Mass Effect: Legendary Edition just launched, and bundles all three games and nearly all of their DLC together in one convenient package. There is a lot of content to get through in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, especially if a player wants to experience everything that each game has to offer. There are a lot of different DLC packs to keep track of, and knowing when is the best time to play each one to best serve the story can be difficult to figure out if one hasn't played through it all before.
While a good amount of the DLC content in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is full expansions that offer their own story, locations, and missions, many of them are also smaller packs that players won't have to worry about as much. These DLCs all include various weapons and items that players will just naturally come across as they play. However, they have been modified to be found through research or vendors so that players don't get too much powerful gear at the start of the game.
Updated on February 21, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a great way to experience or replay through one of gaming's greatest and most beloved sci-fi trilogies of all time. Commander Shepard is a brilliant character, with his ragtag group of powerful companions striving to prevent the extinction of the cosmos itself. The three games in the Legendary Edition are absolutely jam-packed in terms of content, with the DLCs of all games being present as well. Players who want to optimize their time with the game should check out the following guide that details the order in which this DLC should be tackled.
When To Play The DLC In Mass Effect 1
Bring Down The Sky
The only DLC that players need to worry about in the first Mass Effect is the Bring Down the Sky mission, since Mass Effect: Legendary Edition does not include the Pinnacle Station DLC. The DLC sees Shephard heading to the Asgard system where a research base on an asteroid has been hijacked by Batarian terrorists. The group is using the asteroid's jet propulsion system to drive the asteroid into the nearby planet Terra Nova, which could kill millions.
The pack is one of the smaller DLCs in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and is available to players right after they get control of the Normandy and can tackle the Noveria, Feros, and Virmire. Bring Down the Sky is entirely disconnected from the story of the rest of the game, so it can be completed at any time during a playthrough.
The entire experience will take players around two hours to complete if they do all of the side content as well, so it does not take much time at all. Since players can get a nice piece of armor or a high-level omni-tool for completing the DLC, it is better to do it sooner in the game rather than later. The items players are rewarded with for completing the DLC will likely serve them for quite a while, so getting them early can be very beneficial. This is especially true when playing through Mass Effect: Legendary Edition as an Engineer, Infiltrator, or Sentinel, as the omni-tool will boost their ability to use tech powers.
When To Play The DLC In Mass Effect 2
Normandy Crash Site
Mass Effect 2 has the most DLC packs in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition with a lot of variety between them. When first starting the game, players should play the Normandy Crash Site DLC mission early in the experience. It is a brief mission, but it acts as an excellent send-off for the first Mass Effect, while also making the most sense narratively if played early on.
Seeing the remnants of the once-legendary Normandy is also pretty haunting in its own right and adds to the flavor and stakes present in the new game. It's clear that the threats that Shepard will face over the course of the series will only increase in viciousness, and the crushed remains of a once-great Normandy are indicative of what might happen in the Reapers are allowed to run riot.
Getting Both Kasumi And Zaeed As Companions
Both of the DLCs that add to Mass Effect 2's sizable companion list, Kasumi - Stolen Memory and Zaeed - The Price of Revenge, can be tackled at any point in one's playthrough. They are best treated as a normal companion mission, and they don't require any special placement in the narrative.
Both these companions feel very divorced from the events of the game, which can take away from their overall quality. That being said, having more people in the team is still good, with Kasumi's recruitment mission being especially entertaining.
Firewalker Pack
Then there are the missions present in the Firewaker Pack. These missions see players completing fetch and kill quests with a new vehicle, and can largely be skipped unless players want to do a completionist playthrough.
Most of these missions only serve as glorified arenas to deal with the wealth of enemies that players have to deal with. These combat encounters are pretty fun to play through, although the fact that they're completely distanced from the main mission poses a few problems of their own.
Overlord
The first major story DLC that players should play is Overlord. If players do want to run through the Firestorm missions, they should make sure to do them before Overlord, as the two DLCs share the same vehicle gameplay.
Overlord, however, should be done after completing the Collectors Ship mission, as it gives players some more insight into Cerberus, but should definitely be completed before the Reaper IFF mission for it to make the most sense in the narrative.
Lair Of The Shadow Broker
The other story DLCs, Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival can both be played after completing the main game. Lair of the Shadow Broker should be played first, as it wraps up Mass Effect 2's story featuring Liara T'soni from the first game.
However, it's easy to ask characters to wait for the end of the game before trying out this DLC, especially since it marks the return of a fan-favorite character that people adore. As a result, players can't really be faulted for forgetting everything that is going on in the main narrative and helping Liara out in her quest to seek out and destroy the Shadow Broker, before taking on this role for herself.
Arrival
Arrival should most definitely be the last piece of content players experience before moving on to Mass Effect 3 as it directly sets up the next game. It features bombastic set pieces and is a great way to end one's time with the series.
As is the case with Lair of the Shadow Broker, players shouldn't be pressured to play this DLC at the very end of the game. They can access this mission wherever it suits their fancy, although the narrative punch of its experience is definitely hampered somewhat with this approach.
When To Play The DLC In Mass Effect 3
From Ashes
The first DLC expansion that players should complete in Mass Effect 3 is the From Ashes DLC. This DLC gives players access to the companion Javik.
Javik plays a large role in Mass Effect 3 for being a DLC companion, so the DLC should definitely be started as early in the experience as possible. The fact that this character wasn't included in the base game is a quizzical decision on BioWare's part, but players of the Legendary Edition shouldn't be bothered by this fact.
Omega
From there, players should play through the Omega DLC next. This DLC fits well within the game's narrative if it is played after completing the Palaven mission, but should be started after players finish the side quests involving Aria on the Citadel.
However, players should know that once they start the DLC they are locked in until it is completed. It lets players use two new companions in the form of Aria T'loak and Nyreen Kandros, allowing them to explore the war-torn city of Omega once again.
Leviathan
The next DLC players should tackle is titled Leviathan. This DLC is best started after players have completed the second mission on the Citadel for it to make the most sense within the game's narrative.
The idea of interacting with a species that existed long before the creation of modern species in Mass Effect is an intriguing prospect indeed. This fact alone makes Leviathan well worth the time investment, with its combat encounters also being pretty engaging in its own right.
The Citadel
The last DLC in Mass Effect 3 that players need to initiate is the Citadel DLC. This DLC is a lot of light-hearted fun and is a great send-off to play through before the game's final mission.
Players should start Citadel right after they complete the Sanctuary mission. The final DLC for Mass Effect 3 is the Extended Cut, but this DLC is integrated with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's ending, so players will see it no matter what.
Final Thoughts
Of course, many players may have their own preferred times and orders to play through Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's long list of DLCs. This method, however, should work well for any players who don't have a preferred route, or that have never played the Mass Effect games before.
Playing through all three games in their entirety takes a lot of time, so it will be interesting to see how players react to it all once they finish it. Hopefully, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's director gets their wish of changing the community's opinion of the game's ending. Either way, the Mass Effect trilogy are classic games that should be well worth the playthrough for fans.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.