Bioware Unveils Leviathan ME3 DLC
Earlier today, EA held an event called the “Summer Showcase.” I thought it might have had something to do with The Price is Right, but apparently I was wrong. It was an oppurtunity for representatives from a number of EA studios to get up on stage and talk about the cool stuff they’re working on. One such studio making a presentation today was Bioware Edmonton, and they finally pulled the curtain back on their first major expansion of the ME3 single player experience. Read on for all the details.
The long rumored “Leviathan” DLC was finally announced today, and as many fans have been speculating, it looks to center around the Leviathan of Dis, a mysterious bio-engineered vessel of immense size that was briefly mentioned in the original Mass Effect. The idea of the Leviathan never left fans’ collective consciousness, and Bioware seems poised to take advantage of the lingering interest surrounding the beast. On their official blog, Bioware describes the DLC campaign thusly
Something lurks in the dark corners of space, something powerful enough to kill a Reaper. Shepard must discover the most closely guarded secret in the galaxy before the Reapers silence it forever. Discover more about the origins of the Reapers as you race across the galaxy to find the Leviathan. Unravel the dark history of the Reaper Race before it is too late. Coming later this summer there is no war, only the harvest.
Sounds appropriately ominous, don’t you think? Ser during the events of Mass Effect 3, the DLC will feature new characters and weapons, and will also open up new areas on the Citadel and new star systems for you to explore. And by explore, I mean scan for random loot. While no exact date was given, Leviathan is scheduled for release sometime this summer, and will be available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. It will cost 800 MS points, or $10 of real money. Check out the trailer below, courtesy of our dear friends over at IGN, preceded by a brief introduction from Bioware producer Mike Gamble.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwy_qosSwwU
But Leviathan was not the only piece of single player candy Bioware dangled infront of us today. Also announced was the Firefight Pack, which brings a whole lot of brand spankin new firepower to the single player campaign. Here’s a rundown of the weapons included.
Indra Sniper Rifle: Fully automatic sniper rifle.
- The Indra’s low-powered scope leaves it most effective at medium range, but many soldiers believe this limitation is offset by the gun’s rapid rate of fire. The Indra is the first military-grade, fully automatic sniper rifle. It has an extremely efficient heat-sink system that allows a surprisingly large number of shots to be fired before the weapon ejects its thermal clip.
Krysae Sniper Rifle: Heavy turian sniper rifle with explosive rounds and an automatic scope for all-range fighting.
- This turian antimateriel rifle is modified to kill Reaper enemies. The Krysae’s scope uses a rangefinder that adjusts to keep the target in proper proportion to the shooter, which comes in useful when the sniper is forced into close range. Its specialized ammunition is both armor-piercing and explosive. In a desperate move, the turians released its specifications over the extranet so that nearly anyone with a fabricator could manufacture this weapon to help the war effort.
Reegar Carbine: Quarian electrical weapon that’s best at close range.
- This electrical weapon improves upon the arc pistol’s design by generating a sustained current on its target. This weapon is named for the quarian Reegar family, whose marines have served valiantly against the geth.
Harrier Assault Rifle: Full-auto Cerberus rifle with low recoil and heat generation.
- These Cerberus-modified Mattock rifles are fully automatic. Cerberus gunsmiths reined in the recoil issues, resulting in a gun that stays on target but delivers slightly less punch per round than a standard Mattock. As such, the weapon is typically utilized by Cerberus’s elite troops who train constantly to make every burst count.
Geth SMG: Fully-automatic geth submachine gun. Its rate of fire increases when the trigger is held.
- This submachine gun works on the same principles as the Spitfire: it shoots superconducting toroids that break apart on impact, retaining an electrical charge that flash-converts the shrapnel into plasma. Unlike the Spitfire, however, this smaller geth weapon has been modified to take thermal clips. Holding down the trigger speeds up its rate of fire, rapidly depleting the gun’s heat sink in exchange for nearly continuous fire.
Blood Pack Punisher SMG: Submachine gun with a secondary barrel that fires armor-piercing rounds.
- The Punisher features a secondary barrel that fires one armor-piercing round per main-barrel burst. It was developed by Blood Pack gunsmiths who found that their vorcha recruits frequently forgot to optimize ammo loads in the heat of combat. This configuration makes the process automatic and highly effective at penetrating armor.
Adas Anti-Synthetic Assault Rifle: Electrical weapon that’s effective against shields and synthetic targets.
- Named in memory of the quarians killed in the Morning War on the planet Adas, this weapon’s electrical attack has been optimized for medium- to long-range firefights. Alliance marines take issue with calling it a “rifle” since, technically, it has no rifling in its barrel. The quarians shrug this off, as quarian weapon terminology rarely translates flawlessly into human languages.
It’s not like Mass Effect 3 had a shortage of guns, but damn, some of these sound fun. Unlike Leviathan, we have a confirmed release date for the Firefight Pack, and you won’t have to wait long for it. The DLC will be released on August 7, and will only cost 160 MS points and/or $2… which, by the way, is less than what Bioware charges for their “premium Spectre packs” in the ME3 multiplayer store. And with Firefight, they’re even telling us what’s in the pack before we buy it! What a concept!
Bioware also talked about the release of ME3 on the Nintendo Wii U, and for the three of you out there who care, here’s a quick outline. Launch title, Extended Cut, interactive back story generator, full multiplayer support. Oh, and a “brand new control scheme designed to incorporate the Wiipad.” Ughhhh…. Wiipad?