Mastering Path of Exile 2's Expedition Endgame: A Comprehensive Guide

Path of Exile 2 introduces four major endgame events: Delirium, Breaches, Rituals, and Expeditions. This guide focuses on Expeditions, a returning mechanic from the original game, detailing its mechanics, rewards, and the crucial Expedition Passive Skill Tree.

Unveiling the Expedition: Mechanics and Gameplay

Expeditions are identified on the Atlas screen by a light blue spiral icon. An Expedition Precursor Tablet placed in a completed Lost Tower slot guarantees an Expedition encounter.

Entering an Expedition reveals a zone with Markers and an NPC. The core mechanic involves strategically placing Explosives near Markers to trigger events:

• Runic Monsters: Detonating Explosives near Red Markers spawns monster packs, enhanced by Unearthed Remnants. Larger Markers yield larger packs.
• Unearthed Remnants: These relics provide beneficial or detrimental modifiers (e.g., increased elemental damage but higher item rarity from chests).
• Excavated Chests: Detonating Explosives near Black Markers (with the spiral symbol) yields event-specific rewards: Artifacts, Logbooks, currency, Waystones, and high-tier gear.

The Explosives UI shows the area of effect (AoE). For optimal farming, avoid overlapping AoE circles. After placing Explosives, activate the Detonator. If overwhelmed, retreat and return later; the event persists.

Conquering the Expedition Pinnacle Map

Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests have a chance to drop Expedition Logbooks. Use these with Dannig in your Hideout to access the Expedition Pinnacle Map – a significantly larger Expedition with triple the Explosives.

This map introduces Olroth, the Pinnacle Boss (indicated by a skull on the minimap). Defeating Olroth is crucial for obtaining Expedition Passive Skill Tree points (double points per victory).

Enhancing Your Expedition Prowess: The Passive Skill Tree

The Expedition Passive Skill Tree, located in the Atlas Passive Skill Tree menu, enhances Expedition rewards and difficulty. It features Notable nodes and difficulty-increasing nodes for Logbooks. Each Notable node requires defeating Olroth at an increased difficulty.

Prioritize "Disturbed Rest," "Detailed Records," and "Timed Detonations" for significant reward boosts. Then consider "Weight of History," "Unearthed Anomalies," and "Legendary Battles" for further, but more challenging, rewards. Avoid "Extreme Archaeology" due to the significant reduction in Explosives.

Reap the Rewards: Artifacts, Coinage, and Logbooks

Expeditions primarily reward Artifacts, used to trade with specific vendors for gear:

Logbooks, obtained from Runic Monsters and Chests, unlock the Expedition Pinnacle Map and the chance to fight Olroth for exceptional rewards and additional passive skill points.

By mastering these mechanics and strategically utilizing the Expedition Passive Skill Tree, you can significantly enhance your endgame experience in Path of Exile 2.