Mass Effect 5: Solving the Mystery of the Benefactor

Mass Effect Andromeda had several unanswered questions and with no sequel in sight, I do think the next game will address some of the major mysteries. So in this video we do a deep dive into the Benefactor, every detail, every theory and how the next game could answer this!

If you're interested in more Mass Effect content check out my twitter or my other videos!

#Masseffect #masseffectlegendaryedition #masseffectandromeda #masseffect4 #masseffect5

[kalaelizabeth]

0:50 GARSON FOUNDED THE INITIATIVE IN 2176 IDK WHY I KEEP SAYING 1976 MY

[SpectreSaunders]

Kala really is our universes Shadow Broker.

[RangerJosey]

The question to put to Mike Gamble is a simple one.

"Have we at any point in any game, comic, or book, met the Benefactor?"

[RangerJosey]

I want more about the Kett and Jardaan.

The Kett Empire is apparently massive. Covering a not insignificant portion of Andromeda.

And the Jardaan could very well still be out there. Terraforming worlds and seeding them with life. Not to mention their great enemy.

[larbearskitchen]

By far the most in depth and best video I’ve watched on the Benefactor. Truly well done!

[nikitakononets_]

Ok, I solved the mystery. The mysterious benefactor is that A.I. from ME 1 which stealing credits from the gambling machines in the Flux.

[SeverusHunt]

I was revisiting Alec Ryder's memories. And he drew attention to one phrase that Benefactor said in a conversation with Alec.
"Where WE're going." It sounds like Benefactor was going to fly with everyone to Andromeda. That is, everyone who remained in the Milky Way can be deleted from the list of candidates for Benefactors

[DepressionShaman]

I still believe the Benefactor is the Shadow Broker. Liara tells Shepard that he knew about the Reapers even before they did and that he was scrambling for a way to survive what was coming. He knew about the Prothean beacon on Thessia. He knew about Javik's mission. There's entirely too many people from different worlds like Kar'shan (the Batarians discovered that derelict Reaper and denied all knowledge it even existed) that knew about Reaper artifacts and Prothean technology way even before the Citadel was discovered. The Shadow Broker had hundreds of years worth of top-secret data at his disposal. If it only took one human coming in contact with a prothean beacon to know the Reapers were coming, surely someone else before Shepard would know. Possibly even hundreds of years before the Asari discovered the Citadel. People like Aria (Aleena?) and Urdot Wrex have been around for centuries, and they don't openly share their knowledge of the past. And that's just two people. It has to be the Shadow Broker.

[prophetmaster]

Its Alec Ryder's SAM unit. I swear to god it has to be (in my opinion). The fact that the SAM unit can kill the other Ryder twin you play as is huge (technically both Ryders died on Habitat 7) The AI wanted to live. Its sentient and is a super computer. It could easily acquire large sums of money, figure out that the Shepard theory about the Reapers is tangible and hire someone to kill the major heads of the program to eventually and gradually implement their own plans.

The biggest thing is that Ryder dad removed the safeguards from his SAM unit to gain an edge as a Pathfinder vs the other SAM units. This story reminds me a lot of the movie called "Upgrade" (which is really good if you havent watched it). It is free to go and do as it pleases. Even Alec said that SAM was much more advanced than he ever thought possible. Many warnings throughout the game about trusting A.I.

I just now played through this game TWICE in the course of a month. Anyone saying that Mass Effect Andromeda had bad writing is full of shit. Most of the ppl talking about it negatively either barely played it (i had a 95% and 99% cmp rate in those playthroughs) or started the game with a negative mentality because of all the bad press around it. The game isnt perfect and could be better (the Archons end was kinda of weak) but most of the complaints i hear about it are petty and baseless.

This was the Mass Effect game we wanted and needed that died way too soon.

Was really interested to see life after they found Meridian. The planets that were affected by the terraformers, how it changed them over time and the growth of the outposts as time went on. The Quarian Ark and the futures of the species on board (also who was the enemy they were facing especially if it was the Geth)

What happens in their fight vs the Kett after they defeat the Archon? Who is the Jardaan and what is the purpose/potential of the Remnant? Also who killed Garson and the main leaders? How was the Scourge created? I swear to god that AI unit in Ryder's head is their impending doom of the Andromeda initiative rather than the savior that it is perceived to be. Wanted to see what the choices you make in the game and how it impacted the future.

Poor writing my ass. This game was very underrated, especially the goddamn combat and what you could do with it. I really enjoyed it and hope to see a sequel of it one of these

EDIT: I wrote this before hearing your theory on who is the benefactor? The fact that "Andromeda Initiative" is A.I is the cherry on top. YES his dialogue is very suspicious and the mf has an attitude problem if you ask stupid questions. SAM definitely can emulate the voice of a female human with ease by recording human conversations and creating a voice that is acceptable and comforting. There is NO ONE else that fits the profile of a mysterious benefactor that doesnt want to be seen besides the SAM unit. It sucks that all we can do is speculate. Had fun with this game. The first game to reveal what female Turians, Salarians, and Krogans looked like is huge.

[MrHorsepro]

I finally watched this all the way through, and I must say, you have clearly worked very hard at analysing these theories and your findings, while clearly not definitive they are well thought out and easily conceivable. Thank you so much for all your hard work and detailed presentation.

[cagednephilim]

Great video, Kala. Dang, you put in a lot of hard work. I'm with you on your closing arguments. I don't think BioWare had a concrete idea who the benefactor was and they left everything about the benefactor so ambiguous they can do anything they want with it now.

[MassEffect]

I'm glad you and Mr Hulthen are keeping the buzz for the next Mass Effect 👏🙏 p.s I genuinely don't see the new Mass Effect releasing before 2026 😫😫😫

[john]

Found your channel thanks to youtube's weird algo. I never knew I was missing ME lore/news in my life but now its satisfied. Really like the videos

[MrHorsepro]

Mass Effect Andromeda 2023
After over 4135 hours of playing this game, I finally realized why I enjoy it more than all the other Mass Effect games.
It’s because of the multitude of diverse quests, projects, and personal interactions that one is presented with. None of these must be completed in any specific sequence to achieve an outcome. And many can be skipped altogether, which will not adversely affect the game overall. As a result, I find the game very relaxing and non-stressful to play.
I will say, however, that my game is very heavily modified with 30+ Nexus mods, which overcomes many of those complaints from those playing an unmodified version of the game.
As a longtime ME player and fan with over 4135 hours of MEA single-player play. And still with only 99% completion of the game. I am left with many storyline questions.
Questions that BioWare should be willing to follow up on at some point.
Such as

1: Why didn’t every Pathfinder get a scout ship? (Update, I found the answer to this in one of the books). I.e., Mass Effect Andromeda: Nexus Uprising Book 1 Mass Effect: Initiation Book 2 Mass Effect Andromeda: Annihilation Book 3

2: Who is this Benefactor, and where are they now? (I have no definitive proof, but I know who this is and why they are not showing up in Andromeda.) Remember Project Overlord from ME2LE, if you will.

3: Who killed or ordered Jian Garson killed and why? (Update, I THINK I know who did this from the book).

4: Why didn’t the Kogan people get their own Pathfinder?

5: Why is the Tempest not at least armed with defensive weapons?

6: Does the Quarin Ark Keelah se’lai ever overcome the pathogen onboard and regain control of their ark? UPDATE, I now know the answer to this one after finishing the book. But I will let the most dedicated fans find that answer as I did. (Spoiler alert), Cora Harper could never have become the Pathfinder when Alec Ryder died because to do so required that his replacement be one of his children for reasons that will be revealed when all the memory blocks are removed. That is why Sarah or Scott were the only options for this transfer.
That is NOT the case with the other pathfinders.

And finally, who ultimately becomes the leading member of the Initiative ruling body, replacing the current incompetent group? As well as other less essential story tracks left hanging with no way to pursue them. I love this and all the other ME games, but this one has always held my attention. And I am currently on my umpteenth playthrough. I am dedicated to reaching 100% completion of the game.

PS for the channel owner and others that find several things about this game that they do not like. Try modding the game with Nexus Mods. I am running 30 mods with mine, and none is cheating. IMHO, modding is both fun and allows one to make the game more personal.

[March-of-Time]

The geth being involved with or being the benefactor, could in a neat way explain why the geth are in the next games posters/concept art. Regardless, awesome video.

[parthingle]

50 min video about solving a mystery from an 8 year old video game
I love the modern internet so much

[GB-shst]

Legion-lead Geth off-shoot is my favorite theory. Awesome video!

[Vhardamis]

This is my first time watching one of your videos (I think, I'm old I forget things lol). This was well thought out and presently professionally. No wild speculation so insertions, just methodically thought out data. Well done.

[Jaxomx]

The benefactor is the geth. Legion was not a singularity and was actually quite young. In the few weeks/months with Shepard, Legion actually grew more 'human' like. At the end, Legion even referred to itself as "I" instead of 'We'. Imagine another Legion type geth or a few even that coalesced into a very human like entity. Legion imprinted on Shepard. All emerging and growing sentient life imprints on something or someone. This new Legion type geth imprinting on Garson at some point, with or without Garson's knowledge. Shepard didn't know about Legion's imprinting at first. Then this new entity then helps Garson, with or without Garson knowing. I could go more and more into it, but I have to go to work.

[deviija]

You did a ton of work, Kala. I'm sure it is A LOT for anyone that hasn't lived through these ME years and heard info, lore, tweets, and theories over time. It must be like pulling constant all nighters for college exam finals week on repeat. Fantastic job on finding and presenting everything!

Like you mention, I think it was written on purpose to be open-ended for future writers to nail down and flesh out (if they ever wished to pick up the plotline again). I don't think they had anyone set in stone yet for the Benefactor. That said, I *do* think it likely that it is one of the many others aboard the Ark. Or even multiple someones... The Benefactor could always be a coterie; a small group of people that worked together to get this massive endeavor off the ground.

Also, one of my favorite things is hearing Kala say 'suspicious.' It comes with the full weight of squinting scrutiny, doubt, and accusation of guilt each time she says it.