The MudRunner and Snowrunner titles may not be the ideal gaming experience for some, but transporting cargo can be oddly relaxing. The fact that Snowrunner received positive reviews from critics and sold over two million copies as of May 2021 is also noteworthy.
Still, it’s time for the experience to evolve or, at the very least, try something different. Cue Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, launching on March 5th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and even Nintendo Switch. Here are 13 things you should know about Expeditions: A MudRunner Game before picking it up.
Focusing on Exploration and Research
In keeping with the name, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is about exploration instead of transporting cargo from one place to another. As part of a research team, you embark on expeditions through different landscapes, uncovering treasures and other mysteries while mapping out the environment. Make no mistake, though, since you still must deal with unforgiving conditions and nigh-impassable terrain while making the best possible use of your tools.
Three Unique Maps
Another departure from previous titles is the range of environments. Expeditions features three massive new maps – Arizona, Colorado and the Carpathian Mountains in Europe. Each offers unique challenges to traverse, and from the outset, you know little about their various nooks and crannies. By setting out and completing expeditions, you’ll uncover more of these maps, which should make future trips easier (or less frustrating, at least). Watch for signs from previous travelers that may provide hints on how to proceed.
Realistic Physics and Terrain
MudRunner and SnowRunner, Expeditions offers realistic driving and physics to immerse you in the deformable environment. Your vehicle will sink into the mud and get stuck, while every impact from traveling across mountainsides and whatnot is felt. Drowning isn’t a possibility, probably, but your vehicle will be trapped in deep water regardless. The controls are still the same, so if you’re familiar with previous titles, it should be easy to jump in. One new feature allows for manually adjusting tyre pressure, allowing for more grip when traversing trickier surfaces.
New Tools
Fortunately, there are several tools available to assist your endeavors. Vehicle flipped over because you underestimated a cliff or turn? The Jackscrew is at your service. If you’re paranoid about water depth and want to avoid sinking, the Echo Sounder is the way to go. The Winch is even more valuable, allowing you to escape from getting stuck in the mud and also allowing for rappelling down cliffs.
There’s also a Metal Detector for discovering items with 360 degrees of coverage and a Camera Drone for marking areas and objectives of interest. You need to choose carefully depending on the routes and environmental conditions.
Vehicle Types and Customization
The same logic applies when choosing a vehicle. Scout vehicles are quicker, but you may want to favor off-road cars to traverse the more dangerous terrain. There are also larger trucks which can carry more equipment. Vehicles can be customized with new parts and tools unlocked throughout the game, but you also need to spend some cash on repairs.
Expeditions
Each map offers various objectives, from discovering safe routes to delivering equipment and even helping out other stuck vehicles. Each expedition has different challenges, even if they may assign the same kinds of tasks. Succeed, and you can unlock new tools, extensions for vehicle storage, additional parts and even some new accessories.
Base Camp Upgrades
Another big departure from previous titles is the Base Camp. From here, you decide which missions to tackle and adjust vehicle loadouts before setting out. It can be upgraded with new structures and other features, providing benefits over the long term and a place for the new NPCs to hang out.
Hiring Specialists
Expeditions offers non-playable characters like researchers who can provide different insights into tasks while having unique backstories. However, they also offer unique bonuses like reductions in water damage, improving the power of your gadgets, and more. It remains to be seen how extensive the list of researchers can be based on the terrain, but it adds another interesting layer of complexity to the formula, even if their personalities are forgettable.
Free-Roam Mode
What if you want to roam the world without being hindered by any expeditions or your fellow researchers? Good news – Free-roam mode is indeed present. The bad news? You need to finish the main expeditions of each map to unlock it, according to PC Gamer’s preview. It’s not the worst compromise, especially since you can familiarize yourself with each map while having enough to explore alone in Free-roam.
Free Co-op Support in Post-Launch Update
The wide, open environments of Expeditions sound like it would be fun with friends, but there’s no co-op support at launch. It will be available “a little later” in a free update with up to four other players capable of teaming together to overcome the wilderness. Maybe you’ll share some resources and maybe bump each other off cliffs, cursing all the way. Fun times abound, all the same.
Early Access and Year 1 Content Pass
Of course, that’s not all – purchasing the Supreme or Year 1 Edition grants five days early access to Expeditions, so you can start playing on February 29th. There’s also the Year 1 Pass which provides access to the Cotco Canyon truck and four seasons of content, including over 120 new missions, new specialists, maps, areas, trucks, scouting vehicles, and tools. You even get the ability to explore uncharted caves.
PC Requirements
For PC players, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game isn’t too demanding. All configurations require Windows 10 or 11 64-bit with DirectX 11 and 20 GB installation space. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i3-9100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X, 8 GB RAM and Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R7 370 with 2 GB VRAM. This allows for playing at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second at Low quality.
Recommended requirements include an Intel Core i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB RAM and a GeForce RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6800 XT with 6 GB VRAM. This setup allows for playing at 1080p/60 FPS at Ultra settings, which is pretty good.
4K Ultra HD on Xbox Series X
While the developer hasn’t outlined what you can expect with each platform’s resolution and frame rate, the Xbox listing did provide some details. It confirmed 4K Ultra HD support on Xbox Series X, which should be available on PS5 as well. Smart Delivery is also supported, allowing those who play on Xbox One to access the title on Xbox Series X/S at no additional cost. Purchasing it on the PlayStation Store grants access to the digital PS4 and PS5 versions, so there’s no cost for upgrading there either.