Mass Effect Andromeda Combat Systems Revealed

This week Bioware released a new gameplay video (see below) with developer commentary for Mass Effect Andromeda detailing the new combat systems. The video goes through the different weapons and ability combinations players will be able to use to cater their Pathfinder to their playstyle.

In Andromeda the combat differs to previous Mass Effect games by making the player more fluid thanks to a jump jet, allowing them to boost to enemies or dodge them, and even hover in mid air to aim at targets behind cover. The player can also now use anything as cover, even the vehicle used to planetary exploration.

The weapons are split into four categories; assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles, of course melee weapons are available as well. Refreshingly there are no class restrictions for each type of weapon, so no matter what build the player is they can switch to new and interesting guns whenever they want.

Milky Way weapons are weapons brought with the Pathfinder from the Milky Way Galaxy. These use traditional projectiles and are familiar to anyone who has played a Mass Effect game before, though with some advancements. While these weapons are great against shielded targets they use traditional ammunition, meaning players need to keep an eye on how much they’re using if they don’t want to end up stranded in the middle of a fight.

Heleus weapons, which are from the Heleus Cluster in Andromeda, are primarily plasma based. This means they don’t use ammo but will overheat if used too much. Generally these weapons are slower to fire but have the potential to do massive damage if the player charges them for a period before attacking an enemy.

Finally we have the skills players will be equipping their Pathfinder with. First we have combat skills, which focus on improving damage and accuracy, as well as competency with grenades and trip mines, all of which will help players master the battlefield.

Biotic skills are almost the Mass Effect equivalent to magic, giving players the ability to generate shields, grab and throw enemies, and produce massive amounts of energy which can be targeted at enemies. Some skills will even create a gravity well to draw enemies together for a devastating final blow.

Last but not least are Tech skills, which improve the player’s proficiency with experimental weapons such as the Cryo Beam and Flamethrower. Other Tech skills like Energy Drain will weaken enemies, leaving them open for a last melee blow. As with the weapon types, all skills can be used together in whatever combination the player desires, making for hundreds of potential combinations for players to use.

Mass Effect Andromeda is releasing on March 21, 2017 in the US and on March 23, 2017 in the UK, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. It will have Standard, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe versions. Super Deluxe comes only on digital download.