Mass Effect

Mass Effect

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Scholar

Scholar

Find all primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races and Non-Council Races codex entries

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How to unlock the Scholar achievement in Mass Effect - Definitive Guide

Once you make a game you need to start finding about Alien Races here is a list and how to get them.
NOTE:These are not in order so be sure to read them all first.

Turians: At the very beginning of the game, talk to people about the Spectres and Saren.

Asari: Either talk with Captain Anderson, or with Avina [The VI about the council races].

Salarians: Talk to Captain Anderson after the first meeting with the council.

Protheans: CAN ONLY GET WITH TALKING WITH CAPTAIN ANDERSON AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME BEFORE EDEN PRIME!

Rachni: Talking with the VI near the Krogan Statue about the Krogans, the rebellion, and the war.

Batarians: After acquiring the Normandy, talk with Captain Anderson. Ask him about him becoming a Specter.

Elcor: Talk to the Elcor diplomat Calyn in the embassy. The embassy is to the right of the Human Embassy.

Geth: Ask Ashley AFTER finding her on Eden Prime.

Hanar: Either with the Preaching Hanar, or with the Shop Keeper that is Hanar. Ask him about his speech.

Keepers: Ask Avina near the Citadel Tower light.

Krogan: Automatic by watching the confrontation between Wrex and the Krogan bouncer in Chora's Den.

Quarians: Talk to Garrus in medical center.

Volus: Talk with Avina outside the embassies.

There have been complaints stating that I have copied this from www.x360a.com, which is true. I do not take any credit for this guide.
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17 Oct 2008 02:05

22 Comments
this was copied and pasted from www.xbox360achievements.org

...
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By Madlmax120 on 18 Oct 2008 01:37
Yes, let's make every bit our own. Sarcasm.... There aren't other ways to do this so why bother rewriting all of it?
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By Leo Ascendent on 21 Aug 2009 22:38
Thanks for the guide
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By TriColorHippo on 31 Aug 2009 00:51
I dont care where it came from. Thanks for posting it!
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By YELLDad on 04 Jan 2010 01:41
Man, missing that first entry from Nihilus is such a drag! At least with this guide I know what to do on my second playthrough.
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By The Stig DC on 12 Jan 2010 21:56
I talked to Anderson about the Protheans in the beginning and even though I have done that the Protheans are still not showing up in my codex. Ecerything else does, but the Protheans never do. And i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong
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By Grimslinger19 on 25 Jan 2010 07:35
When are you talking to him about it? You should talk to him after being told what the mission is really on and Nihlus should be in the room.
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By SecondHALONICK on 25 Jan 2010 10:16
thanks for pointing out you have to speak to anderson before eden prime
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By Lockyz75 on 11 Feb 2010 22:12
Talking to Anderson BEFORE eden prime IS not detailed in the xbox360a.org aolution which is why I appreciate this site so much. More detail in most cases IMO. I missed this one and only detail on my first pass, so I get to do it again. Thanks for the solution!!!
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By RedSVO on 28 Feb 2010 20:18
I was able to get the Prothean Codex by talking to the soldier standing by Dr Chakwas right before heading to the bridge to speak with the captain. Just investigate everything and they'll mention the Protheans.
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By ChiefMelee on 20 Oct 2011 22:05
Thanks for the list. Everyone looks at ta and x360a...no biggie.
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By Solario32 on 31 Oct 2011 12:39
All work should be credited if all you did was a copy and paste. Someone worked hard and took time to actually make it... the very least you could do it credit them.
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By Fafhrdd on 11 Jan 2012 15:39
"Salarians: Talk to Captain Anderson after the first meeting with the council." If you have not received your ship he will be at the loading docks, just discuss his history with Saron. If you missed the chance don't worry you can see him in Udina's Office.
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By Fafhrdd on 20 Jan 2012 22:08
Nice guide. Wanted to add that if, for some reason, you missed the Batarians and never spoke to Anderson about them (like I did), you can learn about them by playing the "Bring Down The Sky" DLC. After my first interaction with them, I got the achievement. MAJOR relief since I thought I was going to have attempt and old save to get it quickly
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By MiTYH on 14 Mar 2012 14:30
People who disliked this solution because it originated from x360a are petty. Nice job(: helped me figure out what i was missing!

Who cares if it was pasted (and edited) from x360a. What's wrong with having the same guide in two places? Simply makes it easier and more convenient to find(:
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By ThePianoMan73 on 08 Jun 2013 20:13
Does this have to be in one playthrough? Or will the game carry over the already found entries to the next playthrough?
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By CoXmo on 03 Jul 2013 22:47
Must (unfortunately) be completed in one play through.
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By SecondHALONICK on 05 Jul 2013 13:19
This is pissing me off. I have all the races. Still no achievement. This is my 6th playthrough. Yes, I have Protheans in primary codex.
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By Vanglak on 20 Oct 2013 07:52
I believe this carries over through multiple playthroughs. It popped for me after talking to the Volus on Noveria about the Rachni. I was working on the squadmate achievements, so I wasn't hunting codex entries at all.
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By Redd Five on 13 Feb 2015 13:57
Anyone know how long this takes after after starting a new game? Thanks.
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By A4TH BrokenHalo on 23 Jan 2017 02:04
If you miss getting the Elcor or the Rachni when your first on the Citadel you can get them during your mission on Noveria. The Elcor can be gotten by talking to the Elcor that is selling items on Peak 15. The Rachni can be obtained by talking to the Volus that is in the Quarantine Lab.

The utmost important one is the Prothean one, obtained like it said above from talking to Capt Anderson before the Eden Prime mission at the very beginning of the game.
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By ToXiC JoKeR 92 on 10 Sep 2012 02:00
I thankyou for this guide. I finally popped it this morning
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By edwardwyke on 21 Sep 2021 15:01
View all 22 comments Show less comments
There is a great video you can follow on youtube also, if you think you are having a hard time making sure you're getting the right conversations going. Hope this helps!
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12 Dec 2010 19:47

6 Comments
Great guide helped me get the achievement in under an hour, easy to follow thanks
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By Deranged Asylum on 19 Jan 2012 21:42
Thank you! That is a very helpful video.
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By MissFuchsiaFire on 01 Jun 2012 08:35
Thanks for posting! Its always easier to see something that's chronological.
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By InfiniteRefrain on 16 Dec 2012 14:05
Pretty cool to see my guide here after all these years! Looks like it's majorly in need of updating laugh 240p was great in 2008.
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By on 09 May 2020 22:09
Due to a dispute I'm having with Trueachievements I am sadly revoking all of my guides. PM me on Xbox Live for a valid link.
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By on 17 Aug 2020 18:27
I panicked a little bit when I followed the videos instructions and wasn't able to unlock the Hanar codex page. Luckily I figured it out. The vid messed this up a little bit, you have to ask the shop keeper about his speech patterns, not wok a personal question.

Still, awesome guide!
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By Radient Star on 30 Dec 2010 22:15
View all 6 comments Show less comments
Some of these codex entries you will get automatically (when recruiting a new crew member for instance) and for others you will have to use the "Investigate" option during conversations with certain characters. Following up I will list the different entries and what you have to do to acquire them.

Council Races:
============

Asari - automatically unlocks when you meet with the council for the first time.
Turian - automatically unlocks right at the beginning when you talk to Nihlus in Normandy's cockpit.
Salarian - automatically unlocks when you meet with the council for the first time.

Extinct Races:
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Protheans - before you reach Eden Prime you'll find yourself in a conversation with
Nihlus and Captain Anderson. Use the Investigate option and select "Protheans".
Rachni - talk to the Avina terminal near the Krogan statue close to the Citadel
Emporium. Use the Investigate option and select "Rachni Wars".

Non-Council Races:
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Batarian - after becoming a Spectre and before leaving the Citadel you have to talk
to Captain Anderson about Saren and previous missions. Select "You worked with the
Spectres". If you missed this one you can also get it later in ambassador Udina's office.
Anderson will be there most of the time.
Elcor - next to the human embassy on the Citadel is the embassy of the Elcor and
Volus. Talk to ambassador Calyn and after selecting the Investigate option ask him
about the Elcor race.
Volus - same embassy as the Elcor. Talk to Din Korlack and ask him about the
Volus race after selecting the Investigate option.
Geth - in the conversation with Ashley shortly after you pick her up on
Eden Prime, select Investigate and ask her about the "Geth".
Hanar - in the Citadel Emporium ask the Hanar shopkeeper about his speech after selecting the Investigate option.
Keepers - before meeting with the council for the first time talk to the Avina
terminal right in front of the Citadel Tower and next to one of the Keepers.
Use the Investigate option and select "Keepers".
Quarian - automatically unlocks when Tali is recruited.
Krogan - automatically unlocks when Wrex is recruited.
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25 Feb 2014 18:36

1 Comment
This is a great guide thank you. Just wanted to mention that the 'Prothean' entry is very easy to miss and I'm sure I chose to investigate during that scene and it did not always unlock.

So I made sure when Anderson says 'it was Prothean' (about the Beacon) to choose the response 'Protheans?' from Shepard, not the other option. (This is before you investigate anything.) If I did that and then investigated and asked about them it unlocked. Not sure if it is a glitch or something but just wanted to share this in case it helps ^^
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By LiaraLight on 03 Oct 2016 13:19

This is a missable achievement, but can be done fairly early on, so it's not hard to do in the case you do miss your chance. For this achievement, you must find all codex entries for every race in the game. Getting each codex entry involves investigating certain people while talking to them, which will always be the left option in the conversation circle. Several codex entries can be gained in multiple ways, while others you will only have once chance to get, which is why this achievement is missable. To get each codex entry, you must do as follows:

Aliens: Council Races
Asari: Automatically unlocked after first meeting with the Citadel Council about Saren; Talk to Saphyria. She can be found by the embassies, as she is the receptionist. 
Salarian: Automatically unlocked after first meeting with the Citadel Council about Saren. 
Turian: Automatically unlocked after the first conversation in the game with Captain Anderson and Nihlus.

Aliens: Extinct Races
Protheans (Missable Codex): During the first conversation with Captain Anderson and Nihlus, investigate when given the chance, and Protheans should be one of the choices; After becoming a Spectre, you will be forced to talk with Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson. After Udina leaves, ask Anderson more about Noveria. 
Rachni: On the Citadel Presidium, go to the Avina terminal by the giant Krogan monument. Talk with her, and investigate and ask about the Rachni; On Noveria, you can get the codex from two people. The first is Han Olar, the volus scientist. The other is Yaroslev Tartakovsky, who is the last person you must talk to on Noveria. 

Aliens: Non-Council Races
Batarian: After officially becoming a Spectre, ask Captain Anderson about his previous mission, while in front of the Normandy. You can also ask him about it anytime you return to the Citadel. He will be in Udina's office at the embassies, on the Presidium; if you chose either the Spacer or Colonist for your Pre-Service history, you will gain a personal quest regarding those backgrounds. Either of these quests will also give you the codex for doing them. 
Elcor: At the embassies on the Citadel Presidium, talk to Calyn, and ask him about the Elcor; On the Rift Station in Noveria, talk to Petozi. He'll be one of the only Elcor you see on Noveria, so he's not hard to find. 
Geth: Investigate with Ashley Williams when you first meet her on Eden Prime; Once you get back onto the Normandy after finishing Eden Prime, ask Captain Anderson about it.
Hanar: On the Citadel Emporium on the Presidium, talk to the Hanar merchant named Delan. Ask him about his speech for the codex. On the other side of the Presidium, talk to the Hanar preaching about the Enkindlers.
Keepers: By the elevator on the Presidium that leads up to where the council is, there is an Avina terminal and a Keeper nearby. Ask Avina about the Keepers; Talk to the Salarian named Chorban, and accept his quest. He will be scanning a keeper, right in your path when you go to meet the council, so it's very hard to miss him.
Krogan: Progress through the main story normally. It will unlock when you gain Wrex as a party member. 
Quarian: Progress through the main story normally. It will unlock when you gain Tali as a party member. 
Volus: In the embassies on the Citadel Presidium, in the same office as the Elcor ambassador. Talk to a Volus named Din Korlack and ask him about his race; Talk to the Avina terminal just outside of the embassies, and ask her about the Volus.

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