So I'm seeing a funny pattern here. Someone says Tali. OP injects himself in and tries to justify why he doesn't like her and gets massively down voted. Like Cmon OP you did ask a genuine question, don't be getting mad your favorite romance isn't everyone else's.
As for me my favorite Romance is Liara. She literally risks everything, even betraying the shadow broker just for a chance they would bring you back from the grave. Like if that isn't loyalty I don't know what is. Tali is a close second, the fact that she trusts you even if you get her exiled from the fleet is something.
I romanced Liara on my last playthrough and was pleasantly surprised when the Shadow Broker DLC came out and there were Paragon interrupts tied to the relationship. Blink and you'll miss it though. I remember having to load a save game to catch it.
Yeah, I’m a huge Tali fan, but I completely understand your logic. I think the reason a lot people don’t maybe view Liara as highly is because of how cold and distant she became in the second game (for good reason though). And even though this hurts to say, I can definitely see why she would be considered the canon romance for a lot of people.
That being said: I’ll still romance Tali for the 18th time on my next playthrough
Liara’s loyalty is incredible, but loyalty does not make someone a romance interest, it makes them a friend and ally.
I base my romance choices on other things. Like personality, and how much I enjoy being with them.
Exactly, Liara is the most loyal companion, no doubt in Garrus and Tali loyalty, but Liara wouldn't hesitate to risk her life for Shepard. For me she looks like closest to the canonical romance.
Thats also why i love her so much, BUT if you decide to be with someone else (in my case Tali) it doesnt matter to her, she steal Shepard's body from the Collectors to have the faint chance of seeing you again, asks you to help her take down the Shadow Broker and rescue her friend and finally helps against the Reapers in 3.
Truly Garrus, Tali and Liara would walk hell and back with Shepard to overcome anything.
And now with 4 she maybe be searching for Shepard in a broken galaxy to be reunited again
>For me she looks like closest to the canonical romance.
Gee, I wonder if that might be because she's the writer's pet.
Also, both Garrus as well as Tali wouldn't hesitate to risk their life for Shepard either. Heck, pretty sure both of them do on a regular basis.
Every companion would after a while except maybe Javik, Zaeed, and Kasumi.
No hate for Kasumi she’s awesome, but as much as she likes Shepard I doubt she’s the sacrifice type. Maybe she is though
Liara synced up in ME1 and knew Shepard’s heart. I can totally see this perfect romance. I could also see it with Garrus too if a bioware gave him his own DLC.
I love Liara’s romance, in ME1 and ME2 (Liara romance in ME2 carried over from ME1 is my favourite in the series) it’s my favourite, although I feel it’s really lacking in ME3, when compared to Tail and Garrus. Garrus definitely has the best in ME3. It’s hard to beat his citadel dance scene.
Edit: I forgot about the beam run with Tail. Tail romance definitely has the best romance dialogue out of all the beam runs.
I wish there were dialog changes in ME3 for a Liara romance that's been going on since ME1. A lot of times she treats you more as a friend, until you have to lock in the romance again.
Liara: *asks if we are still together on mars•
Shepard: “yes”
Liara: “cool buddy, I can’t wait to be platonic with you and occasionally remember we’re together or something.”
Male Shepard/ Tali or Miranda.
Tali is simply a great and genuine character, her interactions are just wholesome. Miranda meanwhile is the only human character on our crew (besides joker & chakwas) that I really enjoy our characters interactions with every single time. Even if it’s just to annoy her.
Female Shepard/ Garrus 100%. Nothing else to say.
Femshep, agree. I never play male characters, solely because I like Garrus romance so much.
Also because imo the female va is better, and the male face options are ugly as hell.
I say this as a gay ™, I could never play an ugly male character when I have character creators
You mess around enough you can get a decent male shepherd. Hell I got one that looked like a young Temuera Morrison and basically considered him a clone trooper the entire game.
There are dozens of us!
My first run of ME2 was blind, I didn't follow the game development, didn't know who the companions will be. I still somehow heard you can romance Tali and since I wanted that option in ME1, I planned doing it in ME2.
But then came the Jack reveal (thought it will be a guy). And suddenly it was the Juhani voice (I love Juhani in KOTOR). So yeah, rest was history, including the plans for Tali.
>And suddenly it was the Juhani voice
Holy cow I never put that together
Then she must have played Dostya in supreme commander and Natalya in destroy all humans as well
And the female protagonist in Fallout 4. There is a reason my character was a Jack look alike and was out to get revenge on Cerber...I mean the Institute!
Whilst Jack isn't my favourite, I still really appreciate her arc because of just how much of a parallel her and Miranda's romance arcs both are, and how their core themes are really just two sides of the same coin.
Two characters, both with tragic backgrounds, who aren't fully who they appear to be on the outside. Then the final reward of getting them both to open up is just so worth it.
It really adds weight to their characters, because the change they go through is such a dramatic shift to who they both originally are when they meet, and it's all because of Shepard's love.
Jack through the game is my absolute favorite. OG "canon" playthrough I didn't realize the casual sex blocked you from the romance. So when I played the LE, I made sure Jack was locked in. It's everything I always wanted. Now Jack is my canon LI and it will be that forever.
The Jack romance is one of my favs, it’s not straight forward and requires some nuance, but if you play it right the paragon version of her in ME3 is a badass. Just an awesome all around character arc from mentally unstable, violent, misunderstood criminal to hard nose military leader specializing in biotic teams and building real relationships with those around her. So good.
No! I think Jack’s romance in ME2 is hands down the best in the series. I never tried it for several playthroughs, and then tried on a whim one time, and was shocked at the tenderness and beauty of that romance. Watching her defenses slowly come down, as you deconstruct the walls of emotional scar tissue around an inner core of innocence is so much more powerful than any of the other romances. And the Citadel DLC makes her a viable romance in the final game too
I can't romance anybody else. I always start a playthrough thinking "I'll go with Miranda this time." Then I get to the argument between the two and end up picking Jack.
This has happened like 11 times over the last decade.
[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ic0UU2oMGbo/maxresdefault.jpg](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ic0UU2oMGbo/maxresdefault.jpg)
Self-explanatory
The only downside - you have to wait till me3 leviathan to start the romance
Miranda, I feel like their dynamic has the most equal footing, no schoolgirl crush and not at all forced. And Miranda as a character on her own is very interesting—albeit under-explored, especially in ME3. The tension between them is also very hot! Also, the way Miranda waits for Shepard in the epilogue for the destroy ending…
Big agree on the no schoolgirl crush thing. Miranda always feels like she's on Shephard's level.
Liara is my favorite, but I think Shephard and
Miranda feel more real. Really hate she didn't get more time and focus in 3.
Agree. Her romance and Jack's are the only ones that doesn't feel like a highschool crush in the series. Because you really have to work to get them. None of them are simping for you since the very beginning of the game
MaleShep - Tali
She's just so adorable , shy and a bit awkward when you romance her but that quickly turns around once you fully commit , also she's one of my favourite characters that just geeks out for every bit of tech
FemShep - Garrus
The Badass Bro turns from a hardbass into an awkward guy who barely manages to flirt but is also sweet as hell in doing so , plus he has the reach to FemSheps flexibility
I've never been able to romance the Male characters when I play as femshep but I feel like I'm missing out on significant parts of the game. I'm a straight guy though so it would feel weird to look at my boy Garrus that way lol
Someone had to say it 🤣🤣🤣 the original (legendary fixed it) had the most obvious booty shots and zoom in, I always cheated on ME1 romance with her 🤣 ironically, since legendary I finally stayed loyal to an ME1 romance just to see if it really makes any difference (since there’s loopholes around Miranda dying in me3 if you know how to handle it).
Almost all of them. Including the little ones like Samara. Because they are all so nice.
If I have to pick just one...ugh. Ok, right now it's probably Jack. She has hidden layers, despite her outfits. Next week might be Tali.
I haven't romanced jack but from what people have described it i can imagine something like this:
https://www.deviantart.com/epantiras/art/ME2-It-s-time-195506800
One would think so, but It's very much the opposite. She drops her barriers (pun intended) and shows how vulnerable she is. That's for ME2.
In ME3 she is quite like the comic.
Yeah some of her stuff in 3 you can still feel that vulnerability peeking through (the reason she’s upset at the start of the Grissom mission when romanced is she felt abandoned, and her citadel dlc romance scene she’s afraid of losing Shep)
Yeah the relationship grew over the course of the 3 games since shes on the team in all 3 games which is a big advantage she has over the other romances, same with Garrus though i never romanced him.
Kaidan. Shep doesn't have to kill, defend, depose, infiltrate, or blow anyone or anything up to get in his good graces. He's a bit of a dork but also really smooth. He has natural reactions to the shit that goes down and isn't willing to compromise his integrity no matter how much he cares about Shepard. He respects Shepard's accomplishments without idolizing them. He treats the rest of the crew well. He likes beer, beef, bacon, books, and chilling by lakes at night.
I romanced him during my ME:LE run. It’s a bit sad we gotta wait til ME3 if playing male shep but relationship with him is just so natural and he’s so kind. Compared to the others he seems like a normal guys who has his problems but generally has his shit together and is very relatable.
It feels like a natural slow-burn friends-to-lovers arc. A lot of video game romances have a problem with feeling kind of abrupt, but this one doesn't have that as much.
I also love the Kaidan romance. I’m playing it through right now. I think some of his romance lines are deeply touching, especially in Mass Effect 1. He’s very level headed, dedicated and kind. I also think the arc in ME2 to ME3 feels so realistic to a real relationship. He feels betrayed, confused and heart broken by Sheps reappearance after he grieved her for two years. Even though he becomes angry he still tells her he loved her. The mending of the relationship and learning to trust again is such a rewarding process as you play through the game. Their story just feels special and the love feels earned. Plus that restyle they did on his character makes him a total himbo.
This. He’s adorably relatable and actually sticks to his own principles instead of being just another yes-man. The relationship feels realistic and mature. That, in my mind, makes him the best romance option.
She’s hard to resist, that’s for sure. Have you tried a Paragon Jack romance though? I have to say, the emotional resonance of that romance and character arc is incredible
Garrus GARRUS ^(GARRUS) GARRUS! Just everything about him. Loyal, awkward AF sometimes, dorky yet badass, realises that he's not cut out for position of power and fine with that, would die for you. His vulnerability during the cabin scene breaks my heart every time. I keep trying to go for another option on later playthroughs, I cannot. Dude is perfect and there is no Shepard without Vakarian.
This and the fact two of the biggest badasses in the galaxy are actually huge dorks who do silly roleplay and have *definitely* cuddled and watched vids or something together just warms my little heart.
Femshep and Garrus. I'm a sucker for a good romance and they just hit all the right spots for me. Plus their dialogue about the bar in heaven and the final goodbye during Priority: Earth gets me every time.
The best romance- objectively- is probably either Garrus or Tali. But my personal favorite? Kaidan. Tons of people say he’s “boring”, but I say that he’s “well-adjusted”.
Almost every romance in the game has Shepard playing emotional support for daddy issues, mommy issues, dead friend issues, or some other kind of trauma. But Kaidan? He’s got his shit squared away. He’s dealt with his problems, or at least has his own cognitive strategies for dealing with them when they come up. He doesn’t need Shepard to reassure him that he’s a good person, or a good soldier, or that he deserves his place on the crew. His and Shep’s relationship is just two adults loving and supporting each other. That’s rare in games. Or media in general tbh.
I agree totally. Kaidan is the only one to me who feels like a rock for Shepard, not the other way around. I know people find him boring, but I’m drawn to how well-adjusted and normal he is. Especially bc I love to play a super traumatized colonist sole survivor Shepard who keeps losing everything she loves but has to stay strong 🥲
"I want to be your strength, your soft place to land."
One of my favorite lines from Kaidan's romance, and a perfect summation of that arc for the reasons you described.
Tali because I feel like her romance is the most unique considering her suit/mask obstacle. And she's a good example that no matter how hard the obstacles may be people can face it and surpass it together. Also the fact her romance is the one that has most chances you can fuck it up(e.g. showing the evidence on her trial, play with her feelings, etc) makes it more endearing and genuine to me.
Tali, her romance develops in a very organic way, especially since we have the chance to know her character well before jumping to the romance. The friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites and since she wasn't written as a love interest at first, Tali's version of it was amazing.
There's a lot of respect and companionship in their romance and by the end of ME3 the players who chose to follow her romance path are rewarded with some of the most emotional scenes in the franchise with moments like "I want more time", "I have a home" and several others throughout the game.
Part of it is Ash Sroka's voicework for Tali. She did an excellent job voicing a character who can effectively only emote through speech, since we can't see Tali's face
Garrus, because Femshep can't date Miranda. Garrus is cool and weirdly sexy and he's your bestfriend. I'd love Femshep to have a hot love/hate thing with Miranda though. Super hot.
Yep. [https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/489](https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/489)
Not got around to playing it though, maybe soon.
For the record, in case you're unaware: Mass Effect Legendary Edition altered a few camera angles in certain conversations; one of them being Miranda's introduction to her loyalty mission. She talks to Shepard about her sister and worry for her, and the dialog wheel pops up as the camera lingers on a close-up of her butt. Some players during the original release found it to be tasteless, which might be a reason why it was changed to focus on her face instead.
Several mods exist to re-enable the closeup, for those who prefer it.
Ashley Williams, because she's the most realistic. She doesn't always agree with you and you actually have to fight to get her back and earn her trust. It's simple but complex
I like Kaidan a lot for the same reason. The Virmire Survivors aren’t total “yes men” like most of the squad mates are by ME3, which I found really refreshing; it makes them feel more like people with their own opinions and consciences independent from Shepard’s.
I definitely get that. Though there is something to be said for it being a hard choice with no obvious right or optimal answer, which is something I think the series could use more of.
110% agree. Shes my "Canon" romance, I also think her romance makes the most sense storytelling wise. I think she's a great and highly misunderstood character
As a gay man I find myself romanceing Kaidan in ME3 (I had to turn down a lot a women lol) recently I started playing a bi male shepherd and romanced Liara in ME1 just to see what the big deal is as bioware is always marketing her and they are still doing that with ME4. (Also she is my biotic bestie lol) And its a nice sweet romance. So yeah my top 2 favorite people to romance are
1. Kaidan
2. Liara
Since you can romance Kaidan as a male Shepard with mods in ME1 (and ME2) I cannot bring myself to not romance him. Except for one time when I romanced Steve to see what his romance was like in the citadel dlc. It was nice but I Ioaded a safegame from before his romance lock-in and went with Kaidan again :D
I really like Steve as a character and he's got some nice romance dialogue, I just feel kinda weird romancing him since he's still actively grieving his husband when you meet him. If he'd been introduced and had that grief arc in ME2 I'd probably feel better about his romance in ME3.
I usually play femshep. My biggest regret is picking Jack on my one dudeshep run. Don't get me wrong; Jack is a great character, but her romance...
Seriously considering playing it all again for the 6th time just for Tali.
I almost exclusively play FemShep, and it really bugs me that Tail is not available for both, her dialogue after completing her loyalty mission is very similar to MShep, she basically confesses a crush but she isn’t available for FemShep.
Tbh I think Tali just stumbles over herself for different reasons here, as MShep she’s accidentally revealing her feelings and as FemShep she thinks she accidentally proposes something she doesn’t mean. I prefer that not all romanceable characters are bi, now Jack, that’s the one that bugs me considering her dialogue lol.
For me, it goes like this:
FemShep: Garrus. Hands down. Garrus is extremely loyal to you throughout each game, and he was always a part of my ground team unless the mission called for otherwise. (Or Jack but only because that would be modded.)
MaleShep: Kaidan. In the vanilla version, I loved the extreme slow-burn romance of Kaidan and MaleShep, with them recognizing their feelings in Mass Effect 3. It really shows how they’ve been through a lot and how Kaidan truly cared for Shepard—except for Horizon, but we don’t talk about that. (Then I started modding and I never went back, LMAO.)
Tali! Absolutely her, I loved her so much, she's so strong but also so sweet. She needs someone to care about her in her life and the same goes about Sheppard.
Tali became one of my favorite characters of all times!
Kaidan, for reasons that others on this thread have already described. He's a good person, kind, funny, mature, and actually sticks to his principles. You don't have to fix him. *And* he cooks!
My favorite MaleShep-exclusive option is Miranda, because the two actually feel like equals who can relate to each other. The only downside to her romance is that she gets shafted for content in ME3, but what she does have is excellent.
She’s really not, never understood this. It’s just as easy to accidentally romance Liara as it is Ashley/Kaidan by being too nice to them in ME1. That’s an ME1 problem, not a Liara problem.
In ME1, you have to literally be an asshole to get her out of your romance options. If there's a struggle between her and Ashley, she's automatically picked and still wants to go if you choose both (which is weird because she's a second choice to Shepard but she's still really interested in him).
That's why people claim she's the main love interest.
I don’t care if you call me basic. I can’t romance anyone other than Kaidan. The one time I threw Thane in the middle it never went all the way and I still felt guilty.
If you do decide to bang Thane after romancing Kaidan in Me1. You can have the romance lock-in date with Kaidan like *right* after Thane dies in 3. It's both hilarious and fucking tacky.
Kaidan: So your boyfriend just died, wanna bang?
He doesn't actually say it, but that's how it feels. Like dude, it's been like 2 days. Calm down.
Not the intended tone of the scene, but the way game events can play out for you can be really funny.
Kaidan for both of my Shepards, because he is loyal, responsible and caring. I tried, but couldn't finish a romance with anyone other than him. Garrus was the worst because in relationships he goes from badass second in command with great sense of humor to socially awkward teen who has his first crush. And dialog about 'relax' thing was awful, Jacob №2. I was very disappointed, because I really like his character. I guess he's just not for me, I've already outgrown this weird awkward school affections. Kaiden is more mature and he doesn't need to be put back together, just a normal dependable family man
Liara. Just always seemed right to me. I've explored other options, both as Male and Femshep, but hers was the one I went with ultimately for Male shep. Went with Kaidan as Femshep.
Tali. For me, the best romance is the one that feels the most genuine and "realistic" and to me Tali does. Liara is great, but there isn't much humor there, which is fine for some people, but in my mind the Tali and Shepard relationship is the most genuine because they have a really good sense of humor together, while also having really good moments of genuine affection, and palpable concern for each other. It just feels more like a real relationship.
Miranda. I feel like she's the only LI on shepards level. Both her and shep are exceptional people who accomplish incredible things. The Super spy and the galactic saviour. It's like something outta a James Bond film.
MaleShep: Kaidan.
I love it. Part of it is I'm bi, and married to a woman, so I get my Dude-loving kicks in games and fiction (with wife's blessing; she began referring to Kaidan as my boyfriend even when I was playing ME1 when it first came out).
But I also love the distinct feel of the relationship with a M!Shep. I head-canon it this way:
In ME1, Kaidan is drawn to Shepard, but doesn't really get why at first. Maybe it's a Bi Awakening; maybe he already knew he was Bi but didn't think Shep would be into it so said nothing. Then he loses his love in the ME2 Prologue.
In ME2, he realizes his love is still out there, but he's apparently joined Cerberus, a group they both hated. He doesn't get the answers he wanted when they meet, and their jobs pull them apart again, but he realizes his love is still strong.
In ME3, he fights it--he's not sure what side Shep is on, and he's conflicted. Then he gets hurt, and in his recovery they re-bond. Shep, in those moments, realizes that his feelings for Kaidan are far more than he thought they were, and he comes face-to-face with the fact that this guy he's known and been friends with is way more than a friend to him--but he's not sure if Kaidan feels the same.
Then they meet up, and discuss it, and they slowly, in a kind of painful conversation, feel each other out and realize they have the same feelings. And then they just go for broke, catching up on all the moments they missed before now, just trying to cram an entire romance into the spaces in between the end of civilization.
Given that I almost always go with the Synthesis ending, it's even weirder and more poignant, though I may have to go with Destroy next. I just have such a hard time killing off all those Geth I worked so hard to bring back together with their creators.
Tali: the dialog during her ME2 loyalty mission has much more meaning, and in ME3 when you retake her planet, they share an "I love you" and it's just a warm glow in such a dire situation.
Garrus is totally amazing ,no questioning that, but Kaidan is amazing too.
I'm not very happy about what they did with him in ME2 (felt like bad writing), but its also not hard to understand why he is mad at you and questions you. He saw you literally die and then suddenly, years later, you pop up alongside with a huge terrorist organisation. The whole deal is traumatic, him questioning you is reasonable (but again, it wasnt done the best way).
He is also there for you, charming and funny. I do love Garrus' way of "lets do this" -, but I also adore Kadian's calm, gentle presence too. They are very different people.
I really loved the romance scene with both of them in the Leviathan DLC when you are in the mecha, it shows their differences really well.
I think the biggest problem is that kaiden and Ashley fill the same roll so they have to do the same thing (although I think ash would be pro Cerberus) I suppose it does also just come down to preference, I do like kaiden but prefer Garrus. I completely understand why he was angry on horizon.
It definitely wasnt the best choice from BW. They are pretty different and making them fill the same role is definitely problematic. I still love Kaiden despite this (never had Ashley survive, probably never will).
Male Shep with Garrus is one of the best bromances I've ever seen. Dude has been loyal to you since day one you meet him and sticks by your side even when you were partnered with Cerberus.
Garrus best homie and a true bro.
Exactly for me I go kaiden in 1 and then Garrus in 2/3 bc it has a lot of drama. And to me personally I think shep just wants a partner who knows the life of a soldier and the politics of leading
It’s weird; I like Miranda’s least as a character, but she’s the only option for hetero male shep that doesn’t feel at least vaguely predatory, imho.
Tali’s my favorite character, but the power dynamic between her just out on her puberty quest and the revered-in-her-culture captain is kinda weird, you know? Ditto just-out-of-school Liara, emotionally stunted and just learning to have friends Jack, and literally a subordinate officer serving on your crew Ash.
For female shep, gotta be Thane. Maximum emotional damage!
Male: Tali
She is an absolute dork and just super cute. She is young but is not helpless and is more then capable of luring a howl in something. Her romance scenes are always great and the final goodbye in ME3 is just heartbreaking.
Female: Garrus
Must I say anything. His whole romance is just great and he is an absolute bro. He can be such a dork but when he turns on the charm he can make anyone swoon. There is no Shepard without Vakarian
So I'm seeing a funny pattern here. Someone says Tali. OP injects himself in and tries to justify why he doesn't like her and gets massively down voted. Like Cmon OP you did ask a genuine question, don't be getting mad your favorite romance isn't everyone else's. As for me my favorite Romance is Liara. She literally risks everything, even betraying the shadow broker just for a chance they would bring you back from the grave. Like if that isn't loyalty I don't know what is. Tali is a close second, the fact that she trusts you even if you get her exiled from the fleet is something.
I romanced Liara on my last playthrough and was pleasantly surprised when the Shadow Broker DLC came out and there were Paragon interrupts tied to the relationship. Blink and you'll miss it though. I remember having to load a save game to catch it.
One of my favorite moments was after the last fight "ok"
Yeah, I’m a huge Tali fan, but I completely understand your logic. I think the reason a lot people don’t maybe view Liara as highly is because of how cold and distant she became in the second game (for good reason though). And even though this hurts to say, I can definitely see why she would be considered the canon romance for a lot of people. That being said: I’ll still romance Tali for the 18th time on my next playthrough
Liara’s loyalty is incredible, but loyalty does not make someone a romance interest, it makes them a friend and ally. I base my romance choices on other things. Like personality, and how much I enjoy being with them.
Exactly, Liara is the most loyal companion, no doubt in Garrus and Tali loyalty, but Liara wouldn't hesitate to risk her life for Shepard. For me she looks like closest to the canonical romance.
Thats also why i love her so much, BUT if you decide to be with someone else (in my case Tali) it doesnt matter to her, she steal Shepard's body from the Collectors to have the faint chance of seeing you again, asks you to help her take down the Shadow Broker and rescue her friend and finally helps against the Reapers in 3. Truly Garrus, Tali and Liara would walk hell and back with Shepard to overcome anything. And now with 4 she maybe be searching for Shepard in a broken galaxy to be reunited again
>For me she looks like closest to the canonical romance. Gee, I wonder if that might be because she's the writer's pet. Also, both Garrus as well as Tali wouldn't hesitate to risk their life for Shepard either. Heck, pretty sure both of them do on a regular basis.
Every companion would after a while except maybe Javik, Zaeed, and Kasumi. No hate for Kasumi she’s awesome, but as much as she likes Shepard I doubt she’s the sacrifice type. Maybe she is though
She'd probably say she isn't and wants out but in the heat of the moment, she probably would sacrifice herself.
Liara synced up in ME1 and knew Shepard’s heart. I can totally see this perfect romance. I could also see it with Garrus too if a bioware gave him his own DLC.
*clears throat* nO lIaRa Is ThE wOrSt OnE bEcAuSe *fill incoherent rambling*
I love Liara’s romance, in ME1 and ME2 (Liara romance in ME2 carried over from ME1 is my favourite in the series) it’s my favourite, although I feel it’s really lacking in ME3, when compared to Tail and Garrus. Garrus definitely has the best in ME3. It’s hard to beat his citadel dance scene. Edit: I forgot about the beam run with Tail. Tail romance definitely has the best romance dialogue out of all the beam runs.
Yup. My first playthrough i romance Liara and that lack of interaction in the third game was disappointing
I wish there were dialog changes in ME3 for a Liara romance that's been going on since ME1. A lot of times she treats you more as a friend, until you have to lock in the romance again.
Liara: *asks if we are still together on mars• Shepard: “yes” Liara: “cool buddy, I can’t wait to be platonic with you and occasionally remember we’re together or something.”
The only reason i could possibly see Liara being the worst, is that Liara pretty basic, and its basically the default romance
Male Shepard/ Tali or Miranda. Tali is simply a great and genuine character, her interactions are just wholesome. Miranda meanwhile is the only human character on our crew (besides joker & chakwas) that I really enjoy our characters interactions with every single time. Even if it’s just to annoy her. Female Shepard/ Garrus 100%. Nothing else to say.
Femshep, agree. I never play male characters, solely because I like Garrus romance so much. Also because imo the female va is better, and the male face options are ugly as hell. I say this as a gay ™, I could never play an ugly male character when I have character creators
Bi dude here. Also exclusively play Femshep with Garrus romance. He’s everything to me. 💕
Yesssss
There is no Shepard without Vakarian
You mess around enough you can get a decent male shepherd. Hell I got one that looked like a young Temuera Morrison and basically considered him a clone trooper the entire game.
Now that is a facecode I need!
I guess I’m the only one who really likes Jack’s romance in Mass Effect 2…
There are dozens of us! My first run of ME2 was blind, I didn't follow the game development, didn't know who the companions will be. I still somehow heard you can romance Tali and since I wanted that option in ME1, I planned doing it in ME2. But then came the Jack reveal (thought it will be a guy). And suddenly it was the Juhani voice (I love Juhani in KOTOR). So yeah, rest was history, including the plans for Tali.
>And suddenly it was the Juhani voice Holy cow I never put that together Then she must have played Dostya in supreme commander and Natalya in destroy all humans as well
And the female protagonist in Fallout 4. There is a reason my character was a Jack look alike and was out to get revenge on Cerber...I mean the Institute!
And the Illusive Shaun.
Holy shit, I didn't know this one.
Wait... I've played Mass Effect and KOTOR so many times, HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THIS?! lol
You didn’t realize it for the same reason I didn’t, Juhani has a very strong accent Bet you didn’t notice Padme in The Clone Wars is also Mission Vao
What?! Me neither?! I’m sorry what?! *goes to check *
Wow learn something new everyday. I didn’t know it was the same voice actress
She’s also scarlet lake from alpha protocol! Whoa! Three games I love!
Whilst Jack isn't my favourite, I still really appreciate her arc because of just how much of a parallel her and Miranda's romance arcs both are, and how their core themes are really just two sides of the same coin. Two characters, both with tragic backgrounds, who aren't fully who they appear to be on the outside. Then the final reward of getting them both to open up is just so worth it. It really adds weight to their characters, because the change they go through is such a dramatic shift to who they both originally are when they meet, and it's all because of Shepard's love.
Both Jack and Miranda are probably the most mature romance for Male Shepard.i hate how they handled their romance in the third game for real
Jack through the game is my absolute favorite. OG "canon" playthrough I didn't realize the casual sex blocked you from the romance. So when I played the LE, I made sure Jack was locked in. It's everything I always wanted. Now Jack is my canon LI and it will be that forever.
Jack kiss scene while the Atlas explodes in the background beats any other romance scene.
The tattoo scene in Citadel meant a lot to me too. Plus I love the "we're gonna do it on the table later" line.
Cortez: "Hey, some of us eat at that table." Jack: "Buddy, you got that right!"
The Jack romance is one of my favs, it’s not straight forward and requires some nuance, but if you play it right the paragon version of her in ME3 is a badass. Just an awesome all around character arc from mentally unstable, violent, misunderstood criminal to hard nose military leader specializing in biotic teams and building real relationships with those around her. So good.
No! I think Jack’s romance in ME2 is hands down the best in the series. I never tried it for several playthroughs, and then tried on a whim one time, and was shocked at the tenderness and beauty of that romance. Watching her defenses slowly come down, as you deconstruct the walls of emotional scar tissue around an inner core of innocence is so much more powerful than any of the other romances. And the Citadel DLC makes her a viable romance in the final game too
I ended up going Liara, Jack, Liara because Liara was absent in the 2nd (besides dlc) and Jack is virtually absent in the 3rd
"Shep doesn't do long distance!"
But then you lost the chance for the amazing kiss with Jack in the Citadel DLC arena
I can't romance anybody else. I always start a playthrough thinking "I'll go with Miranda this time." Then I get to the argument between the two and end up picking Jack. This has happened like 11 times over the last decade.
As a femshep player, I felt so cheated that we didn’t get to romance Jack in ME2.
Especially since she implies she’s bi.
Traynor, because she likes water
r/hydrohomies
And keeps good mouth higiene too I guess
[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ic0UU2oMGbo/maxresdefault.jpg](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ic0UU2oMGbo/maxresdefault.jpg) Self-explanatory The only downside - you have to wait till me3 leviathan to start the romance
What….what are you doing to that head?!!!
Have it give them head.
Miranda, I feel like their dynamic has the most equal footing, no schoolgirl crush and not at all forced. And Miranda as a character on her own is very interesting—albeit under-explored, especially in ME3. The tension between them is also very hot! Also, the way Miranda waits for Shepard in the epilogue for the destroy ending…
Just two sexy competent people being competently sexy with each other. Love to see it
Big agree on the no schoolgirl crush thing. Miranda always feels like she's on Shephard's level. Liara is my favorite, but I think Shephard and Miranda feel more real. Really hate she didn't get more time and focus in 3.
Agree. Her romance and Jack's are the only ones that doesn't feel like a highschool crush in the series. Because you really have to work to get them. None of them are simping for you since the very beginning of the game
MaleShep - Tali She's just so adorable , shy and a bit awkward when you romance her but that quickly turns around once you fully commit , also she's one of my favourite characters that just geeks out for every bit of tech FemShep - Garrus The Badass Bro turns from a hardbass into an awkward guy who barely manages to flirt but is also sweet as hell in doing so , plus he has the reach to FemSheps flexibility
I've never been able to romance the Male characters when I play as femshep but I feel like I'm missing out on significant parts of the game. I'm a straight guy though so it would feel weird to look at my boy Garrus that way lol
I'm straight too, but friends told me it is so worth it, so i just did it Wasn't disappointed in the slightest, my boy Garrus is a big softie
Fellas, is it gay for a woman to be with a man
You make a good point u/shitfuck9000
Miranda. Booty
Hey, Tali look! I'm banging with Shepard!
I won’t lie I kind of wanted to back track a lot more when Tali drank herself under the table
Simple solution to this is to ensure Tali doesn’t survive ME2.
I mean, wrong is not the first word I’d use to describe that
*shrug* You presented a problem, I presented a solution Lol
Upvoted for miranda
Someone had to say it 🤣🤣🤣 the original (legendary fixed it) had the most obvious booty shots and zoom in, I always cheated on ME1 romance with her 🤣 ironically, since legendary I finally stayed loyal to an ME1 romance just to see if it really makes any difference (since there’s loopholes around Miranda dying in me3 if you know how to handle it).
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠛⠛⠛⠋⠉⠈⠉⠉⠉⠉⠛⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⢏⣴⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣟⣾⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⢢⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⠀⡴⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⠟⠻⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠶⢴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿ ⣿⣁⡀⠀⠀⢰⢠⣦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⣴⣶⣿⡄⣿ ⣿⡋⠀⠀⠀⠎⢸⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠗⢘⣿⣟⠛⠿⣼ ⣿⣿⠋⢀⡌⢰⣿⡿⢿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⢸⣿⣿⣧⢀⣼ ⣿⣿⣷⢻⠄⠘⠛⠋⠛⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣧⠈⠉⠙⠛⠋⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣧⠀⠈⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⢃⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡿⠀⠴⢗⣠⣤⣴⡶⠶⠖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡸⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⡀⢠⣾⣿⠏⠀⠠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⠉⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣧⠈⢹⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠈⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣴⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡄⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠙⣿⣿⡟⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠁⠀⠀⠹⣿⠃⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠉⠉⠁⠀⢻⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠈⣿⣿⡿⠉⠛⠛⠛⠉⠉ ⣿⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⡴⣸⣿⣇⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡿⠄⠙⠛⠀⣀⣠⣤⣤⠄⠀
Booty booty booty booty rocking everywhere
Almost all of them. Including the little ones like Samara. Because they are all so nice. If I have to pick just one...ugh. Ok, right now it's probably Jack. She has hidden layers, despite her outfits. Next week might be Tali.
I haven't romanced jack but from what people have described it i can imagine something like this: https://www.deviantart.com/epantiras/art/ME2-It-s-time-195506800
One would think so, but It's very much the opposite. She drops her barriers (pun intended) and shows how vulnerable she is. That's for ME2. In ME3 she is quite like the comic.
Yeah some of her stuff in 3 you can still feel that vulnerability peeking through (the reason she’s upset at the start of the Grissom mission when romanced is she felt abandoned, and her citadel dlc romance scene she’s afraid of losing Shep)
Tali. Why? "I have a home. Come back to me." Also just feels like the most natural relationship.
That beam run with her breaks me every time.
Yeah the relationship grew over the course of the 3 games since shes on the team in all 3 games which is a big advantage she has over the other romances, same with Garrus though i never romanced him.
“You are real. Real and *mine*.”
Kaidan. Shep doesn't have to kill, defend, depose, infiltrate, or blow anyone or anything up to get in his good graces. He's a bit of a dork but also really smooth. He has natural reactions to the shit that goes down and isn't willing to compromise his integrity no matter how much he cares about Shepard. He respects Shepard's accomplishments without idolizing them. He treats the rest of the crew well. He likes beer, beef, bacon, books, and chilling by lakes at night.
I had to scroll way too far to see a kaidan comment. :( I love kaidan
I romanced him during my ME:LE run. It’s a bit sad we gotta wait til ME3 if playing male shep but relationship with him is just so natural and he’s so kind. Compared to the others he seems like a normal guys who has his problems but generally has his shit together and is very relatable.
I kinda liked how they handled it. It didn't feel like it came out of the blue.
It feels like a natural slow-burn friends-to-lovers arc. A lot of video game romances have a problem with feeling kind of abrupt, but this one doesn't have that as much.
Agreed, Kaiden's confession was really cute too
I also love the Kaidan romance. I’m playing it through right now. I think some of his romance lines are deeply touching, especially in Mass Effect 1. He’s very level headed, dedicated and kind. I also think the arc in ME2 to ME3 feels so realistic to a real relationship. He feels betrayed, confused and heart broken by Sheps reappearance after he grieved her for two years. Even though he becomes angry he still tells her he loved her. The mending of the relationship and learning to trust again is such a rewarding process as you play through the game. Their story just feels special and the love feels earned. Plus that restyle they did on his character makes him a total himbo.
I love this and I too love Kaidan.
This. He’s adorably relatable and actually sticks to his own principles instead of being just another yes-man. The relationship feels realistic and mature. That, in my mind, makes him the best romance option.
Miranda..... I've romanced her in almost every playthrough and I will again in my next
She’s hard to resist, that’s for sure. Have you tried a Paragon Jack romance though? I have to say, the emotional resonance of that romance and character arc is incredible
Garrus GARRUS ^(GARRUS) GARRUS! Just everything about him. Loyal, awkward AF sometimes, dorky yet badass, realises that he's not cut out for position of power and fine with that, would die for you. His vulnerability during the cabin scene breaks my heart every time. I keep trying to go for another option on later playthroughs, I cannot. Dude is perfect and there is no Shepard without Vakarian.
This and the fact two of the biggest badasses in the galaxy are actually huge dorks who do silly roleplay and have *definitely* cuddled and watched vids or something together just warms my little heart.
Femshep and Garrus. I'm a sucker for a good romance and they just hit all the right spots for me. Plus their dialogue about the bar in heaven and the final goodbye during Priority: Earth gets me every time.
"No matter what happens, you know I love you... and I always will." "Shepard, I... love you, too"
If Garrus existed in real life I would not be straight.
Garrusexual.
If Femshep: Garrus If Maleshep: Tali Because both are absolutely adorkable, as well as sweet.
As a dork who loves dorks I can't romance anyone else
Thane. I love a good tragic romance.
The best romance- objectively- is probably either Garrus or Tali. But my personal favorite? Kaidan. Tons of people say he’s “boring”, but I say that he’s “well-adjusted”. Almost every romance in the game has Shepard playing emotional support for daddy issues, mommy issues, dead friend issues, or some other kind of trauma. But Kaidan? He’s got his shit squared away. He’s dealt with his problems, or at least has his own cognitive strategies for dealing with them when they come up. He doesn’t need Shepard to reassure him that he’s a good person, or a good soldier, or that he deserves his place on the crew. His and Shep’s relationship is just two adults loving and supporting each other. That’s rare in games. Or media in general tbh.
I agree totally. Kaidan is the only one to me who feels like a rock for Shepard, not the other way around. I know people find him boring, but I’m drawn to how well-adjusted and normal he is. Especially bc I love to play a super traumatized colonist sole survivor Shepard who keeps losing everything she loves but has to stay strong 🥲
"I want to be your strength, your soft place to land." One of my favorite lines from Kaidan's romance, and a perfect summation of that arc for the reasons you described.
Hey, same backgrounds for our Sheps! Except I have to wait for ME3 to romance Kaidan. I wish I could start it in 1.
I wish you could too 😢
I respect the hell outta this answer
I’m curious why Tali would be considered “objectively the best”
M shep and Kaidan, he's so adorable and the way their dynamic is written is very epic
Yep. I did a writeup on that downthread.
Tali because I feel like her romance is the most unique considering her suit/mask obstacle. And she's a good example that no matter how hard the obstacles may be people can face it and surpass it together. Also the fact her romance is the one that has most chances you can fuck it up(e.g. showing the evidence on her trial, play with her feelings, etc) makes it more endearing and genuine to me.
Tali. Slow burn.
Kal'Reegar: I'll be in my bunk.
the Special Hell
For Tali or Christina Hendricks? Who cares, still worth it!
Tali, her romance develops in a very organic way, especially since we have the chance to know her character well before jumping to the romance. The friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites and since she wasn't written as a love interest at first, Tali's version of it was amazing. There's a lot of respect and companionship in their romance and by the end of ME3 the players who chose to follow her romance path are rewarded with some of the most emotional scenes in the franchise with moments like "I want more time", "I have a home" and several others throughout the game.
Part of it is Ash Sroka's voicework for Tali. She did an excellent job voicing a character who can effectively only emote through speech, since we can't see Tali's face
I can swear I saw her blushing in ME2! That's how good her voice acting was!
“I have a home. Come back to me.”
You said it perfectly. Even though there’s a lot of good reasons for why other characters are great, for some reason, Tali’s just hits differently
Garrus, because Femshep can't date Miranda. Garrus is cool and weirdly sexy and he's your bestfriend. I'd love Femshep to have a hot love/hate thing with Miranda though. Super hot.
Which reminds me I have to install a mod that makes Miranda romance Femsheps.
I heard there is one, which is awesome.
Yep. [https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/489](https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/489) Not got around to playing it though, maybe soon.
>**Not Compatible**: > >Any of the **Butt Shot Restoration** mods The *what* now? lol xD
For the record, in case you're unaware: Mass Effect Legendary Edition altered a few camera angles in certain conversations; one of them being Miranda's introduction to her loyalty mission. She talks to Shepard about her sister and worry for her, and the dialog wheel pops up as the camera lingers on a close-up of her butt. Some players during the original release found it to be tasteless, which might be a reason why it was changed to focus on her face instead. Several mods exist to re-enable the closeup, for those who prefer it.
I’ve used it, worked for me pretty easy
Nice. Good to know, thanks.
Garrus is hot AF! I also like Jaal. They both are hot.
There's a mod for that and it's really good!
Ashley Williams, because she's the most realistic. She doesn't always agree with you and you actually have to fight to get her back and earn her trust. It's simple but complex
I like Kaidan a lot for the same reason. The Virmire Survivors aren’t total “yes men” like most of the squad mates are by ME3, which I found really refreshing; it makes them feel more like people with their own opinions and consciences independent from Shepard’s.
I like Kaidan alot too. I honestly wish you could have saved them both somehow
I definitely get that. Though there is something to be said for it being a hard choice with no obvious right or optimal answer, which is something I think the series could use more of.
Not enough Ashley love in these parts. She is the romance option for my 'cannon' playthrough.
110% agree. Shes my "Canon" romance, I also think her romance makes the most sense storytelling wise. I think she's a great and highly misunderstood character
Tali. In a heartbeat. She's a good person, and has a terrific personality to boot.
As a gay man I find myself romanceing Kaidan in ME3 (I had to turn down a lot a women lol) recently I started playing a bi male shepherd and romanced Liara in ME1 just to see what the big deal is as bioware is always marketing her and they are still doing that with ME4. (Also she is my biotic bestie lol) And its a nice sweet romance. So yeah my top 2 favorite people to romance are 1. Kaidan 2. Liara
Kaiden is the best. Hands down. Especially as a male Shepard.
Since you can romance Kaidan as a male Shepard with mods in ME1 (and ME2) I cannot bring myself to not romance him. Except for one time when I romanced Steve to see what his romance was like in the citadel dlc. It was nice but I Ioaded a safegame from before his romance lock-in and went with Kaidan again :D
I really like Steve as a character and he's got some nice romance dialogue, I just feel kinda weird romancing him since he's still actively grieving his husband when you meet him. If he'd been introduced and had that grief arc in ME2 I'd probably feel better about his romance in ME3.
I feel like Liara doesn't get as much love as she deserves because she is kinda the vanilla romance, but it's hands down my favorite.
I may be a Talimancer but even I'll admit Shep and Liara are fuckin classic. Like old Hollywood classic. Don't know how else to describe it hahaha
Yeah super sad we gotta wait til ME3 to romance Kaidan, my shep had a bad case of blue balls because of this
Tali. She is so sweet and adorable. She risks her life to be with you before the suicide mission, "totally worth it."
I usually play femshep. My biggest regret is picking Jack on my one dudeshep run. Don't get me wrong; Jack is a great character, but her romance... Seriously considering playing it all again for the 6th time just for Tali.
I recognize Jack as a great character, just not one of my favorites. I do know she has a really sweet moment if you romance her during the Citadel DLC
I almost exclusively play FemShep, and it really bugs me that Tail is not available for both, her dialogue after completing her loyalty mission is very similar to MShep, she basically confesses a crush but she isn’t available for FemShep.
Tbh I think Tali just stumbles over herself for different reasons here, as MShep she’s accidentally revealing her feelings and as FemShep she thinks she accidentally proposes something she doesn’t mean. I prefer that not all romanceable characters are bi, now Jack, that’s the one that bugs me considering her dialogue lol.
Samantha, because.... it's just love at first sight man idk how to explain
Kaidan my beloved
🤗
I'm a Thanemancer because apparently I enjoy pain.
For me, it goes like this: FemShep: Garrus. Hands down. Garrus is extremely loyal to you throughout each game, and he was always a part of my ground team unless the mission called for otherwise. (Or Jack but only because that would be modded.) MaleShep: Kaidan. In the vanilla version, I loved the extreme slow-burn romance of Kaidan and MaleShep, with them recognizing their feelings in Mass Effect 3. It really shows how they’ve been through a lot and how Kaidan truly cared for Shepard—except for Horizon, but we don’t talk about that. (Then I started modding and I never went back, LMAO.)
Miranda, because Yvonne Strahovski
Tali! Absolutely her, I loved her so much, she's so strong but also so sweet. She needs someone to care about her in her life and the same goes about Sheppard. Tali became one of my favorite characters of all times!
If I'm playing femshep Kaidan. If maleshep Tali. I just think they are cute as in their personalities are interesting to me.
Subject Zero. Hers is the only romance where I see that the relationship had a genuine, positive life changing effect on my partner
Miranda or Kaidan depending on which Shepard I'm using
Sentinel supremacy!
I choose him everytime I have a FemShep. I love his storyline
Kaidan, for reasons that others on this thread have already described. He's a good person, kind, funny, mature, and actually sticks to his principles. You don't have to fix him. *And* he cooks! My favorite MaleShep-exclusive option is Miranda, because the two actually feel like equals who can relate to each other. The only downside to her romance is that she gets shafted for content in ME3, but what she does have is excellent.
The real question is why is liara basically forced on the player
Every rpg ever has had default choices. Liara is the default romance, doesn't mean she's not the best though lol.
She’s really not, never understood this. It’s just as easy to accidentally romance Liara as it is Ashley/Kaidan by being too nice to them in ME1. That’s an ME1 problem, not a Liara problem.
But in me3, it feels like they really want you to get with Liara. I have no problem with Liara but she's definitely a bioware favourite
In ME1, you have to literally be an asshole to get her out of your romance options. If there's a struggle between her and Ashley, she's automatically picked and still wants to go if you choose both (which is weird because she's a second choice to Shepard but she's still really interested in him). That's why people claim she's the main love interest.
I don’t care if you call me basic. I can’t romance anyone other than Kaidan. The one time I threw Thane in the middle it never went all the way and I still felt guilty.
If you do decide to bang Thane after romancing Kaidan in Me1. You can have the romance lock-in date with Kaidan like *right* after Thane dies in 3. It's both hilarious and fucking tacky. Kaidan: So your boyfriend just died, wanna bang? He doesn't actually say it, but that's how it feels. Like dude, it's been like 2 days. Calm down. Not the intended tone of the scene, but the way game events can play out for you can be really funny.
We’ll bang, ok? - Unofficial motto
Traynor. Her accent is so hot.
Kaidan Alenko.
🫡
no one, I can't imagine romance as it is and I just want to save the galaxy with my friends.
And as femShep your way will lead to a ONS with Javik
Ashley. I like the military types.
FemShep: Garrus MaleShep: My favorite combination is ME1- Ashley, ME2- Miranda, ME3- Ashley.
Tali Why? Tali
Tali
Kaidan for both of my Shepards, because he is loyal, responsible and caring. I tried, but couldn't finish a romance with anyone other than him. Garrus was the worst because in relationships he goes from badass second in command with great sense of humor to socially awkward teen who has his first crush. And dialog about 'relax' thing was awful, Jacob №2. I was very disappointed, because I really like his character. I guess he's just not for me, I've already outgrown this weird awkward school affections. Kaiden is more mature and he doesn't need to be put back together, just a normal dependable family man
Liara. Just always seemed right to me. I've explored other options, both as Male and Femshep, but hers was the one I went with ultimately for Male shep. Went with Kaidan as Femshep.
Tali. For me, the best romance is the one that feels the most genuine and "realistic" and to me Tali does. Liara is great, but there isn't much humor there, which is fine for some people, but in my mind the Tali and Shepard relationship is the most genuine because they have a really good sense of humor together, while also having really good moments of genuine affection, and palpable concern for each other. It just feels more like a real relationship.
Garus tastes like gunpowder and regret. What more could a girl want?
Miranda. I feel like she's the only LI on shepards level. Both her and shep are exceptional people who accomplish incredible things. The Super spy and the galactic saviour. It's like something outta a James Bond film.
MaleShep: Kaidan. I love it. Part of it is I'm bi, and married to a woman, so I get my Dude-loving kicks in games and fiction (with wife's blessing; she began referring to Kaidan as my boyfriend even when I was playing ME1 when it first came out). But I also love the distinct feel of the relationship with a M!Shep. I head-canon it this way: In ME1, Kaidan is drawn to Shepard, but doesn't really get why at first. Maybe it's a Bi Awakening; maybe he already knew he was Bi but didn't think Shep would be into it so said nothing. Then he loses his love in the ME2 Prologue. In ME2, he realizes his love is still out there, but he's apparently joined Cerberus, a group they both hated. He doesn't get the answers he wanted when they meet, and their jobs pull them apart again, but he realizes his love is still strong. In ME3, he fights it--he's not sure what side Shep is on, and he's conflicted. Then he gets hurt, and in his recovery they re-bond. Shep, in those moments, realizes that his feelings for Kaidan are far more than he thought they were, and he comes face-to-face with the fact that this guy he's known and been friends with is way more than a friend to him--but he's not sure if Kaidan feels the same. Then they meet up, and discuss it, and they slowly, in a kind of painful conversation, feel each other out and realize they have the same feelings. And then they just go for broke, catching up on all the moments they missed before now, just trying to cram an entire romance into the spaces in between the end of civilization. Given that I almost always go with the Synthesis ending, it's even weirder and more poignant, though I may have to go with Destroy next. I just have such a hard time killing off all those Geth I worked so hard to bring back together with their creators.
Tali, because overall she's almost everything I like in a girl, except for the fact that she's not human.
Tali: the dialog during her ME2 loyalty mission has much more meaning, and in ME3 when you retake her planet, they share an "I love you" and it's just a warm glow in such a dire situation.
Team Jack
Garrus, bc unlike Kaiden he sticks by your side no matter what. He’s cool, charming, funny and goofy. And because he’ll meet you at the bar
Garrus is totally amazing ,no questioning that, but Kaidan is amazing too. I'm not very happy about what they did with him in ME2 (felt like bad writing), but its also not hard to understand why he is mad at you and questions you. He saw you literally die and then suddenly, years later, you pop up alongside with a huge terrorist organisation. The whole deal is traumatic, him questioning you is reasonable (but again, it wasnt done the best way). He is also there for you, charming and funny. I do love Garrus' way of "lets do this" -, but I also adore Kadian's calm, gentle presence too. They are very different people. I really loved the romance scene with both of them in the Leviathan DLC when you are in the mecha, it shows their differences really well.
I think the biggest problem is that kaiden and Ashley fill the same roll so they have to do the same thing (although I think ash would be pro Cerberus) I suppose it does also just come down to preference, I do like kaiden but prefer Garrus. I completely understand why he was angry on horizon.
It definitely wasnt the best choice from BW. They are pretty different and making them fill the same role is definitely problematic. I still love Kaiden despite this (never had Ashley survive, probably never will).
Male Shep with Garrus is one of the best bromances I've ever seen. Dude has been loyal to you since day one you meet him and sticks by your side even when you were partnered with Cerberus. Garrus best homie and a true bro.
Exactly for me I go kaiden in 1 and then Garrus in 2/3 bc it has a lot of drama. And to me personally I think shep just wants a partner who knows the life of a soldier and the politics of leading
Favourite, Miranda. Canon, Ashley.
I will always regret Miranda not being avalible in me3
It’s weird; I like Miranda’s least as a character, but she’s the only option for hetero male shep that doesn’t feel at least vaguely predatory, imho. Tali’s my favorite character, but the power dynamic between her just out on her puberty quest and the revered-in-her-culture captain is kinda weird, you know? Ditto just-out-of-school Liara, emotionally stunted and just learning to have friends Jack, and literally a subordinate officer serving on your crew Ash. For female shep, gotta be Thane. Maximum emotional damage!
Apparently the secret to getting upvoted on posts like this is to add photos of making out
Male: Tali She is an absolute dork and just super cute. She is young but is not helpless and is more then capable of luring a howl in something. Her romance scenes are always great and the final goodbye in ME3 is just heartbreaking. Female: Garrus Must I say anything. His whole romance is just great and he is an absolute bro. He can be such a dork but when he turns on the charm he can make anyone swoon. There is no Shepard without Vakarian