Journey to the Savage Planet guide: Tips to complete every Science Experiment

Completing Journey to the Savage Planet’s Science Experiment side missions will unlock additional tiers of upgrades for your gear.

The side missions take a little work, but the upgrades are worth it. In this guide, we’ve got tips for all 15 Science Experiments, along with locations for completing them.

For Science! — Achieve Rank 2: Field Explorer

Live Samples

Approach the following live creatures and tag them using the Live Sampler.

1. Pufferbirds are the ball-shaped space chickens you encounter pretty much everywhere, but there are four in the ice cave near Landing Site // Outside the Javelin.
2. Baboushka are the little, two-headed, screaming lizards. You’ll find several along the path between Landing Site // Outside the Javelin and Landing Site // Towering Crystals.
3. Pikemanders are the big, spinning lizards. There’s one just southeast of Elevated Realm // Repaired Teleporter.

Nuke It

Kill four creatures with an Alpha Pufferbird explosion.

There are several Pufferbirds and an Alpha in the valley to the southeast after you exit the ice caves near Landing Site // Outside the Javelin. Use Bait to draw them into a tight group, and then shoot the Alpha.

Safety First

Fall 50 meters and save yourself with the Thrusters.

The only trick to this side mission is finding a tall enough cliff. We got it by going to Elevated Realm // Pillars of Xzorgana, and jumping off of the southwestern edge, down toward Elevated Realm // Xerophilous Landing.

Flight Risk

Kill 5 ground creatures while they are airborne.

All you have to do is kick Pufferbirds for this one. Again, look in the area between Landing Site // Outside the Javelin and Landing Site // Towering Crystals. Keep your aim high, and try to shoot them at the top of their arc.

Scanning

Use your scanner to document at least 25% of the planet’s ecosystem.

For Science! — Rank 3: Explorer

Live Samples 2

Approach the following live creatures and tag them using your Live Sampler.

1. Kapyena are the fast, angry, Xenomorph-like dog-things — you can tell them apart from Pikemanders by the shell covering their face and their speed. Head up the hill to the southwest of Itching Fields // Fungi of Si’ned VII.
2. Jellywaft are the floating, turquoise-colored octopus-things. There’re a few in the area after the ice caves to the south of Landing Site // Outside the Javelin.
3. Infected Pufferbird are the sickly versions of Pufferbirds with the exploding tails. The caves above and to the southwest of the Itching Fields // Festering Chasm are full of them. There’s also a bunch on a floating island to the south of Elevated Realm // Xerophilous Landing.

Corrosive Rain

Hit two creatures with the acid burst from a single dying Prime Jellywaft.

The Prime Jellywaft are the pink ones that shoot acid. Head to Itching Fields // Planetary Flotsam to find one that’s usually near a pair of regular Jellywafts. Use some bait to draw them close together.

Easy Target

Kill four creatures while they are stuck in Binding Bile within three seconds.

This one is easiest to get in conjunction with the next one. Head to the Itching Fields // Festering Chasm. Climb up onto the mushrooms overlooking the area. Drop a Bait, and then hit the Pufferbirds that gather with a Binding Bile. Since they’re amber-armored, throw a Blight Bomb, and immediately follow it with a Bombegranate.

Bomb Drop

Kill three amber-armored Pufferbirds with a single Bombegranate.

This one is easiest to get in conjunction with the previous one. Head to the Itching Fields // Festering Chasm. Climb up onto the mushrooms overlooking the area. Drop a Bait, and then hit the Pufferbirds that gather with a Binding Bile. Since they’re amber-armored, throw a Blight Bomb, and immediately follow it with a Bombegranate.

Scanning

Use your scanner to document at least 50% of the planet’s ecosystem.

For Science! — Rank 4: Senior Executive Explorer

Live Samples 3

Approach the following live creatures and tag them using the Live Sampler.

1. Slamphibian are the frog-gorilla things you find in Elevated Realm // Slamphibian Pit.
2. Schnozo are the whack-a-mole, gopher-things that pop out of smoke spouts. There’s a nest of them just a little east of Elevated Realm // Xerophilous Landing.
3. Imperial Scarabs are the giant, electrical beetles. There’s a couple right next to Elevated Realm // Xerophilous Landing.

Let’s Bounce

Kill five creatures with a single Charge Shot.

There are several Pufferbirds and an Alpha in the valley to the southeast after you exit the ice caves near Landing Site // Outside the Javelin. (This is the same place we recommended for the Nuke It Science Experiment above). Use Bait to draw them into a tight group, and then fire off your Charge Shot.

Shocking

Kill four creatures while they are shocked by lightning within three seconds.

This was the hardest for us to get. Head into the ice cave to the south of Landing Site // Outside the Javelin. Go into the room with the four Pufferbirds, and kill all four of them — they’ll respawn momentarily. Reload your pistol.

Throw down two Baits (a single Bait will only draw in three, so you need a backup), stand near the Bait on the ground, and switch to Shock Fruit. When the Pufferbirds respawn, they’ll head straight for the Bait.

As soon as you see all four, fire off the Shock Fruit. Run around the cluster. Fire off another Shock Fruit to make sure you’re shocking all four at once. Immediately empty your clip into the Pufferbirds.

Even with the video above might still take a couple tries.

I Know Karate

Kill 10 creatures in a row using only melee attacks and without getting hurt.

The easiest way to do this one is to start at Landing Site // Outside the Javelin, and work your way south through any Pufferbirds you find. Just watch out for the Alphas.

Scanning

Use your scanner to document at least 75% of the planet’s ecosystem.