Dummied Out / Mass Effect

A lot of unused lines, game mechanics and plotlines were left out of the Mass Effect series.

Mass Effect 1

• In general, elements that appeared in later games could be found in unfinished/beta formats in earlier instalments. The Cerberus logo and squadmate portraits appeared in the image files for ME1 (despite never appearing anywhere until the sequel), and ME2 has a text description for a robot dog (called Sparky) that could be purchased and roam the Normandy - a concept that wasn't realized until ME3.
• Liara’s recruitment mission was originally on the planet Caleston and had a Hub area called “Throw Down Plaza” that forced Shepard to contend with another corrupt administrator and a salarian drug lord named “Smiley.” The hub area would later be reused in the Bring Down the Sky DLC while the Mako Sections and the dig site remained intact. The quest journal entries and large portions of the voice acting are still in the game albeit normally inaccessible.
• Four weapon manufacturers (Batarian State Arms, Cerberus Skunkworks, Hahne-Kedar Shadow Works and Jormangund Technology) were cut before the game's release, but all of their weapons and armor can be summoned through console commands in-game. The Spectre Master Gear manufacturer was originally intended to have a full line of weapons and armor at every tier but was cut down to only having Tier VII and Tier X guns.
• There is a piece of cut dialogue that states that both Ashley and Kaidan could be rescued during the Virmire mission, with both commenting on a "stunt" Shepard pulled to rescue both of them. The concept was removed from the game because Bioware thought it would make writing future plots more difficult, as no one would bother to save only one person instead of both.
• Most (but not all) of Shepard's lines were recorded by both Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale, and can appear in-game by using console commands to change the gender flag mid-game. According to the developers, this was due to all lines not being gender-flagged in the script, as well as a safety measure for whenever they were not sure if a line was meant to be gender-neutral or not. Notably, this allows the player to engage in same-gender romances with Ashley and Kaidan of sorts, which modders have utilized to create properly voiced and animated romances. Other notable voiced lines that came out of this include Broshep being harassed by Harkin, telling Liara he is only interested in men, as well as telling her they are "both women".
• One dangling line of dialogue suggests the game nearly included upgrades for the Mako. If you return to Noveria after completing the mission there and speak to Turian mechanic Lilihierax, he'll ask what brings you there, and you have the option to reply "Repairs." Shepard will say a line about fixing up the Mako, Lilihierax will reply as though he's about to open a merchant window, and then the conversation abruptly ends.
• There are a large assortment of unused animations, "poses" and sounds related to the SSV Normandy, which suggested that there was not only more functionality for the ship but that the Normandy could land on a planet and deploy the Mako from the hangar bay in real-time.

Mass Effect 2

• It was possible to go for any of the recruitment missions at any time after you received the Normandy SR2 (including Legion, who only shows up in the final game on the mission just before the endgame begins). This was changed when the game was split into two discs for the Xbox 360. If the later companions are added through mods or save editors they have unique content in the first half. The concept is partially restored in the ME2Recalibrated mod for the PC version, which allows the player to recruit Thane or Samara immediately after completing Freedom's Progress (the second mission of the game), as opposed to waiting to recruit them until after the Collector Cruiser mission.
• The decision to make all weapons solely clip-based came late in development, as an unlimited-ammo option (like the first game) was programmed in, and can be reactivated by modifying the game's Coalesced file. Early video previews showed more involved gun mechanics; guns had ejectable thermal clips as a "need More Dakka right this second" option. Specialized ammunition was shown to be a consumable resource instead of a passive ability and as such could be turned on or off at will.
• The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC has several cut dialogue sequences that assume a female Shepard romanced Jack, Miranda or Tali. These suggest that the FemShep romances were planned, but scrapped very late in production. The rumour is that for Tali it was scrapped due to her voice actress refusing to record the scenes on religious grounds, but again, this is just a rumour.
• Content removed from Samara's dossier suggests she was an accidental Ancient Astronaut in Elizabethan England who embraced eternity with William Shakespeare.
• Harbinger has unused taunts and a longer ending speech that would have played as Shepard and their team flee the Collector base, where he comments that many more Reapers will be coming soon. It is believed that Shepard's dialogue in the worst possible ending (where he/she falls from the Normandy) references this deleted footage.
• There are text logs for several e-mails never used in the game still on-disc, including one from Captain Kirrahe if he survived, the Illusive Man congratulating you on finding the IFF, and an unused mission regarding the retrieval of probes left on a planet.
• At one point, Mordin would have had the option to create a biotic field (for the "Long Walk" portion of the suicide mission). Several voice files were recorded with Mordin telling the team he could create a biotic field and his reactions during that section of the mission. It was also discovered that there was an option to upgrade any squadmate's abilities to become the Tech/Fire Team Leader/Biotic Specialist as they have success lines.
• In an earlier version, it was possible to complete Tali's loyalty mission without ever seeing the body of her father, Rael'Zorah, and have others comment on the fact that he couldn't be found.
• Deleted voice files indicate that there would have been a confrontation scene between Mordin and Grunt. This was removed to focus on confrontations between possible love interests (Tali, Miranda and Jack) and vital squadmates for the loyalty mission since it is very easy to be without them.
• The DLC characters (Kasumi and Zaeed) had changed personal missions in development (as evidenced by text files found on the disc). Kasumi's mission originally involved going after a company called Nava Corporation that was going to unleash a series of bio-viruses into the Alliance, while Zaeed's involved going after a fellow bounty hunter who's "gone corporate", then faking his death to evade other enemy bounty hunters.
• Due to an Event Flag bug in the previous title that leads both mutually exclusive Charm and Intimidate flags to be checked, and a failsafe feature in the import code, the Conrad Verner sidequest on Ilium would always be treated as if Shepard used the renegade dialogue options in the previous game, effectively making the paragon opening this. It even gets referenced in Mass Effect 3 when Conrad apologizes for saying you pointed a gun in his face if you didn't.
• A turian groundskeeper on the Citadel had several voiced lines that don't appear in the game.
• There was an unused armour set made for female Shepards, which didn't appear proper in the game itself. It was later restored for use in Mass Effect 3.
• An unused set of dialogue for Grunt's loyalty mission suggests an alternate event or outcome in which Grunt actually considered taking up Uvenk's offer near the end, and Shepard could order Grunt not to. Unfortunately, Grunt would have taken offence to that later on, telling Shepard that it was "going too far." A set of responses from both Shepard and Grunt exist concerning Paragon, Renegade, Charm and Intimidate options Shepard could use to placate Grunt.

Mass Effect 3

There are many files on-disc that contain deleted or removed material from the game:

• The opening mission (Prologue: Vancouver) was originally intended to be much different - some mods have restored material that exists on-disc and wasn't properly integrated.
  • The opening cinematic was originally longer and had more dialogue from Hackett and other Alliance personnel explaining what was happening, which was only seen in a leaked Xbox demo that came out several months before the game's launch. The longer cinematic was later restored through a mod.
  • The Wii U port of the game has an alternate version of the Prologue: Vancouver level still hidden in its files, which can be accessed by console modding and was discovered by enterprising modder Mgamerz. The level, which was showcased in early builds demoed at E3 2011, shows alternate gameplay elements that aren't seen in the final product, including alternate placement of the Reaper ground forces attacking in the background, an alternate (shorter) level layout, slightly-altered final rescue scene and alternate lines between Anderson and Shepard before the Normandy departs. Notably, the Project Variety mod restores the alternate Normandy rescue scene (where Shepard shoots down a Husk sneaking up behind Anderson as they run for the ship) as part of an optional module.
  • A different post-mission briefing was originally intended after Shepard leaves Earth at the beginning of the game. As they walk into the Normandy's cargo bay, EDI and Joker speak briefly to Shepard before James confronts them about staying on Earth and fighting. This alternate scene is integrated into the ME3Recalibrated mod.
• Priority: Rannoch had several pieces of content related to the final Reaper boss fight left unused on-disc, including a variation of the on-rails chase sequence that would have seen Shepard shoot large rocks that would fall and damage the Reaper, along with a stage in the final fight where Shepard would have had to hide behind cover to avoid the Reaper's beams. The former only has a handful of voice files from squadmates referencing what to do; the latter got far enough in development that it was very nearly implemented and was scrapped at the last minute, with everything barring some critical code still left in the files.
• Priority: Thessia had a large amount of content that was left either unused, bugged or unimplemented, including a unique combat track, various pieces of ambient music and SFX, bugged out/unused dialogue and missing enemies (such as additional Ravagers). Nearly all of the content was restored in Orikon's Immersive Thessia Mod, which restores the stage as close to the intended vision as possible.
• The Citadel DLC:
  • Additional datapads chronicling various "slice-of-life" encounters in Zakera Ward (found during the Citadel Wards: Ambush mission) were written but not used in the final product.
  • The clone Shepard originally had dialogue criticizing Wrex if he was picked to be one of the squadmates during the Citadel Archive raid. This is normally impossible to see in-game, as the scene will force-switch Wrex with one of the other eight squadmates instead. Modding the scene shows the original "insult" dialogue as was intended.
  • Samara was originally intended to have an unused gown she would sport during the post-mission hangout scene with Shepard. It only exists on disc as a model and was never used in the finished product.
  • The DLC had an unused power and intel asset. The power, Stimulant Pack (primarily used by Krogans like Urdnot Wrex), was intended to be awarded at the end of the mission and would increase the player's shield bonus/melee damage for a certain duration of time. It was later re-activated via mods. The second, "Khan's Network Exposed", gave the player one of four specific bonuses (including an increase of maximum grenades, which isn't done anywhere else in the base game or the DLC) and gives information on how Elijah Khan's contacts and resources are being used by the Alliance.
• The amount of unused content in the final mission (Priority: Earth) is massive and suggests that the ending was significantly scaled down from its original intention. The Priority Earth Overhaul Mod restores much of this content via dialogue and cutscene restorations:
  • The War Room planning segment had several unused lines from Anderson and Hackett discussing the operation in greater detail, while the "Fleets Arrive" cutscene had several unused lines that were intended to be spoken by a nameless fighter pilot participating in the battle. Additionally, an unused Paragon version of Joker's goodbye to Shepard was intended to be used in the final game, but due to an incorrectly formatted conditional string, it went unused for years, eventually being fixed in both a mod and the Legendary Edition release.
  • During the shuttle ride into London with the Hammer forces, the conversation with Joker was intended to be longer, with an additional Paragon or Renegade choice through dialogue.
  • Much of the London Hub was either bugged or never implemented, with a chunk of content missing in action, including additional dialogue with James, an unused introduction scene with Garrus briefing a Turian platoon, appearances from both the Quarians and Geth if peace was achieved (along with additional dialogue) and other restored ambient lines. Additionally, the files have a skeleton of a framework that was intended to be implemented just before the "No Man's Land" sequence, where the player would have to pick and choose which fleets would defend the Crucible before the last push.
  • Several characters have additional dialogue/scenes that were likely never completed, including Grunt (who has a rallying cry about Earth and Tuchanka), Jack (who tells her students she's proud of them before they go into battle), Jacob (who says "This is my planet, assholes!") and Zaeed (who yells, "Burn, you son of a bitch!" while facing a Reaper enemy.) In later versions of the mod, this dialogue is restored, as Zaeed, Jacob and Grunt (along with Kirrahe, whose voice actor recorded battle dialogue that was written for the original game but never recorded) were implemented as temporary squadmates during the "No Man's Land" / "Hold the Line" sequences, while (in the final version of the mod) Jack and her students will finally appear to give you biotic support if you'd made a specific decision during the Grissom Academy mission.
  • The original version of the Conduit Run saw Shepard's teammates getting injured by a blast from Harbinger during the rush towards the beam. Depending on the player's EMS, the squadmates would either hobble away from the battlefield or would be vaporized by Harbinger's beam. The concept was restored, albeit in a different fashion, in the Extended Cut DLC, while the actual scene was restored in later versions of the mod.
  • Additional Joker dialogue during the push towards the Conduit. Joker gets several lines, including "I'm late to the party, but the girls are coming home with me!" and "That was for Cortez!"
  • Shepard and Anderson were meant to have a longer conversation after using the beam to transport onto the Citadel, where they speculate on the Reapers' purpose for the corpses piled up in the corridors they've been transported to. Additional dialogue unused in the final encounter with the Illusive Man had Anderson ordering Shepard to shoot him because TIM's influence is too strong, TIM saying multiple variations on the line "That won't work", and clips of him roaring like a monster (presumably a remnant of an unused plan to feature him as the final boss of the game).
  • Accessing files within the Wii U port of the game allows enterprising explorers to find an unused version of a final boss arena within the Citadel, which presumably would have been where the indoctrinated Illusive Man would be fought. The port also has an unused map for a Reaper "facility" the Hammer forces would have assaulted to get to the Conduit, which is referenced in the early script leaks. The stage was cut so late that a line from Anderson (mentioning they need to assault "the facility") is still present in the final product, in one of the cutscenes just before the Conduit Run.
  • An extended version of Anderson's final speech with Shepard, where Anderson talks about possibly raising a family after the battle for Earth. The scene was supposedly removed by the development team for dragging too long, even though most people seem to agree that the scene would have worked much better with the additional dialogue. It was later restored through a standalone mod.
  • The original concept for the "Guardian's Garden", the area where Shepard would have spoken with the Catalyst. Unused textures and audio files on-disc show variations with ghostly trees populating the edges of the area◊, along with a set of sound files that appear to be ambient, akin to a forest. The Zen Catalyst Mod for the ME3 Legendary Edition restores this concept, along with an unused idea for the final conversation that would involve Reapers stopping what they were doing to "watch" Shepard make the final decision.
• There are a handful of unused War Assets that were never used properly in the game itself (including one labelled "General Shermann", which was intended to be awarded if the player completed a tie-in game on Facebook, and two War Assets that would have been awarded if the player finished the original version of the Omega plotline before it became DLC). Some of these War Assets (and the Collector Assault Rifle, a former multiplayer-only weapon that was configured for single-player but never properly included) were later added via the Expanded Galaxy Mod.
• Ken and Gabby were originally meant to be recruited not through a Spectre terminal, but in an actual conversation/dialogue scene in the Purgatory Bar. The scene got far enough long that the lines and animations were recorded for it, but the camera work was never finished. This was later reintegrated via a standalone mod, and later, the ME3Recalibrated mod.
• Likewise, Zaeed was originally intended to have a full conversation with Shepard at the Citadel Refugee Area, explaining the history of the Blue Suns, what he did in between games and his involvement in the war. It also never had its camera work completed but was restored through mods.
• At least one unique Shepard kill animation was left unimplemented in the files — a unique kill that allows Shepard to snap an enemy's neck if they're standing behind them. There is also an unimplemented animation where Shepard can pull an enemy into cover and stab them with their Omni-Blade.
• Tali and the Virmire Survivor have dialogue files for every N7 mission in the game, but most of this cannot be accessed in normal gameplay. However, there is also a subversion - it was originally thought that they had additional dialogue during the Tuchanka missions (which both are not present for), but this can be accessed by holding off on rescuing the downed turians until after the whole team is back together.
• Ashley has a lot of unused / bugged dialogue, including multiple lines related to her romance arc and love scene near the end of the game, which put her much closer to her ME1 characterization. A conversation between Ashley and Shepard onboard the Normandy also exists as text in the game files, where she asks if Shepard remembers what being dead was like and if there's an afterlife.
• Due to coding problems with the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC screwing up imports, several lines Liara says if you romanced her in Lair of the Shadow Broker never play, and can only be accessed through modding saves to fix these erroneous flags.
• Similar to the Mass Effect 2 example, there is cut audio in several instances during the Rannoch arc suggesting Tali was intended to be a romance option for Female Shepard at some point in development. This audio is fully accessible in-game with the use of a hacked save file. Likewise, there exists coding that suggests a female Shepard could have a romance with Miranda — a mod released for N7 Day 2020 restores the entirety of this dialogue and animation, utilizing unused audio and animation specifically recorded for the original game to finish the romance arc.
• A wide selection of additional heavy weapons that were removed from the game can be modded in for player use by editing the Coalesced.ini file. These include the Particle Beam (which appears to function like the Particle Rifle from the From Ashes DLC), the Avalanche (fires blasts of cold energy), the Grenade Launcher, the Hydra (fires cluster missiles) and the Arc Projector. It has been suggested that Bioware removed heavy weapons from the game because they broke the plot - but being used in one minor Hold the Line sequence on Earth means that game balance was the more likely answer, especially considering that multiplayer characters get access to Cobra rockets that make the Cain look like a firecracker launcher in terms of damage (though not explosion effects). In addition, several weapons and armours (including the PC-exclusive M-90 Indra sniper rifle, the Collector's Edition N7 weapons, two unused N7 armors and the Warfare/Reckoning/Battlefield armors) are all on-disc, but most had their access methods removed so they could function as pre-order bonuses, and were later distributed via the DLC missions.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

• Before patch 1.08, there were various unused dialogue files for a Scott/Jaal romance, suggesting that Jaal was intended to be a bisexual romance option at one point during development instead of only being available for a female Ryder. In response to criticism for lack of same-sex male romance content, this was ultimately restored in patch 1.08, allowing Jaal to become the love interest for male and female Ryder alike.