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

Quick Links

• PoE 2 Expedition & Detonation Mechanic, Explained

• Expedition Passive Skill Tree

• PoE 2 Expedition Event Rewards

Path of Exile 2's Atlas map features four major endgame events: Delirium, Breaches, Rituals, and Expeditions. The Expedition system, a returning favorite from original Path of Exile Leagues, offers a unique and rewarding endgame experience. This guide covers finding and starting Expeditions, mastering the Detonator and Explosives mechanics, navigating the Expedition Passive Skill Tree, and maximizing your rewards.

PoE 2 Expedition & Detonation Mechanic, Explained

On the Atlas screen, endgame event nodes are marked with distinct icons. Expedition nodes display a light blue, spiral-shaped icon. Use an Expedition Precursor Tablet in a completed Lost Tower slot to guarantee Expedition encounters on chosen map nodes.

Once in an Expedition map, locate the marked area and tent containing one of four NPCs. While they provide a basic overview, mastering the mechanics requires further exploration.

The central Detonator and the Explosives UI (bottom-right) are key to the Expedition. Your objective is to strategically place Explosives to spawn Runic Monsters, Unearthed Remnants, and Excavated Chests.

• Runic Monsters: Spawn near Red Markers; larger markers yield larger monster packs. These packs are further empowered by Unearthed Remnants.
• Unearthed Remnants: Relics with floating tooltips offering beneficial or detrimental modifiers (e.g., increased elemental damage from monsters, but higher rarity rewards from chests).
• Excavated Chests: Spawn near Black Markers with the spiral symbol; contain Artifacts, Logbooks, powerful currency, Waystones, and endgame gear.

Use the Explosives button, then hover to visualize the area of effect (AoE). Explosives only activate Markers within the green circle. For optimal farming, avoid overlapping AoE circles.

After placing Explosives, interact with the Detonator. Activated Markers spawn monsters and chests. If overwhelmed, retreat and return later; the event persists. Detonating, retreating, and then returning to engage enemies with AoE abilities is a viable strategy.

Expedition Pinnacle Map

Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests have a chance to drop Expedition Logbooks. Take these to Dannig in your Hideout to access the Expedition Map. Slot the Logbook and click "Open Portals."

Logbook Portals function like Waystone maps, leading to a larger-scale Expedition with significantly more Explosives. This system features Olroth, the Pinnacle Boss, whose spawn chance increases with map level. A skull icon on the minimap indicates Olroth's presence. Strategic Explosive placement is crucial to reach and engage Olroth.

Defeating Olroth awards double Expedition Passive Skill Tree points. These points are used in a dedicated section of the Atlas Passive Skill Tree.

Expedition Passive Skill Tree

The Expedition Passive Skill Tree (found in the Atlas Passive Skill Tree menu, top-left, then top-right) modifies Expeditions for increased rewards, monster spawns, and Remnant effects. It's a glowing blue spiral with Notable nodes and difficulty-increasing nodes. Defeating Olroth provides double points. Increasing Logbook difficulty is necessary to unlock new Notable nodes.

Notable Expedition PassiveEffectRequirementsExtreme ArchaeologyReduces Explosives to 1, but boosts radius by 150%, placement range by 100%, and reduces enemy Life by 20%N/ADisturbed Rest50% more Runic Monster FlagsN/ADetailed Records50% more Logbooks, Logbooks always have 3x ModifiersDisturbed RestTimed Detonations50% more Artifacts, Detonation chains 50% fasterN/ALegendary Battles50% more Rare monsters, 50% more Exotic CoinageTimed DetonationsFrail Treasures3x more Excavated Chest Markers, but they disappear after 5 secondsN/AWeight of History35% boost to Remnant effectsN/AUnearthed AnomaliesRemnants gain an additional Suffix and Prefix modifierWeight of History

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

PoE 2 Expedition Event Rewards

Artifacts are the primary rewards, used to trade with specific vendors for gear.

RewardUseGearBroken Circle ArtifactGwennenWeaponsBlack Scythe ArtifactTujenBelts and JewelryOrder ArtifactRogArmorSun ArtifactDannigUsed to acquire other ArtifactsExotic CoinageRefreshes vendor inventoryN/A

Each Expedition features one vendor. Artifacts persist after map completion. Exotic Coinage refreshes vendor inventories.

Expedition Logbooks, obtained from Runic Monsters and Excavated Chests, unlock the Expedition Pinnacle system. These maps offer a higher chance of encountering Olroth, who rewards double skill points, high-tier currency, and exclusive Uniques. Increased map difficulty increases Olroth's spawn rate and reward quality.