Mass Effect: Andromeda could have been the start of a whole new saga, lightyears away from the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy. Instead, it seems the next chapter in the series will take fans of the franchise back to the Milky Way to pick up where Mass Effect 3 left off.
This leaves some hanging loose ends from Mass Effect: Andromeda that the next game should tie up. With hints that both the Milky Way and Andromeda could be involved in the next game's story, here are some of the big questions from Andromeda that will need to be answered.
Who Are The Jardaan?
Mass Effect: Andromeda introduced a new alien species endemic to the Heleus Cluster: the Angara. As the player makes their way through the plot, it is revealed that the Angara were created by another species known as the Jardaan.
The Jardaan initially seem like Andromeda's version of the Protheans, a long-lost, ancient species that has left behind mysterious technology. However, the Jardaan are responsible for the creation of both synthetic and organic life, having created both the Angara and the Remnants - drone-like synthetics which can be found throughout the game.
The big mystery is why the Jardaan created these beings. The Remnants appear to perform maintenance for the worlds they're left on, even though the Jardaan are nowhere to be seen and seemingly can't take advantage of their efforts. Fan-favorite Angaran companion Jaal comments that his species is "very free" with expressing their emotions. Why the Jardaan would create one efficient race of synthetics and another highly emotional race of organics is never explained, but it is possible that the Angara are also performing a task for the Jardaan without realizing it.
The trailer for Mass Effect 4 uses an image which has a silhouette based on Jaal in the background, implying the Angara will somehow be making an appearance in the next game. Both the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy can be seen briefly in the trailer, and BioWare project director Michael Gamble hinted the inclusion of both galaxies was intentional. With the Angara likely to return, the mystery behind their origins and purpose remains a major plot-thread that needs tying up.
Who Is The Benefactor?
Jien Garson is the eccentric billionaire backing the Andromeda Initiative, but as the game's plot unravels it appears there are more powerful forces at play. When Garson is eventually found dead in her apartment, the rest of the Initiative writes it off as a casualty of the Scourge.
However, if Pathfinder Ryder unlocks their father's memories, they will find out that the Initiative also received support from an anonymous benefactor. A virtual intelligence based on Garson will confirm that the Initiative was backed by this benefactor. It doesn't reveal much more, only that Garson began to regret associating with this person and questioned the benefactor's true motives. Whoever this benefactor is, they seem sinister. It's not clear if they left with the Initiative or remained in the Milky Way, or what their true motives might have been. Their identity remains one of the biggest mysteries Andromeda did not solve.
Where Are The Kett?
The Kett are the main antagonistic species in Andromeda, but the player only sees a fraction of their empire. Though the Andromeda Initiative is eventually able to kill the Kett Archon, the Archon only rules the Kett located in the Heleus Cluster.
The Archon players meet in Andromeda is also not necessarily representative of the rest of the Kett empire. When the Heleus Cluster Kett began experimenting on the Angara, he prevented the research from being sent back to the leader of the Kett. Instead, he used this research to strengthen his own troops and to further his pursuit of knowledge about the Remnants.
Although the Archon dies, his second-in-command, the Primus, and the vast majority of the Kett are still out there in Andromeda. If Mass Effect 4 finds a way to bring the Initiative back to the Milky Way, the Primus and the remaining Kett may not be far behind them. Getting back to the Milky Way, however, could require Mass Effect 4 to explain another of Andromeda's biggest hanging plot-threads.
What Is The Scourge?
The Scourge is an energy phenomenon in the Heleus Cluster. Described as a "dark energy cloud" and a "charged absence," the Scourge is an utter enigma to the races of the Andromeda Initiative. They discover that Element Zero can be harvested from the Scourge, but it lets off some kind of force that disrupts their technology.
It is revealed that the Scourge was released centuries before the main events of Andromeda during a war involving the Jardaan. The identity of the side that released the Scourge and their ultimate goals remain unknown, it is only revealed that they learned how to create such weapons from a being known only as Jheln.
The Scourge and the dark energy it's associated with could change everything in Mass Effect 4. Early ideas for Mass Effect 2 involved a dark energy plotline with time manipulation, which if reworked could be used to explain how the Andromeda Initiative makes it back to the Milky Way.
Whatever the Scourge is, the fact that it seems to defy all science known by the races of the Andromeda Initiative could make it one of the next Mass Effect game's most interesting plot devices. Whether it will play an antagonistic, benevolent, or simply amoral role in the next game remains to be seen, but Mass Effect 4 will almost certainly have to address the Scourge and the science behind it at some point.
For now, all of these hanging plot-threads remain unsolved mysteries. Mass Effect: Andromeda was met with mixed reviews, but if even some of its mysteries are integrated into Mass Effect 4, their answers could revitalize the setting and the series as a whole.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.