Everything We Know About Mass Effect: Andromeda's New Ship

The Normandy is one of the most iconic ships in sci-fi gaming history. BioWare helped turn it into one of the crew members as it helped Shepard and the crew jettison across the far reaches of space. Well, there's a new ship for players to get acquainted with in Mass Effect: Andromeda and here's everything we know about it.

According to Game Informer, the new ship is called the Tempest and it's designed to be as iconic as Shepard's corvette carrier, the Normandy. The ship from the original trilogy had a small crew and decent speeds as it zipped and slipped throughout the expanse of the universe thanks to the Mass Relays. The new ship is designed as a scout class for discovering new locations and performing reconnaissance.

In Game Informer's feature piece they talk about the details of the Tempest, and how they were given a virtual tour of the bridge, the galley, the garage and the personal quarters for the new protagonist of the game, the Pathfinder.

Much like with the Normandy there will be crew members scattered about the various compartments of the ship, each with something to say no doubt. The NPCs won't be standing around -- they'll move about the ship from time to time, so it will force you to have to search different crew mates out wherever they happen to be.

The pilot this time around won't be a human named Joker, but will be a Salarian. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to chat them up to learn a few things about the new star systems you'll be venturing across in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The bridge is also where star navigation takes place, just like in the previous Mass Effect trilogy. Players can plot and choose to navigate to the available planets within the given star system.

They also detail the Pathfinder's quarters in the game. It's said to house various pieces of memorabilia from the player's journeys throughout the game, and there will be options to customize the room with various types of décor. It's going to be similar to the quarters from the previous games, but with more customization apparently. I also wonder if the music-player will also make a return in the Pathfinder's little private getaway?

The garage in the Tempest will allow players to customize and modify the all-terrain transport, the Nomad. It's Andromeda's version of the Mako from the first Mass Effect.

The galley will allow players to modify the main protagonist, Ryder, and alter their skill points, proficiencies, and abilities. The article states that the galley has an "atrium-like" feel to it with its windows and large open space. The two-floor section has a seating area and the holographic interface for modifying the aforementioned stats.

According to BioWare's art director, Joel MacMillain, they were going for a "Cantilevered" look for the ship, something architecturally sleek but also very balanced. It's described in a way of being a little bit like a bird, given that the landing gear is in the back and they wanted it to be able to "perch" on some surfaces.

They also wanted to limit the load times, so there are no loading points moving between areas on the ship, and they're trying to make the transition from the ship to the planet surface -- whether on foot or using the Nomad -- as seamless as possible.

The Tempest is one of many scout ships out there, and they say it's from the carrier ship the Hyperion. You won't be able to manually fly the ship in this game, though. On the upside, they do mention that they will be getting rid of the static backdrops from the previous Mass Effect games when you're inside the ship. Instead, the background outside the Tempest will showcase your current planetary location to better reflect the immersion of the game.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is due for release this spring for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.