Mass Effect Legendary Edition – How to Throw Grenades

You may think you know how to do basic stuff like throw grenades in Mass Effect Legendary Edition but going back to the first game can shake that confidence pretty quickly. Even the later entries have their own little wrinkles that more modern games have ironed out. The RPG elements and other balancing decisions shifted some typically normal actions away from single buttons and toward complete actions. To help you through this we’ve broken down how to throw grenades in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, breaking it down by game.

How to Throw Grenades in Mass Effect 1 (Legendary Edition)

Mass Effect 1 is probably the toughest to figure stuff like this out in. As the first game in the series, and the one that leaned most heavily on the franchise’s RPG elements, it really changes up how some things work. Tack on that the grenades aren’t the usual toss and forget kind and you’ve got a recipe for confusion from both new and returning players. Thankfully it’s still pretty simple.

All you need to do to throw grenades in ME1 in Mass Effect Legendary Edition is press Square on PS4/PS5 or X on Xbox One or Series X/S. However, just throwing a grenade isn’t the end, you still need to use it. The grenades in ME1 aren’t impact grenades, they are remote triggered. Hit Square or X again to make them explode or you’ll just be waiting and eventually they’ll time out and explode on their own after 10 seconds.

How to Use Grenades in Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition)

Grenades get a bit weird in Mass Effect 2, and the Legendary Edition hasn’t changed things in this realm at all. While the first game had the usual mechanic of grenades being an added component of your combat kit, they shift to being abilities here. You’ll need to unlock the ability for your teammates, with only Kasumi and Zaeed able to learn grenade powers.

Once you’ve unlocked them and finished their loyalty quests Shepard can also wield the power, though in limited ways. In short, with either of these characters on your team with either the Flashbang Grenade (Kasumi) or Inferno Grenade (Zaeed) you can pull up the power wheel with right bumper or R1 and select it. Be sure to target which opponent the grenade should be thrown at while the menu is up, then once you let go it will be done.

How to Use Grenades in Mass Effect 3 (Legendary Edition)

Mass Effect 3 is similar to 2 with how grenades are implemented, but with much more freedom. Shepard him or herself can unlock grenade powers for use in combat. Once you unlock them the ability functions the same way as in ME2. Pull up the power wheel and select them or map them to a specific button press then use that going forward. In the end, using grenades in Mass Effect 3 feels like the middle ground between 1 and 2, where they are easily accessible to Shepard, but are managed as if they are an ability rather than a usable item.

And that’s how to throw grenades in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, broken down for ME1, 2, and 3.