Cloaking & Scanning
Cloaking is one of the most important mechanics in Planets TEOS. A cloaked ship is invisible to other players — making it the primary defense against offline PvP attacks.
Device of Cloaking
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | $5,000 (base price) |
| Cheapest at | Loony ($2,750) |
| Type | Special item (occupies cargo space) |
To cloak your ship, you need a Device of Cloaking in your cargo hold. When activated, you select a cloaking frequency and become invisible to other players on the same planet.
Frequency Selection
Cloaking operates on a frequency system with 10 channels (1-10). When you activate cloaking, you choose which frequency to hide on.
This is critical because scanning (see below) only checks one frequency at a time. If an enemy scans frequency 5 but you’re cloaked on frequency 7, they won’t find you.
Strategy: Choose your frequency wisely. Common frequencies (1, 5, 10) are checked more often. Obscure frequencies are safer but predictable opponents may think the same way.
AntiCloak Scanners
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | $100,000 (base price) |
| Cheapest at | Metallica ($87,000) |
| Type | Single-use consumable |
Each AntiCloak Scanner checks one frequency on the planet you’re currently on. If a cloaked player is hiding on that frequency, they’re revealed — but only to you. They remain hidden to everyone else.
Scanning Costs
To scan all 10 frequencies on a single planet, you need 10 scanners = $870,000-$1,000,000 depending on where you buy them. This makes comprehensive scanning expensive and creates a real cost-benefit decision.
Scan Notifications
When someone scans a frequency — whether they find you or not — the target receives a mail notification that a scan attempt occurred. This serves as an early warning system.
Visibility Rules
Cloaking Hides You
While cloaked, you are:
- Invisible to all other players on your planet
- Safe from offline PvP attacks (they can’t target what they can’t see)
- Detectable only by someone scanning your exact frequency
Movement Uncloaks You
When you leave a planet (warp to another), your cloak automatically deactivates. You must re-activate cloaking at your destination.
This means every move is a moment of vulnerability. Plan your routes and re-cloak immediately upon arrival.
Cloaked Combat Restrictions
While cloaked, you cannot initiate combat. You must uncloak first to attack another player. This prevents “invisible assassin” tactics — you have to reveal yourself to fight.
Cloaking Strategy
End-of-Session Routine
The most critical use of cloaking is overnight protection. Before logging off:
- Fly to a planet (preferably not an obvious one)
- Activate your Device of Cloaking
- Choose a less obvious frequency (avoid 1 and 10)
- Log off
If you don’t have a Device of Cloaking, park at your faction’s homeworld instead (Earth or Norhaven — no combat allowed).
Counter-Scanning
If you’re hunting a cloaked player:
- Check planets where they were last seen
- Buy 10 AntiCloak Scanners (~$870K from Metallica)
- Scan all 10 frequencies to guarantee finding them
- Once revealed, attack immediately — they’ll get a notification
Budget Considerations
| Item | Cost | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Device of Cloaking | ~$2,750-$5,000 | Reusable — buy once |
| 1 AntiCloak Scanner | ~$87,000-$100,000 | Single use — scans 1 frequency |
| Full scan (10 frequencies) | ~$870,000-$1,000,000 | Guarantees finding a cloaked player |
Cloaking is cheap. Hunting cloaked players is expensive. This asymmetry is intentional — defense is favored over offense in the stealth game.