What locations can you scry?

Question

Scrying allows you to watch a place somewhere else:

You can see and hear a particular creature you choose that is on the same plane of existence as you. (...) Instead of targeting a creature, you can choose a location you have seen before as the target of this spell.

The wording is unclear to me. When you use the spell can you

• Choose a location that you have seen before in any manner, to be the target of the spell?
• Choose a location you have seen before with scrying?

I.e. does the “as the target of this spell” refer to what you are doing (you are targeting a location) or does it refer to what kind of location you can see (one that was the target of this spell before).

So, would you need to target a creature first with scrying, see a location this way, to be able and target it later? Or can you target any location that you have seen before in any manner?

Answer 1

You can scry a location that you have seen before even it has not been the target of Scrying yet.

The Scrying spell has two possible targets: a creature or a location. On the former case, the level of familiarity you have with the target influences their saving throw, if any.

The paragraphs referring to targeting a creature tell what this spell does:

the spell creates an invisible sensor within 10 feet of the target. You can see and hear through the sensor as if you were there. The sensor moves with the target, remaining within 10 feet of it for the duration. A creature that can see invisible objects sees the sensor as a luminous orb about the size of your fist.

The final paragraph, instead, refers to scrying a location, giving the requirements for targeting the location of interest (emphasis mine):

Instead of targeting a creature, you can choose a location you have seen before as the target of this spell. When you do, the sensor appears at that location and doesn't move.

The first sentence should be read as

[...] you can choose as the target of this spell a location you have seen before.

The meaning of "you have seen before" is up to the DM: you can have seen this location in a painting, you may have seen it on the Crystal Ball of a companion wizard, you have already visited such location.

There are some differences in spell's effects, with respect to targeting a location instead of a creature: there is no saving throw and the sensor cannot move.

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For example, you strolled among the main street of Baldur's Gate and saw a nice bakery, that you suspect being the secret entrance of Bad&Evil Cult of Evilness Gods. In the night, you cast Scrying on the entrance of the bakery to hear the secret password for attending the Naughty-Naughty Ritual of Nasty Evocation.

Answer 2

I think you're reading too much into the sentence.

Everything up to that sentence is about targeting a creature

But this is just about targeting a place

"Instead of targeting a creature, you can choose a location you have seen before as the target of this spell."

The first part of the phrase is used as a segue, seeing as how the spell spent three paragraphs and two tables talking about targeting a creature, it serves a purpose, but only as a segue. If we drop that, "Instead of targeting a creature" it becomes very clear.

".. you can choose a location you have seen before as the target of this spell."

A location you have seen, it can be a target.