Really? I never played the OG ME3.

It was my understanding that you needed online to get a favourable outcome in the war. I know that's not exactly lootboxes, but I assumed there was some crossover.

In the Legendary Edition, it is possible to maximise the bar without online (as online was not present), but it's very difficult to save both the Geth and the... I forget, whatever masked girl is. I thought I did everything after reading up later, but I didn't follow a guide. I must have missed something. I think the point is to make you choose. I chose masked girl, even though I played femshep and had no shot with her. I just loved her character. (Liara romance all the way, no one in ME2 because you can't romance best girl there... and Jack blew me off because I wasn't a guy. Of course I tried.)