Leviathan Origins

Lore & Background

The narrative centers on Task Force Aurora, led by Dr. Garrett Bryson, which investigated legends of a mythical creature called Leviathan capable of killing Reapers. After Bryson is killed by his enthralled assistant Derek Hadley—who was controlled via an artifact from the lab—Shepard and EDI track down another member, Dr. Garneau, to a mining site on Mahavid. There, workers are similarly enthralled until Leviathan speaks through Garneau, warning Shepard to leave before destroying him and the artifact. The crew then rescues Bryson's daughter, Ann, from a Reaper attack at a research site. Ann allows the artifact in her father's lab to speak through her, revealing that millennia ago, Leviathans were the galaxy's apex life form. They created an intelligence to solve the threat of lesser species building machines that would destroy them. That intelligence, however, created the Reapers, which wiped out most of the Leviathan species. The remaining Leviathans hid and used artifacts to observe the cycles.

In Their Own Story

Admiral Hackett summons Shepard to the Citadel to meet Dr. Garrett Bryson regarding Task Force Aurora's findings on Reaper origins. After Bryson's death at the hands of his enthralled assistant Derek Hadley, Shepard and EDI pursue leads to Mahavid, finding workers under the control of a similar artifact. Leviathan speaks through Dr. Garneau, warning them away before killing him. The team then saves Ann Bryson from Reapers, and she allows the entity to speak through her in her father's lab. Leviathan reveals its history: as the apex life form before the cycles, it created an intelligence to prevent synthetics from destroying organics. That intelligence created the Reapers, which destroyed most of Leviathan's kind. Convinced by Shepard that hiding is no longer an option, Leviathan disables an arriving Reaper to aid their escape and vows to fight.

Reader's Guide

To access the content, players must select "Dr. Bryson's Lab" upon arriving at the Citadel hub in 2186. The DLC unfolds across uncharted systems, starting with clues gathered on the Citadel and Mahavid before traveling to 2181 Desponia, an underwater planet where Shepard meets Leviathan. Gameplay shifts between investigation and combat, featuring new weapon types, four achievements, and a new biotic power called "Dominate" assigned upon completion. Critics noted the pack's meandering pace but praised its combat sequences, sensitive voice acting, and deep-sea vistas. While some reviewers felt it did not solve all lingering mysteries or match prior add-ons like Lair of the Shadow Broker, others highlighted the affecting father-daughter dynamic between the Brysons and the new lore that adds depth to the series' canon.

Did You Know?

• The pack was released worldwide between August 28 and August 29, 2012, with a one-day delay for the PS3 version in Europe.
• Leviathan was nominated for Best DLC at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards but lost to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard.
• A partial script of the pack was leaked on or before June 27, 2012, when fans extracted hidden data from the Extended Cut DLC patch and uploaded it to Pastebin.
• The expansion unlocks a new biotic power called "Dominate" for Commander Shepard upon completion.