Summary
Though official news about the nextMass Effectgame is still scarce, the potential connection to Andromeda through trailers and promotional teasers seems to point to an obvious antagonist that could link back to the classic trilogy. After the currently untitledMass Effect 4was confirmed to be in development in 2020, BioWare has been understandably guarded about the upcoming game, leaving fans only able to speculate about where and when the next game will take place followingMass Effect: Andromeda’s controversial reception.
Since certain details hidden inMass Effect’s teasers seem to support this theory, attention has turned to how exactly BioWare plans to connect the post-Reaper Milky Way with Andromeda’s ongoing Kett conflict and the mysterious Jardaan. However, putting aside the challenge of overcoming the six-century time gap between these games, a possible solution BioWare could use lies with one ofAndromeda’s antagonistic forces. Though there are many unknowns aboutMass Effect 4’s story, setting, and characters, it does seem that ifAndromedais somehow connected to the next game, so will the likes of the Jardaan, Jheln, and the Scourge.
Mass Effect 4 and the Scourge of Mass Effect: Andromeda
While characters like the enigmatic N7 operative took the spotlight during BioWare’s N7 Day in 2023, eagle-eyed fans have noticed background details that hint at bothGeth and Angara featuring inMass Effect 4. If true, this could confirm thatMass Effect 4plans to connectAndromedato its own story, something which could call back to the Jardaan creating the Angara as genetic templates and seeding them throughout Andromeda.
This potential connection, however, leads to bigger questions overshadowing the Jardaan followingAndromeda, such as who was the Opposition, who or what was Jheln, and what caused them to detonate the Scourge. While the current war with the Kett could remain exclusive toAndromedafor its prospective sequels to resolve, those involved with or behind the Scourge may be the only connecting choice forMass Effect 4’s primary antagonist.
This seems even more likely given thatMass Effect’s creative director Mac Walters confirmed to Ars Technicathat the Scourge is not related to the trilogy’s Reaper antagonists.
Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Scourge Could Bring Characters Together
Much like the Reapers and the galaxy-ending threat they posed inMass Effect’s trilogy, the Scourge would also serve as an ideal replacement thatforces characters together inMass Effect 4. For instance, characters like Liara already hint at howMass Effect 4might bring everything together after she appeared in the game’s announcement trailer and as recordings inAndromeda. Combined with the advanced technology and life expectancy ofMass Effect’s aliens, fan-favorite trilogy characters could still joinAndromeda’s own as the Scourge threatens both galaxies, such as:
Mass Effect 4 Needs a Reaper-Level Threat Like the Scourge
However, with the potential for these characters to return inMass Effect 4, this could also lead to another fan-favorite character, the Illusive Man, being revived as the series' overarching villain. But despite the speculated links between the Illusive Man andAndromedasuch as the anonymous Benefactor or Cora Harper’s family ties, the transition away from the Reapers could suggest thatMass Effect 4will lean into cosmic horroras seen in the strange dark energy of the Scourge. In doing so,Mass Effect 4can recover fromAndromeda’s legacy without sacrificing the interesting albeit obvious antagonists it set up for the series' future.
