So, we all read that there is gonna be some 'clarity' presented in DLC form this summer. This seems to be the compromise, Bioware saying 'Hey, we aren't changing it, but here is your epilogue.' I'm glad about it, as I was absolutely fine with the actualy fact list of what happens in the ending, just confused and feeling abandoned as it all happened so suddenly and then boom, gone. I actually bought into the indoctrination theory, but I guess that's likely not the case now, which again, is fine, as long as it's clear.

So, Bioware has said it's likely to continue the setting, albeit without Shepard. Whith things as they are now, I'd say that I predict two separate games (both potential series) that may come in the next few years.

The first is a setting before the Reaper invasion, perhaps even before the First Contact War, where you are either human and discovering alien life and going through that war, or you are alien going about your alien business and humans aren't even a part of the game. This seems like it would be in proper spinoff territory. This would be the easiest, as the established fiction would be already set. Could be cool, but also potentially a big yawn.

The second, far more interesting to me would take place after the loss of all the mass relays. Now, assuming that the Earth mass relay's destruction didn't blow up the planet (maybe it was more a dismantling or contained explosion instead of what happened to the poor Battarians), Earth is now home to all other known intelligent life, scattered among the ruins. FTL travel is still available without the relays, so nearby colonization is still possible, though much harder. The population of Earth was greatly decreased, and the fleets of the other races certainly can't make up the likely billions lost, so there could actually be room on Earth itself. Isolated in the galaxy, Earth has become the central hub for all races that were part of the battle. With the Quarians ability to live in spaceships, they could share that knowledge with other races unable to breath earths atmosphere (the volus) and potential teach the turians how to create their own food from their ships reserves (ok, that one is a stretch). Earth is effectively the new citadel, though it's probably more Babylon 5-ish, with all the old prejudices coming out stronger from the desperation to their situation.

This necessitates more systematic space exploration, instead of leaping from one system to the next, they all most explore the ignored systems in between. Space Travel becomes a much more time consuming task, but not impossible. While the relays are gone, the mass effect technology on their ships still work, though with limited element zero quantities and so many disparate faction demanding those resources, the alliance is hard pressed to supply all with what they need. The resentment of the other races stuck on earth with few resources and no sense of home quickly other forms of government apart from the alliance, or even terrorist organizations. There are those that get along just fine, but bear in mind, almost everyone there was military and this likely jingoistic in their responses to withheld materials. New allainces and factions emerge over time. Some from political and cultural bias, others from the mere fact they the share the same food needs.

Blah, could be totally different, in reality. tell me you speculations for the future games supposedly planed if they were set AFTER the destruction of the Mass Relays. Could set in some terminus system colony trying to return home Battlestar Galactica style for all we know. Speculate wildly, I'd love to see crazy ideas. Expand on my idea as well if you like. I'd prefer this to be a creative thread instead of just single line replies before being lost in the forums.

The concept of viable but difficult space expansion and exploration with Earth as a hub is actually pretty interesting. The feeling of space exploration is something that I really enjoyed about the first ME, that the other two didn't have nearly as much. One of the disheartening things about the ending to ME3 was the feeling that not only is Shepards story over, but more importantly that the ME universe was fundamentally changed in a way that ruined what was interesting about it.

Personally, I would veto the prequel idea, because they will add some silly story line where secretly the crucible was known about much earlier. Also, much higher chance of this story being a yawn and it doesn't fit into the Bioware framework of allowing the player to choose the destiny of other races and people as they are already predetermined.

@ka_tet19: Yes, it changes the fiction, but the idea of seeing a series progress both before and after a cataclysmal event like the loss of the relays is something that is greatly interesting. No matter the opinion of the games story themselves, Bioware put a lot of time in the universes lore and could potentially evolve it much more with such an event instead of just either leaving it behind forever or having everything set in the past when it was still the way they originally made it. It could be like the ideal (but never really done well) idea of comic book reboot like the Crisis events. I'd site the new Star Trek as a lore-consistent reboot done well, except that they resorted to time travel, which is fine and it worked for it, but Star Trek ALWAYS had time travel stuff. Time Travel is, in many ways, a lazy narrative device to use however and wouldn't fit Mass Effect (but then again, neither does robot Joker if you chose synthesis. I mean, just, a bunch of tech jumps inside you from the green light?)

I literally couldn't care less what they do with this universe from now on.

I still have Elder Scrolls and The Witcher. Bioware has turned me off twice in a row now with DA2 and ME3 so not again. It doesn't make financial sense for me to trust them AGAIN. Fool me once etc.

@Jost1 said:

I literally couldn't care less what they do with this universe from now on.

I still have Elder Scrolls and The Witcher. Bioware has turned me off twice in a row now with DA2 and ME3 so not again. It doesn't make financial sense for me to trust them AGAIN. Fool me once etc.

Agreed.

I don't think you remember how much a big deal the relays were to intergalactic travel. The Milky Way Galaxy is 100-120k light years across. Traveling with "conventional Faster Than Light drives" would take decades to travel galactic distances of thousands of light years. Traveling hundreds of light years is longer than most species can live. By their own fiction, the relays got around that as well as making it safe where they not only could travel completely around the galaxy in a reasonable amount of time, they won't fry themselves while doing it.

Okay so lets set aside whether or not the relay would destroy the Solar System...Earth is still screwed. Did you forget The Citadel transported there and blew up? I wonder where it will fall....oh wait it is going to fall on Earth! By their own fiction, The Citadel is a massive piece of tech that will make the comet that killed the dinosaurs look tiny. If you chose the Destroy ending then there are no more Reapers on Earth and you might be able to scrounge up something that wasn't assimilated by the Reapers or destroyed by the attack or blown up by a giant falling station. The thing that changes with the Control or Synthesis endings then the Reapers are still hanging around with no where to go as well.

Seriously, if you really believe the ending of Mass Effect 3 then Shepard is far more destructive than The Reapers could pull off. Only an insane Star Child bent on killing as much life as possible could think any facet of the plan would leave the galaxy in a better state than it was before. More importantly for gamers, what is the point in playing in this universe that was sent back to the intergalactic stone age?

Wasn't really the point of the thread, EXTomar. Being happy/unhappy about the ending is for another thread. This is for speculating on the future of the setting, happy with it or not, with the facts that we have. ie: they can't continue the franchise obviously not really being speculation. They are going to, justified or not, so suspend disbelief on the wreckage and 'without mass relays we're fucked' stuff. Besides, we won't likely have mass relays when/if we get out there, hopefully that won't stop us.