A little correction. Mordin didn't create the original genophage. That was hundreds of years earlier. Mordin was part of the team that created the modified version of genophage because krogans started to develop a resistance against it.
@@TheStormieKnight the original genophage was made 1476 years before mass effect 3, maybe if he was a krogan (they live forever) asari only live to 1000-1200 years
Yes, Joker is perhaps the most prominent crew member, who is not a selectable companion in the regular missions. But man, playing him in that special event mission left me more scared for my hero's well-being than ever with Shepard.
Legion, "Creator Zora, Does this unit have a soul"? is still my favorite, assuming you get the best ending of the Geth/Quarian plot. But the highest points of the series are easily the Genophage Cure and Rannock.
Great line, but for me the pinnacle of the game is the moment as FemShep when you hear Thane say ‘she’ in his dying prayer. I’ll never forget how emotionally invested I was at that moment the first time round; still hits me like a ton of bricks every time.
Let's be honest. Your best companion is the M7 Lancer. She even left the team during Mass Effect 2 like some of the other but she came back in 3 like the loyal friend she is.
I think ME1s characters would have benefitted a lot from loyalty missions. The issue with Kaiden is that we are only TOLD that he has issues with his implants, not shown it in any meaningful way. That's where the Loyalty missions shine in my opinion.
When you make it to the Citadel DLC in ME3 and have all the characters at your place drinking and having fun for once, it really feels like you are meeting your friends for the last time ever. Not many games have been able to leave that impression. I am not very optimistic, but still keep a bit of hope that there will be a fourth entry where Shepard gets to reunite with his friends. It would be cool to have a game where you go around the galaxy finding them one by one and helping them fix whatever crap has gone down.
Well we can dream can't we. I mean going back to Shepard and the root of mass effect is likely even an actually good idea, less chances to mess things up, a more solid and existing base and so on.
While I love Cmdr Shepard, especially the female one spoken by the wonderful Jennifer Hale, I believe it would be a pretty much difficult to write and probably rather unbelievable story arc to bring Shepard back after ME3.
@@firstclaw1 Shepard do live in one of the endings (destroy) if you hade enough War Assets, but I very much doubt they would go back and try to do something else with that storyline even after how Andromeda turned out. That said, the teaser image they released apperently have lots of hints on ME4 and if you realy squint you could make out Wrex, Liara, Garrus and possibly Tali. It's definitly wishful thinking but I guess we'll see.
@@criwall Bioware either need to have a Canon ending of some sort or a situation where the ending of ME3 is of little consequence for the new story. In a way they nyay be able to have a clone of Shepard or a descendant, but then again... I am not sure if that would be original and interesting enough... Maybe a parralel universe? Whatever... I won't pre-purchase any title anymore.
Garrus has always been my favorite. Other companions may have more emotional character arcs, others with bigger impact on the galaxy, but Garrus is your bro throughout. He will always have your back.
I ve been playing games on different platforms for more than 30 years. More than 20 years on pc, playsations of different generations. Played many games that I loved and enjoyed deeply. Like Baldurs Gate games, Pillars of Eternity, Planescape Torments, Bishock games etc. But with Mass Effect games such a world building, such great companions that you want to do extra missions for them not just because for the experience or loot but you actually care about them, curious about their story, wanting to learn more about their past. I've haven't had such a gaming experience in no other game. For me it was like reading a good sci fi novel, playing a great game and watching an epic space opera movie all together. Mass Effect is one of a kind a such a uniq experience and I am glad to see this channel appricate the game espically companions. One thing I should mention I would rank Mordin at least in top three. His people story, his sacrifice, his character they are all perfect combination for a sci fi game. And I belive he kind of looks like Clint Eastwood. 🙂 By the way although he was not a companion Illusive Man deserved a honorobel mention. His absence was a big negative impact in the last game. Finally the game has a great soundtrack perfect fit for an epic sfi game. Enjoyed your videos about Mass effect , thank you 👍
Yes, despite some points worth critique like the boring parts or some difficult to fathom story twists ME is a huge achievement in gaming in itself. With this world building one could make a huge series out of it easily.
Tali and Garrus are my favorites, popular opinion! I even made a playthrough where I always picked them as my squad (as soon as they were available). Not surprised about Kaidan, you didn't like him since the beginning. However, I'm surprised about Javik's rank and Jacob being ranked higher than him. Javik is in my opinion one of the most interesting companions, we learn more about Protheans and the way he talks with some characters (and about their species) is quite funny, plus his overall attitude is understandable, him being the last survivor and all of that. As for Kaidan, I would rank him above Jacob and James, he was still more interesting than them, imo. Mordin is arguably the most interesting from the companions introduced in ME2, his personality, interesting background and involvement in some important events. I also liked Zaeed and Kasumi, despite their limited involvement, given they were dlc characters.
Javik gives good insight in how the prothean was and his dynamic with Liara was quite interesting (the way in that he is different from what Liara thought about his species and culture, similar to how we often romanticizes particular parts of history or culture). However, I'm SO sick to death of him keep repeating "in my cycle" over and over and over again. Like he could've used different phrases but it's just that one line over and over again that he became obnoxious over time, at least to me he is.
@@khoavo510 he also had a bit of PTSD as he was sort of like shepard in how he had a special forces team of his own, who got indoctrinated and he had to gun them all down himself which is why he acts a bit diffident/dissociative with others
I played this game (the whole story, 1, 2 and 3) in parallel with a friend and we did have different choices here and there, and we talked about it. To my surprise, our experience in ME3 was quite different, as he chose Ashley and I Kaidan. While he described Ashley as being bitter, whiny and even b****y at time, to me, Kaidan was like a troubled little brother, that needed to come to terms with the fact that the world isn't black and white, and sometimes you can't get things done if you work by-the-book. The heart-to-heart he had with Sheppard in the hospital and later on the ship really smoothed up his character for me. He grew a lot throughout the games and in the end, he was willing to march into hell with you. Really underrated character.
Samara is probably my favorite character from the entire trilogy. She was wise and noble but also struggle with balancing her code and her love for her daughters. Also she’s incredibly powerful even amongst asari. I took her on most missions in ME2
Jacob is a character I cannot believe how the writers handled. I feel so bad for the female Shepherd players who romanced him, only for the writer to shoehorn in a stereotypical cheating baby’s mama plot line. The hell were they even thinking?
I love finding out how different players react to the gameplay, characters and choices. My list would be pretty different, but it’s been fun hear about yours. And my list changed a lot as I played through, with new characters coming in and older characters changing and evolving.
Holy shit, a tier list after my own heart. With the exception of romancing Jack on my "main playthru" (I'm a sucker for Tali) I feel damn near identically about each of these explanations for these characters.
My personal favorite would be grunt. His "parent" died before he was even cognizant of him, leaving behind this impossible legacy of becoming the ultimate Krogan. He is basically a child who was forced to be an adult "Perfect Krogan" without knowing what it means to even be a Krogan and throughout the series you are placed into the position of being his surrogate parent, guiding him by example and teaching him what it means to be an independent person. You even help him pass his rite to adulthood and find his place in his ppl.
raceyvick said some things in his video about how certain characters like zaed could've had great content with him like the dude is the founder if one of the biggest crime gangs in the galaxy and all we do is help him get revenge? talk about dropping the ball
Mostly agree. Minor exceptions. Jacob was in many ways one of the most blah characters for me. I actually would have him below Kaiden. Kaiden was a good character in many ways and, since I played as a 100% combat Sheperd the first time thru, a good compliment in battle. Ashley I took a disliking to very quickly because of her bigotry but in all honesty, never really gave her a chance to grow out of it. Perhaps I'll play thru again and give her a chance. Kudo's to your opinion of Jack, my far and away favorite romance figure. Lastly, I didn't really like Miranda because she strikes me as a rich person feeling to sorry for herself. Good vid
Finally, someone with a rational opinion about Kaidan. :P Even as a femshep player, I never liked him. He's incredibly unpleasant lol. However I never ended up with Ashley so I suppose that means I like her less? I had forgotten about her. My squad was always Garrus first, with the second companion usually Liara, Thane, or Javik. Samara and EDI were other favorites. Tali was a companion I really disliked, which I think is a sort of rare opinion. I just couldn't ever abide by the whole Quarian/Geth thing. It really disturbed me when you get to the part that explains the Geth's existence and I couldn't ever like Tali again after hearing her opinions/side on it. (Though I guess I don't fault her for it, I just couldn't like her after that) I always chose the Geth over the Quarians in the end.
Dude, just gotta say: I've watched all your Mass Effect vids and they are outstanding. But dang, bro... your Shepherd has a face only a mother could love! And even she'd have some serious issues 😆
Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), my top 3 exactly match yours. Other than that, I was a fan of Legion and Thane, those two were amazing for the amount of the screentime they've got.
Garrus definitely deserves the number 1 spot, though I the best part about Garrus is how adorable his romance subplot is with you when you're playing FemShep.
I started playing Mass Effect back when I was in middle school (2007ish). I still try to run through the series every 1-2 years, and every time I do it feels like I’m meeting up with old friends. That’s how you know that the characters are impeccably written.
I was surprised that you didn't put the "Vent God" (Jacob) on bottom. However I feel Vega needs some love. He has some cool banter with the crew specially Garrus and a generally a cool guy. One thing I'd like to add that if you choose Morinth in ME2 and she lives into ME3 she becomes a Banshee, and you actually fight her during Earth mission near the end.
Mass Effect Companion Ranking, we never disagree on these. Jacob is dead last for me. I can't *always* bring myself to honor his request to volunteer in Mass Effect 2. But I'm always tempted to. Top 3 for me are the Ride or Die Characters, Liara, Tali, Garrus, ascending order. Wrex behind them. Grunt behind Wrex, because he's Shepard's son. From there, Mordin and Miranda, choosing between them is a mood thing. Honestly, the reason I don't rate EDI higher is because I know it cost us Miranda as a companion in ME3. Javik would be in their ranking, if not for the fact of being DLC and the drama behind his character writing. Beneath Javik is the character he most wants to throw out the airlock (EDI), Thane, and Jack. And we're still in characters I really, really like. Even when we put the ME2 DLC characters beneath them, on principle of having to pay extra to see them. And in the tier above Jacob, we have James, who is an utterly superfluous character foisted on us by EA suits. Then the Virmire Survivor (dull either way), and Samara/Morinth (not nearly enough time to matter).
The last and first are probably the coldest take ever :) Garrus I think is overrated because he's just turrian Dirty Harry, then turrian Punisher and only comes on his own in ME3 as a character. But he's the best bro (or more if you want) so almost everyone ranks him number 1. It helps that the scene of sniper contest is probably one of the best scene of bromance in any video game. Also it's impressive that Wrex is so high while you only get him playable in ME1, the game where the companions had the least going on except presenting their species, but he really deserves it. Also the future of krogans depends on him surviving, they will just self-destruct again if what's-his-name replaces him.
Tali, Wrex and Garrus are pretty much everyone's favorite three characters, and no one likes Kaden, the rest are interchangeable on such a list really. Honestly the human characters were all so forgettable, that I in fact forgot there were so many.
I like Kaiden more than most people, but he still hasn't made it out of the first game for me, because Ashley, despite the space racism and all, is just...more fun. Just a more colorful character, and it feels like she has a better arc, because Kaiden starts off as the "basically decent, normal guy", and he doesn't really go anywhere from there. Also, Ashley giving you shit for working with Cerberus just lands better, somehow, because from Kaiden, it comes off like scolding from an uptight goody-two shoes, whereas, with Ash, it's "How can you work with these assholes?" Even if you'd think she might agree with their "Earth First" philosophy.
Been so long since i last played this but mine would be 1 Tali 2 Garrus 3 Mordin 4 Liara 5 Legion 6 Wrex 7 Edi 8 Jack 9 Thane 10 Grunt 11 Samara 12 Miranda 13 Javik 14 Kasumi 15 Ashley 16 James 17 Zaheed 18 Kaiden 19 SSV Normandy 20 SR-2 Normandy 21 Jacob
From Ashley I learned that is worst to be boring than to be racist, I just could never like Kaydan, and most people don't also either, they end up ignoring him just to don't keep the racist but in the end I have never heard of someone choosing Kaydan over Ashley because of actually liking Kaydan.
I was never a huge Mass Effect fan and probably couldn't even remember many of these if I didn't watch the video, but my favourites were always Mordin and Garrus.
I am a big of the Salarians in general. They come across as the most alien of the aliens. The hyper logical nature makes their decisions in the universe have a unique feel to them. The other aliens are very alien in appearance, but have the silly looking human cultures.
It has always been the aliens in ME1 who ends up in the top 3 or top 5 companions. Hoping ME4 will give us a create your own character where you can play any of the available races or maybe do it DA: Origins style.
Sounds like a great idea. But sadly I don't see that happening with the state EA and Bioware are in. More likely they make something like a mess of a mix of a ME:A/DA:I style game with integrated multi-player loot shooter + BR + RPG hybrid chimera gameplay having some single-player missions, and of course including a plethora of in-game skins to buy to squeeze cash out of the fans. Now, prove me wrong Bioware... PLEASE!
Because of his impactful quest, I would have Mordin higher. I'm not sure how to move Edi and Legion higher but I felt so bad about my first play through of the game where I wiped them out with the reapers that I immediately started a new playthrough which ended with synthesis. I needed to do that anyway because I got so many people killed in my first go at the trilogy, that I didn't get to see them in the last game.
Number one and two I instantly knew when I saw the title xD Garrus is the absolute greatest companion in any game I've played. I never play male characters. But I did a full completionist playthrough to romance Tali :3 Should have added Joker. Sure, he doesn't come with you on missions, but he's your constant companion.
This is the first time I've seen Jacob ranked so high He's such a throwaway character that only does negative things, makes bad calls and his development seems to go backwards
Jacob gets a ton of extra points for a great loyalty mission. Otherwise, his primary character trait is that he's there to contradict whatever advice Miranda gives you. And given that MIranda's character is about being hyper competent, contradicting her does not win much favor. Jackass told me to throw Legion out an airlock ffs.
Mordin's death was the first time I wept at something in a game, just rewatching that stupid tower in this video gave me tears. Mordin was such a good character
I was so mad that we had no way of saving him, definitely one of my favorite characters, and while he went out like an absolute legend, there were so many other companions I would have gladly tossed out the airlock in exchange for him surviving heh.
I love Mordin's character and story arc so much. He is an amazingly written character. Even though he knows his actions were drastic and their consequences severe, he still believes his actions were justified, he has the arguments and the logic to back them up. The more the game progresses though, the more you can see that the ethical implications of his actions start to matter more and more to him. To the point that he is willing to sacrifice himself to cure the genophage, as it "had to be me! Someone else could have gotten it wrong". Best character arc ever.
What he did was necessary at the time but when circumstances changed he was strong enough to re-evaluate that decision and change it. Mordin was such an amazing character because of that development and all the nuances that were a part of his backstory that could be argued for or against him. He just had great depth.
@@MortismalGaming I dunno, Mortym. Javik's banter and cutscenes after recruiting him, hearing how life was in his timeline compared to Shepards, I feel Javik is a top-tier character just from his perspective of things - good or bad. Amazingly strong character. PS: The banter between him and Liara during the Kallini mission is awesome.
For me it’s always mordin. He’s just so cool and he reminds me of Spock in a lot of ways. Super intelligent and pragmatic but also able to empathize more than you would think. Garrus is just great but he’s on the top of everybody’s list.
Shooting Mordin outside of the tower and later killing Wrex after he learns of your betrayal has to be one of the most cutting, villainous acts you can do as an 'evil' protagonist in rpg's history. And it is so precisely because the characters work so well
Im shocked to see Jakob this high on the list. To be clear, i do not dislike any character from these games, but he certainly belongs to bottom 3 in my list.
Jacob would be dead last for me just because what seems like an interesting character at the beginning becomes one of the most boring characters in the entire game. Then they have him cheat on femshep in ME3 if you romance him. That and the story about his dad also seem a bit insensitive for one of the very few black characters in the series.
@@jmmywyf4lyf me2 biotics aren't really that powerful compared to 1 and 3. Zaeed is fine and id definitely take him over jack or Tali gameplay wise for example
It's a pretty solid list. I do think Joker deserves to be included (and high up) in the rankings. He gets lots of screen time, has interesting characters arcs, and his personal mission is a welcome change of pace and perspective. But most importantly... he's GENUINALLY FUNNY thanks to the talent of Seth Green. This is a rare find in video games, where the "funny" character is often just Jar Jar style comic relief.
This video really reminds me how astoundingly great mass effect really is. Shame there are no games since it that rival it. As in no game has companions as deep or as human as this.
@@jimmym3352 I mean human emotions, as in real life emotions, human in this context doesn't mean of the human species. It means having emotions like us human get.
Ashley is quite a good character, she has more nuance then people give her credit, I like how she is sceptical of aliens on a 'racial' level, yet the first one to tell you to check on Liara after Benezia dies. It cracks me up when you team her up with Wrex in ME1, He calls her out for being racist, next interaction she flips it around and calls him out for being sexest. The way they respond to each other a sign of intelligence and humility shown by both.
Yeah she grows a lot. I think a lot of the dislike comes from the fact she always believes you to be a Cerberus spy no matter what. When I played ME2 the first time I felt utterly betrayed since I was all Paragon and romanced her in the prior game.
"We're best bros, Garrus" pretty much spot on. Agreed on almost all of the place, having top 3 from all the way 1 to 3 shows, how well they are written, and how much screen time helps to develop their stories. Seeing Tali from her inexperienced youngling to accepting Geth, witnessing the progress of Garrus from a cop to a literal badass... great memories.
I can understand the hate for Kaidan, especially if you play male Shepard. But as a romance option for female Shepard he's my favorite character. I would never want to be in a relationship with someone who blindly follows without question, and I understand his point of view regarding Shepard and Cerberus. He grows a lot throughout the game, at least when you have access to the extra content that comes with the romance. Regardless, I could never save Ashley. She just grates on me. To each his (or her) own!
Checked in to make sure you got #1 right and you did! Garrus is second only to Eder in recent RPGs at being a good, relatable friend to your character.
Thane is a very interesting character. He is my favorite romance too;.there's a very touching moment after the citadel party. Garrus is also one of my favorites too.
Didn't romance him. Maybe I should try. I like him, but among the aliens somehow to me the Asari are more attractive most of the time. Of course I had to try to even romance Morinth once just out of curiosity...
Shepard. Wrex. Sheppard. Grunt. Sheppard. Wrex. Sheppard. Grunt. Sheppard. Sheppard. Wrex. Grunt. SHEPPPPPARDDD. Personally I never gelled with Samara, Javic, Jacob, Thane, Liara and Kaiden (omg he is a whiny bitch). Zaeed I had a grudging respect for. Kasumi, Jack and Miranda all fall under the I can fix them trope; Jack and Miranda certainly were in a better place; we dont see much of Kasumi but like to think she managed to move on. I'm proud of Grunt, the boy all growed up. I think I trust the Legion platform even with the creepy N7 patch. Ash was annoying to start with, but glad I saved her as she's matured well. Wrex is Wrex and Mordin is the very model of a Scientist Salarian. Picking between Garrus and Tali is like deciding whether you love your left leg or right leg more. I love them both.
He's a complete lapdog for Shepard. no matter what you did he still follows you and idiolizes you. With Tali it felt different at least, she confronts/argues with Shepard if you did some questionable choices
Decent list. Best Bro, Space Wife and 2nd Best Bro as the top 3. Though I'd have Liara ranked higher given her arc is far more involved than Jack's. I'd say that Thane vaults up a few spots if you romance him as FemShep - it's probably the most heartbreaking storyline in ME.
top 10 imo 1) Best bro Space cop 2) Space suit wife 3) Red angry titan bro (also second best bro) 4) Info Broker blue wife 5) Science wizard lizard (on speed, also can sing) 6) Best mecha boi 7) Eidetic Memory dad 8) I'm angry (also tattoos for days) 9) Baby Boi Krogan 10) 50,000 years ago/ Dat Ass (can't quite decide on one so both sit here)
@@MsKeylas yup bottom of the barrel stays at the bottom. Jack is a good choice to have. For me, her only problem is being underutilised. Top 4 (other than wrex) are at the top since they have lots of showtime, time for character growth
I don't even remember James Vega's backstory. That shows how forgettable it was. Honestly his character can be interchangeable with Jacob imho. Both are gungho military types. I'd rather see Jacob in ME3 in this role, he needs some redemption after all the hate he got from ME2.
Only going to disagree about Kaiden and Grunt - I’d put Kaiden in the upper 3rd and Grunt right near the bottom, if not last. Kaiden is a subtle character with a tragic backstory who isn’t afraid to question Shepard; I always appreciated that. Grunt is a fairly one-dimensional, forgettable character who simply provides muscle/firepower to the team. Man, looking through the comments, I had no clue Jacob was such a controversial character! I’ve played through the trilogy three times and never had a problem with him. Sure, he’s fairly run-of-the-mill, but I loved his loyalty mission (confronting his f’d up father, who’s been playing ‘god’) and found him a fairly realistic, grounded presence.
both Kaiden and Jacob suck, Grunt is cool and the concept/idea behind his character and the reason he exists is cool in itself, krogans are also vastly more interesting than humans in this series and grunt is fun to listen to while Jacob and Kaiden are both forgettable and boring both in terms of how they look and their personalities.
Although your list doesn't really match mine all that much, the only two I would actually argue about are Kaiden and Jack. I really dislike Jack, almost everything about her is distasteful to me. Kaiden is just middle of the road for me he's not that noteworthy but he also doesn't do anything to annoy me, but I am annoyed that it seems like so many people would pick Ashley over him in ME1 and I just can't agree with any of the arguments for that.
How dare they make me like Moridin so much, his sacrifice ending caps one of the best written companions in gaming. Not my favorite companion, but given the atrocities he committed and that I consider Ashley the "bad companion" says a lot.
I'm always amazed to see with how much racism Tali gets away with... She was one of the few characters I didn't like - to the point that Garrus - my all time favorite companion in a game - lost points for romancing her... just saying :D
Having played the trilogy 7 times or so now, I must say it's a great list. Totally agree with top 3 and most of the bottom ranks. Would have Liara and Mordin as 5 and 4, but very good. Jacob last thou. What a tool :D But hard to rank some of the best companions in all of gaming. Really where the games shine.
My rankings are similar to yours, Jack may be a little bit lower while Liara higher, but otherwise it is very much the same. Also: Joker. He should be top 5.
I loved Javik! Always kept him and Garrus on my team in the 3rd game. I feel like Javik was a really important puzzle piece to the story, not to mention he has some of the funnier lines. And an excellent voice actor too!
A little correction. Mordin didn't create the original genophage. That was hundreds of years earlier. Mordin was part of the team that created the modified version of genophage because krogans started to develop a resistance against it.
I was about to say the same thing. The only way Mordin could have worked on the original genophage is if he was an asari. Lol
@@TheStormieKnight Or, ironically, a Krogan.
"a little" lol
It’s technically accurate as he did create the recent upgraded genophage. I’m just splitting hairs though.
@@TheStormieKnight the original genophage was made 1476 years before mass effect 3, maybe if he was a krogan (they live forever) asari only live to 1000-1200 years
Joker’s almost a companion too. He’s there the whole time, has plenty of dialogue and even briefly playable.
Yes, Joker is perhaps the most prominent crew member, who is not a selectable companion in the regular missions. But man, playing him in that special event mission left me more scared for my hero's well-being than ever with Shepard.
I did consider putting the Normandy crew in here, but decided against it
He should have been fully playable in 3 imo
@@elvenatheart982 And... do what? Joker is at risk breaking a limb over going to the toilet!
“Had to be me. Someone else might’ve gotten it wrong.” Place them in whatever order you like, that’s the best line/moment in the series.
Legion, "Creator Zora, Does this unit have a soul"? is still my favorite, assuming you get the best ending of the Geth/Quarian plot. But the highest points of the series are easily the Genophage Cure and Rannock.
I hate the ending of the game (even with the extended cut) however moments like those 2 are what make this game my favourite (and the gameplay).
Great line, but for me the pinnacle of the game is the moment as FemShep when you hear Thane say ‘she’ in his dying prayer. I’ll never forget how emotionally invested I was at that moment the first time round; still hits me like a ton of bricks every time.
That would be "Geth do not infiltrate intentionally" in my books.
Let's be honest. Your best companion is the M7 Lancer. She even left the team during Mass Effect 2 like some of the other but she came back in 3 like the loyal friend she is.
I'm sorry, but Black Widow for life
Mattock(or Harrier) + Suppressor + Graal
or
Prothean rifle + Widow + Graal + Suppressor (anti reaper runs)
geth plasma shotgun gang
I think ME1s characters would have benefitted a lot from loyalty missions. The issue with Kaiden is that we are only TOLD that he has issues with his implants, not shown it in any meaningful way. That's where the Loyalty missions shine in my opinion.
When you make it to the Citadel DLC in ME3 and have all the characters at your place drinking and having fun for once, it really feels like you are meeting your friends for the last time ever. Not many games have been able to leave that impression.
I am not very optimistic, but still keep a bit of hope that there will be a fourth entry where Shepard gets to reunite with his friends. It would be cool to have a game where you go around the galaxy finding them one by one and helping them fix whatever crap has gone down.
Well we can dream can't we. I mean going back to Shepard and the root of mass effect is likely even an actually good idea, less chances to mess things up, a more solid and existing base and so on.
While I love Cmdr Shepard, especially the female one spoken by the wonderful Jennifer Hale, I believe it would be a pretty much difficult to write and probably rather unbelievable story arc to bring Shepard back after ME3.
@@firstclaw1 Shepard do live in one of the endings (destroy) if you hade enough War Assets, but I very much doubt they would go back and try to do something else with that storyline even after how Andromeda turned out. That said, the teaser image they released apperently have lots of hints on ME4 and if you realy squint you could make out Wrex, Liara, Garrus and possibly Tali. It's definitly wishful thinking but I guess we'll see.
@@criwall Bioware either need to have a Canon ending of some sort or a situation where the ending of ME3 is of little consequence for the new story. In a way they nyay be able to have a clone of Shepard or a descendant, but then again... I am not sure if that would be original and interesting enough... Maybe a parralel universe? Whatever... I won't pre-purchase any title anymore.
Garrus has always been my favorite. Other companions may have more emotional character arcs, others with bigger impact on the galaxy, but Garrus is your bro throughout. He will always have your back.
The best moment in the games is finding out who Archangel is and Shepard's reaction.
I ve been playing games on different platforms for more than 30 years. More than 20 years on pc, playsations of different generations. Played many games that I loved and enjoyed deeply. Like Baldurs Gate games, Pillars of Eternity, Planescape Torments, Bishock games etc. But with Mass Effect games such a world building, such great companions that you want to do extra missions for them not just because for the experience or loot but you actually care about them, curious about their story, wanting to learn more about their past. I've haven't had such a gaming experience in no other game. For me it was like reading a good sci fi novel, playing a great game and watching an epic space opera movie all together. Mass Effect is one of a kind a such a uniq experience and I am glad to see this channel appricate the game espically companions.
One thing I should mention I would rank Mordin at least in top three. His people story, his sacrifice, his character they are all perfect combination for a sci fi game. And I belive he kind of looks like Clint Eastwood. 🙂
By the way although he was not a companion Illusive Man deserved a honorobel mention. His absence was a big negative impact in the last game.
Finally the game has a great soundtrack perfect fit for an epic sfi game.
Enjoyed your videos about Mass effect , thank you 👍
Yes, despite some points worth critique like the boring parts or some difficult to fathom story twists ME is a huge achievement in gaming in itself. With this world building one could make a huge series out of it easily.
Tali and Garrus are my favorites, popular opinion! I even made a playthrough where I always picked them as my squad (as soon as they were available). Not surprised about Kaidan, you didn't like him since the beginning. However, I'm surprised about Javik's rank and Jacob being ranked higher than him. Javik is in my opinion one of the most interesting companions, we learn more about Protheans and the way he talks with some characters (and about their species) is quite funny, plus his overall attitude is understandable, him being the last survivor and all of that. As for Kaidan, I would rank him above Jacob and James, he was still more interesting than them, imo. Mordin is arguably the most interesting from the companions introduced in ME2, his personality, interesting background and involvement in some important events. I also liked Zaeed and Kasumi, despite their limited involvement, given they were dlc characters.
Javik gives good insight in how the prothean was and his dynamic with Liara was quite interesting (the way in that he is different from what Liara thought about his species and culture, similar to how we often romanticizes particular parts of history or culture). However, I'm SO sick to death of him keep repeating "in my cycle" over and over and over again. Like he could've used different phrases but it's just that one line over and over again that he became obnoxious over time, at least to me he is.
@@khoavo510 he also had a bit of PTSD as he was sort of like shepard in how he had a special forces team of his own, who got indoctrinated and he had to gun them all down himself
which is why he acts a bit diffident/dissociative with others
I played this game (the whole story, 1, 2 and 3) in parallel with a friend and we did have different choices here and there, and we talked about it. To my surprise, our experience in ME3 was quite different, as he chose Ashley and I Kaidan. While he described Ashley as being bitter, whiny and even b****y at time, to me, Kaidan was like a troubled little brother, that needed to come to terms with the fact that the world isn't black and white, and sometimes you can't get things done if you work by-the-book. The heart-to-heart he had with Sheppard in the hospital and later on the ship really smoothed up his character for me. He grew a lot throughout the games and in the end, he was willing to march into hell with you. Really underrated character.
Garrus and Tali were my only squadmates for the entirety of the trilogy.
Samara is probably my favorite character from the entire trilogy. She was wise and noble but also struggle with balancing her code and her love for her daughters. Also she’s incredibly powerful even amongst asari. I took her on most missions in ME2
Jacob is a character I cannot believe how the writers handled. I feel so bad for the female Shepherd players who romanced him, only for the writer to shoehorn in a stereotypical cheating baby’s mama plot line.
The hell were they even thinking?
Fr, one of the few black characters in ME and they make him a cheater with a baby momma lol
@@Carlosinabottle yeah; not so subtle in the way they wrote him to be a stereotype.
I love finding out how different players react to the gameplay, characters and choices. My list would be pretty different, but it’s been fun hear about yours. And my list changed a lot as I played through, with new characters coming in and older characters changing and evolving.
Thanks for the awesome video. Everyone was pretty on point in this ranking.
Holy shit, a tier list after my own heart. With the exception of romancing Jack on my "main playthru" (I'm a sucker for Tali) I feel damn near identically about each of these explanations for these characters.
Garrus and Tali on the #1 and #2 as IT should always be. Best friends of Shepard
Also best romances
*checking where the two best friend are placed*
Good, very good.
Can't argue with the list. Another great video. You should do that for every game you enjoy😊
Can this ranking wait? I've got some calibrations to make.
My personal favorite would be grunt. His "parent" died before he was even cognizant of him, leaving behind this impossible legacy of becoming the ultimate Krogan. He is basically a child who was forced to be an adult "Perfect Krogan" without knowing what it means to even be a Krogan and throughout the series you are placed into the position of being his surrogate parent, guiding him by example and teaching him what it means to be an independent person. You even help him pass his rite to adulthood and find his place in his ppl.
I loved Zaeed, he was basically my favorite character from 2.
Yeah, I loved Zaeed and Katsumi way more than Jack and Jacob.
@@O-D-X Agreed, I wish Zaeed and Kasumi would have been main characters of ME2 instead of Jack and Jacob
raceyvick said some things in his video about how certain characters like zaed could've had great content with him like the dude is the founder if one of the biggest crime gangs in the galaxy and all we do is help him get revenge? talk about dropping the ball
Mostly agree. Minor exceptions. Jacob was in many ways one of the most blah characters for me. I actually would have him below Kaiden. Kaiden was a good character in many ways and, since I played as a 100% combat Sheperd the first time thru, a good compliment in battle. Ashley I took a disliking to very quickly because of her bigotry but in all honesty, never really gave her a chance to grow out of it. Perhaps I'll play thru again and give her a chance. Kudo's to your opinion of Jack, my far and away favorite romance figure. Lastly, I didn't really like Miranda because she strikes me as a rich person feeling to sorry for herself. Good vid
The Garrus bro moments are absolutely excellent, he's Dirty Harry, Batman and your best friend.
... Ps don't play Andromeda. Don't do it to yourself.
Finally, someone with a rational opinion about Kaidan. :P
Even as a femshep player, I never liked him. He's incredibly unpleasant lol. However I never ended up with Ashley so I suppose that means I like her less? I had forgotten about her.
My squad was always Garrus first, with the second companion usually Liara, Thane, or Javik. Samara and EDI were other favorites.
Tali was a companion I really disliked, which I think is a sort of rare opinion. I just couldn't ever abide by the whole Quarian/Geth thing. It really disturbed me when you get to the part that explains the Geth's existence and I couldn't ever like Tali again after hearing her opinions/side on it. (Though I guess I don't fault her for it, I just couldn't like her after that) I always chose the Geth over the Quarians in the end.
"There is no Shepard, without Vakarian"
When you got to the top 5 i knew who would be in the Top 3 because they are my favorites as well.
True patrician taste with Jack as your main romance.
Dude, just gotta say: I've watched all your Mass Effect vids and they are outstanding. But dang, bro... your Shepherd has a face only a mother could love! And even she'd have some serious issues 😆
Good.
Solid list. Would move a few a couple of spots either direction but no hard disagreements.
After years of playing the franchise, I finally decided to save Kaiden over Ashley. And I can confirm, he deserves to be on this list.
For me I'd go:
19) James
18) Kaidan
17) Zaeed
16) Legion
15) Jacob
14) Samara
13) Thane
12) Kasumi
11) Grunt
10) Miranda
9) Javik
8) EDI
7) Tali
6) Wrex
5) Mordin
4) Jack
3) Liara
2) Ashley
1) Garrus
Glad you put Jack so high
Tali and Garrus are my faves as well. In fact I like them both so much I cant pick between them so they are equal first for me.
Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), my top 3 exactly match yours. Other than that, I was a fan of Legion and Thane, those two were amazing for the amount of the screentime they've got.
Very good video 👍🏼
Garrus definitely deserves the number 1 spot, though I the best part about Garrus is how adorable his romance subplot is with you when you're playing FemShep.
I started playing Mass Effect back when I was in middle school (2007ish). I still try to run through the series every 1-2 years, and every time I do it feels like I’m meeting up with old friends. That’s how you know that the characters are impeccably written.
Putting Jacob above Javik is a crime, but otherwise, solid list
I was surprised that you didn't put the "Vent God" (Jacob) on bottom. However I feel Vega needs some love. He has some cool banter with the crew specially Garrus and a generally a cool guy.
One thing I'd like to add that if you choose Morinth in ME2 and she lives into ME3 she becomes a Banshee, and you actually fight her during Earth mission near the end.
Wow. I need another playthough, but resist romancing her. 🤣
Mass Effect Companion Ranking, we never disagree on these. Jacob is dead last for me. I can't *always* bring myself to honor his request to volunteer in Mass Effect 2. But I'm always tempted to. Top 3 for me are the Ride or Die Characters, Liara, Tali, Garrus, ascending order. Wrex behind them. Grunt behind Wrex, because he's Shepard's son.
From there, Mordin and Miranda, choosing between them is a mood thing. Honestly, the reason I don't rate EDI higher is because I know it cost us Miranda as a companion in ME3. Javik would be in their ranking, if not for the fact of being DLC and the drama behind his character writing. Beneath Javik is the character he most wants to throw out the airlock (EDI), Thane, and Jack. And we're still in characters I really, really like. Even when we put the ME2 DLC characters beneath them, on principle of having to pay extra to see them.
And in the tier above Jacob, we have James, who is an utterly superfluous character foisted on us by EA suits. Then the Virmire Survivor (dull either way), and Samara/Morinth (not nearly enough time to matter).
Jack has the best character development. I only played male Shephard because of her.
The best companion is obviously Miranda, for reasons all true men of culture will understand
The last and first are probably the coldest take ever :) Garrus I think is overrated because he's just turrian Dirty Harry, then turrian Punisher and only comes on his own in ME3 as a character. But he's the best bro (or more if you want) so almost everyone ranks him number 1. It helps that the scene of sniper contest is probably one of the best scene of bromance in any video game.
Also it's impressive that Wrex is so high while you only get him playable in ME1, the game where the companions had the least going on except presenting their species, but he really deserves it. Also the future of krogans depends on him surviving, they will just self-destruct again if what's-his-name replaces him.
Tali, Wrex and Garrus are pretty much everyone's favorite three characters, and no one likes Kaden, the rest are interchangeable on such a list really. Honestly the human characters were all so forgettable, that I in fact forgot there were so many.
I like Kaiden more than most people, but he still hasn't made it out of the first game for me, because Ashley, despite the space racism and all, is just...more fun. Just a more colorful character, and it feels like she has a better arc, because Kaiden starts off as the "basically decent, normal guy", and he doesn't really go anywhere from there. Also, Ashley giving you shit for working with Cerberus just lands better, somehow, because from Kaiden, it comes off like scolding from an uptight goody-two shoes, whereas, with Ash, it's "How can you work with these assholes?" Even if you'd think she might agree with their "Earth First" philosophy.
Been so long since i last played this but mine would be 1 Tali 2 Garrus 3 Mordin 4 Liara 5 Legion 6 Wrex 7 Edi 8 Jack 9 Thane 10 Grunt 11 Samara 12 Miranda 13 Javik 14 Kasumi 15 Ashley 16 James 17 Zaheed 18 Kaiden 19 SSV Normandy 20 SR-2 Normandy 21 Jacob
Wrex never leaves Virmire in my game. Nobody pulls a weapon on my Shep and walks away.
Wrex and Garrus in top 3, yup, a valid list!
1- Garrus
2- Mordin
The rest are meh okay...
The best companion is Pogo the fireball breathing chicken
From Ashley I learned that is worst to be boring than to be racist, I just could never like Kaydan, and most people don't also either, they end up ignoring him just to don't keep the racist but in the end I have never heard of someone choosing Kaydan over Ashley because of actually liking Kaydan.
I was never a huge Mass Effect fan and probably couldn't even remember many of these if I didn't watch the video, but my favourites were always Mordin and Garrus.
I am the only person in the world who doesn't like Garrus. I send him to the vent during ME2.
You're not. I don't like Garrus as well
I am a big of the Salarians in general. They come across as the most alien of the aliens. The hyper logical nature makes their decisions in the universe have a unique feel to them. The other aliens are very alien in appearance, but have the silly looking human cultures.
There is no Shepard without Vakarian
Romancing Thane his death hurts in ME3
Garrus at #1, and Kaidan at the bottom - Mort's in his heaven, all's right with the world
It has always been the aliens in ME1 who ends up in the top 3 or top 5 companions. Hoping ME4 will give us a create your own character where you can play any of the available races or maybe do it DA: Origins style.
Sounds like a great idea. But sadly I don't see that happening with the state EA and Bioware are in. More likely they make something like a mess of a mix of a ME:A/DA:I style game with integrated multi-player loot shooter + BR + RPG hybrid chimera gameplay having some single-player missions, and of course including a plethora of in-game skins to buy to squeeze cash out of the fans.
Now, prove me wrong Bioware... PLEASE!
Good list, although like others, I'd "cheat" and include Joker
(I may or may not have a stash of SR2 ballcaps, to futureproof my access to 'em :p)
My top 4 are the same. Jack is a little higher, though. She is fantastic and well written. Plus she's pretty dang good looking, especially in 3.
Now…where does Garrus rank in your favourite companions of all time?
Because of his impactful quest, I would have Mordin higher. I'm not sure how to move Edi and Legion higher but I felt so bad about my first play through of the game where I wiped them out with the reapers that I immediately started a new playthrough which ended with synthesis. I needed to do that anyway because I got so many people killed in my first go at the trilogy, that I didn't get to see them in the last game.
Number one and two I instantly knew when I saw the title xD Garrus is the absolute greatest companion in any game I've played. I never play male characters. But I did a full completionist playthrough to romance Tali :3
Should have added Joker. Sure, he doesn't come with you on missions, but he's your constant companion.
This is the first time I've seen Jacob ranked so high
He's such a throwaway character that only does negative things, makes bad calls and his development seems to go backwards
i'd argue james is worse and more of a throwaway
@@Mattznick I found James more cool and straight-forward with less ulterior motives and more loyalty.
Jacob gets a ton of extra points for a great loyalty mission. Otherwise, his primary character trait is that he's there to contradict whatever advice Miranda gives you. And given that MIranda's character is about being hyper competent, contradicting her does not win much favor. Jackass told me to throw Legion out an airlock ffs.
It's interesting to me that people think me putting him in the bottom 5 is still too high lol
@@MortismalGaming Commonly the community ranks him lowest and its become a bit of a meme at this point
Mordin's death was the first time I wept at something in a game, just rewatching that stupid tower in this video gave me tears. Mordin was such a good character
I was so mad that we had no way of saving him, definitely one of my favorite characters, and while he went out like an absolute legend, there were so many other companions I would have gladly tossed out the airlock in exchange for him surviving heh.
It's the most emotional video game character death of all time for me.
Coming on the heels of the awesome Thresher Maw vs Reaper fight too.
The renegade version of his death tore me up.
Kasumi saying goodbye to her partner had me sobbing.
I love Mordin's character and story arc so much. He is an amazingly written character. Even though he knows his actions were drastic and their consequences severe, he still believes his actions were justified, he has the arguments and the logic to back them up. The more the game progresses though, the more you can see that the ethical implications of his actions start to matter more and more to him. To the point that he is willing to sacrifice himself to cure the genophage, as it "had to be me! Someone else could have gotten it wrong". Best character arc ever.
What he did was necessary at the time but when circumstances changed he was strong enough to re-evaluate that decision and change it.
Mordin was such an amazing character because of that development and all the nuances that were a part of his backstory that could be argued for or against him. He just had great depth.
I’m still shocked they made something as big as a living Prothean just a DLC. Javik should have almost been central to the plot
I really wish he had gotten more writing and attention
@@MortismalGaming I dunno, Mortym. Javik's banter and cutscenes after recruiting him, hearing how life was in his timeline compared to Shepards, I feel Javik is a top-tier character just from his perspective of things - good or bad. Amazingly strong character. PS: The banter between him and Liara during the Kallini mission is awesome.
For me it’s always mordin. He’s just so cool and he reminds me of Spock in a lot of ways. Super intelligent and pragmatic but also able to empathize more than you would think. Garrus is just great but he’s on the top of everybody’s list.
"I'm Garrus Vakarian and this is my anus!"
@@Rex1987 ngl mordins entire schtick is to make sense so.. lol
Shooting Mordin outside of the tower and later killing Wrex after he learns of your betrayal has to be one of the most cutting, villainous acts you can do as an 'evil' protagonist in rpg's history. And it is so precisely because the characters work so well
“Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer.”
― Javik
Im shocked to see Jakob this high on the list. To be clear, i do not dislike any character from these games, but he certainly belongs to bottom 3 in my list.
Jacob would be dead last for me just because what seems like an interesting character at the beginning becomes one of the most boring characters in the entire game. Then they have him cheat on femshep in ME3 if you romance him. That and the story about his dad also seem a bit insensitive for one of the very few black characters in the series.
@@jmmywyf4lyf zaeed does really good damage with the incisor
@@jmmywyf4lyf me2 biotics aren't really that powerful compared to 1 and 3. Zaeed is fine and id definitely take him over jack or Tali gameplay wise for example
I mean he was still bottom 5 lol
but the priiiiiize
Nice to see Jack so up high. I've always thought she was a bit underrated by the fanbase
It's a pretty solid list.
I do think Joker deserves to be included (and high up) in the rankings. He gets lots of screen time, has interesting characters arcs, and his personal mission is a welcome change of pace and perspective. But most importantly... he's GENUINALLY FUNNY thanks to the talent of Seth Green. This is a rare find in video games, where the "funny" character is often just Jar Jar style comic relief.
Agreed. In ME2, he has a quip for every single character you take with you
the russian national anthem line in ME3.
Romanced Jack? Ah, I see you’re a man of culture as well.
This video really reminds me how astoundingly great mass effect really is. Shame there are no games since it that rival it.
As in no game has companions as deep or as human as this.
I always say it is one of the rarities where everything came together, writing, characters, visuals, and that music.
as human? I didn't realize Garrus was a human. 🙂
@@jimmym3352 I mean human emotions, as in real life emotions, human in this context doesn't mean of the human species.
It means having emotions like us human get.
@@jimmym3352 Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most
human
Ashley is quite a good character, she has more nuance then people give her credit, I like how she is sceptical of aliens on a 'racial' level, yet the first one to tell you to check on Liara after Benezia dies.
It cracks me up when you team her up with Wrex in ME1, He calls her out for being racist, next interaction she flips it around and calls him out for being sexest. The way they respond to each other a sign of intelligence and humility shown by both.
Yeah she grows a lot. I think a lot of the dislike comes from the fact she always believes you to be a Cerberus spy no matter what. When I played ME2 the first time I felt utterly betrayed since I was all Paragon and romanced her in the prior game.
"We're best bros, Garrus" pretty much spot on. Agreed on almost all of the place, having top 3 from all the way 1 to 3 shows, how well they are written, and how much screen time helps to develop their stories. Seeing Tali from her inexperienced youngling to accepting Geth, witnessing the progress of Garrus from a cop to a literal badass... great memories.
I can understand the hate for Kaidan, especially if you play male Shepard. But as a romance option for female Shepard he's my favorite character. I would never want to be in a relationship with someone who blindly follows without question, and I understand his point of view regarding Shepard and Cerberus. He grows a lot throughout the game, at least when you have access to the extra content that comes with the romance. Regardless, I could never save Ashley. She just grates on me. To each his (or her) own!
Checked in to make sure you got #1 right and you did! Garrus is second only to Eder in recent RPGs at being a good, relatable friend to your character.
Both of those people will literally dive thru hell for you
I identify as a good relatable friend to a shepherd . Please use the proper pronouns while praising me for my stunning bravery
Every rpg gotta have the easily likeable warrior/soldier companion
@@lol3xtrach3353 I identify as that person.
His list is decent, though I would never rank Jack that high. I know she's a fan favorite, just not one of my favorites. I'd take Jacob over her.
I like Ashley’s story arc. She really goes through a lot and grows and changes. But Tali will always be numba one
Waifu is not a companion :^)
@@citizencrimson201 I kept her in my party in ME 1 when she was not romanceable just because I liked her tech skills. Great against Geth
Tali lovers arise!
It's a shame Ashley isn't in ME2 or ME3. Sucks she has to die on that planet for killing Wrex. Real shame.
@@prodbyANTalways kill kaiden
Thane is a very interesting character. He is my favorite romance too;.there's a very touching moment after the citadel party. Garrus is also one of my favorites too.
Didn't romance him. Maybe I should try. I like him, but among the aliens somehow to me the Asari are more attractive most of the time. Of course I had to try to even romance Morinth once just out of curiosity...
Shepard. Wrex. Sheppard. Grunt. Sheppard. Wrex. Sheppard. Grunt. Sheppard. Sheppard. Wrex. Grunt. SHEPPPPPARDDD.
Personally I never gelled with Samara, Javic, Jacob, Thane, Liara and Kaiden (omg he is a whiny bitch).
Zaeed I had a grudging respect for. Kasumi, Jack and Miranda all fall under the I can fix them trope; Jack and Miranda certainly were in a better place; we dont see much of Kasumi but like to think she managed to move on. I'm proud of Grunt, the boy all growed up. I think I trust the Legion platform even with the creepy N7 patch. Ash was annoying to start with, but glad I saved her as she's matured well.
Wrex is Wrex and Mordin is the very model of a Scientist Salarian.
Picking between Garrus and Tali is like deciding whether you love your left leg or right leg more. I love them both.
Pretty good list. I can't hate.
Personally I would switch places for Kasumi and Jack, and put Miranda higher on the list a few spots.
Not a fan of Garrus myself, he seemed too much of a Shepard simp
He's a complete lapdog for Shepard. no matter what you did he still follows you and idiolizes you. With Tali it felt different at least, she confronts/argues with Shepard if you did some questionable choices
Decent list. Best Bro, Space Wife and 2nd Best Bro as the top 3. Though I'd have Liara ranked higher given her arc is far more involved than Jack's.
I'd say that Thane vaults up a few spots if you romance him as FemShep - it's probably the most heartbreaking storyline in ME.
top 10 imo
1) Best bro Space cop
2) Space suit wife
3) Red angry titan bro (also second best bro)
4) Info Broker blue wife
5) Science wizard lizard (on speed, also can sing)
6) Best mecha boi
7) Eidetic Memory dad
8) I'm angry (also tattoos for days)
9) Baby Boi Krogan
10) 50,000 years ago/ Dat Ass (can't quite decide on one so both sit here)
@@MsKeylas space suit wife is Tali
Angry red Titan is wrex
@@MsKeylas yup bottom of the barrel stays at the bottom.
Jack is a good choice to have. For me, her only problem is being underutilised.
Top 4 (other than wrex) are at the top since they have lots of showtime, time for character growth
I don't even remember James Vega's backstory. That shows how forgettable it was. Honestly his character can be interchangeable with Jacob imho. Both are gungho military types. I'd rather see Jacob in ME3 in this role, he needs some redemption after all the hate he got from ME2.
Only going to disagree about Kaiden and Grunt - I’d put Kaiden in the upper 3rd and Grunt right near the bottom, if not last.
Kaiden is a subtle character with a tragic backstory who isn’t afraid to question Shepard; I always appreciated that. Grunt is a fairly one-dimensional, forgettable character who simply provides muscle/firepower to the team.
Man, looking through the comments, I had no clue Jacob was such a controversial character! I’ve played through the trilogy three times and never had a problem with him. Sure, he’s fairly run-of-the-mill, but I loved his loyalty mission (confronting his f’d up father, who’s been playing ‘god’) and found him a fairly realistic, grounded presence.
both Kaiden and Jacob suck, Grunt is cool and the concept/idea behind his character and the reason he exists is cool in itself, krogans are also vastly more interesting than humans in this series and grunt is fun to listen to while Jacob and Kaiden are both forgettable and boring both in terms of how they look and their personalities.
Although your list doesn't really match mine all that much, the only two I would actually argue about are Kaiden and Jack. I really dislike Jack, almost everything about her is distasteful to me. Kaiden is just middle of the road for me he's not that noteworthy but he also doesn't do anything to annoy me, but I am annoyed that it seems like so many people would pick Ashley over him in ME1 and I just can't agree with any of the arguments for that.
How dare they make me like Moridin so much, his sacrifice ending caps one of the best written companions in gaming. Not my favorite companion, but given the atrocities he committed and that I consider Ashley the "bad companion" says a lot.
Never been a fan of Garrus, Wrex is my best bro, think this is the only list where Jacob isn't dead last
I'm always amazed to see with how much racism Tali gets away with... She was one of the few characters I didn't like - to the point that Garrus - my all time favorite companion in a game - lost points for romancing her... just saying :D
Tali definitely n°1 for me. But i can totally understand your ranking.
Kaidan lower than Jacob is sad. I'll always bat for Alenko.
Having played the trilogy 7 times or so now, I must say it's a great list. Totally agree with top 3 and most of the bottom ranks. Would have Liara and Mordin as 5 and 4, but very good. Jacob last thou. What a tool :D But hard to rank some of the best companions in all of gaming. Really where the games shine.
As a scientist myself I love Mordin and Liara so much. So refreshing to have scientist characters in sci fi aren’t just evil or dumb.
Kaiden is also my least favorite companion simply because of Carth lol
My rankings are similar to yours, Jack may be a little bit lower while Liara higher, but otherwise it is very much the same. Also: Joker. He should be top 5.
Javik second most interesting companion! Actually surprised hes not even in the top 10! Anyway almost everyone has Garrus at no. 1, deserved!
I loved Javik! Always kept him and Garrus on my team in the 3rd game. I feel like Javik was a really important puzzle piece to the story, not to mention he has some of the funnier lines. And an excellent voice actor too!