Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Rebalances The Original

Electronic Arts and BioWare have unveiled some exciting details about upcoming gameplay fixes in the Mass Effect trilogy remaster.

The original Mass Effect saga spans three games, and each sequel introduced or tweaked certain gameplay aspects. Ever since BioWare announced the Legendary Edition, fans have been wondering how the remaster was supposed to level the games out mechanically.

We now know that the first major tweak will be combat-related and focused primarily on the first game. The original series started as a more traditional RPG, with random chance affecting outcomes, so you couldn’t count on your guns doing their work properly in encounters.

Thankfully, the studio has now tuned the accuracy of all game weapons so that the shots will be more consistent. With improved aiming and tighter shooting using a controller, the combat should feel akin to the sequels. Furthermore, every enemy can now be headshot for bonus damage, provided they have a head to aim at.

Another life-saving improvement will be the retooled inventory system in the first game: Players remember the pain of manually sorting items while also keeping a note of what to sell only too well. Legendary Edition will let us mark all unwanted items as “Junk” for quick selling to vendors or en-masse conversion into Omni-gel, the game’s primary crafting material.

The M-35 Mako - an infamous all-terrain vehicle that was too unwieldy to safely drive on any terrain - is finally getting its wheels on the ground. The developers have tuned its weight, so it will now not be yeeting itself into the Sun upon hitting the tiniest of rocks. Touching lava won’t result in instant death, either, and the Mako’s shields will recharge much faster. Still, the studio assures us that you’ll still be able to fly yourself off a cliff should you so desire - some things are just tradition, after all.

On the technical side of things, all three games will see some visual improvements and 4K support for RTX 2080 owners and those with newer graphics cards. The models and environments will be unified across the trilogy, including Shepard’s looks and the UI. The cherry on top is that the Legendary Edition includes every single piece of extra content that has ever been created for the games, including weapon packs, missions, and armor customization options. EA has also included the Mass Effect: Genesis comic that bridges gaps between the games in the trilogy.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is set to release on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.