Mass Effect series Review + Retrospective #2.5: Lair of the Shadow Broker

Lair of the Shadow Broker is ME2’s most popular and beloved DLC, and I think for good reason. It’s a clear step above any other expansion for ME2 and actually does some unique and interesting things that help break up the monotonous shooting.

LotSB brings back fan-favorite Liara from ME1 as a temporary squadmate for a string of about 3 missions, each roughly the length of the average recruitment/loyalty mission. All three sections of this DLC are memorable and feature fun set-pieces that help mix things up a bit.

The DLC opens with an explosive chase around Illium that features new locations and enemy types – even if they are reskinned Eclipse mercs, it’s nice to have something different looking to shoot at. It also surprisingly has a vehicle section? It doesn’t control great and it’s super short, but it’s something unique and helps contribute to the more set-piece-y, cinematic feel that would later be expanded on in ME3.

The back half on the Shadow Broker’s base is visually stunning, with a giant thunderstorm twisting the air around you as you scale the outside of the massive dreadnought and navigate around its constantly moving and shifting machinery. The Shadow Broker base is one of the more visually striking locations in the trilogy and I think it looks absolutely awesome. Additionally, the added mechanic of the lightning rods in combat helps make battling waves of enemies feel more fresh.

The DLC also features a couple of genuine boss fights, which I found refreshing as well. Though Tela Vasir fights similarly to the hordes of biotics you’ve fought throughout the game already, she has a unique dash attack (that is shared only by a vanguard Shep) and enough health to make it feel like an actual boss fight. The Shadow Broker himself also has a boss fight with its own unique mechanics. While this fight isn’t as strong and fairly easy, it’s a fun set piece that I think wraps up the expansion well.

I have some story gripes with the DLC, specifically about Liara’s character just doing a straight 180 from ME1 to ME2/3, as well as your 2nd squadmate just being eerily silent the entire time (though this is a problem throughout all of ME2), but overall I think it bridges the gap well enough from ME1 to ME3, so definitely play this if you don’t want to be completely lost at Liara’s complete and utter character change throughout the trilogy.

This is definitely the best expansion for ME2, and absolutely worth a play. It’s a couple hours long and contains vital info for ME3 that would leave you feeling confused without. It mixes things up enough from the main game that it doesn’t feel like a slog through the exact same thing you’ve been doing while also contributing significantly to the game’s lore and worldbuilding. Give it a look.

I REALLY liked the DLC. It's pretty short like other DLCs for the game -actually the shortest for me at least- BUT damn game takes you to different places so fast and i couldn't believe how much they travel you around in just around an hour. And story is pretty interesting too. Boss Fight was pretty easy for someone who plays on Normal difficulty with nearly all upgrades but still they were well designed and I really liked the final boss fight. Only thing i find negative is writing is kinda off sometimes. Shepard was weird, Liara was weird.

Still solid DLC. If you have Legendary Edition play this now! If you have to original version... I don't know really. I personally think DLC system of the OG version is dumb and whole package is expensive.

doesn't feel right to give DLC a full 5 star treatment but this is probably as close as it gets; exciting, engaging, legitimately cinematic. I've never been on the Liara wave as much as everybody else but this is the most interesting application of her character and it ends in one of the most flat out stunning areas in a series full of unique, visual treats. would also wager this is the best boss fight in the series too? at this point I can complete it a little too fast, even on insanity, but back in the day this was something of a revelation

A great addition to the mass effect 2 story with absolutely great pacing. Starts with hacking a few terminals around an existing game area for an old flame from the first game (if you have taste and didn't pick Ashley to romance instead), transitions to attempted murder investigation, to a bombing of a trade center (why didn't the Volus come into work that day?), to a betrayal, to a flying car chase, to a infiltration on top of a ship piloting through a massive storm and it ends with a great boss fight and the reveal of each party member's internet search history (not even joking).

Remind me why gamers used to complain about DLC? Honestly bring this typa shit back, would much rather have stuff like this than battlepass item shop bullshit and microscopic free updates every couple of months.

not much to say about this one, except the fact that it drags on way too much (i've entered this dlc thinking its another one of those dossiers, turns out this one had the tendency of not being in the "assignments" section) and there are enemies left and right basically forcing you to actually consider positioning for once, first boss fight was annoying but me and MY MAN GARRUS (Based) clutched it while all liara did in the entire dlc was dying and whining, honestly idk why she is in the cover of the dlc, should've put garrus in there for how much he struggles to carry his balls every day (they're too big)

Going through Sonic Frontiers at the current moment (pretty nice so far), and decided to take a break to watch some YouTube videos as well as do another ME Retrospective with this DLC.

Now, Lair Of The Shadow Broker is one of the most famous DLCs in the series. I only barely learned about this whole thing for the first time due to the infamous ME3 Ending Fiasco back when it first released, and even then I was still able to get scraps of info related to it. It's got a large amount of push and acclaim, some saying it's even the absolute best add-on the series has produced. It's warranted, to a degree, since it's the first time a DLC made for the series actually felt about as robust and high in production value as the base game. I mean, BDTS is more or less an additional mission for 1 in structure and design philosophy, Kasumi's LM from her DLC has a nice change of pace with the initial start being a pseudo-stealth checklist, but doesn't quite have enough scope and differences from some of the other areas in 2, and while Overlord does give you a new hub, it's really just to get more use out of the Hammerhead while still using some of the environments found prior with the exception of the Matrix-like tech stuff.

LOTSB, though, is a bit different. It takes you from a brief investigation in Liara's apartment, to a trade center building, that once all done then transitions into a car chase across the highways and bustling traffic of Illium, to a sunset-dripped run across an 'exotic' hotel, culminating in a showdown on the titular Shadow Broker's base of operations on a ship stationed in hectic thunderstorms and other harsh weather conditions. The direction in both aesthetics and setpieces can get inspired, the last of which still sticking to my mind to this day, and even after all of that, the ship itself becomes a mini-hub of sorts, having some dossiers to read on your crew, important people, and even Cerberus and SB itself, a video selection available for different you know and met, stuff to invest in, daily pickups that'll give you a variety of things needed for the journey, all while still having access to the armor, research, and advanced training stations across the place. Might not be much in the grand scheme and when I was able to finally play it January 2017, but at the time I imagine this was all pretty exciting stuff, and even without all that the main mission is still pretty exciting to go through, the few boss fights and enemy encounters being spruced up just enough to feel pretty different from the norm.

Despite all this, I can't help but feel rather... lukewarm, I guess to say, towards this. I know it's good, I still like it even after my replay last year, and yet I still wouldn't say it's one of my favorite pieces of Mass Effect media. I can point this to two reasons: The first reason is, again I played this in January 2017, meaning I missed the boat by about 7 years, already having other games and experiences handled by then, which meant it wasn't that "fresh" so to speak. The other, far more personal reason, is simple: I don't like Liara that much. I've already expressed this a few times, but my opinion on her has dwindled to feeling like she's a character whose writing and personality drastically changes within each game - or in this case, DLC - solely to suit the needs of whatever is going on for that game's story, bordering on Writer's Favorite (or WriterS, I'm actually unsure if Liara had been handed off too different people or had the same writer since day one). Even the comics had to go into detail on just how special and important she is by going into detail about her retrieving and sending Shepard's corpse back, and giving it to Cerberus for their Lazarus Project needs. To be fair on the DLC though, I do like how the conversations and interactions with her play out here, her flaws and grievances being more on display and, for people who romanced her, having more depth and some extended lines regarding the relationship between you and her. Plus, this can get pretty funny, even if it does border on Quip Territory a bit much.

Still, personal reasons aside, I should stress LOTSB is very much worth it, more so than the other add-ons aside from Kasumi's and maybe Arrival. Much like the rest of the series' DLCs, it's bundled in with the Legendary Edition remaster, which makes an already worthwhile and must-play for ME3 connection that much sweeter. Unlike Arrival which is very obviously meant to be played after the main game, doing LOTSB as soon as you're able to is a fine place to start, though I recommend at least doing half of what's available around that second act beforehand.

(Original review written on February 22nd, 2021. Currently reorganizing my journal)

This is by far the best story DLC from the game. Lair of the Shadow Broker is great and is far better than Overlord. The levels are far more diverse and fun. Also, the addition of a temporary party member for the DLC being Liara from Mass Effect 1 made it feel really fresh and awesome especially since it's good to see her again. She's mostly absent from Mass Effect 2 outside of a couple of moments, but this DLC is all about her. She has an amazing character arc and this is absolutely essential for Mass Effect 3.

This is also the only story DLC in the game where it gives you things to do afterward. You can talk to Liara after the DLC, access a new area/base where you can do a lot of fun mini things like more conversations and entertaining dossiers to read up on of your party that add a lot of humor. It's nothing important, just some fun things that will keep you entertained for a few hours.

My only real issue is that this is kind of essential for Mass Effect 3 since Liara doesn't really have an arc like she does in this DLC and there's a lot of things you don't learn in the third game without playing this. This really feels like it should have been a part of the base game, but that's not really too much of a problem. Overall, great DLC and the best one from the game.

9/10