Easiest Mass Effect Character Cosplay Ideas

Given its sci-fi nature, Mass Effect has some difficult characters to cosplay. Many of the series’ main characters are aliens, some of which are distinctly non-humanoid in appearance, and even the humans of the Mass Effect trilogy tend to run around in futuristic heavy armor more often than not. Fortunately, there are also a few outfits that take inspiration from modern-day fashion, making them a little easier to put together than some of the other outfits featured in the series.

Casual outfits started to become more prominent in Mass Effect 3, which introduced leather jackets and hoodies for Shepard to wear in place of the more standard military outfits provided in their casual armor options. This was carried over into the later release of Mass Effect: Andromeda as well, which similarly allows Ryder to wear everything from hoodies to tank tops. Shepard also dons either a dress or a suit for several missions in Mass Effect 2 and ME3‘s Citadel DLC.

The release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition brought ME3‘s casual outfits over into Mass Effect 2, as well, a choice that aligned with the remaster’s goal of creating a more unified appearance for Shepard across the entire trilogy. Alongside this change came an overhauled character creation system, which brought Shepard’s appearance in Mass Effect 1 more up to the standard seen in later Mass Effect games. Mass Effect Legendary Edition also introduced a few new customization options such as darker skin tones and improved hairstyles, as well.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: Humanoid Aliens

One creative way to approach a Mass Effect cosplay is by opting to dress up as human interpretations of some of the most iconic aliens across the franchise. Some are already relatively similar in appearance. Liara and other asari, for example, are almost identical to humans save for their “hair”. Quarians are similar to humans as well, especially given the fact that they have masks on the majority of the time, and if fans are willing to overlook the unusual shape of Tali’s legs and hands a cosplay for her – or any of the other major quarian characters throughout the Mass Effect series – can easily be put together. Her outfit is also less complex than that of more heavily armored characters like Wrex and Garrus. The same goes for Liara, who favors scientist apparel in Mass Effect 1, and Aria T’loak, who instead goes for leather-based outfits.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: Kasumi Goto

Kasumi was first introduced in the Stolen Memory DLC pack for Mass Effect 2, though as of Mass Effect Legendary Edition – which includes almost all DLC across the Mass Effect trilogy – this squadmate is now available for all players to recruit. As a master thief, her armor stands out from the rest of the Normandy’s crew: Kasumi opts for a sleek black jumpsuit and hood in place of heavy armor. Although a few embellishments will be needed if fans are going for an entirely accurate recreation of Kasumi’s outfit, its base features are refreshingly simple compared to many other outfits across the Mass Effect series.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: James Vega

James, one of the Mass Effect series’ casual romance options, is another one of Shepard’s crew who opts for a likewise more casual look as opposed to dressing in the more standard military attire of the Alliance the way other human NPCs like Kaidan and Ashley opt to. James dresses in a grey t-shirt, dog tags, black pants, and black boots, making his outfit easy for just about anyone to put together.

What might be more difficult in this Mass Effect cosplay, however, is recreating the tattoos seen up and down the sides of his neck and arms. The same goes for Jack, who other than her tattoos wears not much of anything at all, though her outfit does grow more complex in Mass Effect 3.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: Commander Shepard

Shepard has various casual outfits to choose from, each of which is fairly easy to recreate compared to their more iconic N7 armor as seen throughout much of the Mass Effect series. Many of Shepard’s accessories can even be purchased through the BioWare store, making them easier to acquire for those fans who may not be able to make their own. The first outfits are composed of a simple grey t-shirt and black jeans, similar to what James Vega wears, and a black leather jacket or hoodie decorated with red N7 stripes.

The others are exclusively available for female Shepards to access in-game but are just as easy to put together. One is seen on many of the workers and colonists throughout the Mass Effect series: a brown shirt with the sleeves cut, covered up with a pair of overalls, and a choker necklace. The other is potentially slightly more expensive to put together, as it consists of Shepard’s formal dress as utilized in the Citadel DLC as well as Kasumi’s loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2. For these missions, Shepard wears a simple and form-fitting black dress.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: EDI

Surprisingly, EDI is one of the more humanoid companions in the Mass Effect series: although she’s an android, her body was initially meant to masquerade as a human. To that extent, there are two ways to approach an EDI Mass Effect cosplay. The first way is by instead dressing up as her human counterpart, Doctor Eva Coré, a robot in disguise sent by Cerberus to infiltrate the Prothean archives on Mars. Her outfit is nearly identical to what Miranda wears in Mass Effect 2, consisting of a leather jumpsuit without many accessories. EDI herself is capable of wearing a similar jumpsuit thanks to the additional armor options present in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, though it goes without saying that any Mass Effect fans looking to cosplay her will need a hefty amount of grey body paint in order to replicate her robotic appearance.

Easy Mass Effect Cosplay: Miranda Lawson

Miranda, like Kasumi, wears a jumpsuit in place of armor, somewhat notoriously so given the way BioWare tends to frame her in camera shots, although fortunately this was fixed in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Miranda’s leather jumpsuit is black and white, although there are additional variations available provided she’s made loyal, and decorated with the Cerberus logo. She also wears a black belt around her waist. Her outfit in the Citadel DLC consists of a simple red dress with leather gloves, providing another alternative outfit for potential Mass Effect cosplayers to put together.

About The Author

Ky Shinkle
(528 Articles Published)

Ky Shinkle is a Senior Gaming Features Writer for Screen Rant as well as an overall avid gamer and writer. Her prior experience is primarily that of a narrative designer for video games, although her writing has covered all formats from screenplays and novels to stage scripts. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, when she isn’t writing she works on digital media projects and other types of fiction writing. Ky currently works out of Ohio and enjoys spending her free time either playing RPGs or running with her dog.

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