The future of the Mass Effect series is a bit up in the air at the moment, with the latest trailer seemingly hinting at a whole new direction for the series after the initial critical response of Mass Effect: Andromeda. However, the upcoming Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remaster has a unique opportunity to set up the future of the series with several new additions to the original trilogy.
Whatever gets added to the original Mass Effect trilogy will likely only be in the realm of Easter eggs, with slight nods that might indicate where the series is planning on going. There may also be some indications of the Andromeda Initiative taking place as Shepard continues his fight against the reapers, possibly tying the two separate storylines together.
Given that developers working on the next title have hinted at Mass Effect 4 incorporating both galaxies into the next title, there is room to begin placing some connecting threads between the two series. Aside from the possibility of connecting Andromeda to the original trilogy, there are also a number of new opportunities for how to push the narrative further in the next title. Specifically, giving players an idea of where Liara is headed in that initial teaser shown at The Game Awards could be a great step towards where the franchise is heading beyond the story of the Reapers.
Set Liara on her new Adventure
The big mystery among fans of the series is the recent appearance of Liara in the recent Mass Effect teaser trailer, a cameo that implies that the next title in the series will be returning to the Milky Way. So one thing that the Legendary Edition can do is give players a hint at what her upcoming adventure is going to involve, either by giving her some new dialogue or codex entries, or by showing her setting off at the end of the trilogy. This presses onto the ambiguous ending of Mass Effect 3, which received some heavy criticism when the game first released due to an apparent lack of impact from the player's choices.
BioWare has since added too and reworked the initial ending of Mass Effect 3 in response to some early criticism, but the Legendary Edition could be another chance to revisit and improve this ending. A strong start would be to show how the series companions are getting along after the events of the trilogy, including Liara and what her future implies about the next title. Granted, the series can also look outside of the original trilogy's characters and take a peek into the direction that the franchise would eventually go in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Connect to Mass Effect: Andromeda
It's becoming more and more clear that Mass Effect: Andromeda won't be continuing as its own storyline at this point, with BioWare consistently hinting that this new game will be taking place in the Milky Way. However, there are hints that the entire trip to a new galaxy was prompted by the events of the original trilogy, with some species attempting to escape the Reaper threat before Shepard is able to intervene. This could be a huge opportunity for the Legendary Edition to establish the Andromeda Initiative as a part of the lore that might not interact with Shepard, but something they still might pass by.
As the series stands now, the Andromeda Initiative seems to appear out of nowhere, even though it was inspired by the direct actions of players in the original series. While the timeline doesn't exactly allow for Shepard to join the initiative and take center stage as the protagonist of future Mass Effect titles centered in that galaxy, the Legendary Edition could still connect the threads together. After all, with Jien Garson and the Benefactor having apparently been worried enough about the Reaper threat to launch out into dark space, it seems strange that they would have had no interactions with Shepard.
Reintroduce the Benefactor
A retcon in the Legendary Edition should in no way be how the mysterious Benefactor from Mass Effect: Andromeda is revealed, but it could be a good way to reintroduce players to the character. Especially considering all of the teasing from BioWare that the next Mass Effect might connect to Andromeda, some players may need a reminder of who the Benefactor is before heading off on a new adventure. That being said, this could also be a good moment to debunk a few fan theories about who this character might be, two of the most prominent of these being Liara and The Illusive Man.
It's clear that BioWare wanted to have the original series connect to Andromeda in some more subtle ways, but with the next Mass Effect connecting the trilogy more directly to the most recent title, the two could intertwine more through new content. This would even fit best as a new addition to Mass Effect 2, the title that most fans often hold up as their favorite in the series. So, a new mission that establishes the Benefactor within the Milky Way could have the added benefit of giving players more time with the highest-rated game.
Solidify Shepard's Fate
One reason Mass Effect 3's ending continues to be one of the most ridiculed finales in gaming comes back to the treatment of the player character after making the final decision to either destroy or harness the Reapers. After three games of controlling the same Commander Shepard throughout the original trilogy, players are given three different options for how the character will die. However, an update that enhanced the original ending did offer one option where Shepard might live, although only the renegade ending gives this small glimmer of hope.
While the killing of Shepard isn't inherently a poor decision, the character's ambiguous ending in Mass Effect 3 has not aged well, now becoming a weak point for the future of the series to jump off from. If Shepard is alive, then that leaves so many loose threads in the air for the next game, such as what the character's role will be, or even how they look and what gender they are. Needless to say, the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is going to need to set the new launching point for the sequels by solidifying exactly what happens to Shepard after fighting off the Reaper threat.
A new Mass Effect is currently in development at BioWare.