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Starfield

Scanning Skill Rank Up Guide

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Scanning is an Advanced Science skill that lets you detect rare resources on planet and moon surfaces in Starfield. Read on to learn the effects of the Scanning skill, how to unlock and rank up the Scanning skill, and the backgrounds that know it.

List of Contents

Scanning How to Unlock and Overview

Scanning Skill Overview

Scanning Skill
Starfield - Scanning Skill Skill Tree:
Science
Tier:
Advanced
While anyone can use a ship's scanner, it takes a specially trained operator to detect hard-to-find planetary resources, or uncover the details of nearby ships.

How to Unlock Scanning

Spend 4 Skill Points in the Science Tree

As Scanning is a higher-tier Advanced skill, it is unlocked by spending a total of 4 skill points in the Science skill tree before it can be learned.

How to Farm Skill Points Fast

Backgrounds with the Scanning Skill

There are no backgrounds that start with the Scanning skill.

List of All Backgrounds

How to Rank Up Scanning Skill

All Rank Challenges and Effects

Rank Challenge Effects
1 Spend a total of 4 Skill Points in the Science tree. You can detect uncommon inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and more information about ships in space.
2 Scan 5 planets or moons. You can detect rare inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and more specific information about ships in space.
3 Scan 15 planets or moons. You can detect exotic inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and gain better combat information on ships in space.
4 Scan 30 planets or moons. You can detect unique inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and gain a complete list of cargo on ships in space.

Scan Planets or Moons to Complete the Challenge

Starfield - Scan Planets or Moons

Orbit Around a Planet or a Moon to Scan Them

To orbit a planet or moon, select the planet or moon on your Starmap without selecting any landmark or landing spot and press the Travel prompt to the right of the screen. To scan a planet, you must first be in its orbit, then open the Starmap and press the Scan prompt on the screen's left side.

Landing on a planet or moon will automatically have them scanned and will count towards completing the challenge.

Allocate the Astrophysics Skill to Scan Distant Planets and Moons

The Astrophysics Skill allows you to scan nearby planets and moons. It even allows you to scan planets and moons from other systems up to 30 light-years away! This will help complete the challenge and give some extra XP as you scan planets and moons and randomly discover their planetary traits.

How to Level Up Fast

Starfield Related Guides

Starfield - Skills Partial Banner

List of All Skills

Skills Guide

Skills Guides
Best Skills

All Skill Trees

All Skill Trees
Physical Social
Combat Science
Tech

List of Science Skills

Starfield - Astrodynamics Skill
Astrodynamics 		Starfield - Geology Skill
Geology 		Starfield - Medicine Skill
Medicine
Starfield - Research Methods Skill
Research Methods 		Starfield - Surveying Skill
Surveying 		Starfield - Botany Skill
Botany
Starfield - Scanning Skill
Scanning 		Starfield - Spacesuit Design Skill
Spacesuit Design 		Starfield - Weapon Engineering Skill
Weapon Engineering
Starfield - Zoology Skill
Zoology 		Starfield - Astrophysics Skill
Astrophysics 		Starfield - Chemistry Skill
Chemistry
Starfield - Outpost Engineering Skill
Outpost Engineering 		Starfield - Special Projects Skill
Special Projects 		Starfield - Planetary Habitation Skill
Planetary Habitation
Starfield - Aneutronic Fusion Skill
Aneutronic Fusion

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This article was created by Game8's elite team of writers and gamers.

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