Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is finally here, and the series would be nothing without its colorful cast of companions. Mass Effect has some of BioWare's most fleshed-out followers, and many fans have very fond memories of the familiar faces they're seeing once again in the remaster.
Not all Mass Effect companions are created equal, however. Some have more compelling storylines, dramatic moments, engaging romances, and development over the original trilogy. Here's where every Mass Effect companion fits on a tier list, taking into account some of the changes made to the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
S-Tier Mass Effect Companions
Garrus Vakarian
Garrus is one of BioWare's best characters. The Turian cop-turned-vigilante puts a lovable face on the Turian race that few fans can forget. Garrus is an incredibly versatile companion. If players don't romance him, their relationship feels like it's straight out of a buddy cop movie. If the player does romance him in Mass Effect 2 and 3 they get that great friendship, but also get to see his sensitive side. Garrus even admits that he sees Shepard as his only friend left in the whole galaxy. If the player doesn't romance him, however, he starts a relationship with Tali, making both feel like they have real lives outside of Shepard.
Tali
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, later Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, comes in at a close second. Tali's enviro-suit makes Ash Sroka's performance all the more impressive, with the character's emotion coming through clearly despite constantly wearing a mask. One of the few criticisms of Tali was her face reveal in Mass Effect 3, which has now been changed in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Her potential to forgive the Geth in Mass Effect 3 also makes for one of the trilogy's most emotional moments.
Liara T'Soni
Liara is a great companion in Mass Effect 1 and 3, but is perhaps even more interesting as the Shadow Broker she becomes in Mass Effect 2. Starting off as a young and naive scientist, at least young for an Asari, Liara becomes a ruthless but well-intentioned information expert over the course of the trilogy. She is also considered one of BioWare's best romances.
Mordin Solus
Mordin Solus is a Salarian scientist whose story dives head first into questions of scientific ethics and redemption. Having helped upgrade the genophage preventing the Krogan from reproducing, Mordin can end the series sacrificing himself to undo his own work. Mordin's sacrifice is one of the series' best character arc finales, but he's just as good in a mundane setting, whether he's humming Gilbert and Sullivan or giving Shepard advice on their love life.
A-Tier Mass Effect Companions
Urdnot Wrex
Wrex is one of Mass Effect 1's most compelling characters, which is why it's a shame his role is reduced in the later games. The quintessential Krogan warrior, Wrex is so willing to stand up for his people that he can end up being killed in Mass Effect 1's Virmire mission. If he gets the chance to live, however, he ends up becoming more tolerant and less hot-headed, while keeping his trademark sense of humor.
Grunt
Grunt is Shepard's other Krogan companion, and strikes a great contrast with the world-weary Wrex. Grunt is somewhere between a genetically engineered super-soldier, and a burly teenager who doesn't know his strength yet. Having taken him in from the tank in which he was grown, the player practically becomes Grunt's adoptive parent over Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 if he survives long enough.
Miranda Lawson
Miranda Lawson is genetically engineered to be "perfect," and the creeping worry that she's far from that haunts her throughout the trilogy. Deeply involved in the Lazarus Project that brought Shepard back to life, she's particularly interesting in Mass Effect 2. Now that the Legendary Edition has removed some camera angles that overtly sexualized Miranda, her personality can truly flourish in the remaster.
Jack
Jack is the opposite of Miranda's "perfect" persona. A convict in Mass Effect 2, she becomes increasingly complex over Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. Jack's romance is one of the best in Mass Effect, and she undergoes significant character development without ever losing her edge.
Thane Krios
Thane Krios is an assassin with a spiritual side. Slowly dying of Kepral's Syndrome, he joins Shepard's suicide mission in the hope of redemption. If he survives, his sacrifice in Mass Effect 3 is particularly heartbreaking for a Shepard who romanced the Drell, and only recently helped him find his son.
B-Tier Mass Effect Companions
Javik
Javik is the only survivor of the Reapers' last attack on the Milky Way. After years of speculation about the nature of the Prothean race, Javik finally allowed players to put a face on the species, and he was far from what many expected. Javik has a biting sense of humor and a wry way of looking at the galaxy that shines through the dark finale of the original trilogy.
EDI
EDI also makes it into B-tier, but unlike Miranda, is no less sexualized in the Legendary Edition. EDI is great as the Normandy's AI in Mass Effect 2 and has some good lines in Mass Effect 3, but in the third game her new body looks like it could have come straight out of an Austin Powers movie. Minor improvements have been made in the Legendary Edition, but it's still a glaringly odd choice.
Legion
The Geth were simple bad guys in the first game, but Mass Effect 2's Legion not only gave players insight into a Geth, but the entire Geth species. Legion is connected to the whole Geth hivemind, and like Tali, is used to reveal the complicated relationship between the Geth and the Quarians that in Mass Effect 1 seemed so simple.
Samara/Morinth
Samara's quest to find and kill her own daughter is interesting, but she still ends up being one of Mass Effect's more forgettable alien companions. Nonetheless, players can form an interesting relationship with her — she's one of few characters to reject Shepard's romantic advances entirely, though not without a hint of tension. It's a far better outcome than if players recruit and romance Samara's Ardat-Yakshi daughter Morinth instead, which kills Shepard instantly.
Kasumi Goto
Kasumi Goto finally gets her chance to shine in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Stolen Memory is a great DLC that's now properly integrated into the base game. A thief recently deprived of her partner in crime, her keen eye has her providing observations on almost every other companion. With the right ending she can even be reunited with her lost love.
C-Tier Mass Effect Companions
Kaiden Alenko/Ashley Williams
It's hard to separate Kaiden Alenko and Ashley Williams. The player can only save one of them in Mass Effect 1, and both characters are seen by many as less interesting than their alien companions. Their romances and rejection of Shepard in Mass Effect 2 can lead to some great moments, however, and both help get the player up to speed with humanity's recent history.
Jacob Taylor
Jacob is another human companion, but struggles to stand out. Mass Effect 2 already has two compelling human companions, and even another Cerberus agent, leaving Jacob behind.
James Vega
Once again Mass Effect's human companions end up less interesting than their alien counterparts. James Vega is a classic jock, but it's hard to find him compelling when Grunt and Wrex take the archetype to more interesting places.
Zaeed Massani
Zaeed was originally added with the Price of Revenge DLC for Mass Effect 2, but compared to Mass Effect's other tough-guy characters he ultimately feels underdeveloped. Even with his DLC integrated into the Legendary Edition's retail release, Zaeed still feels somewhat out of place in the Mass Effect universe.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
