Ever since BioWare dropped the big news on N7, gamers have been hungry for more about Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. This classic trilogy's well-deserved remaster has been a long time coming, and rumors about the game are traveling at FTL speeds. Some claim the game will release in March, while others speculate there will be new endings. However, none of this has been confirmed, as BioWare is keeping quiet about both the remaster and the new game.
It's been a few years since Shepard first set foot on the Normandy, and some may have forgotten just how that even happened. There are also plenty of gamers looking to experience this epic adventure for the first time with Legendary Edition. Whether you're a veteran player or a series newcomer, here's what you can expect from this epic, sci-fi RPG.
Shepard's Tale
Shepard's background is up to the player to choose, and after learning about the series' hero, the first game opens with Shepard on the Normandy SR1 for the first time. Shepard begins the game shadowing a Spectre, one of the most elite agents in the universe, on a mission to investigate an incident at a Human colony and secure an artifact dig site.
Unknown enemies are on site, a rogue Spectre is encountered and the artifact has some effects on Shepard. The Normandy returns to the citadel, and the game begins to unfold, introducing gamers to the various species, their government and humanity's place in it all. Soon, Shepard is sent on the trail of this rogue Spectre, gathering companions along the way.
Mass Effect 2 takes place two years later after Shepard discovers the Reapers, who become the main enemy of the series. They're back on the Normandy with the crew when it's hit by an unknown combatant which significantly damages the ship. The crew makes it out, but Shepard is severely wounded, and the Normandy SR1 lost. Eventually found by a Human "interests" group known as Cerberus, Shepard is restored to health and a new Normandy is constructed: the SR2.
When Shepard comes to, the facility is under attack, but with the help of some Cerberus agents, they make it out alive. From there, Shepard is updated on what's been going on with the Reapers, why Cerberus saved them and the task it has for them. The unknown enemy who attacked the Normandy SR1 has also been attacking various colonies to kidnap people, and it's up to Shepard to find out who and why. Old pals rejoin the team, as well as some new faces, although not everyone is happy to be working with Cerberus -- and with good reason.
Finally, Mass Effect 3 culminates with the inevitable Reaper war. It kicks off with Shepard being summoned to the Alliance defense committee after six months of being relieved from duty for working with Cerberus. They've been informed of Reaper activity and want Shepard's opinion on the matte. But before anything can be done, the first of the Reaper forces begin to land on Earth.
The game then sends Shepard into an action-packed escape from Earth as forces get easily destroyed like flimsy children's toys. The rest of the game is about mustering forces and working together with every species to defend against the invasion while also constructing a weapon that may destroy the Reapers -- according to an ancient civilization's lore found on Mars. Most of Shepard's old team (joined by a few more newbies) come together one last time to literally save the universe from extinction.
Friends & Machines
There are tons of characters encountered throughout the Mass Effect series, but the team and people Shepard work with closely are the ones who count. One of those is the Citadel Council. It's basically a general space government for a large chunk of the universe. It's run by three races who helped form it: the Turians (who have military might), the Asari (who have been around the longest and are diplomatic) and the Salarians (who run intelligence and are logical with decisions). Later, Humanity joins, becoming one of the first species added since the Council was founded. There is also an underground part of the universe outside of Citadel space.
Some of the team members who persist throughout most of the games are Tali the Quarian, Garrus the Turian, Kaiden or Ashley the Humans, and Liara the Asari. All of them are encountered in the first game and reappear throughout the series, almost always joining Shepard's team. Most are even romanceable, meaning Shepard can continue a relationship with them across games.
Tali is an engineer on a pilgrimage traditional to young adults of her kind when she's first encountered, but quickly becomes and important member of the team who helps the Normandy's engineers. Garrus was an officer on the Citadel who goes rogue to catch criminals and ends up with Shepard as a sharpshooter. Kaiden was always part of Shepard's crew, but Ashley joins soon after events at the colony in the first game. The relationship is tumultuous in later games, but if Shepard's open, they can stick together. Finally, Liara is an archeologist who is saved by Shepard and then sticks by their side, helping throughout the series.
Finally, the Reapers are the primary enemies starting midway through the trilogy. They're bent on harvesting or extinguishing life at various points in the universe because they believe biological forms to be a blight on the universe. They're an advanced AI gone wrong of unknown origin, who learn from each species they destroy to become stronger.
What's in the Legendary Edition?
The beautiful remaster will include, not only all three games in the trilogy, but their DLC as well -- even the promotional content like the special armor and weapons. So far, it sounds like fans will be getting sweet extra content like Leviathan for Mass Effect 3, the Dragon Age promo armor for Mass Effect 2 and even Bring Down the Sky from Mass Effect. It's likely everything ever released for all three games will be part of the package, making it a perfect and complete version of the trilogy. However, it's still unknown if any online content, like Mass Effect 3's multiplayer, will be included.
Platform Availability & Price
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is set to release sometime this spring, with rumors currently pointing to a March release date. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X through backwards compatibility. The game is currently available for pre-order at the standard price of $59.99 USD at most retailers. So far, no preorder bonuses or special editions have been announced, but for fans who have been asking for this for years, the base game should be enough.