Mass Effect UNC: Privateers Guide—Route, Base Raid Tips, Item Locations
If you’re working through Mass Effect’s UNC: Privateers assignment, this guide breaks down the full route—from tracking down the right location, to surviving the base raid, to making the dialogue choices that affect your Paragon and Renegade totals. Along the way, you’ll also find where the key items are hidden on Xawin’s planet surface.
Task overview and what you’ll do
This assignment is centered on the UNC: Privateers mission. You’ll need to locate the Privateer base, push through multiple combat encounters, collect the loot in and around the facility, and then return to Garoth to wrap things up. The page is organized so you can jump straight to the sections covering the assignment’s stats, meeting Garoth, traveling to Strenuus, storming the Privateer base, and finally returning to complete the quest.
Assignment stats and requirements
Before you go in, here are the essential requirements for UNC: Privateers:
- Persuasion Points: N/A
- Minimum Decryption: Hard Decryption
- Minimum Electronics: Hard Electronics
The big takeaway here is that you’ll want access to Hard Decryption and Hard Electronics if you want to fully crack what’s available around Xawin.
Meet Garoth
UNC: Privateers can be started in three different ways. The most frequent option is speaking to Garoth in the Citadel Tower after you’ve been inducted into the Spectres. During that conversation, you can earn morality points depending on what you say:
- Choose “I’ll do it” to gain +2 Paragon Points.
- Choose “Forget it” to gain +2 Renegade Points.
If you’d rather start elsewhere, you can also pick up the assignment on Noveria. During the “Noveria: Lorik Qui’in” assignment, crack open the laptop in the side room on the ground floor. Doing so grants experience points and helps point you in the right direction, but it doesn’t fully replace the final step. The third method is more direct: travel to Strenuus and visit the MSV Majesty manually.
Travel to Strenuus
- Location: Horse Head Nebula – Strenuus – MSV Majesty
You’ll find UNC: Privateers tied to the Horse Head Nebula area, which shows up with a Noveria tag on the galaxy map. Make your way to Strenuus, located in the north-eastern corner of the system, then scan the system for Discoveries.
To begin the investigation, head to the north-eastern part of Strenuus. Look for a planet called Xawin, then check the region just west of it. When the cursor highlights an “Unknown” object, scan it to reveal the MSV Majesty. After selecting it, scan again to reveal a trail of radioactive particles leading you straight toward Xawin—now you’ve got a real lead.
Recommended loadout
Because this assignment throws a mix of enemy types at you, a blended squad that supports Shepard’s strengths is the safest approach. For example, if you’re playing a Soldier, bringing Tali for tech support and Liara for biotics is a solid fit. Also, since Hard Decryption is required to access all of Xawin’s loot, Tali, Garrus, and/or Kaidan are specifically recommended.
On the weapons side, expect the conflict to be dominated by organic enemies. For that reason, use Anti-Personnel / Shredder Rounds for this portion of the mission.
Go to Xawin
Once you’re on the planet, the world map is more cluttered than most other planetary layouts in the game. For UNC: Privateers, you don’t need to work your way across everything—just head north-west to the Privateer Base in the north-west corner of the map.
As you close in, the area is under fire from gun turrets and ground troops. Keep moving in the Mako while you fight. Prioritize taking out the tougher turrets first, then clear the infantry afterward. The cannon is particularly effective against both turrets and ground forces, and especially against troops because the missiles can wipe out enemies and their cover at the same time. The main goal is movement: don’t stop moving, since you’re trying to avoid the Mako taking heavy damage.
Storm the Privateer Base
When you finally get inside the Mercenary Base, you’ll be hit by combat almost immediately. The first room you enter has no enemies or items, but the second larger room is where the real pressure starts. Try to position yourself at the doorway, straddling the first and second rooms. That setup lets you and your party hide and regroup behind a blast door if the fight becomes too dangerous.
With explosives scattered around, you should have an easier time of it than you might expect. Enemies tend to cluster near those explosive hazards, so when things get rough, use gunfire to trigger nearby explosives and thin their numbers quickly.
After you eliminate everyone, head to the upper balcony. Go through the door on your left into the side room. At the end of the room, the body of Captain Willem—Garoth’s brother—will be on your right. Search his body for a Datapad, which serves as proof that he has been killed.
With the combat cleared and Willem accounted for, collect the following items.
Upper Floor items
- Computer Console: a laptop sitting on a desk along the eastern wall of the side room. This only unlocks a Codex entry. If you can’t access it, you already obtained that Codex entry elsewhere in the game.
- Secure Storage Locker: Average Decryption. It’s in the corner to the right of the Computer Console.
- Crate: exit the side room, move to the far end of the balcony, and you’ll find the crate there.
- Crate: located up on a pile of boxes to the left of the previously listed crate. You may need to vault up onto the boxes to reach it. To do so, holster your weapon, stand in front of a box, and press your platform’s Interact button (X on PlayStation, A on Xbox).
Lower Floor items
- Disposal Canister: in the side room, between two bunk beds to your right as you enter.
- Storage Locker: Easy Decryption. If you’re standing in the main room facing the door to the side room, look for the far-right corner near two large boxes.
Once you’ve grabbed everything, leave the Privateer Base and hop back into the Mako. From here, you can keep exploring Xawin or “beam up” to the Normandy to move on.
Return to Garoth
Now that you know what happened to Garoth’s brother, head back to him. He’ll be exactly where he normally stands in the Citadel Tower: at the top of the stairs, between the entryway and the Council Chambers.
When you talk to Garoth, the assignment only completes if you tell him, “Willem’s dead.” After you confirm that, you’ll have another chance to earn morality points:
- Say “This must be hard on you” for +2 Paragon Points.
- Say “You were fooling yourself” for +2 Renegade Points.
If you’re looking for more Mass Effect help after finishing UNC: Privateers, the guide points you toward related topics including Legendary Edition changes, how-to guides, key choices and consequences, romance options, walkthroughs, and side quests.
Up next: Rogue VI
Top guide sections
- Legendary Edition Changes
- Basics
- Tips and Tricks
- How-To Guides
