BioWare announced a March 21 North America release date for Mass Effect: Andromeda at CES 2017, further driving up excitement for fans of the space shooter franchise.
However, it has long been known that before Mass Effect: Andromeda is launched, the game will be made available as a trial for EA Access and Origin Access subscribers beginning March 16.
Here are the details that we know so far for the early access trial of the highly anticipated game.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' Early Access Trial Details
The trials offered by EA Access and Origin Access typically only allow gamers to play 10 hours on the title being previewed. The trials also usually come with limitations on the parts and features that gamers can try out.
These details were expected to be the same for Mass Effect: Andromeda, though there had been no information on everything else regarding the EA Access and Origin Access trials. Game producer Fernando Melo, however, has revealed more details regarding the trials through a series of tweets.
According to Melo, gamers who will be exploring the single-player mode of Mass Effect: Andromeda through the early access trials will only be able to reach up to a certain point in the story. Once that point has reached, players will be able to choose between restarting their progress in the single-player campaign and continuing their exploration of the planet where the story mission occurs.
The multiplayer mode for Mass Effect: Andromeda, meanwhile, will have no limitations in the EA Access and Origin Access trials. Players will be able to explore all that the multiplayer mode of the game has to offer.
With both the single-player mode and multiplayer mode available to early access players, they can choose to spend all their time on either mode or split their focus between the two. The only limitation covering the two modes is the 10-hour time limit.
Rewards, Shop For 'Mass Effect: Andromeda'
Melo added that players who spend their time trying out the game's multiplayer mode will be able to unlock so-called Pathfinder Rewards, which are loot boxes that can unlock new items and materials.
There are two kinds of loot boxes, namely Gold Item Loot and Research Data Loot, with the former likely containing money and equipment while the latter likely containing data to be used for crafting and upgrading items and gear. Melo added that some of the rewards acquired in multiplayer can be brought over to the user's single-player campaign, and vice versa, with the rewards serving as the link between the two modes.
Lastly, Melo clarified that there will be a cash shop for players to spend on for the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect: Andromeda, but there will be no such shop to be able to unlock single-player content.
Other 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' News
A recent report focused on tweets by Melo that revealed details regarding the game's multiplayer mode, including the character customization feature.
BioWare has also released a gameplay video for Mass Effect: Andromeda that shows off the different kinds of weapons and abilities that players will be able to use in the game.
