There are a whopping eleven different characters who you can choose to romance in Mass Effect 3, each of whom will have different requirements and requests if you opt to pursue their hearts. Some, like Specialist Traynor, will be simple one night affairs that can be completed far before the end of the game, while others, such as Liara, you will have to wait until the end of the game to truly see through. This guide will cover each character, the requirements for winning their hearts, and which genders they are available to. First up is…

Ashley Williams:





Available Genders: Only male Shepard

Requirements:

This one is a bit specific, so pay close attention. First of all, in order to romance Ashley she will have to be, you know, living. It goes without saying, but you will have to have chosen Ashley over Kaiden in the first Mass Effect. It will not matter whether or not you romanced her in that first game, though. You will simply have to visit her several times in the Huerta Memorial Hospital, starting right after she is admitted following the Priority: Mars mission, again towards the middle of Act 1 (when you receive her first email,) and a final time at the very end (when you receive the last email, after Priority: Palaven.) Buying her a gift from the little gift shop vending machine in the Huerta Memorial Hospital lobby will improve your chances of romancing her later. Purchase the Collected Alfred Tennyson item to receive the best response; she will be shocked that you remembered this little detail from the first game. If you dated her in the first Mass Effect, you can romance her again earlier than you would be able to otherwise. After you go through this process, Ashley will ask to meet with you in the Presidium Commons area of the Citadel following the Cerberus attack. Meet with her, and she will either ask you to date her (this only happens if you made the exact right dialogue choices when speaking with her earlier,) or you can ask her yourself if you hit the mark close enough.

Diana Allers:





Available Genders: Both male and female Shepards

Requirements:

Meet up with Diana during your very first visit to the Citadel, after Ashley or Kaiden has been hospitalized on Mars. She will be standing around in the lobby. Invite her to join you on the Normandy to document your actions. You will really only have to perform a couple of specific requirements after this. Diana isn’t exactly the most demanding of lovers. She will, however, demand that you either kill off the quarians or unite the warring races in the Priority: Rannoch mission. You should also head to the Engineering Deck early on to find her hanging out here, and speak with her. Otherwise, if you intend to romance Diana, just remember to invite her up to your private quarters for interviews when you receive emails saying that you can do so. The first of these will come after the Citadel is raided, and the second after Rannoch. Give her good interviews (use the Persuade option when available) and make passes at her to get her love scene.

Garrus:





Available Genders: Only female Shepard

Requirements:

First, you have to have romanced Garrus in Mass Effect 2 in order to continue it here. Talk to Garrus when you first recruit him into your party to continue the relationship. After this, just speak to him after Priority: Tuchanka, and again on the Citadel when you receive the email inviting you to hang out. Commit to a serious relationship during this conversation. Note that you can break your commitment if you say during the first conversation that you want to stay with Garrus only to romance someone else over the course of the game. This will lead to a romance blooming between Garrus and Tali.

Jack





Available Genders: Only male Shepard

Requirements:

This one also requires you to have started the relationship in Mass Effect 2. After that, you will have to complete the Grissom Academy mission that you will receive from Specialist Traynor early on. When you encounter Jack during this mission, you should act in a generally agreeable fashion. This means using the more Paragon-leaning responses, not the Renegade ones. After the mission is over, a Paragon interrupt prompt will appear. Hit LT to complete the prompt. After this, the romance is similar to the others. Wait for an invitation to meet on the Citadel, and find Jack to speak with her in Purgatory. Tell her that you still want her, and you will complete this romance.

Kaiden Alenko:





Available Genders: Both male and female Shepards

Requirements:

The requirements for this romance differ just a little depending on whether you are playing a male or female character, but largely it will be the same either way. Naturally, you will have to have chosen to let Kaiden live over Ashley in the first Mass Effect. When Kaiden is hospitalized after the Mars mission, visit him in the hospital right away. This little section right here is the key differentiator for male players who want to romance Kaiden, as the entire future of the romance hinges on one little moment that many people may miss. Before heading into the patient ward to visit Kaiden, examine the gift shop console in the middle of the hospital lobby. Purchase the TM-88 Peruvian Whiskey. Female players should do this as well, but male players be warned: if you don’t purchase the whiskey, you will have no other opportunities to romance Kaiden. Deliver the whiskey to him in his hospital room and generally be positive about his recovery and accepting about your history together. After the Priority: Palaven mission, visit him again, and again be positive. Gain his trust, and have him join your party after the Citadel attack. Keep up with him on the Normandy and he will soon offer to meet with you on the Citadel, in the Presidium Commons. Meet him there and either accept his offer to date, or bring it up yourself. Note that you do not have to have romanced Kaiden in the first Mass Effect to do so successfully here.