Mass Effect Legendary Edition: ME1 Ep 1 – Character Creator & Eden Prime Prologue

We’re heading back into Mass Effect! Yes, I know we recently completed the original game at 100%, but I’ve been looking forward to playing the Legendary Edition since downloading it. I’ve deliberately avoided playing ahead because I want to earn the achievements on stream and experience the complete trilogy with everyone.

For our first episode, we’re creating a familiar Commander Shepard, getting reacquainted with the Normandy and heading to Eden Prime. There are some noticeable improvements, a few things I’ve apparently forgotten despite playing this for years, and plenty of familiar moments to enjoy again.

🌌 About the Game

Mass Effect Legendary Edition brings together the single-player campaigns of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, along with over 40 DLC packs, including additional weapons, armour and promotional content. Everything has been remastered and optimised for 4K Ultra HD.

We play as Commander Shepard, travelling aboard the Normandy and exploring a galaxy populated by different alien species, political factions and ancient mysteries. Our decisions, conversations and relationships help shape the story across the trilogy, making this a series where the choices we make really matter.

🧭 Where We Are in the Journey

This is the beginning of our Legendary Edition playthrough, although Mass Effect itself certainly isn’t new territory for me. Having recently completed the original version, I’m familiar with the story, but this remaster gives us a fresh set of achievements and a new save to carry into Mass Effect 2 and 3.

The plan is to experience the full story, collect everything we can and eventually tackle Insanity difficulty. We can leave the harder challenges until Shepard has developed a little. For now, we’re starting from scratch, without all the credits and powerful equipment I became accustomed to during the previous playthrough.

🎮 What Happens in This Episode

We begin in the character creator, where I have a look through the different appearance options before deciding what to do with our Commander Shepard. Some of the eye adjustments are rather creepy, and although I could spend ages changing everything, I eventually settle on the classic female Shepard appearance. After all, we’re going to spend most of the game looking at the character from behind anyway!

Our commander is River Shepard, named after River from Firefly. She’s a Spacer, a War Hero and a Sentinel, which happens to be the same class I originally chose back in 2007. Apparently, some habits never change! I also have a look at the Legendary Edition’s revised levelling options, check the subtitles and make sure everyone knows to mention any audio problems. My nose isn’t particularly cooperative during the stream either, so there’s some microphone muting whenever the sneezing starts.

With everything configured, we’re aboard the Normandy SR-1, getting reacquainted with Joker, Kaidan, Captain Anderson and Nihlus. The Normandy has just completed a mass relay jump, and we’re supposedly on a routine shakedown cruise. However, having a turian Spectre aboard seems a little unusual, and the crew aren’t entirely convinced we’re being told everything.

I take my time exploring the conversations, partly because I enjoy the story and partly because I want to experience the full trilogy again. Eventually, Captain Anderson explains that our actual assignment is to recover an ancient Prothean beacon discovered on Eden Prime. Nihlus is also aboard to assess Shepard as a potential Spectre candidate, which could make her the first human to join the Council’s elite agents.

Unfortunately, Eden Prime is already under attack. A distress transmission shows the colony being attacked before the signal cuts out, and we’re sent down with Kaidan and Jenkins while Nihlus heads off ahead of us.

Jenkins doesn’t survive the first encounter, just as I’d been anticipating. We’re immediately fighting hostile drones and geth, and I quickly discover that playing with a brand-new character feels rather different from using my previous max-level Shepard. I don’t have my ridiculously powerful pistol anymore, so the enemies actually require some effort to defeat.

My muscle memory also needs a little adjustment. At one point, I’m looking for a reload button before remembering that the original Mass Effect uses weapon heat rather than conventional ammunition. I also have to reacquaint myself with the squad controls and abilities such as Throw and Sabotage. Considering how recently I’ve played the original, you’d think I’d remember all this!

One thing I really appreciate is how much clearer the Legendary Edition looks. The scenery is easier to see in the distance, the geth have noticeably more detail, and the improved lighting makes a real difference. I remember struggling to make out certain areas in the original version, particularly on my old screen, so being able to see where I’m going is a welcome improvement.

As we continue through Eden Prime, we encounter Ashley Williams, whose squad has been wiped out during the attack. She joins us, and we spend some time discussing what happened to the colony and the Prothean beacon. I always find it slightly amusing how we can be in the middle of a dangerous situation, surrounded by enemies, and still stop for a lengthy conversation about ancient history.

Things become considerably more unpleasant when we encounter the husks. The geth have been impaling colonists on strange devices, transforming them into hostile creatures that attack us. We discuss what’s happening to the victims, and JD joins in with some of the conversation about the husks and what they might mean for the wider story.

At the research camp, we find Dr Warren and her assistant Manuel, who survived by hiding while the marines attempted to defend the area. Warren explains that the beacon has been moved to the spaceport, giving us our next destination. Manuel, meanwhile, is being particularly cheerful about the whole situation, offering gloomy warnings about what is coming.

I wonder whether indoctrination might explain his behaviour, although that’s only a suspicion at this stage. We’re also aiming for a Paragon Shepard, so despite the opportunity to punch Manuel, I decide to leave him alone. He probably has enough problems already!

Meanwhile, we see Nihlus encounter Saren, another turian Spectre whom he clearly recognises. Unfortunately, Nihlus trusts him long enough for Saren to shoot him. This gives us our first proper indication that something is seriously wrong, particularly when Saren is working with the geth and appears to be connected to the enormous mysterious ship involved in the attack.

As we reach the spaceport, we meet Powell, a dockworker who witnessed what happened to Nihlus. His explanation for surviving the attack is probably one of my favourite little moments from this section. He was hiding behind some crates, having an unauthorised nap when everything started. Apparently, avoiding work occasionally has unexpected benefits!

Powell’s account also gives us important information about Saren, although proving any of it to the Citadel Council is going to be another matter entirely. We continue discussing Saren, including his rather distinctive eyes, with JD also contributing to the conversation about the characters and voice actors.

Before we can finish on Eden Prime, there’s another problem to deal with. The geth have planted four explosives around the spaceport, and we need to deactivate them before they destroy the colony. I remember this part being slightly awkward, particularly when trying to locate the remaining charges, so there’s a moment when I’m wondering where the last ones are hiding.

Fortunately, the indicators help me find everything, and we manage to disarm all four bombs while dealing with the geth guarding the area. I also continue collecting whatever equipment and salvage I can find. We’re starting with very little money this time, so there’s no point leaving useful things behind!

Finally, we reach the Prothean beacon. Ashley approaches it, but something starts happening, and Shepard pushes her out of the way. Unfortunately, that means River gets caught by the beacon herself, experiencing a series of disturbing visions before collapsing. The beacon is destroyed, and we earn our first achievement for completing Eden Prime, although we’ve clearly uncovered something much bigger than the original assignment.

Back aboard the Normandy, Shepard wakes in the medical bay after being unconscious for roughly fifteen hours. Dr Chakwas explains what happened, and we begin trying to understand the visions and the destruction of the beacon. Captain Anderson is also concerned about Saren’s involvement, particularly because accusing a respected Spectre of murder and treachery isn’t going to be straightforward.

We spend some time catching up with Kaidan, Ashley and Dr Chakwas, exploring their backgrounds and listening to the conversations. There are also a few tangents about familiar science-fiction actors and voice performances, which I always enjoy discussing. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like rushing through every conversation, even when I’ve heard much of it before.

Exploring the Normandy gives me another opportunity to compare the remaster with the original game. The elevators are noticeably faster, which is a particularly welcome improvement after all those lengthy rides in the original. I always remember how much time we spent standing around waiting for them, almost turning the game into an elevator simulator.

The vehicle bay is also much easier to see, and I take the opportunity to visit the requisitions officer and check our available equipment. Unfortunately, River’s finances are nowhere near those of my previous character. We’re practically broke, and there’s plenty of equipment to buy, licences to acquire and skills to develop before we can start feeling properly prepared.

Chat continues keeping things entertaining between all the conversations and exploration. Royalty features in some good-natured banter about activity on the Discord server, while the ongoing chickens, eggs and rankings provide another competition alongside everything happening in Mass Effect. There’s plenty of interest in collecting rewards, and the conversations occasionally wander away from the game before we return to Shepard’s problems.

As we approach my planned stopping point, I ask everyone whether we should finish before docking or continue long enough to see the Citadel arrival. Chat decides they’d like to see the Citadel, so we carry on a little longer.

That gives us our first proper view of the enormous station as the Normandy approaches. It’s another opportunity to appreciate the visual improvements, and it’s a fitting place to finish our first session.

Once we’re aboard, we meet Ambassador Udina, who’s already arguing with the authorities about what happened on Eden Prime. The problem is that Saren remains a respected Spectre, and accusing him of betraying the Council isn’t something they’re going to accept without convincing evidence. Shepard’s own Spectre candidacy could also be affected by everything that’s happened.

We don’t go any further into the Citadel this time. Instead, I save the game and leave the Council hearing and the station’s many locations for our next episode.

There’s plenty planned for the rest of the playthrough. I want to gather the available quests, explore every planet we can visit, collect the various artifacts and discoveries, and work towards completing everything again. Some of the more repetitive exploration might be better suited to additional streams, allowing us to make progress without spending too much of the main sessions driving around looking for collectibles.

The evening finishes with some bonus eggs for the community, a raid to another channel and a reminder that we’re planning to play Train Sim the following day.

So that’s our first Legendary Edition session complete. We’ve recreated River Shepard, survived the attack on Eden Prime, earned our opening achievement, discovered Saren’s involvement and reached the Citadel. We’ve also established that I need to remember how the controls work and that starting without all my old equipment is going to take some getting used to.

Next time, we’ll begin exploring the Citadel, find out what the Council has to say about Saren and start gathering the quests that will take us further into the galaxy.

▶️ Watch the Episode

You can watch the complete first episode here, including our character creation, Eden Prime adventure and arrival at the Citadel.

You can also follow the Mass Effect Legendary Edition playlist and explore more videos on my YouTube channel.

If you enjoy the episode, please consider leaving a like, sharing your thoughts in the comments and subscribing for the rest of the playthrough.

🔴 Join the Adventure Live

The Normandy has only just begun its journey, and there’s plenty more to discover. Whether we’re discussing Shepard’s decisions, hunting achievements or letting chat decide when we should finally stop playing, it’s always more enjoyable with everyone involved.

Come and join us live on Twitch or YouTube. You can help shape our next decisions and enjoy the conversations that don’t always make it into the main story.

💬 Community & Links

There’s more happening beyond the Normandy. If you’d like to stay connected between streams, explore my other projects or support what I do, you’ll find everything here.

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🛰️ Eden Prime Complete, Citadel Next!

That’s our first Legendary Edition episode complete. We’ve created River Shepard, survived Eden Prime, earned our opening achievement and discovered that Saren is going to cause us some serious problems.

Next time, we’ll start exploring the Citadel, gathering quests and preparing for the planetary exploration ahead. There’s plenty to collect, and I intend to make the most of this playthrough before we eventually move on to Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Thanks to everyone who joined me, contributed to the conversations and helped decide where we should finish. I’ll see you for the next episode!

— Dr Ravenholm