Mass Effect is a series defined by fascinating, character-driven story beats and relationships. Since the Bioware series hit shelves in 2007, players have spent countless hours building up their squads and diving deep into the hidden backstories of the characters that make up the Mass Effect universe.
However, not all characters have had the same impact as others, with many remembered for their uninteresting storylines, annoying side quests, or frustrating AI. With rumors of an unannounced Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy coming out later this year, it seems like the perfect time to jump back into the series to see which character arcs missed the mark. Here are 10 of the least likable companions in all 4 Mass Effect titles, from bad to even worse.
Updated on January 28, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Mass Effect is one of the most popular sci-fi RPG franchises of all time, with the series featuring some of the most memorable characters of all time. In fact, the squadmates that Shepard interacts with over the course of the games are excellent and make for some of the best parts of the overall experience. Of course, not all of Shepard's teammates are all that memorable, with some of them being major duds. The worst Mass Effect companions to have ever joined the player's squad are mentioned below. Each character's available games as a playable squadmate have also been listed, although this does not include those available in Mass Effect 3's Armax Arsenal Arena.
13 Kasumi Goto
- Mass Effect 2
Kasumi is one of the many characters that suffer from being tied to a DLC. As a result, she doesn't have many powerful moments throughout the story, given that the entire game was constructed without her in mind anyway.
Kasumi does have a memorable recruitment mission but that's about it. She has a few interesting lines of dialogue and has memorable moments during the Citadel DLC... but that's about it for this intergalactic thief with a heart of gold.
12 Javik
- Mass Effect 3
It's puzzling as to why Javik was included in the third entry as paid DLC when his existence was integral to the plot. Perhaps an inclusion from the get-go would've allowed players to have more engaging and memorable conversations with him aboard the Normandy.
Unfortunately, there's only so long that players can stand in one spot while listening to Javik talk before it loses its luster. Even the slightest decoration around these discussions could've played a major role in making these scenes more interesting.
11 Grunt
- Mass Effect 2
While Grunt's origins as a tank-born Krogan are pretty interesting, this character fades to the background after a point. It was cleat that BioWare constructed the entire story of Mass Effect 2 without keeping him as a major focus, which is a shame.
However, Grunt does have his moments to shine throughout the series, although they can be fairly limited. His return in the third game was still a surprising and welcome moment that many fans appreciated.
10 James Vega
- Mass Effect 3
When the player meets James Vega in Mass Effect 3, he comes across as a typical, clichéd soldier type. As the game goes on, however, James starts to show more of a likable, funny attitude that players can relate to.
By the end of Mass Effect 3, it feels as if James is being set up as a protege for Shepard. Despite this, James can still be forgettable, as many human characters in Mass Effect are. However, James makes up for this with a combat style that packs a punch, making him a pretty good choice for missions.
9 Kaidan Alenko
- Mass Effect & Mass Effect 3
When players were given the choice to save either Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko in Mass Effect, many felt more of a connection to Ashley's character, leaving Kaidan's sacrifice a distant memory as the series went on.
However, when players are given the chance to run back into Kaidan in Mass Effect 3, many were surprised to discover a character with an interesting backstory and enhanced biotic abilities. In many ways, ME3 showcased a charming side of Kaidan that should have been more present in the first game.
8 PeeBee
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
PeeBee is a polarizing character in Mass Effect: Andromeda, with many players finding her interactions annoying and her story decisions downright dangerous. However, PeeBee does grow as the game progresses, which is fitting for such a young Asari character.
Much of PeeBee's character feels refreshing due to her placement as the antithesis of everything players have learned about the Asari culture. Although PeeBee is an obvious genius, her bubbly attitude makes her different from any Asari players have encountered previously in the series. She's also still a teenager, so we can give some of her corny lines a pass.
7 Zaeed Massani
- Mass Effect 2
Although Zaeed makes appearances in both Mass Effect 2 and 3, he leaves little impression. Like most DLC characters, the bounty hunter is given far less time to integrate into the team and relate a backstory that can enrich the main plot of the series.
Zaeed's revenge mission might be fun, but it doesn't give the player much of a reason to stay interested in his character. He plays the part of the rugged loner, so players are given few opportunities to learn much about him. It's not until players dig a bit deeper that they can learn a bit more, but by that point, the DLC's story is already coming to a close.
6 Liam Kosta
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
Liam Kosta isn't necessarily a bad character, but he isn't a memorable one. Many of the interactions that players have with Liam leave him feeling like an uninspired character who isn't given many chances to stand out from his squadmates.
By the end of the first mission with Liam, many players have already found other squad members that stand out as ideal companions. In spite of this, Liam does offer players one of the better side missions in Andromeda, so he's certainly not the worst.
5 Ashley Williams
- Mass Effect & Mass Effect 3
Ashley Williams is the character opposite Kaidan that players can choose to save in the first Mass Effect. For some players, this decision was made harder due to Ashley's generally racist and xenophobic attitudes toward alien races.
Like most racists, Ashley insists these opinions are backed up by her real experiences, and it does make many of her interactions with the player a tougher pill to swallow. She also returns in Mass Effect 3 with a new, glamorized look, which seemed to only be added for fanservice and her romance option.
4 Jacob Taylor
- Mass Effect 2
Unfortunately, Jacob Taylor didn't avoid the stereotype of overshadowed human characters in Mass Effect. While Jacob does bring the player on a fairly interesting loyalty quest in ME2, he never comes across as a worthwhile character to interact with or bring on missions.
In a game full of fascinating personalities, Jacob comes across as a generic soldier archetype, and his combat abilities leave a lot to be desired. Ironically, Jacob's claim to fame in Mass Effect fandom has always been based on how unremarkable he is.
3 Morinth
- Mass Effect 2
On the surface, Morinth seems like she would be a tremendously compelling character, especially for renegade players. Her genetic disorder allows her to grow stronger as she drains the life force from other individuals. Unfortunately, once the player makes the choice to add her to the team over her mother Samara, their characters seem to come crashing together.
Despite the power difference between the two, Morinth and her mother have virtually the same stats in combat. Most players also struggle with bringing her to the team in the first place, due to her cartoonishly evil nature. For the random play-through, however, choosing the supervillain as a companion could be fun. Unfortunately, Morinth doesn't bring much to the table.
2 Cora Harper
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
Cora is one of the first companions that players are introduced to in Andromeda. However, she overstays her welcome pretty fast. Despite her role in the overall plot, she never fits in well with the Pathfinder team. She's always quick to mention her time as Asari commando, and she never lets anyone around her forget it.
It feels like Bioware wanted to make Cora more interesting once players got through her backstory, but by that point, most players were already fed up with her. It doesn't help that her interactions and comments on the Asari Arc are some of the most annoying in the game.
1 SAM
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
Although SAM isn't a typical companion, he plays a vital role in Mass Effect: Andromeda's storyline, and his relationship with the player is integral to the plot. Unfortunately, SAM's character feels uninspired and doesn't live up to the role established by other AI characters from previous games, like Legion or EDI.
Rather than bringing something interesting to the team, SAM comes across as a way for the developers to have an easy way to get Ryder out of harm's way and deliver exposition in the most monotone way possible. Because of this, SAM often seems to take a lot of the agency away from the player, which makes Ryder come across as far less capable than the original Mass Effect Trilogy's Commander Shepard.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released on May 14th, 2021 and is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.