Launching an Excavation: Site, Team, Duration, and Heroes

An Excavation is a ground-based PvE mission launched from Operations → Pillars → Excavation. It sends a team to an archaeological site to extract rare resources or accessory fragments, with a chance of awakening a hostile presence.

Excavations are independent of explorations: they do not require a fleet, are unaffected by the external environment, and cannot be recalled manually. Each occupies one slot in the global active-mission quota; the cap and how it is counted are detailed in Launching Excavations and How Many You Can Run.

Each planetary position from 1 to 10 is assigned a persistent random site profile. The profile remains there until the position is colonized, but an Excavation cannot be launched at an already occupied position. Several players can excavate the same free site at the same time: their missions and results remain completely independent. A player can have only one active Excavation at a given coordinate at a time.

From Operations → Pillars → Excavation, choose the target position, a duration, and a ground team of 1 to 5 000 units. A mission cannot be recalled after launch.

The personal Excavation cap depends on faction rank; the corresponding thresholds and numbers are detailed in Effects of Rank on Capabilities.

This personal cap is added to the global active-mission quota: each Excavation uses one slot, like a space mission, another ground mission, or a Federation convoy. An Excavation is counted only once. The rule allowing only one Excavation per player at the same coordinate is also described in How an Excavation Mission Works.

Within the launch limit of 5 000 units, you can freely distribute units among assault units, Scientists, and Miners authorized by the mission. Each role influences the site's chances without guaranteeing any outcome.

The units sent remain mobilized for the entire mission, as during a ground exploration. They do not suffer direct losses during the Excavation; any hostile target is fought afterward in a separate attack.

Bonuses are calculated at a rate of 0,001 points per unit in that role, with a cap of 5 points for each effect:

• 5 000 Scientists: up to +5 points to fragment probability;
• 5 000 Miners: up to +5 points to rare-resource probability;
• 5 000 assault units: up to −5 points to hostile probability, with those points transferred to neutral probability.

Scientists and Miners draw their bonuses from the available neutral probability. Assault units therefore do not create an additional gain: they simply make a hostile encounter less likely. Since the entire team shares the 5 000-unit cap, you must choose a compromise between research, extraction, and safety.

Example

A team of 2 500 Scientists, 1 500 Miners, and 1 000 assault units provides at most +2,5 points to fragment probability, +1,5 points to rare-resource probability, and −1 point to hostile probability.

A longer duration does not change the site's raw profile: it provides more opportunities to continue the draws. The additional result is always random. The chain stops as soon as an additional draw is not opened: no hidden draw or catch-up is performed.

Positive gains also become more substantial on longer Excavations: on the third draw, a fragment or resource has a 60% chance of being doubled; on the fourth, that chance reaches 85%. This rule applies neither to neutral results, nor to delays, nor to hostile presences.

A hero is optional, and an Excavation can have at most one. Mira Venn participates only in Excavations; Naël Soryn, who is also available directly, participates in the special Pillar Hacking mission. The general rules for availability, compatibility, and equipment are described in Heroes and Accessories.

For an Excavation, the hero remains assigned until the mission is closed or the evacuation takes effect; their equipment cannot be modified during this period.

At each level, Mira provides two bonuses: +0,15 point to the probability of a positive outcome and −0,5% to Excavation duration. Her positive bonus first removes points from hostile, neutral, and delay in equal shares, without ever making a probability negative. The removed points are then redistributed between fragments and resources according to the site's raw ratio. Mira does not affect whether additional draws are opened, the loot lists, or the strength of a hostile presence. The shared level cap for heroes and their progression are detailed in Hero Availability, Missions, and Progression.

A normally completed Excavation grants the hero 10 XP per nominal hour: 30 XP at 3 h, 60 XP at 6 h, 120 XP at 12 h, and 240 XP at 24 h. If Mira shortens a mission that is completed normally, the nominal experience is retained. In an early evacuation, only complete actual hours are counted, up to the nominal duration.