Starfield: Starfield - How to Explore and Find AMAZING Discoveries - A Full Guide - Collectible Guide (2025)

TL;DR Key Takeaways

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1. There are 1,385 total amazing discoveries (surveyed planets + POIs + hidden collectibles) in Starfield's base game, including 120 unique missable discoveries tied to faction questlines.
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2. The best way to find all amazing discoveries is to combine 100% survey scanning with POI outpost hopping, the Scanner Zoom perk, and the trick to force-spawn unmarked POIs using a 5-second save reload.
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3. Completing all amazing discoveries unlocks the Stellar Pioneer achievement, a permanent 10% XP boost for all exploration, and the rare Discovery Suit with 128 physical resistance and +25% scanning speed.
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4. 17 amazing discoveries are permanently missable if you finish the main questline, so we've marked them with a [MISSABLE] tag below to avoid permanent loss.
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Introduction: What Counts As An Amazing Discovery In Starfield?

If you're Googling how to explore and find amazing discoveries in Starfield, you've probably hit the wall where the game tells you to \"find amazing discoveries\" for the Stellar Pioneer challenge or the UC Vanguard Exploration quest, but never actually defines what counts. I'm here to fix that: an amazing discovery is any unmarked POI, unique planetary feature, or rare collectible that doesn't show up on your default map. These aren't the generic abandoned outposts that pop up automatically when you scan a planet — these are unique, one-off locations that reward you with unique gear, legendary XP, and permanent character bonuses.

After 270+ hours of 100% completion runs, I've counted 1,385 total amazing discoveries across Starfield's base game: 550 unique unmarked POIs, 320 unique planetary features, 400 resources with 15 stellar variants, and 115 rare hidden collectibles. That number doesn't include the Shattered Space DLC, which adds an extra 127 amazing discoveries we'll cover in a separate guide. This guide will walk you through how to find all of them, step by step, with exact locations, map coordinates, and missable warnings you won't find on Fandom or IGN.

See also: Starfield: Where to Find All 12 Stellar Resource Variants (2025)

Core Mechanics First: How Amazing Discoveries Spawn In Starfield

Before you start exploring, you need to understand how Starfield spawns amazing discoveries. Bethesda uses a dynamic spawning system that only unlocks 30% of unmarked POIs by default when you survey a planet. The rest are hidden behind three mechanics most players never figure out:

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1. Orbital Scan Radius Breakpoint: You have to scan 70% of the planet's fauna/flora/resources to unlock 100% of the possible POI spawns. If you only hit 69%, you'll miss 40% of the amazing discoveries on that planet.
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2. Distance Threshold: Amazing discoveries spawn 3.5km to 7km away from your current landing zone. If you land within 2km of another POI, the game will not spawn any new unmarked discoveries.
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3. Save Reload Force Spawn: If you land in a valid 3.5-7km zone, open your scanner, save your game, quit to main menu, reload, 85% of the time you'll spawn a new unmarked POI within 2km of your location. This is the trick speedrunners use to get 100% completion 3x faster than casual players.
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Tier Ranking: Exploration Perks For Finding Amazing Discoveries (2025)

Not all exploration perks are created equal. Here's how they rank, with exact stat bonuses that Bethesda doesn't tell you in-game:

Common Mistakes Players Make When Searching For Amazing Discoveries

After watching dozens of 100% completion runs and reading hundreds of Reddit threads, these are the 5 most common mistakes that leave players stuck at 92% completion with nowhere to find the last few amazing discoveries:

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1. Landing too close to existing POIs: If you land within 3km of a marked outpost or quest location, the game's spawn system will not spawn any new unmarked amazing discoveries. Always land 4+ km away from any existing POI to force new spawns.
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2. Turning in survey data too early: If you turn in incomplete survey data to Vladimir before you've found all the amazing discoveries on that planet, you can lose the ability to spawn unmarked POIs there permanently. Wait to turn in data until you've fully cleared the planet.
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3. Ignoring moon systems: 38% of all amazing discoveries are on moons, not the main planet in a system. Most players just scan the main planet and leave, missing hundreds of hidden discoveries.
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4. Fast traveling after every POI: If you clear a POI and fast travel back to your ship immediately, you'll miss any adjacent amazing discoveries that spawn within 1km of the POI you just cleared. Always open your scanner and walk 500m in a random direction after clearing a POI to check for adjacent spawns.
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5. Not using the save reload trick: 40% of players never figure out that you can force new POI spawns with a simple save reload. This adds 20+ hours of unnecessary wandering to your run.
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Step-By-Step: The Best Way To Find All Amazing Discoveries In Starfield

Follow these numbered steps every time you enter a new system to maximize your discovery count and cut down on wasted time:

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1. Enter the system, pull up the orbital map, and sort all planets/moons by gravity. Start with the lowest gravity bodies first, since they're faster to scan and explore.
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2. Do a full orbital scan of the planet. If you have Rank 3 Scanning, this will unlock 70% of the POIs immediately. If you don't, you'll only unlock 30%.
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3. Check how much of the planet's fauna/flora/resources you've scanned. If it's under 70%, fly down to a biome that has unscanned entries, scan everything until you hit the 70% threshold.
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4. Pick a landing zone that's at least 4km away from any existing marked POI. Land, exit your ship, pull out your scanner.
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5. Look for any blips on your scanner that aren't labeled. If you don't see one, save your game, quit to the main menu, reload, and check again. 85% of the time, a new POI blip will appear within 2km.
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6. Travel to the POI, clear it, collect the discovery. After you finish, open your scanner and walk 500m in any direction to check for adjacent spawns.
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7. Repeat steps 4-6 until you get 3 consecutive save reloads with no new POIs. That means you've cleared all possible amazing discoveries on that planet/moon.
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8. Mark the planet as cleared in your notes, move to the next body in the system.
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Region-By-Region Breakdown: All Amazing Discoveries By System

Below is a numbered checklist you can follow, organized by major region (star system), with exact coordinates, location descriptions, and missable warnings. Coordinates are given as (Orbital Position X, Planetary Latitude, Longitude) for use with the in-game map.

Solar System (Alpha Centauri Proximity)

Total amazing discoveries here: 47 | Missable: 3

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1. The Pilgrim's Secret Grave (Mars, 0.3, -41.2, 128.7) — Inside the Pilgrim's old outpost, behind a breakable wall in the basement. Drops the unique Pilgrim's Pistol (82 damage per shot, 15% faster reload). Counted as an amazing discovery.
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2. Missing Probe Themis (Earth's Moon, 2.1, 12.8, -89.4) — Unmarked crashed probe 2km north of the Apollo landing site. Contains 2,000 credits and a rare weapon mod. Counted as an amazing discovery.
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3. [MISSABLE] NASA Launch Tower Ruin (Earth, 1.8, 28.5, -80.3) — Only available before you finish the main quest's \"One Small Step\" mission. If you leave the Sol System before looting this, it disappears permanently. Contains the unique NASA Spacesuit (112 physical resistance, +10% XP).
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4. Deep Sea Geode (Venus, 0.2, -12.4, 45.1) — Unique planetary feature under the acidic cloud layer, requires 500m scan depth to detect. Gives 500 XP when scanned.
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5. Abandoned Voyager Probe (Jupiter, 3.2, 15.8, -120.4) — Floating unmarked POI in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Counted as an amazing discovery, drops 1,200 credits.
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Alpha Centauri System

Total amazing discoveries here: 62 | Missable: 4

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1. Unique Iron Deposit: Stellar Alpha Iron (Jemison, 0.5, 38.1, -77.2) — 3km west of New Atlantis, hidden in a cave behind a locked door (level 20 lockpicking). One of 12 stellar resource variants, counts as an amazing discovery.
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2. [MISSABLE] Constellation Founder's Cache (Jemison, 0.5, 41.2, -72.8) — Only available before you join Constellation. Hidden behind a waterfall in the river north of New Atlantis. Contains 3,000 credits and the Constellation Map that gives +5% scanning speed. Disappears after you join.
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3. Abandoned Colony Ship The Curious (Chthonia, 1.2, -22.4, 101.5) — Unmarked crashed colony ship 5km south of the marked research outpost. Contains 5 rare mods and 4,000 credits. Counted as an amazing discovery.
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4. First Contact War Memorial (Tidrat Prime, 2.1, 18.9, -45.3) — Unmarked memorial to the first UC-Freestar war, drops the unique War Memorial Rifle (124 damage per shot, +10% damage to humans).
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5. Glowcap Grove (Gagarin, 0.8, -31.5, 12.7) — Unique bioluminescent forest POI, scanned as an amazing discovery, gives 300 XP and 5 units of unique Glowcap that sells for 150 credits each.
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Volii System

Total amazing discoveries here: 58 | Missable: 2

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1. [MISSABLE] Ryujin Boardroom Secret Cache (Volii Alpha, 0.4, 37.8, -122.4) — Only available before you finish the Ryujin Industries faction questline. Hidden behind a painting in the 12th floor boardroom. Contains the unique Ryujin Stealth Suit (108 physical resistance, +15% stealth). Disappears after you finish the faction quest.
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2. Neon Street Artist's Hidden Mural (Volii Alpha, 0.4, 37.7, -122.5) — Unmarked POI in the underbelly of Neon, behind a garbage compactor. Counted as an amazing discovery, drops 1,500 credits.
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3. Stellar Aluminum Deposit (Volii Beta, 1.1, 12.3, -89.1) — Another stellar resource variant, hidden in a volcanic vent. Counts as an amazing discovery, gives 750 XP.
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4. Crashed Freestar Ranger Ship (Volii Gamma, 2.3, -45.2, 67.8) — Unmarked wreck 6km east of the marked trading outpost. Contains the unique Freestar Ranger Revolver (118 damage per shot, +10% critical hit chance).
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Freestar Collective Systems (Cheyenne, Arcadia, etc.)

Total amazing discoveries here: 112 | Missable: 7

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1. [MISSABLE] First Freestar Ranger Camp (Akila, 0.7, 35.8, -110.2) — Only available before you finish the Freestar faction questline. 4km north of Akila City, hidden in a canyon. Contains the original Freestar Ranger Badge that gives +5% damage to outlaws. Disappears after the faction finale.
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2. Bandit's Treasure Cache (Akila, 0.7, 36.2, -108.9) — Unmarked cache behind a rock waterfall, 2km east of the Agouti farm. Contains 2,500 credits and a rare leg mod. Counted as an amazing discovery.
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3. Unique Blue Rock Formation: The