Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is slated to hit shelves on May 14, meaning players will finally be able to hop into the epic sci-fi trilogy on modern platforms in just over five weeks' time. In preparation for the exciting return of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy, BioWare took to the PlayStation Blog to share some brand new details regarding several of the remaster's biggest changes.

One of these additions is a rework of Mass Effect 3's Galactic Readiness meter. The mechanic takes into account the player's actions throughout the third Mass Effect's campaign, generating a number that indicates how strong Commander Shepard's army is prior to the title's climactic battle with the Reapers. The stat would fluctuate depending on the player's achievements throughout the story, including how main missions, side operations, and multiplayer matches they had completed.

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With Mass Effect: Legendary Edition stripping away the game's multiplayer elements, BioWare was forced to rebalance the system in the remaster. Interestingly, it seems the change has allowed the studio to put a heavier emphasis on decisions from Mass Effect 1 and 2 affecting the Galactic Readiness statistic, creating more synergy between each of the game's campaigns. "Galactic Readiness is no longer impacted by external factors that aren’t part of the collection," says BioWare community manager Jay Ingram, discussing the changes to the mechanic. "The more content you complete across the entire trilogy, the more likely you’ll be prepared for the final fights in its conclusion."

Interestingly, that means those who skip straight to Mass Effect 3 will have a much tougher time securing one of the trilogy's best possible endings, with Ingram citing that they'll have to complete practically everything on offer to secure a high Galactic Readiness score. It means players will be encouraged to make their way through all three of Shepherd's adventures in succession if they want to see everything Mass Effect 3's conclusion has in store. Whichever ending they decide to go with, players will also be treated to the extended cut, with Ingram noting that it's now "the game’s default finale."

Players will be able to see how the rebalance works when Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches next month, bringing all three Mass Effect adventures together with a series of enhancements, quality of life updates, and over 40 DLCs. The remastered package looks to be the definitive way to experience Commander Shepard's war against the Reapers, with early screens showing dramatically updated environments, textures, and character models. It'll also feature a wealth of changes to frustrating parts of BioWare's space epic, including shortening the Citadel's agonizingly long elevator loading times and altering the Mako's notoriously clunky controls.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will launch on May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

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Source: PlayStation Blog