Mass Effect: Andromeda does not feature Shepard but a new protagonist in a new galaxy. There are new alien races and the story does not necessarily relate to any of the events from the first three games. The focus this time is more on exploration in another galaxy and finding suitable planets for human colonization.

The game is set within the Andromeda Galaxy during the 29th century, where humanity is planning to populate new home worlds as part of a strategy called the Andromeda Initiative. The player assumes the role of either Scott or Sara Ryder, an inexperienced military recruit who joins the Initiative and wakes up in Andromeda following a 634-year sleeper ship journey. Events transpire that result in Ryder becoming humanity's Pathfinder, who is tasked with finding a new home world for humanity while also dealing with an antagonistic alien species known as the Kett, and uncovering the secrets of a mysterious synthetic intelligence species known as the Remnant.

For Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare incorporated a lighter tone than previous installments in the series, utilized open world elements, and placed an emphasis on exploration. Many of the series' traditional gameplay elements remained, while others were modified, such as combat, which is less cover-based and more mobile. The game is the largest in the series, and offers the player the freedom to focus on either the main quest or side quests. Each race sends 20,000 citizens on a one-way, 600-year journey to Heleus Cluster located in Andromeda aboard their own transportation vessel, called an Ark, and selects a leader, known as a Pathfinder. Once the races arrive at their destination in 2819, they help build the Nexus, a space station that serves as a center of government and diplomacy, a living area, as well as a base of operations for the Pathfinders.

Microbadge:

"We're marooned. Twenty thousand souls adrift at sea. When the power runs out and stays out, we need to know if that is safe harbor." - Intro

"We are travelers, constantly moving forward and looking back. For our insatiable curiosity. You are that explorer now." -Commander Shepard, N7 Day Teaser

"I've eaten things older than you." - Drack

"There's only one thing getting destroyed here today, and thats you! And this place! And also your boss! And probably your entire crew! So, alot of things are getting destroyed here, actually - and all of them are yours!" - Drack

"If this goes badly - if I get eaten alive, even if it's hilarious... please destroy the vids." - Ryder

"He was too young... and Salarian." - Ryder

"They're such a bold race, do they realize they're mostly made of water? - Drack, about humans

"We would've come in sooner but we didn't know how we could help. Settlers aren't soldiers. But a wreck of a ship with bad shielding? We've got engineers, son!" -August Bradley

"There's a peace in knowing that, though the universe is beyond your understanding, it doesn't need your understanding to function." -Jaal

"Discovery changes nothing--except ourselves." -Jaal

Trivia:

• Original working title was "Mass Effect 4". Changed to avoid confusion with the trilogy's narrative.
• The aliens are not visually 100% inline with the lore. The asari have eyebrows, skin tones, face paint, and eyes are off. Even after patches the eyes are larger than they should be (most noticeable on Peebee), giving the characters a "wide eyed" look. Non-human races have slitted eyes, including races that canonically, previously did not.
• A large number of Initiative NPCs have connections to Trilogy characters:
  • Laim, a former cop, claims to have had a run-in with a scarred turian, implied to be Garrus.
  • Alec Ryder spoke with Liara, Castis Vakarian (Garrus' father), and mentions Shepard.
  • Alec Ryder was in contact with the Shadow Broker; likley pre-Liara.
  • Cassandra Verner is Conrad Verner's sister.
  • Tiran Kandros is Nyreen Kandros' cousin.
  • Bain Massani is the son of Zaeed Massani.
  • Avitus Rix is an ex-Spectre and the protege of Saren.
  • A group of ex-Cerberus scientists on Kadara knew the Illusive Man and Miranda, and disapproved of the "Lazarus Project".
  • The quest "Firefighters" mentions the "Overlord project".
  • A quest on Elaaven sends you after Dr. Okeer's research.
  • The 'history' codex entries for each Milky Way species feature a picture of an original trilogy companion - Liara for Asari, Garrus for Turians, etc.

Release Info:

Deluxe Edition: $69.99

- Copy of Mass Effect: Andromeda
- 1 unique Outfit
- 1 unique piece of Armor
- 1 unique Weapon Set
- Pet Monkey
- Soundtrack Download
- Deluxe Launch Pack for the multiplayer

Super Deluxe Edition: $99.99

- Same as Deluxe + 20 weeks of premium booster packs for multiplayer

Collector's Edition: $99.99

- Diecast Nomad ND1
- Limited edition SteelBook case (No game included)

Class

Mass Effect: Andromeda no longer uses the class system. Profiles are used instead of classes. Of the seven Profiles, six of them roughly correspond to the traditional trilogy classes, and one is unique to the game. Each profile improves on several aspects of a character's chosen abilities, and also provide one or two unique passive abilities to complement their skills in combat. Unlike Classes in prior Mass Effect games, switching between available profiles is available at any time, including while in combat.

	Class	Specialization	Description	Talent	Stat Bonuses
	Adept	Biotic	Biotic specialists capable of disabling and killing enemies with powerful mass effect fields.	BIOTIC ECHOES: Biotic combos can set off additional explosions on each enemy they touch. BIOTIC JUMP & EVADE: Use biotics to jump and evade, instead of jump jets.	Biotic Force Biotic Area of Effect Damage Biotic Area of Effect Radius Biotic Effect Duration Biotic Combo Radius
	Soldier	Combat	Pure combat specialists. No one is tougher or more effective at taking down enemies with gunfire.	MARKSMAN'S FOCUS: Grants an escalating damage bonus for every target killed in a short time.	Weapon Damage Weapon Accuracy Damage Resistance Weapon Clip Size
	Engineer	Tech	Experts in both offensive and defensive tech powers. Reconfigures Ryder's implant, enabling him/her to maintain constant control over a small combat drone which assists and protects him/her in battle.	COMBAT DRONE: A small drone improves recharge rate for tech abilities and self-destruct with an EMP pulse if enemies get close.	Combo Damage Tech Construct Health Tech Construct Health Regeneration Tech Construct Damage Tech Restoration & Defense
	Vanguard	Biotic / Combat	An aggressive combat style, preferring to close in on enemies and deal heavy damage at short range.	SIPHONING STRIKES: Melee attacks restore shields. BIOTIC JUMP & EVADES: Instead of jump-jet, use biotics to jump and evade.	Melee Damage Melee Force Biotic Recharge Speed Power Shield Cost Reduction Max Shields
	Sentinel	Tech / Biotic	Unique combatants, bringing a mix of tech and biotic abilities to the battlefield.	TECH ARMOR: Absorbs a significant amount of whatever damage gets past shields.	Combo Damage Tech Recharge Speed Power Shield Cost Reduction Power Restoration and Defense
	Infiltrator	Tech / Combat	Tech and combat specialists who typically focus on precise hits and avoidance.	BATTLEFIELD AWARENESS: Observe enemies through walls when using a scope. CLOAK EVADES: When evading, a brief cloaking device is activated.	Weapon Accuracy Weapon Stability Tech Recharge Speed Weapon Headshot/Weak Point Damage Bonus
	Explorer	Tech / Combat / Biotic	A jack-of-all-trades, with abilities ranging from combat and tech to biotics.	BIOTIC BLINK: Evades allow you to quickly traverse a short distance, even seemingly passing through solid matter.	Weapon Damage Damage Resistance Tech Recharge Speed Biotic Power Damage Power Restoration and Defense