Complete Mass Effect 3 Character and Squad List. Squad Member Backgrounds, Pictures and More

Love is in the air?

This is a character guide I have put together for Mass Effect 3. It features a complete list of returning characters from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, characters that will be in your squad and a list of new characters that are being added in Mass Effect 3.

I will likely update the guide when more information is available.

This took a long time to do so enjoy.

Read more to see the character list, squad members list, character backgrounds and a lot more.

Use Ctrl+F to search. For example use [RET] to see all the returning characters from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 that will be in Mass Effect 3. It also includes pictures, bio’s and more.

Contents:

• Mass Effect 3? [INT]
• Squad Members [SQU]
• Returning Characters [RET]

Mass Effect 3? [INT]

Mass Effect 3 is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It will mark the final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy of video games, completing the story of Commander Shepard.

Mass Effect 3 will follow from the events of the Mass Effect 2 DLC expansion Arrival and follows Commander Shepard’s mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers by rallying civilizations of the galaxy together, while also having to deal with Cerberus, who have decided to turn against him/her.

It is due for release on 6th March 2012 in North America and 9th March 2012 in Europe.

Squad Members in Mass Effect 3 [SQU]

Characters in your party:

• Ashley Williams
• Garrus Vakarian
• James Vega
• Kaidan Alenko
• Liara T’Soni
• Tali’Zorah vas Normandy
• David Anderson (Temporary)

Returning Characters from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 [RET]

Notes:

The character is only available:

• If the character survived Mass Effect = (ME)
• If the character survived Mass Effect 2 = (ME 2)

Commander Shepard (ME/ME 2)

You’re not even alive… not really. You’re just a machine, and machines can be broken.”

Lieutenant Commander Shepard is the human protagonist of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and the upcoming Mass Effect 3, whose gender, appearance, skills and pre-service history are all customizable and have an impact on the story. Shepard’s first name is also customizable, but is never stated in-game. The default pre-made Shepard is a male Soldier named John, with the Earthborn/Sole Survivor profile.

Shepard was born on 11th April 2154, is a graduate of the Systems Alliance N7 special forces program and is initially assigned to the SSV Normandy as Executive Officer. Shepard later becomes the first human to join the Spectres, an elite special task force for the Citadel Council.

Ambassador Donnel Udina

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“The galaxy needs leadership. Real leadership.”

Ambassador Donnel Udina is a human diplomat stationed at the Citadel. He is humanity’s most recent ambassador to the Council races and is determined to advance human interests wherever possible.

Udina is shown to be mistrustful or at least apprehensive of Commander Shepard, particularly after the Commander’s induction into the Spectres. Udina often requires solid, irrefutable proof of anything before acting, a trait which often conflicts with Shepard’s goals.

Udina plays the political game, refusing to rock the boat if it might endanger his standing and therefore humanity’s with the Citadel Council.

Ashley Williams (ME)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“Why is it whenever someone says ‘with all due respect’ they really mean ‘kiss my ass’?”

Ashley Williams is a human soldier who served in the Systems Alliance as a Gunnery Chief in the 2nd Frontier Division on Eden Prime, and was later assigned to Commander Shepard’s squad after the geth attack on Eden Prime.

She is a potential romance partner for a male Shepard in Mass Effect.

Captain David Anderson

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war.”

Captain David Edward Anderson was born in 2137, in London, but has no discernible English accent. He is a human war hero and the original captain of the SSV Normandy.

Anderson is one of the Alliance’s most decorated special forces operatives, and the first to graduate from the N7 marine program at Arcturus Station, serving with honor in the First Contact War.

Anderson plays a major role in the novels Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Retribution.

Captain Kirrahe

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Salarian

Squadmate: No

“Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we will hold the line!”

Captain Kirrahe is an officer in the salarian military. He is a member of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG (special task group), a covert operations team that was sent to investigate Virmire, where he discovered Saren’s base of operations. His second-in-command is Commander Rentola.

Kirrahe is a brave, intelligent salarian with a good strategic mind; he is able to inspire his men, and is also prepared to make sacrifices if necessary.

Conrad Verner (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“What if you signed me on as another Spectre?”

Conrad Verner is an enthusiastic and self-proclaimed “huge fan” of Commander Shepard.

In Mass Effect he can be found in the Citadel, at the top of the stairs in the upper Markets on the Wards.

EDI (Enhanced Defense Intelligence)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: AI

Squadmate: No

“I always work at optimal capacity.”

EDI which stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, is the AI of the Normandy SR-2 and is represented visually by a holographic floating blue sphere and a feminine voice at various terminals throughout the ship where she can provide basic information about the Normandy and Cerberus.

Garrus Vakarian (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 1

Race: Turian

Squadmate: Yes

“Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? I’d say that beats C-Sec.”

Garrus Vakarian is a turian, formerly with C-Sec’s Investigation Division. Like most turians, Garrus had military training at fifteen, but later followed in his father’s footsteps to become a C-Sec officer.

He was responsible for the investigation of Saren Arterius, the Council’s top Spectre, after the Alliance claimed Saren had gone rogue. Though Garrus was told the investigation was over, he decided to defy the Executor’s order and pursue another lead on his own. Eventually, Garrus joined Shepard’s team, to help the Commander defeat Saren and the geth.

Grunt ME 2

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Krogan

Squadmate: Yes

“I am pure krogan; you should be in awe.”

Grunt is a genetically engineered krogan super soldier. Bred and educated in a tank, he was intended to exemplify the best traits of the krogan, and help reinvigorate his species. In the meantime, he fights along Commander Shepard to satisfy his natural desire for violence.

Jacob Taylor (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“So much for peace.”

Jacob Taylor is a human biotic, the main protagonist of Mass Effect Galaxy and a squad member in Mass Effect 2. A former Alliance Marine under the command of Major Derek Izunami, he resigned after surviving the geth attack on Eden Prime.

Jacob is a highly experienced fighter, and is skilled in the use of assault rifles, biotic abilities, heavy weapons and tech attacks. In Mass Effect 2, he is proficient in the use of shotguns, heavy pistols and biotics.

He works professionally alongside Miranda Lawson, who functions as his informant and later as his superior officer.

In Mass Effect 2 Jacob is a potential romance option for a female Shepard.

Jack (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“Turns out, mess with someone’s head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all powerful bitch.”

Jack, also known as “Subject Zero”, is a notorious criminal whose crimes include piracy, kidnapping, vandalism and murder. She is also a biotic, possibly one of the most powerful human biotics alive, and considered so dangerous she was kept in stasis after she was caught.

In Mass Effect 2 she is a potential romance interest for a male Shepard.

Jeff “Joker” Moreau

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“I’m not good. I’m not even great. I’m the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet.”

Flight Lieutenant Jeff “Joker” Moreau is the pilot of the SSV Normandy. Joker is an excellent pilot and confident to the point of arrogance, wasting no time in pointing out his prowess to others.

He’s quick to ensure everyone knows his many accomplishments and commendations were all earned, and not due to charity for his medical problems.

Kaidan Alenko (ME)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“We finally get out here and the ‘final frontier’ was already settled. And the residents don’t even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers.”

Kaidan Alenko is a human Sentinel and a Systems Alliance Marine. While serving aboard the SSV Normandy, he was a Staff Lieutenant and head of the ship’s Marine detail. He also was an initial member of Commander Shepard’s squad.

Kaidan is a biotic wired with the controversial L2 implants, which are known to cause severe neurological damage to the user. However, he is fortunate enough to only suffer from occasional severe migraines.

In Mass Effect he is a possible romantic partner for a female Shepard.

Kelly Chambers (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“Character matters, not race or gender.”

Kelly Chambers appears in Mass Effect 2, and she is Shepard’s Yeoman on the Normandy SR-2. Her primary job on the Normandy is to keep Commander Shepard abreast of new e-mails and pass on meeting requests from Shepard’s squad mates. In addition, Kelly provides counselor support and monitors the psychological state of Shepard and the crew, offering input on mission outcomes and impressions on Shepard’s team. Her abilities as a counselor and her impressions are influenced by her education where Kelly graduated with a psychology degree.

In the Cerberus organization, she is identified as a member of the Lazarus Cell.

Legion (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Geth

Squadmate: Yes

“Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite.”

Legion is the name taken by the gestalt consciousness formed by 1,183 geth programs inhabiting a unique geth “mobile platform”. The name was chosen at EDI’s suggestion.

Legion has been searching the galaxy for Commander Shepard ever since the Battle of the Citadel.

Liara T’Soni

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Asari

Squadmate: Yes

“That is why I find you so fascinating. You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime; you were touched by working Prothean technology!”

Dr. Liara T’Soni is an asari researcher who has spent the past fifty years of her life studying Prothean technology and culture, specialising in the Prothean extinction.

She was born in 2077, making her “only” 106, little more than a child in asari terms. She has a great deal of insight into the Protheans and is a highly trained user of biotics.

In Mass Effect she is a potential romance interest for either a male or female Shepard.

Miranda Lawson (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“I’m an excellent judge of character. I think you’ll find my assessments to be right on the money.”

Miranda Lawson is a human Cerberus Officer. As Jacob Taylor’s informant, she gives him guidance and advice during missions, often via hologram. Miranda is very well traveled and has many contacts, extending from Citadel space and the Terminus Systems, to as far as the hostile Nemean Abyss. Her vast network of contacts may be explained by the fact Miranda is a known Cerberus operative, one who still has friends or at least friends of friends in the Alliance military.

In Mass Effect 2 she is a potential romance interest for a males Shepard.

Mordin Solus (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Salarian

Squadmate: Yes

“Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps.”

Mordin Solus is a salarian geneticist, professor, and a former operative of the Special Tasks Group, where he performed reconnaissance and participated in the modification of the genophage.

In 2185, he was recruited by Commander Shepard to assist in a high-risk mission against the Collectors. Mordin has a moral character best described as consequentialistic, believing the ends justify the means, though he dislikes taking life without good cause. His actions are often guided by an impersonal logic, refusing to let his conscience, personal, and emotional connections cloud his judgment of what he believes is truly best in the big picture.

Though he is affable, quick-talking and friendly, Mordin bears physical scars of his time in the STG and is still handling the consequences of his past.

Tali’Zorah vas Normandy (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Quarian

Squadmate: Yes

“Our Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?”

Tali’Zorah nar Rayya is a quarian and a member of Commander Shepard’s squad. She is the daughter of Rael’Zorah, a member of the Admiralty Board. Though young, Tali is a mechanical genius.

During the events of the first game, she is on her Pilgrimage, a rite of passage to prove her worth and bring something of value back to her people aboard the Migrant Fleet. In Mass Effect 2 after having completed her Pilgrimage, Tali has been entrusted with leading an important research mission for the Admiralty Board.

In Mass Effect 2 she is a potential romance interest for a male Shepard.

Thane Krios (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Drell

Squadmate: Yes

“The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.”

Thane Krios is a drell assassin, rumored to be the most skilled in the galaxy. Unlike most assassins, who prefer to snipe their targets from a distance, Thane prefers to get up close and kill his target personally, utilizing a mixture of stealth, firearms, hand-to-hand combat and biotic abilities.

Despite his profession, Thane is a deeply spiritual man who prays for success in his missions, and asks for forgiveness after each kill, even going as far as to ignore those in his immediate vicinity until he is finished doing so.

Thane is a possible romantic interest for a female Shepard.

The Illusive Man

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: No

“Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but by what we seek to accomplish.”

The Illusive Man is the elusive, secretive, and well informed leader of Cerberus.

He has close-cropped silver-grey hair with “steely blue” eyes which appear to be prosthetic. The Illusive Man’s real name and his life before Cerberus are both long forgotten. He is described as having the best and worst traits of humanity rolled into one man.

For years, the Illusive Man has been using Cerberus and his immense network of contacts to achieve his goal that of making humanity ascendant above all other races.

Urdnot Wrex (ME)

First Appearance: Mass Effect

Race: Krogan

Squadmate: Yes

“Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren’s payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor to the universe.”

A famed krogan mercenary and bounty hunter, Urdnot Wrex is also one of the last Krogan Battlemasters: rare individuals who combine powerful biotic abilities with the devastating firepower of advanced weaponry. A long-lived krogan who has had many adventures, Wrex has heard of Commander Shepard on his travels, and respects the Commander as a fellow warrior.

Despite his chosen path of violence and killing for credits, Wrex is deeply concerned with the fate of his people after the genophage, and is one of the few planning for a new krogan future.

Zaeed Massani (ME 2)

First Appearance: Mass Effect 2

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

“Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.”

Zaeed Massani is a feared and respected bounty hunter and mercenary soldier. Cerberus has contracted Zaeed to assist Commander Shepard in the mission to save mankind. In exchange, Zaeed requires help to complete another mission he had accepted beforehand, which is to liberate an Eldfell-Ashland Energy refinery from Blue Suns control.

New Characters in Mass Effect 3

James Vega

First Appearance: Mass Effect 3

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

James Vega is a human Systems Alliance soldier and can be recruited by Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3.

In Mass Effect: Conviction, James while on Omega fights with multiple Batarian patrons at a bar after destroying a television reporting on the destruction of a Mass Relay, caused by Commander Shepard, and Batarian officials calling for Shepard’s execution due to his actions. This fight is intervened by Admiral Anderson, who recruits Vega, stating that a soldier as good as him does not deserve to waste time on Omega. Anderson then assigns Vega to guard a prisoner on the Normandy, coincidentally, Commander Shepard.

While Vega is an experienced soldier, he is unfamiliar with the seedy underbelly and political workings of the galaxy

Kai Leng

First Appearance: Mass Effect 3

Race: Human

Squadmate: Yes

Kai Leng was originally an N7 Alliance marine lieutenant known for having anti-alien attitudes.

He is described as being Earth-born with features that show his dominant Chinese heritage with a slight hint of some distant Slavic ancestry in his jaw line.

During his service, he was arrested for the murder of a krogan in a bar on the Citadel using only a knife, and sentenced to twenty years in an Alliance prison. His prowess in combat and xenophobic nature drew the attention of the Illusive Man, and Cerberus helped liberate Leng from prison. The Illusive Man used Leng as his best wet-work operative and assassin for over a decade, realising he was not only ruthless but discreet and methodical.

The Prothean

First Appearance: Mass Effect 3

Race: Prothean

Squadmate: Yes

The Protheans are an extinct alien race which mysteriously vanished over 50,000 years ago. The only known space-faring species of their time, the Protheans arose from a single planet and developed an immense galaxy-wide empire.

Not much is known about them, but many of their artifacts, ruins and technology have apparently survived the ages.

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My other Mass Effect 3 posts:

• Video Games to Watch Out For in 2012 Part #1.
• Mass Effect 3 Spoilers.
• Mass Effect 3 Screenshots.
• More Mass Effect 3 Screenshots.
• Mass Effect 3 Delayed Until Early 2012.