How to Scan Planets in Mass Effect 3 (& Evade Reapers)
Scanning planets for resources, anomalies, and other important items is an essential part of the final two games in the Mass Effect trilogy, but the mechanics change slightly between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. In Mass Effect 2, players scan each individual planet and launch probes to recover rare minerals that can be used to upgrade the Normandy and weapons and armor across the entire squad. Players may also find anomalies that open side missions in Mass Effect 2, allowing for more XP gain, rewards, and lore. With so many systems and planets in the galaxy, this could become tedious, and players spend much of their time scanning individual planets, stopping to refuel, and launching probes. In Mass Effect 3, this mini-game received a facelift, and players only need to scan near the vicinity of various planets to find War Assets and fetch-quest items that add to Galactic Readiness.
When Shepard scans near a planet that contains an asset or other item in Mass Effect 3, they can navigate the Normandy to the planet. They can then use the same mineral scanner to locate and extract the item. The Reaper invasion complicates this process somewhat, as the Normandy's SONAR scanner tends to get Reaper attention. Too many scans allow the Reapers to pinpoint the Normandy's exact location and chase after it, which can result in a critical mission failure. Players will need to be smart and evasive while scanning to avoid the Reapers and gather everything they need to win the war. Here's how to scan planets and evade Reapers in Mass Effect 3.
When Shepard uses the Galaxy Map aboard the Normandy in Mass Effect 3, they can immediately determine which star systems have been overrun by Reapers. They can still explore these systems, but they will have a greater chance of being detected in fewer scanner pings while there.
After entering a system, Shepard can travel close to a cluster of planets and follow the button prompt to scan. On PC, this is usually the right mouse button, and on console it is one of the triggers. If any of the planets contains a war asset or side mission item, EDI will alert Shepard they have found something, and a red ring will circle the planet. This can also happen in the spaces between planets, but these recoverable assets are usually extra fuel from demolished Fuel Depots.
Once they discover an asset, players should steer the Normandy to the planet and follow the button prompts to enter orbit. They can then scan the planet as they would have in Mass Effect 2, following the white line on their scanner until they reach the glowing white spot indicating the location of the asset. They will launch a probe to recover the asset.
Each time Shepard uses the scanner, there is a chance for Reapers to take notice. A bar will appear at the bottom left of the screen indicating Reaper Alertness, and red arrows will appear around the outskirts of the system to indicate where Reapers may be coming from. Shepard should always keep an eye on this. If the bar fills completely, the notorious Reaper horn will sound, and Reapers will appear from all areas indicated by red arrows and chase the Normandy out of the system.
It is likely players will trigger the Reapers frequently, especially when scanning in larger systems or systems with a reaper over them in the Galaxy Map. They will need to fly the Normandy out of the system, evading pursuing Reapers as they do. Generally, the Normandy is faster than the Reapers, so players should not struggle to get away. The Reapers will continue to attack any time the Normandy re-enters the system until Shepard resets the Galaxy Map by landing somewhere else.
If they were not done scanning, or if they want to recover found assets they couldn't reach before the Reapers arrived, players can use a small exploit to avoid needing to come back to various systems later. When they leave the system with the attacking Reapers, they can turn the Normandy, which adjusts the direction from which they enter the system. Then, if they re-enter the system, they have a few seconds to ping around or enter a planet's orbit before the Reapers begin chasing them again. This way, Shepard can spend less time gathering assets between missions in Mass Effect 3 and more time preparing their squad and the entire galaxy for the final battle.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches May 14 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with forward compatibility on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.