Tl;dr: Fly the Viper MK IV for exo-exploration without a carrier.
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I’ve come to realize that exobiology sucks when you can’t quickly land on rough terrain.
You will end up finding first footfall planets with high payout exo that have mountains all over the place. So what should you fly?
I spent the evening landing ships on the highest pic near I Sola Prospect, or tried to land them as close as possible from it. Here’s how they rank:
Perfect: Both Eagles, both Vipers, the Sidewinder
Decent: Hauler and Adder
Passable: Imperial Courier
Forget it: Everything else
Taking this into account, as well as internals and cockpit visibility, the two best ships for exobiology are:
The Imperial Eagle if you travel with a carrier.
The Viper Mk IV if you don’t.
I don’t have a carrier so it’s Viper Mk IV for me.
Note that with both ships you disembark at the front.
