Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remasters all three games in the Mass Effect Trilogy. While it will offer quality of life improvements to the trilogy's visuals and gameplay, it won't fundamentally alter the game's quest structure or story beats.
Mass Effect veterans know what they're getting into with each entry in Commander Shephard's story. The truly dedicated will know how to get the most out of each game. Here's what new recruits are signing up for when they board the Normandy for the first time.
The first game in the Mass Effect Trilogy is also its shortest. Completing Mass Effect's story mode takes an average of 17.5 hours, according to HowLongToBeat. Shepard's battle with Saren and the Geth sees him recruit six squadmates, some of whom could be with you for the long haul. While it hints at the wider galaxy, it leaves exploration of it to later games.
Finishing the original Mass Effect and its extra content took 28.5 hours in its original form. The original Mass Effect didn't have the DLC its sequels offered, with only two expansions released. The Pinnacle Station DLC won't be part of the Legendary Edition due to lost source code, knocking an hour off a playthrough. 100% completion of the original Mass Effect and its extra content took 44 hours, including Pinnacle Station, which took two hours to 100%. The DLC's omission knocks the playing time down to 27.5 and 42 hours, respectively.
Mass Effect 2's story clocks in at 24.5 hours. It doubles the number of squadmates to 12, including two DLC characters, Kasumi and Zaeed. The story finds Shepard working for the human cabal Cerberus. The story ultimately builds up to a climactic suicide mission against the alien Collectors. Giving your entire squad the best chance to survive that mission involves completing Loyalty Missions and planet scanning for upgrades, which might be the most tedious activity in any Mass Effect game.
Mass Effect 2 featured multiple story DLCs, adding roughly 10 hours to the main story quest, putting the game at 35.5 hours to complete. DLC characters Zaeed and Kasumi have their own loyalty missions, which take 3 hours to complete cumulatively. Some DLC may be more compelling than others, depending on the relationships you forged in the first game. Lair of the Shadow Broker, for example, is essential for anyone who romances Liara T'Soni in the first game. The Asari xenoarchaeologist isn't a squadmate in the main game, but her story and relationship with Shepard are advanced in the DLC. 100% completion takes 50.5 hours.
The final installment of the trilogy's story also takes 24.5 hours to complete. Shepard and his surviving squadmates, along with a handful of new characters, gear up for the final battle with the Reapers by recruiting support throughout the galaxy. With ME 3's multiplayer axed, how much of the game they complete and the choices they make will play an even greater role in the ending of their Shepard's story.
Mass Effect 3's DLC adds up to 13 hours to the game, bringing it to 36 hours. The trilogy's capstone DLC, Citadel, is up to 5 hours by itself. However, the one piece of DLC that beefs up the game's run time, The Extended Cut, was unplanned free DLC, released in response to the game's controversial ending. Completionists will need to carve out 50 hours to see everything that Mass Effect 3 has to offer.
Beating every game in the trilogy without the DLC will take 67.5 hours. With it, the trilogy balloons to 99.5 hours. Players who plan to scour every inch of the trilogy's galaxy are in for at least 144.5 hours. All of this comes with the caveat that we don't have an official listing of the game's achievements/trophies, which BioWare may offer some quality-of-life tweaks to. This does at least gives players an estimate of the commitment involved.
As with its original release, Mass Effect remains a massive franchise, with plenty to offer players looking for an epic sci-fi RPG experience. Whether you're new to the series or looking to relive your favorite classic games, there's plenty to explore when Mass Effect Legendary Edition releases May 14.
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