So today I'm starting my "perfect run" of the first two mass effect games to get all the right decisions that I want. I have 1400 MS points and was wondering what best to spend it on in terms of ME dlc.

Nothing for ME1, Lair of the Shadow Broker for ME2. Overlord has its moments, if you have some points lying around, but I do not foresee it informing any events in ME3. Actually, I doubt Shadow Broker will matter either, but its worth seeing anyway.

Kasumi and Shadow Broker for 2. If Bring Down the Sky is still free for 1, you could pick that up, but I'm not sure if it is.

co-sign the previous posts!

the Shadow broker DLC brings to you one of the game's most visually impressive locations!

me1: bring down the sky is a great dlc. I personally like pinnacle station but thats not a commonly held opinion. ME1 only got 2 dlc's which kinda sucks. I'm willing to bet they were planning on having some cerberus and collector hooks the way me2 had those shadow broker and reaper dlc's. (The shock opening of me2 was probably repurposed from the me1 dlc that didnt make it. I bet the collector ship mission in the middle was the level from that, which would explain why that mission has barely anything to do with the story or why garrus's first comment is "it looks like raccni")

me2: shadow broker, kasumi, arrival, and overlord are the "story" ones, I'd say left to right in terms of importance, though i'd play kasumi's as early as possible so you can get the SMG for it unless you're not playing soldier. overlord is more a bonus than anything and you dont really get any weapons so some people dont get that one. I find the weapons, gear, and costumes add alot to the game. the miranda body armor pack is great, and having some "incognito" outfits for thane and jack are pretty cool. Garrus gets a repaired armor set, tali gets some light armor, and grunt gets some mercenary lookin shit. I like using them for various missions. Unfortunately unless you're on the ps3 theres currently no way to get the terminus armor, heavy weapon, collector gear, or the dr pepper headgear :(

Kasumi is a great character to have in your party and the mission you get in the DLC is cool and a bit different from a normal mission with you doing a heist.

Then of course Shadow Broker. Overlord if you can afford it. Nothing in ME1 is worth it.

Also I want to say good luck playing ME1 on the 360. The framerate is so bad I can't even go back to it. I have it on PC as well and it's so much better for the framerate alone.

I'm going to bet that there will be a Mass Effect DLC sale soon on XBLA, not gonna stake my life on it, but it is likely, with ME3 coming out soon and all.

For Mass effect 1, the Bring down the sky is 80 points. I'd say that is worth the price, the story isn't half bad and you get to kill some Batarian assholes. Pinnacle station is garbage, unless you fuckin' LOVE ME1 combat, which come on, who does?

ME2 has for the most part good DLC. the best being Lair of the shadow broker. Arrival was a let down, but it is important story-wise as it is a sorta set-up for ME3. Overlord is alright, but doesn't really add anything to the universe, but gives you a neat little side mission. Stolen memories gets you a new party member and a mission.

It all kinda depends what you want out of the DLC. If it is to enjoy the games as they are I'd say get Lair of the Shadow Broker and Stolen memories.

If you want to set up your save file for ME3 I'd still get Shadow broker, but instead of stolen memories get Arrival.

Bring down the sky is kinda whatever, seeing as it is 80MSP.

@Kiro said:

Pinnacle station is garbage, unless you fuckin' LOVE ME1 combat, which come on, who does?

Granted it's been a while since I played either, but on repeated playthroughs did find ME1's combat more interesting in its janky dice-roll nature than ME2's mediocre standard cover and shooting mechanics.

For 80 points, Bring Down the Sky is totally worth it.

Lair of the Shadow broker is genuinely good. That's about it for essentials. The rest is up to you and how much money you're willing to spend/how much you still want to fight dudes after you've already played the games proper.

Be very careful with Mass Effect 1. It's a good game, but I find it super easy to burn out on the mundane side missions if you're an OCD completionist like me.

While it wasn't a great DLC campaign, I don't see how the beginning of ME3 would make sense without knowing the events in "Arrival." Bioware could do some sort of flashback in the intro of ME3, but playing the DLC itself would obviously be a more detailed experience.

@Jason_Bourne

Mass Effect 1:

• Bring Down the Sky is a nice piece of content, though it is more like a stand alone mid-season episode with no overall story importance (speaking in television terms)
• Pinnacle Station sucks, give it a pass

Mass Effect 2:

• Kasumi is okay, though how much that character will matter in ME3 is not known (though I would guess nothing more than a cameo)
• Overlord is very good, though like Bring Down the Sky, it is very standalone and doesn't really have much overall story significance
• Lair of the Shadow Broker is oustanding. Also, given that Liara is a regular party member again in ME3, and the events of this DLC are canon for ME3; I would say this is a must have.
• Arrival is by no means the best DLC available for ME2 and is arguably the weakest paid content. However, the events of Arrival are very important in the overall story, and will be referenced in the opening minutes of ME3. I don't consider this terrible, though it lacks a lot of what made ME2 great.

As for recommendations, I would say based solely on gameplay and content the best are, in order:

1. Lair of the Shadow Broker
2. Overlord
3. Bring Down the Sky

In terms of story significance, the most important are, in order:

1. Arrival
2. Lair of the Shadow Broker
3. Kasumi (only because this character could appear in ME3)

I hope this helps.

@beef_melody said:

Kasumi and Shadow Broker for 2. If Bring Down the Sky is still free for 1, you could pick that up, but I'm not sure if it is.

Yep!

Eh, I am not even sure I would bother with Bring Down the Sky from Mass Effect 1. As for Mass Effect 2, Liar of the Shadow Broker is amazing, Overlord is really good, and Kasumi is alright... I wouldn't even bother with Arrival from what I heard since it takes an hour or less to go through and nothing major really happens.

@WickedCobra03 said:

Eh, I am not even sure I would bother with Bring Down the Sky from Mass Effect 1. As for Mass Effect 2, Liar of the Shadow Broker is amazing, Overlord is really good, and Kasumi is alright... I wouldn't even bother with Arrival from what I heard since it takes an hour or less to go through and nothing major really happens.

I don't know where you are getting your information, but something major most certainly DOES happen in Arrival. The whole opening of ME3 is based on the consequences of the events of Arrival.

if you are playing as an adept in ME2 get Kasumi's DLC because that SMG will make your life a lot easier.

I actually quite liked the gameplay in Arrival, but regardless if you're even remotely invested in the Mass Effect fiction you should pick it up. The events in the dlc are BIG.

I'd say just get Shadow Broker and Kasumi for ME2 and not get any for the first game.

I'd say get all of it. Its true The Arrival isn't anything special but I wouldn't call it actively bad either, its still Mass Effect 2. Plus this leads you right into 3, so theres that.  But Shadow Broker and Overlord are really awesome.  Kasumi is pretty good as well, but just like everyone else I heard the ME1 DLC is pretty bad.

Obviously, if you want a complete experience you should probably get all of the DLC. That being said, Pinnacle Station for ME1 can easily be skipped. Bring Down the Sky for ME1 I think is important because early on it can give you some good gear for leveling, and introduces the Batarians and I think that's important. For ME2, you can skip Firewalker, though I do enjoy that DLC personally.

So I would suggest:

Bring Down The Sky - ME1

Overlord - ME2

Kasumi - ME2

Shadow Broker - ME2

Arrival - ME2

Also personal preference is when you play those DLCs. I like to do Overlord before the Suicide Mission, and after that mission I usually go Shadow Broker and then Arrival to finish up. Does a good job of getting you excited for ME3 =)

@Jason_Bourne: You need the Arrival DLC (ME 2) since ME 3 opens with the consequences of that mission

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@WickedCobra03 said:

Eh, I am not even sure I would bother with Bring Down the Sky from Mass Effect 1. As for Mass Effect 2, Liar of the Shadow Broker is amazing, Overlord is really good, and Kasumi is alright... I wouldn't even bother with Arrival from what I heard since it takes an hour or less to go through and nothing major really happens.

I don't know where you are getting your information, but something major most certainly DOES happen in Arrival. The whole opening of ME3 is based on the consequences of the events of Arrival.

I guess, I should have said "I don't feel like there is enough story there for the money that probably won't be covered or hinted at in Mass Effect 3." I felt like for $7, it was basically just an intro for Mass Effect 3. I will tell you right off the bat that I know nothing about Mass Effect 3, I have basically skipped any and all coverage, but don't they usually do a fairly good job of covering you if you haven't played something?

Here is the larger question: how much time should I budget to accomplish a 1&2 playthrough?  I'm in the "I lost my save and want to play ME3 on the xbox" category.  I already have a "my" story through 1 and 2 and want to re-make that story since I lost my save.  So how much time should I really budget?
 
Also- side topic, what are your all's stories?  Mine is the most fucked up of fucked up, so I want to hear what other people did.

@Jason_Bourne: To be honest all the ME1 dlc is kind of crap, but the second games dlc is great, get it all i say.

Get Kasumi, Arrival and Shadow Broker for ME2.

Never bothered with ME1 DLC but I got Kasumi for ME2 and now she's always in my party so I'd recommend that.

ME1 combat is a lot more tolerable once you can buy Spectre Master Gear. Haha. Not saying the combat is bad, just outdated. I still enjoy it, though.

I'd recommend Bring Down the Sky for ME1. It's fun, and adds some interactions with a race that's not seen much in ME1.

Pinnacle Station can be skipped, unless you like the combat a lot.

As far as ME2 DLC is concerned, the must-haves would be Lair of the Shadow Broker and The Arrival. Both of those have story hooks to ME3. Especially The Arrival. Kasumi is a great squadmate and her mission is fun. Overlord is a fun romp.

or...for zero point and bucks you can have them ALL , for ME1 and ME2 from you know what site;). I did that long ago and still have them ;)

I don't understand how more people aren't suggesting Arrival. Its significance cannot be understated. That content will not be ignored in Mass Effect 3. I'm sure there might be some cheap narrative loophole that gets them out of the corner they've painted themselves into with that DLC, but for now it is arguably the most important bit of narrative in the Mass Effect DLC collection. Shadow Broker is awesome, don't get me wrong, and easily the best of the DLC packages, but I feel like you can get to Mass Effect 3 without knowing anything about what happens there.

@mfpantst said:

Here is the larger question: how much time should I budget to accomplish a 1&2 playthrough? I'm in the "I lost my save and want to play ME3 on the xbox" category. I already have a "my" story through 1 and 2 and want to re-make that story since I lost my save. So how much time should I really budget? Also- side topic, what are your all's stories? Mine is the most fucked up of fucked up, so I want to hear what other people did.

Lot of questions here.

Both games can take you between fifteen to twenty hours individually if you aren't really chewing through the main plot. Of course, the thing with the Mass Effect games is that the side missions, more often than not, can do a lot to shape the way the primary narrative unfolds. What I mean by that is--how much time do you want to devote to things like building up your intimidation/negotiation skill (in Mass Effect 1) or gaining your party's total and utter commitment (in Mass Effect 2)? That's going to be the kicker, either way. You say you have specific story choices you'd like to insure. Well, you've got to figure out what those are and what circumstances contribute to their coming to pass, if you're picking up what I'm laying down.

@HistoryInRust: I'm picking it up, yo. I started on my journey last night with 45 minutes of the first game or so. The big two choices are romancing and staying true to Ashley, and killing off Wrex...