Mass Effect: Andromeda is the culmination of over four years of BioWare’s work crafting, designing and building an entirely new galaxy for you to explore. Throwing away the shackles of Mass Effect 3’s messy ending in favour of jetting off across to the Andromeda galaxy for a new setting, story and cast of characters.
With its 21 March release date fast approaching, it looks as if Mass Effect: Andromeda is shaping up to be bigger than anything BioWare has ever made. It’s also set to be the most beautiful-looking Mass Effect title so far thanks to the switch from the Unreal to Frostbite game engine. Don’t believe me, just look at the gameplay trailer below and decide for yourself.
No doubt you’ve still got questions about what, exactly, is going on in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Not only is this a new system and cast of characters, but fundamental gameplay aspects of the series have changed too. To help you grapple with the ins and outs of this new world we’ve answered your burning questions on Mass Effect Andromeda below.
Mass Effect: Andromeda – your questions answered
1. When will Mass Effect: Andromeda release?
21 March 2017 worldwide – that’s a Tuesday by the way, so be prepared to book the rest of the working week off.
2. Does Mass Effect: Andromeda have a Collector’s Edition?
Hoo boy, you bet it does. In fact, Game is actually offering up two different versions alongside the standard edition many of you will end up opting for. Game is selling the vanilla copy of Mass Effect: Andromeda for £50 but, for £55 you can pick up an edition complete with a die-cast miniature replica Nomad ND1 buggy. If you’d rather have a remote-control version of the Nomad ND1, and a SteelBook edition of the game, you can pick that up for £250 .
Those going down the digital route, be that on PC, Xbox One or PS4 can can pick between the “Deluxe” or “Super Deluxe” editions of Mass Effect: Andromeda alongside the bog-standard digital edition. The difference between the Deluxe and Super Deluxe is – aside from a £15 price gap – is that the Super Deluxe comes with “exclusive Multiplayer Super Deluxe Booster Packs” as well as everything else in the Deluxe edition.
Deluxe edition purchasers miss out on that tantalisingly vague extra, but they do get the “Deep Space Explorer Armor”, “Nomad Skin”, “Pathfinder Casual Outfit”, “Scavenger Armor”, “Pathfinder Elite Weapon Set”, “Pet Pyjak”, “Digital Soundtrack”, “Multiplayer Deluxe Launch Pack” and the “Multiplayer Booster Pack” that comes with every pre-order of standard digital edition.
3. Do I have to worry about a Season Pass for Mass Effect: Andromeda?
No! EA and BioWare have decided it’s time to can the Season Pass for Andromeda. It’s unlikely this means we’re not going to get DLC – that would be idiotic. My theory is that BioWare plans to provide plenty of multiplayer DLC and only a couple of single player expansions. Bundling them into a single Season Pass would alienate those who don’t want to play online and it’s likely both EA and BioWare can make more money through multiplayer in-game purchases than via a fixed-priced pass.
4. What does my PC need to run Mass Effect: Andromeda?
If you want to play Mass Effect: Andromeda on your PC, you don’t actually need all that much power to get started. It’ll look awful and probably run pretty poorly, but it’s scaleable enough that even those on mid-range hardware from a couple of years ago can still get in on the fun.
Minimum system requirements | Recommended system requirements |
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5. What are weapons like in Mass Effect: Andromeda?
Weapons come in three classes and five types, offering around 15 different base groups for you to indulge in. Each class is split into melee weapons and four gun types – pistols, shotguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles. The first class you’ll learn to get hands-on with are the ballistic-based Milky Way weapons you brought with you from home. After that you’ll find yourself playing with Remnant and Helios weapons. Remnant weapons belong to Andromeda’s main antagonists and are highly-accurate, rapid-fire energy weapons with a tendency to overheat, while Helios weapons appear to be plasma-based guns with heat-seeking qualities that can be charged for massive damage.