37 New Things We Know About Mass Effect: Andromeda

The Ryder twins aren't out to save the galaxy, but they will get to explore one.

By Miranda Sanchez

From the first details about Mass Effect: Andromeda's story to the originals plans for the Andromeda Initiative, N7 Day 2016 provided us a ton of details for the next Mass Effect game.

Here are 37 of the biggest details we learned about Mass Effect: Andromeda from the new trailers, creator tweets, and more. For everything we learned, be sure to check out the Mass Effect: Andromeda wiki.

Andromeda Initative

The first details about the Andromeda Initiative were released in the Andromeda Initiative trailer.

• The crew has to travel 600 years to get to the Andromeda galaxy. The Andromeda Initiative is intended as a one-way trip.
• There are a total of five ships making the journey. Four of the five are dedicated to transporting one of four species: human, turian, salarian, or asari.
• Each of the four species have a designated Pathfinder to lead their exploration.
• The lead ship in the Andromeda Initiative is called the Nexus.
• The Andromeda Initiative is a multi-species effort, but it was founded by human Jien Garson.
• The Andromeda Initiative departs for its journey sometime between the events of Mass Effect 2 and before Mass Effect 3.
• There are civilian volunteers to act as colonists on this mission as well as trained soldiers.

Story Details

In addition to Mass Effect: Andromeda’s focus on the Andromeda Initiative, we learned a few more story details from the cinematic trailer, the Game Informer cover story, and a few tweets from BioWare employees.

• Alec Ryder, the Ryder twins’ father and designated Pathfinder of the Hyperion, is for some reason unable to lead the Hyperion as Pathfinder and his responsibilities are transferred to your character.
• Regardless of the Ryder twin (Scott or Sarah) you choose to play as both are a big part of the story. There are multiple shots in the trailer where you see both Ryder twins.
• Liam is a human squadmate and ex-cop. He’s part of the Pathfinder squad, GI revealed.
• PeeBee is the asari in your squad, Mass Effect: Andromeda Producer Michael Gamble confirmed on Twitter.
• The first new intelligent Andromeda species we know about are called the Kett. They served a more antagonistic role in the cinematic trailer.
• You will have squadmates from the new Andromeda species, Gamble confirmed on Twitter.
• The Remnants we saw in the PlayStation Meeting back in September are not related to the Reapers. Reapers “are a Milky Way threat,” Mac Walters, BioWare creative director said on Twitter.

Meet the Ryder Family

• The Ryder family is customizable. You can edit the characteristics of the twins’ father and the sibling you don’t choose to play as, GI reported.
• Alec Ryder is an N7.
• The Ryder twins are both untested, but trained. They’re also younger than Shepard was at the beginning of the original Mass Effect Walters confirmed on Twitter.
• Jien Garson, founder of the Andromeda Initiative, is not the mother of the Ryder twins. Gamble debunked this theory on Twitter.

All the Rest

A slew of new changes to combat, morality, and other details were announced from various sources. For a more detailed guide on combat and skill changes, visit the Mass Effect: Andomeda wiki.

• Alec’s adventures pre-Andromeda is a storyline BioWare is still developing for Andromeda and for “other things,” Walters said on Twitter.
• PeeBee is a nickname for the asari, Walters said on Twitter. Her full name is unknown.
• Romance options aren't limited by the gender of your character, Walters confirmed on Twitter.
• Loyalty missions are back, but they are optional, GI reported.
• Paragon and renegade are gone, but there will still be dialogue options with different tones, GI reported.
• Character classes are different. You don’t pick one, but fall into one as you build your skill tree, GI reported.
• You can reallocate skill points to change up your specialization, GI reported.
• Combat blends cover-based combat with faster movement, GI reported.
• Explorable planets, like the desert world Elaaden, feature a super boss and optional missions, GI reported.

Game Informer also sat down with Walters to talk about the original trilogy and Mass Effect: Andromeda in a 101 Q&A rapid-fire video. Here are a few of the important points from that interview:

• You can't get married "traditionally."
• There's a new game plus for Mass Effect: Andromeda.
• The game doesn't run natively in 4K and runs at 30 FPS on "some platforms."
• Mass Effect: Andromeda is based on a true story.
• There will be interruptions during action scenes, similar to how there were in previous Mass Effect games, that manipulate how Ryder acts in a situation.
• There are no original trilogy crew members in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
• You can play the campaign offline.
• You don't have to fuel the Tempest like you did the Normandy.
• There's no way of communicating with the Milky Way galaxy, at least "not in this game," Walters said.
• There is a group similar to the Council that you will need to report to.

In addition to all the new story information, the box art for Mass Effect: Andromeda and information on the special editions were revealed. Mass Effect: Andromeda will be out sometime in spring 2017, though some evidence points to a March release.

Miranda Sanchez is an Editor at IGN. She firmly believes that while Garrus is the best Mass Effect romance option, he belongs with Tali. You can talk to her about video games and anime on Twitter.

Let's block ads! (Why?)