Mass Effect - Squadmate Power Rankings

Tier List of the most powerful squadmates from the Mass Effect trilogy.
As mentioned, inspiration for this list comes from the following Mortal Kombat story mode tier lists:
"Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode Tier List : Who SUCKS the most?" by SonicHaXD:
• Mortal Kombat 11 Story...
"Mortal Kombat | Kanon Tier List" by The4thSnake:
• Mortal Kombat | Kanon ...
Music from Mass Effect 1 written by Sam Hulick and Jack Wall (with contributions from Richard Jacques and David Kates). Elevator music pulled from the following compilation:
• Mass Effect all elevat...

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Welcome viewers! You can expect more occasional clips and future projects from this channel. Feel free to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video! Also, feel free to like and subscribe if you don't.

[@Blox117]

but where does shepard fall on this list? "I'm commander shepard, and this is my favorite list on youtube"

[@BartlebysCorpse]

So there's of course different builds, background accomplishments, etc. Still, canonically, Shepard *should* be #1- not just by virtue of being the protagonist, but also going by the in-game accomplishments and examples of head-to-head matchups. That said, the top tier characters could certainly make it interesting.

[@Blox117]

@@BartlebysCorpse "I'm commander shepard... Yeah, this guy 'BartlebysCorpse'. Yes, he's an indoctrinated agent for the reapers, take him out." 😀

[@Blox117]

@@BartlebysCorpse BTW, i uploaded a higher quality of the elevator music from your video. it sounds better, but it does lose that 'background music from a crappy speaker' effect. "Im commander shepard, and this is my favorite song on the citadel"

[@mal3nko]

Nah, Kaidan deserves to be waaaay higher. In Mass Effect 1 he’s explicitly stated to keep up with Asari commandos, with everybody from Wrex to Liara's shocked about his abilities (due to the L2 implant). When he was 16 he killed his own biotic turian instructor by snapping his neck in one hit, and Kaidan even comments how he’s become way stronger since then. By Mass Effect 3 he’s arguably the second most powerful human biotic we’ve seen in the games right behind Jack, as by that point he’s able to fucking Reave, which is an Asari Matriarch ability that not even Liara, Jack, or Miranda have unlocked. Liara and Jacob specifically are dumbfounded in the Citadel DLC as to how he managed to get that ability, and later on Miranda herself admits she isn’t able to Reave either. This isn’t even accounting for his standard military training, with him having over a dozen accommodations before the events of ME1 and is only one rank below Shepard in that game (Staff Lieutenant to Shepard’s Lieutenant Commander). By Mass Effect 3 he actually outranks Shepard, being ranked as a Major, which is essentially the equivalent of Captain (the same rank Anderson has in ME1). Putting Kaidan in the the same tier as Ashley and below James, two run of the mill soldiers with no special abilities or enhancements is kind of a disservice I’d say lol.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Thanks your the feedback! Those are good points to consider, especially if I revisit this topic (besides getting some more recording practice lately, I also noticed that there is someone missing 🤦‍♂️). A big factor in where he landed on this list is that Kaidan/Ashley vs EDI's body ends with them getting hospitalized, which for me means that I couldn't put either of them above EDI. EDI herself *could* go higher, I just didn't think there's enough to work with to go particularly high. You might notice that I'm also giving James A LOT of credit for surviving the Collector attack on Fehl Prime without the same quality of equipment, crew, and intel that exists on the Normandy. Maybe that's me trying to be fair to one of the side stories, but I'm not sure most of the list would make it.

[@mal3nko]

@@BartlebysCorpse Yeah, I get you. 👍 I think Kaidan being hospitalized by EDI’s body is really just a symptom of BioWare making the VS essentially the same character, which is unfortunate because they were so distinct from one another in ME1. Another example of this is during the seeker swarm attack on Horizon in ME2, where it makes sense for Ashley to get stung and paralyzed, but it’s ridiculous how Kaidan doesn’t put up a biotic barrier to defend himself. :/ I think you could make the argument however that EDI’s body simply took them by surprise. They were still recovering from a pretty huge crash landing by James, and Liara herself seems almost completely incapacitated by it which leads to the VS having to help her up and everything. Truthfully I think that if they had more time to react, they would have dealt with Eva Core.

[@AllianceSpectreKeener]

Good to see someone who knows our biotic friends better than some ppl, who put up these tier lists. Thanks man!

[@abigmonster8457]

Actually Miranda can Reave as well due to her modded genes.

[@scurvyninja3254]

I'd like to point out that Jenkins has the ability to wear any armor in ME1 even from other species

[@galaxywolf969]

Thane is much more effective then James, even dying.

[@SonicHaXD]

Glad me and The4thSnake got you to do this XD

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Certainly. Love both your work!

[@JAYDOG1337A]

Yeah, Tali is a great character and there's no engineer you'd want more by your side in the Mass Effect universe, but she is not a leader, or at least not a squad leader.

[@AllianceSpectreKeener]

She admits it too saying her Admiral rank is just for flavor

[@xXSakuraTearsXx]

As far as Joker’s level of ability is concerned- besides all the times he flew the Normandy & used her, divinely _calibrated,_ guns on our enemies- as you mentioned, he also saved the Normandy from the Collectors by showing EDI how he looked on his knees _(which she totally did ‘enjoy;’ ‘joke’ or not.)_ He then helped us get back onto the Normandy, by shooting at Collectors & Seeker-Swarms, after we K.O.ed a _‘Human-Reaper.’_ -Also, there was the time the Citadel was under attack & he came in hot & heavy, inside of a mech suit, annihilating every single Cerberus officer in sight.- I’m sure there’s more worth mentioning _(let’s not worry about how he got us killed that one time.)_ The point is: I think Joker’s definitely not as weak as Jenkins & I’d even go as far as to say he should be a tier above him in ranking. _A ‘credit’ for your thoughts?_

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Good points. I'll clarify that I'm not counting his control of the Normandy, otherwise he and EDI would easily top the list. His instincts still count though, which is why he still ranks higher than Jenkins, even if he doesn't get his own tier on my list :p

[@JAYDOG1337A]

4:55 pretty sure wilson shot himself to come across as innocent of being a traitor, the reason I say this is because there was no loki mech in the room with him, not even a destroyed one, and Loki mechs universally carry an SMG that uses burst fire, if you were wounded by one there wouldn't just be one bullet hole.

[@zqrahll]

You're underrating Biotcs as a game changer throughout this entire list. Kaidan being ranked lower than Vega is just silly. Kaidan is ranked higher by the Alliance for a reason and his biotics are said to be stronger than most humans, which should at least put him a tier above Jacob. Then again, ranking Liara over Arya is so very, very wrong. That said, I do agree about the S+ tier people.

[@JonnyLin7]

Thane is way too low. While terminally ill and so physically compromised he could hardly even run, he was able to be a near equal to Kai Leng in a hand to hand fight. Even though Kai Leng won, Thane still would have even survived that fight had he had not been terminally ill with a condition that makes it specifically hard for him to recover from that wound. That shouldn't be understated given that Kai Leng gave many others like a prime Anderson a ton of trouble and that before he was biotically enhanced, which should make him even more dangerous.

[@uyentang4571]

I say anderson belongs on the S. he’s basically a human Garrus 🤣

[@BartlebysCorpse]

There's some talk about them making a show, and if they do, they really should start with a younger Anderson.

[@ArctheDark]

Did you really put Thane in C tier over his fight with Kai Lang? He explicitly states in ME3 he's no longer at the same level he was in the previous game, and he still managed to prevent that edgelord from killing the Salarian councillor. The man at peak is a top tier assassin and a biotic. He's A tier minimum.

[@The4thSnake]

You've got a very professional sounding voice.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Thanks! Getting used to recording and all, but I figured something like this would be a good way to break into it.

[@quentinhirschfeld9382]

Really cool, it's always nice to see people loving this universe and i really like the fact that you justified your choices in depth. That being said, i find some of your pick outrageous given your knowledge of the verse. Here are the one i strongly disagree with and why... -Grunt, Way too high, B tier max. While he's biologically the perfect Krogan and his overall intellect is underrated, he lacks feats and experience, which isn't compensated by biotic powers. He has enormous potential, but he shouldn't be higher than B. -Jack, Is slightly underrated, she's an A tier. Her biotic feats in the comics are insane (in the space jail in ME2 as well), she's regarded as not only the most powerful human biotic, but arguably one of the most powerful biotic in the entire galaxy. She basically humiliated Brooks and Kai Leng despite he had the upper-hand and tried to sneak on her, as well as creates literal havoc every time she feels like it. Only things holding her down are her lack of combat training and hot headed temper. -Aria, She's an S tier, if not more. One of the most influential and dangerous individual in the galaxy (so much the council basically lick her boots), feared by virtually anyone, her cunningness, ressources and biotic powers are off the charts. Her background and combat prowess speaks for herself. -Anderson, Only A tier? One of the first N7, decorated War Hero and Survivor of the First Contact War, successfully unfolded the Sidon machination, first human considered for the Spectres (which underlines his skill as the Council is portrayed as conservative and tentative), has a pivotal role in ME3, master tactician (highly regarded by the whole Alliance hierarchy),... shall i continue? -Vega, D tier. In the animated movie and comics, he's portrayed as brave and quick, but not particularly skilled. Struggled against 'random' mercenaries (it's possible that he has improved since he's a N6, but his record is unremarkable compared to most of the list). -Nyreen, D tier. Literally featless and dies at the end of the Omega DLC. -Zaeed, Assuming all the stories about him are true (which ost likely are), he's S tier. An extremely feared and accomplished mercenary and bounty hunter, founder of the Blue Sun, he's the sole survivor on a mission to take down a Turian frigate. He fought on the Krogan DMZ (taking down dozens of Krogan) and is one of the few squamates who has allegedly beat krogans in close combat. Just to cite a few. -Kaidan, Low A or upper B. Most skilled human biotic (he can frickin reave without any advanced training or enhancements) and one of the most powerful Alliance biotic. Has obtained several special commendations and was selected by Captain Anderson to be a part of the Normandy crew. Is a decisive and central figure on the Virmire mission no matter the out-come. -Mordin, Most underrated character from a power scaling pov, very solid B tier. Keep in mind he's a former member of the Salarian STG (all the individuals enrolled there are Spectre level operatives) and has taken down krogans in close combat thanks to his insane speed and agility (Salarians, despite usually weaker, are very agile), as well as took part on several missions on Tuchanka. Padok Wicks has described him as a 'freak of nature' from a Salarian standpoint. Legion, C tier. Everyone seem to underestimate his intellect, i suspect him to be a manipulator (he often disguises very well his real intentions and basically make Shepard doe what he wants y gaslighting her). Besides Garrus, he's the best sniper in the galaxy and has all the advantages of a Geth physiology.

[@Jburneyjr]

Jack could survive Omega assault but she would have definitely left herself open for a back attack with her blinding rage.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Jack would do well, but along the lines of what you said, experience and tactical bearing are stumbling blocks here. Sustaining biotic abilities for that long would also take its toll. That's why Samara ranks as high as she does- similar biotic abilities (better, in fact, naturally speaking), along with superior training, marksmanship, and experience.

[@Jburneyjr]

@@BartlebysCorpse yea agreed. It would depend on her stamina and moment to moment awareness.

[@sandrogamer30018]

Tali was super OP in ME1 lol. I have no idea why they nerfed her that much in later games.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Yeah, even after ME1, Tali is great for crowd control. Frankly, this list would look a lot different if it was strictly based on gameplay and metagaming instead of being primarily about story.

[@sandrogamer30018]

@@BartlebysCorpse I though this list was based on their combat? What about a list on character's arc and likeblity?

[@BartlebysCorpse]

@@sandrogamer30018 Sort of... this is about who is *canonically* the strongest, deadliest, etc. Gameplay can inform that, but it's ultimately about what the story says they can do.

[@sandrogamer30018]

@@BartlebysCorpse hmmm what about character's arc, development and likelibity? How would the list be like?

[@BartlebysCorpse]

@@sandrogamer30018 well...a lot of the strongest characters on this list among the best story-wise, so some of them are staying up there. Obviously, everyone loves Garrus and Tali (as well as Joker and Anderson) for good reason. Of course, I mention that while Mordin may not fare as well in a "deadliest warrior" sense, he *is* my personal favorite character of the series. Human squadmates are mostly gonna be low on that list, but in a universe with a planet of big beefy dinosaurs, a bird-like military race, etc, it's fair to say that humans are usually gonna be the least interesting part (I get the sense that the writers agreed). Wilson still would get the "worst" tier all to himself, of course.

[@windwind3170]

If my boy Jenkins isn't S-tier I'm gonna be very unhappy.

[@thebritishteaman2380]

Is the lady from the batarian prison I think her name was Dr kenson on the list because she is definitely S++

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Yeah, I realized that I missed Kenson after the fact. If I do revisit this list, I'll be sure to include her, and I'm pretty sure she will not be S++...

[@JAYDOG1337A]

Thing is narratively speaking Morinth is actually weak, and let me explain why, Samara is powerful and Morinth is on her level, but it's said morinth and other ardat yakshi grow stronger from feeding on their victims, she has been doing this for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS, she has surely fed on thousands in that time, so even after thousands of feedings she is ONLY as powerful as Samara, how pathetic Biotically speaking must she have been before she started feeding, and it's not as if we can say that Age plays a factor in powerful Samara is, because Liara is a biotic powerhouse and she's still early into the maiden stage.

[@youngnr5707]

Did he... did he just put god of war and death on "S" rank? Ridiculous

[@AllianceSpectreKeener]

Oh shut the front door, dude. Miranda is the weakest human biotic in the trilogy. She is worse than Jacob, yet put her above Kaidan? Stop, OK? Miranda is the only biotic who fails shields through Seeker Swarms. She is also very squishy & her damage output is worse than Jacob’s. Let alone everyone else with biotics. Kaidan learnt how to reave which very few humans can do, he can reach Asari levels of biotic power & kicks ass in ME1 & 3 trivializing majority of combat encounters. Pair him up with Garrus who overloads shields to allow Kaiden’s biotic powers (and yours if you’re biotic) to work covering you with a sniper rifle and your enemies are cooked. Kaidan also is decently tanky with good gear in ME1, and bloody unkillable in ME3 bc he activates barrier skill constantly. Also, putting Kaidan in the same rank as Ashley?! Ashley is a mediocre space racist & doesn’t provide as much versatility to combat. She is just guns & I’m sure there characters with biotics or tech skills that will outgun her. Miranda belongs in C-tier below Jacob; Kaidan is a least A-tier, for how good he is in ME3. Garrus is easily S+ bc his aim & damage output are insane. He almost never misses and I had a few encounters where he saved my butt by taking out enemies I didn’t see. The only downside to Garrus is that you have to keep him behind via command bc he like to run into a fight while being a little squishy & can’t handle multiple enemies due to lack of CC. Also hard disagree on Aria’s placement. B maybe. She has only one good ability & frankly being forced to travel with her aggravates me. I only do the DLC for war asset boost, otherwise I’d ignore it altogether.

[@Daniel-mv9tu]

Been done far better by the 'Presidents play Mass Effect' guy, and I don't know anyone who gives a shit about how strong squadmates are in lore. Tali is always too low, she's an automatic choice if you're dealing with Geth. Katsumi is also always rated too low, since her flashbangs are the best ant-Collector weapon. Always goes to the final conflict on the Collector ship.

[@IanStanley-l3n]

Dr. Kenson?

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Yeah, it wasn't until well after I had uploaded this that I realized that I forgot to include her. You're actually the first to point it out... Anyway, even though there are arguments for putting her a little higher, I will place Kenson firmly in K, or the "Karen Tier."

[@davhardie2356]

OK this is fine for the most part but I do have some complaints 1 zaiead ?? should be higher from his story's (and with his personalities there would be no reason to think he is lying) I REALLY LIKE garrus but he should not be at the top his beast feat is not dieing to mercs meant to starve him out and get him tired and tail should be higher because a teck expert (witch is 99%percent of the thing you fight) is good and by garrus and talis banter it seems they are on par and nothing really inplies javak is a great fighter and you seem to have a asari bias liara is a nerd and is a more support chick and all t'loak does is sit and tell people to do stuff for her even in 3 shes meh at best and legion is better than c and James is lower his whole ark is he got his team killed because he sucked and finaly JACK IS FRIKING OP SHE DESTROYED A SPACESHIP PRISON THE SIZE OF A MOON IN SECONDS THE NEXT BEST DIRECT FEAT (I.E not krogan strong ) IS GARRUS BEING NUKED BY A SHIP

[@ManicOpake]

I'd say James is in c tier with Kaiden Ashley and Jacob. I'd put him below them as they have served with shepherd longer.

[@imverygerby]

N7 > anything they have done James is a shephard in training

[@isaacpaz9287]

There is no way you put Legion in D but Jacob in C. I was willing to slide on Thanes placement but holy carp I can't continue watching during your mid explanation on Jacob. The loser straight up cheats and betrays Shepard and sets himself up for failure to repeat his father's mistakes. Jacob is F tier and I would instead put Leguon in C. His sacrifice for both Quarians and Geth should not be just cast aside.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

I am very explicit that this is not a list of my *favorite* Mass Effect squadmates. This is a ranking of the most powerful squadmates in my estimation (ie, who would win in a fight). I say as much very early on.

[@isaacpaz9287]

@@BartlebysCorpse I know but I'm biased. My comment is for objective fun not hate just FYI.

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Gotcha. On a side note, Thane is definitely really subjective, since there's not a ton to go on, and he's a squadmate basically near the end of his life. Someone else made a similar list and put him near the top.

[@isaacpaz9287]

@@BartlebysCorpse ya cos you know a super skilled Assassin with a severe deadly lung disease successfully chasing off the stain of M.E. 3 Kai Lang before getting put down. Even then Kai knew that would only slow down shepard by seconds. He is versatile, can use unstable warp and group shredder ammo. Thane is my ride or die romance 70% of the time and whe equipped with Black Widow he's damn near broken. He deserves bottom of top tier or top of mid tier minimum.

[@dfed324]

Bros, Garrus is broken in Mass Effect 3. If you know how, he quite literally puts the game in autopilot mode even on insanity. It's rediculous.

[@child7328]

Ok only 4 squad mates can kill or get Shepard killed in game, EDI (Eva Coré), Jack (as a Phantom), Joker, and Morinth. I think that could be considered. The ones that tried to kill Shepard, Ashley/Kaidan, Wilson, Wrex Lastly only one squad mate does not die no matter what happens, lol Joker, aint that some shit.

[@axelnilsson5124]

How does Joker get Shepard killed?

[@child7328]

@@axelnilsson5124 UMMM ***SPOILER ALERT*** beginning of Mass Effect 2, Shepard died saving Joker because Jeff wanted to "save" the Normandy SR1.

[@axelnilsson5124]

@@child7328 it’s not really Joker’s fault though it’s mostly Shepards own fault due to their nature to save the crew

[@child7328]

@@axelnilsson5124kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqrEgnytr9WinbMsi=dKQnAZxqh4It1CGV Shepard: "come on Joker, we have to get out of here", Joker: "No, I won't abandon the Normandy, I can still save her". Right there, Joker defied a command, which wasted time for both of them. Shepard pulled Joker from the cockpit, and placed him in his escape pod. Joker would of died if he stayed like he wanted to.

[@axelnilsson5124]

@@child7328 you think that it was Jokers intention? At least Eva, Phantom Jack and Morinth purposefully “killed” Shepard Joker didn’t want Shepard to die but did due to his ignorance

[@duxas7815]

Worst tier list ever.

[@bartekkocela9277]

he put Legion 1 tier above Jenkins bruh

[@bartekkocela9277]

Jacob got defeated by some random ass cerberus troop Im just sayin

[@fathersun6238]

This is no reason video bro you can do best squad members power builds & more than put them in a list like exotic weapons from Destiny 2. WAKE UP! Everything in Destiny 1&2 is from MassEffect trilogy (dash/power's/acrobatic escape/weapons like ALL Lazer rifles are from Bioware NOT from Bungie. we jumped to Destiny from mass effect & Destiny 1 okay it was cool but Destiny 2 was 🤔is full with PC noobs/cheaters & low self esteem kids .Good luck with this Bungie style KZbin video

[@BartlebysCorpse]

Ok. I am confused, but not concerned, I guess.

[@fathersun6238]

GOD..... when they gonna kick out all KZbinrs from game's???Choose KZbinr or player not both you destroy pvp in every game you ALL jumped into it

[@BartlebysCorpse]

I...uhh.... What?

[@nekorei2023]

Wdym