FLL BIOGLOW Missions and Field Breakdown

Arnav Jain
6 days ago
5 min read

Season Overview

The new FLL season started on August 4. BIOGLOW, part of FIRST CANOPY, takes teams into rainforests to focus on biodiversity and habitat recovery. There are 15 missions, with three 2.5-minute matches and your best score counting. This guide covers the Founders Edition missions, points, and key strategies.

All FLL BIOGLOW Missions

Mission 01: Drone Survey

Get the drone completely off the mat.

Goal: Launch the drone. Flip the LiDAR map for the bonus.
Points: 20 for the drone + 10 bonus.
Max: 30

The drone is fairly simple. The map takes more control.

Mission 02: Exploding Seeds

There are three seeds on the pod.

Goal: Get all three seeds off the stalk.
Points: 10 each.
Max: 30

Keep the seeds. Mission 14 can use them later.

Mission 03: Flip the Rock

Knock down the research flag and return the rock.

Goal: Knock down the flag.
Bonus: Put the rock back.
Points: 20 + 10 bonus.
Max: 30

The flag is the easier part.

Mission 04: Lucky Leaves

Take the leaves without disturbing the katydid.

Goal: Remove the leaves while keeping the katydid in place.
Points: 10 for one leaf + 20 for the second.
Max: 30

If the katydid is outside its habitat, you get zero for the mission.

Its starting position is randomized, so don't build around only one setup.

Mission 05: Reaching Roots

Push the root across the forest boundary.

Partial: 10 points
Full extension: 20 points
Max: 20

The full extension also matters for the Coopertition bonus in Mission 07.

Mission 06: Leafcutter Frenzy

Move the ant back to its nest while keeping the leaf fragments inside.

Goal: Get the ant to the nest.
Points: 10 per fragment.

This one rewards control more than speed.

Mission 07: Humongous Fungus

Extend the mycelium and coordinate with the other team.

Mycelium: 20 points
Connections: 10 each
Max: 40

For the full score, your root and the other team's root both need to be extended.

This is the Coopertition mission. Talk to the other team before the match.

Mission 08: Tangled

Remove the vine from the tree.

Goal: Get the vine onto the mat.
Points: 30

Simple mission. No bonus.

This is one of the first missions we'd consider building for.

Mission 09: Research Platform

There are three separate scoring actions.

Raise the platform — 10
Deploy the camera trap — 10
Remove the seed — 10
Max: 30

The seed can be used later in Mission 14.

Mission 10: Fragile Microhabitats

This mission rewards you for leaving things alone.

Keep the spider in place — 10
Keep the snail in place — 10
Max: 20

Plan your routes around them.

Mission 11: Window to the Past

Open the root cover.

Goal: Get the cover flat on the mat.
Points: 20

There's no equipment restriction, which makes this a useful mission to finish at the end of a run.

Mission 12: Forest Elder

Support the old tree.

Raise the cane — 20
Add the support tie — 10
Max: 30

The cane is the easier 20 points. The tie can be treated as an extra.

Mission 13: Keystone Species (dock mission)

Your team gets loose bricks and designs its own animal.

Goal: Build a keystone species.
Put it on the restoration platform.
Raise the young trees.
Points: 30

Remember that your animal counts as equipment.

Build it early and make sure it fits your inspection setup.

Mission 14: Seeds of Renewal (dock mission)

This is where the seeds from Missions 02 and 09 can be used.

Goal: Put collected seeds into the replantation station.
Points: 5 per seed in the station + 5 if touching the mat.

Decide early whether your team wants to spend time collecting and planting seeds.

Mission 15: Biocentric Architecture (dock mission)

There are three upgrades:

Nesting canopy — 10
Garden skylight — 10
Compost hatch — 10
Dock bonus — 10
Max: 40

The dock matters for the bonus.

Test all three options and see which one your robot can do most reliably.

Precision Tokens

You start with six tokens worth 50 points.

When you interrupt your robot outside home, you lose one.

Tokens left	6	5	4	3	2	1
Points	50	50	35	25	15	10

The first lost token is free.

The second costs 15 points, and the penalties get larger after that.

Try to finish with at least three or four.

90 Points Before You Build Anything

There are a lot of easy points outside the main missions.

Equipment fits in one launch area — 20
Keep the fragile habitats untouched — 20
Finish with five or six Precision Tokens — 50

That's 90 points.

No complicated attachment required.

Get these points first.

Watch the No-Equipment Rules

Several missions require your equipment to be completely clear of the model at the end.

Watch 01, 04, 05, 07, 09, 10, 12, and 15. Don't build a strategy that ends with the robot sitting against the model. Add a small back-off move to your program.

Picking Your Docks

Start with Mission 15

Its bonus depends on the dock.
Test the three options and choose the one your robot handles best.

Then plan Missions 13 and 14

These are mostly about driving distance.
Try to place the docks so your robot doesn't have to make unnecessary trips across the field.

A Simple Starting Strategy

You don't need every mission to get a strong score.

Tier 1 — Easy points

Inspection bonus — 20
Precision Tokens — up to 50
Fragile Microhabitats — 20

Total: 90

Tier 2 — Simple missions

Tangled — 30
Forest Elder — 30
Window to the Past — 20
Reaching Roots — 20

Total: 100

Tier 3 — Bigger missions

Humongous Fungus — up to 40
Biocentric Architecture — up to 40
Research Platform — 30

Total: 110

That's 300 points before adding some of the harder missions.

Once your driving is reliable, add missions like Drone Survey and Flip the Rock.

The fixed-point missions, inspection bonus, and full Precision Tokens can bring the total to 420 points.

The Innovation Project

The Robot Game is only one quarter of your score.

Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design, and Robot Game are weighted equally.

This year's project asks you to find a problem that puts biodiversity at risk and design something that could help.

If you're still choosing a topic, check out our BIOGLOW Innovation Project guide for Project Sparks, research ideas, and tips for working with judges.

Getting Ready

A few things are worth doing early:

Build the models carefully. Practice on the real setup.
Watch the Robot Game Missions Video. Use Challenge Updates when rules change.
Build Mission 13 early. Your animal affects your equipment space.
Start full 2.5-minute matches early. A good mission isn't useful if it doesn't fit into your run.
Check your Precision Tokens. If you're losing several every match, look at your launches and robot alignment first.

Final Thoughts

BIOGLOW is different from last season. Use this as a guild to help with all the FLL BIOGLOW missions! A lot of the missions involve protecting or restoring the environment. You return the rock, avoid disturbing animals, and help habitats recover. Then Mission 13 gives you a pile of bricks and says: design an animal. You don't need the most complicated robot. Plan your routes. Protect your easy points. Build only what you need. A reliable robot that finishes its missions is usually more useful than one with ten attachments that only work sometimes.