Scanner is a tool that you’ll be needing a lot of in Starfield. It allows you to see which resources and materials a planet might yield. It also helps you to discover different fauna and flora in different planets.
You can often scan a planet while you’re still in orbit before you land, which is useful to see if it has any materials you’re searching for. This will often only show the planet as partly surveyed, however, so what gives? In this guide, I’ll explain how Starfield scanning works, as well as how to fully survey a planet.
Table of Contents
How to activate the Scanner?
Scanner is one of the most important tool that you will be using in the game. You can basically press “F” key to activate the scanning tool. You will see a big circle middle of the screen that highlights useful materials and resources. Please be advise, you may not be able to use any guns and other items while the scanner is activated.
How to Scan the environment?
Scanner comes with a huge benefit which is allowing players to scan alien creatures and plants for more information.
- Once you activated the scanning, Get closer to a object
- Press E key to scan it.
- You have to scan a plant or creature multiple times to get %100 information.
- The scanner will also give information about the individual objects or lifeforms. Often, these will have to be scanned multiple times to reveal all information.
- The scanner also works on a planet-wide basis, which is accessed from the Starmap. To do this, enter the planetary view and hold LB, the results will be displayed in an information box on the left side of the screen.
Revealing new points of interest with Scanner
While on foot, the scanner will display the icons for nearby points of interest. Hover over them and press A to scan, revealing the location type.
Fast-Travel while outdoors
With the scanner open, highlighting the ship or previously visited icons will allow the player the option to fast-travel. Unfortunately this does not work when inside buildings or interiors that required a loading screen to enter.
When on foot, the player can also access the surface map through the scanner as well. Press RB or M key to open.
Highlight NPCs, Enemies, and Collectible Objects
Exploring with the scanner open will highlight all objects that can be picked up or looted. This is a great way to find chests and safes that would otherwise be easy to miss.
Highlight the best path forward
When the scanner is open, a series of arrows will light up to reveal the best path to the selected objective.
FAQs
How to Upgrade the Scanner in Starfield?
When players use the scanner early in the game, there will be several types of materials it will be incapable of recognizing. To expand its capabilities, the player can upgrade the scanner through the Science skill tree. Use the following skills:
Surveying: The final option in the first tier of the Science skill tree, this skill will increase the range and zoom distance of the hand scanner.
Scanning: Upgrading this skill will allow for the detection of increasingly rare inorganic materials.
Astrophysics: This skill will upgrade the ship’s scanner, allowing for a wider range of information to be discovered.
