Mass Effect 3 New Game Plus: Import Saves and Revisit the Story
This page from a Mass Effect 3 wiki guide focuses on the game’s New Game Plus mode. Once you’ve completed the main story, you can import an existing Mass Effect 3 save to start a fresh New Game Plus run. Players typically use this to revisit the story with a previous Commander Shepard, especially if they were shut out of early dialogue options, want to experiment with a different Romance route, or simply didn’t make it to Level 60 during their first playthrough.
Under the guide’s checklist-style sections, the mode breaks down into two core areas: an explanation of what New Game Plus actually does, and the specific bonuses you can gain from it.
Genesis 2 DLC Comic Warning
If you’re playing the original 2012 version of Mass Effect 3 and you also have the Genesis 2 DLC comic installed, you’ll want to remove it before beginning New Game Plus. The reason is straightforward: Genesis 2 will trigger automatically at the start of New Game Plus, and there’s no built-in way to decline it. On top of that, it overwrites the Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 decision data from your earlier runs. If you’re on the Legendary Edition instead, this isn’t the same issue, since that version lets you opt into Genesis 2 for New Game Plus—meaning you can avoid the DLC’s effects when you start your new run.
New Game Plus Explained
With a completed Mass Effect 3 save in hand, you can go to the New Game menu and choose “Import ME3 Character.” That option lets you replay the campaign as the same Commander Shepard you used before, carrying over a defined set of progress and equipment.
What transfers into New Game Plus includes your reputation, including the balance between Paragon and Renegade. Your weapons also come along, but there’s an important catch: Shepard and their squad will start out with basic weapons rather than keeping every weapon exactly as it was. Weapon modifications do carry over too, though you’ll need to re-equip them after the restart. All body armor is retained as well, and so are all credits.
You also keep collectible progress tied to the game’s more offbeat side content: all fish and models you previously gathered, plus the Space Hamster. Shepard’s level is preserved, and talent points come with you as well—though their allocation gets reset, so you’ll be redistributing those points rather than using the exact same build setup. When you’re configuring your New Game Plus profile, you can also select a squadmate’s Bonus Power for free.
Just as important, the guide spells out what New Game Plus does not import, and what you can’t change. All War Assets from Mass Effect 3 must be rebuilt and re-acquired. The Intel Terminal upgrades also aren’t carried over—you’ll have to find them again during the run. Shepard’s Pre-Service History, psychological profile, class, and gender cannot be altered. The one exception is that you can change Shepard’s face.
New Game Plus Bonuses
New Game Plus adds two extra rewards to your next attempt. First, if you import a Mass Effect 2 profile that includes a living Prejek Paddlefish, you’ll unlock a special Intel Upgrade when you reach Liara’s Intel Terminal. That upgrade is unique to Mass Effect 3’s New Game Plus and lets you enhance either Weapon Damage or Power Damage by 10%.
Second, the weapon level cap rises from Level V to Level X, giving you more room to spend your credits. There’s also a follow-up benefit for players who actively re-grab weapons during missions: if you pick those weapons up again, they’ll jump ahead by three levels without any additional cost.
Because of how upgrade costs scale, the guide recommends a specific approach. Try to bring a weapon up to Level VII first using the Weapon Upgrades terminal found on the Normandy and in the Armax Arsenal Arena. Purchases made from a Weapon Upgrades terminal become more expensive as you progress, so hitting Level VII early helps leave the three most costly upgrades for when you later pick the weapon up again in the field.
If you’re looking for more Mass Effect 3 help beyond New Game Plus, the guide points to several other sections to explore, including changes tied to the Legendary Edition, broader how-to guides, key choices and consequences, a dedicated romance guide, a walkthrough, and coverage of side missions.
Up Next: Indoctrination Theory
Top Guide Sections
- Legendary Edition Changes
- Game Basics
- Tips and Tricks
- How-To Guides
