Starfield: How to Complete the Survey of Altair II (All…

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

When players first enter the Altair system in Starfield, they're likely to get drawn into the regional mission "Groundpounder." This mission is about an unlikely alliance of UC Marines and FC Militia working together to rid the system of a Spacer menace.

However, there's more to Altair II than the research station the mission focuses on. Players can find all kinds of life forms and resources on the planet, and they can get side missions to survey the planet from Constellation or other groups. Starfield players can use this guide to locate every life form, resource, and trait the planet is hiding.

Biomes on Altair II

Starfield Altair II Biomes — A costal landing site is selected for Altair II in Starfield.

Altair II has only two biomes players can visit: frozen hills (this is where the research station is) and rocky desert. Something to keep in mind is that players can find most of the planet's animals in the frozen hills, but all the plants only grow in the rocky desert.

One extra complication is the fact that one of the animals players need to scan lives in the ocean. Spaceships can't land in the ocean, and so to find this animal players must choose a landing site that sits along the coast. Players will know they've pulled it off when the listed destination says "frozen hills (coast)" or "rocky desert (coast)."

After landing, players should check the direction of the ocean and head that way. For instance, from the landing site in the image above, players should walk north after exiting their ship. The coast should be no more than a kilometer away.

Resources and Life on Altair II

Starfield Altair II Survey — Some examples of survey subjects on Altair II in Starfield.

The list of flora, fauna, and resources is relatively short compared to a lively planet like Jemison, but players can still make the job easier with the right set of skills. The general skill Scanning lets players catalog targets from farther away, and this is especially useful when it comes to the oceangoing animal and the one that likes to hover in midair.

With that said, an alternate way to scan animals is to shoot them dead at any range. Other skills like Zoology and Botany will lower the total number of scans needed.

Fauna

Species	Description	Temperament	Resource	Biomes	Health	Abilities
Centiskull Geophage	Crablike, stone shell	Peaceful	Structural	Frozen Hills, Rocky Desert	20
Eggsac Filterer	Floating squid with red tentacles	Peaceful	Nutrient	Frozen Hills, Rocky Desert	20
Herding Sunflower Filterer	Insectoid, covered in blue spikes	Wary	Sealant	Frozen Hills, Rocky Desert	50	Venomous, resists energy and physical damage
Hunting Brightcage	Insectoid, thorax is giant open cage	Defensive	Membrane	Frozen Hills, Rocky Desert	170	Venomous
Hunting Sharkwhale	Giant shark	Defensive	Adhesive	Ocean	270

Flora

Species	Description	Resource	Biomes	Genetics	Reproduction
Bitter Goldenglow	A small tree with yellow leaves	Amino Acids	Rocky Desert	Standard Helix, Carbon-based	Self-cloning
Canis Palm	Narrow stalk, leaves on top	Membrane	Rocky Desert	Standard Helix, Carbon-based	Self-cloning
Gasping Fireleaf	A palm tree with red leaves	Structural	Rocky Desert	Standard Helix, Carbon-based	Self-cloning
Tremor Root	A red arcing root	Sealant	Rocky Desert	Standard Helix, Carbon-based	Self-cloning

Resources

Resource	Where to Collect
H2O (Water)	Natural springs in rocky desert, deposits on rocks in frozen hills
U (Uranium)	Mineral deposits on rocks
Ar (Argon)	Toxic vents
C6Hn (Benzene)	Natural springs

How to Discover Altair II's Traits

Starfield Altair II Traits — Two of the unique traits of Altair II in Starfield.

Players won't get the completed scan slate for Altair II until they locate and scan three special locations that represent the special qualities of the planet. To find them, players should look around for unknown markers. The icons that represent trait sites include the standard map pin icon and the wavy line icon.

At each special location, part of the location should have a blue outline when viewed through the scanner. Scan all the sections that show up this way to fully catalog the site and add it to the survey. Unlike flora and fauna, players only need to find one of each location, although finding more provides extra XP and more chances to find resources and other items in dung and rock piles. The Altair II traits are:

Ecological Consortium: ignore the white peaks and search for the hive structures to catalog this location.
Psychotropic Biota: the strange fungal growths are easier to spot at night since they glow in the dark. The scannable area is the concentration of fungus near the center.
Sentient Microbial Colonies: this location is full of what appear to be red rocks and gnarly black growths. Players will most likely need to scan two of the black growths to catalog this trait.

Even if players didn't complete the survey for a side mission, they can make a decent amount of cash by selling the survey slate to Vladimir on the Eye station. Whatever normal merchants ask for, Vladimir will offer double.