After Mass Effect: Andromeda crashed spectacularly onto store shelves in 2017, the Mass Effect series had laid dormant without as much as a peep. That is until the recent EA shocked the world by finally making a good decision and announced a remaster slated for a May 14th release date. But how can you scratch that Mass Effect itch while you eagerly await a shiny new 4K Shepard? The answer is simple… Mods! And oh would you look at that I’ve already found the 10 best Mass Effect 3 mods to satiate your appetite before the remaster! Guess you’ll just have to read it now!

10. First Person Mode

Up close and... okay maybe too close, yuck.

If you ever wanted to take the role-playing element of Mass Effect to the next level, then the first-person view is for you, just don’t get too close to the Krogans… those things really freak me out up close. Like the Grand Theft Auto V feature that also pops you into the eyeballs of your usually third-person hero, the POV takes a little getting used to, but after playing around with it for a while, I found myself really enjoying it, even if it was just bothering aliens on the Citadel. 

Why First Person Mode is fun:

• Completely different perspective than the vanilla version of the game
• Get up close (sometimes too close) and personal with all of the alien creatures like you’ve never seen before.

Get the Mod here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/740

9. Backoff Mod

Fall in love all over again.

The Backoff mod intends to inject Mass Effect 1 and 2 romance into the third game. The modder believes that when it comes to love, subtlety goes a long way and introduces more flexible conversation options so that flirting feels more organic and intentional. Things such as email tone are also changed based on if you are in a relationship with that person, as well as greater difference between friendly and romantic interactions with your love interest. Overall this mod is great for people that feel like sometimes the option they picked on the dialogue wheel and what their Shepard said weren’t always the same.

Why Backoff is fun:

• A more nuanced romance system
• Good for those of us wanting a more immersive roleplaying experience
• Fun change of pace for people (like me) that always romance the same person

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/412

8. Bonus Power Packs Mod

Who doesn't love some extra firepower?

By the time Mass Effect 3 was released, Bioware had already done so much across the series to bolster the excitement of combat to make it  feel as captivating and smooth as possible. That being said, many people I talk to still gloss over their time shooting reapers and harvesters in order to talk about what’s really important… which crew member you romanced (team Miranda here).

The somewhat sameness of combat by the third entry is why the Bonus Power Packs mod is the perfect choice for the Mass Effect player looking to spice things up. The mod expands on the powers your Commander Shepard possesses in the base game and adds 10 new abilities, including Ballistic Blades (great name for a band) and arc grenade abilities, among tons of others. The creator of this mod, AVPen, cites the multiplayer abilities as his main inspiration for taking on the project, and clearly put a lot of time and love into creating this for fans. So give it a download and let me know which power is your favorite! 

Why the Bonus Power Packs mod is fun:

• Much needed depth added to traditional Mass Effect combat system
• Play around with exciting powers not available outside of multiplayer

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/344

7. A Lot Of Textures (ALOT) for ME3 Mod

That'll do until the remaster.

Returning to Mass Effect 3 after over 9 years away from Normandy can be a jarring experience, especially now that we are two generations away from the consoles the game was meant to run on. The “A Lot of Textures (ALOT) for ME3” mod softens the nostalgia blow you are bound to feel when you boot up the ol’ PS3 or Xbox 360 for a replay.

The biggest difference between this visual overhaul mod and others is how committed they are to upholding the base game’s presentation. The modding team working on this isn’t glossing over the entirety of the game in a distracting or careless way, but instead refining the rough edges so that they won’t ruin a player’s immersion, even if they are playing for the first time. They also have dug through the game’s files and have re-introduced high-resolution textures and assets that, for whatever reason, ended up being left out when the game shipped in 2012. This mod is one of my favorites, as I love how careful the team was not to mess with any of the parts we love about Mass Effect 3.

Why the A lot of Textures mod is fun:

• Incredibly immersive experience
• Much needed paint job for Mass Effect 3
• Preserves the nostalgia of the original release

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/363

6. Citadel Epilogue Mod

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite mod on the Citadel.

Even all this time later, I still find it hard to talk about how much I enjoy Mass Effect 3 without also admitting how much I still HATE the ending, like 99% of the world. Luckily for all of us, the modding community has been hard at work trying to fix this problem since launch, and has come up with some great amendments to the base game. Enter the Citadel Epilogue mod, which puts the DLC at the end of the game, to leave gamers leaving the story happy, instead of wanting to throw their television down a flight of stairs. 

This mod is clever because it takes out the doom and gloom from the beloved DLC, and turns it into a celebration of sorts. There is no talk of reapers, or any galactic threat for that matter, and instead reinvests your time into doing what everyone loved about the DLC when it first released, the chance to get wasted with your crew without feeling guilty that you really should be helping out with that whole Earth invasion thing.

Why the Citadel Epilogue mod is fun:

• Have a great time with your buds without having to worry about that whole reaper thing
• Experience both party options in one night for a huge rager
• Leave Mass Effect 3 on a high note

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/2

5. Hair Mods as DLCs Mod

Fashion Effect 3.

As someone who shamelessly spends hours customizing their character’s appearance before any RPG, this mod really came in handy. The hair in Mass Effect 3 is… fine, but we’re spoiled nowadays with an overwhelming number of hairstyles in games that in comparison Mass Effect 3 is just a wee bit underwhelming. 

Thankfully the hair mods allow for more options, including the long hair for Female Shepard, something I really wanted from the game all those years ago. This mod isn’t going to drastically alter your game experience or anything, but with the amount of time you’re looking at your character, it never hurts to really like the way your Shepard looks.

Why Hair Mods is fun:

• Added customization options for Shepard
• Adds variety to multiple playthroughs
• Helps with immersion

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/425

4. Thomas the Reaper Engine Mod

Fear has a new face.

Yeah you read that right. For years people have been replacing intimidating forces like the dragons in Skyrim with the childhood mascot, and now he finally makes his Mass Effect debut. 

This mod came out just this year, and was made in response to a lack of comically deadly trains in Mass Effect. Modder Exkywor decided to take matters into his own hands and create the mod himself, and I think we all owe him one for that. There’s something about the signature Thomas whistle replacing the Inception horns of the reapers that never gets old. I guess no matter how old the game is, eventually they all get a Thomas the Tank Engine mod. Dread it, run from it, Thomas arrives all the same. Also, here’s hoping the mod makes an appearance on the remaster, too!

Why Thomas the Reaper Engine mod is fun:

• Hilarious idea finally makes its way to Mass Effect
• A great mod to show your friends who like Mass Effect 3

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/914

3. Extended Final Anderson Conversation Mod

One Last Goodbye.

Mass Effect fans expect a lot from the series when it comes to character arcs, and rightfully so, since the game pioneered multiple story-telling altered by player choice. That’s why expectations were extremely high for Mass Effect 3, it’s one thing to put in callbacks to the original game in Mass Effect 2, but the final game in the series was going to have to satisfyingly wrap up character arcs or else fans would be upset. And to their credit, Bioware found a way to conclude many of our favorite characters in memorable ways, but the same wasn’t true for Anderson.

Anderson had been by the N7 Commander’s side since the original game, and his character appeared in some capacity in every entry in the series. Some felt that their final meeting should have been longer, and now thanks to mods it is. Modder HelixSpiral dug through the game files and found unused dialogue between the two for their final interaction. This isn’t a huge mod in terms of size, at only about 22MB, but it does add extra camera angles and conversational pieces that feel necessary to the experience, and so I highly recommend this mod as a sort of “extended cut” of the scene.

Why the Extended Final Anderson Conversation mod is fun:

• Experienced the full conversation between the two for the first time
• See Mass Effect 3’s ending as Bioware probably intended.

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/173

2.EGM (Extended Galaxy Mod)

Basically Mass Effect 4

The Extended Galaxy Mod is the crown jewel of the Mass Effect Modding scene. Featuring brand new missions, crazy customisation of the Normandy and crew, and quality of life improvements like an overhaul of the maligned war asset system, EGM is a gigantic mod that will have many players thinking they’re playing an entirely new entry in the series! 

Mass Effect 3 had huge expectations when it first arrived back in 2012, and because of the scope of the game, the team at BioWare had to leave a lot of fan favorite races and characters on the cutting room floor. Thankfully many of those absent in the base game arrive in this mod, and we even get a neat little easter egg involving Mass Effect 2 DLC character Zaeed involving his homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe, which is both a nice nod to the character and also my new favorite dessert!

Why EGM is fun:

• Tons of references to Mass Effect 1 and 2 will bring a smile to any OG fan’s lips
• Overhauled war asset system that makes you feel like a military general and gives your decisions weight Brand new missions that flesh out characters and events from the base game, as well as entirely independent ones
• Crazy amount of customization choices for you to become deeper immersed in the world or to stand out on the battlefield

Get the mod here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/350

1. MEHEM The Mass Effect 3 Happy Ending Mod

The Modding scene doing what the Devs never could.

Our final mod is the most fitting for a game like Mass Effect 3, and this mod is sure to impress. Modder MrFob reinterprets the ending of the game so that there is no catalyst scene, meaning no creepy AI child and destroying the Citadel. Shepard returns to his crew, and you share a bittersweet moment with them as you mourn.  The mod does a great job at capturing the same feelings that Mass Effect evokes without feeling like fan service.

This mod effectively cuts out the part of the game that has held back players from revisiting the game for years, making it the most incredible mod of all. You are now free to play through the series without having to think about how much you dislike the ending. Also congratulations, you defeated the reapers without having to sacrifice anything!

Why MEHEM is fun: 

• Everyone loves a happy ending!
• Skip one of the few weak spots in the entire trilogy
• Leave Mass Effect with a smile on your face… Unless you play Andromeda

Get the Mod Here: https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/66

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