Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2

Developers
	BioWare
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Engines
	Unreal Engine 3
Release dates
Windows	January 26, 2010
Reception
Metacritic	94
IGDB	96
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, DLC, Subscription gaming service
Microtransactions	Unlock, Currency
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	ARPG, Shooter
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	LGBTQ, Sci-fi, Space
Series	Mass Effect

Mass Effect
Mass Effect	2008
Mass Effect 2	2010
Mass Effect 3	2012
Mass Effect: Andromeda	2017
Mass Effect Legendary Edition	2021

Mass Effect 2 is a singleplayer third-person ARPG and shooter game in the Mass Effect series.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Steam Community Discussions (retired)

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Microsoft Store		Digital Deluxe Edition. Included exclusively with Xbox Game Pass for PC as part of its version of EA Play.
Origin		Deluxe Edition also available, included with EA Play.
Steam		Includes all DLC. Included with EA Play (Steam).
(unavailable)		Also available in the Mass Effect Trilogy.
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Humble Store (unavailable)		Also available in the Mass Effect Trilogy.
Steam (unavailable)		Deluxe Edition also available.

A demo is available from Steam.

Every version that deploys through/with Origin will overwrite other installations of the game.

Monetization

All of the DLC is now available in a bundle on Origin.

Purchase just binds the DLC licenses to the EA account, which must have logged in in-game at least once to authorize their loading.

The Origin and the new Steam versions will automatically download the DLC files, while the original Steam release and retail can use separate installers. Direct links are provided in the table below for convenience. The documentary, soundtrack, and artbook can be downloaded for free from this EA page.

All DLC is free as of July 13, 2022. DLC-Bundle is free as of August 15, 2022.

Type	Notes
DLC	The DLC includes story missions and items.
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service	Available via EA Play.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Aegis Pack
Alternate Appearance Pack 1
Alternate Appearance Pack 2
Arrival
Blood Dragon Armor	Requires Dragon Age: Origins Deluxe or Ultimate Edition to be registered on same account
Cerberus Arc Projector	Requires Cerberus Network
Cerberus Network
Cerberus Weapon and Armor	Requires Cerberus Network
Collectors' Weapon and Armor	Included in the retail Collectors' Edition, and the Digital Deluxe Edition
Equalizer Pack
Firepower Pack
Firewalker Pack	Requires Cerberus Network
Genesis
Incisor Rifle	Included in Digital Deluxe, and the Aegis Pack
Inferno Armor	Included in some pre-orders, and the Equalizer Pack
Kasumi - Stolen Memory
Lair of the Shadow Broker
Normandy Crash Site	Requires Cerberus Network
Recon Hood	Dr Pepper bonus promotional item, now free on Origin
Overlord
Sentry Interface	Dr Pepper bonus promotional item, now free on Origin
Terminus Weapon and Armor	Included in Gamestop or Play.com pre-orders, now free on Origin.
Umbra Visor	Dr Pepper bonus promotional item, now free on Origin
Zaeed - The Price of Revenge	Requires Cerberus Network

Essential improvements

Adjust all video settings

The in-game graphics options are missing half of the actual settings, which are thus erratically left to the first run auto-detection to decide.

The Steam and retail versions can also comfortably access the tool from the ME2 launcher.

Change settings in the Configuration Utility
Go to <path-to-game>\Binaries\. Run MassEffect2Config.exe. Set the desired video settings. Save changes and close.

Skip intro videos

Use Quick Startup mod to also skip the title screen

Delete or rename files
Go to <path-to-game>\BioGame\Movies\. Delete or rename BWLogo.bik and ME_EAsig_720p_v2_raw.bik.

Install Disable Startup Videos

Shorter loading screens

The game waits for the loading screen animation to play completely at least once before leading to the gameplay

Some loading screens might be part of the player experience (e.g. making sense of one's position on the Citadel, or special mission-specific transitions)

Replace .bik clips with shorter ones

Modify the .bik clips to run at 2x/4x speed (30/60fps)

Patches

Patch 1.03 is a cumulative update. The Origin/Steam versions are already patched.

Project Variety

A major bug fix and overhaul mod. Works best with Early Recruitment.

Game data

In-game general settings.

DLC files are saved in <path-to-game>\BioGame\DLC; an explanation of the folder names and which DLC they represent can be found here.

Game can lose saves when the %USERPROFILE%\Documents path has been customized

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\BIOGame\Config\ %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Profile\Player1.prf
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2362420/pfx/

Many other settings can be adjusted inside Coalesced.ini.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Save\ %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Profile\Player1.prf
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2362420/pfx/

For the folders used for importing saves see Mass Effect.

Import Mass Effect saves

Importing saves can be done through MassEffect2Config.exe

The save importer may not work. In this case, move the Mass Effect saves into an ME1 folder inside the ME2 saves folder.

Importing Xbox 360 Mass Effect 2 saves

Use Modio
Configure a USB device as a memory device on the 360 Download Modio.[citation needed] Move the save file to the USB using the Xbox 360. Move the USB to the PC. Open the save with Modio. Upload the save here and download the processed file. Move the downloaded save to the appropriate folder.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Origin
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Xbox Cloud

Video

External video settings, see above to access.

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Vert- See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor			See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen			Use Flawless Widescreen and Mass Effect 2 Ultrawide.
4K Ultra HD			Vert- See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)		Default is 75°. Use Flawless Widescreen or see Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		Since Windows Vista, if the game window looses focus during the loading screens (and sometimes[citation needed] even if it doesn't) application hang detection will activate. Except on Windows 7, this can in turn cause the whole viewport/animation to stop.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Can be set to x16 in MassEffect2Config.exe.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Enabled by default; see Vertical sync (Vsync).
60 FPS		Cutscenes are capped at 30FPS.
120+ FPS		See High frame rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Use Flawless Widescreen
Allows changing FOV Doesn't work with Origin version properly

Use ThirteenAG's Mass Effect Trilogy FOV Fix
Download the archive from here. Download and extract the archive to the game directory, where the exe is located (Binaries or Binaries\Win32) Notes Automatically corrects in-game FOV (Hor+) Works with Origin version. Works with Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 3 16:9 only[citation needed]

Field of view (FOV)

This method involves Coalesced.ini file.

Modify field of view[citation needed]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Backup then open Coalesced.ini. Add the following line under the [SFXGame.SFXGameModeDefault] section: Bindings=( Name="Period", Command="set SFXGame.SFXCameraMode FOV 100" ) Edit the key name and FOV value to desired values. Save changes. Notes Can be used in conjunction with Flawless Widescreen providing that "FOV Limiting" is disabled.

Vertical sync (Vsync)

Disable Vsync[citation needed]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open GamerSettings.ini. Add UseVsync=False line under the [SystemSettings] section Save changes

High frame rate

Arrange frame rate smoothing[citation needed]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open GamerSettings.ini. Add one of the following lines under the [SystemSettings] section: SmoothFrameRate=False to completely disable the FPS cap MaxSmoothedFrameRate=XX to raise the FPS cap (where XX is the threshold) Save changes Notes You also need to disable Vsync for this to work (see Vertical sync (Vsync)).

Input

In-game general control settings.

In-game key map settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		Enabled by default; see Mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity		Only 3 selectable settings; for further adjustment see Mouse sensitivity.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		See Controller support.
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Mouse acceleration

Disable Mouse acceleration

Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open GamerSettings.ini. Add the following lines: [Engine.PlayerInput] bEnableMouseSmoothing=false MouseSensitivity=0.15 [SFXGame.BioPlayerInput] bUseMouseDampening=false [SFXGame.BioSFHandler_PCConversation] AccumulationDivisor=600.0f Save changes This may not work with the Origin or Steam versions. If this is the case, make these changes in Coalesced.ini (see Editing Coalesced.ini).

Mouse sensitivity

Fix uneven and/or excessive mouse sensitivity

Disable the Origin in-game overlay. The overlay (on Origin versions at least) is the cause of uneven mouse input and not mouse acceleration. Disabling fixes this. If the mouse sensitivity is still too high, modify the variable in Coalesced.ini Locate the Coalesced.ini file inside <path-to-game>\BioGame\Config\PC\Cooked Make a backup copy of the file Open the file with a text editor that can handle UNIX-format files (Notepad++ is recommended) Search for and locate MouseSensitivity Change the value from 1.0 to 0.2 or another desired value. Save the file. Notes Do not modify anything else in the Coalesced.ini otherwise ME2 will fail to start.[citation needed] If that happens, simply restore the backup copy and start again.

Controller support

This mod brings full XInput controller support to the game with haptic feedback support. This mod is currently complete (see official thread).

Instructions
Use the ME2Controller mod. For DualShock prompts use PlayStation Icons

Simultaneous mouse and joystick support

Enable joystick move to be used with mouse

Go to file location <path-to-game>\BioGame\Config\PC\Cooked Open the Coalesced.ini file with a text editor. Under [WinDrv.WindowsClient], change the value for AllowJoystickInput from 0 to 1. Under [SFXGame.SFXGameModeBase], add the following lines: Bindings=(Name="XboxTypeS_LeftX",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=1.0 DeadZone=0.3") Bindings=(Name="XboxTypeS_LeftY",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=1.0 DeadZone=0.3") Bindings=(Name="XboxTypeS_RightX",Command="Axis aTurn Speed=0.2 DeadZone=0.3") Bindings=(Name="XboxTypeS_RightY",Command="Axis aLookup Speed=0.2 DeadZone=0.3") Download the ME2 Coalesced Fixer. Drag it to the Coalesced.ini location and run the executable so that the game runs after the edits.

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, sound effects and dialogue
Surround sound		5.0 (better HRTF can be achieved with DSOAL library)
Subtitles
Closed captions		Found under Gameplay settings in-game.
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language codes to be used in manual selection are highlighted in the notes.

The later DLCs are not available for Eastern European locales, see here for an install workaround.

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				INT. A British English mod exists.
Czech				CZE. Fan translation for DLCs, download.
French				FRA
German				DEU
Hungarian				HUN. Fan Patch for DLCs, available here.
Italian				ITA
Polish				POL. DLC translations can be found here, here and here. DLCs Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival didn't get a dub due to technical difficulties.
Brazilian Portuguese				Translation.
Russian				RUS. Available here. A slightly improved translation is available.
Spanish				ESN
Turkish				A Turkish fan translation is available here.

Changing language

Steam version can simply adjust this setting from the game proprieties

Instructions
Make sure the alternative language is installed Go to <path-to-game>\Mass Effect 2\data. Open sku.ini with a text editor Set TextLanguage to one of the language codes above Notes VOLanguage only seems to work with the Polish retail build This is also going to be the dubbing language for the next fix

Independent text and voiceover

Unlike the previous game, subtitles are stored in the same file of the UI and other strings (so they can't be separated from normal text)

Replace the global text files[citation needed]

Only the English localization is going to stick around when another one is installed (if even). With others, backups of the pertinent files from the YYY version will be needed Go to <path-to-game>\BioGame\CookedPC. Copy BIOGame_YYY.tlk and BioGame_Update_YYY.tlk Go to the configuration file(s) location. Create the BIOGame\Published\CookedPC directory Paste the aforementioned files, and rename their suffix from YYY to XXX. Notes XXX is the language code for dubbing YYY is the language code for everything else

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			For better support see Helix Mod: Mass Effect 2
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon

Issues unresolved

EA Online password form doesn't accept special characters

Includes ", *, /, :, <, >, ?, \ and |

Change your EA Online Account password to only alphanumeric characters
Length limits for both the e-mail address (100) and the password (16) also exist.

Cerberus Network autologin failure

Certain server-side changes at some point during the years presumably broke autologin

Crash on Prometheus Station Exterior (Overlord DLC)

Avoid selecting certain squadmates (Legion in particular) for the mission

Issues fixed

Installation interrupted

Install the game from a shared drive from another computer[citation needed]
Insert Disc 1 and share it through Windows. When the installer asks for the second drive, stop sharing the first disc, replace it with the second and start sharing it.

Fix the corrupted folder path in Windows registry
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\BioWare\Mass Effect 2. Find the Path variable and edit it. Add a backslash (\) to the end of the path string and hit OK. The game should now launch from Origin.

Physx Error on Startup

Install Nvidia Physx System Software

"The application has failed to start because ... configuration is incorrect" error

The redist that the Origin edition comes with is actually older than the version required

Install the Visual C++ 2005 SP1 redistributable

"Unable to authorize the listed DLC" error

Get around the DLC integrity checks

Download Binkw32 proxy DLL. Extract me2_binkw32.zip to <path-to-game>\Binaries. Notes Optionally, disable automatic login through in-game settings, to avoid error "Communication with the Mass Effect 2 server was interrupted or has timed out". If after installing the new binkw32.dll, the game fails to start, giving an error like "binkw32.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error", try the GCC compiled version instead: https://github.com/Erik-JS/masseffect-binkw32/files/705674/binkw32-me2_gcc_alt.zip

Crash at the end of Kasumi's loyalty mission

Use Kasumi Crash Fix
Navigate to <path-to-game>\Binaries> Download ME2's binkw32 proxy DLL and extract it there Create a new folder named asi (i.e. <path-to-game>\Binaries\asi) Download the fix and extract it there

Launch the game with the -nomoviestartup parameter
Game has to be restarted without this argument once past this section, to avoid missing out videos later

Apply Kasumi DLC Crash Fix with ME3Tweaks Mod Manager's ASI Mod Manager in the Mod Management Tab

Dark lighting in cutscenes

Make sure the number of cinematic lights is set to the highest setting

Set the proper brightness in-game, once having checked display calibration is right

Adjust filmic response shader
Open <path-to-game>\Engine\Shaders\UberPostProcessBlendPixelShader.usf with a text editor. Find float3 x = max(0,InLinearColour-0.004); on line 45 Replace with float3 x = max(0,InLinearColour); Alternatively, rather than deleted, the darkening factor could be tweaked to other ⩽0.001 values

Clipping into walls/objects

This method involves Coalesced.ini file.

Add the option to noclip out of the object[citation needed]
Under [SFXGame.SFXGameModeDefault] add: Bindings=( Name="Add", Command="Ghost | OnRelease Walk") Notes Holding the Numpad + key in-game will enable noclip until the key is released. Alternatively, if the console is enabled, hit Tab ↹, type ghost and hit ↵ Enter. Then, when noclip is no longer needed, do the same and type walk.

Game freeze on Illium

The freeze happens while walking through the ground-level corridor that connects to the other side of the map under Liara's office, which may cause a black screen and CTD.

In most cases the problem is caused by incompatibility with the video or audio drivers of the user's computer.^{[citation needed]}

Null ill-fated embedded video

Download Legendary Explorer. Run it and select the Package Editor tool. Open <path-to-game>\BioGame\DLC\DLC_EXP_Part01\CookedPC\BioD_TwrHub_504LiaraDLC_LOC_int.pcc (or the matching DEU, FRA, ITA versions of the file if using one of these localizations). Browse the tree view to the Video_Feron1 object, inside the BioApl_Dec_DataPadLiara package. On the right side, move to the Binary Interpreter tab (and press the big Parse binary button at the center if needed). Find the BIKi string in the hex view (widen the central panel if ASCII characters can't be seen). After identifying the hex values that correspond to it, overwrite the four bytes (eight digits) afterwards with zeros. Click Save Hex Changes and then Save the package.

Crash during vehicle chase on Illium

In most cases the problem is caused by incompatibility with the video or audio drivers of the user's computer.

The crash happens at the end of the taxi chase with Liara on Illium during the cutscene, where the game freezes completely showing either a frozen image or a black screen while the music continues.

Use config tool to change from fullscreen mode to windowed borderless

Run in Windows 7 compatibility mode

Launch the game with the -nomoviestartup parameter

Uninstall and re-install all game files and DLCs (or use Origin's Repair feature)

Issue may still persist after all of these have been done.

Crash when entering the galaxy map

Re-enable audio
Open %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\BIOGame\Config\GamerSettings.ini Delete the DisableAudio line. Save the file.

No sound even though it's On in the Configuration Utility

Make sure to disable any kind of OEM audio tool or enhancement

Run the game in windowed or borderless window mode[citation needed]

Conrad Verner claims player has pointed gun at him

To prevent this bug use ME1 Recalibrated in Mass Effect and Project Variety here

Fix save file variable
Download ME2 Gibbed modified Save Editor (or Trilogy Save Editor). Run it and open your actual savegame. Go to Plot tab and then to ME1 Imported plot table. Go to Flags sub-tab and untick [Conrad] (3) Intimidated Conrad (Renegade). Save changes Notes This only works if the player has not spoken with the asari bar owner in Illium yet.

Importing ME1 character still launches the interactive story

This happens if the Genesis DLC is installed (it can be un-checked during download on Origin)

Can invalidate the ME1 character's decisions in place of new ones

Remove the DLC
Go to <path-to-game>\BioGame\DLC. Remove the DLC_DHME1 folder.

Heavy geometry flicker and other artifacts

Disable any kind of forced AA
Use post-processing methods or downsampling alternatively

When moving the camera with the mouse the game starts stuttering/having performance problems

This is likely an issue with the mouse polling rate on systems with Windows 10 installed

Lower mouse polling rate to 500Hz or lower[citation needed]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtY_3sAJJnE

General stuttering or frame drops

Disable the Origin in-game overlay

Disable ASUS Gamer OSD

Selection circles on characters and interactable objects do not appear

Lens flare can be disabled actually for good with a mod

Make sure "LensFlares" is set to "true"
Open %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\BIOGame\Config\GamerSettings.ini Add or change the line LensFlares= and set it to true. Save the file and exit.

Textures become black as you approach them

You most likely had A Lot of Textures (ALOT) applied to the game in the past. Apply it again or use one of the fixes below.

Launch the game through ME3Tweaks Mod Manager

Set the Texture LODs to Vanilla with LOD Switcher in ALOTInstaller's Settings

Delete Configuration Files
Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\BIOGame Delete the Config folder. Launch the game.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
Shader Model support	3

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	PhysX	Comes bundled with 2.8.0.7, but the system version is always forced.
Audio	Wwise	Despite this, the game still ships with (inert) OpenAL dlls.
Interface	Scaleform
Cutscenes	Bink Video	1.9e

Unable to save any more games

Patch game files
Download Mass Effect 2 PCC Patcher (mirror) Extract the program to <path-to-game>\Binaries and run it. Provide the path for the following packages and load them: Engine.pcc: <path-to-game>\BioGame\CookedPC\Engine.pcc SFXGame.pcc: <path-to-game>\BioGame\CookedPC\SFXGame.pcc Go to Gameplay tab and tick Increase max saves count Save packages

Editing Coalesced.ini

Some of the fixes for this game require the modification of this file, but editing it in the normal way will cause the game to crash.

Editing Coalesced.ini[citation needed]

Locate the Coalesced.ini inside <path-to-game>\BioGame\Config\PC\Cooked. Open it with a text editor that can handle UNIX-format files (Notepad++ is recommended) Make the changes and save Download ME2IniFixer (mirror) and extract it to <path-to-game>\BioGame\Config\PC\Cooked. Run it from there. Notes Do not use the default Windows Notepad (at least until Windows 10 1809). They will permanently corrupt the ini file. Advanced users could also use Mass Effect 2 Coalesced Editor or ME2 Coalesced Compiler It might be necessary to make the Coalesced.ini file read-only as the game can revert the edits.

Split the all-purpose Use key functions

Install Intuitive Controls or Separate Keybindings

Increase shadow resolution

Increase shadow resolution[citation needed]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open GamerSettings.ini. Add under [SystemSettings]: MinShadowResolution=256 MaxShadowResolution=4096 Save changes

Disable Post-Processing Effects

Some of the post-processing effects can be disabled in the game's GamerSettings.ini file. These effects include light bloom, and motion blur.

Disabling Depth of Field/Light Bloom/Motion Blur[citation needed]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open GamerSettings.ini. Under [SystemSettings] add one or more of the following lines: DepthOfField=False Bloom=False MotionBlur=False Save changes

A longer list of options that can be added and altered under [SystemSettings] can be found here.

Mods

Same-Gender Romances for ME2 allows Tali and Thane to be romanced by both male and female Shepard, utilizing unused dialogue in the game files. It also fixes issues with imported same-gender Ashley and Kaidan romances and allows and restores other same-gender content whenever possible.

HUD Icon Fixes - ME2 DLC Weapons fixes a vanilla bug that incorrectly positions HUD weapon icons from Mass Effect 2 DLC.

A Lot of Textures is a re-texture community project that brings extra details for the game, replacing around 1200 textures with high-resolution variants.

A Lot Of Videos is a video upscaling community project that brings extra quality to the games pre-rendered cutscenes, replacing every video file with high-resolution variant.

MEUITM2 updates textures & alternate character appearances, + more visual goodies for ME2. Works and is best used with ALOT. Must be installed ONLY after installing ALOT.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB (XP) 2 GB (Vista, 7)	2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	15 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon X1600 Pro Nvidia GeForce 6800 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible Shader model 3 support	ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB of VRAM

AMD video cards below minimum system requirements: ATI Radeon HD 3200, and HD 4350.

Nvidia video cards below minimum system requirements: Nvidia GeForce 7300, 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, and 9300.