What you want the most to be done to MELE?

I wonder what people did expect - all I know what I wanted to see. And back in the days of old Bioware forums, a few hundred other ppl gave some ideas.

I wish they would have explored the dark energy plot. Even got some ideas here how to finish the story - by putting more weigth on Sovereigns words "you can't understand us" (more or less). Interested? If not, you may skip.

Shortest version: usage of Mass Effect builds up negative / dark energy in stars. That's the original idea hinted in ME2. Therefore I took that idea and expanded it greatly. The Reapers are as old as that dark energy issue as they got invented by some forerunners (I'll stay with the Leviathans). However, they ran into a problem: AI lacks imagination and even if it can provide some solution, it may not be the one they had in mind. For instance, the AI could have said "quit using mass effect devices" - but the forerunners didn't want such solution as they needed it as rulers of the galaxy. They went through different solutions until the AI presented one they hadn't in mind: to achieve perfection (required for finding a solution), they had to fuse organics into a massive collective mind. With enough individuals integrated, they might have enough different thoughts contributing to the solution. The closest thing in canon story is the Geth concensus.

The rest of the story is quite the same: the Reapers ALLOW (!) civilizations to rise until they're "reap" and then DEMAND (!) to collect them so they can contribute finding a solution for an eon old problem. They still follow the same imperative as they did from day one: they still need to find a solution that ends dark energy build up and also must keep the mass effect devices active. Every 50.000 years (more or less) they return and reap the next generation of civilizations, hoping they finally would come up with a new idea how to defeat the dark energy issue. There's a reason why they picked mankind in our cycle: they're the most virile, most creative beings available. Asari are in a techological and ethical stasis, Turians are too rigid in their thinking. Krogans are primitive compared to the rest, Salarians MAY provide a solution but are way too easy to distract FOR SCIENCE, Batarians are primitives as well ... and so on. I mean: Mankind only needed approx 30 years or so from pre-spaceflight species to interstellar power that gave the Turians a run for their money - the Turians had a 15.000 year history of civilization by that point, including a period as galactic superpower for approx 1500 years. That must have impressed some of the Reapers. Shepard is considered a threat but ALSO a primary target for integration due his/her resourcefulness.

The Leviathans are still around 1 billion years after they gave that task to the Reapers. They're still waiting for a solution. If the Reapers can come up with one - no matter how many civilizations they have to absorb, the Leviathans will earn their investment and rule the galaxy once more without the threat of destruction via dark energy collapsing stars.

That's how I would have ended the trilogy: by revealing the fact the Reapers trying to SAVE the universe from "environmental damage" caused by mass manipulation via element zero. They're not altruistic in any way, they're just following orders given a billion years ago by masters that are still around (yet well hidden). The final decision is quite different then:

A ) "SKIP CYCLE": Reapers are forced to retreat from current reaping cycle and will return in 50.000 years for the next one.

B ) "CONTRIBUTE": Reapers are allowed to collect what they need, however, unlike all other cycles before, they'll allow some small pockets of current civilizations to survive.

C ) "END THE SEARCH": Reapers suffer heavy losses and the surviving Reapers are not allowed to return to this galaxy. (basically Destruction)

Still three endings, but three without space magic but actual decisions. A and C allow future ME games post Shepard in the galaxy without much damage. 

B is the "ultimative sacrifice" - since people may prefer "contributing to survival of civilization" over "survival of their own civilization". The entire "Leviathans shall rule again" stuff doesn't look that bad if there's anything left species can live in. The price is 95 - 99% of all current advanced civilizations but at least there are enough left to rebuild themselves over time ... so it's not that bad, I guess.

Your thoughts?