One of the many new games that were revealed at this years Game Awards turned out to be another sequel to the popular science fiction RPG series Mass Effect. However, instead of being a sequel to the series' last entry, Mass Effect: Andromeda, this game appears to continue the story of the original trilogy, and leaves fans wondering which of Mass Effect 3's endings turned out to be the canon one.

At the time of its release, Mass Effect 3 was intended to be a conclusion to the popular and well-regarded franchise. Though the game's resolution left much to be desired from fans, it did tie up many of the major loose ends the series had been building up towards for the past three games. Most of the four endings in Mass Effect 3 the player could choose show the Reapers being defeated and the main character, Commander Shepard, dying. However, the reveal trailer for this yet-untitled Mass Effect sequel depicts a major supporting character, Liara, uncovering Shepard's trademark N7 armor, hinting at the hero's possible survival.

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If Shepard did survive the events of Mass Effect 3, then that narrows the canon endings down to only one. Of the three final options presented to the player, only the "Destroy the Reapers" ending is capable of keeping Shepard alive. However, according to IGN the player must spend the course of the game gaining 4000 Effective Military Strength points to unlock the version of this ending where Shepard survives. If the player has enough Effective Military Strength, then in addition to Shepard destroying the Reapers (along with all synthetic life in the galaxy), a small scene will appear at the very end depicting the Specter waking up in the aftermath of the final battle.

Did Shepard Survive Mass Effect 3?

Male Commander Shepherd from the Mass Effect trilogy.

However, the new trailer gives no solid evidence supporting the idea that Shepard survives. Liara does find a chunk of Shepard's armor, but that does not mean Shepard survives. In the "Control the Reapers" ending, for instance, Shepard's physical form is destroyed while his consciousness becomes integrated into an AI system. It's possible that Shepard's armor survived this process even if they did not.

Players can assume with some certainty, however, that the remaining two endings are not canon conclusions to the Mass Effect trilogy. The "Rejection" ending depicts all organic life in the galaxy falling to the overwhelming forces of the Reapers. Likewise, the "Synthesize" ending results in all organic and synthetic life in the galaxy becoming hybrids of each other, therefore resolving the conflict between the two types of life. Since Liara appears to be wholly alive in the trailer and displays no defining cyborg features, this ending is also an unlikely contender.

However, none of this answers the more pressing question of where Mass Effect can go after 3's conclusion. Regardless of the ending the player chose, Mass Effect 3 was incredibly definitive. There are no Reapers left to fight. Shepard's job is done. It's possible that this new game could tie into Mass Effect: Andromeda in some way, but this is a tentative possibility considering how poorly fans received that title.

Next: Mass Effect: Why Liara Looks So Much Older Now