How traits change sampling

Facts checked 1 Nov 2026

Two crews can drill the same lot and get different results. Who is in your crew changes how fast it samples and how much it tends to find. This lesson shows you what makes the difference, and how to see it for your own crew.

Class comes first

Sampling is Miners' work. A crew with one Miner samples at the normal speed and finds samples of the normal size. A crew with no Miner at all works at half speed and finds smaller samples. Each extra Miner helps again, though by less each time: two Miners do the work about a quarter faster than one.

Traits that help

• Surveyor: Samples 10% faster.
• Prospector: Improves sample quality by 5%, which raises the smallest sample you can find. Without it, a sample can in principle come out tiny; with it, you're guaranteed a little more.

Jobs from the Arvad

Crewmates who came from the colony ship Arvad bring three traits and their old job aboard ship. Jobs in the Management department, from Block Captain up to High Commander, make sampling and extraction about 1% faster for each step up the ranks.

See your crew's strengths

Open My Crews with your wallet connected. Beside your tutor crew's crewmates, the Good at list shows what the crew does better than normal, such as Core sampling speed or Core sample quality. Hover over a line to see where the bonus comes from.

In the game, the sampling screen already includes your crew's bonuses in its Sample Time and its Discovery Minimum and Maximum. Next time you sample, look at those figures and think about which of your crewmates is behind them.

Choosing your own crew later

When you recruit a crew of your own, this is worth remembering. If you plan to prospect and extract, start with a Miner, and if you can, one with the Surveyor or Prospector trait. Our guide Starter packs and your first crewmates has more on choosing classes and traits.