Mass Effect: Legendary Edition arrives in just a little over a month, and BioWare is showing off some of the improvements they’ve made to the game. First off, courtesy of IGN, we have some comparison footage, which showcases ME: Legendary Edition’s improved textures, lighting, character models, performance, and more. Don’t expect cutting-edge next-gen graphics, but the original Mass Effect definitely looks much improved (the footage focuses on the original game). Check out the video for yourself, below.

　　Meanwhile, BioWare has also detailed the gameplay changes and improvements you can expect in Legendary Edition:

　　Combat Tuning

　　Shepard can now sprint out of combatMelee attacks are now mapped to a button press rather than automatically occurring based on proximity to an enemyWeapon accuracy and handling has been significantly improvedReticle bloom is more controlledWeapon sway removed from sniper riflesAiming down sights/”tight aim” camera view has been improvedImproved aim assist for target acquisitionAll relevant enemies now take headshot damage in the first gamePreviously some did not, including humanoid enemiesAmmo mods (Anti-Organic, Anti-Synthetic, etc.) can now drop throughout the whole gamePreviously, these stopped dropping at higher player levelsThey are now also available to purchase from merchantsAll weapons can be used by any class without penaltySpecializations (the ability to train/upgrade certain weapons) are still class-specificWeapons cool down much fasterMedi-gel usage has been improvedBase cooldown reducedLevelling benefits increasedIncreased Liara’s bonus to cooldownsInventory management improvementsItems can now be flagged as “Junk”All Junk items can be converted into Omni-gel or sold to merchants at onceInventory and stores now have sorting functionalitySome abilities have been rebalancedWeapon powers (i.e., those that are unlocked on each weapon type’s skill tree) have been improved:Effectiveness/strength is increased (duration reduced in some cases)Heat now resets on power activationAdditional Gameplay Improvements

　　Squadmates can now be commanded independently of each other in the first Mass Effect, the same way you can command them individually in Mass Effect 2 and 3Some boss fights and enemies in the first game have been tweaked to be fairer for players but still challengingCover has been improved across the trilogyAdditional cover added to some encountersEntering and exiting cover is now more reliableXP has been rebalanced in the first gameAmmo drops have been rebalanced in Mass Effect 2The Mako

　　Improved handlingPhysics tuning improved to feel “weightier” and slide around lessImproved camera controlsResolved issues preventing the Mako from accurately aiming at lower anglesShields recharge fasterNew thrusters added for a speed boostIts cooldown is separate from the jump jets’The XP penalty while in the Mako has been removedTouching lava no longer results in an instant Mission Failure and instead deals damage over timeUnifying & Modernizing the Trilogy

　　New unified launcher for all three gamesIncludes trilogy-wide settings for subtitles and languagesSaves are still unique to each game and can be managed independently of each otherUpdated character creator options, as mentioned aboveFemShep from Mass Effect 3 is the new default female option in all three games (the original FemShep design is still available as a preset option)Trophies across the trilogy have been updatedNew trophies have been added to the trilogyProgress for some now carries over across all three games (e.g. Kill 250 enemies across all games)Trophies that were streamlined into one and made redundant were removedA number of trophies have had their objectives/descriptions and/or names updatedIntegrated weapons and armor DLC packsWeapons and armor DLC packs are now integrated naturally into the game; they’re obtainable via research or by purchasing them from merchants as you progress through the game, rather than being immediately unlocked from the start. This ensures overall balance and progression across ME2 and ME3Recon Hood (ME2) and Cerberus Ajax Armor (ME3) are available at the start of each gameAdditional gameplay & Quality of life improvementsAudio is remixed and enhanced across all gamesHundreds of legacy bugs from the original releases are fixedBioWare is also tweaking Mass Effect 3’s “Galaxy at War” strategic mode to remove tie-ins to the now-cut multiplayer mode and generally rebalance things. Oh, and yes, the improved Mass Effect 3 ending introduced in the Extended Cut DLC is the one you’ll get in the Legendary Edition package.

　　Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 (and playable on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 via backward compatibility) on May 14.