To reach Senior Executive Explorer (Science Level 4) in Journey to the Savage Planet, complete each rank’s Science Experiments and meet its ecosystem-scan threshold. The checklist below follows the progression from Junior Explorer to Field Explorer, Explorer, and finally Senior Executive Explorer, with setups for the trickier combat challenges.
How Science Experiments advance your rank
Science Experiments are grouped into three sets: completing each set advances you to the next rank. Stevivor’s walkthrough says reaching Science Level 4 is necessary to craft every tool available in the game. The rank requirements below are from its guide, published January 30, 2020; game updates may affect how individual setups behave.
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For Live Samples, use the Live Sampler to tag the named fauna. For ecosystem progress, scan orange and yellow targets with the scan function (Up on the D-pad, according to Stevivor). The scan thresholds rise with each rank set.
Junior Explorer to Field Explorer
| Experiment | Requirement | How to complete it |
|---|---|---|
| Live Samples | Tag a Pufferbird, Baboushka, and Pikemander. | Pufferbirds are widespread. Look for Baboushka in the valley beyond the Outside the Javelin area, and Pikemanders around Meteor Crater. |
| Nuke It | Fill four creatures with one Alpha Pufferbird detonation. | Use Bait to gather Pufferbirds and an Alpha Pufferbird, bind them with Binding Bile, then shoot the Alpha. |
| Safety First | Fall 50 metres and save yourself with Jump Thrusters. | Use Jump Thrusters before the fall ends. |
| Flight Risk | Kill five ground creatures while they are airborne. | Kick a Pufferbird into the air, then shoot it while airborne. Repeat until you have five kills. |
| Ecosystem scan | Scan at least 25% of the planet’s ecosystem. | Scan orange and yellow targets using Up on the D-pad. |
Field Explorer to Explorer
| Experiment | Requirement | How to complete it |
|---|---|---|
| Live Samples | Tag a Kapyena, Jellywaft, and Infected Pufferbird. | Find Kapyena in Fungi of Si’ned VII, Jellywaft around Towering Crystals, and Infected Pufferbird in caves near Festering Chasm. |
| Corrosive Rain | Hit two creatures with the acid burst from one dying Prime Jellywaft. | Wait for Jellywaft to group in Planetary Flotsam, then shoot the red/pink variant so its burst hits two creatures. |
| Easy Target | Kill four creatures stuck in Binding Bile within three seconds. | Gather armored Pufferbirds, remove their armor with Blight Bombs, and trap them with Binding Bile. Finish the group with a Bombegranate. |
| Bomb Drop | Kill three amber-armored Pufferbirds with one Bombegranate. | Use the grouped-Pufferbird setup for Easy Target, then make sure the targets are amber-armored when the Bombegranate kills them. |
| Ecosystem scan | Reach 50% scanned. | Continue scanning orange and yellow targets. |
Explorer to Senior Executive Explorer
| Experiment | Requirement | How to complete it |
|---|---|---|
| Live Samples | Tag a Slamphibian, Schnozo, and Imperial Scarab. | Look in Slamphibian Pit for Slamphibians, near Elevated Realm for Schnozo, and at Xerophilous Landing for Imperial Scarabs. |
| Let’s Bounce | Kill five creatures with one Charge Shot. | Upgrade the gun to Bounce Bomb. Gather four Pufferbirds and an Alpha Pufferbird beyond the first cave near Outside the Javelin, shock them with Shock Fruit, then fire a charged shot. |
| Shocking | Kill four creatures while they are shocked by lightning within three seconds. | Use the grouped-creature setup for Let’s Bounce. Shock the group with Shock Fruit and attack while the targets remain shocked. |
| I Know Karate | Kill ten creatures in a row using only melee attacks without taking damage. | Try the first cave in Outside the Javelin, where Pufferbirds respawn. Melee them one at a time, avoid all damage, and do not use ranged attacks during the streak. |
| Ecosystem scan | Reach 75% scanned. | Keep scanning orange and yellow targets until the threshold is met. |
Set up the multi-creature challenges
Group enemies before triggering the kill
For Nuke It, Easy Target, Bomb Drop, Let’s Bounce, and Shocking, the key is to gather enough eligible creatures close together before using the required attack. Bait helps attract Pufferbirds; Binding Bile holds targets in place for the relevant experiments. For Bomb Drop, preserve the amber armor requirement rather than using the Blight Bomb armor-removal step intended for Easy Target.
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- 2-PLAYER ONLINE CO-OP: Play solo or bring a friend. Onward to adventure!
- EXPLORE, FIGHT & CATALOG: Survey 4 different Biomes on Planet AR-Y 26. Scan and catalog alien flora and fauna at your own pace.
- Discover 30+ creatures, each with unique behaviors, threats, and abilities. Complete player-driven quests while uncovering hundreds of collectibles and secrets along the way.
- UPGRADE TO ADVANCE: Access new areas by upgrading your tools including a laser pistol, a rocket pack for boost jumps, rocket boots for swift descents and more. Your trusty 3D printer will turn any old space trash you discover into useful items!
- UNCOVER THE MYSTERY: Are you truly alone? Solve the mystery to complete your survey of the planet.
Apply the required effect, then use the finishing attack
Each challenge counts a specific condition: the Alpha Pufferbird explosion for Nuke It, a dying Prime Jellywaft’s acid burst for Corrosive Rain, Binding Bile for Easy Target, a single Bombegranate for Bomb Drop, a Charge Shot for Let’s Bounce, and lightning shock for Shocking. Prepare the group first, apply the required effect where needed, and use the finishing attack while the targets still meet the condition.
Keep the melee streak separate
I Know Karate is a consecutive no-damage melee challenge, not a group-kill task. The cited guide recommends the Pufferbird respawn location in the first cave in Outside the Javelin and taking enemies one at a time. Ranged kills or taking damage can break the run.
Rank #2
- 2-Player online co-op: play solo or bring a friend. Onward to adventure!
- explore, fight & catalog: Survey 4 different biomes on planet ar-y 26
- scan and catalog alien flora and fauna at your own pace
- discover 30+ creatures, each with unique behaviors, threats, and abilities
- complete player-driven quests while uncovering hundreds of collectibles and secrets along the way
Source notes
The rank-by-rank requirements and locations here are based primarily on Stevivor’s January 30, 2020 walkthrough. The community Wiki.gg Ranks page, accessed October 8, 2026, corroborates several later experiment names and descriptions, but it says the page needs more information and has incomplete lower-rank tables. Steam’s listing identifies Journey To The Savage Planet as a game by developer Typhoon and publisher 505 Games, with single-player and online co-op features: Steam store page.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- Real scientific deduction: Use the companion app to survey for objects and apply logic rules to deduce Planet X's location like an actual astronomer conducting genuine cosmic investigation
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- Strategic publishing system: Publish theories and conduct searches once you believe you've solved the puzzle, creating multiple decision points that reward careful observation and logical deduction
- Perfect for group discovery: Designed for one to four players ages thirteen and up to collaborate or compete in sixty to seventy-five minutes, making it ideal for game night with friends or family
- Trusted designer pedigree: Created by acclaimed designers Ben Rosset and Matthew O'Malley with beautiful artwork, published by Renegade Game Studios, a respected name in modern strategy board games
Rank #3
- ERKUNDEN, KÄMPFEN & KATALOGISIEREN: Erkunde vier verschiedene Biome auf Planet AR-Y 26. Scanne und katalogisiere die fremde Flora und Fauna in deinem Tempo. Entdecke mehr als 30 Kreaturen mit einzigartigen Verhaltensmustern und Fähigkeiten, die unterschiedlich gefährlich sein können. Schließe spielergesteuerte Quests ab und entdecke zugleich Hunderte von Sammlerstücken und Geheimnissen.
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- DAS RÄTSEL LÖSEN: Bist du wirklich allein? Löse das Rätsel, um die Erforschung des Planeten abzuschließen.
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