In Destiny 2’s Season of Plunder, the escaped Eramis allies with Eliksni pirate crews to hunt dangerous Darkness artifacts. Drifter, Spider, Eido, and Mithrax form an unlikely coalition to stop her. The season introduces Ketchcrash, Expeditions, and Pirate Hideouts. Expeditions do not appear immediately after login. This legacy guide explains the original unlock path and activity flow for Season of Plunder’s Expedition playlist. In 2026, Destiny 2’s live content has changed, so players should always verify current in-game availability and objectives, but the structure below remains a clear record of how the activity worked.

Unlocking the Expedition Playlist

To access Expeditions, a player first completes the seasonal prologue. That prologue reveals Eramis has escaped her Stasis containment and is working with various Eliksni pirate crews. A cutscene then shows Drifter, Eido, and Mithrax planning a counter-strategy. After the prologue, the Guardian visits the Eliksni Quarter and speaks with Spider. Spider grants access to the Ketchcrash seasonal activity and the Ahoy And Aweigh quest. Completing one Ketchcrash activity progresses Ahoy And Aweigh. The player then heads to the H.E.L.M. to turn in the quest.

Once Ahoy And Aweigh is complete, the Sails of the Shipstealer quest begins. This is the 62-step main quest spanning all of Season of Plunder. After finishing Steps 1 and 2, the Expedition Playlist unlocks on Step 3. The playlist icon sits in the H.E.L.M., right beside the Ketchcrash seasonal activity icon.

Expedition Activity Overview

An Expedition is a seasonal activity for a fireteam of one to three players. The team battles roving pirate crews and excavates long-buried treasure. The core loop involves escorting a Treasure Haul cart through different areas, fighting off enemy incursions, and harvesting buried treasure until reaching an eventual evac point. Spider and Eido exchange light banter during the mission. The dialogue also offers another slight hint at Mithrax’s darker past, a thread that unfolds further as the season progresses.

First Treasure Site

The first objective is Search for Buried Treasure. The fireteam heads to a large glowing beam of light nearby. A mineral harvester begins collecting treasure in the area. Waves of Vex enemies spawn around the team and must be fought off.

At irregular intervals, the mining beam excavates treasure. The treasure drops as golden engrams. These items have about 20 seconds before they explode. Players should pick them up and throw them at the purple glowing Treasure Haul cart. The process repeats: battle more enemies, deposit more golden engrams, and keep the cart filling until it is full.

During this phase, a signal jammer appears and interrupts the operation. It blocks the treasure harvester from completing its work. The fireteam rides out to the quest objective, defeats the enemies around the signal jammer, and destroys the jammer itself once its shields drop. After destruction, the team returns to the Treasure Haul cart to dig up more treasure.

Second Site and Escalation

After the first area is fully harvested, the Treasure Haul begins moving along a set path toward the Ketch in the distance. It eventually stops at another site primed for treasure harvesting. The same process repeats at the new location, but this time hordes of Eliksni and Cabal scavengers attack. The fireteam fights off these challengers and defends the harvester as it gathers and generates golden engrams.

There are often more engrams than the team can deposit, especially while under attack by an increasing number of Cabal and Fallen enemies. The team keeps at it, and the secondary treasure harvesting site is finished in no time.

Final Location and Boss Encounter

Once the Treasure Haul cart is filled again, it moves toward the final location. More enemies appear, and eventually a boss encounter begins once the cart reaches its final resting place. After the boss is defeated, the end-of-mission treasure chest appears. Three green marks are located around the chest. If a player has an active treasure map, they can dig up treasure from these green marks for bonus rewards.

That is the end of the mission. The activity can be repeated as often as desired, but buried treasure can only be collected with an active treasure map. Players therefore run more Ketchcrash missions to gain the necessary Map Fragments and activate another treasure map.

2026 Perspective and Practical Tips

As of 2026, Destiny 2 has evolved through many expansions, seasonal models, and sandbox updates. Some older seasonal activities have been vaulted, rotated, or reworked. Players returning to legacy content should check the current Director, H.E.L.M., and quest log for exact availability. The original Expedition loop still offers useful lessons in objective pacing, add management, and reward mapping.

Helpful habits for Expeditions include bringing strong add-clearing weapons, saving heavy ammo for boss phases, prioritizing the signal jammer when it appears, and throwing golden engrams toward the cart before they explode. A coordinated fireteam can split roles: one player defends the harvester, another deposits engrams, and a third watches for flanking Eliksni or Cabal. Treasure maps should be activated before launching the playlist to ensure bonus rewards at the final chest. 🏴☠️