How to complete survey missions in Starfield: Biomes, traits, more

Starfield players can take on a wide range of survey missions that hand out some of the best rewards in the game. Unsurprisingly, survey missions are quite hard, and here’s a comprehensive guide on survey missions, including information on biomes, traits, selling survey data, and skills.

Leveling up and earning Credits are two of the most important tasks in Starfield. While leveling up lets you unlock and upgrade skills through skill points, Credits are the currency that you can use to purchase ships, ship parts, resources, and a ton of other things.

Luckily, if you like exploring, you can get both experience and Credits by doing what you love the most. Starfield lets players take on survey missions that require them to collect some or all information about a planet’s flora, fauna, landscape, and environment.

To help you become a prominent explorer, here’s how to complete survey missions in Starfield, including essential details about biomes, planet traits, survey data, and skills that help in completing the missions quickly.

• What are survey missions in Starfield?
• What is a biome and how do I complete it?
• What is a planet trait and how do I discover it?
• How to survey a full planet
• Where to sell survey data in Starfield
• Best skills to complete survey missions fast

What are survey missions in Starfield?

Survey missions are the most difficult and time-consuming missions in Starfield, but at the same time, they are the ones that yield the most rewards, like experience, Credits, and reputation.

They are divided into two categories: Targeted survey and full survey. The targeted survey will send you to find a specific planet perk or species. The full survey will send you to complete a full survey on a planet or moon.

What are biomes in Starfield & how to complete them

Biomes are the different landscapes you can find on a planet or a moon in Starfield. Each biome will hold different species of flora and fauna that you need to scan to complete survey objectives.

Each time you scan a planet, you will not only find resources but also different areas with different climates that hold several scan targets for you to complete. To complete a 100% survey on a planet, or a moon, you need to complete each of its biomes.

Keep in mind that biomes oftentimes have sub-biome variants. For example: landing on a planet near the coast in a forest will mark the landing zone as Lush Forest and will have a % of completion attached, which will indicate a grade of completion on that specific biome.

Sometimes, a Biome is marked as 100% complete, but you could still be missing a target to scan. That’s when you need to search for sub-biome variants.

What are planet traits in Starfield & how to discover them

Planet traits in Starfield are specific scan targets that belong to the landscape of each celestial body and represent a characteristic you need to discover to complete targeted and full surveys.

Planet traits can be discovered when exploring by foot, or by scanning with your ship. Keep in mind that having the Astrophysics skill will unlock the ability to discover planet traits by scanning from space. If you don’t possess this perk yet, you will need to land on the planet and search by foot.

Scan Objectives will appear on the planet’s surface as “Natural” or “Life Signs” markers. You need to point your scanner to the horizon and investigate your surroundings to find the landmarks. It is also important to know that planet traits are divided into categories that give you hints related to which planet may possess the targeted survey objective.

How to complete a planet survey in Starfield

To complete a full survey of a planet in Starfield, you need to complete every biome, scan every flora and fauna present in them, scan all resources, and discover all planet traits. To use your scanner, you need to press the F key on PC or LB on Xbox, and then press E on PC or X on Xbox to scan specific targets.

You will need to scan the planet from orbit, then land on each of the specific biomes of the planet, and scan all animals, plants, and minerals present in the surrounding area, until you see a message in the UI of the scan, on the left corner that says “Biome Completed.”

Once you complete a 100% survey scan of a planet, you will receive survey data for the planet or moon you were surveying.

Where to sell survey data in Starfield

You can sell survey data to almost every trader in Starfield. However, some specific traders will pay you more for your survey data. Survey data is weightless, so don’t worry about becoming encumbered.

Here’s a list of the top three traders that pay you the most Credits for your survey data in Starfield:

• Vladimir: In The Eye orbital station on planet Jemison, Alpha Centauri system.
• Any Trade Authority agent on every main planet.
• Argos Extractors agents in every main city.

Vladimir will be the trader who pays you the most for your survey data, so keep that in mind when selling it.

Best Starfield skills to complete survey missions fast

Starfield has many skills that will help you during your adventure, but to become the ultimate explorer and complete survey missions extra fast, you should take up the following skills and level them up. Those marked with a (*) are key skills, and should be a priority to level up:

• Surveying* (Science): The most critical skill as it unlocks surveying skills. Level up to the maximum as a top priority.
• Astrodynamics (Science): Level up once, then keep leveling up as you need more levels to unlock the next tier.
• Astrophysics* (Science Tier 2): This is your priority once you reach Tier 2 of Science. Max it out as fast as possible. It will unlock the ability to discover planet traits from orbital scans.
• Scanning* (Science Tier 2): Level up as you see fit. You need this for orbital scans to save a lot of time and painful walks.
• Boost Pack Training* (Tech): Boost Pack is your top mobility source on planet surfaces. You must have this maxed out to become the ultimate planet explorer.
• Fitness* (Physical): More O2 means more distance traveled per second, and you will need to travel a lot to find scan objectives.
• Gymnastics (Physical Tier 2): More mobility, better jumps in Zero-G, avoid fall damage.
• Commerce (Social): Better deals with traders implying more Credits for your hard-earned survey data.

It is also recommended to choose the Explorer Background, as it will give you a considerable advantage because it comes with the Survey and Astrodynamics skills already unlocked.

The Introvert/Extrovert trait might help as well, but they are situational. The Terra Firma trait is a must-have, as you will spend more time on the surface doing surveys than fighting inside ships in space.

That’s what you need to know to complete survey missions in Starfield. If you found this guide useful, you might also like these:

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