Mass Effect 2: How to Get More Rare Minerals (The Fast Way)

Planet scanning in Mass Effect 2is the best way to collect rare minerals used when making upgrades. All Prototype, and Ship, Armor, and Weapon Upgrades in Mass Effect 2 will require an amount of Element Zero, Iridium, Platinum, or Palladium to research. While Shepard will collect some of these rare minerals as loot during various missions and assignments in Mass Effect 2, they will also need to explore the galaxy and scan and probe planets to gather enough for every possible upgrade.

There are a few things players can do to get more rare minerals faster and with less hassle in Mass Effect 2. First, they will want to make a few specific Normandy Ship Upgrades to improve their scanner and their probe carrying capacity. They will also want to prioritize visiting and scanning certain planets known to be rich in one or more rare mineral they need. There are a few available from the very start of the game. Finally, they should wait to launch the probe until the scanner reading spikes to get the greatest amount of any mineral. Here’s how to get more rare minerals fast in Mass Effect 2.

How to Collect Rare Minerals More Quickly and Easily in Mass Effect 2

To collect rare minerals more quickly and easily in Mass Effect 2, Shepard will want to make some preliminary upgrades to the Normandy. First, they must recruit Mordin Solus on Omega, as he unlocks the Tech Lab aboard the Normandy where upgrades can be made. Then, Shepard should make sure to speak to Miranda and ask about Normandy Upgrades. They will want to purchase her upgrade suggestion, Advanced Mineral Scanner, to allow players to scroll around the planet faster during scanning.

Later in Mass Effect 2, Shepard can ask Thane about Normandy upgrades to double their probe carrying capacity. This allows Shepard to probe more planets without needing to return to a system with a Mass Relay and visit the Fuel Depots. Additionally, Shepard can increase the Normandy’s Fuel Capacity by 150% by asking Samara for an upgrade suggestion. This allows players to travel to more systems before they need to refuel.

Next, players will want to find planets rich in the various resources they need. Each resource will be used for a specific kind of upgrade. These are:

• Element Zero: Biotic and Engineering upgrades
• Iridium: Assault Rifle, Submachine Gun, and Heavy Weapon upgrades
• Palladium: Cybernetics, Shields, Heavy Pistol, and Armor upgrades
• Platinum: Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, and Medical Equipment upgrades

There are several planets rich in each material that players can scan first to get a lot of each mineral relatively quickly and easily. These are:

Element Zero

• Anhur: Eagle Nebula, Amun System
• Daratar: Hourglass Nebula, Faryar System
• Eingana: Omega Nebula, Amada System
• Erinle: Hourglass Nebula, Osun System
• Preying Mouth: Eagle Nebula, Relic System
• Sekhmet: Eagle Nebula, Amun System
• Thunawanuro: Omega Nebula, Batalia System
• Tarith: Crescent Nebula, Lusarn System

Iridium

• Beach Thunder: Eagle Nebula, Relic System
• Fitful Current: Eagle Nebula, Relic System
• Gregas: Eagle Nebula, Imir System
• Korar: Omega Nebula, Fathar System
• Quarem: Hourglass Nebula, Faryar System
• Sehtor: Omega Nebula, Kairavamori System
• Vatar: Omega Nebula, Kairavamori System
• Vecchio: Ismar Frontier, Aquila System

Palladium

• Aganju: Hourglass Nebula, Osun System
• Alchera: Omega Nebula, Amada System
• Alingon: Hourglass Nebula, Faryar System
• Euntanta: Crescent Nebula, Lusarn System
• Flett: Eagle Nebula, Malgus System
• Logasiri: Omega Nebula, Batalia System
• Neith: Eagle Nebula, Amun System
• Wrill: Eagle Nebula, Malgus System

Platinum

• Anhur: Eagle Nebula, Amun System
• Bindur: Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
• Dorgal: Omega Nebula, Fathar System
• Erinle: Hourglass Nebula, Osun System
• Lorek: Omega Nebula, Fathar System
• Odasst: Ismar Frontier, Elysta System
• Rough Tide: Eagle Nebula, Relic System
• Thunawanuro: Omega Nebula, Batalia System
• Volturno: Ismar Frontier, Aquila System
• Utha: Omega Nebula, Arinlarkan System

When scanning any of these planets, players should wait to launch a probe until the scanner spikes on a mineral deposit. That way, they can collect the greatest amount of each available material more easily. The scanner does not have to hit the direct center of the deposit to yield the full amount of any mineral. If players are in a hurry, they should only spend time scanning planets labeled Rich to get the most minerals for their time.

After making all necessary upgrades, Shepard will want to have over 100,000 of each rare mineral by the end of Mass Effect 2. When starting Mass Effect 3 with the same Shepard, they will receive a bonus to their War Assets, which will be necessary to increase Galactic Readiness and give Shepard and their team the best chance to survive the Reapers.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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