Expedition is Gallipoli’s main game mode: one team attacks, one defends, and understanding how it actually works is the difference between winning and falling apart on the field. Here’s how it works in detail.
The structure: sectors and objectives
The battlefield is split into several sectors, laid out in a row between the attacker and defender spawns. Each sector has two objectives to control in order to take it, and sectors must be taken in order, advancing toward the defenders’ spawn. If attackers capture every sector within the time and resources available, they win; otherwise the defenders win.
So far, players coming from Isonzo will feel right at home. This is where the differences begin.
Momentum: the attackers’ lifeblood
While capturing objectives and pushing forward, attackers must manage Momentum: a resource representing how well the assault is going. It starts at 100, and one point is lost every time an attacking soldier dies. In short, 1 Momentum = 1 attacker life.
You’re not expected to clear every objective with just 100 men: Momentum can be regained in several ways:
- Kill threshold: a portion of Momentum returns once 50 defenders are taken out; the amount depends on how long it took.
- Capturing an objective: a small amount when it’s captured for the first time.
- Securing an objective: a large amount once the objective is fully secured.
Defenders have no Momentum: their goal is to drain the attackers’ Momentum by killing them without taking losses, or to hold their Headquarters by any means necessary.
Two objective types per sector
Each sector has a Headquarters and a Support Objective.
The Headquarters is the primary objective: only after it’s captured AND secured (only attackers can secure it) does the fight move to the next sector, and at that point defenders can no longer take it back.
The Support Objective isn’t required to advance, but if captured it grants bonus Momentum, acts as a forward spawn point for whoever controls it, and comes equipped with mortars and a field gun to support the fight for the HQ. It can never be secured: the enemy can always try to retake it.
Randomized objectives
No two battles are alike: the Headquarters location is randomly chosen between two possible spots per sector, with the Support Objective at the other one.
The Headquarters type is random too, between two variants.
Build to secure: requires building 3 structures, randomly placed among 5 possible locations. Multiple people can work on the same structure to speed things up, but you’ll also need people holding off the enemy. Build progress is never lost, even if the objective changes hands.
Detonate to secure: plant a bomb on the objective to destroy it. Once destroyed, it’s secured. Defenders can disarm it at any time.
With 11 possible Headquarters layouts, 2 layouts per sector and up to 5 sectors per map, a large map can have up to 5,153,632 different combinations. The next sector’s layout is only revealed once the previous one is secured.
Foothold: the attackers’ last chance
When Momentum hits zero, Foothold kicks in: an overtime timer that keeps counting down unless attackers are contesting an objective that would still grant Momentum. In that case, any action that would normally give Momentum instead extends the Foothold timer. There’s no way to remove Foothold once triggered: it stays until the battle ends.
As long as allies keep fighting on the Headquarters objective or keep extending the timer, attackers can still win: it’s even possible to trigger Foothold in the very first sector and still take the battle, if they lock it in. If Foothold hits zero and no attacker reaches an objective within 3 seconds, the battle goes to the defenders.
Summary
- Attackers need to be fast and efficient to avoid wasting Momentum while capturing objectives.
- Defenders need to dig in and stop attackers in their tracks, draining their Momentum.
- The Headquarters must be secured to advance; the Support Objective grants Momentum, weapons and a spawn point. The layout is randomized every sector.
- Foothold is the attackers’ last-ditch effort once Momentum runs out: never underestimate it as a defender.
Source: official devblog “Gallipoli - Introducing the Expedition Game Mode”, BlackMill Games. Work in progress, details subject to change before and after launch.