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About this mod

The Expanded Galaxy Mod adds a huge number of changes, both large and small, to improve the overall gameplay of Mass Effect 3, giving the user a more personalized experience.

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It's your decision Commander. You're a Spectre now. --- Anderson

EGM UPDATE 1.70

This update includes some minor improvements that have resulted from better tools being developed for Legendary Edition:

Weapons in Cutscenes are fixed - Shepard and the squad will use their carried hand weapon or rifle in preference to the default Avenger or Predator.  Code has been ported from EGM LE.

Behind the scenes streaming improvements on the Normandy.

Fixes - certain conditionals and certain files have had minor bugs fixed and improved due to LEX's better bug detection technology.

LOCKDOWN EDITION



Due to the lockdown and advancements in the tookit, we have found some time to make a few additions including:

Squadmate casuals: pick from over 30 casual outfits using the EGM Settings for your squad to wear on the Normandy or Citadel

Galaxy Map revisions including:
- Evolving Planet descriptions - as clusters are captured or recovered, many planet descriptions will change and evolve.
- Reapers will only hunt you in captured clusters, and can be switched off in EGM settings.
- Fuel depots that are destroyed during the Reaper invasion
- Fleet icons showing major fleet locations

The 7z now takes full advantage of the upgrades for Mod Manager, with the Squadmate Pack, Custom Extras all rolled into one highly compressed package.
Update and Run EGM Settings from the Mod Manager Menu

Minor Bug fixes, including improved memory management for ALOT users.

Additions by Kinkojiro, Mellin and Sil. Testing by Audemus, Khaar and BladeZero. Toolkit programming by Mgamerz, SirCxyrtyx and Kinkojiro.

Please Note:  Having done the Lockdown Edition, and a couple of months of bug fixes and helping players, we are now retiring (again) and EGM is no longer supported.  Please see the FAQs and other articles if you need help.



The Expanded Galaxy Mod is designed to improve and expand on Mass Effect 3, to give players the ability to create a more custom experience and improve the immersive atmosphere of being small but vital part of a huge war.

Some of the hundreds of modifications, restorations and additions:

Additional Weapons and Armor
4 new guns, 21 new sets of armor including the N7 kits from Multiplayer.
Install cybernetics with powerful bonuses that give new tactical possibilities in firefights.

A Custom Normandy
Pick your senior crew members, recruit additional medics, engineers, marines and others, all with unique bonuses from a brand new GUI command console.
Upgrade the Normandy's engines, scanners and other improvements, all having real-time impact on gameplay.
Customize the look and feel of the ship with different weapon systems, 8 new vehicles to carry and...
a SHOOTING RANGE on the cargo deck.

Improved Galaxy Map
An open map covering the entire galaxy from the series. Decide where to go, what to discover.
Experience new video and audio content whilst travelling.
See the war unfold across the map and find new assets on the war front.

New Assignments
17 new assignments.
Make paragon or renegade choices, decide whether to risk your forces for possible gains in the war and find unique traders with special stores.

War Atmospherics
Puts the Normandy in context as part of a bigger conflict
Major decisions about who to side with have bigger long term consequences.
Revised War Assets System which sees your troops gain and lose power as the war unfolds.
Notifications and AIS reports about battles, losses and gains.

Customise mod settings
Preset when DLC and major missions unlock so no emails/journals sitting there
Select casual outfits for your squad.

Best played with a new playthrough or existing EGM save

Additional Content & Recommended add-ons for EGM

Ark Mod - Brand new N7 missions, hazard maps, new enemies plus more.
Omega Hub - A new hub on Omega. Visit Afterlife, hang with your crew and see how Omega is faring. Requires Omega DLC.
Alliance Warpack - 8 New additional armors for squadmates Ashley, Kaidan, EDI and James. Created by Realsurvivor and Patadepocho. Requires the latest version of EGM.
EGM Squadmate pack - 8 additional missions unlocked to use the new squadmates. Additional armors for Grunt (x2), Samara, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jacob and Tali. Armors created by Mellin. Requires Citadel DLC. Included in the Mod Manager installer.
Miranda Mod - Bring Miranda on board the Normandy as a crew member. Includes 2 new conversations and a voiced romance scene. Created by the EGM team and Deager, AVPen and Giftfish.
Alliance Armor Pack - 4 new armors for Shepard with Alliance colors. Textures by Ottemis/Chashin. Requires Citadel DLC.
Urz on the Normandy - Replace the Robodog with Urz. For EGM this adds a module to the manifest that allows you to swap between Urz and the Robodog. Created by Moho25/Giftfish.
Spectre Expansion Mod - Adds more systems, races and information from the extended lore, more assignments based around a greatly expanded Spectre terminal. Created by EGM contributor Sil/Tydeous.

Author's Note:

Pretty much everything in EGM is designed to be optional. If you just want armors and guns you can ignore the rest. However repeated feedback has been how players love the immersive RPG qualities even when they started not 100% sure.


-- WAR ASSETS BETA VERSION --
Originally the final version of EGM was supposed to ship with a even more enhanced war assets system.  We ran out of time to test it so it was removed.  It is now restored and the player can choose the Beta of the new war asset system or the original version with earlier versions of EGM as they prefer during installation. 

EGM BETA WAR ASSETS SYSTEM

 The impact of MP Galactic Readiness has been completely removed. 
The player is always at 100% readiness.
The war assets console shows the target to get the best outcome (not a random level).
To compensate for readiness increasing the targets have been doubled.
(i.e. the best outcome requires 6,200 vs 3,100 originally).
 The player can stick with the default level or increase the difficulty level via the EGM settings file anytime before Priority: Surkesh.  After that point the difficulty setting is locked in.
The difficulty targets vary depending on whether the player is using an ME2 import (so has potentially greater war assets).
The hardest level of difficulty will make Shepard's choices more important.  A full paragon will have to make sacrifices.



Note this system has not been balanced via playtesting.  We welcome feedback on it.  You must have installed the free extended cut dlc for the beta system to work.

EGM ORIGINAL WAR ASSETS SYSTEM

The baseline readiness is 50% + Multiplayer bonuses. 
The target is 3,100 for the best outcome. 
The target in the war assets console is a medium outcome.

Mod manager users must set the install to use the old system.
Menu => Mod Utils, 7 alternate install options => make sure Original War Asset system is checked.

NOTE:  SP Controller Mod users MUST use version 3.3.




Gladius M-57 - The latest product of Spectre R&D the Gladius is a fully automatic rifle with a powerful shot but a very strong kick. It can be found in the game, STR R&D produces a human usable variant to celebrate a new human spectre.

Collector Weapons - salvaged from a location in the map or as a reward for an assignment. They have been thoroughly tested and revised to remove texture glitches caused by using MP assets in SP.

Geth Spitfire - can only be gained from the Dealer, a weapons collector and battlefield salvager who can be encountered in the map. He will request some tasks in order to unlock items.

ME2 Weapon Imports your former crewmates put aside your weapons in ME2, get them delivered to the Normandy and have all your old favourites upgraded to how you had them.

New Armors & new options - Femshep has 15 new options, Broshep has 13. Your can now use the full body kits as separate helmets and bodies.

N7 Armors - All 6 are available : the T5-V Devastator Battlesuit, Slayer, Paladin, Fury, Demolisher and Shadow kits.
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N7 Armors

  • The Fury hood is embedded in the models. In order to stop hair clipping through you need to:
    (a) On either the full body or torso versions set the game options "Narratives" and "Helmets Off in Conversations" as "default"
    (b) On the torso version use the Fury Mask, Fury Sentry or Fury Hood.
  • You can tint the armors with the torso versions, the tinting doesn't always translate directly from MP to SP - sometimes you need to change the pattern for the tinting to work.
  • The bonuses are all hard coded into the game so work properly.
  • The N7 armors can be purchased from Alliance Requisitions (either on Normandy or cheaper by going to the depot).
  • Note you get one free suit that was made to your specification if you complete the N7 Extractions assignment. The suit you get depends on your gender and class:
Broshep: Soldiers get T5-V, Vanguards, Adepts and Infiltrators get the Slayer kit, Sentinels and Engineers get the Paladin set.
Femshep: Soldiers get T5-V, Vanguards and Adepts get the Fury kit, Sentinels and Engineers get the Demolisher set, whilst Infiltrators get the Shadow kit.

Other Body Armors
  • The armors are held in seperate files so all the existing armors can also be worn.
  • The Garmr Armor can be purchased from Spectre Reqs or FREE on retaking the Normandy in the Citadel DLC.
  • Broshep automatically gets the Marine Armor, Femshep the Phoenix suit on arriving on the Normandy.
  • In additional the Citadel DLC suit is available as casual clothing from the start of the game (if you have the DLC).
ME2 Weapon Imports
  • Cortez will email you about the deliver on first trip to the Citadel.
  • Only works with direct import - not a new game +. However with the import you can upgrade weapons to level X.
  • If you find a weapon in ME3 it will drop out of the box (save for prologue weapons that will dissappear if you upgrade them).
  • The box will get cleared away 7-8 missions into the game.


Port Arms & Toggle Helmets - Shepard can switch between two different stances - weapon raised or lowered during combat missions. Press P on a keyboard. On a controller (click left stick). To toggle the squads helmets during a mission press H.

Prothean Cybernetic Implants - You can find a very powerful Prothean cybernetic technology that can be implanted in Shepard in the medbay. This will become available during an assignment that appears around the time of Priority: Surkesh. These drain the excess energy/heat from your weapon and store it. This means all your weapons have doubled shot capacity until they need to change clips (or vent). For example a Widow has 2 shots. However the downside or having batteries in your arms is reduced health. Some of the health loss can be mitigated if you utilise schematics to focus the energy back into Shepard's biotics or suit systems - giving very powerful bonuses.
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Essentially the Prothean tech allows the player to experiment with different combat styles (for example a player who wants to be an ultimate sniper gets a big upgrade to headshots, but if they miss the head their regular damage is reduced; or a player who fancies trying a very nimble fast style of fighting upgrades speed but also gets reduced shielding forcing them to duck and cover to avoid incoming fire rather than tanking). Playing with a different and completely unbalanced style can be fun, but not necessarily easier.

The implantation is done in the medbay, and the implants can be removed or changed at any time.

Implants - available at the first beacon you find.
- All users - Weapon Heat Dispersion - +100% shot capacity prior to reload.
- All users - Health -30% or -20% if one of the schematics is applied.

Schematics - available as you discover new Prothean sites.
- Cunning - Sharpshooter specialist - Headshots +150%, Weapon Damage -20%
- Agility - Speed specialist - Speed +30%, Shields -30%, Shield Regen +20% faster
- Leadership - Generalist - Ammo +30%, Grenades +1, +30 GAW Upgrade to Alliance Marines, -15% Health
- Rage - Melee specialist - Melee Damage +250%, Speed +15%, Health +15%, Shield Regen 35% faster, Weapon Damage -25%
- Vengeance - Power specialist - Power Damage +120%, Power Cooldowns doubled
- Fury - Blitz specialist - Power Cooldowns 195% faster (time about halved), Power Damage -30%
- Strength - Tank specialist - Shields +225%, Shield Regen time almost doubled (for Vanguards power cooldown a third slower)

The final schematic is given during the Evacuation of Thessia.

Selecting a new avatar when you receive the second tech will overwrite the first.


Customise the Crew Choose your XO and Marine Lieutenant* from your personnel database, with bios that reflect how your squad and crew developed throughout the series. Add Medics, Engineers and other people, more options become available as the game progresses. Each crew has different bonuses that reflect their skills and background.

Upgrade the Ship A console in engineering allows upgrades to be purchased (and it imports ME2 upgrades). Improve scanners, engines, ship defences or weapons. Add a firing range. All have real gameplay consequences either in the galaxy map, war assets or bonuses.

Customize your equipment Purchase or find new equipment and then the use a new command GUI to select your favourites. Replace the shuttle Vega crashes on Mars with 8 different vehicles, some can to be requisitioned, others can be found in the map. Change the targets and setup of the firing range. Add Javelin missiles. All equipment can be stored at the Citadel and used whenever you want.

New cabin items and romantic invites Items hidden in the ship or in the game, with many dependant on ME1/2. Love interests can be invited up to the cabin as well.



A huge number of improvements and restorations Changeable scanner on deck 2, Normandy Radio, CIC war console, Shadow Broker screens change depending on what Liara is watching, Spectre terminal on the Normandy, shutters in cockpit and bar, special hidden store, terminal in life support, Bolto the dog interactions and dozens of other graphics and textures fixes.



* = XO and Lieutenant are the respective rank equivalent to Pressly and Kaidan in ME1, or Miranda and Jacob in ME2.
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Notes
  • You will need to appoint an XO and/or Lieutenant before you can adjust some crew settings.
  • Any of your squadmates who are on the Normandy can be appointed XO, along with Joker, EDI or Steve. Only those with military training (VS, Javik, Garrus and James) can be LT.
  • Tali can also be made Chief Engineer ahead of Adams.
  • You can change crew or appointments at any time if you wish, the bonuses will only reflect the current crew.
  • You can change vehicles etc anytime - once you purchase something it is stored on the Citadel if not in use.
  • A user requested the Normandy humm be replaced by the ship music from ME1, this is available as an optional add-on pack.
  • The firing range can be purchased from the upgrades terminal, but is setup in cargo deck.



Open Galaxy Map allows you to control where to go, and visualise the war are the Reapers gain systems.

Customise the Map See icons of where Allied Fleets are making stands against the invasion. Customise whether Reaper ships hunt you in the map.

New War Assets are unlocked mainly in systems where the Reapers have invaded (along the Reaper battle front line). ME1/2 mission locations sometimes have Assets that tie back into the location and mission choices.Regular AIS reports show hints.

MOST SEARCH & RESCUE ASSETS IN THE MAP DO NOT UNLOCK UNTIL THE REAPERS INVADE. IF YOU SEE A CLUSTER NOT AT 100% WITH A REAPER ON IT, IT IS PROBABLY WORTH CHECKING.

Map Changes
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The entire galaxy map from the series is available to explore.


Individual locations include - Kajhe (the Hanar homeworld), Collector Base*, Heretic Station*, Jarrahe Station, Rakhana (Drell homeworld - requires Thanemod 3), Presrop, Refugee Fleets, Minuteman Station and Asteroid X57*

Specialist Traynor makes occasional comments when entering certain systems or clusters with GAW.

Improved visuals and music at certain locations.*

Shorter and less noisy Relay video (customisable).

Map based supply depots with unique equipment.
* = depends on choices in ME1/2/3.




New Squadmates - Bring Kasumi, Wrex, Miranda, Grunt, Zaeed, Jack, Samara, Jacob, or Aria T'Loak on selected missions. Set up to 2 to be on standby ready to join you on missions using the manifest. Requires Citadel DLC.

New Assignments - Interactive assignments designed to improve on the standard fetch quests from the vanilla game, usually expanding on existing lore. These involve a variety of decisions - some about whether to risk forces for gain, others paragon v renegade choices. Rewards include credits, War Assets, Reputation and Paragon or Renegade points.

The Dealer - A unique weapons dealer and salvage merchant can be found in the map (with a little help from an information broker). In return for artifacts and technology that can be found across the galaxy he will offer choices from his collection of high end weapons and armor, usually for free (or at a huge discount). This includes some of the most expensive weapons in the game, and the Geth Spitfire.
Spoiler:  
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Assignment Mechanics
  • All assignments are given by email and properly journaled so you won't miss them.
  • They unlock as the game progresses, some are time limited - but if so this is clearly stated.
  • Some are dependant on mission completions/choices and DLC setup.
  • Assignments can be disabled in settings.



you actually get a sense that the war is raging around you - @realsurvivor686

Normandy as part of the war The Normandy is a warship fighting in a pan-galactic war. The mod puts the Normandy back in context as a small but important component of this broader conflict. Alliance Intelligence (AIS) give you regular updates and notifications pop-up when major battles occur.

Revised War Assets System The war assets system has had major revisions. No longer is the Normandy worth more than an entire Alliance fleet, or single individuals worth as much as entire forces. The impact of promotions in MP which made war assets meaningless has been replaced by individual assets that represent each MP class.Major decisions like Krogan v Salarians or Geth v Quarians carry far greater importance. Lots more assets tie back into your decisions in ME1/2 and 3. Moreover the war impacts assets - as battles occur losses happen.

Visitors and old friends As you encounter old friends and undertake missions (especially rescues) these people will stick around, at least until you orbit the Citadel so you can drop them off. Another example - pilot a fighter out of a Geth Dreadnought, well you can find it in the cargo deck when you complete your debrief. Your XO will usually advise you if there are visitors. Currently these visits are not interactive.



Ever get frustrated that Aria is asking you to jaunt off to Omega when you have only just got on the Normandy, and you want to leave it until closer to the end? Or that Mordin says "everything is ready, lets go cure the genophage" even though you have a bunch of missions that need to be done before Tuchanka? If so then these optional settings can be modified to suit your preferences.

Best done before a new playthrough (once a mission/mail is unlocked it stays unlocked). Default is the normal ME3 timings.



Setting the timing of Mission/DLCs and mod settings:
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Use the provided program (in the Mod Manager Tools menu or if using an exe installer find it in the DLC_MOD_EGM\Settings folder. This allows you to select:
  • Which relay video to use (or none at all).
  • Change various mod settings, including the Galaxy Map.
  • Set the whether the Normandy scanner is a full scan, quick scan or no scan.
  • Select how new squadmates become available.
  • Set Squadmates to wear casual or armor on the Normandy and the Citadel.
  • Hide/Unhide alliance armor kits
  • Unlock the Cerberus Ajax armor as seperate helmet/torso (if you have the AAP dlc).
  • Set the timings for when the emails that start the From Ashes, Leviathan, Omega and Citadel DLCs arrive.
  • Set whether Mordin briefs you about the Genophage cure being ready immediately or in a seperate cutscene.
  • Set whether Hackett briefs you about the Quarians immediately or in a seperate cutscene.
  • Set whether the Asari Councillor briefs you about the situation on Thessia immediately post Rannoch or in a seperate cutscene.
  • Change the timing of each N7 mission.



Installation:
100% DLC mod.   Works perfectly with EA Origin. Unpacked size is 1.4GB.

There are 2 installers - a 7z which is installed via Mod Manager and an Exe. Which you use is entirely up to your preference, the mod content is identical. Those players using SP controller mod v3.3 should use the Mod Manager install for compatibility reasons.

The Mod Manager installer contains the full compatibility pack and additional unlocked maps for squadmates by default. Mod Manager can also advise you when an update is released and download it for you automatically. For more information on Mod Manager go to its nexus page.

Important Note re New Game Plus: if you import an ME3 save to start a playthrough as a New Game Plus only a tiny fraction of the players history from ME1/2 gets re-imported. This is done by the vanilla game and it only keeps what it considers important (major decisions, love interests etc). This means many of the war assets and assignments EGM introduces relating to ME1/2 will not appear. EGM rebalances an ME2 import to feel more like a new game plus (weapons go to level X, ME2 weapons get imported etc).

EGM v1.5 - INSTALLATION AND ADD-ONS
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Pick which installation version you prefer: .Exe v Mod Manager. The content is identical but the mod manager version is far better compressed and works better with external programs like ALOT and EGM Settings.

If you prefer Mod Manager - MGamerz has kindly provided a short video of how to install (youtube)

Our recommended install order is:
    EGM + Compatibility packs if needed
    EGM Add-ons
    Other story mods (Including Ark Mod, ME3Recalibrated, Backoff, or Citadel Epilogue Mod)

    All other non-texture mods
    SP Controller Mod v3.3 (if using a controller)
    Textures (Must use either MEM or ME3Explorer 3.0 or later)
    Edit EGM Settings file (this can be done anytime)
    Run new playthrough


There are various add-ons and extras you can customise if you want, and have the required DLC.



More details in the FAQs

If you do not have the CITADEL DLC you will need to install the compatibility pack.

IMPORTANT:  If you plan to add Textures via Texplorer you MUST use ME3Explorer v3.0 or later or use ALOT's MEM tool.

Other Mods:   Backoff, Thanemod & TaliRemastered require small add on packs.   MEHEM compatibility is built into EGM.   Citadel Epilogue Mod (CEM), LIME, JAM and all the other ending mods work well. ME3Recalibrated, Tali Romance Mod (EGM version) and the Bonus Power Packs are all compatible.  The Single Player Controller Mod you need to use v3.3.  Most other mods should be compatible, if you have a favourite that isn't let us know. Project Variety is compatible with a patch however that mod's "Extras" that change the Normandy scanner are not compatible as the scanner in EGM is superior with no glitches.

Texture Mods:  EGM works well with texture mods, such as ALOT.   No vanilla files are changed in the process of installing the mod, so the vast majority of your texture mods will work.  EGM, like all content mods, should installed before texture mods.

Known Issues
  • The Prothean Sphere realtime reflections use a lot of CPU power. If you experience lagging in the cabin, download the patch that switches this off.

If you have an error make sure you follow the troubleshooter and read the FAQs.

Uninstallation: No vanilla files are changed, to remove the mod just delete the DLC_MOD_EGM directories.



The EGM Team:

Lead Designer, Original Script and Programming: Kinkojiro
Writing, Testing and Concepts: Rusm0
Writing and Editing: lmorri8165
Additional Writing: Sil
Lead Artist: Mellin melllin.deviantart.com
Lead 3d Artist: Patadepocho www.artstation.com/dblanque
Lead Video Artist: Orikon
Additional Design: Realsurvivor, IceWaterKraken
Content Contributors:
Deager - Vocal compositions
Mgamerz - Technical and Controller Compatibility
Giftfish - Thanemod content, and plenty of moral support

Toolkit Programming: Mgamerz and SirCxyrtyx.

Special Thanks to: Audemus, BladeZero, Bluephoenix73, Cheeseycom, Deadspear, Forgetti, Khaar, Ledbetterman, Valmar, Viper and all the players, testers and supporters of EGM.

Art:
Euderion - euderion.deviantart.com
MandyAlenko - mandyalenko.deviantart.com
nach77 - nach77.deviantart.com
Reis1989 - reis1989.deviantart.com9

Additional Artwork:
AVPen
EvilPowny - evilpowny.deviantart.com
fishbone76 - fishbone76.deviantart.com
grummel83 - grummel83.deviantart.com
The JoeBlack - joeshouseofart.deviantart.com
Just-Jasper - just-jasper.deviantart.com
milanioom - milanioom.deviantart.com

MADE WITH ME3EXPLORER
All credits WarrantyVoider, KFreon, Sir Cxyrtyx, The Fob, Tankmaster, JohnP, Giftfish, Deager, Eric JS, Ottemis, Amarok86, Saltisgood, Femshep and all those who contributed to the toolkit and knowledgebase