Fans of the Mass Effect trilogy have been creating stunning cosplay as tributes to their favorite characters for years, but some characters are much harder to cosplay than others, particularly some of the series' iconic aliens. After Mass Effect: Legendary Edition released with significant visual enhancements, one cosplayer has crafted an amazing Garrus outfit, complete with a visor, an enormous armor collar, and a scarred, pitted face.
Redditor zigzwagprops has either put together a make-up look professional special effects artists would be proud of or an incredibly realistic face mask. Either way, this Garrus cosplay would look right at home in a Mass Effect group cosplay shot.
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Turians are more visibly alien than the blue-skinned but anatomically humanoid Asari or the entirely-covered Quarians, so this cosplay prominently features Garrus' leathery grey skin, the stark lines etched into his face, and his broad, flat nose. His pitch-black sclera and pale blue irises have been faithfully recreated, as have his spikes and the scars he picked up during Mass Effect 2--they stretch across the right side of his mouth. Unlike Mass Effect: Andromeda's Peebee, this take on Garrus wears full armor, and zigzwagprops lovingly recreated his gear as well as his face.
With a cosplay this intricate, it's no surprise that zigzwagprops has attended a variety of conventions and posted a lot of pictures of this outfit, including one of them posing with their girlfriend dressed as Commander Shepard. It's possible that Liara could be the only returning companion in Mass Effect 4, making this Valentine's Day shot of their Shepard and Garrus cosplays hit rather hard. Fans who support the couple may enjoy seeing them together again in these convention pictures.
It appears that the pandemic put a hole in zigzwagprops' convention plans, but they continue to upload cosplay pictures for special occasions, including their 30th birthday. Garrus fans may find this photo of him in a birthday hat both hilarious and adorable, especially since he's wearing it over his visor. Cosplayers portraying human characters like Kasumi Goto or even some of the more humanoid aliens like Tali or Liara might make a birthday hat look mundane, but the sharp contrast between the pastel blue, pom-pom covered cardboard and Garrus' high-tech outfit and immobile, scaly face makes for an incredibly fun fashion choice.
The upcoming Mass Effect 4 has yet to touch on the original trilogy's optional romances, but it does seem to be making one of the original Mass Effect Trilogy's endings canon. While few fans are particularly attached to the ending of Mass Effect 3, the characters of Mass Effect have always been a major part of the appeal, and Garrus is especially popular as a romantic interest. Whether or not Mass Effect 4 makes his romance non-canon, fans will always be able to enjoy brilliant cosplays like this.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.