When do you like to do the DLCs?

I usually do Omega/Leviathan right after the Cerberus Coup attempt. The Citadel DLC I almost always do right before the final mission or shortly before it so I can have all the possible characters show up.

From Ashes I play after Citadel coup to bring A/K on the mission. To get the most dialogue from Javik, play the dlc before heading to Menae.
Leviathan after Thessia
Citadel after Horizon
Omega I usually play after Citadel coup

I forgot about From Ashes, I guess because I had Javik from the start so never considered him DLC. I usually pick him up after Menae but occasionally wait until VS is available if I want to bring them to Eden Prime. I picked up Javik before Menae once but he's not able to go on that mission so there's really no point in doing it that early. 

Even though the dlc is completed with Shepard knowing the Leviathan created an intelligence, he/she will still ask Vendetta, 'So who is the master?"

Another is the player doesn't encounter Banshees until Thessia, if playing only the main story. It's on Thessia that Liara will say that they look like her people. I don't recall if she says that in the dlc. I believe it's James that makes a comment about them as well as Ashley.  

From Ashes and Omega I ten dto do early. Ashes I tend to do after I've picked up Garrus and Omega usually after I'v done the school run and mission on Surkesh to pick up guns like the Mattock and Scorpion. As I find the guns on those quests along with the Prothean rifle you get with Javik very useful on Omega. So generally after I've done those 2 I do Omega. I tend to do it early because as it doesn't really matter dialogue wise when you do it as you don't have your team with you.

Leviathan's missions I tend to split with the Quarian/Geth segment of the game as it works best there I find as you have your full squad with you by then and can even take Ashley/Kaidan with you then as well.

Citadel is pretty straightforward to me in that it slots in nicely just before the finale

From Ashes -- the first thing I do when it's possible, Javik's comments are too precious to miss any of them
Omega -- I don't xD, I don't digest this DLC
Leviathan -- before Priority: Perseus Veil, so I have a clear galaxy map when heading there
Citadel -- not after Priority: Thessia, Shepard breaking down mentally over the war and then partying looks inconsistent

I vary them but I have a routine for Citadel DLC. I'm the kind of gamer that likes to have a little bit of this then a little bit of that. I get fidgety if I'm stuck in the Citadel chatting for too long, or roaming around too many planets in the mako.

I start Citadel right after my romance locks in. This gives me any romance dialogue of course, whilst letting me get access to the pistol that I'm rather fond of early on in the game. The romance lock in is different for every character, Ash was half way thru Rannoch so it was stupid to leave and go on shore leave at that point. I still did it because I was sick of the Quarians, but if you're for full immersion then perhaps you'd want to wait for an appropriate time after the lock.

So I do it early to get the pistol, but also because I like to visit the apartment every now and then during the rest of the game, between main missions, extra crap and Leviathan. It's fun having down time with squadmates between missions. If Miri will live I'll hold off on the party till after Horizon, if not then I'm more flexible.

Omega is purely triggered when I feel like doing it, after I get the pistol.  I have no routine for that.  Leviathan is a slow drip that I slot in between other things.

Sometimes it's tricky. In fact, I think there's aspects of every DLC that put any position you decide in question. But.. this is what I prefer:


From Ashes - Basically as soon as possible. Sure you could wait further into the Tuchanka arc but why? Sure you could get a bit of different story after the Tuchanka arc but does that generally work? I suppose I'd do that maybe with a more xenophobe Shep. I guess.


Leviathan - I consider it a late-game arc to fill out the Rannoch-Thessia-Sanctuary stretch. You don't need to do them all at once, but I think there's enough narrative urgency (especially after the first mission) to do them at least close to each other. You could do the missions earlier, but I don't think things like the prevalence of banshees and answers about bigger lore flows well. I prefer to start it after Thessia, but perhaps continue the last 1 or 2 missions after Sanctuary.
It's not the biggest deal, but try to lock in your romance if they're on the Normandy crew.


Omega - Some like to do it right after Aria's merc missions, but I don't think that flows well. Others like doing it late game and I don't strongly disagree, but I think that puts off Aria's message too long. My personal preference is as a mid-game challenge right after the Citadel Coup for a sense of revenge. Otherwise, after other missions Ex-Cerberus/Monastery, or after Rannoch arc. I like it before Leviathan, getting a more straightforward plot out of the way before the intrigue.


Citadel - Tricky tricky! You could do it all at once, split into 2-3, or gradual it, though the last option is quite a balance to do.
Here's what I prefer:
-Main arc is done around mid-to-late game. If you won't have Tali, like she died in ME2, then you could do it before the Rannoch arc. Otherwise, especially if you prefer Tali maximally present, you do it soon after the Rannoch arc. You don't interfere with late-game Thessia/Sanctuary/Leviathan, but can do it soon before it. LOCK IN YOUR ROMANCE BEFOREHAND, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE NORMANDY CREW.
-Visits/Arena/Casino/Arcade/Dates get split up through the late game (which may include a put-off Monastery/Ex-Cerberus, or N7 missions, or a put-off Omega, or maybe Rannoch arc if it applies). Remember that options open up after every mission, and that Arena matches count as missions! Remember that missions open up Samara, Jacob, Kasumi, Zaeed, Tali. And especially remember that Miranda only opens up as late as Sanctuary. When you need to, just do Arena missions.
-Once done EVERYTHING, including Arena missions, all Assignments, N7 missions, DLC, and Sanctuary, so I mean EVERYTHING, trigger the party. Enjoy that and immediately set out to Cronos and the ending.


The missions that Silversun provides breaks to include not just Thessia and Sanctuary, but 3 Leviathan missions (though I only try 1 shore leave during this), maybe Monastery and Ex-Cerberus, any remaining N7s, and maybe Rannoch arc if applies, so between that and Arena missions, you have plenty of chances to 100% the side Citadel DLC activities before the party.

I do citadel a lot earlier than most. Mainly because I’m not paying attention and think I’m just doing a easy quest while on the citadel and then I’m locked in for a big chunk of it. The party I sometimes delay but after the mission that gets you to that point it kind of seems story wise a soon thing not a wait till the end thing.

I shoot Ashly before she has a chance to join me pretty often. But I get that idea. I’ll try that next time I have a shepherd that won’t instigate that.

Citadel it’s just the quests make too much sense to do immediately but I feel like I’m shooting my self in the foot because like 5 people are at the party.

They all seem to start with do you want to do this fun thing with a friend. So I’m like, well yeah I need a hour or two off. I guess I could put off the last part or whatever but by then I’m pulled in.