You just stepped off the Normandy. The Presidium is gorgeous, the music is swelling, and suddenly a frantic Salarian named Chorban hands you a data pad and asks you to commit a light crime. Welcome to the Citadel. Most players remember "Scan the Keepers" as that one tedious chore they picked up way too early in the original Mass Effect (or the Legendary Edition). It’s the ultimate scavenger hunt. It forces you to look at every nook and cranny of the Citadel, and honestly, if you aren't using a guide, it’s remarkably easy to miss just one, leaving you wandering around the Embassies for forty minutes wondering where you went wrong.
Scanning these silent, multi-limbed custodians isn't just about the XP or the credits, though those help early on. It’s about the lore. These creatures are the biological white noise of the station. They don't talk. They don't protest. They just... fix things. But for Shepard, they represent one of the first major side-quests that reveals how weird and mysterious the Prothean (or so we thought) tech really is.
Why Everyone Struggles with Mass Effect Scan the Keepers
The problem is the scale. The Citadel is massive. It’s split into the Presidium and the Wards, and the game doesn't give you a checklist. You just have a counter: 0/21. If you find 20, the game doesn't tell you which one you missed. You have to backtrack through every single bridge, corridor, and tucked-away balcony.
It’s also worth noting that you can actually "fail" or bypass the start of this quest. If you talk to Jahleed before Chorban, or if you scare Chorban off, the flow changes. However, most people run into Chorban right outside the Council Chamber. He’s the guy suspiciously poking a Keeper with a scanning device. He's nervous. He's breaking Citadel law. And he wants you to do the dirty work because, well, you're a Spectre (or about to be one), and the C-Sec officers are more likely to look the other way.
The Rewards (and the Moral Choice)
You get a chunk of experience and credits for every single scan. Early in the game, this is a godsend. If you finish the whole thing, the payout is decent. But there’s a narrative catch. Later in the game, or even in Mass Effect 2, you’ll see the ripples of your choice. Did you help Chorban understand the Keepers? Or did you listen to Officer Chellick and tell Chorban to beat it?
Actually, if you want the most "completionist" route, you should scan them all before finishing the quest through Chellick. That way you maximize the XP and still get the Paragon/Renegade points from the police intervention. It's a bit of a meta-gaming move, but hey, those early levels are precious.
Where the Keepers are Hiding
You have to be methodical. If you run around like a headless chicken, you’ll miss the one in the back of the Embassies or the one hidden in the Upper Wards. Let's break down the locations by zone. Don't expect a neat 1-2-3 list here; the Citadel is a circle, and you should treat it like one.
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The Presidium Locations
This is where you'll find the bulk of them. Since the Presidium is the "upper class" area, everything looks the same—lots of white stone and blue water.
- Near Chorban: You literally can’t miss this one. It’s right where you get the quest, near the stairs leading to the Tower.
- The Council Chamber: There are actually three in here. One is in the back right, one is on the left, and one is tucked away near the entrance. Most people get the first two and forget the third.
- The Embassies: This is a nightmare zone. There’s one in the lounge area (the bar), one in the back office near the Elcor and Volus ambassadors, and one in the very back room of the Embassy suites. That back room one is a common "20 out of 21" culprit.
- The Consort’s Chambers: Outside Sha'ira’s place, there's one standing near the wall. If you're heading there to talk to the Consort anyway, grab it.
- Near the Emperor’s Bar: Over by the Krogan statue and the lake, there’s another one.
The Presidium Keepers are generally easy because the area is open. The Wards? That's where things get claustrophobic and annoying.
The Wards: Upper, Lower, and Flux
The Wards are a vertical mess. You'll be using elevators. A lot.
- Upper Wards: Check near the Med Clinic. Dr. Michel is busy with her own problems, but there’s a Keeper right outside her door.
- The Markets: Down the stairs from the Upper Wards, in the corner of the market stalls, another one is working.
- Flux: Head up to the casino. There’s one tucked in the back near the machines.
- The C-Sec Academy: People always forget this one. Take the elevator down to C-Sec. You'll find a Keeper in the Requisitions office and another in the Traffic Control room. Traffic Control is that area with the big orange holograms where you meet Chellick later.
The "Missable" Keepers and Late-Game Locking
Here is a bit of expert advice: Do this early. While you can technically scan most Keepers throughout the game, the state of the Citadel changes. After certain major plot points—specifically the Virmire/Lockdown sequence—the Citadel isn't the same. While the Keepers don't technically disappear, your access to certain areas might be restricted, or you might just be too busy trying to save the galaxy to worry about a Salarian's illegal census.
Also, if you're playing the Legendary Edition, the scanning distance is slightly more forgiving than it was in 2007. In the original game, you practically had to be touching the Keeper. Now, you can stand a few feet back. Small wins.
The Lore Significance (Spoilers for the end of ME1)
Why are we scanning them anyway? Chorban thinks they are biological constructs. He's right. If you’ve finished the game before, you know the Keepers are actually thralls to the Citadel, which is itself a giant Mass Relay. They are programmed to react to the Sovereign's signal to open the gates for the Reapers.
Scanning them for Chorban actually helps him realize that they are "reset" every cycle. By the time Mass Effect 2 rolls around, if you helped him, you'll get an email or a brief meeting where he explains that the Keepers are essentially organic robots. It’s a tiny bit of world-building that makes the Citadel feel much more ancient and sinister than it does when you first arrive.
Troubleshooting the "20/21" Nightmare
If you are stuck at 20, check these three places first. They are the most commonly missed:
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- The Embassy Lounge Balcony: Go through the Embassies, past the reception, and out onto the balcony overlooking the Presidium. He's just standing there.
- The C-Sec Requisitions Office: It's a boring room. Most players go in once to buy grenades and never look at the corners again.
- Behind the Citadel Tower stairs: Not the one right in front of you, but the one tucked around the side near the garden area.
Honestly, the "Scan the Keepers" quest is a rite of passage. It’s the game’s way of saying, "Look at this world we built." It’s slow, it’s low-stakes, and it rewards the patient player.
Final Steps for Completion
Once you hit 21/21, the quest completes automatically. You don't even have to go back to Chorban, though you can. You’ll get a hefty bonus of XP and credits. If you’re playing on a higher difficulty like Insanity, that extra level-up can be the difference between surviving your first encounter with a Geth Prime and getting turned into paste.
Actionable Advice for your playthrough:
- Start the quest immediately after your first meeting with the Council.
- Clear the Presidium first in a clockwise circle.
- Don't leave the Wards until you've checked the C-Sec Academy and the Flux casino.
- Save your game before talking to Officer Chellick if you haven't finished scanning yet; his intervention can sometimes glitch the quest markers if you haven't collected the data.
- Check the map labels. In the Legendary Edition, the map is much clearer. If a room has a name, there’s a 50/50 chance a Keeper is in or near it.
Finish this quest before you leave the Citadel for the first time on the Normandy. It cleans up your quest log and gives you the resources you need to upgrade Shepard’s gear for the early-game missions like Therum or Feros. It’s a grind, but in a universe this well-realized, even the chores feel like they matter.