mass effect mission squad choice

squadmate-mission matchups for maximum dialogue immersion

if you're one of those shepards who bring squadmates just to hear their take on whatever it is you're doing (and couldn't care less if whoever you're bringing is gameplay-optimal for the mission or not), feel free to look around/add your own suggestions. i made this for myself in order to save some time on who to bring on what missions on upcoming future playthroughs. i always found having to choose which squadmates to deploy time-consuming, sometimes picking the "wrong" squadmate for the mission then restarting after completion (no dialogue compared to others or just the wrong feel for the character="wrong").

i know there are unique dialogue pages for everyone, but those are listings per character. i find it easier to peruse lists of the relevant stuff on a per-mission basis, and i'll be adding notes here that won't be permitted under MoS rules anyway. this will be a perpetual work in progress so i apologize in advance for any RC clogging in the future.

i'll start with things i can list off the top of my head + stuff from the UD pages.

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• mass effect I
• mass effect II
• mass effect III
• special notes
• therum: Find Liara T'Soni : wrex + tali. extra lulz if you did this mission late game because as we all know liara goes crazy. the obvious drawback is you'll miss out on benezia, among other things.
• ashley and kaidan: aren't we all?
• wrex: you have no idea
• tali: home is a state of mind
• garrus and liara: -no comment-
• garrus: citadel authority supersedes yours
• wrex: don't try it
• ashley: back away, nice and slow
• kaidan: we going to let them do this commander
• liara: it would not be wise to search for the geth unarmed
• tali: -lol nothing she never issues any threats-
• ashley and kaidan: aye aye
• garrus: if you think it's best
• tali: wants to hide behind shep's armor
• wrex: why not
• liara: -no comment-
• in the weapons detectors area if you didn't bring liara yet kaidan, ash, tali and garrus will remind you to bring her (wrex doesn't care)
• if spacer, tali for the conversation about spacers and tax evasion.
• if earthborn, ashley. tell anoleis to watch his mouth.
• nobody among the squadmates support the colonist. blergh.
• Noveria: Geth Interest#Port Hanshan : garrus vs dirty cops. one-time deal for wordless characterization.
• Noveria: Lorik Qui'in : if you went to anoleis hoping to exchange his garage pass for qui'in's evidence, bring wrex and garrus (primarily wrex) for some quick laughs
• Noveria: Peak 15 : tali / garrus if you want callbacks for things concerning rachni way ahead on ME3 (not because of dialogue per se, but it'll just make their reminiscences about this mission way more appropriate).
• Noveria: Matriarch Benezia : liara's a no-brainer. bring wrex for extra bit about rachni.
• Feros: The Thorian : everyone reacts incredulously upon first seeing the thorian. garrus and tali will reminisce about this in ME3 regardless of whether you brought them or not. bring them if you want the moment to be more appropriate.
• Virmire: Saren's Plan : wrex + virmire victim. this could be the last moments you get to play them especially if you're really planning to execute wrex.
• Virmire: Assault : wrex if you let him live + virmire victim again. wrex to rub it in his face you're destroying the genophage cure (mean, yeah), virmire victim because this is literally the last time you get to use him/her. if you aren't a meanie though, substitute anyone else for wrex.
• talk to pallin: wrex.
• Citadel: Homecoming : ashley.
• Citadel: Asari Consort : wrex when speaking to oraka.
• Citadel: Expose Saren : ashley + wrex (although it's unwise to bring wrex if you want to see fist alive in ME2)
• Citadel: Signal Tracking : tali.
• Citadel: Rita's Sister : ashley and kaidan.
• Citadel: Our Own Worst Enemy : ashley, wrex, liara.
• UNC: Asari Diplomacy : ashley's opinionated when sisters are concerned (while talking to nassana at the end)
• UNC: Hostage : kaidan.
• UNC: Depot Sigma-23 : wrex / ashley / kaidan / liara. wrex has the longest lines.
• UNC: Geth Incursions : tali (no dialogue but given her history w/ geth this feels appropriate)
• UNC: Listening Post Theta + UNC: Listening Post Alpha : ashley + kaidan or wrex. you'll either go starship troopers on this or you'll want to see a reenactment of the rachni wars (no dialogue, however).
• Garrus: Find Dr. Saleon : garrus.
• Wrex: Family Armor : wrex. duh.
• liara for the obvious prothean connections
• tali compares the quarian situation to the protheans' on the conversation with vigil
• your love interest if you want to go thematically appropriate even if there's no dialogue to be had.
• chora's den: ashley + kaidan, kaidan + ashley
• Normandy: FBA Couplings : recruit tali before doing this assignment. for the foursome poker game.
• Omega: Batarian Bartender : everyone has lines when you get knocked out. even tali and legion. though i highly doubt you would have done this only after acquiring those two.
• when asking aria about archangel, you -will- want to bring mordin if you got him first.
• grunt + zaeed for blood pack and blue suns interaction, respectively.
• Dossier: The Professor : any two non-human squadmates. they'll be coughing soon enough. kasumi / zaeed / jack have their own amusing takes on this, miranda and jacob are plain boring.
• Omega: Packages for Ish : miranda + jacob.
• Dossier: The Warlord : mordin for extra dialogue w/ okeer. may be mutually exclusive to his own recruitment mission if you chose to get grunt first. also, almost everybody comments on that canned orders over loudspeaker bit, the injured merc and the tankbred krogan scenes.
• Dossier: The Convict : grunt's talkative here. he likes jack.
• Dossier: Tali : grunt and... hmm. kasumi / garrus / miranda / ...
• Jacob: The Gift of Greatness : zaeed or kasumi. because we know kasumi likes BBC (big black CORSAIRS. get your heads off the gutter).
• mordin groundside relishes opportunity to test solution to seeker swarms.
• jack emotes.
• garrus will have something to say to the virmire survivor.
• Dossier: The Assassin : the points of interest here are: merc defenestration, nervous salarian, and pre-elevator battle. jacob / jack / grunt have lines here.
• Dossier: The Justicar : the points of interest here are: anaya and survival odds, elnora and biotic god. zaeed / thane / jack / grunt / garrus / kasumi will have something particularly amusing here.
• talk to urdnot leader about grunt's puberty: garrus / jack / samara / tali / thane
• talk to fortack: mordin
• talk to ratch about ryncol: grunt
• Mordin: Old Blood : tali / garrus / jacob / kasumi / zaeed. depending on your choice of humor.
• Grunt: Rite of Passage : no one in particular. bring mordin if you go for that duality thing with grunt.
• at c-sec entrance, both doors (human and turian gatekeepers).
• when you're speaking to the council.
• kasumi at c-sec entrance: "i swear i didn't touch anything!"
• talk to the council (if saved from original mass effect): garrus or jacob
• kasumi does double quotes, zaeed and miranda say something else when avina's asked about reapers.
• kasumi, samara, thane, jack and mordin will have something to say about utopia technology.
• talk to bailey about new c-sec measures: tali or garrus.
• Citadel: Found Forged ID : 1 nonhuman squad member + 1 human squad member if you didn't save the council on original mass effect. all of your human squad members will have something to say to the asari, the nonhuman squaddie's just there so you'll notice the individual effects.
• Citadel: Crime in Progress : tali and the ones who'll react: jack / zaeed / miranda / kasumi / jacob / garrus.
• Garrus: Eye for an Eye : tali if you're planning to hook them up in ME3. no special dialogue but it's thematically appropriate.
• Thane: Sins of the Father : garrus or tali when mouse brings up the shepard VI.
• bring zaeed on any of the merc missions (especially those dealing with blue suns). no dialogue but again thematically appropriate.
• grunt will liken the pods to his tank.
• samara will note the injustice.
• mordin also has a bunch of stuff unique here.
• everyone will have something to say when the trap is sprung. usually about cerberus and betrayal.
• tali + thane. tali for several reasons (see special notes), thane because he rarely gets any dialogue (he says something about the dragon's teeth).
• kasumi's afraid of rats.
• Legion: A House Divided : tali optimal, grunt amusing, jack emotes.
• Tali: Treason : if you gave veetor to cerberus miranda will have something to say here. although i would wonder why anyone would bring miranda there when legion's a much better (and obvious) choice.
• Overlord : legion. first mission will suffice when gavin archer comments on his presence. optional afterwards. but again, you want to go thematically appropriate on this just bring tali / legion / miranda / jacob for the next missions.
• Lair of the Shadow Broker (mission) : doesn't really matter as nobody has extra lines and shadow broker comments on anyone you bring with you. you can play this out, however, as a "just like old times" mission with ME squadmates for thematic consistency: garrus and tali.
• grunt / legion / mordin (afterlife lower; mordin's is just outside afterlife lower)
• thane / samara / jack (market area)
• garrus / kasumi (kenn's salvage)
• miranda / tali (open area outside afterlife)
• tali + (grunt / mordin)
• jacob + grunt
• grunt (after loyalty mission)
• morinth + (mordin / grunt)
• mordin + grunt
• jack + grunt
• legion + (tali / grunt)
• everyone has lines for urz if the varren is injured. those particularly memorable: legion / thane / zaeed
• samara AND zaeed (given the crack pairing in ME3 it's worth a minor hoot hearing their wildly different views on pit fighting)
• garrus / thane (near urdnot chief scout)
• grunt + jacob
• jacob + (samara / miranda / kasumi)
• jack + (samara / grunt / jacob / garrus)
• thane + garrus
• grunt AND kasumi (one hates ramen, the other loves it. bring them both to the same stand at the same time for maximum lulz)
• miranda / jack (lv 28 - dark star lounge)
• zaeed / jacob (lv 28)
• mordin / legion (lv 27)
• horizon: kasumi has an exclusive here.
• everybody asks if liara has ever uncovered a dinosaur. alternate boring dialogue if you never built up a rapport with her (newgame or otherwise)
• javik identifies your squadmates by race. maximize this by getting tali first (see special notes). otherwise, use EDI for early lulz.
• the virmire survivor is also appropriate here, thematically speaking. supported by some dialogue to boot. this, however, requires shooting udina first on Priority: The Citadel II .
• javik assesses your war asset rating by smell on the normandy. get javik straight after mars = "fear. anxiety. the reapers are winning." a reasonable amount of assets = "uncertainty". a good amount of assets (tried getting him after priority: rannoch with tali in tow) = "more confidence than fear".
• as this is the only doable mission in which javik is still recovering before Priority: Palaven (where if you get him afterwards he's immediately ready for action), he and liara will have an intercom conversation in his quarters. mostly just liara pestering him about the catalyst.
• if garrus is dead obviously liara won't be leaving your party when the normandy starts acting up. other than that, most of garrus' lines are just swapped for liara's. except that she makes a comment about being afraid for thessia.
• to that end, garrus will have a slight change of initial dialogue if visited first instead of the AI core. and joker will suggest something may have "miscalibrated" over the intercom.
• other than that, the other characters who will have something to say on the normandy going bonkers are: chakwas, adams, liara, joker, traynor, allers
• people who will have something to say AFTER EDI was activated: chakwas, allers, traynor, joker, EDI herself (dialogue may change depending on your dominant alignment).
• when shepard asks about garrus' family, s/he gets a negative response and tries to comfort garrus. who says platitudes have ways of getting old when people get older. if shepard has the spacer background garrus asks back if s/he has heard from his/her mom. shepard replies in the negative. and garrus says "i'm sure she's okay." - more or less the same thing shepard said.
• traynor brings up the mission for grissom academy. if shepard's played with biotic abilities she'll say shepard would've been at ascension project if the academy was open 20 years ago.
• on the shuttle ride down if you destroyed maelon's data and urdnot leader says something these two react uniquely: javik, james
• everyone will have a reaction on the first yahg: javik says they were smaller in his time, james clueless, liara / EDI / garrus clues in.
• liara + garrus for the yahg (both times) and wrex interactions.
• if wreav's the leader, javik or EDI for grade-A pwning.
• there is a clickable vista here. squadmates will voice their opinions about beauty, javik will reminisce about its lack in his cycle.
• certain squadmates will voice out if tolan is present instead of kirrahe. currently known: garrus, liara, james
• essentially, kirrahe will react to the presence of your ME squad members. and he won't ever believe javik is prothean.
• garrus / EDI for interaction with jack and david archer. jack may or may not comment on EDI's body depending on whether she greeted garrus first.
• liara comments a bit about biotics and hunger correlation.
• james eyeballs jack. notes hotness. says something in-mission and after mission.
• if jack is dead, EDI will instead comment about cerberus' inefficiency during the whole affair: they should've put omega-enkephalin into the food supply. shep replies that the inside man would've been caught easily. EDI replies she has not considered the cerberus attack to be the best among bad options. joker and the rest avoid mentioning jack altogether (except if she died in the suicide mission - got these bits from a fresh nonimport game where jack is flagged dead but never recruited)
• garrus for the insight on turian military + james are the best squadmates to bring for dialogue
• javik (slight aftermission dialogue change if you brought him on the mission or not)
• tali and EDI will go nuts on what is possibly the longest intercom conversation in the game after this mission. mostly just tali being reminded of her military dad and being royally pissed off about it enough to impact normandy's shielding capabilities. bring her on the mission for extra impact and you may want to finish Priority: Rannoch first before doing this - case of mutable dialogue here.
• garrus again
• james again to make his comment about liking victus post-mission more appropriate
• EDI has a bit but only in the shuttle ride back.
• javik/garrus intercom: "subservient race"
• garrus (points of change: if you brought him or not, if wrex/wreav is leader)
• tali again on a long intercom exchange w/ liara/ash/kaidan (depending on who was brought planetside - ex. if tali+ash on squad then tali will talk with liara). reminiscence about virmire, haestrom, the sacrifices of others and finding comfort with someone who shared the old days
• joker and EDI discuss a salarian-krogan rachni joke
• mordin: KROGAN QUEEN SONG
• the points of interest here are the catacombs, the murals (kalros but not kakliosaur paintings), and the reaper destroyer. most everyone will have an opinion here.
• james + javik: "you're like sun tzu, but with more eyes!" may be a bit problematic if you don't want javik's first time on the citadel be the one infested with traitors.
• if james is the one driving during the kai leng chase scene, recall his previous stint with the kodiak on mars. bonus running gag.
• garrus for his c-sec roots.
• the dialogue will change if you did Priority: Tuchanka first. shep and company will be aware of the rachni as opposed to dropping here first and they don't know (yet) what they're up against. and an obvious drawback is you're never going to hear what the urdnot leader has to say after this mission (there are reputation points there)
• javik + tali. one because he shares a room with grunt, the other... SPIDERS . see special notes.
• james will be against setting the rachni queen free. do NOT pair him with tali if you want to hear tali squeal SPIDERS because his comment takes precedence over tali's. tali's line takes precedence over the rest.
• garrus: just like old times.
• traynor nerds out on rachni method of communication
• joker makes comments about grunt and the rachni queen (no idea if same lines with breeder)
• james, javik and garrus will have comments on rachni and grunt.
• ash really hates the cockroaches sliming up her armor and approves if you saved the queen in ME1 but killed her this time (if it's the breeder, she calls it a mercy to destroy it)
• allers-traynor intercom conversation: rachni.
• wreav actually mails you a threat if you saved the rachni. minor chuckles the first time i saw it.
• if shep's biotic, kaidan + garrus. one for the note about using biotics to float, the other for samara's greeting recognition. kaidan's dialogue has the second lowest priority, the only other squadmate who will not hijack his elevator line is garrus. or prothy. but samara does not know him so...
• squadmates will note if liara is present in this mission or not. bring her if you must - she'll have extra lines anyway.
• if kaidan's dead, ashley a good snarky alternative.
• everyone will have lines depending on their own points of view, these above are the ones noteworthy.
• traynor, joker (will change depending on samara's existence), liara, steeeeeeeve (may have extra note of concern depending on his approval level. if james was also in the mission bromance happens)
• allers-traynor intercom conversation: "the hidden side to the most beautiful race in the galaxy"
• forgot if this setup happens only after this mission or if it has other triggers as i've played through the mission recently twice - one before rannoch, the current after rannoch and IIRC the same lounge group happened.
• dialogue tree/hierarchy for the dead asari commando: (right to left to keep short entries first: EDI only speaks first if all others to her right aren't around)
• EDI -> tali
• EDI -> javik
• liara -> javik -> liara -> javik
• EDI -> james
• liara -> james -> liara
• javik -> james -> javik -> james
• EDI -> ash
• liara -> ash (depending if priority: thessia already done or not)
• james -> ash
• javik -> ash -> javik
• EDI -> kaidan
• liara -> kaidan
• james -> kaidan
• javik -> kaidan
• liara -> garrus
• ash -> garrus
• kaidan -> garrus
• EDI -> garrus
• james -> james
• javik -> garrus -> javik
• EDI and tali / garrus for interaction with jacob. EDI will note jacob didn't recognize her.
• kaidan will hold a heart to heart session in the crew quarters. forgot if this is also valid for ashley, and if dialogue differs whether you romanced them or not
• javik and EDI: intercom conversation about EDI's cerberus origins.
• garrus and joker will have opinions on jacob.
• traynor and stamps. dialogue may change whether you also chose to do Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation or not.
• even if tali's not romanced their dialogue's worth listening to anyway. especially if they meet legion instead of geth vi.
• if you went for ash / liara (ME) and tali (ME2), observe the conversation dynamics. it's hard working with the ex and the current squeeze at the same time.
• james nicknames tali on this mission.
• tali and kaidan nerd out on omni-tools .
• javik compares the past to the present (geth / zha'til, dreadnought / penumbra apex)
• garrus, dextro chocolate, and romance subtexts.
• traynor, joker, EDI, steeeeeeeve, kaidan, legion/geth VI
• james (will change depending on whether you brought him)
• javik-tali intercom conversation (factors change on whether you brought javik and if you romanced tali)
• garrus-tali intercom conversation (factors change on whoever's the urdnot leader)
• garrus will hold a lengthy heart-to-heart session about leadership and the war
• amusingly, even if you sold legion to cerberus, javik will still refer to geth VI as "LEGION" MACHINE.
• ashley and tali will have a spontaneous discussion.
• garrus drops a minor line.
• james is a good option in this. see special notes.
• tali an obvious choice unless you want lines from other squadmates.
• kaidan has a spontaneous line at the beginning and a rather generic one at the end when koris is being swarmed by geth.
• traynor, joker (will change on koris alive/dead), steeeeeve, garrus
• javik-EDI argument on the ai core.
• javik: four-eyed staring contests!
• legion/geth VI, joker, EDI, kaidan, javik, garrus,
• garrus-legion intercom conversation: CALIBRATIONS!
• traynor nerds out on geth prime networking
• after the first one
• xen-tali argument on who to save. xen for war assets.
• joker-james intercom conversation about exosuits.
• liara-legion/geth VI intercom conversation.
• javik a good choice. see special notes.
• traynor: fight of flight instinct
• EDI will have a moment of doubt if you destroy the geth, mourn legion and his emergent personality if compromise reached. joker will feel grief if quarians destroyed. talk to joker for both their reactions.
• tali (changes on whether compromise achieved or not, otherwise she's obviously dead if you chose geth)
• javik (changes on: whether you brought him planetside or not, whoever you sided with)
• kaidan | garrus (changes on whoever you sided with - kaidan will be hit pretty hard with ash and tali if geth chosen, garrus laments a potential flame extinguished)
• if james and kaidan at poker table after this mission they'll chime in about taking down the reaper.
• liara-EDI conversation about the geth (only happens when siding with quarians -not yet sure when forcing the compromise-)
• liara will have an extra line about the geth if you sided w/ them
• allers interview: force a compromise to hear both quarian and geth-centric questions, otherwise, dialogue change depending on whoever side won
• liara + ashley.
• garrus + ( liara / tali)
• virmire survivor + james if you want to do this alliance style.
• everyone has generic lines
• javik highly recommended, although other squadmates will be talkative here as well. the difference is that javik turns this mission into Asari's Creed™ upon reaching the temple. and the extra interaction with lt. kurin.
• ashley and her typical gung-ho attitude on this.
• james moons for Talon Five's pilot.
• basically everyone will have lines based on their own personalities. no idea yet if i'll be arsed to note them all here or just the noteworthy ones.
• joker: ...there won't be a galaxy left to save. also, that note about tiptree.
• edi fails a joke. james offers full backing for shepard - along with wanting to see thesia before the reapers. no surprises there.
• some flirting with traynor (if romanced) along with some congrats for figuring out horizon.
• tali will be at memorial wall.
• javik-liara confrontation in his quarters. the highlight of the aftermission. if you want to hear javik say he'd like to live like a king among the hanar (or so i've read in this wiki), DON'T GO HERE.
• adams and kaidan will be in the engineering room discussing liara. talk to kaidan.
• "ruthless calculus". garrus will say he advised the primarch to order a full retreat. interesting exchange here because next dialogue differs whether you sabotaged the genophage cure or not. garrus notices you got the salarians to help out - you can either tell him the truth as your best bro or say "careful diplomacy" (ends conversation rather boringly). if you told him the truth, he'll have an opinion on whether the urdnot leader realizes the deception or not - wrex might have gotten it but wreav is too stupid. and if mordin was alive, garrus will call him devious. lastly, garrus reminds you not to let him face you at poker.
• you can bring tali for thematic consistency of the after-mission dialogue.
• everyone's also talkative but mostly side comments unless notable - which will be added here. james, javik and kaidan's lines aren't.
• traynor apparently sounds angrier if you romanced her.
• tali and javik will converse over intercom. to get the drunk version, speak to tali first on the lounge before heading to javik downstairs. for the sober version, vice versa. these only happen if you moderated javik and liara's confrontation earlier. regardless, they'll still have lines relevant to the just-concluded mission.
• joker-liara intercom: news about tiptree refugees. too bad aeian t'goni took care of her sister weeks before. upper option also contains one of two mentions in the series about TIM's eyes.
• EDI finds human selflessness difficult to comprehend. point her in the right direction. not sure if dialogue may change whether you let her hook up with joker or not or if you were generally being nice to synthetics or not.
• others: james, allers, kaidan (especially narmy), garrus, liara
• nobody has anything unique to say here, unsurprisingly.
• cortez (damsels)
• allers (delayed reporting of thessia fiasco)
• tali-EDI intercom conversation about usefulness of quarians to reapers and war effort - forgot if this also triggers with geth alive or if this is specific to this mission.
• ashley for amusing bit about cerberus phantoms.
• garrus for the whole section with the human-reaper remnants. also including bit about phantoms.
• if you abandoned jack, any of your me2 squadmates will do for thematic consistency.
• whoever your love interest is.
• alternately, bring james + a nonhuman squad member if you want to see vega's reaction for when steeeeeeve dies. ash and kaidan sound narmy, they say.
• after you meet up with anderson the squad selection is really now up to you: whoever you want to see during the extended cut sequences.
• EDI - she notes how reapers never once moved away from them except here
• everyone apparently has recorded generic dialogue. known: javik, james, EDI
• cortez, EDI, james, javik (bit of lore from his cycle), garrus, liara
• james, liara, garrus
• EDI, tali, javik, ash
• and steeeeeve
• shipmate love interest shows a bit more concern on the shuttle ride back (even steeeve)
• wrex is the obvious draw of the dlc's story missions. at least one playthrough with him from start to finish is mandatory. otherwise, any squad combination can be conceivably left up to you as all your squadmates WILL have a lot of things to say to you and each other.
• so many permutations it's practically redundant to detail them here. lookup everybody's unique dialogue pages on the relevant sections. that said, of particular note is the conditionals on your shep: if you romanced the plus-one or not, if your scars are showing or not.
• probably the unfunniest combination would be ashley and tali. personal gripe :<
• of particular note is EDI's platform momentarily derping at the start out due to the hijack. strange lorewise, moderately amusing otherwise.
• bring characters with loyalty conflicts on each other's recruitment and loyalty missions to bring their issues full circle: miranda and jack, legion and tali. the latter two can't be stressed enough - although it may be inadvisable to get tali so late in the game if you want legion in her recruitment mission: IFF countdown and everything.
• derelict reaper - activating legion and conversation 1
• bringing legion with tali to the alarei then talking to him afterwards - conversation 2 and acquiring loyalty mission
• doing loyalty mission - conversation 3 (asking about heretics)
• IFF READY, CREW GETS KIDNAPPED - conversation 4 (there was a hole)
• collectors taken care of - conversation 5 (do-these-units-have-a-soul)
• OVERLORD - conversation 6 (geth stewardship of rannoch )
• ARRIVAL - conversation 7 (dyson sphere)
• doing side missions with tali right after kidnapping her from the migrant fleet (everything that's not in between Priority: Geth Dreadnought and Priority: Rannoch ) presents an urgency dilemma: the geth dreadnought is tearing through the fleet while you're off saving grunt (and/or samara on the other side of the galaxy). if you can wait, though, you can do the missions after Priority: Rannoch . aralakh company will be languidly waiting outside cave, and this may or may not fit into your perception of the time frame it takes for everyone except samara and her daughters to die in the monastery. or eden prime.
• bring james to all missions requiring squadmates to fix something (in order of increasing lulz value: Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientists , N7: Cerberus Fighter Base , Priority: Palaven , Rannoch: Admiral Koris ) for that certain running gag feel of him having to fix things not normally within his expertise.
• missions where you talk to her as if she's replying from the ship when her body's beside you also work.
• javik is optional for all missions involving reaper destroyers ( Priority: Tuchanka , Priority: Rannoch , Priority: Earth ) - makes it seem like you're helping fulfill his purpose of killing reapers.
• tevos is hot, irissa not. joker agrees. (purgatory date with EDI)
• after Priority: Palaven and before Priority: Sur'Kesh - there's a backlog of planet scans and side missions here plus you'll be speaking with your virmire survivor (and possibly thane) at huerta
• after Benning: Evidence and before Priority: Tuchanka - the one and only chance you can return bilal osoba's dog tags to his dad. you can return Citadel: Improved Power Grid and other items earlier but this setup is more convenient
• since tali's issues are resolved at this time (she's dead if not or she'd be wondering why the hell she's gallivanting on the far side of the galaxy while the migrant fleet burns), also an appropriate moment to do the citadel DLC's story missions.
• technically, leviathan missions can be done as soon as after Priority: Palaven . they're also structured in that you can conceivably do the dlc missions in between inching the main plot forward and not lose any sense of urgency or momentum. but again, hearing all of tali's takes on things requires her issues dealt with.
• after Priority: Thessia and before Priority: Horizon - miranda's third meeting and/or Citadel: Cerberus Ciphers completion then off you go

goddammit. everyone has lines everywhere, definitely more than ME3's total. will note the distinctions once everyone's unique dialogue pages are mostly complete. yes, they exist.

• of the three squadmates available before making Eos great again, Vetra has a friendship with Drack . he can't be convinced to join immediately, though he's definitely friendlier with Vetra on the team.
• exploring the rest of Havarl Jaal regularly chimes in about an area, whether he's in the squad or comms.

25 May 2021

20 March 2017

Mass Effect: Best Squad Combinations

If you want to know the best duo to take out with you then check out these squad combinations to find the perfect match for your Shepard.

Throughout the first Mass Effect game, you have several companions that help you hunt down Saren. For each mission, you have to decide which two of them will make up your party. It's rarely an easy choice as all six individuals are wonderful.

RELATED: Mass Effect: 10 Reasons Tali Is The Best Companion In The Trilogy

Most select a team containing characters they like. For instance, Garrus is a popular choice for a litany of reasons . When it comes to the more difficult parts of the games, though, picking based on likeability might not be the smart way to go. It's better to assemble a squad whose talents mesh together perfectly. And to that end, here are the best duos that are available.

Updated July 19th, 2021 by Ben Jessey: The first Mass Effect has always been a fantastic game, but it's getting more recognition these days than it's had in a long time. Much of the renewed focus on the original title comes from the recently released Legendary Edition. The re-release has shown new players the greatness of the first instalment, while reminding long-term fans.

One of the greatest elements of the game is the squadmates, as Mass Effect 1's best companions are amazing. However, they don't truly reach their potential in gameplay without the best squad around them. So, we've gone back to our list of best squad combinations to make sure it still serves as a great resource. In the process, we've added a new team while updating some of the information to fit with the Legendary Edition's changes.

9 Garrus And Ashley, The Sharpshooters

Garrus and Ashely are one of Mass Effect's best squads in combat. When leveled up and holding powerful weapons, the pair have a really good damage output. And as they're both deadly with Snipers in their hands, they enable you to dominate long-range battles.

The Turian also boasts some decent Tech skills, which can come in handy. As for Biotic abilities, you'd need to provide them or just rely on your team's exceptional firepower to get the job done.

8 Garrus And Tali, Team Tech

By the third game, it's possible for Garrus and Tali to embark on a beautiful romance. But in the first title, they show their chemistry on the battlefield. These two add a bunch of tech powers to your team, which is effective against the abundance of shielded Geth you face in the game.

Garrus also provides decent long-range firepower, whereas Tali is effective against anybody close. The only downside to the squad is their lack of biotics. Yet, if your Shepard is an Adept, Vanguard, or a Sentinel, then the three of you can form a solid unit.

7 Tali And Liara, Two Specialists

Tali and Liara are two of the specialist squadmates in the game. The Quarian is a tech genius, so she's able to hack Geth, mess with shields, and open locked crates. The Asari, on the other hand, excels with biotics, which are especially dangerous in the first game. Thus, with these two by your side, you'll have plenty of powers at your disposal.

As they don't provide a lot of weapon damage, you might need to carry the weight in that area. But Tali is surprisingly sturdy, and Liara is among the most powerful Asari in the universe, so you should be fine.

6 Ashley And Wrex, High Damage

There are several things you likely don't know about Ashley Williams , including that she's a potential tank in the first game. To turn her into one, simply upgrade her stats carefully and give her the strongest equipment you can find.

RELATED: Mass Effect: 5 Characters Who Could Give Urdnot Wrex a Good Fight (& 5 Who'd Lose Easily)

As Wrex is a Krogan, he's almost already a tank when you first meet him. With the two of them together, you don't have to concern yourself too much with dealing damage. Instead, you're able to play more of a support role.

5 Liara And Kaidan, The Biotics

At the start of the series, nobody would consider Laira or Kaidan to be among the Milky Way's mightiest warriors . Yet the pair make for a deadly duo because biotics are overpowered in the first game.

And both of these companions have some great biotic powers, such as lift, barrier, and of course, Liara's singularity. Their tech talents aren't too bad, either. It'll be up to Shepard to bring the strong guns, though.

4 Ashley And Liara, Two Types Of Damage

In the first game, a male Shepard might have to choose between Ashley and Liara when it comes to romance. However, it's smart to select both of them for missions, as their talents work well together.

The Asari has a couple of strong powers that fling enemies in the air, which are perfect targets for Ashley's incredibly high weapon damage. This tactic is particularly useful in the final boss battle in the game. A Shepard teaming with these two should probably be tech-based to make it possible to open locked containers.

3 Wrex And Tali, Balanced Close-Range Fighting

There's a litany of amazing weapons in Mass Effect , but both Wrex and Tali are particularly fond of shotguns. The preference makes them a deadly team in close quarters, which is very helpful against husks and thorian creepers.

RELATED: Mass Effect: 10 Facts Fans Need To Know About Tali

Their proficiency in close-quarter combat is not the only reason they're one of the Mass Effect's best teams, though. They're also well balanced, with the Quarian providing ample tech skills and the Krogan having some solid biotic powers. For long-range, just pair them with an infiltrator or soldier Shepard.

2 Ashley And Kaidan, Tank And Her Support

Initially, a pairing of Ashley and Kaidan seems a little boring. All these cool races in the series , and you travel around with a couple of humans? The original two squadmates, no less. Yet, Ashley and Kaidan actually make an excellent team.

If you successfully build Ashley up to be a tank, she doesn't need a partner proficient with weapons. Instead, Alenko can support her with both his tech and biotic abilities. And Shepard's class isn't even that important in this case. You can choose one that provides a bit of extra firepower to lighten Ashley's load a little, but it's not a big deal.

1 Wrex And Garrus, All Bases Covered

As two of the most beloved companions in the series , fans often choose Garrus and Wrex to team up. And it's a smart decision as they're a perfectly balanced team. Short-range? Wrex has a shotgun. Long-range? Garrus has a sniper. Mid-range? They both have assault rifles. Not to mention, they deal out a lot of damage with whatever weapon they're holding.

They have a strong mix of powers too. Wrex is a talented biotic with abilities like warp and throw. Garrus holds up his end with several solid tech skills like overload and damping. As they have all bases covered, this is among Mass Effect 1's best squads regardless of what class you choose to play.

NEXT: 10 Squadmates We'd Love To See In Mass Effect: Andromeda 2