[Xevren]

Tell me GAF...I played the first two Mass Effect games and enjoyed them but for one reason or another, haven't bothered with this one. All I really know about the game is the uproar the ending caused. How did the rest of the game really stack up? I know there is DLC that expands on the ending but I'm interested in more than just the end of the game. Thanks.

I loved the rest of the game personally, had a lot of great moments so if you liked the first two you'd probably like it as well.

[Bisnic]

Tell me GAF...I played the first two Mass Effect games and enjoyed them but for one reason or another, haven't bothered with this one. All I really know about the game is the uproar the ending caused. How did the rest of the game really stack up? I know there is DLC that expands on the ending but I'm interested in more than just the end of the game. Thanks.

The rest of the game is good(except maybe the first 20 mins on Earth at the beginning).

Some people hated how its more linear and how you have less choices in dialogues than before(2 choices rather than 3 most of the time and sometimes Shepard talks automatically where normally you would think you could have a choice), but its still a good game despite that. Combat have been improved for the better compared to ME2 with new moves, weapon weights affecting your cooldowns, weapon mods + upgrades and a bigger choice in weapons.

And seeing what happen to the other aliens homeworlds during the Reaper invasion, seeing what they'll finally do with the Genophage and the Geth/Quarian war, what happened to your past crewmates and allies, etc. is all worth it if you're a fan.

And you might fall in love with multiplayer like some of us. It's really fun and addicting, and the tons of shit you can unlock will make sure you play for a long time. Plus, all the multiplayer DLC is free.

But if you do get the game, be sure to do the sidequests as soon as possible, since after a certain event in the game, you wont be able to complete some of them.

[Blue Ninja]

It's a good game. If you liked ME2, you'll like this one too.

[CriscoDisco]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll pick it up.

[EYEL1NER]

I looked around briefly on google and didn't see anything but had anyone heard anything about problems still being around with importing characters? I know the faces got patched a while ago but I finally opened my launch copy of the SE (kept waiting to play it for ME2 dlc that never went on sale) and imported my Lvl 30 character from ME2. All choices from ME and ME2 look like they carried over correctly and my face is right. But the problem is that upon taking control of Shepard, my level is only 29, not 30. I know I didn't select an incorrect save because I only have one save for ME2.

Anyone heard of anything like this?

[Sai]

There have been some complaints about levels being imported incorrectly. Can't remember what the root of the problem was though.

I think there was even a guy early on in this thread who started at Lv50.

[EYEL1NER]

I thought about clearing the cache and going in patchiness but then my face wouldn't import right.
I might just try reimporting and see if that works.

[Kung Fu Grip]

Going to get this game soon. Does the DLC expand the ending or change it completely? I wanted to play the game without it just to see if its as bad as everyone says.

Or i guess i could youtube it.

[Gui_PT]

Going to get this game soon. Does the DLC expand the ending or change it completely? I wanted to play the game without it just to see if its as bas as everyone says. Or i guess i could youtube it.

There's just more dialogue and a slideshow basically

[Bisnic]

Going to get this game soon. Does the DLC expand the ending or change it completely? I wanted to play the game without it just to see if its as bas as everyone says. Or i guess i could youtube it.

The DLC doesnt change completely the ending. It adds some scenes so that we can actually know what happen in some parts or to add more explanations because there was SPECULATIONS FROM EVERYONE.

Honestly there is no point in playing without the extended cut. It's free, so just download it. :P

[nel e nel]

There's just more dialogue and a slideshow basically

There's additional dialogue throughout the entire game, starting on Mars. Shepard will have some additional inquiry options in certain conversations, and Javik had some expanded dialogue a couple of times I visited him on the Normandy.

[Bisnic]

There's additional dialogue throughout the entire game, starting on Mars. Shepard will have some additional inquiry options in certain conversations, and Javik had some expanded dialogue a couple of times I visited him on the Normandy.

I'm sure i saw nothing new prior to the last mission in my last run. Maybe you just missed those conversations before the release of the extended cut?

[Kung Fu Grip]

The DLC doesnt change completely the ending. It adds some scenes so that we can actually know what happen in some parts or to add more explanations because there was SPECULATIONS FROM EVERYONE. Honestly there is no point in playing without the extended cut. It's free, so just download it. :P

Oh. I'll download then.

[Barrow Roll]

There's additional dialogue throughout the entire game, starting on Mars. Shepard will have some additional inquiry options in certain conversations, and Javik had some expanded dialogue a couple of times I visited him on the Normandy.

Do you have a source for this? This article on Mass Effect Wiki details all the additions and changes in the Extended Cut (SPOILER WARNING) and it makes no mention of additional dialogue throughout the game besides some ambient dialogue.

[TheVampire]

I havnt finished the game yet and Im just about to attack the Cerberus base.

Is this enough war assets?
I really cbf doing anymore side quests and want to finish the game already.

[rozay]

You will not be able to choose all 3 ending outcomes until you hit 3100 Effective Military Strength with the Extended Cut DLC installed. You would need 6200 for the Total Military Strength with your 50% readiness rate to accomplish this, and if you're already at the cerberus base, it's not likely you can at this point. I think with 1739 EMS, you will only get one option for the endgame.

If you don't feel like doing more sidequests, just finish the game and watch the other endings on youtube

[TheVampire]

You will not be able to choose all 3 ending outcomes until you hit 3100 Effective Military Strength with the Extended Cut DLC installed. You would need 6200 for the Total Military Strength with your 50% readiness rate to accomplish this, and if you're already at the cerberus base, it's not likely you can at this point. I think with 1739 EMS, you will only get one option for the endgame. If you don't feel like doing more sidequests, just finish the game and watch the other endings on youtube

This enough now?
I used the save game editor to change it.

[rozay]

boy you golden

you have enough assets to just blow everything up. the game is over, everybody lives and all the reapers died. your 70000 alliance units blew up the cerberus base too. shepard and whoever you fucked are going to have kids and the galaxy will be a wonderful place. everybody has a happy ending except harbringer

quit while you're ahead and just stop playing now

but seriously yeah, you have 11.8 times as much EMS as you need. hope you enjoy what the game presents to you

[Sai]

So, anybody try out the new weapons?

[Sajjaja]

So I just finished the Geth and Quarian war sequence and....holy shit did that get to me. I chose the geth because all they did was defend themselves, but seeing the Quarian fleet die as well as Tali really hit me hard.

What sucks is that I played Mass effect 1 and 2 on pc and have Mass Effect 3 on my PS3(Got it for $10.50 new, no complaints,) so none of my progress or choices in previous games are making an impact. I could have prevented what I wrote above and Wrex would be alive and other shit too. So now I'm wondering if I should double dip on ME2 and get it on my PS3 so I can actually play with the decisions I made previously. I've invested 20 hours already and now I'm wondering whether to stop and replay ME2 on the PS3 or finish this playthrough and replay it some other time. Not having any of the characters from previous games and having the game made the renegade option default is really fucking annoying.

[Bisnic]

So I just finished the Geth and Quarian war sequence and....holy shit did that get to me. I chose the geth because all they did was defend themselves, but seeing the Quarian fleet die as well as Tali really hit me hard. What sucks is that I played Mass effect 1 and 2 on pc and have Mass Effect 3 on my PS3(Got it for $10.50 new, no complaints,) so none of my progress or choices in previous games are making an impact. I could have prevented what I wrote above and Wrex would be alive and other shit too. So now I'm wondering if I should double dip on ME2 and get it on my PS3 so I can actually play with the decisions I made previously. I've invested 20 hours already and now I'm wondering whether to stop and replay ME2 on the PS3 or finish this playthrough and replay it some other time. Not having any of the characters from previous games and having the game made the renegade option default is really fucking annoying.

Wouldnt it be easier to buy ME3 on PC since all your first Shepard choices are there? Or are you one of those who can't trust Origin? :lol

But yeah... if you're missing Wrex and many(all?) ME2 characters on your current ME3 playthrough, you're missing some good stuff since you don't care much about their replacements, if there is any...no one replace Kasumi, Zaeed and Samara.

[Sai]

Shame you guys can't edit PS3 saves. :/

[Sajjaja]

Wouldnt it be easier to buy ME3 on PC since all your first Shepard choices are there? Or are you one of those who can't trust Origin? :lol But yeah... if you're missing Wrex and many(all?) ME2 characters on your current ME3 playthrough, you're missing some good stuff since you don't care much about their replacements, if there is any...no one replace Kasumi, Zaeed and Samara.

I mainly bought it on PS3 because I have a low end laptop I played them on and I didn't want to run into performance issues.

Shame you guys can't edit PS3 saves. :/

Yeah.......

Guess I'm gonna make the hard choice and stop playing ME3 till I play ME2 for 30 hours on the PS3.... Guess I'll play uncharted 3 till I get ME2.

[ShutEye]

AHHH... My post didn't load.

I had a long winded rant because I finished ME3 and the ending sucks (both original & extended cuts) and I've been in shock for 2 days.

I'm not retyping, so:

I don't understand how Bioware could let the wheels fall of the cart in the last 20 minutes of a 100+ hour trilogy. And then kill the horse, destroy the cart, light in all on fire & shit on the charcoal pile.

The original is incomprehensible non-sense. The extended is comprehensible non-sense.

So disappointing.

[Bisnic]

I mainly bought it on PS3 because I have a low end laptop I played them on and I didn't want to run into performance issues. Yeah....... Guess I'm gonna make the hard choice and stop playing ME3 till I play ME2 for 30 hours on the PS3.... Guess I'll play uncharted 3 till I get ME2.

Well, if you could run ME2, i dont see why you couldnt run ME3... the differences in minimum requirements arent big. Unless ME2 already run like crap on your laptop. :P

ME2 :

MinimumOS: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory: 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Graphics: 256 MB (With Pixel Shader 3.0 support)
DirectX: DirectX 9.0 c compatible
Hard Drive: 15 GB
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater, ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater.

ME3 :

OS – Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 / Windows 7
CPU – 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
RAM – 1 GB for Windows XP / 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7
Disc Drive – 1x speed
Hard Drive: at least 15 GB of free space
Internet connection is required to play
GPU – 256 MB with Pixel Shader 3.0 support
Supported chipsets: Nvidia 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that Nvidia GeForce 9300, 8500, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350.
Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX – DirectX 9.0c
Please note that if using an AMD Dual Core CPU, we recommend utilizng the AMD Dual Core Optimizer, available for free download by AMD.

[Sajjaja]

Well, if you could run ME2, i dont see why you couldnt run ME3... the differences in minimum requirements arent big. Unless ME2 already run like crap on your laptop. :P ME2 : MinimumOS: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7 Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU Memory: 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7 Graphics: 256 MB (With Pixel Shader 3.0 support) DirectX: DirectX 9.0 c compatible Hard Drive: 15 GB Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater, ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater. ME3 : OS – Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 / Windows 7 CPU – 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU RAM – 1 GB for Windows XP / 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7 Disc Drive – 1x speed Hard Drive: at least 15 GB of free space Internet connection is required to play GPU – 256 MB with Pixel Shader 3.0 support Supported chipsets: Nvidia 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that Nvidia GeForce 9300, 8500, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350. Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible DirectX – DirectX 9.0c Please note that if using an AMD Dual Core CPU, we recommend utilizng the AMD Dual Core Optimizer, available for free download by AMD.

There's also the fact that I picked it up on my PS3 for $10 some change :P Plus I wanted it to play a recent AAA game that I didn't have to put on low all the time lol.

[Lakitu]

Near the end of my 6th Mass Effect 2 run right now and just reminding myself just how much of an incredible game it is. So many high points.

I've had quite a while to digest Mass Effect 3's original ending, downloaded extended cut and I'm going to go through the game again with EC after I finish with ME 2. If I'm not satisfied I'll just pretend the ending is not exist. I love ignorance.

[Prologue]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZoXl...ure=plpp_video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z9OH...ure=plpp_video

These randomly showed up on my feed today. These are very well done. Makes me want to play the series again.

[pringles]

I just finished the game.

THAT was what all the uproar has been about!?!? Jesus. Maybe it was because I was expecting ewoks to come in and sing songs to defeat the reapers, but that ending was totally fine to me. Nothing about it seemed out of line with what has been established for 3 games.

I even thought the ending I chose, Shephard becoming one with the reapers, was pretty fucking cool.

[Bisnic]

I just finished the game. THAT was what all the uproar has been about!?!? Jesus. Maybe it was because I was expecting ewoks to come in and sing songs to defeat the reapers, but that ending was totally fine to me. Nothing about it seemed out of line with what has been established for 3 games. I even thought the ending I chose, Shephard becoming one with the reapers, was pretty fucking cool.

Well, if what you saw is the extended cut, you havent seen what was the (original) uproar was all about since they fixed some issues. Although they didnt "fix" everything of course, so some people are still mad.

[Skirn]

I've been playing this for a few hours and I picked up a handful of mods on the first mission (Mars). The mods were for the SMG and sniper rifle, I believe. My question is: how the hell do I equip the mods? When I go to a workbench, there's no Modify button and nothing happens if I click the empty mod slots.

Is this a bug I've stumbled upon or am I just daft? Also, where can I view all the mods that I've picked up?

Edit: OK, what the hell? I just bought a few mods from the mod store in the Normandy and the mods that I bought have appeared, but not the ones that I've picked up on missions. Ugh... this sucks.

[Sai]

There's only one instance where you can actually equip a weapon mod on Mars, which is the SMG Light Materials found in the same room as the sole weapon bench during the mission. The next available opportunity for you to equip any weapon mods would be on the Citadel, then the Normandy... You're saying all of the weapon mods you acquired on that mission didn't show up until you were allowed to purchase more of them from the Citadel shops(immediately after Palaven)?

Sounds like yet another bug!

[Skirn]

Yeah, none of the mods I picked up during missions showed up at the workbench or store. Store-bought mods, however, worked just fine. Being just a few hours into the game, I decided to restart from the first mission and grab all the mods again. This time the game seemed to register the mods and let me equip them just fine. Weird-ass bug.

I'm apparently not the first one to run into this bug: http://social.bioware.com/%5Burl=%5B...dex/12557460/1

[Sajjaja]

Okay, just finished the game and chose the synthesis ending where everyone lives happily ever after except for Shepard and I still do not understand the hate about this game. Although I did play the extended cut, I thought the game was great. Do not regret this purchase one bit. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What are the complaints that people had? And how different was the original ending from the extended cut?

[Gvaz]

Can someone summarize Leviathan for me? I'm not reinstalling this game I hate just for this one dlc.

[Nori Chan]

So I just went back to ME3 realizing I overwritten my normal playthrough in order to get the insanity run through....


Then I just remembered I could switch careers GOD DAMN IT

[sTeLioSco]

Can someone summarize Leviathan for me? I'm not reinstalling this game I hate just for this one dlc.

you can just find the last "chat" on youtube...

the dlc spoiler free is this(if i remember correctly from yesterday):

-go to area1,chat,press in items around in 2 rooms to get clues.

-fly to area2,get some access cards,some shooting,chat

-back to area1,find some clues again by pressing stuff

-fly to area3,some nice shooting here

-back to area1,chat

-fly to area4,shooting then a sequence and chat

-hacket out.

if you like mass effect its worth it i think.
must gets are javik and extended ending,this is if you want additional play from a game you like......

[Blue Ninja]

Can someone summarize Leviathan for me? I'm not reinstalling this game I hate just for this one dlc.

Here you go:

Shepard is directed to Dr. Bryson and Task Force Aurora on the Citadel. As he arrives there, he sees them investigating a strange artifact and hears them talking about something called 'Leviathan'. Before anyone can explain what 'Leviathan' is, however, one of Bryson's assistans goes crazy, kills the doctor and then ends up in a vegetative state. You and EDI search Bryson's office for clues to the location of Bryson's field agent, who reported an amazing discovery before going off the grid.

You follow the field agent's trail to a mining facility on an asteroid. The people there, however, are less than welcoming, and appear to be indoctrinated. You infiltrate deeper into the complex until you find the field agent, who loses his mind and speaks to you in a Reaper-like voice, telling you to turn back and that "the darkness must not be breached". He then escapes, with you and your team in pursuit. When you catch up to him, you find him standing next to another artifact, but he blows it (and himself) up before you can take a better look at it. One of your squadmates searches a body near the artifact, and discovers it's the body is the real field agent. His last comms were sent out to Dr. Ann Bryson, Bryson's daughter.

With the artifact gone, the miners come to their senses. When Shepard makes a remark about the Reapers, they're oblivious and confused. They think it's still 2176. Whatever Leviathan did to them, it made them lose ten years of their life.

Back off to Bryson's office you go, in search for clues to Ann's location. Turns out she's on a dig site on a remote, arid planet. You head there and discover the Reapers are tearing shit up, killing most of the science team. You fight your way through them and meet Ann. She shows you murals the ancient inhabitants of that world left behind: drawings of a creature that looks a lot like a Reaper. Ann speculates Leviathan has to be some kind of rogue Reaper. Before you can escape, however, you come upon three Marauders investigating another artifact, which takes control of Ann and nearly kills her. You destroy the artifact, kill the Marauders, and head back to Bryson's office.

This time, you luckily don't search for clues. Instead, Ann has an idea: she'll let herself become possessed by the artifact (and thus, Leviathan), so EDI can track its location through the energy pulses sent out by the artifact. Shit nearly goes wrong, and you get the option to end the possession sooner, or let it play out and get the exact location. In either case, you've discovered the location of Leviathan: a mysterious ocean world. You shoot a probe to pinpoint Leviathan's location, and head down.

As soon as you enter the planet's atmosphere, the Kodiak gets hit by a strange pulse. You crash-land on the wreckage of a larger ship, littered with more of the strange alien artifacts and several logs that tell the tale of the last group of people that crashed here. Cortez repairs the shuttle right as a Sovereign-class Reaper appears in the sky and starts raining down troops. You and your team take out the Reapers, but as soon as Cortez lifts the shuttle off the ground it gets hit by the same pulse beam. It crashes. The Reaper unleashes a next salvo of troops, including a shitload of Brutes. Cortez notices the previous occupants left behind a Triton diving mech. You scramble for it, get in and blow the Reapers away. Realizing that the only way off this planet is through Leviathan, you submerge and head to the bottom of the ocean.

Going down, you lose contact with Cortez and your team. Your diving mech starts buckling under the pressure. You head deeper and deeper until you find the probe you shot off earlier. And then you discover Leviathan.

Ending: It's not a Reaper. It's the same size as a Reaper, it looks like a Reaper, but it's not a Reaper. It's an organic being. It stares menacingly at Shepard, and tells him he's "breached the darkness". Suddenly, Shepard is yanked out of his mind and into the mind of the Leviathan: the same place all the victims of its domination effect remember seeing. In its mind, Leviathan takes the form of several of the people you met during the DLC as it analyzes you and your actions. It says it knows the Reapers fear you, but it wishes to understand why. It reveals to Shepard that it is "something more" than a Reaper: it is part of the first race to dominate the galaxy, millions of years ago. It describes its species as "the apex of evolution", and that it dominated every other species it came into contact with. All became thralls, and all were cared for.

Something went wrong, however. The Leviathans noticed their servant species would build synthetics which would, in turn, wipe out their creators. After witnessing this several times, the Leviathans try to come up with a solution. Eventually, they create a synthetic intelligence of their own, and give it a singular purpose: to protect organic life from itself. Basically, they fall into the same trap their subject species did. The Intelligence ultimately decides that the only way to save organic life is to harvest and store it before it can be destroyed by its own creations. It betrays the Leviathans and turns their minions against them. The Leviathans are harvested. Harbinger, the first Reaper, is born. Only a few Leviathans survived, and since then, they have been waiting.

Shepard regains consciousness and witnesses two more Leviathans rising up from the deep and confronting him. He's yanked back into their minds. Leviathan states that this cycle is already doomed. Shepard contradicts it. Leviathan concedes that Shepard is "an anomaly", and that they will keep him here to serve their needs.

Now, obviously, Shepard doesn't like that. He tells Leviathan that, willing or not, they became a part of this war the moment that Reaper appeared in the sky above. Leviathan retorts by saying that "there is no war, there is only the harvest". Shepard tells it he can stop it... But he needs the Leviathans help.

The Leviathans agree that the time has come. They tell Shepard they will fight, but not for him. They were the first, the apex race, and they will make the Reapers their slaves. Shepard heads back to the surface. The mindfuck the Leviathans have given him wasn't exactly good for his health, though, and he collapses and is nearly killed by a Brute. Leviathan seizes control of the Brute, however, and goes on a rampage, taking down a ton of other Reapers in the process. Your teammates drag you aboard the shuttle and you take off again. The Reaper above immediately tries to blow you to smithereens, but the Leviathans focus their power and hit it with another pulse. The Reaper's lifeless husk hits the water, and you take off.

Afterwards, Ann Bryson contacts you to say she's joining Hackett's team to work on the Crucible. Several teams are created to drop Leviathan artifacts behind enemy lines, so the big guys can wreak some havoc. Hackett congratulates you for a job well done, and tells you they might actually have a shot at beating the Reapers now.

The fact that there's now an angry apex predator race out there that sees all other organic life as 'lesser' is quickly forgotten about, though.

[Sai]

Just finished Leviathan last night. More questions left than answered, felt like. >_>

It was fun while it lasted though. And I thought it was great that they were able to get the rest of the squad's voice overs for all of the banter during and after the missions... I especially liked what Liara had to say after saving Ann. XD

[EDIT] - Also, did you guys get all the new weapon mods up to V? I'm missing two upgrades for the Pistol Ultra Lightweight Materials, and I'm not seeing them in the Citadel shops. I'm curious as to how I could have possibly overlooked them; I was pretty thorough...

[Gvaz]

Here you go: Shepard is directed to Dr. Bryson and Task Force Aurora on the Citadel. As he arrives there, he sees them investigating a strange artifact and hears them talking about something called 'Leviathan'. Before anyone can explain what 'Leviathan' is, however, one of Bryson's assistans goes crazy, kills the doctor and then ends up in a vegetative state. You and EDI search Bryson's office for clues to the location of Bryson's field agent, who reported an amazing discovery before going off the grid. You follow the field agent's trail to a mining facility on an asteroid. The people there, however, are less than welcoming, and appear to be indoctrinated. You infiltrate deeper into the complex until you find the field agent, who loses his mind and speaks to you in a Reaper-like voice, telling you to turn back and that "the darkness must not be breached". He then escapes, with you and your team in pursuit. When you catch up to him, you find him standing next to another artifact, but he blows it (and himself) up before you can take a better look at it. One of your squadmates searches a body near the artifact, and discovers it's the body is the real field agent. His last comms were sent out to Dr. Ann Bryson, Bryson's daughter. With the artifact gone, the miners come to their senses. When Shepard makes a remark about the Reapers, they're oblivious and confused. They think it's still 2176. Whatever Leviathan did to them, it made them lose ten years of their life. Back off to Bryson's office you go, in search for clues to Ann's location. Turns out she's on a dig site on a remote, arid planet. You head there and discover the Reapers are tearing shit up, killing most of the science team. You fight your way through them and meet Ann. She shows you murals the ancient inhabitants of that world left behind: drawings of a creature that looks a lot like a Reaper. Ann speculates Leviathan has to be some kind of rogue Reaper. Before you can escape, however, you come upon three Marauders investigating another artifact, which takes control of Ann and nearly kills her. You destroy the artifact, kill the Marauders, and head back to Bryson's office. This time, you luckily don't search for clues. Instead, Ann has an idea: she'll let herself become possessed by the artifact (and thus, Leviathan), so EDI can track its location through the energy pulses sent out by the artifact. Shit nearly goes wrong, and you get the option to end the possession sooner, or let it play out and get the exact location. In either case, you've discovered the location of Leviathan: a mysterious ocean world. You shoot a probe to pinpoint Leviathan's location, and head down. As soon as you enter the planet's atmosphere, the Kodiak gets hit by a strange pulse. You crash-land on the wreckage of a larger ship, littered with more of the strange alien artifacts and several logs that tell the tale of the last group of people that crashed here. Cortez repairs the shuttle right as a Sovereign-class Reaper appears in the sky and starts raining down troops. You and your team take out the Reapers, but as soon as Cortez lifts the shuttle off the ground it gets hit by the same pulse beam. It crashes. The Reaper unleashes a next salvo of troops, including a shitload of Brutes. Cortez notices the previous occupants left behind a Triton diving mech. You scramble for it, get in and blow the Reapers away. Realizing that the only way off this planet is through Leviathan, you submerge and head to the bottom of the ocean. Going down, you lose contact with Cortez and your team. Your diving mech starts buckling under the pressure. You head deeper and deeper until you find the probe you shot off earlier. And then you discover Leviathan. Ending: It's not a Reaper. It's the same size as a Reaper, it looks like a Reaper, but it's not a Reaper. It's an organic being. It stares menacingly at Shepard, and tells him he's "breached the darkness". Suddenly, Shepard is yanked out of his mind and into the mind of the Leviathan: the same place all the victims of its domination effect remember seeing. In its mind, Leviathan takes the form of several of the people you met during the DLC as it analyzes you and your actions. It says it knows the Reapers fear you, but it wishes to understand why. It reveals to Shepard that it is "something more" than a Reaper: it is part of the first race to dominate the galaxy, millions of years ago. It describes its species as "the apex of evolution", and that it dominated every other species it came into contact with. All became thralls, and all were cared for. Something went wrong, however. The Leviathans noticed their servant species would build synthetics which would, in turn, wipe out their creators. After witnessing this several times, the Leviathans try to come up with a solution. Eventually, they create a synthetic intelligence of their own, and give it a singular purpose: to protect organic life from itself. Basically, they fall into the same trap their subject species did. The Intelligence ultimately decides that the only way to save organic life is to harvest and store it before it can be destroyed by its own creations. It betrays the Leviathans and turns their minions against them. The Leviathans are harvested. Harbinger, the first Reaper, is born. Only a few Leviathans survived, and since then, they have been waiting. Shepard regains consciousness and witnesses two more Leviathans rising up from the deep and confronting him. He's yanked back into their minds. Leviathan states that this cycle is already doomed. Shepard contradicts it. Leviathan concedes that Shepard is "an anomaly", and that they will keep him here to serve their needs. Now, obviously, Shepard doesn't like that. He tells Leviathan that, willing or not, they became a part of this war the moment that Reaper appeared in the sky above. Leviathan retorts by saying that "there is no war, there is only the harvest". Shepard tells it he can stop it... But he needs the Leviathans help. The Leviathans agree that the time has come. They tell Shepard they will fight, but not for him. They were the first, the apex race, and they will make the Reapers their slaves. Shepard heads back to the surface. The mindfuck the Leviathans have given him wasn't exactly good for his health, though, and he collapses and is nearly killed by a Brute. Leviathan seizes control of the Brute, however, and goes on a rampage, taking down a ton of other Reapers in the process. Your teammates drag you aboard the shuttle and you take off again. The Reaper above immediately tries to blow you to smithereens, but the Leviathans focus their power and hit it with another pulse. The Reaper's lifeless husk hits the water, and you take off. Afterwards, Ann Bryson contacts you to say she's joining Hackett's team to work on the Crucible. Several teams are created to drop Leviathan artifacts behind enemy lines, so the big guys can wreak some havoc. Hackett congratulates you for a job well done, and tells you they might actually have a shot at beating the Reapers now. The fact that there's now an angry apex predator race out there that sees all other organic life as 'lesser' is quickly forgotten about, though.

I love you, thank you!

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

Okay, just finished the game and chose the synthesis ending where everyone lives happily ever after except for Shepard and I still do not understand the hate about this game. Although I did play the extended cut, I thought the game was great. Do not regret this purchase one bit. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What are the complaints that people had? And how different was the original ending from the extended cut?

The original synthesis ending had Shepard jump into the beam, the Reapers fly away, the Mass Relays explode, Joker (who was in space for no reason at all) crashes in some random jungle, some of the crew members step out of the Normandy, credits. Galactic civilization is dead, Shepard is dead, your crew is stranded, and nothing makes any sense.

All the extended cut does is add a bunch of scenes that completely negate any of the morality issues the Illusive Man brought up, because controlling the Reapers or synthesis are basically perfect, happy endings where the mass relays are rebuilt in 5 minutes and everyone lives happily ever after.

While the DLC "answered" some questions, it leaves in the idiotic Catalyst element, whose logic makes no sense whatsoever. Why do they not just destroy the synthetics? Why do synthetics destroy organics? Because the plot says so? But we just spent this whole game and part of Mass Effect 2 saying synthetics are capable of achieving full sentience, which means they're just as unpredictable as any organic species, and there's no guarantee they'll "destroy organics." And none of that will ever be addressed. The Catalyst is an idiotic plot element that tells the players what they have to believe, and anything else is wrong.

[Lakitu]

Seems like there is a hint about a new DLC in the Leviathan files...

A DLC set on the Citadel apparently.

[EatChildren]

Seems like there is a hint about a new DLC in the Leviathan files... A DLC set on the Citadel apparently.

Link?

[Lakitu]

Link?

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...dex/13910521/1

[EatChildren]

Cool, thanks.

[CyReN]

Finished Leviathan today, really enjoyed the story, combats, and that small "Bioshock" feel it had in it. A better price tag would have been $5-$7 but $10 isn't too bad.

[Melchiah]

Seems like there is a hint about a new DLC in the Leviathan files... A DLC set on the Citadel apparently.

Just played the Leviathan DLC and the Extended Cut, and I was wondering whether they had an additional character planned, as there's a room on Normandy that stays empty the whole time, the one Thane Krios resided in ME2.

[Bladenic]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Bisnic]

Just played the Leviathan DLC and the Extended Cut, and I was wondering whether they had an additional character planned, as there's a room on Normandy that stays empty the whole time, the one Thane Krios resided in ME2.

Aria for additional character with Omega DLC confirmed. :P

[Mindlog]

Finished Leviathan today, really enjoyed the story, combats, and that small "Bioshock" feel it had in it. A better price tag would have been $5-$7 but $10 isn't too bad.

Some suggested earlier that the voice overs may have played a hand in the price. I don't mind the increase if that's true.


After playing multiplayer the singleplayer gameplay is laughably easy. Even when it first came out I had little trouble with ME3 Insanity. Now I basically walked through the Leviathan encounters without any trouble. Liara, Javik and my Sentinel blew up everything. I switched it up on the final encounter just because it was too easy and I wanted to hear some new party banter.