Back in the good old days, the only way to get DLC for Mass Effect and Dragon Age was to buy BioWare Points, which were sold in packs of 800 points and rarely went on sale. Of course, DLC didn’t sell for 800 points, and you usually had to buy multiple packs to get everything you wanted, and ended up with a few hundred points left. Which had nothing to spend on.
In an email that EA appears to be sending out to those who still have BioWare points in their account, the publisher announced that the system is finally ending:
We inform you that starting October 11, 2022, BioWare Points will no longer be available as a currency in the Origin store. Other currencies, such as crystals and platinum in other BioWare games, remain unaffected.
Some add-ons for classic BioWare RPGs that were previously only available for purchase with BioWare Points are now available for free. You can sign in to Origin and get DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 by selecting the games in your library, clicking on Extra Content, and then selecting Get it Free for each one.
While the Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes all single-player DLC, if you own the original versions of Mass Effect 2 and 3, you can purchase the core Lair of the Shadow Broker and Citadel add-ons for zero dollars, as well as everything else. You can find a guide to launching them here: which Mass Effect DLCs are best and in what order to play them.
However, the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer DLC is not free. For the next three months, you can spend any remaining BioWare Points on them. After October 11, they will only be available in exchange for credits that you earn in the game.
At the end of the email it says: “Don’t worry – you will still have access to all content previously purchased with BioWare Points. We are ready to support you if you have any questions about this, just contact EA Help.”
