Species: Unknown Guide: How to Kill, Capture, and Survive Every Specimen

Species: Unknown becomes much less random once you stop treating every contract as a search-and-shoot mission. The body clues tell you what is hunting the team, the contract tells you what must be carried or triggered, and a single Category 3 weapon usually determines whether a kill or capture is even possible. This guide turns those signals into a repeatable route for the HSS Hawking and gives a current counter for every specimen from ID_005 through ID_010.

Version note: this route was checked on July 15, 2026 against the official Early Access store data, official announcements through update 0.23, and community guides updated after ID_005 arrived. Older guides may still say there are five specimens or call difficulty settings “difficulty levels”; the current game uses Danger levels and the working bestiary below has six entries. Behavior, damage thresholds, upgrade prices, and mission modifiers can change again before version 1.0.

The one-screen field card#

The nicknames used by players differ between guides: ID_005 may be the Peacekeeper, ID_008 the Eye or Robot, ID_009 the Mutant or Stomper, and ID_010 the Scorpion, Zombie, or Puppet Master. The ID number is the reliable label. Use it when assigning roles over voice chat.

Before accepting a contract#

The contract screen is your first planning room. Do not pick the largest payout without reading the objective and modifiers. A high-bounty kill with no Tier 2 weapons is a very different run from an ordinary black-box extraction, even when the same specimen spawns.

A practical progression order

1. Use Extract Data contracts to learn the ship. They teach routes, doors, power, corpse clues, and the return trip without requiring a specimen kill.
2. Buy the Contracts Office early. It reduces downtime between runs and makes failed attempts less tedious.
3. Upgrade stamina before chasing armor. Most lethal attacks punish positioning or an empty stamina bar; armor does not turn every one-shot into a survivable hit.
4. Build a small tool roster. A shield is the safest general pick. A minimap supports new players and No Map contracts, a threat detector supports experienced route runners, and a health injector is especially valuable against ID_010.
5. Add shuttle ammo and healing support before repeated captures. Fighting at the shuttle is much more forgiving when the reset resources are already there.
6. Buy the Containment Cell when you are ready to practice captures. It is not an early-game shortcut; the hardest part is still creating the correct stun inside a very small room.

There is no single mandatory upgrade list. Solo players get more value from navigation and emergency defense, while a coordinated four-player squad can split those duties. Update 0.23 also allows players to share bounty after a mission, so a regular group can pool credits toward a key shuttle purchase instead of waiting for every player to progress at the same rate.

The universal opening route#

1. Leave the shuttle carefully. The specimen can be close, especially on a higher Danger contract or a run that starts with power already active.
2. Inspect the first bodies without clustering. Missing heads, damaged faces, pierced chests, and gun-like wounds are useful clues. Listen at the same time; sound separates ID_007 from ID_009 when both leave faceless bodies.
3. Move to the command deck and restore power. Power controls access and makes the respawn system usable. A blackout modifier can remove that safety again later.
4. Claim respawn capsules for the team. Do this before a player starts a long side route. Until the system is active, an avoidable death can become a permanent loss for the contract.
5. Read the map and objective markers. Identify the server room, armories, laboratories, engine route, shuttle path, and the Category 3 weapon marker on kill/capture contracts.
6. Take a real firearm. The special weapon exposes a weakness; it does not always supply all the damage. A shotgun is excellent for knockback and short damage windows, while an SMG is useful when ID_010 fills the halls with zombies.
7. Finish looting before the irreversible trigger. Picking up the black box, starting self-destruct, breaking ID_008’s shield, or beginning a specimen damage phase changes the pace of the mission.

How each contract changes the route#

Extract Data: plan the return before touching the black box

The required black box appears in a server-room location and is marked on the map. A carrier cannot freely use normal equipment while holding it, so the team should clear the route, identify the specimen, claim respawns, and decide who will escort before picking it up. The pickup makes the specimen more active. Drop the box if the carrier must fight, heal, or pass a dangerous choke point; throwing the objective down a stairwell is safer than losing the carrier in the same place.

For No Map, one minimap carrier is worth the tool slot. The modifier does not make the objective unknowable; it makes a familiar run waste time when nobody can locate the marker. As of official patch 0.19.6, No Map should not appear on Easy contracts, but higher Danger runs still demand a navigation plan.

Destroy the Area: self-destruct is the cleanup cutoff

Move to the engine area, start the engine test, and overload both engine systems. The second overload begins the evacuation and terminates other mission work. Pick up hard drives, credits, weapons, and any lore you care about before that moment. During the escape, use the emergency adrenaline supplies along the fixed return route instead of emptying stamina in the first corridor. The specimen is likely to become aggressive around the engine sequence, so a shield carrier should lead through blind corners rather than trail the group.

Kill: the special weapon opens the fight

Find the specimen-specific Category 3 weapon first. Fight in a room with space to circle, a nearby ammo crate or health station, and a short route to the command deck if ID_008 is present. Damage phases usually end with the specimen fleeing. Do not stand still waiting for it to return: reload, heal, restore power, and search the known hiding sectors while listening for directional audio.

Capture: control the center of the cell

A capture is not won by merely leading the specimen through the doorway. The stun must happen far enough inside that the closing doors beat its recovery. Lure it toward the glass wall or through a controlled loop, trigger the correct vulnerability, press the close control, and keep applying the stun until the doors seal. A shield is valuable because the operator may have to stand in the most dangerous part of the room.

If the specimen falls backward when stunned, aim its back toward the glass rather than toward an open door. If it transforms, wait for the animation that locks it in place. Closing early often leaves it mobile enough to escape; closing late turns a good setup into another full damage phase.

ID_005: break the weapon, then the core#

ID_005 is a large mechanical hunter added in update 0.21. It patrols rather than constantly knowing the team’s location and uses Watcher drones to find players. Destroy those drones when it is safe, and assume an open sector door can pull the specimen toward the noise. Long hallways favor its gatling gun; corners, machinery, and door frames let you cut line of sight.

Kill route

1. Bring an electricity weapon and a strong Tier 2 gun.
2. Use electricity to slow the specimen and interrupt the gatling gun long enough to aim.
3. Destroy the gatling gun. This exposes the energy core in the abdomen and pushes the fight into its close-range phase.
4. Fire into the core, then move when it rushes or throws grenades.
5. Repeat the core-damage cycle until it collapses.

Capture route

Breaking the gatling gun is only the setup. Lead ID_005 through the containment cell, keep it inside with a short loop, and damage the exposed core until it drops to its knees. That full stagger is the capture window. Electricity by itself slows the specimen but may not hold it long enough for the doors, so do not press the control on a minor flinch.

Common failure: shooting the armored body because the electric effect looks dramatic. The fight advances through the gun and core, not through undirected damage.

ID_006: do not trust the fake death#

ID_006 is the squid-like specimen associated with headless bodies. It can rush, swipe, or leap onto a player’s head. A shield can stop the lethal jump, but wasting the shield on a light swipe leaves no answer for the real attack. Ordinary gunfire can drive it off and can also make it fall backward as if dead. That is a phase transition, not proof of a kill.

Kill route

1. Find the flamethrower and a shotgun, rifle, or other reliable ballistic weapon.
2. Use bullets first until ID_006 falls backward.
3. Burn it while it is down. Fire makes the damage state stick and forces the next phase.
4. Track it after it flees, reload before re-engaging, and repeat.

Starting with fire can make the creature flee before the team gets a useful ballistic window. Create the knockdown first, then burn. Red incendiary canisters can substitute in an emergency, but the flamethrower is far more controlled.

Capture route

Position ID_006 with its back toward the cell’s glass or with enough room behind it that the knockdown stays inside. Shoot until it falls, apply continuous flame, press the door control, and keep burning during the close. If the knockback sends it through the opposite doorway, reset the lure instead of chasing it through the cell while reloading.

ID_007: break eye contact, then freeze#

ID_007 is the ghost associated with faceless bodies and a distinctive whispering or whooshing presence. Its passive rule is simple and unforgiving: do not look at it. Turn toward a wall, floor, or safe direction until it vanishes. Shooting the ethereal form can enrage it, and ordinary bullets do not solve the problem until freezing makes it physical.

Kill route

1. Locate the freeze gun. A cryo canister can work, but it is harder to place safely while the ghost manipulates your view.
2. Freeze the specimen until it collapses into a vulnerable form.
3. Switch immediately to a ballistic weapon and deal as much damage as possible during the short window.
4. Stop firing when it returns to the ethereal state, break eye contact, and relocate for the next cycle.

Capture route

Group inside or just beyond the containment area so the ghost materializes where you need it. Freeze it fully inside the cell and press the control during the collapse. A co-op team can stagger freeze application, but everyone must understand who owns the door; four people waiting for someone else to press it is a common wipe.

Common failure: following the specimen with the crosshair after the freeze ends. The correct reset is to look away, not to squeeze in one more magazine.

ID_008: fight the shield near the command deck#

ID_008 is a floating mechanical eye whose victims have a hole in the head. It is especially dangerous to isolated players and can launch a lethal grab after its eye changes state. Staying together reduces the normal risk, but current community notes warn that higher-Danger behavior can still make it attack a group. Listen for the attack cue and preserve enough stamina for a lateral dodge.

Kill route

1. Use the laser gun until the shield fails.
2. Open fire on the grounded form with any strong weapon.
3. When it begins the EMP sequence, prepare for a blackout rather than standing in the effect.
4. Restore power at the command deck so claimed respawn capsules become active again.
5. Repeat until it spins, fails, and explodes.

Capture route

The cleanest window is the transformation immediately after the laser breaks its shield. Make that happen inside the containment cell and close while it is falling into the grounded state. If you miss that window, damage the active grounded form in the cell and use the loud EMP wind-up as a second timing cue. The later route is much more dangerous solo.

Common failure: winning the first damage phase far from the command deck, then discovering that the blackout has disabled respawn security and locked part of the team’s route.

ID_009: never crouch near the Stomper#

ID_009 can resemble ID_007’s corpse clue because victims may lack a face, but the sound profile is different: loud roars and heavy stomps replace the ghost’s quieter presence. It is fast in a straight pursuit but can be managed by running, breaking line of sight, and using corners. Do not crouch near it. The low posture can trigger its lethal attack and makes vent work especially risky.

Kill route

1. Find the electricity gun and a ballistic secondary.
2. Charge the electric shot while moving or while protected by a shield.
3. Land the arc on the head. A body hit wastes the important opening.
4. When the face separates, switch immediately and fire into the exposed area.
5. Reload while kiting. After repeated face breaks, finish with focused head damage.

Capture route

Lure ID_009 into the cell, wait for a clean line to the head, and release a full electric charge. Press the door control as the stun takes hold. The charge time is the real risk; start charging when the creature pauses to growl or recover rather than when it is already landing a hit.

Common failure: crouching to make a precise shot. Keep moving at full height and let the electric stun create precision for you.

ID_010: remove the corpse supply#

ID_010 is the most indirect fight. The scorpion-like specimen stays in vents, reanimates corpses, and poisons players who pass under its hiding place. Purple liquid dripping from a vent is the clearest warning. Its victims have a hole through the chest, and zombies may reveal the identity before anyone sees the specimen.

A poison hit is a timer. Carry a health injector or remember the nearest healing station before the team spreads out. Current official patch history states that ID_010 can no longer sting players who are inside vents, but standing under a marked vent in a corridor is still a bad bet. On higher Danger levels, both the poison window and the zombie pressure are less forgiving.

Kill route

1. Find a flamethrower and enough ballistic ammunition for both zombies and the specimen.
2. Use headshots on zombies when possible, then burn every corpse the specimen could reanimate.
3. Continue clearing bodies in the active sector until ID_010 leaves the vents.
4. Use flame to hold or stagger it while teammates apply ordinary weapon damage.
5. When it releases purple gas and retreats, treat the gas as a separation cue, reload, and repeat the corpse-clearing cycle.

Capture route

Prepare the shuttle bay before starting the lure. Burn corpses in and around the bay so the specimen cannot remain safely indirect. A player with a health injector or shield should bait it into the cell. Keep the flamethrower on it until the body twitches or staggers, press the control, and continue burning while the doors close. Extra shotgun or revolver impact can help hold it, but poor timing can also knock it out of the room.

Common failure: spending the entire run killing zombies without burning the bodies. Gunfire clears the immediate hallway; fire changes the specimen’s available behavior.

Weapon and tool jobs#

A balanced four-player team usually wants one shield, one navigation tool, one detector, and a flex slot for healing. Solo, the shield is the safest default until the route is familiar; switch to the minimap for No Map or the injector when specifically hunting ID_010. Check teammates’ loadouts before launch so the squad does not accidentally bring four copies of the same support tool.

Modifiers that should change your plan#

• No Map: bring a minimap. Do not turn a short black-box route into a blind sweep of every sector.
• Power interruptions: keep one player close enough to restore the command deck quickly. Respawns and some access points are unsafe while power is down.
• Paid resources: every unnecessary ammo or healing-station use reduces the payout. Reload before topping off and let the injector carrier solve small damage when efficient.
• No Tier 1 weapon: locate a Tier 2 gun immediately. This is particularly dangerous against early ID_010 zombies.
• No Tier 2 weapon: avoid wasting the special weapon. It may be your only reliable damage source after opening the specimen’s weakness.
• No lights: upgrade the flashlight and call intersections over radio. Darkness is manageable; teammates splitting without route calls is not.
• Power on start: claim respawns at once, but assume the specimen can pressure the shuttle before the team finishes organizing.

Solo and co-op positioning#

Solo

Never drain stamina to reach the fight. Walk while safe, sprint only to create distance, and reload behind real cover. Carry the elemental weapon plus a ballistic finisher, choose an arena before provoking the specimen, and move damage phases toward the command deck or shuttle instead of deeper into the ship. A failed capture setup is recoverable; forcing the close while exhausted usually is not.

Two players

Use a bait-and-damage pair. The shield carrier owns the creature’s attention and the door control; the second player owns the Category 3 weapon or the ballistic burst. Say “inside,” “stunned,” and “closing” rather than narrating the whole fight. Short calls survive proximity-chat distance and panic better.

Three or four players

Split into an objective pair and a safety pair only after power and respawns are secured. One player tracks the specimen, one carries the weakness weapon, one handles damage or crowd control, and one protects the route or restores power. Avoid putting every gun in the containment cell: blocked doors and friendly confusion can be more dangerous than the specimen.

Common mistakes that waste otherwise good runs#

• Skipping respawn activation: restoring power is not the same as claiming the capsule.
• Confusing ID_007 and ID_009: both can leave damaged faces; sound and movement are the tie-breakers.
• Using the elemental weapon as a universal gun: save its ammunition for the shield, freeze, fire, or head-opening job it alone can perform.
• Fighting in a long corridor: ID_005 controls open sightlines and several specimens punish a player who cannot circle.
• Emptying stamina during a chase: the final few meters are when the lethal animation usually starts.
• Starting self-destruct before cleanup: the evacuation cancels the opportunity to finish optional collection and other objectives.
• Touching the black box too early: the pickup accelerates the hunt before the escape route is prepared.
• Closing the containment doors on a minor flinch: learn the full stun or transformation animation for the current specimen.
• Standing under purple-dripping vents: ID_010 announces the ambush; the player has to respect it.
• Crouching around ID_009: a habit from stealth games can trigger the exact attack you are trying to avoid.

Progression, saves, achievements, and missables#

Steam appdetails currently exposes no achievement total for Species: Unknown, and the public Steam achievement page returned an error during this source check. This article therefore does not invent a 100% achievement route. The durable completion loop is contract payout, ship and suit upgrades, and specimen data that progressively builds the museum rooms.

The evergreen contract content is repeatable and specimens are selected procedurally, so a bad identification or failed capture is a lost run, not a permanently missed creature. The egg guides in the reference set describe temporary lobby events and one is explicitly archived after the items were removed. Do not use those old eight-egg routes as a current checklist.

Treat each contract as an uninterrupted session rather than relying on a manual mid-mission save. Official update 0.22 added reconnect support after a lost connection: the disconnected player can rejoin the same group through the same public or private route. That is recovery from a disconnect, not a substitute for finishing the contract and extracting.

A final pre-launch checklist#

• Read the contract type and every modifier.
• Assign shield, navigation, tracking, and healing roles before launch.
• Keep one weapon slot available for the specimen-specific Category 3 weapon.
• Restore power, then actively claim respawn capsules.
• Use body clues and audio to call the ID number.
• Plan the black-box return, engine escape, kill arena, or capture cell before triggering aggression.
• Preserve stamina and reload between damage phases.
• Collect optional loot before self-destruct or objective lock-in.
• On capture, put the full stun in the middle of the cell and keep applying pressure while the doors close.
• If a live patch contradicts this guide, trust the current codex, objective text, and official patch notes.

Sources and credits#

Game identity, Early Access status, official screenshots, and update context were checked against the official Steam store page and WanadevStudio’s official Steam announcements. Specimen tactics were cross-checked against current community field guides and kill/capture references. Community nicknames, exact timings, AI details, and balance values are patch-sensitive.