For those of you interested in the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda, Game Informer’s cover story has revealed plenty of details about BioWare’s next game in the series. Though it won’t be launching until March 2017, BioWare has already released plenty of details to whet our appetites for their next big, meaty space RPG.
New Alien Race: The Kett
The kett comprise Mass Effect Andromeda’s new race. For this latest sequel, BioWare developers set out to create an aesthetic far different from the sleek and streamlined physical appearance of Mass Effect’s existing races. The kett, which play the antagonists in Andromeda, have a much more organic and “alien” (for lack of a better term) design than what we’ve seen before.
The kett’s armor falls in line with their design’s overall theme, as it takes the form of an insect-like exoskeleton. Despite their foreboding appearance, though, the designers at BioWare did their best to craft a design for the kett that didn’t repulse players outright. Like any good villains, they should evoke at least a little empathy.
New Alien Race: The Angara
The angara race was revealed in Andromeda’s second cinematic trailer, but outside of their name and a few basic details, much about them is still a mystery. For now, we know they’re a peaceful race that lives in the Helius Cluster. It hasn’t been revealed if any angara will serve as one of your squadmates, but Jall (pictured above) seems like a likely contender.
Returning Alien Races in Mass Effect: Andromeda
If you hope to see your favorite Mass Effect alien race in Andromeda, you might walk away a little disappointed, as BioWare creative director Mac Walters stated not all existing Mass Effect races will appear in the game. He claims these omissions can be chalked up to “hopefully obvious reasons,” implying some plot element can excuse their absence. In a tweet, Walters wrote that while Andromeda doesn’t exist as the beginning of a trilogy, the universe still has many stories left to tell. Meaning we may see some of these absent races in future Mass Effect games.
That said, the weeks leading up to Mass Effect Andromeda’s March 21 release date have featured plenty of reveals about which previously established races will be returning to this new game. Let’s take a look at which ones will be coming back.
Returning Alien Race: The Asari
Elegant and diplomatic, the asari are a respected race known for settling the Citadel. Though feminine in appearance, this race only has one gender, and can reproduce with any partner, regardless of their species or gender. Previously playable asari squadmates from the Mass Effect series include Liara T’Soni, Samara, Morinth, and Aria T’Loak.
Returning Alien Race: The Krogan
The krogan are large, lizard-like bipeds, mostly known for their warlike tendencies. In fact, they destroyed their homeland of Tuchanka in a nuclear war that reduced their society to fighting tribes free of their former technology. Due to their growing numbers posing a threat to the galaxy, the turians infected the krogan with a genophage that reduced their population drastically. Previously playable krogan squadmates from the Mass Effect series include Urdnot Wrex and Grunt.
Returning Alien Race: The Turian
The militaristic turian race hails from the planet Palaven, and are known mostly for deploying the genophage that checked the growth of the krogan race. Often viewed as cold and imperialistic by other races, the turians still have some hostility towards the humans thanks to the events of the First Contact War. Previously playable turian squadmates from the Mass Effect series include Garrus Vakarian and Nyreen Kandros.
Returning Alien Race: The Salarian
Stemming from the planet of Sur’Kesh, the amphibious salarian race possesses a hyperactive metabolism that reduces their lifespan to around 40 Earth years. Salarians are known for being highly observational and possessing an extreme level of intelligence. Mordin Solus stands as the only previously playable salarian squadmate from the Mass Effect series.
Returning Alien Race: The Quarian
A nomadic race, the quarians once called the planet Rannoch their home before moving to a massive collection of starships known as the Migrant Fleet. The quarians are mostly known for developing the geth, a robotic race that eventually waged and won a war against their creators. Tali’Zorah nar Rayya is the only previously playable quarian squadmate from the Mass Effect series.
With Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare has been playing their cards pretty close to their chests, but these details still give us plenty to think about. Be sure to keep an eye on Fandom for more news about this upcoming game. In the meantime, check out the Mass Effect wiki for everything you need to know about the games.