Hunting Avichea (and other animals) without lures, a short guide

[Angwah]

Many people seem to struggle with this, so let us share ways to get this done with a minimum of hassle.

Oh, and yes, I am aware that many here consider the hunting an abomination and how asking for specific tags, or even Son tokens in general for ranking up a mistake on the part of DE. That is fine, but let us try and keep the thread focused on getting past this hurdle as fast and painless as possible.

First off, especially for the common avichea, do not bother with the lures. It really is faster, and a great deal more bug-free if you just go for the free-roaming ones. I advise going solo, not public. Hop into AW and equip the tranq rifle. While aiming it makes a beeping sound if animals are close and highlights them in orange, even through obstacles, blinking in tune with the beeping. The flying bastards are little however, so not always easy to spot. Be patient. If the rifle beeps, there is always an animal to be found in my experience.

Also, a friendly reminder to be careful when coming out of AW. Look up or a good bit away from the sleeping bugs. They are fragile.

The parts highlighted in yellow is where I regularly find avichea. Just approach Cerebrum from above. A group is sometimes found flying just above it. I've also found them just to the south of Cerebrum Magna, and along the southern edge to just beyond Infested Seraglio. A second spot is the western edge at Daemos Terminus.

The birds are not exactly a common spawn, so no guarantees, but even if they are not there, moving away far enough, 2 or 3 blinks gives another opportunity to spawn. Daemos Terminus is far enough, so after checking there, you can return to Cerebrum.

I usually do a couple of checks between bounty objectives, or at the end of a bounty. For example just did one, and wasn't rushing and picking up stuff and fishing when I came across some:

Now, the above is doubled with a resource booster, but I also tagged the other animals I encountered and as said before, did a bounty at a leisurely pace. 

If you want a hunting trip for all animals, not just avichea, just do a circle around the map, just a bit beyond the edge looking in (to minimize flying face huggers expressing their affection) and dip into the map to check the Cerebrum. You will be swimming in tags before long! Oh, and predasite types change depending on the cycle. During the red worm time you find pharaoh predasites and during blue it's medjay predasites, which you'll also need for rank 3.

Anyway, hope it helps and if others have more tips for good hunting spots or ways to do this efficiently, please share!

[(PSN)Glitschig]

Thanks for this.  I've been doing the same and just to report, I am swimming in medjay and lots of other things but have only got 3 avichea and a handful of the Browning cyro things. I guess it's just dumb luck or RNG.  Have not used booster or lure to this point.  

[Tesseract7777]

I will try this when I get off work, thanks. 

I kept using the lure at Cerebrum Magna and it kept getting stuck in the walls. I was going to try Magus Anomaly, but I'll give this a shot first. I have been having trouble finding them in the air, but maybe my graphics are set too low and that is making it difficult? Plus I usually play with little or no volume, so I'll try listening for the beeps on the tranq rifle too.

[(PSN)Glitschig]

30 minutes ago, Tesseract7777 said:

I will try this when I get off work, thanks. 

I kept using the lure at Cerebrum Magna and it kept getting stuck in the walls. I was going to try Magus Anomaly, but I'll give this a shot first. I have been having trouble finding them in the air, but maybe my graphics are set too low and that is making it difficult? Plus I usually play with little or no volume, so I'll try listening for the beeps on the tranq rifle too.

I just got three without a lure and I noticed it was the same as how I got them yesterday.

Right after the blue wyrm like the orange/yellow wyrm, go the "brain" in the cerebrum magna area.  At the base of the brain is an overhang looking like spinal cord or branches.  Three were sitting in the stem two days in a row now.  Hope it helps. 

[Angwah]

Yeah, Cerebrum Magna and Daemos Terminus are the two best places for avichea I found for sure.

Of course RNG still plays a role and last bounty I only got 3 group spawns sporule avichea, not the common ones, so eh.

[_Blackeye_]

Best tip ever!!!!!

[Lion]

Super grateful for this. Granted the little buggers are still super hard to find lol but I've caught a couple more after reading this

[Kconvey]

2 hours ago, Angwah said:

Many people seem to struggle with this, so let us share ways to get this done with a minimum of hassle.

Oh, and yes, I am aware that many here consider the hunting an abomination and how asking for specific tags, or even Son tokens in general for ranking up a mistake on the part of DE. That is fine, but let us try and keep the thread focused on getting past this hurdle as fast and painless as possible.

First off, especially for the common avichea, do not bother with the lures. It really is faster, and a great deal more bug-free if you just go for the free-roaming ones. I advise going solo, not public. Hop into AW and equip the tranq rifle. While aiming it makes a beeping sound if animals are close and highlights them in orange, even through obstacles, blinking in tune with the beeping. The flying bastards are little however, so not always easy to spot. Be patient. If the rifle beeps, there is always an animal to be found in my experience.

Also, a friendly reminder to be careful when coming out of AW. Look up or a good bit away from the sleeping bugs. They are fragile.

The parts highlighted in yellow is where I regularly find avichea. Just approach Cerebrum from above. A group is sometimes found flying just above it. I've also found them just to the south of Cerebrum Magna, and along the southern edge to just beyond Infested Seraglio. A second spot is the western edge at Daemos Terminus.

The birds are not exactly a common spawn, so no guarantees, but even if they are not there, moving away far enough, 2 or 3 blinks gives another opportunity to spawn. Daemos Terminus is far enough, so after checking there, you can return to Cerebrum.

I usually do a couple of checks between bounty objectives, or at the end of a bounty. For example just did one, and wasn't rushing and picking up stuff and fishing when I came across some:

Now, the above is doubled with a resource booster, but I also tagged the other animals I encountered and as said before, did a bounty at a leisurely pace. 

If you want a hunting trip for all animals, not just avichea, just do a circle around the map, just a bit beyond the edge looking in (to minimize flying face huggers expressing their affection) and dip into the map to check the Cerebrum. You will be swimming in tags before long! Oh, and predasite types change depending on the cycle. During the red worm time you find pharaoh predasites and during blue it's medjay predasites, which you'll also need for rank 3.

Anyway, hope it helps and if others have more tips for good hunting spots or ways to do this efficiently, please share!

If you are buying a booster, you might as well just buy the tags directly.

[(PSN)Hikuro-93]

Oh so they do spawn in the wild? Good to know. Good job, OP. 😃

[Tesseract7777]

8 minutes ago, Kconvey said:

If you are buying a booster, you might as well just buy the tags directly.

Some people already just have boosters pretty much running all the time though as a matter of habit, so it isn't exactly an extra expense. Not saying that is the case with this player, but he didn't say he bought it specifically just for tags. 

[Angwah]

37 minutes ago, Kconvey said:

If you are buying a booster, you might as well just buy the tags directly.

 

27 minutes ago, Tesseract7777 said:

Some people already just have boosters pretty much running all the time though as a matter of habit, so it isn't exactly an extra expense. Not saying that is the case with this player, but he didn't say he bought it specifically just for tags. 

Yup, I always have a resource booster running. I certainly would not recommend getting one specifically for these tags if you don't have one, though, as an aside, if your monthly platinum income leaves room for it, I find the big ones to be well worth their cost.

[Kconvey]

1 minute ago, Angwah said:

 

Yup, I always have a resource booster running. I certainly would not recommend getting one specifically for these tags if you don't have one, though, as an aside, if your monthly platinum income leaves room for it, I find the big ones to be well worth their cost.

Yeah I dont like that they are starting to flirt very very close to pay2win lately.

 

[Angwah]

18 minutes ago, (XB1)TyeGoo said:

Where can I find the Panzer kavat thingies 🤔

They can spawn whereever the common ones spawn, so all over the place. I've caught 4, so they're definitely out there! Now, the medjay and pharao predasites only appear in their specfic day/night cycle, so perhaps there is a similar thing going on with the panzers and crescents?

Anyone noticed a pattern with them?

[(PSN)Ravenger-MRIB]

Yeah, just figured this out myself and put out a short hint video.  I've had great luck with pretty much all the spawns, save the birds, in the Gutter area.  Though you have to be careful with vilocepod as if they're over the "water" it can cause them to fall through the world. Thanks for showing the Avichea areas, it'll definitely make this easier.

[-CdG-Zilchy]

13 hours ago, Tesseract7777 said:

I will try this when I get off work, thanks. 

I kept using the lure at Cerebrum Magna and it kept getting stuck in the walls. I was going to try Magus Anomaly, but I'll give this a shot first. I have been having trouble finding them in the air, but maybe my graphics are set too low and that is making it difficult? Plus I usually play with little or no volume, so I'll try listening for the beeps on the tranq rifle too.

Use Equinox and sleep them. They fall out of the wall they're stuck in.

[Tesseract7777]

Just now, -CdG-Zilchy said:

Use Equinox and sleep them. They fall out of the wall they're stuck in.

Thank you will do that as soon as I get a chance to hop in game again. I got too frustrated and stopped thinking for solutions, I needed to just take a step back and remember all the tools we have for stuff like this. 

[-CdG-Zilchy]

9 hours ago, Tesseract7777 said:

Thank you will do that as soon as I get a chance to hop in game again. I got too frustrated and stopped thinking for solutions, I needed to just take a step back and remember all the tools we have for stuff like this. 

Next trick is choose a high contrast colour for Equinox's energy colour so you can see the animal affected once you cast and can spot it easily against all the orange. I am drowning in avichea lol. Hardest to catch has been cryptilex rare strains. And yeh I've been trying to tell some people that and getting shouted at lol, just take a step back and enjoy the pretty open world. I've spent 3 hours today putting together a wild animal habitat guide for my clan mates for those who don't enjoy conservation much.

[Tonin4ABonin]

Good guide, I was doing this before people caught on to it. Yeah it could be better but it's really not that bad. 

 

https://imgur.com/a/040WECr

 

Inb4 this triggers son haters; No booster yet either, though im def going to take advantage of the one baro just brought us

[-CdG-Zilchy]

1 minute ago, Tonin4ABonin said:

Good guide, I was doing this before people caught on to it. Yeah it could be better but it's really not that bad. 

 

https://imgur.com/a/040WECr

 

Inb4 this triggers son haters; No booster yet either, though im def going to take advantage of the one baro just brought us

One of my clan mates has over 100, I'm sitting on about 70 after spending about 20.

[Tonin4ABonin]

Just now, -CdG-Zilchy said:

One of my clan mates has over 100, I'm sitting on about 70 after spending about 20.

Yeah son tokens are actually great for grandma tokens now too. Stupid easy to get, and only costs 2? Sign me up. Cause we're going to need a bunch for seirglass for the weapons at 20 each lmao

[-CdG-Zilchy]

Just now, Tonin4ABonin said:

Yeah son tokens are actually great for grandma tokens now too. Stupid easy to get, and only costs 2? Sign me up. Cause we're going to need a bunch for seirglass for the weapons at 20 each lmao

Yep that's exactly what I spent the 20 on lol, that shard.

[Tonin4ABonin]

12 minutes ago, -CdG-Zilchy said:

Yep that's exactly what I spent the 20 on lol, that shard.

Yeah it's just sad people are S#&$ting on the token system, yet I'm already sitting here with about 3 weeks or more worth of standing just waiting to be used, and i'm only going to get more resources as i play more. Systems better overall if you're willing to put a little effort in

[Angwah]

Just now, Tonin4ABonin said:

Yeah it's just sad people are S#&$ting on the token system, yet I'm already sitting here with about 3 weeks or more worth of standing just waiting to be used, and i'm only going to get more resources as i play more. Systems better overall if you're willing to put a little effort in

I agree, while there are of course bugs, Deimos is their best open world yet. The side activities are very accessible due to the compact size, animals everywhere and little details like the flying fish. Just bag some when you spot them, move on to the next objective. 

And yes, having loads of rep in the bank to cap out rep on a day you want to focus on something else is just such a comfortable feeling. They can do this for all the syndicates and while they're at it for focus as well!

[-CdG-Zilchy]

17 minutes ago, Tonin4ABonin said:

Yeah it's just sad people are S#&$ting on the token system, yet I'm already sitting here with about 3 weeks or more worth of standing just waiting to be used, and i'm only going to get more resources as i play more. Systems better overall if you're willing to put a little effort in

I don't want to admit how much standing I'm sitting on lol but it's a lot. I have a few things left to buy, all the rank ups sorted and then the companions to get. I've enjoyed it, it's pretty, more compact than Orb Vallis, animals spawn wild and the Nekralisk is beautiful. I am disappointed that DE has once again bent over backwards for people who don't even want to play their game.