Humanity would be the first to successfully build the Crucible, which released energies that damaged or destroyed the Mass Relays, the severity of which depended on the ending chosen. Mass Effect 3 presented multiple possible conclusions to the war, but regardless of Shepard’s choices, the Reapers are defeated using a superweapon called the Crucible, designs for which dated back to the first species eradicated by the Reapers and improved upon in each passing cycle. Commander Shepard led a crusade to ensure this pattern of death and destruction wouldn’t be repeated. The Reapers were the cause of the Prothean’s destructions millennia before the original trilogy. When enough sentient races had achieved sufficient technological advancement, the Reapers would return from the darkest reaches of space to destroy all advanced life, leaving only the primitive to survive and repeat the cycle. The Reapers, each large enough to serve as a spacecraft, built the network and Citadel to be intentionally found. RELATED: Power Rangers' New Villains Are Basically Mass Effect's Reapers The relays and Citadel were actually built by a sinister race of sentient machines the Protheans called Reapers. But Shepard uncovered a far more sinister truth and a threat that could annihilate all life in the galaxy.
Originally, many believed the relays and the Citadel were the results of the efforts of the long-deceased Protheans. The Citadel was the center of civilization in the Milky Way, and the original Mass Effect trilogy revolved heavily around the politics involved in the Human race earning their place there and attaining a position on the Citadel’s ruling council. The Mass Relay Network centered on a massive structure called the Citadel, built by the same mysterious aliens responsible for the relays. No one knew who built the Mass Relays, but when humanity discovered them, they found themselves thrust into a larger society comprised of many sentient alien races.Īs the youngest member of the interstellar community, humanity had a lot to prove and Commander Shepard became one of humanity’s chief representatives. Interstellar travel in the Milky Way was accelerated by the discovery of Mass Relays, a network of gargantuan alien devices capable of hurtling vessels across the vast distances of space. The original Mass Effect trilogy was focused on the adventures of Commander Shepard, a human who becomes pivotal in shaping the fate of the Milky Way. RELATED: Mass Effect: Which Class Is Right for Beginners? This has huge ramifications for what the new entry will focus on, and the trailer may have also hinted at how they are connected as well. The trailer's opening shot shows two galaxies, our Milky Way and the (relatively) nearby Andromeda galaxy.
Plans for a direct sequel to Andromeda fizzled out, but the trailer for this new Mass Effect showcased during 2020's Game Awards broadcast deliberately hinted that it will be connected to both the original trilogy and Andromeda.įans have been breaking down the Mass Effect teaser on social media and have received confirmation from BioWare devs that their suspicions are correct. The fate of the franchise’s future has long been under speculation since the lukewarm and underwhelming reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda, a spin-off intended to launch a new era for the series. Now that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, a collected remaster of the first three entries in the epic sci-fi RPG series, has finally landed, all eyes are turning to the next brand new Mass Effectentry.