RimWorld Ground-Penetrating Scanner | 1.6 Tool & Quick Fix Board

Ground Scanner Board

RimWorld Ground-Penetrating Scanner: The Definitive Guide & Tool

Fast answer first: keep it powered, unroofed, and staffed by a real Research pawn, then place a deep drill on the ping. This page uses the local 1.6.4633 rev1266 Core install for the numbers that matter in play.

700W scanner 200W drill Must stay unroofed 3d mean, 6d max Research + Mining split Heavy pad, Light drill

Powered?

700W online

Unroofed?

No roof above tile

Researcher Assigned?

Research work enabled

Valid Biome?

Flat, mountain, not sea ice

Status

Inactive

Remove the roof first. The local scanner def has canBeUsedUnderRoof=false, so a valid pawn will still ignore it.

Workflow & Tools

The scanner only becomes useful when the research chain, pawn job, and drill follow-through are lined up.

  1. Research DeepDrilling first, then GroundPenetratingScanner.
  2. Build the scanner outdoors on a Heavy tile. Bridges are not enough.
  3. Assign a pawn with Research work. Scanner time is not Mining time.
  4. Wait for the scan cycle. Local cadence is 3 days mean, 6 days guaranteed.
  5. Toggle the deep resource overlay, then place a deep drill on the deposit and defend that lane.
Microelectronics → Deep Drilling 1000 → Ground Scanner 1000
Local work split: GroundPenetratingScan = Research, Drill = Mining. Both local work givers set canBeDoneByMechs=false.
Scan to Drill Loop Play the basic cycle instead of guessing what the machine should do.
Scanning
Extraction

The scanner is running. Once a deposit appears, you still need the deep drill to cash it out.

Interactive Resource Calculator

Use the local deep-resource cell ranges and scanner cadence to estimate what a hit is worth before you commit labor.

x1.00
100%
Code Range 600 to 3000 plasteel before mining yield modifiers.
Common Haul Common player-facing haul is around 2100 plasteel, but the local code range is what drives this tool.
Scanner ETA 3.0d mean, 6.0d guaranteed at ResearchSpeed x1.00.
Build Budget 1 scanner + 1 drill: 250 steel, 6 components, 1 advanced component, 900W.
Spawn Weight Deep commonality 1. Higher means you see it more often in the deep pool.
Best Use Advanced components, bionics, ship parts, and any project that keeps eating plasteel in spikes.

Drill Placement Simulator

The local drill can sit on Light support terrain and shows a 2.6-tile display radius. That does not mean every legal tile is a good tile.

Safe & Efficient Full deposit coverage. This is the boring placement you want: short haul lane, no bedrooms, no hospital, and room to answer a drill infestation cleanly.

Strategy & Troubleshooting

Most “broken scanner” stories are configuration mistakes, wrong expectations, or the wrong tool for the map.

Why is it idle?
Because scanner work is Research, not Mining. If the pad is powered and unroofed, the next thing to check is whether a capable Research pawn is actually free to operate it instead of being glued to a bench.
Why does it look dead right after I build it?
The local scanner def runs at 3 days mean with a 6 day guarantee. It does not reveal visible ore instantly. It reveals a deep deposit later, and the drill is the second half of the loop.
Why not on sea ice?
The local SeaIce biome definition still says there are no minerals to mine. That means scanner troubleshooting on sea ice is usually wasted time. Buy, caravan, or use other routes instead.
Can mechs run the scanner or the drill?
No. The local GroundPenetratingScan and Drill work givers both set canBeDoneByMechs=false.
Why am I getting chunks instead of ore?
Because the drill is not actually covering the deep deposit anymore. The local deep drill description is blunt about it: if no resource is present, it yields stone chunks.

Scanner Comparator

Ground scanning is not the answer to every shortage. It is the best answer to some shortage shapes.

Route Best For Player Load
Ground Scanner Routine local supply, heavy bulk ore, settled colonies Research time, 700W, drill defense, no travel
Long-Range Scanner Targeted runs for a specific mineral 700W, world-map trip, hauling deadline
Trade Emergency shortages, first plasteel, small exact stacks Silver, trader timing, settlement access
Trade first, scanner second If the shortage is plasteel right now, buy or salvage the first stack and let the ground scanner work in the background so the next panic is smaller.

Colony Stage & Biome Tactics

The building gets stronger as your colony becomes more stable and more industrial.

Colony Stage

Biome Tactics

Midgame + Flat
This is the sweet spot. You have enough power, enough labor slack, and enough room to build an outdoor scanner pad plus clean drill lanes without turning every deposit into a base-wide incident.

Related Resources & Links

Use the site tools for the local code view, then jump out only when you want broader patch context.

Internal Wiki: Ground ScannerLocal def-backed view of the building, including cost, power, and terrain support. Site Tool: Deep DrillPair this page with the drill-side planner if your scanner is working but your extraction lane is messy. Site Guide: Get PlasteelEmergency plasteel routes, trade pressure relief, and when to stop waiting on the next ping. RimWorld Wiki: Ground-penetrating scannerLive patch-facing reference if you want the current wiki page alongside the local install view. Official: Odyssey + Update 1.6 ReleaseUseful when you want to compare local drilling with Odyssey-era mobility and off-map mining options.

Version & Patch Log

Local install facts first, with a small amount of verified release context where it changes the comparison.

  • 2025-07-11 Odyssey + free Update 1.6 went liveThis is the official release point that changes how often players compare home-map drilling against mobile or off-map alternatives.
  • 2025-11-04 1.6.4633 listed as current PC stableThat stable branch lines up with the install this page was built around.
  • Local Install detected: 1.6.4633 rev1266Ground scanner local facts: 150 steel, 4 components, 1 advanced component, 700W, 3-day mean, 6-day guarantee, Heavy support, no roof.
  • Sea Ice Still not the scanner mapThe local SeaIce biome description still says there are no minerals to mine, so ground scanning is the wrong local ore plan there.
Action recap: If the scanner feels useless, fix the top bar first. If it is active, let it run on a real Research pawn, then treat the first good deposit like infrastructure: build the deep drill, protect the lane, and spend the ore on the bottleneck that actually matters.