the Mass Effect Legendary Edition
BioWare released Mass Effect Legendary Edition in May of 2021. As such, people might want to check it out if they have an interest in shooter-based action RPGs, particularly if they also have an interest in sci-fi.
It Is a Compilation
It is important to note that Mass Effect Legendary Edition isn’t 100 percent a new release. This is because it is a compilation of three titles, which would be Mass Effect, and Mass Effect 3. Combined, these titles can be considered the core of the franchise as a whole. After all, the Mass Effect trilogy launched the franchise in the first place. Furthermore, these titles covered the main narrative around which everything else revolved. This situation might change once the upcoming Mass Effect title is released because that is presumably meant to be their successor. Until then, it is what it is. As for what interested individuals can expect, the Mass Effect trilogy is reminiscent of more than one sci-fi genre. For example, it has often been called space opera, which makes sense because of its emphasis on space warfare as well as space adventures. Similarly, its focus on certain elements of its setting means that it has been classified as military sci-fi as well. In any case, the Mass Effect trilogy is set in a universe in which humanity is a newcomer to the galactic community that is nonetheless on its way to becoming a name of note among older, more established species. Unfortunately, the protagonist comes upon evidence that something has been wiping out every single spacefaring civilization in the galaxy ever 50,000 years or so, which is particularly disturbing because the galactic community uses the same technologies as the spacefaring civilizations that have been wiped out. Due to this, much of the Mass Effect trilogy is focused on finding out exactly what happened, convincing everyone that an existential threat is coming, and seeking out a solution for an existential threat. Mechanics-wise, interested individuals should know that the Mass Effect trilogy are shooter-based. This makes sense because the titles envision a future that is very recognizable for people in the present time, with the result that guns still see the most use by people fighting on foot. However, it is important to note that the Mass Effect trilogy consists of action RPGs, which is made clear by a wide range of creative choices. For example, interested individuals make choices that can change narrative elements as well as reveal the personality of their player-character. Similarly, their team will become more and more capable over time by overcoming challenges, thus enabling them to take on more and more powerful enemies.
Its Titles Have Been Remastered
The titles in the Mass Effect trilogy were released in 2007, 2010, and 2012. As a result, every single one of them has become outdated, so much so that this can affect interested individuals’ enjoyment of these titles in a negative manner. Due to this, it should come as no surprise to learn that Mass Effect Legendary Edition isn’t just a compilation but a remastered compilation. This means updates for everything from effects to textures, thus making for superior visuals on a whole. Something that is particularly true because Mass Effect Legendary Edition can be played at better resolutions as well as faster frames per second than what the original titles supported. Besides the updated visuals, Mass Effect Legendary Edition has seen some other changes as well. In particular, Mass Effect has seen the most changes, which makes sense because it was by far the most outdated of the titles. As such, its combat has been changed to make it feel more similar to its successors’ combat. Similarly, elements such as the Mako and the elevators that were often complained about have been updated to reduce potential frustration for interested individuals. On top of this, there are some changes meant to increase the player’s convenience. For example, there is now a universal character creator. Similarly, it is now possible to start everything from a single menu. Moreover, interested individuals might be pleased to know that there is a photo mode as well, which should make it much easier to take photos as needed or desired.
It Includes Most of the Content Released for Its Titles
Unsurprisingly, Mass Effect Legendary Edition contains most of the content that was released for the Mass Effect trilogy. After all, compilations are compilations, so it makes sense for them to include everything unless there is specifically a reason to eliminate it from the list. As it turned out, there are a couple of things that were removed, which have reasons for being removed that have been revealed to the public. First, the original intent was to include every single piece of single-player DLC. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible because the source code for Pinnacle Station for the first title had become corrupted. It isn’t a huge loss because it wasn’t very well-received in the first place. Still, Pinnacle Station might bother people with a strong preference for completeness when it comes to their compilation. Second, BioWare made an early decision to exclude the multiplayer mode for Mass Effect 3. There were no technical issues in this case. Instead, the multiplayer mode is complicated, so much so that it would have taken up too much time. As a result, a decision was made to remove it rather than risk the release being pushed back. In other respects, Mass Effect Legendary Edition should be complete.
It Seems to Have Been Well-Received
On the whole, Mass Effect Legendary Edition seems to have been well-received. Something that should come as welcome news for those who are interested enough to consider making a purchase. After all, remasters are by no means guaranteed to turn out well. Sometimes, the people behind remasters change too much, with the result that they lack the charm of the originals while being incapable of competing with more modern releases. Other times, the people behind remasters botch the technical details, with the result that they don’t quite get what they were hoping for. Fortunately, Mass Effect Legendary Edition doesn’t seem to have fallen for either one of these potential pitfalls. Instead, it is quite solid, which in turn, means that it is quite worthwhile for its target audience.
Understand the Classes
The choice of class is extremely important in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. After all, it has a huge impact on how interested individuals will play. Moreover, that impact will be felt for not one, not two, but three titles, meaning that people want to choose something that they can put up with for that long. For those who could use a refresher, there are three classes that focus on one thing and three classes that focus on two things. The first set of classes would be the Adept, the Engineer, and the Soldier. Unsurprisingly, the Adept focuses on biotics, the Engineer focuses on tech, and the Soldier focuses on weapons. The second set of classes focus on two of these things rather than just the one. The Infiltrator focuses on both tech and weapons; the Sentinel focuses on both biotics and tech; and the Vanguard focuses on both biotics and weapons. As such, if the player wants to focus on a particular role, they should go with one of the first set of classes. The Adept is a good choice if they want to unleash special abilities on their enemies. In contrast, the Engineer is a good choice if they want to play support while their teammates handle the brunt of the fighting. As for the Soldier, well, it is exactly what it sounds like, which is to say, it can deal a lot of damage as well as survive a lot of damage in the most straightforward manner possible. Of course, some people will find this level of focus to be excessive. If they want a more flexible character that can cover more than one role, the other three classes can make for solid choices as well. Infiltrators are incredible at fighting from a distance. In contrast, the Vanguard is meant to get up close and personal, though it isn’t as resilient as the Soldier. Sentinels are the most capable at helping out their teammates. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of them being the worst class when it comes to weapons.
Experiment with Combat Options
By this point, it should be clear that interested individuals have a lot of combat options. This is particularly true because they aren’t limited to the capabilities of their player-character, seeing as how they will be fighting besides their teammates as well. As such, it is a very good idea for interested individuals to spend some time with every single one of the combat options that are available to them. This means playing with different weapons, different abilities, and different teammates. Moreover, this means combining those things every way possible to see which ones work best under which circumstances. Primarily, this is because there isn’t a single weapon or a single ability that can see interested individuals through every single scenario in these titles, meaning that interested individuals don’t want to run face-first into a wall because they have encountered something that hard-counters their favorite tricks. However, this experimentation can also enable them to get more out of the titles by finding out what is most fun for them.
Choose Between Paragon and Renegade
BioWare is famous for its morality systems. Unsurprisingly, the Mass Effect trilogy has one of these. It is somewhat old-fashioned, but it isn’t quite as clumsy as its even older predecessors. Essentially, the player can make choices that will make their player-character lean towards either Paragon and Renegade. Some people might be tempted to label these as Good and Evil. However, they aren’t quite that. Instead, Paragon means being on one’s best behavior the entire time. Meanwhile, Renegade means being willing to take a more aggressive, more unorthodox course of action. Sometimes, this can be very satisfying. Other times, well, suffice to say that a Renegade protagonist can be very unpleasant. In any case, interested individuals don’t need to go one way every single time. If they don’t like a particular option, they should feel free to ignore it in preference for something else. Still, people should choose one or the other because some choices won’t become available until they are either solidly Paragon or solidly Renegade.
Talk to Everyone and Explore Everything
RPGs being RPGs, it should come as no surprise to learn that interested individuals should be talking to everyone and exploring everything. Most of the time, talking with people will provide them with more information about everything around them, which should help them immerse themselves in the setting while providing them with information about what is going on. However, it should be mentioned that talking with everyone is also the surest way of picking up every single side mission possible, which is great for ensuring that interested individuals will be as powerful as possible. Similarly, exploring everything serves much the same function. The more that people fight and the more that people loot, the more prepared that they will become for the challenges that can be found in these titles.
Check In with the Teammates
Interested individuals should check in with their teammates from time to time. This is a good way to learn more about them. Moreover, this is a good way to make sure that their personal issues are addressed, thus making them the best that they can be. This is something of a BioWare cliche. Still, it is a good idea for interested individuals to follow, particularly since they can miss out on things if they neglect these seemingly inconsequential procedures too much. In other words, do all of the side content before doing the main content to ensure maximum rewards for maximum power.
