Mastering Path of Exile 2's Expedition Endgame: A Comprehensive Guide
Path of Exile 2 introduces Expeditions, a revamped endgame system from the original game. This guide details how to navigate Expeditions, optimize explosive placement, utilize the passive skill tree, and maximize rewards.
Understanding Expeditions
Four major endgame events populate the PoE 2 Atlas: Delirium, Breaches, Rituals, and Expeditions. Expedition map nodes on the Atlas are marked with a light blue, spiral icon. An Expedition Precursor Tablet, placed in a completed Lost Tower slot, guarantees an Expedition encounter.
Upon entering an Expedition map, locate the central Detonator and four NPCs. The core mechanic involves strategically placing Explosives near Markers to spawn enemies and chests:
- Red Markers: Detonating near these spawns Runic Monsters. Larger markers yield larger packs.
- Unearthed Remnants: These relics provide beneficial or detrimental modifiers (e.g., increased monster elemental damage but higher item rarity from chests).
- Black Markers (spiral symbol): Detonating near these spawns Excavated Chests containing Artifacts, Logbooks, currency, Waystones, and high-tier gear.
The Explosives UI shows the area of effect (AoE). Avoid overlapping AoE circles for optimal farming. After placing Explosives, activate the Detonator. You can leave the area after detonation and return later to engage enemies.
Expedition Pinnacle Maps and Olroth
Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests have a chance to drop Expedition Logbooks. These are used with Dannig in your hideout to access Expedition Pinnacle Maps – significantly larger events with increased Explosives. These maps may contain Olroth, a challenging boss indicated by a skull on the minimap.
Defeating Olroth is crucial for obtaining Expedition Passive Skill Tree points (2x points per victory).
Expedition Passive Skill Tree
This unique skill tree, accessible via the Atlas Passive Skill Tree menu, enhances Expeditions. It features eight Notable nodes and eight difficulty-increasing nodes for Logbooks and Olroth.
Notable Passive Nodes:
| Notable Expedition Passive | Effect | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Extreme Archaeology | Reduces Explosives to 1, but boosts radius by 150%, placement range by 100%, and reduces enemy life by 20% | N/A |
| Disturbed Rest | 50% more Runic Monster Flags | N/A |
| Detailed Records | 50% more Logbooks, Logbooks always spawn with 3x Modifiers | Disturbed Rest |
| Timed Detonations | 50% more Artifacts, Detonation chains travel 50% faster | N/A |
| Legendary Battles | 50% more Rare monsters, 50% more Exotic Coinage | Timed Detonations |
| Frail Treasures | 3x more Excavated Chest Markers, but they disappear after 5 seconds | N/A |
| Weight of History | 35% boost to Remnant effects | N/A |
| Unearthed Anomalies | Remnants gain an additional Suffix and Prefix modifier | Weight of History |
Prioritize "Disturbed Rest," "Detailed Records," "Timed Detonations," "Weight of History," "Unearthed Anomalies," and "Legendary Battles" for optimal reward increases. Avoid "Extreme Archaeology" due to the significant reduction in Explosives.
Expedition Rewards
The main rewards are Artifacts, used to trade with specific vendors for gear:
| Reward | Use | Gear |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Circle Artifact | Gwennen (Weapons) | Weapons |
| Black Scythe Artifact | Tujen (Belts and Jewelry) | Belts and Jewelry |
| Order Artifact | Rog (Armor) | Armor |
| Sun Artifact | Dannig (Used to acquire other Artifacts) | Various Artifacts |
| Exotic Coinage | Refreshes vendor inventories | N/A |
Expedition Logbooks, obtained from Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests, unlock Pinnacle Maps with a chance to encounter Olroth, yielding high-tier rewards and additional passive skill points. Increasing map difficulty increases Olroth's spawn rate and reward quality.
