Task Search
Checklists
How creative can you get with your first free checklist?
How to Romance Liara T'Soni
This page of IGN's Mass Effect: Legendary Edition guide is all about How to Romance Liara T'Soni in the Mass Effect trilogy, including how to successfully initiate and complete it for the Paramour Trophy, and rekindle it in Mass Effect 3.
Started in... | Gender Preference | Romance Type | Romance Scene? |
---|---|---|---|
Mass Effect 1 & 3 | Any | Serious | Yes |
It goes without saying that there are BIG SPOILERS for the Mass Effect trilogy on this page.
If you don't Romance Liara in Mass Effect 1, you'll be able to have another chance at it in Mass Effect 3.
advertisement
Mass Effect 1
While Kaidan and Ashey's romance paths are effectively identical in Mass Effect 1, Liara's is different because she is almost too easy to romance, particularly because both a Male and Female Shepard can romance her. You acquire Liara by rescuing her at the end of the Find Liara T'Soni Mission, which is mandatory.
If you want to avoid romancing Liara, you should make sure you tell her that your relationship is strictly professional. Further, you should avoid upsetting either Kaidan or Ashley while the Normandy is grounded on the Citadel, as the game will then assume you're in a romance with Liara.
If you intend to not romance anybody in Mass Effect 1, you should save rescuing Liara until after Virmire. This ensures Liara doesn't have enough time to form an attachment to Shepard.
If you intend to not romance anybody in Mass Effect 1, you should save rescuing Liara until after Virmire. This ensures Liara doesn't have enough time to form an attachment to Shepard.
It's also worth pointing out that Liara will have "opening" conversations to talk about Noveria and Virmire after you've completed each, however these won't lock out the conversations mentioned below. Just pick "Tell me more about you" once you're done.
After completing your next Mission World, you'll talk with Liara about humanity. As always you should avoid picking Renegade options to avoid upsetting her. This is also when Liara admits that she's fascinated with Shepard, but that you may also be interested in either Kaidan or Ashley (depending on Shepard's gender). You should pick "It's not serious" and then "There is" to start Romancing Liara.
If you've romanced both your human Squad Made option and Liara, then two Mission Worlds after recruiting Liara you'll be confronted by both of them and are asked to choose between them. You should choose Liara if she's who you want. You can offer both, however they won't have it and storm off. While the romance with the human squadmate is locked out, you can talk to Liara and rekindle the Romance.
After three Mission Worlds you and Liara will talk about the Asari mating union, and why Liara has been so reserved. You'll want to pick "There's no rush" to continue the Romance.
After you complete all four Mission Worlds and return to the Citadel, the Normandy will be grounded and Liara will appear to comfort Shepard. Unless you consistently pick Renegade options here, your romance with Liara will be Locked In.
advertisement
If you didn't act abrasive to Liara during the Lockdown meeting, then while en route to Ilos she'll visit you in your personal quarters. Paragon options will result in a lot of passion and a very steamy bedroom scene. Renegade choices will have her leave the room, however she is still considered to be in a Romance with you, and thus you'll get the Paramour Achievement.
If you want Liara to be with you at the end of the game, you should actually pick her when landing on Ilos. This is because you won't get another shot to pick your Squad after that point.
Mass Effect 2
Due to varying circumstances, in Mass Effect 2 Liara can initially only be interacted with on Ilium, and because of events before the game, she's currently very pre-occupied with trying to find the Shadow Broker, although you do get a brief kiss and the chance to do two Assignments for her. Later on you can find out more about why Liara is so cold and hesitant to join back up with your team.
Ultimately, the chance to interact more with Liara occurs in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. However this is ultimately optional if you plan to continue the story into Mass Effect 3, as you'll have far more chances to interact with Liara in that game.
That being said, things will work similarly to a Romance with Ashley or Kaidan; you'll want to stay loyal to Liara and not Romance anyone else in Mass Effect 2 so that things go smoothly in the DLC and Mass Effect 3. Staying Loyal (or confirming the Romance in Lair of the Shadow Broker) will mean Shepard will fondly look at her picture in the Captain's Cabin when you initiate the Suicide Mission.
Lair of the Shadow Broker
The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC is where the majority of your Romantic interactions with Liara will take place in Mass Effect 2.
Your first Romantic interaction with Liara will occur at the end of the Ilium section and you get the co-ordinates to the Shadow Broker's base of operations. You'll be presented with three Paragon Interrupts that flag Liara over, with the third one letting you then pick "Our relationship?" from the Dialogue Wheel. Unfortunately Liara is still upset and the topic won't breach new ground.
After you defeat the final boss on Hagalaz, you'll be able to pick "[Hug her]", which will be accentuated with a kiss (and a second one if you take the Paragon Interrupt). You can then talk to Liara again afterwards and pick "I want to talk about us" when it pops up. You can then pick "I do" to invite her to the Normandy, which you can do immediately with "Let's go now".
advertisement
The scene in Shepard's Cabin is considered to be a Romance Scene for Liara, and you'll once again be Locked In with her if you choose "Happily ever after" if it shows up. The specific context of Liara's worries in this scene depends on if you started the DLC before or after the Suicide Mission.
Mass Effect 3
A Romance with Liara T'Soni is one that almost any Mass Effect 3 player will have the option of picking: she's guaranteed to survive to the third game, she can be interested in a Shepard of any gender, and the Romance can be started here instead of requiring you to do so in a previous game first.
While you meet Liara early into the game during Priority: Mars, a legacy Romance won't be properly addressed until after Priority: The Citadel I and you return to the Normandy, letting you access Liara's room on the Crew Deck. Here, she'll ask if you're still interested in her, including a situation where you Romanced somebody else in Mass Effect 2. To begin or rekindle a Romance with Liara, pick "I'm interested in you". To decline, pick "Let's just be friends".
Players of any kind won't be able to Lock In a Romance with Liara until you meet with her in the Presidium Commons after Priority: Citadel II. Picking "Or more than friends..." will Lock In the Romance with her, while "I'd like that a lot" will not.
Aftermath
With Liara Locked In, you'll now have a bunch of alternate scenes, including heavy involvement in the Citadel DLC and some alternate dialogue in the final Mission of the Leviathan DLC. You'll also have the climactic Romance Scene when you begin Priority: Earth, and you can talk to Liara in the calm before the storm before the approach to the Conduit beam.
The final time you can interact with Liara is in the Extended Cut during the run to the Conduit beam. Here a Mako flips over and lands near Liara. If your EMS is 1,749 or lower, Harbinger will vaporize her with his beam. If it's 1,750 or higher, she's only injured, and Shepard will call in the Normandy for an emergency extraction. Your final words with Liara are here.
Also in the Extended Cut, it'll be Liara who exits the crashed Normandy, and puts Shepard's name up on the Memorial Wall. If you picked the Destroy Ending and have 3,100 EMS or more, she'll refrain from putting the name up, knowing Shepard is alive out there.