Mass Effect 2 Cut Content

A variety of content made for Mass Effect 2 was not implemented in the game's final version, or is inaccessible for any reason.

In comparison to Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3, known cut content for this game is not as expansive. A large part of it covers inaccessible reactions from squadmates during missions taking place before they can be recruited, due to a late-development change in the availability of recruitment missions. Some amount of information however was found in relation to Kasumi and Zaeed's recruitment and loyalty missions' earlier development stages, as well as for some of the game's downloadable content.

Note: this page only contains brief summaries of a page's related cut content. Click on the link to each individual page to access its more detailed Cut Content section.

Main Plotline Missions

• Prologue: Awakening – Wilson has alternate voicelines in his death scene.
• Freedom's Progress – the Illusive Man's debriefing contains several unused alternate voicelines.
• Horizon – Tali has available reactions throughout the mission, even though she cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game.
• Collector Ship – Legion has available reactions throughout the mission, even though he cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game. There are also a few alternate voicelines during the Illusive Man's debriefing.
• Reaper IFF – the option to leave Legion on the Reaper was cut.
• Collector Base: The Long Walk – Mordin could volunteer as a biotic specialist.
• Collector Base: The Final Battle – EDI has several unused voicelines for the entire suicide mission.

Recruitment Missions

• Dossier: Archangel – unused squadmate reactions exist for squadmates who cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game.
• Dossier: The Assassin – a few squadmate reactions and a Renegade interrupt during Thane's prayer were removed.
• Dossier: The Convict – unused squadmate reactions exist for squadmates who cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game.
• Dossier: The Justicar – squadmates have unused voicelines, including asking Shepard to take a biotic squadmate along in order to take advantage of Minagen X3's effects.
• Dossier: The Master Thief – data indicates Kasumi Goto would have been recruited on Illium instead of the Citadel, in a mission where Shepard would battle a pursuing gunship on the rooftops.
• Dossier: The Professor – unused squadmate reactions exist for squadmates who cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game.
• Dossier: The Veteran – at one point, Zaeed Massani was planned to have an actual recruitment mission which would have taken place on Korlus and involved dealing with organized crime, and even had a Mako driving section.
• Dossier: The Warlord – unused squadmate reactions exist for squadmates who cannot be recruited yet at this point in the game. An option to execute the wounded merc at the start was also removed.

Loyalty Missions

• Grunt: Rite of Passage – in the aftermath, Grunt could have disapproved of Shepard making the decision not to join Uvenk's clan on his behalf.
• Kasumi: Stealing Memory – data references an alternative version of Kasumi Goto's loyalty mission called "Kasumi: Memento or Mori", in which she and Shepard would try to foil a corporate plot. Additionally, the mission with Hock had different dialogues.
• Tali: Treason – unused journal entries point to additional objectives in this mission.
• Zaeed: The Price of Revenge – an alternative version of this mission called "Zaeed: Headliner" required to have another bounty hunter neutralized, faking Zaeed's death in the process. There are also a number of cut voicelines for the mission on Zorya.

Minor Assignments

• Citadel: Crime in Progress – it was possible at one point to talk to the salarian game salesman for this quest.
• Citadel: Mysterious Stranger – cut assignment about a romantic relationship between an asari dancer and a Terra Firma activist.
• Illium: Blue Rose of Illium – Ereba has a few unused ambient lines.
• Illium: Conrad Verner – Conrad has different lines which were supposed to play if he was charmed in the first game.
• Illium: Drunk Asari – cut assignment about preventing an Eclipse mercenary from recruiting a drunk asari.
• Omega: The Patriarch – Patriarch's assassins have a few unused voicelines.

Downloadable Content

• Normandy Crash Site – instead of static shots, the development script appears to reference flashbacks in the form of video montages.
• Project Firewalker: Prothean Site – unused log fragments would have clearly established that Dr. Cayce is Manuel from the first game.
• Overlord – a new type of fish could be acquired here, the camel fish.
• Overlord: Prometheus Station – a few Cerberus worker logs were left unused.
• Lair of the Shadow Broker – there are several cut voicelines throughout the mission and its aftermath.
• Arrival – several voicelines were cut throughout the mission. It was also possible to free other prisoners on Aratoht.

Miscellaneous

• The M35 Mako was planned to be in the game early in development.
• A confrontation between Mordin and Grunt could occur after their loyalty missions were completed, similar to the ones between Miranda and Jack or between Tali and Legion.
• In Shepard's first visit to the Citadel, it was possible at one point to go to talk to David Anderson before going down to the Wards, which would have resulted in different interactions with Haron.
• A pet robot named "Sparky" is mentioned as a purchasable item in unused text strings. In Mass Effect 3, a similar robot appears as KEI-9.
• Evidence points to a M-44 Hammerhead training simulation having been planned.
• The Presidium Groundskeeper had many ambient lines which cannot be heard in the final game.
• On the Normandy, some of EDI's room descriptions to Shepard would have been fully cinematic.
• Preitor Gavorn on Omega has a cut greeting dialogue with Shepard.
• Three Codex entries were cut: Thermal Clips, M-100 Grenade Launcher, and Enforcement Gauntlets.
• Several emails from the Illusive Man and Kirrahe were made inaccessible.
• A large part of the Shadow Broker's dossier for Samara was left unused, and a few videos in the archive were also cut.
• Several star clusters were cut, including the Perseus Veil and Annos Basin (as Annos Sanctuary).
• An accomplishment related to biotics was unused.
• Evidence for different upgrades for squadmates was uncovered.
• Another harvestible resource called "Turbonium" was planned at one point.
• Many news bulletins were left unheard in the final game, though several were restored in the Legendary Edition.

See Also

• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Miscellaneous Texts
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Miscellaneous Voicelines
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Normandy and Cerberus Voicelines
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Omega Voicelines
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Citadel Voicelines
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Illium Voicelines
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Kasumi: Stealing Memory
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Zaeed: The Price of Revenge
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Overlord
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Lair of the Shadow Broker
• Mass Effect 2 Cut Content/Arrival