Romance Guide for Mass Effect 2 helps the players develop a romantic relationship with their desired Companion. Players will get a chance to interact with them, creating a deeper and meaningful relationship. Completing the romance subplot, will unlock the Paramour Achievement.
Mass Effect 1 Romance to Mass Effect 2
Players can Import a Commander Shepard that has a love interest from the original Mass Effect, and that relationship will continue on in Mass Effect 2. Even thou it's not posible to break up with a love interest from Mass Effect 1, Shepard can still choose to pursue an additional romance interest with a Mass Effect 2 character. There won't be romantic plots for any Mass Effect 1 characters, except for Liara which requires Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, but a picture of them will be found on Shepard's desk. There will be only minor cutscenes related to that Romance if Shepard stays loyal to that love interest, like Shepard staring with a smile at their picture or a short kiss when reunited.
Having an additional romance interest with a Mass Effect 2 character may not have any consequence in Mass Effect 2, but there will be negative consequences for the relationship in Mass Effect 3. While Shepard is unfaithful, the picture of the Mass Effect 1 love interest will be turned face down.
More information at Mass Effect Transfer File.
Romanceable Characters in Mass Effect 2
When Missions are completed, some new dialogues will unlock, but if a mission is active, new dialogues won't appear until the mission is finished. Commander Shepard can talk with the characters listed below repeatedly and conversations will gradually become more informal and personal.
The following Romance options will unlock the Paramour Achievement, and the availability of these Romance options depend on Shepard's gender.
Male Shepard
Miranda Lawson
After the relocation of Oriana, Shepard can ask Miranda to talk. If the player chooses to ask Miranda the "Can we talk?" dialogue, this will always result in Shepard and Miranda starting a relationship, or the relationship being broken permanently. She will talk about being not good enough, and the player can choose to ask if she's jealous or tell her she gives too little credit, either way something romantic will happen but then she will ask Shepard to give her some time think. Then at the final mission stage, in a conversation with her, she will ask Shepard if he's still interested, if he says he is, she will eventually cross Shepard at some point and tell him she cleared the engine room and that she will be there "in five minutes".
Tali'Zorah vas Neema
When Tali joins the Normandy crew, Kelly Chambers tells Shepard that Tali may be interested on him, and asks him to be good to her. After her Loyalty Mission, Tali tells Shepard that she has taken a small fever, and proceeds to explain how is it like to live in a suit, and explains that the most intimate thing Quarians can do with other Quarians is to link their suit environments, they would get sick and then adapt, but it's an act of acceptance and trust. She then explains nervously that hasn't trusted anyone enought for that, or at least, not Quarians. Shepard can show interest. Then at the final mission stage, she will ask if he's still interested, then if Shepard shows interest, she will at some point tell Shepard she took anti-biotics and some herbal supplements willing to remove her suit.
Jack
During conversations between Jack and Shepard, there will eventually be an option to have casual sex with Jack, the option will still be available even after pursuing other romantic options like Tali or Miranda. After a sex scene, Jack will refuse to speak to Shepard anymore, claiming that there's nothing to talk about. But it is also posible to turn down the casual sex option, in this case, Shepard will have the chance to know her and have a relantionship with a very different destiny. Jack will eventually open up, and talk a lot about her background. She will ask Shepard some time to think about everything. At the final mission stage, she meets Shepard in his Cabin and she will give in, showing a very emotional side.
Female Shepard
Jacob Taylor
There's a point where Shepard can ask Jacob to talk, and Shepard can show interest. Jacob will always try to keep formal and respectful to the rank difference between them, and Shepard can still have the option to toy with him and he would get a little nervous calling her "Shepard" and then correcting himself "...Commander". He won't like to be offered help with his problems, he would feel it like an offense, as if his problems are taken like little fixable problems and he will reject Shepard for that. Avoiding the wrong lines, he will eventually start to admit he's interested but he still cares a lot about the mission. But things will slowly start to be romantic. On the final mission stage, he will sneak into the Captain's quarters and Shepard will have a last chance confirm that she's interested or not. And a love scene will show.
Garrus Vakarian
The option to romance Garrus becomes available after completing Garrus' Loyalty Mission, Shepard can ask Garrus how turians get prepared for high risk missions, Garrus says they get ready with violent training, and will talk about a female turian with who he decided to "release the tension in the ring" and talk about a long fight, that it ended in a draw after 9 rounds, and finish with the line "one way to work off stress, I guess", at this point the dialogue option "We could ease stress together" for Shepard becomes available to what Garrus understands that Shepard wants an sparring session, then replying the "Not what I meant" dialogue, Garrus will understand Shepard romancing intenions. Garrus will consider it and quickly accept, just a bit confused about inter-species relantions, but still willing to go forward with it. Then at the final mission stage, he will bring some wine to Shepard. At this point the Shepard can accept or reject Garrus one last time, if accepeted, Garrus will be worried about what's acceptable in human culture and attempt to seduce Shepard with music and by complimenting Shepard, hoping not to be offensive. Then a love scene shows.
Thane Krios
While talking with Thane, he will begin showing his personal side by talking about his illness first, then in the next conversation, he will talk about his family. This will unlock his Loyalty Mission: to stop his son from becoming an assasin. After his Loyalty Mission, he will talk about his childhood, culture, and then about a certain past moment. Shepard notices his accurate memory and in the next conversation Shepard can ask him about it, Thane will say that his species have perfect memory, and they'll talk about guilt. He then will appreacite Shepard presence, here Shepard can slide a comment that she doesn't want to be only friends. If Shepard keeps showing interest on him, Thane will start calling her "Siha". In the final mission stage, he will approach Shepard, and tell her he talked to his son, feeling very uneasy because he wants to be in peace and talk about everything he done to achieve piece, hitting the table. Shepard will calm him down and ask him to be alive. A love scene shows.
Male or Female Shepard
The following Romance options will not unlock the Paramour Achievement, and are not conditioned by Shepard's gender.
Kelly Chambers
Advancing in relationship with Kelly, does not affect other relationships. She will first tell Shepard she is a psychologist and she will offer her attention to any matters where she can be of help. Some conversations later, Shepard can ask Kelly to have a session, but it would be postponed. Kelly will gradually add some romanticism to the conversations. She is not as shy as many other romantic options. She will at some point say she wishes to meet Shepard more and Shepard can invite her to his/her cabin, and she will accept. She will then thank Shepard. In the next conversations she will offer Shepard to take care of the fish in Shepard's cabin, Shepard may accept.
Samara
Samara requires a lot of previous conversations before her Loyalty Mission to be able to take her side when she fights her daughter, Morinth. Samara is very cold but after helping her, she talks a lot about her life. About her daughter, her kills, and her past. She will always ask Shepard to keep distance, but Shepard can say they want more, to what Samara, even thou she will be holding Shepard's hands, she will explain that their relation is not posible because when the mission is complete, the oath will end, and she would be bound by the code again, which would make the relationship impossible. Shepard can insist, and they would almost kiss... but Samara will stop it saying "in another time, another life".
Morinth
On Samara's Loyalty Mission, Shepard has to make a lot of things on a club to catch Morinth's attention. Morinth will then ask Shepard to join her at the table, if Shepard talks about violence and power, she will like it and invite Shepard to her appartment. Then at the apartment Samara will enter uninvited, when Morinth realizes that Shepard was sent by Samara. Samara and Morinth will start to fight, Shepard will have to pick a side, and by picking Morinth's side, Samara will get killed. Morinth will thank Shepard and join the team pretending to be Samara. In further conversations, she will show interest on Shepard. Morinth will explain that her lovers experience unimaginable pleausure during they lasts moments, because their nervous system overloads on ecstasy. Shepard can choose to accept to do that or not. By accepting, they will start kissing until suddenly Morinth's eyes turn black, passing glowing energy to Shepard's body, she'll say "Embrace Eternity" and then Shepard will die and the game will consider it a "Critical Mission Failure" and the player will have to restart from the last save point.
Mordin's Advice.
On most romance options, Male or Female Shepard can ask Mordin for advice. Depending on the romance, Mordin will offer shortly some advice, given very professionally. He will talk about the risks, and suggest cares and methods to engage sexual activity. Mordin will give specific advice for each romance:
- Mordin will say that Tali acquired antiseptic, and recommend Shepard to self-sterilize as well. And he will advice precaution.
- He will offer biotic inhibitor to dampen neural receptors and weaken unintenttional biotic effects for Jack.
- When Female Shepard romances Jacob and when Male Shepard romances Miranda, Mordin will insist repeatedly: "Watch for dogs. Could be planted anywhere."
- If Shepard romances Garrus, Mordin will say that sexual activity helps release stress for Humans and Turians.
- Mordin will tell Shepard to come back when rash develops when romancing with Thane.
At the end of the conversation, Mordin will forward to Shepard's quarters a booklet with diagrams exercies, inventive uses of mass effect fields.
Liara - Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC
The option of Romancing Liara will not unlock the Paramour Achievement and it is not conditioned by Shepard's gender either. But it requires the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC and it requires an Imported Shepard that have had a relationship with her in Mass Effect 1.
If the player starts the game with an Imported Shepard that have had a relationship with Liara en Mass Effect 1, she will the one who helps Shepard in the opening scene of Mass Effect 2. Then when they meet Liara will greet Shepard with a kiss. Liara will always get emotional about Shepard being gone for 2 years. Shepard will ask Liara to join the Normandy, but she will decline, first because of the mission, and then, after the completion of the mission, because she wants to keep the Shadow Broker's mission, Shepard can interrupt her while she cries and kiss her. In the last mission stage, in another meeting, she tells him she misses him, and Shepard can invite her to have some fun and take some drinks in the Normandy and she will accept. She'll then appear in a nice dress. She will give Shepard his old tags as a gift. She asks Shepard to come back. And a love scene starts and fades to black. The last seen scene in Mass Effect 2 about their romance is Shepard staring at Liara's picture.
