Mass Effect 2 Tuchanka: Killing Pyjaks Guide—Rewards, Combat, Choices
This Mass Effect 2 wiki guide page focuses on the Tuchanka: Killing Pyjaks side mission. It covers where to locate the relevant items, how to get through every combat encounter you’ll face, and which dialogue choices matter for your run.
Checklists
- Assignment Rewards
- Travel to Aralakh
- Talk to Ratch
- Kill Pyjaks
- Return to Merchant
Assignment Rewards
- Experience: 40 XP
- 20% discount at Ratch’s Wares
Travel to Aralakh
- Prerequisites: Obtain either “Mordin: Old Blood” or “Grunt: Rite of Passage”
- Location: Krogan DMZ – Aralakh – Tuchanka
This Assignment begins on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. However, it won’t become available until after you complete “Horizon,” and then unlock one of the following: “Mordin: Old Blood” or “Grunt: Rite of Passage.” Once it’s active, the Krogan DMZ region is added to the Galaxy Map, positioned just “south” of the Serpent Nebula, where the Citadel sits.
If you’re the type to mine resources, here are the Rich worlds inside the Aralakh system:
Talk to Ratch
When you arrive on Tuchanka, you’ll find just one shop and one merchant. The business is called Ratch’s Wares, and the shopkeeper is—unsurprisingly—Ratch. If you need help finding him, check the western side of the map.
Once you get there, you can chat with Ratch at length and even spend time with his Varren pet. Eventually, though, you’ll want to choose “What do you sell here?” followed by “Tell me about the pyjaks.”
Ratch and several other residents seem to be dealing with these space monkeys. The Pyjaks raid the local food supplies and cause plenty of damage. If you agree to step in by selecting “I’ll help you with the pyjaks,” you’ll receive the next Assignment.
Kill Pyjaks
To deal with the problem, Ratch has set up a defense turret. It’s located due north of Ratch’s store, near the marker labeled “Chief Scout” on your map. The Chief Scout operates one of the turrets, while the terminal to his left lets you take control yourself to eliminate three separate Pyjak waves as they show up.
Here’s how the turret minigame functions:
- The defense turret behaves like rocket launchers—aim the reticle at the ground, then fire.
- The rockets take about a second to reach the spot you targeted. Even though they have splash damage, the radius isn’t as forgiving as you might expect, so aim for where the Pyjaks will be rather than where they are.
- Each wave gives you 20 rockets. As you progress, the number of Pyjaks increases, which makes the challenge less forgiving if you miss.
- The rockets fired horizontally indicate which turret is going to shoot next. This matters because the large tires WILL block your shots if you’re not careful.
- The number at the top of the screen shows how many Pyjaks remain in the current wave.
- The red meter at the bottom tracks the Clan Urdnot food stores. If it hits zero, the minigame ends. It does not reset between waves.
Return to Merchant
After you defeat the third and final Pyjak wave, the game will automatically tell you that you’ve done enough to satisfy Ratch. At that point, your job is simple: head back to Ratch’s Wares and report in to Ratch himself.
He was paying attention during the fight, and he’s impressed. As promised, you’ll receive a permanent discount from him on anything you purchase—so if there was anything you wanted from his inventory, it’s worth holding off until after completing this side quest.
Looking for more Mass Effect 2 assistance? You can also check out the following guide pages:
- Legendary Edition Changes
- How-To Guides
- Key Choices and Consequences
- Romance Options
- Walkthrough
- Side Quests
Up Next: Tuchanka – Old Blood: Missing Scout
Top Guide Sections
- Legendary Edition Changes
- Basics
- Tips and Tricks
- How-To Guides
