BioWare released Mass Effect Legendary Edition earlier this May, remastering the original RPG trilogy with almost all of the franchise's DLC and a wide array of visual and gameplay improvements. In light of its release, one of Mass Effect 3's original developers revealed a difficult-to-encounter Easter egg that may have remained undiscovered by players for almost ten years.
Part of BioWare's strength in of RPG development is their tendency to hide gameplay mechanics naturally within the game's story. Ship upgrades in Mass Effect 2, for example, are required in order for players to keep everyone alive in the game's final mission - however, they can only be acquired by talking to Shepard's crewmates and inquiring about what ideas they might have to improve the Normandy. Many side quests in Mass Effect can only be found by listening in on news reports or seemingly unimportant NPCs scattered throughout the world. Additionally, the series has multiple small but fun surprises sprinkled throughout the galaxy.
Some of these Easter eggs are well-documented, such as ME1's shifty-looking space cow or EDI's dialogue when players probe Uranus in Mass Effect 2. Others are more difficult to come by. One of the first missions in Mass Effect 3 takes players to Mars, where they're tasked with entering the Prothean archives located there to uncover data to assist with the war against the Reapers. Before they enter the building, they have to travel across the surface of the planet on foot. One of the areas leading up to the archived entrance hosts a field of solar s, and it's there that one of the trilogy's most elusive Easter eggs - a surprise encounter with a Mars rover - is hidden.
Why The Mars Rover Is Mass Effect's Best-Hidden Secret
Richard Boisvert, a cinematic designer for the Mass Effect series, posted about the rover Easter egg in Mass Effect 3 shortly after the release of Legendary Edition. In order to find it, players have to weave through the solar array just past the shuttle in a particular pattern. While the pathway is fairly straightforward to follow, it's specific enough that it seems unlikely that many could have organically stumbled upon it, though through the use of out-of-bounds cameras it's possible that some players have found the rover itself. Once they leave the field of s, they should end up atop a small ledge overlooking another area of the map. From there, they can watch as the Mars rover drives from the side of the building over to look up at Shepard.
Although it's ultimately a brief encounter with no real gameplay effects or benefits, it's one of many secrets in the Mass Effect series that keeps players coming back to make new discoveries. The trilogy rewards players who go out of their way to find and complete as many objectives as possible, often in the form of war assets, experience, or combat upgrades. Other surprises, however, seemingly exist solely to make the galaxy fun to explore - something that likely played a large role in encouraging longtime players to return to the franchise once again with Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The fact that the rover seemingly went undiscovered for nearly a decade makes it the trilogy's best-hidden Easter egg.