Mass Effect: Andromeda's Cutscene-Only Weapon Is Now In The Game

Among other things, Mass Effect: Andromeda's latest patch adds a weapon that could previously only be seen in cutscenes.

The X5 Ghost assault rifle had been, until now, inaccessible in Andromeda itself. BioWare revealed last month that it "was an early idea" that simply ended up as a prop, not a usable weapon. Lead designer Ian Frazier did note at the time, "That said, several folks seem interested in it, so we're investigating the possibility of turning the prop into a usable gun for a future patch."

While not a hard promise, BioWare has made good on that. GameSpot has verified the weapon now exists in-game, as seen in the video and screenshot above. It can be researched from the Milky Way weapons category.

Andromeda's new patch also makes major balance changes on the multiplayer side and improves cinematic scenes, particularly those in the early portion of the game.

Aside from the release of an update, yesterday was an eventful day for developer BioWare Montreal. A report suggested that the Mass Effect series has been put on hiatus and that staffing changes were underway, with some developers moving over to EA Motive and others now working on BioWare's new IP. EA has since confirmed the staffing changes and clarified that there hasn't been any downsizing. It has not addressed the status of Mass Effect.