Curious Expedition Wiki
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Terrain represents the different land features and barriers inside expedition maps. Passable terrains deplete sanity to travel across: more difficult or treacherous terrain costs more sanity. Any travel leg has a base cost of 5 sanity (on standard difficulty) plus the costs associated with each hex's terrain type. Hovering over terrain reveals its type, and potential routes display their costs when charting course.

Tools & Expertise[]

Some items and perks can stack effects to greatly reduce the sanity travel cost for certain terrains. The following table indicates these particular terrains and the items/perks that affect their cost.

Terrain Item Perk
Deep Snow Snowshoes Arctic Explorer
Desert Water Desert Explorer
Hills & Plateaus Climbing Gear Climber
Shallow River N/A Waterproof
Sulfur Swamp Rope Waterproof
Swamp Rope Waterproof
Thick Jungle Machete Jungle Explorer

Passable Terrain[]

Image Terrain Travel Cost
Beach Beach 1
Bushes Bushes 1
Cactus forest Cactus Forest 3
Terrain crystal forest Crystal Forest 4
Terrain deep snow Deep Snow* 10
Desert Desert* 10
Dry lands Drylands 1
Terrain frozen plains Frozen Plains 2
Mushroom Forest Giant Mushrooms 2
Giant skeleton Giant Skeleton
Grass lands Grasslands 1
Hills Hills* 15
Light jungle Light Jungle 2
Terrain pack ice Pack Ice 4
Terrain plateau Plateau* 25
Scorched Earth Scorched Earth 3
Shallow river Shallow River 4
Terrain snow forest Snow Forest 3
Stone forest Stone Forest 3
Stone forrest desert Stone Forest (Desert) 4
Suphlur Lake (shallow) Sulfur Lake (Shallow) 4
Suphlur Swamp Sulfur Swamp* 10
Swamps Swamps* 10
Thick jungle Thick Jungle* 8

*cost may be reduced by terrain-specific item or perk.

Hazardous Terrain[]

Image Terrain Conditions
Terrain fire Fire Each hex of fire traveled on costs 10 Sanity, and has a 1-in-7 chance of killing a companion. If a companion dies, there is a 25% chance another companion will get the pyromaniac ailment. If your explorer is alone, (s)he will be killed and the game will end.
Shrine fumarole curse Fumarole Gas Each hex of gas traveled on reduces each of your characters' health points by 2. While not immediately deadly, this will often cause infected wounds.
Shallow river Geyser Water All shallow water surrounding a geyser will periodically be drowned, potentially "washing away" the group, which will be moved to the nearest land and lose several items or a companion (your explorer will always survive, even if alone).
Terrain mosquito (2) Mosquito Afflicts one humanoid companion with malaria (80% chance) or jungle fever (20% chance). Explorers and non-humanoid companions are immune.
Terrain hazard dust storm
Sand Storm Disrupts travel and transports the group a few hexes away. Adds ~3 days to the journey.

Note: The spreading effects such as fire and gas are also known as "sprawls".

Impassable Terrain[]

Image Terrain Conditions
Terrain arctic sea Arctic Sea Swallows up Pack Ice after the party travels across. Travelling in the dog sled prevents this.
Pit Chasm The chasm shrine curse will expand outward, instantly killing the party if they don't flee fast enough.
Fumalole pic best Fumarole Periodically erupts, engulfing the surrounding area in toxic fumes that can poison the group, stealing sanity and potentially wounding or even killing companions.
Inactive geysir Geyser Periodically erupts, drowning the surrounding Shallow Water and potentially "washing away" the group, losing sanity and items.
Moutain Mountain The mountain shrine curse will sprout dozens of impassable mountains, potentially blocking routes and even destroying locations. Can be blown up with dynamite (costs -1 Standing)
Mountainface Mountain Face The mountains with a face carved on them may be hidding temples behind that you can discover by blowing up the mountain with dynamite. If you are carrying a temple pendulum, it will vibrate if there is indeed a temple inside the mountain face.
Magnetic moutain Magnetic Mountain Causes the compass to point towards it instead of the pyramid if the party travels close enough. Can be blown up with dynamite, eliminating its effect. (costs -1 Standing)
Terrain river River The river shrine curse will spread outward, following the group for several days. Permanently impassable and has the same effect as geyser water if it catches the party (see above).
Suphlur Lake Sulfur Lake Always impassable. Cannot be removed.
Terrain void Void The void shrine curse will spread slowly but endlessly outward, eventually swallowing the entire map and potentially killing the group.
Hex active volcano Volcano Periodically erupts, engulfing the surrounding area in fire that steals sanity, items and can wound and even kill companions.

Tips[]

  • Plateaus and hills have the highest base sanity cost, but only to climb up them. It costs only 1 sanity per hex to travel along their peaks.
  • The Impetus perk reduces the base travel cost of all travel legs by 25%
  • Remember that the effects of items and perks can stack to reduce even more travel cost.
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