Mass Effect Listening Post Theta Guide: Missions, Loot, and Rachni Combat
If you’re working through the Listening Post Theta Assignment in Mass Effect, this checklist-style guide covers what you need to do, what to pick up along the way, and how to handle the Rachni-heavy combat when you arrive.
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- Assignment Stats
- Travel to Acheron
- Investigate Listening Post Theta
Assignment Stats
Video Guide
Essential Stats
- Persuasion Points: N/A
- Minimum Decryption: Hard Decryption
- Minimum Electronics: N/A
Travel to Acheron
- Prerequisite: Complete Noveria
- Location: Styx Theta – Acheron – Altahe
You can obtain this Assignment in one of two ways. Either you find it while exploring the planet Altahe, or it becomes available after finishing “UNC: Listening Post Alpha”. In both cases, you’ll head to Styx Theta, which sits “south-east” of Hawking Eta and “west” of the Kepler Verge.
From there, travel to Acheron in the “southeast” corner of the nebula. While you’re in the area, be sure to gather the discoveries listed for this stage.
Recommended Loadout
- Squad Tactics:
- Biotics are especially valuable here, so Kaidan and Liara are strongly recommended.
- Shepard’s Loadout:
- Most enemies you’ll face are organic, so bring Anti-Personnel / Shredder Rounds for this mission.
- Biotics will be incredibly useful here, so Kaidan and Liara come highly recommended.
- You’ll be facing primarily organic enemies in this level, so you should use Anti-Personnel / Shredder Rounds for this level.
Investigate Listening Post Theta
After landing on the planet, head south toward the listening post. There isn’t much between your drop point and the objective, so the trip shouldn’t be too troublesome.
Once you reach the listening post, you’ll run into Rachni nests. Enemies spill out from holes around the station, so drive around and eliminate the Rachni that emerge from the four openings. Do this from the relative safety of the Mako—unless you’re playing the original release and want to avoid the Mako XP penalty. When the immediate threat is cleared, you can move inside the station itself.
Inside the listening post, things start off fairly quiet at first.
- Hardened Weapon Locker – Hard Decryption: On the back side of the wide cover wall in the middle of the first room.
- Hardened Weapon Locker – Hard Decryption: Also on the back side of the wide cover wall.
Move into the main chamber of the listening post, where you’ll find a large number of Rachni. Clear them out the same way you handled them on Noveria, then search the area for loot:
- Main room:
- Aid Station – On the side of a crate in the north-western corner of the of the north-eastern column.
- Upgrade Kit – On top of a crate just east of the southern exit.
- South-east room:
- Storage Locker x2 – Easy Decryption. In the south-western corner of the room.
- Wetware Kit – On a table in the north-eastern part of the room.
- Malfunctioning Object – In the north-eastern corner of the room.
- South-west room:
- Malfunctioning Object – In the south-eastern corner of the room.
- Aid Station – On the side of a crate on the north-western corner of the of the north-eastern column.
- Upgrade Kit – On top of a crate just east of the southern exit.
- Storage Locker x2 – Easy Decryption. In the south-western corner of the room.
- Wetware Kit – On a table in the north-eastern part of the room.
- Malfunctioning Object – In the north-eastern corner of the room.
- Malfunctioning Object – In the south-eastern corner of the room.
In the south-west room, you’ll also find a Terminal on the western wall. It provides a clue about what happened here and wraps up the Assignment.
Before you head back out, don’t forget to Open the Emergency FTL Comm to the left of the Terminal. This triggers a distress broadcast from another listening post—Alpha—if you haven’t already dealt with it elsewhere.
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