TheMass Effectseries is almost a decade-and-a-half old, and it remains a beloved franchise with a dedicated fanbase. The first threeMass Effectgames quickly embedded themselves in the cultural landscape as critical and commercial successes. After a five-year break betweenMass Effect 3andMass Effect: Andromeda, fans were once again excited to dive into the world of BioWare’s action-RPG franchise, but the latest installment did not reach the same heights as the previous entries. Now speculation is rife about whatMass Effect 4is set to add.
Details aroundMass Effect 4remain sparse, and fans have pored over teaser images and vague trailers to try and glean all the information they can. While the development team behind the nextMass Effecthas confirmed some rumors and speculation, it has remained tight-lipped when it comes to plot and setting. One of the aspects that has intrigued fans most is what kind of antagonistic force players will be up againstin the upcomingMass Effect 4, and if they have seen this potential enemy before. There are plenty of theories out there, and lots of lore for gamers to dive into as they search for answers.
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Mass Effect Moving On From The Reapers
The first threeMass Effectgames have a very clear through line:the Reaper threat. While each entry has its own share of challenging elements, frustrating political and historical antagonisms, and multiple enemies to blast through, the Reapers remain the “big bad” throughout each game. While some didn’t feel as if the final confrontation lived up to the hype,Mass Effect 3was a great culmination of Shepard and their allies' hard work in bringing together the galaxy. The advanced machine race was suitably chilling and believably threatening to act as a great overall villain, and finally defeating them to save the galaxy was a satisfying ending to Shepard’s arc.
It seems as if BioWare is makingthe “destroy” ending canon inMass Effect 3, so the Reapers and their legacy are apparently well and truly gone - beyond the damage that the mass relays may have undergone. The brief glimpses that players have been afforded forMass Effect 4seem to suggest some interesting possibilities, like diverse groups of races coming together and the work being undertaken to fix the mass relays, as well as a returning character or two. Many question marks remain, and it will be interesting to see how BioWare mixes together the two branching storylines of theMass Effecttrilogy andMass Effect: Andromeda.
Bringing Galaxies Together and The Kett Threat
As the teaser trailer appears to suggest,Mass Effect 4might be bringing both the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies together in some way. The fact that the events ofMass Effect: Andromedatake place roughly six hundred years after the original trilogy may throw a spanner in the works, but with long-living species such as the asari and the krogans, returning characters could still be possible.Liara’s appearance in the teaser trailerforMass Effect 4seems to suggest a stronger link to the Milky Way as a prominent setting, but as an asari she could still be alive after the events ofMass Effect: Andromeda.
There are a few ways thatMass Effect 4could go about bringing the two galaxies together, from previously undiscovered technology to an extensive time jump between titles, but some players are no doubt pleased that the less successful and less well-receivedMass Effect: Andromedaisn’t being forgotten.The kett - primary antagonistsin the game - are far from defeated, and it’s possible they will make a return appearance to plague the Milky Way too.
As a race that assimilates other aliens to replenish their ranks, this could offer a variety of enemies without having to introduce too many new species all at once. Likewise,the Jardaan still remain a mystery, and as the creators of both Remnant tech and the angara species, they appear to be a very powerful race. Having them show up in the Milky Way with unclear intentions could turn them into a formidable enemy for the galaxy’s inhabitants to contend with, linking all the games in an interesting way.
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Problems Between Mass Effect Races
Linking the two galaxies together could create a few problems as well, particularly given the tumultuous relationships between various races in both the Milky Way and Andromeda.Groups like Cerberus and the Roekaarare factions that are famously antagonistic to other groups and wish to promote the interests of their own associated race. It seems likely that more groups like this could spring up and cause conflict, particularly if the Milky Way has been without a mass relay system and races with shorter lifespans no longer have the memories of others.
Instead of one overarching villain or villainous group to contend with,Mass Effect 4may focus more on interspecies dynamicsand the issues of fighting for space in a single galaxy, especially if Andromeda residents make their way over. IfMass Effect 4explored the slow unraveling of a truce created when all the races came together to defeat the Reapers in the original trilogy, that could lead to some fascinating narrative directions and chances to develop different factions.
With the Reapers, there was a clear and obvious threat from the start, and even in the earliestMass Effecttrailers players were warned against an extinction-level menace. WithMass Effect 4, there doesn’t seem to be such an obvious overarching antagonist, and BioWare has its work cut out if it wants to try and establish a big bad guy right away. In addition, ramping back up to threatening the entire galaxy (or galaxies) won’t feel quite as earned as the journeyfromMass Effect toMass Effect 3, and a large threat might seem less believable overall.
