Mass Effect Legendary Edition gives all three entries in Bioware’s sci-fi trilogy a visual upgrade, but the first game is getting some more meaningful changes.
In a new post published on the PlayStation Blog, BioWare community manager Jay Ingram has revealed how the upcoming Mass Effect Legendary Edition will enhance all three games.
Most notable are the updates to the first game, which has long been considered the instalment most in need of fixing for modern audiences.
The game’s combat mechanics have received sweeping changes to provide tighter, more accurate gunplay. The aiming down sights camera view has been enhanced, and accuracy has been “tuned across all weapons to allow players to maintain more consistent firepower.” Squadmates can also be commanded independently for the first time, giving the game feature parity with its sequels.
Outside of combat, the controls of the Mako planetary rover have also been overhauled. In the original version, the Mako was famously lightweight, causing all kinds of havoc for players. Now, the vehicle has improved handling and is less prone to sliding. A new thrust feature also offers a welcome speed boost.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition updates
Mass Effect – Combat Changes
- Shepard can now sprint out of combat
- Melee attacks are now mapped to a button press rather than automatically occurring based on proximity to an enemy
- Weapon accuracy and handling has been significantly improved
- Reticle bloom is more controlled
- Weapon sway removed from sniper rifles
- Aiming down sights/”tight aim” camera view has been improved
- Improved aim assist for target acquisition
- All relevant enemies now take headshot damage in the first game
- Previously some did not, including humanoid enemies
- Ammo mods (Anti-Organic, Anti-Synthetic, etc.) can now drop throughout the whole game
- Previously, these stopped dropping at higher player levels
- They are now also available to purchase from merchants
- All weapons can be used by any class without penalty
- Specializations (the ability to train/upgrade certain weapons) are still class-specific
- Weapons cool down much faster
- Medi-gel usage has been improved
- Base cooldown reduced
- Levelling benefits increased
- Increased Liara’s bonus to cooldowns
- Inventory management improvements
- Items can now be flagged as “Junk”
- All Junk items can be converted into Omni-gel or sold to merchants at once
- Inventory and stores now have sorting functionality
- Some abilities have been rebalanced
- Weapon powers (i.e., those that are unlocked on each weapon type’s skill tree) have been improved:
- Effectiveness/strength is increased (duration reduced in some cases)
- Heat now resets on power activation
Mass Effect – Mako Changes
- Improved handling
- Physics tuning improved to feel “weightier” and slide around less
- Improved camera controls
- Resolved issues preventing the Mako from accurately aiming at lower angles
- Shields recharge faster
- New thrusters added for a speed boost
- Its cooldown is separate from the jump jets’
- The XP penalty while in the Mako has been removed
- Touching lava no longer results in an instant Mission Failure and instead deals damage over time
The blog also details the improved character creator and explains how the trilogy’s original DLC has been integrated. Read the full post on the PlayStation Blog for the complete rundown of changes and tweaks.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be released on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with forward compatibility for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
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