I never played Mass Effect. Now Origin's giving it away MS 2 for free. Questions...

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I ask you all to back me up with patience when I get the hard copies and upload them and need your advice with dealing with any problems.

This is your friend: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki

Did your Mass Effect Trilogy come with any DLC? Because you don't want to play Mass Effect 2 without Lair of the Shadow Broker and Kasumi - Stolen Memory. And you don't want to play Mass Effect 3 without From Ashes. No sir, not at all.

Really, that's like an insanely huge part of the game that EA cut to sell as day one DLC and it was the most moronic decision ever made by a company. You really can't experience Mass Effect 3 the way it was meant to be played without that DLC.

 

[Basement Cat]

I ask you all to back me up with patience when I get the hard copies and upload them and need your advice with dealing with any problems.

This is your friend: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki

Did your Mass Effect Trilogy come with any DLC? Because you don't want to play Mass Effect 2 without Lair of the Shadow Broker at least. And you don't want to play Mass Effect 3 without From Ashes. No sir, not at all.

I just ordered it but I appreciate knowing just which DLC's are the most worth it.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I ask you all to back me up with patience when I get the hard copies and upload them and need your advice with dealing with any problems.

This is your friend: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki

Did your Mass Effect Trilogy come with any DLC? Because you don't want to play Mass Effect 2 without Lair of the Shadow Broker at least. And you don't want to play Mass Effect 3 without From Ashes. No sir, not at all.

I just ordered it but I appreciate knowing just which DLC's are the most worth it.

I also added Kasumi - Stolen Memory for ME2 DLC. It's not just a fun and unique mission DLC that also adds the best SMG to the game and another squad mate with unique abilities, it also adds a mission with Kasumi to Mass Effect 3 when you upload your ME2 save.

Other story DLC's are Overlord and Arrival for ME2. Overlord can be fun but it's really not that essential. It's just a side mission. You'll probably decide how much you want it based on how much you end up loving the game. Some people praised it for its theme and story, which is fun and well written and I personally love that sort of stuff. But it's nothing that can't be missed or watched on YouTube as it doesn't add anything else to the game. And Arrival is pretty pathetic in terms of level design and content, but ME3 assumes that you've played it. Best to just watch a YouTube playthrough of that. It is considered canon whether you get it or not.

ME3 story DLC aside from From Ashes (which is absolutely essential because it adds the most important character to your squad) is Leviathan, Omega and Citadel.

Leviathan adds a huge revelation about a certain species. It's kinda creepy and it adds some of the missing ME1 atmosphere back into the game, which could be fun if you end up loving Mass Effect 1, but it's also not that essential. As with Overlord, you'll decide if you want it based on how much you enjoy the game, or just watch it on YouTube.

As for Omega DLC, I personally didn't really like it that much because I've always hated the character that runs Omega. So you might want to seek a second opinion.

Citadel is a HUGE fan service sendoff to the trilogy. It shouldn't be missed. But the thing is, unlike other DLC's you don't have to play it until you've beaten ME3. There isn't a soul alive that doesn't love it. It's probably the best piece of DLC that Bioware has ever made. It's pure, unadulterated campy fan service at its best.

 

[hermes]

I ask you all to back me up with patience when I get the hard copies and upload them and need your advice with dealing with any problems.

This is your friend: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki

Did your Mass Effect Trilogy come with any DLC? Because you don't want to play Mass Effect 2 without Lair of the Shadow Broker at least. And you don't want to play Mass Effect 3 without From Ashes. No sir, not at all.

I just ordered it but I appreciate knowing just which DLC's are the most worth it.

The trilogy includes all the DLC from 1 and 2. Most of them are pretty seemly integrated in the game, so it might look like you actively have to go out of your way to avoid them.

The DLC for 1 is pretty unimportant. As all DLC, it is referenced in 3, but it is a rather small reference and it is not particularly good.

The DLC for 2 varies from decent but unimportant to the series (Kazumi, Overlord, Price of Revenge) to good and extremely important (Shadow Broker). The only exception is Arrival, which is not very good but extremely important because it ties to events in the beginning of 3.

The DLC for 3 varies. From Ashes is not that good, but it adds one of the best characters of the game to your party. Leviathan is a good DLC, and it adds a lot of context to the ending. Omega is not good at all... you can skip it safely with no hindrance to the story or the game experience. Citadel is excellent, no question about it, but I would strongly advice you to look up how to avoid starting it until after you completed the game. It is a great sendoff to the series, and the tone may sound out of place (it is a lot cheesier that anything else in the game), so I would advice you not to play it while the main story is still incomplete.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Question: Do you need to play Mass Effect 1 to understand MS 2? I've enjoyed BioWare's RPG games (particularly the Dragon Age series) and I know many people worshipped MS 2 when it was hot, so I know it's a good game.

Question: Are there any lasting glitches I should be aware of?

Most everything has already been said above, but a brief weigh in if I may. While ME2 can be played without having played ME, there are some things to be aware of. An early scene in ME2 will ask you to establish some facts about the world at large that would be established had you played ME. One of the series' main selling points was that a save from each game could be imported into the next, along with the decisions you made until that point.

ME, as well as establishing the universe and characters, has a great story and it's you, the player, as Shepard driving the story that makes it particularly special. The story is shaped by your actions and decisions and the results of both can be felt if you import into ME2, during which characters and events may be met and referenced. Quite a few things carry over, with different levels of impact on the game and playing through from the start of 1 to the end of 3 with one Shepard is a very, good experience and the main reason for any goodwill towards the series.

You can just play ME2 for a third person sci fi shooter experience, but I really would recommend playing from the start and importing. It will feel so much more personal and alive. At its best, the trilogy is a very immersive experience driven by you. Despite how badly ME3 messed up so much, it will be a much more enjoyable experience to play thru the trilogy with one Shepard. If it's your first time, I really would recommend it even more to get the full experience on offer, I assure you it's worth it. Replay individual titles later.

 

[DoPo]

I wanted to buy it from Origin but when I looked into it EA was requiring $39 for the trilogy. At least that's what my noob self found from what my membership offered.

For the record, here is the game on Origin [https://www.origin.com/gbr/en-us/store/mass-effect/mass-effect/standard-edition]. And here is the game on Steam [http://store.steampowered.com/app/17460/?snr=1_7_15__13]. Origin's one is cheaper and it is also at -50% now.

It's also on Origin Access if you have that. I can't see the price in dollars (only shows the regional currency) but I think it's cheaper than Amazon's offer. It's also instant, so if you want you should be able to cancel the order from Amazon and just get it from there.