Here’s how to bypass the EA app

[Citizen Cook]

I’m seeing constant threads being started by people desperately to play the game they own or thinking of buying the game, and who want to earn the advertised Steam achievements.
If they have a Steam Deck, they want the same, but also want to play in offline mode as well. Here’s how:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935989297

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2949299258

[elevenfourteen]

Thanks, will try when I finally have time for this games again. What EA did to their app stopped me from being able to start the game. Their new app works, but it won't let me start games on Steam anymore.

[Citizen Cook]

Hopefully you’ll find the guides helpful

[Septimus-Prime]

Do I still need Origins?

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by Septimus-Prime:

Do I still need Origins?

Yes, unfortunately. But you will earn steam achievements and will be able to play offline, both of which are disabled with the EA app.

[Septimus-Prime]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Septimus-Prime:

Do I still need Origins?

Yes, unfortunately. But you will earn steam achievements and will be able to play offline, both of which are disabled with the EA app.

Damn... well okay then...

[erkman24]

This situation is a pain in the ass, even with the old version of Origin the insanity achievment won´t work? I try different solutions differen savegames but nothing happend.

[MSgtPayne]

Hello All,

Not sure how much help this will be and there's always the chance my fix was a fluke. But in the off chance it is not a fluke, I hope it will help you be able to play your ME:LE's on Steam. I, too, was an unfortunate victim of the new EA App and not allowing me to play on Steam. When I launched it from Steam, it would launch the EA Link, then say there was a failure on their part and to try again later. I didn't want to mess with the files in the off chance it jacked it all up and was hoping on a simple solution. Not only did this fix my issue and allow it to play / track achievements on Steam, it simultaneously tracks and gives the achievements in the EA App, even though I'm playing it on Steam - win / win!! So here's what I did:

1 - Make sure that your Steam and EA accounts are linked in EA.
2 - Verify your ME:LE files in Steam (mine patched and re-downloaded Steam distributables) Game Page in Library > Settings Gear > Properties > Local Files > Verify
3 - Repair the game in EA
3 Dots in Top Right of Game Thumbnail > REPAIR Game
4 - Launch ME:LE in Steam

**NOTE** A visual indicator if this should work (possibly with this and other EA Games you play on Steam), is looking at the ME:LE thumbnail in the EA App. When mine was giving me issues, it was just the ME:LE thumbnail. AFTER I did the above steps, the ME:LE thumbnail had the Steam tag in the top left.

Again, I hope this works for you and this wasn't a fluke for me. I cannot describe how happy I was that this fixed my issue and it now runs great AND it has the bonus of giving achievements in both Steam and EA. Best of Luck!!

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by erkman24:

This situation is a pain in the ass, even with the old version of Origin the insanity achievment won´t work? I try different solutions differen savegames but nothing happend.

I abstained the insanity achievement for Mass Effect 2. I haven’t finished 3 yet (although I’m close) but others commenting in the guide say they have unlocked the achievement for 3.
I suggest you recheck how you’re playing. You can’t change difficulty even once during the entire play through and you may even have to restart the game because the EA unlocks the achievements on their end blocking achievement unlocks on Steam. Implement, my fix then restart the game, I guarantee it will work.

[erkman24]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by erkman24:

This situation is a pain in the ass, even with the old version of Origin the insanity achievment won´t work? I try different solutions differen savegames but nothing happend.

I abstained the insanity achievement for Mass Effect 2. I haven’t finished 3 yet (although I’m close) but others commenting in the guide say they have unlocked the achievement for 3.
I suggest you recheck how you’re playing. You can’t change difficulty even once during the entire play through and you may even have to restart the game because the EA unlocks the achievements on their end blocking achievement unlocks on Steam. Implement, my fix then restart the game, I guarantee it will work.

Nope, i never changed the difficult in the game. And even the different Savegames from other players shouldn´t be changed because they worked for the others. I don´t know?!?. I got a few Achievments most of them i unlocked because of the hacked-Origin but the last one don´t drop?!?. And a completly new save on insanity = now way. And from now on it doesn´t matter because i throw the game away.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by erkman24:

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

I abstained the insanity achievement for Mass Effect 2. I haven’t finished 3 yet (although I’m close) but others commenting in the guide say they have unlocked the achievement for 3.
I suggest you recheck how you’re playing. You can’t change difficulty even once during the entire play through and you may even have to restart the game because the EA unlocks the achievements on their end blocking achievement unlocks on Steam. Implement, my fix then restart the game, I guarantee it will work.

Nope, i never changed the difficult in the game. And even the different Savegames from other players shouldn´t be changed because they worked for the others. I don´t know?!?. I got a few Achievments most of them i unlocked because of the hacked-Origin but the last one don´t drop?!?. And a completly new save on insanity = now way. And from now on it doesn´t matter because i throw the game away.

It’s because the way the EA app works. It’s bugged to hell. It messes with Steam in game progress and achievement tracking. The only fix is to completely remove the EA app, download Origin again (following my guide closely) and start a new game save fresh.
It sucks, i know, but that’s EA for you.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by Septimus-Prime:

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Yes, unfortunately. But you will earn steam achievements and will be able to play offline, both of which are disabled with the EA app.

Damn... well okay then...

Sorry😔

[Septimus-Prime]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Septimus-Prime:

Damn... well okay then...

Sorry😔

It's okay, it's not your fault. :)

[erkman24]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by erkman24:

Nope, i never changed the difficult in the game. And even the different Savegames from other players shouldn´t be changed because they worked for the others. I don´t know?!?. I got a few Achievments most of them i unlocked because of the hacked-Origin but the last one don´t drop?!?. And a completly new save on insanity = now way. And from now on it doesn´t matter because i throw the game away.

It’s because the way the EA app works. It’s bugged to hell. It messes with Steam in game progress and achievement tracking. The only fix is to completely remove the EA app, download Origin again (following my guide closely) and start a new game save fresh.
It sucks, i know, but that’s EA for you.

Fresh game, serious? The game is so unbalanced in the insanity difficult. The only way to manage this is to make all the submissions from the other characters of your group to become all the goodies. On some points i use cheats to have a chance because it doesn´t possible to handle some situations. I don´t know if cheats affected the achievments but for some achievments it was no problem. I use your guide and i´am thankfully for this. It help me a lot to collect the rest of the achievment list but the last one was a pain in the ass.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by erkman24:

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

It’s because the way the EA app works. It’s bugged to hell. It messes with Steam in game progress and achievement tracking. The only fix is to completely remove the EA app, download Origin again (following my guide closely) and start a new game save fresh.
It sucks, i know, but that’s EA for you.

Fresh game, serious? The game is so unbalanced in the insanity difficult. The only way to manage this is to make all the submissions from the other characters of your group to become all the goodies. On some points i use cheats to have a chance because it doesn´t possible to handle some situations. I don´t know if cheats affected the achievments but for some achievments it was no problem. I use your guide and i´am thankfully for this. It help me a lot to collect the rest of the achievment list but the last one was a pain in the ass.

The second game was a complete nightmare for me. I selected vanguard class and didn’t feel I was able to use the skill in a useful way until the end of the game. I grinned my way through. I’m playing 3 atm with the tactician class and it’s so much easier. You can clock, run around the map cloaked, and revive fallen comrades without using up those precious health packs.

[Citizen Cook]

I completed the 3rd game today. I now have all 127 achievements 🙂