Have a saved game file from the original Mass Effect on your hard drive, and use that profile in Mass Effect 2 to get the following bonuses:
Use the following steps to get the bonus Dr. Pepper bonus items. Go to http://www.drpepper.com/promotions/ea/signin/, and register for an account. Note: You can register three different accounts to redeem three different codes and get each bonus item. After creating an account, enter one of the following redemption codes, and select the "No Purchase" option:
Select the "Redeem" button to get a login for an EA account. Log in with your EA account information that is linked to Mass Effect 2. Select Mass Effect 2 from the game list, and choose the desired bonus item. Repeat the steps with a new drpepper.com account to get the other bonus items.
Successfully complete the game. Then, start a new game with the cleared saved game file to start with the following bonuses: choose Loyalty Bonus Skill at the start; retain Skill Points from first playthrough; retain level and experience points from first playthrough; +25% experience bonus for all characters; 200,000 credits, 50,000 of each resource; Renegade and Paragon points reset to neutral; and your weapons and armor (but no upgrades) from first playthrough.
Successfully complete the indicated party member's Loyalty mission to unlock the corresponding skill for Shepard, alternate colors for their costumes, and increase the chance for surviving the suicide mission. Note: Successfully complete the Advanced Training research upgrade for your ship to be able to select the skills.
During conversations, look carefully for a prompt at the top left area of the screen. Quickly press LT when the wings appear for extra Paragon points. Quickly press RT when the star appears for extra Renegade points.
Have at least four available skill points and a skill ready to be evolved to its fourth form. While evolving a skill from level 3 to level 4 at the squad menu, press A + X to regain all spent squad points and keep the skill evolution. This works best if you level a skill from 0 to 4 (10 points) at the same time. Repeat this process to fill every line of your and your crew's skill tree. -From: tigernipp
Throughout the game you will unlock training to redistribute your skill points. Talent Mastery adds a certain percentage to your Paragon/Renegade. Respec and distribute them into your Mastery repeatedly until your Paragon and Renegade are full.
To find some easy mining planets, go to the Micah system in the Vallhallan Threshold, and look for the three planets hidden in the asteroids. They are all "Rich" planets with a lot of materials on them to help with your upgrades. -From: Psychotic Elf
Recruit Morinth to get the Dominate skill, and get a large amount of Element Zero. Buy the Advanced Training upgrade, and select Dominate. This will result in a bonus skill point, which is then used by the Retrain Powers upgrade. Repeat this process to get another skill point.
While scanning a planet, do not hold LT. Instead, rapidly tap LT until you see a blip on the scanner. Then, go back over the area while holding LT to find the best location to send the probe.
Move the pointer to the left or right of the planet you want to scan. Press the Left Analog-stick and Right Analog-stick in the same direction to double the spin speed of the planet and allow you to locate resources on the grid line quickly.
After scanning a planet and pressing Y, the planet information screen on the right reveals if the planet is "Rich", "Moderate", or "Poor". Rich planets give approximately 10+ good scan for ores. Ore yields vary from 1,500 to 3,000. Moderate planets give approximately 8+ good scans, but around 35% to 55% yield compared to rich planets. Poor planets give approximately 5+ scans with yields 5% to 25% compared to rich planets. Note: If there is an anomaly on the planet (typically a rich planet) and you land before you scan, usually the Star Map on the Normandy will put you in a strange location away from the anomaly planet. You must then go back and rescan to get your ores.
Change the difficulty to Hardcore before you land on the planet. Successfully complete Tali'Zora's recruitment mission to find the Geth Pulse Rifle in the room where you find Tali. You can then change the difficulty back to its original setting.
This trick requires any Biotic that lifts your enemy off the ground and the Cryo Bomb tech. Use the Biotic to lift the enemy off the ground, then hit him or her with the Cryo Bomb while they are still under the Biotic's effect. This will cause him or her to be stuck in a permanent falling state, where they are not capable of causing any damage. This is very helpful when trying to prevent the deployment of Harbinger, as once he enters the glitched body he cannot move. Thus, you can kill him at the end of a fight to prevent him from jumping into another body.
Shoot the M-920 Cain, and keep [Fire] held while pressing [Reload] after each shot. The shots will keep firing during the previous shots' explosions.
Dominate is a very useful Biotic ability that allows you to control organic enemies and turn them into allies, similar to the Hack ability that controls synthetics. In order to get this ability as a Loyalty mission bonus to use for your character, you must help Morinth kill Samara during Samara's Loyalty mission. However, it is possible to keep Samara on your team but still get Morinth's Dominate ability by using the following trick. Play Samara's Loyalty mission up to the point where Samara confronts Morinth. Save the game immediately before the confrontation. When you must choose who to eliminate, choose the option that allows Morinth get the upper-hand on Samara and kill her. Create a separate saved game file. Go to the ship, and talk to Morinth. Load the previous saved game, then have Samara kill Morinth. You will now get to keep Samara as a squad mate and have Morinth's Dominate ability when you choose a bonus Loyalty power to add to your character in the prototype upgrade screen.
Talk with Yeoman Kelly Chambers often, and choose the kind responses. Invite her to dinner when you get the option. Do not let Kelly die during the final mission, and select a loyal escort for the crew in the final scene. After completing the game, talk to Kelly. You will get an e-mail from her. Go to your quarters, and invite her up using your console to get the romance scene.
Scan the indicated planets to find anomalies (side quests):
| Nebula | Cluster | Planet |
| Caleston Rift | Solveig | Sinmara |
| Caleston Rift | Talava | Taitus |
| Crescent Nebula | Lusarn | Tarith |
| Crescent Nebula | Zelene | Helyme |
| Eagle Nebula | Amun | Neith |
| Eagle Nebula | Strabo | Jarrahe Station |
| Hades Nexus | Sheol | Gei Hin |
| HourGlass Nebula | Faryar | Daratar |
| HourGlass Nebula | Ploitari | Zanethu |
| Minos Wasteland | Fortis | Aequitas |
| Omega Nebula | Ariniarkan | MSV Strontium Mule |
| Omega Nebula | Fathar | Lorek |
| Pylos Nebula | Dirada | Canalus |
| Pylos Nebula | Nariph | MSV Broken Arrow |
| Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Joab |
| The Shrike Nebula | Xe Cha | Zada Ban |
| Sigurd's Cradle | Decoris | Sanctum |
| Sigurd's Cradle | Skepsis | Franklin |
| Titan Nebula | Haskins | Capek |
Search the indicated planets to find Element Zero:
| Nebula | Cluster | Planet and amount |
| Calestone Rift | Balor | Caleston (moderate) |
| Crescent Nebula | Lusam | Tarith (rich) |
| Crescent Nebula | Zelene | Helyme (moderate) |
| Eagle Nebula | Amun | Anthur (rich) |
| Eagle Nebula | Amun | Sekhmet (moderate) |
| Eagle Nebula | Relic | Preying Mouth (rich) |
| Far Rim | Dholen | Gotha (moderate) |
| Hades Nexus | Hekate | Asteria (poor) |
| Hades Nexus | Hekate | Bothros (poor) |
| Hades Nexus | Pamyat | Dobrovolski (moderate) |
| Hades Nexus | Sheol | Gel Hinnom (moderate) |
| Hawking Eta | Schwarzschild | Etamis (rich) |
| Hourglass Nebula | Faryar | Daratar (rich) |
| Hourglass Nebula | Osun | Erinle (rich) |
| Hourglass Nebula | Ploitari | Thegan (moderate) |
| Krogan DMZ | Nith | Mantun (moderate) |
| Minos Wasteland | Caestus | Invictus (moderate) |
| Nubian Expanse | Kalabasha | Yamm (moderate) |
| Nubian Expanse | Batalla | Nearog (moderate) |
| Nubian Expanse | Batalla | Thunawanuro (rich) |
| Pylos Nebula | Dirada | Siano (moderate) |
| Pylos Nebula | Satent | Boro (rich) |
| Pylos Nebula | Raisaris (rich) | |
| Rosetta Nebula | Alpha Draconis | 2175 Aeia (moderate) |
| Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Joab (rich) |
| Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Laban (moderate) |
| Rosetta Nebula | Enoch | Mizraim (rich) |
| Shadow Sea | Iera | Prospect (poor) |
| Sigurd's Cradle | Decoris | Sanctum (moderate) |
| Sigurd's Cradle | Skepsis | Watson (rich) |
| The Phoenix Massing | Salahiel | Ekuna (moderate) |
| The Shrike Abyssal | Urla Rast | Talis Fia (moderate) |
| The Shrike Abyssal | Xe Cha | Tosal Nym (rich) |
| The Shrike Abyssal | Xe Cha | Zada Ban (rich) |
| Titan Nebula | Haskins | Capek (moderate) |
| Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Farlas (moderate) |
| Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Israfel (moderate) |
| Valhallan Threshold | Micah | Kakabel (moderate) |
| Valhallan Threshold | Paz | Garvug (rich) |
The following armor pieces will become available for purchase after certain points in the game:
Helmets
Shoulders
Chest
Arms
Legs
Armor Sets
Go up to Legion in his quarters. Highlight him, but do not talk to him, and eventually he will do the "Robot" dance.
Go to the Local Cluster, and survey Uranus. Instead of the usual "Probe Launched" response, the voice will instead make Uranus jokes such as "Probing Uranus" or "Really Commander?"
Space Hamster is available on Illium. Once you go into your cabin and select him, he will come out and do the same "Squeek" that Boo did, who was Minsc's "Intergalactic Space Hamster" from Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2.
Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:
The following achievement requires the "Zaeed" bonus downloadable content: