In Mass Effect 3's recently released Omega add-on, gamers help the infamous Asari Pirate Queen, Aria T'loak reclaim Omega from the clutches of Cerberus agent General Oleg Petrovsky.
In a recent developers blog about the creation of the latest downloadable content, Fabrice Condominas, the producer of Mass Effect 3: Omega says that Omega is one of the most talked about locations on Bioware's online community and that there were many reason to return to the space station.
"The Mass Effect team has always had a special relationship with Omega, and it's one of the most talked about locations in our community," Condominas said. "Omega is home to the "lawless of the galaxy" as well as its calm, calculated ruler, Aria T'Loak. With the war against the Reapers requiring Omega's resources, we had a reason to bring Shepard back to the asteroid and renew the Commander's uneasy alliance with the station's ruler."
Condominas says that the development team attempted to develop Omega as a character by defining the space station's relationship with Aria.
"During production, we first focused on character relationships," Condominas said. "We decided early on to treat Omega, the station itself, as a character from a narrative standpoint. To do this, we needed to define the nature of the relationship between Aria and Omega-it is one of deep love, where passion and jealousy are involved. Aria's thirst for revenge is not only driven by what typically motivates her-pride and power-and when she is faced with losing Omega, Aria becomes enraged like someone whose lover has been taken away."
In order to bring balance to the expansion's story, Bioware introduced a new character that is the polar opposite of the blood thirsty Aria.
"To offset Aria, we introduced a calming force by ways of a brand new character: Nyreen," Condominas said. "Former Turian military, Nyreen is the exact opposite of Aria-she is in control and pragmatic. Nyreen shares Aria's dedication to the people of Omega and wants to liberate it from Cerberus occupation, and they also share a common past. This triumvirate between Aria, Nyreen, and Omega is the narrative anchor around which this pack evolves."
According to Condominas, the ethical differences between Aria and Nyreen will act as a catalyst for many of the judgments that Shepard will make through the progression of the mission.
"Shepard must make decisions based on Aria and Nyreen's knowledge of Omega while balancing their radically different points of view on how to go about liberating the station," Condominas said. "This leads us to moral choices, and we want the player to answer the following question: how far are you willing to go? Omega is a densely populated area, and the choices you make will have a tremendous impact on the civilian population. Following Aria's vengeful path will certainly be efficient, but it comes at a cost. Nyreen's approach will protect the people of Omega, but it's a riskier mission."
Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC is available now for $14.99 on PC and the PlayStation 3 and for 1200 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live. Check out some images from Omega DLC by clicking here and read out our list of the five best squadmates here or our list of the five best Mass Effect missions here. You can also read our review of the Omega add-on here. Watch the official trailer below and comment on your experience with the new DLC in the comment section.
