Honestly unless a boss spawns in front of your door, a bamboo spear is more than enough especially if you know how to block.
As for learning botany, I think that’s bad design. You learn best if another botanist teaches you and I’ve been that botanist many times, lifebringer gets taken more by seasoned botanists looking to goof around than anyone else including noobs…and even that is rare.
Again, syndies are for learning chems, bar or some atmos but they have an identity at least.
I think this reply from Doc makes the most sense to me.
The seeds spawning on the pod people would make it so that the only ways to get the seeds would be exploration (lame), a % chance from safe-cracking, or interacting with the pod people/
Just put the seeds in the pod people’s inventory rather than in a crate in the crashed ship.