Scanner (Subnautica)

The scanner can be used to synthesize blueprints from salvaged technology, and to record alien biological data. ― PDA, Dialogue

The Scanner is a tool capable of scanning Fragments, lifeforms, technology, flora, the Player's body, and other objects scattered around the map, which get added to the Databank. Fragments are scanned to acquire Blueprints; to acquire the blueprints of a particular item, the player must scan its corresponding fragments, the number of which varies based on the object. If a fragment is scanned but the player has already acquired the blueprints for said fragment, then the fragment will become 2 pieces of Titanium and automatically be put into the player's storage.

Usage

The Scanner has a range of five meters. If the player equips a Scanner and points the crosshair at a scannable object in range, a white circle (a progress indicator) appears in the middle of the screen. If the Scanner is not held in the player’s hand and the player has not yet scanned the object, a small Scanner icon will appear in the bottom right of the screen to inform the player.

With a Scanner equipped, the player can hold the correct button to scan their target. It takes about ten seconds to finish scanning, depending on the size of the object. If scanning is interrupted (which can happen if the player looks away or the target moves out of range, for instance), the player can resume scanning later with no loss of progress.

Fauna do not have to be alive to be scanned. The player is free to kill aggressive animals before scanning them if they wish.

Infection Status

The Scanner display will show "NORMAL" if the creature is not infected or "INFECTED" if it is, for approximately 4 seconds each time a scan is made.

The player can scan their own body by holding the appropriate key. The Scanner will display whether the player is infected or not and, if the player is infected, will show the progress of the infection in the player's body.

The Scanner requires a Battery to operate, and will be unusable if its battery is depleted.

Controls

Action	Mouse & Keyboard	Xbox One	PlayStation 4	Nintendo Switch
Scan (Press and Hold)	RMB
Self-Scan (Press and Hold)	F			N/A
Change Battery	R

Recipe

The Scanner is crafted in the Fabricator.

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Scannable Entities

Indigenous Lifeforms

Flora Brain Coral, Coral Shell Plate, Earthen Coral Tubes, Giant Coral Tubes, Pyrocoral, Table Coral, Tree Mushroom, Acid Mushroom, Anchor Pods, Bloodroot, Bloodvine, Blue Palm, Brine Lily, Bulb Bush, Bulbo Tree, Cave Bush, Chinese Potato Plant, Crab Claw Kelp, Creepvine, Creepvine Seed Cluster, Deep Shroom, Drooping Stingers, Eye Stalk, Fern Palm, Furled Papyrus, Gabe's Feather, Gel Sack, Ghost Weed, Giant Cove Tree, Grub Basket, Jaffa Cup, Jellyshroom, Lantern Tree, Marblemelon Plant, Membrain Tree, Ming Plant, Pink Cap, Pygmy Fan, Redwort, Regress Shell, Rouge Cradle, Sea Crown, Speckled Rattler, Spiked Horn Grass, Sulfur Plant, Spotted Dockleaf, Tiger Plant, Tree Leech, Veined Nettle, Violet Beau, Voxel Shrub, Writhing Weed.

Carnivores Ampeel, Biter, Blighter, Boneshark, Crabsnake, Crabsquid, Crashfish, Ghost Leviathan Adult, Ghost Leviathan Juvenile, Lava Lizard, Mesmer, Reaper Leviathan, River Prowler, Sea Dragon Leviathan, Sand Shark, Stalker, Warper.

Herbivores Bladderfish, Boomerang, Crimson Ray, Eyeye, Garryfish, Gasopod, Ghostray, Holefish, Hoopfish, Hoverfish, Jellyray, Magmarang, Oculus, Peeper, Rabbit Ray, Red Eyeye, Reefback Leviathan, Reginald, Sea Treader Leviathan, Spadefish, Skyray, Spinefish.

Scavengers & Parasites Amoeboid, Ancient Floater, Bleeder, Blood Crawler, Cave Crawler, Floater, Lava Larva, Rockgrub, Shuttlebug.

Deceased Ancient Skeleton, Gargantuan Fossil, Mixed Leviathan Fossils, Reaper Leviathan Skeleton, Research Specimen, Rib Cage Samples, Sea Dragon Leviathan Skeleton.

Other Entities

Alien Tablets, Forcefield Control, Player, Inactive Warper, Energy Core.

Raw Materials Crystalline Sulfur, Ion Cubes, Kyanite, Limestone Outcrop, Magnetite, Metal Salvage, Nickel Ore, Ruby, Sandstone Outcrop, Shale Outcrop, Stalker Teeth, Uraninite.

Fragments Various technology fragments found throughout the world.

Data Bank Entry

The essential science and survival tool, the scanner can be used to add new blueprints to memory, and analyze unknown entities.

It emits electromagnetic radiation in the specified direction, which is reflected by the environment and then analyzed to determine the physical make-up of the targeted object. It has four primary functions.

Blueprint Acquisition: Record the physical parameters of scanned technologies to add their blueprints to the PDA databank. These blueprints may then be constructed at the appropriate fabricator. The scanner is also equipped to break down damaged and otherwise useless devices into their base metals for salvage purposes.

Organism Analysis: The scanner will attempt to match scanned organisms against the onboard database. If no match is found then the species will be assigned an easy-to-remember name, and a new databank entry will be created. Your PDA's AI will also attempt to synthesize theories on behavioural tendencies and evolutionary origins where possible, as well as deliver assessments on how best to approach them.

Medical Analysis: Scanning any living organism will display basic information on their state of health on the scanner's HUD. This information will be limited without access to a network database.

Self-Scan: The user may run a self-scan to determine their own physical well-being. The scanner will search for foreign bacteria and other signs of ill-health, and compare with available data to provide a diagnosis.

'The Alterra Spectroscope Scanner - Understanding the world so you don't have to.'

Gallery

The Scanner in the Player's hand

A Scanner displaying 'NORMAL'

A Scanner displaying 'INFECTED'

The Scanner

Scanner's first-use animation

The Scanner's scanning FX

The Player performing a self-scan

Scanner's Concept art from Trello

Scanner Concept Art

Model from Sketchfab

Trivia

• The Scanner replaced the Fragment Analyzer and the Botanical Analysis Machine, which were originally only for analyzing fragments and scanning flora, respectively.
• The Alterra logo is sported on the top right corner of the Scanner's screen.
• It is possible to recharge Batteries to full by crafting them with one Titanium to craft a scanner, as this produces a scanner with a full battery regardless of the charge state of the battery used to craft with. This exploit was patched in Subnautica: Below Zero.