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When players first enter the Altair system inStarfield, they’re likely to get drawninto 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.Starfieldplayers can use this guide to locate every life form, resource, and trait the planet is hiding.
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Biomes on Altair II
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
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 Scanninglets 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 Botanywill lower the total number of scans needed.
Crablike, stone shell
20
Floating squid with red tentacles
Insectoid, covered in blue spikes
50
Venomous, resists energy and physical damage
Insectoid, thorax is giant open cage
170
Giant shark
270
A small tree with yellow leaves
Narrow stalk, leaves on top
A palm tree with red leaves
A red arcing root
Where to Collect
H2O (Water)
Natural springs in rocky desert, deposits on rocks in frozen hills
Mineral deposits on rocks
Toxic vents
Natural springs
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How to Discover Altair II’s Traits
Players won’t getthe completed scan slate for Altair IIuntil 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:
Even if players didn’t complete the survey for a side mission, they can make a decent amount of cash by selling the survey slateto Vladimir on the Eye station. Whatever normal merchants ask for, Vladimir will offer double.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
