Mass Effect: Andromeda EA Access Trial Detailed

By Dalton Cooper 06 March 2017

• pc
• ps4
• xbox one
• electronic arts
• bioware
• mass effect: andromeda
• mass effect

Having access to free games through the vault is a nice perk of being an EA Access subscriber, but one of the biggest reasons to sign up for the service is the chance to play new games a week before everyone else through its early access trials. Like EA’s other blockbuster releases, Mass Effect: Andromeda will have an EA Access trial as well, and we now know that it will include both single player and multiplayer options.

The trial for Mass Effect: Andromeda will last 10 hours, and will allow players to progress indefinitely in the multiplayer, as well as progress to a certain point in the single player story, according to producer Fernando Melo. Melo didn’t reveal how far players could get in the story, but confirmed that they can restart the story from scratch once they reach the end of the trial to earn bonus XP ahead of the game’s launch the following week.

Since EA Access is not available on PS4, one has to imagine that EA will keep players from progressing very far at all in the single player story. After all, letting PC and Xbox One EA Access/Origins Access subscribers advance too far in the single player story would leave PS4 owners unfairly susceptible to spoilers, which could upset the game’s community.

@Xartain you can play it all in sp if you want, but it is gated (you can't cont story after a point, but can explore or restart for ex)

— Fernando Melo (@DiscoBabaloo) March 5, 2017

While the single player portion of the EA Access trial may not be substantial, players will have a chance to play the multiplayer as much as they want during their 10 hour trial. For some players, this trial could take the place of the multiplayer tech test that was planned for the game only to be cancelled by BioWare at the last minute. It could help indecisive players determine if Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s multiplayer is going to be worth the time investment, and whether or not it will be worth it to sink some cash into the game’s microtransactions.

And speaking of the game’s microtransactions, the EA Access trial could actually benefit PS4 players since it will presumably reveal all there is to know about the multiplayer. After the cancellation of the multiplayer tech test, BioWare has been revealing new details about the mode on a frequent basis, but there are still some unknown quantities, like the recently discovered loot boxes, for example. Thanks to the EA Access trial, PC and Xbox One players can test the waters for potential PS4 adopters of the game and see what the deal is with loot boxes and other mysterious multiplayer features.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be available on March 21st for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.