10 Best Mass Effect Romance Options

10 Best Mass Effect Romance Options

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Every Mass Effect Romance Option Ranked

Welcome to MojoPlays! Today, we’re looking at the 10 best “Mass Effect” romance options. Who did your Shepard fall for?

She was only in one game, but she makes our list for being the first lesbian in the “Mass Effect” series. After BioWare received criticism for the “player-sexual” romance options in “Dragon Age II” – where companions were romanceable regardless of gender – the studio finally added characters with actual sexualities. But aside from being a major step in the right direction for representation in games, she’s an endearing character in her own right. Some of her biggest passions include dental hygiene, of all things, and chess; you can even play chess with her whether you’re pursuing the romance or not, and support her during a space chess tournament.

Though “Mass Effect: Andromeda” was poorly received by critics and fans, it definitely has redeeming qualities; and one of those qualities was certainly the Angarans. It would have been nice to have more than one brand-new, friendly alien race – not to mention the conspicuous lack of many of the Milky Way’s major species – but Jaal was a great addition to Ryder’s crew. And just a few months after the game came out, BioWare made a welcome change to Jaal by opening up his romance to Scott Ryder as well as Sara. He’s a passionate freedom fighter who loves his species and never backs down from a fight, making him a great partner for any Pathfinder.

Just like “Mass Effect 3” saw the first lesbian in the series, it also saw the first gay man join the line-up, in the form of Steve Cortez. Romancing Cortez isn’t for the faint of heart since it requires you to grapple with grief and loss; Cortez is still struggling after his husband was killed by the Collectors. Shepard supports Cortez through his grief and gets him ready for the all-out war with the Reapers that lies ahead, accompanying him to war memorials and offering plenty of kind words. Because of that, romancing Cortez – though he’s only in one game – feels a lot more important than many of the other single-game options.

She was genetically engineered to be perfect in every way, something she doesn’t let Shepard forget for long. But ultimately, it’s Miranda’s flaws – like the fact she’s wholly uncomfortable with how she was designed in a lab by her father – that endear her to the player. Since Miranda was the one in charge of putting Shepard back together, that adds another layer to this romance; it’s the classic “doctor falling in love with their patient” scenario. If Miranda survives the suicide mission, she’s back again in “Mass Effect 3”, to continue lamenting just how much she adores Shepard in spite of his genetic shortcomings.

Initially slighted by the fanbase for being “too boring”, Kaidan never had a chance against Liara for anybody playing as a female Shepard. But if you made sure he survived the battle on Virmire, Kaidan will become an indispensable part of the trilogy. And BioWare made another great change to Kaidan by the time “Mass Effect 3” rolled around: he comes to terms with his bisexuality and confesses his feelings to a male Shepard, adding another queer male romance to a series that often lacks them. Far from being dull, Kaidan’s a complicated guy, and he spends most of his life dealing with the consequences of being given a dangerous biotic implant as a kid.

This heavily tattooed, rage-filled biotic first encounters Shepard when they bust her out of jail in “Mass Effect 2”. If you’re playing as a male Shepard, you’ll eventually be able to take things further – once you start to truly understand and appreciate Jack. She’s powerful but hates getting close to other people, with an incredibly dark past as a Cerberus test subject. She doesn’t have a straightforward romance, either; you can only start a more meaningful relationship with Jack if you don’t sleep with her the first few times she offers. It turns out she’s been burned before and doesn’t want to lose Shepard like so many others.

The original “Mass Effect” was pretty thin on the ground where alien romances were concerned; no matter how much you liked most of your alien crewmates, a relationship was off the cards. Luckily, BioWare sought to rectify this in subsequent games, and by “Mass Effect 2”, Tali was finally available as a romance option. It’s a poignant love story compared to many of Shepard’s other dalliances because Tali’s never been with anyone else. That’s all thanks to the compromised immune systems of the quarians, which stops them from ever taking off their suits.

Of the few characters you can romance throughout the entire “Mass Effect” trilogy, Ashley definitely has the most growing to do. In the first game, she’s a notorious bigot against aliens, after the First Contact War with the Turians and what she perceives as slights against humanity from the Council. But thanks to her time on the Normandy and in the Alliance, by “Mass Effect 3” she’s shed her old views and trusts her alien compatriots with her life. That’s what makes romancing her worthwhile, even if she can be a little unpleasant in the first game; she’ll easily become someone Shepard keeps by his side no matter what.

For all of Garrus’s confidence and swagger as one of the best marksmen in the galaxy, the path to romancing him is filled with “interspecies awkwardness” – the exact thing he’s worried about when FemShep starts down this path. He’s not a romance option in the first game but was another alien addition to the romance roster for the sequels. Unlike other video game romances, Garrus and Shepard is a slow burn with plenty of room to breathe, and it also boasts one of the most difficult moral decisions in the entire franchise: do you destroy Garrus in the bottle shooting competition, or do the kind thing and let him win? Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:

This Terminally Ill Reptilian Assassin Quickly Won Over Fans in “Mass Effect 2”

Shepard Wouldn’t Pass Up the Chance for One-on-One Time With the Last Prothean

This Mischievous Asari With a Passion for Adventure Runs Right Into Ryder

Much fuss was made over the inclusion of Liara as a romance option back in 2007; luckily, BioWare stuck to their guns, and made one of the most compelling characters and romance arcs in the franchise. Liara’s an awkward but charming Prothean archaeologist at the beginning, who’s fascinated by Shepard’s vision of the Reapers. The romance in the first game is pretty simple, but things get far more interesting when Liara’s back for “Mass Effect 2’s” “Lair of the Shadow Broker” DLC. By the time of the third game, Liara’s back on the Normandy full-time. She’s one of the very few options Shepard can romance consistently in all three games, and certainly one of the best-written encounters.