Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes the three role-playing games Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in reworked versions. As Commander Shepard, you assemble a crew and follow a story that runs from the first encounter with the Reapers to the conflict over the entire galaxy. Conversations, relationships and important decisions link the three campaigns.

The collection is aimed at single players and combines the main games with more than 40 pieces of additional content. It is not a new sequel, but a modernized version of the original trilogy.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released on May 14, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. BioWare reworked the three games as a shared collection for these platforms. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, the older console version runs via backward compatibility.

The release includes the single-player campaigns of the trilogy and the reworked additional content. A separate native PS5 or Xbox Series version was not released.

The native versions were released for Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On PC, the collection is offered through Steam and the EA app. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the previous console generation version of the game is used.

Backward compatibility allows play on newer hardware, but it does not make this a separate version for PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. All three main games included are part of the same collection.

The trilogy combines conversations and character development with real-time combat from a third-person perspective. Shepard can choose different classes with weapon, tech or biotic abilities and give commands to companions in combat. Combat is linked with tactical decisions about the group's abilities.

Between missions you explore planets, visit stations and talk with the crew of the Normandy. The story reacts to your decisions and to relationships with key crew members.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes more than 40 story, weapon, armor and other add-on packs from the Shepard trilogy. These include the large single-player expansions of the later games. Within the collection, each belongs to its original game.

The training station expansion Pinnacle Station from the first Mass Effect is not included. The collection includes the single-player content, not the earlier multiplayer mode from Mass Effect 3.

The PC version requires at least Windows 10 64-bit, 8 GB RAM and 120 GB of free storage space. EA lists the minimum processor as AMD FX-8350 or Intel Core i5-3570, and the minimum graphics as Radeon HD 7970 or GeForce GTX 760, or comparable hardware. DirectX 11 is required.

Recommended are 16 GB RAM, a Ryzen 7 3700X or Core i7-7700, and a Radeon Vega 56 or GeForce GTX 1070. It also lists 120 GB of free storage.

The Legendary Edition overhauls textures, lighting, character models and effects in all three games. The display supports 4K and HDR. On consoles, you can choose between a setting geared toward image quality and one geared toward frame rate.

Especially in the first Mass Effect, the user interface, movement, aiming and enemy behavior have also been adjusted. The story and the basic structure of the trilogy remain intact. A photo mode lets you take your own shots in the game worlds.

Shepard's decisions carry over from Mass Effect through Mass Effect 2 to the finale of Mass Effect 3. Those who play the trilogy in order experience recurring characters and the consequences of earlier missions and relationships. Some encounters and story paths differ noticeably as a result.

For the collection, character creation was unified. Shepard's appearance can be used consistently across all three games, instead of recreating the character for each part.

The PC version offers adjustable subtitle sizes, freely assignable keyboard shortcuts and various control settings. In the start menu you can choose, among other things, the language of text and dialogue as well as the subtitle font size. In the games, subtitles, camera speed and the automatic use of companion abilities can be adjusted.

Graphics settings such as motion blur, vertical sync and frame rate limit can be adjusted separately on PC. Which options are available varies by game and platform.