Whats the best way to survey a planet?

[ChubbiChibbai]

I took on a side quest to fully survey a planet.
I'm just walking around with my hand scanner finding stuff but its slow progress.

Is there a better way to complete this other than walking around and finding everything, flying to a new biome and repeating?

[Affronter]

Planet*

[Langkard]

Use your scanner to see far away location icons. Scan them from a distance. Anomalies and "natural" will be some of the things you need to finish a survey. Land on different region types by selecting the option to scan the planet while you're in orbit and then land at different types to find the various minerals required. For flora and fauna, you'll need to scan each type multiple times and landing at different area on the planet can help with this sometimes.

[katzenkrimis]

It's sketchy at best.

Last night I spent hours trying to complete the first planet. However, I still have two flora and fauna to discover.

It's a huge pain in the butt.

You definitely have to find 'the coast' and look for fish.

It's so poorly done.

[ChubbiChibbai]

Originally posted by Langkard:

Use your scanner to see far away location icons. Scan them. Anomalies and "natural" will be some of the things you need to finish a survey. Land on different region types by selecting the option to scan the planet from orbit and then land at different types to find the various minerals required. For flora and fauna, you'll need to scan each type multiple times and landing at different area on the planet can help with this sometimes.

Yeah it's the fauna that is taking the most time! I'm trying to get 'Biome Complete' on a new area but can't find enough of the creatures.

Still... its fun though. This planet has some gorgeous weather.

[Mister Burkes]

Invest in science perks. Build outposts that autoharvest for you. Stop surveying because it's all the same by the 3rd or 4th planet you try to 100%.

[ChubbiChibbai]

Originally posted by Mister Burkes:

Invest in science perks. Build outposts that autoharvest for you. Stop surveying because it's all the same by the 3rd or 4th planet you try to 100%.

I'll probably keep doing it until it feels the same.
Right now its all new for me and feels great.

[kdodds]

Survey from orbit gets you a nice little piece of change. When on planet, the blue are new, green are already surveyed. That helps a lot.

[ChubbiChibbai]

Originally posted by kdodds:

Survey from orbit gets you a nice little piece of change. When on planet, the blue are new, green are already surveyed. That helps a lot.

Oh that does help alot. Thanks

[HozzMidnight]

Ok so let's say I landed on a planet to survey and want to land on a completely different part of the planet...what is the fastest way to do it? Because the only way I have figured out how to do this is to return to the ship take off, then pick a new spot to land. This sucks because of the takeoff and landing cutscenes.

[BBoaBrim]

Originally posted by HozzMidnight:

Ok so let's say I landed on a planet to survey and want to land on a completely different part of the planet...what is the fastest way to do it? Because the only way I have figured out how to do this is to return to the ship take off, then pick a new spot to land. This sucks because of the takeoff and landing cutscenes.

I could be wrong, but I think you can access the planet-wide map even when you’re on foot, rotate the planet around a bit, select a place and fast travel to it. I’m sure you can do this and you and your ship will fast travel there without you even having it return to your ship.

Apologies if I’m wrong.

[titanopteryx]

The best way to survey is to orbit a gas giant and scan from orbit. Instant complete. When looking for fauna on a planet there's a few things to check. Firstly caves will have dead fauna to scan scattered about. Next in predator fauna dens there will be a bunch of dead fauna to scan. Look up in the sky to see if there are birds flying above. Then when looking at the planet click on the ocean. If it says 0% that means there's fish and you need to go to the shore of the ocean and look out to see if there's fish.

[Commander Hitman2b]

Originally posted by dirtyCAT:

I took on a side quest to fully survey a planet.
I'm just walking around with my hand scanner finding stuff but its slow progress.

Is there a better way to complete this other than walking around and finding everything, flying to a new biome and repeating?

only way i found is to check each region type if there water you need to go near the coast to inspect animals there

[Tenoshii]

Originally posted by BBoaBrim:

Originally posted by HozzMidnight:

Ok so let's say I landed on a planet to survey and want to land on a completely different part of the planet...what is the fastest way to do it? Because the only way I have figured out how to do this is to return to the ship take off, then pick a new spot to land. This sucks because of the takeoff and landing cutscenes.

I could be wrong, but I think you can access the planet-wide map even when you’re on foot, rotate the planet around a bit, select a place and fast travel to it. I’m sure you can do this and you and your ship will fast travel there without you even having it return to your ship.

Apologies if I’m wrong.

You are correct.