‘Mass Effect 3’: BioWare Confirms Shepard’s Fate in ‘Destroy’ Ending [SPOILERS]
Fans of Mass Effect franchise may have rejoiced in the wake of ‘Extended Cut’ release for the trilogy’s beleaguered ending. Thanks to BioWare’s decision to extend the game’s ending for providing more clarity to the discerning gamers, several questions have been answered concerning the fate of Shepard’s crew, their allies, the various alien races and the invading Reapers. BioWare

Mass Effect fans can rejoice in news the anticipated DLC for Mass Effect 3 (ME3) finally has a release date. The package will be released on 26 June in North America and 4 July across the rest of the world, on all three platforms - PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. BioWare's official blog earlier stated the Extended Cut DLC would add details to fix the controversial ending "through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scene".

The developers have promised free download access to the DLC until 12 April, 2014, in a bid to pacify angry fans, whose complaints about the original ending centred on feeling their decisions throughout the trilogy had no impact on ME3's ending. Story links to respective endings were detailed in an earlier IBTimes UK article and it was dissatisfaction over these endings that prompted BioWare to release an extended version. The details in cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes are meant to justify players' decision with appropriate story endings. BioWare intends to present the new Extended Cut without changing or spoiling existing content.

Check out BioWare's official statement...

"[This ending] "provides more of the answers and closure that players have been asking for... gives a sense of what the future holds as a result of the decisions made throughout the series [and] shows greater detail in the successes or failures based on how players achieved their endings."

"Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans, and we are responding," said BioWare co-founder and general manager Dr Ray Muzyka, in his statement announcing the DLC in April, adding, "With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team's artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe."

The Extended Cut will be available as a single downloadable file of size 1.9GB. Players are expected to vary choices throughout the series to get different endings each time.

Spoilers: How to Load and Play Extended Cut

BioWare reveals how to load the ending sequence to play the Extended Cut:

"To experience the Extended Cut, load a save game from before the attack on the Cerberus Base and play through to the end of the game. The Extended Cut endings will differ depending on choices made throughout the Mass Effect series, so multiple playthroughs with a variety of different decisions will be required to experience the variety of possibilities offered by the new content."

Watch Extended Cut DLC Interview Podcast with Community Manager Jessica Merizan, Executive Producer Casey Hudson and Lead Writer Mac Walters: