The Next Mass Effect 3 DLC: How BioWare Can Score a Win

There’s not a BioWare fan alive that isn’t aware of BioWare’s recent hit-and-misses with their fans. While still often financially successful (especially compared to less popular developers) BioWare has been on a slippery slope since the release of Dragon Age 2. Some hardcore, older fans, would say since Mass Effect 2. Their last DLC, simply titled “Omega” has continued that trend, right after the Leviathan DLC brought some hope to the series with better than average reviews, the $15 Omega DLC was largely a disappointment to many, despite the hype. 

Ever resilient, BioWare isn’t resting on their laurels as they appear to pull out all the stops with their next untitled and still mysterious DLC that is said to have something to do with the Citadel. However, if this next DLC is another disappointment, Shepard’s story may have to end on a flat note. This fate is avoidable for the most part, if BioWare puts their “artistic integrity” aside and aims to please the majority of fans.

Any Mass Effect 3 DLC that adds on to the main storyline runs into the problem of being in the shadow of Mass Effect 3’s controversial ending. The main issue with the Leviathan story was that—although most could appreciate how well-crafted the DLC was— it still left one with a feeling of pointlessness. Although the ride was fun, at the end of the DLC, for someone who had finished the game already (as most had), the journey led to nowhere. The knowledge Shepard gained, and the allies (or war assets) the player gains are nearly useless except for to give the unknowing Shepard some more hope and for the player to say “Oh, well that’s interesting” or otherwise rage in disagreement. 

At the end of the recent Omega DLC, the player has the illusion that they accomplished something because they have helped Aria retake her base. This illusion is somewhat shattered by the fact that Aria goes back to her default place and you cannot of course visit Omega whenever you wish to. It’s also shattered every time Shepard talks about needing allies (war assets) because they are meaningless to most players because they have finished the game. In essence, BioWare needs to make whatever that happens at the end of the DLC permanent. When a player plays a game, they want to feel like they have progressed and changed the world in some way. Previous Mass Effect DLCs have failed in this.

I don’t believe it is an exaggeration to say that the best part of the Leviathan DLC was the fact that you could bring your Mass Effect 3 squad mates with you, and—for the very first time in a DLC—they actually comment during missions and have conversations with Shepard in-world and aboard the Normandy. This is probably a large part of positive fan reactions toward the DLC.  But instead of becoming the standard for DLCs, BioWare cut this out of the Omega DLC. Although the developer claimed it was because they wanted to have an exclusive feel to the DLC, and in-game Aria claims it’s because she does not trust Shepard’s crew, one has to guess that hiring Carrie-Anne Moss to voice Aria as a lead was not cheap. And so, for whatever reasons, despite the $15 price tag , BioWare decided against hiring the old crew back, even for a few lines. 

This seems to have been a big no-no, as it made the DLC feel bland even with Aria and newcomer Nyreen around. Besides a few other minor NPCs, it’s just you Shepard and two others who, despite being very interesting characters in their own right, aren’t the squad members we’ve come to love (and in some cases, hate). Part of why we love Mass Effect so much is our squad mates and love interests. BioWare may have realized this for their next DLC, as at least Joker’s voice actor, Seth Green, has been confirmed to come back for some dialog, so it’s pretty likely we’ll be seeing other squad mates doing some talking.

Another way Omega failed in which Leviathan (and the popular Shadow Broker DLC) succeeded was that the DLC focused on story. The story was what drove you forward, wanting to see where you’d go next, and what happened next. Even if you had a pretty good guess, there was definitely still some surprises. In the Omega DLC (which was created by BioWare Montreal who is—potentially unfortunately—in charge of the next Mass Effect game) the story opened up the DLC, but the next several hours of the game focused mainly on combat with a few cut scenes at pivotal points. There was only a few tough decisions but nothing that Mass Effect pros who know their Shepard couldn’t handle. 

Despite a return to some of the more classic gameplay feel from Mass Effect, some parts of the DLC simply dragged on for some as you delve deeper into Omega and fight wave after wave of Cerberus troops. This is due to not much story progression during the DLC, as most of it occurs at the beginning and end and not much in the middle. BioWare has to play their strengths and release yet another story-driven DLC with tough choices, because that is what we expect and want when we play Mass Effect.

Finally, if this is the last DLC that BioWare makes for Mass Effect 3, then they should heavily reconsider their stance on the ending, just one more time. Some fans still, after eight months, want closure. Cite artistic integrity however much they want to, the fact is that while some fans have been placated, the majority still have a bitter taste in their mouth. Some fans are even having a hard time letting go of their Shepard to play another Mass Effect, and I believe that is because they are lacking the closure needed to happily move onto another character. 

BioWare is at a crossroads where they can choose to let fans know what happened to Shepard and their squad mates immediately after the war, or try another DLC that doesn’t really change anything and risk leaving fans still yearning for more Shepard. At this time, many fans are simply confused on how BioWare can move on without canonizing the player’s final decision unless the famous indoctrination theory is true. And many are not yet ready to embrace a new experience without knowing how their last one really ended. So, the ball’s in your court, BioWare. If this truly is Mass Effect 3’s swan song, you’d better make it a good one.