BioWare’s “Mass Effect” video game series is lauded among gamers for its deep, twisting stories and well-drawn characters. With the newly released “Mass Effect: Andromeda” adding six new team members to the franchise, we looked back to determine where they stack up with the best, and worst, of the galaxy’s companions.
29. SAM (“Andromeda”)
He’s not technically a squadmate, but having an artificial intelligence in your head at all times makes SAM as much of a companion as anyone else in the game. Unfortunately, hanging out with the monotone, lifeless SAM is a lot like hanging out with Apple’s Siri, with worse jokes.
28. Cora Harper (“Andromeda”)
Cora trained for years to play be second to the “Pathfinder,” Alec Ryder, and take over the job if necessary. Alec buys it early in “Andromeda,” but he lets nepotism get the best of him and gives you the Pathfinder job. Instead of struggling to work through that baggage, Cora more or less just gets over it, and remains mostly boring going forward.
27. James Vega (“Mass Effect 3”)
Meathead soldier Vega joins the series late, asks a lot of questions, and has seemingly no idea what’s going on. He comes around over time to be a funny, likeable dude, but Vega is also one of those characters who you barely remember once the game has ended. I’m struggling to right now.
26. Kaiden Alenko (“Mass Effect 1,” “3”)
Everybody’s least-favorite wet blanket of a companion is Kaiden, which is why he often finds himself on the losing end of a “someone has to stay here and die” situation in the “Mass Effect.” When he’s not talking about his sad childhood of being experimented on as a powerful space magic user called a biotic, he’s claiming it doesn’t bother him. No one believes you, Kaiden.
25. Liam Kosta (“Andromeda”)
Liam is your frat bro buddy who’s constantly talking about his great old couch is and recommending movies you have absolutely no intention of watching. Get a beer in the guy and he’s fun to be around, but most of the time Liam doesn’t have much to add. His movie reference-laced “loyalty” mission is one of the highlights of “Andromeda,” though.
24. Vetra Nyx (“Andromeda”)
You’d think a turian who gets things done with grey market connections, the trading of shady favors, and a willingness to look the other way would be the “Mass Effect” Han Solo. You’d be wrong. Vetra comes off as the boss at the docks (and she actually is when you go to the Nexus).
23. Jacob Taylor (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Most “Mass Effect” fans complain about Jacob’s noncommittal attitude and somewhat boring personality. He becomes awesome during the mission about his backstory in “Mass Effect 2,” though, where he goes to find his long lost father and discovers he made himself a slave-owning dictator after he and his crew were marooned, and gives Jacob plenty to emote about.
22. Ashley Williams (“Mass Effect 1,” “3”)
Ashley is the other companion you can send to her death in “Mass Effect,” and since Ash is a bit of a “Humanity First” personality, it’s a tough choice. Her anti-alien xenophobia tends to push toward a “maybe we can fix her” mentality in players. If there’s hope for her, maybe there’s hope for your one uncle at Thanksgiving, too.
21. Nackmor Drack (“Andromeda”)
Drack comes off as pretty much “every krogan.” Apparently he likes cooking, though, which should have been a much bigger deal. Scenes of Drack preparing awful krogan delicacies for the rest of the crew, only to be enraged when no one likes them, is exactly what being stuck on a ship with a bunch of alien pals should be like.
20. Zaeed Massani (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Bounty hunter Zaeed exists to be gruff and short of words. He takes no crap from anyone, has no loyalties, and has no attachments. That makes it all the more fun to get him on your side in “Mass Effect 2” by helping him get his revenge, but he mostly feels like he was written so someone could look cool while walking away from explosions.
19. Samara (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Always in pursuit of justice, Samara is something of an alien cop who specifically hunts her own daughter, Morinth. Her hard-line law-and-order stance is made all the more intense when you help her take down Morinth. She has absolutely no fun, ever.
18. Morinth (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Morinth is that friend who dares you to do reckless things like take drugs or eat dog food. She has a genetic disorder that kills the people she mates with, which makes her stronger and smarter. So she’s been on the run, seducing people to become a more powerful, for hundreds of years. That basically makes her a supervillain you can make friends with.
17. Nyreen Kandros (“Mass Effect 3”)
You only get to hang out with Nyreen in one short add-on content episode in “Mass Effect 3.” She whips a band of bad-dude mercenaries into good-dude protectors of the innocent, then blows herself up while fighting monsters to save some civilians. An all-around nice lady.
16. Miranda Lawson (“Mass Effect 2,” “Mass Effect 3”)
Miranda was genetically engineered to be perfect, although BioWare’s video game tech means her eyes always make her face look a little weird. Her extreme arrogance makes her a pain to be around, but at least she makes up for it by being super smart while being super annoying.
15. Liara T’Soni (“Mass Effect 1,” “2,” “3”)
For all the bad Liara goes through, including killing her mother after she gets brainwashed by the bad guys in “Mass Effect,” Liara is always strangely disaffected. Her transition from a “Ghostbusters”-like harebrained academic to illegal surveillance crime boss doesn’t really make much sense, either, and she never seems especially interested in either situation.
14. Aria T’Loak (“Mass Effect 3”)
The crime boss leader of Omega is ruthless and uncompromising, and when she joins you to protect the space station from the monstrous Reapers, she’s even angrier than usual. Aria climbed the crime ranks by wrecking everyone who got in her way, and watching her defend her home while running in a fit of pure rage is a highlight of “Mass Effect 3” add-on content.
13. Kasumi Goto (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
A master thief with a good heart, Kasumi isn’t one to let the idea of “other people’s property rights” stand in her way. Her lost love backstory adds some emotions to the mix, but she gets a lot less screen time in “Mass Effect 2” on account of being released in purchasable downloadable content.
12. Grunt (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Grunt was engineered to be peak krogan, which means he doesn’t enjoy violence — he delights in it. The combination of not being terribly bright and solving all problems with brute strength means watching him kind of grow up and figure himself out makes for a fascinating journey.
11. EDI (“Mass Effect 3”)
First, EDI is just a computer. Then she gets an overly sexualized robot body. Then she becomes one of the best characters of “Mass Effect 3” as she learns more and more what it’s like to be an actual person. Her goofy, adolescent-esque romance with ship’s pilot Joker is cringey to watch in the best way possible.
10. Jaal Ama Darav (“Andromeda”)
The only native Andromedan on your “Andromeda” team is Jaal, a purple monkey-lizard-esque member of the angara race. Jaal’s people tend to be highly emotional and passionate, which makes him pretty fun to be around. He’s the kind of guy who wants to give all the other team members gifts. Like original poems and knit shawls (really).
9. Legion (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Here’s how you make a robot buddy be actually interesting. Legion is a member of the geth, sentient artificial intelligence guys who went to war with their creators, the quarians. He’s as inhuman as you can get, and yet Legion is thoughtful and introspective as he learns how to be a real boy.
8. Javik (“Mass Effect 3”)
For most of the series, characters in “Mass Effect” revere the extinct alien race known as the Protheans for all they left behind in the galaxy. When you wake up Javik from a stasis pod, the last Prothean, you learn the Protheans were mostly angry, imperialist jerkbags. Javik’s complete lack of tact and nonsense level of offensiveness make him a hilarious addition to the team.
7. Jack (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Jack’s chief personality traits are “angry” and “tortured,” which work well when she tries to go on a space magic-fueled revenge binge in “Mass Effect 2.” She’s all rage, all the time, making her the angry tattooed teenager of the team. It works when she’s hurling insults and taking zero crap.
6. Pelessaria ‘Peebee’ B’Sayle (“Andromeda”)
Once you meet Peebee, it quickly becomes obvious she’s the best character in “Mass Effect: Andromeda.” She’s excitable, smart and funny, with a passion for ancient artifacts. She’s like the “Ancient Aliens” guy, but with a strong sense of “would date you for a really fun two weeks, then ghost you completely.”
5. Garrus Vakarian (“Mass Effect 1,” “2,” “3”)
Garrus is a hard-charging type who signs on with your rule-stomping team because he’s tired of bureaucracy getting in the way of justice. In “Mass Effect 2” he basically becomes a cross between Robin Hood and The Punisher. He’s also Shepard’s best bro, and that counts for a lot.
4. Thane Krios (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
Frogman master assassin with family problems: that’s Thane. He’s like if James Bond was a bit nicer and had a son he’d been neglecting for a really long time. Thane’s spiritual side means he prays for forgiveness after his kills, which adds a Sam Jackson-in-“Pulp Fiction” dimension to his cool.
3. Urdnot Wrex (“Mass Effect 1,” “2,” “3”)
Starting out the way most krogan do — a mercenary who enjoys shooting people — Wrex goes on to become a leader and champion for his people. His commitment to improving the lives of krogan while still enjoying shooting people makes him a lot of fun to have around.
2. Tali’Zorah vas Normandy (“Mass Effect 1,” “2,” “3”)
Cutely naive, Tali can hold her own in a fight and is often torn between her idealism and helping her struggling, nomadic people. She gets a ton of development over three games, turning her into a leader of her people who also gets hilariously drunk in one of our favorite “Mass Effect 3” scenes.
1. Mordin Solus (“Mass Effect 2,” “3”)
A showtune-singing, fast-talking, crazy smart scientist, who also just happens to have some war crimes in his past. Mordin’s social ineptitude and huge brain make him a great companion to have around, and his relentless pursuit of fixing a personal mistake in “Mass Effect 3” give him one of the best story arcs in the series.
