Strategy
The 0.5.4 patch gave Expedition (Runes of Alva) its own dedicated Atlas passive tree, turning it into a self-contained farming system rather than just another mechanic you bump into. The points are earned by killing the bosses in the Grand Expedition quest line out of the Ruins of Kingsmarch — if you have already cleared those, you can collect all 24 points almost for free just by logging in. This guide is for mapped-out players who want to specialise into Expedition and juice it for consistent Divine-per-hour returns.
The single biggest unlock is Liquid Veridian: a new currency bought from Dannig at 600 Veridian to 1 Liquid Veridian, which lets you reroll a remnant encounter. In a regular expedition it starts immediately, but in a Grand Expedition it stays in place so you can preview the reroll and decide whether to run it — effectively a second chance at a jackpot remnant. The rest of the tree adds extra remnants, more logbooks, higher area level, and biome specialisation.
Atlas Tree & Setup
Prioritise the following on the Expedition Atlas tree:
- Liquid Veridian / remnant reroll — the highest-impact node; reroll bad remnants for a shot at jackpots.
- Extra remnant over extra explosive — more remnants means more loot chances. The extra explosive is not worth it.
- More logbooks + Tome of the Fallen Knight — always grants a logbook; prioritise it when you see it.
- Grand Expeditions +1 area level — a large loot multiplier.
- Desert biome — chosen for monster effectiveness, quantity, and other strong stats (Swamp/Ocean are reasonable alternatives).
- Risk nodes (“25% chance Rusted Remnants count as power-room affected”, “add additional Runic Modifier”) are jackpot-or-pain — they upgrade modifiers but make remnants much harder. If you struggle, take the flat 1% quantity per Runic Modifier node instead for consistent, safer value.
For maps and tablets: run monster rarity (now fixed so it actually increases rares in remnant encounters) and effectiveness on your radius tablets. Monster rarity is arguably the best single stat — more rares means more remnant loot — provided you have good AoE clear. Avoid “map has additional random modifiers” tablets; sell them instead (10–15 Div for a two-mod roll), the added difficulty is not worth it. Use Atlas master Jado with “version remnants rerolled keeping the best outcome” — the most important master node. On travel maps, run Doryani with evolutionary pressure, disengage safeties, improved calibration, and careful procurement, and slot something like Breach so the map isn’t wasted.
Investment & Returns
- Investment: mid — a stock of monster-rarity/effectiveness tablets, Liquid Veridian for rerolls, and a build that can survive cold-heavy packs.
- Returns: high — consistent Divines per hour; the creator reports pulling rare uniques (e.g. Sagas) from lucky rerolls.
- Scaling: the more rares you force (monster rarity) and the higher the Grand Expedition area level, the larger the loot, as long as your clear keeps up.
Step-by-step
- Finish the Grand Expedition quest-line bosses to bank the 24 Atlas points (free if already done).
- Allocate the Expedition tree toward Liquid Veridian reroll, extra remnant, more logbooks, +1 area level, and Desert biome.
- Buy Liquid Veridian from Dannig and use it to reroll bad remnants — in Grand Expeditions, preview before committing.
- Run radius tablets with monster rarity + effectiveness; sell any additional-random-modifier tablets.
- Set Atlas master to Jado (reroll-keep-best) for Grand Expeditions, Doryani for travel maps.
- Kite around the remnant at range, pop your detonators, and collect; chain into the next encounter.
Risks
- Expedition monsters deal heavy cold damage, constantly chill, and can freeze you — a freeze-immunity charm is essential and you should cap cold resistance.
- Becoming frozen is one of the fastest ways to die here; layer chill immunity (Crystallized Immunities) and a slow such as Temporal Chains on cursed ground.
- The jackpot risk nodes can spawn remnants that take minutes to kill — back off to recharge your freeze charm if it procs.
- Stand back from the remnant: monsters spawn in a wide circle, so standing in the middle gets you surrounded. A ranged build that circles the remnant is strongly recommended.
Credits & Source
Method credited to Rath of Exile. See the source video: NEW Expedition juicing explained in under 10 mins | POE2 0.5.4.