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General information
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
- All versions require Origin DRM.
Version differences
- The N7 Digital Deluxe Edition includes the base game, all DLC (singleplayer and multiplayer) and digital goodies (soundtrack, artbook, *Genesis 2* comic).
Monetization
- DLC can be downloaded through Origin by right-clicking Mass Effect 3 and selecting View Game Details. The Final Hours Of Mass Effect 3, soundtrack, and artbook can be downloaded for free from this EA page.
- All DLC is free on Origin/EA Desktop as of July 13, 2022.[2] The DLC Bundle is free as of August 15, 2022. Steam later followed in May 5, 2023.
- This game has in-game microtransactions (not listed below).
DLC and expansion packs
| Name |
Notes |
|
| Alternate Appearance Pack 1 |
|
|
| Citadel |
|
|
| Earth Multiplayer Expansion |
Free |
|
| Extended Cut |
Free |
|
| Firefight Pack |
|
|
| From Ashes |
Included in Digital Deluxe |
|
| Genesis 2 |
|
|
| Groundside Resistance Pack |
|
|
| Leviathan |
|
|
| M90 Indra Sniper Rifle |
Redeemable through Alienware Promo or Included with Firefight Pack |
|
| Mass Effect Trilogy Art |
Included in Mass Effect Trilogy bundle |
|
| N7 Collector's Edition Content |
Included in Digital Deluxe |
|
| Omega |
|
|
| Reckoner Knight Armor |
Originally able to be obtained by logging in to account in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo[3] (The demo is still available on Steam but the servers are shut down) |
|
| Reckoning Multiplayer Expansion |
Free |
|
| Rebellion Multiplayer Expansion |
Free |
|
| Resurgence Multiplayer Expansion |
Free |
|
| Retaliation Multiplayer Expansion |
Free |
|
Essential improvements
Skip intro videos
|
Modify ME3_sig_logo in bioengine.ini[5]
|
- Download and run ME3 Coalesced Utility.
- In the utility, open
Coalesced.bin from <path-to-game>\BIOGame\CookedPCConsole>
- Go to the
bioengine.ini > fullscreenmovie > startupmovies section.
- Add a semicolon in front of the
ME3_sig_logo line like so: ;ME3_sig_logo
- Save the file and exit the utility.
|
Bug Fixes
- Various bug fixes, visual corrections and QoL improvements for Mass Effect 3.
- Also fixed the Ashley Marksman bug.
- May have cause performance issue for low-end hardware.[6]
- Scales up PC platform-specific HUD elements to the size they were on consoles, which is natively set to 720p.
- Works both in singleplayer and multiplayer.
- A major bug fix and overhaul mod.
- Compatible with numerous mods. See here.
- Fix for Ashley when using the Marksman Skill.
- Not required if UME3P & Fix Pack is installed, but can still be used.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
| System |
Location |
| Windows |
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 3\BIOGame\Config\ |
| Microsoft Store |
|
| Steam Play (Linux) |
<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1238020/pfx/[Note 1] |
Save game data location
- DLC files are saved in
<path-to-game>\BIOGame\DLC; an explanation of the folder names and which DLC they represent can be found here.
- Mass Effect 3 can optionally import save games from Mass Effect 2, which in turn can import save games from Mass Effect.
Video
In-game general settings.
In-game narrative settings.
- Several graphic settings cannot be changed in-game.
|
Set camera FOV (doesn't affect cutscenes)[9]
|
- Download and run ME3 Coalesced Utility.
- In the utility, open
Coalesced.bin from <path-to-game>\BIOGame\CookedPCConsole.
- Go to the
bioinput.ini > sfxgame > sfxgamemodedefault > bindings section.
- Add this custom binding via empty line at the bottom of bindings list.
( Name="F1", Command="set SFXGame.SFXCameraMode FOV 90" )
- Change
90 to the desired FOV.
- Save the file and exit the utility.
- Press F1 once each gaming session while being able to control Shepard, i.e. not in a cutscene or menu.
Notes
- Only works in singleplayer. Activating this fix while in singeplayer then returning to the main menu and attempting a multiplayer match will result in disconnects. To remedy this, restart the game, since that also resets the FOV.
|
|
Use ThirteenAG's Mass Effect Trilogy FOV Fix
|
- Download the archive from here.
- Download and extract the archive to the game directory, where the exe is located (
Binaries or Binaries\Win32)
Notes
- Automatically corrects in-game FOV (Hor+)
- Works with Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2
- 16:9 only[citation needed]
|
|
Change frame rate smoothing[10]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Open
BIOEngine.ini.
- Search and change
bSmoothFrameRate to FALSE or raise MaxSmoothedFrameRate value.
- Save file.
- For more information, see the Unreal Engine 3 page.
- High FPS affects the following:
- enemy AI will be more accurate
- shields will regenerate slower
- powers can not be used from cover, requiring the player to lean out manually
|
- By default the game only has FXAA for anti-aliasing. But is possible to force other anti-aliasing types.
|
Use Nvidia Inspector (Nvidia only)[citation needed]
|
- Download and launch Nvidia Profile Inspector.
- Choose Mass Effect 3 from the profile list
- MSAA
- Change
Antialiasing - Mode to Override any application setting
- Change
Antialiasing - Setting to 4x [4x Multisampling] or 8xQ [8x Multisampling] or 16xQ [16x CSAA (8 color + 8 cv samples)]
- (Optional) Change
Antialiasing - Transparency Multisampling to Enabled to enable transparency multisampling. Or you can change Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling to one of the supersampling options to enable transparency supersampling.
- SGSSAA
- Change
Antialiasing compatibility to 0x080000C1[11][12][13]
- Change
Antialiasing - Mode to Override any application setting
- Change
Antialiasing - Setting to 4x [4x Multisampling] or 8xQ [8x Multisampling]
- Change
Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling to 4x Sparse Grid Supersampling or 8x Sparse Grid Supersampling
- Apply changes.
Notes
- Default compatibility bits for anti-aliasing (0x080100C5) should be enough for MSAA. Therefore there is no need to change them when using MSAA.
- If you are a SLI user and using SGSSAA you might want to change
SLI compatibility bits to 0x42502005 for improved performance.[13]
- If forcing AA causes video stutter, activating MSI Afterburner's OSD can fix it.
|
Input
In-game general control settings.
In-game key map settings.
|
Native Xbox 360 UI Controller Support
|
|
|
|
Barebones controller support[15]
|
- Download the replacement Coalesced.bin.
- Move it to
<path-to-game>\BIOGame\CookedPCConsole, replacing the existing file.
- Connect the controller and launch Mass Effect 3. The controller should now work.
Notes
- The mouse is still required in menus and conversations.
- If other changes were made to
Coalesced.bin, they will need to be redone.
- This method should not be mixed with the native controller mods, as it will break them.
|
|
Enable joystick move to be used with mouse[16]
|
- Download ME3-Coalesced Utility.
- In the utility, open
Coalesced.bin from <path-to-game>\BIOGame\CookedPCConsole.
- Go to
[Bioengine.ini > winDrv > windowsClient] and then change allowjoystickInput from 0 to 1.
- Go to
[bioinput.ini > SFXGame > SFXGameModeBase > Bindings] and paste in the following, and then save and exit program:
( Name="XboxTypeS_LeftX",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=1.0 DeadZone=0.3")
( Name="XboxTypeS_LeftY",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=1.0 DeadZone=0.3")
( Name="XboxTypeS_RightX",Command="Axis aTurn Speed=0.2 DeadZone=0.3")
( Name="XboxTypeS_RightY",Command="Axis aLookup Speed=0.2 DeadZone=0.3")
|
Audio
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
|
|
| Surround sound |
|
5.0[17][18] |
| Subtitles |
|
|
| Closed captions |
|
|
| Mute on focus lost |
|
|
| EAX support |
|
See Surround sound notes. |
| Royalty free audio |
|
Combination of original and licensed music. |
Localizations
Network
Multiplayer types
| Type |
Native |
Players |
Notes |
| LAN play |
| 4 |
Co-op
Use ME3 Private Server Emulator/LAN. |
| Online play |
| 4 |
Co-op
Multiplayer activity and progress affects the singleplayer storyline. Note that the Extended Cut DLC modifies the game such that playing the multiplayer is not required for the "best" singleplayer story ending. |
Connection types
Ports
| Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
| UDP |
5659, 6000 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
Issues unresolved
"Tuchanka: Turian Platoon" mission doesn't progress in the last section
- If the two Harvester enemies are killed before they should be then the one in the last section of the mission will never appear causing the mission to be stuck[19][20]
|
Restart the mission and don't kill the first two Harvester enemies[21]
|
Issues fixed
- GeForce.com has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game.
64bit Version Error Message
|
"Incompatible Windows Version" Error Message[citation needed]
|
|
The following error message may appear:
- The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need a x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.
- Selecting Mass Effect 3 in Origin and clicking 'repair install' and 'check for update' may fix this issue.
|
Mouse Causing Stuttering
Mouse movement may cause slowdowns. This can be fixed by disabling Origin overlay within the game.
|
Mouse Causing Stuttering[citation needed]
|
- Click on the gear in the top right.
- Click "Settings".
- Click the "In Game" tab.
- Make sure "Enable Origin In Game" is disabled
|
Not starting
Generic startup crash
The issues are one of the following:
- Crashed immediately
- A black screen for a few seconds, then crash
- Only the intro plays
Try the fix for the MSVCR90.dll error fix below.
Startup MSVCR90.dll error
The game crashes with an error regarding MSVCR90.dll. Although this indicates a problem with VC++, the cause can also be corrupt saves/settings.
|
Check for corrupt saves/settings[22]
|
- Go to
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioware.
- Rename the
Mass Effect 3 folder to Mass Effect 3 backup.
- Try starting the game again
- If it does work, try to restoring the old saves:
- Delete the
Saves subfolder from the new Mass Effect 3 folder.
- Copy the
Saves subfolder from the backup.
- If this fails, then the saves are corrupt. Try restoring the last save from Origin:
- Open Origin > Game Properties > Cloud Saves
- Click Restore Saves
|
Startup BEX/APPCRASH error
- A error message about
BEX or APPCRASH (with exception code c0000417) when trying to start the game could be displayed.
|
Rename atiags.dll[23]
|
- Browse to
<path-to-game>\Binaries\Win32.
- Rename the file
atiags.dll to atiagsBACKUP.dll.
|
Modded game not starting
The game does not start when one or more mods (e.g. Controller Support) have been installed via the third-party mod manager.
|
Start Mass Effect 3 from Mod Manager
|
- Open the Mass Effect 3 Mod Manager
- Click the
Start Game button in the bottom right corner
|
Crash on From Ashes DLC
- At Eden Prime, shortly after watching the cutscene for the first pod, the player crashes.
|
Method 1: Access the second pod first, and then the first pod.[citation needed]
|
|
Method 2: Right after the first video is done playing, press the Esc button a few times.[citation needed]
|
Retail DVD install issue
Some users experience issues installing Mass Effect 3 from a retail disc. After starting the install process and entering the product key, an error message claiming it is not a valid Mass Effect 3 serial number appears. Despite this, Mass Effect 3 will now be activated in the Origin/EA App library. Further attempts to run the installation process will still prompt for a product key, and upon entering it will result in an error message stating the key has already been used. It is impossible to continue the install process from this point.
There are two possible solutions to this issue. The first and easiest option is to simply download Mass Effect 3 via Origin/EA App. However, for those on slower or bandwidth-limited Internet connections, this may not be a viable option. It is still possible to install from the DVDs using the following workaround:
|
Retail DVD Install Issue[citation needed]
|
- Start downloading Mass Effect 3 via Origin, pause the download and exit Origin.
- Delete all files in the
Mass Effect 3 subfolder of Origin's game install folder (by default, this is %PROGRAMFILES%\Origin Games\Mass Effect 3). Also, delete all files in Origin's download cache (%PROGRAMDATA%\Origin\DownloadCache).
- Copy the file
Mass Effect 3.z01 from disc 1 and Mass Effect 3.zip from disc 2 to a temporary location on the hard drive.
- Extract these files to the Mass Effect 3 folder in Origin's game install folder (by default, this is
%PROGRAMFILES%\Origin Games\Mass Effect 3). Traditional archival software such as WinRAR or 7-Zip may experience critical errors extracting these files; if this occurs, use Total Commander to extract them. In Total Commander, some error messages will appear, but these can be ignored.
- Remove the read-only attribute to these files and folders.
- Launch Origin/EA App and resume the download. A small download of approximately 60 MB should start to fix missing or broken files. After this, Mass Effect 3 should be fully installed and working.
|
DLC error
- Sometimes the game will have problems loading DLC (both free and paid DLC) and will present an error message stating "Unable to authorize the listed DLC. Please log in to the Alliance Network with the account used to purchase the DLC". This is usually caused by an error during the download.
|
Verify/repair the installation[citation needed]
|
Unable to save any more games
|
Increase 50 save limit[24][citation needed]
|
- Download ME3 Explorer
- Run ME3Explorer and select PCC Editor 2.0 (under Developer Tools)
- Provide game executable situated in
<path-to-game>\Binaries\MassEffect3.exe.
- Go to File > Load and open
<path-to-game>\BIOGame\CookedPCConsole\SFXGame.pcc.
- Choose Exports tab and scroll down to the 45242 line
- Select it and set MaxSaves IntProperty to a big number like 999
- Go to File > Save
|
Namakli: Leviathan ladder bug
- A common ladder glitch (occurs in the second ladder encountered after the bridge raising + banshee fight) may prevent the player from descending.
|
Either looking up when approaching the ladder or using the walk-not-run key will solve the issue.
|
Importing
Import saved game
Import from Mass Effect 2 folder
- Mass Effect 3 does not use an import save game data in the same way that one could import save game data from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2. Instead, it detects an existing Mass Effect 2 save games folder (as if Mass Effect 2 was installed and completed). Therefore there should be no issue as long as the same computer used to complete Mass Effect 2 is used to start a new game in Mass Effect 3.
Import without reinstalling
To import a Mass Effect 2 save file from an old computer to the one in which Mass Effect 3 is currently installed, copy the old career folders to: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect 2\Save.
Lost old save game
- Old save games can be replaced by going to Mass Effect 2 Saves, which is a repository of Mass Effect 2 save games with various playthroughs which can be imported into Mass Effect 3.
Save game not detected
|
Rename save game folder[citation needed]
|
- A save editor may have changed the folder structure. Change this back to allow Mass Effect 3 to autodetect correctly.
- Go to
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect 2\Save.
- Change the folder name to
Name_12_Class_012610.
|
|
Edit GamerSettings.ini[citation needed]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Open
GamerSettings.ini.
- Add the Mass Effect 2 saves folder location next to
Location=
- Example:
[SaveGames]
Location=%USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Save\
- Make sure that the above location is the correct location of the saved games.
|
Multiplayer game using "Different Version"
- When attempting to join a friend's game, an error will display that it can not be joined due to the game versions being different.
- This issue seems to only affect some users in the UK. This executable has not been seen outside of that region.
Textures become black as you approach them
- A Lot of Textures (ALOT) may have been applied to the game in the past. Apply it again or use one of the fixes below.
|
Set the Texture LODs to Vanilla with LOD Switcher in ALOTInstaller's Settings
|
|
Delete configuration files
|
- Open
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 3\BIOGame.
- Delete the
Config folder.
- Launch the game.
|
Ashley glitches after activating Marksman power
Other information
API
| Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
| Direct3D |
9.0c |
|
| Shader Model support |
3 |
|
| Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
| Windows |
|
|
|
Middleware
|
Middleware |
Notes |
| Physics |
PhysX |
2.8.3 |
| Audio |
Speex, Wwise |
|
| Interface |
Scaleform |
|
| Cutscenes |
Bink Video |
1.9p |
Ambient occlusion
- Default Nvidia driver profile does not have compatibility bits to enable ambient occlusion for the game. But it can be enabled by tweaking the driver profile settings.
|
Use Nvidia Inspector (Nvidia only)[25]
|
- Download and launch Nvidia Profile Inspector
- Choose Mass Effect 3 from the profile list
- Change
Ambient Occlusion compatibility to 0x00000020
- Change
Ambient Occlusion usage to Enabled
- Change
Ambient Occlusion setting to Performance, Quality or High quality
- Apply changes.
|
Modding
- Mass Effect 3 Nexus - Has a decent amount of mods for Mass Effect 3.
- ME3Tweaks - Hosts mods, guides, and tools for modding the Mass Effect trilogy.
- Mod Manager - A tool for handling installation and development of mods
- ME3Explorer - A multi-tool software for modding Mass Effect 3. Also includes a Coalesced.bin editor for further tweaking.
HD Texture Pack
- A Lot of Textures (ALOT) is a fanmade re-texture mod aiming to bring Mass Effect 3's textures to today's standards, replacing around 3000 textures with high-resolution variants.
HD Video Pack
- ME3 Opening Remaster improves the opening cinematic of Mass Effect 3.
- A Lot of Videos (ALOV) is a fanmade mod that increases the detail & resolution of Mass Effect 3's videos to today's standards.
Mods
- Extended Final Anderson Conversation - Restores (mostly) the full final conversation with Anderson that was severely shortened in the released game.
- Expanded Galaxy Mod - Adds a huge number of changes, both large and small, to improve the overall gameplay of the game, giving the user a more personalized experience.
- Dynamic Weapon Lowering - DWL ensures that Shepard raises or lowers their weapon based on whether they are inside or outside of combat. The system intelligently monitors your current gameplay, and automatically adjusts the position of your arms and weapon in a timely manner.
- No low hp blood drops on screen - This mod removes blood drops that cover screen when health decrease in ME3.
- Ark Mod - Additional Hazard maps and an entirely new N7 mission.
- Individual Cooldowns Mod (ME1 Style) - Disables the global cooldown of powers, making them all have individual cooldowns just like ME1 (and the mod for ME2).
- MEHEM - The Mass Effect (3) Happy Ending Mod - Replaces the "controversial" endings with new alternative endings.
- Citadel Epilogue Mod - A mod that makes the Citadel DLC play like an epilogue or simply throw a party after you blow up the reapers.
- Ambient Audio Overhaul Mod Makes each level in Mass Effect 3 more immersive, unique and rich in audio by restoring all ambient SFX that was either accidentally cut or inaudible.
- Restored Zaeed Conversation - This mod alters the conversation with Zaeed in the Holding area so that all of his dialogue can be heard.
- Same-Gender Romances for ME3 - This mod fixes various issues with imported same-gender romances with Ashley, Kaidan, Tali, and Thane, focusing on immersion and restoring unused content.
System requirements
| Windows |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
XP |
Vista, 7 |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz |
| System memory (RAM) |
1 GB (XP)
2 GB (Vista, 7) |
2 GB (XP)
4 GB (Vista, 7) |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
15 GB | |
| Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon X1800
Nvidia GeForce 7900
256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Shader model 3 support |
ATI Radeon HD 4850
Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT
Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti
512 MB of VRAM |
- AMD video cards below minimum system requirements: Radeon HD 3200, HD 3300 and HD 4350.
- Nvidia video cards below minimum system requirements: GeForce 9300, 8500, 8400 and 8300.
- S3 video cards are not supported.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in
~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/1238020/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (1238020) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.
References
(unavailable)
