Although the reaction to the full Anthem launch has been tepid at best, the entire premise of BioWare's latest release is that it will get better as more content is added. There's already a hearty Anthem roadmap that outlines exactly what kind of content will arrive over the next few months. Now, there are new missions mentioned in that, and judging by the questions left hanging by the Anthem ending as it currently stands, we're going to get some more story content.
Thankfully, BioWare has already confirmed that all Anthem story DLC will be free, so it may well just be a case of waiting to get some of these questions answered. However, until that point, here are the biggest questions I have after playing through the Anthem ending.
*Obviously, major Anthem spoilers follow after the 60 second review video below. You have been warned*
1. What's going on with the Urgoth?
The biggest mystery that emerges after the credits have rolled revolves around the Urgoth. Tassyn and new character Grandmaster Adams reveal that an Urgoth was discovered just inside the eastern border, and had a map of the region in its possession. It managed to take down two of Adams' men before they could take it out, but the question is whether it was working alone, or is a sign of something much bigger to come.
Now, if you've been following the Anthem story, you'll know that the Urgoth were once an alien race that enslaved humanity. But, humanity rebelled, gained their freedom, and the Urgoth were defeated by General Helena Tarsis during the Legion War. As far as we're concerned, they're an extinct race, and have been for centuries. And yet, here's one lying on a table in Fort Tarsis.
Now, it could be that the Urgoth become your main focus in the three phases of Legendary Missions that will drop in Anthem between March and May this year. They may also be the driving force behind the Cataclysm that's due to arrive in May, to mark the close of Act One of Anthem's post launch content.
Until then we'll probably be wondering why they're back and what they're planning. Personally, knowing BioWare's history with interesting alien races, I am very intrigued to see how this could play out. Anyone else think the Urgoth look like the Drell from Mass Effect?
2. Will Grandmaster Adams be important going forward?
One of the main characters you interact with after the main Anthem story is over (aside from the Bard) is a rather cheerful fellow called Grandmaster Adams. He's seriously impressed by your work so far, but he also needs your help with the potential Urgoth resurgence and the whole them not being extinct anymore thing.
It feels odd that such a big personality has been held back until the end of the game - well post credits, actually - but it feels like he's going to be the driving force for what comes next for Anthem.
3. What happened to Owen?
One of the biggest WTF moments in Anthem is when Owen turns traitor and sides with the Dominion in order to pursue his dream of becoming a Freelancer. I was personally devastated. We were friends, right Owen? I thought we had something. But obviously not.
Unfortunately for Owen though, General Tarsis' Javelin and the Dawn Shield wasn't enough to protect him from the Heart of Rage, and the last time we see him, Owen is severely burned - and seemingly blinded - by the Cenotaph. He gives you the device you need to build your own working Dawn Shield, but then he walks away.
When you ask where he's going, he says "I'm not really sure, to be honest. East, west, you know." Is he gone for good? Is this the last we'll see of our old pal? Surely not.
4. Is Princess Zhim going to make a comeback?
For me, one of the most interesting characters in Anthem is the royalty known as Princess Zhim. She appears for all of one mission, the one where you have to eat a young Manticore's pheromone sack and Owen tries to be a heroic Freelancer in the resulting scuffle. After that though, Princess Zhim is never seen again, and you almost forget her until she's mentioned by the barkeeper, Max.
When talking to Max later on in the game, you'll try to barter with her to get episodes of Dawnguard transferred from Antium for Faye. She states that it's slow, and expensive, but she will do it for one thing.
"Tell you what. You run into any intel on where Zhim's set up, you let me know and I'll call us even."
"You don't know where she is?" you'll ask.
"Right now, nobody does. Her glitching highness has gone dark since the Dominion hit her… If the Dominion took her down, we'd know. I just want to know where she comes up for air. Her caravan's good at what they do, lots of deals to be made, but she moves on fast. Got to be faster. I'll get your tapes, but keep an ear to the ground for me, alright?"
It shows that she could well return once more, and from the little we've seen of her so far, I'm more than ready to deal with her highness again.
5. Will Faye been affected long-term by her connection to the Anthem?
In the opening mission of the entire game, we see Cyphers fall into a coma from their exposure to the Anthem. Some even die, just from hearing it.
"I've heard it. The Anthem. I've heard it too. I understand how it can drive a person to do terrible things," explains Owen later in the game. "I watched the Monitor hear it again, he's become crazed. He's got this machine - this weapon - and he's going to get it to the Cenotaph any way he can, even if that means dragging it across a bridge of his own dead soldiers."
Now obviously, Faye goes closer to the Anthem than any Cypher ever has - she literally sees the Anthem via her interaction with the Cenotaph. She's imbued with a golden hue. Is this the Anthem's power? The gift of creation or part of the Cenotaph's power? Perhaps. It's never really explained, aside from the fact that she manages to extricate herself from the Anthem, which sounds like something no-one else has ever managed to do.
Quite the feat, right?
Well, it's unclear whether Faye has been affected by this, and in fact she basically walks away laughing after her experience, which contradicts everything the game has told us until this point. I expected a bigger deal to be made of her seemingly incredibly unique connection to the Anthem, but maybe it will crop up again in the forthcoming Anthem story.
