Mass Effect 3’s Multiplayer Features to Expand

Mass Effect 3 associate producer Nathan Plewes has penned a new entry over on the BioWare Blog that fills us in on some of the ambitious plans they have for the game’s multiplayer component. With how much time and effort they’re putting into supporting the multiplayer post-release, I have to wonder if there’s a multiplayer-specific Mass Effect title in development that will enjoy the fruits of this labor down the road:

We’re adding hundreds of new multiplayer challenges that can be completed at your own pace. As you progress, you’ll earn Challenge Points, essentially bragging rights. Completion of the top tier (Gold) challenges will reward you with a unique banner and title to display in the multiplayer game lobby. Gold challenges can be completed multiple times for even more points. We’ve also added an additional leaderboard to keep track of the points you collect.

The new system offers an in-game way to track your progress as you complete the challenges. But we’ve also built a new N7 HQ web page that offers a ton of information when you’re not playing, including character lists, leaderboards, and gameplay stats. In-game or online, you’ll have a comprehensive way to review your overall multiplayer progression.

We’ll still be running weekend events, but they’ll be a bit different. When you jump into multiplayer, you’ll be notified that there’s a new Weekend Challenge available. Just like the current Operations, these challenges will only be up for the weekend. But now you’ll be able to instantly track your progress. You’ll also get the spoils of your efforts as soon as you’ve completed the event. No more waiting for the next Tuesday (or longer) to get your Commendation Pack!

There will be a new Weekend Challenge available every weekend, not every two weeks like our current schedule. On top of the Weekend Challenges, we will be unlocking new kits and other surprises each week to help your squad in that next big push against the Collectors.