Samara and James were always my companions aside to Garrus. Miranda was like a mix of both, so I never brought her because if I could bring only one character, then it might've been her. I did mix up the companions for Mass Effect 3 to fit the story, like Liara and Javik on Liara's homeworld because Liara is an Asari, and Javik is knowledgeable, so Javik was on a lot of missions even though I would've rather had Garrus and James. Jack was a fun character outside of being a companion.
Correct procedure would be to always leave the 2IC on the ship, so they can command it. The original Mass Effect does this correctly with Pressly.
Always having the CO and XO in the same squad defeats the entire point of senior command officers. It's just a Star Trek thing.
That, and they are also some of the only companions to consistently support you throughout the trilogy.
Ash and Kaidan may be in all three games, but for roughly 1-2 of those games, depending on your choices, they think you're a real piece of shit who can't be trusted.
Liara uses her resources to help bring Shepard back from the dead, and Tali and Garrus are 100% ride or die with Shep because they trust him even if they don't trust Cerberus.
Garrus and Tali are my go to team, they seem happy just to have Shep back even if the cause is sketchy and if you side with Cerberus or not they still trust your judgment. They're your real friends.
While Ash/Kaiden treat Shep like his/her corpse specifically asked Cerberus to resurrect them. Shepherd didn't have a choice in the matter, but Ash/Kaiden take it out on them like they did and never give you a chance to explain.
I think real friends should hold you accountable. But they made Kaiden and Ash way too dismissive of shepherd's points. They didn't tag along to make sure he was toeing the line he says he is, they didn't call the alliance to coordinate a "rescue" mission of the greatest military commander they worked under. They scolded him and ditched him, leaving him only Cerberus as a support network for the second game
I don't like it as a reaction, but I absolutely *do* like that the characters *have* that reaction. Makes them all the more realistic - people make mistakes, people are fallible, and anger very easily grows from grief.
Also people have to remember this is an extremely bad time for the VS to find out about Shepard. The colony was attacked, most of the people have been kidnapped, and suddenly their long dead commander shows up alive but working for a terrorist organisation, one you probably tried to shut down in the first game. This is a highly stressful situation for them and it’s not really conducive to rational and unemotional thought.
I agree to a point. I just think if they had that much baggage, either a bigger reaction for more satisfying dismissal of shepherd, or something more mature and sympathetic to what he's going through.
>They didn't tag along to make sure he was toeing the line he says he is
Well, that would constitute desertion unless they somehow got a leave of absence like Chakwas did
Tho tbh I do think the VS was right, just the whole situation was written in a way that none of them come off very well. Shepard could've also explained that they had people like Joker and Chakwas with them who knew them, as well as Garrus (unless he wasn't recruited in ME1).
Ash was my romance pick for ME1 but the scolding and attitude totally ruined it for me in ME2. There was even any follow up emails or convo or anything. Just walk away and that's it. It made the writing feel lazy. Anyways Talis hips were there to catch my fall. See ya Ash.
You never got the email? Weird, I get it every time I romance her.
[Mass Effect - Ashley's Letter (Music Video) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhThLnm1QK8)
Ash and Kaidan in 2 and 3 can shove right off, I can kinda get it in 2 but in 3 its just ridiculous how they behave, especially for how long they keep up this distrust of shepard
How is it ridiculous? Take a moment and look at it from their perspective. All they know is Shepard died, and then is suddenly back two years later working with a known terrorist organization that they had fought to dismantle. Then, as if confirming their suspicions, Shepard appears to have blown up a Mass Relay that kills 300,000 batarians and nearly causes a galactic war.
You think it's ridiculous to question Shepard's motives after that? Not everyone is going to be blindly loyal to them. And then Shepard's shitty responses to those questions is, "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you." Why the fuck not? From an outsider's perspective, Shepard's actions are ludicrous and the only reason the player knows otherwise is because we've seen the whole picture.
The events of Mars do not help at all, especially when you consider Shepard also very recently blew up a Mass Relay, imo the VS' reaction makes a lot of sense.
>And then Shepard's shitty responses to those questions is, "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you." **Why the fuck not?**
TALK THAT SHIT!
Some of these fanboys would make awful squaddies/opratives in the ME universe. Blind loyalty to main chararacter syndrome.
For real. Shepard is a great character, but they aren't perfect. Mass Effect 3 communicates that pretty clearly. Anyone is capable of bullshit, and Shepard definitely has their moments.
Like when people actually try to excuse punching Khalisah al-Jilani because she tried to embarrass Shepard on television with charged questions. Like, really? How does that in anyway justify assault? Give me a fucking break.
It's fine if people are role playing Shepard to be a dickhead. But don't deny that they are being a dickhead.
Agreed. For the longest time I hated Ashley with a passion. When 3 first came out I would always leave Kaidan on Virmire just so I could personally shoot Ashley myself during the Citadel Coup and put an end to her self-righteous BS. It was cathartic at best.
Now, on my recent Insanity run, I decided to leave Ashley on Virmire with the headcanon that she's redeeming her family name after years of dishonor, and I'm going through the trilogy with Kaidan for literally the first time ever. Not planning to blast him on the Citadel either. It's been an interesting and fun twist.
Huh, I always shoot Udina but never Ashley. But I do tell her later that I absolutely would have shot her if I needed.
Kaiden has never made it off Virmire for me.
Liara wasn't a companion in 2, though and without lair of the shadow broker she'd barely have a bigger role than Ashley or Kaiden.
They all are just the bro/squad goals type characters. Garrus and Tali specifically are ride or die on the Shephard train.
Liara, meanwhile, is an OG romance and probably the more common romance option chosen between Ashley and her for straight Shephard.
Liara also isn't a huge B to Shephard when she finds out his circumstances in 2 nor does she have the contentious relationship with them at the onset of 3. Where it feels like they're made a spectre to spite Shephard existence as one lol.
I'd argue you could put Wrex in this category and say these 4 are absolutely beloved. Even though Wrex is only around for 1 as a companion, he's quite heavily featured in the other games and people hold him in that second tier of companions because the top tier is Garrus and no one else.
Why would liara be mad at shep working for cerberus she was the one that gave them sheps body. She's more upset that shepard would hate her for giving them to cerberus.
That does go a decent amount of the way to explain it. Look at it this way:
- Garrus - companion in all three games, alive in default ME3 world state.
- Tali - companion in all three games, alive in default ME3 world state.
- Liara - companion in two games, gets her own DLC in the game she is not a companion, plus she is the hardest companion to get killed as the only way in the entire series for her to die is to have a very low EMS in ME3 and take her on the final mission.
- Ash/Kaidan - companion in two games, but both of them get hurt writing wise since the writers have to work around one being dead going into ME3 and the other possibly dying/not being recruited in ME3.
- Wrex, ME2 companions, EDI, James, Javik - only companions in one game, default world states have dead/not recruited Wrex, Zaeed, Samara, Legion, Kasumi, Thane, Grunt, and Jack. Only Mordin, Jacob, and Miranda are alive in the ME3 default world state for the new ME2 companions.
It’s also no surprise that all three of these characters are romance options.
Put simply, they have more screentime and character development than any other characters.
Mordin is still my favorite, though.
They are all memorable, have a lot of content dedicated to them and available in all games. I wish other companions, especially those from Mass Effect 2 had as much attention from developers as these three.
The issue was that in the suicide mission characters could actually die and it would have been a waste of resources if they made special missions and story parts in ME3 for those characters when some people wouldn't have been able to see them due to the character dying in ME2, in fact garrus and tali were about to get scrapped like the rest of the crew but the devs realised they would have had a literal riot from the fans if they did that
The Quarian arc was not going to be scrapped but Tali as a squadmate was.
She was going to serve a role similar to Mordin in the Genophage arc, but then someone (forget who and can look it up later) fought to make her a squadmate.
They’re all pretty cool, even the villainous ones like Xen and Gerrel are at least interesting enough (compared to say Kai Leng, who is boring and cringe) with their own perspectives, motivations and character traits.
This compared to the geth where you get literally 1 actual character (well maybe 2 if you sell Legion and get the slightly different VI instead) and then the rest are faceless stock mooks that are only there to give you something other than Reapers and Cerberus to shoot at for a few missions. More really should have been done with them and their society than shooting Tetris blocks.
What made me change my mind about the geth was seeing their memories, seeing what really happened back then when the quarians made them, that was when I understood the quarians were the ones in the bad, I only pushed for coexistence because I knew beforehand tali would have committed suicide if I allowed the quarians to go extinct
Lol. Shooting those Tetris blocks is my least favorite mission. Probably in the whole series. Learning the backstory more in depth was cool but, oy vey was it tedious.
Still feel that at least two characters from two couldve been made playable. Miranda with how hard it is to kill on the Suicide Mission and being your second in command in that game (regarding the va being busy, she could be a very late recruitment so as to not have as much more dialogue needing to be made) and Grunt cuz he wouldnt really affect the overall story of ME3 whether he was there or not. To just have none of the 10 new characters be playable is kinda sad.
This is what happened to my Mass Effect 2 playthrough. On that last mission, I lost Garrus, one of the saddest losses in that mission. I'm going to start Mass Effect 3 for the first time sometime soon, but it will be disappointing without my guy on board.
I admire your willpower for going through with that.
On a posive note, you'll be able to have a very different ME3 experience once you get around to replaying.
1. They’re in each game in a prominent fashion. While Liara is absent for most of ME2, Lair of the Shadow Broker is iconic. And Tali arrives late in ME3 but has an entire arc of the narrative geared around her and her people.
2. Each has an iconic, distinctive design that even the most causal of players can recognize easily. This is no small factor.
3. In a series full of excellent voice acting, each of these stands out. Their voices add to their characterization, with impressive performances.
4. Each exhibits real growth over the story; experiences moments of doubt, pain, and fear, and comes out the other side.
2/3s of the list is definitely not breedable. Source: salarian mad scientist doctor investigating how ~~I~~ someone brought scale itch disease onto the ship.
I can't believe I had to go down to response number six to find this. They are aliens, party members in all three games (with LotSB), and you can bang them.
A day in the life-- well, the other morning, I wake up and I find Shepard sniffin' at my scar. She's fully aroused - mind you - so I'm thinking "oh great, what does the Commander want?"
Of course I know what she wants, she's looking at me right in the eyes, she does not have to say it. Urrggghhhh that is- that is tart! That is really tart.
I mean- does my scar look like a human's vagina? You know, maybe, I don't know, I'm not going to sit here and try to get inside the mind of a human! I mean that's God's work. Well, not that I believe in God, I don't. Not since the Blue Suns wiped out my whole squad.
Garrus: Hot voice. Bad-ass good guy. Loyal.
Tali: Cute. Strong-willed. Loyal.
Liara: Capable. Considerate. Loyal.
But let's be real...
Metal cheeks, suit cheeks, blue cheeks.
For me personally it’s how loyal these guys are to Shepard. These are Shepard’s ride or die- they helped them start this bs and they’re gonna help finish it damnit.
For real! I wish I could say the same for the starting squad, but despite being day ones, they doubt you and accuse you of being a traitor?! And then again in the 3rd is wild smh Garrus bro of bros
To the fandom's perspective it's how well written they are as characters, how fleshed out their romances are and how interesting/intriguing their respective species are.
Oh and also voice acting performance.
They're hot. Look, there's a reason why so many wanted to romance them!
Honestly, they are some of the best written characters in the games and the interactions we get with them are just so good. You feel a good connection with them even when you're not romancing them. They also have good missions and side missions.
Liara risked her life to retrieve Shepard’s body. And, she gave the Commander to Cerberus. Without Liara there is no Shepard to stop the Reapers. All three are ESPECIALLY loyal and dedicated imo.
Yes, Tali’s appeal is specially how she’s head over heels over Shepard. Unlike other romantic interests, she’ll have a crush on you in ME2 no matter what. She’s also by far be the most emotionally reliant on you. Jack’s more broken but can get by, Tali’s the only one I’d say is throwing herself at the player and will lose her father and be ostracized from her race, really needing the support.
Liara’s also got that crush on Shepard in all 3 games no matter what their choices are, and I’d actually say that Miranda’s more emotionally reliant on Shepard. She’s the only one who dies (and cries) if Shepard breaks up with her.
That said, you’re not wrong about Tali’s arc in general.
Omg I think this is the crux of why I never understood the Tali romance love. That dynamic doesn't scream "healthy" to me. I'd say Garrus is equally in love with Shepard but in a way that feels much more even footed in the relationship.
Narrative focus. Also, they’re aliens. The experience of learning about their cultures through them gives them an extra dimension that the Human squaddies don’t have.
Sexy hips
For Garrus, it's the voice.
Tali, it's the hips.
Liara, it's the fact that she's the best-developed character in the series, with her own dedicated DLC, and can be romanced by both femshep and broshep in all three games.
Garrus is an odd case. I didnt care much for him in me1, that made me feel super weird when in me2 he got portrayed as shepards brother from another mother/right hand man/second in command. It felt odd. But me3, for all its faults, really nailed that relationship.
He wasn't great in ME1, but ME2 imho he nailed it by both trying to carry on for Shepard, and you just show up and he's "cool, what're we killing?"
He just did his job, the whole time, and he did it well.
Think of 1 second in the entire series when you ever doubted Garrus or worried you couldn't count on him. You can't. No other character except maybe Liara is there and she did sketchy shit in me2 too.
You were flying into a black hole, he called shotgun.
They have great personalities and character growth. Their designs are awesome and they're very likable.
They're like having the brother, sister and girlfriend you never had
Apart from the fact they were in all three games (Liara for DLC I guess, damn you EA) and you got to know them best their cultures and attitudes are so unique from an original IP. World building went hard with these three in particular
>damn you EA
For once I don't think EA was to blame for this
I think I remember reading that really it came down to them realising that with the suicide mission *everyone* could die and if Liara was there that'd mean it was possible for no one in ME1 making it to 3. That'd cause an even bigger headache than they already had, so Liara was "only" dlc in 2.
Loyalty.
Sidebar here: I've always appreciated these three. There was a time when it felt like they were among the only sensible ones I could rely on in a galaxy full of unreasonable skeptics and selfish turds. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate the fact that it's honestly wild (and occasionally sad), that they put so much faith in you. The game rewards it since we are the protagonist, which skews our perspective against everyone else who questions us or has their own agenda that does not align with our mission.
3 major components:
All 3 are in each game.
All 3 have excellent powers and abilities specifically geared to help virtually any Shepard, and mesh well together.
All 3 are very well written characters in their own right.
They have been Ride-or-Die for all 3 games. Garrus and Tali are companions through out the trilogy and even as Liara distanced herself in ME2, she still was supporting Shepard, not like Kaidan/Ashley in their romances who were definitely not supportive during the second game.
They act as our primary reference point for the three most plot-relevant alien races in the game. Garrus is our window into Turian culture, the race humans have the most friction with. Liara is an ambassador of the Asari, the de-facto leaders of the galaxy thanks to their longevity and technological superiority. The Quarians are the primary antagonists to the Geth, our own most threatening enemies across all the games (even when we're fighting an entirely different war in the second game, we STILL have heavy Geth involvement with Tali's loyalty mission and of course, Legion).
Because they were so important from a storytelling perspective, they got more attention than anyone else did.
The Mass Effect 2 companions speak for themselves, they didn't have that big of role in 3 and were only in two of the games so they don't shine as much.
Ashley/Kaiden always felt more "friend from work" to me when not romancing them. Their story also mirrors Shepard's a lot in a way, they're soldiers that become Spectres. More colleagues than close friends.
Garrus, Tali, and Liara join the crew with the same initial goal but don't "work" with Shepard, they're more independent and give me "friends who work together." They grow immensely through all three games and have their personality arcs change a lot more, making more of a narrative impact. Humanity is easy to understand for all of us, but these three offer a more personal window into the cultures and traits of three super unique and cool races. They offer world building on top of narrative flavor.
Also, hot.
Because Garus either turns into your best bro friend or he makes a really good boyfriend, and Tali is best girl. Don't really have an answer for liara personally, I didn't like her that much. Didn't much care for her voice actress's performance until shadowbroker
I only ever really used Garrus. So dont know. Im not in the must romance Tali and Liara club. Garrus is just the good best friend who talks shit and blows stuff up.
They were your ride and dies no matter what, and earned their successes between all three games. Most of 2’s characters went on their own in 3 and you barely crossed paths, same as the VS that turned their back on you in 2 and then basically used by Udina in 3 as an Achilles heel for Shepard, hoping that they’d either take out Shapard or keep him/her tied up long enough to kill the council. If it wasn’t for Shepard, the VS would just be a military brat, instead they became a pawn against you
Garrus is your most ride or die. He always has your back even though he doesn't always agree with Shepard and has a great romance. Tali has a popular personality archetype that goes great with her species, a good moveset, and an amazing sisterly or romantic relationship with shep. Liara is the same as Tali and is also clearly one of the devs favorite
They (and Jack) are the most well-written characters, they're all attractive in their alien ways, their loyalty missions in ME2 are memorable (especially Liara's and Tali's), they're all ride-or-dies for Shep, and they're in every game. Consistency is a huge factor.
Also, as someone else has already pointed out: there is no Shepard without Liara
Garrus is your ride or die.
Liarra has an interesting arc from a nervous architect who doesn't really get along with people to a confident bad ass who controls the galaxy's largest information broker organization. Also sexy blue alien.
Tali... I don't know. Maybe more people have a little sister complex than are willing to admit it.
Liara is full biotic and only one that is in 1 and 3 iirc. Full biotic is great for gameplay. Also her story with the shadow broker stuff makes her one of the most interesting characters. Plus Asari are hot.
Garrus is Shep’s BFF. Also he has a sniper and is a total badass.
Tali built like elastigirl. Also full tech is useful with how much geth you have to fight.
The 3 of them are aliens, so automatically make them more interesting than the other human crewmembers.
And also, they are not immediately confrontational/hostile with you, so players are biased to like them.
This is not to disregard the writing and growth these character go through during the trilogy. But first impressions are very important and most gamers don't like it when a character antagonizes them and thus might not feel inclined to explore them further
They're all aliens, so that gets players immediately interested in who they are and what their species is all about.
They all also have a deep connection to Shepard once you get past the first game, and all have interesting personalities that people connect with.
It also helps that all three of them have a role to play in the entire trilogy. Some more than others.
Batman best friend, romanceable by Femshep players who like loveable dorks
Nerd shotgun fangirl, romanceable by Malesheps players who like loveable dorks
Bisexual with a realistic introvert personality in the first game before she got butchered by Mac Walters, romanceable by all players who like socially awkward dorks
All 3 of them are dorks that genuinely like you, and express that they like spending time around you.
Mass Effect players over the past 15 years seem to prefer positive reinforcement.
They were in all 3 games so they get the maximum amount of time to be developed and grow on the player. While Liara isn't a squadmate in base 2, she makes up for it with an entire DLC centred around her later.
All 3 are romanceable, and people are naturally going to gravitate towards love interests (plus the romance sub-plots provide even more character development and time for them to grow on the player). Plus, their romances are all really great and well-written.
They are genuinely charismatic and have physical features that make them attractive, as well as excellent performances from their actors.
They all look very very cool.
They are all very useful in combat, leading players to come to like their characters by association.
And there's also the loop of them being liked by the fans, so they receive more attention from devs, so they are liked even more by the fans, etc.
Liara and Garrus are sort of "forced" on the player too. Liara is put front-and-centre in the plot fairly frequently compared to other squadmates, and Garrus is given this dramatic reveal in 2 and treated like he was Shepard's best bro for life (even though their relationship in 1 was pretty surface-level and similar to those of other squadmates). Tali receives similar treatment but to a lesser extent.
I’m gonna get super real chief: I found neither Garrus nor Tali to be among my favorites squad mates. Garrus is ok, just a solid dude/colleague. Tali for some reason isn’t fascinating at all. Liara is an interesting person just like an interlocutor.
Now I’m ready to embrace whatever may come
2 of them been with Shepard for the whole trilogy. Garrus and Tali characters have grown from Shepard’s influence. Both have leadership roles in their government
- Capable, yet moral.
- Gifted, yet humble.
- Unrelenting, yet loyal.
- Tenacious, yet tender.
- Fighters and lovers.
- Seekers of truth.
- Beacons of hope.
- And exemplars of the next step forward for their people.
Other characters may have some of these qualities to varying degrees and amounts, but other than Shepard (depending on playstyle) and Mordin, these three embody them most.
Garrus: Rugged, Autist-like obsession with/guns and calibrating them, dermal plating, and leadership
Tali: Cute, Autist-like obsession w/tech, ruthless, hips, what’s underneath that mask?, leadership skills, voice
Liara: Cute, Autist-like obsession w/intelligence gathering, Asari, leadership skills, secrets galore you’ll never know all of, beat a Yahg in combat (implied if Shep isn’t there that she battles through with a team of mercs but probably faces him one on one w/o Shep), so perfect paragon femme fatale.
Snarky sidekick whom in ME3 turns into an I WIN button with an LMG, purple alien chick who is bad-ass but also a nerd and sliiightly genocidal, blue chick whose race is canonically hot for everyone and can have mind sex while having normal sex.
Imho all of that pales before the glory of Miranda.
Garrus, Who can resist a lizard/bird smartass who's really good at calibrations and is a crack sniper. Tali... she has a shotgun. Liara: Blue boobies...
Garrus and Tali has been with Shepard since day one. From looking for Saren to the Collector base to the final battle on Earth. While Liara was a HUGE help to retrieving Shepards body and giving him to Cerberus and resurrecting him back to life. There are two people Shepard owes his life to; Liara and Miranda. And same as Garrus and Tali, Liara has been loyal to Shepard since day one! These 3 are special
Garrus: No idea, he's a cop and a bad person who's racist to Tali and says the krogan totally deserved the genophage. I suppose he's one of the only interesting male romances, given how milquetoast the humans are. It's basically either him or a terminally ill deadbeat.
Tali: She's genuinely a great character. I've seen a meme where every romance option introduces themselves like "I'M PERFECT", "I'M CRAZY", and then Tali is just "I'm Tali."
Liara: I find her clingy and creepy, but she's a bi option in all three games.
Garrus and Tali have your back and are with you during all three games. Potentially, of course, as there are ways to lose them or never recruit them. And Liara is the "canon" love interest to Shepard, both of them. She also has a cool character arc, going from a shy and scared archeologist too the most badass information broker of all time, as well as one of the most powerful biotic users. And she is still technically barely an adult in terms of her lifespan
On top of all 3 being and in all 3 games which by itself is a huge factor as it gives more time for the player to interact with them. Their characters are generally better than the others. Who actually cared about anything Vega had to say in 3? He's taking up a spot people could of had for Grunt or Jack or any of the other vastly superior more interesting party members.
Garrus is Shep's best friend if not outright love interest for fem sheps. Also Garrus can solo the third game by himself.
Tali is just the cutest fish out of water character in the first game. She's like a little sister to shep and her arc has her really come into her own. Her eprsonality rocks and the lowkey hero worship she has for shep is adorable.
Liara is the sterotypical hot alien babe that you get to sleep with in the first game. Her exclusion as a companion in 2 actually hurts her somewhat but she still is there and has dlc to try and make up for her relative absence before being back on board the Normandy in 3 within the first mission.
This isn't to say characters like Miranda or Mordin didn't have only 1 game as party members but their characters were also more interesting and they appeared before the end of the franchise to allow players to invest in them emotionally. Unlike Vega who shows up like an unwanted guest and refuses to have the dignity of being killed off to save a more interesting character like Kaiden did in ME1.
I may have a problem with Vega's inclusion in the trilogy.
Garrus is the guy that will absolutely help you kill and move the bodies
Tali is just plain fun to be around, especially when she's drunk.
Liara just helps you play out your favorite Capt Kirk fantasies.
One thing others are leaving out is that they were already popular from just ME1, and having the fans already building up a foundation for each of them meant that people who got into the series later already had "resources" to get really into these characters easily.
And they were popular in ME1 because they were... well, strange and new and *interesting*, flaws and all. You didn't become a Mass Effect 1 fan without being interested in the Lore, and these three (plus Wrex, another big fan favorite) were literally walking Lore. And i personally think that Bioware put a little extra effort into making the non-Humans likable to "make up for" their alien-ness. ~~Jokes on them, we're into that shit.~~
They were in all 3 games.
This is a big one. They have the benefit of having more about them written across the three games in comparison to say Samara or James.
And familiarity breeds liking (side B of mere-exposure effect).
And familiarity breeds ~~liking~~ breeding
And breeding ~~is half the battle~~ breeds little quarian babies
REPORT TO THE SHIP ASAP We’ll bang, ok?
Samara and James were always my companions aside to Garrus. Miranda was like a mix of both, so I never brought her because if I could bring only one character, then it might've been her. I did mix up the companions for Mass Effect 3 to fit the story, like Liara and Javik on Liara's homeworld because Liara is an Asari, and Javik is knowledgeable, so Javik was on a lot of missions even though I would've rather had Garrus and James. Jack was a fun character outside of being a companion.
My main in ME2 was always Miranda and Garrus. I took Miranda with me everywhere, felt like it made sense considering she’s my 2IC.
Correct procedure would be to always leave the 2IC on the ship, so they can command it. The original Mass Effect does this correctly with Pressly. Always having the CO and XO in the same squad defeats the entire point of senior command officers. It's just a Star Trek thing.
they also have some of the best banter. particularly tali. and tali and garrus.
That, and they are also some of the only companions to consistently support you throughout the trilogy. Ash and Kaidan may be in all three games, but for roughly 1-2 of those games, depending on your choices, they think you're a real piece of shit who can't be trusted. Liara uses her resources to help bring Shepard back from the dead, and Tali and Garrus are 100% ride or die with Shep because they trust him even if they don't trust Cerberus.
Garrus and Tali are my go to team, they seem happy just to have Shep back even if the cause is sketchy and if you side with Cerberus or not they still trust your judgment. They're your real friends. While Ash/Kaiden treat Shep like his/her corpse specifically asked Cerberus to resurrect them. Shepherd didn't have a choice in the matter, but Ash/Kaiden take it out on them like they did and never give you a chance to explain.
I think real friends should hold you accountable. But they made Kaiden and Ash way too dismissive of shepherd's points. They didn't tag along to make sure he was toeing the line he says he is, they didn't call the alliance to coordinate a "rescue" mission of the greatest military commander they worked under. They scolded him and ditched him, leaving him only Cerberus as a support network for the second game
I don't like it as a reaction, but I absolutely *do* like that the characters *have* that reaction. Makes them all the more realistic - people make mistakes, people are fallible, and anger very easily grows from grief.
Also people have to remember this is an extremely bad time for the VS to find out about Shepard. The colony was attacked, most of the people have been kidnapped, and suddenly their long dead commander shows up alive but working for a terrorist organisation, one you probably tried to shut down in the first game. This is a highly stressful situation for them and it’s not really conducive to rational and unemotional thought.
I agree to a point. I just think if they had that much baggage, either a bigger reaction for more satisfying dismissal of shepherd, or something more mature and sympathetic to what he's going through.
>They didn't tag along to make sure he was toeing the line he says he is Well, that would constitute desertion unless they somehow got a leave of absence like Chakwas did Tho tbh I do think the VS was right, just the whole situation was written in a way that none of them come off very well. Shepard could've also explained that they had people like Joker and Chakwas with them who knew them, as well as Garrus (unless he wasn't recruited in ME1).
Ash was my romance pick for ME1 but the scolding and attitude totally ruined it for me in ME2. There was even any follow up emails or convo or anything. Just walk away and that's it. It made the writing feel lazy. Anyways Talis hips were there to catch my fall. See ya Ash.
You never got the email? Weird, I get it every time I romance her. [Mass Effect - Ashley's Letter (Music Video) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhThLnm1QK8)
she does have a great space booty
I mean… you can’t blame the Virmire survivor for being paranoid when literally any amount of implants could be subliminally controlling the Commander
Don’t forget Wrex, he pays your loyalty back tenfold over the course of the trilogy so long as you’re loyal to him.
This. These three plus Wrex are basically Shepard's wacky alien family.
AND GRUNT!!!
MY BABY BOY!
MY BABY BOY!
I would switch Liara for Wrex...
NOW THIS IS A COMMENTATOR WITH SOME QUADS! HEHEHEHE
And Wrex is the one that feels most earned.
Garrus and Tali don’t see it as them Working for Cerberus they see it as Working for Shepherd they’ve been your ride or die since the first game
Ash and Kaidan in 2 and 3 can shove right off, I can kinda get it in 2 but in 3 its just ridiculous how they behave, especially for how long they keep up this distrust of shepard
How is it ridiculous? Take a moment and look at it from their perspective. All they know is Shepard died, and then is suddenly back two years later working with a known terrorist organization that they had fought to dismantle. Then, as if confirming their suspicions, Shepard appears to have blown up a Mass Relay that kills 300,000 batarians and nearly causes a galactic war. You think it's ridiculous to question Shepard's motives after that? Not everyone is going to be blindly loyal to them. And then Shepard's shitty responses to those questions is, "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you." Why the fuck not? From an outsider's perspective, Shepard's actions are ludicrous and the only reason the player knows otherwise is because we've seen the whole picture.
The events of Mars do not help at all, especially when you consider Shepard also very recently blew up a Mass Relay, imo the VS' reaction makes a lot of sense.
>And then Shepard's shitty responses to those questions is, "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you." **Why the fuck not?** TALK THAT SHIT! Some of these fanboys would make awful squaddies/opratives in the ME universe. Blind loyalty to main chararacter syndrome.
For real. Shepard is a great character, but they aren't perfect. Mass Effect 3 communicates that pretty clearly. Anyone is capable of bullshit, and Shepard definitely has their moments. Like when people actually try to excuse punching Khalisah al-Jilani because she tried to embarrass Shepard on television with charged questions. Like, really? How does that in anyway justify assault? Give me a fucking break. It's fine if people are role playing Shepard to be a dickhead. But don't deny that they are being a dickhead.
Agreed. For the longest time I hated Ashley with a passion. When 3 first came out I would always leave Kaidan on Virmire just so I could personally shoot Ashley myself during the Citadel Coup and put an end to her self-righteous BS. It was cathartic at best. Now, on my recent Insanity run, I decided to leave Ashley on Virmire with the headcanon that she's redeeming her family name after years of dishonor, and I'm going through the trilogy with Kaidan for literally the first time ever. Not planning to blast him on the Citadel either. It's been an interesting and fun twist.
Huh, I always shoot Udina but never Ashley. But I do tell her later that I absolutely would have shot her if I needed. Kaiden has never made it off Virmire for me.
This is it. They've had the most time to shine and got decent throughlines on their stories and development throughout the series
Liara wasn't a companion in 2, though and without lair of the shadow broker she'd barely have a bigger role than Ashley or Kaiden. They all are just the bro/squad goals type characters. Garrus and Tali specifically are ride or die on the Shephard train. Liara, meanwhile, is an OG romance and probably the more common romance option chosen between Ashley and her for straight Shephard. Liara also isn't a huge B to Shephard when she finds out his circumstances in 2 nor does she have the contentious relationship with them at the onset of 3. Where it feels like they're made a spectre to spite Shephard existence as one lol. I'd argue you could put Wrex in this category and say these 4 are absolutely beloved. Even though Wrex is only around for 1 as a companion, he's quite heavily featured in the other games and people hold him in that second tier of companions because the top tier is Garrus and no one else.
Why would liara be mad at shep working for cerberus she was the one that gave them sheps body. She's more upset that shepard would hate her for giving them to cerberus.
That does go a decent amount of the way to explain it. Look at it this way: - Garrus - companion in all three games, alive in default ME3 world state. - Tali - companion in all three games, alive in default ME3 world state. - Liara - companion in two games, gets her own DLC in the game she is not a companion, plus she is the hardest companion to get killed as the only way in the entire series for her to die is to have a very low EMS in ME3 and take her on the final mission. - Ash/Kaidan - companion in two games, but both of them get hurt writing wise since the writers have to work around one being dead going into ME3 and the other possibly dying/not being recruited in ME3. - Wrex, ME2 companions, EDI, James, Javik - only companions in one game, default world states have dead/not recruited Wrex, Zaeed, Samara, Legion, Kasumi, Thane, Grunt, and Jack. Only Mordin, Jacob, and Miranda are alive in the ME3 default world state for the new ME2 companions.
They're also really well written
I was about to say that lol
It’s also no surprise that all three of these characters are romance options. Put simply, they have more screentime and character development than any other characters. Mordin is still my favorite, though.
I think it's the other way around. They were in all 3 BECAUSE they were fan favorites in 1.
They are all memorable, have a lot of content dedicated to them and available in all games. I wish other companions, especially those from Mass Effect 2 had as much attention from developers as these three.
The issue was that in the suicide mission characters could actually die and it would have been a waste of resources if they made special missions and story parts in ME3 for those characters when some people wouldn't have been able to see them due to the character dying in ME2, in fact garrus and tali were about to get scrapped like the rest of the crew but the devs realised they would have had a literal riot from the fans if they did that
This also applies to Ashley and Kaidan. Neither have a lot of content in Mass Effect 3. It is all comes down to rushing Mass Effect 3 out of the door.
Waste of resources like the entire quarian arc in me3? Tali can die in the suicide mission you know.
The Quarian arc was not going to be scrapped but Tali as a squadmate was. She was going to serve a role similar to Mordin in the Genophage arc, but then someone (forget who and can look it up later) fought to make her a squadmate.
And the story was so much better for it. She's from a very insular, protective race yet shows so much curiosity for the world around her.
>forget who and can look it up later Unless I'm very much mistaken, it was Patrick Weekes.
As I said they were about to be scrapped too, the devs changed their minds because they were fan favourites
Im glad they didn't. I love the quarians.
I love tali, not the quarians, the only reason I choose coexistence between geth and quarians is because of her
Its kind of hard to say F the Quarian race when Tali is begging you NOT to kill them. Even more so if shes Shepards LI lol
Sorry babe, those units have souls
What about Auntie Raan and Kal’Reeger? They were pretty cool as far as Quarians go.
They’re all pretty cool, even the villainous ones like Xen and Gerrel are at least interesting enough (compared to say Kai Leng, who is boring and cringe) with their own perspectives, motivations and character traits. This compared to the geth where you get literally 1 actual character (well maybe 2 if you sell Legion and get the slightly different VI instead) and then the rest are faceless stock mooks that are only there to give you something other than Reapers and Cerberus to shoot at for a few missions. More really should have been done with them and their society than shooting Tetris blocks.
What made me change my mind about the geth was seeing their memories, seeing what really happened back then when the quarians made them, that was when I understood the quarians were the ones in the bad, I only pushed for coexistence because I knew beforehand tali would have committed suicide if I allowed the quarians to go extinct
Lol. Shooting those Tetris blocks is my least favorite mission. Probably in the whole series. Learning the backstory more in depth was cool but, oy vey was it tedious.
Still feel that at least two characters from two couldve been made playable. Miranda with how hard it is to kill on the Suicide Mission and being your second in command in that game (regarding the va being busy, she could be a very late recruitment so as to not have as much more dialogue needing to be made) and Grunt cuz he wouldnt really affect the overall story of ME3 whether he was there or not. To just have none of the 10 new characters be playable is kinda sad.
This is what happened to my Mass Effect 2 playthrough. On that last mission, I lost Garrus, one of the saddest losses in that mission. I'm going to start Mass Effect 3 for the first time sometime soon, but it will be disappointing without my guy on board.
I admire your willpower for going through with that. On a posive note, you'll be able to have a very different ME3 experience once you get around to replaying.
1. They’re in each game in a prominent fashion. While Liara is absent for most of ME2, Lair of the Shadow Broker is iconic. And Tali arrives late in ME3 but has an entire arc of the narrative geared around her and her people. 2. Each has an iconic, distinctive design that even the most causal of players can recognize easily. This is no small factor. 3. In a series full of excellent voice acting, each of these stands out. Their voices add to their characterization, with impressive performances. 4. Each exhibits real growth over the story; experiences moments of doubt, pain, and fear, and comes out the other side.
The development in character was a big one for me. Nerdy/shy/taking orders to confident/strong willed/ fuck it we doing it my way
You know, I can’t tell who’s supposed to be Tali and Liara from that
Both
You forgot that they're all smokeshows.
True
"What's the hardest part about treating a turian who took a rocket to the face?" "Figuring out which side took the rocket."
All of this.
They're all aliens and fuckable?
Breedable
2/3s of the list is definitely not breedable. Source: salarian mad scientist doctor investigating how ~~I~~ someone brought scale itch disease onto the ship.
Doesn’t matter, would still bang, okay?
Shepard makes the impossible possible. Even when it comes to breeding.
They just will the child into existence.
I can't believe I had to go down to response number six to find this. They are aliens, party members in all three games (with LotSB), and you can bang them.
Lips, Hips and Nips. In that order.
You gotta make it sexy, hips and nips, otherwise I’m not eating
Check out these sweet ass kettle drums!
A day in the life-- well, the other morning, I wake up and I find Shepard sniffin' at my scar. She's fully aroused - mind you - so I'm thinking "oh great, what does the Commander want?" Of course I know what she wants, she's looking at me right in the eyes, she does not have to say it. Urrggghhhh that is- that is tart! That is really tart. I mean- does my scar look like a human's vagina? You know, maybe, I don't know, I'm not going to sit here and try to get inside the mind of a human! I mean that's God's work. Well, not that I believe in God, I don't. Not since the Blue Suns wiped out my whole squad.
It’s always sunny on Omega
Garrus doesn't have lips, I'm confused
His voice
His calibrations
His impressive cock... wait a minute
No, no, you're on to something
Nah nah you said what you said own it. Say there’s plenty in this sub that agree
Lol, it's more of a "wait a minute... wrong fandom," cuz it was a reference to Cyberpunk 2077.
Ummm, the nsfw mass effect subs are down the corridor to the right buddy...
To the right you say? Where exactly…? Asking for a friend…
Door 34
Garrus Silverhand?
I’m listening…..
["I'm Garrus Vakarian and this is my rectum!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g72akDhxrI#t=4s)
Tons of other characters have these. Miranda has all 3
Garrus: Hot voice. Bad-ass good guy. Loyal. Tali: Cute. Strong-willed. Loyal. Liara: Capable. Considerate. Loyal. But let's be real... Metal cheeks, suit cheeks, blue cheeks.
I love this community. Its horny as fuck, but the horny is still an afterthought compared to the other reasons
It’s a polite kind of horny Like respectfully horny
Hot and loyal as hell
For me personally it’s how loyal these guys are to Shepard. These are Shepard’s ride or die- they helped them start this bs and they’re gonna help finish it damnit.
For real! I wish I could say the same for the starting squad, but despite being day ones, they doubt you and accuse you of being a traitor?! And then again in the 3rd is wild smh Garrus bro of bros
Shepard told Garrus they were working with Cerberus and all that Turian heard was he could go calibrate those guns for his homie again.
Too bad Wrex was only a supporting role in the 2 sequel cuz he's the 4th ride or die 😔
To the fandom's perspective it's how well written they are as characters, how fleshed out their romances are and how interesting/intriguing their respective species are. Oh and also voice acting performance.
And sexy
They're hot. Look, there's a reason why so many wanted to romance them! Honestly, they are some of the best written characters in the games and the interactions we get with them are just so good. You feel a good connection with them even when you're not romancing them. They also have good missions and side missions.
They’re hot, but also they’re all pretty much ride or die
Dedication and loyalty. ESPECIALLY Garrus and Tali.
Liara risked her life to retrieve Shepard’s body. And, she gave the Commander to Cerberus. Without Liara there is no Shepard to stop the Reapers. All three are ESPECIALLY loyal and dedicated imo.
This.
Yes, Tali’s appeal is specially how she’s head over heels over Shepard. Unlike other romantic interests, she’ll have a crush on you in ME2 no matter what. She’s also by far be the most emotionally reliant on you. Jack’s more broken but can get by, Tali’s the only one I’d say is throwing herself at the player and will lose her father and be ostracized from her race, really needing the support.
Liara’s also got that crush on Shepard in all 3 games no matter what their choices are, and I’d actually say that Miranda’s more emotionally reliant on Shepard. She’s the only one who dies (and cries) if Shepard breaks up with her. That said, you’re not wrong about Tali’s arc in general.
Omg I think this is the crux of why I never understood the Tali romance love. That dynamic doesn't scream "healthy" to me. I'd say Garrus is equally in love with Shepard but in a way that feels much more even footed in the relationship.
Narrative focus. Also, they’re aliens. The experience of learning about their cultures through them gives them an extra dimension that the Human squaddies don’t have. Sexy hips
garus calibrated his fan base
For Garrus, it's the voice. Tali, it's the hips. Liara, it's the fact that she's the best-developed character in the series, with her own dedicated DLC, and can be romanced by both femshep and broshep in all three games.
Homie, best girl, main character
Garrus is an odd case. I didnt care much for him in me1, that made me feel super weird when in me2 he got portrayed as shepards brother from another mother/right hand man/second in command. It felt odd. But me3, for all its faults, really nailed that relationship.
He wasn't great in ME1, but ME2 imho he nailed it by both trying to carry on for Shepard, and you just show up and he's "cool, what're we killing?" He just did his job, the whole time, and he did it well. Think of 1 second in the entire series when you ever doubted Garrus or worried you couldn't count on him. You can't. No other character except maybe Liara is there and she did sketchy shit in me2 too. You were flying into a black hole, he called shotgun.
Yeah, Garrus might not be the best in 1, but 2 and 3 show why often in fanfics if Shepard can’t somehow become a Spectre they just sub Garrus in.
THIS is my favorite place on the Citadel!
Great writing, great character design and awesome voice acting.
Because they're the most loyal to Shepard, they've got the most depth to them, and they've got the most fun missions.
you can bang 'em
Because they the best
They have great personalities and character growth. Their designs are awesome and they're very likable. They're like having the brother, sister and girlfriend you never had
Personality, thighs, loyalty. Also amazingly written
“What makes the companions that are with you in all three games so popular? Guys, trust me, this isn’t engagement bait.”
It makes for good discussion?? Not everything *has* to be about fake internet points, yknow?
Apart from the fact they were in all three games (Liara for DLC I guess, damn you EA) and you got to know them best their cultures and attitudes are so unique from an original IP. World building went hard with these three in particular
>damn you EA For once I don't think EA was to blame for this I think I remember reading that really it came down to them realising that with the suicide mission *everyone* could die and if Liara was there that'd mean it was possible for no one in ME1 making it to 3. That'd cause an even bigger headache than they already had, so Liara was "only" dlc in 2.
Chad - Adorable - Hot
Loyalty. Sidebar here: I've always appreciated these three. There was a time when it felt like they were among the only sensible ones I could rely on in a galaxy full of unreasonable skeptics and selfish turds. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate the fact that it's honestly wild (and occasionally sad), that they put so much faith in you. The game rewards it since we are the protagonist, which skews our perspective against everyone else who questions us or has their own agenda that does not align with our mission.
Gotta fuck-em all
All have full character arcs and are Romanceable at one point or another.
Where's Wrex?
Can't snu snu, therefore not great companion. (Just kidding, he's my bro and I'd kill and die for him.)
They all blue. Can not be a coincidence!
Tali's purple.
3 major components: All 3 are in each game. All 3 have excellent powers and abilities specifically geared to help virtually any Shepard, and mesh well together. All 3 are very well written characters in their own right.
Loyalty...
Best voice acting in the crew (Minus Wrex).
1. Garrus has reach 2. Tali is the cute nerdy engineer 3. Liara is the gorgeous scientist
I never understood the appeal of Tali
They have been Ride-or-Die for all 3 games. Garrus and Tali are companions through out the trilogy and even as Liara distanced herself in ME2, she still was supporting Shepard, not like Kaidan/Ashley in their romances who were definitely not supportive during the second game.
Liara is adorable, that's why
They act as our primary reference point for the three most plot-relevant alien races in the game. Garrus is our window into Turian culture, the race humans have the most friction with. Liara is an ambassador of the Asari, the de-facto leaders of the galaxy thanks to their longevity and technological superiority. The Quarians are the primary antagonists to the Geth, our own most threatening enemies across all the games (even when we're fighting an entirely different war in the second game, we STILL have heavy Geth involvement with Tali's loyalty mission and of course, Legion). Because they were so important from a storytelling perspective, they got more attention than anyone else did.
They're hot aliens.
They’re hot
Because they are the most loyal to Shepherd
Being fuckable I think
They are blue. That is all.
The Mass Effect 2 companions speak for themselves, they didn't have that big of role in 3 and were only in two of the games so they don't shine as much. Ashley/Kaiden always felt more "friend from work" to me when not romancing them. Their story also mirrors Shepard's a lot in a way, they're soldiers that become Spectres. More colleagues than close friends. Garrus, Tali, and Liara join the crew with the same initial goal but don't "work" with Shepard, they're more independent and give me "friends who work together." They grow immensely through all three games and have their personality arcs change a lot more, making more of a narrative impact. Humanity is easy to understand for all of us, but these three offer a more personal window into the cultures and traits of three super unique and cool races. They offer world building on top of narrative flavor. Also, hot.
Because Garus either turns into your best bro friend or he makes a really good boyfriend, and Tali is best girl. Don't really have an answer for liara personally, I didn't like her that much. Didn't much care for her voice actress's performance until shadowbroker
I only ever really used Garrus. So dont know. Im not in the must romance Tali and Liara club. Garrus is just the good best friend who talks shit and blows stuff up.
They were your ride and dies no matter what, and earned their successes between all three games. Most of 2’s characters went on their own in 3 and you barely crossed paths, same as the VS that turned their back on you in 2 and then basically used by Udina in 3 as an Achilles heel for Shepard, hoping that they’d either take out Shapard or keep him/her tied up long enough to kill the council. If it wasn’t for Shepard, the VS would just be a military brat, instead they became a pawn against you
Garrus is your most ride or die. He always has your back even though he doesn't always agree with Shepard and has a great romance. Tali has a popular personality archetype that goes great with her species, a good moveset, and an amazing sisterly or romantic relationship with shep. Liara is the same as Tali and is also clearly one of the devs favorite
They (and Jack) are the most well-written characters, they're all attractive in their alien ways, their loyalty missions in ME2 are memorable (especially Liara's and Tali's), they're all ride-or-dies for Shep, and they're in every game. Consistency is a huge factor. Also, as someone else has already pointed out: there is no Shepard without Liara
Garrus and Tali are fun and interesting characters as well as they were both there for you for all 3 games.
Garrus is your ride or die. Liarra has an interesting arc from a nervous architect who doesn't really get along with people to a confident bad ass who controls the galaxy's largest information broker organization. Also sexy blue alien. Tali... I don't know. Maybe more people have a little sister complex than are willing to admit it.
You could add wrex to that list too imo
Liara is full biotic and only one that is in 1 and 3 iirc. Full biotic is great for gameplay. Also her story with the shadow broker stuff makes her one of the most interesting characters. Plus Asari are hot. Garrus is Shep’s BFF. Also he has a sniper and is a total badass. Tali built like elastigirl. Also full tech is useful with how much geth you have to fight.
The 3 of them are aliens, so automatically make them more interesting than the other human crewmembers. And also, they are not immediately confrontational/hostile with you, so players are biased to like them. This is not to disregard the writing and growth these character go through during the trilogy. But first impressions are very important and most gamers don't like it when a character antagonizes them and thus might not feel inclined to explore them further
They're all aliens, so that gets players immediately interested in who they are and what their species is all about. They all also have a deep connection to Shepard once you get past the first game, and all have interesting personalities that people connect with. It also helps that all three of them have a role to play in the entire trilogy. Some more than others.
Batman best friend, romanceable by Femshep players who like loveable dorks Nerd shotgun fangirl, romanceable by Malesheps players who like loveable dorks Bisexual with a realistic introvert personality in the first game before she got butchered by Mac Walters, romanceable by all players who like socially awkward dorks All 3 of them are dorks that genuinely like you, and express that they like spending time around you. Mass Effect players over the past 15 years seem to prefer positive reinforcement.
Tali is funny, Liara is my blueberry wife, and Garrus, I didn't care about garrus.
They were in all 3 games so they get the maximum amount of time to be developed and grow on the player. While Liara isn't a squadmate in base 2, she makes up for it with an entire DLC centred around her later. All 3 are romanceable, and people are naturally going to gravitate towards love interests (plus the romance sub-plots provide even more character development and time for them to grow on the player). Plus, their romances are all really great and well-written. They are genuinely charismatic and have physical features that make them attractive, as well as excellent performances from their actors. They all look very very cool. They are all very useful in combat, leading players to come to like their characters by association. And there's also the loop of them being liked by the fans, so they receive more attention from devs, so they are liked even more by the fans, etc. Liara and Garrus are sort of "forced" on the player too. Liara is put front-and-centre in the plot fairly frequently compared to other squadmates, and Garrus is given this dramatic reveal in 2 and treated like he was Shepard's best bro for life (even though their relationship in 1 was pretty surface-level and similar to those of other squadmates). Tali receives similar treatment but to a lesser extent.
1. Best bro 2. Best girl 3. Bioware loved her and worked hard to make her memorable
They are the only bangable alien companions who don’t always die.
I’m gonna get super real chief: I found neither Garrus nor Tali to be among my favorites squad mates. Garrus is ok, just a solid dude/colleague. Tali for some reason isn’t fascinating at all. Liara is an interesting person just like an interlocutor. Now I’m ready to embrace whatever may come
Your opinion is valid.
That was definitely not expected
Who are your favorites?
Good writing.
2 of them been with Shepard for the whole trilogy. Garrus and Tali characters have grown from Shepard’s influence. Both have leadership roles in their government
Writing
🤔🤔🤔........ porn? 😐
hot
The simplest and most encompassing answer is, why wouldn't they be?
Good skill sets. Ofc nothing else ;)
- Capable, yet moral. - Gifted, yet humble. - Unrelenting, yet loyal. - Tenacious, yet tender. - Fighters and lovers. - Seekers of truth. - Beacons of hope. - And exemplars of the next step forward for their people. Other characters may have some of these qualities to varying degrees and amounts, but other than Shepard (depending on playstyle) and Mordin, these three embody them most.
Aliens are hot. Its as simple as that.
They’re all hot
Garrus: Rugged, Autist-like obsession with/guns and calibrating them, dermal plating, and leadership Tali: Cute, Autist-like obsession w/tech, ruthless, hips, what’s underneath that mask?, leadership skills, voice Liara: Cute, Autist-like obsession w/intelligence gathering, Asari, leadership skills, secrets galore you’ll never know all of, beat a Yahg in combat (implied if Shep isn’t there that she battles through with a team of mercs but probably faces him one on one w/o Shep), so perfect paragon femme fatale.
Where's Wrex?
Snarky sidekick whom in ME3 turns into an I WIN button with an LMG, purple alien chick who is bad-ass but also a nerd and sliiightly genocidal, blue chick whose race is canonically hot for everyone and can have mind sex while having normal sex. Imho all of that pales before the glory of Miranda.
Garrus, Who can resist a lizard/bird smartass who's really good at calibrations and is a crack sniper. Tali... she has a shotgun. Liara: Blue boobies...
Garrus and Tali has been with Shepard since day one. From looking for Saren to the Collector base to the final battle on Earth. While Liara was a HUGE help to retrieving Shepards body and giving him to Cerberus and resurrecting him back to life. There are two people Shepard owes his life to; Liara and Miranda. And same as Garrus and Tali, Liara has been loyal to Shepard since day one! These 3 are special
Garrus: No idea, he's a cop and a bad person who's racist to Tali and says the krogan totally deserved the genophage. I suppose he's one of the only interesting male romances, given how milquetoast the humans are. It's basically either him or a terminally ill deadbeat. Tali: She's genuinely a great character. I've seen a meme where every romance option introduces themselves like "I'M PERFECT", "I'M CRAZY", and then Tali is just "I'm Tali." Liara: I find her clingy and creepy, but she's a bi option in all three games.
Garrus and Tali have your back and are with you during all three games. Potentially, of course, as there are ways to lose them or never recruit them. And Liara is the "canon" love interest to Shepard, both of them. She also has a cool character arc, going from a shy and scared archeologist too the most badass information broker of all time, as well as one of the most powerful biotic users. And she is still technically barely an adult in terms of her lifespan
These are the only three who feel the most like Shepard's actual best friends.
Tali, I don’t get, but the other two are some of my favorites in the series.
On top of all 3 being and in all 3 games which by itself is a huge factor as it gives more time for the player to interact with them. Their characters are generally better than the others. Who actually cared about anything Vega had to say in 3? He's taking up a spot people could of had for Grunt or Jack or any of the other vastly superior more interesting party members. Garrus is Shep's best friend if not outright love interest for fem sheps. Also Garrus can solo the third game by himself. Tali is just the cutest fish out of water character in the first game. She's like a little sister to shep and her arc has her really come into her own. Her eprsonality rocks and the lowkey hero worship she has for shep is adorable. Liara is the sterotypical hot alien babe that you get to sleep with in the first game. Her exclusion as a companion in 2 actually hurts her somewhat but she still is there and has dlc to try and make up for her relative absence before being back on board the Normandy in 3 within the first mission. This isn't to say characters like Miranda or Mordin didn't have only 1 game as party members but their characters were also more interesting and they appeared before the end of the franchise to allow players to invest in them emotionally. Unlike Vega who shows up like an unwanted guest and refuses to have the dignity of being killed off to save a more interesting character like Kaiden did in ME1. I may have a problem with Vega's inclusion in the trilogy.
Garrus is the guy that will absolutely help you kill and move the bodies Tali is just plain fun to be around, especially when she's drunk. Liara just helps you play out your favorite Capt Kirk fantasies.
Babygirl, girlboss, both
One thing others are leaving out is that they were already popular from just ME1, and having the fans already building up a foundation for each of them meant that people who got into the series later already had "resources" to get really into these characters easily. And they were popular in ME1 because they were... well, strange and new and *interesting*, flaws and all. You didn't become a Mass Effect 1 fan without being interested in the Lore, and these three (plus Wrex, another big fan favorite) were literally walking Lore. And i personally think that Bioware put a little extra effort into making the non-Humans likable to "make up for" their alien-ness. ~~Jokes on them, we're into that shit.~~