Mass Effect 3: Race Guide

Humans have only entered the greater Galactic society recently, just a few decades before the events of Mass Effect 3. Humans are considered ambitious, impatient and somewhat warlike by many other races.

A race with a metallic exoskeleton, the Turians are a military people with a strong sense of duty and public service. The Turians were the first race to come into contact with Humans, which led to what would be known to humans at the First Contact War.

The Asari are a mono-gendered species. An individual Asari can live for many hundreds of years, and an Asari may go through many different "phases" during this lengthy period of time. The Asari were the first race to find the Mass Effect Relays, as well at the first race to discover the Citadel.

The Salarians were the second race to find the Citadel, after the Asari. Salarians are relatively short-lived, only living for about 30 Earth years. However, this short life span is offset by their incredibly quick intellect. Some of the best scientists in the galaxy are Salarian, and they are also skilled in espionage and spying.

The Quarian can always be found in their Enviro-Suits, which protected their fragile immune systems. The Quarians were driven off their homeworld by the Geth years ago, and now travel the galaxy in their massive Migrant Fleet.

An extinct, bug-like race that were wiped out by the Reapers 50,000 years ago. The Protheans left a great deal of research on the Reapers.

The impossibly ancient machine race that, every 50,000 years, wipes all advanced life from the galaxy. Reapers resemble gigantic, metallic cuttlefish, some as large as a mile long. They hide in the dark space outside the Milky Way in between their purges.

A jellyfish-like race that, when outside of their watery homeworld, travel using anti-gravity Mass Effect fields.

A small race that make up for their lack of physical ability with their talent as skilled traders. Because the Volus homeworld has how atmospheric pressure, the Volus must wear pressurized suits to survive on other worlds. A Volus' face has never been shown in a Mass Effect game.

The Vorcha are a violent race with a rapid ability to heal. The Vorcha once had an embassy on the Citadel, but pulled out in protest to increasing human power in the Galaxy.

The Elcor's homeworld has very high gravity, so the Elcor evolved as large, massively patient species.

An incredibly tough race that heals very quickly, the Krogan are born warriors. Due to a manufactured disease known as the Genophage, the Krogan has very low birth rates.

A robotic race, the Geth were created by the Quarians. The Geth revolted against their masters and conquered the Quarian homeworld.