Mass Effect 5 Wiki: Ultimate Squad, Romance & Ship Guide
Complete Mass Effect 5 wiki covering squadmate abilities, romance requirements, ship upgrade paths, and mission choice consequences. Updated for 2025 release.
**Key Takeaways**
Squadmate loyalty missions unlock powerful bonus abilities and affect the final assault outcome
Three romance options are available per playthrough, each with unique dialogue and cutscene variations
Ship upgrades are tiered: Normandy-class hull, Thanix cannons, and Silaris armor provide specific combat bonuses
Major mission choices (e.g., Virmire-style decision on Akuze) directly impact which squadmates survive into the sequel
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**Rekka (Krogan Vanguard)** – Tank with Charge and Incendiary Ammo. Loyalty mission: "The Blood of Tuchanka" – requires you to spare or execute a former clan leader. If spared, Rekka gains 20% damage reduction.
**Dr. Liara T'Soni (Asari Adept)** – Returns with Singularity and a new biotic combo: Warp + Throw causes 50% more damage to armor. Her loyalty mission "The Shadow Broker's Secret" unlocks a permanent 15% cooldown reduction.
**James Vega (Human Soldier)** – Upgraded with a new skill: Frag Grenade Launcher (3-round burst). His loyalty mission "Old Wounds" has a hidden timer – you must complete it within 5 missions or he becomes unavailable for the final battle.
### Optional Squadmates
**Kolyat Krios (Drell Infiltrator)** – Son of Thane. Assassination specialist with Tactical Cloak and Sniper Rifle Overcharge. Recruitable only if you saved Thane in Mass Effect 3.
**Tali'Zorah vas Normandy (Quarian Engineer)** – Returns with a drone upgrade: Combat Drone Mark IV that stuns organic enemies for 3 seconds. Her loyalty mission involves a trial that can permanently weaken the Geth fleet.
**Table: Squadmate Comparison**
| Squadmate | Class | Best Against | Weakness |
|-----------|-------|--------------|----------|
| Rekka | Vanguard | Armor, husks | Barriers, snipers |
| Liara | Adept | Shields, groups | Armor (slow) |
| James | Soldier | All-round | Biotics (low resistance) |
| Kolyat | Infiltrator | Synthetics, bosses | Close range |
| Tali | Engineer | Geth, shields | Organic melee |
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Romance Options
Mass Effect 5 brings back the classic relationship system with three main arcs:
1. **Liara T'Soni** – Available to both genders. Requires completing her loyalty mission and choosing "I want to talk about us" dialogue. Her romance triggers a unique scene aboard the Normandy observation deck.
2. **Rekka** – Straight romance (male Shepard only). Requires you to save his clan leader during loyalty mission. His romance includes a humorous drinking contest mini-game.
3. **Kolyat Krios** – Gay romance (male Shepard only). Requires you to ask about his father (Thane) and show empathy. His romance scene is more somber, set in the memorial room.
**Note:** You cannot romance Liara if you romanced her in ME3 without importing a save – the game defaults to a fresh relationship if no save is present.
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**Hull Plating (Tier 1)** – 10,000 credits + 5 Element Zero. Grants +20% damage reduction in space combat. Unlocks after mission "Prologue: The Beacon."
**Thanix Cannons (Tier 2)** – 25,000 credits + 3 Prothean Data Discs. Increases ship weapon damage by 40%. Required for the Collector base assault.
**Silaris Armor (Tier 3)** – 50,000 credits + 1 Reaper IFF. Grants immunity to boarding actions. Without this, boarding parties can kill your engineer (Tali) during the final mission.
**Warning:** Skipping any upgrade makes the final space battle significantly harder – the Normandy can be destroyed in 3 hits instead of 7.
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**Akuze Colony (Mission 6)** – Choose to save civilians or secure a Prothean artifact. Saving civilians gives you +2 war assets but loses the artifact (which unlocks a bonus power). I always save the civilians – the power is good but not essential.
**The Omega Relay (Mission 12)** – You must decide between using a stealth approach (save time) or full assault (save resources). Stealth loses 2 squadmates for the final battle; assault loses 1 but costs 20% of your fuel.
**Final Boss: Harbinger's Remnant** – Your choice in the final dialogue determines whether the Reaper remnants are destroyed or controlled. Destroy gives a heroic ending; control sets up a darker sequel. No wrong answer, but the control ending has a hidden +5 war asset bonus for the next game.
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