Mass Effect 3's Happy Ending fan mod now available for Legendary Edition
Thane you very much.
One of Mass Effect's most popular finale mods is now available for the trilogy's Legendary Edition.
This latest version of the so-called Happy Ending Mod adds many of the tweaks from previous iterations into a package which slots neatly into the Legendary Edition of BioWare's space opera trilogy.
So, if you would like to guarantee your Shepard always survives and gets a big ol' hug from their chosen romance partner, read on.
This fan-made creation cuts large chunks of BioWare's original ending, and even some scenes from the Extended Cut, which the Legendary Edition includes as standard.
In short, it canonises the game's red-flavoured Destroy ending, but removes the costs - so synthetic life such as the geth and EDI survive while all Reapers conveniently drop down dead.
Footage of the mod, below, shows a high score ending with little collateral damage and where the galaxy's Mass Relays are not damaged.
More creatively, the mod restores some cut dialogue files in Shepard's final conversation with Anderson (which are nice, but in my opinion draw out the scene a little long). There's also extra recorded dialogue in the game's "breath" scene, where Shepard is found among the rubble.
The ending's entire "Starchild" section is removed, where Shepard talks with the Crucible AI. On the upside, many fans find the depiction of the Starchild as a know-it-all infant as grating. On the downside, this also removes the useful exposition this section provided. Instead, new explanation is provided in additional Codex entries.
The mod also cuts the Normandy crash sequence - Mass Effect 3's original ending, before the Extended Cut added more.
The final memorial wall scene now sees Shepard healed and back on their feet, placing a plaque for Anderson. I like the tweaks to this scene, which now shows more crew members like Chakwas and also supports mods for ME2 gay romances.
At this point, the Mass Effect trilogy ending feels like it has been changed more - by BioWare and fans - than George Lucas' tweaks to the original Star Wars trilogy. I doubt this mod will be the last set of changes, but I can't say I prefer its sanitised version of the trilogy's ending - or the complete removal of choice.
Still, if you're interested in trying it yourself, you can nab it from Nexus Mods.