Mycelium Spores are the fuel behind the USS Discovery’s signature trick. You harvest them in a small set of systems (or take them from hostiles in those same systems), cultivate them into Cultivated Mycelium in your refinery, and spend that on Black Alert jumps and Discovery upgrades. No Discovery, no mycelium: the harvesting, the greenhouse, and the jumps all run through the ship.
Why you need mycelium spores
Two reasons, both about the USS Discovery. First, Black Alert: the Discovery’s jump ability moves it across systems without normal warp travel, and each jump burns Cultivated Mycelium (850 at base, dropping as you upgrade the ship’s warp engines). Second, the Discovery refinery produces Spore Drive Components, and those components are the bottleneck on upgrading the ship itself. If you fly a Discovery at all, spores are a standing grocery item.
How to get mycelium spores
- Harvesting. The main source. Park your Discovery on a spore node in one of the 15 mycelium systems. Your harvest rate scales with the ship’s level, and the Discovery’s mycelium bonus makes it dramatically faster than anything else.
- Hunting hostiles. Hostiles in the mycelium systems drop spores in smaller amounts per kill. Slower for pure spore income, but it levels your Discovery at the same time, which raises your harvest rate. Good when you need a quick top-up for one more jump.
- Events. Discovery and anomaly-themed events sometimes pay spores or Cultivated Mycelium directly.
Mycelium spore systems
Spores appear in exactly 15 systems, in two bands. Note the Discovery’s short warp range before you plan a trip: reaching the level 28 systems at low tiers usually takes a warp-range officer like Cadet Scotty or the Discovery warp range research.
Level 23 systems
| System | System level |
|---|---|
| Amagi | 23 |
| Arcadion | 23 |
| Babishta | 23 |
| Esteria | 23 |
| Izanami | 23 |
| Jizo | 23 |
| Netron Alpha | 23 |
| Netron Omega | 23 |
| Salara | 23 |
| Tenzen-1029 | 23 |
Level 28 systems
| System | System level |
|---|---|
| Cada-X | 28 |
| Dis | 28 |
| Nalomas | 28 |
| Risette | 28 |
| Sae | 28 |
Cultivation: spores into jumps
Raw spores do nothing on their own. In your refinery’s Discovery tab you get two claim boxes once the ship is built: the Mycelium Greenhouse, which converts Mycelium Spores into Cultivated Mycelium, and the Discovery Refinery, which produces Spore Drive Components for upgrading the ship. Run both on cooldown; the greenhouse feeds your jumps and the refinery feeds your tiers.
Best crews for harvesting spores
Unusually for a mining loop, your harvest rate follows the Discovery’s ship level more than the crew, so the biggest speed upgrade is leveling the ship. Beyond that:
- Bridge officer: Ten of Eleven > general mining-speed boost. Helpful, not transformative here.
- Bridge officer: T’Pring > Hidden Stash – protects your cargo while you sit on a node in level 23–28 space.
- For hostile grinding: a Pike crew with T’Laan handles the local hostiles well while collecting spore drops.
Best ship for mycelium
The USS Discovery, full stop. Its mycelium harvesting bonus is measured in thousands of percent, and the whole loop (greenhouse, refinery, Black Alert) only exists once the ship is built. It unlocks at ops 21 through the Discovery arc.
Mycelium FAQ
Is it better to mine spores or hunt hostiles for them?
Mining is much faster per hour for spores. Hunting pays less per kill but levels your Discovery, which permanently raises your harvest rate. Mine as your routine, hunt when the ship needs XP or you need a quick top-up.
What does a Black Alert jump cost?
850 Cultivated Mycelium at base, and the cost falls as you upgrade the Discovery’s warp engines. Cultivate ahead so a jump is never blocked by an empty greenhouse.
Can I jump to a system that needs a warp token?
Yes. Black Alert ignores the toll booth, which is one of its best uses.
Can other players steal my spores?
Not from your station. As with other special resources, the risk is a loaded ship sitting on a node in a level 23–28 system, so bring cargo protection if you harvest unattended.