Expedition 16 Tips and FAQ (contains spoilers)

[smurfy]

1. Read ahead.

As with any Expedition, milestones are allowed to be completed in any order. This is specifically stated as you start.
Every milestone (except the final hidden one) is described (some clearer than others). If you find something on the starter planet/system that can fulfil a requirement in a later phase, you can complete it and claim the reward early.
e.g. Phase 2 "Fear the Sun" rewards the Personal Refiner simply for tunnelling 1,600U. You start with a Terrain Manipulator. Use it to travel right from the start.
That said, some milestones will require collection of a prior milestone reward to complete.
e.g. You will need to unlock the fishing rig plans before being allowed to catch the fish.

2. No, really, read ahead.

Pay attention to the milestone rewards. Many provide hints for subsequent requirements and suggest you will probably need them later.
e.g. The last milestone in Phase 1 provides the full glyph set and base building plans. That's a clear hint you'll be using portals. You also get a Cloaking Device and Pulse Spitter early in Phase 1. Use them to help survive the battles with the Boundary Horrors.

3. What equipment do I need to bring from my main save?

Nothing. Really. Expeditions are still designed to be fully completed "standalone" from a new save. Everything you need to complete the Expedition is provided either on the initial loadout or as a milestone reward. Bringing in better items, buying additional tech from the Anomaly (or from trade terminals and NPC merchants) or claiming prior unlocks from the QS vendor can make things easier/faster, but they are not required.

4. Where's my Hyperdrive?

You do not need to visit any other system than the ones you portal to. Multiple instances of every planet type required to fulfil all the milestones are available in the 6 systems you visit. Hyperdrive tech is unavailable (other than on a Sentinel Interceptor or an imported/claimed starship) simply because you should not ever need one. The Expedition only uses simplified Portals to transit between systems and allows Teleport between space stations and base computers. Only one system doesn't have a Space Station (it is Uncharted). You'll have the Base Computer plans before you get to it. That's the easiest way to return to an Uncharted system. You'll also be able to easily find and use any Portal to return to this system using the full glyph set you were awarded earlier. Portal Glyph Addresses can be found by using the Wonders function in your Discoveries/Catalogue.

Specific milestone hints

Phase 3 - Endless Hunger (Eliminate 8 Hungering Tendrils). They can be found on the infested planet in the uncharted system. You are allowed to use your starship. Easiest with a Sentinel Interceptor with hover ability, but it is doable in the Explorer. Otherwise, just jetpack up onto a plant to take them out and avoid the horrors on the ground.
Phase 3 - In Wine Dark Seas (catch 4 anomalous fish). Any anomalous planet (Mega-Exotic biome) with water will work. 4/6 systems have one. The fish description just needs to say they inhabit the haunted planets.
Phase 4 - Discordant (Amass 256 Atlantideum). This should just be a by-product of Arachnophobia, otherwise it is easily harvested from any of the 3 Dissonant worlds.
Phase 4 - Metal Bones (Salvage Tainted Metal). You can either get lucky with wheelbarrows at Harmonic Camps on the Dissonant planet in 2 of the systems, or you can do a Derelict Freighter run. Pay attention during pulse as you may get a Lost in Space event for free without needing to buy a Emergency Beacon from the scrap dealer. I suspect there is one scripted as I got one on 2/3 runs through the expedition which far exceeds the usual hit rate for that event. You may even get some of your required Hypnotic Eyes and Storm Crystals from a Derelict run.
Phase 4 - Genetic Glitch (discover 2 exotic lifeforms). There are 3 planets that qualify in the 3rd (uncharted), 4th and 5th systems. 2 of them have 1 exotic, one (in the uncharted system) has 3 "mechanicals" which all count.
Phase 4 - Arachnophobia (Destroy 8 Corrupted Sentinel Quads). You need to kill the big ones. They can be found either guarding some Dissonant Resonators or will appear on wave 4 & 5 of a Sentinel battle on any of the 3 dissonant planets. The easiest method is to build a small "fort" base near Gravatino Balls to provoke a battle and provide elevated cover and just pick them off. Use the Anomaly Seal base part to keep the Boundary Horrors at bay while you deal with the Sentinels. When the flying corrupt sentinels appear to repair, you only need to hit them each with a couple of shots to stop them healing your primary target, but I find it better to take them out completely before returning to the big quad(s).
Phase 5 - Stone Ghosts (Discover 2 lost relics). I suspect this one is a bit bugged. The game will tell you to use the Signal Booster. Don't bother, the batteries don't work. If you haven't stumbled upon a couple of Plaques/Interactive ruins (not diggable ones) by this point, than it is easiest to buy the Alien Cartographic Data planetary chart maps from a Station Cartographer (again, make sure this is not the "Dig site" charts).

Expedition Systems
Edited 3/11/2024 - planet glyph images added

Region--------------System--------------System Portal Hex -------Phase
Bungugu Gloud------Samadano XIII------1103FCA77448-----------Start Expedition
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359251322
Semard Void---------Temerifi X-----------1047FCA78448-----------Portal 1
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359251491
Ujohnpeta Cluster---Gaxaral-------------414BFCA7844C-----------Portal 2
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359251672
Ujohnpeta Cluster---Rocangh------------10A8FCA7844C----------Portal 3
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359251827
Ujohnpeta Cluster---Umardag------------6073FCA7844C----------Portal 4
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359251980
Ujohnpeta Cluster---Hernlun-Lemen XII--6028FCA7844C----------End (5)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3359252178
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November 2nd Update edit
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As documented in this discussion, 15/31 milestones can be completed fully in the very first system before taking the first portal in 2-3 hours of non-rushed play.
25/31 can be completed after reaching the 3rd system (Gaxaral), leaving the 3rd, 4th and 5th portal to be done in sequence, taking you straight to the finale in Phase 5.

[Other]

A section on how the revised hazard mechanic works might be useful if you want to expand this, with a subpoint on where to get hydrogen (buy jellies from trade terminals or landed starships at archives, trading posts & space stations; the merchants at minor settlements and archives can also have it, but usually only 1-3) and how to refill your life support without needing oxygen or life support gel (buy dioxite).

[Happy Monkey]

The weekend quicksilver mission has storm crystals, and you can run the mission in and out of the expedition to double up on quicksilver.

There's an exotic world as well; not sure about water.

[Sauriel]

there seems to be one way to discover ancient ruins through the booster, but you need to find a observatory location and from there you get a ruin location once you input a code in some number puzzle answer.

[Nutronic]

I don't have the units for coordinates from the scrap dealer nor have I experienced a derelict freight just appear.

[Geldric™]

Originally posted by Sauriel:

there seems to be one way to discover ancient ruins through the booster, but you need to find a observatory location and from there you get a ruin location once you input a code in some number puzzle answer.

Charts still work just fine (as do your eyes)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354576937
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354576759

[Other]

Originally posted by Nutronic:

I don't have the units for coordinates from the scrap dealer nor have I experienced a derelict freight just appear.

The easiest way to get the 5M units (after you've sold the ancient bones you dig up, and the various "treasure" rewards) is probably to go back and dig up more bones. The value for those tops out at about 2M, so even if you spent everything else before working on units for the scrap dealer, you might need as few as 3 more bones ... but I expect 20 or so is more likely, and probably less if you didn't spend *all* your units.

[Dragonfly42]

Great guide! It has helped me through a few spots. I am having problems finding the Stone Ghosts. What type of map do I need from the cartographer? All I keep getting directed to are the dig sites.
Edit: Got it figured out. I was using the wrong charts. I needed the ancient artifact site maps.

[Vodoc Xeno]

Would anyone have a planet coordinate/portal code in the Gaxaral system? I somehow got lost and it's not in my warp/portal history -.-
Thanks.

[Bidermann]

Originally posted by Vodoc Xeno:

Would anyone have a planet coordinate/portal code in the Gaxaral system? I somehow got lost and it's not in my warp/portal history -.-
Thanks.

Me to , I am stuck . I am on the the third breech but can not get to gaxaral so frustrating.

[Assburgers]

Was thinking about about starting the expedition. Will there be access to the Space Anomaly? I was thinking of bringing items to the expedition.

[Sentient_Pickle]

Originally posted by Assburgers:

Was thinking about about starting the expedition. Will there be access to the Space Anomaly? I was thinking of bringing items to the expedition.

I didn't think to try until in the second system and was able to summon it there, so maybe you can in the starting system as well.

[askew1]

The anomaly is accessible as it usually is after you travel to the second system via portal.

[dyonisth]

*Phase 4 - Genetic Glitch (discover 2 exotic lifeforms). There are 3 planets that qualify in the 3rd (uncharted), 4th and 5th systems. 2 of them have 1 exotic, one (in the uncharted system) has 3 "mechanicals" which all count.*

In my system there was 1 exotic and 1 onbly lifeform, the 5 others planets has nothing exotic, so i am stuck.

[ForrestFox]

Oh man, fount a derelict in the Temerifi X system, but it has the bug where the doors wont unseal so I cant enter.
I presume this one was scripted for the Expedition, so is kinda ironic its broken ^^

[Happy Monkey]

Front doors, or doors sealed by goop? If the latter, you could try installing an area-of-effect weapon and trying to hit the bad hitbox that way.