The beloved Mass Effect 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod is coming back for Mass Effect Legendary Edition thanks to the talented minds behind the original add-on. Bioware’s epic sci-fi RPG series has a large and devoted modding community, with skilled fans restoring cut content and addressing issues like Conrad Verner’s infamously faulty memory in Mass Effect 2.
The Expanded Galaxy Mod for 2011’s Mass Effect 3 is a cut above the others though, due to just how much it builds upon the experience of the original title. Created by Kinkojiro and several other modders, the EGM allows players to explore the entire Mass Effect 3 galaxy map straight from the start of the game (as certain systems are locked out in the base game until Shepard completes certain missions), as well as every planet seen in the previous two Mass Effect installments, Additionally, the EGM overhauls the Normandy and adds several new War Assets, weapons, armor, and missions to the base Mass Effect 3 experience - including a fleshed-out version of the game’s notoriously controversial ending.
As reported by Game Informer, Kinkojiro and the other talented modders behind the original Mass Effect 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod are now hard at work bringing a new version of it to Mass Effect Legendary Collection, citing a recent coding change that now gives modders access to the tools needed to make it a reality. So far, the project isn’t as big as the original EGM, but Kinkojiro says that it will “gradually become more like the full EGM experience, as more content is added." In its current form, the new EGM contains several small quality-of-life improvements such as allowing players to select their armor when setting out on a new mission and select the timings for DLC and N7 missions.
Fans have been readily diving into Mass Effect Legendary Edition since it launched a few months ago, giving it high praise for updating the first three Mass Effect games for modern consoles and making improvements in areas like the Mako’s rough handling in Mass Effect 1. Additionally, Bioware is set to return to the Mass Effect universe with a brand-new installment, the first to come from the franchise after the ill-received Mass Effect Andromeda back in 2017.
Players loved exploring the Milky Way in the first three Mass Effect games, and the Expanded Galaxy Mod gave them the chance to do so on a level even Bioware hadn’t provided. If Kinkojiro and their team succeed in bringing the popular mod to Mass Effect Legendary Edition in all of its former glory, said fans will be thrilled at the chance to jump back into the universe they fell in love with all over again.
Source: Game Informer