BioWare raised fan hopes when it confirmed in late 2020 that another installment in the hugely popularMass Effectseries was on its way. Some players had worried that after the more lukewarm reception that the previous installmentMass Effect: Andromedahad received, the future of the franchise was a little in doubt. But thankfully the series seems to be moving forward, and while a lot of elements ofMass Effect 4are still unknown, it’s guaranteed that the next game will be bringing a lot of changes to theMass Effectformula.
Through the announcement trailer and a few teased images, it seems likeMass Effect 4is going to maintain links withthe original trilogy as well asMass Effect: Andromeda.It may be that this is more true in the case of the trilogy than the fourth mainline installment, but even if elements of the previous games will be making an appearance, there’s no doubt that players will find a changed Milky Way. This could affect so many aspects, from character fates to settings, but it will also have consequences for classes.
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A Very Different Mass Effect Galaxy
Although it hasn’t yet been completely confirmed, many fans have theorized thatMass Effect 4will be taking place after a significant time jump fromMass Effect 3. BioWare has said that theinclusion of the Andromeda Galaxyin promotional material was very deliberate, indicating thatMass Effect: Andromedawill feature in some way. The presence of Liara in the trailer seems to suggest that the game will either exclusively or mainly be taking place in the Milky Way, so the most likely way to includeMass Effect: Andromedais to have some Angara travel across to the Milky Way.
It’s therefore likely that the next game could be taking place hundreds of years after Shepard defeated the Reapers. There are other implications to returning to a post-Reaper galaxy.The ‘Destroy’ ending forMass Effect 3has been strongly suggested as the canon choice, which means that potentially the Mass Relay network has been destroyed, along with any artificial intelligence like EDI and the Geth. This obviously has huge narrative consequences, and it will be interesting for players to jump back into a very divided and ravaged Milky Way. It also has implications for classes like the tech-focused Engineers, Infiltrators, and Sentinels.
Tech Classes In Previous Games
Tech classes revolved around skills like hacking and reverse engineering various technologies, including weapons, armor systems, andsentient machine enemies like the Geth. The originalMass Effecttrilogy had the same spread of classes, with players able to choose the purely tech-focused Engineer, the combat and tech-savvy Infiltrator, or the tech expert with biotic abilities called the Sentinel. This underwent a massive change whenMass Effect: Andromedacame along, as the fourth main installment did away with classes altogether and introduced a system with dynamic and flexible profiles instead that players could change at the drop of a hat.
Despite the changes inMass Effect: Andromeda, many of the new profiles still corresponded with the classic six classes, and tech-based moves like Defense Drone, Overload, and Sheild Boost made an appearance. Tech skills can be incredibly useful and can be used to bolster team defenses and add support elements like drones to take on enemies. However, many of the abilities aren’t as flashy or seeminglydestructive as biotic skills, and they aren’t as reliably straightforward and universal as purely combat powers. As fan-favorite characters like Tali, Legion, and Garrus have tech skills, there’s also less of a need for Shepard to adopt them to have a balanced spread of powers on missions.
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Potential For The Classes In Mass Effect 4
Mass Effectwill hopefully be making a ton of different improvements, from smoother graphics to better gameplay, and classes (or profiles, if it follows inMass Effect: Andromeda’s footsteps) are definitely an aspect that BioWare should look closely at. Despite its other faults, many thought that the combat andrejuvenated class system inMass Effect: Andromedawas a much more fun and engaging approach to classes and abilities than its predecessors. Occasionally theMass Effecttrilogy could become more of a simple cover shooter, and the fluidity and choice on offer in the fourth installment meant that it rarely fell into this same trap.
Apart from improvements and tweaks to how the class system could operate, there are some story elements that the next game will have to consider as well. If the ‘Destroy’ ending is adopted as canon and there is atime jump betweenMass Effect 3andMass Effect 4, then there won’t be the same kinds of sentient synthetics that players are used to. There might not even be any, depending on what the galactic society decides to do after they defeat the Reapers. If there aren’t any synthetic enemies, the tech-based classes become a little less effective, so they will need to compensate for this. If there are new synthetic enemy types, this could open the door for some intriguing new abilities for these classes.
There will also bea lot of leftover Reaper techlittered about the place. As an incredibly advanced machine race, they will have left behind a plethora of useful technology that the various galactic communities will be able to salvage and create new tech with. If the Mass Relay network is down, different areas of the galaxy will be developing in isolation, so even if they start off with the same kinds of Reaper leftovers, they could all develop a diverse array of gadgetry that could make the tech roles extra intriguing depending on where the protagonist is from and who they’ve had contact with.
Reclaimed Reaper tech aside, if there’s been a time jump then technology will have inevitably improved as well. There wasn’t much of a time gap between the firstMass Effectand the third, and whileMass Effect: Andromedatechnically took place over six hundred years later,the Andromeda Initiative had left the Milky WaybeforeMass Effect 3took place, so the technology wasn’t hugely different.Mass Effect 4could be a chance to really shake things up and push the boundaries of what technology and the tech-based classes could be capable of.
