This is the practical guide for running Expeditions on Immortal Realm. For the underlying framework, Immortal Realm Expeditions. The Sunken Archives is the first and currently only live variant.
Quick Answer
- Talk to Archivist Marek at the Britain docks (Trammel).
- He hands you an Expedition Charter — the expedition starts at this moment.
- Recruit up to 3 others; have them walk to you and double-click the charter in your pack/hand within 3 tiles to join.
- Travel together to the expedition region.
- Work through shared objectives within 90 minutes (warnings fire at 15 and 5 min remaining).
- Bring the recovered scroll back to Marek to complete and split the rewards.
Quick Facts
| Party size | 2-4 players (4 is the hard cap; 2 is the design floor, not runtime-enforced) |
| Time limit | 90 minutes from charter creation, plus any buff time |
| Scheduling | On-demand (talk to Marek) |
| Instance scope | Private region — non-members are ejected back to the entrance |
| Failure | Time-out (forced fail, party teleported to entrance), or every member leaves |
| Sunken Archives reward (per member) | 1,500 gold + 10 Time Tokens + 3 Blood Crystals + 1 Archived Knowledge volume + Seasonal Ledger source credit |
| Repeatability | The Sunken Archives is one completion per account, ever (SunkenArchivesDone account tag) |
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Talk to Archivist Marek
Marek stands near the Britain docks (Trammel, around 1539, 1747). He's the keeper of lost knowledge — the only NPC currently issuing Expedition Charters.
- If you have already completed the Sunken Archives, Marek tells you the work is done; he won't issue another charter.
- If you have not, he describes the situation (a water spirit holding the deepest chamber of the Old Archives) and hands you an Expedition Charter — a Blessed item, named expedition charter -- The Sunken Archives, that drops into your pack.
The expedition starts the moment Marek issues the charter. The 90-minute timer begins. Your name is entered as the first member.
Step 2: Recruit Party Members
Now that you have a charter, find up to three other players. Recruitment options:
| Option | Notes |
|---|---|
| Guild members | Easiest if you're in an active guild |
| Friends / chat | Direct invite |
| Stranger pickup | Post in chat: "Sunken Archives charter, looking for 1-3, leaving in X minutes" |
When a recruit reaches you (within 3 tiles), they double-click the charter in your pack or your hands. The system runs the join check — if the expedition is still IsActive and your party is below the 4-member cap, they're added. Each new join broadcasts to the party: "<name> has joined the expedition! (n/4)".
There is no roster lock. Members can keep joining at any point during the run, as long as the cap isn't met and the expedition is still active. You can also have someone join after you've already cleared a room.
Step 3: Travel to the Expedition Region
The expedition region is near the entrance Marek pointed you to. Joining the charter does not teleport anyone. Each member walks, recalls, or moongates to the area on their own.
Non-members who try to enter the region are ejected back to the entrance with "You are not part of this expedition." Roster membership is the only key to the region.
Step 4: Work the Objectives
The Sunken Archives has shared objectives (gates, tomes, the boss, the scroll). Mechanically:
| Behavior | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shared progress | Any member completing an objective marks it for everyone |
| Lockpicking | Inner gates need lockpicks — bring at least one capable picker |
| Combat | Elementals scale up the deeper you go; the boss (The Archivist) is a real fight |
| Checkpoints | The system auto-sets a recovery point as you advance — disconnects rejoin at your latest checkpoint, not back at the entrance |
Open the charter (double-click in your own pack) at any time to see the Expedition Gump: time remaining, member list (with online/offline status), objective checklist, plus a Rejoin Expedition button that teleports you to the latest checkpoint and a Leave Expedition button.
Step 5: Watch the Timer
The timer is 90 minutes from charter creation. The system messages all members:
- At 15 minutes remaining: "WARNING: 15 minutes remaining!"
- At 5 minutes remaining: "WARNING: 5 minutes remaining!"
- At 0 remaining: "The expedition has FAILED! Time has run out." — all online members are teleported back to the entrance, the region cleans up, the charter is destroyed, no rewards are paid.
A timeout is a hard fail, not a partial-credit outcome.
Step 6: Return the Scroll to Marek
After the boss is down and the Ancient Archive Scroll is in someone's pack, that player walks back out to Marek. Talking to Marek with the scroll triggers CompleteExpedition — the system pays every member their share, regardless of who's carrying the scroll.
Each member receives, dropped to their backpack:
- 1,500 gold
- 10 Time Tokens (added to the account total)
- 3 Blood Crystals
- 1 Archived Knowledge volume (a flavor-named keepsake item)
- Seasonal Ledger source credit (
sunken_archives_done)
Each member's account is then tagged SunkenArchivesDone = "1". From that point on, Marek will not issue another charter to that account — the Sunken Archives is one completion per account, ever (until and unless a future variant ships).
The charter is consumed at completion (or at fail / timeout). There is no charter reuse.
Charter Buffs (Order Enhancements)
Two Order systems can enhance a charter before the expedition starts, adding bonus time:
High Ledger Witness+ Enhancement
A High Ledger member at Witness rank or higher can apply a tiered buff via the Ledger Expedition Upgrade Gump:
| Tier | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | +5 min |
| 2 | +10 min |
| 3 | +15 min |
A Ledger-buffed charter shows the leader: "High Ledger enhancement active: +N minutes added to the expedition timer."
Chirurgeon Prestige Hunt Blessing
A Chirurgeon at sufficient rank can apply a separate buff via the Chirurgeon Prestige Hunt Gump. The Chirurgeon buff is additive on top of any Ledger buff:
| Tier | Bonus | Extra |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +3 min | — |
| 2 | +5 min | Party revival enabled |
| 3 | +8 min | Party revival enabled |
| 4 | +10 min | Party revival + loot boost |
A Chirurgeon-blessed charter shows: "Chirurgeon's blessing active: +N minutes added to the expedition timer. Party revival enabled." (where applicable).
If you're going into the Sunken Archives and you have access to either Order, get the buff applied to your charter before recruiting. The combined cap (Ledger T3 + Chirurgeon T4) is +25 minutes, taking the run from 90 to 115 minutes — a significant cushion if your group is new.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to "gather, then activate." There's no separate activate step. The expedition starts the second Marek hands you the charter; recruit afterward.
- Recruiting outside the 3-tile range. Joiners have to be within 3 tiles to double-click your charter.
- Forgetting the charter is consumed. A failed run destroys the charter. With Sunken Archives being one-per-account, that's your shot — make it count.
- Skipping the lockpicker. Inner gates need actual lockpicking; bringing a capable picker is the most-overlooked party requirement.
- Trying to come back after a timeout. Timeout is a forced fail. There is no partial credit.
- Bringing too few players. 2-4 is the design range; 1 is technically possible (the runtime doesn't block it) but the boss isn't calibrated for it.
- Not getting Order buffs first. A Ledger T3 + Chirurgeon T4 blessed charter has 25 extra minutes and party revival — both significant for a first run.
Strategic Tips
| Stage | Tip |
|---|---|
| First run | Treat it as exploration; the layout sequence (gates → tomes → boss) is only obvious in retrospect |
| Composition | At least one member with lockpicking; mage support helps against elementals |
| Order buffs | Get them applied to the charter before talking to Marek if possible — though buffs apply at any point before activation, the cleanest flow is buff → talk → recruit |
| Recovery | If a member dies, the latest checkpoint becomes their respawn point; they can re-enter via the charter gump's Rejoin button |
| The boss | The Archivist (water spirit) is a real fight — bring resurrection options, especially without the Chirurgeon T2+ party revival buff |
Where to Read Next
- For the underlying expedition framework, Immortal Realm Expeditions.
- For the broader dungeon layer, Immortal Realm Dungeons.
- For convoy-style group content (no charter required, repeatable), Convoys and How to Run Convoys.
- For the Order systems that buff charters, High Ledger Guide and College of Chirurgeons.
- The download page is the on-ramp when you're ready.
Visual reference
Click to enlarge.
