MASS EFFECT: Tip Sheet #2 -- Exploration

Once you've left the Citadel, which can take up to 15 hours or more if you are thorough, you have the choice of following the main quest tasks, resolving your Additional Assignments, or just exploring. As it turns out, all of these involve exploration to some degree.

The game has two different exploration experiences: System Exploration and Terrestrial Exploration. We'll take a look at both today.

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SYSTEM EXPLORATION

System exploration involves exploring a solar system to discover resources, vehicles (plot/combat areas) and other hidden objects.

You should engage in the System Exploration task every time you enter a new solar system, regardless of how you got there. (Main story line, Additional Assignments or random system hopping.) To find everything a system has to offer, follow these steps:

1. EXAMINE UNEXPLORABLE PLANETS
   
   Move your cursor over every planet or moon on the map and select "Travel" with the [A] button. If the planet has "Scan" as an option, do it. You will find some form of resource or artifact, which will work toward completion of your resource/artifact tasks. If the planet has a "Land" option, take note of it and move on for now -- it's easier to keep track of things if you complete all of your System Exploration tasks before taking on a planetary exploration.
   
   
   
2. LOOK FOR HIDDEN OBJECTS
   
   Many systems have one or more hidden features, such as ships or mineral-laden asteroids. These objects will give themselves away with a quick flash of light every few seconds. (The rotational speeds of these objects are fairly slow, so the flash can take five seconds or more to repeat.) Slowly move your cursor over the whole system looking for the flash. If you see it, move the cursor over to the flash and you should get the prompt "Unknown Object". Select "Scan" from the menu to find out what it is. If it is an asteroid, you can scan it again to obtain the resource or artifact that it contains. If it is a ship, you will probably be presented with the "Board" option. Take note of the object and move on until you've finished looking for hidden objects.
   
   You can shortcut this process a little bit by being proactive: many of the asteroid belts in the game contain hidden objects. Rather than waiting for the glint of light, you can run your cursor over the entire belt looking for the "Unknown Object" prompt. Note that not all asteroid belts have hidden objects and not all hidden objects are in asteroid belts -- so you still need to be patient and look for flashes, but it's kind of fun zipping around the belts trying to see if you can find something interesting.
   
   
   
3. BOARD ANY VEHICLES
   
   Vehicles will be highlighted with a cluster of four diamonds on the map. (Note that some vehicles are visible when you enter the map, others are hidden and need to be discovered as described in step 2.) Boarding a vehicle will play out like entering a building on a planet or moon. There are usually plot points associated with them. Note that if you are just randomly exploring, you may be opening up task plotlines that you have not yet been given. This isn't a big deal in terms of completing the game, since your log will clue you in on what to do next, but you do miss out on any conversations that would have normally initiated the mission.
   
   
   
4. LAND ON ANY EXPLORABLE PLANETS
   
   Landing on a planet (using the "Land" option on the wheel menu) will initiate one of two scenarios: You will either end up in a main plotline area like a city or settlement or you will land on the surface in your rover, the Mako. Plotline areas will play out like the Citadel, only with a lot more shooting. :) If you land on the surface, then you are now prepared to do Terrestrial Exploration.
   

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TERRESTRIAL EXPLORATION

Terrestrial Exploration involves moving around the mission area of a planet or moon, investigating marked objects, discovering hidden objects, fighting off Thresher Maws and exploring buildings.

While your first inclination will be to race the Mako to each of the points on the map, I'm going to suggest that you take a more organized approach to exploration. This more measured approach will help you finish your Additional Assignments more quickly, avoid backtracking and earn you beaux coups credits.

There are hidden points of interest on every planet/moon that you can land on. Most of these are mineral deposits. Not only do you gain experience from surveying these deposits, but you also earn credits on an escalating scale. Every new deposit you find will pay you more money than the previous one.

I've also found hidden anomlies, bases and downed probes. So you can't assume that the map shows everything.

The only way to find these hidden items easily is by using the Mako's RADAR. So let's look at how you go about doing this:

The first thing to notice when you land on a planet is that the mission area is always the same size -- and it turns out that it is only slightly larger than twice the area covered by the Mako RADAR. This means that you can conduct a full planetary survey by running around the inner perimeter of the mission area and then running to the center of the map.

So here's what you do:

As soon as you land, go to the map screen. For now, ignore anything already marked on the map. Use the map marker and mark a position that is a quarter of the way in from the nearest corner. For your first time, just guess, or even mark the corner itself.

Now leave the map screen and head for the marker in the Mako, watching the RADAR more than the landscape. As you approach the edges of the mission area you will see parts of the radar go reddish-orange. Move away from that boundary until it shows up as a thin line on either the right or left side of your RADAR. Now, continue moving toward the marker, keeping the boundary you found as the tiniest of marks on one side of the RADAR until you come upon another boundary at the top of your RADAR. (You may need to re-orient the RADAR/viewport using the right stick.) When you get situated so that you have two VERY thin red lines on two sides of the RADAR, go to your map and note the Mako position. This is the correct distance to set your marker from any corner while conducting survey.

1. From the map screen, set a new marker to an adjacent corner of the map.
   
   
2. From the Mako, travel toward the marker keeping the left or right boundary as the thinnest of lines on your RADAR. As you drive watch the RADAR for any objects that might show up. Anything that shows up THAT IS NOT ALREADY SHOWING ON THE MAP needs to be surveyed/investigated. When your investigation is complete, return to where you left the original imaginary path and continue toward the marker. (Always keeping the border as a thin line on your left or right side.)
   
   
3. When you reach the marker, head straight for the corner of the map until the corner shows up on the RADAR. This will catch any items hidden in corners -- and there are a few.
   
   
4. Head back to the marker position.
   
   

Repeat the above steps until you have surveyed all four sides of the map and all four corners.

Most maps have two or three hidden items. Most of them will be mineral deposits that you will need to survey before they show up on the map. Luna (Earth's moon) is an exception -- all of it's hidden features are enemy bases.

Once you've completed your surveys, you can investigate the other items that were originally marked on your map.

• ANOMOLIES (question mark icon)
  
  These can be alien structures, crashed ships or bodies. Anomolies provide equipment or artifiacts that you can collect.
  
  Note that some anomolies are near enemy outposts or Thresher Maws. Be prepared!
  
  
• DEBRIS (stacked brick icon)
  
  These are usually probes that have fallen out of orbit or crashed ships.
  These will always yield equipment if you have high enough electronics skills.
  
  Debris will sometimes be guarded by enemy agents or Thresher Maws.
  
  
• PLOT POINT (exclamation point icon)
  
  So far, these have always been enemy outposts or distress beacons.
  
  Outposts will be buildings that are usually heavily guarded with a combination of soldiers and rocket artillery or soldiers and snipers in towers -- I haven't yet seen an installation with rockets and sniper towers.
  
  Your strategy will vary with the type of protection. If the installation has rockets, then stay in the Mako and find a position where you are exposed to only one rocket launcher at a time, if possible. You can easily identify these on the Mako RADAR as the rocket emplacements are marked by red diamonds.
  
  This is where the Mako shields come into play. Be bold. Drive up to the launcher such that you can get it's on-screen health assessment in your sensors and start firing, but don't get too close or the Mako's gun won't be effective. You can usually fire on the installation and play chicken with the rockets if you are far enough away. Pay CLOSE ATTENTION to your shields. As soon as the Mako shields get down to one or two bars, high-tail it out of there and find a place to recover. Note that the rocket launcher will be restoring it's shields and may perform repairs, so don't wait too long. If there aren't any ground troops, you can usually take out a rocket without losing much shield at all. Just be bold, use the left trigger sight, and hammer away with SHORT BURSTS to avoid overheating your weapon. Once youve eliminated the rockets, you can take out the ground troops with the Mako, or get out of the Mako ([B] button) and pick them off with your team, which is typically more effective.
  
  If you have to deal with sniper towers, it is better to make a ground offensive, especially if you have trained snipers on your team. Take out the snipers first, get in the Mako to get close, and then mop up any remaining resistance.