Lair of the Shadow Broker best Mass Effect 2 DLC yet

Out of all the available Mass Effect 2 downloadable content, “Lair of the Shadow Broker” is the must have.

Released on September 7, “Lair of the Shadow Broker” features a new side-mission with Mass Effect‘s favorite Prothean-expert-turned-information-broker Dr. Liara T’soni as she tries to bring down the galaxy’s biggest, baddest information trader, the Shadow Broker.

The story of “Lair of the Shadow Broker” actually begins with the Dark Horse Mass Effect comic series, “Redemption”, which was released as a companion to Mass Effect 2. (It’s not necessary to read “Redemption” before playing the DLC as the events are recapped, but it will provide more context to Liara’s motivations.) In the comics, Liara was on a mission to recover Shepard’s body before the Shadow Broker and the Collectors could get their hands on the dead Commander. It’s revealed in the comics that Liara is the individual who handed Shepard over to Cerberus in hopes of bringing her friend back to life.

Fast-forward two years.  In Mass Effect 2 Liara is an established information broker on Illium. Knowing Liara has a history with the Shadow Broker, and is after him for personal reasons, Shepard hands her Cerberus-acquired information about the mysterious villain. Liara’s emotions get the better of her, and she vows to finally deal with the Shadow Broker—but not before giving Shepard the gist of her history with him (aka the plot points from “Redemption”) and how the Shadow Broker is responsible for the death of her friend, a drell named Feron.  Shepard offers to help, and thus begins the mission.

It’s not so much that the DLC is a fantastic play (which it is), but the plot is essential to the overall Mass Effect storyline. Not only does it continue the story of “Redemption,” but the way it ends has the potential to play a huge role in Mass Effect 3. It also gives fans the opportunity to have Liara back on the team—even for only this one mission. The growth of Liara’s character is also quite evident, displaying another side of the 108-year-old Asari. In Mass Effect, Liara was the fumbling, naïve scientist obsessed with Protheans. In “Lair of the Shadow Broker,” Liara has seen a lot more of the ugly that the universe has to offer,  and  takes her grudge very seriously, even to the point of abandoning a wounded Shepard to ensure the enemy does not escape.

“Lair of the Shadow Broker” isn’t completely somber. There is plenty of humorous banter between Liara and Shepard, from Liara’s back-seat driving to Shepard’s eye-rolls at the Asari’s actions. My favorite was Liara acting like the analytical scientist she is noting that the mercs she and Shepard were fighting would be more effective if they fought as a unit, to which Shepard informs her not to give the mercs any ideas.

Though the addition to the storyline is great, there is also a big payoff in the end. Think “Pinnacle Station” from the Mass Effect DLC.  After “Lair of the Shadow Broker,” there’s a new place for Shepard to go to find research upgrades and gossip about key players.  Plus there’s the small matter of being able to buy a scanner update that marks the planets chock full of certain elements (Element Zero, Platinum, etc), making the task of mining all the easier. A little something for those players who maybe aren’t interested in solely expanding the story of the universe—you know, those players who complained about how there was nothing to shoot in the Normandy Crash Site DLC.

There is also a difference in attitude depending on Shepard’s relationship with Liara. In my game, I played as Female Shepard who did not romance Liara, and Shepard came across as a concerned friend willing to help in any way she could. My brother played as Male Shepard who did romance Liara, and his Shepard came across as a jealous boyfriend. It could be the way the voice actors recorded the lines, or a true subtle difference depending on Liara’s relationship with Shepard, but still a nice little detail to note.

If you haven’t downloaded any Mass Effect 2 DLC packs and aren’t entirely sure which one to get first, get “Lair of the Shadow Broker.” It’s well-worth the 800 Microsoft points, and adds more, rich detail to the overall Mass Effect story. Buy it. Buy it now.