Just like Skyrim and Dragon Age, Mass Effect is a game that everyone simply loves to mod. Whether it’s quality-of-life improvements or completely new additions to the game, Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods have only become increasingly popular since the game’s release.
Modders have had quite a bit of time to develop and curate Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods considering the game came out in April 2021. This means that fans have also had time to test them all out and choose between their favorites.
After we find out how exactly you can put mods into ME Legendary Edition, we’ll take a look at some of the best Mass Effect mods the popular modding site Nexus Mods has to offer.
How to Download and Activate Mass Effect Legendary Edition Mods
The first step towards any modding job is to make sure your game files are safe in case of corruption. This means you should always back up your game files and all ME Legendary Edition saves.
It’s as easy as just copying the game files and save files then pasting them elsewhere. The files’ default location is (C: Users>Username>) Documents>BioWare>Mass Effect Legendary Edition>Save>ME3. From here, you should find a folder with your character’s name, current level, and date. This is your save file’s folder which you should copy.
Now that we’ve gotten the warnings out of the way, let’s find out how to install Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods from Nexus Mods. There are two ways to download Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods.
The first way is to use the ME3Tweaks’s mod manager. This mod manager supports all three games in the series, their legendary versions, and the Legendary Edition launcher. However, the Mass Effect mod manager is useful for another reason: troubleshooting.
The mod manager features game diagnostics which you can use to troubleshoot both the mod manager and the games themselves. This is a pretty nifty feature for those who don’t want to go through the trouble of disabling and re-enabling all the mods.
To install a mod using the ME3Tweaks mod manager, you simply need to download the mod from Nexus Mods and drop the file into the app. Once you’ve done this, you can click the Import button, select the mod, and click Apply. This makes installing mods so much easier.
However, there are still those who prefer to handle their game files manually. If you’re one of them, simply navigate to Mass Effect Legendary Edition\Game\ME1\BioGame\CookedPCConsole and drop in your extracted mod files. You may have to overwrite some files. When this happens, you should press Accept and let the magic happen.
After that, simply launch the game as usual and enjoy all your carefully hand-picked Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods.
Top 20 Mass Effect Legendary Edition Mods
Finally, it’s time to rank the top 20 Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods. We’ll be ranking them in ascending order, so keep that in mind while reading through our list!
#1: Trilogy Save Editor
We’re starting our list with a very important mod, the Trilogy Save Editor. This mod will prove to be crucial during your modding journey, as you require it to safely integrate some other mods.
However, there is another purpose to the Trilogy Save Editor. Using this program, you can trigger certain events and plot points in all three games as though you had played through the game that way. Essentially, you can set the outcome for various missions throughout ME1, ME2, and ME3.
This mod is a great choice for those who are looking to play around with game files. Just make sure to stay safe and keep a backup while doing so!
#2: Expanded Galaxy Mod
The Expanded Galaxy Mod is essentially a port of the original mod for Mass Effect 3 to make the Legendary Edition better. You can also find the original mod here which lists more details.
This mod offers some significant quality-of-life changes. It includes additional weapons and armor, an improved galaxy map, and better war atmospherics. They’ve also given Normandy a complete overhaul to make the experience more satisfying for players.
If you’re looking to add more immersion and new features to your game, this is a great place to start. The mod has been carefully curated and improved over time to fit a modder’s playstyle.
#3: Unlimited Sprint and Boost Duration
The Unlimited Sprint and Boost Duration mod does exactly what it says it does, increases the sprint duration. It’s a great choice for those practicing their speedrun or simply frustrated with the cap on their sprint. This mod works for all of the LE games.
It’s important to note that you must install this mod through the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager. You cannot do it manually.
You should also make sure you don’t have any other mods that tweak the sprint and boost duration, as that can mess with your game files.
#4: Take Earth Back
Have you ever felt like the final mission for Mass Effect 3 was a bit lackluster? That the choices and alliances you’ve made throughout the games didn’t have any meaningful impact on the end game? This mod fixes that.
Described as an overhaul for the final mission of ME3, this is one of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods worth trying out if you’re looking to touch up your experience. In addition to fixing bugs, Take Earth Back also shines a bit of a spotlight on all the allies and friends from across all three games.
If that’s not enough, it also adds a bit of immersion to the final mission through ambient events. You don’t have to worry about it overlapping with other mods such as the Expanded Galaxy Mod. The creator has made sure of that.
#5: Skip Minigames for LE2
If you’ve ever played a BioWare game, you know that at least one of the games in a franchise absolutely must contain a boring and annoying section. While Dragon Age: Origins has the Fade, Mass Effect 2 has the hacking and bypass minigames.
Skip Minigames for LE2 saves you heaps of time by letting you automatically win these minigames. You can then get back to doing more important things such as actually progressing the game meaningfully.
If you still feel bad about wanting to skip these minigames, the mod comes in two versions. While the modern version automatically skips the entire minigame, the classic version opens up the UI but gives you an automatic win when you click start. There’s also an LE1 version!
#6: Safely Skip Conversations
We’ve all been there. You’re talking to an NPC, trying to get the story going, but it just seems like they don’t have anything interesting to tell you. Suddenly, you get a dialogue prompt, and you pick the wrong one, or even worse, completely skip it.
This mod lets you make the most out of skipping conversations by changing the command to only skip conversations, not selections. Now you can keep skipping without fear!
However, this mod doesn’t work the same way in LE1, as the author explains in the mod’s description. You’ll also need the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager to properly install it.
#7: Pinnacle Station DLC
Oh, yeah. Pinnacle Station is making a comeback. Fans of the series are probably familiar with the fact that this DLC did not make an appearance in the Legendary Edition due to lost source code. Well, thanks to a community of dedicated modders, consider this DLC saved.
Pinnacle Station introduces a top-secret Alliance space station where you can test your skills in battle. Essentially, it’s a training area. If you want to practice your moves and strategies, you can do so here.
Along with fixing numerous bugs while porting the DLC over from the original game, the modding team of ME3Tweaks has also added some new features and remasters to improve the DLC.
#8: Optional Flirting Mod
This mod for Mass Effect 3 essentially gives you another choice other than being flirty or rude. A lot of the dialogue options in the game result in your companions either accidentally becoming your love interest or disliking you completely.
The Optional Flirting Mod adds a third, friendly dialogue option that lets you save your friendship while avoiding getting into an unwanted relationship. You’ll find that the romantic dialogue options now have a new location in the upper left of the dialogue wheel.
This makes it easy to identify and avoid them for characters you don’t want to get involved with romantically. Overall, we think the Optional Flirting Mod is a great quality of life improvement. You can also find an ME2LE version here.
#9: Spectre Expansion Mod
If you’ve got a mind like the creator of this mod, you’ve probably noticed that the Spectre Terminals are severely underused in the game. This is where the Spectre Expansion Mod comes into play.
This mod, as it states, improves this issue and also gives a better use for the Shadow Broker terminals. Even though it originally started like this, it later developed into a project bigger than this. The Spectre Expansion mod also helps improve the presence of background races in ME3 and expands the galaxy map. Finally, it gives more context to the battles happening around the galaxies that Shepard is not involved in.
Note that you will need to download the Expanded Galaxy Mod for this to work, as the author states in the description.
#10: Infinite Fuel LE2
Sail and explore the LE2 galaxy without fear of running out of fuel with this mod! All it requires is a bit of topping up when you first install the mod. After that, you never have to bother with the fuel running out in the Normandy again.
If you’re loving this mod, consider also giving the LE3 version a try. Sure, it involves an extra feature, no reaper detection, but we think this can only improve your gameplay experience.
#11: Remove Screen Shake (LE1)
The screen-shake effects in the games can honestly be somewhat dizzying. Whether it happens while sprinting or using the jump jets, we can’t help but feel like it needs a bit of toning down.
Remove Screen Shake is great for two reasons: its problem-solving and its adjustability. If you want to completely get rid of the effect, you can disable it in the mod’s settings. However, if you just want the screen to shake a little bit less so you can get your bearings, this option is also available.
You should take care not to install any other mods that do the same thing. This may interfere with the mod’s functionality. Other than that, you should be clear to install most other Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods on top of this one without issues.
Check out the LE3 version as well!
#12: Fish Feeder Mod
The Fish Feeder Mod creator seems like a great sales pitcher. The problem? Your fish constantly dying because you forget to feed them. The solution? The Fish Feeding VI, which you can purchase on the Citadel.
This nifty mod ensures your fish stay alive while you’re out there doing missions and exploring the ME2LE galaxy. No more coming back home to the chore of emptying the tank from dead fish!
Another very convenient part of this mod is the fact that it doesn’t mess with any save files. You can remove it without the worry of it corrupting or causing issues in your save files.
#13: XP Rescale (LE1)
Grinding around to reach the max level in ME1 can be tedious, time-consuming, and not very efficient. The time it takes to read through guides and find the best farming locations is time you could have spent better elsewhere. Namely, playing the actual game.
XP Rescale fixes this issue in the game by increasing the XP rewards from doing missions and killing enemies. According to the description, you can reach max level in a single playthrough using this mod.
If you notice the mod isn’t doing anything in the early levels, don’t fret. The XP Rescale only starts after level 15. There are also several options to choose from, each with its own XP scaling values.
#14: Character Inconsistency Project
There have been a lot of inconsistencies throughout the series when it comes to character models and appearances. The Character Inconsistency Project aims to fix that.
Characters such as Balak, Calyn, Ereba, Aethyta, and more have received appearances more reminiscent of their earlier versions. Obviously, the project is focusing a lot more on the alien characters of the game, as it seems they’re the least recognizable.
The Character Inconsistency Project is ongoing, so there will be more characters with appearance improvements throughout the updates. You can expect to see a lot more coming from the mod creators!
#15: Even More Hairstyles
For those looking to spice up their Shep’s appearance and aesthetics, the Even More Hairstyles mod is here! This mod adds 20 new hairstyles for your female character to wear in Mass Effect 3. Of course, LE1 and LE2 received some love as well.
You can use the Trilogy Save Editor or the BETA Appearance Modification Menu to change your FemShep’s hair. Otherwise, just select the hairstyles in the character creator.
From half-up half-down hairstyles, short hair, and some curly and wavy options, there’s a lot for you to choose from.
#16: Shorter Notifications (LE2)
Anyone who has played LE2 will notice that the duration of the pop-up notifications can really get annoying. Waiting for them to close down and disappear all the time can get really tedious.
Thankfully, Shorter Notifications fixes that problem. Some other quality-of-life improvements you can find in this mod are shorter hint duration and complete removal of certain notification categories. They won’t show up at all!
Check out the LE3 version here.
#17: Quick Loot (LE1)
Looting is a necessary evil in the Mass Effect games. It’s also really annoying when you try to loot only to be met with the Recovered Items menu. The Quick Loot mod just adds the items to your inventory without creating too much of a hassle.
Of course, you can’t bypass the Recovered Items menu if your inventory is almost full. You’ll have to choose which items to loot and which ones to leave behind.
#18: Faster Normandy
Essentially a form of fast travel, this mod lets you get to places across the galaxy a lot easier. You also don’t have to worry about running out of fuel (or maybe you never worried at all if you downloaded the Infinite Fuel mod) as it doesn’t affect fuel consumption.
It seems as though the mod also slows down Reaper detection, though probably at the cost of its preciseness. All it really takes is a little bit of practice and you’ll get it down in no time!
This is definitely one of those Mass Effect Legendary Edition mods that don’t seem like they make great changes. However, you definitely feel the difference once you disable the mod again.
#19: MELE2 Hide Helmet
Wearing helmets in the Mass Effect trilogy is unavoidable. The stats are just too good to ignore, and you just feel a lot safer with all of your armor slots full.
Unfortunately, these helmets can cause issues in cutscenes. Your Shepard just looks soulless and awkward with no facial expressions.
The Hide Helmet mod helps hide the helmet not only in this situation but also during combat. You can fight and choose the wrong dialogue options to your heart’s content, but at least you’ll see your character’s face while doing it!
#20: Party Death (LE1)
Keeping your character alive is a pretty tough job in and of itself, but dying just makes the whole game more punishing. You have to restart your fights and reload the save all over again to get back to where you were.
Party Death allows the fight to continue even when Shepard dies. As long as your companions finish the fight, you’re okay to go on. Simply swap to your squadmates to control them in battle, and you can even turn the camera angles with Shepard selected. Naturally, if your squadmates also die, it’s game over.
Unfortunately, this mechanic is only available in LE1. You’ll have to brave your way through the other two games. But hey, at least you can get a bit of practice in before that!
