The Species 8472 Bio-ship is a Delta Quadrant hostile that roams as an Interceptor-hull target between level 35 and 60. You find it scattered across Delta Quadrant systems, with warp cost rising from 28 at the low end to 900 at level 60. It drops Exotic Biotoxins plus Common and Rare Anomaly Samples. Because every spawn flies as an Interceptor, the counter is simple: bring an Explorer.
How to beat the Species 8472 Bio-ship
Combat in STFC runs on a rock-paper-scissors triangle. Interceptors beat Battleships, Battleships beat Explorers, and Explorers beat Interceptors. Survey ships barely fight, so leave them docked for this target.
This hostile only ever appears as an Interceptor, which makes the choice easy:
- Against the Interceptor Bio-ship, bring an Explorer. That is the only hull it spawns as, so an Explorer is the right pick at every level in the range.
As an Interceptor, the Bio-ship leans on high attack and a growing hull pool, which is exactly what an Explorer is built to punish: Explorers deal bonus damage to Interceptors and carry the mitigation to soak the incoming volleys. That damage-type edge is the whole reason this matchup is one-sided in your favor, but it will not save an under-tiered ship. The stats climb hard from level 35 to 60, so bring an Explorer rated for the band you are hitting rather than jumping several levels above your ship tier.
For the crew, run a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles, then fill the other seats with officers that add damage or mitigation so you survive the return fire. By level 35 a starter cadet crew is already outgrown, so build around your current best hostile-hunting officers instead. Crews shift with the meta, so check the current picks on the Officer Tier List before you lock in a build.
Watch the clock on this one. The Bio-ship has an always-on ability, Energy Focused Beam: it starts charging the beam at the opening of combat, and if the fight reaches round 8 the beam fires and destroys your ship outright. Treat every engagement as a damage race and bring enough firepower in your Explorer to break the Bio-ship before that eighth round, rather than grinding it down slowly.
Where to find the Species 8472 Bio-ship
These Bio-ships spread across Delta Quadrant space, which means you need access to that region before you can farm them at all. Warp cost climbs steadily as the level goes up: the lowest spawns sit at warp 28 near level 35, while the level 60 version is far out at warp 900. The jump between the low and high bands is large, so a ship set up for the level 35 systems will not reach the level 55-plus systems without a warp refit. Match your warp range to the band you can actually clear, and work the closer systems first before you push deeper.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 28 | Diabolai, FSEP-505, Velixys, Wridian |
| 37 | 55 | Attana, Derevio |
| 39 | 150 | Ini’tarash Rest, Satar |
| 40 | 200 | Asil-A, Crypsotys, FSEP-3819 |
| 43 | 285 | Hyrolaw, Xi’taiq |
| 47 | 345 | Ebriosys, Zevritus |
| 50 | 405 | Kunnan, Perryk |
| 51 | 460 | Bartu’shakai, FSEP-247 |
| 53 | 535 | Liasoures, Tauriels |
| 55 | 700 | K’tje, Vadeli |
| 58 | 750 | Oitalka, Rearys |
| 60 | 900 | FSEP-001, Illusys, Sirpa |
Rewards and what it drops
The Bio-ship pays out in Delta Quadrant materials rather than faction currency. Exotic Biotoxins are the steady drop across the whole level range, while Common and Rare Anomaly Samples show up on the higher spawns. Ship XP scales sharply with level, from around 700 at level 35 to nearly 12,000 at level 60, so these double as a solid way to level a hull while you farm. Higher-level kills also pay bigger material stacks once your ship can handle them.
| Drop | What it is |
|---|---|
| Exotic Biotoxins | A Delta Quadrant combat material used in mid-to-late game upgrades (15 to 5,524 per kill). |
| Common Anomaly Sample | A common-grade research material tied to Delta Quadrant anomaly progress (715 to 59,144). |
| Rare Anomaly Sample | The rare-grade version of the same anomaly research material (50 to 13,200). |
Species 8472 Bio-ship stats
Stats climb steeply with level, so treat these Interceptor-hull anchors as a read on the curve rather than exact numbers for every spawn.
| Level | Total strength | Hull HP | Shield HP | Attack | Defense | Ship XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 2,961,300,144 | 38,808,974 | 4,312,108 | 2,939,223,128 | 516,475 | 703 |
| 50 | 3,158,969,953 | 371,226,581 | 41,247,398 | 2,948,068,674 | 4,664,290 | 2,501 |
| 60 | 4,046,036,782 | 1,879,357,506 | 208,817,501 | 2,981,255,503 | 20,693,775 | 11,904 |
Species 8472 in Star Trek
Species 8472, later known as the Undine, come from fluidic space, a realm outside our own galaxy. The crew of the USS Voyager met them when the Borg opened a path into their domain and tried to assimilate them. The attempt backfired: Species 8472 proved immune to assimilation and struck back with organic bio-ships strong enough to destroy Borg cubes with a single volley. Their vessels are grown rather than built, made of the same dense biological material as the tripedal beings that pilot them, and armed with bio-electric energy weapons. In canon they stand as one of the few forces the Collective genuinely feared.
Is the Species 8472 Bio-ship worth grinding?
Yes, if you want Delta Quadrant materials and ship XP in one target. It is a reliable source of Exotic Biotoxins across the range and both Anomaly Samples on the higher spawns, and the strong XP payout makes it useful for leveling an Explorer as you farm. The practical tip: match your warp to the band you can clear, and always bring an Explorer, since the Bio-ship never spawns as anything but an Interceptor.