Mass Effect fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months (even years, perhaps) thanks to the announcement of Mass Effect Legendary Edition and the in-development Mass Effect 4. The upcoming remaster is a great way for fans to reconnect with the series with improved graphics and game controls, hopefully making for a more enjoyable playing experience. While players will have to relive all the heartbreaking moments of the trilogy, they’ll also get to fall in love with their favorite characters all over again, including one asari who’s maintained a significant role in the Mass Effect franchise.
Liara T’Soni is probably one of the most well-known Mass Effect NPCs and crewmates on the Normandy. She makes her debut in the first Mass Effect game and though she’s absent from the ship in Mass Effect 2, she’s still got an important place in the overall plot of the Mass Effect franchise. Liara not only makes for an interesting romance option, but she’s also a powerful addition to combat in-game and has an interesting, albeit a little uptight, personality. With what’s been revealed about Mass Effect 4 so far, it’s clear that Liara will continue to play a major role in the Mass Effect universe.
When Commander Shepard meets Liara, they must free her from a Prothean security device that the asari unknowingly trapped herself inside. It’s not too much later until Liara joins Commander Shepard’s crew on the Normandy and becomes a valuable addition to the team. Liara’s knowledge of Prothean history comes in handy throughout much of the game and leads to some major breakthroughs throughout the series.
Liara is noticeably absent from Shepard’s crew in Mass Effect 2, but players still get to interact with her at certain points in the game. Though she was a romance option in the first Mass Effect, the romance does not continue in this part of the trilogy. However, if players carried over the romance from the first game and choose not to pursue another partner, Commander Shepard will not call anyone up to their quarters the night before the Suicide Mission and will instead stare longingly at a picture of Liara.
The asari makes a full return in Mass Effect 3 as both a crew member and romance option. Liara is intelligent and definitely shares a special connection with Shepard, even if players aren’t romantically pursuing her. She’s a valuable asset for the team and her final moments with Shepard are both sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, especially if players have chosen to have a romance with her.
Liara’s story doesn’t end when the Mass Effect trilogy does. Presumably, all characters who survive go on to live their lives and adjust to the ending the player chose. However, asari live for much longer than humans, so even though she was 106 at the start of the trilogy, she was still considered barely an adult in asari society. As long as Liara survives the events of Mass Effect 3, it’s safe to assume she grieves Shepard and moves on with her life.
Though the events of Mass Effect: Andromeda take place many years after the Reaper War in the Mass Effect trilogy, Liara does make an appearance in the follow up game. Once players recover enough memories, they can unlock audio logs that show that Ryder’s father was in contact with Liara and made it a point to make sure his team read over and understood her Prothean research. Liara doesn’t have a major role in Andromeda, but her audio logs were a fun Easter egg for players to find, not to mention that she would definitely be alive in the Milky Way at the time of the events of the game.
Not much is known about the upcoming, currently in development Mass Effect game. It’s been dubbed Mass Effect 4 because the official title hasn’t been revealed yet, but players have rolled out tons of theories and guesses based on the little information that’s been distributed. However, The Game Awards 2020 aired the announcement trailer for Mass Effect 4 and solidified how crucial Liara is to the franchise.
Fans have speculated and picked apart every detail of the reveal trailer, leading to many different conclusions about what Mass Effect 4 could be about. There are two details, though, that will greatly affect how the upcoming game plays out. First, there are two galaxies showcased, which players have assumed to be the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, as it’s possible Mass Effect 4 will try to tie them together somehow.
How the game ties them together may rest on the shoulders of Liara T’Soni, especially because she’s featured in the trailer and looks considerably aged from the last time players saw her. As mentioned before, Liara would still be alive at the time of Andromeda, though no one is entirely sure what she’d be up to during this time. The trailer shows her dusting snow off of a piece of N7 armor (if listening closely, players can hear their hearts shatter at that very moment), which may imply that she’s looking for Commander Shepard.
However, this would cause some continuity issues, especially for a game series that is supposed to make players feel like their choices affect the overall outcome of the game. If Commander Shepard is still alive in Mass Effect 4, it automatically means one ending of the supposed choices players had was actually canon, pretty much nullifying how “important” player’s decisions really were. The chances of killing Liara are very slim and only exist in Mass Effect 3, so it makes more sense for her to come back than it does Shepard.
Liara knew about the mission to Andromeda, so it’s also possible that Mass Effect 4 could pick up a few years after the events of ME: Andromeda, when the Pathfinders from the Milky Way all have established homes for their people. She could travel to the new galaxy to study the Remnant and Kett and see if there are any similarities to the Protheans or Reapers. An explanation like this, though, doesn’t exactly explain why she’s holding N7 armor in the reveal trailer.
Regardless of what the plot of Mass Effect 4 entails, it’s clear that Liara will not only play a major role in the upcoming game, but has always been an important part of the Mass Effect franchise.
Mass Effect 4 is currently in development.
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