Bioware games are well known for their romance options. In Mass Effect, romances could be carried throughout a series of three games. This created a ton of possibilities. You did not even have to stick to one, you could have breakups, cheat, or wait a couple of games and only romance someone in the last one.
The great thing about Mass Effect is that you can romance aliens. You learn about different cultures and can make connections with people from other planets. However, if you want to stick more close to home then you also had that option. Here is a list of the five best and worst romances in the Mass Effect series. Also, spoilers are ahead!
Updated on November 19th, 2020 by Patrick Mocella: After years of rumors and fan requests, the Mass Effect series is finally set to return with a remastered collection coming next year called the Mass Effect Legendary Edition for the PS5, Ps4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC. This collection will include the original three games from the Xbox 360 generation with all downloadable content included and a ton of visual improvements made to the game. Which means that now we will be able to romance our favorite aliens and humans alike with stunning new visuals and cutting edge technology. But there's also the bad romances that we are likely going to once again avoid this time around.
Updated on March 4, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: Mass Effect fans are now counting down for the Mass Effect Legendary Edition to release on May 14 of this year. What fans know is that the content of the three games will be the same. Romances are not changing. Due to this, it can be beneficial to know about what's in store in every romance route the game has. After all, while some romances are deeply written and go through all three arcs, there are some that are just one-night stands!
20 Best: Jack
When players are first introduced to the Psychotic Biotic in Mass Effect 2, one would think that Jack is in no way a romance option. Her rough life and even rougher exterior make it difficult for anyone to get close to her, let alone a player trying to win her heart.
However, if a male Commander Shepard sticks with it and refuses her attempts at casual hook-ups early on, you will learn that there's so much more to Jack than it appears. Before Shepard, almost nobody ever treated Jack like a person and always just befriended her to ultimately screw her over. However, if she opens her heart, you will find a girlfriend who will massacre anyone who poses a threat to her man.
19 Worst: Ashley Williams
While the original Mass Effect is still considered the best in the series by some fans, almost everyone is in agreement that the romance system in that game was the weakest. Part of that has to do with the human romance option for a male Commander Shepard: Ashley Williams.
For starters, Williams has a huge case of xenophobia at the start of the series. Granted, while she overcomes this as the game goes on, it still sticks as an undesirable character trait in a romance option. However, the bigger issues show in the sequels where she is demonstrated to be a very untrusting lover. Not only does she refuse to help Shepard in Mass Effect 2, but will shoot at Shepard in Mass Effect 3 if the right circumstances are in place.
18 Best: Miranda Lawson
In comparison to her rival Jack, Miranda Lawson is the calmest and most confident romance option in the series. Genetically engineered by her father to be a perfect human, Miranda knows she's good and makes no excuses for it. At the same time though, she is hesitant to take pride in her accomplishments as she feels she hasn't earned truly earned them.
As Commander Shepard gets closer to her, however, the Commander helps her realize that she is worthy of admiration and is her own person, regardless of what her father wanted her to be. This journey is beautiful to take alongside one of the most talented members of Shepard's crew.
17 Worst: Reyes
Mass Effect: Andromeda may have been a flop compared to its predecessors, but the romances in the game are some of the better parts of it. However, this doesn't apply to Reyes.
Reyes may appear to be a dashing rogue and good for some fun, but the fact of the matter is that he is bad news due to his extremely shady nature. Even the rest of Ryder's teammates throughout the game warn you that getting involved with Reyes is not a good idea. It's rare that your whole crew in any Mass Effect game agrees on anything but when they do, you know it's probably the right call.
16 Best: Peebee
Swinging back the other way in Andromeda, we have the lovable Peebee who fans will remember as one of the first characters shown off in the promotional material for the game. Thankfully while the game may have disappointed, Peebee's romance quest did not.
While she may be a young Asari like fan-favorite Liara, that's where the similarities between the two end. She is not afraid of mincing words with anybody and is one of the most resourceful members of Ryder's crew. Although she is very much a lone wolf kind of person, she does trust Ryder to the point where she allows them to be her first melding partner. This growth is heart-warming to see and Peebee is a welcome bit of levity among Ryder's more serious crew members.
15 Worst: Samara
Samara is an amazing character, but her romance in unfulfilling for players looking for a deep partnership. She can be romanced, sort of. She chooses her code over Shepard, but can show interest and even share a kiss as long as the Shepard is Paragon. If the Shepard is Renegade, they will be flatly rejected.
More of this relationship is explored in the Citadel DLC, but only a little. While she could have been one of the best romances, she just is not willing to fully commit. Her reasons are well thought out, and it further deepens her character. However, if a player keeps trying to romance until the very end, they might be a little disappointed.
14 Best: Garrus
This one is the no-brainer of best Mass Effect romances. The entire reason Garrus is romanceable in the first place is that he was beloved by fans. They loved him so much in the first game that Bioware staff decided to make him romanceable in the second one.
This was one of their best decisions too, as Garrus is known as one of the most popular romantic companions. Players loved how awkward but sweet Garrus was. He was also one of the few companions that have stuck with Shepard throughout all three of the games.
13 Worst: Jacob
Jacob deserves to be listed as worst five times in a row. He is the only romance who cheats on you. If you romance him in the second game, maybe look for someone else in the third game. While Shepard is stuck on Earth, Jacob meets someone else and decides to get with her. Other news: she is pregnant with his baby.
Besides all that drama, Jacob is known to be one of the most boring companions. Writers have admitted to making him like a second Kaidan, and they regret it because it just made him forgettable.
12 Best: Liara
Liara is the one alien who was romanceable from game one and also the first romance who was available to both male and female Shepard. Since she is in all three games (though only a companion in two), she and Shepard can have a very long and complex relationship.
She is also part of the reason Shepard was resurrected by Cerberus in the second game. Unlike Kaidan and Ashley, she is also very happy to see Shepard again in the second game as well. She is also the only character you can romance in all three of the Shepard trilogy games.
11 Worst: Morinth
Of course, she is one of the worst. She kills you. You get a game over too, so it technically cannot even be canon. Even if the game doesn't remember though, we do, and that is why she is on this list.
Morinth did have the possibility to be a complex character, but if you romance her then you learn she is just a monster like her mother said. The only way to get her onto your ship to romance her is if you kill her mother instead of her. In the third game, you get very little of her and have to kill her off anyway because the reapers get to her and turn her into their monster.
10 Best: Tali
Like Garrus, Tali is one of the few companions that is on your ship throughout the Shepard trilogy. She is loyal, even when you are with Cerberus in the second game. While she wasn't romanceable in the first game, she is in the second and third game just like Garrus.
Tali's race has to keep themselves concealed in suit due to having weak immune systems. If you romance her though, Shepard gets to see her face. You, the player, also get to see her face in the third game. Though a lot of fans have noted to be disappointed by the reveal. Still, Tali's loyalty and constant presence has made her one of the best romances.
9 Worst: Diana Allers
Many Mass Effect fans just plain do not like Diana. To them, she was just added to the game as an extra character to romance. She is not relevant to the plot and only appears in the third game. She does not have any big impacts and her dialogue is forgettable. To most players, she is just someone to talk to between missions. You even have an option to kick her off the ship for some reason.
It is also odd that she was added to the story when there are other journalists that Shepard already has connections with from past games.
8 Best: Thane
Thane was created with female players in mind, and he delivered. He was sensitive, romantic, tough, and mysterious. He was also one of the few companions to have a kid of his own and have been married before.
His romance is also somewhat tragic, as he passes away due to illness in the third game. However, that is part of what makes his romance so beautiful to certain players. You know from the beginning that he is dying, and it is your choice whether to romance him anyway with the time he has left.
7 Worst: James Vega
Fans have mixed feelings about James since he was a new member of their crew. He was not a trusted friend yet Like Garrus or Tali. Some players wished they could romance him. Luckily, the Citadel DLC came out to give players a chance at romance with him.
However, it probably was not what fans had in mind. It is less of a romance and more of a drunken one-night stand. James does not take it well either when he wakes up. It is a huge bummer to the end of a really fun DLC.
6 Best: Jaal Ama Darav
Now it's time for an Andromeda character. Just because the game did not do so well with fans and critics, it still did not fail with interesting romances and characters. Jaal was particularly interesting because he was from a newly discovered species of aliens. Everything between him and Ryder and new.
If you romance Jaal, you get some really cute dialogue. Jaal wears his heart on his sleeve and encourages Ryder to do the same. It is hard not to swoon when he speaks romantically.
5 Worst: Gil Brodie
"Wait, who?" Exactly. Gil is another Andromeda character and is the most forgettable romance available. He is the ship's chief engineer and your personal poker buddy. If you flirt with him, he goes from poker buddy to boyfriend really quickly. Fans were disappointed by the romance not feeling satisfying and too formulaic like there was no effort put into its writing. If you want a quality gay romance, go play Dragon Age: Inquisition and date Dorian instead.
4 Best: Kaiden Alenko
The Kaiden romance is one of those special ones that can start from the first game. While he is not part of the team in the second game, he returns in the third and can make-up and reconnect with Shepard.
What makes Kaiden all the more special is that he was a straight romance in the first game, but can romance female or male Shepard in the third game. A lot of fans like to think that maybe male Shepard and Kaiden were closeted in the first game, and developed feelings for each other throughout the games and only gain the confidence to have it come to fruition in the third title.
3 Worst: Kelly Chambers
Introduced in Mass Effect 2, Kelly Chambers is a yeoman and psychologist. She is one of the worst romances because she doesn't do much and her personality is not quite memorable. In terms of her negatives, she does psychoanalyze the crew and it is revealed that she secretly sent reports about them to the Illusive Man in the second game.
She is a character that can easily die as well, be it through the Suicide Mission or in the third game if Shepard yells at her for her past work with the Illusive Man.
2 Best: Steve Cortez
While only appearing in Mass Effect 3, Steve is the first and only male Shepard male-only romance option. This was a big deal, as Bioware typically would just make their LGBTQIA2S+ characters in Mass Effect bisexual. Despite not being part of Shepard's innermost circle, Steve was well written. He is going through the loss of a husband while working on the Normandy.
His love story with Shepard is one of healing from loss, which is quite reflective during the dramatic events of the third game.
1 Worst: Javik
Javik is special in many ways, mainly due to the fact that he is the sole survivor of his entire species. He was also only available in Mass Effect 3 DLC. His personality is not exactly romantic either, he is rather cold and talks down to everyone. However, players can have a one-night stand with him, much like they do with James Vega in the Citadel DLC.
So, a female Shepard can wake up with Javik in the DLC to hear him say, "There is at least one thing primitives are good at."