'Pinnacle Station' & 'Bring Down The Sky' Steam Version of ME

seems as though the DLCs that have been made available for Steam players are no longer working, whether you try to install them or load a save where they were successfully installed... this is a recent problem... I last played the game on Christmas Day 2020 on the same machine (Windows 10) using a save that had both DLCs installed correctly... I'd been working on this game for a few weeks prior with absolutely no issues... when I attempted to load the same game (same PC) the other day it wouldn't load the save due to both DLCs being "missing"... yes I reinstalled the game (eventhough the integrity of the files were verified) but could not install the DLCs again from the same source as before... it downloads fine but both DLCs say "failed" after installation attempts... also, it appears that the CD Keys have been removed as well... trying to obtain them via the manage tab (Steam) displays a "Requesting key..." message that goes nowhere... the key should appear in Program Data but simply shows "%CDKEY%" instead... anybody know what's going on here?... there are others on the Steam forums having the same problem but no solution...:-)

Arkham9
5 years ago
Here's how I got around this problem...
first... contact Steam Support (EA's wasn't helpful at all) and request your missing CD Key... you should be able to access it when you right-click the game in your library under the 'Manage' tab but EA has since removed the key... once you have your missing key write it down for you're going to need it multiple times...
you need to change the registry at this location:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Electronic Arts\Mass Effect (tm)\ergc
change the value that says %CDKEY% with your real CD Key provided by Steam... you'll now be able to successfully install both DLCs according to the guide linked above... don't celebrate just yet...
because of EA's interference you won't be able to access the DLCs until you change the registry everytime you play... not so fast with the celebrations... the game automatically changes it back to %CDKEY% the moment that you launch the game... have the registry minimized so that you can change it back AFTER you launch the game but BEFORE you press any key to continue to the Main Menu... this will allow you to be able to play both DLCs and load any save that displays the missing DLC message...
what a nuisance... thanks EA...:-)

16 Replies

EA_Jason
EA SPORTS FC™ Team
5 years ago
Hi @Arkham9,

I'm sorry to hear that and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Some players might encounter some issues with accessing certain Steam Keys for several titles and Mass Effect is one of them.

You can reach out to our support team via https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/ and provide our support team with a Proof of Purchase to get further help with your Steam Keys.

Please let me know how it works out.
Arkham9
5 years ago
EA's support team was not very helpful on this issue I'm afraid... I was asked the same questions repeatedly that I'd all ready given answers to and gave up after two separate conversations... Steam support, thankfully, was very helpful and were able to provide me with a key to solve my problem... treating your customers as if they're trying to steal from you isn't very good business practice... when I provided them with the key that Steam was kind enough to give to me they tried to tell me that it was "not consumed" lol, eventhough I have to add it to my registry literally everytime that I launch MASS Effect now... don't know what your game is here EA, but I'm NOT buying the new re-master... I'm happy with all of the DLC + games that I've purchased from you over the years... do you think that you could have the courtesy to not remove the keys for things that I've all ready paid top dollar for?... Sincerely...:-)
Kenny32673
Seasoned Vanguard
5 years ago
@EA_Jason Or, and this i just a thought, EA could stop making things difficult for Steam users and do what they have already done in Origin and include the DLC in the package on Steam so people don't need to keep messing around with keys.

One of the most popular guides on steam is how to download and install the DLC on the Steam version. The DLC installer needs to see the ME1 key in the registry before it will install so now you have broken Steam users ability to install the DLC without first contacting EA to get the key and then manually entering it where it needs to be in the windows registry using regedit.

People shouldn't need to consult guides and find workarounds to install and play the DLC.
EA_Jason
EA SPORTS FC™ Team
5 years ago
Hi @Arkham9,

I'm sorry to hear that, I'll be sure to have a look to see what happened.

I do have some additional questions for you to check why this is happening and to check if there's an issue with transferring codes to Steam.

Did you have both Mass Effect 1 and the DLC on your EA account?

Did you link the EA account, with the game and DLC, to Steam?

Where did you get the DLC, was it via this page and did you consume the code in the article on your EA account or on your Steam account?

I'll also have a look around to see if there are multiple reports about issues with the ME1 DLC and transferring the data over to Steam.

@Kenny32673 Agreed, it should be a painless transfer that's easy to do. Would you happen to have a link to the guide on Steam so that I can look into it?
Kenny32673
Seasoned Vanguard
5 years ago
@EA_Jason https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=519913125&tscn=1612973522
Note that this guide was before the key issue, which has just caused more problems.
flomamapoz
5 years ago
Hi Jason,

I have the exact same problem as the OP. To answer your questions, I don't know if I have ME1 on my EA account (probably not), I don't have my EA account linked with the game on Steam (I tried, but the manual available on the internet doesn't seem to work) and I got both DLCs via official page you've linked. I can start the installation, but I get "Failed instalation" message almost instantly.

I'll add that I used to have both DLCs installed and working on my Steam version in the past, but I've uninstalled and reinstalled the game in the meantime. Now I cannot access my save files, because it says, that I require DLCs, which I can't install.
Arkham9
5 years ago
Here's how I got around this problem...
first... contact Steam Support (EA's wasn't helpful at all) and request your missing CD Key... you should be able to access it when you right-click the game in your library under the 'Manage' tab but EA has since removed the key... once you have your missing key write it down for you're going to need it multiple times...
you need to change the registry at this location:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Electronic Arts\Mass Effect (tm)\ergc
change the value that says %CDKEY% with your real CD Key provided by Steam... you'll now be able to successfully install both DLCs according to the guide linked above... don't celebrate just yet...
because of EA's interference you won't be able to access the DLCs until you change the registry everytime you play... not so fast with the celebrations... the game automatically changes it back to %CDKEY% the moment that you launch the game... have the registry minimized so that you can change it back AFTER you launch the game but BEFORE you press any key to continue to the Main Menu... this will allow you to be able to play both DLCs and load any save that displays the missing DLC message...
what a nuisance... thanks EA...:-)
Kenny32673
Seasoned Vanguard
5 years ago
@EA_JasonAs you can see above EA have completely broken things for Steam users. Also many users are reporting that EA customer support are being stupidly awkward and are expecting people to be able to provide Steam emails (which could be from anything up to 13 years ago) to prove ownership in order to get their key?
That is not even remotely realisitic and a screenshot from their purchase history showing the transaction should be enough surely?
arc-dash
5 years ago
@Arkham9 Would you have to change it every time I play mass effect 1?
Arkham9
5 years ago
yes... I have to change it every time I play the game now...:-)