How we'll go to Andromeda?

There's also a short time frame to build these arks as well, & if we leave from earth inbetween ME2 Arrival, & ME3 start, I guarantee the Illusive Man/ Cerberus knows about the arks from a story PoV.


I bet you the Vikings made it to Andromeda first tho.

They really need to explain how the galactic science and engineering community solved the practical hurdles of long-distance travel seemingly overnight. I mean, they went from "Galactic exploration is virtually impossible without the Mass Relays" to "Yeah we can go to Andromeda, no big deal".

I take it you are referring to the Crucible?

Riskiest google search of the day.

I think that the arks leave after the reapers arrive, but of course before the ending and big decisions ie. curing the genophage/choosing between geth and quarians. I think that Shepard doesn't need the information of this expedition so he/she wasn't told. I thinks Prothean/Reaper tech was somehow used to make the journey possible. Also I speculate that not all the arks made it, or they strayed from the course. So if we don't see all the MW races in the game, maybe there will be DLC:s they will be in.
Also I truly, truly hope to see Geth in Andromeda.

So if we leave in the beginning of ME3, the decisions from ME1&2 could still have an effect. Those decisions have a smaller effect, but would be a nice feature all the same. And be a small nod towards old fans.

I do hope for a reasonable enough explanation, but don't really expect it. At first I thought they could use Core salvaged from Sovy, like plugging this thing in and hoping for the best. Turned out there is more than one Ark, so they actually had to create/reproduce technology for intergalactic travel.
As for the timeline, I guess construction started after ME1 and departure is right before ME3, giving them 2-3 years for construction.
Which decisions do you have in mind?

Council did send large expedition to Illos and closed the planet to public. So cryosleep is the smallest issue here.

Shiala is on Feros during ME3. Rachni Queen is held by Reapers. Collector Base is in Cerberus hands, unless you suggest that they invested in Arks too.

Also I don't mean that they have come with us. Just their existence/fate (before ME3) to be acknowledged.

I'm copy pasting two theories I came up with in the DeadForum (aka: the original offical one  ) : 



The problem is once more the Reaper invasion. The mission seems more adventurous than a last hope for survival. But at the same time, this has to happen BEFORE the endings of ME3. So, the only possible explanation I can come up with is...



1) The ARKON Initiative was born many years (even twenty or so years) BEFORE Reaper Invasion.



2) ARKON Initiave was initially a human project for expansion and human colonization outside Milky Way. Also, the Initiative was privately funded.



3) Other alien enterprises (linked to volus folk, Asari, Turians, etc.) like the idea and they also participate and contribuited in the Initiative. However, ARKON Project keeps being essentially a human project. (Hell, maybe other alien enterprises start to copy the idea and make their own arks).



4) After Sovereign Attack, few people from ARKON Initiative start to see the project as a way of go out from the Galaxy in case of a Reaper Invasion. However, most of the people from ARKON Initiative don't believe in Reaper invasion and they start to look for volunteers for exploration. People start to sign for different reasons.



5) Reapers start the attack. The Alliance and other military branches from the Council take over the Project. The ARKON Initiative is renamed as The Ark Project. They start to select civilians from all races in order to have a Plan B for the survival of milky way species.



6) At some point before the ending, the Arks are attack and they have to left before being obliterated.



So, this way we have two types of people in the Arks: 1) A bunch of people interested in leave Andromeda BEFORE Reaper Invasion for any reason (to explore, to escape from their past, etc.) 2) A great majority of civilians from different alien races


I think she [Ryder] simply went to cryo in the middle of a combat. Maybe the Project wasn't totally ready for lunch and they had to rush it in order to survive. Perhaps the Reapers/baddies-who-force-us-to-leave-Milky-Way discovered the Ark Project and try to destroy it. That's why we are with the armor on and that's why she shows so much relief to see they are alive. The problem was not only the slim possibility of survive the journey to Andromeda, but the Project is not ready and suddlenly the project is in the middle of a warzone.



Start the game with a little cinematic introduction of the project (what it is, why, how they are organizing everything) and who we are (and our family) . Then, we are under attack (as every single game of Mass Effect does, especially ME2 and ME3).

                                                                                                  <<<<<<<<<<(0)>>>>>>>>>>

Yes, how do we get there?
Well, Titan Books, the publisher of the prequel novel The Andromeda Initiative,  mentioned in their description that some of the
text will be canonical.

Now, I don't know about you, but to me it seems the text will bypass any trilogy inconsistency or "road blocks" to a faster FTL
drive and make that tech available going forward with the new ME games. This new FTL drive make it possible to get to
Andromeda within 600 years.

This may upset some, but, hey, ME:A will start fresh.

I think, in adding to this, and what adding to what the developers have said...   That Ryder wasn't anyone special.  His/her story goes from being a civilian to being a hero, rather than, like Shepard, going from a hero to becoming a legend. 

So, I'm thinking she has something to do with defense of the ark ship.  Whether it's weapons, or engineer, or shields, or hell, maybe even ground support.  I'm thinking it's one of the others though (weapons, shields, or engineer). 

If they do introduce such explanations in the book, they better still introduce it in the games as well. Bioware needs to stop their bad habit of thinking since the books are out they don't need to explain certain things.