Say what you will about Mass Effect, there's no denying that it is a fascinating series. The developers put a lot of love and care into the world-building and did a stellar job creating the lore and the vast variety of alien species.
From the blue, biotic Asari to the fierce but honorable Krogan to the curious, mysterious Quarians, this series has given cosplayers plenty of characters to cover. However dressing up like these aliens isn't as simple as wearing pointed ears and calling yourself a Vulcan. It takes time and resources to truly craft an amazingly accurate costume. The following are ten cosplayers that went above and beyond to pull off impossibly great cosplay.
10 Moonka_Moonka
Right from the start, Moonka_mooka steps up to the plate with her cosplay of Commander Shepard. Players are allowed to decide Shepard's gender and choose from two builds, with the option to design. Here we have the default design for what fans have dubbed as Fem Shep. The weapons and armor look authentic and her omnitool is one of the best I've ever seen. The lighting used on the backdrop makes it look like she's actually on the Normandy. What really puts this over the edge are the cosplayer's poses and stern looks as if she were Shepard. Let's just hope that they look better in civilian clothes than Shepard did.
9 Syn_zh
To celebrate N7 Day, Syn_zh constructed this incredible cosplay of the retired assassin Thane. From the age of six, Thane was trained to be an assassin but after years of killing his conscience has started to weigh down on him. To make amends for all the bloodshed, he agreed to join Shepard in their suicide mission against the Reapers.
The cosplayer's poses and the beady black eyes of the mask really give the impression that they are a trained assassin with years of experience behind them. They're even holding a submachine gun, one of the two weapons Thane specializes in the game. Pardon the pun, but they killed it.
8 Cozshedead
Taking part in the Cosplay Vs Character Challenge, Cozshedead submits her cosplay as Morinth from Mass Effect 2. The side by side pictures provide a comparison to show how accurate the costume is. From the hexagonal pattern to the gold accents and headpiece. The blue skin and scalp-crests on the head are flawless making anyone question if that really is a costume or not. Her far off expression is fitting considering that her character's lethal abilities. Let's just hope there's a Samara around to keep an eye on her.
7 Amelie_szcz
Cosplaying as Commander Shepard and Liara are the adorable duo Amelie_szcz and Shala_cosplay. In Mass Effect, Liara is presented as one of the shipmates Shepard can romantically pursue regardless of the gender the player picks. Here we see the two sharing a tender moment with a simple kiss on the forehead in battle armor that looks realistically worn down. Whether this was staged or not, thepuddinsphoto did a fabulous job capturing this moment as did the make-up artist that worked on Shala_cosplay. Hopefully that kiss didn't mess up her blue paint.
6 Bettcanard
Grunt is brought to life thanks to astonishing work done by Bettcanard. The detailing in the ridges on Grunt's head is impeccable and the arms look authentic. Credit has to be given to Cosplay_Studio_Norway for photographing her creation with the red and blue lighting possibly representing his urge to go paragon or renegade.
Their Instagram includes pictures of the suit being made and videos of her in the suit walking around. Her costume was so good she was named champion of the Nordic Cosplay Championship 2019. Truly the finest suit of the finest krogan.
5 Hotshotcosplay
These remarkable costumes were brought to life by a team of artists and costume designers. From the top, Mandyrmk sewed the outfits, hotshotcosplay donated the rifle, ashleymakeup worked on the Asari headpiece, and lustredust helped with make-up. As for the actual cosplayers, jayherroncosplay was Ryder, beatboi1 was Drack, Liz was Jaal, and Lou was Peebee. It shouldn't come as a surprise that this team won Best in Show at the Calgary Expo. Nothing left to say except great job team.
4 Ivrphoto
Cosplaying as the every loyal Garrus is Shelby.elle.cosplay getting their picture taken by Ivrphoto. Whether he is a friend or a romantic partner, Garrus is one of the toughest non-Krogan allies Shepard has. With this close-up we get a good look at the detail placed in this costume from the sculpting of the mask right down to the scars on his face. The eyes feel like they are staring directly at you as if Garrus knows someone is out there watching. A fitting portrayal of an elite soldier.
3 Rith.de & Muldanova_Ulli
Teaming up for N7 Day, Moldanova_Ulli becomes Liara and Rith.de takes the role Tali. Liara and Tali are Shepard's teammates with distinct designs perfect for cosplaying. Traumer505 perfectly depicts the two as the tough yet collected members of the Normandy ready to join Shepard on the battlefield.
They even have the characters' abilities and weapons, with Liara holding a psionic energy ball and Tali wielding her signature heavy pistols. Let's hope these cosplay-sisters keep up the great work for years to come.
2 Evilsirencosplay
Evilsirencosplay managed to arrange this group shot of with the help of Sneaky.wombats and mila.alexia.j. From left to right, Cloud-Dark Cosplay as Tali, Raikko as Jack, Monsoon Cosplay as Shepard and Garrus, and Evilsirencosplay as Samara. The editing on Jack's hand almost makes you believe that she really has powers. The same goes for the work done on Samara and Garrus and the rest of the group perfectly replicating the style of their respective character. The Avengers-style posing serves as the finishing touch for this fine photo.
1 Lithiix & Friends
Where do we even begin with this one? There are so many quality cosplayers in one picture it's almost hard to keep track of them all. Unfortunately, Lithiix didn't list who these cosplayers were or which of them she is but at least they went out of their way to photograph these tremendous cosplayers and give them a shout out. With a few exceptions, this group consists of Shepard and the various teammates they acquire throughout the first three games. Hopefully these cosplayers will be acknowledged for their work on this or have their craft be recognized soon enough.