Mass Effect 2 Prodigal Lost Locket Found: How to Grab the Right Item

If you’re working through Mass Effect 2, the “The Prodigal: Lost Locket Found” side assignment is one of those tasks that’s simple in concept but unforgiving in execution. The objective is straightforward, yet the game only gives you a narrow moment to pick up the specific item you need—miss it once, and the assignment effectively becomes impossible to complete without reverting to an earlier save.

Why this assignment matters (and why it’s easy to lose)

This page of the Mass Effect 2 wiki guide focuses on “The Prodigal: Lost Locket Found,” covering where to locate every required item, how to get through the combat sections, and what decisions to make so your run stays on track. The key risk is not difficulty—it’s timing. The quest’s completion hinges on grabbing a trinket during a limited window, meaning you can’t just come back later and try again if you’re not paying attention.

Even though the assignment itself is described as straightforward, you’re explicitly warned to be “absolutely certain” you collect the correct item when it appears. The consequence is permanent: if the pickup is missed, it won’t be obtainable later, and you won’t be able to finish the assignment.

Rewards and what you get for finishing

• Experience: 40 XP
• Mission Credits: 500 credits
• Morality Points: +5 Paragon Points

In other words, the payoff is a modest boost to progression and Paragon standing—exactly the kind of side content players often want to complete cleanly, especially on Paragon-focused playthroughs.

How to find the locket (the narrow window pickup)

• Prerequisite: Progress “Miranda: The Prodigal”
• Location: Crescent Nebula – Tasale System – Illium – Transport Station

The assignment is easy to execute, but it’s also easy to skip because the game limits when you can take the item. During Miranda’s loyalty mission, “Miranda: The Prodigal,” you’ll reach the end of the Transport Station and trigger a confrontation involving Niket and an Eclipse mercenary leader named Captain Enyala. That encounter quickly escalates into a heavy firefight in the final room of the level.

Once that fight is over, you’ll be able to spot the exit elevator tucked into the back-left corner of the room—this same elevator is where waves of Eclipse mercs were coming from. Ending the level means using that elevator, but the catch is that the required item is located right there too.

To secure the trinket, check the left side of the exit elevator. You’ll find a small cube crate, and on top of it sits a Trinket. The trinket is positioned between the exit elevator and a Secure Terminal that can be accessed for 3,000 credits.

Most importantly: the guide stresses that missing this trinket at this moment means missing it forever. The only workaround is loading an older save. After you’ve collected the trinket—along with the other loot available in the room—wrap up the mission by opening the exit elevator.

Delivering the locket and the choice that grants extra Paragon

After “The Prodigal” concludes, you can locate an Asari near the Normandy dock point, north of the Trading Floor. Talk to her and offer to help.

• If you start with the line “Don’t bother. I can help,” you’ll gain +2 Paragon Points.

From there, you hand over the locket you collected. The trinket functions as a memento from the Asari’s daughter for an old boyfriend—Steven—who is now deceased.

Key takeaways

• The assignment is tied to Miranda’s loyalty mission progress: you need “Miranda: The Prodigal” before you can access it.
• The trinket pickup happens in the Transport Station’s final room, right alongside the exit elevator.
• There’s no second chance: if you miss the trinket during the limited window, you can only fix it by loading an earlier save.
• Rewards include 40 XP, 500 credits, and +5 Paragon Points, with an additional +2 Paragon available through a specific conversation opener.

Want more Mass Effect 2 help? The guide points readers toward additional pages covering Legendary Edition changes, how-to guides, key choices and consequences, romance options, walkthrough coverage, and side quests.