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About this mod
The purpose of Spectre Expansion Mod is to improve the under used Shadow Broker and Spectre terminals, to give the player new difficult choices to consider via Spectre authorisations, to improve the presence of background races in ME3, to expand the galaxy map and provide clues to the battles happening beyond the scope of Shepard’s missions.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
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Translations
- Spanish
- Polish
- French
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Spectre Expansion Mod was first created to address one section of the game that I felt was lacking; the Spectre Terminal. Since then it has grown in scope to include updates to the Shadow Broker terminal, a new shop and items, combat mission additions, address some item gamification, improve the content for the less powerful aliens and to expand the galaxy map to include homeworlds from the background lore and new anomalies and galaxy map assignments.
Below are some of the changes I have made:
Spectre Terminal
Spoiler:
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The additions to the Spectre Terminal are two fold; first I have included new mails that detail events in the wider war against the Reapers, not those areas that of the war that Shepard is involved in. The Reaper War is fought across hundreds of planets in the galaxy, so I felt there was great scope for detailing other events that were happening. To make these as plausible as possible, I have conducted extensive research into the canon to get even the smallest details right.
Alongside these are a dozen new authorisations for the player to consider. These offer decisions for Shepard to make that extend beyond the usual choices, for example you can authorise controversial research into husk armaments or the hacking a diplomats databanks. Each choice will have consequences, but you must weigh up whether they will benefit or hinder the war effort. The choice is yours.
Alongside these are a dozen new authorisations for the player to consider. These offer decisions for Shepard to make that extend beyond the usual choices, for example you can authorise controversial research into husk armaments or the hacking a diplomats databanks. Each choice will have consequences, but you must weigh up whether they will benefit or hinder the war effort. The choice is yours.
The Obelisk of Karza
Spoiler:
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A brand new non-combat mission has been added which turns Hades Nexus: Obelisk of Karza from a galaxy map scanning quest into an archaeological digsite to explore and recover the fabled Obelisk from the planet Kopis. This is the first new mission in Spectre, and a sign of what is to come.
Combat Mission Additions
Spoiler:
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These changes are found across the game, from Priority: Mars all the way until the very end of the game. Not only have new enemies have been added in the form of the Tyrant and Geth Ghost, but Cerberus has been given a makeover with ME2 canon accurate armour, Abominations restored to Reaper forces and a whole lot more.
In addition, there are edits to Priority: Palaven and to Priority: Sur'kesh.
The edits to Priority: Palaven are limited to the safe hub area where you find General Corinthus and meet up with Garrus. If Garrus lived then the datapads are exactly as they are now, but all the datapads change if Garrus died during the Collector Base mission. The new datapads highlight some of the impact that his death had, namely that the defences on Menae were not boosted and the turians were caught unawares against the Reapers.
On Priority: Sur'kesh the additions differ. I have added a new terminal to the mission which will begin the Ghosts of Antilin side story. This can be found near to a piece of audio referencing the Varren. Keep an eye out for it! In addition, the Salarian STG agents will use lore-accurate weapons.
In addition, there are edits to Priority: Palaven and to Priority: Sur'kesh.
The edits to Priority: Palaven are limited to the safe hub area where you find General Corinthus and meet up with Garrus. If Garrus lived then the datapads are exactly as they are now, but all the datapads change if Garrus died during the Collector Base mission. The new datapads highlight some of the impact that his death had, namely that the defences on Menae were not boosted and the turians were caught unawares against the Reapers.
On Priority: Sur'kesh the additions differ. I have added a new terminal to the mission which will begin the Ghosts of Antilin side story. This can be found near to a piece of audio referencing the Varren. Keep an eye out for it! In addition, the Salarian STG agents will use lore-accurate weapons.
Shadow Broker Terminal
Spoiler:
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Like the Spectre terminal, the broker terminal has been updated to include new mails for a player to read. These new messages come from Bioware blogs at the time of Mass Effect 3's release, from cut content found in the script files of ME1-3, and new text that I, and some contributors, have written.
Baria Frontiers
Spoiler:
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Baria Frontiers first appeared in Mass Effect 2 but it has now made the transition into Mass Effect 3! This new store is located on the Presidium Commons and will provide a player with a number of star charts, each of which will open up new star systems for the player to explore. Once you have visited the store once, you will be able to access it from Alliance Requisitions on the Normandy.
An Evolving Galaxy
Spoiler:
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The galaxy map has undergone a number of expansions to its content. As mentioned above, you can now buy star charts that will open up new star systems to explore. Each of these star systems is based around a planet that is found in the lore from the games, books, comics and Cerberus Daily News articles. These may provide you with new assets for the war, some may have anomalies to explore. These anomalies take the form of text adventures.
I have also added several new galaxy map assignments and quite a number of new war assets in existing star systems. These are all tied to more obscure lore or to certain characters, for instance, you can find Corsairs orbiting one planet. For those who may not know, Jacob was once a Corsair when he was with the Alliance.
In addition, there are five new clusters on the galaxy map. These include:
- The Homunculus Cluster
- The Meade Cluster
- The Nemean Alpha Cluster
- The Savian Abyssal
- The Sin'kelar Cluster
And one final note... by the release of Spectre v1.2 the entire galaxy map will evolve over the course of the game. Planets will fall to the Reapers and get new descriptions when they do. In addition, I've edited many planets so they change based upon decisions made across the trilogy. For the first time, your decisions truly matter on a galactic scale!
I have also added several new galaxy map assignments and quite a number of new war assets in existing star systems. These are all tied to more obscure lore or to certain characters, for instance, you can find Corsairs orbiting one planet. For those who may not know, Jacob was once a Corsair when he was with the Alliance.
In addition, there are five new clusters on the galaxy map. These include:
- The Homunculus Cluster
- The Meade Cluster
- The Nemean Alpha Cluster
- The Savian Abyssal
- The Sin'kelar Cluster
And one final note... by the release of Spectre v1.2 the entire galaxy map will evolve over the course of the game. Planets will fall to the Reapers and get new descriptions when they do. In addition, I've edited many planets so they change based upon decisions made across the trilogy. For the first time, your decisions truly matter on a galactic scale!
The Ghosts of Antilin
Spoiler:
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The Ghosts of Antilin is a new storyline that you'll be able to play through. The story begins on Sur'kesh on a new terminal, and after that it is told in a variety of ways such as authorisations, galaxy map assignments and text adventures. The story revolves around one of the background alien races, but I won't spoil who.
If you wish to know, then I would suggest looking at the Cerberus Daily News articles on the mass effect wiki.
If you wish to know, then I would suggest looking at the Cerberus Daily News articles on the mass effect wiki.
Mercenary Contracts
Spoiler:
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For those Shepards with too much money, you can now invest it in expensive contracts with various corporate armed forces, including companies such as Elanus Risk Control Services, who you might remember once protected Noveria during Mass Effect 1. At the moment these only provide you with more War Assets for the war.
Alien Race Improvements
Spoiler:
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It's also my intention to provide more content for those less powerful races and factions. I was not a big fan of how Mass Effect 3 threw aside most of the interesting aliens (hanar, volus, elcor, etc) to focus on the more human factions such as the Krogan or Turians. It made them feel useless, when they had their own strengths, weaknesses and plots. As such, it's my intention to give them a little more of a role where I can, and to do so for every surviving background alien species as well.
I cannot give them their own combat missions, but I can provide other content for them, and aim to add more as I release more patches.
I cannot give them their own combat missions, but I can provide other content for them, and aim to add more as I release more patches.
Item Gamification Changes
Spoiler:
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A pet hate for me is when games companies dumb down their games by reducing upgrades to a level number. As such, I have tried to amend certain items in Mass Effect 3 to make the upgrades feel more immersive and natural. I have started by adjusting the names of each upgrade to your medi-gel that you can purchase from Sirta Foundation in the hospital. There are now 5 separate upgrades to your equipment that will boost your store of medi-gel and their effectiveness.
I have also balanced the rest of the items within Sirta so that their cost feels more natural to the type of item that they are.
I have also balanced the rest of the items within Sirta so that their cost feels more natural to the type of item that they are.
Mass Effect 2 Canon Reapers
Spoiler:
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The Reapers in ME3 have been given an ME2-style overhaul based on their appearance in the end cinematic. These now have similar glowing eyes to Harbinger, and in the future, you will see unique shapes and forms for these capital ships as part of an ongoing lore-accurate overhaul.
Now the Spectre Expansion Mod has left beta, it will be my intention to refine the existing new content so that it will be as immersive as possible. I should also be clear that the mod requires EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod to work. If you use my mod without it, then it will cause a lot of bugs.
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REQUIRED MODS:
EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod
SUGGESTED MODS:
Alliance Warpack
Aria Arena Mod
ARK Mod
BackOff
Better Dreams
Bonus Power Packs
EGM Squadmate Pack
ME3Recalibrated
Miranda Mod
Omega Hub Mod
SinglePlayer Native Controller Support Mod
Take Earth Back
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INSTALLATION:
This mod requires the latest release of EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod
Drag and drop the folder DLC_MOD_Spectre into your Mass Effect 3 DLC folder and then autoTOC .
If using Mod Manager, then drag and drop the archive into Mod Manager to import it. After that all you need to do is apply the mod.
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FAQ:
"Can I use this mod without EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod?"
In theory, yes. But you would have significant issues with the galaxy map as the majority of star systems would lack names and descriptions. There would be many other bugs as well. I would not recommend it, and I will not provide support when it goes wrong (it will go wrong!).
"Will you release a version that does not require EGM - Expanded Galaxy Mod?"
I'm afraid not. It would require far too much work to get right and I would rather devote time to improving the project as it currently is.
You mentioned new storylines, will these be new missions?
Kind of. These will take place on the galaxy map, but because of limitations of the toolset (and my own skillset) we are incapable of adding brand new combat missions to the game. Maybe one day it will be possible, but for now the new storylines are told via galaxy map assignments, short text adventures and terminal messages.
"You said you were adding content for the background races, but I've seen nothing for X, Y, or Z races yet. Why not?!"
I have tried to add as much content as I can, but there is a limit on how much I can add to the game. This means that some races only have the bare minimum of references or new content. As time wears on, I will try to expand these further, but there is no guarantee that I shall.
How does DLC affect the mod?
DLC can affect the mod if you play it too early. Some authorisations or outcomes might arrive too soon, creating an odd situation with the narrative. In fact, the same can happen if you alter the mission timeline too much. My suggestion for when to play the DLC (for compatibility, narrative and immersive reasons) is as follows:
From Ashes - After Priority: Menae as you cannot use Javik on that mission.
Leviathan - After Priority: Citadel II it is perfectly compatible with the mod, but narratively I suggest after Priority: Rannoch.
Omega - Anytime after Priority: Citadel II
Citadel - After Priority: Rannoch (so Tali is on the mission).
From Ashes will have little impact on Spectre, but the other three can have huge impacts on what authorisations appear. It is highly recommended that you delay those until the relevant times.
What future content are you planning to add?
Spectre Expansion Mod is relatively complete in terms of features. I may add new mails here and there, maybe new text adventures, but those will be rare and far between. If I add more content to the mod, the idea is to enhance and improve what I have already made to be more immersive and closer to vanilla.
I have an idea, I'd love for you to add it to the mod! Would you?
Potentially! I have a lot of my own ideas to get through first, but we can always discuss it over private message or you can post it in the Collection Point for Ideas article. At the least, you can always release it as a submod. Contact me if you want.[/b]
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Credits:
Writer, Designer, Idea Guy, Tester, Almost Everything Else: Me!
New Store: Kinkojiro
Salarian STG Immersive Update: Ravager
Bioware: For cut content and blog files I adjusted and added to the game, and for creating this amazing setting.
Eva Coré Shadow Broker Mails: Audemus
Micah & Asaro: BladeZero
Titan (moon of Saturn): BriannaJean
Cluster Textures: Mellin & NASA
Quarian Ancestor VI GAW Image: Audemus
Special Thanks to:
Kinkojiro - For teaching me how to mod this game, allowing me to use EGM's galaxy map as a base and many other things. The mod wouldn't have been possible without his support.
Ravager - For so freely giving his work on Sur'kesh to the mod.
Jorgen - For proof reading everything I wrote to say if he liked it or not and keeping me sane when I had to rebuild the mod from scratch.
JonatanRek - For making the banner for my mod, uploading the trailer and for his support and friendship
Deadspear, Realsurvivor, & Orikon - For their interest in the mod and keeping my spirits up after the original version was lost.
Reynaud, Audemus & BladeZero - For their help writing the Sin'kelar Cluster and their support
Duke the dog - For patiently listening as I'd read my writing to him. Such a good boy, yes he is! A good boy!
ME3Explorer Toolset Team - Without your tools my ideas would still be on paper.
Everyone else who ever took an interest in the mod or tried to help - Thank you.