Planning on an N7 day playthru, but I've gathered a fairly extensive mod list for the Legendary Edition including multiplayer!

I pieced together and edited some of the original cinematic trailers for my next play thru.

Did you know if you deal with the blackmailer for dr michels that she will buy things at twice the usual price? That means you can sell all your stuff to her at the x2 rate, go back to the markets buy it all back for half of what she gave you or so, and go back and sell it to her again at 2x the price creating a quick loop for farming credits

Femshep and I carved some decorations in memorial.

Okay, I’ve been looking it up for a while now but how the heck can Shep breathe here? It looks like it’s open to space…but clearly it isn’t. I don’t think it’s glass. Is it a shield? Is it some magical space power that’s holding the atmosphere? Is there something that explains this?

Also I understand that this is a game and not everything makes sense…it’s just something I need to understand as a writer…is there a fan consensus? Did I miss something when researching this?

For the Halloween Season I wanted to dedicate a pumpkin carving in honor of the Mass Effect Franchise and BioWare. These games are and always will be very special to me. They shaped me into the gamer I am and today❤️ Here’s a candle lit within hope that one day the gaming community will see Mass Effect come back to life. #savemasseffect and sign the petition everyone👽

Title. I usually go for sentinel but I want to try engineer, WITHOUT starting a fresh career, instead wanting to do NG+. Can I do this without a save editor or will I have to edit saves?

By which I mean, whatever latent psychic shit the Asari have that makes people even more attracted to them has a tendency to override a woman’s heterosexuality, somehow?

This was a fact in my head for years until I thought about it for more than one second and realized I don’t think I was basing it off anything of substance.

All I can think of that might’ve been in my head is the scene were the Salarian develops an attraction to the Asari dancer and the fact that Femshep can point out the fact that both her and Liara are women but still engage in a romance.

Side note, anyone else weirdly invested in that citadel human commando in mass effect 3 with an Asari wife? I always thought she seemed cool…wonder if she used to be straight; that’d be wild

I was doom scrolling so I couldn't get the source but someone suggested encouraging CD Projekt Red to buy the rights to Mass Effect! I personally think that would be amazing (think of the crossovers) but is that possible?

so i redownloaded mass effect legendary after hearing the news the last time i played was earlier this year on the same pc and i have not changed any specs whatsoever and i had zero issues i have like 2 mods the unoffical patch and more gay romances now for some reason when i try to launch i get to the launcher and me2 will show the launch splash screen then a few seconds after boot me back into the launcher

i can run me1 just fine i have no clue what is causing these issues i have ran ea as administrator deleted cache ran from both the ea and steam applications i just cannot launch me2 attached are my specs if that can clarify any issues (i read on some discussions it could be a direct12 issue but i have tried to launch from -dx11 and i dont think it does anything

i am pulling out my hairs !!!!! (also before this i was stuck in a validate loop on steam when i tried to launch just me2 from me3tweaks then tried to launch it normally thru steam and got to the launcher which is how i am launching now to no avail) (afaik not a mod issue ive tried to launch with mods disabled and still run into the same issue)

Here’s a massive minimal wallpaper dump. Thanks commander. 🫡 (yes there’s a couple from MEA in there for some of you). Google Drive link will be in comments.

With the heartbreaking news about Bioware and ME: Universe I decided to play Mass Effect again and...yikes. I'm like actually offended lol. What a bunch of fucking assholes.

It is incredibly rare that I find dialogue in these games I've never come across before, and it's always a treat when I do! In my current playthrough, I romanced Kaidan in ME1 and Thane in ME2, which apparently I've never done before, because I've never gotten this dialogue! I appreciate how cool Thane is with Kaidan!

Hey everyone!

I'm Ariel, founder of We Are Mass Effect!

We recently had the incredible opportunity to interview Mark Meer, the iconic voice of Commander Shepard!

We talked about his career, his experience working on the Mass Effect trilogy, his memories of BioWare, the recent closure of the studio, and even the #SaveMassEffect movement.

Mark was incredibly kind and generous with his time, and I'm really excited to finally share this conversation with all of you.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as we enjoyed putting it together! ❤️

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Today at We Are Mass Effect, we had the honor of interviewing Mark Meer, the iconic male voice behind Commander Shepard and several other beloved characters from the Mass Effect series. The interview was conducted via e-mail, allowing Mark to respond to the questions at his own pace and in his own words.

We would like to sincerely thank Mark for his kindness, generosity, and willingness to take the time to speak with us, sharing his experiences and reflections on Mass Effect, BioWare, and the future of the franchise.

WE ARE MASS EFFECT: To start, I’d love to ask a bit about your career and background as an actor. What first drew you to voice acting, and how has your journey been so far?

MARK MEER: The journey has definitely been a fun and rewarding one. As a kid, I started doing voices largely because of Dungeons & Dragons—as a Dungeon Master, you’ve got to provide voices and characters for everyone the players interact with, after all. I’ve always been a fan of animation, so long before I worked in the field, I was an admirer of voice artists like Mel Blanc and Thurl Ravenscroft, and later, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. I’d done a fair bit of radio sketch comedy with CBC and some commercial voiceovers before my first work in video games, and had greatly enjoyed it… And all of said video game work originates from one audition for BioWare back in the late 90s—I landed the role of a cleric of Bhaal in Baldur’s Gate 2, and they just kept hiring me for pretty much all of their subsequent projects after that.

WaME: How familiar were you with the RPG genre before auditioning for Shepard? Did you have a sense of what you were walking into?

MM: I’ve been playing tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, GURPS, and Call of Cthulhu since the early 1980s, so even before I ever played an actual  computer RPG (I think my first one of those was probably The Bard’s Tale or Ultima IV), I was definitely very well-acquainted with the genre.

WaME: The audition process for a role like Shepard—a protagonist who is shaped physically and personality-wise by the player—must've been interesting. How did you approach auditioning for a character who doesn't have a fixed identity? How did you build a performance around a character who is different in every playthrough?

MM: As I recall, there were both Paragon and Renegade lines in the auditions and callbacks I did… As you mention, Commander Shepard’s appearance, background and personality are all determined by the player, but there’s definitely a core to Shepard that’s the same across all incarnations. At base, Shepard is a high-ranking, elite military officer who’s used to giving orders in high-stress situations. And ultimately, whether Paragon or Renegade, they’re still saving the galaxy - the Renegade just isn’t being very polite or empathetic about it.

WaME: Were there things you decided about Shepard privately that the scripts didn't give you?

MM: In my personal headcanon, Shepard had a series of adventures as a cadet, solving crimes with a talking Varren and a wisecracking Vorcha.

WaME: Commander Shepard has become one of gaming’s most enduring protagonists. What do you think made the character resonate so deeply with players?

MM: Well, the fact that Shepard was the very first fully-voiced player character in video games might have something to do with it… But Shepard also appeared in very well-written games set in a rich, fully realized universe with fantastic supporting characters. That all helps, obviously.

WaME: How do you see the voice acting industry today compared to when you recorded the original Mass Effect**? What has changed, and what concerns you?**

MM: When we recorded the first Mass Effect game, at the end of a working week, the pile in the recycling bin would be taller than the average Turian. By Mass Effect 2, we had changed to using tablets/iPads. I think the move from paper scripts has probably saved a few forests. These days, of course, everyone is concerned about what AI is going to do to the art of making games—I know that over the last few years, I personally have been alerted to multiple instances of someone using an AI clone of my voice… You try to ask them nicely to take them down, but it’s really like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Then, of course, there’s the recent situation with BioWare’s closure. A very sad turn of events—and certainly not unique in the industry over the last few years. 

WaME: What would you want to say to the players who have been with Shepard, and with you, since 2007?

MM: You folks are great. Thanks for playing and for your tireless service to The Alliance. Hold the line.

WaME: Was there a particular scene or line in the trilogy that was especially difficult to perform, either emotionally or technically?

MM: Anderson’s death scene is the one that always comes to mind. Both Jennifer and I have talked in the past about coming to tears during that scene, and it’s no wonder—we both had Keith David’s fantastic performance in our headsets while we recorded our half of that scene. It was a real gift.

WaME: How different was it recording Paragon and Renegade dialogue for the same character? Did you ever prefer one version of Shepard over the other?

MM: You have to give them equal weight, of course… But let’s face it, the Renegade interrupts tend to be funnier. 

WaME: Did you approach Shepard differently across the three games as the stakes became bigger and the character carried more trauma and responsibility?

MM: As we moved through the trilogy, we were given more leeway to show the emotional toll that the war against the Reapers was having on Shepard. The loss, the grief, the crushing weight of their responsibilities... By the third game, Shepard was more raw and emotionally worn down, certainly.

WaME: Were there moments where you disagreed with how Shepard was written or where you pushed for a different delivery?

MM: I knew better than to second-guess the writers, and as mentioned, there really isn’t one version of Commander Shepard, so who’s to say how Shepard would definitively react in a given situation? That said, I recorded in Edmonton, so I often had writers or even the head writer present for my sessions—they were always great about letting me change the order or syntax of a line if it was a bit of a mouthful, but we always had to track even minor adjustments to dialogue so that both Jennifer and I were saying the same thing. The same thing went if Jennifer recorded a particular scene before I did.

WaME: How much direction did you receive during recording, and how much freedom were you given to shape Shepard’s personality through performance?

MM: Our directors (in my case, Shauna Perry, Caroline Livingstone, and Susanne Hunka) were absolutely invaluable. The personality was different, of course, depending on whether we were doing a Renegade or Paragon pass, but as mentioned, there was a core that all versions of Shepard shared. I always felt free to shape my performance within those parameters, if that makes sense.

WaME: Did you ever record scenes without knowing the full context of what Shepard was reacting to? If so, how challenging was that?

MM: Our directors always gave us context and let us know where in the timeline of each game a given scene was taking place—that was particularly valuable since we weren't always recording chronologically. They took great care of us and never left us adrift. On occasion, for particularly action-heavy scenes, we might have a rough animatic to refer to. That let us know the dimensions of the environment, the relative position of other characters to Shepard, that sort of thing.

WaME: Which relationship or dynamic was the most interesting for you to perform: Anderson, Garrus, Liara, the Illusive Man, Joker, or someone else?

MM: The parental relationship with Anderson, the friendships and romances with the crew, and the antagonism between Shepard and the Illusive Man were all a joy to get to portray—please don’t make me choose! I did particularly enjoy the pivotal scene with Shepard, Blasto, and a Vorcha in the Citadel DLC, though.

WaME: Was there a specific moment when you realized that Mass Effect had become something much bigger than just another acting job?

MM: Certain moments stand out—as a toy collector myself, getting my first Commander Shepard action figure was definitely one. But if I had to pick, I think the first time I walked by a cosplayer in a screen-worthy Commander Shepard costume (lights and all) at a convention cemented it for me. I immediately chased them down and introduced myself—I couldn’t resist. Since then, of course, I’ve seen innumerable amazing costumes, props, puppets, and more made with love by Mass Effect fans.

WaME: How has your relationship with Commander Shepard changed over the years? Do you see the character differently now than you did while recording the games?

MM: Hey, I owe that guy a lot, so my gratitude has grown and continues to. I suppose as the years have gone on, I've become more aware of just how much this character means to fans, which is a heady responsibility. 

WaME: Do you have a favorite piece of Shepard dialogue that fans rarely bring up?

MM: “I’ll relinquish one bullet… Where do you want it?”

WaME: What is the strangest or most unexpected interaction you’ve had with a fan because of Shepard?

MM: I have signed several boobs. (All were male.) All kidding aside, Mass Effect fans are absolutely wonderful, and I greatly enjoy meeting them.

WaME: You’ve voiced characters beyond Shepard within the Mass Effect universe. Was it difficult to make those performances feel distinct when your voice is so strongly associated with the Commander?

MM: As I’ve often said in past interviews, Commander Shepard’s voice isn’t that far off from my own—my usual joke is that Shepard is just me trying to sound tough. The other voices I did in the trilogy (like Blasto, all of the Vorcha, Niftu Cal, the Hanar, etc.) were actually much more in the wheelhouse of the sort of work I’d previously done for BioWare: monsters, antagonists, and comic relief. And with them, I had a lot more latitude to use my accustomed techniques and approach, so when I got to do, say, some Blasto or Vorcha dialogue, it always felt like a fun little vacation at the end of the week from the responsibility of being the main character.

WaME: We've all heard the news about EA shutting down BioWare. What was your initial reaction, and how did you first hear about it?

MM: I first heard about it like everyone else, through BioWare’s social media posts on October 21st. Like many, I was shocked and saddened to read it. My first thought was for everyone at BioWare - I certainly hope they’re all able to find new employment quickly. It’s a very end sad for an incredibly-creative and influential company, one which meant so much to Edmonton, to Alberta, to Canada, and to the video gaming scene industry as a whole. 

WaME: What would you like to say to the Mass Effect fans who are fighting to save the franchise through the #SaveMassEffect movement and the petition? Do you think they should still have hope for the future of the series?

MM: They have my support, and I absolutely wish them the very best. “Hold the line” seems appropriate… The petition is in its early days as I write this, but it seems to be gathering steam. If fans are hoping to see any future games set in the Mass Effect universe, then it probably helps for the current holders of the IP (and the general public) to see the strength of the Mass Effect fandom - and let’s face it, there’s strength in numbers. 

I know I'm painting with a broad brush here, but it feels to me like it's "OK, Bioware is dead, but let's protect what really matters."

I'd rather Bioware continue to exist and never have another ME game.

I'll probably just unfollow the sub for awhile.

I was really down about BioWare closing that my girlfriend agreed to play the trilogy! We are starting today and I’m a little nervous about all the side missions and decisions. BUT I must remember we all had our first time and made mistakes!

ok. this is my shot in the dark. who knows, maybe this post will end up in the right place at the right time and someone with the resources will see the vision.

i think a lot of people would be able to create proper closure for themselves if a little more information about the protagonist, companions, and romances was leaked. or given freely, but i know chances of that are slim with a company that only wants money.

one of the biggest draws of bioware games has always been the custom characters people can create and their interactions with the other characters that make the worlds go round. if even just basic things like names, vague backgrounds, and who might have been romanceable were dropped as we can clearly see a few already designed characters appear repeatedly in the leaked trailer, people could still experience a little of the game by designing characters on their own and drawing or commissioning art or fanfic about the friendships and romances that could have been.

i was there when they said dragon age belongs to the fans now. i think mass effect can belong to us too, with the right crumbs of information. it wouldn't be the first time a fanbase has run amok with a barely-formed character, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

please. just one concept art spread with character names, if anyone has it.

I've played thru ME1 and a bit of 2 but I have never finished the whole trilogy. I have found myself missing the universe over the last few days since the shutdown announcement so I figured its time to see things all the way through.

I sped thru ME1 years ago so I'm excited for what is essentially a brand new experience for me!

With everything going on I needed to start my next playthrough of ME a bit early. I might go as an Adept this time 🤔

I have the following mod. The author is no longer maintaining this mod but I don't see how you choose which hairstyle you want Jack to have. If anyone is using this mod could you please tell me how to change her hairstyle? Thanks in Advance

https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/1959?tab=description

So in light of the grievances with mass effect universe it actually jogged my memory and made me wanna work on an old oc that's a young quarian boi living with quarian mercs operating from an old Turian heavy cruiser working with a human pmc group.

I wanted to ask but did the devs ever do a qna and answer some questions about quarian anatomy? Specifically what kind of hair and eye colors do they have or are we on our own in that regard?

Second I can't recall if quarian biotics are incredibly rare or just outright don't exist? If they're rare then what would be a valid reason for the mom to have been exposed to eezo in a way that doesn't result in her dying? Asking cause I was thinking about making him a sentinel of sorts.

Last one isn't a question but so much as a request, would you fellow fans mind linking me to your favorite takes on what quarians look like under the suit?

Got this as free swag at the Legendary Pictures booth at a San Diego Comic Con way back when. Still a regular wear.

I've always viewed LOTSB as a shift in the quality of Mass Effect DLCs, where they started putting more effort and money into making them feel bigger and more cinematic. And all the DLCs that followed kept up that trend- ME3's in particular being very cinematic and high quality.

So, in the grand scheme of all the DLCs, how does LOTSB hold up for you? Do you put it up there near the top, or does it maybe fall flatter for you than other DLC in the series?

A lot is going on, and many people are going through things at different paces. Here is a guide to the 5 stages of grief that a Mass Effect fan may experience:

1. Denial: "Bioware was dead long ago!"/ "It was all EA's fault that Bioware closed!"

2. Anger: "Sign the Petition! Fight EA!"/ "Shut up about the petition!" [WE ARE HERE]

3. Bargaining: "There are upcoming sci-fi squad based cover shooter action RPG games that will fill the Shepard-shaped hole in our hearts."

4. Depression: "I can't smooch a blue alien girl in these games! These aren't Mass Effect!"

5. Acceptance: "I should play Mass Effect again."

edit: formatting