Planet scanning is a system that began with Mass Effect 2 and continued into Mass Effect 3. In the original game, players would use the ground transport vehicle dubbed "Mako" and search for minerals on the surface. In Mass Effect: Andromeda, players scan planets from the Galaxy Map, scan for minerals using the Nomad ND1 - the upgraded version of the Mako and additionally have a scanner on their Omni-tool. Scanning for resources is important as materials are needed to craft armor, weapon and Nomad upgrades. They are also needed to craft special items for npc's.