If you’ve spent any time running missions in The First Descendant, you’ve probably stumbled across glowing blue nodes, marked enemy units, or weird floating lore markers that prompt you to interact, but had no clue how to trigger the action. A lot of new players sleep on the scan mechanic because it’s not explicitly explained in the prologue, and skipping it means you’re missing out on hundreds of dollars worth of rare mods, crafting materials, and battle pass progress every season. This guide breaks down exactly how to scan in The First Descendant, plus all the little tricks to get the most out of every scan you do.
How to Scan in The First Descendant: Step-by-Step Basic Controls
First off, you won’t have access to the scanner right when you start the game. You’ll unlock it automatically after completing the first two story missions, once you reach the main hub of Albion. If you can’t find it in your loadout yet, just push through the opening prologue a little longer, and it’ll pop up in your utility item collection within 30 minutes of playtime.
Once you have the scanner unlocked, you’ll need to add it to your active loadout before you can use it in missions. Open your loadout menu, navigate to the utility wheel slot, and select the scanner from the list of available items. You can swap it out for other utility items like grenades or healing drones whenever you want, but I recommend keeping it equipped for most PvE missions unless you’re running a very specific boss-focused build.
When you’re in a mission and spot a scannable object, the process is simple no matter what platform you’re playing on:
You can't scan while you're taking damage, so always take a second to clear any nearby enemy units before you start scanning. If you get hit mid-scan, the process will cancel immediately, and you’ll have to start over from the beginning. It’s only a 2-second process, but that’s more than enough time for a stray Skell grunt to shoot you out of it.
Key Scannable Objects You Should Prioritize in Every Mission
Not every scannable object is worth stopping for, especially if you’re running a time-sensitive mission like Void Intercept or Supply Run. I’ve put together a short list of the items you should always scan if you spot them, because the rewards far outweigh the 2 seconds you’ll spend on the process:
If you’re running a mission with a tight time limit, you can skip random lore markers if you don’t care about story content, but I still recommend grabbing them if you have an extra second. They unlock exclusive profile badges and concept art you can’t get any other way. Scanning elite enemies before focusing fire cuts down mission time by up to 30% for most squads, so make sure someone in your group takes the 2 seconds to do it before you dump all your ammo into the target.
Common Scanning Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made every possible scanning mistake there is during my 100+ hours of playtime, so I can save you a lot of frustration by pointing out the most common ones players make when they’re first learning the mechanic. Most of these are simple fixes, but they can make a huge difference in how useful scanning feels for you.
The first big mistake is trying to scan from too far away. Most scannable objects have a maximum range of 10 meters, so if you’re standing across the room trying to scan a cache, it won’t work. You’ll see a little red “out of range” warning pop up on your screen if you’re too far, so just take a few steps closer and try again. Even if you can see the glowing blue marker, you might be just out of the required range.
Another common mistake is forgetting to re-equip the scanner after swapping it out for another utility item. A lot of players swap to grenades or shield boosters for boss fights, and then forget to swap back to the scanner for the rest of the mission, so they miss out on all the caches and quest targets along the way. You can bind the scanner to a dedicated hotkey on PC to avoid fumbling with the utility wheel mid-fight, which is a game-changer if you swap utility items a lot.
The last mistake I see all the time is scanning when there are still active enemies in the area. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a squad mate start scanning a cache right as a wave of elites spawns, only to get one-shot mid-scan and have to be revived. It takes 2 extra seconds to kill the 2 or 3 nearby grunts before you scan, and it saves you from wasting time waiting for a revive.
How Scanning Boosts Your Overall Progression
A lot of new players write off scanning as a useless side mechanic, but it’s actually one of the fastest ways to level up your characters, unlock rare gear, and progress through the battle pass. The rewards you get from scanning add up over time, and you’ll be miles ahead of players who skip it after just a few weeks of regular play.
First off, every season has 3 to 5 weekly challenges that require you to scan a certain number of objects or enemies. These challenges give huge XP rewards, battle pass points, and even free premium currency if you complete all of them. Completing all scan-related weekly challenges can shave 2-3 days off your battle pass grind each season, which is a huge deal if you’re trying to unlock all the limited-time rewards before the season ends.
Scanning also helps you farm crafting materials way faster than grinding enemy drops. Most hidden loot caches drop 2 to 3 rare crafting materials per scan, which is 3 times more than you’ll get from killing regular enemies. If you’re trying to craft a new weapon or upgrade a character, running a few low-level missions and scanning all the caches is way more efficient than grinding high-difficulty runs for hours.
If you play co-op, scanning is one of the easiest ways to support your squad even if you’re running a lower-level character. You don’t need high damage to scan enemies and reveal their weak points, so newer players can contribute to tough boss fights even if their gear isn’t good enough to deal big damage yet. I always encourage new players in my groups to focus on scanning elites and caches while the higher-level players handle the bulk of the fighting, it makes the whole run smoother for everyone.
Scanning is such a simple mechanic, but it’s easy to overlook if no one tells you how it works or why it’s worth your time. You don’t have to stop and scan every single object you see, but even making a point to grab the high-priority ones every mission will make a huge difference in your loot quality and progression speed. Now that you know how to scan in The First Descendant, you can start taking advantage of all the hidden rewards most players are missing out on. Even if you only scan one object per mission, you'll see a noticeable difference in your loot quality after a few runs, so give it a try next time you log on.