Logbook entry

EXBIOLOGY 101

1. Ship: Small or Medium, Detailed Surface Scanner and an SRV
2. Person: Artemis Suit

1. Identifying where Biology is. There are two ways you can find which planet have biology.
• While in FSS your planet scan will indicate the number of different plant life you will find in the upper right box on the screen Figure 1
• In the system map the Planetary Information tab will tell you the same thing. Figure 2
  It should go without saying, you can ignore any planet that is non landable. In most cases planets without an atmostsphere do not support plant life. There are some exceptions; Brain Trees, Bark Mounds and Amphora Plants could be on those planets.
2. Once you know which planets have biology you will need to scan the planet with your detailed planet scanner. What you will see is the planet “heat map” which looks like random highlighted areas in light blue and cyan splotches. This is the signal filter indicating where you are most likely to find the distinct species of plant life. You can switch through each kind. (Geology will also show if it is present on the planet) Figure 3
3. I typically try to find spots that have the most overlap and land there. Figure 4
   The areas that have the most uniform Cyan colour tend to have higher concentrations of plant life. Sometimes there are Plant types that are found in very few areas of the planet. Figure 5
4. You can use third party apps (such as Route Planners) to speed up the search.

1. Unfortunately, there is not an SRV wave scanner for biology like what you use to find materials.
2. To locate I turn on my external ship camera while using either the ship or the SRV. Using the camera with the SRV can be a bit jarring as the camera “follows” the movement of the vehicle over every bump and rock. Another point of possible frustration is the invisible rocks that only seem to spawn just before you hit them. With the ship the camera is way smoother and you don't need to worry about the rocks. The downsides are if you fly too fast you might pass right by the plant before you have time to stop. Your altitude is a best guess and you might fly into the ground or to high to see the plants. Finally you will need to land each time you spot a plant to scan. Figure 6
A third option is to use third person view while walking. Pulsing the Genetic Sampler (more about this below) will show near by Biology. The range is very short however. You also can not do this for long as you have no way of monitoring your battery or O2 levels. Figure 6a
3. Now that you are standing beside the flora you use the Genetic Sampler you get with the artemis suit. The sampler has two scan modes. The primary mode scans the plant Figure 7
   and the alternate mode sends a pulse to check the genetic diversity of the planet around you. Green is ok to scan, Figure 8
   blue is not Figure 9
   Purple means you still need to scan the plant but are currently not finished scanning a different species. Figure 9.5
4. You will need three different scans of the same species to complete your sample. Figure 10
   Each sample must be genetically different enough from the pervious one(s). Figure 11
5. The codex index for each planet will tell you how far you will need to travel to gain the diversity needed. Figure 12
   Appendix 1 has a table with each species and the distance require for genetic diversity.
6. If you are not sure how far you are you can look at the compass in your helmet HUD as it will mark the direction and distance from your last scan(s). Figure 13
7. DON’T forget to also scan the plant with you comp scanner, you might get the discovery reward. Figure 14
8. Once you are finished you can head into the nearest station to turn in your find for rank and credits. Appendix 1 shows the value of each species.

1. Do a detailed surface scan of the planet first.
2. Try to land where you will find the most plant life by looking for overlaps in plant hotspots.
3. Some plants live in areas that make landing difficult for larger ships.
4. You can only scan one plant at a time, and you will need three scans for each.
5. A good YouTube video can be found here: Elite Dangerous Odyssey - Beginner's Exobiology Guide | Friendship Drive Guides - YouTube.

1. Bacterium is the most common floras you will find; it is on almost every planet that has life. It mostly grows on the flatter areas of the planet, but not all the time. Out of the 70 plus planets I have visited so far, I found only one species of Bacterium that grew on rough terrain. There are times when the bacterium is the same colour as the planet surface. You may have to drive your SRV from the turret using the comp scanner to find it.
2. Some plants may seem to be abundant on the planet, but in reality, are very sparse. Osseus is a good example, these tend to have small clusters of 1 - 5 plants for every 5 Square Km.
3. Sometimes you will have to launch back into orbit, re engage your detailed planet scan and reposition yourself to a different location.
4. When using your SRV, park on the left of what ever biology you are about to scan. As you disembark the SRV from the right it saves you from walking around.

1. Have FUN.
2. Take breaks / remember to breathe. The galaxy won't vanish overnight.
3. If you make a mistake and end up dying, causing you to loose a lot of data, remember it is only a game.