How to follow distortions on the scanner in Starfield

Starfield presents players with a host of different missions. Many of them have numerous objectives you must complete to finally satisfy the overall mission parameters. A lot of them are fairly straightforward. However, some of them may require you to think outside the box. One early mission instructs you to follow distortions on the scanner, but the process is not necessarily straightforward. Accordingly, our guide tells you how to follow distortions on the scanner in Starfield.

Starfield – how to follow distortions on the scanner

One of the early Constellation missions in Starfield is called Into the Unknown. It plays out across multiple planets as you search for artifacts and try to arrange a meeting with Andreja. Even after you meet with that character, your mission hasn’t concluded. Eventually, you must use your scanner to track distortions. To follow distortions on the scanner, watch for radio interference and follow those disturbances.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

The Into the Unknown mission should take place on Procyon III. When you land your ship at that point in the mission, you’ll find yourself near to the perceived anomaly. However, you have to track it down on foot to determine the cause of the disturbance. Wander a few meters away from your ship and then bring up your scanner.

With the scanner in place, roam the local landscape. You should see points of interest, such as resources and distant points on the planet that warrant investigation. For the moment, ignore those distractions. Instead, pay close attention to the circular ring at the middle of the screen. Slowly start spinning in a 360-degree circle. As you do, you should see the colors along the edges of the circle darkening in places when you face in a particular direction. The more pronounced the darkening (or ‘distortion’), the more likely you are to be facing in the right direction.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Continue in the direction the darkening lines indicate. You shouldn’t have to wander far from where your ship has landed. Once you get near enough, your objective will automatically change to Investigate the Source of the Anomaly. Now you can proceed once again as directed.

How to fix Into the Unknown bug

However, one of our other PC Invasion writers, Matthew Kevin Mitchell, found there is a bug that will prevent you from scanning distortions with your scanner. This will cause you to be unable to follow the distortions with your scanner since nothing happens. To fix this issue, you must go into orbit and select the landing zone with the anomaly. This is because there are two landing zones right next to each other, and you must pick the correct anomaly one for the quest to work correctly. After that you can follow distortions on the scanner in Starfield as intended by the quest objectives.

Author’s Note: I wrote this guide while playing Starfield on PC and Xbox Series S.