Expedition Farming Guide
Last Updated:July 25, 2024|Changelog
In this guide you will learn the basics of farming Expedition as well as how to maximize your rewards and profitability. While the mechanic itself can be very rewarding, learning how to efficiently use the Vendors nets you a significantly higher amount of currency.
Expedition requires the player to place explosives ("V" hotkey by default) around remnants and Runic Monster markers. Doing so unearths a horde of monsters that can drop valuable loot determined by the remnants destroyed by the explosions!
Each explosion happens sequentially and the modifiers granted by the remnant apply to all monsters spawned from the corresponding explosion and all future monsters. Using Atlas Passives that grant "extra explosive placement range" makes it possible to reach every important remnant, leaving extra explosives available to target Runic Monster markers.
Mechanics
When Farming Expedition there are a number of key mechanics to watch out for to ensure you're achieving maximum rewards.
Remnants - Each expedition spawns Remnant around the explosive detonator; each remnant by default has 1 Prefix and 1 Suffix. The Prefix increases the strength of the monsters you unearth and the the Suffix increases the rewards they provide.
Runic Monsters - Runic Monsters markers are the large spikes with skulls atop littered around the encounter. Many of the Suffix modifiers on remnants and an Atlas Passive directly increase the rewards from these monsters. Modifiers such as; "50% increased Quantity of Expedition Logbooks dropped by Runic Monsters".
Vendor Refresh Currency - There are 4 different Vendors with their own specific re-roll currency for the Expedition mechanic;
- Gwennen - Astragali
- Rog - Scrap Metal
- Tujen - Exotic Coinage
- Dannig - Burial Medallion (Rare)
Artifacts - Artifacts are an untradable currency that drop from the Expedition encounter, they can be spent at the Vendors in exchange for;
- Gwennen - Buy Item Bases with a chance of upgraded them to higher rarities, players use this to gamble for chase items such as Headhunter and Mageblood.
- Rog - Spend artifacts to craft great items at a low cost. This is most effective during the early stages of a league whilst the market is not saturated with a large amount of these powerful rare items.
- Tujen - Spend artifacts to purchase large amounts of raw Currency as well as the potential for valuable items such as Enlighten Support and Mirror Shards.
- Dannig - Convert your artifacts into those belonging to another Vendor, or exchange them for Logbooks and Vendor Refresh Currencies.
How To Run It
Clear the area around the expedition and consider the best order to place your explosives. Target powerful remnants first and finish with as many Runic Monster markers as possible. The following remnants are the most lucrative;
- "Runic Monsters are duplicated" (Prefix)
- "50% increased Quantity of Expedition Logbooks dropped by Runic Monsters" (Suffix)
- "40% increased Quantity of Items dropped by Monsters" (Suffix)
- "Runic Monsters have 35% chance to drop an additional Stacked Deck" (Suffix)
- "50% increased Quantity of Artifacts dropped by Monsters" (Suffix)
PROTIP: If you're combining Expedition with Eater of Worlds Altars; it is more efficient to take the "Quantity and Rarity" altars BEFORE starting the Expedition encounter to increase the number of rewards.
Step 1 - Run the map normally until you encounter Expedition.
Step 2 - Clear all monsters surrounding the area.
Step 3 - Place explosives targeting the previously mentioned Remnants. Some remnants could completely brick your builds ability to kill the monsters, such as; "Monsters are Immune to Physical Damage".
Step 4 - Place any remaining explosives on large clusters of Runic Monsters and complete the encounter.
Atlas Passives
Atlas Passives are a massive boost to Expedition and understanding which ones are worth taking is essential, refer to our review below.
| Hunt for Answers | A must include for any strategy that does not guarantee and Expedition encounter. | |
| Ancient Decay | Makes the encounter less challenging but is generally considered not worth it for 4 points of investment. | |
| Ancient Writings | An incredibly powerful node that is included in all expedition strategies. Granting more Remnants and more modifiers on them increases the chance that you get the better options. | |
| Distinguished Demolitionist | Additional explosives allows you to reach all the important remnants as well as being able to cash in on the more by breaking more Runic Monster markers. | |
| Buried Knowledge | This node grants 50% increased logbooks dropped from Runic Monsters and provides more Runic Monster markers, this node combines perfectly with the previous 2. | |
| Rather Not | This node should only be taken by people who want to engage with Rogs crafting mechanics. This is generally much more effective at the beginning of the league and should be avoided in favour of emphasizing your chance to ecounter Tujen and Dannig. | |
| A Noble Quest | Dannig is the most valuable Vendor to encounter making this an auto include in all Expedition Strategies. | |
| Scratchin' up the Ground | Tujen provides a lot of currency rewards making him one of the more profitable vendors, his Exotic Coinage can also be sold to other players in bulk for a large mark up. This node should always be taken when possible. | |
| Lucky Guess | Gwennen is for the players who are looking to gamble for the most valuable unique items. These are however very rare and her Astragali re-roll currency does not sell for very much. Do not take this node unless you are willing to take a hit to your rewards in exchange for the gamble. | |
| Extreme Archaeology | This is an extremely powerful keystone as it causes all remnant modifiers to apply to each monster you unearth. The down side is that it makes it potentially difficult to avoid any dangerous modifiers, or modifiers that cause the Expedition monsters to be immune to your damage. | |
Scaling Loot
Multipliers
Increased Item Quantity - Increases the total number of Artifacts and Vendor Refresh Currency dropped from all Expedition monsters, this strategy scales with Quantity better than most.
Increased Item Rarity - Item rarity has no major impact on the overall profitability of expedition.
Increased Pack Size - Pack Size is incredibly valuable with Expedition as it increases the number of Runic Monsters that spawn; this increases the drop rate of Logbooks and Vendor Refresh Currencies. On top of this, it also increases the number of regular mobs unearthed and these can all drop Expedition-specific and miscellaneous loot.
Scarabs
Expedition Scarab - This scarab guarantees an Expedition encounter in your map. It is possible to get 100% chance from the tree, so this scarab has very niche use cases where you want to save a few atlas passives and also have a scarab slot available.
Expedition Scarab of Runefinding - This scarab is limited to 2 and increases the number of runic monster markers by 100%. This should be used with any expedition focused strategy as it essentially triples the number of artefacts and vendor refresh currency you drop.
Expedition Scarab of Verisium Powder - This scarab allows you to cover more of the expedition encounter with your explosive(s). Whilst very strong it is already possible to gather a large number of the necessary remnants and runic monster markers.
Expedition Scarab of the Skald - This scarab causes all Expedition encounters in your map to be lead by Dannig. Depending how the ecnomy adjusts this should be used in all Expedition strategies.
Expedition Scarab of Archaeology - This scarab adds 2 prefixes and suffixes to all remnants in your Expedition encounter. This is an incredibly powerful effect but will drastically increase the requirements of your build as a lot of the remnant modifiers make the encounter much more difficult.
PROTIP: If you are rolling your own sextants using this method; allocate the Enduring Influence notable on the Atlas Passive tree.
Kirac Modifier
Kirac Modifier - Having the option add Expedition to the map via Kirac opens up the possibility of using Growing Hordes; this grants a lot of pack size and could potentially be a very strong method of farming Expedition.
Map Choice
The following table shows the most suitable Maps for running Expedition;
| Dunes Map | A very open layout with easy access to the boss. It also has a reasonable base monster count and contains the Acclimatisation divination card for a steady supply of Orb of Alterations. | |
| Jungle Valley Map | Another very open layout with a unique feature that synergises with Eldritch Altars. Due to the nature of the Boss arena within this map, the Altars that spawn cannot have "Boss" related affixes making it much more likely that you find the Quanity and Rarity affix which benefits your expeditions. This is a high investment, endgame strategy that requires you to clear the map and all the altars before engaging with the Expedition. | |
| Cemetery Map | Very similar to Dunes being an extremely open layout, however due to some features in the map the Expedition can spawn in sub-optimal locations with less access to the best remnants immediately. It does however drop the Brother's Stash. | |
Expedition Vendors
Here are the drops you can expect to acquire with this strategy, as well as some advice on how to sell them effectively and quickly. Follow our Bulk Selling guide to learn more.
Rogs inventory is full of identified Rare items. When you purchase an item you are given offers to craft it with more Artifacts. His shop can be a great source of powerful rare items at the early stages of a league, this make hims him potentially the most profitable master. This relies on you having crafting knowledge in order to make the possible items with the options granted.
Tips to keep in mind when crafting with Rog:
- Focus on good item bases
- Focus on crafting good Prefixes or Suffixes
- Look for items with some good existing affixes on them to improve
- Avoid removing suffixes/prefixes entirely; use the re-roll function instead
Dannigs inventory contains Artifacts for the other three Vendors, Vendor Refresh Currencies and Expedition Logbooks. This inventory is refreshed using a Burial Medallion. Purchase all;
- Expedition Logbook
- Exotic Coinage
The remaining items are optional and can be bought if you are engaging with the other vendors more frequently.
Gwennens inventory contains unidentified equipment which reveals its Rarity, mods and in some cases, Influence, when purchased. The inventory is refreshed with an Astragali. It's important to recognize which Unique Items are valuable in any given league when spending your artifacts.
The following bases are used for some of the most valuable unique items in the game;
- Leather Belt for Headhunter
- Heavy Belt for Mageblood
- Elegant Round Shield for The Squire
- Viridian Jewel for Stormshroud and Unnatural Instinct
You can use a regex code to search for certain bases so that they are highlighted as you refresh the inventory; build you own regex with this tool.
Tujens inventory contains various Currencies, Skill Gems, Jewels and Maps. You must haggle with him by offering a price, if you go to low he'll be insulted and won't sell you that item anymore. Offer between 50-60% and then split the difference with his counter offer until he accepts the trade.
Generally you should always grab;
- Divine Orbs
- Chaos Orbs
- Stacked Decks
- Valuable fossils such as Bound Fossils or Serrated Fossils
As well as all other affordable currency that doesn't require Grand Black Scythe Artifacts. Saving Black Scythe Artifacts means you are able to take out the most expensive items in the window such as Enlighten Support, Mirror Shard and Divine Orbs immediately.
Selling Your Loot
Here are the drops you can expect to acquire with this strategy, as well as some advice on how to sell them effectively and quickly. Follow our Bulk Selling guide to learn more.
Large amounts of raw Currency drops from Expedition encounters and haggling with Tujen. Convert bulk currency into Chaos Orb and Divine Orbs using bulk selling methods after accumulating a sizable amount from a farming session.
The suffix "Runic Monsters have 35% chance to drop an additional Stacked Deck" and Tujen returns a lot of Stacked Decks. These are always a gamble and for a guaranteed return it is much more consistent to sell them in bulk
Expeditions contain a large amount of Magic and Rare monsters that have a higher chance to drop Maps. Farming a lot of these maps leads to a surplus of your favorite map which means you can use some of your favorites to a hot map in order to take advantage of their increased price.
While farming, you accrue a large amount of loot that does not fit into the categories above but still sells for considerable profit. Expedition drops many league related currencies such as Fossils, Divination rewards, Essences and more. Selling varied loot can be challenging; it is best to allow the loot to stack up as much as possible, then individually price items or sell via bulk selling methods for items such as Fossils.
While farming Expedition you will accumulate a lot of mixed loot from monsters and other mechanics present in your maps. Some things to pay attention to selling are:
- Orb of Annulment
- Orb of Alchemy
- Orb of Alteration
- Orb of Fusing
- Orb of Horizons
- Orb of Regret
- Orb of Scouring
- Orb of Unmaking
- Regal Orb
- Vaal Orb
Do not neglect selling other miscellaneous drops not listed here they will lead to greater profits!
Credits
Written by Milkybk_
Reviewed by Facefoot