Summary
WithMass Effect 4confirmed to be in production for some time, it’s safe to say that the development process and reception aroundDragon Age: The Veilguardis highly likely to have an impact on the studio’s next major sci-fi outing. In a genre known for how the distribution of party members can set the tone for an entire experience, it might be best forMass Effect 4to take a completely different route when compared toThe Veilguard’s seemingly streamlined cast.
There are unlikely to be more concrete details arising about the nextMass Effectfor a while given the entire hype andrelease cycle forThe Veilguardwhich is brewing, with it even being possible that the studio is biding its time onME. As the shift towards action and away from tactics has continued with eachDragon Agetitle, the next game is set to mirrorMass Effectmore than ever by limiting the player to being accompanied by two party members who cannot be directly controlled. While this reflects an emphasis on intimacy when paired with the smaller number of characters, overall, it might be wise forMass Effect 4to diverge from this trend in one key way for the sake of its lore.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Companion Line-Up Appears to Lean into Depth Over Diversity
Humans Make Up Nearly Half of The Veilguard’s Party So Far
With its characters being the main focus of the game’s reveal trailer,The Veilguard’s seven companionsand what groups they represent from throughout Thedas were some of the first details available upon announcement. Their racial distribution is the following:
Varric doesn’t even seem to be returning as a full companion despite his prominent role, so three of the seven revealed are humans.Originsfeatured five out of ten of its party as humans, whileDA2had six out of nine andInquisitionhad four out of nine, soThe Veilguardseems to be quite predictably following this pattern of ratio. When considering theexpanded Tevinter setting ofThe Veilguardand the epic lore of Thedas that has been set up over the past few years, however, it’s understandable that some players were instead expecting bolder representation of the world’s fantasy races.
A Wider Scope for Mass Effect 4’s Party Would Do Justice for Its Lore
The Potential to Fully Represent ME’s Galactic Community in a New Generation
There are multiple races who have never been featured as companions despite their relevance in the galaxy, and thepost-Reaper setting ofMass Effect 4could be a great environment for leaning into those more novel species options. It could be argued thatThe Veilguard’s tighter set of more familiar demographics allowed for more exploration of each character, but repeating the same dynamic in the studio’s next big release might leave fans feeling burnt out. It’s a lot harder to imagine players expressing more enthusiasm about yet another human soldier in the nextMass Effectwhen the likes of Batarians, Vorcha, Volus, and even Hanar are still on the table.
Taking Inspiration from Mass Effect 2’s Highs and Learning from Its Lows
It’s seen by many as the peak of the trilogy overall, andMass Effect 2’s massive party sizehas generally played a large role in that assessment. With 12 companions each featuring a unique loyalty-earning mission, their diversity shines through regardless of some being less developed. This number of characters inevitably led to some being lackluster, but attempting a similar, or even greater scale, moving forward would have the benefit of hindsight in that department and could help lay the foundation for a new era ofMass Effect.
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