Join the surge and ready the Galaxy for War.
Though I now take it for granted, I still remember how weird I thought it was that Mass Effect 3 was going to have a multiplayer mode. Even weirder, for me, was the fact that this multiplayer mode wasn’t actually sort of fun. Today, it’s looking even better as it gets it’s first injection of downloadable content in the form of the Resurgence Pack DLC. This collection of new weapons characters and maps shows that, not only are Bioware going to support the multiplayer, post-launch, but they love you as well. The Resurgence Pack is free.
Single Player
The Resurgence Pack DLC does not add any single player content to Mass Effect 3.
Multiplayer
Along with the two new maps that anchor the Resurgence Pack are a number of new characters and guns. These new characters, first and foremost, bring two new playable races to Mass Effect 3 multiplayer in the Batarians and the Geth. While you might be thinking that new race/class combinations aren’t a big deal, let me put that to rest right now. With the exception of the Batarian Soldier and the Geth Engineer, the new classes represent new class variants you haven’t been able to use yet. While the Asari Justicar falls under the Adept category, which already houses an Asari Adept, the Justicar will have new abilities available, like the Biotic Sphere, to go with her new look. The same is true for the Krogan Battlemaster, Geth Hunter and Batarian Sentinel.
Damn, that's a big Dam!
But you’re really here for the maps, aren’t you? That’s a good thing as these two maps don’t disappoint, not even a little. Firebase Hydra sits at the foot of a massive hydro-electric damn that is fully functional and just going about its business in the background. Most of the map sits out over the water and consists of wide walkways with plenty of crates for cover, but as you get in close to the damn you’ll be able to see the spray coming up from the sluice gates as the water rushes under the catwalk you’re standing on. The interior also features a control room you can hole up in and a tunnel that gives you a look into the center of the dam. Firebase Hydra is huge, varied and fun to play on.
The second map, Firebase Condor had me a little worried when I first heard about it. This map is situated on one of the moon of Palaven, the Turian homeworld, and looks much like the moon of Palaven you visit early on in the campaign. This had me thinking “oh great, another cut and paste from the campaign”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Sadly, you can't drive any of those. Oh well.
While the general theme of Firebase Condor is the same as the single player mission it draws inspiration from, you can tell right away that this map was designed new, from the ground up. The area is multi-tiered and is littered with mobile command trailers, vehicles you sadly can’t drive and paths through the hills you can use to escape the enemy. The background is dominated by the burning planet of Palaven on side and the smoking ruins of Turian bases on the other. It’s easy to see that a lot of work went into both of these maps.
Closing Comments
The Resurgence Pack adds what, I think, will be your two new favorite maps to Mass Effect 3′s multiplayer. Both of these maps are larger and more interesting than any of their predecessors and are worth the download alone. The addition of a few new character variants and guns is a nice touch too, especially when it’s all free. Go download this one before they change their minds.
