Greetings,
TLDR: Actually you need to read this as I cannot come up with a shorter version making Exobiology easier.
Since the Glaives were added I quit the Thargoid War for awhile. With Mercenary I made Warrior mostly on my own with some help from friends in the best most active Ghost Legion Squadron in the game. If a player wants to get to Mercenary Elite 5 they will need friends to get there sooner.
Exobiology is pretty easy now knowing how to play the game. Obtaining a 3rd party list of where to go and what to get to start just dial in the FSS, DSS and small fast ship to pick them up. After figuring out what planets to look for a player can go off on their own having fun. Finding these systems is the hard part and maybe the Exo experts can add to this post.
When this game play was first released using the Genetic Sampler was a mini-game puzzle of three circling rings where a player had to align dark blue color sections which got faster with each one. Players really didn't like that and Frontier actually changed it! Now just hold the sampler button down and it will complete automatically. Who says Frontier doesn't listen to the players!
I go to a system, do a Discovery Scanner 'honk' and use the FSS to scan all the bodies giving me more credits turning the data in later. On the System Map I then look for atmospheric planets that I can land on with a high number of 'biologicals' say 4-9. They seem to pay a lot better than non-atmo planets but I'm not an expert. I pick one then fly there.
Approaching the planet I wait for the DSS to turn blue saying that I am in range then slow down and fire missiles to map the planet 100 percent. With a small planet one can engineer a DSS with expanded probe and I fire 4 missiles N/S/E/W or the pre-engineered version firing one missile for 100 percent. Given that the DSS has unlimited missiles I don't think that it matters a lot except for deep space explorers mapping really big planets.
Now I switch the DSS filters to a blue planet, leaving the DSS mode still in Analysis mode then look for light blue areas to start my approach. I often switch to Combat mode to see the planet normally and decide if I want to go on the sunlit side or the dark side then back to Analysis Mode to land. Not always but I have found different types of plants in the light versus the dark. Experts may know better. Worth checking out.
OK we are there after dealing with all of the above. What to do now? Fly below 100m height in a small fast ship SLOWLY finding materials, land, scan then move on for two more scans in your ship. Note other materials nearby while working on the current one. After three scans go for the next one. An SRV? I have one but with the latest updates the distance between getting samples has increased a lot since this play style was released. Do this with a fast ship out and back and I'm not sure any player needs to engineer an Artemis suit to scan the materials and get back in the ship.
I might also recommend an Advanced Docking Computer as it has an auto dock on planets in rough terrain when a player would have difficulty doing the same manually. I toggle this off and on a lot depending upon the terrain.
What ship to use? Here is my Imperial Courier build. When the area is dry it can move very fast to another part of the planet with altitude getting back the blue planet still in Analysis mode. I know I don't need the weapons but makes me feel better protecting all those FSS scans until I can get paid. With an almost 40LY jump range it gets me around to make lots of bio credits outside the bubble. Those in deep space may have better options. I might suggest a Dolpin or Orca but I wanted something for my Courier to do well with a 700 m/s boost. You decide.
Meanwhile with experience flying a fast Courier 10 meters above the planet using up thrusters to find the next material and moving on is pretty engaging. Reminds me of days long ago with races in a canyon with 20 live players. I miss those days when Elite Dangerous was starting out.
Then systems such as Col 285 Sector -I C10-11 still have huge mountains for players wanting to test their SRVs. There is hope for this game yet. As for my post well the experts in Exobiology can add to it as appropriate. 30 billion credits to get to Exobiologist Elite 5? I'm going to need friends.
Best Regards to All
TLDR: Actually you need to read this as I cannot come up with a shorter version making Exobiology easier.
Since the Glaives were added I quit the Thargoid War for awhile. With Mercenary I made Warrior mostly on my own with some help from friends in the best most active Ghost Legion Squadron in the game. If a player wants to get to Mercenary Elite 5 they will need friends to get there sooner.
Exobiology is pretty easy now knowing how to play the game. Obtaining a 3rd party list of where to go and what to get to start just dial in the FSS, DSS and small fast ship to pick them up. After figuring out what planets to look for a player can go off on their own having fun. Finding these systems is the hard part and maybe the Exo experts can add to this post.
When this game play was first released using the Genetic Sampler was a mini-game puzzle of three circling rings where a player had to align dark blue color sections which got faster with each one. Players really didn't like that and Frontier actually changed it! Now just hold the sampler button down and it will complete automatically. Who says Frontier doesn't listen to the players!
I go to a system, do a Discovery Scanner 'honk' and use the FSS to scan all the bodies giving me more credits turning the data in later. On the System Map I then look for atmospheric planets that I can land on with a high number of 'biologicals' say 4-9. They seem to pay a lot better than non-atmo planets but I'm not an expert. I pick one then fly there.
Approaching the planet I wait for the DSS to turn blue saying that I am in range then slow down and fire missiles to map the planet 100 percent. With a small planet one can engineer a DSS with expanded probe and I fire 4 missiles N/S/E/W or the pre-engineered version firing one missile for 100 percent. Given that the DSS has unlimited missiles I don't think that it matters a lot except for deep space explorers mapping really big planets.
Now I switch the DSS filters to a blue planet, leaving the DSS mode still in Analysis mode then look for light blue areas to start my approach. I often switch to Combat mode to see the planet normally and decide if I want to go on the sunlit side or the dark side then back to Analysis Mode to land. Not always but I have found different types of plants in the light versus the dark. Experts may know better. Worth checking out.
OK we are there after dealing with all of the above. What to do now? Fly below 100m height in a small fast ship SLOWLY finding materials, land, scan then move on for two more scans in your ship. Note other materials nearby while working on the current one. After three scans go for the next one. An SRV? I have one but with the latest updates the distance between getting samples has increased a lot since this play style was released. Do this with a fast ship out and back and I'm not sure any player needs to engineer an Artemis suit to scan the materials and get back in the ship.
I might also recommend an Advanced Docking Computer as it has an auto dock on planets in rough terrain when a player would have difficulty doing the same manually. I toggle this off and on a lot depending upon the terrain.
What ship to use? Here is my Imperial Courier build. When the area is dry it can move very fast to another part of the planet with altitude getting back the blue planet still in Analysis mode. I know I don't need the weapons but makes me feel better protecting all those FSS scans until I can get paid. With an almost 40LY jump range it gets me around to make lots of bio credits outside the bubble. Those in deep space may have better options. I might suggest a Dolpin or Orca but I wanted something for my Courier to do well with a 700 m/s boost. You decide.
Meanwhile with experience flying a fast Courier 10 meters above the planet using up thrusters to find the next material and moving on is pretty engaging. Reminds me of days long ago with races in a canyon with 20 live players. I miss those days when Elite Dangerous was starting out.
Then systems such as Col 285 Sector -I C10-11 still have huge mountains for players wanting to test their SRVs. There is hope for this game yet. As for my post well the experts in Exobiology can add to it as appropriate. 30 billion credits to get to Exobiologist Elite 5? I'm going to need friends.
Best Regards to All
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