Over the course of three games, the Mass Effect trilogy is driving towards a final confrontation with the Reaper army. How prepared a player is for that final confrontation becomes a mechanic in Mass Effect 3, represented by the Galactic Readiness score.
Players who missed the boat on the original Mass Effect trilogy will soon have a chance to experience it with the latest graphics and updates when Mass Effect Legendary Edition releases. The pack will contain all three games which have been enhanced in various ways. This includes graphics that have been optimized for 4k, new interfaces, new character customization options, and some overall game rebalancing. will not have everything the original games had to offer, however. Multiplayer will not be returning, and a few minor DLCs are not included.
In Mass Effect 3, players had to monitor two scores: Galactic Readiness and War Assets. War Assets were armies, alliances, and weapons that players collected through in-game interactions and decisions, while Galactic Readiness was a multiplier that determined how much of those assets would be effective. A Galactic Readiness of 50% meant only 50% of the War Assets score would count in determining how a player's final confrontation with the Reapers went. To ensure the best outcome, players were encouraged to increase Galactic Readiness as close to 100% as possible.
How Galactic Readiness Changed in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
In the original Mass Effect 3, the Galactic Readiness score was largely influenced by a player's participation in multiplayer combat, as well as with out-of-game apps. As doesn't have multiplayer, those mechanics have been completely removed from the game. Instead, Galactic Readiness will now be based on single-player decisions, especially from Mass Effect 1 and 2. The alliances, friendships, and other decisions made in Mass Effect 1 and 2 will count towards their Galactic Readiness score in Mass Effect 3. Developers have emphasized that players who jump straight to Mass Effect 3 without playing the first two games will have a much harder time getting a good ending, as they will not be bringing in decisions that could help bolster their score. A good ending without playing Mass Effect 1 and 2 is still possible, but it will require players to do basically every piece of side content in the game.
One of the biggest selling points of the Mass Effect trilogy has always been how game to the next. By making Galactic Readiness based on a player's actions in the first two games in the series, the game reinforces that the player's decisions mattered and have consequences for the galaxy at large. It's a great overhaul to the system that players will get to experience when Mass Effect Legendary Edition releases to the world.