Although much of Mass Effect 4—or whatever the proper title BioWare cooks up is—remains a mystery, there are a few details fans have noticed in various marketing materials thus far. First up, Liara looks much older indicating there’s likely a sizable time skip. The galaxy has to recover from the Reaper invasion, after all, and that’s likely slower without the Mass Relays. There’s also the fact that one shot of the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies was ‘intentional,’ likely meaning the story is picking up where Mass Effect 3 left off and somehow connecting to Andromeda too.
Perhaps the main thing, which is reasonable speculation based on material released so far, is that Mass Effect 4 seems to canonize the Destroy Ending. This has two major implications; first, it is the only ending where Shepard might have survived. That’s a whole ordeal onto its own on whether or not Shepard should return. The other is that, alongside the Reapers and other synthetic life, the Geth were destroyed, but there’s reason to believe they may have survived.
Mass Effect 4 Is Emphasizing The Geth
While seeing The Milky Way without Geth and seeing the aftermath of their destruction would be a potentially interesting subplot, the Geth are undeniably one of the most popular Mass Effect races. Legion is an awesome companion, and sacrificing him is heartbreaking. However, if they are dead and gone in Mass Effect 4, they are oddly present in marketing material.
As seen in the above Mass Effect 4 poster, this crater is intentionally designed to look like a Geth head. Zooming in also reveals there is a dead Geth here, reinforcing that the Geth in the Milky Way were destroyed. The keywords there, though, are “Geth in the Milky Way.” When Shepard fires the Crucible, it sends a wave through the galaxy via the Mass Relays, and that wave is limited to the Milky Way.
Mass Effect Lore: The Geth’s Potential Getaway
Geth in the Milky Way, in this ending, were no doubt destroyed, but the Geth were always incredibly resourceful. It’s revealed in Mass Effect: Andromeda that the Geth managed to create a gigantic structure out of three Mass Relays, which was known as the Kholas Array, that could observe galaxies outside the Milky Way in almost real-time. Now, this is heavily implied to be how the Geth search for the Harbinger and Reapers, but this sort of tech is powerful and shows what the Geth are capable of.
Even if that was its primary use, it’s clear Geth were aware of other galaxies, like Andromeda. Much like the Citadel came up with a plan B with the Andromeda Initiative, it stands to reason the Geth could have done something similar. With their telescope of sorts and their advanced tech, it makes sense that the Geth would have deduced the dangers of their synthetic life like the Reapers and planned an exit. Geth who existed outside the Milky Way when the Crucible Wave went off would have survived, and perhaps they could even be the link that ties The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies together.
Obviously, there are a few holes in this like how beloved companion Legion never mentioned it—despite the hive mind nature of the Geth. The Geth, nonetheless, would have to survive if the Geth are going to play a role in Mass Effect 4, and the marketing relying on them more than just to suggest the Destroy Ending’s canonicity would be a nice little secret (for now).
Mass Effect 4 is in development.