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Mass Effect: Andromeda update adds one new gay romance

Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s latest patch will add a new romance for same-sex attracted males, BioWare today confirmed.

The update, patch 1.08, will allow Scott Ryder to romance squadmate Jaal.

BioWare says there are “several important reasons” why the romance has been added.

“Scott Ryder did not have a same-sex squadmate available as a romance option, nor could the achievement for completing three romances be achieved with only male same-sex partners,” the developer began. “We understand that a character’s orientation is an important part of what makes them feel real. The relationships with your crew are some of the most loved and cherished parts of our games, so we wanted to make sure we got it right.

“We consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the Angara.”

BioWare added that the relationship seemed appropriate as the Angara have “expressed their fluidity in how they perceive gender” in-game.

In a special report by Stevivor, we found that gay males have only 5 romantic options across Mass Effect‘s four core titles. This change bumps that number up to 5, compared to 12 heterosexual female, 14 lesbian and 21 heterosexual male options.

We’ll update our romance guide accordingly.

Here are the full patch notes for the update:

Single player

  • Ryder’s appearance can now be changed onboard the Tempest
  • Expanded the range of options available in the character creator
  • Jaal can now be romanced by Scott Ryder
  • Dialogue for Hainly Abrams was adjusted to change the flow of personal information she discusses with Ryder.
  • Fixed issue with Nomad upgrades Shield Crafting quest
  • Nexus level and cryo pod points are retroactively granted
  • Vendors now carry weapon mods for Level 60-71 players
  • Vendors now sell weapon augmentations for automatic fire, burst fire, and single-shot fire
  • Improved clarity of descriptions for augmentations
  • Plasma Charge system now works properly for shotguns
  • Beam Emitter augmentation now causes guns to fire a constant beam with scaling damage based on the weapon’s damage per second
  • [PC] Added experimental support for Dolby Vision™ technology

Multiplayer

  • Stealth Grid challenge now increments properly
  • Fiend no longer sprints when within 10 meters of target, and will decelerate to base speed
  • Enabled movement correction during Fiend attacks to reduce incidence of players seeing Fiends attacking in the wrong direction
  • Improved movement prediction for some enemies in tight spaces to reduce appearance of teleportation
  • Fixed issue that prevented melee attacks if the revive icon was near center screen
  • Fixed issue where ammo pick-up audio incorrectly played
  • Fixed issue where Backlash could malfunction while moving
  • Using Stealth and Recon Visor together no longer increases duration of invisibility for Turian Agent
  • Fixed issue where weight reduction modifications wouldn’t reduce weight
  • The Revive Pack Transmitter now displays the revive radius in the loadout screen
  • Equipping the Cobra RPG now interrupts reloading
  • Player turns to Adhi when getting synced to avoid teleportation issue
  • Fixed issue where enemies would occasionally enter T-pose when hit
  • Improved visual and audio cues for player ready status in Multiplayer lobbies
  • Added “Lights” option to customization options

Mass Effect: Andromeda is available on Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4. We reviewed it here.


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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.