Top 10 Mass Effect Races

Top 10 Mass Effect Races

Also in:

Every Mass Effect Romance Option Ranked

They're the ones making this fictional universe come alive. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 Mass Effect races. For this list, we're taking a look exclusively at fictional species in the Mass Effect universe, Sorry Commander Shepard, no humans will be making this list.

For our first pick, we got the Volus, a short and stubby race often associated with the Citadel, as they were the first race to establish an embassy on the Presidium. Their home world named "Irune" is a high-pressure planet with an ammonia-based ecology. Because of this harsh native atmosphere, they must wear breathers and pressure suits in pretty much any environment that would normally be hospitable to humans and other races. Though not physically adept, the Volus has a high influence on commerce and trade throughout the Citadel.

Originally from the planet Dekuuna, the Elcor are massive and stand on four legs for stability purposes. They move extremely slowly due since they evolved on a high-gravity homeworld where a fall to the ground could be harmful or even fatal. Even though some Elcor are seen on the Citadel and other colonies, most prefer not traveling in space because of their size since they find the limitations of space travel uncomfortable. To avoid misunderstanding due to their monotone voice, the Elcor prefix all their dialog with emotive statements to clarify their tone.

Mysteriously vanishing fifty thousand years before the start of Mass Effect one, the Protheans once reigned over a galaxy-wide empire and are were extremely technologically advanced, as evidenced by the relics they left behind. Prothean’s have a number of unique biological features, including eyes that can see through cloaking devices and the ability to essentially read another beings mind or “recall their experiences” simply by touching them. Though it was once thought that they had created the Mass relays, their true fate is much more grim…

A reptilian race with deep, religious practices, the once inhabited a dying homeworld before they made first contact with the Hanar and were rescued. Since the Drell's emerged from an arid desert-like planet, humid climates are intolerable to them and often lead to a fatal, degenerative disease in the long run. They also possess strong eidetic memories, which essentially amounts to photographic memory, allowing them to recall moments from their past in perfect clarity – whether they want to or not.

Created by the Quarians, the Geth are a race of sentient robots, controlled by advanced, networked artificial intelligence. Created by the Quarians, who we’ll get to in a second, the Geth were once essentially slaves created for work and warfare. However, after they became sentient and started asking one too many questions, the Quarians attempted to wipe them out in an all out war – a war which saw the Geth victorious and the Quarians reduced to a single, nomadic fleet. It is because of this disastrous misuse of artificial intelligence that all A.I. in the galaxy is illegal and systematically repressed.

Native from the planet Sur'Kesh and second species to join the Citadel, the Salarians move, think and talk fast due to their metabolism. The downside to this that is they have a short lifespan that goes rarely over 40 years old. They are known as one of the founders of the Citadel Council due to their scientific prowess and enhanced brain function. Their advanced science is also the source of great intergalactic guilt however, since, in order to end a war with the Krogans, they created the genophage to sterilize and essentially doom the entire race.

Known for their diplomacy, the Asari were the first species to discover the Citadel and are the ones who proposed and founded the Citadel Council. As a mono-gender race, they are feminine in appearance, however they have the ability to reproduce with any species and gender. Originally from the planet Thessia, all Asari have natural biotic aptitude because of the strong traces of Element Zero found there. Asari can also live almost 1000 years, a life cycle which is divided into 3 stages called the Maidan, the Matron and the Matriach, respectively.

Native from the planet Palaven, the Turians are widely known for their disciplined and their militaristic culture, especially in the Citadel. They are most respected due to public services like Citadel Security Services or C-Sec and their contributions in the form starships and soldiers to the Citadel Fleet. The Turians were the third species to join the Citadel council. Though they gained their council seat after quelling the Krogan rebellion, there is still some animosity between the Turians and humans since both races fought against eachother in the First Contact War.

A tragic race, the Quarians became nomads after losing their homeworld Rannoch to the Geth, resulting in them also losing the Citadel Council confidence and their own embassy. Most Quarians now live on the Migrant fleet, a massive collection of starships that roams the galaxy. As a rite of passage into adulthood, coming of age Quarians must undertake a pilgrimage outside the fleet, as proof they will not be a burden on the convoy’s limited resources. Although living onboard space ships all their lives does make Quarians quite adept at engineering and tech, a lifetime in a sterile environment and the constant threat of a hull breach means that all Quarians wear enviro suits at all times. Before we unveil our top picks, here are a few honorable mentions. The Leviathan The Hanar The Batarian

Originally from Tuchanka, the Krogan are a large reptilian species that live in a harsh an unforgiving world. Artificially sterilized by the Genophage, the Krogan are usually distrustful of all other races, and the very few females that remain almost never leaves their home world in the attempt to avoid extinction. Spartanesque is culture, the Krogan’s respect strength and independence, as the worst insult you could utter in Krogan society is "You're not worth killing". Both vicious warriors and lovable goofs, strong but tragic, the Krogans are the perfect example the depth sown into the Mass Effect universe. Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite Mass Effect species? For more Entertaining Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.