Overview
Yes origin thin has broken this game. why? the origin overlay is interacting with an element of windows to read mouse movements, this element has been updated over time since this game released however origin thin has not updated to compensate with the change in the code, this means when you use your mouse the frame rate tanks.
The Fix
Ok so, can we remove the origin overlay?
Nope breaks the game.
YES! the author of the original controller mod has made a new mod which will remove the origin in-game overlay grab it here [link]
thank you Mgamerz and Saint-14’s Trophy Husband
the rest of this guide will basically just be for those who wish to use a controller i’m too lazy to edit it
can we use a controller?
They did not implement controller support. however an amazing modding community and Mgamerz (Mod Author) have stepped in to save the day as per usual
Downsides?
you need to use a mod manager and install a single player or multiplayer mod. you cannot use both at the same time.
there are some tiny hiccups in the UI but mostly everything is perfect.
you should backup your game this will require another 20gb or so of HDD space
you will not be able to use the mouse or keyboard to control your game
if you have no controllers that can be recognised by steam you are ♥♥♥♥ outta luck. however you didn’t want to buy a broken game so i wouldn’t feel guilty about pirating a copy of it 😉 shame they did not give us the keys to activate it on origin!
Installation
Grab the mod manager here: [link]
You will need a nexus mods account to access the downloads!
Manually download ME3tweaks Mod Manger using the manual blue button in the top right of the page.
install this program anywhere, maybe make a desktop shortcut for ease.
clear the first page and it should automatically detect your mass effect games, you may need to select mass effect 3 specifically and you may need to set the steam folder it is installed to using manage target in the top right.
click backup and restore and backup mass effect 3 if you wish to play both multiplayer and single player, if you don’t want to play both you don’t need to backup the game but this step is still recommended
Installation part two
You can find the controller mods here. manually download both of them the same way you did the mod manager. the will be compressed folders instead of a .exe program
Single player: [link]
Multiplayer: [link]
Download both of these or just one if you don’t care for both modes.
the Scaling version is better for big TV’s with high resolutions and may look crisper, however may also have extra issues. its your choice.
Return to the mod manager.
click the mod management tab > import mod > import from .7z/.rar etc
select the mods you just downloaded and choose to import those mods.
Usage
You should now see the two mods listed in the left pane of the mod manager, click on the one you wish to use and select apply mod down at the bottom left.
you will always get an error asking you to reload the map press OK or Confirm or whatever it says its no problem
once that’s done you must launch the game from this mod manager to use the mods of course. launch the game using the blue start game button. make sure steam and origin are open before hand, if you get an error about keys or you cannot use your controller on the main menu try launching the mod manager in administrative mode.
if you ever want to switch modes you must restore your game using the backup menu and then apply the other mod, do not worry this won’t affect your saves but it is a pain i know.
you may now notice that your frame-rate is significantly improved however you are no longer able to use the mouse and keyboard to control the game.
if you have any odd controllers or want to use a switch controller you can set this up using steams controller configurations however this should work with xbox controllers (xinput)
Enjoy
You should have way better performance now, it may take a minute to settle in and creep up to 60 fps. if you cannot see xbox buttons (mod not working) or if your performance is not improved i am really sorry i cannot help further it will be some other issue with your setup. i have tested this on Ryzen 3400/ GTX 1660 super and a Ryzen 3700x GTX 2060 and both can play 4K 60fps now but could not before. should be a similar story with intel and readon though.
Thank me buy leaving a nice comment, maybe a good rating. i was gifted mass effect 3 and do not know if this issue happens on the others, however a similar fix could be applied there too. if you really want to thank me i would love a copy of mass effect 1 or 2 to bide my quarantined time