Nothing in Elite Dangerous captures the spirit of exploration quite like exobiology. If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a spacefaring biologist — discovering alien flora on distant worlds, recording your name across the galaxy, and earning billions of credits while doing it — this guide is your launchpad.

We’ll walk you through everything you need to know: preparation, ship setup, where to look, how to identify and sample life, and how to sell your data for the biggest payouts possible.

Note: Exobiology requires the Odyssey expansion. It’s frequently on sale and easy to recommend for the sheer depth it adds.

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Step 1: Preparation — Gear and Ship Setup

Required Equipment:

• Artemis Suit: This is the core exobiology suit, equipped with a Genetic Sampler. Purchase it from any Pioneer Supplies vendor, found at most stations.

Ideal Ship Traits:

• Small
• Decently fast
• Moderate to good jump range

Some great beginner ships are listed via Coriolis builds in the original video, but any light exploration ship with a Detailed Surface Scanner and decent jump range will do. You don’t need engineering or high-end gear to begin.

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Step 2: Locating Biological Worlds

You’re looking for landable atmospheric worlds, which exist throughout the galaxy. To identify one:

• Look for a planet or moon that has BOTH the circular landable icon and the quarter-circle atmospheric icon in the system map.

To get started, just explore random regions. You won’t earn huge payouts immediately, but it’s a great way to learn the ropes.

To Make Big Money:

• Head into unexplored space.
• Travel 1,500+ light years away from the bubble in any direction, ideally away from tourist corridors.
• Use your FSS scanner and system map to locate landable atmospheric planets.

Before approaching:

• Select the planet.
• Click the Planetary Information icon.
• At the bottom of the new panel, look for Features: Biological. If it says biological life is present, you’re good to go.

Tip: The more biological signals listed, the better the profit potential.

Billionaire’s Boulevard:

Want to cut the search time? Use the Billionaire’s Boulevard — a curated list of known high-value biological targets. If you’re focused purely on income, this is your best route.

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Step 3: Mapping and Finding Life

Once you’ve chosen a planet:

• Use your Detailed Surface Scanner to probe the planet.
• Look for the patchy blue overlay indicating surface coverage.
• Switch filters to locate different biological signals if multiple are present.
• Head for the teal-blue patches, which are usually rich in flora.

Upon descent:

• Glide into the area and begin visually scanning the surface.
• Most biological species are fairly easy to spot.
• Some — like bacterium — can be elusive. For detailed visuals and advice, refer to the Deep Space Networkreference page.

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Step 4: Sampling Alien Life

Once you’ve spotted a species:

1. Land your ship.
2. Disembark or enter your SRV.
3. Equip the Genetic Sampler.
4. Point at the life form and hold the trigger to sample.

Mandatory screenshot recommended. Not by the game — by the spirit of exobiology.

To successfully catalog a species, you must sample three unique instances with sufficient genetic diversity, meaning they must be spatially distant.

• Look for clusters that are not part of the same patch.
• Fly or drive around the area — you’ll usually find new groups nearby.
• Avoid bacterium early on; it’s harder to find and identify.

Once three samples are collected — congratulations! You’ve successfully documented an alien species.

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Step 5: Sell Your Data at Vista Genomics

Head back to any inhabited station with Vista Genomics. You’ll find it in most social hubs.

1. Walk to the Vista Genomics desk.
2. Talk to the staff member.
3. Sell your exobiology data.

If you were the first person to sample a species on a planet (first footfall), you’ll get a massive bonus.

One session of two planets and eight species with first footfall bonuses can earn upwards of 250 million credits — and that’s in just two hours of work.

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Summary and Final Tips

Exobiology is:

• A rewarding mix of exploration, discovery, and photography.
• Surprisingly lucrative when done right.
• An immersive alternative to the combat/trade grind.

Just remember:

• Buy the Artemis suit.
• Look for atmospheric landables.
• Probe the surface for biologicals.
• Sample three variants of each lifeform.
• Sell to Vista Genomics.

And if you’re confused? You’re not alone. Even experienced players stumble with rocks and bacterium their first time. The Deep Space Network and community comments are amazing resources for learning more advanced techniques.

Whether you’re doing it for credits, immersion, or just the joy of stumbling across glowing alien mushrooms in the void, exobiology is a fantastic addition to the game.

Until next time, hold on to your space legs, watch out for rocks, and remember your limpets. Commander Deiri, signing off.