Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in order - do you have to start with the first game? (2024)

FAQs

What order should I play Mass Effect Legendary Edition? ›

Let's get something out of the way first, the Mass Effect trilogy is, obviously, designed to be played in order and if you skip past the first one then you will be missing out on some great, important connections between characters that will come back into play in future games.

Yes it unfortunately seems to install all 3 at once, which is convenient if you're gonna sit down and play a marathon run for a month, but like I have a 500gb drive, even (only) 8 games installed seems to push it these days.

The answer is yes, you absolutely must. There are a few reasons why you should play the Mass Effect trilogy in order, and not just because that's the way the story was written - there are severe consequences to not playing Mass Effect, then ME2, then ME3 - it's a matter of life and death.

Legendary Edition is worth your money because it includes multiple full-fledged games which include promotional weapons and Mass Effect 3 DLCs - all of which were launched when these titles first came out.

In terms of performance, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will feature quicker loading times and can be played at 60FPS. Overall the experience will be smoother than the original.

The inaugural video game in the series, Mass Effect (2007), follows Shepard's investigation of Saren Arterius, one of the Reapers' agents. Mass Effect 2 (2010) begins two years later and sees Shepard's forces battling the Collectors, an alien race abducting human colonies to facilitate the Reapers' return.

Yes when you start a new ME2 file w/o Import/Genesis who survives Virmire is based off of your gender. Also TC you could do a Story only run of ME1 it is nice and short and most of the Paragon/Renegade points come from the main story in the game anyway.

There are two Mass Effect endings, one with a branching path. They all revolve around pursuing dealing with the Council in the Race Against Time: Final Battle mission, though none of them significantly influence how the trilogy unfolds.

In Legendary Edition, Mass Effect has received more extensive upgrades than its sequels, including a new HUD. Mass Effect Legendary Edition contains single-player base content from all three titles in the Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), and Mass Effect 3 (2012).

What is the difference between Mass Effect 3 and Legendary Edition? ›

The multiplayer mode of Mass Effect 3 has been removed, rendering the Legendary Edition a single player-only experience. The UI navigation experience has been improved.

If you love the original trilogy and think you will get more playthroughs of it in. Its worth it. ME1 got some nice QOL upgrades. And 2 and 3 got some technical upgrades to make them easier to play on modern systems and resolutions.

Is it worth playing through Mass Effect 1? I think the compromise answer is: if you're looking at the ME series primarily as a shooter with a good plot, don't bother. If you're looking at the series as a space RPG that plays like a shooter, the story is worth it.

If you have the time and the inclination playing both ME1 and ME2 is also a great option. Keep in mind though ME1 and ME2 are both 30+ hour games. If you don't have 60+ hours to devote to the Mass Effect franchise, you may want to skip straight to ME2.

If you intend to not romance anybody in Mass Effect 1, you should save rescuing Liara until after Virmire. This ensures Liara doesn't have enough time to form an attachment to Shepard. Assuming you picked Liara up before Virmire, you should of course be nice to her in order to establish a friendship.

You have the option to do it before or after. It activates as soon as you get to Disc 2. There isn't much reason to not do it before the end of the game.

Although its reputation isn't great, newcomers to the series should definitely consider checking it out once they beat Mass Effect Legendary Edition - and even people who've played it already may find something new to love about it, too.

Mass Effect 1's Best Mission Order

Liara's dig site should be the first area players choose to stop at in Mass Effect 1. Liara is a potential crewmate and romance option in both ME1 and ME3, and she plays a significant role in a Mass Effect 2 DLC.

The Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from the highly acclaimed Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors, and packs – remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD.