Mass Effect - What Happens If You REJECT EVERY SQUADMATE???

What happens if you don't recruit anybody and become the lone wolf Shepard in ME1?

0:00 Introduction
0:49 Kaidan Alenko
1:18 Richard Jenkins
1:31 Ashley Williams
2:37 Garrus Vakarian
4:19 Urdnot Wrex
5:58 Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
6:47 Liara T'Soni

MASS EFFECT - WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T RECRUIT GARRUS

MASS EFFECT - WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T RECRUIT WREX

MASS EFFECT - RECRUITING LIARA AFTER FEROS / NOVERIA / VIRMIRE

MASS EFFECT 2 - WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T RECRUIT TALI

[ArveEriksson]

"You're rude for a hallucination!"
I approve of Liara.

[Activated_Complex]

“Well, I hope you know what you’re doing, Shepard. With no crew and no squad mates, the only person you can count on is yourself.”
(Long pause)
“I don’t want him on my ship.”

[kakyoin]

Rejecting Garrus is painful to look at, knowing what happens if he joins. He's the best bro man come on.

[Wastingsometimehere]

Rejecting any Mass Effect companion: Critical Mission Failure

[Usernamehear]

But if you reject everyone who will Shepard bang.

[michaelw]

“Stop whining or I’ll drop your ass back in that volcano!”

lol, I love renegade Shepard.

[alexanderl]

Jenkins is my favourite squad mate from the entire trilogy. His story arch and character development is a whole new level of brilliant.

[Haloister]

"Watching Jenkins go out in a blaze of glory."
Yeah that's the nice way to put it.

[anarmedrat]

"Wrex is an optional squadmate, even if he's not optional in our hearts"

I literally couldn't of put it better myself 😂

[xxarcangelxx]

I think it's funny that they let you spend points on Jenkins for him to just die in the 1st encounter of enemies.

[Blazieth]

A big gameplay reason for a lot of this is that they want to make sure Shepard always has two companions in combat. The ONLY time this isn't true (outside of, potentially, Pinnacle Station? I've never played that DLC.) is after Jenkins dies, but before meeting Ashley.

Either Garrus *or* Wrex are mandatory - one is skippable, but you cannot skip both, as you require ONE of them to lead you to Fist. Then Tali is mandatory as well - this gives you two non-human squadmates. Virmire is the center point of all this - you lose access to both Ashley *and* Kaidan for a large portion of Virmire, thus in order to maintain two non-Shepard Squadmates, they need to make sure you leave the Citadel with at least two new Squadmates, as it is possible to visit Virmire before Therum. Thus, the two non-human squadmates you picked up (Tali and either Garrus or Wrex) become your ONLY available Squadmates if you skipped one of the two on the Citadel and haven't grabbed Liara yet.

The two squadmate rule is *also* why Wrex will automatically back down under the same circumstances, without the need for any charm, intimidate, or even his sidequest. If you don't have Garrus or Liara, Wrex dying in his standoff would leave you with only Tali. The fact that this is the case may have been something of a last-minute "oh crap" realization due to the... somewhat awkward way it goes if you get this outcome. The way it's worded and even voiced, it almost sounds like Wrex is realizing mid-threat that he's contractually obligated to maintain the game mechanic of having two squadmates and grumpily and sassily backs down.

[weirdoman]

7:45 I totally expected her to say "I have spent most of my adult life trapped in a volcano!"

[AlaskanGhost]

Udina: "Tali is best girl, Shepherd, by the next game, you will understand that, take her with you."

[LurkerPatrol]

Male shepherd’s voice actor makes the garrus rejection so much funnier dude. It’s like a child’s tantrum: “I don’t want you on this mission!!!”

[Annie]

Liara: *literally in the middle of a mental breakdown*
Shepard: 🤨🤨😒😒

[christopherdavis]

I don’t know and I don’t want to know what has to happen in someone’s life for them to play through Mass Effect and NOT recruit Garrus.

[themadspartan]

I felt pain watching Shepherd rejecting pretty much his space family hurts man...

[ScorpSt]

If you reject Garrus and do Virmire without Liara, it's impossible for Wrex to die on Virmire. He'll stand down before anyone can shoot him.

[DamienDrake]

I find it funny the 2 squad mates I use the most are the only optional ones.

[jamnikchaosu]

"Ashley Williams is a mandatory companion as well. But you can make things right on Virmire if you like"

Indeed xD