No Man’s Sky Exobiology Expedition: A Complete Breakdown

Hot off the heels of the Sentinel update, No Man’s Sky‘s fifth expedition is finally here, and it’s called Exobiology. As opposed to the teeth-clenching encounters with sandworms that we saw in the previous expedition, this one promises a more relaxed pace and a focus on exploration.

This expedition starts today, February 24, and is set to run for about five weeks. During those five weeks, interlopers will be able to claim exclusive rewards.

Note that previous expeditions were eventually repeated, giving players a second chance at claiming their rewards, but there’s no guarantee that Hello Games will do that with future expeditions. You’ll want to make sure you complete this one if you want that sweet, sweet loot.

The real star of this show, in my opinion, is the Exotic Wingpack, which is a jetpack that’s designed to match exotic ships. And it looks awesome. It has these webbing-style wings that extract when flying and retract when you’re on the ground.

But that’s not the only reward. Here’s a complete breakdown of every tier of the expedition, along with every reward you can earn for completing those tiers.

Before we get started…

This expedition seems to be giving a lot of people trouble. I’ve been playing No Man’s Sky for so long (over 600 hours at this point) that I have a tendency to overlook how vague some of these objectives can seem to someone who is new to the game.

I’ve updated this breakdown with notes on most of the objectives that will help you complete them if you’re stuck, but this article was never meant to be an exhaustive guide — this was simply supposed to be an online resource for people who wanted to see what the objectives and rewards were.

I do hope my notes are helpful, but if not, I would point readers to this excellent guide by Xaine’s World.

He’ll walk you through the entire expedition step by step, giving you a lot of information that will help you double (and even triple) up on your objective completion. It’s a great resource, and I think it’s what a lot of people that landed on this article were looking for.

Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section. I will do my best to answer them, or else point you to a better resource if need be.

Alright, with that said, let’s get into it…

Phase 1

Completion reward:

• Reality Glitch Trail customization

Pawprints – Ride a creature companion 850u.

Note: There are no rideable creatures on the starting planet, but you already have one in your inventory, so you can still summon that and ride it before you leave the planet.

To complete this task without using your starting companion, simply feed an animal a Creature Pellet, then interact with it to bring up the menu (which will let you ride it). These creatures tend to walk slowly, but eventually you should rack up your 850u and complete the objective.

Reward:

• Uncharted Treasure x2
• Creature Pellets x50
• Powerful Mining Beam Upgrade

The Metal Mount – Locate your Starship.

Note: You should have a ship icon that shows you where your starship is located. Simply follow that to the correct location, then enter your ship to complete the achievement.

Reward:

• Storage Augmentation x2
• Teleport Receiver plans

Best Friend’s Portrait – Photograph your companion.

For this objective, you must first tame a creature (start off by giving it Creature Pellets, then use the “tame” option). Once a creature is registered as your pet, simply take a photograph of it using the game’s Photo Mode feature.

Reward:

• 500,000 Units
• Korvax words x100
• Standing increased: Korvax

Lift Off – Launch into space for the first time.

Note: This is pretty self-explanatory. Simply fix your ship and launch it into space.

Reward:

• Launch System Recharger plans
• Wiring Loom x2
• Solar Mirror plans

To Brighter Stars – Leave the initial system for the first time.

Note: Simply use the warp drive on your ship to leave the starting system. The objective should count as completed once you’ve arrived in a new system.

Reward:

• Warp Hypercore plans
• Warp Hypercore x3
• Powerful Pulse Engine upgrade

Homeworld – Visit a lush world.

Note: You can scan planets from afar to see what type they are. When you’re in your ship, point at a planet and use the L3 button to scan it (on PlayStation). You can tell a world is a Lush one if it has Paraffinium and Star Bulb listed as resources during your scan.

Reward:

• Assorted Planetary Charts
• 256 Nanites

The Next Generation – Encourage your companion to lay an egg.

Note: Once you have a companion, it will take a bit of time before it’s ready to lay an egg. Make sure you keep it happy, and eventually you’ll see a prompt that will allow you to harvest an egg from it. And by “eventually” I mean “after a few hours.”

Reward:

• Ion Battery x10
• Life Support Gel x10
• Condensed Carbon x1,200

Rendezvous 1 – Reach the first rendezvous point.

Note: If you set this objective as your active mission, the game will draw a line on the Galaxy Map from your location to the system where the rendezvous point can be found. Once you’re in the correct system, there will be an icon, and this icon will guide you close to the correct location. Once you touch down, you’ll have to use your scanner to ping the rendezvous point. Follow the pings to find the correct location.

This one is on a planet called Raymr, which is also a Lush planet (so you could clear your Homeworld objective by landing here).

Reward:

• 1,000 Nanites
• Exosuit Expansion Unit
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot
• Storage Augmentation

Phase 2

Reward:

• Solstice Poster plans
• Abyssal Poster plans
• Territories Poster plans

Rendezvous 2 – Reach the second rendezvous point.

Note: Follow the same process as Rendezvous 1. This time, the planet is called Joycer.

• 1,000 Nanites
• Exosuit Expansion Unit
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot
• Storage Augmentation

Mad Science – Genetically modify a companion egg.

Note: For this objective, you’ll need to visit the Space Anomaly and use the Egg Sequencer onboard. It will ask you to add ingredients to change the genetic properties of your egg. It doesn’t really matter what you add here; as long as you successfully modify the egg’s genetic information, you should complete the objective.

Reward:

• NipNip Buds x3
• Supreme Life Support Upgrade

Swarmed – Amass a group of 10 tamed creatures.

Note: For this objective, you want to find a large group of creatures and feed them all Creature Pellets. When enough of them are fed, they’ll register as “tame” and you’ll complete the objective.

Reward:

• Waveform Recycler plans
• Advanced Mining Laser plans
• Optical Drill plans

Ornithology – Discover 10 flying creatures.

Note: Simply scan 10 flying creatures and you should complete the objective. I should point out that this means different types of flying creatures. Most planets only have one to two types of flying creatures, so you’ll have to do this across multiple planets.

Reward:

• Supreme Movement System Upgrade
• Supreme Scanning System Upgrade
• Phosphorous x150
• Airburst Engine plans

Digestive Analysis – Search 50 dung samples.

Note: For this objective, you want to feed Creature Pellets to random critters on a planetary surface. Wait a little bit (like a minute or so), and they’ll drop a bit of faecium (which will be marked with a poop icon). Just go and pick up 50 pieces of faecium to complete this objective.

Reward:

• Haz-Mat Gauntlet plans
• Suspicious Packet (Goods)
• Supreme Defensive Systems Upgrade
• 1,024 Nanites

Terrestrial Snaps – Take a photo of a group of 10 ground creatures.

Note: You might want to do this at the same time as the “Swarmed” objective. You’ll need to feed animals until they are “tame,” then gather 10 of them close enough that you can snap a photo of all of them (using the game’s Photo Mode feature).

Reward:

• Supreme Hyperdrive Upgrade
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot x5

Sightseer – Explore 5 specific environments.

Note: For this objective, you’ll have to visit several different worlds. There are different biome types, such as Lush, Volcanic, Toxic, etc. You’ll just need to set foot on five different biome types and you should complete the objective.

Reward:

• Magnetized Ferrite x999
• Chromatic Metal x999
• Exosuit Expansion Unit x3
• Defense Chit x5

Enduring Friendship – Earn 100% trust with any companion.

Note: This one actually takes a bit of time. You’re going to need to have a companion (by taming a creature and then adding it to your companions menu), then keep feeding it and petting it until it trusts you completely. If you want to see the trust level of your companion, you’ll need to scan it.

Reward:

• Atlas Pass set
• Specialized warp blueprints

Phase 3

Reward:

• Exotic Armour companion customization

Rendezvous 3 – Reach the third rendezvous point.

Note: This is the same process as finding Rendezvous Points 1 and 2. This time, the planet is called New Muleighle.

Reward:

• 1,000 Nanites
• Exosuit Expansion Unit
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot
• Storage Augmentation

Best-Laid Plans – Acquire 3 types of eggs from friendly creatures.

Note: These are not eggs that you’d collect from your companion. These must be harvested from non-tamed animals. The three egg types are:

• Creature Eggs
• Giant Eggs
• Tall Eggs

Here’s a great video that breaks down milk and egg types (and gives you specific locations related to this expedition).

Reward:

• Nutrient Processor plans
• Larval Core x5

Wild Dairy – Acquire 4 types of milk from friendly creatures.

Note: The types of milk are:

• Craw Milk
• Fresh Milk
• Proto-Milk
• Wild Milk

The type of milk you get depends on the creature type that you’re trying to milk. Proto-Milk, for example, comes from those weird teddy-bear-looking creatures. Here’s a great video that breaks down milk and egg types (and gives you specific locations related to this expedition).

Reward:

• Refined Flour x16
• Processed Sugar x16
• Synthetic Honey x16

Sweet Tooth – Bake a delicious cake product.

Note: If you do the “Wild Dairy” objective, you should already have the ingredients you need in order to bake a cake product (using your Nutrient Processor — you’ll receive the plans for the Nutrient Processor when you complete the “Best-Laid Plans” objective). You can see a full list of cake recipes here.

Reward:

• Domestic base parts blueprint

A Discerning Palate – Present Cronus with an outstanding cooking product.

Note: Iteration Cronus is the dude who looks like he has a watermelon for a head. He hangs out in the Space Anomoly, and you can give him any food product that you’ve made in the Nutrient Processor. Based on the rating he gives you, you will receive nanites. There is some randomization to this process, but you really just want to give him something that he will rate highly. The go-to for this tends to be Mystery Meat Stew, because it’s super easy to make. You can also try giving him your cake, since you should have made that by now.

Here’s a video that explains the process of making Mystery Meat Stew.

Reward:

• Assortment of cakes

Phase 4

Reward:

• Exotic Wingpack customization

Rendezvous 4 – Reach the fourth rendezvous point.

Note: You know the drill. This time, the planet is called New Owle.

Reward:

• 1,000 Nanites
• Exosuit Expansion Unit
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot
• Storage Augmentation

Coleopterology – Adopt a beetle companion.

Reward:

• Nautilon Chamber plans
• Nautilon Advanced Equipment Blueprints
• Submarine Drive Upgrade

Companionship – Adopt 3 animal companions.

Reward:

• Powerful Underwater Oxygen Upgrade x2
• Oxygen x1,234

Eyes in the Reeds – Discover creatures on a swamp world.

Reward:

• Supreme Hazard Protection Upgrade
• Ion Battery x25

Marine Biology – Discover 10 aquatic creatures.

Reward:

• Terrifying Sample
• Supreme Scanning System Upgrade
• Lost Bathysphere

What Lurks Below – Survive the clutches of a deep-sea horror.

Reward:

• Supreme Boltcaster Upgrade
• Supreme Neutron Cannon Upgrade
• Supreme Blaze Javelin Upgrade
• Weapon blueprints

Valuable Data – Earn 200,000 units for discovering a creature.

Reward:

• 600 Quicksilver
• Exosuit Expansion Unit x3

Phase 5

Reward:

• Title: “Exobiologist”
• Exobiology Expedition Decal plans
• Exobiology Expedition Banner customization

Rendezvous 5 – Reach the final rendezvous point.

Note: This time, the planet is called Enagory Jiyos.

Reward:

• 1,000 Nanites
• Exosuit Expansion Unit
• Multi-Tool Expansion Slot
• Storage Augmentation

A Crowded Universe – Visit a planet with 13 or more species of fauna.

Reward:

• Triple Burst Firework x10
• Dual Chrome Firework: x10
• 300s Jetpack Power Surge

Wingspan – Fly on a companion 4,000u.

Reward:

• Rocket Boots plans

Xenobiology – Discover 5 exotic creatures.

Reward:

• 450 Nanites
• Assorted glitches

Famous Explorer – Earn Explorers Guild standing 16.

Reward:

• Repair Kit x5
• Navigation Data x15
• Albumen Pearl x5

Ancestors – Excavate 15 fossils.

Reward:

• 750,000 units
• Deep-Space Lure plans

Recognisable Life – Meet a deep-space sentience.

Reward:

• Anomoly Detector x3
• Emergency Broadcast Receiver x3
• Supreme Hyperdrive Upgrade

Final Phase

Turn in all five phases to claim the final reward.

Reward:

• Sentinel Quad Companion Egg