System Scanning

System scanning is a new system used in Mass Effect 3 which replaces Planet Scanning from Mass Effect 2. It is used to locate points of interest throughout the systems you scan and can only scan a small portion at a time so multiple scans are required to cover an entire system. This also included empty space between the planets as there might be wreckage floating around with something valuable inside. The scanning itself is done by a push of a button (Right mouse button on PC) wherein a pulse originates out from the ship for a short distance revealing anything of interest within it. Once a point of interest is found, be it something of interest on a planet or a wreck in space, it shows up with a marker that allows the player to fly to it. When flying over a wreck, the "Investigate" button lights up allowing the player to interact with it while a planet required you to go into orbit around it and use the same type of scanning as Mass effect 2 Planet Scanning to locate a specific point of interest. To investigate it just as in the previous game requires a probe launch for planets which makes text appears in the right lower corner telling the player what he found and saved/salvaged.

Reaper detection
But be aware, every scanning sweep done in a system occupied by the reaper makes the small meter to increase to show how much of it was detected by reapers in the vicinity. This bar is slowly filled depending on how many and how close to the reapers entry points into the system are to the Scanner that is used. Once its filled all reapers around this system enters it and goes after the ship leaving the player the only choice between fleeing the system or dying. The reaper alarm-meter is reset after each mission but a quick player can quickly re-enter, do multiple scans in the system and possibly investigate them before slipping out of the system again even if this alarm has been sounded if he managed to avoid all pursuers who reappears when re-entering an alarmed system.

Detection types
The type found on planet is only revealed once a probe has been launched at it.