The Atomfall Metal Detector is a tool that you want to get your hands on as soon as possible, as it highlights where secret caches have been buried underground. Digging up these hidden stashes will give you resources and, at times, collectible items as well, but perhaps most importantly you also need it to uncover certain clues so you can continue investigating Leads. Without the Metal Detector you could be passing by handy supplies without knowing it, but thankfully there's one you can find near the start and collect completely for free. To help you track it down, here's where to get the Metal Detector in Atomfall, and how to use it once it's in your inventory.
Where to find the Atomfall Metal Detector
On the map above I've marked the key locations and route you need to know to get the Atomfall Metal Detector, which are all close to the starting bunker in Slatten Dale. Once you've decided whether to help the Scientist in Atomfall or otherwise and emerged into the outside world, turn right and head up the hill towards the bridge, then pass under it towards the helicopter crash site. You can sneak up to the lone Outlaw here by crouching in the grass then initiate a Takedown, before continuing past the helicopter to enter the Slate Mine Caves.
As you move through the cave, the only threat you'll encounter is a swarm of bats, so be ready to take them out as they will continue chipping away at your health until you eliminate them all. Keep going forward and you'll see a figure ahead, who is a friendly trader named Reg Stansfield, but ignore him for now and look to your left for a doorway surrounded by signs telling you to "Bugger Off", "Sod Off", and other abuse.
Going through that door will bring you back out into Slatten Dale, only further north. There are plenty of Outlaws in the area to your right, so head left instead where you'll find a stream running into a large pool of water. Follow the left-hand edge of the water around and on an outcrop of rocks you'll find the body of an Outlaw along with the Atomfall Metal Detector, so grab it – but be quick as a swarm of mutated fish (or leeches?) will head towards you and attack if you stay by the water for too long. This is the best way to get the Metal Detector as it's close to the start and doesn't cost you anything.
As with most items in the game, there are other ways to get the Metal Detector in Atomfall. Remember the trader Reg Stansfield who was back in the Slate Mine Caves? If you barter with him before finding the Metal Detector through other means then he'll have one for sale, though obviously this will cost you other items in exchange to balance the scales of the trade so I don't recommend this approach with a free option so close by.
If you don't want to barter with Reg Stansfield then you can take the nuclear option (no pun intended) of killing him, then looting his corpse for the Metal Detector and any other items of use. While this option is free, it does mean that Reg is lost as a trader for the rest of your playthrough, so you won't get access to any other items he may get hold of later on. For that reason I don't recommend this approach either, so leave him be!
How to use the Atomfall Metal Detector
Once you have the Atomfall Metal Detector in your inventory, you don't need to equip or do anything else with it, as you will be automatically alerted by an icon in the bottom left corner of the screen when a buried cache is nearby. When this happens, follow the prompt to pull out the Metal Detector, then aim it and look at the red lights on top – these point towards the buried cache, so rotate until the middle light is lit then move forward and adjust your direction to keep it lit. As you get closer the needle will travel further up the dial, until it maxes out and all five red lights flash to indicate you've reached your target, then follow the Dig prompt to recover your prize.
If you're looking to complete your set of tools then we have a walkthrough for how to get the Atomfall Signal Redirector, or if you want to know which are the best Atomfall Skills to unlock first then we can help with that too.
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