4Game

Tissue sampling is potentially an extremely effective method of repelling systems under Thargoid alert, with some tests showing that alert systems can gain a pip with <10 samples. Sampling also presents a much more effective method of saving alert systems since one can just jump to a nearby invasion system, get hyperdicted, and proceed to constantly take bites out of the Thargoid until running out of limpets or shield. This procedure is much easier/faster to carry out than hunting the elusive Orthrus. However, sampling suffers two major issues.

When sampling, research limpets attach to the Thargoid's rear, ending up surrounded by its rear petals that are somewhat perpendicular to the main body. When the limpets detach, the Thargoid interceptor tends to be strafing or moving drifting backward, causing the rear petals or main body of the Thargoid to smash into the limpets and destroying the tissue sample. The same happens when sampling scouts. The only time research limpets are successful is if the Thargoid happens to moving directly forward when the limpets detach, allowing the Thargoid to clear the limpets and Tissue sample without collision. This is up to RNG, making it extremely frustrating as only a small fraction (1/10 in my experience) of total launched limpets ever successfully retrieving a sample.

Methods to solve this may include just buffing tissue sample hull values by extreme amounts to allow them to withstand collisions, or subtly teleporting the limpets 50-100m away from a Thargoid when they complete.

Sampling also provides very little personal gain. While potentially an effective task, there is not much incentive to perform it. The payout for samples is extremely low for the time investment (~5k per sample with about 30-50 samples an hour) when killing Thargoids in an AX CZ can yield >100M/hr.

Even if it is not intended to be used in alert systems, it still has potential in Thargoid invasion and controlled systems.

TLDR: Tissue sampling requires RNGesus and has very little payout