I know what you’re thinking but I promise you that this is the last time we are going to talk about Mass Effect 3. This game marked the end of the original trilogy, the end of an era for the series, and for BioWare in general. Therefore, I thought that there was no better way to close the retrospective of the original trilogy than by looking at BioWare’s farewell to said trilogy. This is the final piece of downloadable content released for Mass Effect 3. This is Mass Effect 3: Citadel!

Introduction

        As we begin our final look at Mass Effect 3 I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the wealth of DLC the game generated. Of course they had downloadable costumes you could obtain for your companions. There was also From Ashes the day-1 DLC that unlocked a mission as well as a companion who you could argue should have been part of the main game anyway. And beyond those we had three major campaign add ons.

                The first was Leviathan, which unlocked a 3-mission mini story that dove into the lore of the Reapers and where they came from. The second add on, Omega saw players return to the terminus systems and aid Aria T’Loak in retaking the titular Omega from Cerberus forces. This took place entirely on the superstation, introducing new weapons alongside the in-game debut of comic book villains such as Adjutants.

                The third and final piece of DLC was an add on simply referred to as Mass Effect 3: Citadel. It was very much marketed as the final piece of the game’s story and intended as a farewell from the developers, not only to the characters and world they created, but to us the players as well. Citadel adds several hours of content to the game and retailed for $10 like the other add ons.

Synopsis & Writing

        Naturally, given Mass Effect 3’s status as the end of the trilogy, all of the DLCs take place during Mass Effect 3, and Citadel is no exception. This add on can be started at any point after completing the Cerberus Coup mission upon the Citadel, which marks the start of the second act for Mass Effect 3. Now, although you can start the add on at any point from then on it is highly recommended that you wait until right before endgame for starting it. But more on that later.

                The premise of the DLC is simple enough; Commander Shepard receives orders from Alliance command that their vessel, the Normandy, is due for some maintenance and that Shepard and crew are to take shore leave to rest and recharge from the war effort. Around the same time Shepard’s mentor, Admiral David Anderson, left his luxury apartment to Shepard, insisting that he should use it as he sees fit. What should be a relaxing stretch of shore leave gets complicated as a conspiracy led by an unknown assailant rears its head complete with its own private militia. Having their identity stolen while isolated from Alliance command, Shepard and his crew must find out who is behind the conspiracy and shut it down.

                Shepard and crew may be isolated from the commanding forces of the galaxy, but Shepard is never truly alone. The Commander rallies his old allies to their side in order to resolve the crisis, including some fan favorites. The story of this add on and the conflict presented are but the opening act of the content awaiting you here in this DLC.

The main game of Mass Effect 3 saw you reunite with old companions in various missions before they were sidelined until the endgame. However, once you have completed their associated missions they will appear in this add on and you’ll get a number of scenes involving them. This is why it is recommended that you wait until right before the end of the game before you start this DLC. This way you get more content and a proper goodbye to your favorite characters, the ones you’ve come to know throughout the trilogy.

I have to extend my compliments towards the gameplay of this add on, but the story, the character interactions, and references to past events are what make this content worth the price of admission. Citadel pays great fanservice to all the characters we’ve forged connections with in all the right ways. The DLC also very much reiterates that for this story and these characters, this is the end. It is more than the characters saying goodbye to each other, it’s the developers saying goodbye to the world they created as well as a goodbye to us the players…

Gameplay

        The core story-related missions in this DLC adds a four-mission substory that won’t likely take players more than two hours to complete. But Citadel gives me several reasons not to be upset by this. We got a new enemy faction to fight in the form of the mystery militia as well as new weapons, including the lore drop of the lancer, and a rifle that was used in the First Contact war between the humans and Turians. We also get the suppressor pistol, which doesn’t carry much ammo but makes up for it by bringing the power. Secondly, the core story of this DLC lets you fight alongside the entirety of your surviving squad mates from Mass Effect 1. This includes fan favorite character Urdnot Wrex who hasn’t been playable since the original installment.

                Once you complete the core story of the DLC you unlock a wealth of content relating to your other squad mates throughout the trilogy, but none is more significant in the gameplay department than the Armax Arsenal Arena. Story wise it’s a sports competition in which you and two friends compete in Virtual Reality challenges. But gameplay wise it allows you to face off against all four Mass Effect 3 enemy factions: the Reapers, Geth, Cerberus, and the previously multiplayer-only Collectors. This mode also allows you to team up with ANY of your living squad mates from the entire trilogy and take on the leaderboards.

There are also a variety of modifiers in terms of buffs and handicaps to make matches more interesting. It was a very nice touch to be able to use your companions from past games. Everyone has animations and I imagine that is where the majority of development time of the content went. The story is very much the highlight of this add on, but the gameplay is just as much fun and lets you build your dream team, creating so many opportunities for fun gameplay.

Conclusion

        When Mass Effect 3 was compiled as part of Mass Effect Legendary Edition all the single player DLCs were packaged with the game. This add on specifically stands above the others and is among the best of the DLCs BioWare ever made. Despite the controversy attached to Mass Effect 3, I have very little negative to say about this particular piece of DLC. It brings closure to the universe and characters who we’ve known for so long that they’re like old friends. If you play any of the DLCs for Mass Effect 3, play this one!

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