Starfield: How to Complete the Survey of Akila (All…

This article is part of a directory: Starfield: Complete Guide & Walkthrough

When players visit Akila City in Starfield, they'll hear from several locals about the dangers of the local wildlife. One of the animals, the ashta, has the special temperament "Fearless," which means they attack players almost as soon as they see them.

Despite this danger, players can explore the various biomes of Akila to complete its survey, gaining a lot of XP and credits in the process. This Starfield guide will explain where to find all the various flora and fauna found on Akila, along with the two special traits that make the planet unique.

Biomes on Akila

Starfield Akila Biomes — A zoomed-in view of Akila in Starfield.

Not counting the ocean, Akila has a total of three biomes to explore: savanna (this is the biome around Akila City), coniferous forest, and frozen plains. The frozen plains biome is easy enough to target, since it represents the planet's ice caps. However, it can be hard to spot the difference between the savanna and the coniferous forest biomes. The planet's landmass is uniformly brown, and players can find both biomes in otherwise identical brown regions.

The other wrinkle is that one of the animals players must scan is found in the ocean, and obviously the player's ship can't land in the ocean. To find this animal, players must create a landing site next to the ocean. Players will have done so when the name of the destination says something like "Savanna (Coast)" or "Coniferous Forest (Coast)."

After landing, the protagonist's ship should be less than a kilometer away from the ocean. If players aren't sure what direction it's in, check the surface map. The terrain should go completely flat in one direction, and that's where the ocean is. Just be careful not to jump into the water, because it has the biological contamination condition.

Resources and Life on Akila

Starfield Akila Survey — Some survey targets on Akila in Starfield.

The biomes on Akila are dry, but the planet is still full of animal and plant life. Players must scan each flora and fauna eight times to complete their survey, but they can reduce this amount by investing in the Zoology and Botany skills. Geology can get players more resources from resource nodes, but this skill doesn't make the survey go any faster.

On the other hand, Surveying can improve the player's scanning distance, which makes it easier to stay away from the ashta. However, players don't have to worry about scanning distance when scanning flying or swimming animals, or when scanning the special formations at trait locations. Finally, if players kill an animal, doing so counts as a scan.

Fauna

Species	Description	Temperament	Resource	Biomes	Health	Abilities
Ashta	Armored wolves	Fearless	Antimicrobial	Frozen Plains, Coniferous Forest, Savanna	Varies	Ranged mouth attack
Baleen Rotifer	Floating green polyp	Peaceful	Antimicrobial	Frozen Plains, Savanna	20
Buzzrunner	Giant spiky lizard	Defensive	Sealant	Coniferous Forest	100
Crawling Eurypterid	Trilobites	Wary	Aromatic	Frozen Plains, Coniferous Forest	20
Dropsalm	Brain on spiky insect legs	Defensive	Structural	Coniferous Forest	100
Elk Crangon	Hairless bison with duckbill mouths	Wary	Nutrient	Frozen Plains, Savanna	70
Flying Leech	Floating red polyp	Peaceful	Cosmetic	Frozen Plains	20
Grazing Ensifer	Giant brown praying mantis	Wary	Toxin	Coniferous Forest, Savanna	50	Resists energy and physical damage
Mossgnath	Moss-covered apatosaurus	Defensive	Hallucinogen	Savanna	95
Rainbow Agnathan	Segmented whale	Defensive	Solvent	Ocean	170

Flora

Species	Description	Resource	Biomes	Genetics	Reproduction
Canary Seed	Small tree with bulbous fruits	Nutrient	Coniferous Forest, Savanna	Double Helix, Carbon-based	Complex
Chillhook	Tall cactus with flower on top	Toxin	Frozen Plains, Coniferous Forest	Double Helix, Carbon-based	Self-cloning
Cold Cave Nettle	Green-purple bush with purple flower on top	Nutrient	Frozen Plains	Double Helix, Carbon-based	Spores
Golden Creeper	Vines on ground with bulbous fruit	Hallucinogen	Frozen Plains, Coniferous Forest, Savanna	Double Helix, HF-based	Cuttings
Savanna Sweetbush	Feathery leaves with spiky fruit	Fiber	Coniferous Forest, Savanna	Double Helix, Carbon-based	Self-fertilization

Resources

Resource	Where to Collect
H2O (Water)	Natural seeps in savanna and coniferous forest, mineral deposits in frozen plains
Al (Aluminum)	Mineral deposits
Ni (Nickel)	Mineral deposits
Ar (Argon)	Toxic vents
C6Hn (Benzene)	Natural seeps
Co (Cobalt)	Mineral deposits

How to Discover Akila's Traits

Starfield Akila Traits — Akila's special planetary traits in Starfield.

Along with the resources, flora, and fauna on Akila, players must discover the two special traits native to Akila. These traits show up as random locations around Akila City and any other landing site. One of them is a geological feature, while the other one is a biological feature.

Players can get more information about a random location by using the scan button when looking directly at its icon. This can help players avoid wasting time by visiting the same kind of location twice, although doing so provides extra XP and another chance to find a dung or rock pile full of resources.

Primordial Network: this location is a concentration of basic life forms that help the surrounding plants and animals grow strong. Players can identify it from a distance thanks to the glowing fungus, and they must scan the tangled root network to add it to the survey.
Crystalline Crust: a set of pure crystals have erupted from the ground, providing evidence of Akila's tectonic activity. The biggest concentration of crystals should have a blue outline in the scanner.

If players have the "Survey Akila" quest active, it'll end once they complete the survey. If not, the Akila Survey Slate will appear in their inventory. Be sure to head to Vladimir in the Eye station to sell it, since Vlad always offers double what anyone else will buy it for. Akila is a particularly valuable survey, so it's definitely worth the time it takes to pay him a visit.