Pick Legendary if this is your first time through Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and Classic only if you want the first game’s old level numbers back. The choice is less dramatic than it sounds: it only changes how Mass Effect 1 divides up your levels, and you can switch at any time in the options menu.
Here is what each option does, what it leaves alone, and how it affects your import into Mass Effect 2.
What the Choice Really Is
The prompt appears when you start a new game of the first Mass Effect, alongside your class and difficulty. The game calls it Level Scaling. Its own description says that “in classic mode, the original 1-60 level range will be used instead of the new 1-30 level range,” and that “XP and talent points progression remains the same, but the number of levels is doubled.”
So your Shepard grows at the same overall rate either way. Legendary cuts your levels into 30 bigger steps, and Classic cuts them into 60 smaller ones.
| Legendary | Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Level cap in Mass Effect 1 | 30 | 60 |
| How often you level up | Less often | About twice as often |
| Talent points per level | About double | Fewer, more often |
| Overall power curve | The same | The same |
| Default setting | Yes | No |
| Matches the level cap in | Mass Effect 2 (30) | Mass Effect 3 (60) |
What It Does Not Change
Combat. This is the common misunderstanding. Classic does not bring back the 2007 combat. BioWare’s changes to the first game apply whichever you choose, including better aiming and weapon accuracy, faster weapon cooldowns, headshot damage on all relevant enemies, and individual squad commands. The change that lets any class use any weapon without penalty also stays in both. Those updates are part of what the remaster adds to the first game.
Difficulty. Neither option is harder. Your difficulty setting is a separate choice.
Your talents. Both options reach the same talents and abilities for your class. You will simply spend points in bigger or smaller batches.
Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. The setting exists only in the first game. The sequels keep their own progression, so Legendary lines up with Mass Effect 2’s 30-level cap, but neither option gives you one matching system across the trilogy, because Mass Effect 3’s cap is 60.
Which One to Pick
Pick Legendary if:
- This is your first playthrough. It is the default, and it needs no explanation later.
- You like big, meaningful level-ups rather than frequent small ones.
- You plan to move straight into Mass Effect 2 and want the numbers to feel familiar.
Pick Classic if:
- You played the original and want level 60 to mean what it used to.
- You like spending points often, even in small amounts.
We would go with Legendary. It does the same job with less menu time, and a fresh player gets nothing extra from Classic.
How to Switch Later
You can change your mind. Go to the options menu and change the Level Scaling setting at any point. The game recalculates Shepard’s level to fit the new range, so you lose nothing by trying one and moving to the other.
That makes this one of the lowest-stakes decisions in the series, so do not spend long on it. Your real choices come later.
What It Means for Your Mass Effect 2 Import
The import still looks at how close you got to the level cap. In the original game, the biggest level bonus went to Shepards who reached level 60, which took more than one playthrough. BioWare says there is no longer a level cap on a first playthrough, and it rebalanced XP so you can get to the top in one run.
Under Legendary, the import bonus thresholds scale down with the lower cap. Reaching level 30 on Legendary earns the same top reward as reaching level 60 on Classic, so you get no import advantage from either setting.
If you are planning a full run, our breakdown of how long the trilogy takes shows what the first game asks of you, and our list of every Mass Effect game in order covers what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Classic and Legendary mode? Only the level range in the first game. Classic uses levels 1 to 60, and Legendary uses levels 1 to 30, with XP and talent point progression staying the same overall.
Is Legendary mode harder than Classic? No. Neither is harder. Difficulty is a separate setting.
Can you change between Classic and Legendary later? Yes. Change Level Scaling in the options menu at any time, and the game adjusts Shepard’s level to fit.
Does Classic mode bring back the original combat? No. BioWare’s combat, aiming, and weapon changes apply in both.
Does the choice affect Mass Effect 2 or Mass Effect 3? Only through your import bonus, which is based on your level compared with the cap. You get the top reward at level 30 on Legendary or level 60 on Classic.
Which one is the default? Legendary. If you hurry past the prompt, that is what you get.
What level is the cap in Legendary mode? Level 30 in the first game. It is the same number as Mass Effect 2’s cap.