Liara is the only character you can romance across all three games of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and she is available to either Shepard. Ashley (male Shepard) and Kaidan (female Shepard) start in the first game and pick back up in the third, while most other romances begin in Mass Effect 2 or Mass Effect 3.
Here is every option, game by game, and what you need to keep each one going. We keep story details to a minimum, but names and survival conditions are unavoidable.
Mass Effect 1 Romance Options
| Character | Male Shepard | Female Shepard | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Williams | Yes | No | She must survive Virmire |
| Kaidan Alenko | No | Yes | He must survive Virmire |
| Liara T’Soni | Yes | Yes | Recruit her on Therum before you finish Feros, Noveria, and Virmire |
These romances grow out of talking to the character on the Normandy between missions. It is easy to end up in one by being friendly, so watch your choices if you have someone else in mind.
Mass Effect 2 Romance Options
Romances here depend on the character’s loyalty mission, so finish that before you expect anything to happen.
| Character | Male Shepard | Female Shepard | Loyalty mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miranda Lawson | Yes | No | The Prodigal |
| Jack | Yes | No | Subject Zero |
| Tali’Zorah | Yes | No | Treason |
| Jacob Taylor | No | Yes | The Gift of Greatness |
| Garrus Vakarian | No | Yes | Eye for an Eye |
| Thane Krios | No | Yes | Sins of the Father |
Miranda, Jack, and Tali can each be affected by a confrontation with another squadmate, so siding against the one you are romancing can end it.
Some other options exist, but they are not full romances and do not count toward the game’s romance achievement:
- Liara T’Soni (either Shepard). Continues your first-game romance through the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, which Legendary Edition includes.
- Kelly Chambers (either Shepard). Your Normandy yeoman. It needs you to be single at the end of the game, and she must survive.
- Samara (either Shepard). Only for a Paragon Shepard, after her loyalty mission. It stays chaste in this game.
- Morinth (either Shepard). Only possible if you side with her in Samara’s loyalty mission. It ends with Shepard’s death, so save first.
If you romanced Ashley or Kaidan in the first game, you can stay faithful in Mass Effect 2 or move on to someone new. Either character’s role is small in this game.
Mass Effect 3 Romance Options
| Character | Male Shepard | Female Shepard | Needs an earlier romance? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liara T’Soni | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ashley Williams | Yes | No | No, but she must have survived |
| Kaidan Alenko | Yes | Yes | No, but he must have survived |
| Steve Cortez | Yes | No | No |
| Samantha Traynor | No | Yes | No |
| Tali’Zorah | Yes | No | Yes, from Mass Effect 2 |
| Miranda Lawson | Yes | No | Yes, from Mass Effect 2 |
| Jack | Yes | No | Yes, from Mass Effect 2 |
| Garrus Vakarian | No | Yes | Yes, from Mass Effect 2 |
| Kelly Chambers | Yes | Yes | Yes, from Mass Effect 2 |
Characters must also survive to Mass Effect 3 to pick up where you left off, which depends on your choices in the suicide mission and in Mass Effect 3 itself.
A few options here are smaller, and do not count toward the game’s romance achievement:
- Thane Krios (female Shepard). A brief continuation of your Mass Effect 2 romance, if he survived it.
- Diana Allers (either Shepard). A journalist you meet on the Citadel. You need to be single.
- James Vega and Javik (female Shepard). Moments in the Citadel DLC.
- Samara. Returns in the Citadel DLC if you showed interest in Mass Effect 2.
Jacob’s romance does not continue into Mass Effect 3, so it ends with the second game.
How to Keep a Romance Going
The trilogy reads your earlier relationship from your import, so the rules are simple.
- Import your save. A fresh Mass Effect 3 start cannot resume a Mass Effect 2 romance. Our guide to what carries over between games explains how.
- Keep them alive. A dead character cannot be romanced, and the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2 can take any of your squad.
- Pick one person per game. If you started with Liara in the first game and took someone else in Mass Effect 2, returning to her in Mass Effect 3 takes extra work.
- Talk between missions. Most romance scenes come from visiting your love interest on the Normandy after main missions, not from the missions themselves.
If you are unsure about the shape of the whole series, our list of every Mass Effect game in order shows how it fits together, and our class comparison covers the other big choice you make at the start.
Same-Sex Options
Same-sex options arrive late in the series. Liara is an asari, a species that presents as female, and she is an option for both Shepards in all three games. Beyond her, male Shepard’s main same-sex options are Kaidan and Steve Cortez, both in Mass Effect 3. Female Shepard’s are Kelly in Mass Effect 2 and 3, and Samantha Traynor and Diana Allers in Mass Effect 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can you romance in all three Mass Effect games? Liara, as either Shepard. She is the only one with a romance path in each game, and her Mass Effect 2 scenes come from the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC.
Can you romance Garrus in Mass Effect 1? No. Garrus is a romance option from Mass Effect 2 onward, and only for female Shepard.
Can you romance Tali as female Shepard? No. Tali is a romance for male Shepard only, in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
Can male Shepard romance Kaidan? Yes, but only in Mass Effect 3. In the first game, he is an option only for female Shepard.
Can you romance multiple characters? Within a game, you can start with more than one person, but you will need to choose. Pursuing a new character in a later game can end or complicate your earlier relationship.
Does Legendary Edition change who you can romance? We found no changes to the romance options in the remaster, and the options above are the ones to plan around.
Can you romance someone in Mass Effect 3 without playing the earlier games? Yes. Liara, Ashley, Kaidan, Cortez, Traynor, and Allers do not need a romance from an earlier game. The Mass Effect 2 love interests do.