Mass Effect 4 Should Take One Lesson From Andromeda, DA: The Veilguard

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 8, 2025 33 Views 6 Min Read
Mass Effect 4 Should Take One Lesson From Andromeda, DA: The Veilguard



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Ahead of Mass Effect 4, many gaming enthusiasts are no doubt wishing for BioWare to move past the narrative and gameplay decisions made in Andromeda and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. These games have earned contentious receptions, to say the least, with Andromeda in particular being viewed as a major departure from what made Mass Effect work in the first place, not to mention being unpolished and buggy in general.

But both games do at least some things well—that much should be clear. While most long-time BioWare fans would agree that neither Andromeda nor Veilguard is “better” than any of their respective predecessors, there’s still reason to believe that the studio can learn from them moving forward. Learning from each game’s failures will be paramount, of course, but they both present a key gameplay-narrative choice that could benefit Mass Effect 4: the absence of a Paragon/Renegade system, AKA a more nuanced view of right and wrong.

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Mass Effect 4 Should Answer One Burning Question from Andromeda

Mass Effect was put on ice before Mass Effect: Andromeda’s most burning questions could be answered, leaving the door open for Mass Effect 4.

Why Mass Effect 4 Should Adapt the Loose Morality Systems of Andromeda, Veilguard

Mass Effect’s Paragon/Renegade System Is a Relic of the Past

After fumbling the bag with Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare may be tempted to be a bit more conservative with Mass Effect 4, sticking closely to the formula of the original trilogy instead of trying too many new things. While this approach wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world—the first three Mass Effect games still hold up incredibly well—there are also some ideas that should remain in the past. The Paragon and Renegade dichotomy is one of them.

For the uninitiated, Paragon and Renegade represent two opposing ideals for Mass Effect players to strive toward: Paragon is good, lawful, and chivalrous, while Renegade is rebellious, no-nonsense, and ruthlessly pragmatic. The biggest issue with these two extremes is that there is no middle-ground, no spectrum. Players’ actions are often presented as exclusively one way or the other, with the game very clearly steering Shepard toward the Paragon route, contextualizing it as the “good” version of the character.

With gaming as a whole, and especially RPGs, trending toward more morally gray storytelling, it would be best for Mass Effect 4 to follow a similar route. Players could still make decisions that are widely considered reprehensible, but it will be up to the audience to make that judgment, not the game. Moreover, middle-ground options should be a priority, as should more ethically complex ones. Taking a few notes from Andromeda and Veilguard could serve this end.

What Mass Effect 4 Could Learn from Andromeda and Veilguard

In Mass Effect Andromeda, Ryder’s choices contribute to a broader personality profile rather than a binary rating of good or bad. How successful the game is with this system can be debated, but the premise is certainly interesting, and it’s not hard to imagine how such a design philosophy could support a more nuanced morality system in Mass Effect 4. Veilguard adheres to the “morality” system of previous Dragon Age games, that being the approval mechanic: different choices will garner disapproval or approval from party members, depending on their personality, goals, and ethical leanings.

Playing with one or both of these frameworks could help BioWare find a good replacement for the Paragon/Renegade system. For instance, a behind-the-scenes personality profile, one that can influence characters’ perception of the player, would synergize nicely with a version of Dragon Age‘s approval system, forming an engaging simulation of real-world social dynamics. Whatever permutation of a morality system Mass Effect 4 has, it’s fair to say that the binary Paragon and Renegade choices should fall by the wayside, making room for something more interesting.

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