BioWare games have always been about the "bang." Everyone knows it. When you pick up a Mass Effect title, you're usually looking for two things: a galaxy-ending threat and someone to share a bunk with before the final mission. But Mass Effect Andromeda was different. It didn't just feel different; it felt like a weird, experimental pivot for the franchise's intimate moments. Honestly, the way sex scenes in Mass Effect Andromeda were handled became one of the most polarizing parts of a game that was already struggling with its identity.
Some people hated them. Others found them more "human" than the original trilogy.
The reality is that Andromeda tried to move away from the "collect three loyalty points to unlock a cinematic" formula. It didn't always work. The game launched with some notorious technical hurdles—remember the "tired face" memes?—and those glitches didn't exactly help the romantic tension. If your protagonist’s eyes are clipping through their eyelids while they're trying to whisper sweet nothings to a blue alien, the mood is pretty much dead. Yet, if you look past the jank, there’s a surprising amount of variety in how Ryder interacts with the crew of the Tempest.
How the Romance System Actually Functions
In the original trilogy, Shepard’s romances were very structured. You talk, you agree, you get a scene. In Andromeda, the developers at BioWare Montreal tried to bake "interest" into the dialogue more naturally. You'll see a heart icon. It’s not subtle. However, the type of payoff you get varies wildly depending on who you’re pursuing.
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Not every romance ends in a "sex scene" in the traditional sense.
Some characters, like Suvi Anwar, offer a more emotional, slow-burn connection that focuses on shared values and faith rather than physical intimacy. Others are much more forward. If you’re playing as Scott Ryder and you go for Cora Harper, you’re getting the "full" BioWare experience—nudity, high-budget cinematography, and a very clear physical payoff. If you’re Sara Ryder and you’re into Jaal, the Angaran sweetheart, the scene is more about cultural exchange and emotional vulnerability. It’s inconsistent. That’s the biggest complaint. You never quite know if you’re signing up for a chaste kiss or a PG-13 HBO segment.
The Cora Harper Scene vs. The Rest
Let's talk about Cora. Her scene is arguably the most "explicit" in the game. It’s the one that most closely mirrors the expectations set by The Witcher 3 or later Dragon Age titles. It features full-body models and a level of polish that some of the other romances clearly lacked.
Why the disparity?
Development of Andromeda was notoriously troubled. Reports from Kotaku and other outlets detailed a "development hell" where many features were rushed in the final eighteen months. It shows. The "main" romances—the ones the developers clearly expected players to flock toward—got the lion’s share of the animation budget.
Cora’s scene involves a gravity-well sequence that is actually pretty creative. It uses the sci-fi setting to do something you couldn't do in a standard romance. But then you look at a character like Gil or Reyes Vidal. Their encounters feel truncated. Sometimes they’re just a fade-to-black or a suggestive conversation on a balcony. If you were looking for a uniform experience across all love interests, Andromeda is going to frustrate you.
Gender, Orientation, and Player Choice
BioWare took a lot of heat for the initial state of the male-male romance options in Andromeda. At launch, the options for a gay Scott Ryder were significantly thinner than those for a straight Scott or a lesbian Sara. It felt like an afterthought.
The fans noticed.
Specifically, the romance with Jaal was originally restricted to Sara Ryder. The community backlash was significant enough that BioWare actually patched the game later to allow Scott to romance Jaal. This wasn't just about "sex scenes"; it was about the fact that Jaal was one of the most fleshed-out, emotionally resonant characters in the game. Restricting him felt like a slight to a large portion of the player base.
The patch changed things. It added new dialogue and animations. It was a rare moment where a developer admitted the "romance math" was skewed and fixed it post-launch.
Does the Nudity Matter?
There was a lot of pre-release hype about the "softcore" nature of the game. ESRB ratings even mentioned "full frontal nudity," which was a first for the series. But in practice? It’s pretty tame.
The nudity in sex scenes in Mass Effect Andromeda is used more as a tool for "prestige TV" realism than for titillation. It’s meant to make the characters feel like adults in a real relationship. Whether it succeeds is up for debate. For many, the "uncanny valley" effect of the character models makes these scenes more awkward than romantic. When the skin shaders don’t react correctly to light, or the characters have "dead eyes," a sex scene can quickly turn into a horror movie.
The Nuance of the "Casual" Encounter
Not everything is a marriage proposal. Andromeda introduced the idea of casual flings, which was a departure from Shepard’s usually "all-or-nothing" approach to love.
You can flirt with Peebee, the Asari scholar, in a way that leads to a "no strings attached" encounter in the escape pod. It’s fast. It’s slightly comedic. It’s very Peebee. What’s interesting here is how the game handles the aftermath. If you choose the casual route, it changes the tone of your future interactions. It doesn't "lock" you out of everything else, but it sets a specific vibe for the rest of the journey.
This reflects a more modern view of dating.
Compare this to Vetra Nyx. Her romance is widely considered one of the best in the game, yet it’s remarkably light on "action." It’s about a shared dinner on a sulfurous planet. It’s about her protective nature over her sister. The intimacy is found in the trust, not the bedroom.
Breaking Down the Major Romances
- Cora Harper: High production value, traditional "cinematic" sex scene, requires completing her loyalty mission involving the Asari ark.
- Peebee: Offers both a casual zero-G fling and a committed relationship. The tone is playful and chaotic.
- Jaal ama Darav: Focuses on emotional openness. The scene is tender and involves a lot of "soul-searching" dialogue common to the Angara.
- Vetra Nyx: Very little nudity, mostly focused on the "ride or die" partnership.
- Liam Kosta: A bit of a polarizing romance. It’s very "bro-y" and domestic, culminating in a scene that feels like a romantic comedy ending.
- Reyes Vidal: The "bad boy" option on Kadara. It’s heavy on chemistry and "heist movie" tension, though the physical payoff is less detailed than the squadmates.
The Technical Reality of 2026 Replays
If you’re playing Mass Effect Andromeda today—perhaps on a modern PC or via backward compatibility—the experience is much better than it was in 2017. Patches fixed the "dead eyes." Lighting updates made the skin tones look less like plastic.
When you trigger these scenes now, they actually land the emotional punches they were intended to.
However, the game still suffers from "BioWare neck." That’s the thing where a character's head turns at a 90-degree angle that would snap a human spine just to look at the player during a cutscene. It’s a reminder that these are puppets. And that’s the hurdle with any RPG romance. You’re trying to find a human connection in a series of scripted triggers and bone-rigging animations.
Why People Still Search for These Scenes
People don't just search for sex scenes in Mass Effect Andromeda because they're "horny." Well, some do. But for a lot of players, it’s about the "Golden Ending."
In an RPG, the romance is the ultimate sign of "winning" the social game. It’s the proof that you navigated the dialogue trees correctly. You didn't offend them. You supported their dreams. The scene is the trophy.
There’s also the "curiosity" factor. Because the scenes vary so much in quality and content, players want to know if the character they like actually gets a "good" scene or if they’re going to be disappointed by a fade-to-black. No one wants to spend 60 hours wooing a digital alien just to have the screen go dark right when things get interesting.
Final Practical Advice for Players
If you’re diving into the game now and want to see the best the romance system has to offer, focus on the Loyalty Missions. You cannot reach the final stage of any romance—sexual or otherwise—without completing these personal quests.
- Don't commit too early. You can flirt with multiple characters in the early game without consequences. The "lock-in" point is usually very clear, involving a specific dialogue prompt where you agree to be exclusive.
- Read the emails. A lot of the character building that makes the sex scenes feel earned happens in the terminal on the Tempest.
- Check the environment. Some romances, like the one with Reyes Vidal, are highly dependent on the choices you make during the Kadara storyline. If you side against him, your chances are gone.
- Manage your expectations. If you're romancing a non-squadmate (like Suvi or Gil), understand that their "scene" will never be as elaborate as Cora’s or Peebee’s.
The game isn't perfect. It never was. But the romance system in Andromeda tried to do something a bit more mature and varied than its predecessors. It failed in the execution sometimes, but the intent was to show that in a new galaxy, human (and alien) connection is just as messy and complicated as it was back in the Milky Way.
Focus on the characters that actually interest you, rather than just chasing the most explicit cinematic. The "best" scene is usually the one where you actually care about the person Ryder is talking to. Whether the gravity is on or off doesn't matter as much as the writing leading up to it.
To get the most out of these interactions, ensure your game is fully updated to version 1.10 or higher. This version contains the essential fixes for facial animations and the expanded romance options for Scott Ryder. If you're on PC, there are also community mods that further refine character models, making the intimate moments feel significantly less robotic.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Update your game: Ensure you're on the latest patch to avoid the "glitchy" faces that ruined the original experience.
- Prioritize Loyalty Missions: These are the only way to "unlock" the final romantic tiers for squadmates.
- Save often: Before major story beats on Kadara or the Tempest, keep a manual save so you can explore different dialogue outcomes.