Don’t Expect To Be Able To Change Ryder’s Appearance In ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ After Creation

Those who like to fully tweak their in-game appearance in titles that offer character creation options will likely want to take their time when they first choose how Ryder should look at the start of Mass Effect: Andromeda because it doesn’t sound like players will be able to alter the character’s appearance after finalizing the initial creation process.

While answering questions from fans on his personal Twitter account, BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn revealed that he didn’t believe it would be possible for users to re-customize the protagonist of Mass Effect: Andromeda later in the game. This means that players will have to design Ryder’s appearance carefully in the beginning because they will likely be stuck with their choices for the entire playthrough.

@Adam4Wigley @tibermoon @Davezillaman Don’t think so

— Aaryn Flynn (@AarynFlynn) January 30, 2017

Further explaining to fans that what they choose during character creation will be the final appearance for Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s protagonist, it has also been confirmed that the game won’t feature any kind of dynamic beard growth for male Ryder. Rather than making use of this kind of mechanic, which was seen in CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3, BioWare’s Ian Frazier revealed that the game will instead allow players to choose from a selection of non-changing beard and hairstyles. Fortunately, however, the Mass Effect: Andromeda lead designer did confirm that the title will feature several options for style and color that should help players build a unique looking character for the game.

@Davezillaman No, though we do let you choose your facial hair style of course.

— Ian S. Frazier (@tibermoon) January 29, 2017

While Mass Effect: Andromeda will still allow players to customize the story’s lead character, the decision to not give users the option to alter their appearance after the start of the game does seem like a step backwards for BioWare. With Dragon Age: Inquisition, the developer’s most recent major release, players were also unable to make alterations to their character’s appearance when the game first launched. Due to popular request, however, BioWare eventually did give fans the ability to re-customize the game’s protagonist with later updates.

Unfortunately, it looks like the developer is now betting that further customization won’t be needed in Mass Effect: Andromeda after the initial creation process has concluded. While the game might not launch with re-customization options, players can still hope that BioWare might add such a feature in later updates similarly to what was done with Dragon Age: Inquisition. Unless that happens, however, gamers should get comfortable with their chosen hairstyles when Mass Effect: Andromeda launches in March because it looks like they’ll be stuck with their choice for quite some time.

With the story of the series’ original protagonist concluded in Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda will introduce fans to a new lead character. After playing as Commander Shepard for three games, Andromeda will put players in the role of Ryder. As with Shepard, users will be able to choose the gender of the new protagonist.

The next entry of BioWare’s popular sci-fi franchise will move outside of our own solar system as Ryder is part of an exploration mission to find a suitable planet for colonization. As the title suggests, the game will be set in the Andromeda galaxy and will feature all new alien races to interact with as well as the return of established races such as Turian and Asari.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to launch on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on March 21. As the Inquisitr previously reported, those who decide to pre-order the game will receive several benefits including multiplayer boosts and vehicle skins. There are also deluxe editions of the game that will grant fans additional bonuses such as an exclusive space monkey pet.

Will you spend a lot of time on customizing Ryder in Mass Effect: Andromeda or do you plan on using the default appearance to get in the game as soon as possible?

[Featured Image by BioWare]