In Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360, you can spend quite a bit of time scanning and probing planets for resources if you want the best technologies in the game. Here are some tips for faster and more efficient planet scanning, which should make this tedious process a little easier to handle.
1. Make sure to scan the same direction as you are turning the planet for best results. This should become very obvious right off the bat, but still worth a mention.
2. For efficiency, NEVER scan randomly. The guidelines are there for a purpose, so use them liberally. I generally start on the center line and scan across either direction. Once I get to where I started, I move two lines up or down. You’ll notice that this just barely gives you enough overlap so that you’re not scanning the same places multiple times. Use your sent probes as guides to where you’ve been and when you need to move to the next area.
3. When you get a hit, scan the area slowly to find the sweet spot for maximum resources.
4. Don’t forget to upgrade your scanner technology whenever possible so you can scan quicker. This speeds up the scanning process tremendously.