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Here is everything you need to know about how to use the scanner in Atomic Heart

How to Use Scanner in Atomic Heart

Atomic Heartā€™s over-the-top abilities are great. Who wouldnā€™t want to be able to fire electricity from their hand or freeze things with a cryogenic jet? You could go ice-skating any day of the year. But thereā€™s another ability, your scanner, which, while not an offensive power, shouldnā€™t be overlooked. So if youā€™re wondering how to use your scanner ability in Atomic Heart, hereā€™s the answer.

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Learning How to Use the Scanner Is Critical in Atomic Heart

To use your Atomic Heart scanner ability, you need to tap the right shoulder button, then tap and hold it. Or if youā€™re playing on PC and using a keyboard / mouse combination, hold down Left Alt. In both cases, when you let go of that button, your scanner ability will switch off.

It has a few uses. Firstly, you can see where everything of interest is, even through walls. That also includes enemies, so that should make it harder for them to get the drop on you. Some enemies may still spawn in, but you should be able to spot any that are lurking or patrolling.

Objects and areas of interest will be highlighted in different colors. Blue objects, for example, are containers that can be looted. Objects in white are electrical ā€” friendly robots, wires, some machines, and so forth.

What you should really be watching for is anything that shows up on your scanner as red. Those are enemy creatures ā€” robots, mutants, or whatever else they may be, they want you dead. But before you charge in, guns blazing, itā€™s worth using your scanner to check out their vulnerabilities.

How do you do that? Move the crosshair over them and wait a moment. Youā€™ll see a message pop up with their resistance ā€” or otherwise ā€” to certain types of attacks. The display will also let you know what loot theyā€™re likely to drop.

We donā€™t recommend doing this when theyā€™re striding murderously towards you, but if theyā€™ve not seen you, go right ahead. You canā€™t do this after killing them because dead enemies donā€™t scan properly; you can only find out about their resistances when theyā€™re alive.

It may feel a bit like cheating, and thatā€™s not just because you can see through walls. Your scanner ability has an impressive range, letting you see several rooms away. So if you donā€™t want to use it, apart from when a puzzle requires you to, thatā€™s your call.

Regardless of how you choose to use it, thatā€™s how you use your scanner ability in Atomic Heart.


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.