Depending on which gender you start with in Mass Effect 2, you have different romance options. Some options are available for both genders, making for more interesting dialogue choices and cutscenes. Romances not only move Commander Shepard’s personal story but also the tensions between crewmates on the Normandy and on the battlefield. It makes for some moving scenes during more pivotal parts of the game, like before going on the infamous Suicide Mission. Let’s dive into all of the romance options in Mass Effect 2 as broken down by gender.
Male Shepard Romance Options – Mass Effect 2
Tali’Zorah nar Rayya
Tali is one of the longest-standing members of your crew in the Mass Effect series. She is a Quarian from the planet Rannoch. She has a unique appearance in that she must consistently stay inside of a suit due to their weak immune system. If you’ve played through the series, then you know of that one scene where she displays that.
Jack
Jack is one of the few humans you can romance in Mass Effect 2. She is a loose canon who joins your crew after rescuing her from a prison planet. She comes off as hostile and crass, though she has a soft spot for Shepard. She was one of our personal favorites whenever we played one of our multiple playthroughs of the game.
Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is a god-fearing human that Shepard meets in the very first game. Similar to Kaiden, depending on your choices, she could be killed and not even available as a romance option in the second installment. She is a bit of a racist, and won’t fail to tell you and the other aliens on the ship. We hardly ever went with her in any playthrough.
Miranda Lawson
Miranda is by far one of the most attractive romantic partners you can have. She is also one that has more unique cutscenes concerning your romance with her since she is a secondary protagonist in the game. She works with the Illusive Man and was part of the efforts to revive you after you went down with your ship. Considering that, that might be something to look
Female Shepard Romance Options – Mass Effect 2
Garrus Vakarian
Garrus is a Turian whom you also meet in the very first game. Alongside Kaiden, Ashley, and Tali, you really start your Mass Effect adventure. As the games progress, your relationship with Garrus could either be one of romance or deep friendship. He will always be close to Shepard’s heart, and this is shown throughout just about any interaction you have with him, regardless of whether or not it’s romantic.
Thane Krios
Thane is a Drell who has a feature in your romance with him that might be strange. Any oral contact will cause hallucinations. He is also very serious and incredibly loyal to his morals. A relationship with him will feel callous, but as it progresses, you’ll realize how much of a soft soul he really is.
Jacob Taylor
Jacob is another human crew member that female Shepard can romance in Mass Effect 2. He works with Miranda as part of the Lazarus Project that brought Shepard back to life. He is also a rather boring romance option, with most of his concerns being about the military negotiations happening all around.
Both Gender Shepard Romance Options – Mass Effect 2
Kelly Chambers
Very few players romanced Kelly, even when the game was more widely played. She is Shepard’s yeoman in the game and is never seen outside of the ship with you. As a result, the romance you can have with her is rather mundane. However, she is the only character who will ask to meet with you privately if you get to the Suicide Mission without having any other romance options. She is also the only character that will dance for you if you know what we mean.
Morinth Ardat-Yakshi
Morinth isn’t really a romance option, but she is. She’s one of Justicar Samara’s daughters who has a genetic disorder that causes her to kill anyone she mates with. You meet with her very briefly on Omega as part of Samara’s Loyalty Mission. In order to stay with Morinth, you’ll need to kill her mother during this mission. We don’t recommend it.
Samara
Samara is an Asari Justicar who is also the mother of Morinth. During her Loyalty Mission, you choose between her of her daughter and frankly, we definitely choose Samara. She won’t accidentally kill you when you guys have alone time just before the Suicide Mission.
Kaiden Alenko
Kaiden is another romance option that is available for both the male and female versions of Shepard. He is a bit boring in our opinion, and even cannot be an option at all depending on the events that you decide in the first game. He’s also a biotic, so we had him in our squad more often than not just because of his raw power.
Liara T’soni
Liara is an Asari researcher who specializes in Prothean artifacts. Her species is from Thessia and are incredibly unique as they are all exclusively female. That doesn’t stop them from being able to reproduce amongst themselves and with other species through a sacred ritual involving the tentacles on the back of their heads. Though she looks young, she’s actually a little over a 100, which is considered young for Asaris.
