Mass Effect Legendary Edition has been a smashing success, with newcomers discovering one of the best universes in video game history and veterans reliving everything they loved about the games so many years ago. The inclusion of the entire trilogy with all of the DLC and at a price well below what modern hot releases are going for makes this a slam dunk for the gaming community as a whole.
But remembering all of the great innovations also comes with the pain of going through a few outdated systems. Especially in the first Mass Effect, where all the maps come with a short legend that misses many important details. The series was much more focused following this experiment, but this experiment still exists. That's alright, it's actually a lot of fun to drive around the Mako, players just need to know where to go. And never fear, each of these explorable planets and moons in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will have the full map right here.
Updated on February 28th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: The guide continues to receive a great deal of traction. It is very hard for gamers to find a single location where they can see a complete map. And the first Mass Effect wasn't exactly kind about labeling every important location ahead of time. Those who want to just drive all over the place and hope to get lucky are in the minority, most players want to gather everything they need as quickly as possible. This guide has been updated with a new planet that was accidentally missed the first time around (Amaranthine) and each section has a small quip about the planet for reader enjoyment. It has also had the links updated with more current information.
Agebinium
- 1- Mission objective (mine entrance)
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Mako location
- 4- Turian Insignia
- 5- Corpse
- 6- Beryllium
- 7- Magnesium
- 8- Samarium
Be prepared to do some mountain climbing, many of the landmarks are intermingling with peaks and steep slopes.
Amaranthine
- 1- Iridium
- 2- Uranium
- 3- Thorium
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Turian Insignia
- 6- Mission objective (building)
This planet only becomes available after helping Helena Blake with her first two targets. Those who refused to help her on the Citadel will not have this map, or even the entire planet, available to them.
Altahe
- 1- Salvage
- 2- Rachni
- 3- Asari Writings
- 4- Mission objective (engineering outpost)
- 5- Samarium
- 6- Gold
This is one of a handful of planets that only becomes available after dealing with the Rachni Queen during the main story. That decision has huge implications for how to get the best ending, which may be a big deal as game devs tease further plot points.
Antibaar
- 1- Mission objective (geth outpost)
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Prithean Data Disc
- 4- Thresher Maw
- 5- Magnesium
- 6- Mercury
- 7- Lithium
Be careful of that Thresher Maw, the encounter has been enhanced and is far more difficult in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
Asteroid X57
- 1- Mission objective (fusion torch)
- 2- Mission objective (fusion torch)
- 3- Mission objective (fusion torch)
- 4- Mission objective (Balak's location)
- 5- Survey station
- 6- Mission objective (body)
- 7- Grenades
- 8- Construction Camp
- 9- Mission objective (body) & salvage
- 10- Transmitter
- 11- Radio
- 12- Mission objective (body) & survey station
- 13- Mission objective (body) & survey station
The fusion torches can be shut off in any order, but Balak's location won't be available until after they are shut off. The four bodies are part of a secondary mission that won't be given until partway through the main mission, but the bodies can be discovered earlier and will count toward mission completion.
Binthu
- 1- Mission objective (research facility)
- 2- Mission objective (research facility)
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Mission objective (research facility)
- 5- Prothean Data Disc
- 6- Palladium
- 7- Uranium
This planet will come into play when dealing with and understanding Cerberus. Mass Effect 4 may go back to the Mass Effect 2 story where Cerberus is a big deal. Still, their presence is distasteful, even in the first part of the trilogy.
Casbin
- 1- Geth
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Salarian ID Tag
- 4- Mission objective (geth outpost)
- 5- Gold
- 6- Uranium
- 7- Samarium
In the original version of the game, the "Anomalous Signal" at one of the landmarks could not be turned off and remained active. This has been corrected in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
Chasca
- 1- Mission objective (building)
- 2- Mission objective (building)
- 3- Mission objective (building)
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Prothean Data Disc & salvage
- 6- Plutonium
- 7- Palladium
- 8- Beryllium
There are some space cows in the middle of this map. Get up close or view them from afar through the scope of one of the game's sniper rifles.
Chohe
- 1- Mercenaries, salvage, & corpse
- 2- Asari Writings (x3) & salvage
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Mission objective (building)
- 5- Thresher Maw
- 6- Plutonium
- 7- Mercury
If this map seems familiar, it should! It's the exact same layout as Amaranthine, just with different colors and atmospheric effects.
Edolus
- 1- Salarian ID Tag
- 2- Mission objective (Thresher Maw)
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Polonium
- 5- Palladium
- 6- Lithium
Take in the beautiful views in the game, but watch out! There is another amped-up Thresher Maw on this planet to watch out for. It's good experience, so definitely take it out, but be sure to utilize some pro tips when taking out the monster.
Eletania
- 1- Monkeys (incorrect location)
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Mission objective (mine entrance)
- 4- Monkeys (incorrect location)
- 5- Mission objective (crashed probe)
- 6- Monkeys (incorrect location)
- 7- Prothean ruin (vision)
- 8- Palladium
- 9- Gold
The Prothean Ruin here is a key piece of lore and the key to unlocking the vision is Sha'ira's trinket. The answer is not what Quarians look like without the mask, but it does reveal mankind's earliest encounter with alien life, so it's worth making this optional trip.
Several incorrect groups of monkeys are located on the map, but this can be helpful for those looking to stack renegade points by killing the groups. The correct monkey is inside the mine, but can only be found after interacting with the crashed probe.
Klensal
- 1- Mission objective (building)
- 2- Crash Site
- 3- League Of One Medallion
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Platinum
- 6- Beryllium
The Crash Site is an official map location, but there is nothing to salvage or loot at this particular location.
Luna
- 1- Savage
- 2- Mission objective (building)
- 3- Turrets
- 4- Turrets
There will be lots of close combat once inside the facility, so either equip one of the game's best shotguns or have a teammate capable of handling short-range situations. These characters do have powers that would work well in a concept like the MCU.
Maji
- 1- Mission objective (building)
- 2- Turrets
- 3- Turian Insignia
- 4- Odd Skull
- 5- Salvage
- 6- Magnesium
- 7- Beryllium
- 8- Thorium
The Odd Skull can be investigated for experience and some unresolved lore in the Mass Effect universe, but it is not tied to loot or a mission.
Mavigon
- 1- Salvage
- 2- Salarian ID Tag
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Mission objective (building)
- 5- Cobalt
- 6- Gold
Before beating Saren, players will have to contend with planets like Mavigon, which have extremely limited visibility due to inclement weather conditions. The Normandy risks being gone forever if it gets lost in the winter weather.
Metgos
- 1- Salvage
- 2- Turian Insignia
- 3- Mission objective (escape pod)
- 4- Mercury
- 5- Thorium
Metgos has a heat hazard, so keep time spent outside of the Mako to a minimum.
Nepheron
- 1- Thresher Maw & Salvage
- 2- Salarian ID Tag
- 3- Mission objective (building)
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Thorium
- 6- Platinum
- 7- Beryllium
A Thresher Maw is guarding the salvage on the map, be sure to deal with it before hopping out and looting the crash.
Nepmos
- 1- League Of One Medallion
- 2- Rachni
- 3- Rachni
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Salvage
- 6- Mission objective (mine entrance)
- 7- Mission objective (listening post)
- 8- Titanium
- 9- Palladium
- 10- Uranium
The mine entrance is inaccessible until first defeating the rachni at the listening post and interacting with the NPC at that location.
Nodacrux
- 1- Thorian Creepers & salvage
- 2- Turian Insignia
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Mission objective (building)
- 5- Gold
- 6- Cobalt
This planet is not available until after dealing with the Thorian during the main plotline, so don't freak out about not being able to find it early on.
Nonuel
- 1- Thresher Maw
- 2- Mission objective (building)
- 3- Thresher Maw
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Asari Writings & League Of One Medallion
- 6- Titanium
- 7- Samarium
As one of the very few glitches in the game as of this writing, the Samarium does not appear on the map even after surveying the location. It's just southwest of the mission objective and is visible on the mini-map while in the Mako.
Ontarom
- 1- Turian Insignia
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Mission objective (building)
- 4- Gold
- 5- Palladium
For anybody looking for that shifty cow that spans the entire trilogy, they'll find it right here on Ontarom on the southwest plateau. The shifty cow does have a brief Easter Egg in Mass Effect 3, but it will probably be one of the other companions that get their own spin-off.
Presrop
- 1- Salvage
- 2- Turian Insignia
- 3- Crash site
- 4- Salvage
- 5- Mission objective (building)
- 6- Tresher Maw
- 7- Mercenaries
- 8- Gold
- 9- Uranium
The crash site has nothing to salvage, so don't explore too hard. The nearby corpse has a Turian Insignia, but that's technically a different marker on the map.
Rayingri
- 1- Corpses
- 2- Salvage
- 3- League Of One Medallion
- 4- Mission objective (geth outpost)
- 5- Salvage
- 6- Polonium
- 7- Thorium
- 8- Titanium
One of the geth outposts is on this planet and must be taken out before players can get access to every area in the Armstrong Nebula.
Sharjila
- 1- Asari Writings & salvage
- 2- Mission objective (building)
- 3- Salvage
- 4- Thorium
- 5- Uranium
- 6- Magnesium
This is one of the planets Shepard must visit when assisting Nassana Dantius. If the planet is inaccessible, find her on the Citadel to get her mission.
Solcrum
- 1- Asari Writings
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Mission objective (building)
- 4- Thorium
- 5- Uranium
- 6- Magnesium
This moon is inaccessible until defeating the rest of the outposts in the Armstrong Nebula. Many might find this fascinating side quest is enough to outshine the entire story.
Trebin
- 1- Transmitter tower
- 2- Salvage
- 3- Mission objective (camp)
- 4- Mission objective (mine entrance)
- 5- Thresher Maw
- 6- Turian Insignia
- 7- Plutonium
- 8- Uranium
There is a story here that goes largely untold until Mass Effect: Andromeda. Apparently, a team tried to reintroduce rain and clouds into the environment by crashing an icy meteor into Trebin's surface. It didn't work out so well.
Tuntau
- 1- Salvage
- 2- Asari Writings
- 3- Mission objective (building)
- 4- Lithium
- 5- Mercury
Consider bringing Wrex along when exploring this planet as the mission objective here relates to his Family Armor. It can be given to him back in the Normandy but there is some special dialogue when he's here in person.
Xawin
- 1- Mission objective (building)
- 2- Geth
- 3- Turian Insignia
- 4- Camp
- 5- Thresher Maw
- 6- Salvage
- 7- Corpse
- 8- Palladium
- 9- Cobalt
- 10- Iridium
The camp has a device inside of it that will reveal all of the mineral nodes on the map.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was released on May 14th, 2021, and is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.