.1B.04. Scanning Planets

Learn how to scan planets in Mass Effect, find valuable resources, and discover hidden N7 missions. Get the best scanner upgrade!

Hey Commander! So, you want to know about scanning planets? It's pretty straightforward, but there are a few tricks to make it way less of a chore. First off, there's a super handy ship upgrade you'll want to grab as soon as you can: Miranda's Advanced Mineral Scanner. You get it after recruiting the Professor; just chat with Miranda about upgrades. Yeah, you'll need to scan a bit to afford it, but trust me, it's a massive time-saver down the line.

Alright, let's get to the actual scanning. You'll need probes for this, which you can buy from the Fuel Depots you find in most nebulas. Once you've got probes and you've found a planet you want to check out, select it and choose to scan. You'll see a meter pop up. Now, hold down the right mouse button and sort of 'scrub' your mouse around the planet. When that meter spikes up, it means you're getting close to some good stuff. Slow down your mouse movement in that area to pinpoint the highest spike. Once you've found it, hit the left mouse button to launch a probe and snag those resources.

Keep in mind, the scanner just shows you how rich a planet *generally* is. Even planets that seem poor or depleted can still have resources. Don't feel like you need to mine every single rock, though – planets are pretty abundant, so you'll find plenty. Pro tip: a lot of those N7 planets are actually Rich in resources, which saves you a ton of time hunting around.

Scanning isn't just for minerals, though! It's also how you find those sweet N7 missions. When you're exploring a planet, EDI will let you know if she's detected an anomaly. To find it, just start scanning the planet with your reticule. You can also tune into the beacon recording – the signal gets clearer the closer you are to the anomaly. It's like a little treasure hunt!

Quick heads-up: You don't need to go crazy stocking up on minerals or probes. There are plenty of Rich planets out there. Some players struggle to find enough Element Zero (EEZO), but don't worry too much about that for now; there's a list of planets with good EEZO deposits later in the guide if you get stuck.