On January 28th, 2010, Electronic Arts released Mass Effect 2. A lot of people consider Mass Effect 2 to be the best part of the series and since the game has just turned eight years old, we’ve decided to celebrate it by sharing some must-have mods for it so that players can re-experience it.
The first mod is the must-have Texture Pack, ALOT. ALOT is a one-step download to upgrade Mass Effect 2’s graphics to today’s standards. This pack features 1200-ish high resolution (2K, 4K) textures. The modders that have contributed to it have strived to achieve the best look possible, while remaining very close to the vanilla (default) style. Among many others, this project includes HR textures for: squad mates, environments, cerberus, geth, quarians, reapers, the galaxy map, NPCs, weapons, armors, etc.
The second mod we’re recommending is the Intuitive Controls Mod. This mod was designed to improve the PC controls of Mass Effect 2, allowing more accurate, safe and responsive control of the character. As such, we highly recommend downloading it as it will improve your overall experience.
ME2 Graphics tweaks mod is basically a mod that improves the graphics by using Unreal Engine 3’s techniques. With this mod, players can disable the post-process effects like Bloom, FilmGrain, MotionBlur, DepthOfField and Ambient Occlusion, increase Texture Resolution, Level of Detail, Shadow resolution, Saturation quality, and Anisotropic Filtering. In short, these are tweaks that you can do yourselves via the game’s INI files and they do not introduce any crashes or compatibility issues.
Another interesting mod is Shorter Loadings. As its title suggests, this mod shortens loading times and speeds up your playtrough. Do note that according to some gamers, this mod is not compatible with the DLCs (but works fine if you have installed the main game).
Last but not least, here is something for those that want an improved gameplay experience. ME2Recalibrated is an overhaul fixes bugs and broken lore, rectifies poorly implemented content, restores cut material, and in a few small cases, adds new content to the game. As the modder noted, all content has been fully modded into ME2. There are no Gibbed hacks here, no discrepancies in quest status between the journal, galaxy map, etc.
Have fun!
Frosty Tool Suite
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Generally speaking, we prefer to list mods that are fun, unique and occasionally superfluous. No-frills mods with undeniable utility get considerably less run, because they’re… well, they’re just dull.
Mass Effect 1 Mods
However, every now and then, a mod comes along that acts as a lynchpin for most other things to work around, and this is the case with the Frosty Tools Suite. So many other mods require it in order to operate, that it’s practically a necessity.
It also sounds like a Herb Alpert track from the early 80s. And that’s cool, too.
Romance For All
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Love is love, man. So let’s unshackle ourselves from the conventions of gender, and live the way we choose. This mod allows the male Ryder to seduce the gentlemen he works with, while the female Ryder can take a crack at the lovely ladies aboard.
As a bonus, this mod also lets you pursue multiple relationships, which is excellent if you’re hoping to go down a ‘My Five Wives’ route. Just be aware that shifting the original gender around can lead to some clipping in cutscenes, which is to be expected when you insert a surprise booby into a place where it hadn’t been lurking prior.
CC Overhaul
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
There’s always time for beauty, though when you’re floating adrift through the cosmos, your look can sometimes leave something to be desired. No need to put a paper bag over your head however, as there’s a mod that will allow you to get dolled up to your heart’s content.
We’re talking blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick – a lethal combination that, when expertly applied, can bring even the fiercest foes to their knees. Remember to contour.
Shorter Landing Times
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
We live in an era of gaming where cinematics have become so deeply entrenched, they occasionally take precedence over the actual game itself. How many times have you been subjected to a lengthy cut-scene, with no option of skipping ahead?
Mass Effect Andromeda is no less guilty than anyone else, and this can be especially grating when all you want to do is get on or off a landing destination. Downloading this mod will hasten the cinematic by a considerable 90%, allowing you to stop watching the pretty thing do the pretty animation, and get back to doing what you were supposed to (hooking up with attractive crew members).
Road Rage
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Recklessly joyriding around in your buggy and end up crashing into a hapless life form that wandered across your path? In Mass Effect Andromeda, this will only end up doing minor damage in situations where they should probably be filing a lawsuit.
Download the Road Rage mod in order to ramp up the ouch factor whenever you turn someone into roadkill. There’s even an option to quadruple the damage, should you want your victims to be somewhere between dead and a pile of goo.
Shut up SAM
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Snow up to your kneecaps, and only getting thicker? The last thing you need is for SAM to be spouting some useless intel every time its thermometer drops to a certain point. Download this mod to put a lid on the musings of old SAM (short for smartass machine), allowing you to focus on the task at hand, Gta san andreas remastered pc download utorrent.
This mod will keep notices about failing life support however, because that is a fairly critical piece of information that you would rather know about before you keel over and suffocate. Just the essentials, SAM buddy, and we’ll get by just fine.
Better Squad
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Squad goals: have a significantly less useless squad. Just don’t tell Peebee, she might get offended. Maybe don’t mention that she looks a bit like a a raccoon, either.
Adding this mod to your arsenal will increase squad members’ offensive and defensive passive powers as required, making for much smoother sailing for yourself. If only you could also turn your squad members into a gigantic candy bar, then they would really be indispensable.
Hyper Mobility
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
For all those times when you’d really like for your Ryder to show a little more urgency, this mod greatly improves your character’s sprint speed, as well as jump height and distance.
Just make sure you watch where you’re going, lest you send yourself careening off into the great abyss. Probably wouldn’t be able to jump your way out of that situation, unfortunately.
We Had the Blueprints…
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
Sick of being unable to afford critical research whenever you really need it? Pinch your pennies no more, intrepid friends, for this mod will reduce the cost to undertake such studies by an astronomical rate.
Previously cheap research has had a further reduction to 2 RP, while expensive options are down to 5 RP. It’s like a sale, only the product is sheer knowledge itself.
Flying Mod
Best Mass Effect Andromeda Mods
If none of the preceding mods were doing it for you, maybe you would enjoy flying. That’s it. Whenever your little legs are tired, and you’ve grown weary of having to amble around like a chump, you can just look up and blast off like Ironman. How exciting does that sound?
Control your flight by turning the camera’s direction, increase and decrease altitude with ease, and even activate supersonic flight mode for the ultimate joyride. It’ll probably be bizarre as hell for everyone else nearby as they watch you just casually lift off into the sky, but those looks of confusion will soon turn to jealousy when you’re soaring across the sky.
Like many people out there, I lost my Shepard in the time between Mass Effect 1 and 2—probably because I forgot to back her up before formatting my computer or some such nonsense.
I Lost My Mass Effect Save, So I Gave Up On Finishing The Series
I used to feel like a Mass Effect fan. Like part of that community that gushed about their crush on …
Read more ReadSo after Mass Effect 2 came out, I discovered to my great sadness that I would be starting a new female Shepard. Resigned to my fate, I booted up the game, hit “New Game” and began my playthrough.
In practically every way, though, this Shepard was not my Shepard. This Shepard (or FakeShep as she will be henceforth referred to) killed the counsel in ME1. My Shepard did not. FakeShep killed the last Rachni Queen while my original Shepard chose to spare it. FakeShep was pure Renegade, while my original was completely Paragon—except for Garrus’ side mission. But worst of all, FakeShep had done none of the side quests; and thus all of the missions that continued from ME1 were absent from my Mass Effect 2 experience.
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I enjoyed the game, but always felt that I wasn’t playing my Shepard. And when Mass Effect 3 began to loom on the horizon, I felt that I really wanted my original Shepard for the final chapter. But replaying both Mass Effect 1 and 2 just for that? That seemed like an order far too large for me to fill.
Then it hit me. I couldn’t be the only one who had lost his or her Shepard. Surely some kind individual had, in the past, uploaded their own ME1 Shepard to help someone like me. Sure, it wouldn’t be my Shepard—it wouldn’t have her name or face—but the most important aspect of the character—her choices—would be preserved. That is when I came upon the aptly named MassEffectSaves.com. In no time at all, I found a save that was exactly like my original playthrough. And then I noticed the link to MassEffect2Faces.com at the top of the page.
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My original Shepard’s face was truly gone. I had no screenshots or other pictures of her. And when I tried to remake her from memory, the results were… “lacking” to say the least. So instead I trawled through MassEffect2Faces.com to pick a face I wanted. Maybe it was the fact that the hair was awesome or maybe it was the fact that this Shepard actually had the same name as my original Shepard (“Jennifer” after FemShep voice actress Jennifer Hale); but regardless, it was the one I chose.
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Those of you who have messed around with the character creator at length might notice that this short spiky hair is not one of the choose-able options in the game—in fact it is an NPC only hairstyle in Mass Effect 2. Getting this hair style was my first introduction to hacking Mass Effect with the Gibbed Save Editor.
After following a simple tutorial, I had changed her hair. And because I liked the idea of my Shepard looking not quite 100% normal after the Lazarus Project, I gave her a pair of glowing white eyes to go with the trauma of being brought back from the dead. I was quite happy with the result; and after using Gibbed to rename my Shepard and change the backstory from that of the downloaded save, I began my second playthrough of ME2. Needless to say, it was much better the second time around.
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Of course, this is hardly the tip of the modding iceberg when it comes to Mass Effect 2. Using Gibbed you can easily make the game think you are the opposite gender, opening up same-sex relationships the game never intended (though the romantic scenes will be unvoiced as the related lines were never recorded). There are also amazing HD fan-made skins you can put into the game and make it look absolutely amazing.
Mod Makes Mass Effect on PC Look Absolutely Incredible
Mods can make Skyrim look better. They can make Grand Theft Auto look better. They can make, well,…
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Xbar and r software. Now, if you’ll excuse me, all this Mass Effect nostalgia has made me decide it’s time to start my Mass Effect 3 modding experience—with the latest release of the Mass Effect 3 Happy Ending Mod.
With the release of the final piece of DLC, the Mass Effect trilogy has finally concluded. And so we've decided to spend a week taking a look back: It's Mass Effect Week at Kotaku. All week long, we'll be revisiting the last five and a half years of galaxy-saving heroism, cross-species romance, and awkward dancing with new articles and some classics from years past. You can follow along here.
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Cheat CodesNote: This procedure involves editing a game file; create a backup copy of the file before proceeding. Use a text editor to edit the 'Coalesced.ini' file in the 'Program FilesTeam JPNMass Effect 2BioGameConfigPCCooked' directory. Change the indicated lines in the file to the listed modified value to unlock the corresponding cheat function:
Result | Original Line | Modified Line |
Infinite ammo [Note] | bInfiniteAmmo=true | bInfiniteAmmo=false |
Infinite fuel | FuelEfficiency=1.5 | FuelEfficiency=0.0 |
Extra health | Health=1500 | Health=9500 |
Extra fuel | MaxFuel=1000 | MaxFuel=3000 |
Extra Medigel | MaxMedigel=1 | MaxMedigel=9 |
Extra Probes | MaxProbes=30 | MaxProbes=90 |
No reloads | AmmoPerShot=1 | AmmoPerShot=0 |
Note: There are multiple instances of this line in the file.
Prequel bonusesHave a saved game file from the original Mass Effect on your hard drive, and use that profile in Mass Effect 2 to get the following bonuses:
- 100,000 credits: Mass Effect character with the 'Rich' achievement
- 30,000 credits: Level 50 Mass Effect character
- 2,000 experience points: Level 50 Mass Effect character
- 5,000 of each resource: Level 50 Mass Effect character
- 50,000 credits: Level 60 Mass Effect character
- 4,000 experience points: Level 60 Mass Effect character
- 10,000 of each resource: Level 60 Mass Effect character
Use the following steps to get the bonus Dr. Pepper bonus items. Go to //www.drpepper.com/promotions/ea/signin/, and register for an account. Note: You can register three different accounts to redeem three different codes and get each bonus item. After creating an account, enter one of the following redemption codes, and select the 'No Purchase' option:
Mass Effect 2 Mods Pc
- CBEEAAA41NWH
- CBEEAAAE4L9N
- CBEEAAAFQG9J
- CBEEAAAE98ZV
Select the 'Redeem' button to get a login for an EA account. Log in with your EA account information that is linked to Mass Effect 2. Select Mass Effect 2 from the game list, and choose the desired bonus item. Repeat the steps with a new drpepper.com account to get the other bonus items.
Completion bonusesSuccessfully complete the game. Then, start a new game with the cleared saved game file to start with the following bonuses: choose Loyalty Bonus Skill at the start; retain Skill Points from first playthrough; retain level and experience points from first playthrough; +25% experience bonus for all characters; 200,000 credits, 50,000 of each resource; Renegade and Paragon points reset to neutral; and your weapons and armor (but no upgrades) from first playthrough.
Loyalty mission bonusesSuccessfully complete the indicated party member's Loyalty mission or task to unlock the corresponding skill for Shepard, alternate colors for their costumes, and increase the chance for surviving the suicide mission. Note: Successfully complete the Advanced Training research upgrade for your ship to be able to select the skills.
- Armor Piercing Ammo: Archangel's Loyalty mission
- Biotic Barrier: Jacob's Loyalty mission
- Dominate: Kill Samara during her Loyalty mission, and have Morinth replace her.
- Flashbang Grenade: Kasumi's Loyalty mission
- Fortification: Grunt's Loyalty mission.
- Geth Shield Boost: Legion's Loyalty mission
- Inferno Grenade: Zaeed's Loyalty mission
- Neural Shock: Mordin Solus's Loyalty mission
- Reave: Samara's Loyalty mission
- Shield Drain: Tali's Loyalty mission
- Shredder Ammo: Thane's Loyalty mission
- Slam: Miranda's Loyalty mission
- Stasis: Successfully complete 'The Lair Of The Shadow Broker' DLC.
- Warp Ammo: Jack's Loyalty mission
Throughout the game you will unlock training to redistribute your skill points. Talent Mastery adds a certain percentage to your Paragon/Renegade. Respec and distribute them into your Mastery repeatedly until your Paragon and Renegade are full.
Easy materialsTo find some easy mining planets, go to the Micah system in the Vallhallan Threshold, and look for the three planets hidden in the asteroids. They are all 'Rich' planets with a lot of materials on them to help with your upgrades. -From: Psychotic Elf
Easy skill pointsRecruit Morinth to get the Dominate skill, and get a large amount of Element Zero. Buy the Advanced Training upgrade, and select Dominate. This will result in a bonus skill point, which is then used by the Retrain Powers upgrade. Repeat this process to get another skill point.
Easy Geth Pulse RifleChange the difficulty to Hardcore before you land on the planet. Successfully complete Tali'Zora's recruitment mission to find the Geth Pulse Rifle in the room where you find Tali. You can then change the difficulty back to its original setting.
Cryo BombThis trick requires any Biotic that lifts your enemy off the ground and the Cryo Bomb tech. Use the Biotic to lift the enemy off the ground, then hit him or her with the Cryo Bomb while they are still under the Biotic's effect. This will cause him or her to be stuck in a permanent falling state, where they are not capable of causing any damage. This is very helpful when trying to prevent the deployment of Harbinger, as once he enters the glitched body he cannot move. Thus, you can kill him at the end of a fight to prevent him from jumping into another body.
Rapid fire M-920 CainShoot the M-920 Cain, and keep [Fire] held while pressing [Reload] after each shot. The shots will keep firing during the previous shots' explosions.
Getting Dominate ability and keeping Samara aliveDominate is a very useful Biotic ability that allows you to control organic enemies and turn them into allies, similar to the Hack ability that controls synthetics. In order to get this ability as a Loyalty mission bonus to use for your character, you must help Morinth kill Samara during Samara's Loyalty mission. However, it is possible to keep Samara on your team but still get Morinth's Dominate ability by using the following trick. Play Samara's Loyalty mission up to the point where Samara confronts Morinth. Save the game immediately before the confrontation. When you must choose who to eliminate, choose the option that allows Morinth get the upper-hand on Samara and kill her. Create a separate saved game file. Go to the ship, and talk to Morinth. Load the previous saved game, then have Samara kill Morinth. You will now get to keep Samara as a squad mate and have Morinth's Dominate ability when you choose a bonus Loyalty power to add to your character in the prototype upgrade screen.
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Romancing Yeoman Kelly ChambersTalk with Yeoman Kelly Chambers often, and choose the kind responses. Invite her to dinner when you get the option. Do not let Kelly die during the final mission, and select a loyal escort for the crew in the final scene. After completing the game, talk to Kelly. You will get an e-mail from her. Go to your quarters, and invite her up using your console to get the romance scene.
Ending with both Jack's and Miranda's loyaltiesDo not play Miranda's loyalty mission at first. Instead, wait for Jack's mission to become available, and play it first. After the mission when they are fighting, support Jack. Miranda's loyalty will be low. Then, play her loyalty mission to get it back.
Anomaly locationsScan the indicated planets to find anomalies (side quests):
Nebula | Cluster | Planet |
Caleston Rift | Solveig | Sinmara |
Caleston Rift | Talava | Taitus |
Crescent Nebula | Lusarn | Tarith |
Crescent Nebula | Zelene | Helyme |
Eagle Nebula | Amun | Neith |
Eagle Nebula | Strabo | Jarrahe Station |
Hades Nexus | Sheol | Gei Hin |
HourGlass Nebula | Faryar | Daratar |
HourGlass Nebula | Ploitari | Zanethu |
Minos Wasteland | Fortis | Aequitas |
Omega Nebula | Ariniarkan | MSV Strontium Mule |
Omega Nebula | Fathar | Lorek |
Pylos Nebula | Dirada | Canalus |
Pylos Nebula | Nariph | MSV Broken Arrow |
Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Joab |
The Shrike Nebula | Xe Cha | Zada Ban |
Sigurd's Cradle | Decoris | Sanctum |
Sigurd's Cradle | Skepsis | Franklin |
Titan Nebula | Haskins | Capek |
Search the indicated planets to find Element Zero:
Nebula | Cluster | Planet and amount |
Calestone Rift | Balor | Caleston (moderate) |
Crescent Nebula | Lusam | Tarith (rich) |
Crescent Nebula | Zelene | Helyme (moderate) |
Eagle Nebula | Amun | Anthur (rich) |
Eagle Nebula | Amun | Sekhmet (moderate) |
Eagle Nebula | Relic | Preying Mouth (rich) |
Far Rim | Dholen | Gotha (moderate) |
Hades Nexus | Hekate | Asteria (poor) |
Hades Nexus | Hekate | Bothros (poor) |
Hades Nexus | Pamyat | Dobrovolski (moderate) |
Hades Nexus | Sheol | Gel Hinnom (moderate) |
Hawking Eta | Schwarzschild | Etamis (rich) |
Hourglass Nebula | Faryar | Daratar (rich) |
Hourglass Nebula | Osun | Erinle (rich) |
Hourglass Nebula | Ploitari | Thegan (moderate) |
Krogan DMZ | Nith | Mantun (moderate) |
Minos Wasteland | Caestus | Invictus (moderate) |
Nubian Expanse | Kalabasha | Yamm (moderate) |
Nubian Expanse | Batalla | Nearog (moderate) |
Nubian Expanse | Batalla | Thunawanuro (rich) |
Pylos Nebula | Dirada | Siano (moderate) |
Pylos Nebula | Satent | Boro (rich) |
Pylos Nebula | Raisaris (rich) | |
Rosetta Nebula | Alpha Draconis | 2175 Aeia (moderate) |
Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Joab (rich) |
Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Laban (moderate) |
Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Mizraim (rich) |
Shadow Sea | Iera | Prospect (poor) |
Sigurd's Cradle | Decoris | Sanctum (moderate) |
Sigurd's Cradle | Skepsis | Watson (rich) |
The Phoenix Massing | Salahiel | Ekuna (moderate) |
The Shrike Abyssal | Urla Rast | Talis Fia (moderate) |
The Shrike Abyssal | Xe Cha | Tosal Nym (rich) |
The Shrike Abyssal | Xe Cha | Zada Ban (rich) |
Titan Nebula | Haskins | Capek (moderate) |
Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Farlas (moderate) |
Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Israfel (moderate) |
Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Kakabel (moderate) |
Valhallan Threshold | Paz | Garvug (rich) |
The following armor pieces will become available for purchase after certain points in the game:
Helmets
- N7 Helmet: +5% health
- N7 Breather Helmet: +5% health
- Kuwashii Visor: +10% headshot damage; at Omega
- Death Mask: +10% negotiation bonus; at Tuchanka
- Umbra Visor: +5% power damage; requires linking Dr. Pepper bonus code to EA account
- Recon Hood: +5% weapon damage; requires linking Dr. Pepper bonus code to EA account
- Sentry Interface: +5% shield strength; requires linking Dr. Pepper bonus code to EA account
Shoulders
- N7 Shoulder Guards: +3% weapon damage
- Amplifier Plates : +5% power damage; at Illium
- Strength Boost Pads: +25% melee damage; at Omega
- Asymmetric Defense Layer: +5% health; at Tuchanka
Chest
- N7 Chestplate: +5% power damage
- Capacitor Chestplate : -10% shields regeneration delay; at Citadel, Illium, or Omega
- Aegis Vest: +5% health; at Citadel
- Shield Harness : +5% shields; at Tuchanka
Arms
- N7 Gauntlets: +3% health
- Heavy Damping Gauntlets: +5% shields ; at Tuchanka
- Off-Hand Ammo Pack: +10% spare ammo capacity; at Citadel
- Stabilization Gauntlets: +5% weapon damage; at Omega
Legs
- N7 Greaves: +3% shield strength
- Stimulator Conduits: +10% storm speed; at Omega
- Life Support Webbing: +10% health; at Citadel
- Ordinance Packs: +10% spare heavy weapon ammo; at Omega
Armor Sets
- Blood Dragon Armor : +15% power damage, +10% shield strength; requires Dragon Age: Origins
- Terminus Assault Armor: +10% storm speed, +15% shields, +1 weapons reserve ammo; requires pre-order bonus code
- Inferno Armor: +10% negotiation bonus, +10% power damage, +10% storm speed by 10%; requires pre-order bonus code
- Collector Armor: +10% regeneration, +10% storm speed, +20% health; requires Collector's Edition
Go up to Legion in his quarters. Highlight him, but do not talk to him, and eventually he will do the 'Robot' dance.
Bizarre dialog with Legion- 1. Take Legion to the Citadel. Talk to Anderson and the customs officer.
- 2. Take Legion to the migrate fleet on Tali's Loyalty mission. Security will force you to remove him unless you can persuade them otherwise.
- 3. Take Legoin to recruit Tali. She will try to shoot him.
Amusing surveying responses
Go to the Local Cluster, and survey Uranus. Instead of the usual 'Probe Launched' response, the voice will instead make Uranus jokes such as 'Probing Uranus' or 'Really Commander?'
Humorous dialogueWander around the ship in-between missions to hear some funny quotes. Stand next to Jeff 'Joker' Moreau (the pilot) without interacting with him. You will hear him say things such as the following:
- 'Why is it always claws and guns? Can't we piss off a fuzzy planet? Still dangerous, I know. But hey, bunnies.'
- 'Two years and everything hits the crapper. That'll teach you to die on me.'
- 'You know what I hate about deep space? Crap radio stations from two centuries back. My gosh, we were idiots.'
Stand near the two engineers near the Mass Effect Core to hear the following:
- Engineer Daniels: 'Did you know we're sharing our deck with a krogan?'
- Engineer Donnelly: 'Well that's just peachy.'
Space Hamster is available on Illium. Once you go into your cabin and select him, he will come out and do the same 'Squeek' that Boo did, who was Minsc's 'Intergalactic Space Hamster' from Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2.
Legion's gaming history ('The Lair Of The Shadow Broker' DLC)At the end of the game in 'The Lair Of The Shadow Broker' bonus downloadable content, examine the terminal that has all your teammates' dossiers. Read Legion's dossier to find out that he is a gamer. It will list the games he has downloaded, his leaderboard scores, and other information about his gaming past.