Hello, Commander.
We know how important it is to feel like you’re part of a game world, and so we’ve revamped our character creator to give you more options when you’re creating your version of Commander Shepard. The Shepard you create in Mass Effect will persist through the trilogy, with no need to recreate them for each game.
Oh, and you’ll definitely look better, too.
We’re removed class-based weapon restrictions, so you can use every weapon you pick up in-game. You still have class-based weapon specializations, so specific weapons are more powerful in your hands if you’ve trained in and upgraded them.
We’ve improved aim down sights (ADS) accuracy and aim assist so your weapons feel more accurate and responsive—and with lower cooldown times too.
You’ll find more in-depth information on the changes to weapons in this Mass Effect blog post.
It’s almost impossible to talk about the experience of playing Mass Effect without talking about the elephant armored vehicle in the room. Driving the Mako was often a challenge, it never had the heft that a heavy vehicle like it should have, and the experience of using the onboard weaponry was often puzzling, if not frustrating. This is one of the areas of gameplay we were determined to improve. We can’t promise driving and shooting with the Mako in the Legendary Edition will feel just right for everyone, but it will feel different and better.
We’ve cleared up bugs in Mass Effect 2 that sometimes made Paragon and Renegade conversation options unavailable. Now, you can play as we originally intended, with more conversation choices, deeper character development, and no need for a checklist downloaded from the internet to get the ME 2 ending you want.
You can access all downloadable content without additional downloads. Find start points for these missions on the Normandy or folded into your gameplay. Pinnacle Station is the only original extra content we weren’t able to include in the Legendary Edition.
Since Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer isn’t included in the Legendary Edition, we’ve made some changes to allow you to reach Galactic Readiness in other ways. Some of the bugs we fixed with the morality system in Mass Effect 2 help here too.
You’ll notice big differences here, not just higher resolution graphics and improved character models, but in ambient lighting, rendering times (no more minutes long elevator rides), and even some redesigned areas where there are fewer blank walls and more to see.
Get more info on graphics improvements in this Mass Effect news article.
We know there’s always a concern about higher fidelity graphics and performance, especially if you’re playing on console. For a full performance breakdown, check this news article to find out what you can expect in terms of framerate based on your platform.