Mass Effect: Andromeda Beta News Coming This Month
By Derek Nichols 11 January 2017
Thanks to a response to a fan by Mass Effect Andromeda lead designer, Ian Frazier, BioWare plans to reveal more information about the multiplayer beta before the end of the month.
The new year has already proven to be a busy one for BioWare as the company ramps up its marketing efforts for its next big title, Mass Effect Andromeda. Last week gave fans another look, albeit a quick one, of more single player combat on a new volcanic type of planet at the annual CES show in Las Vegas. There’s still a lot of details BioWare hasn’t shared yet, including the multiplayer side of the game. Thankfully, it’s starting to look like fans should be getting a taste of what’s in store much sooner than expected.
A curious fan reached out to Ian Frazier, lead designer on Mass Effect: Andromeda, on Twitter to see if any news regarding the upcoming multiplayer beta test would arrive before the end of the month. Frazier responded to the fan and confirmed that there would be something coming before January was over, but didn’t go into much more detail as to whether the test would begin, or just details would be released.
@FatherOfPearl1 Odds are good.— Ian S. Frazier (@tibermoon) January 9, 2017
Just as it is with most things regarding Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare has been fairly quiet about the multiplayer test after it was revealed back in November 2016 during N7 Day alongside the first trailer. Not only do applicants need to fill out a somewhat lengthy survey, but the beta requires that the user has an active EA account linked to an Origin, PlayStation Network, or Xbox Live account. It’s also unknown how much of the multiplayer will be available during the beta test, and how long it’ll be available for as well.
While details are slim regarding to how multiplayer will work, BioWare has confirmed that the mode is now more integrated with the story line in the campaign rather than being a set of random set of adventures. Unlike Mass Effect 3 however, for players who just want to stick to single player, they’ll be able to experience the entire campaign without needing to venture into multiplayer.
Mass Effect Andromeda also appears to be following in the footsteps of another EA published title, Titanfall 2, in that a season pass isn’t planned and a card system is in place to unlock boosts and other items similar to Gears of War 4 and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Similarly to those games, microtransactions allow players to use real money to unlock more packs for those who don’t want to grind out XP in game to unlock them instead. More details regarding this system and the potential unlock rewards should be coming soon.
Have you signed up for the multiplayer beta? What are you looking forward to most with the multiplayer? Sound off below in the comments and let us know.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is scheduled for release on March 21, 2017 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
