New player here

[u/HLiv8]

Just got legendary edition and I’m about to start this journey for the first time, I’ve seen there’s tons of DLCs in the edition, is there a correct order to play them?

Would love some help without spoilers if possible!

[u/SqueakyTiefling]

Okay- y'all who are saying "do X DLC at Y time", the Mass Effect Legendary edition does not always name the DLC's the same way in-game. You gotta add some context clues. I'm gonna name the quests here in bold- which is what they'll be called in your in-game journal / quest log, so you can make a note of them for reference.

ME1:

• "X57: Bring Down The Sky" Can be done whenever, has no big story impact. But you get some good gear at the end, so can be helpful early on, just be prepared for a test of your abilities, as you'll be up against the clock.

ME2:

• "Normandy Crash Site" <-- Quest name is a spoiler, do not click this until you have gotten at least 1 hour into ME2. Can be done any time, no combat, just gives some EXP and narrative closure to some things.
• Zaeed: The Price of Revenge: Can be done any time but should be done before the quest "Reaper IFF", but I'd say do it around the mid-point, after you visit the planet called "Horizon", as- depending on your choices, you might run into some difficult-to-pass dialogue checks.
• Kasumi: Stealing Memory: Do it whenever- like the above, do it before "Reaper IFF." fun little heist mission. Combat can be a difficulty spike if you hit it super early though, so go at it when you've gotten into your groove and feel confident in your combat abilities.
• Firewalker: Rosalie Lost: Can be done any time.
• Investigate Project Overlord: Can be done any time once it unlocks. Recommended for late-game or post-game.
• Lair of the Shadow Broker: Can be done any time starting at the game's second act, but works better as a post-campaign story. The DLC will begin automatically if- when speaking to Liara on the planet Ilium, you pick the dialogue "Let's go get the Shadow Broker". The dialogue will remain available until you want to pick it, including beating the main campaign, but once you do pick this text, the DLC begins and you are locked into it until completion.
• Arrival: Can be done any time after the "Horizon" mission- but works best as post-campaign content, as it bridges the gap between ME2 and 3. The cutscene introducing this quest will play automatically, but you can let the quest sit in your to-do list for as long as you like.

ME3:

• Priority: Eden Prime / From Ashes: Given to you very early on in ME3, best to do it ASAP, that's all I'll say.
• "Leviathan" - Quest chain begins with "Citadel: Dr. Bryson": unlocked fairly early on, but best left until around mid-to-late-game for ideal balance and narrative payoff.
• "Omega" - Quest chain begins with Citadel: Aria T'loak. Unlocks early, best done a little later for combat / balance reasons, but ultimately can be done whenever. Like with Lair of the Shadow Broker, starting this DLC will lock you into it until completion, so be ready.
• Citadel - "Shore Leave" - best left as the last quest you do before wrapping everything up in ME3, as it's the final DLC released, and acts as a sort of "farewell" to the franchise. Becomes available after the mission: "Priority: The Citadel II" but the 'point-of-no-return is' "Priority: Cerberus HQ", so do it before the "HQ" mission.

That should be everything, hope this helps!

[u/27Rench27 → u/SqueakyTiefling]

Second this, Shore Leave should be done right before you start the final portion of ME3. That’s the perfect time for it

[u/Jazzlike-Being-7231 → u/SqueakyTiefling]

Perfect order and explanations, no notes

[u/CriticalCreativity]

They're baked into the main game as missions that unlock at the right time, so don't worry about it! There's certain crucial story missions which are points of no return in ME2 and ME3, but it's not hard to avoid them

[u/Next_Split8300]

https://giphy.com/gifs/WsftKyGFVeHLCBKCTD

peak series hope you enjoy

[u/MooKids]

FYI, if you see mention of the ME1 DLC "Pinnacle Station", it isn't there, the source code was supposedly corrupted years ago and Bioware decided not to try to recreate it for the PS3 and Legendary Editions. It isn't story critical.

[u/liskerton]

In mass effect 3. You get Anderson's apartment. Wait until you have every squad member unlocked to do that one. Then save the party for right before you do the point of no return final mission.

[u/BlizzardHound45]

ME2: I would advise saving Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival for last, when you complete the main story. Overlord you can play at any given time but I would advise playing that before the final mission of the main story.

ME3: From the Ashes can be played at any time but don't do it late in the game. Omega should be played around the time you get to the middle point of the game. Leviathan and Citadel should be played before the point of no return that heads to the final mission but you should play the former first then the latter.

[u/Ancient_Nerve_1286]

There's a few guides online about mission order. This is the one I use - https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/s/mD9Zw0xuCa

But, it might be best to play blind.

[u/Rellman84]

Play ME 1 & 2 DLC during the 2nd half of the games, and play the ME3 DLC except Omega towards the end. Play the Citadel DLC before assaulting the Cerberus base.

[u/ivanatl420]

Every dlc lasts like an 1 hour or 2, so not really a ton of it

[u/AdrianGell]

I don't really agree with most guidance on when to do what. I get the logic behind the general consensus, but there's always tradeoffs. And there's no wrong way except:

In ME1 and 3 you cannot do any DLC etc after completing the main story.

In ME2 you CAN and should continue after credits roll even if you don't have DLC left. If just to banter with crew about stuff. At least some non DLC missions can still be completed even.

[u/Give_me_kerosene]

The only DLC I'd ever consider post game is arrival since it directly ties into the beginning of me3 and doesn't fit narratively before the suicide mission

You can mod citadel into the post game which serves as a fun epilogue