Description

Good news, everyone! Starchild-Be-Gone's altered dream sequences are compatible with AHEM and the newly released Citadel Epilogue mod! To install SBG in an AHEM-compatible fashion, check the "No Ending Changes" option on the installation screen.

Does Mass Effect 3's ending still bother you? Are you tired of a holographic tween insisting that synthetics and organics can't get along, even though you just brokered a peace in the principal synthetic/organic conflict of your cycle? While also watching your AI companions develop respect, rapport, and in one case romance with their organic crewmates, over the course of two games?

Have you ever been faced with becoming a galactic dictator, murdering an entire race, or forcibly Reaperizing all life, and thought to yourself, "there's got to be a better way"?

Well, now there is! Starchild-Be-Gone (SBG) is a comprehensive revision of LE3's ending with three goals in mind: skip over all mention of the Starchild, his "problem", and the solutions he provides; provide an alternative Destroy ending that doesn't sacrifice EDI or the Geth; and preserve as much of the base game's reactivity to your choices as possible.

SBG also as a variety of optional features, including:

• Removing the Starchild's appearance in a vent in the prologue.
• Dramatically shortening Shepard's dream sequences such that the Starchild doesn't appear there either.
• Subtly cutting out some of Vendetta's dialogue on Thessia to eliminate foreshadowing of the Starchild's existence.
• Adding correspondence from members of the Crucible Project after main story missions - providing gradual, lore-respecting explanation for the device's function over the course of a playthrough.
  

If you're interested in the specific changes to the ending:
Alternatively, I've posted some example videos to Youtube - find them in the Videos tab above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use SBG's shorter dream sequences with Audemus's Happy Ending Mod and/or the Citadel Ending Mod?
When installing SBG, select the No Ending Changes option on the installation screen - this disables all of SBG's alterations to the same files that AHEM and CEM modify. If you don't check this option, AHEM and CEM will not function while SBG is installed. Please, for the love of Blasto, read the install screen and stop pestering Audemus about this.

Is SBG like MEHEM/JAM/LIME?
Of these three alternate ending mods for the original ME3, Starchild-Be-Gone is most similar to JAM B. However, it lacks JAM B's alternate memorial scene where Shepard places Anderson's plaque. I don't plan on recreating the JAM memorial scene, both out of a desire to avoid plagiarizing someone else's mod, and being of the opinion that the existing memorial scene - combined with Shepard's inhale - is more than enough implication that Shepard will be just fine. If you'd prefer a more substantive alternate ending similar to MEHEM, I would strongly recommend you check out Audemus' Happy Ending Mod (AHEM). It's really quite excellent.

Could you add [A New Scene] to the ending/epilogue?
Odds are good that whatever idea you have is beyond my capabilities and resources as a modder. SBG is very much the work of a fumbling novice that learned how to mod the Mass Effect series in order to do the exact thing you can download on this page. I'm content with what I've made, and lack the knowledge, motivation, and time to do much more than fix bugs. If you have an idea on how to improve the ending, my suggestion is to look into modding it yourself; if it'll help, you're welcome to use SBG's changes to the ending as a basis for your own work. A credit to me would be appreciated in that case, though.

I've found a bug - can you fix it for me?
I'd be happy to, but a description of what you think went wrong is not enough information for me to be able to help you. If you've found a bug or unexpected game behavior when using SBG, the first thing you should do is disable all your other mods to ensure that it's not a compatibility issue between SBG and whatever else you're using. Then, use the Bugs tab on the top of this page to submit a bug report, with a detailed explanation of what happened and how to recreate it (including what other mods are required for the bug to appear). Because of how much the ending relies on plot variables set by your choices throughout ME1-ME3, I will also need a saved game from you in order to accurately diagnose the problem; conveniently, the game autosaves right after the final confrontation with TIM, before Shepard opens the Citadel arms.

Installation and Removal

Import and install through ME3Tweaks Mod Manager. To uninstall, quit the game, and use ME3Tweaks Mod Manger to remove SBG:

• With LE3 selected in the installation dropdown, click on Manage Target.
• Click on the Delete button next to Starchild-Be-Gone.
• Close the window, and try to cope with the prospect of a life without SBG.
  

Compatibility/Localization

SBG is out-of-the-box compatible with beccatoria's fantastic (and highly recommended) Anderson's Final Conversation Restored, via a patch that will apply automatically when the SBG installer is run.

SBG is also compatible with Audemus' Happy Ending Mod, a much more extensive modification of the ending that adds several new scenes and paves the way for the Citadel Epilogue Mod. If you'd prefer AHEM's ending over SBG, install SBG using the "No Ending Changes" option.

SBG will work in any language, save for the optional Crucible Project emails (which are only localized in English). If you're interested in translating the emails, feel free to drop me a line over DMs.

Info for modders: