Any tips to Discover all Planet Minerals and Flora?

[icepurple]

Finding all the fauna is usually not that difficult, just a matter of will or patience. The game gives you also hints on where you may find the missing animal on the catalog under discoveries. Until here, no issues.

Different story is discovering all the rest. I usually just give up an move to next planet or task because I run out of ideas for how to fin those and there are no clues how to find what's missing. Not to mention, some minerals or flora may have the same skin/design of one previously scanned, just with different name...

Currently I have only one missing plant where I've settled my new base.

[Barmy Nimrod]

If there was a special reward worthy of doing a complete scan I might consider doing it. With scanner upgrades, you do get a boost in units for scanning flora and fauna. Plus the big nanite payout for scanning all Fauna. But there is no advantage I'm aware of for scanning minerals, just a minimal unit payout. I don't even bother scanning minerals. And as my wealth in Units passes 1B. I stop scanning flora as well.

[icepurple]

Yeah, I also don't bother scanning minerals for rewards. Thing is, I just wanted for once to get that achievement.

Problem is, I've never been able to get it even with intentions. I always end up short of the last few minerals or flora missing...

[Barmy Nimrod]

Originally posted by icepurple:

Yeah, I also don't bother scanning minerals for rewards. Thing is, I just wanted for once to get that achievement.

Problem is, I've never been able to get it even with intentions. I always end up short of the last few minerals or flora missing...

For the achievement I used a dead moon. Very few flora and minimal minerals. Just a pain that many minerals look the same. The distribution is more constant and little interference with POIs.

[Comradovich]

Let's use an example planet. So, the Expedition 5 setting has a system you must visit on the expedition called Eystem XIX. In this system, the barren planet is named Stand with Ukraine. Still with me? There's only one fauna, it looks like a moving series of erupting light geysers, can't miss it.

For flora:
1. D. Wortloyncis is an Oxygen plant.
2. T. Herbinhokeum is also an Oxygen plant. (One grows singly, the other grows in patches).
3. Z. Portirtus is the rare spawning Sodium plant. (There seems to be only one sodium plant type, usually there's two).
4. P. Sowitsaium is a cave marrow plant with 4 tendrils.
5. T. Herbinhokeum, (no, that's not a mistake, there's 2 plants with the same name), is a normal cave marrow.
6. R. Washinqus looks like a floating basketball.
7. O. Nutmuzium looks like a squashed floating basketball.

Now, moving on to the 11 minerals.
1. Hedite - small boulder (probably found on a peak environment).
2. Pauflerite - looks like a squashed boulder that's red on top, also found on a peak.
3. Tavauite - two tone boulder - might be peak... peaks usually have 3-4 minerals.
4. Lizarite - purple shaded, looks like a chopped off cobalt column
5. Ebigcreite - purple shaded cobalt column in caves
6. Pabswurmite - looks like rubble on the surface
7. Hizeraite - looks like a puddle that's dripping upward.
8. Nidiobite - looks exactly like Hizeraite.
9. Cogedricite - looks like a light geyser
10. Ebigcreite - (Another shared name), this one looks like a puddle dripping upward that has covered up a basketball.
11. Free Ukraine - Imagine if you took Hizeraite/Nidiobite and floated a Cogedricite on top of it. It's got a beam of light aimed straight up, can't miss it.

Here's what we've learned:
1. Peaks exist even on barren planets, they've got 3-4 minerals on top of them. Looks like a burn scar from a wildfire if you're wandering around.
2. Caves exist pretty much on every planet, so cave marrow probably exists in at least one or two forms here. (Sometimes underwater caves are considered separate biomes with new plants/minerals). I often see two almost identical cave marrow plants on a given planet.
3. All of the pickable flowers, (the plants that give you free resources when you click them), can exist on a planet and may come in a single and patch variety. These are easy to find, because your scanner will point them out to you. This planet was weird because it lacked a Deuterium rich plant (jetpack fuel). Usually, there's two types of these on a planet. I can assume that the microgravity probably should've been a clue that it wasn't going to exist here. It was also odd having only one sodium plant.
4. You also have minerals and plants with repeated names, and sometimes that look exactly alike. Try scanning things you've already looked at just in case.
5. This planet lacked hazardous flora, (the cave ones never count), but you can usually find two of each type on a planet. (Expanding gas spore, whip plant, big flytrap). Just because you've already looked at one of these doesn't mean there isn't an exact copy of it with a different name.

Also, be advised that sometimes the checklist is completely wrong. I've gotten 26/21 minerals on a planet before. It greened out and just kept counting higher.

[lordoftheapes79]

Patience.

[taniwhat]

I like exotic worlds :), 1 fauna, often only 1 or 2 flora and a few rocks.

[icepurple]

Originally posted by Comradovich:

Let's use an example planet. So, the Expedition 5 setting has a system you must visit on the expedition called Eystem XIX. In this system, the barren planet is named Stand with Ukraine. Still with me? There's only one fauna, it looks like a moving series of erupting light geysers, can't miss it.

For flora:
1. D. Wortloyncis is an Oxygen plant.
2. T. Herbinhokeum is also an Oxygen plant. (One grows singly, the other grows in patches).
3. Z. Portirtus is the rare spawning Sodium plant. (There seems to be only one sodium plant type, usually there's two).
4. P. Sowitsaium is a cave marrow plant with 4 tendrils.
5. T. Herbinhokeum, (no, that's not a mistake, there's 2 plants with the same name), is a normal cave marrow.
6. R. Washinqus looks like a floating basketball.
7. O. Nutmuzium looks like a squashed floating basketball.

Now, moving on to the 11 minerals.
1. Hedite - small boulder (probably found on a peak environment).
2. Pauflerite - looks like a squashed boulder that's red on top, also found on a peak.
3. Tavauite - two tone boulder - might be peak... peaks usually have 3-4 minerals.
4. Lizarite - purple shaded, looks like a chopped off cobalt column
5. Ebigcreite - purple shaded cobalt column in caves
6. Pabswurmite - looks like rubble on the surface
7. Hizeraite - looks like a puddle that's dripping upward.
8. Nidiobite - looks exactly like Hizeraite.
9. Cogedricite - looks like a light geyser
10. Ebigcreite - (Another shared name), this one looks like a puddle dripping upward that has covered up a basketball.
11. Free Ukraine - Imagine if you took Hizeraite/Nidiobite and floated a Cogedricite on top of it. It's got a beam of light aimed straight up, can't miss it.

Here's what we've learned:
1. Peaks exist even on barren planets, they've got 3-4 minerals on top of them. Looks like a burn scar from a wildfire if you're wandering around.
2. Caves exist pretty much on every planet, so cave marrow probably exists in at least one or two forms here. (Sometimes underwater caves are considered separate biomes with new plants/minerals). I often see two almost identical cave marrow plants on a given planet.
3. All of the pickable flowers, (the plants that give you free resources when you click them), can exist on a planet and may come in a single and patch variety. These are easy to find, because your scanner will point them out to you. This planet was weird because it lacked a Deuterium rich plant (jetpack fuel). Usually, there's two types of these on a planet. I can assume that the microgravity probably should've been a clue that it wasn't going to exist here. It was also odd having only one sodium plant.
4. You also have minerals and plants with repeated names, and sometimes that look exactly alike. Try scanning things you've already looked at just in case.
5. This planet lacked hazardous flora, (the cave ones never count), but you can usually find two of each type on a planet. (Expanding gas spore, whip plant, big flytrap). Just because you've already looked at one of these doesn't mean there isn't an exact copy of it with a different name.

Also, be advised that sometimes the checklist is completely wrong. I've gotten 26/21 minerals on a planet before. It greened out and just kept counting higher.

Thanks for the very detailed explanation and hints. And everyone who submitted other ideas.

As I thought, getting the achievements with minerals and flora is more of an headache than fun.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that these achievements also increase the progression bar for the "Community Research" task, which unlocks tier 2 and 3 collectibles with quicksilver. I'm with 800+++ hours played in this game, and haven't unlocked yet that damn tier 3. Now I think I might know why.

And no, don't tell me about nexus missions, they are too boring and repetitive, just like those in the space station. If I'm correct, just by uploading discoveries on the planet and get achievements you could achieve tier 3. But making near impossible to find all minerals and flora (unless you target specific planets) sucks.

Sean... cough, cough, cough...

[icepurple]

Update

Went to an empty, airless planet, no fauna, no water.

Plants 7/7, finally! Yey!

But? No achievements triggered or Milestone given. Went to look in thee catalog, and for some reasons only Fauna is rewarded.

And the Minerals? Same story but, guess what?

Minerals 10/11.

Spent an hour looking every where for ONLY that tiny ( probably) missing rock. Gave up.

Thanks anyway guys,,, I just won't bother again with this.

[Gaxel]

The only milestone/achievement is for finding all fauna
However with a full upgraded scanner (three S class upgrades) flora gives a lot of units too just to be scan, less then fauna, but a lot anyway.

Rock and fauna otherwise are useful to be scan only for get the secondary element on them and then get a lot, and I mean a lot, of resources just mining a few seconds from the ship.

[Comradovich]

Yeah, I posted the hints with the idea that everyone has probably looked at their Exploration Guide secondary mission at least once and went: "Well, it's just 2-3 more. How hard could it be?" Then you actually spend the multiple hours to finish it and gain... nothing.

I mean, exploration is a super popular play style. Maybe someone out there is going for max on every planet they come to. Me, I go for max fauna and call it good. Free nanites are sometimes worth it.

[periurban]

Use the force. Look.

[taniwhat]

And repeating the hint I dropped earlier.

Visit exotic worlds, they are easier to find than all the animals on some world. Only one fauna type and it's usually reasonably common. Doing that I found quite a bit easier than the endless snark hunt needed to get the achievement the obvious way.

[icepurple]

Supposedly, also discovering minerals and flora is mean to incentive the exploration of the planet, which is the primary focus of this game. Exploration.

For reasons that I cant know, these two have been left... ahm... unpolished may I say?

Under Discoveries Catalog, for the fauna, the missing animal appears on blank square with info where it may be found at given planet. But this is not the case for the last 2, why?

Sean... Sean...

[Tesityr]

If I may, I have the Achievements where I scanned all planet 1 time and 7 times - but I am not going out of my way to get the '10 times' one... The way I did it was a few times just by playing and exploring (I like to leave bases on planets in case people ever visit there and need to stop/eat/resupply/etc), and I did it on purpose a few times by running around in an area; but this way you only get like 5/7 or 6/7 things... so what I did was, is get into my ship and fly just outside the planet atmosphere (the speed of the ship will increase greatly once in space) and then fly a bit around the planet (halfway around or less) and then fly back onto the planet. This way, I would be in a totally different area (usually) - this helped my find the new animals to complete the achievement. Maybe it can help you. GL with it ~T

[frazzled]

Don't forget to examine caves for plants and minerals.
Don't forget to explore underwater for plants and minerals.
Don't forget that hazardous plants are still plants.
Don't forget that the red, yellow and blue "special" plants (for oxygen, sodium, etc) are also plants.

And finally, sometimes there is that one underwater species that you just might not be able to find. Many think this is bug. Happily, I've never encountered that during a Nexus mission.