Strategy
Expedition sits at the top of the risk/reward curve in patch 0.5.5. The addition of expedition tablets pushed an already profitable mechanic into money-printer territory: multiple 10-divine and 5-divine Verisium Remnants over a couple of days, plus steady exalts, chaos, rare bases and level 20 skill/spirit gems from high-tier maps. The trade-off is danger — some remnant rares are far tankier than pinnacle bosses and can one-shot characters that otherwise face-tank endgame content.
The method alternates between two activities: regular maps running Expedition tablets, and Grand Expeditions found out in the Atlas ocean via logbooks. Maps feed you logbooks to push further into the ocean; Grand Expeditions flood you with more Expedition tablets than you can use. Batch one activity for a while, swap tablets (and possibly your Atlas master), then batch the other.
This suits a strong, well-defended endgame character. Per map it out-earns Abyss, but it is slower and harder, so a fragile build may make less per hour.
Atlas Tree & Setup
- Expedition passive tree (same for maps and Grand Expeditions): take the hardest option on the runic-modifier carry-over keystone; set ocean areas to count as Swamp (10% chance for exalts to drop as chaos — excellent given how many exalts Grand Expeditions drop).
- Prefer the extra Verisium Remnant node over the extra explosive (map expeditions only).
- On Strategic Advantage, take wait for half the monsters to be slain — the 20% life removal is weak because many monsters carry ward.
- Take the node for two remnants + two encounters per map, and the Power Rune chance node for maximum reward (quantity is the safer fallback; the XP option is only for levelling).
- Allocate Feeling Lucky so the vendor sells Liquid Verisium — keep 20+ to reroll low-value remnants.
- Waystones: corrupted 6-mod or preferably 8-mod. Alch, double exalt, use a Chaotic Quantity omen + chaos to strip pack size, then Vaal.
- Masters: the usual pick is Jado (corruption, Eastern Knowledge remnant reroll, Partial Translations, Keen Appraisal). The creator also tested Doriani — Stitch the Flesh gives an extra life, Evolutionary Pressure and Improved Calibration scale well on 8-mod maps. Jado pulls ahead again if your tablets carry three good prefixes.
- Tablets: Irradiated tablets for Grand Expeditions (only prefixes matter: effectiveness, item rarity, monster rarity). Expedition tablets for maps — also chase logbook quantity and surpassing chance for an additional Verisium Remnant suffixes.
Investment & Returns
- Investment: mid — rolled/corrupted waystones and tablets, omens, Vaal orbs, a stock of Liquid Verisium, ancient infusers if going all-in.
- Returns: high — multi-divine remnants, mirror-tier outliers, heavy exalt/chaos flow, valuable two-socket bases and level 20 gems.
- Scaling: better tablet prefixes multiply everything; corrupting tablets for three strong prefixes is the high-end push.
Step-by-step
- Spec the Expedition tree as above and unlock Liquid Verisium purchases.
- Run 8-mod maps with three Expedition tablets to collect logbooks and tablets.
- Use logbooks at the ocean edges to open new sections; the creator rates two of the boss sagas as far more valuable than the rest (exact saga names to confirm against the source video).
- Swap to Irradiated tablets and run the Grand Expeditions you uncovered.
- Inside, scan every remnant, reroll junk ones with Liquid Verisium, and beeline valuable remnants and glowing currency chests early — runic modifiers stack as the explosion chain grows.
- Skip underground areas once your anvil recipes are unlocked.
- Repeat, swapping tablets and master between phases.
Risks
- Remnant rares can be tankier than pinnacle bosses and one-shot you; a weak build loses time and loot.
- Expeditions with extra bosses can spawn a giant monkey mid-fight that slams immediately — keep a dodge roll ready.
- Swapping tablets and masters between phases is fiddly.
- The Eastern Knowledge reroll’s value is hard to verify — the rarest outcome is not always the most valuable.
Credits & Source
Method credited to Path of Evening. See the source video: Expedition is Still the Best Mechanic in PoE 2!.