Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition Modding Guide[edit | edit source]
Overview & Goal[edit | edit source]
The purpose of this guide shall be to maintain an install order for Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition (LE1) that enhances the gameplay experience without deviating significantly from BioWare's original vision or established lore. Ultimately as I (mrl515) am the only maintainer at present, some of this will be subjective, but I'm always open to constructive feedback!
On Mass Effect Modding[edit | edit source]
Mods for the Mass Effect trilogy, and indeed the Legendary Edition remasters, fall into two distinct categories: DLC mods and texture mods. Unlike Skyrim or other Bethesda games, mod install order in the DLC mod category is not necessarily critical, except in the instance of bundled compatibility patches whereby a given patch is dependent on the mod it is patching for to be preinstalled. Texture mods, on the other hand, are directly impacted by install order, with each subsequent texture mod installed potentially overwriting mods installed previously. The distinction between so-called types of mods is critical because, due to the nature of how mods are installed via the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager, DLC mods must be installed prior to texture mods, and no DLC mods may be installed after the installation of texture mods. This makes managing and updating an install more complex than on a game like Skyrim, as editing and updating mods post-install is not a trivial endeavor. This guide will explain the process of creating a batch group, a feature of ME3Tweaks Mod Manager, to install both DLC and texture mods in order to alleviate some of the pains users may experience with mod updates.
Guide Structure[edit | edit source]
Where dependencies or conflicts (due to patchers or otherwise) do not exist, this guide will endeavor simply to install mods in alphabetical order, as this is how they are presented in ME3Tweaks Mod Manager. Under the numbered entries for mods, bullets will be used to offer explanations for placement, conflict notes, and installation options and patches. Installation options and patches shall be presented in the order the installer offers them, meaning there will not necessarily be consistency to their order, except in the instance where the installer splits the two, in which case they will be listed together by options or patches, but still in relative order to options under the same given category. Where no option is selected, for the sake of brevity, the guide shall endeavor to leave either a "None", or omit a section entirely--if an option is not presented, then it should be assumed that the given option is not meant to be installed. Some mods offer choices concerning options that the author deem non-critical in nature. In this instance, the guide will note as such and the user is invited to select whatever option(s) suits their fancy. DLC mods will be listed first, followed by texture mods, which must be installed through MEM or the batch installer. Regarding texture mods, textures are overwritten based on install order, so baseline mods (such as ALOT) will be installed first, with more specific textures installed subsequently.
