Very important question

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@Farrago96 wrote:

Andromeda Initiative launched in late 2185, and Mass Effect 3 ended around the middle\late 2186. As far as we know, almost all endings includes the explode of relays. If we assume that the time interval between the departure of the Andromeda Initiative and the ending of Mass Effect 3 is one year, it turns out that Arks have flown only 4200 light years, it is very small (The Initiative reached the Andromeda galaxy in 600, and the distance from Earth to Andromeda is 2520000 light years, it means that Arks Speed = 2520000/600= 4200 light years per year (in fact, as we learn from the game, this flight took more time then 600 years, it means that the speed be smaller)). It follows that Arks will move from the last Mass Relay only at 4200 light years. As we know, the exploding Mass Relay covers a very large area. In General, for the one year, moving with a speed of 4200 light years per year, they would not have left the radius of explosion. But what we see in Andromeda? Artificial Intelligence still on the ship is quite lively, which means that this is not Destroy Ending. Alive creatures and Artificial Intelligence not merged, nobody glow green, that means this is not Synthesis Ending. It remains only to Control Ending, because if even the Mass Relays are destroyed in this ending too, but it has no effect on Synthetic and Alive creatures and this is what we see in ME: Andromeda.

So it means that canonical ending of Mass Effect 3 is the Control Ending? Or Shepard chose to "continue the cycle" ?

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androme leave in ME2 in mass effect 3 they are gone 

Yes, I heard this conversation.But they couldn't so quickly to leave the neighborhood of the Milky Way because of their speed, the explosion had to get them.

Yes, but he is thinking on the range of effect of the destruction of the mass relays.

But there was a difference between the Alpha Relay destruction (which destroyed an entire Batarian system), and the ending destruction, which propagated a sort of energy on the systems with Relays, not far beyond them, where the Arks were.

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@Farrago96 wrote:

Andromeda Initiative launched in late 2185, and Mass Effect 3 ended around the middle\late 2186. As far as we know, almost all endings includes the explode of relays. If we assume that the time interval between the departure of the Andromeda Initiative and the ending of Mass Effect 3 is one year, it turns out that Arks have flown only 4200 light years, it is very small (The Initiative reached the Andromeda galaxy in 600, and the distance from Earth to Andromeda is 2520000 light years, it means that Arks Speed = 2520000/600= 4200 light years per year (in fact, as we learn from the game, this flight took more time then 600 years, it means that the speed be smaller)). It follows that Arks will move from the last Mass Relay only at 4200 light years. As we know, the exploding Mass Relay covers a very large area. In General, for the one year, moving with a speed of 4200 light years per year, they would not have left the radius of explosion. But what we see in Andromeda? Artificial Intelligence still on the ship is quite lively, which means that this is not Destroy Ending. Alive creatures and Artificial Intelligence not merged, nobody glow green, that means this is not Synthesis Ending. It remains only to Control Ending, because if even the Mass Relays are destroyed in this ending too, but it has no effect on Synthetic and Alive creatures and this is what we see in ME: Andromeda.

So it means that canonical ending of Mass Effect 3 is the Control Ending? Or Shepard chose to "continue the cycle" ?

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all this speculation is pointless.

but lets play your game. the fact that it took us 600 years give or take and add your little math problem...... and you came out with a number that shows how fast the arks would be going in the straight line to andromeda. and because the speed of travel and the radius of the mass relay explosions we should have been effected by our choices.

all of that works only if dark space is empty. for all we know there could be rocks or planets in dark space that have no sun. the arks would have to plan a way around these items causing delays. these delays can factor into the reason why it took 600 years. so we could in fact be moving faster then you think. all these unknown what ifs make this entire topic pointless. but here is my best shot at why we were not effected by the relays and the choice shepard made.

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@Farrago96 wrote:

Yes, I heard this conversation.But they couldn't so quickly to leave the neighborhood of the Milky Way because of their speed, the explosion had to get them.

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the time line is this 

2176 CE

andromeda initiative is founded 

2184

The Andromeda Initiative orientation briefing is shown to prospective candidates

2185

The Andromeda Initiative begins its journey to the Andromeda galaxy, with the first wave, made up of the Nexus, ArkHyperion, Ark Leusinia, Ark Natanus, and Ark Paarchero, launching into dark space. A second wave comprised of Ark Keelah Si'yah is expected to launch not long after.

2186 (at the end)

To build the Crucible and take back Earth, Commander Shepard and allies embark on a journey to unite the various races in the midst of a galaxy-wide war. During the final confrontation with the Reapers over Earth, the Commander makes a decision that changes the galaxy forever.

so mass effect 3 is at the end of 2186 so almost a year of light speed travel is more than time enough to escape the wave 

It's FTL speed, actually. 600 years to get to Andromeda require a nasty speed to cover more than 2 million light-years that separate MW and A. I also think it's enough to make them far enough not to be caught in the energy blast.

I'm not seeing how it would be an issue before or after the Extended cut.

Before: Not saying it makes sense, but the Normandy outruns an exploding relay on the very cusp - and not 4200LY out. Suedo-science aside, if that is possible the mission to Andromeda would survive.

Post EC: The relays merely break and can be repaired instead of exploding... unless you lose and then nothing happens to them.

There is *always* the possibility that the cycle simply continues until they write something that tells you differently.

EDI/VI wise is iffier. They don't outrun that branch of an ending... but since you have a VI in your head it must be possible that you can be beyond the reach of the destroy ending. Probably will never be addressed. Unless they choose a canon ending for the original series that bit will just have to remain unanswered. Possible explanation is some limitation cap to range, speeds with the new drive that even outrun the EMPish field, weakening over distance, or that the end of AI happened to the Normandy on the landing end instead of the launching end.

Might even be that you'll have to deal with an AI killing wave eventually reaching to Andromeda - but I seriously doubt it.

iKillOrDieTryN, Yes, good point. 

But Nexus and Arks are big ships, they need time for accelerate, unfortunately we don't know, how much time they need.
About rocks and planets, which are floating in the Dark Space between Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies: how we can see from "Dark Space Statistic" - 99.6% of space between the galaxies are not objects, so Arks shouldn't have changed its course very often, this means that the speed of 4200 light years per year is quite close to the maximum speed of the Arks. And don't forget that each ark have "Over Powered" AI, It could pre-calculate the path, so If there was loss of speed, It was minimal.

In fact, Farrago96 is right, If we look at the cutscene of the explosion of Mass Relays and take into account, that the radius of the Milky Way Galaxy about 50000 light years, we will see that maximum visible radius of explosion is about 12000-13000 light years. So speed 4200 light years per year it's not enough to avoid a wave of exploding Mass Relay. I don't think speed can be more than that, because even the Normandy can travel only 15 light years per day (5500 light years per year) and Normandy was fastest ship in the Milky Way Galaxy.