# Mass Effect 2 free on Origin **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 2, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178 "2017-03-02T04:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/1 "2017-03-02T04:49:30Z")
I do not know if it includes DLC and whatnot for free (it might) but whatever the case go get your free copy if you don’t have it. Why not? Free! (Unless of course you hate this genre or ME in particular). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/2 "2017-03-02T09:57:02Z")
I dunno why but my Origin version is light years better than my Steam version. If you want to play ME2 play the Origin version. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/3 "2017-03-02T10:59:53Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I dunno why but my Origin version is light years better than my Steam version. > > If you want to play ME2 play the Origin version. What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/4 "2017-03-02T12:36:33Z")
Considering I’ve already got it on PS3, does it really play better on PC? I agree that the original Mass Effect was a terrible slog on console because of the inventory management, but that ME2 and ME3 were pretty well “consolized”. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/5 "2017-03-02T12:40:57Z")
So does it have the DLC? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/6 "2017-03-02T14:20:00Z")
It should have the DLC. I had Mass Effect 1 & 2 on Steam but have migrated over to Origin and I got ME2 for free on Origin and it has everything. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/7 "2017-03-02T15:20:36Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Considering I’ve already got it on PS3, does it really play better on PC? I agree that the original Mass Effect was a terrible slog on console because of the inventory management, but that ME2 and ME3 were pretty well “consolized”. Well, are you planning on going back for another playthrough? It’s the same game with some improvements: 1. Resolution and performance. If you’ve got even an entry level gaming PC you can probably run the game at 1080p or higher @ 60 FPS vs the sub 720p/25-30 FPS of the consoles. 2. Load times are a fraction of what they are on the consoles. Laughably so. Some loadscreens even inside the Normandy could be as long as well over a minute on console, and literally 1 second on PC. Remember how many load screens are in the Normandy alone? Going back and forth to talk to all of your crew was a bit annoying on PC, it would be maddening on consoles. (install the mod that removes the load screens for near instantaneous loads on an SSD!) 3. Texture mods. The vanilla textures in this game are atrocious, even for the time. They were so low rez. There are texture overhauls that significantly improve these. Like, night and day improve these. You’ll get a bump on load times, but it will still be light years better than on console. 4. Sweet FX. Lots of options here, but the lighting in the game will be brought up to more modern standards here as well. 5. Other mods: Again, lots of options here, form unofficial patches that fix bugs, to mods that significantly improve combat or other aspects of gameplay. At the very least, the texture mods will go a long way to making the game feel more modern. It’s a third person shooter, so mouse and keyboard is going to be better than a gamepad, but you can also use a gamepad if you want with this: [Modder Adds Proper Gamepad Support To Mass Effect 2](https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/04/modder-adds-proper-gamepad-support-to-mass-effect-2/) Assuming you don’t have a Steam controller. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/8 "2017-03-02T18:14:05Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > What’s the difference? Seems my Steam version is now barebones. Zero DLC. Just the base game. Not even armor changes. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/9 "2017-03-02T18:36:19Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Seems my Steam version is now barebones. Zero DLC. Just the base game. Not even armor changes. Good to know. I play the series about once per year, and I’d hate if something was missing next time I played. Off to Origin. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/10 "2017-03-03T00:15:14Z")
I went ahead and added it to my Origin library. It includes some DLC. As I recall, these are the same DLC that you could get for free if you have the Steam version, although you had to download them separately from Bioware after jumping through some registration hoops. It does not include, most notably, the “Arrival” and “Lair of the Shadow Broker” DLC, which you still have to acquire via Bioware points. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/11 "2017-03-03T00:43:31Z")
Apparently i already owned it. I think I repurchased the entire trilogy since they were taking away games form Steam. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/12 "2017-03-03T01:53:15Z")
I picked up Mass Effect 2 on Origin when they were recently giving it away for free. I already owned it, but I figured if there was anything in the package that I didn’t already have, it would merge. Nope. I now have two different copies of Mass Effect 2 with different sets of add-ons. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/13 "2017-03-03T01:59:09Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > 1. Texture mods. The vanilla textures in this game are atrocious, even for the time. They were so low rez. There are texture overhauls that significantly improve these. Like, night and day improve these. You’ll get a bump on load times, but it will still be light years better than on console. Can you do mods on Origin? I dimly recall people getting banned from Origin if they modded the game (I may be misremembering). Usually mods from Nexus seem to work seamlessly with Steam but never tried it with Origin. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/14 "2017-03-03T04:50:20Z")
I added some mods to Mass Effect 1. Larger textures and other minor graphics improvements. Origin didn’t give me any shit about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/15 "2017-03-03T14:21:50Z")
Yeah same here. I added a lot of mods to my DA:I install on Origin without issue. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/16 "2017-03-11T13:38:11Z")
Am I doing something wrong or is the DLC (as in new missions) not free? Maybe I waited too long to take a look. I got ME2 last week for free, but just this morning tried to play it. The free DLC includes new armor, new visors, and so on, but not any new missions, as far as I can tell. Is this the case for everyone? RS ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/17 "2017-03-11T13:51:39Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Am I doing something wrong or is the DLC (as in new missions) not free? Maybe I waited too long to take a look. I got ME2 last week for free, but just this morning tried to play it. The free DLC includes new armor, new visors, and so on, but not any new missions, as far as I can tell. > > Is this the case for everyone? > > RS The missions are there you just have to play the game for a bit for them to become available in your journal. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/18 "2017-03-11T14:00:05Z")
I see the missions, but they require Origin Points, which I assume means money. Is there some other way to get Origin Points? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/19 "2017-03-11T15:21:02Z")
Sorry, I don’t know what to tell you. Between the 7 years since the game came out and buying it on Steam and getting it for free on Origin, I don’t remember what I actually paid for. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178/20 "2017-03-11T15:26:42Z")
Understood and no problem. I haven’t played it in a while either, and I never tried the DLC, so I thought I’d check it out (for free). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2-free-on-origin/781178.md?page=2)