When BioWare's Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released last month, one of the more notable changes it brought to the trilogy was the removal of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer game mode. The requirements to achieve the best ending for the game were consequently rebalanced to compensate. However, it arguably wasn't enough to make up for multiplayer's absence.
There are several gameplay changes in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, most notably in Mass Effect 1, although even Mass Effect 3 received some significant alterations. From rebalanced boss fights to level scaling and weapon specializations, BioWare aimed to create a smoother experience that helps bridge the gaps between each subsequent Mass Effect title. The remaster also included almost every DLC in the trilogy, though all these differences came at the cost of ME3's cooperative features.
Recently, rumors have been circulating that ME3's multiplayer might be re-added to the series, though this possibility has been met with a divided response among fans. Many disliked being effectively forced to utilize multiplayer features in an otherwise single-player game, especially given BioWare's reputation towards story-focused RPGs rather than cooperative or competitive action games. However, Mass Effect Legendary Edition could benefit from the addition of multiplayer in many ways.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition Is Too Easy Without Multiplayer
In the original release of Mass Effect 3, Shepard's fight against the Reapers was measured in two different ways. War Assets were resources that could be collected throughout the series and changed based on player decisions. Armies, fleets and other vital supplies could be collected by completing side quests or making certain crucial choices while progressing through ME3. These assets were then combined with the player's Galactic Readiness, which could be increased by playing cooperative Mass Effect 3 multiplayer levels. If Galactic Readiness fell to 50%, the overall Effective Military Strength would be reduced by 50% as well, and if it was at 100% then players could make use of 100% of their War Assets.
Thanks to the removal of multiplayer, Galactic Readiness has effectively been removed from Mass Effect Legendary Edition, meaning that the collection of War Assets is the only factor that contributes towards the galaxy's Effective Military Strength. Shepard's fleets and allies are always operating at 100% strength without any modifiers. While BioWare did increase the amount of War Assets needed to achieve the best ending - and made it so small choices throughout the entire trilogy have more of a bearing on ME3 - it still feels simple compared to the original gameplay. Additionally, total playtime of the Mass Effect trilogy has been significantly lessened because of the removal of an entire game mode. Fortunately, thanks to the success of Mass Effect Legendary Edition it's possible that multiplayer could be reintroduced in the future.