6. Cora Harper (Biotic Commando)
Before we get started, let’s be clear about one thing, none of the partners you’re able to bring with you this time around in Mass Effect: Andromeda suck. They’re actually all pretty good out on the field, and they offer interesting chatter to help make the exploration more bearable. Still, some are better than others when you take a look at how they support you on the field and their overall narrative. Of course, this is just our ranking based on our extensive time with the game and trying each one on for size. We’ll be taking a look at the characters themselves along with how they perform on this field for this ranking starting with our last place entry: Cora.
Cora is one of the first partners you get in the game as she’s part of the Pathfinder crew at the beginning of the story. In fact, she was one of the first members of the human Pathfinder unit period, as she was hand-selected by your father to be part of the initiative and looked up to him as a mentor. She’s an excellent strategist and her time as an Asari Commando left her quite the fighter out on the battlefield. However, her fighting style tends to put her in a lot of danger. She’s very big on risk/reward, jumping into the fray for powerful melee strikes that often leave her downed, even if you upgrade her defensive capabilities.
She does have an interesting kit, though, one that lets her increase shields for the whole team if you max out her Defensive Training, and even reduces her taken damage when she’s low on health (though it didn’t help too much). Her offensive abilities do leave a bit to be desired, focusing on melee attacks which aren’t the best when dealing with Remnants and the more powerful Kett iterations. I will give her kudos for her Cryo Ammo on her Shotgun which you can get when maxing out her Commando skill tree. Cryo seems to be the most effective option through most of the game, so having her lock enemies in place for you to shatter them is not to be trifled with. Still, she doesn’t do anything in particular that you can’t do even better with a stronger support system as well.
Her personal story is a bit tragic, covering a seemingly endless cycle of loss and regret, but that’s really all you get from her. Having her mad at you because the role you were given (without even wanting, by the way), grows old pretty quick. But hey, you can fall in love with her if you want, and that removes all the awkwardness from the dynamic.
5. Liam Kosta (Crisis Specialist)
Liam is the very first partner you get in Mass Effect: Andromeda, as he joins you on Habitat 7 after your shuttle gets torn apart by lightning leaving your team scattered around the alien land. Being a crisis specialist means he’s able to quickly adapt to situations which shows in the story, but not so much in combat.
His power Kit is fairly basic focusing on combat and tech. He has a Frag Grenade and Havoc Strike, both of which deal moderate damage to groups, if you don’t mind him jumping into the action. Overload is certainly useful if you don’t want to equip it yourself since it primes targets for powerful combos. His survival is okay at best until you complete his personal missions (which then allows you to unlock a heal-on-kill ability for him). He’s a decent all-around solider, but there’s nothing really special about him.
What’s really great about Liam, though, is his personality and attitude as part of your crew. He’s your sworn soldier no matter what, and he will do whatever it takes to support you. Part of that is looking out for the rest of the crew and making sure their morale is high. He even goes as far as to ask for your assistance setting up a movie night for everyone and learning about other races so you know what you should and shouldn’t say out on the field. All in all, he’s a pretty great guy, we only wish he was a better option in the field.
4. Vetra Nyx (Drifter Mercenary)
Vetra is the first non-human partner you get in Mass Effect: Andromeda and she instantly proves to be the most useful person you can utilize on the field. For the time being, at least. She’s a smuggler, so she isn’t against doing things a bit differently. This does make her personality more mysterious, though, which can be either really cool or sort of annoying depending on your preferences. It’s almost as if certain characters are trying to win the coolest person in the Heleus cluster award, and she’s vying for the number one spot. When you get past that, though, she’s actually pretty sweet while also being stubborn and very tough.
Her skills aren’t too shabby. She uses Power Armor to help her survive tough encounters in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Combined with her rifle preference, she manages to dish out damage while not really putting herself into too much danger (which is always a plus when things get hectic). You’ll rarely see her fall in battle, and if she does, it was probably your fault. Turbocharge lets her up her DPS for a temporary period, and this helps with tougher enemies. You can upgrade her Smuggler Skills to give Vetra an edge against shields, but she’s still fairly balanced no matter how you kit her out.
In some ways, she’s just a better version of Cora on the field when it comes to how she fights which is saying something. Having a person who is able to keep your shields topped off while also dishing out hurt is always a great thing. If they’re able to survive better than other options as well, then that’s a serious cherry on top.
3. Jaal Ama Darav (Resistance Fighter)
Jaal is quite the interesting character. He’s the only member of your crew that is from the Heleus Cluster, with all of the other members being former citizens of the Milky Way. He’s an Angaran soldier, and they’re interesting beings. For one, they are secretive, yet incredibly honest. They don’t hide emotions, so you will always know exactly how they feel about you which is useful (although most just hate you at first). Jaal is willing to learn about humans, and the other races as well, and really wants to build that alliance with the Andromeda Initiative. He puts himself in your care so you can prove yourself and so that you two may learn from one another. He’s not the most lively person on the ship, often missing jokes and being generally confused by the phrases we use, but that’s all part of his odd charm. It also helps that he’s great on the field.
His kit is full Tech: Energy Drain, Sticky Grenade, and Avenger Strike. He can move about the field quickly leaving traps and keeping himself charged up as he unleashes attack after attack. The Avenger Strike alone is perfect against more tricky Kett, since those love to hide and try to pick you off from shadows. Usually the melee skills of your allies don’t fare well, but thanks to Jaal’s impressive resilience, he makes out just fine. Having him restore his shields on melee hits is a must, especially during the tight encounters you find yourself in later in the game.
One of his best uses comes from either his Suppressive Fire or Shredding Rounds perk (they’re both Rank 4 Rebel Soldier skills, so you can only choose one). These are debuffs he can place on enemies just by shooting them. The former makes it so enemies do less damage, allowing you to close the distance without much worry. The latter makes it so everyone deals more damage to enemies that Jaal shoots. Against powerful foes, this is invaluable.
2. Drack (Veteran Warrior)
Ah Drack, what’s not to like. This Krogan fighter is categorized as a Veteran Warrior, and he earns that title in every battle you take him into. This angry man is a badass on the field, and we’re happy that he’s part of our crew. His story is interesting as he was one of the first on the Nexus, but was exiled after shit hit the fan with the Scourge. The Krogan residents were tricked and had to leave. However, even though he’s angry, he does what he can to support his granddaughter who’s still on the Nexus (Kesh) and he’s actually a pretty kind individual under that tough exterior. Plus, he’s hilarious at times as he finds himself distracted by badassery which can completely make him lose his train of thought.
On top of just being an awesome character, he’s a beast on the battlefield. He’s a veritable juggernaut thanks to his unique Blood Rage ability. It ups his damage resistance while increasing his damage output. If you spec it out properly it can even buff your entire party while also gaining the ability to grow longer with each kill. Drop this angry ball of fury into a crowd and he will chew them up with ease. If becoming an unstoppable killing machine wasn’t enough, his defense is very high as well, and can even be bolstered with perks such as the ability to revive himself, increasing damage when in low health, and boosting recovery rates for his different stats.
Not many partners can fit well with all play styles, but Drack manages to do just that. If you’re new to RPGs of this kind or just want great backup, you really can’t go wrong here.
1. Pelessaria B’Sayle, Peebee for Short (Rogue Academic)
Peebee is the most eccentric character in Mass Effect: Andromeda. To be honest, it was expected that she’d be a huge character since she was one of the first shown off in trailers smiling and avoiding death in hilarious fashion. However, I’m not sure many would have expected her to be a great team member, as well. First, let’s take a look at Peebee the person.
She’s a genius scientist like a lot of the Asari you’ll meet, but she thinks outside of the box. She’s in love with adventure and everything “new.” When you first encounter her, she tackles you as she expresses how amazing it was to see you figure out technology she’s been studying for months. Her curiosity and excitement sometimes make her ignore everything else, but there’s something pure about her, even if she does come off as a trickster. Plus, she develops a cool toy for you, so you can’t be mad at that. She can be serious when needed, as well, and that shows on the battlefield.
She’s the only partner who has a perk that benefits solely her and the Pathfinder. It raises the damage and force of any Biotic powers you may have. But even if you aren’t into Biotic abilities, she’s still a great asset on the field, primarily for her crowd control abilities. She has the ability to remove enemies from cover, deal massive damage, prime enemies for you to take advantage, and weaken opponents. She can hold enemies in the air thanks to Pull, allowing for vicious combos that send enemies hurtling through the sky. She can use Shockwave to shoot through cover, knocking back enemies, leaving them open for you no matter what type of weapon you’re using, and she can infect them with a virus to lower their defense (and that virus can spread). Like Drack, she’s one of the few that is a viable option to support all play styles. Couple that with her charm and lovable persona, and you have a partner you’ll never want to leave behind. Oh, and if you ever get the chance, bring Jaal along for some hilarious discourse between the two.
For more on Mass Effect: Andromeda, check out our wiki.
