Can I use DLC from Origin with the base game from Steam?

Question

I have never played Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station, but it no longer appears to be available on Steam. This DLC now only appears to be available on Origin, from what I can see.

I own Mass Effect on Steam, but the Steam CD key for the first Mass Effect game is not valid within Origin (the CD key for Mass Effect 2 is, but that's not going to help in this particular situation).

Am I able to purchase Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station on Origin and then use it with my copy of Mass Effect from Steam, or am I going to need to repurchase Mass Effect on Origin in order to use the Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station DLC, from Origin?

Answer 1

In many cases for EA games you can use the key from Steam to also get the game on Origin. This is an automated process, meaning it is quick and can be done at any time, but doesn't work for all games. If this doesn't work you can consider using Origin support and hoping for the best. You can also just buy the DLC and hope for the best, it may still work. But actually getting the game you bought on Steam to show up as owned on Origin is the safest way to ensure that the DLC from Origin will work.

But first – how to acquire a CD key from Steam? If the game supports it, a “View CD key” option will be found when right-clicking it. In the example below, we can see that Crysis 2: Maximum Edition is one such title that does.

[...]

Here is a list of EA games / DLC and their confirmed status:

 Game Title                             Success Notes 
 Alice: Madness Returns                 Yes     Success 
 Battlefield: Bad Company 2             Yes     Success 
 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Vietnam   Yes     Success 
 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – SPECACT   Yes     Success 
 Bulletstorm                            Yes     Success 
 Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box     Yes     Success 
 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3         Yes     Success 
 Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight Yes     Success 
 Crysis                                 No      Origin Rejects Key 
 Crysis Warhead                         Yes     Register on Website* 
 Crysis 2                               Yes     Success 
 Crysis 2: Maximum Edition              Yes     Success 
 Darkspore                              Yes     Success 
 Dead Space                             Yes     Success 
 Dead Space 2                           Yes     Success 
 Dragon Age: Origins                    Yes     Success 
 Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening        Yes     Success 
 FIFA Manager 09                        No      Steam Doesn’t Provide Key 
 FIFA Manager 10                        No      Origin Rejects Key 
 FIFA Manager 11                        Yes     Success 
 Gatling Gears                          Yes     Success 
 Mass Effect                            No      Origin Rejects Key 
 Mass Effect 2                          Yes     Success 
 Medal of Honor                         Yes     Success 
 Mirror’s Edge                          No      Steam Doesn’t Provide Key 
 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit            Yes     Success 
 Need for Speed: SHIFT                  No      Steam Doesn’t Provide Key 
 Need for Speed: Undercover             No      Steam Doesn’t Provide Key 
 SHIFT 2: Unleashed                     Yes     Success 
 Spore                                  Yes     Success 
 Spore: Creepy & Cute                   No       Steam Doesn’t Provide Key 
 The Sims 3                             Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: Ambitions                  Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: Fast Lane                  Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: Generations                Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff        Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: Into the Future            Yes     Success 
 The Sims 3: Late Night                 Yes     Success 
 The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff       Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims 3: World Adventure            Yes     Register on Website* 
 The Sims: Medieval                     Yes     Success 
 The Sims: Medieval – Pirates & Nobles  Yes     Success 
 WARP                                   Yes     Success 

Answer 2

I have bought Pinnacle Station on Origin and was able to play it from within my steam version of Mass Effect 1. I had purchased ME1 on steam a few years ago, and the Origin version of PS worked without any issues.

Answer 3

Contact EA live Support and ask them to add Mass Effect and your DLC to your Origin Account while providing them with your keys when asked for.

I did this a while back and they added Mass Effect to my account without any further questions asked.