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The following information is drawn from cut content and is not to be considered canon in any way. |
A variety of content made for Mass Effect 2 was not implemented in the game's final version. This cut content is listed here, but because it was not in the final retail version of the game, it is not considered canon.
Codex Entries
Thermal Clips
Over the last two years, firearms have undergone a major enhancement to manage their waste heat. When the Systems Alliance analyzed detailed battle telemetry, they found that the geth were able to keep up a more sustained rate of fire, giving them a significant advantage over Alliance marines. So the Alliance retrofitted every weapon in service, making a full conversion to the thermal clip system. Thermal clips hold disposable universal heat sinks. Instead of waiting for an overheated weapon to cool down, combatants simply eject the spent heat sink and the clip feeds in a new one. This allows for a greater sustained rate of fire and more numerous impacts on targets down range. Armorers are hurriedly adapting to this increased lethality with new defensive technology like self-sustaining barrier amps, hardened shield generators, and mass field-integrated armor. But for the moment, the aggressor has the advantage, resulting in the clips' widespread adoption by the galaxy's arms manufacturers.
M-920 Cain
The M-920 Cain is a portable particle accelerator surrounding an array of dust-form element zero chambers. This weapon prototype subjects its eezo to extreme positive and negative currents to project mass effect fields. By increasing and decreasing mass, the fields shear the target's mass the way disruptor torpedoes do. The shearing fields collide ambient materials at such high speeds, they create mushroom clouds, an effect otherwise impossible on the small scale. The weapon induces neither fission nor fusion in non-nuclear targets, and its own nuclear reactions are shielded by lead alloys. The M-920 Cain uses graphite rods as neutron moderators, which require frequent replacement to sustain power. Fortunately, most heavy weapon ammunition can be re-fabricated via omni-tool into graphite rods.
M-100 Grenade Launcher
Elanus Risk Control Services once manufactured the M-100, a standalone, semiautomatic 25mm grenade launcher. Considered obsolete by modern grenade launcher standards, thugs across the galaxy built their own after its design specifications were leaked to the extranet. The M-100 firing system lack electronically-set fuses that most modern grenades possess, putting it at a disadvantage compared to "smart grenade" systems. M-100 proponents counter that the weapon has a fifty-year track record in reliably accepting kludge ammo, processed via omni-tool so that a soldier who depletes his rounds can still reload. Although modern kinetic barriers can block fragmentation damage, the heat and concussive force of a grenade blast can rip right through them, incapacitating most species instantly. The M-100 may be a dinosaur, but it can still kill with the best of them.
Drell
Two centuries ago, the hanar helped 375,000 members of the drell race migrate to the hanar homeworld Kahje, to escape the environmental extermination that had claimed the remaining 11 billion drell. Nearly all drell demonstrate tremendous loyalty to their famously reclusive saviors. The intimacy of their relationship, expressed in a formal socio-political alliance called the Compact, also results in extremely close personal relations, in which some drell actually learn hanar soul names. While most drell reside on Kahje, some assist hanar off-world as envoys, researchers, co-investors, wayfarers, assassins, or otherwise, eager to help their saviors. For a century, galactic wisdom has held that behind any high-ranking hanar hides a resourceful and fanatically-devoted drell. The omnivorous, reptilian drell possess an average lifespan of 85 Galactic Standard years. Having evolved on an arid planet, drell face serious illness on the hanar homeworld, especially Kepral's Syndrome, a fatal bacterial lung disease.
M-490 Blackstorm
The Blackstorm Gravitational Singularity Projector is the brainchild of weapon designer Eli Wegner, one of the few humans who earned the privilege of serving with asari commando units. Overawed with how the asari could create biotic singularities to pull opponents out from behind cover, he was determined to duplicate the feat technologically.
Wegner's team created a weapon that could elevate target particles of matter to near-infinite mass, creating a gravitational singularity and drawing nearby objects inward for a short time. The rapidly-increasing gravity rips the target apart as it pulls the enemy closer to the singularity's center. When the mass effect field destabilizes and suddenly returns to normal mass, the result is explosive, and inflicts additional trauma on the enemy.
The weapon almost didn't happen. Early designs were dangerously unstable: the science for creating a hyper-dense mass effect field was well established, but projecting it at an adjustable range proved elusive. It was only after six years of development that the weapon finally qualified for Systems Alliance AIHW (Advanced Individual Heavy Weapon) trials. By that time, the singularity projector was rugged, reliable, and easy to use and repair. It immediately went to field tests in a small-scale desert war on Earth where the weapon terrified opponents who had never seen its effects before. The swirling sand and dust sucking soldiers into its center served as the centerpiece of many propaganda videos. In the resulting media coverage, the Wegner Arms M-490 GSP became known by its simpler nickname, the "black hole gun." His dream finally a reality, Wegner personally altered its name to the more marketable "Blackstorm."
Arc Projector
"Laser-guided lightning" is how Cerberus operatives sum up this unusual weapon developed for use against synthetic enemies. It was created for field operatives who required an anti-geth weapon but found omni-tools too complex to master or too hard to fire in the throes of an adrenaline rush.
To make it as simple as possible to shoot, the arc projector has a single trigger that takes the weapon through three operations. Depressing the first stage of the trigger causes the weapon to irradiate a target with a neutron-driven gamma-ray laser, which projects a beam invisible to the naked eye. This beam ionizes a thin corridor of air and any medium it passes through, including most solid targets. When the second stage of the trigger is pulled, the projector generates a massive electrical impulse. This arcs down the ionized corridor, causing trauma to living targets through tissue burns and mechanical force (convulsions). Synthetic targets' circuits typically melt and fuse. By 22nd-century standards, the weapon's power needs are not large -- it kills less through absolute amperage and more through sustaining the current for more microseconds than, say, an actual bolt of lightning.
It is during the third stage of the trigger pull that the projector's autotargeting system works to its full capacity. While it is still being projected during the electrical attack, the laser is reflected by movable optical fibers in the weapon's business end to "paint" additional targets designated by the gun's targeting computer. Given a new path of least resistance and surrounded by targets of differing potential, the electrical jolt then arcs from its first target to hit additional enemies. The effect on massed mechs is predictably devastating, as are the psychological effects on living foes, who suddenly discover that neither shields nor cover can keep them safe.
Collectors: Oculi
An oculus is a mechanical servitor of the Collectors, apparently built with a single purpose -- to find and eliminate threats. Its outer structure has three apertures that house long-range detection equipment similar to those found on deep-space probes, used to find and track targets from near-stellar distances. Contragrav mass effect fields allow an oculus to move easily through space or atmosphere in pursuit of its prey, and a large central lens serves as the emission center for its weapons platform. All four of its lenses have a titanium iris covering that prevents the detector's optics from scratching due to interstellar dust or atmospheric residue.
Upon its destruction, more of the oculus' features become apparent. Its interior houses fibers of near-inorganic nerves, indicating that a Collector drone has been stripped down to its central nervous system, reinforced with interfacial gel that can withstand hard vacuum, and repurposed to pilot the oculus for the rest of its existence. The central weapon is a strange one, operating on alien principles. It appears to use mass effect fields and directed energy to attack the strong nuclear force that holds its targets' atoms together, producing heat and light in an air atmosphere and causing irradiating gamma particles to burst from any heavy metals targeted by the beam. Such a weapon could easily cut through shields, and leave its target dying with just a glancing hit.[1]
Communications: Quantum Entanglement Communicators (QEC)
When a pair of quantum-entangled particles is separated, a change to one particle will affect the other instantaneously, wherever it lies in the universe. QECs exploit this effect to transmit binary data any distance. Two pairs of entangled particles are necessary for transmission and reception.
While QEC technology is extremely expensive and difficult to produce, it offers two enormous advantages. First, it allows instantaneous communication over any distance without reliance on the network of comm buoys, which is limited due to the sheer volume of space. Further, destruction of buoys hampers a foe’s military intelligence; comm buoys are the first targets of raiders in wartime. Second, quantum communications cannot be intercepted between source and destination, allowing no "wiretaps."
Unfortunately, QECs cannot replace the galactic civil communications infrastructure. First, they have extremely limited bandwidth. A single entangled particle can only transmit a single qubit (quantum bit) of data at once. Second, the system’s exclusively point-to-point nature precludes peer-to-peer networking and data dissemination through the galactic extranet.
The most strategically appropriate military application of QECs is at the headquarters level. Each Alliance colony would maintain a QEC at its military headquarters and each fleet flagship in its CIC. All the pairs for these would be located at a central facility within Arcturus Station. During an attack, a facility would signal Arcturus to transmit its information to every other fleet and colony. However, destruction of the comm center at Arcturus would collapse the entire network.[1]
Computers: Synthetics
"Synthetic" is the politically correct term for an artificially intelligent computer. An artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of learning and independent decision making--capabilities beyond the simple virtual intelligence (VI) software used as computer operating systems.
An AI requires both quantum computing hardware (brain) and adaptive software (consciousness). When first brought online, an AI runs at a very low processing speed, with a handful of input sources, and the intellectual capability as a newborn human. AIs experience life at the speed their hardware runs, and can absorb information from millions of sources at once. If "switched on" at full capacity, they cope badly with the deluge of input. At best, such an AI is severely autistic; at worst, it is insane.
As operators teach AI to reason and filter incoming data, they increase the AI's processing speed. At a year's age, an AI can observe, consider, and react hundreds of times faster than its organic creators. Mature AIs may be frustrated by the comparative "slowness" of the organics they must interact with.
Galactic culture mistrusts synthetic life. While physically immobile, an AI can assert its will by taking control of networked computing systems. AI laboratories are physically isolated from the galactic extranet and placed in remote, uninhabited locales.
Some futurists believe the ascendancy of synthetics is inevitable. The theory of technological singularity asserts that as the rate of technological advancement increases, there will come a point at which AIs can modify themselves faster than organics can. Eventually, synthetic life will be able to self-evolve so rapidly, organics will lose the ability to comprehend the process.
Not all believe such an evolution to be negative. Transcendency cults believe organic minds will one day be uploaded and emulated as software data, providing synthetic immortality.
Eldfell-Ashland Energy
In 2137, the Ashland Energy Corporation successfully extracted helium-3 from Saturn's atmosphere, beginning a new era of fusion research. On the wave of this success, they merged with Eldfell Construction to vertically integrate the two companies' strengths. Ashland would recover the raw materials for energy production, and Eldfell would build power plants, refineries, and pipelines on nearby worlds to distribute Ashland's products to the consumer. Eldfell-Ashland Energy was born.
As EAE's reach extended, they absorbed companies to create a "cradle-to-grave corporate experience" for their employees. Today, subsidiaries such as Second Star Living recruit colonists to staff EAE facilities, and the education group Excelsior provides job-related education opportunities to provide EAE stations with a qualified incoming workforce. Water, power, food, shipping -- EAE provides them all. If EAE wants to put a colony on a garden world, they are able to do so and keep 90% of services performed completely in-house, creating consumers out of its own employees. Its primary revenue stream, however, continues to come from mining base elements like hydrogen, helium-3, and eezo and trading in their futures.
Enforcement Gauntlets
Common in the Terminus Systems, enforcement gauntlets are armored gloves powered by the wearer’s hardsuit. Each contains a small repulsive kinetic barrier generator which focuses its power by greatly reducing the barrier’s coverage area.
The mass effect barrier generated by an enforcement gauntlet can be used as a shield, much like on any armored hardsuit. It cannot provide full-body protection, but its stopping power is greatly magnified. It is more commonly used offensively. Raising the barrier while throwing a punch extends the user’s reach, as the barrier floats several inches away from the fist. The repulsive effect of the gauntlet’s barrier sends all but the most massive opponents flying back.
Defense design studios in the Batarian Hegemony created enforcement gauntlets for police forces. They have proven useful in peacefully dispersing crowds of terrorists, criminal trespassers, and counter-hegemonist subversives in areas where the use of firearms risks injury to hard-working loyal citizens nearby.
Gauntlets exported to the Terminus are optimized for purely offensive use and have become popular with organized crime enforcers, pirate boarding parties, slaver gangs, and gladiatorial combatants.[1]
Mercenaries
Found in all corners of the galaxy, the typical mercenary is a former military or police officer who completed his term of service and is marketing his skills for a much higher wage. But even at the best of times, there is little quality control or accountability in the system, and frauds and unprofessional thugs are a constant problem. To counteract this, the largest private military contractors offer their own training and certification courses, to the point where would-be mercenaries can join the company with no previous experience and come out with all the necessary skills.
Mercenaries work for a wide variety of employers. Governments top the list, overwhelmingly preferred by most companies for their deep pockets, long terms of employment, and appearance of legitimacy. However, mercenaries are also found working for rebellions, colonist collectives, corporations operating in war zones, or illegal but well-funded interests such as pirates and drug cartels.
It is for this reason that most nation-states or galactic governments frown on the use of mercenaries, at least by their opponents. The Citadel Conventions reflect this disapproval, stating that mercenaries captured in wartime are not legitimate prisoners of war, but criminals on the battlefield, and they may be executed without violating the laws of war. While some mercenary groups are lobbying to change the articles of the Conventions, most see the associated risk as a unique badge of courage.
E-Mails
From Captain Kirrahe
Originally, Shepard would have received this email after recruiting Mordin if Captain Kirrahe had survived Virmire:[2]
From the Illusive Man: Reaper IFF
This email would have been received if Shepard left Legion behind on the Derelict Reaper in the mission Reaper IFF:[1]
From the Illusive Man: Probe Retrieval
This email would have been received to trigger an assignment that was removed from the final game:[1]
Shadow Broker Dossiers: Samara
These three Shadow Broker Dossiers for Samara were removed from the final game.[2]
Asari Survey Ship Senshelis
Asari Survey Ship Senshelis
1570 CE
Captain's Log, Idyssia reporting. The Senshelis has finally set out. The damned hanar didn't want to let us leave without getting a firm destination. It's as though the concept of exploration can't make its way into their minds.
If I'm reading the Prothean map correctly, the cache it's highlighted is in a system between salarian and batarian territory. I've gotten as close as I can using mass relays. We'll have to use FTL now and burn off static charge as best we can. If there are no problems, we can make it in around 4 years. I've got supplies for 10 years, so even if we run into trouble, we should be okay.
The crew is nervous but eager, a bunch of maidens ready for adventure, or at least a good time. Had to discipline Samara for excessive rowdiness, though. She's young, maybe too young. She might make a better commando than an explorer, frankly. Here's hoping she gains some maturity. We'll all have several years to get to know one another.
Salvage and Rescue Report
Salvage and Rescue Report
Hanar Ship Sholha
1630 CE
Captain's Log, Orolt reporting. This vessel was fortunate to discover the asari ship Senshelis, and provided support and comfort to the survivors. The acting captain, Kimene, reported that they had been traveling using FTL for several years, which caused damage to their vessel and required them to land upon a world with a small pre-spaceflight civilization to effect repairs. After remaining stranded and suffering from attacks by the frightened natives, the surviving crew repaired the Senshelis and lifted off for FTL travel back to known space.
The asari were regrettably frustrated by their years of fruitless exploration, with a maiden named Samara remarking that Captain Idyssia was unwise to travel so far without sufficient equipment. Samara departed, noting her intent to join a mercenary outfit, while other crewmembers accepted hospitality before returning to asari space.
Report Summary
Report Summary
Barla Von, Citadel
I'm afraid we are unable to make any concrete assessment given the limited data at hand. It remains entirely possible that the justicar's ship made contact with Earth while looking for Prothean artifacts. Per your question, the storm that scattered the Spanish Armada was considered extremely powerful for that area, given our climate data, and could conceivably have been generated using fields from the Senshelis' drive core. It is clear that had the storm not scattered the Spanish Armada, the Spanish forces would have regrouped and likely seized power in England within two years.
It remains entirely possible that the justicar had some effect on Earth's political course, but unfortunately, I doubt we'll ever have proof.
Galactic News Stories
- "Biomedical firm Sirta Foundation is reporting a medical breakthrough against a new strain of inter-species influenza. The development comes as a result of samples contaminated during a biotic attack against their research center two years ago. Fortunately, there were few casualties."
- "The asari Sha'ira, more commonly known as the Consort, has declined to name the next race likely to gain Council membership. However, she suggested an announcement could come soon."
- "Alliance military officials are prepared to announce new weapons upgrades, the result of data obtained from the geth attack on Eden Prime years ago."
- "A Council inquiry has concluded that a combat VI that went rogue on Luna was not intentionally upgraded to full AI status. Alliance members have maintained that the VI was for combat-testing purposes only. Given these findings, it is unlikely any charges will be filed."
- "Salarian marksman Velan Foris thinks he has a shot at beating Commander Shepard's long-standing record at Pinnacle Station. Tune in tonight to watch live."
- "Charles Saracino says he is pleased to see Terra Firma gaining seats in the recent parliamentary elections. He promises continuing pro-human changes."
- "Charles Saracino, leader of the Terra Firma party and former Alliance Parliament candidate, has pled guilty to tax evasion. He is in custody pending sentencing."
- "Alliance officials have secured a valuable mining facility on Nonuel. The base had once belonged to a criminal warlord known only as Darius. After Darius died several years ago, a number of factions tried and failed to claim the mining center."
- "Element zero production is up in the Plutus system and so are prices, as the area's leader, Lord Darius, has made new trade demands. Alliance officials say they will uphold their treaty obligations in this matter."
- "Is the Shadow Broker's criminal empire collapsing? C-SEC officials detected emergency transactions from businesses tied to the mysterious figure. Financial broker Barla Von, linked as a possible Shadow Broker source, was recently found dead. Authorities suspect that this is just the tip of the iceberg."
- "An Eldfell-Ashland mining facility has stopped production after attacks which may be related to Collector artifacts."
- "A massive Blood Pack offensive nearly resulted in numerous deaths on Illium. The angry krogan were apparently launching a punitive attack on a Mr. Thax. Mr. Thax, a businessman operating on Illium, was relieved that damage was avoided and has pledged to cooperate with any resulting investigation."
- "Eclipse mercenaries have denied involvement in acts of piracy against cargo freighters in the Terminus systems. This legal setback threatens Eclipse's lisence on those worlds where their presence remains legal."
- "Eldfell-Ashland is investigating reports of sabotage at a facility in the Solveig system. Damage to the magnetic field around the facility nearly resulted in numerous fatalities due to unchecked solar radiation."
- "Eldfell-Ashland is investigating reports of sabotage at a facility in the Solveig system. A solar storm erupting from Soveig annihilated the facility. A malfunctioning magnetic field generator left the colony vulnerable to the deadly solar radiation."
- "Eldfell-Ashland is investigating reports of sabotage at a facility in the Solveig system after an attack on the facility killed all members."
- "Human colonies in the Pylos Nebula are requesting aid after several recent attacks, apparently by geth raiders. These attacks do not appear to be connected to the other attacks upon human colonies."
- "A human settlement has been attacked by batarian terrorists. Fortunately, an apparent weapons malfunction sent the missiles off course, sparing much of the colony."
- "A number of heavy mechs have been stolen from legitimate owners on Taitus in the Talava system and sold under false pretenses. Council reps suggest buyers only purchase mechs from accredited sources."
- "The crew of the Hugo Gernsback, long feared dead, has been found on the planet Aeia. The survivors are being treated for neural degradation, which was caused by eating local vegetation."
- "The qurian ship Idenna has been spotted traveling through systems in the Pylos Nebula. The ship has left the Quarian Migrant Fleet and is not responding to hails."
- "Authorities are still investigating recent attacks on a suspected red sand manufacturing plant. The attacks suggests a criminal takeover of the red sand market."
- "A dramatic increase in meteor activity near planets in the Pamyat system have researchers suspecting malicious intent. Unfortunately, investigations have yet to pursue any leads, and the colonies remain at risk."
- "The ExoGeni Corporation has announced a new system for detecting and controlling volcanic eruptions. This technology could lead to improved geothermal power across teh galaxy."
- "Tragedy has once again struck a human colony, as Freedom's Progress has been attacked by unknown sources. Colony development is known to be dangerous, but humans have had an especially difficult run over the past few years. Colonial aid groups mobilized in the aftermaths of the attacks on Eden Prime and Zhu's Hope have pledged to help."
Dialogue
Mordin and Grunt Loyalty Confrontation
Unused audio files exist which describe a confrontation between Mordin and Grunt (similar to the existing confrontations between Tali and Legion, or Jack and Miranda).
Presidium Groundskeeper Dialogue
The Presidium Groundskeeper has some additional dialogue that was cut from the game.
Sergeant Haron Conversations
Some conversations with Sergeant Haron were cut from the game, but can be accessed if the player visits the Presidium before encountering Haron (which is normally impossible). One of these conversations mentions Executor Pallin's death in the Battle of the Citadel, which would conflict with the events of Mass Effect: Inquisition.
Note: The audio clip hosted here does not contain all of the cut dialogue, only the part dealing with Pallin's death. All of the cut dialogue can be found here.
Biotic Mordin
At one point in the development of the game, Mordin was biotic and could be chosen to erect the biotic barrier during the suicide mission.
Note: The audio clip hosted here does not contain all of the cut dialogue, as the characters mostly say the same things on this mission. All of the cut dialogue can be found here.
Captain Gavorn Dialogue
Captain Preitor Gavorn had some additional dialogue that was cut from the game.
Locations
Accomplishments
An accomplishment for lifting 25 enemies off the ground with powers was cut from the game.