Mass Effect 3: Earth officially announced, adds three new maps and ‘Platinum’ difficulty

Although Microsoft already leaked a release date for Mass Effect 3: Earth, the new free multiplayer add-on, BioWare has finally gotten around to announcing the details.

The latest installment of DLC for Mass Effect 3 will add a ton of new content for the multiplayer portion of the game including three new maps, more playable N7 characters, powerful and unique weapons, and a new "Platinum" difficulty.

The three new maps are based on three key cities in the galactic war – London, Vancouver, and Rio De Janeiro. You will need to defend the strategic locations of these N7 training facilities in the last stand for mankind.

Mass Effect 3: Earth will also add some of the Alliance's most elite military units to protect civilization. The playable characters include the N7 Demolisher Engineer, N7 Destroyer Soldier, N7 Fury Adept, N7 Sentinel Paladin, N7 Shadow Infiltrator and N7 Slayer Vanguard.

If you are looking for a challenge, a new Platinum difficulty has been added along with new in-mission objectives that randomly occur during waves 3, 6, and 10. This new objective will "challenge teams to keep a targeted agent alive by protecting and escorting them to a designated extraction zone on each map."

Lastly, the free add-on unlocks the N7 Piranha Shotgun, N7 Typhoon Assault Rifle and Acolyte Pistol as well as 12 new modifications for your weapons and 11 unique upgrades for your gear.

Mass Effect 3: Earth will be available for download on July 17 on Xbox LIVE (xbox 360), PSN (PS3), and Origin (PC) in North America. It will release in Europe on July 18.