If you get out in the black, say 2000 ly from the bubble, you will find some unexplored systems or systems with planets no one has landed on , 5000ly-7000ly is better and almost guarantees unexplored systems. As always go away from interesting features on the galaxy map like nebula and such.
There’s a post with a Spansh link which already has all the parameters set for the types of planets and atmospheres which will yield the highest payouts. Namely Stratum Techtonica. 19M for the Stratum another 76M bonus for the first footfall. 95M for scanning three Stratum Techtonica within 500m of each other.
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Here's the Spansh link:
https://spansh.co.uk/bodies/search/236D7F6E-713A-11ED-9F3F-5EC244549FEC/1
click Main Field and change your current system for closest results in the search.
Last week I played for about an hour and netted 500,000,000. Half a billion credits. That’s a good day.
I’m going off of memory here, finding the post containing the Spansh link is more helpful, you’re looking for High Metal Content worlds with atmospheres of carbon dioxide, thin carbon dioxide, ammonia, thin ammonia, sulfur dioxide and others.
You don’t necessarily need first foot fall. You just need to be the first to scan the plant(s). The first foot fall is a good indicator you’re getting a big bonus if you make it back to vista genomics alive. [EDIT] Not 100% on the above statement. I think, I have scanned bio's on previously landed planets and still gotten a bonus at Vista Genomics.
Elite Observatory I have found incredibly useful. There are some plugins and Google search will get you the app and the plugins with instructions. What it does is tracks your exobiology data for you and talks to you. I use it on a second monitor. Jump into a system, honk then FSS. If during the FSS you find anything of high value to either universal cartographic or exobiology it will say so during the FSS scan. Teraformables, biological life, etc.
So say you find a high metal content world with 1 or 2 biological signals. Fly to the planet and scan it with your DSS. I highly recommend engineering your DSS as you can fire fewer probes makes the job go faster. If it’s 1 bio signal it’s a 50/50 chance it’s either a stratum tech or bacteria. The FSS and DSS will show if anyone has found the planet, mapped it or made first foot fall. It will also show on the system map. I used to bypass Bacteria at only 1M payout. With first foot fall I think the bonus is like 4-5M.
It’s kinda like fishing. Just because Spansh showed there’s a planet in that system doesn’t mean it has life. I’ve hit 10 systems in a row and got nothing. I’ve hit 10 systems in a row each with 1-2 strat tech and or bacteria sprinkled with some planets with 4-12 bio signals containing other flora. Ranging in Value from 1.8M-16M not including bonus for first foot fall.
The key is getting out in the black. Yes there are several planets with strat tech in the bubble and I’ve recently found several that were previously mapped yet not landed on.
I’ve kind of figured out the blue heat map from the DSS. Some planets it’s just a mottled mess especially from outside orbit. Others will have light blue, teal and darker blue patches. Select the bio you want from your DSS I think default Q and E cycle through what’s available. Make your atmospheric entry and point at the teal. As you come in you may find more teal patches, kind of like ponds, head for those. Also note the difference in colors goes with the kind of terrain. Really rough terrain has the mottled blues and flatter areas have more solid blues. It’s usually in the flatter areas which yield more success. Keeping in mind the damned fungus likes to grow in really nasty mountains that can be horrible (fun for me I like rock crawling in my SRV) to traverse.
After coming out of glide, stay just below 300m altitude. This is where the plants will pop in and your best view. Sometimes you are right on top of strat and bacteria as far as the eye can see. Other times you need to look around. Go slow and stay low. Much like flying a helicopter. If you go too fast the game won’t populate the ground before you’re past and you’ll have missed something. I often use the nose down at 45 deg with very slow forward speed and use the vertical thrusters to control my altitude. If the ground is bare and unfruitful, slow down, circle, keep track of your heading, and note the type and color of terrain you are over. If after circling you don’t find anything, climb to 1k meters, find another color and type of terrain and search there. Sometimes that’s the trick. Sometimes there’s nothing there.
Say you do get lucky and find good patches of Strat and Bacteria, driver over in the SRV and scan it. Observatory will say, Strat found worth 19M next specimen at least 500m. That means you have to get 500m away from what you just scanned before scanning another. When you drive away and get beyond 500m she will call out, you’ve now traveled at least 500m from your previous scan. So stop at the next plant you see if the same species. Really handy. Usually… whatever the distance is needed to the next scan, there’s a plant at that distance. I’ve found making a triangle pattern from the ship works good. Sometimes.
Good luck. Have fun. The watched pot never boils. And that bar under exobiology won’t move either if you keep looking at it.
Dolphin or DBX, small ships with big jump range and able to carry your exploration exobiology kit. Easier to land. I get like 71ly out of my DBX and 58ly out of my Dolphin. FSD v1 is worth it.
Krait Phantom is great. Medium. Sometimes harder to find a place to set down. 70ly with FSD v1 unlocked and installed.
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I'm using my own carrier way out. I can turn in the Universal Cartographic data to my carrier for the system i'm currently in. I do not have to wait until I jump the carrier (500ly away) to turn the data in from the previous system.
I’m working on exobiology Geneticist to Elite. Combat Master working toward Elite. Elite I exploration and Elite V Trade.
recently after a 2 year break. I have Odyssey and so it's obviously feeling quite different. I stopped exploring "In the black" this time because I kept getting interdicted by Thargoids. Basically, I have a really busy work schedule and get in front of my E
