Players messing around with the Outpost modules in Starfield may have stumbled upon the 'Scan Booster' module in the Other Tab. From the description, this module probably sounds like it's something everyone should be using, but it's a little bit more lackluster than that.
While the Scan Booster (or any variant of it) is still useful, it's not nearly as helpful as its description makes it sound. So, let's go over exactly how Scan Boosters work in Starfield, why players should use them, and the optimal way to use these modules to their fullest potential.
Scan Booster Explanation
Simply put, the Scan Booster literally 'boosts' the signal of the player's Hand Scanner while they're on the planet they placed the Booster on. There are three variations of the Scan Booster, each of which requires a different set of materials:
|
Name |
Materials Needed |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Scan Booster |
4 Aluminum, 2 Beryllium, 3 Copper, and 3 Units of Power |
Build this to double the range of the Hand Scanner. |
|
Scan Booster - Advanced |
3 Zero Wire, 1 Isocentered Magnet, 5 Aluminum, 1 Comm Relay, and 6 Units of Power |
Build this to triple the range of the Hand Scanner. Has a larger area of effect than the basic Scan Booster. |
|
Scan Booster Military Grade |
6 Aluminum, 1 Paramagnon Conductor, 1 Supercooled Magnet, 2 Comm Relay, and 12 Units of Power |
Build this to quadruple the range of your hand scanner, Has a larger area of effect than the Scan Booster - Advanced. |
However, there are a lot of common misconceptions surrounding this one specific Outpost Module, and this mostly comes from the item's confusing descriptions. For example, many players assumed that this double/tripled/quadrupled range applied to their 'Scan Distance' AKA how far away they can press the Interact input to scan something, but that's not true. The Scan Booster actually only increases the range at which scannable objects are lit up on the Hand Scanner (in either blue or green), meaning players can Survey (but not Scan) Resources, Fauna, and Flora from farther away.
Additionally, many players assumed that this Scan Booster applied to the entire planet it's placed on, but that also seems to be false, as the Advanced and Military Grade variants specifically state that they increase the 'area of effect' from the previous version. A quick way players can personally test this out is to put down a regular Scan Booster, then fast-travel to a Landing Area on the other side of the planet. Here players should see that their Scan Visual Range is no longer boosted like it was before. It's unclear how big the AoE of the Advanced and Military Grade Scanners are quite yet, but players should just assume that getting 300-500+ meters away from their Outpost is too far for it to be in effect.
How The Game Wants Players To Use Scan Boosters
Let's be honest, at a glance Scan Boosters don't seem to be the most useful modules to build, especially in comparison to some of the more interesting Outpost modules such as Greenhouses or Cargo Links. Their intended functions appear to be twofold:
- Meant so that players can see faraway mineral deposits to place another Outpost (or move the current Outpost) on top of these deposits.
- Or, so players can always see which items around them they haven't scanned yet.
However, if players want to see what resources are within their Outpost, all they have to do is bring out the Outpost Beacon as if they were about to place it and then look to the top left of their screen. There, they should see what Resources are available in the range of the Outpost if they were to put it down where it's currently hovering. Also, because the range of the Boosters isn't very large (even with the Military Grade), they really only help players identify scannable items around their Outpost which isn't very handy.
How To Make The Most Of Scan Boosters
Thankfully, there is a decent way to use these modules, as long as players don't mind a bit of menu navigation every now and then. Basically, players just need to make sure they have three things:
- At least one available Outpost to put down at all times.
- The resources to craft any Scan Booster variant (Military Grade is preferred).
- Whatever Power Source items are needed to power the Scan Booster, be it a Fueled Generator, Solar Array, or Wind Turbine.
Then, all they need to do is place the Outpost, build the Scanner, and place the Power Sources nearby (which can be done in 10 seconds or less), after which they can run around utilizing the Scan Boosting function of this item within a couple hundred meters of the Outpost.
Players specializing in the Science Tree will want to also look out for the Tier 4 Skill called Planetary Habitation, as this gives players more Outposts to work with.
When the area seems to be mostly cleared, players can then just fast-travel back to the Outpost, pick up the Outpost Beacon itself (which auto returns the supplies used for the Scan Booster and Power Sources), and then pick a different area of the planet to do this all over again. It's not exactly a 'user-friendly' way to go about things, but it at least gets the most use out of this module compared to any other situation.
Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.