BioWare has announced the details of the next Mass Effect: Andromeda patch, which will bring expanded male romance options for Scott Ryder, adjust the dialog for NPC Hainly Abrams, improve the character creator, and add "experimental" support for Dolby Vision HDR technology.
Two new heads have been added to the character creator, one male and one female, as have a new complexion options and a greater range of skin tones. All hairstyles are now available to characters of either sex, or you can just rock the Kojak if that's your thing. It will be possible to change your look mid-game on the Tempest, and if you like Alec Ryder's default appearance you can opt to keep it rather than having it changed based on your customized young Ryders.
Speaking of the Ryder kids, the update will also make alien super-hunk Jaal available as a romance option for Scott. "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. And as the angara have expressed their fluidity in how they perceive gender, it seemed only natural that Scott could have a relationship with Jaal," BioWare explained.
"However, 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."
A rollout date for the 1.08 patch wasn't revealed, but the full patch notes are below.
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
