# Question about Mass Effect Tech Skills **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 29, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-mass-effect-tech-skills/454675 "2008-06-29T18:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-mass-effect-tech-skills/454675/1 "2008-06-29T18:20:46Z")
I just started another thread about ME but I guess this is a pretty different question. Suppose I come to a computer terminal or a storage locker or something which requires some level of decryption or electronics skill. I haven’t figured out yet whether it checks _my_ skill, or rather, the skill of my _squad_, or rather, the skill of the squad _member_ with the highest skill. Does anyone know? At first, before having really played, I assumed I would just have to have my highest skilled squad member go open the thing. But as far as I can tell, there is no way to have a squad member open a door or access a terminal. I have to do that with my own character, as far as I can tell. But I assume that my squad members’ decrypt skills are good for _something_. I just don’t know exactly how their skills are taken into account. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-mass-effect-tech-skills/454675/2 "2008-06-29T18:24:17Z")
I don’t know the answer and I’d like to know. I think that it checks the whole squad but I can’t be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-mass-effect-tech-skills/454675/3 "2008-06-29T21:06:29Z")
It checks the highest skill in your squad, from what I can tell. I had a squad in which one person had a decent decryption, one had good electronics, and my character was just a grunt with weapons skills. Decryption and electronics stations posed no problem, even though in each instance 2/3 of the squad had no skill in it. I was most successful having one soldier, one biotic, and one tech character – the tech character took care of both decryption and electronics even though my character and one NPC had nothing there. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-mass-effect-tech-skills/454675/4 "2008-06-29T21:34:18Z")
It checks against the highest ranked in your squad.