Path of Exile 2 Expedition guide

Path of Exile 2 has received yet another league mechanic that is considered a series classic. Although released back in 2021, the Expedition league mechanic is often perceived a staple of any basic Atlas progression strategy, be it at league start or further down the road. Now that Path of Exile 2 is in early access, Expedition is back in action with the sequel's gameplay system aiding the league mechanic's tactical playstyle.

This guide will delve into the Expedition League's structure, gameplay systems, crafting mechanics, and endgame potential.

Expedition in Path of Exile 2: What you need to know

Like all other returning Path of Exile league mechanics, Expedition has mapping and off-map instanced content with separate progression systems in place. Furthermore, it is possibly the most dense league mechanic currently in Path of Exile 2, with a full-fledged crafting system independent of the rest of the game.

How markers show up in a map (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

First, the basics of Expedition

To put it shortly, an Expedition encounter is a much more interesting form of archaeology, with monsters involved. All jokes aside, Expedition encounters can be done in Atlas nodes with a White icon and a six-pronged star. In Waystones with such nodes, you can meet one of the four Expedition NPCs who will overlook a field of excavation markers and explosives.

Once you encounter this setup, you'll be given a couple of explosives you can plant around the excavation site. Once planted, they'll blow up the site in the sequence they were placed. The bombs will dig up any buried chest and enemies underground, after which the latter will start attacking you.

These enemies will drop currencies upon death, tied to the NPC that overlooked the excavation site. Furthermore, the sites can play host to remnants that can imbue enemies with their specific effects. Additionally, these remnants can stack up and be applied to any enemy spawned after the remnant is destroyed.

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The NPCs that can be encountered and their associated currencies are as follows:

Black Scythe Artifact - Tujen
Broken Circle Artifact - Gwennen
Order Artifact - Rog
Sun Artifact - Dannig

Exotic Coinage is the fifth currency that is considered universal.

The Expedition deep dive

The currencies mentioned above can be used to buy items from the NPCs that act as vendors. These items can be purchased as is but can also be crafted by spending more artifacts as crafting costs. Gwennen, Rog, and Tujen sell and craft weapons, armor, and jewelry, respectively.

Gwennen is your friend when you're fishing for weapons (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Expedition crafting in Path of Exile 2 has shifted significantly from Path of Exile's system. In the sequel, players can interact with very few affix-changing modifiers, and the item levels are limited to 79, which severely limits affix generation ranges for high-tier items. It still has some uses for jewelry items and armor pieces, spawning rare mods that can be modified with normal currencies.

Aside from the triumvirate, the fourth NPC is Dannig, the leader of the Kalguurans. His wares include an entire inventory of other currencies that can be exchanged for Sun artifacts. Like his brethren, Dannig's inventory can also be refreshed via Exotic Coinage, but we haven't seen any change in offerings.

As for gameplay opportunities beyond mapping, Expedition mobs can occasionally drop Expedition Logbooks, which are modifiable separate instances with nothing but excavation sites. These Logbooks can be crafted on with normal currencies and feature entire zones with nothing but excavation markers and explosives.

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Aside from mobs, treasure chests, and remnants, Logbooks can play host to side areas that feature unique encounters with separate reward structures. Occasionally, side areas can play host to Olroth, Origin of the Fall, the pinnacle boss of this league mechanic.

Recommendations for an Atlas strategy

Compared to the Delirium league mechanic, Expedition has multiple Atlas Passives that can be properly invested in. For starters, if you're looking for a quick and easy map run, take Extreme Archaeology to blow up everything in one go.

The Expedition Atlas tree looks like the league icon (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

If your objective is to extract the most out of your excavations, the combination of Weight of History, Disturbed Rest, and Unearthed Anomalies will be most effective. Taking Detailed Records will turn your Logbooks into a money-making endeavor and should be done for the long run.

When rolling your Expedition Logbooks, the mods you should look for are "Area contains Olroth, Origin of the Fall," "Area contains (10–40)% increased number of Runic Monster Markers," "Remnants have a (10–40)% chance to have an additional Suffix Modifier," and so on.

As for your Expedition Precursor Tablets, the mod "Your Maps contain (5–10)% increased number of Runic Monster Markers" should be the most profitable overall, but "(5–10)% increased Quantity of Expedition Logbooks dropped by Runic Monsters in your Maps" can also make a difference early on.

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Edited by Angad Sharma