Mass Effect 3 Mod Adds Chess Board to Earth Battle

EA closed BioWare in October and cancelled Mass Effect Universe. This N7 Day, the modding community released a major update to one of the trilogy’s most divisive missions. Reported by GamesRadar, Rock Paper Shotgun and IGN.

The modding team behind Take Earth Back has released version 2.0 of the project. The core premise remains the same: fixing the Priority: Earth mission by letting players deploy the specific war assets they gathered over three games.

The biggest addition is a new war asset selection system. Before the battle begins, players assign their allies onto a holographic chess board, and their choices affect the battlefield visuals and enemy encounters.

The mod also includes new cutscenes and interactive conversations that react to the player's deployment strategy. Foot soldiers change appearance based on the chosen loadout, and the Hades gun sequence has received minor overhauls.

The release comes as former BioWare staff react to the closure. Original director Casey Hudson took to Twitter to express optimism that the series would return. Composer Sam Hulick shared a re-scored version of the leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer, describing it as his way of saying goodbye.

A Save Mass Effect petition calls on EA to license the IP or fund new titles.

The mod is available now on NexusMods for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. It is free and optional.