Cosmic Exploration

“

Searchingway wants you to join the Cosmic Exploration Initiative! Research and develop cutting-edge artisan's tools, all the while furthering the team's preparations for a maiden voyage to stars yet uncharted!

— Patch 7.2 Special Site

Cosmic Exploration is an "lifestyle content" released in patch 7.21 during the Dawntrail expansion. Unlike Island Sanctuary, there is a greater emphasis on multiplayer activities in a similar vein as Ishgardian Restoration.

Players can able to explore and develop the surfaces of different planets by working with the Loporrits. New planets will be implemented with later patches. The first planet is the surface of the moon, where the goal is to build a spaceship launch station to explore other planets.

The content is designed for crafters and gatherers. The level 100 series of Relic Tools: Cosmic Tools, is tied to Cosmic Exploration.

Unlock

Quest: A Cosmic Homecoming
Class / Level: Disciple of the Hand or Land level 10+
Location: Old Sharlayan (X:12.6, Y:13.6)
Quest-starter: Namingway
Prerequisite: Players must first complete the main scenario quest Endwalker

Zones

Sinus Ardorum
??? (patch 7.3x)
??? (patch 7.4x)
??? (patch 7.5x)

Zones are non-instanced areas consisting of a base camp and an area for gathering resources. Players may only enter Cosmic Exploration zones in their home server, and development of each planet is server-specific.

Once unlocked, players can travel to Sinus Ardorum at any time by speaking with Drivingway in Mare Lamentorum (X:21.9 Y:13.2).

Interface

Exotablet

The exotablet interface provides a list of options and tracks how much Cosmic Exploration currency the player has. This is similar to the Islekeep's Index in Island Sanctuary.

There is a separate inventory for Cosmic Exploration items.

Infrastructure Index

Shows the current status of cosmic exploration.

By completing stellar missions, progress will increase. Once the progress gauge has been filled and the respective project completed, cosmic exploration will proceed to the next stage.

As cosmic exploration proceeds, new types of stellar missions will be added alongside different facilities, such as the Cosmoliner, a means of speedy transportation.

Missions

For a list of missions, please see the individual Cosmic Exploration zone pages.

Stellar Missions

Stellar missions are requests issued to procure necessary materials for cosmic exploration.

Players may accept stellar missions via the exotablet. Completion of stellar missions increases overall progress and unlocks more advanced stellar missions. Missions are scored by three ranks: gold, silver, and bronze. Obtaining a higher score will result in greater returns.

Furthermore, stellar missions are quest synced, ensuring that rewards and difficulty level are distributed appropriately given a player's current level.

After initiating a stellar mission, the following features can be accessed from the Mission in Progress widget:

Cosmopouch: The cosmopouch is an exclusive inventory reserved for supplies, crafted items, and gathered materials used in cosmic exploration.
Cosmic Crafting Log: The cosmic crafting log enables Disciples of the Hand to craft items for stellar missions.
Stellar Reduction: Stellar Reduction enables Disciples of the Land to aetherially reduce items for stellar missions.

Alongside basic missions exist provisional missions and critical missions. Completing the latter two will yield greater rewards than basic missions.

Provisional Missions

Sequential Missions: These missions will become available for five minutes after completing certain stellar missions with a gold star rank. Sequential missions are created from a variety of missions, and completing them with the highest score possible will cause more to appear.
Weather-restricted Missions/Time-restricted Missions: These missions are available during certain times or weather conditions.

Critical Missions

Critical missions become available during red alerts.

When a red alert is issued, two gauges will appear at the top of the screen to symbolize progress made for the classes in current demand.

Players may complete critical missions for the designated classes as many times as they choose, earning greater rewards than normal. Each time a critical mission is completed, the respective alert gauge will increase. By cooperating with other players, both gauges may be filled within the time limit, resolving the red alert and granting bonus rewards for all who contributed.

If both gauges are not filled within the allotted time, fewer bonus rewards will be distributed to contributors.

Mech Ops

Mech ops are large-scale directives issued in Sinus Ardorum that make use of special mechs to complete objectives at designated intervals.

Players may participate as either pilots or ground support.

Piloting a mech

When a mech op directive is issued, players may use their exotablets to submit a pilot application, which must first be purchased with Lunar Credit lunar credits. Once the entry period has expired, five players will be selected at random from the applicants and assigned to a mech. Players who are not chosen will regain their pilot application. Furthermore, each time a player is not chosen, their chances of being chosen next time will improve.

By completing mech ops, players will obtain a variety of rewards, including tickets to participate in a special type of cosmic fortune, explained further below.

Ground Support

By traveling to the directive's location and selecting "Join Event" from the duty list, players may participate in a mech op as ground support, assisting the pilots.

By completing mech ops, players will obtain cosmic exploration-specific currency, experience points, and a bonus effect for a set number of stellar missions.

Cosmic Exploration Projects

Similar to the Ishgardian Restoration FATEs, large-scale projects will be triggered as milestones are reached in cosmic exploration.

When a project has been scheduled, a notification will be issued at the top of the screen, and after an allotted time has passed, the project will automatically commence. In order to participate, press the "Join FATE" button while in the designated location.

When a project has been completed, progress will be advanced to the next stage and changes to the field will be reflected. Participants will receive rewards dependent on contribution.

Currencies

Stellar missions, mech ops, and projects will all yield currencies exclusive to cosmic exploration.

Cosmocredit Cosmocredits

Players may exchange cosmocredits for gear, furnishings, and other items by speaking with Mesouaidonque in Sinus Ardorum (X:21.8 Y:21.8).

Lunar Credit Lunar Credits

Players may exchange lunar credits for mech op pilot applications by speaking with Alerot in Sinus Ardorum (X:22.4 Y:20.3), or use them to draw cosmic fortunes, explained below.

Stellar Successes

Players may earn rewards by contributing to cosmic exploration in certain ways.

Daily Successes are reset daily, whereas Standard Successes incorporate all contributions made to cosmic exploration. By completing these successes, players can earn rewards like cosmocredits and lunar credits.

You can confirm your current successes via the exotablet.

Cosmic Fortunes

Similar to the Kupo of Fortune in the Ishgardian Restoration, cosmic fortunes are roulettes that grant a variety of items as prizes.

Players may exchange lunar credits to draw cosmic fortunes by speaking with Orbitingway in Sinus Ardorum (X:21.8 Y:21.1). Players may pick between two roulettes with differing prizes.

Additionally, a special roulette exists for those in possession of tickets earned from piloting during a mech op.

Star Contributor Awards

Players with the highest contribution scores in their server at the end of any given ranking period are celebrated as "Star Contributors."

Calculating Player Contributions

Ranking periods become active or inactive every twenty-four hours, and reset daily at 18:00 JST / 2:00 PDT / 9:00 GMT / 20:00 AEDT.

During active ranking periods, players' contributions from stellar missions, mech ops, and projects are calculated. Players can check their current standing by speaking with Scanningway in Sinus Ardorum (X:21.2 Y:21.0).

Commendation

Star Contributors will be honored for fourteen real-life days in the following ways:

A hologram of the player will be displayed in Sinus Ardorum (X:21.1 Y:21.1). (The hologram will be established after a certain stage of progress is completed.)
The player's name will be displayed on the starward standings stela in Sinus Ardorum (X:21.1 Y:21.1).
A visual effect will be applied to them when they are in a Cosmic Exploration zone. They can click off this buff if they do not want it displayed.

Players who receive Star Contributor will be ineligible to receive it again for 14 days.

In contrast to the limited-time ranking titles in Ishgardian Restoration, Star Contributor is a permanent competitive feature to prevent "fear of missing out".