We should know enough by now for me to write a guide to exobiology, although bear in mind that things are still being worked on and researched, so expect some changes here later.
Well then, here's my guide to exobiology. Let's begin with the two most frequent questions:
Why should I do exobiology anyway?
and
What's all this DSS stuff, how do I find life down there?
First off, why do exobiology: for the plants. But other than discovering those for your own, what are the actual rewards, though?
Hold on, what's that about cosmetic unlocks?
Before I go into other specifics, let me talk about that other most frequent question, how do I find the actual plants, what do I do with those blue blobs on the DSS?
There is something else to consider though, how (and what ship) to fly to better spot those plants:
Speaking of bacteria from earlier, "I'm looking for bacteria and I can't find those little ****s AAAARGH":
On to the next one: payouts. How much will you get paid for the samples? and Can you get paid for selling the same species from different bodies in the same system?
A bit more on the subject of payouts: How does exobiology tie in with PowerPlay?
With all this talk about payouts then, there's the inevitable question: where to go to get the most credits over time?
That's all well and good, but where to find those specific kinds of thin atmo planets?
Let's talk about species and colours instead. What are the requirements, where do specific species show up, and what about colours?
Then there's stuff from earlier: what about surface life from Horizons, on non-atmospheric worlds? Do they also appear on thin atmospheric worlds?
After all this, how does exobiology tie in with Engineering? Turns out, remarkably little.
Oh, and are there any truly dangerous plants, like Venus CMDRtraps, or plants that shoot lasers at you, will you get attacked by Thargoids, and so on?
I think that covers all then. If I forgot something important, or more comes up later, or if we find out more, I'll update the guide anyway. Thanks for reading!
Sources and credits:
Well then, here's my guide to exobiology. Let's begin with the two most frequent questions:
Why should I do exobiology anyway?
and
What's all this DSS stuff, how do I find life down there?
First off, why do exobiology: for the plants. But other than discovering those for your own, what are the actual rewards, though?
Large amounts of credits (since the 4.0 Update 14, far more than what you get for exploration data), progression on the Exobiology rank, some suit cosmetic unlocks as you gain those ranks, and optionally, your name in the Codex if you find something not already in there.
Oh, you also get Codex vouchers either from the Composition Scanner or from juicing with the Genetic Sampler, but redeeming these vouchers won't advance your exobio rank.
Oh, you also get Codex vouchers either from the Composition Scanner or from juicing with the Genetic Sampler, but redeeming these vouchers won't advance your exobio rank.
Hold on, what's that about cosmetic unlocks?
As you gain exobio rank, you unlock suit cosmetic pieces you can't get otherwise. They go with the Artemis suit, and look similar to that. There are green, blue and red variants, which you unlock in this order: you get the final pieces at Elite. It takes three ranks to unlock all pieces of a set (suit first, torso, arms and legs on the second, and helmet on the third rank), starting with getting the green suit automatically at Directionless. The only thing that changes between the sets are the colours: otherwise, the pieces are entirely identical.
Again, bear in mind that these are all cosmetics, they don't change anything about your Artemis suit itself.
Again, bear in mind that these are all cosmetics, they don't change anything about your Artemis suit itself.
Before I go into other specifics, let me talk about that other most frequent question, how do I find the actual plants, what do I do with those blue blobs on the DSS?
As you probably noticed, when you look through the DSS, you'll see various areas highlighted in various shades of blue. In practice, what colour the areas are in isn't important, it's not a heatmap: the colour might get shaded by how the terrain looks, but it's just a binary decision. The plants are there in the blue areas, and aren't in the non-coloured areas. However, they are still restricted by terrain (and likely other factors), so quite often, the types of terrain the plants you're looking for prefer is just as important as the DSS blob's colour.
So basically, go down to where the DSS shows blue, and don't go where it shows no colour.
However, I expect you'd like some more help than this, so consider the type of terrain again. If you're looking for something and not finding it, chances are it's one of those which keeps mostly to one kind of terrain, area etc instead, and not the one you've been looking in: so, go fly to different kinds of places, ones you haven't been to yet. For example, you won't find Osseus Discus on the flats, you'll want to go look around rough, hilly areas instead. Or Concha Renibus will keep to rocky places, cracks and such. If you're in an area that shows up blue on the DSS, what you're looking for will be there, but it won't be distributed evenly. The most notorious examples of this might be bacteria.
So basically, go down to where the DSS shows blue, and don't go where it shows no colour.
However, I expect you'd like some more help than this, so consider the type of terrain again. If you're looking for something and not finding it, chances are it's one of those which keeps mostly to one kind of terrain, area etc instead, and not the one you've been looking in: so, go fly to different kinds of places, ones you haven't been to yet. For example, you won't find Osseus Discus on the flats, you'll want to go look around rough, hilly areas instead. Or Concha Renibus will keep to rocky places, cracks and such. If you're in an area that shows up blue on the DSS, what you're looking for will be there, but it won't be distributed evenly. The most notorious examples of this might be bacteria.
There is something else to consider though, how (and what ship) to fly to better spot those plants:
Since some of them are really quite small and render at close distances only, I would recommend flying at low altitudes, and possibly at slower speeds too. The former because of the render distance, the latter because you might fly over and miss them otherwise. Also, since you'll likely be landing often, small ships have quite an advantage here: they'll be easier to fly, easier to land, and less time spent on either. Personally, I generally find them more fun too, but that's subjective.
The Courier, the Diamondback Explorer, the Cobra Mk III and the new Mk V and the Dolphin all do quite well here, with good jump ranges too. There's of course the all-powerful Mandalay too, which does everything well.
The Courier, the Diamondback Explorer, the Cobra Mk III and the new Mk V and the Dolphin all do quite well here, with good jump ranges too. There's of course the all-powerful Mandalay too, which does everything well.
Speaking of bacteria from earlier, "I'm looking for bacteria and I can't find those little ****s AAAARGH":
Generally, you'll want flat terrain, and hope that the bacteria mats' colours don't match the colour of the ground.
Or here's a nice screenshot sequence by @FalconFly that illustrates an ideal scenario of finding bacteria:
That said, generally payouts for bacteria are low enough that it's not worth the trouble to locate them, unless you're being a completionist or are looking for specific Codex tags. If you aren't looking for either of those, then for the sake of your mental health, I'd generally recommend not bothering with bacteria.
Or here's a nice screenshot sequence by @FalconFly that illustrates an ideal scenario of finding bacteria:
That said, generally payouts for bacteria are low enough that it's not worth the trouble to locate them, unless you're being a completionist or are looking for specific Codex tags. If you aren't looking for either of those, then for the sake of your mental health, I'd generally recommend not bothering with bacteria.
On to the next one: payouts. How much will you get paid for the samples? and Can you get paid for selling the same species from different bodies in the same system?
Every species has a universal base payout value, universal in that it doesn't not change depending on where you got the samples from and where you sold them. Different colours of the same species all pay out the same as well. Other than this, there's the first logging bonus: if you are the first to sell the sample from a specific body, you get paid five times the base payout. That's all there is to it.
If you're in the same system, and get the same species with the same colour, but from a different body, you still get paid the same. So the answer to the second question above is Yes. Now, if you found a system with four water atmosphere landables? Jackpot!
Also, 4.0 Update 11 added Vista Genomics to fleet carriers, which should work the same as carrier-based Universal Cartographics does: you get paid 75% of what you'd normally get, the carrier's bank gets 12.5%, and the remaining 12.5% is lost to the waves. However, is bugged: selling at carrier Vista Genomics pays 100% to you and 0% to the carrier. This bug has been present for years, and it certainly looks like Frontier aren't going to touch it.
If you're in the same system, and get the same species with the same colour, but from a different body, you still get paid the same. So the answer to the second question above is Yes. Now, if you found a system with four water atmosphere landables? Jackpot!
Also, 4.0 Update 11 added Vista Genomics to fleet carriers, which should work the same as carrier-based Universal Cartographics does: you get paid 75% of what you'd normally get, the carrier's bank gets 12.5%, and the remaining 12.5% is lost to the waves. However, is bugged: selling at carrier Vista Genomics pays 100% to you and 0% to the carrier. This bug has been present for years, and it certainly looks like Frontier aren't going to touch it.
A bit more on the subject of payouts: How does exobiology tie in with PowerPlay?
Since the PowerPlay 2.0 rework, selling samples to Vista Genomics might award you with personal merits, and if your chosen power's ethos includes this, then it'll also contribute to system scores. If you are pledged to Pranav Antal, you get a bonus to the payout as well, which tops out at +50% when you reach the required PP rank - but this only applies if you sell in an Antal-controlled system.
In general, you only gain merits from VG samples if you sell them in a system that's currently controlled by your pledged power: selling them elsewhere, like on a fleet carrier out in the black, means you forego the merits.
However, none of this is very practical, as the amount of merits you gain from exobiology is really quite low. If you're looking to progress your power rank, then you should participate in Powerplay inside the bubble.
In general, you only gain merits from VG samples if you sell them in a system that's currently controlled by your pledged power: selling them elsewhere, like on a fleet carrier out in the black, means you forego the merits.
However, none of this is very practical, as the amount of merits you gain from exobiology is really quite low. If you're looking to progress your power rank, then you should participate in Powerplay inside the bubble.
With all this talk about payouts then, there's the inevitable question: where to go to get the most credits over time?
First off, since the first discovery bonus is so large now, you'll likely be better served going after undiscovered planets. I'm not sure if chaining already-logged plants would approach that level.
Second, the best average payouts are on planets with thin water atmospheres. While depending on the geology of specific worlds, some other atmosphere types can get species with high payouts, water atmos tend to have the highest average payouts over the various species. In other words, nearly everything you find down there will tend to pay at least decently. Well, except bacteria.
Now, which would you rather do, juice eight species on ammonia planet for a base payout of, say, 10,000,000 Cr, or juice four species on a water planet for the same?
Second, the best average payouts are on planets with thin water atmospheres. While depending on the geology of specific worlds, some other atmosphere types can get species with high payouts, water atmos tend to have the highest average payouts over the various species. In other words, nearly everything you find down there will tend to pay at least decently. Well, except bacteria.
Now, which would you rather do, juice eight species on ammonia planet for a base payout of, say, 10,000,000 Cr, or juice four species on a water planet for the same?
That's all well and good, but where to find those specific kinds of thin atmo planets?
I'll assume you are looking for undiscovered planets. If you aren't, and just want to speedrun some of those planets, then the crowdsourced data available across various sites will easily tell you where they are. If, however, you are looking for your very own undiscovered thin water atmo worlds, then read on.
First, let me make something clear: these are significantly more rare than Earth-like Worlds. As of 2022. Dec. 12, there are around 390,000 Earth-likes uploaded, and only 64,000 thin water atmospherics. Even if you filter stars to maximise your chances, it's still about a tenth of what it would be if you were looking for an ELW... not to mention that unlike those, thin water atmospherics don't show up separately on the FSS barcode.
So, where to look then? Interestingly, this is a more complex question than one might think, as there is a clear difference between the core and the rest of the galaxy here. I suggest looking up my recommendations in this thread, I'd rather not copy them here.
First, let me make something clear: these are significantly more rare than Earth-like Worlds. As of 2022. Dec. 12, there are around 390,000 Earth-likes uploaded, and only 64,000 thin water atmospherics. Even if you filter stars to maximise your chances, it's still about a tenth of what it would be if you were looking for an ELW... not to mention that unlike those, thin water atmospherics don't show up separately on the FSS barcode.
So, where to look then? Interestingly, this is a more complex question than one might think, as there is a clear difference between the core and the rest of the galaxy here. I suggest looking up my recommendations in this thread, I'd rather not copy them here.
Let's talk about species and colours instead. What are the requirements, where do specific species show up, and what about colours?
By now, there are several good sources for summing up what has been found where. The Codex doesn't tell the whole story, so here's some more information:
So, when all is said and done, you might still have to go look at the planets and try determining stuff based on only that.
As for colours, they generally depend either on the parent star's type, or the surface materials listed on the body (see the system map). Again, see the compendium above to see which species depend on which kind. Colours are mostly only useful for getting new Codex tags though, since their payouts are otherwise the same.
Finally, bear in mind that the DSS filters only show genus, and if a planet has different species (and/or colours) of the same kind, they won't show up there separately! For example, a planet might have three species of brain trees, or bacteria, or whatever else, all under the same biological signal. See the Organics tab on the system map to see how many distinct species you can sample on a planet.
- the Compendium of Codex requirements thread for listing everything in a concise manner, both what has been found and what's written in the Codex (and the errors there)
- Deep Space Network's Exobiological Flora page for more detailed descriptions and screenshots
- Canonn Bioforge for automatically rendered information from their detailed data sources
So, when all is said and done, you might still have to go look at the planets and try determining stuff based on only that.
As for colours, they generally depend either on the parent star's type, or the surface materials listed on the body (see the system map). Again, see the compendium above to see which species depend on which kind. Colours are mostly only useful for getting new Codex tags though, since their payouts are otherwise the same.
Finally, bear in mind that the DSS filters only show genus, and if a planet has different species (and/or colours) of the same kind, they won't show up there separately! For example, a planet might have three species of brain trees, or bacteria, or whatever else, all under the same biological signal. See the Organics tab on the system map to see how many distinct species you can sample on a planet.
Then there's stuff from earlier: what about surface life from Horizons, on non-atmospheric worlds? Do they also appear on thin atmospheric worlds?
They are of course still around, now utilising the same general system as Odyssey life on thin atmospheric worlds do. Otherwise, their requirements don't appear to have changed. They can be juiced with the genetic sampler as well, although their sample payouts are uniformly low (compared to Odyssey flora), even for the rare amphora plants.
Curiously enough, the non-atmospheric life also appears on Odyssey's thin atmospheric bodies too, but extremely rarely. Why exactly they are so rare is not yet understood. However, they are the same species, and as such, they will pay the same credits.
Curiously enough, the non-atmospheric life also appears on Odyssey's thin atmospheric bodies too, but extremely rarely. Why exactly they are so rare is not yet understood. However, they are the same species, and as such, they will pay the same credits.
After all this, how does exobiology tie in with Engineering? Turns out, remarkably little.
You don't get any materials from sampling stuff, and there are no exobiology-specific blueprints either. I suppose the only one that can be said to substantially improve things is the Night Vision mod, but whether that one is worth the cost is debatable. Other than this, the other upgrades are of minor use, and only improving stuff that you can already do, like spring longer, jetpack higher, and so on.
So, by and large, you can ignore Engineering when it comes to exobiology. Unfortunately, Frontier didn't add any way of upgrading the juicer to hold more than one sample at a time.
So, by and large, you can ignore Engineering when it comes to exobiology. Unfortunately, Frontier didn't add any way of upgrading the juicer to hold more than one sample at a time.
Oh, and are there any truly dangerous plants, like Venus CMDRtraps, or plants that shoot lasers at you, will you get attacked by Thargoids, and so on?
No.
I think that covers all then. If I forgot something important, or more comes up later, or if we find out more, I'll update the guide anyway. Thanks for reading!
Sources and credits:
- The crowdsourced databases from: EDDN, EDAstro, DSN, Canonn, IGAU
- Various players who've sent in missing payout values (see the Compendium linked above)
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