Omega and Citadel should be played; Leviathan can be ignored. It isn't bad, it just didn't feel necessary.

Omega is excellent, but Citadel was phenomenal: it seemed like a direct response to how people felt dissatisfied with the ending. The character to character conclusions in the game's finale are pretty weak, but if you play Citadel right before the point of no return at the end of the game (Directly prior to assaulting Cerberus's HQ), it provides all the closure you're going to need with that cast of characters, while also providing a fun, campy action movie arc. That DLC specifically is probably my favorite thing ever made by Bioware; you need to play it.

EDIT: Oh, yes and you need From Ashes. That Javik wasn't included as a main cast member is fucking criminal.

So, this depends on a few things:

1. If you want to see the full context of why people were so . . . passionate . . . about how the original thing ended, then you should play it with the original ending and no DLCs. I'm not sure people who only played it after the Extended Cut plus DLCs will ever really be able to understand why people were so pissed off.

2. If you want the "best" possible experience, then you should play it with the Extended Cut and all the DLCs. This will probably be followed closely by you asking "Why the fuck didn't they just do this to being with!?"

3. The other option we will call the "Dark Tower" option after the Stephen King series. Consider the series to have ended with 2, assume that Shepard destroyed the Reapers and saved the galaxy. Do NOT venture through any part of 3.

Honestly, I have always had the (unpopular) opinion that even setting the ending aside, ME3 is an inferior game to the rest of the original series and probably isn't worth the baggage that comes with it, so I'd just leave it.

(The comments may now feel free to set me on fire).

This is a really good answer (apart from that incendiary take on Mass Effect 3 as a whole--haha).

It probably doesn't matter for your specific experience, @liquiddragon, since we're years out from Mass Effect 3 at this point, but it also had a really, really, really great multiplayer Horde Mode that, in my opinion, more than justified the game's existence--and that's counting the nonsense surrounding the game's narrative/reaction to the ending.

Mass Effect 3 is this wild hybrid experience that tries to marry some of the systems that worked really well in Mass Effect 2 with some of the most requested features missing after the original. It's also sometimes the most clearly unpolished and hurried of the series. I think it's absolutely worth experiencing from a historian's standpoint alone, but if you're looking for some idealized realization of Mass Effect 3, I'd take @therealturk's advice.

The Extended Cut is free (or was free....that has to still be free, right?). It does make the ending better, but it doesn't fix the issue. Instead of somebody tripping and falling flat on its face versus somebody tripping and doing that thing where they are still half walking, half balancing themselves in order to regain control, but they still fall down after a while.

Citadel seems to be the best DLC of the bunch. I only played Leviathan, which was alright, but I wanted more from that story. The other DLCs I haven't play (because I lost interest in Mass Effect 3 to the point where I didn't want to play it anymore) From Ashes itself is pretty small story wise, however, Javik makes the game significantly better. If I remember correctly, there are only 6 characters in ME3, and only 1 of which is new. The cast feels small and less interesting compared to, say, ME2. However, Javik adds a lot in terms of being an interesting crew member.

Mass Effect 3 is good, but it does not compare to ME2. The ending is bad, but there are other things they planted along the way, and the character arcs range from really well done to "Meh". After all of these years, I still think that ending is bad. However, it probably has taken on this mythic like quality to it. If you're mildly interested in it, I would say play it, ideally with The Extended Cut, From Ashes, and Citadel. If I were to rank them in terms of priority, I would say:

1. From Ashes: Javik adds a lot to the game
2. Citadel: From what I've heard and seen, it helps add a lot of closure to the trilogy
3. The Extended Cut: It makes a bad ending less bad (but still not good)

I never went back for the DLC or extended ending and had a great time with ME3, it's fine.

I had Javik since that was out at the time and it was nice but didn't feel Vital.

If you've never played it before, sure why not. But From Ashes, Leviathan and Citadel really add to the story. Javik who you get from the From Ashes DLC is a character you have to have in your crew throughout the whole game, his dialogue adds so much. Omega is nothing but a boring combat mission although it did have a minor stealth section that was alright.

If you can though, play it with the DLC but without the extended cut. The original ending was not the best thing ever but it wasn't as bad as everyone said it was at the time, it was fine if you like endings that don't wrap everything up or leaves it ambiguous. The extended cut is an insult tbh.

I think ME3 is worth playing if you care about the story of Mass Effect. As awful as I think parts of it are, there are some parts that are very good, and at some point you wanna get it in just to finish up the story. I think it's a hard mix of bad and good, though. The geth/quarian and Krogan/genophage storylines work out, but everything related to the actual main plot thread is pretty terrible.

I think Leviathan, while nothing special in terms of the missions you go on, provides some much-needed context and explanation for the ending of the game. Extended cut is essential for the same reason. If you take none of the updates they made to the ending, you get an ending that is confusing, unfulfilling and unsatisfying, where you don't get to win on your terms and get a happy ending, you don't know what's going on and you don't know what happens after your actions at the end. You also don't get a satisfying story, because the truth behind the whole invasion and the solution to it is some really dumb stuff. With all the add-ons, you at least now understand what was happening, and what happens afterwards. It's something.

From Ashes, aka Javik, is okay. He's not a very knowledgable man, essentially just some random military officer, but he's a dick to everyone and talks trash about Liara's prothean studies. It's alright. I don't think he's in any way essential.

The Citadel DLC is the best piece of content in all the Mass Effect games, provided that what you want is big, funny missions with all your favorite characters going on a silly adventure together and then having a big party. It's Mass Effect But Fun, with a lot of actually funny scenes. It reminds me more of Saints Row 3. Or Persona 4, for that matter. If you specifically love the characters and you want a big fun sendoff for everyone, this is that celebration. It looks good, it's funny, it's stellar stuff that Bioware hasn't matched before or since. But it is not a serious story that fits with the rest of the game, and it is in no way Good Hard Scifi Worldbuilding or whatever. You play it 'cause you want a big comedy thing. Personally I adored it. Even if I think the main story didn't turn out good, I could chill out with this likeable crew and have a good time on a goofy adventure.

I played it without the Omega DLC and didn't feel like I missed anything, but then I don't care for Aria at all.

I dunno. I played it without the DLC and without the multiplayer (no Xbox Live Gold) and without the "free DLC" (I played a borrowed copy and this game was subject to EA's 'project ten dollar'). And honestly, it stripped so much of the game that I was disappointed. You couldn't get the "best ending" if you started a new game (no save), didn't have the DLC and didn't play the multiplayer. You couldn't get enough "effective military strength" I have been told by others it is possible in this case if you play the iOS games.

Anyway, without the DLC and these other add ons part of the story seem missing. And to make it worse I was playing with the original ending. All this added up to disappointment for me. It was no ME2.

So given your indications, I wouldn't make it a high priority. But it is available pretty cheaply now, if you have no other games to play maybe you'd find it worth it.

Part of the problem is I just couldn't get over how dated the engine seemed by the time ME3 came out. When you are in that bar and you can see the upper floors (or down to the lower) and you have to go outside through a hallway to go between them (complete with loading screens) it just hammers home the limits of the tech they used to make the game.

@relkin: I thought Citadel was a post-game thing, didn't realize it was a pre-end game thing. I guess most ppl played it after they beat the game so maybe that's my confusion. Do you think it'd be alright to maybe watch it online? I know it'll be jarring with a different Shepard but, the DLC being placed so close to the end game, sounds like I might be able to get away with Youtubing it.

@therealturk: Honestly, understanding the context of that outrage is as appealing, if not more, than seeing through the narrative of the series so I'm really gravitating towards the 1st option.

I'd say still worth it with the Extended cut, but you must get Citadel at some point.

Citadel >>> From Ashes > Leviathan > Omega

Omega is very forgettable and very much overpriced. Unless you really, REALLY loved Omega from ME2 and want to return. It's a cool place and all, and the first female Turian was kinda neat to see but that's about it. Never liked Aria as much as others seemed to either.

@liquiddragon: I really wouldn't recommend it, but we all enjoy games in different ways. What I will I do echo what @redhotchilimist said up above: This is probably the best thing Bioware has ever made in the Mass Effect universe. The action movie half of this DLC is what I wished just about every mission in ME 2 and 3 were like, in terms of pacing, humor and character specific chatter/banter. The back half of this DLC (the party) provides a huge amount of good to great character moments between the members of the greater Mass Effect cast, and seeing as how you get to decide who comes to the party, and whether it's going to be an exciting event or a more laid back affair, there's a good degree of variety in how the night shapes up, and which ones of those character moments are shown. I personally let everyone come and kept up the energy throughout the whole night, and it was a blast, providing a much needed sense of closure with the team before I set off to finish the fight. It was a personal high of mine from that generation.

Leviathan and From Ashes are required in my opinion. Leviathan explains the origin of the Reapers and From Ashes has Javik expanding on Protheans.

Citidel is fun side stories/team building.

Omega is unnecessary unless you really want to go back to Omega to shoot up the place.

I think Javik is fun in that he's just a giant dick to everyone and its funny to see Liaras scholarly heart break into a million disappointed pieces but I'm not sure anything about him is necessary to the story. He's about as useful in explaining his entire civilization to random people from the future as I would be.

My enjoyment of ME3 didn't change much after I had played all the DLC, but if you can, you should buy it to get more out of the game because why not? After EA more or less said they weren't remastering them for current-gen, I went back and bought all of the DLC's that I didn't play, which cost around 50 dollars, and went through the trilogy again. It was cool to go through the DLC that I didn't play, but it didn't really enhance the experience. In ME2 I didn't buy Overlord or Arrival, and I was kind of surprised to not enjoy Overlord all that much. When it comes to the ending, just play the updated version. It really doesn't matter.

I didn't like the way they updated it as it felt half-baked and made it clearer that the indoctrination theory is less likely, but in the end, it's all about the journey, and the closure you get with characters which I thought was satisfying enough, and the update helped in that regard (the Citadel DLC is also a good part of the closure). I've played through the ME trilogy in their entirety (without and then the last time with all DLC) about five times, so I've put in about 500 hours into the trilogy; maybe more. Love those games. Andromeda was good to me too but failed at living up to the hype as it settled at largely being a very similar experience with a lot more filler.

I'm actually kinda baffled that there are more people who prefer not having From Ashes and Leviathan (at the time of posting this at least). I feel like those two DLCs in my mind makes it a better experience overall.

Citadel is actually a great send off DLC of sorts...well before we got Andromeda at least. :/

I pretty much second what @redhotchilimist, etc. has said about the DLCs. I do feel like From Ashes is great just for the character interactions you get from that party member.

Javik not being part of the base game is damn near criminal. He is a walking info dump about some pretty huge holes in the lore pre-Prothean extinction.

I think Javik and Laviathon are the two you absolutely need.

ME3 is still worth playing without the DLC, it's one of the best games ever made IMO. Omega was fun but not a big deal, Leviathan was cool, but it and From Ashes are mainly about exposition and dialogue, so watching their more important moments on Youtube is good enough. Citadel is a big one to miss out on, especially for those of us who played the whole trilogy and were invested in the characters.

I would say its completely playable without the DLC, but some of them add context and retroactively try to fix some of the issues people had with vanilla ME3. From Ashes and Leviathan are pretty important from a story standpoint.

From Ashes adds a lot of flavor to the Proteans, and his interactions with Liara are lots of fun. Leviathan is pretty important concerning the events of the end game, so far that Brad Shoemaker ranked ME3 as his personal GOTY in 2012, and his reasoning was that playing the game with the DLC made the ending a lot better than for others...

Citadel is the best DLC of the entire series. Period... But it is more a sendoff of the trilogy than a part of the ME3 story. Everything, from the tone to the interactions is a lot lighter than the core of the game. As such, I would advise you to play it after you complete the game, or backup a save before the final mission to play it then.

Omega is entirely unimportant in terms of lore, with a lot of combat but isolated. In fact, you traverse it with different characters that are not your squad members and they don't join your crew afterwards, so the only things you get from it is some galactic readiness.

Leviathan is a fun little detective story with some big revelations.

From Ashes contains an interesting character and fascinating backstory.

Omega has a very uninspiring performance by Carrie-Anne Moss as Aria T'Loak. It is also superfluous to the overarching narrative of Mass Effect 3. However it does contain some fun combat situations.

Citadel is self-referential comedy and fan service dialed up to max. It is truly hilarious if you're invested in the series, and provides a neat extra section of content to the Citadel. Probably the DLC I enjoyed playing the most.

Of all these, I'd say the top two provide quality payoff to your investment in the story. The bottom one is simply a fun romp; highly recommended for the ludicrous situations you'll encounter.

@liquiddragon: Here is the thing with Citadel: It takes a lot of your decisions into account. For example, if you had a regular couple during most of the trilogy, there will be considerably lengthy cutscenes with them. All the characters will have scenes and interactions with you. As such, it feels more personal and invested than other DLC, and it works pretty well as a sendoff to your adventure. On the other hand, because of what I told you, it is certain that if you play it, you will experience a fraction of the DLC.

In my case, I played it and then went to youtube to see the content I had missed. If you want to cut the middleman and go straight to youtube, you are free to do it, but I think it would be a pity...

I have to say that From Ashes added a lot to my time with Mass Effect 3 and now I cannot imagine playing without the character.

I voted Poll because, well...because I enjoyed my time playing the game. Mass Effect 3 actually has a pretty fun combat system, especially for the Vanguard class with its warping shoulder tackle ability, and in many ways the game was worth it just for that. It's horde mode was rightly lauded in certain circles and while I never got hooked on it the way some people did, I totally understand why that happened and its multiplayer became sort of a cult object of that generation. Mass Effect 3 is fun...

But the way it handles the story is utterly offensive without the DLC, from the perspective of someone who has only ever played it vanilla style. I did replay for the extended ending (partly because, wrapping back to my first comment, I find the final battle scenarios in the game fun) but was so put off by every scenario in the game that I really couldn't bring myself to give it a second try. One of the DLCs introduces a character to the game that, as Brad and others who played with that DLC tell it, actually helps tie together a lot of events in the main game that otherwise feel like pure fan service. I don't mean fan service in terms of "to make fans feel good", but more in the style of Metal Gear Solid IV, where the story feels like it is just constantly revisiting things so the game can say it did rather than make any enjoyable content. Mass Effect 3 constantly drudges up old memories just to remind you of what was great about the previous two games without providing any satisfaction or justification for returning to this or that event other than they promised they would. Mass Effect 3 becomes so preoccupied with resolving the series' original promise that it never takes the time to worry about whether or not it's doing so in satisfying fashion.

So, I really couldn't decide how to vote. It sounds like the DLC is necessary to extracting any kind of satisfaction from the game's story mode, and in many ways fundamentally altered the way people experienced that story thanks to the new characters and extended bits of lore that directly answered questions the main game either completely forgets about or leaves dangling in some mistaken attempt at ambiguity. But if we're talking about just playing the game, Mass Effect 3 is a really fun experience at almost every turn; all its worst moments are in the endings of its many, many threads, while many of the journeys towards those endings are full of promise and the best take on the series' combat.

If the choice is ignore the DLCs or avoid the entire game, I'd say just play without the DLCs. You already know the story is bad so you won't be disappointed. The actual game is still fun.

Citadel is good. Essential? Eh. If ME2 is Die Hard, Citadel is Rush Hour. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't have the same tone.

I think the DLC's are great and worth playing, but I also loved the original release (and even preferred the non-extended ending).

WHAT? Leviathan is the most important one. It re-contextualizes and deepens the lore behind the Reapers.

@liquidprince: If I remember right, they cover all that at the end of the game, don't they? When I got to the end and had the long discussion with the...character at the end, I remember that stuff coming up and thought it was weird that they made a DLC where you can learn a bunch of these end-of-the-game reveals early on(think I did Leviathan directly after the events of Tuchanka, so not too far in).

I mean, don't get me wrong; I enjoyed Leviathan. I just got the impression that the OP wanted to know what was necessary, and from what I remember, there's nothing in that DLC that isn't laid out in the main game at the end.

@relkin: I believe the argument you could make is that without the Leviathin DLC that ending seemingly comes out of nowhere. Leviathin at lease contextualizes it beforehand instead of blindsiding you minutes before the credits.

Personally, I say From Ashes adds a character that 100% is vital for the journey Shepherd is on. Gameplay-wise he’s not very different though. The Citade DLC at least sought out to fix the bad feeling that was the bungling of my favorite franchise. I would play them all.

I owned Omega and never played it. There’s a cool one-off character that adds some cool lore but Citadel was how I wanted to end my journey and to go back just felt disengenuous with the ending they crafted.

I don’t recall any of the DLC “fixing” anything.

Also, I still find the theory around the original ending fun (though HIGHLY improbable).