Like many popular games, Mass Effect has its own modding community dedicated to enhancing and adding to the trilogy. Even though Mass Effect 3 came out nine years ago, most of the mods are still kept up to date, and new ones are still being added. However, with Mass Effect Legendary Edition on the way, some fans are wondering if these mods will still be usable, or even necessary, with the upgrade.
According to the game's director, Mac Walters, the modding community has impacted how the trilogy is being remastered. There are plenty of mods floating around which enhance different aspects of the games, particularly Mass Effect 1, from small details like making elevators faster to gameplay fixes, and even a new ending and model overhauls.
The team has been speaking with some of the larger modders in the community to see how it can make Legendary Edition mod-friendly, as well as where the remaster itself can make improvements. While the new version will obvious feature texture enhancements, a higher resolution and other visual improvements, here are just some major mods being taken into account to improve gameplay.
Rather than changing the core game, these mods improve upon it through bug and text fixes. They also restore some aspects that were changed or cut. The fixes span all three games, and the restored content is even reflected in save files. Some aspects of the "Recalibrated" mods are making their way into the Legendary Edition, so it's safe to say they may not need to be updated -- at least not as thoroughly.
If the BioWare team is going this far to include these improvements, its likely it'll also be fixing the more well-known bugs. There are some inclusions though, like recruiting Samara earlier in Mass Effect 2 and some alternate appearances, that probably won't make their way into the final product because they weren't part of the original designs.
"BackOff" is a Mass Effect 3 mod created to expand on and improve relationship building in the game. It changes up the text for dialogue options, so Shepard isn't accidentally flirting with everyone because certain options are misleading. It also makes text in things like emails a little more in-line with the actual friendships rather than a gateway to dating.
It's a nice touch that may not make it into Legendary Edition, as BioWare has stated, "The series narrative options have not changed from the original trilogy to Legendary Edition." It's not clear if this is referring to the overall story or dialogue in general, and we already know there won't be changes to the romance options despite the demand for more same-sex romances. This mod may end up living on, but not officially in Legendary Edition.
Both of these mods apply to ME3, and they are some of the most popular ones that actually alter certain aspects of the game by restoring cut content and adding new stuff. Because these alter the game from its original version, most of their content won't make it into Legendary Edition. However, the creator of the "Priority Earth Overhaul Mod," Orikon, is one of the modders communicating with BioWare.
Orikon's mod makes major changes to the final mission of ME3 to make the player's choices and forces have more impact, and "The Expanded Galaxy Mod" makes traversing the galaxy more dynamic. Both add a lot to the base game, and updated versions of these mods may come to Legendary Edition.
The PC versions of the Mass Effect trilogy notoriously have issues with controller support. There are a slew of mods which, not only fix some of the bug issues, but add better support for Xbox 360 controllers, since they're often what's used. This is one of the bigger fixes BioWare will be addressing in Legendary Edition, and hopefully we'll see good support for Xbox One and Series X controllers too. If this issue is addressed properly, there won't be a need for these mods anymore.
While not as popular as some of the other mods, many fans had a wonderful time driving the Mako in the original Mass Effect, flipping over small rocks, accidentally flying off mountains and spinning into oblivion after running over an enemy. This mod makes minor tweaks to the Mako's gravity to make it a bit more drivable, which many preferred. BioWare is addressing some of the Mako's wonky driving in Legendary Edition to make the experience (and camera) a little more stable.
Anothing thing that should be noted is what Mac Walters said about setting up modders for success with the remaster. The modding community doesn't just make mods; it also makes tools for other modders and organizers for users to keep track of various mods and see which are compatible or need updating. If Walters really wants to make the trilogy open to modding, some of these tools would go a long way in making things easier for modders and users. We won't know more until the game is out, but hopefully we'll see some extra interface for this purpose.
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