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Beginner Tips and Guide
There are many mechanics in Expeditions: A MudRunner Game that you need to understand if you want to get anywhere in this game, otherwise, you may end up stuck for an hour during your first expedition. Learning all the different mechanics and inner workings of your trucks can be overwhelming, so if you need some help you’ve come to the right place.
Below we have explained the core mechanics of the game and how to use them to your advantage. Click on any of the tips below to read more about it, or just keep scrolling to see them all!
- Understanding Mission Briefings
- One Truck or Many
- Understanding Your Truck
- How to Use the Vehicle Control Panel
- Plan Your Drive
- Understanding the Tire Inflation System
- Keep an Eye on Your Fuel Consumption
- Repairing Your Vehicle
- Inventory vs. Cargo
- Trucks Behave Differently on Different Surfaces
- Essential Tips and Tricks
Understanding Mission Briefings
Every Expedition, Task, and Contract comes with instructions and objectives. Reading through the brief helps you understand what's needed. But Expeditions: A MudRunner Game doesn't always give you all the information that's necessary to figure things out in advance, leading to issues later when you're actually on the road. For example, Contracts are often grayed out and can't be accessed while in Free Roam because you may be missing prerequisites (namely a specific Specialist type onboard) -- please refer to the Sidequests Section in this guide for more help on that.
Expeditions, on the other hand, present you with detailed info about requirements (truck types, equipment, or Specialists you need to bring along) as well as crucial tips that aren't always clearly stated. Pay special attention to the length of the mission, displayed in meters distance, but note that that estimate doesn't take into consideration 4WD/deflated tires/damage that brings down your truck's range. So when equipping your vehicle, you need to be well above that target. If the length of a mission exceeds your trucks' capabilities, that's a good indicator that you should deploy multiple trucks and split up the tasks.
Also pay attention to details about the terrain: "height differences" means you'll have to drive up steep climbs and ledges, necessitating a nimble scout vehicle or a powerful heavy truck. "Bridge building" means you're better off bringing Spare Parts to cross through some difficult areas. "Watery areas" suggests bringing a car with raised suspension, a snorkel, or a Specialist who protects your engine from water damage.
Truck types are a suggestion, but you'll obviously want to bring a large truck with plenty of fuel reserves if the drive distance is long. If you're planning to do tasks/contracts, having a truck with cargo may be crucial. You don't want to only deploy Scout vehicles that can't carry scientific equipment. When the mission states "two trucks", it means you can't bring three or four trucks -- you're limited to two trucks max.
Finally, don't ignore the mini map on the briefing screen. You're often shown the exact locations of an expedition's sub-objectives. Make a mental note of where they are located in relation to the Outpost(s) or use your console/PC's screenshot capture to snap a pic. If, for example, they're all over the map, you might want to bring multiple trucks and perhaps even deploy them are two different Outposts. But also remember which Outpost the objectives are closest to. Use conspicuous topography to help you remember since the Outposts aren't labeled here (eg: Outpost near lake, Outpost in southeast near mountain crater, and so on).
One Truck or Many
Some missions are more easily completed if you bring multiple trucks, but you are free to just focus on one vehicle, too. However, there is no reason to not deploy multiple trucks as you don't have to pay extra per truck. Equipment costs money, deploying trucks is free. As a matter of fact, we'd suggest living by this golden rule:
The no-brainer strategy is to trick out one truck -- your main vehicle -- with the supplies and mission-critical items you need and bring additional trucks without spending any money on new configurations or recovery items. The secondary trucks are "just in case". You can use them to run light side quests or go get loot from nearby airdrops before concluding a run for extra payout. You can also use them for rescue actions and add a Jack-Screw and Anchors only when you're about to leave camp. You could, for example, build a temporary resupply module -- the cargo drone to deliver fuel to your primary truck or even resupply the Outpost's reserves with additional fuel from the truck's tank or other modules. Remember: you can sell a module before you finish a mission and get most of your money back, if you need it. Likewise, you can get any scientific equipment for free from the outpost if you forgot to equip one truck with it. It's only the jacks and anchors that cost money -- and you can reduce their cost by bringing the right specialist(s).
Once you unlock advanced truck add-ons such as the Radar or Fuel Tank, you can also use additional trucks to help fill in the map and uncover hidden upgrades or bring 300L of "free" fuel to every mission. Equipping your main vehicle with Radar means adding a lot of weight and bulk, which isn't something you always want during expeditions, but it's a game changer when it comes to filling in the yellow "explore the area" target circles or finding hidden objectives.
If you run out of fuel often and you're getting frustrated and wasting money on retries, a second truck as a companion vehicle is also a great solution. By optimizing a second vehicle for fuel storage (or carrying supplies like Jack-Screws or Anchors), you can deploy it alongside your main truck and have it do a resupply run when needed. Now, this is of course more time-consuming and costly than upgrading your main vehicle or plotting your route with refueling points in mind (if you've discovered them). However, some missions, such as No More Shaking! require you to closely watch your fuel reserves and are prime candidates for a multi-truck strategy.
Note that there are some limitations. The two trucks have to be adjacent to each other to trade supplies unless you have the ability to trade by drone unlocked (see: Specialists). You can freely switch between two trucks on the same map, but beware that exiting a map will leave the second vehicle behind. Unless both are in the gateway zone when traveling to another map, you can no longer switch trucks after an exit. If you're planning two take two or more trucks through a Gateway to another map, be sure to read our tips on How to Switch Maps With Two Trucks (it's not turn-key and some sites will tell you it's not possible. We tested it, it is).
Understanding Your Truck
Whenever you start an expedition the first thing you need to do is release the handbrake to get moving, rather than just pressing a quick button to get it going like you'd do in other games. You’ll know the handbrake is activated by the glowing red “P” on the lower right corner of the screen.
Another essential mechanic is the All Wheel Drive (AWD) system. Engaging the AWD allows you to traverse through rough terrain with ease. However, turning on this system will make your truck consume more fuel, so it’s best if you only use it for short periods.
In addition to the AWD system, you can engage the differential lock by shifting into low gear. This mechanical component forces all wheels to rotate at the same speed. This is particularly useful in extreme conditions where you need maximum traction, so it'll help a lot when you get completely stuck.
For instance, the diff lock is useful when a wheel lifts off the ground, allowing the remaining wheels to regain traction. Remember, for improved off-road performance, you can combine the diff lock with the AWD system.
How to Use the Vehicle Control Panel
The vehicle control panel is where you’ll be able to shift gears, engage or disengage AWD, start or stop the engine, and control other key features of a truck. There are various settings you need to understand to use the Vehicle Control Panel to its full capacity.
For example: Auto is the main gearbox mode. When you select Auto, the gears will automatically shift.
Neutral - is the one you use when the vehicle is being towed.
Reverse - when you activate reverse mode you’ll be able to travel backwards.
Low - this setting reduces the risk of wheelspin and is the one you use when you want to activate the differential lock. Certain trucks can be upgraded to have gearboxes with additional low gears (the + and - symbols you'll see in the vehicle control panel). These gears will allow you to further adjust the wheel rotation speed.
High - Not all trucks will have this setting as this feature is only available on certain gearboxes. If you can, you should use this gear to save fuel when driving at high speeds for a long time.
Understanding the Tire Inflation System
Another thing that can get you out of complicated situations is the Tire Inflation System. By adjusting the pressure of your tires you can significantly improve traction but at the cost of higher fuel consumption. This mechanic is great for driving over rocks and tricky terrain, however, if you drive at high speed using low-pressure tires you will damage them.
There are three inflation settings:
- Low pressure works great for terrains with rocks but it’s average in mud. This setting is the one that consumes the most fuel
- Reduced Pressure has excellent tire traction on terrains with rocks but has average traction on mud. This setting has an average fuel consumption.
- Normal Pressure has an average tire traction on rocks and mud but is the setting that consumes the least fuel.
Plan Your Drive
Given MudRunner's rugged and varied landscapes, planning your course is essential. Luckily, the map screen enables you to plot a singular course by placing waypoints. You should know that the next (not the nearest) marker from your vehicle is automatically highlighted. So when you switch to a second truck, the course won't point towards the closest waypoint, but the one closest to the other truck.
That said, there are a few helpful options that help you adjust your course without having to do it. As you plot your course, pay attention to the landscape. Err on the side of placing more markers instead of leaving long gaps -- you can actually see a lot of the landscape on the map screen. Plan the path down visible climbs and through sparsely wooded areas, but if you encounter an obstacle that looks too risky to try and overcome, return to the map screen to adjust your course.
For one, you can select a marker on your path and delete it. Pressing Y (Xbox), Triangle (PS), or X (Switch) will delete the last waypoint (far away from the vehicle), holding the same button will delete the entire path, but selecting a point to where it lights up white lets you hit X (Xbox, Switch) or Square (PS) to delete just that point. This lets you take on waypoints in the middle of the path or ones that you may have driven past and you want to delete without having to redo the entire course. But most importantly, you can select and drag waypoints with that same button, which enables you to shape the path and adjust it on the fly.
Keep an Eye on Your Fuel Consumption
Your truck consumes fuel whenever the engine is running, so if you want to take five and admire the view, turn that engine off!
Certain mechanics - like reducing the tire's pressure or using the AWD mode - will increase even further the amount of fuel your truck consumes. But it doesn't end there, some upgrades, like engine upgrades, will also increase the amount of fuel the truck uses. So always consider the trade-offs of installing new upgrades. There are upgrades that permanently increase your fuel storage that you should prioritize. Look at our Truck List and find your favorite vehicle, then prioritize earning/chasing down side-mounted racks and especially roof racks.
You also need to keep a close eye on the fuel meter when you're out in the world exploring. Otherwise, you risk running out of fuel in the middle of an expedition. You can check your fuel consumption rate by checking the fuel gauge on the lower left side of your screen.
To counter this, stop at Airdrops and also carry extra fuel canisters for refueling during expeditions. To carry these canisters, you'll need to open your truck's inventory from the game's garage menu. There, you'll be able to choose items for your inventory and cargo slots. These canisters can only be equipped in cargo slots and go for 500 each, so they aren’t free, and not all trucks can carry them as not all trucks have sideboards where you can carry cargo.
Repairing Your Vehicle
If you’re not careful, you might end up damaging your truck during your adventures. Luckily, you can use spare parts to repair damaged components. There are five different components you need to keep an eye on:
- Wheels
- Gearbox
- Gas tank
- Engine
- Suspension
Each one of them can be damaged to different degrees. To know how much damage you’re dealing with, open the vehicle status panel on the lower left corner to see how much repairing a component needs.
Inventory vs. Cargo
Depending on the truck you’re using, you’ll be able to carry objects on the inventory and cargo slots. The inventory is present in all trucks and it shows the available inventory capacity of the vehicle, bigger trucks have larger inventories.
Cargo slots are only present on vehicles that can be equipped with cargo frame modules, like off-road and heavy trucks. Both of these can be upgraded to include even more slots. If you don't have cargo space, you can't complete certain tasks and contracts that require hauling some equipment.
Trucks Behave Differently on Different Surfaces
For example, when exploring an area with grass you can expect your vehicle to slide much less than if you were in a muddy area. To avoid any issues, you’ll need to use mechanics that improve traction and reduce wheelspin, like lowering tire pressure or shifting to low gear.
Moreover, wet mud can clog up the wheels and reduce traction, this will only improve if you move to a drier terrain.
Essential Tips and Tricks
Below is a list of some of the best tips and tricks we have to succeed in the wilderness.
Slow and steady wins the race!
Once you have deployed your truck and are ready to begin a new expedition it can be extremely compelling to pump the gas pedal and go as fast as you can. However, the terrains in this game can be pretty unforgiving for those who don’t want to take things slowly.
We recommend that you only use the gas pedal to give the truck a little push and let gravity do the rest (especially when climbing down). This way, you will be able to react in time to possible threats like rocks that can damage your engines, slippery slopes, or avoid falling into the water.
The drone and the mini-map are your best friends
Unsure of where to go? Use the mini-map to see where the next quest mark is. Not only that but the mini-map can give you some hints on where or not to traverse as it contains some of the three-dimensional ups and downs of the terrain, like big rocks or smooth paths.
However, if you need more information than the one the mini-map can provide use your binoculars and your drone.
Seriously, using the drone to scout the area to try and find the safest route is our number one tip to not getting stuck in the first place. With the drone, you can go up and down and explore corners before you have to go there with your truck. The only downside is that it has a limited range, if you get too far from your truck, you’ll get the “bad signal” message on the screen and you won’t be able to fly any further.
However, by bringing the right specialist with you, you’ll be able to increase the range of your drone.
If you can afford it, bring Anchors and Jack-Screws with you
Even if the expedition does require it, you should bring at least one anchor and -- at least for larger trucks that don't have autonomous winches -- one Jack-Screw with you, these items could be the difference between completing or failing an assignment.
Standard Anchors can be used five times and they’ll allow you to create an anchor point on which you can attach the winch. There are also Removable Anchors in the game that can be used multiple times. Look for them in Airdrops. Since they're a valuable commodity, you can store them at your Outposts instead of selling them when you return to HQ. Using anchors can be super useful when there aren't natural anchor points, like trees, around. Jack-Screws on the other hand can only be used two times and they’ll allow you to return the car to a horizontal position when you’ve turned it upside down.
The downside is that down the line, bringing these items can become an expensive safety net, but better to be safe than sorry.
Use your money wisely
You’ll start the game with over 30,000 on your account, at first this might seem like a ton of money and you'll think it’s fine to spend it all on truck upgrades. However, expeditions don’t pay that much at first, so it’s incredibly easy to spend more than you’re going to make on a mission.
This can quickly leave you at a disadvantage, if you’re out of money you won’t be able to buy a necessary upgrade that can make the expedition way easier or you might even not be able to hire the specialist that’s required for a specific expedition.
We recommend that you focus more on traversing through the right path than buying parts that can protect you from crash damage and that if you’re going to spend money, spend it on upgrades for one or two trucks and use them as much as you can.
You can change the time of day
This game features a dynamic day and night cycle that helps with immersion. however, as expected, seeing during the night is trickier than during the day.
That’s why we recommend completing your expeditions during the day, and when the night comes around change it by skipping the time in the map menu. However, if you enjoy exploring the map at night make sure to turn on the headlights
Use the Drone and Binoculars Regularly
Maps have to be explored to be made visible. A new map will only show the area visible around you. However, you can expand that view very effectively without wasting fuel on exploring first. When you use your binoculars and look around, the viewable area (up to a certain distance) will be filled in in dark gray. That means you can see the topography and already spot access routes and a possible path.
The drone goes one step farther. By flying the drone, you're replacing black and gray areas of the map with a fully explored view. That means you'll see all details, including landscape features, water, trees, Air Drops, climbs, rubble, and more. The drone has a range limit, but that can be extended by bringing the right Specialist. This is a key strategy to explore circular areas that are often displayed as "Explore the area" mission objectives.
Pay attention to where you’re deploying your truck
At the start of each expedition, you’ll be able to select where you want to deploy your vehicle (whether that’ll be in the Field Operation Base or in one of the available outposts that’s completely up to you). We can't stress this enough, pay attention to where you're deploying your trucks, otherwise you might end up on the other side of the map with your first quest marker kilometers away. The pre-briefing map also doesn't show you which gateway connects to what map. When in doubt, just snap a screenshot of the mission screen that shows the locations of your objectives and refer to it if you're confused where to deploy. Or use the handy maps in this guide.
Explore the map to find Points of Interest
While driving around a map or using binoculars or a drone to look around, you might find some interesting points of interest like:
- Air Drops: these drops contain resources, inventory items, and treasures you can sell to make quick cash. Drops will spawn at random points on the map every time you start an expedition.
- Vehicle Upgrades: While you’ll unlock some upgrades just by completing certain expeditions, to unlock others you’ll need to find them on the map and pick them up. Once you do they’ll be available for installation in the garage.
- Transition Points (Gateways): these are points that will allow you to move from one point on the map to neighboring ones. However, these points might not be available from the beginning of the game and you’ll need to complete certain expeditions to unlock them.
- Bridges and Debris: in certain areas, you can create bridges or remove stone rubble to create shortcuts between impassable terrain. These are not free, you’ll need to deliver a specific amount of spare parts to create these shortcuts. Note that even after you've paid the necessary parts, the option to add more still exists. It's a bug. Don't waste your resources.
Always read the expedition’s tips
When you select an expedition you’ll be able to read a summary of the assignment as well as tips on what you might encounter. Make it a habit to read these tips as they’ll allow you to prepare better for the challenges ahead. For example, from these tips you can gather the type of vehicle you should bring, the type of terrain you will encounter, how much will you travel, the expedition’s difficulty, and more. Some missions also provide topographical hints, such as "near a dead tree" -- you can zoom in on the map to figure out which location is the right one.
Don’t be afraid to recover your truck
Truck recovery is an amazing mechanic that allows you to bring back your truck to one of the available bases or outposts. At the beginning of an expedition, this option will be free of charge, but after recovering your truck a few times during the same expedition you’ll need to start paying a recovery fee that will vary from truck to truck.
On missions where you won't lose out on bonus pay for using the recovery option, we recommend using it to get back to the base without having to go over your steps or when you're truck is so stuck there's nothing else you can do but go back to where you started.
Don’t underestimate the winch
It has its learning curve, but once you understand how and when to use the winch it is a complete game changer. This device allows you to attach the truck to suitable objects, like a tree or an anchor, to pull the vehicle towards the object it is attached to.
You can use this device to get you through difficult terrain, to turn the truck over, to get you out of muddy terrains, to descend from elevated terrain ("abseiling"), to make sharper turns, and more.
You can learn more about this device by reading our How to Use the Winch guide.