Mass Effect Legendary Edition Summary
Ah, Mass Effect. To say that this trilogy is legendary is something of an understatement. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PC, and Mac on May 14th, 2021. Developed by BioWare, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition contains the first three Mass Effect games. For those unaware, Mass Effect is a sci-fi trilogy about the player character, Commander Shepard, navigating and preparing a tumultuous galaxy for the oncoming intergalactic threat, the Reapers.
These three games have earned widespread applause and awards ever since the first Mass Effect was released on November 20, 2007. Many players chart their course throughout all three games as their very own Commander Shepard, upgrading their ships, getting to know companions, and making choices that have longer-reaching consequences than you could have ever known.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition Premise.
Since the Legendary Edition contains all three games with DLC, let’s cover each one! Starting with…
Mass Effect 1 is the first game in the series. In this game, Commander Shepard of the Normday is tasked to investigate a distress signal on Eden Prime, which has come under attack by the sentient robot race known as the Geth. In doing so, however, they uncover an ancient artifact known as the Beacon and discover the treachery of one of the Galaxy’s foremost special agents, Saren Arterius. The only way to save the day is to become a SPECTRE, the same group Saren belongs to. In doing so, the player uncovers the existence of the Reapers, whom the Geth worship as mechanical gods.
The second game, Mass Effect 2, starts a few weeks after the events of the first game. With the galaxy saved from the threat of Saren and the Geth, Commander Shepard has been scouring the outer colonies for any signs of Geth activity. But then, the Normday is attacked by an unknown ship, nearly destroying it in one fell swoop. Commander Shepard, in the process of saving the Normandy’s pilot, Joker, loses their life. They die, lost to space.
But the adventure doesn’t end there. It’s only just begun. Brought back from death by the mysterious organization Cerberus, Commander Shepard awakens to a galaxy two years after they died, and much has changed. But there’s no time to settle, the enemy that attacks you, the Collectors, are planning something. And for better or for worse, you’re the only one who can stop them. Assemble a crack team of assassins, mercenaries, vigilantes, and more for the Galaxy’s most dangerous suicide mission.
And finally, the third game, Mass Effect 3, the end of the world has come. The Reapers have invaded the Galaxy at large, and nothing can stop them. Not Earth’s armies, not the Citadel, no one. The Galaxy’s only hope lies in the Promethean project, the Crucible. No one knows what it does, but no one can take the Reapers head-on. But the Galaxy is as divided as it is war-torn, and only you can bring these divided species together, or die alone…
Mass Effect Main Characters
Quick note! Since each game has characters that aren’t always playable, we’ll be focusing on the ones that make a consistent appearance in the games.
- Commander Shepard: the player character. Commander Shepard is humanity’s first SPECTRE and quite possibly its most dangerous soldier. Whether paragon or renegade, the choices you make throughout the game will decide the fate of the galaxy and all those who live in it.
- Joker: The ace pilot of the Normandy, a wise-cracking man who is arguably the most sane one of the lot. Capable of making the Normandy dance with such grace that it almost defies the laws of physics, just don’t ask him to get up from his chair and dance. Unless you like the sounds of bones snapping.
- David Anderson: voiced by Keith David, this guy is your most steadfast ally in every game.
- Laria T’soni: An Asari archeologist turned crime lord, Laria is a powerful biotic who is the galaxy’s foremost expert on Promethean technology.
- Garrus Valkarian: A Turian who doesn’t play by the rules, and is quite possibly your best friend. There’s no one better with a sniper rifle in all of the games, except maybe you.
- Tali’Zorah: The one that everyone likes. Tali is a Quriran mechanic who’s quirky, cute, and will happily toss a grenade in your direction if she thinks you’re trying to screw her over. Packs a mean shotgun, and a meaner drone.
- Kaiden Alenko: Look, every game needs a boy scout, and Kaiden, while a bit boring to some, provides an emotional anchor to the team. It also helps he knows tech just as well as he does biotics.
- Ashley Williams: A military woman through and through. Knows how to use every weapon under the sun.
- Urdnot Wrex: Everyone’s favorite Korgan. No, really. He’s like that crazy grandpa that everyone likes and has nearly killed everything under the sun, the moon, and space.
Mass Effect: Titles of Video Games in the Series
Mass Effect has a few titles in its series, though, generally, fans don’t like to count the last one. There are also a couple of mobile games, but for now, let’s focus on the mainline titles.
- Mass Effect 1
- Mass Effect 2
- Mass Effect 3
- Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Mass Effect Cheat Codes
Okay! Much to many and my surprise, there are in fact, cheat codes for the first Mass Effect. Let me repeat that, there are cheats for Mass Effect 1. However, there are only cheats for Mass Effect 1.
So, let’s review how to use them!
First off, you have to enable the console by going to Documents>BioWare>Mass Effect>Config on your computer. That’s by going to the game folders, just so you know. Then open BIOInput in Notepad. Find the line [Engine.Console] and under it add the line ConsoleKey=Tilde. Then when playing in game simply press the tilde key (its above tab, and it’s this: ` ) to open the console, then type in the desired cheat.
And here is the list of cheats:
| Effect | Code |
|---|---|
| enable fly mode. very awkward controls. | fly |
| Give all armor, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllArmor xs |
| Give all grenades, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllGrenades xs |
| Give all human armor, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllArmorHuman xs |
| Give all krogan armor, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllArmorKrogan xs |
| Give all quarian armor, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllArmorQuarian xs |
| Give all Turian armor, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllArmorTurian xs |
| Give all Weapons and Armor Mods | GiveAllXMods |
| Give all weapons, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllWeapons xs |
| Give Super Armor | givesuperarmor |
| Give Super Gun | givesupergun |
| Gives a bonus talent | givebonustalent # |
| Gives all Armors | GiveAllArmor |
| Gives Bio Amps, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllBioamps |
| Gives Omni Tool, replace the xs with the name of the manufactuer | GiveAllOmniTools |
| gives omni-gel (up to 999) | initsalvage ### |
| gives you everything exept for armor. | giveall |
| Increments or decrements the party’s credits. | AdjustCredits (plus or minus number) |
| Move player to location specified by crosshairs | teleport |
| removes ability cooldowns (affects enemy NPCs aswell) | enablepowercooldown 0 |
| replace # with desired amount of experience points | givexp # |
| replace # with desired amount of paragon points | setparagon # |
| replace # with desired amount of renegade points | setrenegade # |
| Replace # with desired amount of squad talent points | set bioattributespawnparty m_TalentPoints # |
| replace # with the desired amount of credits | adjustcredits # |
| replace # with the desired amount of talent points. | givetalentpoints # |
| return to normal on foot control | walk |
| Set number of grenades | initgrenades # |
| Sets amount of medi-gel to the number requested. | initmedigel X |
| Sets the party credits to this amount. | InitCredits (number) |
| Super Speed | superspeed |
| Unlock Achievements | unlockachievement # |
| walk through walls | ghost |
Okay, but what about the others?
Well, while there are no cheats for them, let me give you some advice:
Combat varies between games. The gameplay difference between 1 and 2 is drastic, as such, do not assume the same tricks you use in the first game will apply in the second and third. To explain, the first game is more open with its combat, as a fight could break out even in populated areas. While the second and third onwards often have decided combat sections, with more hectic third-person combat al-la Gears of War.
What’s more, your weapons are different as well. In ME1, many guns operated more or less the same. Some would have a better firing rate, others would take longer to heat up, and so on. Not so from ME2 onwards. Take, for example, your starting assault rifle, the Avenger. The Avenger is a fully automatic rifle, not the best, not the worst, the jack of all trades. Then we have the very next one the player finds, the Vindicator, and that one only fires in three-round bursts. So, even if you don’t use Assault Rifles, expect every weapon you pick up to operate differently.
Pick a side! In Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and in every game, there are usually two moral choices a player can make. Renegade and Paragon. The former is about making ruthless, hard-call choices….ooooorrr just threatening and beating up anyone you don’t like. It’s very ‘shoot first, ask questions later.’ The latter, Paragon, is about being diplomatic, trying to get both sides to see reason and use charm to make lives a little bit better. Now, the reason I’m telling you is this: there are no points for being neutral. Whether ruthless or fair, the player has to choose who they are in the end. That’s not to say you can’t, it’s just that it’s better (and you get more points) if you play as a Paragon or Renegade.
Talk to everyone. EVERYONE. Especially your crew. Bioware games often reward the player for talking to as many people as they can, be they storekeepers or the pilot at the helm. As such, the player must go to make friends with as many NPCs as they can. You’ll often find sidequests, hidden info, and more! As for your crew, you must make time to chat with them in all three games.
Aside from getting to know a wonderful cast of characters, each with their own backstory. The crew also will give Commander Shepard various quests they can do, which will give the player new upgrades for themselves and the ship, as well as new abilities to play with! So yeah, be a social butterfly!
Mass Effect Legendary Edition Cheat Code FAQs
Are there cheat codes for Mass Effect?
Only for the first game. To learn how, see above! If you need a quick refresher: enable the console by going to Documents>BioWare>Mass Effect>Config on your computer. That’s by going to the game folders, just so you know. Then open BIOInput in Notepad. Find the line [Engine.Console] and under it add the line ConsoleKey=Tilde. Then when playing in the game simply press the tilde key (its above tab, and it’s this: ` )