Path of Exile 2: Expedition Guide – Passives, Artifacts, & Rewards

Mastering the Path of Exile 2 Expedition Endgame: A Comprehensive Guide

Path of Exile 2 introduces several revamped endgame league mechanics, including Expeditions, a system borrowed and enhanced from the original game. This guide delves into Expedition mechanics, rewards, and the strategic use of the passive skill tree.

Understanding Expeditions

Expeditions are endgame events found on Atlas map nodes marked with a distinctive light blue spiral icon. An Expedition Precursor Tablet placed in a completed Lost Tower slot guarantees an Expedition encounter on a chosen node.

Upon entering an Expedition map, locate the central Detonator and the four NPCs. The core gameplay revolves around strategically placing Explosives near Markers to trigger events:

• Red Markers: Detonating explosives near these spawns Runic Monsters. Larger markers yield larger monster packs. Unearthed Remnants further empower these packs.
• Unearthed Remnants: These relics provide beneficial or detrimental modifiers, influencing monster damage or item rarity from chests.
• Black Markers (Spiral Symbol): Explosives placed near these spawn Excavated Chests, containing Artifacts, Logbooks, currency, and high-tier gear.

The Explosive UI displays the area of effect (AoE). For optimal farming, avoid overlapping AoE circles to maximize marker activation. After placing explosives, activate the Detonator to initiate the event. Death resets the map, but players can strategically retreat and return later.

Expedition Pinnacle Maps and Olroth

Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests have a chance to drop Expedition Logbooks. These Logbooks, when placed in the Expedition Map device in your hideout with Dannig, unlock Pinnacle Maps – significantly larger Expeditions with triple the explosives.

Pinnacle Maps offer a chance to encounter Olroth, a powerful 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

Located within the Atlas Passive Skill Tree, the Expedition tree enhances the event. Points are allocated to modify rewards, monster spawns, and Remnant effects. The tree features Notable nodes and difficulty-increasing nodes for Logbooks. Each Notable node requires defeating Olroth at an increased difficulty.

Recommended Notable Nodes:

Prioritize "Disturbed Rest," "Detailed Records," and "Timed Detonations" for significant reward boosts. Subsequently, consider "Weight of History," "Unearthed Anomalies," and "Legendary Battles" for further, albeit more challenging, rewards. Avoid "Extreme Archaeology" due to its significant reduction in explosive count despite its other benefits.

Expedition Rewards

The primary rewards are Artifacts, used to trade with specific vendors for gear:

Artifacts are retained after map completion. Exotic Coinage refreshes vendor inventories. Expedition Logbooks unlock Pinnacle Maps and the chance to fight Olroth for exceptional rewards and additional passive skill points. Successfully navigating the Expedition system requires strategic explosive placement, understanding Remnant modifiers, and a calculated approach to the passive skill tree.