For the explorers, the most enjoyable thing in Starfield might just be the activity of going around various planets and registering the data of undiscovered species of Flora and Fauna, and this is where the Starfield Scanner comes into play. Using the scanner, you will be able to scan every new piece of life which will count towards the completion of a full survey of the planet. Surveying all the flora and fauna on the planet will even reward you with Survey Slates.
In this guide below, we will take a look at how you can use the Starfield Scanner effectively and quickly scan any new flora or fauna that you find.
How to scan Flora & Fauna with the Starfield Scanner
The most similar mechanic to the Starfield Scanner you might recognize is the scanner in No Man’s Sky. But the scanner in NMS only requires you to hold a button once while looking at the flora or fauna. In Starfield, you require multiple scans before the data can be fully registered and documented.
Here is what you need to do in order to scan flora and fauna using the Starfield Scanner:
- Find a suitable target that you can scan, like a plant or a creature.
- Equip the scanner by pressing ‘LB’ on the controller or ‘F’ as the default binding on the keyboard.
- Now, point it at the target you wish to scan and press ‘A’ on the controller or ‘E’ on the keyboard default binds.
- This will now scan the target once. Some flora and fauna will require you to use the Starfield Scanner multiple times before it is fully scanned. Just repeat from step 2 onwards until it is fully scanned when it shows as ‘100%’ on the survey meter.
How to get Survey Slate in Starfield
When using the Starfield scanner, you will notice on the left side it gives you a list of the number of different types of Fauna, Flora, and Resources on the planet. When you fully scan a target, they and any other member of the same type will now appear green on your scanner, and it will add to the tally list on the left.
However, you will also need to do this for every biome as you won’t find all types in a single biome. Once you find all that you can in a given biome, you will be notified that the biome survey is complete after which you can head out and land on a different spot on the planet that has a different biome.
Once you use your Starfield Scanner to scan all the different types of Flora, Fauna, and Resources on the planet, you will have completed the full survey of the entire planet, which will reward you with a Survey Slate that you can sell for money. The amount of money you can earn will depend on how rare the things on the planet you scanned were.
That is all you need to know on how to scan flora and fauna using the Starfield Scanner. Now that you know how the scanning system works, you should also learn more about the persuasion system by reading about how to persuade Brogan in Starfield.
