Mass Effect: Andromeda Collector's Edition Guide Game Mechanics Game Mechanics Glossary

Containers

Containers (“treasure chests” or “loot”) can be found around the Heleus Cluster, providing all types of items, including minerals, salvage, equipment, and consumables.

Containers are divided into three categories: salvage, minerals, and normal. (For details on mineral containers, see Mining.)

Dynamic Loot Generation

Non-quest and non-unique containers have their contents generated from behind-the-scenes “loot tables.” This means items found in containers are randomized; a specific chest containing items you find in one playthrough may contain differeing loot on another playthrough. The amount of ”pulls“ per table is also random within a certain range. A rare-type container may generate four items or eight in an alternate playthrough.

Loot generation occurs only once, and only when you get within a close proximity. This means you can save your game several meters away from a dynamic container, check its contents, then reload to have the container’s loot “re-rolled.”

Loot tables are grouped by rarity, item type, faction, and so forth. For instance, a rare kett container potentially draws four to eight items from a loot table that includes rare kett armory, kett research materials, salvage, and also a chance of consumables. The inner workings are complicated and beyond the scope of this guide, but the main gist is that bigger containers mean potentially bigger rewards.

Salvage Containers

A salvage container can be identified visually. These are usually represented as used or broken equipment set up in the field, and they’re distinguishable by their origin technology. Remnant salvage containers, for example, look like broken-down tiles reminiscent of their structures and vaults.

Salvage can be considered ”non-liquidated credits.” They don’t take up inventory space and have no use outside of trading to vendors for usable credits. Keep an eye out for unwanted salvage to rack up your credit count quickly!

Normal Containers

A ”normal“ container can be identified and distinguished visually. They can consist of a variety of items and are supplied by the personnel and species inhabiting the area. For instance, if you’re raiding a kett base, you’re likely to find kett containers holding supplies and equipment Kett would arm themselves with.

Normal containers can drop almost anything (excluding minerals). Normal containers can be further categorized into subgroups by rarity: common, uncommon, rare, and unique.

Furthermore, the contents in these loot boxes reflect the technology of whoever left them there (as with salvage containers). On an angara-populated planet, you may find a rare angaran chest containing a Zephyr Pistol (an angara-made gun) or angara-related materials for crafting one.

Milky Way

Remnant

Kett

Angara

Unique containers have unique contents, such as rare weapons and armor. Unlike other container types, unique containers are sometimes difficult to distinguish from standard ones. However, they’re not too hard to spot and are generally placed in areas you’d expect to find valuable items, such as near the end of a vault or near priority mission objectives.

Common containers are found regularly as you explore an area. Expect to find at least one to three common containers in an unexplored section. Common containers generally consist of salvage, consumables, and common research materials. These containers are physically the smallest type.

Uncommon containers are found infrequently and contain similar types of items as common containers, but of a higher quality and greater rarity (e.g., moderate-to-high value salvage instead of low-value salvage). Uncommon containers are slightly larger than common containers.

Rare containers are physically large and easily distinguishable from common and uncommon containers. They have a higher likelihood of containing rare and ultra-rare equipment and high-quality salvage. As you’d expect, you won’t find many of these, and you’ll know when you see one.

Hidden cache containers, which draw multiple items from rare loot tables, are hidden around various UNCs. These are special containers, marked on the map if the Reconnaissance Cryo Pod Perk is unlocked. However, you do not need to have this perk to find and loot these (as long as you know where they are).